text:
Flip PDF Professional is a powerful feature-rich flip book maker with page edit function. With Flip PDF Professional, you are able to create inspiring page turning books to display smoothly on iPad, iPhone, Android devices and desktop. Get started with hundreds of stunning pre-designed templates, fully customize your digital brochure or catalog with interactive effect by adding multi-media like YouTube video, image, hyperlink, Flash in the drag-and-drop interface simply, everyone can generate impressive flip books easily.
Flip PDF Professional Features:
Easy Import with Various Options
1. Convert PDF to Adobe Flash based page-flipping eBooks.
2. Batch convert multiple PDF files to a single or multiple page-flipping eBooks.
3. Provide command line version.
4. Offer Project Panel to easy open or save project.
5. Import bookmarks (outline) of original PDF, and edit them manually.
6. Import hyperlinks of original PDF, including web link, page link and email link.
7. Import text so text is searchable, define the minimum search characters.
8. Add watermark text, image, dynamic date/time and more to page-flipping eBooks.
9. Define quality and size for normal version and mobile version.
10. Detect landscape page to present as two-page spread.
Flexible Output Formats
Publish online directly (or batch upload flipbooks) using FlipBuilder Upload Service. Show uploaded books in BookCase with shopping cart integrated.
Output in different formats: HTML, EXE, Zip, Mac App, FBR, Mobile version and Burn to CD.
1. HTML allows you to upload to a website to be viewed online (with title, keywords and other metadata defined). And you can add Google Analytics tracking code to output flipbook pages.
2.EXE allows you to view output book individually on Windows computer.
3.ZIP allows you to output all book files and folders in zip package (easy email and read offline after unzip or read zip with free Flip Reader directly).
4.App (Mac Application) is executable application can be run on Mac.
5.FBR is especially designed format to read with free Flip Reader, easy email and read offline.
6.Mobile version is to output HTML flipbook which can be viewed on mobile devices via Browsers (support slide single pages on mobiles).
7.Burn to CD allows you to burn to disk so you can send your user physical media for viewing on their computer. (Enable to set Auto Play in CD output form)
8.Publish flip book to your FTP server directly.
9.Create *.scr format flip book to use as Screen Saver.
10.Publish flip book and Email to an address directly by choosing "Email to" output type.
11.Output the flip book as WordPress plugin and insert to WordPress directly.
12.Publish flip book in Joomla module.
13.Create Drupal module to embed to your Drupal site.
Note: You can set password protection (with expired date option) in EXE advanced settings. Besides, you can add company info in EXE output type.
Customize on Pre-designed Templates
1.Download different templates online (h**p://***.flipbuilder.com/templates-themes/).
2.Apply a pre-designed template, animated scene, background and plugin; more free templates, scenes and backgrounds online.
3.Add plugin to the flip book: banner, news-rotator, news ticket, photo slider, scroller, music player, YouTube banner, etc.
4.Show Assistant and scrolling tips in your book, and record or embed sound directly.
5.Add HTML Title in Float template and click it to visit webpage online.
6.Add Image or Flash logo to insert before Book Title in Float template.
7.Define book proportions, margin size and shadow manually.
8.Replace existing icons on toolbar by editing Icon Flash file.
9.Add new icons into toolbar by calling new actions.
10.Set background color and image.
11.Insert background music either for continuous play (loop) or for a set duration.
12.Set eBook reading from right to left (for Right-to-Left languages such as Arabic).
13.Choose hard cover for eBooks.
14.Set fonts for Flash and Bookmark panel.
15.Export edited bookmarks as Text file to import and use later.
16.Set Page Number Box to show at top or bottom in Float, set start page number.
17.Select flash pre-loader for your flip book.
Provide Multiple Control Tools
1.Edit pages with shapes, text, links, images, videos (including YouTube & Vimeo videos) flash or sound files.
2.Add Button on pages to open link page, call Javascript action, or play Flash/Video in pop-up Window.
3.Add page, delete page, re-order and sort page in Page Edit window.
4.Export objects added in Page Editor, e.g., links, swf and movies to import and use later.
5.Define the language for your published page-flipping eBook, multi-language switchable.
6.Add password to protect your page-flipping eBook.
7.Different render engine types for special PDF files: SWF, GPL Ghostscript or Inner Library.
8.Add Google Analytics to the book pages.
9.Add watermark image or SWF to show on print out pages.
10.Add Help config to manually define content with using Image or SWF.
11.Add Single/Double Page view.
12.Add Minime Style to show page-flipping eBooks without toolbar.
13.Set permissions for downloading, printing, social sharing, Home, About button and more.
14.Edit bookmark manually and set bookmark panel to show on left or right side.
15.Export and save settings for future uses.
16.Save and Load your project.
17.Build your digital library to store and manage ebooks publised on FlipBuilder Server.
II. Page-flipping multiple PDF eBook features
With the page-flipping ebook you have created, your book readers will be able to:
1. Flip book pages by dragging corner, clicking page shadow, scrolling mouse wheel, etc.
2. Use Previous, Next, First or Last buttons or thumbnails to navigate through the book pages.
3. Open and view important pages quickly with pre-loading technology, no need to wait for all pages to load.
4. Flip pages automatically using Auto Flip mode.
5. View page-flipping eBook in full screen.
6. Add annotation text or shapes to highlight.
7. Print out the whole eBook or a selected range of pages.
8. Download uploaded page-flipping eBook or other file while reading book.
9. Double-click to zoom in or zoom out.
10. Share eBook URL via email, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, etc.
11. Turn on/off background sound.
12. Open in the Browser to a specific page by adding a page index to your URL.
13. Always show in Minime Style with adding a parameter to URL.
14. View page-flipping eBooks in the browser of Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone and Android devices.
Support 11 languages: English, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Arabic, French, German, Korean, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish.
Download Via Torrent Other Server
Use Downloader Multi Speed with IDM or Utorrent
Extract the zip file using WinRAR or WinZip or by default Windows command.,
Download in Here
Ultra ISO [Mount/Burn] + Rufus [Bootable]
If file has been deleted or removed,
Please let me know, I Resolved and works properly
Do not forget to share like and support always !!!
Enjoy and Support Developers, Buy It, They Deserved It!
Please chat Me on WhatApps Beside
Have a Request For Software
or Have a Problem?


text: The catalog above features Rogue's complete selection of packs, bags, and travel gear. From the simple dependability of the original Rogue Gym Bag and workout ready Sandbags to a wide variety of top-quality duffles, kit bags, and backpacks from leading manufacturers, we have a carrier in stock for just about any set of goals. Also included above is a selection of exclusive Rogue patches and tags that you can add to a new or existing bag.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Wordsmyth Organization
Robert Q. Parks, President
Lexicography, Writing, and Editing
Lynn Broquist, Senior Editor
Jean Callahan, Editor
Betsy Cowdery, Writer and Illustrator
Crystal Dennis, Writer
Interface Design and Graphic Arts
Andrea Ospina, Graphic Artist
Jill Hoffman, Graphic Artist
Angela Zhang, Design
Anatoly Popikhin, Senior Programmer
Erik Williams, Programmer
Ilya Burnashov, Programmer
Cecilia Chapa, Spanish Translator
June Locke, Content Writer
Cheryl Barbasch, Content Writer
Many others have made important contributions to Wordsmyth. Thanks go especially to Jean Callahan, who edited the Children's Dictionary, Lynn Broquist, who shouldered the main writing tasks for WILD, and Sarah Kennedy, who kept us going in difficult times, and the many writers and editors who worked on the original dictionary and thesaurus projects.
Also see the History of Wordsmyth


text:
Voter power index for Dorset Mid & Poole North
Rank #8 of 650
Voter power in Dorset Mid & Poole North
Constituency marginality
Very marginal
In Dorset Mid & Poole North, one person does not really have one vote, they have the equivalent of 1.039 votes.
The power of voters in this constituency is based on the probability of the seat changing hands and its size.
While you might think that every vote counts equally, where you live in the UK has a huge effect on your power to influence the election.
How does Dorset Mid & Poole North compare?
Voters in Dorset Mid & Poole North have 3.4x more voting power than the UK average.
Average UK voter power
The average UK voter only has the power of 0.305 votes. This is because most of us live in safe seats, where the outcome is pretty much certain regardless of how we vote.
Dorset Mid & Poole North ranks #8 out of 650 constituencies in the Voter Power Index.
UK constituency marginality
We can be almost certain that 60% of seats will NOT change hands in the general election (very safe or ultra safe seats).
Further information
The more times a seat changes hands, the more marginal it is deemed to be.
- 1997 Con
- 2001 LibDem
- 2005 LibDem
- 2010 LibDem
Constituency size
This constituency is smaller than average, which means a voter here is more likely to affect the national result.
Number of voters: 63,749
Average constituency: 69,718
2010 election data
55% of votes discarded
54.90% of those who voted in Dorset Mid & Poole North in 2010 did not vote for the winning candidate. These votes count for nothing in the First Past the Post system.
2010 General Election result
Winner takes all
Show your support
The Voter Power Index is based on research by NEF (the New Economics Foundation)
If the UK had a proportional voting system:
- We would no longer have safe seats
- The power of votes would be much more equal
- All areas of the UK would have equal power to decide the outcome of the election
- Politicians would not be able to win an election by tailoring all their policies to a narrow section of the population


text:
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Boardgame Night (or Afternoon, at Any Rate)
The meetup was organized by people I had prior experience with but with whom my friend got to know online. In the end, there were eight of us, counting myself, and we broke up into two groups of four. My group began the afternoon by playing Summoner Wars, which I'd (of course) never played before. It's a head-to-head fantasy combat game, consisting of teams of players who move cards on a tactical map to fight each other. Since only one of us had ever played before, we decided not to play it as a 2-versus-2 game but instead and 1-versus-1, with each side consisting of two players. My friend and I were on opposite sides; he played elves and I played orcs.
Because each faction in the game -- there are four in the basic game and many more available in expansions -- has certain advantages and disadvantages, one of the keys to winning is playing according to the style that most complements your faction's advantages. My partner and I didn't realize until too late that the orcs are all about getting up close and personal and smashing faces, so we, sadly, lost to the elves, but, despite our incompetence, we still held our own long enough to have some fun. I liked Summoner Wars a lot. My only beef with it is that it seems optimized for 1-versus-1 play. The more players added to each side, the longer the game would likely drag on, especially since players on the same side can share resources and resource exhaustion is what ultimately ends the end.
After that, we played 7 Wonders, which I'd also never played before. This game is, unsurprisingly, playable with up to seven players, but we had just four. Each player is given one of the wonders of the ancient world and his goal, over the course of three rounds (called "ages") is to accumulate enough resources and structures to not only build his wonder but also to achieve other goals that accrue him victory points. 7 Wonders isn't really a boardgame at all, since it has no board, only cards. At the beginning of each age, seven cards are distributed to each player, who selects one from his hand that he thinks will most aid him and then passes the remaining cards to a player on either his left or his right, depending on what age it is. This continues until all but one card is left in each hand and then various events, such as combat between players is resolved, the outcome of which determines victory point bonuses or penalties.
Though I found 7 Wonders fascinating in a way, it was also a very bloodless game. For the most part, the players are playing in parallel to one another rather than against one another. There's minimal actual interaction between players, with the passing of cards being the main way that players have any impact on how well or poorly their fellow players do. Even the combat is resolved passively, simply by comparing combat values against players seated on either side of you. Victory is ultimately decided by how many victory points a player accumulates over the course of the three ages of play. As a new player, this made it a lot harder to get a sense of what I was supposed to be doing in the game compared to Summoner Wars. I'd probably be willing to give 7 Wonders a shot again, but, even so, I think it's fair to say its design didn't really grab me.
Next, we broke up into slightly different groups to play another game. We attempted to play Race for the Galaxy, but soon discovered that the set we had was missing some vital cards, so we attempted a different game, 51st State, instead. 51st State is post-apocalyptic in its setting, with each of the players taking control of a faction attempting to rebuild a fallen USA in its own image. Like 7 Wonders, 51st State isn't a boardgame at all, but rather a card game, with limited interactivity between the players, who spend much of their time accumulating resources, manpower, and locales to use their bid for control. Of all the games I played, this was the one that most disappointed me, in part because I sort of expect a fair bit of bloody combat between players in anything that uses a post-apocalyptic setting. Instead, the game was mostly spent playing in parallel, working toward one's own goals.
Though the game playing continued after that point, my friend and I took our leave. Being old men with wives and families to return to, we had to make our back homeward. I had a good time and would gladly do it again, though, if I were to attend again, I'd be sure to bring along a game that had an actual board and where the players interacted with one another a lot more than most of the games I played yesterday. I don't know if this low-interactivity, parallel play stuff is standard in recent "boardgames" or not, but, if it is, I can't same I'm all that keen on it. Likewise, I missed rolling dice. Only Summoner Wars used dice for its play and dice -- or some other randomizer -- are an integral part of what makes playing a game fun for me. All the games I played yesterday involved plenty of strategy, but I craved a lot more conflict and chance.
36 comments:
The new "designer" board games are actually what lead me to find about the OSR and ultimately to return to RPG gaming the last few years. If you are even slightly interested in board games I highly recommend the site boardgamegeek.com. My love for D&D may have returned but board games are now a big part of my gaming experience as well.
As for the games you listed above, as someone who owns Summoner Wars and 7 Wonders I can say that they are decent but not my favourites. If you get the chance I highly recommend the following:
1. Battlestar Galactica - Just like the modern series, you don't know who is a cylon and who is human. The accusations, guessing games, and paranoia make this feel like an RPG but play like a board game. Seriously, try this!
2. Dominion - It's cards but it's the best of the best in that regard. It shines with expansions but I have yet to meet someone that doesn't like it.
3. Dungeonquest - A reprint where you roll dice and barely strategize. It's rare someone makes it out alive. The fun is laughing at your friends as they die.
4. Cosmic Encounter - A negotiation, backstabbing, crazy game where you draw random aliens and powers and no game is the same.
5. Chaos in the Old World - This video will explain better than I can why this is so fun http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U-avA52300&feature=related
There are a ton of other good ones (Space Hulk and Claustrophobia are amazing for two players) but those stand out to me right now.Neither was I at first. It was until I bought an expansion or two and was pushed to play it by my family (who loved it from the start) that I learned to love it.
That said it is not a game my friends and I often play. We usually pull out Battlestar Galactica if there is enough of us, otherwise Cosmic Encounter, Dungeonquest or one of my other nerdier, more thematic games. Dominion is more a game I will play with family or "non-geeks".You seem to have discovered the dichotomy between modern "Eurogames" and American board games.
Eurogames, such as Settlers of Cataan, 7 Wonders, and a vast array of others, have (as a general rule-- there are obviously exceptions) much less luck and much less inter-player back-stabbing. They are also noted for not having player elimination; everybody plays to the end regardless of their complete inability to win at a given stage.
American board games are perceived to be the opposite. Random chance plays a great part, in terms of dice rolls, and players can get knocked out of the game before the very end. Again, this is a broad generalization.
I personally find Eurogames to be too abstract for my taste; the theme is generally bolted on and the core mechanics could have been used for any theme from pyramid building to Machiavellian court intrigue to 20th century power station management.I've been to some great boardgame sessions with great people and I understand why they play - easy to get into, low time investment, and an industry constantly turning out interesting products as well as many independent producers. Still, like you I miss the funny dice, and the mental and social engagement of rpgs.
ReplyDeleteMy gaming group would take breaks from campaigns and have board game nights. Our three favorites to play were Supremacy, Talisman, and Dungeonquest. Luckily for us, the guy who hosted the gaming sessions had a really good salary and could afford all the expansions for those games.
When the group broke up because of people moving and whatnot I found a single player a freeware version of Dungeonquest for the Mac. It was pretty darn fun to play. I haven't hadn't owned a MAC in ages so I no longer have that game but I really wish I could find it again. I loved that game.I personally find Eurogames to be too abstract for my taste; the theme is generally bolted on and the core mechanics could have been used for any theme from pyramid building to Machiavellian court intrigue to 20th century power station management.
That's an interesting observation. It certainly matches my limited experience with 7 Wonders and 51st State, whose mechanics felt rather divorced from their ostensible subject matter.One thing about eurogames is that they are often designed to be won. A lot of the strategy games that grew out of wargaming are designed to be played, with winning being entirely incidental. This changes the feel of a game, often making eurogames seem much more abstract. Role-playing could not have grown out of eurogaming. [I do admit to having a dislike where the game colour text is only that - a fine veil for a game system. (this also describes some of 4E now I think of it).]
And for those of us used to the uncertainties of wargaming, where, as in life, maintaining a reserve to exploit opportunity or prevent others from doing so is important, the lack of chaos is a problem. Especially if a game is badly designed so there becomes an optimal strategy to win.For fast entry Elder Sign is crack and hooked me so fast I bought Arkham Horror and all 8 expansions blind and I am loving every minute of it. And the fan community for it is incredible. I'm looking forward to pitting Abraham Lincoln - Vampire Hunter, Indiana Jones and Walter Kovacs (aka Rorschach) against the Great Old Ones campaign fashion.
Yeah, AH is pretty good :)I must raise my hand and be numberd among those, who while giving due credit to Dominion for introducing a new core mechanic to the tabletop gaming world, find its game play lackluster and tedious.
Two games of recent vintage I would bring to James's attention if he is seeking satisfying confrontation and chance (and a board) are Memoir '44 and Manoeuvre. M44 is a member of Command & Color series of games which has versions for different themes from various publishers. M44 is WWII themed and is in my opinion the best developed of the lot. Both are two player.
Small World is good, and has plenty of direct interaction and an entertaining theme. I'll second that recommendation. Also seconded is Fire & Axe, which I have in its original version, Viking Fury. Load up your long ship and trade, pillage, and settle your way as far south as Constantinople, then discover the new world. Less direct competition in this one, primarily grabbing objectives before the other guy.
The aforementioned Settlers of Catan is actually alot less dry and analytical than many current designs that are favored. It has a healthy chance component via the resource rolls, and trading provides some decent interaction. Another game that bears some resemblance to Settlers but adds a bit more wild west feel to it in theme and play is Boomtown. I recommend it.
Another small gem is Trias, which involves keeping your herds of dinosaurs alive on drifting continents, with lots of opportunities to mess with other players plans directly. And that reminds me of another fun "stay alive on top of rapidly vanishing sets of tiles" game I was introduced to this weekend. Survive: Escape from Atlantis. It's actually a reprint of a fairly old design, and involves sheparding your people off a rapidly sinking exploding island while sicing sharks, whales and sea monsters on you opponents. And yes, a board.
Board gaming has never been more vibrant, and there are plenty of alternatives to the dry efficiency races that often seem to dominate the top of the charts. BGG is a good resource for tabletop games of all types. Check out the various "Ameritrash" lists to find game that feature chance, PvP, and sometimes even the dreaded player elimination.Lack of direct conflict is said to be a characteristic, and for some people a flaw, of 'eurogames' or European-style games.
Usually, though, the theme matches the gameplay, so that a game about farming or building monuments would be likely to be a eurogame while a game about America after the apocalypse wouldn't. Although in Race for the Galaxy you can control a militaristic planet called New Sparta and yet there are no rules in the basic game for attacking other players.
Wasn't there an old Avalon Hill game about rebuilding society after a nuclear war where if you attacked another player you'd probably exhaust your resources and both lose?Sounds like you had fun, my commitment to keeping my D&D game running means I don't have time to go downtown for boardgaming meetups much anymore.
The problem with most 'board and dice' games tear days is that they take too long to explain, setup, then play in the short time allotted of the meetup. So most people bring a few euro games so they can get several games in an evening.Two of my favourite board games of late have been Mansions of Madness, which attempts to emulate Call of Cthulhu, and Small World, a fun and lightweight game of fantasy conquest. I think the latter may suit you well, James. It's quick and easy to play, and there's a fair bit of light-hearted confrontation to it.
I'm also fond of Fire and Axe, a Viking raiding game, but I've only played it the once.@Reverance Pavane:
Actually, it's not "eurogames", but "German-style board games" - which is a bit funny considering how we Germans don't really differentiate betwen different styles of board games ^^ .
Speaking of German-style board games... anyone played the "Lord of the Rings"-boardgame by Reiner Knizia? The one that came out before the movies? Not only does it have beautiful boards, but I also love the game's style: the players play neither against or parallel to each other, but TOGETHER (unless you use the Sauron expansion, were one player is Sauron). The game can is pretty much impossible if the players don't work as a group, just like in a good roleplaying-game.You should be playing Arkham Horror, best board game ever.
It's funny you should say that, because, this very day, I told my wife I wanted a copy for Christmas.
Litko Aerosystems makes some add ons for the Arkham Horror board game
http://www.litko.net/categories/Board-Gaming/Compatible-with-Arkham-Horror/Wasn't there an old Avalon Hill game about rebuilding society after a nuclear war where if you attacked another player you'd probably exhaust your resources and both lose?
You're thinking of SPI's "After the Holocaust", I believe. It was possible to engage in some militaristic adventures, but in general you're right-- it was usually (but not always) counter-productive in the long run.Must put forth three entries for your consideration, James:
1) Alien Frontiers, a competitive dice-rolling game which is connected to its theme of colonizing a planet, albeit in a strange way. Interaction with other players mainly consists of sitting on the resources they might want, but the game changes rapidly, as your options are determined by die roll. (Despite that, there's still a middling level of tactical thought that goes into it.)
2) Pandemic. Co-operative play against diseases ravaging the world. Although much of the game play is determined by the cards you draw, this doesn't make the game as "swingy" as you might think, since you know (for instance) that all of the player action cards will eventually come into play--if you don't lose to the diseases first. I can't say enough good things about this game.
3) Defenders of the Realm. If there's one bad thing I can say about Pandemic, it's that you don't get to roll dice. Defenders fixes that; it's essentially the same game, except that instead of diseases, you're fighting armies, and it's got a fantasy theme, illustrated by (love him or hate him) Larry Elmore. And it replaces some of the cards of Pandemic with dice-roll resolutions.I will echo amp108, with a further recommendation for Pandemic. This game is tremendous fun, and tricky. It is my favorite game to lose, as typically losing the game often results in some crazy cascade of events.
The game plays pretty quickly, no more than 2 hrs. It plays with 2 players, but best at 4.2) Pandemic. Co-operative play against diseases ravaging the world. Although much of the game play is determined by the cards you draw, this doesn't make the game as "swingy" as you might think, since you know (for instance) that all of the player action cards will eventually come into play--if you don't lose to the diseases first. I can't say enough good things about this game.
A friend of my wife recommended this game to us; I shall have to check it out.My preference for fun, social games tends towards the old-school classics I grew up with. They're probably a little crunchier than the current crop of Euro-games, but I still have fond memories of playing them back in high school with my regular group when we wanted a break from role-playing. To this day my favorites include Kingmaker, Kremlin (although the premise is a bit dated these days), Junta (one of the all time best backstabbing games - the player who invariably won was the player who could maintain the role of the trusted Lieutenant to a succession of failed presidents), Britannia (slightly more crunchy than the other titles here), and, or course, Diplomacy.
ReplyDeleteAnother significant feature of German/Euro games is that they are fairly bounded in length. A typical game of Monopoly (to take the other extreme) lasts for somewhere between one and four hours, and could in principle go on forever. If you were to walk in on a game in progress, it might be hard to tell how long the game had been going or how much longer it might take to finish.
German style games tend to progress toward a definite end. If you walk in on a game of Puerto Rico, Vikings or Power Grid, you will usually be able to determine pretty accurately what stage the game is in and how long it is likely to continue to run. This is because there is usually little or no resource destruction (players can move forward or stand still, but not usually get knocked back) and the game has one or more end conditions that are designed in such a way that there is a fairly hard limit on how long a game can progress. A big advantage of this is when you sit down for an evening of games, you can do some reasonable advance planning with respect to how many games you're going to play and how long they'll take. The estimated playing times on the box end up being pretty accurate, except for the first couple of plays while you're still learning the rules.I am a bit of a board game fanatic. The board game industry has been vibrant for the past 10 years. While "eurogames" have been dominant, there has been a variety of games being produced.
Among the other games already mentioned I would also recommend Cyclades. Second I would recommend Carson City and while it may be a little too euro style I would say that the theme fits nicely into the game and you can have shoot-outs using dice. Lastly, I would highly recommend Claustrophobia which was already mentioned above.I have learned from experience it can be difficult to recommend games to people sometimes because everyones tastes are so different and the group dynamic they play in can really make a difference (same with RPGs).
The best way to find games you like is to play with a board game group like you did to sample lots of different games. It is the most fun and inexpensive way to find games you like.
Most board game groups will have the games mentioned so far, so ask to try those the next time. It may turn out that you like some of the lesser known games and it may be harder to try those out first before you know if you like them or not.I wish to echo the comments earlier about Twilight Imperium Third Edition.
The base game is beautifully produced and comes with 10 different alien races (the two expansions bring that number up to 17) each of which have a unique feel and play style.
You get fleets of cool plastic spaceships to zoom around a board made up of - wait for it - Hexes! You can threaten, trade or be diplomatic with each of your opponents.
The game can be long - with a 6 player game lasting 4-8 hours. but it will not feel that long while you play. And once it is done you will spend another hour talking about what you could have done differently.
In fact I still tell stories of epic things that have happened in games that I have played years ago.
Favourite game of all time.
Bar none.I've enjoyed War on Terror:
But I do enjoy games such as Settlers... and Carcassonne, largely for the reason described by w2 above. They have clear win conditions and last a predictable (and reasonable) amount of time. I absolutely *detest* games such a Monopoly, an endless, miserable grind around the board.


text:
COLLECTIONS: 1 - 1 of 1
James Vorenberg papers
Collection Identifier: HOLLIS 13277759Overview:
The James Vorenberg Papers encompass Vorenberg's career as both an educator and a public servant. Most of the collection reflects his time at Harvard as both Law School Dean and Professor. His government work is evidenced by records from the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission and the Watergate files.
Filtered By
- Subject: Law -Study and teaching. X
- Subject: Law teachers X
- Subject: Criminal law -Study and teaching X
- Subject: Public officers. X
- Subject: Law enforcement X
- Subject: Criminal justice, Administration of. X
- Subject: United States. President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice X
- Subject: Law enforcement X
- Subject: Watergate Affair, 1972-1974 X


text:
top of page
Welcome to our little corner of the Internet!
You're here to communicate, commemorate
or celebrate a special time in life
and I'm here to help!
Whether you're planning a wedding or a back-yard BBQ, we have invitations, announcements and celebration supplies to ensure you'll have something uniquely you.
From announcing a new addition to your family, celebrating that graduate in style
or sending holiday cheers,
we've got you covered.
I'm glad you stopped by...
now let's get shopping!
For ALL of Life's Events!
bottom of page


text:
I didn't get around to mentioning it in my end-of-2017 retrospective, but one of the big stories of the year was that Marc Laidlaw, the lead writer of the Half-Life series, published his own story outline for the game that Could Have Been But Never Was. Laidlaw had been with Valve for 18 years before departed the company back in 2016. The story he published is ostensibly what was planned for Half-Life 3.
Having read the story synopsis, I have to say it felt just right. This feels exactly like the sort of story I'd expect from the series. Outside of Valve everyone had guesses, fan theories, fan fiction, and suggestions for what could / should happen in Half-Life 3, but none of them quite hit the mark the way this did. Like I said during my Mass Effect series:
Sir Terry Pratchett was an amazing talent. But if J. K. Rowling had hired him in 2002 to help her pump out Harry Potter books twice as fast, it would have fundamentally changed the tone of the series. Different creative people come up with different ideas, and this will give the new work a different texture. And even if it's an improvement – even if you want to argue that Pratchett-Potter books are better than Rowling-Potter books, the new books will still feel ill-fitting and alien to people who fell in love with the originals.
Amazingly enough, it turns out Marc Laidlaw is really good at writing fiction in the style of Marc Laidlaw, so this unofficial ending to the story rings true for me. This takes the edge off of never getting a follow-up to the cliffhanger ending of Half-Life 2: Episode 2. We at least have an answer to the question of "Where was the author going with all of this?"
Of course, this doesn't ease the annoyance of never getting another Half-Life game.
Was Half-Life Really all That Good?
A common refrain I hear these days is that Half-Life isn't as good as you remember it. Supposedly everyone is looking at the game through rose-colored glasses, warped by childhood nostalgia. I think this is sort of true in the case of the original Half-Life, but I'm convinced that Half-Life 2 holds up just fine today. Sure, Half-Life 2 has its critics – all games do. But I think if you liked the game in 2004 you'll probably still like it here in 2018.
Half-Life 1 is somewhat marred by the one-two punch of jumping puzzles and dodgy roller-skate movement physics. The difficulty is really uneven and the final chapter is legendarily unpopular. It was incredible for a shooter of its generation, but if a modern game had these flaws it would end up savaged by the audience. In contrast, there's nothing particularly clunky or outdated in Half-Life 2. (Aside from the graphics. And even those look pretty dang good for a 14 year old game.) So understand that when I defend the legacy of the franchise, I'm mostly talking about Half-Life 2 and it's episodes.
Having said that, I can understand why people of a certain age might say Half-Life 2 is overrated due to nostalgia. Part of becoming an adult is looking back through the stuff you loved as a child and sorting the things that were genuinely great from the things that only seemed great because you didn't know any better. But I don't think the love for Half-Life 2 is based (entirely) on starry-eyed childhood nostalgia. I played the original in 1999 when I was 28 years old, and I played Half-Life 2 when I was 33. I wasn't some child who didn't have a frame of reference for quality. I was fairly well-seasoned as a gamer, I paid for my own games, and I had a pretty good handle on figuring out if a game was working or not.
Rather than blaming nostalgia, I think this game was the product of hard work and good timing. I think that time period represented a unique period in the evolution of PC gaming, when the development cost / benefit curve was "just right".
The gaming audience was big enough to support ambitious "big budget" games, but development houses were still small and independent enough that they could take chances and try lots of new things. Graphics were just good enough that we could portray environments that were recognizable as whatever they were supposed to be, but those environments weren't too expensive to build. The internet was ubiquitous enough and robust enough that it could be used to support enthusiast communities, but it wasn't widespread enough to support phone-home DRMOther than Steam itself. Which was bad for 2004 but seems downright gentle compared to what came just a few years later.. The technology was good enough to make cool stylized cutscenes, but game developers hadn't yet embraced a world of stilted photorealism, expensive motion-capture, awkward lip-sync, and cringy dialog in an attempt to be more like Hollywood and less like game developers.
I'm not saying that the years from 1998 to 2004 was this perfect time of flawless games. There was a lot of crap then, just like now. But our fond memories of those times aren't just nostalgia. There really were some unique gems back then. If you look at the best of the time period you'll see games that couldn't have existed sooner because the technology wasn't ready, and they couldn't exist today because they'd be too expensive to make using today's standards in visual fidelity. Even here in 2017, there's still a gap between the $100,000 indie budgets and the $60 million blockbusters.
So What Was So Good About Half-Life Anyway?
Technically, anyone is free to make "another Half-Life game" in the sense that anyone could make a game in the same style. If Crytek wanted, they could make "Decay Time", a sci-fi shooter about Gary Wildman, an aerospace engineer wearing Hazmat power armor and fighting off alien invaders called the Harvesters. Or whatever. I mean, they sorta tried. The thing is, none of those things are really the core ingredients that made the series such a hit. And if we try to drill down and figure out what the supposed "core ingredients" of Half-Life are, I imagine everyone will have a different answer.
But let's try to do it anyway, since that's sort of the point of this site.
Maybe testers would be confused about where they were supposed to be going. The brute-force solution most game developers would use would be to clutter up the HUD with giant glowing waypoint markers, holding the player's hand and telling them where to go and what to do. In contrast, Valve would change the lighting to draw your eye in the desired direction, tweak some dialog to clarify your goals, and use pickup items like health and ammo to draw you towards your destination.
Maybe testers would be confused about what they were supposed to be doing to progress because they didn't understand how to shut off a particular machine. The modern gamedev would throw the directions up on screen and leave it there until the task was done. Something like, "Shut down the force field at the security console." Or maybe they would give you a buddy character to badger you with repeating dialog. Maybe they would design the security console to be a comically oversized red button (which would of course clash with the photorealistic art style) so you can't miss it. In contrast, Valve would make it so you could "shut down" the security console using the existing language of the game. If they've already established that shooting a BLUE THING will cut power, then they can just make BLUE THING part of the security console and the player will immediately know what they're supposed to do without the need for text prompts, dialog, or any other tools that make the player feel like they're being micromanaged.
If testers seem to be wandering off and bumping into the edges of the play area, Valve doesn't hit them with an immersion-breaking message telling them, "YOU ARE LEAVING THE MISSION AREA". Instead they redesign the layout to draw players towards the action. Rather than yelling at the player for leaving the world, the designers put up visually plausible barriers so they can't leave the world.
The thing about this dedication to polish is that it's completely invisible to the player. They're not sitting there saying to themselves, "Man, Valve sure did a good job of drawing my attention to this doorway!" This is the kind of thing you don't even notice until it's gone.
In a lot of ways, it's a slower version of the 4-step design philosophy used in games like Super Mario 3D World: The designer introduces a new tool or mechanic like grenades, the crowbar, or the gravity gun. At the same time, they place you in a situation where it's pretty obvious what you're supposed to do, and they allow you to experiment with the tool in a safe situation. Often the situation is designed so that you have to demonstrate understanding of the concept before you can proceed. (Such as having wooden planks barring the way that require you to use the crowbar you just picked up.) A little later you'll encounter the obstacle again, but now you'll need to use your new tool under pressure. Then the game designer will test your mastery of the tool by having you use it in more complicated situations or against more extreme dangers. Then finally, you'll run into situations where the now-familiar mechanic can be used in new ways. (Like using the rocket launcher to fight striders, or using the gravity gun to throw grenades back at the enemy.)
They don't perfectly adhere to this formula, of course. You have to learn to use the gravity gun to flip the car while under attack. And while the designer allowed the player to lean how to pilot the airboat in a safe arena before moving on, the player needs to learn to drive the car while being hounded by antlions. Still, the design philosophy is there and you can see it at work throughout the game.
Maybe the designer intended the game to deliver powerful emotional moments like Last of Us, but either the writer wasn't given the leeway to establish and develop the characters and world well enough to build an emotional connection with the player, or the writer simply lacked the skill and had to resort to brute-force tools (like the death of Some Kidd) in the pursuit of drama.
At the other extreme you have games that just see the story as an excuse to string together set-piece battles, but the writer never got the memo. So you wind up with a game where the story didn't matter to the team, but it still has a bunch of blustering, cliche, overly-long cutscenes for some reason. It's a gameplay-focused game where the gameplay stops for a non-interactive cutscene, which is the worst of both worlds.
Half-Life 2 was a game with a story that wasn't really about the story. It never stole control from the player for a cutscene. At the same time, it didn't treat the story as some half-assed afterthought used to string action sequences together with contrivances. The story was there to create and sustain a mood, and it did that beautifully.
On the other hand, the fact that the story is told through gameplay means you can't skip the talky bits. This usually isn't a problem, except for the three or four moments in the game where everything stops for an extended conversation. It's nice to be free to walk around during these bits, but it would also be nice if there was a convenient way to skip to the next bit of action. The player can load up the next chapterThe really long conversations are usually isolated into chapters to facilitate this. but that's an inelegant solutionLong scenes can't always be skipped this way. Even when you can skip to the gameplay by starting the next chapter, you're reset to the default ammo loadout chosen by the developer. This negates whatever ammo hoarding / squandering you've been doing.. It's not perfect, but it's preferable to the way a lot of shooters handle things.
Valve is Done Making Games
Lots of people are making shooters, but nobody made shooters quite like Valve. Oh, they try, but it's harder than it looks. But now Valve is out of the shooter business, so not even Valve can make Valve-styled shooters.
Erik Wolpaw – writer of Portal – left Valve in early 2017. Chet Faliszek (Left 4 Dead writer) left a few months later. Marc Laidlaw is gone. As far as anyone can tell, Valve no longer employs any writers. That means no more Portal. No more Half-Life. Heck, it means no more Team Fortress 2 shorts and comics.
I'm sad we'll never get Half-Life 3, but I'm grateful Laidlaw gave us some closure. I'm kind of curious why Valve never gave us the same courtesy. For years they promised, "Yes, we're working on it. Yes, it's coming. Be patient." And I'm reasonably sure that was true when they said it. But based on what ex-Valve employees have been saying, it's been ages since it was true. It's been years since anyone was working on Half-Life 3. Even if Valve miraculously decided to resume development, it's been so long that they would probably have to start over. And anyway, they no longer employ the required people to make it happen.
Most of us have concluded that the game is dead, so I have no idea why Valve has been reluctant to make it official. There's nothing to be gained by pretending the game might still happen, and publicly canceling the game might allow people to move on and end the frustration of the poor fans who have been waiting and hoping for over a decade.
And please Valve, don't hand the license off to a random third-party studio. The only thing worse than not getting Half-Life 3 is getting a Half-Life 3 that plays like Call of Duty.
[1] Other than Steam itself. Which was bad for 2004 but seems downright gentle compared to what came just a few years later.
[2] The really long conversations are usually isolated into chapters to facilitate this.
[3] Long scenes can't always be skipped this way. Even when you can skip to the gameplay by starting the next chapter, you're reset to the default ammo loadout chosen by the developer. This negates whatever ammo hoarding / squandering you've been doing.
The story of me. If you're looking for a picture of what it was like growing up in the seventies, then this is for you.
The Loot Lottery
What makes the gameplay of Borderlands so addictive for some, and what does that have to do with slot machines?
The Game That Ruined Me
Be careful what you learn with your muscle-memory, because it will be very hard to un-learn it.
Playstation 3
What was the problem with the Playstation 3 hardware and why did Sony build it that way?
Resident Evil 4
Who is this imbecile and why is he wandering around Europe unsupervised?


text:
The local field tomatoes finally made their appearance at the farmers market this weekend and I immediately picked some up. With the fresh ripe tomatoes in hand, the first thing on my mind was a caprese salad! A caprese salad or insalata caprese, is a salad consisting of tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and basil. Because this salad is so simple, you want to use the best ingredients possible including perfectly ripened field tomatoes. Every year I look forward to tomato season when I can enjoy fresh caprese salads and I never tire of coming up with new ways to enjoy them. This time I diced both the tomatoes and the mozzarella and used my mini spring form pan to construct a layered stack. For the basil component of the salad I topped the tower with a dollop of freshly made basil pesto and garnished the plate with drops of basil olive oil. (I made the basil oil by pureeing some basil in the olive oil and then straining it.)
Diced Caprese Salad
- 2 large ripe field tomatoes (diced)
- 1 large ball fresh mozzarella (diced)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons basil pesto
- Divide the tomatoes and mozzarella in two and form stacks on two plates alternating the tomatoes and mozzarella seasoning with salt and pepper as you go using a ring.
- Top each stack with basil pesto and enjoy!


text:
Copyright Information
© 2011, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. All rights reserved.
This translation text is made available to you under the terms of the Creative Commons License: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/) In addition, you have permission to port the text to different file formats, as long as you do not change any of the text or punctuation of the Bible.
You may share, copy, distribute, transmit, and extract portions or quotations from this work, provided that you include the above copyright information:
- You must give Attribution to the work.
- You do not sell this work for a profit.
- You do not make any derivative works that change any of the actual words or punctuation of the Scriptures.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available if you contact us with your request.
The New Testament
in Gofa


text:
SALEM, Ore. — Advocates seeking more lenient marijuana laws have no intention of stopping with Colorado and Washington. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have allowed marijuana for medicinal purposes, and more could follow.
Map: An interactive look at marijuana laws across the U.S.
Here's a look at five possibilities where there may be more permissive marijuana laws in the near future:
ALASKA (legalization)
Alaska may seem like an unlikely place to follow the lead of liberals in Colorado and Washington, but the state's libertarian electorate may provide a good look at how a different breed of voters will respond to marijuana legalization.
It's early, but proponents have a big head start on fundraising and organization, led by the Marijuana Policy Project based in Washington, D.C.
Marijuana legalization failed in Alaska in 2000 and 2004, but advocates say the landscape has changed markedly since then.
If the measure is approved, adults could use marijuana legally and purchase it at state-licensed stores, but use in public would still be illegal.
OREGON (legalization)
Oregonians rejected legalization just two years ago but are all but certain to have a chance to reconsider this November.
State elections officials haven't yet validated the signatures turned in last week, but advocates submitted far more than they needed.
(Update: Oregon will be voting on legalization this fall. Story here.)
Oregon has long been on the leading edge of the decades-long push to loosen marijuana laws. It was the first state to decriminalize small-scale marijuana possession in 1973 — a step that's been taken in more than a dozen other states. Marijuana use remains illegal, but possession of a small amount of the drug is punished with a citation and fine rather than a criminal charge. Oregon was also among the first states to approve medical marijuana.
Unlike Oregon's 2012 effort, the team behind the current initiative has strong backing from many of the groups and individuals who helped bankroll the successful campaigns in Colorado and Washington.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (legalization)
The D.C. Cannabis Campaign says the group submitted 55,000 signatures for a legalization initiative on Monday — twice the number required to put the issue before voters.
The measure would allow possession of up to two ounces of marijuana in the nation's capital.
(Update: The D.C. initiative qualified for the November ballot. Story here.)
But the effort could be frustrated by Congress, which reviews all new laws in the District and has moved to block its other recent efforts to ease up on marijuana laws. Last month, the Republican-controlled House took a big step toward blocking a decriminalization bill passed by city lawmakers. That measure would make marijuana possession a civil offense subject to a $25 fine, one of the lowest in the nation.
Congress used a similar amendment to block the District from implementing its medical marijuana program for 10 years.
FLORIDA (medical)
The push for more liberal marijuana laws is not limited to full legalization of the drug. Florida voters will be deciding whether to allow the drug for medicinal use.
A poll by Quinnipiac University in May found overwhelming support for medical marijuana in Florida, where it will require support from 60 percent of voters to pass in November. Nearly 9 out of 10 voters said they support allowing adults to use the drug for medical purposes. Support was over 80 percent for all age groups.
State lawmakers voted this year to legalize a strain of low-potency marijuana to treat epilepsy and cancer patients.
NEW YORK (medical)
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill over the weekend making his state the 23rd to allow medical marijuana, though his state will have one of the most restrictive programs in the country.
The drug isn't expected to be available for at least 19 months while the state works out regulations.
Patients with one of 10 diseases will be allowed to use the drug, but it must be ingested or vaporized; smoking it will remain illegal. Some advocates argued it is too restrictive but called it an important step.
Map: Colorado recreational marijuana shops and medical dispensaries


text:
Main Page
Open Sound System is an audio subsystem that provides a cross platform API and device drivers for most consumer and professional audio devices for UNIX® and POSIX based operating systems, including Linux. Owing to its open architecture, applications developed on one supporting operating system platform can be easily recompiled on any other platform. Open Sound System on Solaris supports x86, AMD64 and Sparc processors. It also provides support for the Solaris Audio API (SADA or commonly known as devaudio). SADA applications will transparently run on top of Open Sound System drivers and will co-exist with OSS API compatible applications.
- Supported audio formats
- Supports 8/16/24/32 bits/sample audio formats
- Supports sampling rates from 8KHz up to 200KHz
- Supports mono, stereo, quad, 5.1, 7.1 and multichannel audio devices
- Transparent Software based Audio Mixer
- Allows applications to share the same "real" audio device regardless of what format is requested by the application.
- Supports recording and full duplex in addition to playback.
- Ability to mix stereo and multichannel audio streams up to 7.1/200Khz/32bit.
- Supports full 24 bit range without loss of precision during internal computations.
- Each application has its own independant volume controls.
- Supports loop back recording. This enables you to "record-what-you-hear". Typically this is useful for recording streaming audio or trapping audio from applications
- 64bit internal processing guarantees audio fidelity and precision if the audio data needs to be converted.
- New device enumeration and mixer API makes it very easy to manage devices programatically.
Currently unimplemented or incomplete features
- power management features like support for suspend/resume
- jacksense may not work (especially the hdaudio cards found on many laptops have such problems)
Source Code
Open Sound System is available under GPLv2/CDDLv1/BSD at: http://www.4front-tech.com/developer/sources/stable/
Wiki pages
Wiki policy note
In order to discourage spambots, unregistered users cannot create new pages. Furthermore, a newly registered user has to wait a day before being able to create a new page. If it's really necessary, you may add content to an existing page and move it later.


text:
Small Ala. town: Relief that child hostage is safe
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, February 5, 2013
MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) — For six anguished days, people in this small Alabama town asked just one question about the 5-year-old boy being held hostage in an underground bunker by a menacing, unpredictable neighbor: "Is he free yet?"
After FBI agents determined that talks with an increasingly agitated Jimmy Lee Dykes were breaking down, they stormed the closet-sized hideout Monday afternoon and freed the kindergartner. The 65-year-old armed captor was killed by law enforcement agents, an official told the Associated Press.
Interviewed Tuesday, the boy's great uncle, Berlin Enfinger, told ABC's Good Morning America that the child was relieved to be home after his rescue a day earlier. Authorities had said they considered the 5-year-old to be facing imminent danger when they decided to go in.
"He's happy to be home, and he looks good," Enfinger said.
Almost a week after Dykes was accused of fatally shooting a school bus driver on Jan. 29 and grabbing the child from among a busload of students, authorities were undertaking an extensive investigation of the standoff site — some 100 acres in Midland City where Dykes had built his bunker.
An official in Midland City, citing information from law enforcement, said police had shot Dykes. The official requested anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the investigation into the case that had captured national attention.
But federal authorities were tight-lipped about specifics of how they ended the standoff.
Neighbors said they heard a bang and gunshots, but the FBI wouldn't confirm that. Authorities also kept under wraps exactly how they were able to monitor Dykes and the boy in such a confined space.
"We have a big crime scene behind us to process," said Special Agent Steve Richardson of the FBI's office in Mobile. "I can't talk about sources, techniques or methods that we used. But I can tell you the success story is (the boy) is safe."
Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson said Dykes was armed when officers entered the bunker. He added the boy was threatened, but declined to elaborate.
"That's why we went inside — to save the child," he said.
Daryle Hendry, who lives about a quarter-mile from the bunker, said he heard a boom Monday afternoon, followed by what sounded like a gunshot. Dykes had been seen with a gun, and officers concluded the boy was in imminent danger, Richardson told reporters.
It was not immediately clear how authorities determined the man had a gun.
The boy was reunited with his mother and taken to a hospital to be checked out. Officials have said he has Asperger's syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Richardson said he saw the child at the hospital and he was laughing, joking, eating and "doing the things you'd expect a normal 5- or 6-year-old to do."
The rescue capped a hostage drama that disrupted the lives of many in a tranquil town of 2,400 people set amid peanut farms and cotton fields some 100 miles southeast of the state capital of Montgomery.
It's a small, close-knit community that has long relied on a strong Christian faith, a policy of "love thy neighbor" and the power of group prayer.
The child's plight prompted nightly candlelight vigils. Fliers appealing for his safe release and ribbons placed on a chain-link fence at the school where the kindergartner was enrolled.
While a town anxiously waited for days, authorities had been speaking with Dykes though a plastic pipe that led into the bunker. The shelter was about 4 feet underground, with about 50 square feet of floor space, built like the tornado shelters frequently found in the South.
Authorities sent food, medicine and other items into the bunker, which apparently had running water, heat and cable television but no toilet.
The standoff unfolded just a few hundred yards from U.S. 231, a busy four-lane highway where both sides of the road were lined with law enforcement vehicles from local, state and federal authorities.
When it was over, one acquaintance, Roger Arnold, commented: "He always said he'd never be taken alive. I knew he'd never come out of there."
FBI bomb technicians later scoured the property for any explosive devices as they prepared to more extensive study the site, FBI spokesman Jason Pack said.
But authorities did not immediately say whether they had determined the property had been rigged with any explosives.
Asked about local disclosures that Dykes had been killed by law enforcement officers, Pack responded in an email early Tuesday: "The facts surrounding the incident will be established by a shooting review team" from Washington in coming days.
At the request of law enforcement authorities, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta had approved the provision of certain equipment that could be employed to assist in the hostage situation, according to a U.S. official who requested anonymity to discuss a pending law enforcement matter. It is not clear whether the equipment was actually used.
Neighbors described Dykes as a nuisance who once beat a dog to death with a lead pipe, threatened to shoot children for setting foot on his property and patrolled his yard at night with a flashlight and a firearm.
Government records and interviews with neighbors indicate that Dykes joined the Navy in Midland City and served on active duty from 1964 to 1969. His record shows several awards, including the Vietnam Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. During his service, Dykes was trained in aviation maintenance.
He had some scrapes with the law in Florida, including a 1995 arrest for improper exhibition of a weapon. The misdemeanor was dismissed. He also was arrested for marijuana possession in 2000.
He returned to Alabama about two years ago, moving onto the rural tract about 100 yards from his nearest neighbors.
Ronda Wilbur, a neighbor of Dykes who said the man beat her dog to death last year with a pipe, expressed relief like other neighbors who described the suspect as volatile and threatening. "The nightmare is over," Wilbur said.
On Sunday, more than 500 people attended a memorial service for bus driver Charles Albert Poland Jr., hailed as a hero for protecting nearly two dozen other children on the bus before he was gunned down.
"This man was a true hero who was willing to give up his life so others might live," Gov. Robert Bentley said in a statement after the rescue.


text:
MSI GL62M; GP62 7RD, 7RDX; GV62; CX62 (MS-16J6), (MS-16J9) (2016, 2017) Cut File Template
Cut File Labs
in Laptops , MSI
on January 2, 2023
$10.00 $8.10
Download MSI GL62M; GP62 7RD, 7RDX; GV62; CX62 (MS-16J6), (MS-16J9) (2016, 2017) Cut File Template - these files are designed and tested on devices using popular vinyl materials.
#cutfile #laptop
Want other formats?
You can convert our formats (AI, CDR, SVG, DXF) to all other vector format types (PLT, PDF, EPS..). Just use this online tool to convert: Click here
CutFileLabs holds all the copyrights. Our digital files can be used for creating unlimited physical products. However, selling or distributing our digital content on any site for any purpose is strictly prohibited, even if modifications have been done, and will result in the infringement of our legal rights.
Product SKU: 3167
2024-05-18 08:55:11
Download zip/rar file included Ai, CDR, SVG, PDF, PNG, PLT file formats.
Download Winrar to open .zip or .rar file.


text:
Prince William's wife, Kate, has given birth to a prince who is now third in line to the British throne.
The child was born Monday, after many Britons woke up to the news that Kate, also known as the Duchess of Cambridge, had gone into labor with the couple's first child.
The birth announcement, via a press release from Kensington Palace, said the boy was born at 4:24 p.m. weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces. William was present for the birth, the statement said. The announcement did not include a name for the future monarch, though one is expected to be announced in the next few days.
``Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight,'' it said. ``Members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news.''
Cries of joy erupted from the waiting crowd amassed near Buckingham Palace as the news came through, and hundreds of onlookers _ some of whom had camped outside for hours _ crushed against the palace's fences to catch a glimpse of the bulletin formally announcing the birth placed outside the palace's forecourt.
William's father, Charles, and his wife, Camilla, spoke of their joy and pride in becoming grandparents for the first time.
``It is an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine and we are so thrilled for them on the birth of their baby boy,'' Prince Charles said in a statement. ``Grandparenthood is a unique moment in anyone's life, as countless kind people have told me in recent months, so I am enormously proud and happy to be a grandfather for the first time and we are eagerly looking forward to seeing the baby in the near future.''
The royal birth recalled that of the baby's father, William, in 1982, at the same central London hospital. Many remember the moment when he was carried out in his mother Princess Diana's arms with proud father Prince Charles at their side.
William and Kate's son is expected to follow Charles and William to the throne.
No one can tell what political and personal changes the intervening years will bring, but the baby can be expected to become the head of state of 16 countries, including Britain, Australia and Canada. The child will also eventually become Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
The little prince represents a living link to Britain's imperial history _ the infant is the great-great-great-great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria, who ruled at the peak of British power.
Many Britons had hoped that William and Kate would start a family shortly after their gala 2011 wedding, which drew a global television audience in the hundreds of millions.
The couple waited, however, until William was nearly finished with his military work as a search and rescue helicopter pilot based at an air base in a remote island off the coast of Wales.
That allowed Kate to ease into royal life, and to become more comfortable in the spotlight, before becoming a parent. It also allowed her to play a supporting role during Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee celebrations last summer.
The first months of her pregnancy were not easy, and she was hospitalized in early December with acute morning sickness that left her weak and dehydrated. She seemed to recover her stamina fairly quickly and made a series of public appearances until the final weeks before giving birth, drawing praise for her poise and good cheer.
The royal couple and their newborn are expected to spend much of their time in the coming years in renovated quarters at Kensington Palace, where William and Harry also spent much of their childhood.
Royal officials say Kate and William will try to give their child as normal an upbringing as possible. That may be challenging in an age when the British royals are treated as major world celebrities.


text:
Compare the home Internet Providers available in Saint-Jérôme, QC
Looking for a reliable internet connection in Saint-Jérôme?
Perhaps what suits you is the cheapest internet or maybe the fastest in Saint-Jérôme?
If you are looking to compare Saint-Jérôme's internet plans to equip your home with Wifi, you're at the right place!
Saint-Jérôme, QC Internet Providers Summary | |
Number of Internet Service Providers (ISP) in Saint-Jérôme | 50 |
Best internet plan in Saint-Jérôme | Virgin 100 Mbps
- $40.00
Fastest internet Plan available in Saint-Jérôme |
Bell 3 Gbps - $75.00
Cheapest internet Plan available in Saint-Jérôme |
Oricom 5 Mbps
- $27.95
Saint-Jérôme's Internet score (PlanHub.ca proprietary metric) | 91/100 |
Last update 12 June 2024
Internet service offers in Saint-Jérôme, QC
Find and compare the best residential internet plans for your needs on this dedicated page for residential internet plans available in Saint-Jérôme, QC . The internet plans available in Saint-Jérôme, QC are listed on this page. Choose from the following categories to find the plan that suits you best: Best Plans, Budget Plans, High-Speed Plans, Promotional Plans, Fiber Optic Plans, and Top-Rated Providers.
Not sure what internet you need in Saint-Jérôme?
To ensure you find the plan that best suits your needs, we recommend taking a moment to complete our quick and easy questionnaire. Answer the few questions and we will proceed to a full search on plans available according to your needs.
The Best Home Internet Plans in Saint-Jérôme
Discover a selection of the best Internet plans in Saint-Jérôme, recommended for their quality/price ratio. Several criteria are taken into account such as reviews about providers on PlanHub, the plan prices and the quality of the offers. Our formula allows us to display the most interesting offers available.
Cheap Home Internet Plans in Saint-Jérôme
The cheapest Internet plans are built for cost-conscious users who need reliable service at the lowest price. Cheap high speed Internet providers usually provide basic download speeds and reasonable monthly data usage.
Unlimited Home Internet Plans in Saint-Jérôme
Unlimited high speed Internet plans are made for serious users that don't like data caps, who needs Internet for activities such as streaming and gaming. Unlimited Internet plans are also great for families with multiple users. Avoid bill shock with unlimited home Internet.
High-Speed Home Internet Plans in Saint-Jérôme
The fastest Internet plans are built for users who value speed above anything else, particularly for gaming. These are the most performing Internet plans available. Below is a list of the fastest Internet plans at the best price. Be aware, upload speed and latency will be a factor if you're a gamer.
Home Internet Plans on Promotion in Saint-Jérôme
Browse the current deals available in your city today. Find a discounted plan that suits your needs from one of the best Internet providers in your city. These offers are updated frequently and don't always last. Get them while they're here or register to the alert and get notified when there's new deals.
Is Fiber Optic Internet available in Saint-Jérôme?
Yes, Fiber Optic internet is available in Saint-Jérôme.
Wondering what fiber optic internet is? Let us enlighten you. Fiber optic internet, also named FFTH for Fiber To The Home, harnesses the power of light and uses thin strands of glass or plastic to transmit data at incredible speeds. Fiber optic internet is the fastest and most-reliable internet service available on the market right now. If you're wondering "Is there fiber Optics Near me?", PlanHub got you covered by having gathered all the available plans using fiber optic technology in Saint-Jérôme. The availability of fiber optic technology can vary from one neighbor to another within the same city. Perform a search using your postal code to ensure availability at your home.
How to get internet at the cheapest rate in Saint-Jérôme, QC ?
Prices of plans available in Saint-Jérôme, QC aren't static, they fluctuate over time. To get the cheapest rate, the first option is to visit PlanHub everyday to monitor plan prices that match your preferences until the right internet plan is at discount. Doing so can be highly time consuming, that is why there is a second option which is to set an internet plan price alert.
PlanHub can monitor prices for you permanently (even when you sleep) and send you a personalized alert email to notify you that a plan matching the savings you've targeted. Sign up to PlanHub Internet Price Alert now!
How to compare all internet plans available in Saint-Jérôme, QC ?
Below are some postal codes for Saint-Jérôme, QC . Click on your postal code to see the most relevant internet plans in your area.
If you can't find your postal code in the options shown, enter it in the fields below. You can also launch the search, and answer the questionnaire, in order to display a precise result in relation to your needs. We will find for you the best options among the plans available for Saint-Jérôme, QC
Saint-Jérôme's Internet score
The PlanHub Internet Score evaluates the quality of internet service in Saint-Jérôme at 91. There are 50 Internet Service Provider options available in the city. Right now the average internet plan price is $52.54 and the technologies available are DSL/FTTN, Cable, Wireless, FTTH.
Internet score ranges from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating better internet coverage and lower prices, and a lower score indicating slower speeds and higher prices.
Search in nearby cities
Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Hérouxville, Pointe-Claire, Rivière-Rouge, North Hatley, Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot, St-Marcel-De-L'islet, Saint-ephrem-de-beauce, Hemmingford, Saint-Mathieu-D'harricana, Lochaber-Partie-Ouest, Browse CitiesTop rated carriers
Our ranking is based on the ratings given by users and the number of reviews received by the Internet Service Provider.
Internet service provider | Review Average |
Stability, coverage, speed, dropped calls… |
Transparency, clarity, aligned with contract… |
Digital experience
Application and/or website are simple, clear, efficient and useful… |
Onboarding experience
Phone number port-in, activation, delivery, installation… |
Customer Service
Helpful, knowledgeable, able to solve a problem, prompt and courteous… |
Average of people would recommend this brand |
#1 | 674 |
Review Average |
Network |
Bill |
Digital experience |
Onboarding experience |
Customer Service |
Recommended |
#2 | 30 |
Review Average |
Network |
Bill |
Digital experience |
Onboarding experience |
Customer Service |
Recommended |
#3 | 71 |
Review Average |
Network |
Bill |
Digital experience |
Onboarding experience |
Customer Service |
Recommended |
#4 | 41 |
Review Average |
Network |
Bill |
Digital experience |
Onboarding experience |
Customer Service |
Recommended |
#5 | 975 |
Review Average |
Network |
Bill |
Digital experience |
Onboarding experience |
Customer Service |
Recommended |


text:
Cognitive Development, Ages 15 to 18 Years
Topic Overview
By age 16, most teens are developing the ability to think abstractly, deal with several concepts at the same time, and imagine the future consequences of their actions. This type of thinking in a logical sequence continues to develop into adulthood.
Also by age 16, teens can learn to process more complex problems, to develop and test theories, to understand analogies, to reason inductively and deductively, and to think inferentially. They are better able to handle a more demanding high school curriculum because their memory and organizational abilities—such as time management, test preparation, and study skills—improve. Written and spoken language become more and more sophisticated. They may also begin to grasp political, moral, social, and philosophical concepts.
Most teens know the right thing to do. But their self-centered thoughts and behaviors may sway them to act with little thought about the end result. Bit by bit, their moral sense continues to evolve.
Sometimes teens grow a bit arrogant with their newfound mental abilities, and some parents complain that their teens "know everything." It can sometimes be difficult to deal with teens during this time because although they understand that others have differing viewpoints, they often firmly believe their own perception is the most true or valid.
Even though teens are forming adult cognitive abilities, they still do not have the life experiences to guide them in making the best choices. Indeed, adults struggle with this, too. They may reason that focusing on getting good grades in high school may further their academic future, but they might choose to spend their time working or socializing.
Researchers theorize that a teen's experiences determine, to a large degree, which connections in the brain are made stronger and which are "pruned," a sort of "use it or lose it" process. Researchers suggest that teens' accomplishments in sports or academics, for example, may positively affect the way they think for the rest of their lives. Advanced mental development may be the result of dramatic brain growth during puberty and then a refining process seen in the late teen years.
Current as of: December 12, 2018
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:Susan C. Kim, MD – Pediatrics & Kathleen Romito, MD – Family Medicine & John Pope, MD, MPH – Pediatrics
Topic Contents
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.


text:
Last night's conversation with Bitchy (18); keep in mind, I had a COMPLETE hysterectomy last summer, but that's another blog entirely.
Me: I'm feeling a little crampy, or something. It's weird.
Bitchy: How can that happen? You don't have a vagina.
Me: Honey, it was my uterus they took. I have a vagina, and believe me, it still works. Just ask your dad.
Bitchy: Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (running away screaming.)
Ha. I just love to gross her out.


text:
There are several well-known mathematical statements that are 'obvious' but false (such as the negation of the Banach--Tarski theorem). There are plenty more that are 'obvious' and true. One would naturally expect a statement in the latter category to be easy to prove -- and they usually are. I'm interested in examples of theorems that are 'obvious', and known to be true, but that lack (or appear to lack) easy proofs.
Of course, 'obvious' and 'easy' are fuzzy terms, and context-dependent. The Jordan curve theorem illustrates what I mean (and motivates this question). It seems 'obvious', as soon as one understands the definition of continuity, that it should hold; it does in fact hold; but all the known proofs are surprisingly difficult.
Can anyone suggest other such theorems, in any areas of mathematics?


text:
This is great! finally an inflatable pub!
This entry was posted on Monday, January 3rd, 2005 at 9:19 pm and is filed under Interesting Finds. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Name (required)
Mail (will not be published) (required)


text:
As soon as I turned the key in the door, I could not help myself and let a corny "Honey, I'm home!" only to be met by my other two honeys…the pups. Then I remembered, B. had probably gone from his day job to a music job. He would not be home until after 11pm. I had plenty of time to chill, unpack, do laundry, snuggle with the pups and find my place back home after this past week in Los Angeles.
This has been our rhythm since May that Plate To Pixel, the book I wrote on food photography was released (went in second printing in July y'all!). With his schedule of day work and music keeping him busy late into the night at least five days a week, and mine of shoots, on location or at the studio, made it really easy to take the decision to travel as much as I have this past Summer and Fall. Whether for a shoot or for a workshop, I was pretty much following an average pattern of 8 days gone – 10 days home. Up until now…
My schedule so far indicates that most of my shoots will be on locations relatively near or at my studio. So far. I think. Unless an out of town gig comes up, of course.
But right now, the suitcase has been shoved to the back of my closet and everyone is finding their groove again. I am happily taking the time to comb through messages and emails, making plans for friends and family for evenings and weekends.
I am also planning my parents' arrival for Christmas and the leisurely trip they want to take to DC and New York with us. Train. Walks. Restaurants. Museums. Another kind of trip. I can't wait to be in the kitchen with my mom and cook our favorite comfort foods for the holidays, make care packages and drop them off to friends together.
But before this and the next recipe I have simmering on the stove as we speak, I wanted to leave you with some pictures of this last workshop I held in L.A this past weekend.
I have a soft spot for L.A. I love that city. In all its contradictions. It may be spread out and intense with people and buzz, the lack of skyscrapers is of major appeal to me. I don't walk the streets looking for the famous pretty face. I listen carefully hoping I'd catch the ghost of Myrna Loy or Jimmy Stewart. I know…L.A is much more than the movies. I discover that everyday. So many great cultures migling at once.
I loved staying at the Culver Hotel this time. It was cozy, within walking distance of great restaurants, full of history and with live Jazz almost every night. Great cocktails too. The lovely room, staff and general atmosphere combined with the chance to catch up with friends such as Carrie, Jenny, Cathy, Andrew and Matty (not all at once) over cocktails or dinner gave the trip a bit of a homey feel I love so much.
The great part is that I had this much fun and good feel during the workshop. Those three days teaching were jam packed and went by so fast! It was intense but everyone had a lot of fun at the same time. I loved how everyone in the group tackled each exercise and obstacle with such fierceness and determination!
Hope you enjoy this little recap through pictures…
The second day of the workshop was held at Hollywood Sierra Kitchens where the attendees could choose before many different kitchen vignettes to create a scene and tell a story with their food and the decor. This location shoot had so many different lighting options, from natural to fluorescent that there was always a decision to be made and a challenge to be met.
We wanted to add different voices to the workshop and different points of view or just have attendees the possibility to think about "the next step" if they wanted. The lovely Marie-Anne Aizac, photographers agent for Velvet Artists and Mara Serdans, agency art buyer from Deutsch, came to talk about what agent and art buyers were looking for in photographers, gave them pointers on how to put their best foot forward. I loved how the discussion was clearly two ways orientated where attendees were able to share as much of their passion and interest as Marie-Anne and Mara. It was wonderful!
In the last part of the afternoon, John Moeller of Digital Fusion, came to talk about his company's work as digital technicians on photo shoots. He came with a Phase One medium format camera. I think the 80 megapixels of horsepower of that baby made everyone super nervous. Having handled a few Hassies back in the day, I jumped in and started shooting. Soon enough, everyone was excited to try shooting with this tremendous camera.
Now that I am back and staying put for a little while, I can't wait to fill up the fridge with greens and seasonal produce and make plenty of healthy meals. Stay tuned for this salad recipe soon and plenty more!


text:
It is my privilege and pleasure to announce that a book based on the this humble website is now in release and available for purchase by the general public. Interested persons should head to the publisher's site if they are in Europe/UK and to Amazon if they are not.
For those without credit cards or who are allergic to online financial transactions, the latest advice has discerning bookshops in both USA and UK receiving their stock by the second week of November, with the rest of the world to follow shortly thereafter. You may otherwise encourage your favourite bookshop to seek supply (and a measurable improvement in taste and status) direct from the publisher.
As you might expect, the book features eclectic and rare book illustrations derived from many digital repositories, accompanied by some background commentary. It is not simply a regurgitation of what is here in the archives, although about two thirds of the images have appeared on the site previously.
With pre-production topping out at somewhere over 500 years, BibliOdyssey might well be the slowest book ever published. The serious part of the journey has taken more than a year of team effort involving myself and the UK firm of FUEL Design, headed up by Damon Murray and Stephen Sorrell.
When I was first contacted with the suggestion in August 2006 I admit that I was fairly skeptical. "Unpossible, surely?" "How do we get permission?" "Which repositories?" "Who do we contact?" "What laws do we need to know?" "Which images?" "Which countries?" "Thematic or chronological or what?" "What happens if they say no?" "What happens if they say yes?"
Where I only saw insurmountable difficulties, FUEL took the long view, to their credit, softly batting away my initial objections and sketching out a very rough plan for how the project might move forward. They picked out some images, I suggested some institutions, we wrestled over the illustration choices; I did most of the contacting and all of the writing and FUEL did the overall editing, designing and packaging.
So the process has really been about establishing a dialogue with a lot of different people and institutions and being open about our intentions. It probably helped that I've had occasional exchanges with universities and libraries since the site started, so there is a certain familiarity 'out there' about BibliOdyssey. The response to the project idea was overwhelmingly favourable, although individual institutional policies and legal technicalities were sometimes an impediment. Many people went out of their way to accommodate our requests for higher resolution images or supplied interesting background to the books and images or gave recommendations about alternative image choices. We are eternally grateful for their assistance.
The book (like the site) covers a very wide spectrum of styles, time periods and subject matter. You can expect everything from astronomy to zoology and from Art Nouveau to the Renaissance, in something reminiscent of what I call a multi-post (except on steroids and growth hormone and with better grooming habits and no noisy computer fan in the background). I like to think that the trajectory of the book aims somewhere roughly between our internet users' penchant for a concentrated package of beguiling ephemera and as an introductory overview of the cultural wealth accessible from web archives for luddites. [redacted marketspeak: "making it the ideal Christmas present for everybody"]
As a final point I'd offer that, while it might sound like a totally haphazard collection of unrelated visual material, the book is in fact much more of a cohesive and interrelated survey of illustration history than any loose-canon wording here might suggest. The book is also a beautiful product - FUEL have done a wonderful job in the designy-printy stakes, and my objectivity is of course unimpeachable as I was on the other side of the planet and had no role in this facet of production.
While I'm in this rare trumpet-blowing mode: I did an interview with the George Lucas Educational Foundation - Edutopia Magazine - back in July and although it doesn't specifically refer to the book, it was done at exactly the same time as I was writing the book's introduction (which is in fact mostly about the background to the BibliOdyssey website), so inevitably includes a few of the thoughts that re-surface in the book. Because I am nothing if not intellectually lazy. Phantom of the Optical.
Once more for luck..
∧∧∧∧∧Late addition: I was interviewed by Elatia Harris for 3QuarksDaily∧∧∧∧∧