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The first Fenway Park portion of the '13 World Series has concluded with the Red Sox and Cardinals tied at one game apiece. The Red Sox blew out St. Louis in the opener 8-1 and the Cards fought back to win Game Two 4-2. Each team's win was largely aided by the poor fielding of the opponent.
The World Series moves to St. Louis with night games on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. First some observations on Games One:
* Jon Lester. The debate is over. Jon Lester is an ace. Not only only did the 29 year old hurl 7 2/3 shutout innings at the Cards to gain the Game One victory, but he added to his place in postseason history. Of all the pitchers to make a minimum of 10 postseason starts ( Lester now has 10 plus two relief appearances.) Jon has the 3rd lowest starter's ERA of all time. The two guys ahead of him are Hall of Famers Christy Mathewson and Waite Hoyt. Lester's ERA for his starts is 2.07 ( 2.22 overall). Additionally, he has now pitched two World Series games, and he has won both, pitching 13 1/3 innings and allowing no runs. He will be ready for game Five.
* Adam Wainwright, the veteran Cardinal ace, was battered by the Bosox early and often( although he was not helped by the shoddy defense of his teammates and himself). Wainwright lasted only five innings. Many pundits began postulating after the second inning, that St. Louis manager, Mike Matheny, should have pulled Wainwright after that inning with his pitch count at 50, so he could come back on short rest in Game Four. Instead he threw 95 pitches in his five innings. There is still some speculation Wainwright could pitch Game Four on short rest if the Cardinals lose Game Three. I do not believe Matheny will try this, and the reason I think this is also a reason Wainwright may not be effective in this World Series. After Game One's five innings, Wainwright is up to a fraction shy of 270 innings pitched this year ( regular and post seasons). After watching him in Game One I think there is a real chance he is gassed or damned close to it.
* It was encouraging to see the Sox offense put 8 on the board, including 5 early on. Mike Napoli's bases clearing double and a Papi home run for two more were the big hits. And Ortiz came one ribs bruising grab by Carlos Beltran from hitting two home runs( the Beltran robbery prevented what also would have Papi's second grand slam of this post season). On the downside some of the slumping Red Sox , mainly SS Stephen Drew, are still not hitting.
* The Cardinals dropped double play turns ( Pete Kozma), pop ups to the mound ( Wainwright), showed no range on hits through the hole ( David Freese). The postmortem by the national media wondered why such a strong defensive team, that was near the top of the National League in fielding percentage could have played so poorly. Well here is a big part of the answer. The Cardinals ARE NOT A GOOD DEFENSIVE TEAM!! Fielding percentage is an antiquated way to judge defense. It does not account for range, for example. As matter of fact it can be detrimental to a player with good to great range penalizing for errors made on balls other players cannot reach. Other than Kozma ( although you could not tell in Game One) and Yadi Molina St. Louis has no good defensive players and no range anywhere except shortstop. Try this defensive measurement instead of fielding %. Defensive Efficiency. This is a percentage of balls put in play that are turned into outs. St. Louis was 12th in the NL and 18th in MLB in this category. They are not a good defensive team, and this will bite them again ( and again?) in this World Series.
And now Game Two:
* Michael Wacha came as advertised ( if not a little better). Going forward he is the St. Louis starter to worry about more than Wainwright. However as impressive as Wacha was, he was only able to complete six innings after reaching 102 pitches. In other words, the Red Sox were able to work him and drive his count, as they are wont to do. And when Wacha left the mound for the last time in this game, he trailed 2-1 due to another David Ortiz two run home run, his 17th career postseason blast. If and when Game Six rolls around, Wacha will be tough but not unbeatable.
* John Lackey pitched a fabulous game and as in so many instances in 2013, he deserved to win. If Lackey gets matched up with Michael Wacha again, I would feel perfectly comfortable with that. A World Series clinching win in Game Six would complete the rehabilitation of John Lackey in the eyes of Red Sox Nation.
* The St. Louis bullpen is not the Detroit or Tampa Bay pens. On this night Carlos Martinez and closer Trevor Rosenthal did the job with Rosenthal striking out the side in the ninth. This bullpen will be a challenge for the Sox, getting to the seventh inning or so with a lead may be crucial. Koji Uehara got an inning of work, and I still think St. Louis will struggle just as much with the Boston pen as the Sox did in Game Two versus the Cards.
* By now all of the fans know the Red Sox likely gave away the game in the seventh inning with a number of poor defensive plays, all sort of intertwined. Without beating it to death here are four things that should have or could have happened, any of which keep the Sox 2-1 lead or at worst a 2-2 tie.
1. Saltalamacchia, on a great pitch to throw on, fires to third to nail Kozma stealing third on the front end of a double steal instead of not be able to find the ball in his glove and not throw at all.
2. When Matt Carpenter hits an one out bases loaded fly out to Jonny Gomes in relatively shallow left, Gomes throws a strike to the plate to nail Kozma and protecting the 2-1 lead. Instead his throw is up the first base side leading to:
3. Salty reaching for the errant throw instead moving to be sure to catch the ball leading to:
4. Craig Breslow backing up Salty perfectly but taking the ball ( which does not get to him if Salty catches it or Gomes throws it better) and attempting to get the runner at third and promptly air mails in to the seats. Breslow needed to either eat the ball or throw a strike to third for the third out.
So a frustrating play and result that could have easily been a 2-1 Sox win and a 2-0 games lead.
Now some thoughts about the games in St. Louis:
* Lack of the DH could really hurt the Red Sox. David Ortiz is locked in and must be in the lineup at first base. This will take Mike Napoli out of the lineup, removing our second biggest power threat and diminishing the defense at first. But the Sox are 4-0 with Ortiz at first in World Series play in the past, and were 4-2 with Papi starting at first in 2013. Also without the DH, Stephen Drew ( and Salty, too) have to hit. If Drew continues at his 4 for 42 pace and the pitcher is batting, too, that is two black holes in the lineup. If Drew should go o-fer in Game Three, and the Sox lose, Farrell may have to go to Bogaerts at short and Will Middlebrooks at third to try to get some offense.
* Fully expect to see Daniel Nava in left for Gomes, again in an attempt to boost the offense.
* There is every indication Games Three and Four could be high scoring affairs. With St. Louis starting Joe Kelly and Lance Lynn, even with no DH the Red Sox need to and should rake. And Jake Peavy, the Red Sox Game Three starter must repeat his ALDS Game Four sterling performance. If instead, Peavy gives another start like his ALCS effort the Cards offense will feast. And as for the Red Sox Game Four starter, is it Clay Buchholz, as expected(??) or Felix Doubront? Well take these numbers out for a test drive:
* In the 2013 season, St. Louis batters put up the following numbers against right handed pitchers:
Runs Scored 597 ( second in MLB to Boston's 603)
Batting Ave. .280 ( third in MLB to Detroit and Boston)
On Base % .343 ( third in MLB to Boston and Detroit)
Now the Cardinals stats versus left handed pitching:
Runs Scored 186 ( 12th in MLB)
Batting Ave. .238 ( 27th in MLB leading only Marlins, Cubs, and Mariners)
On Base % .301 ( 26th in MLB leading only Jays, Mariners, and both Chicago teams)
Based on these numbers Felix Doubront has to be the Game Four starter. Based on these numbers, and Buchholz' lackluster October and his seeming reticence to pitch it has to be Prince Felix. If Doubront is not the starter than he needs to be ready to come right in behind Clay at the first sign of trouble. I have a sneaky suspicion that Doubront starts.
* And after hopefully a strong Game Four by Felix, the ace lefty Jon Lester goes back to the hill, to really give the Cards a taste of left handed pitching that they so struggle against. At this point, I feel the blueprint for Red Sox success is to do all they can to split ( at minimum) games Three and Four. This would get them to Lester for Game Five with his strong post season record and left handedness big Sox plusses. Then the Red Sox could return to Fenway with two chances to wrap up the World Championship at Fenway Park for the first time in 95 years.
* I still like my opening World Series prediction of Sox in six.
Go Sox


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Most of you know that, beginning next month, Rod Summers has a five week residency in Venice at the Emily Harvey Foundation. He will arrive on the 16th of February and leave on the 23 of March 2009.
Members: 29
Latest Activity: Apr 3, 2018
Venetian in Maasticht. Just cannot sit down and relax. See a bird, want to fly. Pirating a gondola. Walking on water in wooden clogs.
Ti attendo nel mio gruppo " performances" un abbraccio , bruno
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Then he looked at the blue trophy next to him and considered what he had just achieved.
Kirk won for the third time in his career, though never against a field this strong, and never with this much riding on it.
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That left it to Horschel, in prime position for at least a birdie.nfl jerseys cheap wholesale


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Chocolate and Olive Oil Mousse
Francesco Tonelli for The New York Times
- 11 ounces bittersweet (60 percent cacao) chocolate
- 8 large eggs, separated
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons kosher for Passover brandy
- In a double boiler, melt chocolate over low heat. Cool slightly. Beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until light. Whisk in olive oil, brandy and melted chocolate.
- Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, whisking until stiff but not dry.
- Fold whites into chocolate mixture so that no white streaks remain. Spoon into an 8- or 10-cup serving bowl or divide among 8 or 10 dessert cups or glasses. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.
Like this recipe?


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There is no minimum wage amount in the European nation of Italy, as the amount one is paid is agreed upon through collective bargaining agreements on a job to job basis.
Although according to Article 36 of the Constitution the wages must be proportionate to the quality and quantity of work done and also high enough to provide a minimum subsistence for the worker and his family, in Italy there is no minimum wage by law, and hence there is no separate legislation for that. Around half of the employees in the country are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, where wages are always set.


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2017 Riviera 72 Sports Motor Yacht
Long Range and Luxuriousby Sulthoni, on
Australia's favourite and most awarded luxury motor yacht builder Riviera is extremely proud of the high level of enthusiasm ahead of the World Premiere of the new, luxurious and long-range Sports Motor Yacht collection in 2017.
This refreshingly distinct style of yachting luxury has been developed in-house by the very talented Riviera design team after extensive consultation with members of the global family of Riviera owners who are seeking to cruise further afield and for extended periods. This process provides a unique insight and understanding of their aspirations for their dream yacht.
What we've heard is that Riviera experienced luxury motor yacht owners are wanting to take their boating further afield with true long-range cruising, whilst still being able to fish effectively and enjoy myriad water sports pursuits, including diving, snorkelling and kayaking.
The Sports Motor Yacht collection – comprising two individual models: the 68 and 72 designs – will help luxury motor yacht owners fulfill these dreams, offering the exhilaration of supreme sports performance as well as ingenious interior flexibility with an array of luxury lifestyle features to enhance precious time aboard.
Whilst the specification varies considerably between the 68 and 72 models, the significant design difference is the additional space in the cockpit and mezzanine of the 72 Sports Motor Yacht.
The enthusiasm as Riviera showcase her design confirms that this inspiring new design reflects the extensive 'wish lists' of many serious yacht owners.
2017 Riviera 72 Sports Motor Yacht
Stepping aboard
The spaciousness of the Sports Motor Yacht's expansive cockpit is immediately evident.
Stepping from the wide boarding platform through either of the transom gates, the spaciousness of the Sports Motor Yacht's expansive cockpit is immediately evident.
There is a considerable volume of cockpit storage with large lockers in the transom and deep fish bins on the floor, as well as a reinforced plate for an optional game chair. The coamings feature toe kicks for bracing, as well as optional heavy-duty stainless steel rod-holders.
Facing aft – and cleverly concealed under a moulded, gas strut-assisted lid – is a double barbecue with LED lights and a wet bar with a sink, tapware and an insulated cool box. There is also a hatch providing service access to the engine room as well as four removable tackle trays – in fact there's a place for everything you'll need for your extended voyaging.
Safely forward
Forward, there is a deep well for safety whilst accessing the array of anchoring equipment which includes a stainless steel Ultra anchor.
Wide side decks with non-skid surfaces and thoughtfully placed handrails lead to the expansive foredeck of the Sports Motor Yacht. Here there's a davit with electric winch for the simple and secure storage of your tender whilst passage-making.
At anchor, this space is able to transform into an optional alfresco entertaining area featuring a U-shaped lounge area and the central table. This is a very social and inviting space.
You and your guests can enjoy refreshments courtesy of the insulated cool boxes to port and starboard, and there is a premium stereo with four speakers and interface for your smartphone – it's a real entertainment zone.
Forward, there is a deep well for safety whilst accessing the array of anchoring equipment which includes a stainless steel Ultra anchor, and there are storage lockers to port and starboard for fenders and ropes.
Mezzanine delights
A great deal of thought has been focused on the connectivity of the mezzanine and entertainment area to the luxurious interior.
The teak-laid mezzanine level, at the very heart of this entertaining hub, is accessed via steps on both sides of the cockpit.
Here you will discover a large forward-facing central lounge with storage underneath, as well as two folding teak tables and space for additional occasional chairs.
To port, there is a large TV that folds down for viewing, as well as a door leading below to the day head and the utility space/storage area – which can optionally serve as an air-conditioned crew cabin – with direct access to the engine room through a watertight door.
Forward is a central breakfast bar area with large awning window that opens to the galley. The bar features two swing-out stools as well as an icemaker and storage.
A great deal of thought has been focused on the connectivity of the mezzanine and entertainment area to the luxurious interior – it all just flows together as one space.
Stepping inside
Stepping inside, you'll note that the well-appointed gourmet galley features premium appliances that are integrated into the handcrafted, stone-finish bench top, varnished walnut cabinetry and joinery.
Upon opening the toughened glass door – set in a ship-like stainless steel frame – and stepping inside, you'll note that the well-appointed gourmet galley features premium appliances that are integrated into the handcrafted, stone-finish bench top, varnished walnut cabinetry and joinery. These include Miele combination oven and microwave with grill, induction cooktop with potholders and rangehood, dishwasher, four refrigeration and two freezer drawers. There's a large garbage bin for dry rubbish.
The large awning window opens out to the mezzanine from the central gourmet galley to position the galley right in the heart of the social and entertainment hub.
Stylish saloon
You will appreciate a refreshing sense of light and space in the saloon living space as you admire the views through the large forward windscreen.
You will appreciate a refreshing sense of light and space in the saloon living space as you admire the views through the large forward windscreen or side windows that slide open to welcome in the fresh air.
To port, there's a pantograph door that opens for quick and easy access to the port side deck, and forward there's a premium standalone lounge and ottoman. To starboard is an L-shaped dinette with storage underneath, as well as a large table that folds at both ends on fixed pedestals, enabling it to slide forward and aft.
Complete comfort
The ambience of the master stateroom is accentuated by the natural light introduced through the large hull windows on either side of the stateroom.
Riviera's Sports Motor Yacht design boasts fully flexible accommodation plans with your choice of three or four staterooms, including a full-beam master stateroom.
There are also options for a teenager's retreat, crew quarters or dedicated sporting equipment stowage, depending on specific owner requirements.
The luxurious master stateroom, aft, extends the full beam, with a king-sized island bed amidships, complemented by a premium feature bedhead and handcrafted bedside tables with leather inlays.
The ambience of the master stateroom is accentuated by the natural light introduced through the large hull windows on either side of the stateroom, while fresh air is welcomed via an opening porthole that is alarmed to the ignition in the event it is left open.
Indulge in pure luxury
There's even a safe for your valuables in one of two cedar-lined hanging lockers, which feature shoe shelves and full-length hanging space.
In the presidential design, the Sports Motor Yacht's master ensuite, on the starboard side, is located forward, creating an even larger master stateroom with a writing bureau with a timber top, leatherette inlay and concealed make-up storage, power point, USB outlet, dinette-style seat and book storage.
Accommodating staterooms
The VIP guest stateroom – which has its own private ensuite – has fixed hull windows in the tinted and tempered glass as well as a queen-sized walk-around bed with innerspring mattress, with handcrafted cabinetry throughout.
The portside stateroom – which with two-way entry has a bathroom that serves as an ensuite and the day head – has side-by-side single beds which, with the push of a button, will slide together to form a double bed. There is additional storage underneath the berths, as well as a hull window for natural light.
The starboard guest cabin – if the classic layout is selected – has adult-sized Pullman-style beds with quality mattresses as well as an opening porthole for fresh air.
All bathrooms on the accommodation deck are a contemporary design with vanity cabinets and mirrors, solid surface bench tops, under-slung basins, opening portholes, large shower with frameless glass doors, soap dispensers and towel rails.
Futuristic flybridge
The Sports Motor Yacht's futuristic flybridge is fully enclosed and can be accessed from the saloon via an internal staircase with polished walnut treads.
To starboard, there is an L-shaped lounge that can convert to a double bed and an ottoman integrated with a coffee table. There is a chaise lounge forward and, aft, a large flybridge deck with optional tournament station, even more lounge seating and a wet bar.
Take command
The ultramodern, electric forward helm console is brimming with the latest in marine technology, ensuring easy operation.
The ultramodern, electric forward helm console is brimming with the latest in marine technology, ensuring easy operation.
The steering wheel is hand-bound in leather, and the deluxe helm and companion chairs will ensure that every passage is a pleasure.
There's an intercom to the galley, the master stateroom and the engine room, and cameras to the saloon, cockpit, bow anchor and engine room feeding to the dash display.
The Sports Motor Yacht collection is shaft-driven, with base power being twin MAN V12-1550 engines (2 x 1140kW/1550hp) and options of MAN V12-1800 engines (2 x 1324kW/1800hp) or MAN V12-1900 engines (2x 1397kW/1900hp). The MAN engines have been selected for their high tractive power, compact design, impressive fuel economy and reliability.
Electrical excellence
The house power is 24-volt, which allows for simpler charging, lower current draw and smaller cables (further reduced weight) than equivalent 12-volt systems.
All batteries onboard the Sports Motor Yacht are maintenance-free to ensure carefree boating and are housed in special battery boxes in accordance with American Boating and Yacht Council (ABYC) and the European Union's CE industry standards.
The house power is 24-volt, which allows for simpler charging, lower current draw and smaller cables (further reduced weight) than equivalent 12-volt systems. The Mastervolt inverter provides power to the icemaker, entertainment systems and all outlets onboard.
LED lighting is utilized throughout and provides trouble-free boating while reducing electrical current draw. The lamps use less than 10 percent of the power required to run a halogen lamp — no bulbs mean no maintenance and long service life. Additionally, Residual Current Device/Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (RCD/GFCI) provides protection over the entire yacht and also complies with ABYC and CE standards.
Engineering excellence
Each model features a full stand-up engine room, while the strong and superior strength hull has been developed by the Riviera design team in collaboration with Frank Mulder Design in the Netherlands – three-time naval architects of the 'Fastest Yacht in the World'.
Riviera has also tank-tested the hull at the Wolfson Unit for Marine Technology and Industrial Aerodynamics at the University of Southampton, England to ensure Riviera has maximised hull efficiency and performance.
|Length Overall (inc. swim platform & bow roller)
|23.68 m / 78' 3"
|Lh to ISO8666
|22.02 m / 72' 3"
|Beam (inc. gunwale)
|6.00 m / 19' 8"
|Maximum Draft (inc. props)
|1.86 m / 6' 1"
|Dry Weight (approx., depends on engines & options)
|47,000 kg / 103,600 lbs
|Fuel Capacity
|9,000 L / 2,378 US gal
|Water Capacity
|1,000 L / 264 US gal
|Holding Tank Capacity
|600 L / 159 US gal
|Sleeping Capacity
|8 persons
|Cockpit Area
|16.32 m2 / 175.7 ft2
|Mezzanine Deck
|10.26 m2 / 110.4 ft2
|Total Cockpit Area
|26.58 m2 / 286.1 ft2
|Bridge Clearance
|6.45 m / 21' 2"
|Standard Engine - MAN V12-1550 x 2
|1,140 kW / 1,550 hp each
|Engine Option - MAN V12-1800 x 2
|1,324 kW / 1,800 hp each
|Engine Option - MAN V12-1900 x 2
|1,397 kW / 1,900 hp each


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Dana Villas is one of many hotels dotting the volcanic cliffs, cascading down a multitude of steps that invoke aerobic inspiration to your body. Once down though, the trek down reaps upon you it's rewards. Breathtaking views on self contained patios sprinkled with mediteranean flora and picturesque entrances to your rooms. Inside, the rooms reflect the traditional architecture and are tastefully decorated with the palettes of the Aegean. Extraordinary service is quoted by many at this hotel, and I first handed have experienced it while staying here last Spring. The Hotel Manager Mr. Dimitri Tzimos, is experienced with training in management that is evident from the first time he greets you. In the foyer, the guest book teems with praise and acknowledgement for countless experiences having been had in this hotel. It is a favorite for Weddings and Dimitri oversees every detail, leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the couple's wedding day is all that they imagined it to be.
Hotel staff are courteous, hospitable and excell at their work, whether it is the porter managing your luggage, or housekeeping preparing your room. All the staff are continually trained in customer service by Dimitri and he constantly looks to improve the service of the hotel to guests while ensuring that his staff also are treated with respect in their positions. (Not an easy feat when the staff is multilingual, however this hotel serves as an example of promoting integrity among the very people who serve you which in turn translates into impeccable service) Check travel pics for my recent photos of this hotel, and there is a link for the hotel's own photos as well with higher resolution.
Dana Villas is open year round and it is adviseable to book early in the year as it is always fully booked in the summer months. Spring time, is a beautiful peaceful time to stay at this hotel. This hotel provides Luxury, relaxing accomodations for couples, groups, business retreats. It is exclusive and it does not allow children under 16 years of age. It has a private pool, Jacuzzi and the most spectacular views of Santorini's volcanic caldera. If you are seeking peaceful, tranquil beauty, and seclusion, this hotel will deliver.


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Fume Cupboard Industrial Controllers
Beta Solutions were engaged by a leading manufacturer of industrial fume cupboards to overhaul the design of their existing controllers. Custom electronic PCBs and dedicated embedded firmware were developed to control their safety critical products. Despite the tight specifications and timeframes, the project was completed on time and on budget.
Thermoplastic Engineering Ltd (TPE) is a leading international manufacturer of industrial laboratory fume cupboard controllers. Due to specific circumstances a new electronic controller was required to be developed, incorporating "greater flexibility and more features to meet a wider range of end uses".
Essentially, the project was to involve an improvement of an existing fume cupboard controller and implement a range of new advanced electronic circuitry and embedded software, while not compromising on the strictest of quality control standards.
In addition to the required new product R&D, TPE were also after a business who could completely facilitate the entire manufacturing process (on an on-going basis) of their electronic products - thereby acting as a "one-stop-shop".
Out of a range of R&D consultants, Beta Solutions was ultimately chosen as their development partner of choice, due to their R&D expertise, production experience, and issuing of clear project proposal in response to their tender.
(Photo credit: Thermoplastic Engineering Ltd)
The new fume cupboard controller solution consisted of designing three separate PCBs, all incorporating their own dedicated micro-controllers and associated firmware.
Main ControllerThe Main Controller is the "brains" of the fume cupboard, and is responsible for its overall control and functionality.
Some notable features of the Main Controller PCB hardware include:
- An industrial grade mains power supply
- To provide a stable voltage reference even in the harshest of industrial electrical interference
- Switches to turn on/off lights, fans, spray bars
- In accordnace with AS 2243.8
- Temperature and pressure probes inputs
- Noise tolerant communications between various other devices.
Some notable features of the Main Controller firmware include:
- A state-machine based architecture for robust easy to manage code
- PID motor control algorithms
- Fault tolerant sensor monitoring
- A complete user interface including character input, menu navigation and saving of user settings.
- An industrial grade mains power supply
(Photo credit: Thermoplastic Engineering Ltd)
EcoAir® III
The EcoAir® Controller is an advanced optional add-on peripheral to the Main Controller, providing the ability to control the speed of the large extraction centrifugal fan. This can lead to considerable energy savings to the End User.
The EcoAir® PCB hardware accomplishes this fan speed control by constantly monitoring data from various sensors.
The onboard micro-controller performs real-time calculations based on mathematical airflow models to ensure that the fan is operating at the correct speed to maintain operator safety and conserve energy.
Both digital (inc: microprocessor) and analogue (inc: amplifiers, filters) circuitry feature on the EcoAir® PCB. A protection circuitry stops voltage spikes.
- Operator Panel
The Operator Panel is the controller's "front end" and provides the ability for End Users to interact with with the fume cupboard. Among other features the PCB includes:
- Capacitive touch buttons
- To provide long levity as they are not subject to "wear and tear" unlike their mechanical counterparts.
- Backup power system
- Providing (limited time) backup power to the unit after a power failure condition.
- Providing a robust, reliable backup power supply which does not degrade over time or with many cycles.
- A Piezo buzzer
- To alert the users of a failure condition.
- A fail-safe emergency stop button
- Overriding all other functionality and bringing the system into a fail safe state.
- An LCD screen
- The primary means of communicating information with the operator
- The primary means of communicating information with the operator
- Capacitive touch buttons
- Operator Panel
- Industrial Cabling and Connectors
As well as designing the aforementioned electronic hardware and firmware, custom industrial cabling was also required to form part of the overall product solution. Given that cabling and interconnects are the #1 cause of electronics failure, it was essential that these cables were well specified and designed to a high standard. This included implementing:
- Twisted pair and shielded cabling - to compliment the noise resilient coms protocol.
- Polarised sockets/connectors - to ensure that devices could not be incorrectly connected.
- Lockable connectors - to have a high level of assurance they wouldn't come loose during operation.
Future Developments
The fume cupboard controller hardware has continued to evolve over the years. Recently TPE approached us once again to develop a technical solution that would enable the Main Controller to seamlessly interface with a touch screen Tablet.
This particular project involved several specialty developer companies (including a 3rd party App Developer and a Marketing/Branding business) working collaboratively towards a common end-product goal.
Beta Solutions were responsible for designing a new piece of electronics hardware to enable the Main Controller to connect to the Tablet's USB port. This hardware contained:
- Communications translation circuitry
- Namely translating between high speed protocols
- A ability to fast-charge the Tablet's internal lithium-ion battery.
- Including voltage and current limiting circuitry
We also wrote the (Java based), Tablet software which was responsible for controlling the communications to/from the Main Controller.
Production Solution
From the outset we have developed the hardware with "design for manufacturing" principles in mind. With the product R&D fully design-validated and accepted testing by TPE, the PCBs (and cabling) were moved onto the production phase. This included making sure all the products were correctly documented and versioned, so the final production source files could be generated and passed to suppliers.
Each production batch entails a considerable amount of work to ensure the goods a produced and quality controlled accurately and delivered on time.
By completing this project on scope, on time and on budget, Thermoplastic Engineering were enabled to launch a successful commercial product. The additional features have allowed them to maintain a competitive edge in the market. Additionally, we continue to manufacture TPE's products on an on-going basis - constantly ensuring on time delivery of the products.
(Photo credit: Thermoplastic Engineering Ltd)
Client Testimonial
"Deadlines don't wait. Working to stringent specifications, it took TPE, working with Beta Solutions Ltd, just under six months to design and produce a new controller EcoAir® III - which includes many new features not seen before in Australasia."
Simon Jones,
Managing Director
Thermoplastic Engineering Ltd
* All the content in this article, including imagery, has been approved by our client for publication on this website.


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A local attorney with decades of experience in military justice says the judge in Army 1st Lt. Ehren Watada's court-martial overstepped his bounds, possibly jeopardizing the government's case against the war objector.
Attorney Earle Partington says military judge Lt. Col. John Head lacked authority to set a new date, March 19, for trial after declaring a mistrial Wednesday, and it could take at least year before the case can go back to trial.
"I'm surprised he thought he could do that," said Partington, who has represented numerous military service members since the 1960s and served in the military in Vietnam. He said the government might have "to start over from scratch."
Partington, who recently represented a Kaneohe Marine in a court-martial, said the judge in that case noted that he could not just reset a trial after declaring a mistrial.
Watada, a 1996 Kalani High School graduate, is being court-martialed for refusing to deploy to Iraq and for conduct unbecoming an officer. Last year, the Fort Lewis, Wash.-based officer announced his refusal to deploy based on his belief that the war in Iraq was illegal.
Head declared a mistrial after questioning Watada over an agreement he signed before the trial started, stipulating certain facts of the case. The judge said he did not believe Watada fully understood the stipulation of fact. Watada said he never intended to admit he had a duty to go to Iraq with his soldiers, part of the crime of missing troop movement.
The above, noted by Joan, is from Leila Fujimori's "Watada trial judge erred, risking case, one expert says" (The Honolulu Star-Bulletin). Staying with the topic of Ehren Watada, Carl forwards this e-mail from Courage to Resist:
Vigils called for Friday to demand immediate discharge for Lt. Watada 1,000 rallied for Lt. Watada at Ft. Lewis during court martial
Lt. Watada mistrial clear victory, "very likely" unqualifiedIn depth report and analysis by Courage to Resist
Courtroom sketch by K. Rudin / Truthout
FORT LEWIS, WA (February 8, 2007) -- In a complex and confusing turn of events yesterday, Army lead prosecutor Captain Scott Van Sweringen reluctantly requested, and was granted a mistrial in the case of First Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada, the first military officer to publicly refuse to fight in Iraq.
In summation, the day after the prosecution rested a poorly presented case against Lt. Watada for "missing movement" to Iraq and two counts of "conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman," the prosecution then requested--over the strenuous objections of Lt. Watada's defense team--in essence a "do over." Lieutenant Colonel Judge John Head then agreed to the "do over." The basis for which, and the judge's motives, may likely be a matter of debate for some time.
Lt. Watada's civilian lawyer Eric Seitz later explained, "The mistrial is very likely to have the consequence of ending this case because a retrial would be a case of double jeopardy based on the military rules for courts martial and applicable case law." Should the Army proceed with a second trial, Seitz said he would seek dismissal of the charges with prejudice so they could not be again filed. "I do not expect a retrial to ever occur," stated Seitz. Army Captain Mark Kim, Lt. Watada's appointed military defense lawyer, noted that he agreed with Seitz's conclusions.
John Junker, a University of Washington law professor independently consulted by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper explained, "You can't just stop in the middle and say, 'I don't like the way it's going' and start over. If the defendant objected, it does raise the possibility" of double jeopardy. Junker noted, "That doctrine comes from the Constitution."
Read full report by Courage to Resist organizer, Jeff Paterson
Vigils called for Friday to demand immediate discharge for Lt. Watada; 1,000 rally for Lt. Watada at Ft. Lewis during court martial
Recent Iraq war vets join all day rally for Lt. Watada at Ft. Lewis 2/5/07 Photo by Jeff Paterson
Vigils continue outside the gates of Ft. Lewis and a "victory rally" is planned for Friday to demand that the Army discharge Lt. Watada and drop all charges against him. Supporters in the Ft. Lewis area will gather outside the gates of the Army base at Exit 119 from 4pm-7pm for banner and sign-holding followed by a candlelight vigil with speakers and music. (more info)
Plan one in your community!
On Monday, the first day of the court martial, over a thousand people and giant puppets rallied at the gates of Fort Lewis, Washington in support of Lt. Ehren Watada. Formed for the occasion, the "Tacoma Puppetistas" visually dominated the mass rally by putting the war on trial via huge puppet theater. Meanwhile Iraq Veterans Against the War and families of military resisters led chants and marches from rallies in a nearby park to the base gates.
On Fort Lewis, supporters of Lt. Watada lined up at the visitors station beginning at 5:00 am in order to gain entry to the court proceedings. Many were turned away, but about 50 civilians were eventually allowed to view the proceedings from a viewing room with an audio/video feed.
Helga Aguayo and dughters outside Ft. Lewis during Watada court martial 2/5/07.
Photo by Jeff Paterson
At the rally outside, Helga Aguayo, with her two daughters and mother-in-law at her side, spoke of her husband Agustin's three year battle with the Army for a conscientious objector discharge--only to then be forced to refuse to return to Iraq for a second deployment.(video) Spc. Aguayo is now facing seven years imprisonment at a upcoming March 6 court martial for desertion. For more information on Agustin Aguayo's case,
to download the informational flyer to distribute, and to
contribute to his defense fund visit:
Tuesday (Day 2) photos from outside the courtroom, and at the gates of Fort Lewis .
Previous Lt. Watada news from Courage to Resist:
Army drops activist subpoenas for Lt. Watada trial (Jan. 31)
Lt. Watada prosecutors surrender on journalist subpoenas (Jan. 28)
Judge rules "illegal war" debate forbidden during court martial (Jan. 16)
For additional information about Lt. Watada's case visit:
Agustin Aguayo, Helga's husband, faces a court-martial March 6th in Germany. Also present was Darrell Anderson and many with, or who heard of the court-martial via, Iraq Veterans Against the War. They and other groups did a great job organizing and getting the word out. I'm not sure if they've gotten any acknowledgement for their work from the press. Courage to Resist got some acknowledgement (not enough, they did and do amazing work) but I didn't see even that small level of applause going to Iraq Veterans Against the War -- hopefully I just missed it -- so let's note their strong, amazing work here. And with more on some of the groups and people standing with Watada, Ellen notes Kaz Suzat's "Mistrial declared in Lt. Watada war resister case" (PSL):
Outside at the park, many current and former war resisters urged the movement to support soldiers' resistance. Randy Rowling, a Vietnam War resister and member of the Presidio 23--featured in the documentary "Sir, No Sir!" --spoke about his decision to resist military service.
Sara Rich, mother of G.I. war resister Suzanne Swift, gave an impassioned call to help the many resisters who are AWOL, underground and often homeless.
Helga Aguayo, accompanied by her two daughters and mother-in-law, spoke about her husband, Agustin. He is currently in jail in Germany, facing eight years in prison for refusing to return to Iraq.
Ricky Clousing, who served three months in prison for desertion, summed up the political mood of the day. He said that "the politicians are not going to stop the war; it will be the soldiers who will stop it." He called on the anti-war movement to create the political and material support to make that happen. "I'm done talking to politicians; I want to talk to soldiers," Clousing concluded.
Supporters were visible outside the base throughout Watada's trial. This reporter observed dozens of car loads of active duty soldiers entering the base on Feb. 5. The response to the protesters was overwhelmingly positive.
Watada's trial proceeded as expected until the judge declared a mistrial on Feb. 7.
Francisco had a highlight and wanted this noted because OpEdNews has regularly covered Watada, from Gustav Wynn's "Eyewitness: Watada Judge Panicked and Bailed" (OpEdNews):
Watada's fate remains now unclear. He may be indemnified due to double jeopardy rules, but could also be dishonorably discharged. Certainly this round goes to his supporters, but a conspicuous back-page burial or altogether media blackout has minimized impact during the immediate 24 hours.
The Army will have to deal with this issue backfiring badly - can you court martial an officer without allowing him his day in court? Apparently not.
Official post-trial statements were made by both sides, with the Army reiterating the stipulation agreement was the sticking point, but somewhat glossing over the details. Defense counsel Seitz announced he had no idea what the judge was thinking and felt that the Army had made a mess of the case.
For those that still may be confused, Bill Simpich's explanation might be the clearest available: The judge asserted that the statements in the pretrial stipulation agreement amounted to an admission of guilt by Watada, going so far to refer to it as a "confessional stipulation". He seemed to believe that signing the document precluded Watada from testifying further on the issue of missing the troop movement, as if anyone pleading innocent would sign such a document. Faced with the reality that the statements were not necessarily a final finding of guilt, and that Watada had to be allowed by law to explain, the judge suggested Watada did not understand the stipulation, repeating this numerous times to no avail. He then made the cryptic non-sequitur "I'm not seeing we have a meeting of the minds here. And if there is not a meeting of the minds, there's not a contract".
This, along with his anxious demeanor suggest the judge simply declared a mistrial to extricate himself from a sticky position, apparently wanting above all costs to avoid putting the legality of the Iraq war on trial in his courtroom.
For more details and the precedent for double jeopardy applying here, see http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020807A.shtml
And on giving credit where it's due, Francisco, Miguel and Maria's community newsletter, El Espiritu, comes out on Sundays and rarely gets mentioned due to that (on Sunday morning, I just want to go to bed). Kat has taken a ton of photos (here in Tacoma) and plans to develop them tonight (provided we're all back home by this evening) -- they'll be in El Espiritu Sunday so be sure to check your inboxes.
And from Naomi Spencer's "US Army court martial against war resister lieutenant ends in mistrial" (World Socialist Web Site), Molly asked that we note this paragraph:
Attempting to keep antiwar sentiment from bleeding into the courtroom, Head also imposed a dress code that included a prohibition against antiwar buttons or other apparel that might be construed as a support for Watada. Head told Seitz, who is a civilian attorney with a long record of defending war resisters, to "leave the dramatics at the door." Outside the Fort Lewis base, activists staged antiwar rallies during the court martial.
Molly wasn't aware that buttons were banned. Aaron Glantz covered this and I must have forgotten to include it when looking at Megan and Zach's transcripts (of Glantz' radio reports) or his reporting in print form. But yes, Spencer is correct, just another concern of Judge Toilet's when he should have been focused on the law.
Lloyd notes Joshua Partlow "Iraq, U.S. Advised To Avoid Offensive Against Militiamen" (Washington Post):
Iraqi and U.S. forces should not launch a military offensive against the militias -- most of them Shiite -- that are a major source of turmoil in Iraq, but should instead rely on nonviolent steps to bring militiamen into the political fold, according to an Iraqi report that draws largely on the views of prominent Shiite politicians.
"In the short-term at least, there can be no military offensive against the militias. Military confrontation, in the current climate, will only strengthen their appeal and swell their ranks," the Baghdad Institute for Public Policy Research concludes.
The institute said the 18-page report, "Dismantling Iraq's Militias," was based on a round-table discussion by six Shiite politicians, two Kurds and a Sunni Arab. Government officials said Thursday it would be considered in setting policy, but some here saw it as reflecting the private thinking of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as more U.S. troops arrive to try to end the violence.
Today the US military announced: "Three Soldiers assigned to Multi-National Force-West were killed Thursday from wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province." And the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence announced: "It is with deep regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of a British soldier in Iraq today, Friday 9 February 2007. MOD Announcement We can confirm that there was a roadside bomb attack on a Multi-National Forces patrol south east of Basra City that resulted in the death of the British soldier. Three other soldiers have also been injured, one of whom is described as critical."
Amy Goodman's latest column is entitled "Bang pots and pans for Molly Ivins" (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) and Brenda, Erika and Doug all e-mailed to note it:
The untimely death of Molly Ivins last week, after a long battle with breast cancer, has provoked a surge of impassioned eulogies -- yes, that would be the appropriate use of the term "surge."
Ivins was first and foremost a journalist, in the highest and best sense of the word. She spent the time, did the digging. She had a remarkable gift for words, a command of English coupled with her flamboyant Texas wit. She directed her reportorial skill at the powerful, holding to account the elected and the self-appointed. She first questioned authority, then skewered it.
I had the good fortune to meet Molly, but on too few occasions. I went to Austin, Texas, for the 50th anniversary celebration of The Texas Observer, the plucky, progressive news magazine that was Molly's journalistic home for so long. Texas' former governor, Ann Richards, was there.
[. . .]
Molly's legacy rings out, clarion calls to action from the beyond. After she was diagnosed with cancer in 1999, she implored her readers: "Get. The. Damn. Mammogram. Now." The American Cancer Society predicts that there will be more than 40,000 breast cancer deaths in the U.S. in 2007. Death rates are declining, although detection and survival rates are lower for women of color. Improvements can be attributed in part to women following Molly's advice: "Get. The. Damn. Mammogram. Now."
In her final column, titled "Stand Up Against the Surge," Molly wrote:
"We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. ... We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, 'Stop it, now!' "
Her hallmark was to call it as she saw it, and on Iraq she was clear: "It is not a matter of whether we will lose or we are losing. We have lost." She took Sen. John McCain to task for supporting the "surge." The coordinated acts of civil disobedience at his Senate offices in Washington, D.C., and in Arizona on Feb. 5 were a fitting tribute to Molly. Meanwhile, houston.indymedia.org announced the formation of The Molly Ivins Brigade, to protest the war with pots and pans.
That excerpt includes a bit of the sections Doug, Brenda and Erika each noted. And we'll return to the topic of war resisters. First up, Ehren Watada and then Joshua Key. From
Geov Parrish' "The Army blinked" (Working for Change via Axis of Logic):
How did this happen? It happened because one young officer stuck to his principles, even under enormous pressure, and the Army didn't know how to react. Its handling of the case has allowed Ehren Watada –- young, photogenic, articulate, and deeply moral -– to become a folk hero within the anti-war movement, so much so that even his (supportive) parents have become minor celebrities in their own rights.
This outcome will only cement Watada's status, with or without a second court martial. But Watada's victory shows something further. It shows us that the Army, and the government, is not a monolith. The internal contradictions posed by a war now almost universally acknowledged as both disastrous and founded upon lies are leaving America's military in disarray, just as they have left the political fortunes of the Bush administration in shambles. Iraq is a baby that tars all who touch it.
How profound is that disarray? One man, armed only with unshakable conviction and a simple truth –- that if a war is illegal, begun with lies that subverted the Constitution, then orders to deploy for that war must be illegal as well, in violation of an officer's oath to defend the Constitution –- has thrown the military justice system for a loop. The military cannot under any circumstances afford to have its officers disobeying orders to deploy. Yet an officer who did exactly that is likely now off the hook, simply because he posed an unanswerable challenge to an indefensible war.
And if Lt. Ehren Watada, against all odds, can exploit the contradictions of Iraq and do his part to refuse to support this war, so can each of us. The Bush administration is no more inflexible and unassailable than the military justice system, and a Congress reluctant to cut off war funding is more malleable still. If Ehren Watada can prevail, so can we.
The political haggling, posturing, and butt-covering? Mere details. All it takes to stop this war is persistence, unshakable conviction, and a simple truth: this war is deeply illegal, deeply immoral, and must be stopped. Now.
Just ask Lieutenant Ehren Watada.
US war resister Joshua Key has a book out, Vic noted Brian Lynch's "Profile: Joshua Key" (Vancouver's The Georgia Straight):
Before deserting the U.S. army in 2003 and fleeing to Canada with his wife and four children, Joshua Key spent over half a year in the rubble and chaos of Iraq. As he describes in his harrowing new book, The Deserter's Tale (House of Anansi Press, $29.95), written in collaboration with Canadian author Lawrence Hill, Key helped raid roughly 200 households in Ramadi and Fallujah. He searched the contents and occupants of countless cars while patrolling urban checkpoints and the Syrian border. And he watched with growing revulsion as scores of unarmed Iraqi civilians--some of them children--were beaten, maimed, or killed by his comrades with virtual impunity.
For all this, he and his fellow grunts never uncovered so much as a trace of terrorist activity or laid eyes on the insurgents who would sometimes lob mortars into their camp at night. "They were just shadows in the dust," as he tells the Straight during a call from a town in northern Saskatchewan that he declines to name, where he and his family have settled for the past year.
Key, now 28, comes from a patriotic, poverty-stricken family in rural Oklahoma. He enlisted, he says, because life in the armed forces promised health insurance and training for a career in welding. Yet, according to The Deserter's Tale, what he mainly learned from the army was xenophobia and fear. Boot-camp instructors, he says, drilled their recruits on the idea that all Muslims are bloodthirsty, every one of them a would-be terrorist. And when Key arrived in the bomb-cratered streets of Iraq, his commanding officers issued constant reports that heavily armed terrorist cells or mobs of Saddam Hussein's sympathizers were poised to attack. None of these threats materialized, he says. And as he recalls in his book, he began to sense that "the repeated warnings of danger were meant to keep us off guard, and to keep us frightened enough to do exactly what we were told."
The link to The Deserter's Tale goes to Overstock.com which two members used to purchase it and both report the turnaround was very quick. One of the two was Shirley who notes she wouldn't have purchased it at her local bookstore because "It wasn't there." She adds the price was the best she found online (currently $14.86 for a book whose list price in the US is $23.00). Joshua Key is among many war resisters who self-checked out and went to Canada (others include Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey). Remember that Camilo Mejia has a book due out in about four months and Kevin and Monica Benderman will also have a book shortly.
The e-mail address for this site is email@example.com.
ehren watada
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My Favorite Edutainment Titles That Promote Literacy
Yesterday, GamePolitics pointed to an interesting blog-rant titled "Department of Bad Ideas: Teaching reading through video games," written by one Miss Self-Important. (That's her nom de blogge, by the way—no one is being snarky here.)
What follows is just one brick in the wall MSI posted yesterday:
So this brings us to video games as a means of encouraging reading. There is no logical connection between these two activities—in my experience, the only activity that video game playing encourages is more video game playing. This is not inherently evil (just mostly), but neither is it going to achieve the stated end. But! also! "some educational experts suggest that video games still stimulate reading in blogs and strategy guides for players." And nothings instills lifelong literary habits like video game strategy guides. ... Again, I have to wonder—how excited should we about every line of text a child reads? Is it an achievement that a child can establish basic communication with his peers, which is essentially what a message board allows, and which is completely different from understanding literature? Are food labels the next big literary thing?
So I read this, and instinctively, I think this woman is kidding. After all, she wears glasses. Also, she identifies as a Chicagoan who now lives in a new city. Her punctuation is so Lewis Carroll. She is obviously very likable. She also belies, in her blogroll sidebar, an interest in casual gaming—how can I not assume that we are cut from the same cloth?
Moreover, she notes elsewhere that, just this September, she was reading Children's Literature: A Reader's History. Why, this summer, I was reading a different history of children's literature, Minders of Make-Believe (thanks, Seth)! So while I would ordinarily pay this blog entry no further thought, I am, instead, helplessly furious.
I underscore MSI's interest in children's lit because, in her rant, she hints at having a broader suspicion of edutainment on the whole: she isn't just skeptical of software targeted at youth, but also at mainstream children's books and, I can only assume, various other media. And this is so frustrating, because we share a real interest—how best to cultivate children's literacy and enthusiasm for learning—but, clearly, we approach this from completely opposing vantages.
Rather than deconstructing this blogger's argument (which I assume she wrote for her own writerly satisfaction, and not to engage the entire GamePolitics readership), I will simply confront it with:
My Favorite Software and Edutainment Titles That Promote Literacy
Storybook Weaver (MECC, 1992)
It's a computer game in which you seldom read, only write.
Maybe this is a strange place to begin a list about literacy, but alas, Storybook Weaver is the first game I played on our very first family computer. To be fair, this 'game' was nothing more than blank pages to type into, along with an enormous catalogue of clip art. But the clip art was populated with archetypes from folk- and fairy- tales, ready to be graphically remixed, mashed up, and ultimately, written about. Storybook Weaver was like magnetic poetry for elementary school kids. This was perhaps, in my quest to write the Great American Novel, my most prodigious era.
The game had small bells and whistles—you could lend your characters little midi sound effects, or set certain picturebook pages to mood music—but the real joy was in printing every story out. Writes David Sears, in the March 1993 issue of Compute! Magazine, "Storybook Weaver supports a gamut of printers. Output is understandably a bit hazy on standard, noncolor printouts; the best dithering remains only gray scale, after all. Thoughtfully provided markers make the difference though. And after completing a story, kids can print it and then bind it just as in the old days—with string and staples." So charming.
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Deluxe (Broderbund, 1990)
Although Carmen Sandiego made her first (dis)appearance in 1985, the Deluxe iteration was perhaps the series' finest entry. Carmen Deluxe came bundled with that year's World Almanac—an intimidating tome that, thanks to its density and accuracy, could make any 11-year old girl doubt the veracity of the Bible. And because my understanding of world geography, cultures, and religions was rudimentary at best, I used the 1992 World Almanac more than I've ever used any other concordance. For a child of the 90s, tracking a criminal across the globe was a feat of flipping pages and cross-referencing. It's no hyperbole when I say that Carmen Deluxe was my very first research project.
There was a slim volume packed in, too. The Acme Detective Guide—really only a glossy instruction manual—gave the dossiers of Carmen's lightheartedly wicked cronies. I was rereading the manual this summer, and it is every bit as engaging as I'd remembered. And if you paid careful attention to all the clues you'd picked up during a game session (and if you referred to the criminal's dossier as you chased him), you could infer the criminal's identity well before you ever needed a warrant.
Carmen Deluxe wasn't just a geography game. It didn't only teach children how to use dense reference materials, either. It required the use of context clues and the process of elimination. Carmen Deluxe taught reading comprehension, and memory and recall. It was about the thrill of the chase, the joy of discovery, and the realization that even bookish, indoor kids like me could also be crime-fighting adventurers.
King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow (Sierra, 1992)
I'm not sorry that I own KQ6 on CD-ROM—the voice acting and high-res character art are, especially for the time, feats of technology and artistry—but I am glad I played the near-soundless DOS version first. That sparseness of sound gave the mind's ear a chance to wander, to create.
Of course, KQ6, while certainly family-friendly, was by no means intended as an edutainment title. But completing the game meant doing a lot of reading and, to my 11-year old mind, the game competed with the very best fantasy novels I'd read. There was a pretty book tucked into the box, too—"The Guidebook to the Land of the Green Isles"—with clues and maps hidden inside. If I ever hoped to best the game, I would have to refer to it during my adventures.
KQ6 wasn't wholly linear, and there were branching subplots. As a relative latecomer to adventure games, I was astonished. This was the first point-and-click adventure I'd tackled on my own; not only was I really learning to recall bits of narrative and dialogue for the first time, I was also learning about a kind of visual lexicon and syntax. For the first time, I was scouring painted pictures for that puddle of pixels that I needed in order to finish a puzzle and nudge the plot forward. Narratives didn't have to be strict, linear things, I realized. A narrative was made up of words, but also of actions, movements, and objects changing hands. Reading had become less alienating: it was creative play, a game of cat-and-mouse.
Chop Suey (Magnet Interactive, 1995)
And now, for the very strangest lesson I have ever learned from an adventure game: narratives don't need to be 'beaten.' They don't even need to end.
Chop Suey looks a lot like a game, but it isn't. Rather, and by the accompanying booklet's own account, it is "a unique literary work original to CD-ROM. This exciting new multimedia platform allows kids to become familiar with the sounds and surprises of reading and storytelling." Big talk, especially coming from software marketed to preteen girls!
And yet the description sells itself short, somehow. Chop Suey is part storybook, part art installation, in which the only objective is to wander and to click everything. A click here, and Paprika tells your fortune. A click there, and the grunge kid's girly mags fall out from under the bed. If you're tired of being read to, you can turn the voiceover off (but why would you do that? It's David Sedaris).
Chop Suey is in turns twee, darkly funny, and melancholy. It is adventurous, but it is pensive. And even after repeated explorations, the town of Cortland, Ohio, somehow remains as inscrutable and enigmatic as ever. "Chop Suey is elliptical in a way that may frustrate some kids," theorized Craig Stoltz, in gentle warning. "Some of the imagery and wistful sentiment will be lost on all but the user's parents." Perhaps. But for me, Chop Suey remains the late Theresa Duncan's towering achievement: it is a love letter to childhood.
Living in the Now
My "Favorite Software and Edutainment Titles That Promote Literacy" list actually ends in 1995. Perhaps I finally became literate that year. But the abrupt conclusion of my list isn't to say that modern video and computer games are doing a bad job at teaching kids.
Plenty of games out there are educational, if inadvertently. As for those titles that inspire literacy and a love of the written word, many games—especially those of the role-playing and strategy ilk—are text-heavy and, yes, nicely written. So, too, are most games of "cultivation", including simulations like Viva Pinata, the Harvest Moon series, and the Animal Crossing series.
And it bears repeating that the Nintendo DS has invited a new generation of interactive fiction stories (Hotel Dusk, Professor Layton, the Phoenix Wright series) that reward reading comprehension, exploration, the retention of new information, and puzzle-solving skills. And we needn't overlook the consistently good Nancy Drew adventure-mysteries (sneaky edutainment!) by Her Interactive.
Why did I jump up to type this at all?
I mean, if I put my blogging cap on each and every time I perceived a threat to gaming, or each time some piddling video game were blamed for society's ills, I'd never take the cap off, right?
Blame is one thing. It is quite another thing to deny video games their usefulness as learning tools. Because, when that happens, we threaten to deny children that learning tool. Children must know, early and often, that every activity—reading, gaming, watching TV, playing kickball—is an opportunity to learn, to read or write or create or imagine, to grow. We lose that knack as we age, don't we? We stop learning one new thing each day. A lot of us stop blooming.
But here is the power of a truly, truly great game, no matter your age: as you play, you do bloom, without your even noticing.


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Tribal Tatoveringer
Singelen mest etterspurte tatovering design. De mest populære tribal design er Maori, Haida og polynesiske design. Det er også stor interesse for Native American tatovering design.
Søn Tatoveringer
Moon Tattoo - Kvinnelighet, Høste Solen er like symbolsk som hjertet. Solen har vært representerer fødselen, livet, og positiv energi siden antikken. Det betyr også handlekraft, vitalitet, kraft og mot.
Stjerne Tattoo
The star is a tattoo symbol popular with both men and women, and the Nautical Star tattoo design has gone through a strong revival
Betydning av Lion Tattoos
There are many meanings of lion tattoos. People who opt for a lion tattoo want to gain strength in their lives. It is mostly to give out signals of power and authority. Do you want to know more about what do lion tattoos mean? Then let me explain it to you in a little more detail.
Angel tatovering
Angel tattoo designs are used by men and women alike. These tattoo designs are very popular these days. There are a number of angel tattoo designs and each one of them have their own meanings. Men and women chose to get these tattoos as a symbol of their religious devotion. Angels are normally found in almost all religions. St. Michael, the archangel slaying Satan, is one of the very famous and popular body art piece. These tattoos are made on any part of the body including arms, forearms, shoulders, chest, legs, back and lower back. Angel tattoos are often symbolic to men. Men who are extremely fond of women are said to wear these tattoos. However, as there are angel tattoo designs for men, there angel tattoo designs for women as well. You may wish you learn more on angel rib tattoos. Read further for the history of angel tattoos and more about angel tattoo designs.
Drage Tatto
There are two different dragons that you'll commonly see- de østlige og de vestlige drager. De østlige drager av Orienten blir sett på som velvillige skapninger som er beskyttere av livet, fruktbarhet, og lykke. De vestlige drager pleier å være de onde skapninger som ødelegger landsbyer og vakt skattefunn av skatten.
Barcode Tattoo
Barcode Tattoos - A barcode is a system of inventory control and price checking that operates by using an optical scanner to read a series of vertical lines on a product. The system was invented and first used in the 1950's and was designed as a way to increase industrial efficiency and worker productivity.


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Connections make the experience … and for Calix customers, great connections make for exceptional experiences. Calix is proud of its customer successes, its communities, and its world class support and knowledge sharing resources. We partner with leaders who embrace agility, and partner with innovative communications service providers who desire to deliver those exceptional experiences.


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Learning about Mnemonics: What Is an Acronym?
An acronym is a word that is made up by taking the first letter from each word that you want to remember and making a new word from all those letters. For example, if you want to remember the names of the Great Lakes, you...Read More


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According to the Technavios market analysis, the global alloy wheels after-market will grow moderately during the forecast period, posting a CAGR of almost 3%. The black rims Melbourne stores sell are becoming undoubtedly popular among car and motorcycle enthusiasts around the country. If you are a vehicle owner and are looking to buy rims, it is important that you first understand that not all rims are created the same and different vehicles need different rims in different sizes for the perfect fit. You can find most rims at a physical store or shop online at websites. This article offers a guide to vehicle owners who are looking to buy new rims.
What to look for
There are many factors that should be kept in mind when looking forward to buying black rims in Melbourne for your vehicle. First is the look. There are many reasons why people buy rims. For others, being sports enthusiasts, something sporty to reflect the excellent look of their vehicle is preferable while for others, they don't care. They just want a replacement for their dented old rims. There are also others that strive for uniqueness and flashy black rims Melbourne stores sell. For vehicles with huge tyres, special wheel rims that can accommodate huge tyres are recommended.
Melbourne black rims (we do love: http://oxwheel.com.au/) are often available in aluminum and steel. The other color for Aluminum rims is silver. The disadvantage with aluminum is the fact that it dirties and dents easily, and thus, will need constant cleaning. For the people that do lots of driving through mountains, alloy aluminum rims are the best. This is because their design allows more airflow to cool the brakes and also to prevent overheating. Rims made of steel are strong as well as pretty much easy to clean.
Wheel rim size
Proper fixing of the wheel rims for one's vehicle is very instrumental in providing expected vehicle performance. This is because a size too small has the risks of the tyres not fitting to be dealt with. On the other hand, when the rims are too big there is the risk of lack of stability and lack of proper suspension from the car's design and will lead to poor steering control and bad fit.
Wheel rim design
There are a number of designs present for wheel rims which vary in concept. They include spoke layout, the shine, type of metal and the amount of moving parts. Usually, it is the large rims that many people consider to be pleasing aesthetically. The aesthetic appeal can also be boosted by the right designs. Whatever a buyer looks into, it should match the style of the car.
For many people, to buy black rims Melbourne shops sell, when they have been damaged, always seems quite a task. However, finding a new one is not such a hassle. By paying attention to the material, size and design, it will be much easier to find the black rims Melbourne shops have now.


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Eric St-Cyr, Clover Asset Management
Over the next few weeks, I will be publishing a series of columns that I hope will help investors understand what will be the global economic drivers for the next 10 years. I will discuss their effects on our lives and how to profit from the changes ahead through a series of 10 investment themes. So far we discussed the growth of the world population and the situation of the global debt.
If you remember your high school economic's 101 you will recall that there is also a natural cycle to the economy. Periods of expansion are followed by periods of contraction. During the expansion new corporate leaders are born and during the contraction the weakest links disappear, paving the way for new innovations and future expansion.
In 1818, Mary Shelley wrote the novel Frankenstein. Everyone is familiar with the story: Dr. Frankenstein defies the law of nature and brings back to life a creature made from a dead corpse. If you have ever had the chance to read the original it is an extremely sad story where the monster vagabonds from place to place in search of a purpose. From the great recession of 2008 emerged a new Dr. Frankenstein, in the person of Dr. Bernanke. Like Victor, the good doctor in the novel, Dr. Bernanke took it upon himself to resuscitate the economy with the unnatural injection of monetary easing. The effects were similar; the economy came back from the dead but without a soul. So weak that it vagabonds, barely escaping recession year after year.
I am of the view that the Federal Reserve and the US government should have not intervened as aggressively in the natural cycle of the economy. Bankrupted financial institutions should have been nationalised, fixed and brought back to the market in a similar way as was done for General Motors. The weakest links would have perished, replaced by more dynamic and innovative corporations.
Whatever happens it is now past and we will never know for sure if the path that was taken was the best one at the time. The question now becomes what is ahead of us? Before we answer this question lets review how the Fed has revived the economy over the last five years.
First, the monetary base has increased drastically since 2009, moving from US$800 billion to $2.9 trillion, an increase of more then 350 per cent. During the same period we also saw the Monetary supply (M2) increase by 55 per cent. Any economic books written over the last 100 years would tell you that such an increase in liquidity should produce massive inflation. However, over the last four years, inflation was nowhere to be seen.
The lack of inflation since 2009 can be attributed to many factors, the most important being the refusal from the banking system to lend to corporations and individuals, refusing to increase the velocity of capital. Coming out of the financial crisis of 2008, the banks had to fix their balance sheets and accumulated as much capital as they could to do so. After four years spent licking their wounds we would expect the banks to now be more aggressive, however they seem to show little confidence in the economic situation going forward. To be truthful, the poor unemployment situation the US has been facing since the financial did not contribute to an environment where lending could flourish easily. As the economy struggles to recreate the jobs lost during the great recession it is difficult for any financial institution to consider consumer lending as an appealing proposition. However, the economy is producing jobs, slowly but surely, and the situation is gradually getting better. Should we then be expecting more lending and inflation going forward?
The answer is in the hand of Dr. Bernanke. We see two possible scenarios from this point. Under scenario 1 the Fed reduces the accommodative stance taken five years ago. This would send interest rates higher rapidly and would probably trigger a new recession. This recession may annihilate all the benefits brought by the quantitative easing policy to date. Under this scenario stocks and bonds would plummet, cash would be king and the world would enter into a prolonged period of deflation.
However, as jobs are created and the economy slowly gets better, the Federal Reserve may elect to continue to keep interest low to assure that the economy is on a solid footing. This should lead to higher inflation. Under this scenario bonds would keep their value but present limited upside and stocks should extent their positive returns over the short to mid-term. In time, as inflation start increasing more rapidly, we would expect the Fed to contemplate scenario 1 and again shock the economy and bring it back to square one.
The market is now addicted to accommodative policy and both scenarios present important down side risk going forward. I am of the view that the Fed will remain accommodative for many more years. We should, therefore, expect to see inflation slowly rising in the coming months. This slow rise in inflation will be beneficial to equity and hurt fixed income. This situation should remain until the Fed removes the punch bowl. We expect at least 18 months more of quantitative easing and, if the situation in Europe or Japan deteriorates, even longer.
This is not to say that stocks will go up in a straight line. The best method is to apply a tactical asset mix approach to your portfolio, overweighting or underweighting the different asset classes according to a three-month forecast. Personally I use a series of different indicators to forecast the direction of the market. The price of oil, P/E forward and FX directions are examples of quantitative indicators important to our approach. On the qualitative side, I like to see many bullish commentators on CNBC before turning bearish and only when Roubini and Faber become regular on the different shows do I start being bullish again.In conclusion, the Federal Reserve needs to remember that playing God and trying to modify the laws of nature carries important risk. Like Dr. Frankenstein who perished at the hand of the creature he created, Dr. Bernanke will see his creation destroy his legacy. The question now is when?
Disclosure: I receive no remuneration from any websites where I am published and do not publish or promote subscriptions to any newsletters.


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Broadbeach Library
61 Sunshine Boulevard
Mermaid Waters QLD 4218
Phone: 07 5581 1555
Fax: 07 5575 5007
Ask a librarian online contact form.
How do I get there?
Broadbeach Library is located alongside the City of Gold Coast customer service office at Albert Waterways Community Centre and park, opposite Pacific Fair.
View the TransLink website for public transport routes in your local area.
About Broadbeach Library
Opened on 26 August 2008, Broadbeach Library is one of the City's most environmentally-compliant buildings, incorporating ecologically sustainable design principles to reduce the consumption of water, electricity and air conditioning.
The natural hues of the building have been designed to reflect the natural environment of the Gold Coast, while the striking bright wall displays at either end of the building are reminiscent of the city's heyday past.
Opening hours
- Monday: 9am - 6pm
- Tuesday: 9am - 6pm
- Wednesday: 9am - 6pm
- Thursday: 9am - 7pm
- Friday: 9am - 6pm
- Saturday: 9am - 4pm
- Sunday: Closed
Services and facilities
- wide selection of fiction and non-fiction books for adults, young people and children
- children's section with books, CDs, DVDs, graphic novels and games
- young people's section with books, CDs, DVDs, graphic novels and games
- DVDs, including movies, TV series, and documentaries
- Music CDs, including rock, pop and classical selections
- PCs with Internet access and Microsoft Office
- large print and audio books
- music scores
- newspapers and magazines
- books, DVDs and CDs to help learn a language
- adult literacy resources
- books, CDs and DVDs in languages other than English
- community notice board
- photocopying and printing and scanning (to USB)
- self-serve loans units
- disabled access with automatic doors
- disabled parking
- audio loop
- after hours return
- community meeting room
- public access wireless Internet.


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Do you have a passion for the arts? Love working with children? Looking for arts industry experience?
The AWESOME International Arts Festival for Bright Young Things is an annual contemporary arts festival for children, running from September 29th to October 17th.
With a number of event volunteer roles on offer including, volunteer team leaders, front of house, school tour guide, artist workshop assistant, festival administration, street team and more! We have the opportunity for you to take part and have an AWESOME experience. A variety of shifts are available between 9am to 5pm.
AWESOME provides a supportive and fun environment where you can work alongside industry professionals and gain valuable arts experience along the way.


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Research Complete 2 – A design philosophy
I really hope that this idea eventually gets implemented someday (also hopefully by me). This would be for a computer version as a forum really wouldn't do the calculations justice. It's sort of my idealized vision of what a civilization-building game would go like, and I've played quite a few civilization games (and even their modded counterparts) – Civilization 3, 4, 5, Rise of Nations, Age of Empires 2, 3, Europa Universalis 3, Victoria I and II, ostensibly Starcraft, Starcraft II (to a very limited extent), Warcraft III, and a bunch of mods for Civilization 4. I particularly enjoyed Civilization 4 and Rise of Nations. Of course, I like the Blizzard crafts as well, but they're less related to a semihistorical context.
EDIT: I forgot to mention Sins of a Solar Empire (not relevant here) and Galciv 2 (very relevant to some of the ideas).
I would suggest at least getting a feel for Research Complete (1) which can be found in the AoPS forums. It was designed to have a heavy emphasis for research with a branching out as enabled by tech.
Not much I would change here. It would probably have to be a tree-like structure with some techs unlocking other techs. Since I probably want an RTS feel, I would have to ensure that the time standards are reasonable. Early techs would take a few minutes to maybe half an hour, and later techs may take a few days. That would be if the game is persistent multiplayer, which is probably the most reasonable genre to host such a game. (that said, I've played quite a few persistent multiplayer games (tribalwars, ikariam, civworld) and they all seem to play the same way. I want to break out of this mold).
I like to keep a mystery of exploration. The first time RC was created, nobody knew what was the best thing to maximize, and this mystique keeps the game interesting. If things are consistent and never-changing, people quickly determine the best possible way to do things, the fastest way to do things, and do them. They make guides: "oh, do this and that and then that for the fastest possible victory" and the game becomes boring and solved. Randomness is one way to do so, but it has to be implemented in an interesting fashion. AI would be one (although the investment to make a worthwhile AI is probably too much to ask for). However, I believe that it may be worthwhile pursuing RANDOMIZED TECH TREES!
They would still make sense, and the gameplay would still have to be viable – core gameplay function should still be intact, although some secondary modules could probably be done away with as an interesting twist. A game without most military function would certainly change some warmongers' strategies. Also, you would not be able to see most of the tech tree until you unlock them – this is an important characteristic of RC which largely prevented such tunneling.
However, people largely adopted strategies from other people because it was too tedious to copy-paste everyone individual data every day. So people would know what everyone was doing very quickly on. This can be mitigated with a computer version, a persistent multiplayer online game. Collaboration to explore the tech tree is definitely a possibility and I would encourage such alliances. But to prevent large alliances from fully traversing the tree the tree would have to be somewhat big.
(New!) TOOLS
This would play out similarly to Doodle God. It's a simple minigame to pass the time, and this time there are actual effects. You can unlock more starting items with more techs, of course. Timesinks like these can reward active players. Of course, Doodle God is also susceptible to walkthrough-ization, but hopefully randomized tech trees mitigates this (so random items). This provides a crafting aspect to the game, and perhaps this can be an itemsink: you might damage a resource beyond use if you try to combine things incorrectly, and it might take time before you get good at combining even correct recipes (think of it as learning)
(Sort of new!) LAND
In RC1, this manifested itself as the construction module, but now I've split this up into two modules: the use of open land for raw resources (such as metals, rocks, trees) and expansive plots (like farms), and the urban center filled with lots of buildings. I neglected the land aspect in RC1; I hope to include it in RC2. Notably, you will need lots of resources to fund your little city, which comes from the use of land. You can apportion a certain number of people to farm, others to mine, and so on, and in the land module you do not make buildings but rather improve infrastructure. (maybe improve your mining capability or something). Land will have some sort of terrain modifier that makes certain lands more conducive to mining and others for farming or quarrying. With that said, food is important for growing your population which is important for the workforce.
And this is the building part of things. Buildings will involve the conversion of lower resources into bigger and better resources. They require people to operate (of course (ok, maybe until you get robots to operate the buildings for you)). You have a lot more control here: you can set the number of people in each building which affects the efficiency of each building.
I like the construction space gating mechanism as much as the next person, but it makes less conceptual sense if we are operating on the premise of such expansive lands. While there will still be a land cost, it will be rather minor. The real cost comes from the construction costs, and the costs to house people into these buildings. Efficiency will operate on sort of a logistic curve: it takes a critical mass of people for a building to become effective, but stuffing too many people into a building and you run into diminishing returns (and perhaps people might die due to bad conditions, etc.). So one would need to create duplicates of the same building, i.e. expanding the building outwards. Food will be a more relevant concern.
I had a dream last night. It would make the game rather simple, really. And that is to create the concept of NEIGHBORS. What I didn't really like was the monotony of the maps found in Tribal Wars and Ikariam. Each island looked the same, every village was so perfectly aligned to a grid. I get rid of the map, at least partially. Everybody, upon starting the game, is assigned a few (perhaps 6-10) neighbors. These neighbors are not all neighbors with each other though! Instead of a cluster system, there is an abstract map where you have neighbors, which is probably assigned partially based on your join time (so that your neighbors should be of approximately the same relative strength). You can only perform your military exploits on your neighbors (although you can resort to more peaceful measures such as trading and such). However, the catch is this: when you inevitably try to expand your land area via military exploits by carving out land from other people, you might acquire additional neighbors, who could possibly be quite large! The number of neighbors you have should roughly be proportional to the perimeter of your empire, which can either be well-managed or perhaps less well-managed.
Military actions are still much of the same: raid for resources, conquer for some lands, attack for actual military conflict, etcetera.
This was a thorn in the foot in RC1. But with an online interface (and with an actual need for espionage with hidden values and such) espionage might actually work well here. With more powerful spies you can get more information from your neighbors.
Another painful aspect of RC1. You can offer resource trading between neighbors and probably a range around them (so perhaps a 4-5 neighbor range). It won't be a stock market implementation (until perhaps later with stock markets). It could also function in that you have a certain resource that someone else doesn't have, and a trade could occur.
Now, inventions are tied to technologies, so you won't get irrelevant inventions or anachronistic inventions. You can only invent things that you have already researched. I think Victoria II does a good job exemplifying this aspect.
May add later.


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Glacier House Resort
Glacier House Resort is the perfect setting for your peaceful mountain vacation, and the heart of your experience in British Columbia. Nestled in between the Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges, it is the ideal location to enjoy the peace, quiet and see nature at its best. Just 10 km north of beautiful Revelstoke, the resort has a true backcountry feel, and adventure at your doorstep.
Comfortable accommodation is offered in the Lodge building. Spacious rooms, indoor pool, sauna and hot tub, dining in The Gallery Restaurant and Bootlegger Bar, and a sunny patio overlooking Mount Begbie. The Restaurant offers a cozy atmosphere and affordable menu. There is a continental breakfast buffet and dinner, a al cart, is served daily. The dinner menu includes a variety of great appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts. During the winter, food services are provided in the Pub which is a great place to hang out and you can enjoy steaks, seafood, pizza and a variety of appetizers after an active day outdoors.
Or, for a true Canadian experience, cozy log cabins provide the perfect combination of rustic charm and modern amenities. With family cabins, kids options on the menu, a small play park, lawn games and plenty of space outside to run around, why not bring the whole family and take the chance to unplug and get outside? Well-behaved pets are welcome too, so bring your furry friends! Private outdoor hot tubs on the decks of the log cabins mean you can sit back, relax and take in the stunning mountain vistas.
Whether you are looking for rest and relaxation, or adrenalin fueled activity, it is all here from hiking, golf, canoeing and stand up paddle boarding, to mountain biking, ATV, dirt biking and moto cross. In winter, Revelstoke Mountain Ski Resort is nearby, or snowmobile from your door to Frisby and Boulder trails. Try dog sledding or snow shoeing with the family.
Step out to Adventure with Glacier House Resort! Ask about Stay and Play packages and get great deals on mountain bike tours, golf, stand up paddle board rentals, ski passes and other adventure activities. Certified by Green Tourism Canada, they are working on environmental policies and initiatives, and encourage guests to explore the great outdoors that Revelstoke is famous for. Glacier House Resort is perfect for larger groups. With discounted rates available, group cabin accommodation, an array of dining options, a conference room with lots of space, group reservations are a breeze! Call for up to date information and to discuss the specific requirements for your group.


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One of my favorite dishes to serve to family and friends is a tasty elk cornbread casserole. It's easy to prepare and uses ground elk, which you hopefully have plenty of in your freezer.
This casserole is a quick and easy crowd-pleaser, combining elk, chopped onion, yellow bell pepper, sweet corn, a blend of spices and mild shredded cheese. But the pièce de resistance that makes this casserole so irresistible is the cornbread batter topping. You can make your favorite cornbread from scratch, or if you're pressed for time any store-bought cornbread mix will work fine. Just be sure to follow the directions on the package so you have at least 2 cups of prepared batter.
The batter covers the entire dish, locking in the medley of flavors. Before you know it, you'll end up with a golden-brown cornbread crust that adds a sweet, rich texture to every satisfying bite.
- 1 pound ground elk
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
- 25 oz can yellow corn, drained
- 14.75 oz can yellow creamed corn
- 2 cups Colby jack cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 lb cornbread mix (ex: Marie Callender's just add water)
- Garnishments: salsa, pickled jalapenos and cilantro
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Heat skillet over medium heat and add oil. When the oil is warm, add the onions, yellow bell pepper and garlic cooking for about 5 minutes or until onions become translucent and soft. Add ground elk meat and cook until browned. Season the meat mixture with cumin powder, chili powder and salt. Pour in the corn and stir to ensure all ingredients are combined. Remove from heat.
- In a bowl, add cornbread mix and 1 ½ cups water. Mix until lumps disappear. Note: If you prefer to use another cornbread mix, you will need 2 cups of prepared cornbread batter for this recipe.
- Using a 9×13 inch baking pan, pour about ¼ cup of the cornbread batter on the bottom of the baking pan. Add the ground elk mixture to the pan and top with 1 cup shredded cheese. Pour the remaining cornbread batter over the top and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Add the remainder of the cheese to the top of the cornbread and continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.
- Garnish with salsa, pickled jalapenos and cilantro.


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