text:
The Towns Italy Forgot
From the September 2011 issue of National Geographic Traveler
I awaken on a high bed plush with pillows and antique linens. Rays of sunlight filter through a grated window, casting a honeyed glow on the room's curved, rough-hewn walls and high ceiling. An old wood table topped with a white cloth runner is laid with fresh fruit and a bottle of wine. Candles shimmer by an oval bathtub set on a rough stone floor in an adjoining space—a space that looks for all the world like a cave.
Momentarily disoriented, I soon realize that I'm in the hotel in the ancient town of Matera that I'd checked into under cover of darkness the night before. The town, which lies east of Naples in Italy's southern region of Basilicata, is a jumble of small dwellings fashioned out of cream-colored tuff stone. Layered one atop another like small boulders, or sassi, and incorporating natural caves, the dwellings hopscotch the flanks of a butte. The effect when I saw it the preceding evening was of both disarray and harmony, individuality and unity. Then I'd come upon a gate at the foot of this curious little citadel: the entrance to Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita, the one-of-a-kind hotel that recast grotto quarters into some of Europe's more unusual accommodations—and my base for a few days.
I'd been hearing about these troglodyte habitations in the mysterious land nicknamed "Sassi" (for its rock formations) since I moved to Rome more than three decades ago. Prehistoric settlers created these half-cave, half-hovel dwellings, thought to represent some of the earliest housing in Italy, out of the soft volcanic stone that forms many of southern Italy's hill towns. Inhabited for millennia, the caves required little in the way of upkeep, were cool in summer, and could accommodate livestock, making them expedient as basic shelter. It was only after author Carlo Levi—exiled to this remote land in the 1930s by the Fascists—wrote about the unhygienic living conditions in his scathing 1945 exposé, Christ Stopped at Eboli, that the dwellings became a national scandal. "Christ never came this far," Levi wrote, "nor did time, nor the individual soul, nor hope…." To address the humiliation, the Italian government began evacuating the caves in the 1950s, moving almost 20,000 people to public housing in the newer section of Matera.
The honeycomb of forsaken homes sat empty (with the exception of the occasional squatter) until a new vision for this extraordinary townscape, and similarly faltering hill towns, began to take hold in the 1980s, followed by the emergence of the albergo diffuso, or dispersed hotel, movement, a trend toward authentic, locally sourced lodging that has breathed new life into, and sometimes even resuscitated, old villages. "The albergo diffuso is an Italian model for development born to save uninhabited houses in the rising numbers of small Italian borghi, or villages, vacated as people moved to cities," said Giancarlo Dall'Ara, the visionary behind the concept, when we'd talked before my visit to Matera. "It's a situation that exists in hundreds of abandoned villages around Italy."
Dall'Ara's innovation: Remake the villages into a sort of rambling guest lodge with a central management that offers hotel amenities like maid service, a restaurant, and concierges. Visitors become part of the community—even, at times, the community. "For people who don't really like to stay in hotels, this is an ideal alternative," he noted. Also key: Retain as many authentically local touches as possible for a strong sense of place.
It would be difficult to get more authentic than the Grotte della Civita (Caves of the Town) hotel. As I survey my room in the morning sun, it becomes clear that the work here was more conservation than restoration. White linens from antique trousseaux have been repurposed as bedcovers and runners; side tables were fashioned from centuries-old grain chests. The chair is a milking stool, the bathroom sink an animal trough. Antique washboards serve as soap dishes, a carpenter bench as a toilette table. A brazier once heaped with coal to warm the cave now holds bath accessories, including antique liqueur decanters filled with shampoo and soap gel, and a cluster of candles. Huge copper pots for heating milk in the fireplace now serve as wastebaskets or containers for yet more candles.
"I scoured flea markets and bric-a-brac dealers for original pieces used by laborers and farmers," says Margareta Berg, the blond, fresh-faced co-owner of the hotel, when we meet for a morning cappuccino. And the glass for the few windows and doors, rippled as though antique? "It wasn't easy to find someone who knew the old glassblowing techniques," she admits.
Berg tells me that the renovations purposefully preserved the shapes of the grottoes and the absence of decoration. The simple, sculptural presence of the stone walls provides visual drama, enhanced only by recessed lights and banks of flickering candles that create an almost church-like glow. Floors, which were mostly dirt, were paved with antique tiles and rock from the nearby Murgia River gorge. Any remaining stone floors were left uneven; lifted briefly to install under-floor heating, air-conditioning, and plumbing, they were replaced stone by stone. One original detail that was altered: musty residual cave air, which Berg remedied with a fragrance that she engineered from the oils of wild myrtle, rosemary, and thyme she found growing in abundance in the nearby gorge.
I ask Berg, who spent childhood years in Germany, how she found her way to Matera. "I discovered it as an art student in the 1980s and fell in love with the caves." She spent afternoons depicting the ancient dwellings on canvas. "There is a magic conjured by these abandoned places. They evoke the friends, families, and lovers whose lives unfolded in them over centuries." She found herself captivated by their reality—and potential. Then she read about Daniele Kihlgren, a young half-Swedish, half-Italian entrepreneur who transformed the abandoned medieval village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, in the Abruzzo region, into a hotel that won international attention and rekindled the local economy. She contacted him about her dream of doing the same in the Sassi, and Kihlgren traveled to Matera to scout the site. Upon seeing the algae-covered caves, says Berg, he assumed the challenge. "We envisioned a luxury hospitality that broke with the usual concept of very luxurious settings," she adds. It took four years of daily struggle to renovate the caves into a hotel, with Berg, passionate about authenticity (she is currently traveling the world to work on similar restoration projects), insisting no materials alien to the former cave inhabitants be introduced. "I tried to retain the gestalt and the sorrow I sensed when I found the grottoes. There is nothing of the hotelier here," she observes.
Setting out from my suite to explore Matera, I pass a French family with three girls arranging a picnic on a table on a terrace fashioned from the tuff. Cheese, fruit, small cakes, and a bottle of Aglianico del Vulture, one of Basilicata's most acclaimed wines, sit on the handwoven tablecloth salvaged from some long-ago bride's hope chest. The girls, delighted by this adventure in a land of grottoes, wave "Salut!" as I walk by. "Bon appétit," I call back, but find myself wondering about the dreams in that chest—and what the bride would make of the
luxe accommodation crafted from the modest dwelling.
I pause to look at the town and see no streets, only staircases that weave or bound from one level to the next. The higgledy-piggledy layout soon has me tramping up sloped paths and ancient stairs, passing lace-curtained windows and doors wafting out the scent of simmering tomato sauce. After reaching a few dead ends and having to retrace my steps, I forgo these old ways for the road along the craggy ravine that faces my suite. Here a tang of wild herbs fills my head. I stop a kind-looking local signora to ask what the scent is. "Fiori di campo—wildflowers," she answers. "Deve ritornare in primavera—you must return in spring," she adds, explaining the ravine then blooms into a colorful riot of flora.
Matera is making a deep impression on me with its centuries of civilization compressed into one small settlement. I pass various churches—here Romanesque, there baroque—as I ascend to the town's summit, with its crowning duomo, or cathedral, a medieval landmark whose elegant bell tower dominates the skyline. Eager to know more about these and other landmarks, I find a local guide, Raffaele Stifano, who suggests a walking tour of Matera old and new. On his business card, under "authorized tour guide," he has added "cinematography locations," reminding me that Matera was a setting for director Pier Paolo Pasolini's classic 1964 film, The Gospel According to St. Matthew. Forty years later, much of the modern world first glimpsed this unusual town in another film: Mel Gibson's 2004 The Passion of the Christ. Both films set scenes in some of the 150-plus churches hewn out of the rock here.
Sensing my curiosity about daily life in the Sassi, Stifano steers me to the Cave House of Vico Solita-rio, a reconstruction of a typical 20th-century cave dwelling complete with furniture, wall decorations, household implements (including a loom), and a life-size plastic mule in the chamber that traditionally housed the inhabitants' animals. I note a grain chest similar to those Margareta Berg fashioned into tables, a soap dish akin to the one in my room, and a faded mirror just like that in my bathroom alcove. "This is real," says Stifano. "This is exactly the way it was."
Stifano was born in the Sassi and spent his first seven years here, until his family was allotted public housing in 1963. "It took the government two decades to build enough public housing for all the cave dwellers," he tells me. Were most Sassi dwellers glad to leave their cave homes, I ask. "They were more than happy!" he assures me. "They wanted Formica."
He returned to the empty, bricked-up caves in 1977 to live as a squatter with his hippie friends. Little did they imagine the area would be declared a World Heritage site 16 years later—a recognition by the international community that prompted the local government to stimulate funding for restorations. Few takers stepped forward, however, because the caves could only be leased, not bought—which turned out to be a boon for squatters like Stifano, who had been trying to salvage the cave dwellings with scarce resources. Now the squatters were seen as an asset.
"We were hooked up to the electricity grid and water system and given legal status as residents," he says. Slowly, other enterprises moved into the area, including upmarket restaurants—Baccanti, Le Bubbole—that offered lighter interpretations of rustic local specialties. The Sassi became chic: Architects, artists, foreigners, and filmmakers leased caves from the government to renovate as homes. "Gentrification took over," says Stifano, "and Matera found itself being reborn."
I dine that evening on the terrace of Le Botteghe, a trattoria specializing in the regional cucina povera, or "poor cooking." Munching on toasted fava beans and sipping a glass of wine from the region, I watch a village festival ramp up in the street. Locals and visitors from surrounding towns are getting in line for free wine and servings of crapiata, a flavorful blend of beans, lentils, chickpeas, and potatoes prepared after all the planting and harvesting is done. When, later, I stroll back to my room, the old town of Matera sits incandescent in the night, the rock-hewn churches transformed by theatrically choreographed lighting.
TRANSFORMATION—careful, locally driven transformation—distinguishes the 53 properties that belong to the Alberghi Diffusi Association. Matera remains a high-profile example, but "a model for the albergo diffuso concept was Due Campanili Relais, in the Marche region in central Italy," Dall'Ara, who founded the group, had told me. Now hooked on this concept, I reserve a room at Due Campanili and hop on a northbound train.
The Marche [MAR-keh], lying between Umbria and the Adriatic Sea, has it all—art, architecture, vineyards, mountains, beach resorts, culinary and musical traditions—and yet is, so far, relatively undiscovered by tourists. Tour buses are rare, except perhaps in the walled, Renaissance-era city of Urbino, a World Heritage site known for its art-filled—Raphael, Titian—Palazzo Ducale.
A car from the Due Campanili hotel picks me up at the train station in the little town of Fano, and we thread inland through vineyards and along hills blanketed in varied shades of green to the hamlet of Montemaggiore al Metauro. This sleepy cluster of stone homes dating to before the 16th century, when it was a noted regional producer of wool, perches atop a small hill overlooking the meadow-quilted Metauro River valley.
As the industrial revolution began to make over Europe, Montemaggiore al Metauro—like so many hill towns in rural Italy—was passed by. Residents trickled away for better opportunities, a process hastened by World War II. By the 1950s, the walled hamlet—with its two bell towers, or campanili, for which the hotel is named—was essentially abandoned.
Enter, in the 1980s, Irene Mangiarotti and her architect brother Gianfranco, whose specialty is reimagining old hotels (Rome's Hotel Art, Sicily's Grand Hotel Monte Tauro). Presented, by a friend, with 35 buildings to play with, they rolled up their sleeves and reproposed the lot as a "horizontal" hotel. Furnishings would be period pieces from the mid-1800s to the 1940s, the final decade the town was inhabited. "Much of it we found in the area," Gianfranco, mid-forties and wearing dark-rimmed glasses, tells me of their hunt for original pieces. "The problem was finding enough for so many accommodations. We searched antiques fairs and markets until we found authentic items."
I'm shown to my two-bedroom apartment, which I'm happy to see comes with expansive views of the Metauro Valley. A quick rest and back out I go to become acquainted with what today will be my village. I wander the 15 or so cobblestone lanes, only five of which are named. Birdsong and the peal of church bells fill the air. Two women playing cards on a stone table nod cordially as I pass. Other neighbors have parked kitchen chairs outside their doors to enjoy, for another day, the countryside views. As I approach, they wish me a buon giorno.
"A good day comes naturally here, in your relaxing village," I answer in Italian, and catch their proud smiles. Each lane I follow eventually brings me to a view of the valley. It doesn't take me long to fall in love.
The next morning, wanting to see more of the hotel, I join a hotel staffer on his rounds of the eight refurbished buildings—including a spa—that make up the hotel. Guest units range from single rooms to an apartment that sleeps six and includes a garden. The faithful-in-every-detail period décor conveys a feeling of living in a less complicated time and place.
This sense of ease has been luring descendants of villagers who forsook Montemaggiore al Metauro; they're returning here for summer vacations or even to retire. "We are really seeing an increase in people fleeing the city for a more livable place," Giancarlo Bruschini, who plans cultural activities in the area, says as we sip prosecco and sample formaggio di fossa—a local cheese that ages for a year in earthen pits, where it takes on the flavors of wood, moss, and truffles—at the hotel's restaurant. A fairly new eatery that specializes in traditional dishes, the restaurant has been drawing patrons, as have stargazing parties, theater workshops, and other activities. Additional attractions include the surrounding Metauro Valley and its network of museums that showcase disappearing regional crafts and customs. I make my way to the pottery museum and soon find myself throwing a pot on the wheel; at a weaving museum I slide a shuttle to-and-fro on an old-fashioned loom; I watch local masons demonstrate their craft at the stonemasonry museum; and I finger a variety of ropes and handmade bricks in a small museum that is dedicated to, well, making ropes and bricks.
Then I recollect a comment Dall'Ara had made. "I think of an albergo diffuso as a novel that tells the story of a culture. Guests are brought into the story temporarily so they can better understand the way of life." I think back to my tastefully tricked-out cave in Matera, then to my traditional village lodging here in the Marche countryside, and understand just what he means.
On my final night at Due Campanili, settling into my antique Marchigiana bed, I meditate on something D. H. Lawrence once wrote: "For us to…penetrate into Italy is like a most fascinating act of self-discovery—back, back down the old ways of time. Strange and wonderful chords awake in us, and vibrate again after many hundreds of years of complete forgetfulness."
I am there, down the old ways of time, tranquilla.
- Nat Geo Expeditions


text:
BELLEFONTE, Pa. — Lawyers for one of Jerry Sandusky's adopted sons said the man has told authorities the former Penn State assistant football coach abused him.
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The lawyers issued a statement Thursday naming Matt Sandusky, one of Jerry Sandusky's six adopted children, and saying that the 33-year-old had been prepared to testify on behalf of prosecutors at his father's sex abuse trial.
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"During the trial, Matt Sandusky contacted us and requested our advice and assistance in arranging a meeting with prosecutors to disclose for the first time in this case that he is a victim of Jerry Sandusky's abuse," Andrew Shubin and Justine Andronici wrote in the statement. "At Matt's request, we immediately arranged a meeting between him and the prosecutors and investigators.
"This has been an extremely painful experience for Matt and he has asked us to convey his request that the media respect his privacy. There will be no further comment."
The statement was issued after jurors in the ex-coach's child sex abuse trial began deliberating 48 charges against him. The jurors are sequestered during deliberations.
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Lawyers for Matt and Jerry Sandusky and prosecutors did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Matt Sandusky went to live with Sandusky and his wife, Dottie, as a foster child and was adopted by them as an adult.
Shortly after the former coach's arrest in November, Matt Sandusky's ex-wife went to court to keep her former father-in-law away from their three young children. Jill Jones successfully obtained a restraining order forbidding the children from sleeping over at their grandparents' home.
At around the same time, details emerged that Matt Sandusky had attempted suicide just four months after first going to live with the couple in 1995. He had come into the home through The Second Mile charity, which Jerry Sandusky founded, and was first a foster child before being legally adopted.
During testimony last week, an accuser known as Victim 4 said Matt Sandusky was living at the Sandusky home at the time he stayed there overnight.
When asked by prosecutors whether Jerry Sandusky ever engaged him in a soap battle in the showers, he recounted the time when he and Matt Sandusky had been playing racket ball. After they were done, he said, they went back to a locker room. Matt got undressed and got into the shower and then Victim 4 and Sandusky followed him in there, he testified.
"Me and Jerry came in. He started pumping his hand full of soap," he said.
At that point, Matt shut off his shower and left and went to another locker room to shower, the witness said.
Asked by prosecutors about Matt's facial expression when the soap battles started, he replied: "Nervous."
Jurors began their deliberations Thursday after prosecutors described him as a serial molester who groomed his victims, while his defense lawyer said the former Penn State assistant football coach was being victimized by an overzealous prosecution and greedy accusers.
Prosecutors said Sandusky was "a serial, predatory pedophile" who used gifts and the pageantry of Penn State's vaunted football program to lure and abuse vulnerable boys who came from troubled homes.
"What you should do is come out and say to the defendant that he molested and abused and give them back their souls," Senior Deputy Attorney General Joseph McGettigan III. "I give them to you. Acknowledge and give them justice."
Standing behind Sandusky, McGettigan implored the jury to convict him
"He molested and abused and hurt these children horribly," McGettigan said. "He knows he did it, and you know he did it.
"Find him guilty of everything."
Sandusky's attorney said the 68-year-old former coach was being victimized by investigators who led accusers into making false claims about a generous man whose charity gave them much-needed love.
"They went after him, and I submit to you they were going to get him hell or high water, even if they had to coach witnesses," Amendola said in a sometimes angry closing argument.
If convicted, Sandusky could spend the rest of his life in state prison.
Jerry Sandusky's Son Says Dad Abused Him was originally published on newsone.com
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
|DM Eric
For reasons both personal and out of your control, you have all found yourselves in Absalom. Some of you were born here, and others just visiting the so-called Jewel of the Inner Sea. In any event, all of you have your own wounds and scars you carry in your soul, much like the city you now call home.
After returning to your separate abodes, you all find yourselves feeling more tired than can be expected, and find yourselves drifting into a restless slumber...
As you dream...you see in your mind's eye as if from peering from a great distance ...
A leaning monument to the district's pain, this four-story courthouse is a crumbling marvel of cracked plaster and chipped marble. Once a testament to justice wrought in shining white stone, the courthouse is now a crushed dream, its wretched exterior corrupted by a bloated evil festering within. Rainwater from a recent downpour mixed with mulch oozes from ruptures in the rock like pus bubbling from a wound. The structure of the eastern wing of the upper floor buckled long ago, and now the bell tower tilts perilously, appearing as though it might careen to the ground below at any moment. Two massive pillars frame the heavy oak doors of the court. The pillars' surfaces run with cracks and fissures like so many burst veins. The doors sag in their archway like the drooping eyes of a madman. The surrounding structures long ago fell in upon themselves in supplication to the creaking courthouse. A salt wind blows up the precipice and rakes across the tangled weeds of Beldrin's Bluff. The whole building groans as the wind blows, its tortured lamentation fading to a rasping hiss as the wind ebbs. This croaking murmur never completely fades away. The sun sets in the west, the last slivers of twilight painting the courthouse blood red as darkness creeps closer....
Then your view of the courthouse vanishes, only to be replaced by another vision...
"Jarbin Mord. For the brutal and savage slaying of your own wife and six-year-old boy, it is the verdict of this jury, with which I concur wholeheartedly, that you shall hang by your neck until dead. May the gods take mercy on your blackened soul."
Slowly, the vision fades away as you return to consciousness, but the sight that greets you is almost as disturbing. The dying gray light of sunset peeks through slits in the boarded windows, barely illuminating a yawning courtroom replete with pews and a towering bench covered in cobwebs. A shadowed mural on the domed ceiling above depicts Iomedae in her shining plate mail of gilded sunlight, locked in mortal combat with Norgorber, Calistria, and Asmodeus, holding the trifecta of evil at bay with her shining sword. You find yourself in a jurors' box, and you are not alone. In the other chairs, figures stir in the darkness, each emerging from troubling dreams into a new nightmare.
Glancing around you, you all realize the number of people in this room is twelve. In addition to yourselves, you see
- A male half orc dressed in commoners clothing,
- A male gnome, dressed in a jesters outfit,
- A human female, rather attractive, dressed in a sequined red evening gown,
- A rosy-cheeked old human man dressed in threadbare finery with a broad handlebar mustache and a frayed top hat,
- A hobgoblin, who has the look of a hardened criminal about him,
- A tall, sturdy human man in his fiftieth winter, dressed in chainmail emblazoned with the symbol of Iomedae,
- A pretty young halfling lad, and finally
- A grizzled old dwarf laborer.
OK, the adventure has begun! Feel free to interact with each other now. The four of you are seated together in the south jury area, while the other eight people are seated apart from you in the north area, murmering softly to each other and stealing glances at the four of you when they think you won't notice them.
|Gared Naught
Gared awoke with a start and rubbed his neck where the whip had crushed the life from him. It hadn't hurt nearly as much as the jeers of the crowd around him had. The dwarf attempted to gain his bearings, wondering if he had only slipped from one nightmare to another.
Sense motive1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18
Perception 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17
|DM Eric
As Gared rises to his feet looking around him, he sees that the group is indeed inside a courtroom. Rows of dusty benches, several askew or knocked over, are lined behind a waist-high partition separating spectators from trials. A dusty wooden jurors' box, rickety from generations of termites and time's cruel fangs, stands against the south wall. A high bench covered in muslin rests against the east wall. Two thick tables once stood facing the bench, now one has been smashed to kindling. An evidence table rests against the south wall.
I'll wait for the other players to chime in before I 'introduce' you to the other people, he he.
|Horven Graveltoes
Horven rubs his eyes and licks his lips, his mouth sour from the bile. The dreams disturbed him and it is apparent. He shakes off the feeling of dread and prays silently to Desna out of habit.
'Strange things happen all the time to people. I'm not the first,'he thinks to himself.
"Well, this is quite odd," Horven rasps, mostly to himself."Did anyone else have that horrible ale last night?"
Ratcliff shoots awake, his fur is matted from his incessant tossing and turning. It takes him a while to register everyone else in the room but when he does his tongue flicks out nervously. He hears the halfling near him talk and cleans his whiskers before squeaking a reply "No but I did have some delicious cheese." He looks about the room some more but in particular studies the four closest to him.
|Horven Graveltoes
Horven shifts in his seat and raises an eyebrow. A slow grin creeps across his face and he sighs.
'Well, at least the ratfolk is not humorless. I...perhaps, we...may get through this yet,' he ponders to himself.
He bites his lip in contemplation. There are many conclusions he could draw, but he does not have enough half-baked contingencies yet.
|Gared Naught
Seeing as we're all eyeing each other up, Gared stands at just over four feet tall, with golden wheat colored hair, weathered and tan skin, and striking crystal blue eyes. He wears a simple brown tunic with a worn rope belt and a long grey hooded cloak which is equally plain. Two leather cords hang from his neck, their contents obscured by his clothing. A sturdy looking recurve bow rests in his rough hands and seems to give him some comfort, while a quiver of arrows rests over his broad right shoulder. He seems as old and worn as ancient stone, his eyes deep sapphires filled with grief as large as an ocean. Those sapphires survey the scene with a stoic resignation, patiently surveying the room.
Strange creatures and a halfling... As much they seem the stuff of nightmares, they seem to be in the same predicament as I... Let us see what judgments this strange court house will bring., the dwarf mused.
Gared watched and waited, comforted by the feel of his bow in his hand.
|Ganer Jitesh
I'll go next, there is not a lot to describe about how Ganer looks, on account of his large, brown, Palpatine style cloak that covers his head. What little you can see of his face appears to include a feline snout, and black and white striped coloration. His hands can be seen outside of the cloak, because he hasn't pulled them in. While still obviously functional as hands, his fingers seem short and fleshy, somewhat like a paw.
Ganer looked around, wondering if he recognized anyone, probably not, since they weren't doing anything more threatening than watching him. When the halfling spoke, Ganer turned to watch him for a moment. "You believe this is a dream, then?" Ganer's voice was deadpan, giving no hint of his opinion. He cast his gaze around the room, and then added, "I believe this is real. Perhaps the gods have seen fit to put us to some kind of test."
|Horven Graveltoes
Horven is dressed in a plain traveling outfit, the studs of his leather armor creating noticeable bumps beneath his tunic. The scabbard of a barely used dagger, more of a threat to bandits than a functional weapon, is tucked behind his belt pouch. A hefty backpack lies next to him, bits of rough wood sticking out of the flap. His shaggy brown hair frames his face and almost conceals his darting brown eyes.
"I do not believe this to be a dream, stranger," Horven replies, knowing it was rather forward of him. "Nor do I believe this is a test given to us by the gods. If I were to venture a guess, I think we have some things that we are about to answer for."
Horven silently drums his fingers against the hilt of his dagger. He sighs again and looks downward.
|Ganer Jitesh
He gave the three nearest to him another look, before he replied, "The dwarf looks respectable enough to not be taken in his sleep. Or at least, not to be taken in his sleep by the sorts that would bring their captives here. My name is Ganer Jitesh. I am a scholar, of sorts."
|Gared Naught
The dwarf nodded to the hooded creature as he introduced himself. "I am Gared. I am on a pilgrimage of sorts, in the name of Old Deadeye." He looked around the room slowly again, his eyes lingering on each of the 11 humanoids in the room, gauging their reaction as he spoke. "I do not recall how I came to be here, only that I was tired last night in a deeper way than is usual for me, and hand strange and vivid dreams of a courthouse and my own death."
|DM Eric
Your musings are interrupted by the high pitched giggling coming from the gnome, "Cheese...CHEESE?? Yes, the ratfolk would know his cheesse, Ha ha ahhahahahaha....!" His giggling is abruptly cutoff by a rap on his head by the dwarf, who silences any protest (but you do all see the venomous look in the gnome's eyes.)
"Quiet there, Ebin. Yer gigglin' be gettin' on me nerves." He then turns to face the four of you. "A dream you say...perhaps so, perhaps more than that." He hobbles over to you, an appraising look in his eyes. "Tell me, gents, 'ave ye eveah heard of Jarbin Mord?"
Knowledge, Local checks please. Keep in mind you can make this check untrained, but the Max DC you can learn is 10 in that case.
|Gared Naught
Gared tried to remember if he'd heard the name mentioned any where since he'd arrived in the city, but shook his head at the dwarf as nothing came to him. "I am afraid not. I have not been long in this city, but I would like to learn what I can of it. Would you share what you know with us?"
|Horven Graveltoes
Horven addresses the grizzled old dwarf."I doubt I have heard of such a person. I don't recollect many names anyhow. I'm a wanderer by trade."
Horven then speaks to Gared, Ganer and the ratfolk. "I'm Horven, by the way."
Ratcliff is dressed in a blue stained robe that hangs down covering his feet, the faint smell of sewerage comes from his body. His fur is bright grey apart from the one darker patch that sits on his twitching nose. He bends down and picks up his backpack and dons it pushing a scroll back inside as he does. He also picks up his quarterstaff and rests his weight on it. Finally you notice a silver ring on his finger with the image of a rat engraved into it.
As Ganer speaks some primal fear awakens inside Ratcliff and he steps back, his large leathery tail flicking out from beneath his robe. No I should give him a chance. I know that more should be given than just first impressions. Everyone else introduces themselves before he plucks up the courage to speak again. "Erm...My Father called me Ratcliff."
When the Gnome laughs at his joke he does his best to smile.
|Ganer Jitesh
At the mention of the name, Ganer's dream came rushing back. He said, "I believe I have heard the name, did he not murder his own family? And was sentenced to die in a courtroom much like this one?"
|DM Eric
Most of you have only heard the common tales, but even so that is enough...
Beldrin's Bluff Courthouse is haunted by the vile spirit of a brutal murderer who was the last man to swing on its gallows. Jarbin Mord killed his wife and son with an axe, then he swung from the very gallows he tended as executioner for ten years. A band of adventurers led by Father Kelgaard of the Church of Sarenrae braved the courthouse five years ago, but only one of his band survived— a burly human named Grisom Twin-Axe, and his mind was shattered by the harrowing experience.
The gnome Ebin giggles again once the old dwarf moves away from him. "RATcliff, right? Ahh ah ah ha ha haha...so that means he was the big CHEESE right, get it..ehhh he he heehee..."
BTW...I said the pretty halfling LAD earlier...I meant to say halfling LADY...he he.
|Horven Graveltoes
Horven rests his chin in the palm of his left hand. He glances at the gnome briefly, then rolls his eyes.
His jokes really aren't that funny.
"So, what does this Jabin Mord, a dead man, have to do with us?" Horven says, looking at his 'companions'. "What does it have to with you, for that matter? I suppose I am being a bit inquisitive, but I think the more we know, the better prepared we can be."
Horven restrains himself from becoming frantic, but the mentions of the others' dreams and the recollection of his own make him more uneasy. He sighs again, trying to regain his composure. He smiles, despite himself, and looks into the old dwarf's eyes.
"Could you tell us anything, please?"
|DM Eric
The old dwarf looks at Horven, moved by the appeal of the young halfling. "Well, lemme tell ya, 'Orven, I gots a pretty good idear why e is all 'ere but I be sure as the day is long ye ain't gonna like it. Ya see, we be trapped inside th' Beldrin Bluff courthouse where th' spirit of that foul murderous ghost be hauntin' eveah since he was hanged fer his crimes! You don't fear though, lad. Old Tablark's seen more ghosts than these walls 'ave rats. Nothing to quake about. We'll send this foul spirit a'packin' or me clan name ain't Hammergrind!"
After the dwarf Tablark issues his proclamation, Horven is surprised when the halfling lady rushes into his arms, clinging to him protectively. "Oh! Horven Tablark is right. That murderous spirit won't rest until we are all hung by his own rope!" She releases him while still gazing at him with her pouty lips, her auburn hair flopping back in a topknot, her sculpted physique speaking of a life born to athletic pursuits. "I am Madge Blossomheart, Horven. I am really scared! But you can protect me, right?"
|Gared Naught
"I don't know what help I'll be in putting ghost's to rest... Gared spoke, his eyes resting on the dwarf and halflings as if he was seeing something else. I certainly hadn't had any luck with my own...
"...but for what it's worth, you have my eyes and bow."
Gared will make a sense motive check against each of the PC's and NPC's as he interacts with them for the first time, to see what state they are in, and otherwise notice what ever traits or characteristics they show.
Garner 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17
Hovrven 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17
Ratcliff 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
The Dwarf1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
The Hafling lady 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
The Gnome 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11
The Half-Orc 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20
|Horven Graveltoes
Horven's unease rapidly disappears as Madge clings to him. His face flushes with momentary desire. He swallows hard, his throat gone dry. He attempts to compose himself.
This is neither the time nor place for this. But, wow! She sure is pretty and she wants me to protect her! Oh, damn it...Calm down, Horven. Desna, if I ever needed a moment to be completely level-headed, it would be now.
"Ahem...um...Miss Blossomheart, I...I mean we...will do our best to protect you...and everyone else," Horven stutters. "Gared, I hope you are sincere in your offer. Ratcliff and Ganer, can we depend on your talents as well?"
|Ganer Jitesh
" If we are truly stuck here, then my promise of assistance is irrelevant. Still, if an oath of assistance is required, then you have it from me." Ganer wondered how many of these people would be happy to have his assistance if they knew he was a beastbrood. Oh well, in such matters Ganer had come to understand that ignorance was bliss.
"It has been my experience that dreams impart knowledge that we would have otherwise missed, and in fact Irori has many times spoken to me while I slept. Before I woke up here I dreamed of Mord's sentencing. Have any of you had any dreams that seem especially appropriate in light of what we know now?"
|Horven Graveltoes
Horven turns to Ganer. "I dreamt of a large man beheading an elven woman, asking her for guidance. I do not know what help that can provide."
He turns away sickened by the recollection. After a moment, he slowly approaches Ganer. He looks downward.
"I merely asked for your oath because it is easy for any one of us to consider our own well-being above anything else. We do not know each other well enough to assume what we will actually do. A few words can go a long way."
|Gared Naught
Gared pondered the halfling's words for a moment, a shadow of remembered joy passing briefly through his eyes. "You speak with wisdom and humility, Horven. Know that you need not doubt my sincerity, for I would place more value upon your life than my own." The dwarf turned to Ganer and Tablark. "I dreamed of my own death by noose among a frenzied crowd. I do not know what omen it bespeaks, but I know that it is much different from the nightmares that usually haunt me."
|Ganer Jitesh
Ganer nodded, apparently taking the halfling's words into account. "You are correct. I had not considered that possibility.
Several moments of silence passed, with Ganer apparently pondering Horven and Gared's dreams. "It seems as though we have each dreamed of a different part of the story. In my dream, I was being sentanced to die by hanging for the murders, only I was identified by name as Jarbin Mord." He turned to Horven and added, "I suppose you dreamed of his murder of his wife, and Gared must have dreamed of the execution. Does that mean that you had the misfortune to dream about the murder of a child?" The last question was directed at Ratcliff.
Hmm never been asked to swear anything before. He strokes his whiskers again before speaking " Yes you can all count on my... skills. I will do my best."
He listens intently as the others recount their dreams then when asked about his own he quietly replies "I...I remember that there was a figure standing above a woman, she was knitting clothes for a child. The figure closed and... and then I awoke to find myself here. I did not see what happened next but I doubt I truly needed to."
|DM Eric
The Dwarf Tarblek: You get the sense he is honest about his beliefs and also he shows some good leadership skills.
The Halfling Madge: You get the sense her affection for Horven is almost completely feigned.
The gnome Ebin: You sense he is trying to lighten the mood, but he is not a very good comedian.
The Half orc: He has been quiet so far, but you get the sense he is scared about being in this situation.
|Horven Graveltoes
Horven scratches his head. "Sashrala! That was the name of the elven woman from my dream. Was that Jabin Mord's wife?"
|Gared Naught
Gared stroked his wheat colored beard as he thought. "If the four of us have had a connected dream, and appeared in this place, I must wonder why. Does anyone know what this haunted ground has to do with us?"
|DM Eric
As the four of you (plus Madge, who continues to hover near Horven) continue to discuss things quietly amongst yourselves, you notice someone approach your group. It is the human female in the red evening gown. She eyes the four of you, barely glancing at Madge, and her gaze lingering over Ganer. "I am not sure why we all are here, but I am sure if we all work together, we can figure out what is going on here. Oh excuse me! How rude of me, my name is Patrissa." As she talks, you see her hands lovingly stroke her necklace, which consists of fire opals if you don't miss your guess.
"No....NO...it is hopeless. We are all doomed to die here in this gods forsaken place, slaughtered by the spirits which haunt this place." Those words uttered by the half-orc, quiet until now, pierce the gloomy air of the abandoned courthouse.
"Nonsense, Halgrak. We will ALL figure out a way out of here, and NONE shall be lost on my watch!" The older man garbed in Saranae's symbol interrupts the mournful words. He walks towards you and touches Patrissa's shoulder in a loving gesture, even though he is easily twice her age. "I can tell you all, we were all members of the jury that convicted Jabrin Mord and sentenced him to hang for his vile crimes!"
|Horven Graveltoes
Horven addesses the old man. "That would explain why you eight are here, but it does not account for us. Correct me if I am wrong, sir, but are there not twelve people on a jury?"
Horven walks over to the evidence table against the south wall.
"Regardless, we had better find our way out of this sooner rather than later. I think I would prefer a warm bed at an inn to this place," Horven adds, eyes scanning the area.
|DM Eric
As Horven approaches the evidence table, he notices there is still something lying on it. It looks to be a bloody axe.
But before Horven reaches the table, he hears a groaning crack above him. Glancing upwards, he is surprised to see a piece of the mural on the ceiling above him (the portion with Iomedae's shining sword upon it) breaks free tumbling towards him!
Perception check failed; Horven is surprised. Horven takes 1d6 ⇒ 1 bludgeoning damage; DC 15 Reflex save for half
However...that is not all that happens; as the marble chunk falls onto the evidence table, it shatters the rotten table and sends the bloody axe on it spinning end over end across the courtroom, striking the half orc Halgrak a glancing blow before sinking solidly into the north wall of the jurors' box! It sticks on the wall, quivering slightly.
Flying Axe 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25 vs Halgrak; 1d6 ⇒ 1 slashing damage
As the others stare in stunned amazement, Halgrak moans softly almost to himself, "Ohh...gods. We are ALL gonna die!"
|Gared Naught
Gared continues to get the lay of the land...
Patrissa 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
The older man 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
And another one for Madge when Gared puts her under pressure... 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
Gared spoke up in a gentle tone."I agree with the humans." He turned to address the half-orc. "If it is within my power, I would see everyone here safe, alive, and free from this place. Your fate is your own to decide, but if you are willing to accept my aid, and perhaps offer yours in return, then it much more like that we will live to see the light of day once more. It would do all of us good if kept level heads and were honest with one another." Gared's eyes bore into Madge's as he spoke the last sentence.
|Gared Naught
Gared had hardly had the time to get a read of the halfling's reaction before the world fell apart for no apparent reason. An arrow was drawn in the bow in his hands in an instant as his eye's sought for whatever unapparent reasons for the attack.
|Ganer Jitesh
Ganer seemed taken by surprise by the way Patrissa was talking, and especially looking at him, and kept his silence until after Horven triggered what was apparently a trap. "Is everyone all right?" He called, after ceiling the bit of ceiling fall and the axe fly. After hearing Halgrak complain, Ganer decided that morale needed to be addressed.
"I don't want to hear any more talk of gloom or doom. You are all fearful of this ghost, but you should be proud! As a man, Jarbin Mord was a blight on society, a killer of women and children, a murderer who could have struck anyone, anywhere, and at any time. After doing your duty and finding him guilty, he was executed, and now his power exists only as far as these walls. Within these walls, his power might be impressive, but you should all be glad, because you have diminished him to the point that what he can do in this building is all that he can do." Ganer seemed to be picking up steam, almost like a traveling evangelist.
"I don't know what powers Mord served, whether the madness of the Rough Beast, his own base impulses or something else. But I do know that the things we serve, the gods above us and the law between us, are more powerful than what he served, and that makes us more powerful than him. He started casting his gaze around the room, watching each of the eight that served on the original jury. "Some years ago, you did your part to serve justice, but your job is not over yet. It's time to cast aside fear and doubt, because court is back in session!" He finished his speech with a stomp, the heavy boot clomped loudly and echoed through the courthouse.
[Spoiler=Diplomacy to bring up morale1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23
"So, what happened to the other four members of the jury?"
I bet I just pissed him off didn't I?
|Horven Graveltoes
|Horven Graveltoes
"Well, I suppose I should be more careful when poking about," Horven lamented.
Horven carefully moves back towards the rest of the group. He slides his dagger out of its scabbard. He scans the room again.
"While we are on the subject, does anyone know anything about ghosts? I have heard a tale or two, but I doubt I can take those with a grain of salt."
"While I agree with you, Ganer, I have a minor qualm. What would drive someone kill their wife and child? There must be a reason. Did anyone know Mord before his crimes? Something does not make sense about all this," Horven mused, scratching his nose.
|Gared Naught
As Horven voiced a similar question to one Gared had been pondering, the dwarf scanned the faces of the eight who introduced themselves as the jury that had sentenced a man to death. If there was more to the story that they knew and hadn't cared to share, this would be an opportunity to see it.
|DM Eric
Horven, take 1 point of non lethal damage from the falling marble.
As things quiet down, the other jurors respond stoicly to Ganer's impassioned speech. He does get the impression he did have an effect though, judging by the smile that breaks out on Patrissa's face.
When Horven posts his question, the rosy-cheeked old human man who is dressed in threadbare finery with a broad handlebar mustache and a frayed top hat speaks up for the first time. "Killian Paltreth. Pleased to meet you all, though the circumstances be dire." He turns to Horven, "So, Horven, what make you think Jabrin is innocent? I mean we all found him guilty under the eyes of the law."
Ratcliff is startled and steps back quickly when the axe flew from the table, he stares at the axe for a while before curiosity got the better of him and he scuttles across the room to where it rests. He inspects the axe while keeping an ear open to the conversation.
Ratcliff also racks his mind for information on ghosts or Hauntings.
Local: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27
Nature: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14
|DM Eric
|Horven Graveltoes
"I made no claims to his innocence, Sir Paltreth. I am finding it odd that the ghost of a 'murderer' suddenly decided to bring us all here. There are many men who have justly hung for their crimes, but you do not hear of scores of apparitions floating about courthouses, abducting townsfolk in their sleep. No, there is something unique about Jabin Mord and his circumstances. If he was truly a killer of extraordinary evil, there would have been more dead than his wife and child."
Looking over each and every one of the eight
Madge:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Killian:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
Patrissa:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Halgrak:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Ebin:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Tablark:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18
Hobgolin:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
Unnamed Human:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Horven paces back and forth. An unfounded accusation hangs on his tongue. However, without proof, he would be accusing innocent folk who did indeed deliver justice or he would be a hypocrite like they who stood before him. He decides to err on the side of caution and keep his thoughts to himself, but Killian's words remind him to remain suspicious of them all save Ratcliff, Gared and Ganer. Those three are the only ones he could trust in this matter since they, like he, have no prior knowledge of Jabin Mord's trial and execution. He did not know how to proceed, but he could not wait idly.
"What proof had you, save a bloody axe, that Jabin Mord indeed killed his wife and child?" Horven proceeds. "Or did someone despise Jabin Mord so much that they killed his wife and child and pinned the crime on him?"
Madge:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
Killian:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
Patrissa:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Halgrak:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22
Ebin:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Tablark:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
Hobgoblin:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Unnamed Human:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25
|Ganer Jitesh
Ganer tried to jog his memory, hoping that some of his studies in the various temples of Absalom might have pertained to this case, and that he could recall it in this moment.
With Horven's question, Ganer realized that others might not know the story. To help dispel any false notions, he replied, "Mord found work as an executioner. He very well could have been a killer of extraordinary evil, though one that found a constructive way to satisfy those urges, for a time, anyway."
He decided that it would be best to speak to individuals, instead of a group, and so he approached Patrissa, the one who had reacted the best to his encouragement. As he walked toward her, he pulled his cloak down over his hands, and tried to adjust it so it concealed as much of his face as possible, preferably without obstructing his vision. "What do you remember of the trial? Also, do you know what became of the four jurors that are not here?"[/b]
|DM Eric
Patrissa smiles at Ganer in reply to his question. "Well, I do try not to think about that awful man too much Ganer." She steps in close to him, apparently unconcerned with his appearance. "I must confess I do not know why the four of you are here with us. The only reason I can guess is who ever arranged to have us brought here could not find them." As she finishes up, you cannot help but notice how lovely she looks in her evening gown.
As the halfling finishes his question, he can smell the heady fragrance of a fine cigar burning. Looking up, he sees the hobgoblin swagger over to him. a fine cigar dangling from his jaw. Taking a long drag from it, he blows a cloud of fragrant smoke just above Horven's face which allows the smoke to envelope the halfling's face.
"Why? Because WE as a jury FOUND him GUILTY, that's why!"
|DM Eric
|DM Eric
|Gared Naught
** spoiler omitted **
Well dressed man 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Hobgoblin 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14
|Horven Graveltoes
Horven coughs a bit with the smoke in his face. He bites back on his anger, fairly sure he was being goaded. He replaces his dagger in its scabbard, trying not to send the wrong message. This hobgoblin was far too relaxed given the situation, but Horven still did not have all the pieces of the puzzle. What he has seen so far neither absolves nor condemns Jabin Mord, but he feels like he is on to something. However, if he is not careful, he may find himself alone with not only a vindictive ghost but eleven mortal folk who might care less about his fate.
To the hobgoblin: "I did not catch your name, good sir," Horven says, feigning as much politeness as possible. "You are also the second to emphasize that you all found him to be guilty. It suggests that not everyone seemed to be sure of Jabin Mord's guilt."
Madge:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
Killian:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18
Patrissa:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22
Halgrak:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25
Ebin:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25
Tablark:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Hobgoblin:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Unnamed Human:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
"If Jabin Mord truly wanted revenge against those who delivered justice upon him, why is the judge not here? Or those who watched him as life slipped away from him?"
|DM Eric
The hobgoblin smirks at Horven, "Probably because I don't give my name to little punks like you." His hand strays down to his belt, where you notice he has a spiked chain looped around the leather. "Now, I know everyone who was on that jury convicted him rightly so!" He affixes a glare at you, "Mebbe, you should just acc--"
"Enough, Malgrim!"
With a start, you see the human male dressed in the armor of Iomedae stalk over to Malgrim, anger clearly in his eyes, hand on his sword hilt. "Or do you want to settle this NOW??"
For a few seconds, Malgrim's face grows mottled with rage and you are all but certain blood will be spilled here. Then abruptly, Malgrim backs down. He turns away from the rest of you and heads towards the corner of the courtroom just outside the jury box. "Mark my words, you should let this dog lie in piece!" His voice rings out with implied threats.
The man looking at you is a tall, sturdy human man in his fiftieth winter, with the snow of age gracing his hair. His face is chiseled as if out of marble, and his narrowed eyes stare down an impressive nose with a superior air.
"Sir Rekkart Cole, an honor to meet you."


text:
As I Watch You Grow
Do you know how much you mean to me?
As you grow into what you will be.
You came from within, from just beneath my heart
You came from within, from just beneath my heart
it's there you'll always be though your own life will start.
You're growing so fast it sends me awhirl,
With misty eyes I ask, Where's my little girl?
I know sometimes to you I seem harsh and so unfair,
But one day you will see, I taught you well because I care.
The next few years will so quickly fly,
With laughter and joy, mixed with a few tears to cry.
As you begin your growth, this fact you must know,
You'll always be my source of pride, no matter where you go.
You must stand up tall and proud, within you feel no fear,
For all you dreams and goals, sit before you very near.
With god's love in your heart and the world by its tail,
You'll always be my winner, and victory will prevail.
For you this poem was written, with help from above,
To tell you in a rhythm of your Mother's heartfelt Love!


text:
This Interbotix Lab Custom Frame is great for building robots from the -64 and -106 series DYNAMIXEL robot servos. This wide hinge frame has been designed for double-axis robot joints, mounted in a side to back configuration.
For -106 servos, the frame will fit perfectly onto the servo. Each frame comes with two small spacer and longer bolts for a perfect fit on any -64 series servo - just fit one spacer in between the frame and the horn, and one spacer between the frame and the idler bearing.
NOTE: The acrylic plastic spacers in this kit are NOT compatible with Turbo-Lock. Plastic-safe adhesives like Turbo-Fuse should be used.
To build Ankle/Hip assemblies like the ones used in the HR-OS5 Humanoid Research Platform, you will need additional parts.


text:
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Top Items:
Nick / Rough Type:
The social graft — "Once every hundred years media changes," boy-coder turned big-thinker Mark Zuckerberg declared today at the Facebook Social Advertising Event in New York City. And it's true. Look back over the last millennium or two, and you'll see that every century, like clockwork, there's been a big change in media.
Discussion: HipMojo.com, Between the Lines, The Open Road, Bubblegeneration Strategy Lab, broadstuff, Valleywag, Doc Searls Weblog, Skrentablog, The Last Podcast, gapingvoid, Webomatica, Deep Jive Interests, Basement.org, Todd Watson, Mark Evans, Web Strategy, Unit Structures, Alexander van Elsas's Weblog …, Technovia, Alec Saunders .LOG, MediaVidea, Guardian Unlimited, michael parekh on IT, Read/WriteWeb, Business Week, CNET News.com, WinExtra, New York Times, Silicon Alley Insider, TechCrunch, GigaOM, bub.blicio.us, Profy.Com, Search Engine Land and paidContent.org
Ashkan Karbasfrooshan / HipMojo.com: Facebook Whores It Up — Last night I could not be bothered …
Larry Dignan / Between the Lines: Maybe Google should fear Facebook's ad system
Umair / Bubblegeneration Strategy Lab: Research Note: Lord of the Flies, Or The Shape of the Faceconomy
Alan Patrick / broadstuff: FACEBOOK ADS - DO THEY HAVE A CLUETRAIN?
Jordan Golson / Valleywag: A post about a cartoon about Facebook [Self-referential]
Frederic / The Last Podcast: So Facebook does its own ads now...
Richard Ziade / Basement.org: From Viral Marketing To STD's
Jeremiah Owyang / Web Strategy: Weekly Digest of the Social Networking Space: Nov 7, 2007
Alexander van Elsas / Alexander van Elsas's Weblog …: The myth of SocialAds, Beacon and Insights: it ain't gonna work!
Ian Betteridge / Technovia: The natural terminus of social software
Jack Schofield / Guardian Unlimited: Facebook's social advertising system and the rise of the fansumer
Catherine Holahan / Business Week: Facebook: Marketers Are Your 'Friends'
Dave Rosenberg / CNET News.com: Facebook decides to bastardize its community
Steven Hodson / WinExtra: Let's cut through the social crap
Saul Hansell / New York Times: Facebook to Turn Users Into Endorsers
Henry Blodget / Silicon Alley Insider: Facebook Ads: The Devil's In The Details*
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch: Changing the Face of Brand Advertising Online
Om Malik / GigaOM: Is Facebook Beacon a Privacy Nightmare?
Brian Solis / bub.blicio.us: Facebook Releases Social Ads
Michael Garrett / Profy.Com: Facebook Beacon: A Driving Force Behind Facebook Ads
Greg Sterling / Search Engine Land: Facebook Tripartite Ad System Launched: Facebook Pages, Social Ads & Beacon
Staci D. Kramer / paidContent.org: More On Facebook Ads; No Way To Opt Out Short Of Clamming Up
Leah Pearlman / Facebook Blog:
Facebook Ads — Today we announced an entirely new advertising solution for Facebook. Right now, we want to make clear what's changing—and what's not—for you. — First of all, what's not changing: — Facebook will always stay clutter-free and clean. — Facebook will never sell any of your information.
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Joshua Porter / Bokardo: The Difference between a Recommendation and an Ad
Greg Sterling / Screenwerk: Facebook Ads, 'Beacon' and Local
David A. Utter / WebProNews: Facebook Welcomes Users To The Social (Ads)
Scott Beale / Laughing Squid: Laughing Squid Facebook Page
John Paczkowski / Digital Daily: SuperCoke! Application Adds Serious Fun to Facebook!
Louise Story / New York Times:
Facebook Is Marketing Your Brand Preferences (With Your Permission) — FACEBOOK wants to put your face on advertisements for products that you like. — Facebook .com is a social networking site that lets people accumulate "friends" and share preferences and play games with them.
Discussion: Today @ PC World, CNET News.com and FP Posted
Kyle Sutton / Today @ PC World: Facebook Puts Users to Work Pitching Products
Caroline McCarthy / CNET News.com: New advertising strategy is a big gamble for Facebook
Anne Zelenka / GigaOM:
Let's Be Friends: AdFriends
Let's Be Friends: AdFriends
Discussion: CostPerNews and The Praized Blog
Sam Harrelson / CostPerNews: The Revolutionary Affiliate Network That Could Have Been: Facebook's Ad Platform
Sebastien Provencher / The Praized Blog: Facebook Ads: Facebook Wakes Up the Fan-Sumer in You
Saul Hansell / Bits: Facebook Everywhere — The most important bit of news …
Kenneth Li / Reuters:
Time Warner to buy Quigo — NEW YORK (Reuters) - Time Warner Inc's AOL (TWX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday it will buy Internet advertising technology company Quigo to bolster its ad force and make it more competitive with Google Inc (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research).
Saul Hansell / Bits: AOL's New Plan: It's Not Working
Josh Catone / Read/WriteWeb: AOL to Acquire Ad Network Quigo
Rafat Ali / paidContent.org: AOL Does Buy Contextual Ad Provider Quigo; Reported Around $340 Million
Adam Ostrow / Mashable!: Confirmed: AOL Buys Contextual Ad Network Quigo
Ashkan Karbasfrooshan / HipMojo.com: Top M&A Deals of 2007 — Editor's note: I knew we were speaking too soon.
Greg Sterling / Search Engine Land: Report: AOL To Acquire Quigo For $300 Million
Anne Bentley / AOL:
AOL Enters Into Agreement To Acquire Quigo, A Leading Site and Content-Targeted Advertising Firm — Acquisition Will Enhance AOL's Solutions for Advertisers and Publishers; Builds on Other Recent Acquisitions and Launch of Platform-A — AOL today announced that it has entered into an agreement …
Discussion: TechCrunch, Search Engine Watch Blog, Epicenter and Search Engine Land
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch: AOL Buys Quigo (Confirmed)
Kevin Newcomb / Search Engine Watch Blog: AOL Adds Quigo to Platform A
Terrence Russell / Epicenter: AOL to Make Another Ad Acquisition — Quigo
Associated Press:
Google maps find their way to gas pumps — The Internet giant will join with another firm to give directions at service stations. — Lost drivers soon will be able to Google for help at the pump. — As part of a partnership to be announced today, the online search leader …
Donna Bogatin / Insider Chatter: Naked Google Maps: NO Local Ads For Hungry Motorists
Paul Hirsch / theWHIR.com Blogs: Creative Web SaaSplication
Lewis Page / The Register: Google petrol pumps debut next month
Greg Sterling / Search Engine Land: Search Google Maps At The Gas Pump
Thomas Ricker / Engadget: Google gas pumps: the savior of lost men
Mike Sachoff / WebProNews: Google To Offer Directions At Gas Pump
Greg Sterling / Screenwerk: Local Search at the Gas Station?
Natesh Sood / Gadgetell: Never be lost again; thanks Google
Duncan Riley / TechCrunch: Google Coming To A Gas Station Near You
Stan Schroeder / Mashable!: Google Helps Lost Drivers At Gas Stations
Josh Catone / Read/WriteWeb: Coming to a Gas Pump Near You: Google
Kevin C. Tofel / jkOnTheRun: Google Maps: high-octane directions right from a gas pump
Paul McNamara / Network World: Google at the gas pump will save marriages
Dolapo / Official Google Reader Blog:
Attack of the 20%'ers — At Google, 20% time is core to our culture and today's Reader release incorporates features developed by two engineers in their 20% time. Those two engineers would be us! — Steve Lacey: As a blogger I like to include a blogroll on my site so that friends …
Discussion: TechCrunch, Search Engine Land, ParisLemon and Random Thoughts
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch: Google Reader Adds Blogrolls
Barry Schwartz / Search Engine Land: Google Reader Improves iPhone Interface & Adds Blogroll Feature
MG Siegler / ParisLemon: Google Finally Nails Google Reader for iPhone
Steve Lacey / Random Thoughts: my second 20% project is now live
Duncan Riley / TechCrunch:
Prince, Has Lost The Plot Prince, To Sue A Lot — To all those TechCrunch commenters who took offense at our previous coverage of the singer Prince's intentions to sue YouTube, The Pirate Bay and eBay for copyright infringement in September, read this carefully.
Discussion: Ars Technica and The Register
Kelly Fiveash / The Register: Prince stomps on unofficial websites
Prince sites face legal threats
Prince sites face legal threats
Discussion: Switched
Terrence O'Brien / Switched: Prince Sues His Number-One Fans
Johansch / my.opera.com:
The power of the Web with Opera Mini 4 — After three betas we're proud to release the shiny new Opera Mini 4 to the world. — We've done a lot with this new Opera Mini. For example, we rewrote the entire code for Opera Mini 4 and added lots of improvements and new features to make the browser even better.
Discussion: Download Squad, CrunchGear, BetaNews, CyberNet, MobHappy, All About Symbian, IntoMobile, Ajaxian, The Mobile Gadgeteer, Compiler, mocoNews.net and Digg
Brad Linder / Download Squad: Opera Mini 4 released
Doug Aamoth / CrunchGear: Opera Mini 4 out of beta, released today
Steve Litchfield / All About Symbian: Opera Mini 4 now finished
Dion Almaer / Ajaxian: Opera Mini 4 Released
Matthew Miller / The Mobile Gadgeteer: Opera Mini 4 comes out of beta to deliver the web to your mobile phone
Scott Gilbertson / Compiler: Opera Mini 4 Brings The Web To Your Mobile Phone
James Quintana Pearce / mocoNews.net: Opera Launches Mini 4.0, Free
Om Malik / GigaOM:
Google's Game-Focused Advertising Initiative To Launch This Month — Google's (GOOG) long-rumored, game-focused advertising initiative is going to come to life later this month, according to sources familiar with the Mountain View, Calif-based company's plans.
Discussion: Silicon Alley Insider, paidContent.org and Mashable!
Dan Frommer / Silicon Alley Insider: Google Readies In-Game Ads
Stan Schroeder / Mashable!: Google's In-Game Advertising System Coming Soon
Martin Veitch / Inquirer:
Intel mulled buying Nvidia, ATI — INQ Interview Part 3 Gelsinger spills beans on graphics — FOR THE THIRD part of this exclusive interview with Intel senior vice president Pat Gelsinger, we talked about GPUs, how Intel considered buying ATI and nVidia, the OLPC laptop and the Tablet PC.
Discussion: CNET News.com
Caroline McCarthy / CNET News.com:
Eisner's advice to striking writers: Blame Steve Jobs, not the studios — NEW YORK—In his keynote speech on Wednesday morning at the Media and Money conference hosted by Dow Jones and Nielsen, former Disney CEO Michael Eisner talked about writers as though they were a minority group that he didn't particularly understand well.
Discussion: paidContent.org and MacUser
Joseph Weisenthal / paidContent.org: @ Media & Money: Keynote: Michael Eisner: Strike is 'Insanity …
Dan Moren / MacUser: Eisner tries to sic writers on Jobs
Darren Waters / BBC:
Symbian dismisses Google Android — Google's dominance of the web will not translate to the mobile phone market, a senior executive at Symbian has said. — John Forsyth, vice president of strategy at Symbian, the platform that powers many of the world's phones, said Google lacked experience.
Discussion: CrunchGear, Mashable! and Slashdot
Stan Schroeder / Mashable!: Android? Meh, Says Symbian
CmdrTaco / Slashdot: Symbian Blasts Google's Phone Initiative
Lewis Page / The Register:
Garmin vs TomTom bid battle for Tele Atlas hots up — Everything you need to know about Virtualization at The Register's eSymposium — In sat nav, as in other forms of consumer technology, content is king. Or at least navigation hardware providers Garmin and TomTom believe so …
Discussion: Engadget, MSNBC, All Points Blog and Tech Trader Daily
Thomas Ricker / Engadget: TomTom raises offer for Tele Atlas: take that Garmin
Neil Dennis / MSNBC: European exporters hit by record euro
Eric Savitz / Tech Trader Daily: Garmin Heads Lower As TomTom Ups Tele Atlas Bid
Grant Robertson / Download Squad:
Fans shafted as Major League Baseball revokes DRM licenses — The crack of the bat, the smell of the grass and the pain of losing your purchased content to DRM deactivation. In what can only be called the biggest bonehead move since Bill Buckner's error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series …
Discussion: Ars Technica, Boing Boing and Gadget Lab
Eric Bangeman / Ars Technica: Major League Baseball's DRM change strikes out with fans
Cory Doctorow / Boing Boing: MLB rips off fans who bought DRM videos
Rob Beschizza / Gadget Lab: Major League Baseball Wipes Out Customers' DRM Licenses
Susanne Ault / Video Business Online:
HD DVD set-top player $99 sales moves units — Toshiba HD-A2 model sells 90,000 over weekend — The HD DVD format significantly pumped its installed base over the weekend, as dueling store clearances sold an estimated 90,000 Toshiba players, according to sources close to retailers.
Discussion: Gizmodo, BetaNews, DailyTech, Engadget, Digital Trends and High-Def Digest
Charlie White / Gizmodo: 90,000 HD DVD Players Sold Last Weekend [Format War]
Ed Oswald / BetaNews: How HD DVD Got its Groove Back
Ben Drawbaugh / Engadget: 90,000 HD DVD players sold in one weekend
Geoff Duncan / Digital Trends: HD DVD Fire Sale Nets Banner Weekend?
Jemima Kiss / PDA:
The head of Times Online on tech women, and Google — Yesterday at the Society of Editors conference, Times Online editor Anne Spackman had spoken about how she thinks online news will become more dominated by men because journalists increasingly need technical skills.
Discussion: Search Marketing Gurus and TeleRead
Heather / Inside AdWords:
Advertise on more than 1,700 AM/FM radio stations — Earlier this year, Google announced an important agreement with Clear Channel Radio, the largest radio station group owner in the U.S., to bring access to guaranteed inventory on top-rated AM and FM stations to AdWords advertisers.
Discussion: WebProNews
Doug Caverly / WebProNews: Ads Now Available Through Google, Clear Channel


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"Fabrik 4" helpers needed!Dismiss Notice
You are invited to join other community members active in coding, maintaining and improving Fabrik. Please visit https://fabrik.help for more information!
This Wiki page provides an overview of Fabrik - for the index of Wiki pages, please click here.
Fabrik is an open source Joomla! application builder that allows you to collect information from users through forms, send it to a MySQL database table, and then be able to present viewers with this information in various ways including:
- Lists - which display a list of all your records submitted through a particular form.
- Visualizations - which take data from your database and visualize this through charts, maps, calendars and more.
With Fabrik you can create applications that range in complexity from simple contact forms to a job application site or bug tracking system.
How easy is it to create a Fabrik Application (top)Fabrik has a broad set of functions, both basic and advanced, and with these it is possible to create a broad range of applications.
If you are non-technical and only want a simple application to store and list data, then you can create this purely from the Fabrik administrator interface without writing any PHP or Javascript code.
If you are reasonably technical, and prepared to spend the time learning about Fabrik (from the wiki and other resources on this site) and to write some small pieces of PHP and / or Javascript, you can create sophisticated applications and visualizations. To get prompt support to help you along the learning curve and to get any issues to come across looked at more quickly, a Professional subscription to Fabrikar is recommended.
However, Fabrik cannot possibly provide all the functionality that is potentially possible with PHP, Javascript and MySQL, so there will be some applications which are just not possible to build using Fabrik. If you are thinking about a using Fabrik for creating a complex application, it is important to think ahead about the design of your database, lists, forms, etc. and to reduce the risk of starting your development and then finding that Fabrik is unsuitable, the Fabrikar consulting team can review your design.
Installation and Update(top)
- Prerequisites
- Installing
- Upgrading
- Updating from GitHub
- Migrating from J!1.5.20+/Fabrik2.1
- Migrating Fabrik3.0.9 to Fabrik3.1+ (J!3.4+)
- Development Server
- Uninstalling Fabrik
First steps(top)
- Getting started
- Fabrik's structure
- Fabrik's parameters
- Design Strategy
- Joining list and form data
- Security considerations
Troubleshooting and Bug Reporting(top)
- Reporting bugs and issues
- Error messages and possible solutions
- Troubleshooting Tools
- Bug Report: Forum Post Template
- 3rd party compatibility
Fabrik Core(top)The bullet points below describe Fabrik's core features. Lists, Forms, Groups, Elements and Menu items are the five essential features that you need to understand to develop a simple application and make it available for your users.
Plugins(top)Plugins provide additional functionality to some of the above features:
install additional plugins).
Joomla Plugins and Modules(top)Aside from calling your Fabrik application from Joomla menus, Fabrik integrates with Joomla in the following additional ways:
Integration with Joomla extensions(top)Fabrik is able to integrate with several other Joomla Extensions in order to e.g. display Fabrik content as part of the content of these other extensions.
Designers(top)Whilst Joomla's templates define the overall look and feel for your web-site pages, Fabrik has its own templates which define how Fabrik's output looks inside the Joomla templates - and like Joomla, if you need to you can tailor these or develop your own to meet your own specific requirements:
- Form and Details Templates
- List templates
- Viz templates
- JLayouts
- Image overrides
- Email templates
- PDF output
Developers(top)Fabrik is an open source solution, and as such you are free to change or extend it if you need to:
- API Documentation
- Javascript
- 'Real-Life' Application Tutorials
- Common PHP tasks
- Setting Up Git
- Fabrik Placeholders {xxx}
Things You Can Do for Fabrik(top)The small Fabrikar team have developed the core functionality over many years, however as an open source solution Fabrik also benefits from the extra resources that the Fabrik user community can bring to bear. Whilst there is no obligation to do so, we would hope that you would recognise that you benefit from use of this free software by making your own contributions in one or more of the following ways:
- Translate Fabrik into your own language
- Improve the Wiki
- Answer Forum questions from less experienced users
- Contribute Code
Help in other languages(top)Translate wiki pages or write new wiki pages in other languages:
Delerium, englishpool, gagnonjeanfrancois and 18 others like this.
XenCarta PRO © Jason Axelrod from 8WAYRUN.COM


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Now that we've settled into Mountain Lion, the iPhone 5, and iOS 6, it's time we devoted several minutes to a feature that's common to all of them—iCloud syncing and backup. I'm joined in that devotion by staff writer Lex Friedman who recently penned How to Free Up iCloud Storage Space, available right here on Macworld.com.
Listen to episode 322
Show notes
During the podcast, Lex and I talked about an online backup service that we each use— CrashPlan. We're not the only ones who like it. Our own Leah Yamshon clearly thinks it's aces too, given her 4.5 mouse review.
You can subscribe to the Macworld Podcast by clicking
here. Or you can point your favorite podcast-savvy RSS reader at:
You can find previous episodes of our audio podcasts at Macworld's podcasting page.
Have any feedback on this podcast? Send regular podcast host Christopher Breen an email; audio comments in the form of an AAC or MP3 file are particularly welcome. You can also leave us a message at 415/967-3622 if you'd like to have your comments included in a future podcast.


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Fireworks Safety
Isn't the Fourth of July great? In addition to being a celebration of America's independence as a nation, there's no school, lots of families have barbecues or cookouts, and you can go see a fireworks display at night.
The safest way to enjoy fireworks is at a professional display. Some people light sparklers at home or even set off their own fireworks, but this is dangerous. Some of the people hurt each year aren't the ones setting off the fireworks, but people who are nearby
It's best to stay away from areas where nonprofessionals are setting off fireworks. Fireworks can cause serious eye injuries, including blindness, if the eye tissue gets damaged or torn. Other common injuries from fireworks include burns to the hands and face, which can leave scars. Someone could even lose one or more fingers if fireworks go off the wrong way. Fireworks can also start fires, which can hurt even more people.
If you know someone who plans to set off fireworks at home, here are some safety tips to share:
- Only adults should light fireworks.
- Never use fireworks indoors.
- Be prepared to put out a fire by having a hose or water nearby.
- Light fireworks one at a time.
- Stay away from a firework that has not gone off and never try to relight it.
Sparklers may seem less dangerous than fireworks, but they get extremely hot — as hot as 1,800°F (982°C). Sparklers can light clothes on fire and can cause kids to get badly burned. That would take the fun out of a great holiday!
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
© 1995- The Nemours Foundation. KidsHealth® is a registered trademark of The Nemours Foundation. All rights reserved.
Images sourced by The Nemours Foundation and Getty Images.


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The Faculty History Project documents faculty members who have been associated with the University of Michigan since 1837. Key in this effort is to celebrate the intellectual life of the University. This Faculty History Website is intended as a component of the effort to document the extraordinary academic achievements of Michigan's faculty in building and sustaining one of the world's great universities. It provides access to a comprehensive database of information concerning the thousands of faculty members who have served the University of Michigan.
Find out more.
Herbert Francis Taggart
Herbert Francis Taggart
|Years at Michigan:
1924 - 1968
Literature, Science, and the Arts
| Economics |
Professor of Accounting, Business Administration
Professor Emeritus


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Over the next month, the world will experience three eclipses: two partial solar eclipses a month apart and one total lunar eclipse exactly in between, and it all starts with a so-called "midnight" eclipse of the sun.
A solar eclipse at midnight? How is such a thing possible?
It can happen near midsummer in the high Arctic, the land of the midnight sun. And it will happen this week on June 1 and 2, visible in the northernmost reaches of North America, Europe, and Asia. [Photos: The First Solar Eclipse of 2011]
These two solar eclipse sky maps available here detail what observers could see during some of the upcoming eclipses of the sun and moon in June.
'Midnight' solar eclipse of June 2
The eclipse begins on Thursday, June 2, at dawn in northern China and Siberia, then moves across the Arctic, crossing the International Date Line and ending in the early evening of Wednesday, June 1, in northeastern Canada. [2011 Solar and Lunar Eclipse Skywatching Guide]
That's right: The eclipse begins on Thursday and ends on Wednesday because of the International Date Line. Because observers in northern Russia and Scandinavia will be observing it over the North Pole, they will actually see it in what is, for them, the middle of the night of June 1 and 2.
Solar eclipse no one will see on July 1
Exactly a month later, on Friday, July 1, an equally bizarre eclipse will occur in the Antarctic.
Because this is the southern winter, the sun will be below the horizon for almost all of Antarctica, except for a small uninhabited stretch of coast due south of Madagascar. The only place the eclipse will clear the horizon will be in a small area of the Southern Ocean, far to the south of South Africa. [Solar Eclipse Photos: The View From Space]
Chances are that this eclipse will be witnessed only by penguins and sea birds.
Lunar Eclipse of June 15
Exactly halfway in between these two partial solar eclipses, there will be a total eclipse of the moon on Wednesday, June 15. [Blood Red Moon: 2010's Total Lunar Eclipse]
The eclipse will be visible for millions of people in Africa, the Middle East and southwestern Asia. It will be visible as the moon rises in the early evening in South America and Europe, and as the moon sets before dawn in eastern Asia and Australia.
Unfortunately, it will not be visible anywhere at all in North America.
This article was provided to SPACE.com by Starry Night Education, the leader in space science curriculum solutions. Follow Starry Night on Twitter @StarryNightEdu.