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Study shows drop in unnecessary care after Medicare reimbursement cut
When Medicare policy changes led to reductions in reimbursement for hormonal treatment of prostate cancer, there was a sharp decline in its use among patients not likely to benefit from the treatment. But among patients for whom the therapy is clearly beneficial, doctors continued to prescribe it at the same rate, according to a new study.
This finding suggests that financial reform of health care can reduce unnecessary care without impacting care to those patients most likely to benefit from a treatment.
"We found that physicians respond to reimbursement, but they respond in a way that appears to be beneficial to the patient. They don't tend to cut out necessary care, but they tend to cut out unnecessary or inappropriate care. This suggests cutting reimbursements in the right context can help reduce unnecessary care," says lead study author Vahakn B. Shahinian, M.D., M.S., assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and a member of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Results of the study appear Nov. 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The researchers looked at use of androgen deprivation therapy, a common type of treatment for prostate cancer that involves blocking the male hormone testosterone through a regular injection. Clinical trials have shown clear benefit for men with high-risk tumors who receive this treatment along with radiation therapy. But the benefit is less clear when androgen deprivation therapy is used by itself in lower risk tumors.
Through the 1990s, Medicare reimbursement for this therapy was set at 95 percent of the average wholesale price of the drug. The average practice got the drug for 82 percent of wholesale, which allowed for large profits by many practices. Use of androgen deprivation therapy grew until half-million men were receiving it at its peak, with more than $1 billion in Medicare expenditures.
The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 changed policies for reimbursement of injected medications, including hormonal therapy, eventually setting it at 106 percent of the average sale price by 2005. This number was more precise than the wholesale price, as it was based on actual sales transactions reported by the pharmaceutical companies, leaving less room for profit.
Shahinian and his colleagues looked at data from 54,925 men treated for prostate cancer from 2003 to 2005, using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare database, a large population-based registry.
"SEER-Medicare has all the detailed cancer and treatment data we needed to categorize these patients, and it gave us a very good picture of the response to this change in Medicare reimbursement," said study author Yong-Fang Kuo, an associate professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
Scott M. Gilbert, M.D., M.S., assistant professor of urology at the University of Florida College of Medicine, was also a co-author.
Patients were separated into three categories for androgen deprivation therapy based on the characteristics of their disease and the other treatment they received: appropriate use, potentially inappropriate use and discretionary.
Over the course of the Medicare reimbursement cuts, use of androgen deprivation therapy stayed steady for patients in the appropriate use category. Inappropriate use, however, dropped from 39 percent at the end of 2003 to 22 percent by the end of 2005. The discretionary group also declined, but more moderately.
In that time, reimbursements for ADT fell from $356 per dose in 2003 under the initial reimbursement to $176 per dose in 2005 under the revised reimbursement.
"There's a growing realization that these treatments might have more side effects than we first realized," Shahinian says. "Some of the patients who had been receiving androgen deprivation therapy would tend to do well without any treatment, and a lot of older patients die of causes other than their prostate cancer. It's inappropriate to treat these men when there is limited likelihood of benefit, no positive proof of benefit and increasing threat of side effects."
Shahinian notes that during this same time period, more studies were uncovering side effects to this treatment, which may also have influenced use of this treatment.
"Androgen deprivation therapy remains a life-saving treatment for a certain subset of patients, and in our study, those patients continued to be prescribed this treatment. Financial incentives are most likely to impact physician behavior when there's a gray zone in terms of benefit, not when there's clear evidence of life-saving benefit," Shahinian says.


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New Financial Football Lesson Plans for Educators
Get your students game-ready by using Visa's free Financial Football lesson plans and student
Get your students game-ready by using Visa's free Financial Football lesson plans and student
Visa hosted booth sharing games, comics and workbooks at the
The Associated Press . October 19, 2018
The Toy Insider . October 19, 2018
Forbes . October 17, 2018
USA Today . October 17, 2018
Visa and the National Football League have teamed up to create Financial Football, a fast-paced, interactive game that engages students while teaching them personal finance skills. The new release features 3D graphics and game-changing opportunities with audibles, blitzes and game-breaking plays. The game is available to play for free through iOS and Android apps and online. Play at www.financialfootball.com
Where can I download Finanical Football? | |
Financial Football is available as a free direct download for Windows and Mac operating systems. The game is also available for free in the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. Get the game |
How does the leaderboard work? | |
Players who record the most wins for their favorite team will help their NFL team climb the leaderboard. You can view the leaderboard in three ways: by division, conference or overall league standings. |
Are there other free games like Financial Football I can play? | |
Yes, you can play free games like Financial Soccer at Practical Money Skills. |
The game won't run / runs poorly for me. | |
Read about our system requirements. Go to downloads |
Can I embed the game on my website? | |
Adding these games is easy; simply copy the line of code associated with the game you would like to include on your site and paste into your code where you would like it to appear. |
Where can I find the Financial Football Press Kit? | |
Financial Football's Press Kit assets are available at Practical Money Skills' Media center. http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/about/media/press_kit. |

subset: commoncrawl


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Green Roofs in El Paso
As a proud and certified green roofer in El Paso, Inter Cubes is committed to providing sustainable green roof systems in addition to offering a complete line of services for residential and commercial properties. As a licensed green roof company, our experienced team of eco roof experts design and install customized green roof constructions that include carefully selected plants that have been cultivated to withstand the environmental conditions of El Paso urban rooftop areas. Not only will a green flat roof enhance the appearance of your property, but will help reduce energy costs and allow green roof property owners to make a positive contribution to the environment.
Should I Install a Green Roof?
A green roof, also known as a "living roof" is comprised of vegetation that is planted over a waterproof roof membrane. In addition to enhancing a home or business in El Paso, Inter Cubes designs an eco roof to provide efficient roof drainage to reduce storm water runoff preserving siding and gutter systems that can also serve as an additional food source. In addition to providing an additional habitat for wildlife, studies have indicated that energy efficient roofing also reduces stress through the additional greenspace available in the midst of a concrete urban atmosphere.
Urban Heat Effect
Aside from these and other benefits, one of the most notable advantages of a green roof system is its ability to mitigate the "heat island effect' or "urban heat effect" defined as an urban area that is prone to higher temperatures due to a more dense population and the heat from the sun that becomes trapped by concrete, glass and paved roads. Countless studies have shown that the plants on a green roof system function naturally to filter air and rainwater that results in cooler urban areas overall. Extensive research has shown that if more property owners invested in a green roofing system particularly in densely populated cities, the average temperature would significantly drop in the hottest urban areas.
Green Roof Assessment and Installation
As a reputable green roof company, Inter Cubes works closely with home and business owners in El Paso to assess a range of factors for property owners considering green roof construction. Learn more about a range of green roofing options that include the installation of a sedum roof, a green shingle roof, or installing an intensive green roof system that are matched up with your particular vision as well as specific budget concerns. Vegetation layout and green roof drainage is thoroughly discussed during an onsite consultation at your home or business.
Consult with our El Paso eco roof specialists regarding services that include:
Green Roof Inspection – Includes a membrane inspection, energy efficiency evaluation, design assessment, and irrigation and drainage inspection.
Green Roof Installation – Certified installation of green roof membrane, vegetation and irrigation system according to carefully planned specifications.
Green Roof Maintenance – Fertilizer, irrigation maintenance, weeding and knowledgeable green roofing expertise from Inter Cubes experts.
Green Roof Estimates – We provide an evaluation of your existing roof material and offer qualified advice on the most suitable vegetation and layout for your El Paso property.


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German Chancellor Fellowship
Applications for the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation's German Chancellor Fellowship are now open. The German Chancellor Fellowship allows recent university graduates to spend one year conducting a project of their design with the host of their choice in Germany. The project can be in any field, but should be research-based and create a positive social impact. Benefits include full financial support, a language course and a study tour culminating with meeting Chancellor Angela Merkel. For more information on the German Chancellor Fellowship and application process, visit humboldt-foundation.de/web/german-chancellor-fellowship.html. Although applications will not be due until Sept. 15 applicants are encouraged to begin drafting project proposals and securing host affiliations early.


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By Chris Coyier
Did you know that you can use Wufoo's Report Builder to design reports that are based on a specific time period? Typically, most reports are setup to show All Entries in their data settings, which means time is not a factor and all entry data is used to create the graphs and charts. However, there are circumstances where creating a report for a specific time period is pretty useful.
Example #1 – Special Giveaway (entries from a specific day)
Let's say you are using your Wufoo form to collect registrations for a special event. To help promote the event, you tell people, if you sign up today, you'll get a FREE melon baller! While the promotion is a one day special, you run the event registration for a week, which means when the registration period ends, you need to find out who gets an awesome melon baller. To do this in a report, you can simply create a report that shows all entries that came on that specific day like so:.
If you wanted to run the promotion across several days, then that's easy too. You can show entries for a range of days by clicking the little (+) button so you have two date options to work with. For one, choose "Date Created" "is before" the date after your promo closed, and for the other, "Date Created" "is after" the day before your promo started.
Example #2 – eCommerce Workflow (entries from yesterday)
Perhaps you are using a Wufoo form to collect orders and payments to sell T-Shirts. As part of your eCommerce workflow, you decide to ship out all T-Shirts that were ordered the day before. To make this process easier, you can create a report that only shows entries that happened yesterday. We'll do this by using Wufoo's support for relative dates, that is, entering the value "-1 day" in the date field.
Here's a list of all the possible relative dates and formats Wufoo supports. When dealing with eCommerce, remember to make sure that the entries have actually paid you. If you are using the Datagrid widget to display all the entry data, we have options you can turn on to also display the Payment Status, Payment Total, etc.
The best possible way to cross-reference payment status is to also check in your payment merchant account. You want to be extra sure anybody you mail that T-Shirt to actually paid you!
Example #3 – Support Scrum (entries from last week)
Let's say you run a small business, and each week all your employees get together and go over what happened in the last week. As part of the agenda, you go over each contact email that you received to make sure those people were properly handled. To help with this, you can create a report which displays all entries in the last week. Again, we'll use Wufoo's ability to handle relative dates. We can use the keyword "-1 week" to get what we need here.
High Five!
Hopefully, these reporting tips proved useful. If you use time-based reports in a unique way in your workflow, let us know in the comments below. We love hearing about that stuff. If you'd like to see an example, we put up a demo report that shows data from the last one month of our demo customer satisfaction survey.


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Beauty of Kamakura Japan Travel Poster Print
Beauty of Kamakura Japan Travel Poster Print
Explore the historical richness and natural beauty of Kamakura, Japan, with our travel poster. This artwork captures the timeless allure of this coastal city, known for its historic temples, serene beaches, and lush greenery.
📣 Please take note: You are purchasing only the print. Frames are for illustration purposes only and no frames will be sent with your order.
Discount will automatically be applied in the shopping basket and at checkout.
Print Sizes
Print Sizes
We offer our prints in a variety of sizes:
- 13×18 cm / 5x7"
- 15×20 cm / 6x8"
- A4 21x29.7 cm / 8×12"
- 27×35 cm / 11×14"
- 28×43 cm / XL (11×17")
- A3 (29.7 × 42 cm)
- 30×45 cm / 12×18"
- 40×60 cm / 16×24"
- A2 (42 × 59.4 cm)
- 50x70 cm / 20×28"
- A1 (59.4 × 84.1 cm)
- 60×80 cm / 24×32"
- 60×90 cm / 24×36"
- 70×100 cm / 28×40"
- 75×100 cm / 30×40"
- A0 (84.1 x 118.9 cm)
Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance
We ensure our prints are of the highest quality:
- Heavier-weight, white, premium matte paper
- 200 gsm/80 lb paper weight for durability and longevity
- FSC-certified paper or equivalent certifications for environmental sustainability
- Ultra-chrome archival inks for the highest quality that are fade resistant
- Robust packaging ensures safe and secure delivery of each poster
If you have any further questions please contact us via the chat icon or the contact form on the contact page.
Shipping & Delivery
Shipping & Delivery
We ship worldwide. Please refer to our Shipping Policy for more details on where we ship to and for how much it costs.
Please refer to our Return Policy.
Care information
Care information
• Handle with Clean Hands: Always wash and dry your hands thoroughly before handling prints. Oils, dirt, and moisture from your hands can damage the surface over time.
• Avoid Direct Sunlight: Keep framed prints away from direct sunlight and extreme heat or humidity. Exposure to these elements can cause fading and damage.
• Protect from Dust: Keep prints covered or enclosed to protect them from dust and pollutants that can accumulate on the surface.
• Avoid Adhesive Tape: Never use adhesive tape directly on prints, as it can damage the paper or artwork. Use archival photo corners or hinges for mounting, if required.
• Maintain Stable Temperature and Humidity: Store prints in an environment with stable temperature and humidity levels. Fluctuations can cause warping, buckling, or deterioration.
We believe in individuality and personal expression. That's why we offer customisation of our prints. Enjoy the flexibility of changing or removing the text, and the best part? It's absolutely free of charge!
To customise a print, before you place your order please send us a message via our contact page with your customisation request so we can confirm your exact requirements.


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Carpet Wholesalers Flooring Supercenter
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We pride ourselves in our customer relationships. We work closely with our clients on all projects whether it is aerial drone video for real estate or custom web design. That is perhaps the essence of RGC Media, Inc. You enjoy personal attention that seems increasingly more elusive in today's market. Our customers and clients are our marketing team. This is why we aim to exceed your every expectation whether we are it is for a simple logo design or a full custom video production. We can help with branding, graphic design, full video and media production, television commercials, custom website design and more. Contact us today and take the first step in bringing your project to reality!
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text: At Hillside Salon, you'll be cared for by experienced professionals who are educated in classic as well as modern fashion and techniques. Their services include: hair cutting and styling, facials, manicures and pedicures, massages, lash extensions, hair extensions ane more. Hillside Salon caters to men, women and children (accompanied by an adult).


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It would be easy to regard Oswald Spengler, author of the epochal Decline of The West in the aftermath of World War I, as a Russophobe. In so doing the role of Russia in the unfolding of history from this era onward could be easily dismissed, opposed or ridiculed by proponents of Spengler, while in Russia his insights into culture-morphology would be understandably unwelcome as being from an Slavophobic German nationalist. However, while Spengler, like many others of the time in the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution, regarded – partially – Russia as the Asianised leader of a 'coloured revolution' against the white world, he also considered other possibilities.
Spengler regarded Russians as formed by the vastness of the land-plain, as innately antagonistic to the Machine, as rooted in the soil, irrepressibly peasant, religious, and 'primitive'. Without a wider understanding of Spengler's philosophy it appears that he was a Slavophobe. However, when Spengler wrote of these Russian characteristics he was referencing the Russians as a still youthful people in contrast to the senile West. Hence the 'primitive' Russian is not synonymous with 'primitivity' as popularly understood at that time in regard to 'primitive' tribal peoples. Nor was it to be confounded with the Hitlerite perception of the 'primitive Slav' incapable of building his own State.
To Spengler, the 'primitive peasant' is the well-spring from which a race draws its healthiest elements during its epochs of cultural vigour. Agriculture is the foundation of a High Culture, enabling stable communities to diversify labour into specialisation from which Civilisation proceeds.
However, according to Spengler, each people has its own soul, a German conception derived from the German Idealism of Herder, Fichte et al. A High culture reflects that soul, whether in its mathematics, music, architecture; both in the arts and the physical sciences. The Russian soul is not the same as the Western Faustian, as Spengler called it, the ' Magian' of the Arabian civilisation, or the Classical of the Hellenes and Romans. The Western Culture that was imposed on Russia by Peter the Great, what Spengler called Petrinism, is a veneer.
The basis of the Russian soul is not infinite space – as in the West's Faustian (Spengler, 1971, I, 183) imperative, but is 'the plain without limit' (Spengler, 1971, I, 201). The Russian soul expresses its own type of infinity, albeit not that of the Western which becomes even enslaved by its own technics at the end of its life-cycle. (Spengler, 1971, II, 502). (Although it could be argued that Sovietism enslaved man to machine, a Spenglerian would cite this as an example of Petrinism). However, Civilisations follow their life's course, and one cannot see Spengler's descriptions as moral judgements but as observations. The finale for Western Civilisation according to Spengler cannot be to create further great forms of art and music, which belong to the youthful or ' spring' epoch of a civilisation, but to dominate the world under a technocratic-military dispensation, before declining into oblivion like prior world civilisations. It is after this Western decline that Spengler alluded to the next world civilisation being that of Russia.
According to Spengler, Russian Orthodox architecture does not represent the infinity towards space that is symbolised by the Western high culture's Gothic Cathedral spire, nor the enclosed space of the Mosque of the Magian Culture, (Spengler, 1971, I, 183-216) but the impression of sitting upon a horizon. Spengler considered that this Russian architecture is 'not yet a style, only the promise of a style that will awaken when the real Russian religion awakens' (Spengler, 1971, I, p. 201). Spengler was writing of the Russian culture as an outsider, and by his own reckoning must have realised the limitations of that. It is therefore useful to compare his thoughts on Russia with those of Russians of note.
Nikolai Berdyaev in The Russian Idea affirms what Spengler describes:
There is that in the Russian soul which corresponds to the immensity, the vagueness, the infinitude of the Russian land, spiritual geography corresponds with physical. In the Russian soul there is a sort of immensity, a vagueness, a predilection for the infinite, such as is suggested by the great plain of Russia. (Berdyaev, 1).
The connections between family, nation, birth, unity and motherland are reflected in the Russian language:
род [rod]: family, kind, sort, genus родина [ródina]: homeland, motherland родители [rodíteli]: parents родить [rodít']: to give birth роднить [rodnít']: to unite, bring together родовой [rodovói]: ancestral, tribal родство [rodstvó]: kinship
Western-liberalism, rationalism, even the most strenuous efforts of Bolshevik dialectal materialism, have so far not been able to permanently destroy, but at most repress, these conceptions – conscious or unconscious – of what it is to be 'Russian'. Spengler, as will be seen, even during the early period of Russian Bolshevism, already predicted that even this would take on a different, even antithetical form, to the Petrine import of Marxism. It was soon that the USSR was again paying homage to Holy Mother Russia rather than the international proletariat.
Of the Russian soul, the ego/vanity of the Western culture-man is missing; the persona seeks impersonal growth in service, 'in the brother-world of the plain'. Orthodox Christianity condemns the 'I' as 'sin' (Spengler, 1971, I, 309).
The Russian concept of 'we' rather than 'I', and of impersonal service to the expanse of one's land implies another form socialism to that of Marxism. It is perhaps in this sense that Stalinism proceeded along lines often antithetical to the Bolshevism envisaged by Trotsky et al. (Trotsky, 1936).
A recent comment by an American visitor to Russia, Barbara J. Brothers, as part of a scientific delegation, states something akin to Spengler's observation:
The Russians have a sense of connectedness to themselves and to other human beings that is just not a part of American reality. It isn't that competitiveness does not exist; it is just that there always seems to be more consideration and respect for others in any given situation.
Of the Russian traditional ethos, intrinsically antithetical to Western individualism, including that of property relations, Berdyaev wrote:
Of all peoples in the world the Russians have the community spirit; in the highest degree the Russian way of life and Russian manners, are of that kind. Russian hospitality is an indication of this sense of community. (Berdyaev, 97-98).
Russian National Literature starting from the 1840s began to consciously express the Russian soul. Firstly Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol's Taras Bulba, which along with the poetry of Pushkin, founded a Russian literary tradition; that is to say, truly Russian, and distinct from the previous literature based on German, French and English. John Cournos states of this in his introduction to Taras Bulba:
The spoken word, born of the people, gave soul and wing to literature; only by coming to earth, the native earth, was it enabled to soar. Coming up from Little Russia, the Ukraine, with Cossack blood in his veins, Gogol injected his own healthy virus into an effete body, blew his own virile spirit, the spirit of his race, into its nostrils, and gave the Russian novel its direction to this very day.
Taras Bulba is a tale on the formation of the Cossack folk. In this folk-formation the outer enemy plays a crucial role. The Russian has been formed largely as the result of battling over centuries with Tartars, Muslims and Mongols.
Their society and nationality were defined by religiosity, as was the West's by Gothic Christianity during its 'Spring' epoch, in Spenglerian terms. The newcomer to a Setch, or permanent village, was greeted by the Chief as a Christian and as a warrior: 'Welcome! Do you believe in Christ?' —'I do', replied the new-comer. 'And do you believe in the Holy Trinity?'— 'I do'.—'And do you go to church?'—'I do.' 'Now cross yourself'. (Gogol, III).
Gogol depicts the scorn in which trade is held, and when commerce has entered among Russians, rather than being confined to non-Russians associated with trade, it is regarded as a symptom of decadence:
I know that baseness has now made its way into our land. Men care only to have their ricks of grain and hay, and their droves of horses, and that their mead may be safe in their cellars; they adopt, the devil only knows what Mussulman customs. They speak scornfully with their tongues. They care not to speak their real thoughts with their own countrymen. They sell their own things to their own comrades, like soulless creatures in the market-place…. . Let them know what brotherhood means on Russian soil! (Spengler, 1971, II, 113).
Here we might see a Russian socialism that is, so far form being the dialectical materialism offered by Marx, the mystic we-feeling forged by the vastness of the plains and the imperative for brotherhood above economics, imposed by that landscape. Russia's feeling of world-mission has its own form of messianism whether expressed through Christian Orthodoxy or the non-Marxian form of 'world revolution' under Stalin, or both in combination, as suggested by the later rapport between Stalinism and the Church from 1943 with the creation of the Council for Russian Orthodox Church Affairs (Chumachenko, 2002). In both senses, and even in the embryonic forms taking place under Putin, Russia is conscious of a world-mission, expressed today as Russia's role in forging a multipolar world, with Russia as being pivotal in resisting unipolarism.
Commerce is the concern of foreigners, and the intrusions bring with them the corruption of the Russian soul and culture in general: in speech, social interaction, servility, undermining Russian 'brotherhood', the Russian 'we' feeling that Spengler described. (Spengler 1971, I, 309).
The Cossack brotherhood is portrayed by Gogol as the formative process in the building up of the Russian people. This process is not one of biology but of spirit, even transcending the family bond. Spengler treated the matter of race as that of soul rather than of zoology. (Spengler, 1971, II, 113-155). To Spengler landscape was crucial in determining what becomes 'race', and the duration of families grouped in a particular landscape – including nomads who have a defined range of wandering – form 'a character of duration', which was Spengler's definition of 'race'. (Spengler, Vol. II, 113). Gogol describes this ' race' forming process among the Russians. So far from being an aggressive race nationalism it is an expanding mystic brotherhood under God:
The father loves his children, the mother loves her children, the children love their father and mother; but this is not like that, brothers. The wild beast also loves its young. But a man can be related only by similarity of mind and not of blood. There have been brotherhoods in other lands, but never any such brotherhoods as on our Russian soil. (Golgol, IX).
The Russian soul is born in suffering. The Russian accepts the fate of life in service to God and to his Motherland. Russia and Faith are inseparable. When the elderly warrior Bovdug is mortally struck by a Turkish bullet his final words are exhortations on the nobility of suffering, after which his spirit soars to join his ancestors. (Gogol, IX). The mystique of death and suffering for the Motherland is described in the death of Tarus Bulba when he is captured and executed, his final words being ones of resurrection:
'Wait, the time will come when ye shall learn what the orthodox Russian faith is! Already the people scent it far and near. A czar shall arise from Russian soil, and there shall not be a power in the world which shall not submit to him!' (Gogol, XII).
A significant element of Spengler's culture morphology is 'Historic Pseudomorphosis'. Spengler drew an analogy from geology, when crystals of a mineral are embedded in a rock-stratum: where 'clefts and cracks occur, water filters in, and the crystals are gradually washed out so that in due course only their hollow mould remains'. (Spengler, II, 89).
By the term 'historical pseudomorphosis' I propose to designate those cases in which an older alien Culture lies so massively over the land that a young Culture, born in this land, cannot get its breath and fails not only to achieve pure and specific expression-forms, but even to develop its own fully self-consciousness. All that wells up from the depths of the young soul is cast in the old moulds, young feelings stiffen in senile works, and instead of rearing itself up in its own creative power, it can only hate the distant power with a hate that grows to be monstrous. (Ibid.).
A dichotomy has existed for centuries, starting with Peter the Great, of attempts to impose a Western veneer over Russia. This is called Petrinism. The resistance of those attempts is what Spengler called 'Old Russia'. (Spengler, 1971, II, 192). Spengler described this dichotomy:
Nikolai Berdyaev wrote in terms similar to Spengler's: 'Russia is a complete section of the world, a colossal East-West. It unites two worlds, and within the Russian soul two principles are always engaged in strife – the Eastern and the Western'. (Berdyaev, 1).
With the orientation of Russian policy towards the West, 'Old Russia' was 'forced into a false and artificial history'. (Spengler, II, 193). Spengler wrote that Russia had become dominated by Late Western culture:
Late-period arts and sciences, enlightenment, social ethics, the materialism of world-cities, were introduced, although in this pre-cultural time religion was the only language in which man understood himself and the world. (Spengler, 1971, II, 193).
'The first condition of emancipation for the Russian soul', wrote Ivan Sergyeyevich Aksakov, founder of the anti-Petrinist 'Slavophil' group, in 1863 to Dostoyevski, 'is that it should hate Petersburg with all this might and all its soul'. Moscow is holy, Petersburg Satanic. A widespread popular legend presents Peter the Great as Antichrist.
The hatred of the 'West' and of 'Europe' is the hatred for a Civilisation that had already reached an advanced state of decay into materialism and sought to impose its primacy by cultural subversion rather than by combat, with its City-based and money-based outlook, 'poisoning the unborn culture in the womb of the land'. (Spengler, 1971, II, 194). Russia was still a land where there were no bourgeoisie and no true class system but only lord and peasant, a view confirmed by Berdyaev, writing: 'The various lines of social demarcation did not exist in Russia; there were no pronounced classes. Russia was never an aristocratic country in the Western sense, and equally there was no bourgeoisie'. (Berdyaev, 1).
The cities that emerged threw up an intelligentsia, copying the intelligentsia of Late Westerndom, 'bent on discovering problems and conflicts, and below, an uprooted peasantry, with all the metaphysical gloom, anxiety, and misery of their own Dostoyevski, perpetually homesick for the open land and bitterly hating the stony grey world into which the Antichrist had tempted them. Moscow had no proper soul'. (Spengler, 1971, II, 194). Berdyaev likewise states of the Petrinism of the upper class that 'Russian history was a struggle between East and West within the Russian soul'. (Berdyaev, 15).
Berdyaev states that while Petrinism introduced an epoch of cultural dynamism, it also placed a heavy burden upon Russia, and a disunity of spirit. (Ibid.). However, Russia has her own religious sense of Mission, which is as universal as the Vatican's. Spengler quotes Dostoyevski as writing in 1878: 'all men must become Russian, first and foremost Russian. If general humanity is the Russian ideal, then everyone must first of all become a Russian'. (Spengler, 1963, 63n). The Russian Messianic idea found a forceful expression in Dostoyevski's The Possessed, where, in a conversation with Stavrogin, Shatov states:
Reduce God to the attribute of nationality?…On the contrary, I elevate the nation to God…The people is the body of God. Every nation is a nation only so long as it has its own particular God, excluding all other gods on earth without any possible reconciliation, so long as it believes that by its own God it will conquer and drive all other gods off the face of the earth. …The sole 'God bearing' nation is the Russian nation… (Dostoyevsky, 1992, Part II: I: 7, 265-266).
This is Russia as the Katechon, as the 'nation' whose world-historical mission is to resist the son of perdition, a literal Anti-Christ, according go the Revelation of St. John, or as the birthplace of a great Czar serving the traditional role of nexus between the terrestrial and the divine around which Russia is united in this mission. This mission as the Katechon defines Russia as something more than merely an ethno-nation-state, as Dostoyevsky expressed it. (Ibid.). Even the USSR, supposedly purged of all such notions, merely re-expressed them with Marxist rhetoric, which was no less apocalyptic and messianic, and which saw the 'decadent West' in terms analogous to elements of Islam regarding the USA as the 'Great Satan'. It is not surprising that the pundits of secularised, liberal Western academia, politics and media could not understand, and indeed were outraged, when Solzhenitsyn seemed so ungrateful when in his Western exile he unequivocally condemned the liberalism and materialism of the a 'decadent West'. A figure who was for so long held up as a martyr by Western liberalism transpired to be a traditional Russian and not someone who was willing to remake himself in the image of a Western liberal to for the sake of continued plaudits. He attacked the modern West's conceptions of 'rights', 'freedom', 'happiness', 'wealth', the irresponsibility of the 'free press', 'television stupor', and referred to a 'Western decline' in courage. He emphasised that this was a spiritual matter:
But should I be asked, instead, whether I would propose the West, such as it is today, as a model to my country, I would frankly have to answer negatively. No, I could not recommend your society as an ideal for the transformation of ours. Through deep suffering, people in our own country have now achieved a spiritual development of such intensity that the Western system in its present state of spiritual exhaustion does not look attractive. Even those characteristics of your life which I have just enumerated are extremely saddening. (Solzhenitsyn, 1978).
These are all matters that have been addressed by Spengler, and by traditional Russians, whether calling themselves Czarists Orthodox Christians or even 'Bolsheviks' or followers of Putin.
Spengler's thesis that Western Civilisation is in decay is analogous to the more mystical evaluations of the West by the Slavophils, both reaching similar conclusions. Solzhenitsyn was in that tradition, and Putin is influenced by it in his condemnation of Western liberalism. Putin recently pointed out the differences between the West and Russia as at root being 'moral' and religious:
Another serious challenge to Russia's identity is linked to events taking place in the world. Here there are both foreign policy and moral aspects. We can see how many of the Euro-Atlantic countries are actually rejecting their roots, including the Christian values that constitute the basis of Western civilisation. They are denying moral principles and all traditional identities: national, cultural, religious and even sexual. (Putin, 2013).
Spengler saw Russia as outside of Europe, and even as 'Asian'. He even saw a Western rebirth vis-à-vis opposition to Russia, which he regarded as leading the 'coloured world' against the whites, under the mantle of Bolshevism. Yet there were also other destinies that Spengler saw over the horizon, which had been predicted by Dostoyevski.
Once Russia had overthrown its alien intrusions, it could look with another perspective upon the world, and reconsider Europe not with hatred and vengeance but in kinship. Spengler wrote that while Tolstoi, the Petrinist, whose doctrine was the precursor of Bolshevism, was 'the former Russia', Dostoyevski was 'the coming Russia'. Dostoyevski as the representative of the 'coming Russia' 'does not know' the hatred of Russia for the West. Dostoyevski and the old Russia are transcendent. 'His passionate power of living is comprehensive enough to embrace all things Western as well'. Spengler quotes Dostoyevski:
'I have two fatherlands, Russia and Europe'. Dostoyevski as the harbinger of a Russian high culture 'has passed beyond both Petrinism and revolution, and from his future he looks back over them as from afar. His soul is apocalyptic, yearning, desperate, but of this future he is certain'. (Spengler, 1971, II, 194).
To the 'Slavophil', of which Dostoyevski was one, Europe is precious. The Slavophil appreciates the richness of European high culture while realising that Europe is in a state of decay. Berdyaev discussed what he regarded as an inconsistency in Dostoyevski and the Slavophils towards Europe, yet one that is comprehensible when we consider Spengler's crucial differentiation between Culture and Civilisation:
Dostoyevsky calls himself a Slavophil. He thought, as did also a large number of thinkers on the theme of Russia and Europe, that he knew decay was setting in, but that a great past exists in her, and that she has made contributions of great value to the history of mankind. (Berdyaev, 70).
It is notable that while this differentiation between Kultur and Zivilisation is ascribed to a particularly German philosophical tradition, Berdyaev comments that it was present among the Russians 'long before Spengler', although deriving from German sources:
It is to be noted that long before Spengler, the Russians drew the distinction between 'culture' and 'civilization', that they attacked 'civilization' even when they remained supporters of 'culture'. This distinction in actual fact, although expressed in a different phraseology, was to be found among the Slavophils. (Ibid.).
Dostoyevski was indifferent to the Late West, while Tolstoi was a product of it, the Russian Rousseau. Imbued with ideas from the Late West, the Marxists sought to replace one Petrine ruling class with another. Neither represented the soul of Russia. Spengler states: 'The real Russian is the disciple of Dostoyevski, even though he might not have read Dostoyevski, or anyone else, nay, perhaps because he cannot read, he is himself Dostoyevski in substance'. The intelligentsia hates, the peasant does not. (Ibid.). He would eventually overthrow Bolshevism and any other form of Petrinism. Here we see Spengler unequivocally stating that the post-Western civilisation will be Russian.
For what this townless people yearns for is its own life-form, its own religion, its own history. Tolstoi's Christianity was a misunderstanding. He spoke of Christ and he meant Marx. But to Dostoyevski's Christianity, the next thousand years will belong. (Ibid.).
To the true Russia, as Dostoyevski stated it, 'not a single nation has ever been founded on principles of science or reason'. (Dostoyevski, 1872, II: I: VII).
By the time Spengler had published The Hour of Decision in 1934 he was stating that Russia had overthrown Petrinism and the trappings of the Late West, and while he called the new orientation of Russia 'Asian', he said that it was 'a new Idea, and an idea with a future too'. (Spengler, 1963, 60). To clarify, Russia looks towards the 'East', but while the Westerner assumes that 'Asia' and East are synonymous with Mongol, the etymology of the word 'Asia' comes from Greek Aσία, ca. 440 BC, referring to all regions east of Greece. (Ibid., 61). During his time Spengler saw in Russia that,
Race, language, popular customs, religion, in their present form… all or any of them can and will be fundamentally transformed. What we see today then is simply the new kind of life which a vast land has conceived and will presently bring forth. It is not definable in words, nor is its bearer aware of it. Those who attempt to define, establish, lay down a program, are confusing life with a phrase, as does the ruling Bolshevism, which is not sufficiently conscious of its own West-European, Rationalistic and cosmopolitan origin. (Ibid.).
Of Russia in 1934 Spengler already saw that 'of genuine Marxism there is very little except in names and programs'. He doubted that the Communist programme is 'really still taken seriously'. He saw the possibility of the vestiges of PetrineBolshevism being overthrown, to be replaced by a 'nationalistic' Eastern type which would reach 'gigantic proportions unchecked'. (Spengler, 1963, 63). Spengler also referred to Russia as the country 'least troubled by Bolshevism', (Ibid.,182) and the 'Marxian face [was] only worn for the benefit of the outside world'. (Ibid., 212). A decade after Spengler's death the direction of Russia under Stalin had pursued clearer definitions, and Petrine Bolshevism had been transformed in the way Spengler foresaw. (Brandenberger, 2002).
As in Spengler's time, and centuries before, there continues to exist two tendencies in Russia : the Old Russian and the Petrine. Neither one nor the other spirit is presently dominant, although under Putin Old Russia struggles for resurgence. U.S. political circles see this Russia as a threat, and expend a great deal on promoting 'regime change' via the National Endowment for Democracy, and many others; these activities recently bringing reaction from the Putin government against such NGOs. (Telegraph, 2015).
Spengler in a published lecture to the Rheinish-Westphalian Business Convention in 1922 referred to the 'ancient, instinctive, unclear, unconscious, and subliminal drive that is present in every Russian, no matter how thoroughly westernised his conscious life may be – a mystical yearning for the South, for Constantinople and Jerusalem, a genuine crusading spirit similar to the spirit our Gothic forebears had in their blood but which we can hardly appreciated today'. (Spengler, 1922).
Bolshevism destroyed one form of Petrinism with another form, clearing the way 'for a new culture that will some day arise between Europe and East Asia. It is more a beginning than an end'. The peasantry 'will some day become conscious of its own will, which points in a wholly different direction'. 'The peasantry is the true Russian people of the future. It will not allow itself to be perverted or suffocated'. (Ibid.).
The arch-Conservative anti-Marxist, Spengler, in keeping with the German tradition of realpolitik, considered the possibility of a Russo-German alliance in his 1922 speech, the Treaty of Rapallo being a reflection of that tradition. 'A new type of leader' would be awakened in adversity, to 'new crusades and legendary conquests'. The rest of the world, filled with religious yearning but falling on infertile ground, is 'torn and tired enough to allow it suddenly to take on a new character under the proper circumstances'. Spengler suggested that 'perhaps Bolshevism itself will change in this way under new leaders'. 'But the silent, deeper Russia,' would turn its attention towards the Near and East Asia, as a people of 'great inland expanses'. (Ibid.).
While Spengler postulated the organic cycles of a High Culture going through the life-phases of birth, youthful vigour, maturity, old age and death, it should be kept in mind that a life-cycle can be disrupted, aborted, murdered or struck by disease, at any time, and end without fulfilling itself. Each has its analogy in politics, and there are plenty of Russophobes eager to stunt Russia's destiny with political, economic and cultural contagion. The Soviet bloc fell through inner and outer contagion.
Spengler foresaw new possibilities for Russia, yet to fulfil its historic mission, messianic and of world-scope, a traditional mission of which Putin seems conscious, or at least willing to play his part. The invigoration of Orthodoxy is part of this process, as is the leadership style of Putin, as distinct from a Yeltsin for example. Whatever Russia is called outwardly, whether, monarchical, Bolshevik or democratic, there is an inner – eternal – Russia that is unfolding, and whose embryonic character places her on an antithetical course to that of the USA.
- Nikolai Berdyaev, The Russian Idea, MacMillan Co., New York, 1948.
- D Brandenberger, National Bolshevism: Stalinist culture and the Formation of Modern Russian National Identity 1931-1956. Harvard University Press, Massachusetts, 2002.
- T A Chumachenko, Church and State in Soviet Russia, M. E. Sharpe Inc., New York, 2002.
- H Cournos,'Introduction', N V Gogol, Taras Bulba & Other Tales, 1842, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1197/1197-h/1197-h.htm
- Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov, 1880
- Dostoevsky, The Possessed, Oxford University Press, 1992.
- V Putin, address to the Valdai Club, 19 September 2013.
- Alexander Solzhenitsyn, A World Split Apart — Commencement Address Delivered At Harvard University, June 8, 1978
- Oswald Spengler, Prussian and Socialism, 1919.
- Spengler, 'The Two Faces of Russia and Germany's Eastern Problems', Politische Schriften, Munich, 14 February, 1922.
- Spengler, The Hour of Decision, Alfred A Knopf, New York, 1963.
- Spengler, The Decline of The West, George Allen & Unwin, London, 1971.
- Telegraph, Vladimir Putin signs new law against 'undesirable NGOs', May 24, 2015,
- Leon Trotsky, The Revolution Betrayed: what is the Soviet Union and where is it going?, 1936.


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Rumford Baking Powder (Non Aluminum)
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Rumford Baking Powder (Non Aluminum)
Rumford baking powder has the same carbon dioxide gas release as the majority of double-acting bakery institution type baking powders. Use the typical amounts used in the various types of baked products.
INGREDIENTS: Monocalcium Phosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda), Food-Grade Cornstarch (non-GMO)
- Leavening carbon dioxide is released by the reaction of sodium bicarbonate with monocalcium phosphate in the presence of moisture. About 60% is released at batter temperature, and the rest is released in the oven.
- Store in a cool, dry place and keep container tightly closed. Heat and moisture are harmful and should be avoided.


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Yesterday I called on Congress to pass an emergency measure to require Emergency Paper Ballots be made available at the polls during this November's general election. I spelled out several reasons for this last-ditch, "Hail Mary" attempt to try and mitigate just some of the myriad problems and disenfranchisment that will occur at polling places this year thanks to new, poorly designed, malfunctioning, unsecure electronic voting machines now deployed across the nation.
Never mind the electronic voting machine fraud that is likely to occur. Never mind the proven inaccuracies of these god-awful machines. Never mind the ease at which they are now proven to be hackable. My concern right now --- this late in the game --- is simply to assure that voters who show up at the polls and are legally registered to vote, may actually be able to cast a vote at all!
In primary after primary this year, voters have been told to "come back later" or, at best, given a provisional ballot (which may or may not ever be counted) when voting machines either failed to work or, frequently, weren't even present by the time voters showed up to vote. That is voter disenfranchisement, pure and simple, and it affects voters of any and all political stripes.
Common sense (one would think) would dictate that State and County Election Directors would mandate Emergency Paper Ballots for voters to use in the event of machine unavailability. Though the Secretaries of State in several states so far this year (Texas, Arkansas, etc.) have issued emergency orders for such Emergency Paper Ballots, remarkably, many states and counties didn't bother and thousands of legally registered voting citizens were sent home in the bargain.
The legislation required by Congress to mandate Emergency Paper Ballots (I call it the "LET AMERICA VOTE ACT") is incredibly simple. In yesterday's article, I included a three-sentence piece of legislation. Below, is a more fully-formed draft legislation based on those three sentences as sent to me orginally by Bob Wilson of the Illinois Ballot Integrity Project.
Along with additional tweaks by myself and a few others, my complete suggested legislation can be read --- in it's entirety --- in about 30 seconds. It's posted in full below.
If Congress cares (and if you help them to do so!), I'm quite certain that this measure can be passed by both houses of Congress and signed by George W. Bush with Terri Schiavo-like speed.
I'd think our democracy is worth at least as much. And I know it's certainly worth trying for!
Some have responded to my call for this LAVA legislation ("Let democracy flow!") by pointing out that the method of counting and/or auditing these Emergency Paper Ballots must be included in the legislation. My answer to them is that I agree with their point! However, at this late in the game (with only some 5 or 6 legislative days left before Congress recesses prior to the election) I don't want to give any Congress member any reason to oppose this act!
In other words, with the time we have left, if all we can do is assure that at least there will be a piece of paper on which a registered voter may cast a vote this November --- if they bother to show up --- then we will be doing a service to democracy. It's an incredible fact, but even something as simple has that has not been the case in many places this year. Last week's Maryland primary, were thousands were forced to go without voting at all when the machines failed to work, was a prime example!
Some have said there is no time to get this bill passed. I don't care. Let's get it passed anyway. If it fails, at least we will have a "paper trail" to point back to on November 8th when everyone else is wondering what went wrong and if anybody had tried to do anything about it while there was still time. Those of us who give a damn will have done everything we could.
I continue to speak to folks in Congress about sponsorship of this bill, and I urge all American citizens to contact their Congress Members --- as well as their state and local officials --- to demand that non-provisional Emergency Paper Ballots be made available at the polls this year!
You can contact your Congress person here (and you can contact local media here.)
(The URL for this article is: https://bradblog.com/?p=3502. Feel free to point them to it!)
Let's get to work! This effort is about all we have left legislatively at this point! Please spread the word everywhere. My complete suggested language for the LET AMERICA VOTE ACT is posted below...
WHEREAS significant failures of electronic voting machines have occurred in various jurisdictions during primary elections held in Illinois, Texas, Georgia, Maryland and other states during 2006, and
WHEREAS such failures have forced legitimate, registered voters to have been turned away from the polls by the thousands so far in 2006 primary elections simply because neither voting machines nor paper ballots were available for use when the voters arrived at their polling place, and
WHEREAS the probability exists that such failures will continue and the adverse results of such failures will be multiplied and increased in magnitude by the additional number of voters participating in the November 7, 2006 General Election, and
WHEREAS the potential exists for massive disenfranchisement of American voters in the November 7, 2006 General Election, by such failures of electronic voting machines,
NOW THEREFORE be it enacted that:
A. For the November 7, 2006, General Election, each election jurisdiction shall be required to prepare and print Emergency Paper Ballots of the proper ballot style for all races and propositions which shall be contested in that jurisdiction.
B. Such Emergency Paper Ballots shall be printed in sufficient quantity to guarantee that every voter who may require one, either as requested or as a result of voting machine unavailability, shall be able to receive such an Emergency Paper Ballot.
C. As with all provisional ballots, such Emergency Paper Ballots shall be printed in all languages specified for ballots in that jurisdiction.
D. Any voter eligible to vote in the jurisdiction in which he or she requests an Emergency Paper Ballot shall be entitled to receive and cast such Emergency Paper Ballot, regardless of the type of ballot that shall have been specifiied in that jurisdiction through operation of law, without further qualification, request, proof or furnishing of reason for such request.
E. Such Emergency Paper Ballots shall be official ballots for purposes of casting, tabulating, audits, redundant counts and recounts, and shall not be considered provisional ballots.
F. Emergency Paper Ballots shall be cast and tabulated in the same manner as all other ballots cast on November 7, 2006.
G. The associated costs to states for this mandate will be reimbursed out of Help America Vote Act funding.
H. This Act shall terminate and cease to have effect on February 28, 2007.
UPDATE 9/26/06: Boxer & Dodd introduce Emergency Paper Ballot Legislation in the Senate! House version to come soon! Details here...


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Darkness Within 2: The Dark Lineage
Another nightmare is about to start; this time you investigate your very own past as The Dark Lineage hunts you down. Investigate and prevail before the darkness swallows you!
Genre: Adventure Horror/Thriller
Release Date: May 21, 2010 (UK); June (localized versions across Europe)
Platform: PC
Note: Originally published 6 July 2010
This review originally appeared on Adventure Lantern. Our sincere thanks to Ugur Sener for allowing Just Adventure to share his review with our readers.
Howard Loreid wakes up to find himself in a small cottage. He has no recollection of leaving the mental institution or arriving at this place. He looks around the room in a daze, trying to piece together what might have happened. Are the cottage and the bed he is lying in real or is this yet another lucid dream? A letter on the bedside table only raises more questions. Apparently, Howard has been brought here for his own protection. Who is seeking to harm him? Why is he in danger? The letter asks Howard to take a train to the town of Arkhamend. Perhaps there he will finally find some answers. Perhaps the gloomy town will finally provide an ending to his relentless nightmare.
Developed by Zoetrope Interactive, The Dark Lineage is the second and final chapter in the Darkness Within series. Starting out as a deceptively simple police investigation, the first game had explored detective Howard Loreid's encounter with the supernatural and struggle to cling to his sanity. The second installment focuses on the detective's ancestry. In a town plagued by bizarre experiments and unholy rituals, Howard tries to stay alive and discover the truth about his family. With its interesting storyline and innovative 3D engine, The Dark Lineage starts out as a promising game. Unfortunately, a series of problems ultimately keep the game from reaching its full potential.
Like the original game, Darkness Within 2 is inspired by the work of H. P. Lovecraft. Themes of insanity, hidden knowledge, and unknowable terrors appear throughout the adventure. The decrepit buildings you explore, the strange contraptions you have to operate, and the ominous sounds ever present in the background feel very appropriate. The locations are rendered with great attention to detail. The game makes good use of lighting and shadow effects to create a gloomy atmosphere.
Unfortunately, it would be a stretch to call The Dark Lineage a horror adventure. There is certainly a depressing and mysterious tone about each environment you explore. However, Darkness Within 2 lacks the tension and the sense of danger that was conveyed very effectively in the first chapter. Whether you were wondering what monstrosity could be found at the bottom of a well or trying to wake up from a hellish nightmare, the original game could create and sustain a feeling of suspense. The Dark Lineage does have a compelling mystery that should keep players interested, but it lacks the original game's scariness. Part of the problem is that Darkness Within 2 creates a lesser feeling of isolation. During the majority of the first game, Howard was alone. This sense of seclusion greatly augmented the atmosphere. After all, there is something spooky about entering a house all by yourself after you have just read a journal entry about all the dark and mysterious things that took place in the building. In the second game, Howard has more opportunities to talk to other characters. While this may be appropriate given the game's story, it does take away from the atmosphere. The eeriness gets significantly diminished when you enter an abandoned building immediately after talking to a friendly innkeeper.
A second issue is with the animations. At several key points in the game, you will be presented with images that are clearly intended to be scary. Yet the graphics seem to fall short during these moments. The animations that are supposed to be frightening look a little too cartoon-like to be anything but mildly startling. Howard's heavy breathing and exclamations are not a substitute for inadequate imagery. It is a shame that these few animations don't deliver in a game that otherwise boasts beautiful graphics. While continuing the storyline from the previous game, Darkness Within 2 introduces several new features. The most prominent change is the new 3D engine. The original Darkness Within was a point-and- click adventure game played from a first-person perspective. Moving the mouse changed the direction Howard was facing. It was not possible to move freely through the environment. Instead, the locations were divided into nodes. Players navigated between the nodes using the mouse and interacted with various objects. This system has been discarded in Darkness Within 2.
The 3D engine used in The Dark Linage gives players significantly greater freedom of movement. The WASD keys are used to walk around the environment. Howard can jump over obstacles and crouch to take a closer look at objects on the ground. The left mouse button is used to interact with objects. Howard can open doors, pick up inventory items, or use various devices. In addition, several larger objects can be pushed or pulled. For instance, Howard can pull a chair to access drawers or push away a cabinet that is blocking his way.
At the surface, the features of the 3D engine help enhance the gameplay experience. It is initially entertaining to have the opportunity to truly look at every nook and cranny of a room. The idea of moving larger objects to reveal clues is interesting. However, the actual implementation in The Dark Lineage leaves something to be desired. Sure, many rooms contain pieces of furniture you can push or pull. Unfortunately, you rarely gain anything from your redecoration efforts. Moving furniture does not necessarily help you solve puzzles or spot inventory items. Similarly, crouching down to see the floor or jumping on top of things to investigate higher surfaces is usually fruitless. Of course, since the occasional puzzle does require you to find a small hotspot on the floor or move an object out of the way, there is an obligation to perform these actions in every room. In the end, what should have been great features lead to unnecessary tedium.
Despite the significant changes in the interface, Darkness Within 2 does retain some features from its predecessor. For instance, the inventory system will be familiar to those who played the original game. The inventory is accessed with the right mouse button. Items are displayed in boxes along the top portion of the screen. Arrow buttons are available to scroll to the left and right. The 'magnifying glass' icon can be used to bring certain items up for a closer view. The 'brain' icon is used to review important clues and combine inventory items. As players proceed through the game, 'thoughts' will get added to Howard's inventory. These 'thoughts' may come from discovering important items or reading key documents. The inventory screen can be used to combine these 'thoughts,' allowing Howard to make deductions about his investigation.
The idea inventory is another feature of The Dark Lineage that could have been better implemented. Maintaining short summaries of all the important clues is certainly helpful. If you step away from the game for awhile, these notes can provide quick reminders as to what you were doing and help you avoid backtracking. The thought combinations on the other hand do not work quite as well. The majority of the combinations you attempt are not accepted. You may think of ways two clues are connected, but chances are Howard will disagree. By the time you visit a few locations and accumulate a significant number of clues, trying to join items from your thought inventory becomes little more than a pointless exercise.
In addition to the inventory screen, Darkness Within 2 features research puzzles that are similar to the ones found in the previous game. These puzzles allow players to underline full sentences or phrases in documents. If the underlined portion is relevant to Howard's investigation, a new clue gets added to the thought inventory. If you don't want to bother hunting down the important lines, the game also features an option to automatically search documents for clues. However, there are a few hidden clues that can only be found if you take the time to conduct the research manually. These puzzles are great at helping players focus on critical portions of documents. They force you to catch the important details that might otherwise get overlooked.
Another player-friendly feature of Darkness Within 2 is the hint system. At the beginning of the game, players are given the option to choose one of three difficulty settings. In the 'standard' mode, hints are offered as soon as they become available. Players also have access to the automatic research button. In the 'detective' mode, hints are only offered if the player has been stuck for a while and manual research is required. The hardest setting is called 'senior detective,' where no hints are available. In the 'senior detective' mode, the game also hides the counter that indicates how many clues are available in a given document. After making their initial selection, players have the option to make adjustments during the game. The options menu allows players to change how hints are delivered and whether or not automatic research should be available.
The availability of three difficulty settings and the customization options are certainly a nice touch. However, it is worth noting that the hints you receive may not be particularly useful. While The Dark Lineage is not overly difficult, the game does have a couple of fairly obscure puzzles. You'll need to read a few documents, find the right inventory items, and rely on your deductive reasoning skills to get past many of the challenges. A few more direct hints could have alleviated some potential player frustration. Darkness Within 2 is a rather short game for a commercial release. My first playthrough took a little less than seven-and-a-half hours. The game does include a number of secrets and Easter eggs, which may provide some replay value if you miss some of them during your first attempt. You can find these by solving extra puzzles that are not essential to the story. A scorecard presented at the end of the game tells you how many of the secrets you were able to find. It is worth mentioning that the game has more than one ending as well. Nevertheless, no amount of extra content is replacement for a richer storyline with more locations to explore, characters to meet, and puzzles that matter to the plot.
The conclusion of Howard's adventure is particularly disappointing. Sure, the central storyline gets resolved and you will have an idea about what happens to the main characters. The developments in Darkness Within 2 also explain the conclusion of the first game. But The Dark Lineage does not provide answers for a number of questions raised during the course of the adventure. Granted, there isn't anything wrong with a vague ending that leaves a few things to interpretation. Every single question does not need to be answered with immaculate detail. Yet when the box itself says this will be the final installment in the series, it seems reasonable to expect a more satisfying conclusion.
Overall, Darkness Within 2: The Dark Lineage feels like a missed opportunity. Here is a game that has all the elements that could make a great adventure. There is an interesting mystery surrounding Howard and his family. The gloomy town with its dark history makes an enticing place to explore. The graphics are excellent and the interface has promising features. A couple of devious puzzles show the Zoetrope team knows how to provide a challenge. The hint system and the ability to customize difficulty options are great ways to make the game accessible to newer players. Unfortunately, despite all the positives, a number of issues significantly detract from the overall experience. The game ends too soon with too many questions left unanswered. The thought inventory and the ability to move larger objects turn into chores rather than adding depth to the game. It might explore some dark themes, but what is supposed to be a horror adventure fails to be scary. The Dark Lineage could have been a truly great adventure. It is still worth considering if you think you can overlook its issues. However, it might be best suited for those who enjoyed the original game and would like to see the conclusion to Howard's story.
Final Grade: C+
System Requirements:
Windows® 2000/XP/Vista/7
1.5GHz Intel® Pentium® or equivalent
512 MB RAM (1GB for Vista)
256MB DirectX® 9.0c compatible video card
4X speed PC-DVD-ROM
3 GB HD space
DirectX® 9.0c compatible sound card


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Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
know your onions
Also, if you're a London-dweller, you should come to the Bust Christmas Craftacular next Sunday (November 27th) at York Hall, Bethnal Green. I'll be there with the lovely MEMO Helen.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Monday, November 07, 2011
Friday, November 04, 2011
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The dense rocky forests and jutting fjords of Norway seem to be the ideal setting for a magical creature that turns to stone if it encounters elusive sunlight.
Norway love and appreciates their trolls and put them on lots of souvenirs and signs. But, is there anyone who believes that trolls might actually exist?
Trolls are part of Scandinavian lore and they are pretty much similar to ogres. They are often described as stupid, dirty, and huge. And, the reason they say there are large rocks all over Norway is that, trolls had encountered the sunlight. They are often described as shapeshifters that are capable of going invisible and sneaking into places without needing use doors and windows. Their hiding places are considered to be under rock croppings and cave-like areas.
When I was a child, my father was a Thorvaldsen from Norway. The family changed their name in the late 1920s after coming to America. He used to tell me great tales of the most troublesome and stupid trolls and sometimes even kind ones. I was a child in the era of troll dolls, so imagine my obsession!
In that interesting way that I study Native legends, the legends of the trolls intrigue me because - they are giants and they cannot handle sunlight. This has been reported often and the Cherokee spoke of the moon-eyed people they had to drive from the lands in North Carolina, "white" people who could not tolerate sunlight. In ancient times, trolls were reportedly giants and over time stories made them smaller and smaller. Repeatedly, we hear legends of Native people around the world, encountering giants, and having to outsmart them.
The movie, "Trollhunter" (one of my favs) is a great concept. But, are there people out there in the woods of Scandinavia seeking such creatures?
Is there a troll curse?
The Troll A petroleum drilling platform has had a few accidents. Odd ones too.
In one incident, a worker was being airlifted by helicopter because he was ill. He opened the emergency door and jumped out 2000 feet to his death.
Another worker was hit by a steel beam being swung by a crane.
Trolltunga (Troll's tongue): 2300 feet above a lake, this jut of rock is terrifying to look at, much less to climb upon.
The legend of Torghatten Mountain in Norway -
Hestmannen, a troll, was chasing a beautiful virgin. When he realized he could not catch her, he shot an arrow to kill her. The troll king, Somna, threw his hat into the air to block the arrow's path at the maiden. The hat turned into a mountain with a hole in the middle.
In actuality, it is said that the ice age created the crevice.
My Norse people definitely have a great sense of humor about their legends -
Want to take the family for some troll fun? Norway has a Troll Park, Hunderfossen! Tucked away in Lillehammer, this park includes fun rides, and when the sun sets, the Trolls and other creatures of the forest come out to play... You can watch the fairytale show, Trolls, theatre, seasoned with Rock/Folk music, lighting and mystique.
The longest cave in Norway is called (drum roll) "Trollkjerka" or Troll's Church.
Might the troll legends come from actual giants who did inhabit the lands thousands of years ago?
BRUSTED (Von) was 8 feet in height. This Norway giant was exhibited in London in 1880.
Norway has an ancient legend of Jotunn, a giant race. Jǫtunn (Proto-Germanic *etunaz) might have the same root as "eat" (Proto-Germanic *etan) and accordingly had the original meaning of "glutton" or "man-eater", probably due to their enormous diet because of their size. Once again, an ancient legend of people-eating giants!!
There have been finds of the giants in Norway, as they have been all over the globe. Did the very legends and religions base themselves on explaining this "master" race of "god-like" giant beings? Did these beings seem to do magical things? Interestingly, the trolls are depicted with body hair and the Paiutes reported the red-haired giants their ancestors' encountered were hairy all over.
(above: Bronze-Age cave drawing of a figure with horns - a figure that was drawn in that era around the world)
Do trolls exist presently? Well, if trolls are a creature designed in a legend to explain an ancient race of giants, they likely did exist. And, if today's race of "Bigfoot" beings around the world are the descendants of such a race, then they do still exist.
Norway has its own reports of Bigfoot.
In other words, today's Sasquatch might just be the trolls of yore.
More info:
Do trolls exist?
Norwegian troll hunting
Troll history
Post about a supposed troll footprint
Scariest Troll place on earth!
All about spooky Norway
Troll footprintGreat post on Scandinavian Trolls
Lots of info on the kinds of trolls


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Brian H. Corcoran was appointed as a Special Master of the United States Court of Federal Claims on January 13, 2014. He graduated cum laude, with high honors in his major, from Dartmouth College in 1988. He received his J.D. in 1991 from the University of Virginia School of Law. He was designated Chief Special Master by the court to succeed Nora Beth Dorsey, effective October 1, 2019.
Mr. Corcoran is a seasoned trial attorney with experience in a wide variety of legal matters, including intellectual property, general commercial disputes, tax matters, and pro bono civil rights and employment discrimination actions. Until 2008, he was employed in the private sector, rising to the level of partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP. From 2008 to 2014, Mr. Corcoran worked for the Department of Justice, Tax Division, as a trial attorney, where he obtained numerous permanent injunctions against fraudulent tax preparers and the promoters of illegal tax schemes across the United States.
Mr. Corcoran is admitted to the bars of New York and the District of Columbia, as well as numerous federal district courts.


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OnPoint: Sunlight Resistance
397 Responses
First ←Older Page 1 … 3 4 5 6 7 … 16 Newer→ Last
Craig Ranapia, in reply to
Would you do 50-60 hour weeks for $50-60K, in Auckland?
I'm a scientist, I spent 9 years earning SFA to get a PhD which got me a job that paid $36k*, we can play this game all day and night if you like.
You can. My partner's grand-niece is in her first year of nursing studies and I'm sure she's going to be a damn fine one. But when she graduates (probably with a substantial student loan to service), she's going to be working more than 50 hours a week in a profession where the entry-level salaries are currently around $47K. If she's in this just for the money, she's a bloody fool and I've seen little evidence she's anything of the kind.
Steve Barnes, in reply to
And please can people stop saying half of New Zealand voted for National … sigh.
Can we say half of them didn't?
I think, statisticaly, that is more accurate. -
Richard Wain, in reply to
Saying that junior scientists aren't paid well doesn't equal journalists are, in general, being paid well. It ain't the case.
Plenty of folks don't get paid well, I get that - but to claim journos are, in general, paid generously, is incorrect.
But anyway, I don't wish to derail the thread, in general ;-)
Bart Janssen, in reply to
Can we say half of them didn't?
I think, statisticaly, that is more accurate.No, the point is just over a million New Zealanders voted for National on Saturday. In a country of 4.4 million people. That's about 40% of eligible voters and 48% of those who bothered to vote.
Greg Dawson, in reply to
Greg: You know what's getting my panties in a bunch? People who think that just didn't happen (and it did a lot), who don't distinguish between reporting allegations and facts, and when it's politically useful elevate the media to a judicial body.
Sorry, I'm not seeing the connection (not accusing you of arguing in bad faith, just having a brain fail). Can you tell me what "that just didn't happen (and it did a lot)" refers to?
I agree completely that the media in general need to be far more careful than they have been in separating allegations from facts, but I'm not sure that I consider reporting the existence of allegations or uncomfortable facts to be crossing the line into the judiciary.
Andrew Geddis, in reply to
No, the point is just over a million New Zealanders voted for National on Saturday. In a country of 4.4 million people. That's about 40% of eligible voters and 48% of those who bothered to vote.
And so ... ? If the point is to be pedantic about figures, then OK ... I guess Graeme Edgeler is busy elsewhere. But if the point is to somehow undermine National's claim to be able to govern alone, then I cry foul.
As was repeated ad infinitum in the run-up to the election, if you don't vote, you can't complain. By the same token, the losers on election day (which, if we're honest, is everyone commenting here except Eric and Craig) can't try to insinuate that the winners don't "really" have a mandate because a whole lot of people didn't bother voting.
We spend millions of dollars telling people how to enrol and vote. We have the easiest ballot access laws in the world. So, yeah - winning 48% of the vote means that half of the only people New Zealand who count supported you.
Andrew Geddis, in reply to
That's about 40% of eligible voters
Oh ... and it's not. It's about 29.8% of eligible voters.
Greg Dawson, in reply to
So, yeah – winning 48% of the vote means that half of the only people in New Zealand who count supported you.
Also, the calls for a recount are hilarious and ill informed. On the other hand, we can have a productive argument about what that mandate allows them to get away with.
Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
$70-80K is pretty much top dollar nowadays, unless you're Mike Hosking et al.
When is Hosking a Journalist?
Hosking is a talking head, Nothing else. It is he who puts himself on a Skytower high pedestal. All for money . Money means fame. Got enough? Mike's wallet says Mike Hosking loves Key. If you want money like Key, do what Mike Hosking says. He votes National. Is he part of the machine? -
Russell Brown, in reply to
We spend millions of dollars telling people how to enrol and vote. We have the easiest ballot access laws in the world. So, yeah – winning 48% of the vote means that half of the only people New Zealand who count supported you.
I'm always amused/appalled by those people who declare that they registered a protest against the system by refusing to vote. No you didn't, dude. Everyone just ignored you.
Russell Brown, in reply to
When is Hosking a Journalist?
He's not. John Campbell is, however, and he gets TV money. Print journalist money doesn't really compare.
Kumara Republic, in reply to
The one that did creep me out was the bookending of traffic reports on Radio Live and ZB with "party vote National" ads. This was in the middle of the news, with the electoral ad spoken by the same announcer who gave the traffic information, almost in the same breath. That really crossed a line for me, but I suppose I'm not a commercial radio listener.
Has anyone made a BSA complaint yet?
Andrew Geddis, in reply to
On the other hand, we can have a productive argument about what that mandate allows them to get away with.
CJM, in reply to
I know, I know. First coffee of the day rant, I understand how out works.
Be interested to know what they charged and why they didn't go for the wraparound on the print edition. Online more effective? -
Bart Janssen, in reply to
But if the point is to somehow undermine National's claim to be able to govern alone, then I cry foul.
No it isn't. The point is this is simple math that is reported incorrectly all the time. I'm not saying National does not have a mandate, those are your words not mine. What I am saying is that repeating endlessly that National have the support of half of New Zealand is overstating the mandate they do have.
The question is why does the media feel the need to overstate the mandate in that way? What benefit is there for the media?
Kumara Republic, in reply to
The political arena over the past 30 years has been dragged so far back to the right that the centre has been redefined and even moderate left policies and priorities are labelled as extremist.
The media has played a key role in that – pun intended.
To what extent does the media influence politics, as opposed to merely reporting it? The answer may have to wait for a Royal Commission. In fact, someone's already calling for one to be held.
Kumara Republic, in reply to
For a start, I wouldn't believe anything Cameron Slater says without independent corroboration from multiple sources.
One of the better things from his newly-approved journo status is that he'll have to declare his sources by name, not 'a party insider' or a 'reliable informant'.
Craig Ranapia, in reply to
By the same token, the losers on election day (which, if we're honest, is everyone commenting here except Eric and Craig) can't try to insinuate that the winners don't "really" have a mandate because a whole lot of people didn't bother voting.
I wouldn't go as harsh as "if you don't vote, don't complain" – because I think even if you don't vote, you're still a citizen and have a right to curse your employees in the legislature as incompetent malign numpties, fairly or not, even if it gives me a migraine in the process. And as for compulsory voting, I have a one word rebuttal to anyone who thinks that will improve the quality of our legislature – Australia. But I digress.
But while I think turnout is a serious issue, there's not some turnout tipping point where the results of elections become more or less "legitimate". I'm sure everyone here, including me, would have a hearty eye-roll at the idea that Lianne Dalziel is a less legitimate Christchurch mayor than Bob Parker was because the turnout in 2013 was significantly lower than it was three years earlier, and it's the awful local body turnouts that depress me because there you don't even have to haul arse to a polling place on a specific day. And I've sure never seen anyone open a rates demand and say "Oh, that's far too low," :)
Kumara Republic, in reply to
Indeed, the media failed – or succeeded – in propaganda winning on the day.
And the other big winners of the day were apathy, cynicism and disillusionment.
Kumara Republic, in reply to
Um, not so much. Journos tend to be badly paid actually. Horrible hours usually too. Would you do 50-60 hour weeks for $50-60K, in Auckland? Less if you're a junior… $70-80K is pretty much top dollar nowadays, unless you're Mike Hosking et al.
You know when desktop PC technicians have slumped in relevance in today's society, when they're only worth minimum wage these days. It's the whole reason why I'm looking for work a new industry. Any ideas or openings?
I was taken by a piece in the Herald by Rhonwyn Newson who picked up on Simon Lusk's quote in Nicky Hager's book: that a negative campaign nearly always favours the right. Then there's the issue of studies on cognitive dissonance (where "facts" often don't convince people to change their minds). Both are salient points worth taking into account when looking at the impact (or lack thereof) of the details of Dirty Politics on the elections.
And when Key kept going on about the "international influence" on New Zealand elections, where was the media asking him about his reliance on an international firm, Crosby Textor, on his own campaign?
I'm happy to hear that Fisher and Nippert are both continuing on the case - now that the elections are over, it's time to get back to the real detail of dirty politics.
Keith Ng, in reply to
But like Craig says, exactly why is this the media's fault? What more could they have done?
There's an important distinction between "media has failed" and "it's the media's fault". Even if, as you suggest, people thought the government was taking NZ in the right direction therefore Dirty Politics didn't fly, it is still true that the media failed to hold Collins to account, failed to hold Katherine Rich to account, and more or less failed to hold Ede/Key to account.
And the fact that they tried their hardest is a critical part of this. The solution isn't to "try harder" or simply be better at their jobs. I think the lesson here is that their jobs no longer fulfil the role we need them to. The idea that a mob of journos chasing politicians around sticking a mic in their face could hold them accountable needs to be reexamined.
But of course, that's tantamount to a radical reinvention of political journalism, and I don't expect many/any to take me up on that, so I would rather just leave the failure on the table and hope that the Gallery comes up with its own solutions.
Keith Ng, in reply to
I could be wrong but is it that our journalists simply don;t know how to ask questions.
There are two dimensions to this arms race. 1) Short of waterboarding, if he doesn't want to talk, there no magical way to grill it out of him, 2) Whatever magical way you find to grill it out of him, the people doing it will end up being press sec/media trainers who teach politicians to resist it.
It's like an arms race, 'cept 5% of the media defects every year.
Chris Waugh, in reply to
if you don't vote, you can't complain.
Oh, bollocks. Many of us are not allowed to vote. And not just us expats who don't get back to NZ often enough. Prisoners and under 18s and probably a few others, too. If you need an address to enrol, how do homeless people vote?
So, I didn't vote, like many, but you're not going to stop me complaining.
Oh, and what Bart said about numbers. 48% of the votes is considerably less than half the population.
Rob Stowell, in reply to
If you mean that the media quoted Key, et al saying this, then … yeah. That's what the media does, unless you really want it to stop reporting things that the journalist in question happens not to believe.
I want them to question BS, spin, mis-direction, smears, and lies. To challenge those who spout them at the time. But more importantly, I want journalists to look into said BS, analyse it, and report on where it varies from the facts. So next time that person spouts BS, they know it won't go out without scrutiny.
That is f*ckin essential to democracy.
Post your response…
This topic is closed.


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