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|About me
2009 group exhibition at the gallery "The Wash-House Cafe" (the neighborhood meeting KUBUS gGmbH), Berlin
2009 Exhibition of best works of painting and drawing competition in the long night of images, with the participation of the pictures of Natalia Pavlova, Berlin
2008 Personal exhibition "Paintings and Drawings by Natalia Pavlova" of funds ASEK (ASSOCIATED SPECIALISTS EUROPEISCHER COLLEAGUES) Cultural Fund and the Germans from Russia (Literary Association "Berlin azure") on "German Russian Festival", Berlin
2008 Exhibition participation in the exhibition "Deja vu - the false memory" (works on paper), Berlin
2006 Exhibition participation in the European arts project "ArteDia" (A project of the Arts and Cultural Association eV Board Mill: Reiner Denjee '); Berlin
2006 personal exhibition "TIME" in the cultural factory "style break" (gallery & cafe); Erkner
2005 Exhibition "Wine and Art" at the gallery "cheap wine" of; Berlin
Exhibitions at the Buchpräsentierungen in the years 2006-2008:
- Anton Saefkow Library, Berlin
- House of Culture Karl Horst, Berlin
- Mark Twain Library in the leisure forum Marzahn, Berlin
- Club "Interest Meeting", Civic Centre, Orange, Central City, Orange
The illustrated books
Books for children:
· "Master ..." Russian Fairy Tales (Text: S. Ellisson), 2009
· "Why wear the roses thorns," the story in Russian and German (Text: S. Ellisson; translation in German: R. Schnura), 2009 (German)
· "Good Friends", a collection of puzzles and the Russian poems (Text: S. Ellisson), 2006 (first edition), 2009 (2nd edition, revised)
· "Well, the bliss !..», the Russian collection, which includes the works that are fulfilled in the verse: the short story, the ballad, the tale, the fable, the poems (Text: S. Ellisson) 2007
· "The magical land of childhood", collection of Russian children's songs by the composer Irina Bilkina (music and lyrics of the songs in sequence: I. Bilkina; texts of songs: Ostoschenskaja E., A. Lewina), 2006
Books for adults:
· "In humility and patience," Part II "waves of life," the novel in two parts in German (Text: Olga Parchnizki), 2010
· «Berlin azure III," the Almanac of the literary society of the Russian Germans "Berlin azure", 2007
· "Collection of short stories in German and Russian by Lev Below," a collection of short stories in German and Russian (text: L. Below, in German translation: M. Creutzburg, I. Hoell, E. Gerdt, R. Schnura) 2007
· "I'm starting a new book of poems that are inspired by Berlin," the collection of Russian poetry (text: W. Rajm), 2006
"The literary illustration yesterday and today, or: the clothes make people, the envelope - the book," The Almanac of the literary society of the Russian Germans "Berlin Аzurblau" in "Culture Fund of the Russian Germans e. V.", "Berlin's azure II '(Text N. Pavlova), 2006, pp. 262-274.
Pictures of Natalia Pavlova originated in the style of classical Russian painting. You are romantic and poetic, sometimes erotic wear and stresses in their aesthetics a nostalgic touch.
Natalia Pavlova is Universalistin. She manages various kinds of image: portrait, landscape, still life, nude, pictures of animals ...
In the work with oil paints she uses layers of painting. It comprises three main stages: recording - Under painting - painting over. At each stage the work will be continued until after the dry land of the respective layer. The next layer is lit by the last. Color and shading are mainly using optical deposition. Plays transparent paint over a primary role. Simultaneously, the color characteristics and the intensity and specificity of the lower classes have to be adjusted. The transparent paint over, the correlation of color layers, the multiple ways in the brush movement, the colors and light shade additions lead to a free interpretation.
Natalia Pavlova painted with fine brush strokes of the so-called "tiny" fashion.
The final varnish finishes the image layers. It gives the painting depth, shine, protects it from dirt, against mechanical and atmospheric influences.
The painting used many layers of the past masters of XV until the second half of the nineteenth century (when to change the layers painting method is the method "a la prima" - the painting "wet on" - get). The classic method of layers painting is known, but there are only insignificant part of the painter, the work of the layers painting, since the technology sufficiently labor-intensive, complicated and slow (for example, the work takes on a factory with modern materials of the layers painting next to the month while the work takes the art "a la prima" not more than three days, until the colors are still wet).
The layers of painting and the painting "a la prima" are distinguished. The image does not brush strokes for the calculation of the optical deposition, as seen in the art "a la prima", but the bill for the discontinuation of the optical layers. When the layers separate brush strokes painting method you will not find the absolutely smooth surface, like the enamel. It is the structure of the linen clearly visible.
As a painter and an illustrator of "Berlin Literature federal e. V" and "Culture Fund of the Russian Germans e. V" has Natalia Pavlova 6 fully illustrated books by four authors painted: 3 books for the children of Sandra Kehl: "Good Friends" "Why wear the roses among thorns", "Well, Count Your Blessings," and the collection of poems by Valentina Reimer, "I start the new issue of his own poems from Berlin ...»," The volume of stories in the German and Russian languages Lev Belov, "and the collection of songs by the composer in Moscow Irina Bilkina" The magical land of childhood ". And N. Pavlova is the large amount of separate illustrations drawn and painted a lot of turnovers of the books.
The illustrations are clear with the gradation of tones, without contour lines (at highest quality).
Illustrations for the book she uses watercolor, gouache, acrylic paints, is characteristic of the beautiful velvety matte surface. These colors require certain skills from the artists, because they dissolve the paint over the light and slightly thicker coating crumble.
The information about the current illustrative paintings can Russian-speaking people in my new article in the literary almanac of the Society "Cultural Fund of the Russian Germans e. V.", "Berlin azure - II" will find.
Natalia Pavlova mastered traditional painting style, feels the color, sound, maps the composition possesses perspective, has professional knowledge of the anatomy of humans and animals. She knows and uses modern materials of painting. These abilities and skills resulting from the accumulation of the necessary knowledge and from their persistent daily work.


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Celestyal Cruises Reports Cuba Is Running Smoothly
It's all systems a go for Celestyal Cruises, which has just announced that it will return to Cuba on Oct. 20 for its fifth year of winter deployment.
Post-Hurricane Irma, the island nation is quickly returning to normal, says the cruise line. There is no damage to any port facility and all cruise operations in Cuba are running smoothly. Cuba's Ministry of Tourism has confirmed that tourist facilities were largely back to normal just one week after Irma. Celestyal Cruises also received confirmation from local agents that there will be no change to the line's shore excursion operation.
In short, none of the tourist sites that are part of Celestyal's itinerary have been affected.
Moreover, recent incidents exclusively involving U.S. and Canadian diplomats are "entirely unrelated to tourism" and currently under investigation by the governments of Cuba, the U.S. and Canada. "Safety and security at sea and on land are our highest priorities at Celestyal Cruises, and the company is pleased to be able to maintain its impeccable standards while providing our passengers with authentic lifetime experiences on one of the great gems of the Caribbean," said a spokesperson for the cruise line.
Source: Travelweek Group

subset: commoncrawl


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Be Your Own Girlboss: Why I Choose Success
Being a Girlboss is all the rage. We can thank Sophia Amoruso for empowering us Boss Babes to stand up for our work and what we believe in. But sometimes, for women, success feels like a choice. Or an apology. Or a sacrifice.
"I can be an entrepreneur or an employee. I can be a mother or a CEO. I can do everything, but something's gotta give."
Whatever your reason for wanting to rule your own life, you have to get behind your convictions.
You have to live the life you feel you were destined for. You have to know that it won't be easy. Because when you reach the kind of success that changes your life and shifts the lives of others around you, it's not supposed to be easy.
Design Isn't Practical.
My mother and grandmother were always interested in the innards of one's home: designing, rearranging and renovating every chance they got. My mother would stitch together window treatments and take over my bedroom design with the assurance of a headstrong teen.
While I got the design bug early, rearranging my aunt's house, building forts and creating interiors, I realized early on that I wanted to generate more than a space.
I wanted to generate a feeling.
I wanted to feel safe. I wanted to feel calm. I wanted to feel peace.
Despite my family's love for design, my grandmother was a secretary, and my mother was a nurse. Their skills stopped at the back door, and they never capitalized on their innate design talents outside of their own homes. When I mustered the courage to go to college for design, my mother strongly advised against it. She told me it wasn't practical, and I wouldn't make any money.
So, I listened.
I went to school for a year and a half, majoring in business administration, then accounting and biology. I couldn't find anything I could see myself doing long term. I withdrew and started working as a waitress and bartender. I saved money to go back to school, because I knew all along what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be. The rebel in me stirred.
"Fine, I'll do it myself," I said. I enrolled in school for design. I went part-time, then full time. I graduated on the Dean's List with a BS in Interior Design.
Design was stuck in me, wedged like the most passionate piece. I began working for independent clients, then with a firm, finding supplemental income whenever I could.
I hustled because it mattered.
After many years and one recession, I branched off on my own again, drenched in mistakes. But there are lessons in the mistakes, and if you want to be your own Girlboss, then know this:
The mistakes are what guide you.
Now, I own my own business, MOOD | Design + Build, and the road isn't some slick, glamorous path free of bumps. The magic is in the bumps. The magic happens when you learn and grow, and you can only do that through trial and error and by throwing yourself in the fire. By risking everything.
It's all about the growing pains.
How to Be Your Own Girlboss:
Take huge risks.
Yes, we've all heard that we need to take big risks to reap big rewards, but when you take a risk in business? Give yourself no escape hatch. Back yourself into a corner where there's literally no way out, so you have to stay the course. Deliberately seek out opportunities to put yourself in those positions. Once you do, you are forced to follow through. When you come out on the other side, you learn exactly what you're made of.
Embrace the mess.
Becoming successful isn't fluid. Sometimes, it's exhilarating and joyful. Other days, it's exhausting, depleting and frustrating. It's messy. But the mess is part of it. Being your own successful boss is about being in the mess of what a business looks like while it's growing. It's in direct proportion to where you are growing too.
Become a navigator.
Here's the thing about messes: They can be cleaned up. Mistakes can be fixed. It's vital to navigate through issues when they come up and not discount what's hard and challenging. Be optimistic and attack challenges with solutions-based thinking. It's not the end of the world if something doesn't get done or a deal falls through. Find the silver lining and forge a new way to get to your desired outcome.
Own your why.
Being your own Girlboss means you are in control of having no control. You have to roll with the good and bad, rise to every challenge and above all else, identify your why. Why do you love what you love? Why do you want to be successful? Identifying what matters to you often means asking yourself this: Where is the pain? What is the one thing you want to fix in your life that would make you feel so good about yourself if you could?
Work from that place, put it all together, and you will achieve everything.
Candy Scott is the Principle + Creative Director at MOOD | Design + Build.
Follow Candy on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
"Your life is worth designing and your story is worth telling."


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MECS assessment Boots Manchester - CANCELLED
- Date
- Location
- Optegra Manchester Eye Hospital
- Leader
- Andrew Dagnall
- Cost
- Free
This event is intended for practitioners attending the Boots Conference who wish to undertake their MECS Part 2 practical assessment
Places have been allocated by the Boots event organiser. Any queries please contact ***
The assessment is in the form of five OSCEs, each takes 5 minutes. Allow 90 minutes for the briefing and full assessment. The OSCEs are based on the seven LOCSU MECS distance learning lectures. These lectures and MCQs must be successfully completed 3 days before the event. Contact your LOC to obtain the promo code and instructions in order to access these lectures via the WOPEC website.
OSCE stations
- Station 1 - Volk BIO
- Station 2 - Patient interaction
- Station 3 & 4 - Structured Oral's
- Station 5 - Referral
Practice makes perfect - The only practical element is the slit lamp Volk BIO station, it is expected that you regularly practice this examination technique on your routine, un-dilated patients.


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May 17, 2018
3 Taiwanese women found guilty of smuggling gold in bras
HAKODATE, Japan - A Japanese court gave three Taiwanese women suspended sentences Wednesday after finding them guilty of attempting to smuggle gold worth 50 million yen ($453,000) into the country by hiding it in their bras.
The Hakodate District Court in Hokkaido handed down one-year prison terms to Qiu Shu-fen, 47, and her 20-year-old daughter Qiu Yu-ting as well as Zhang Hui-ying, 47. Each woman's sentence is suspended for three years.
Presiding Judge Takeshi Hashimoto said in the ruling, "There is no room for leniency as the three committed the crime with a motive to receive money" but added that the sentences were suspended as they have shown remorse.
According to the ruling, the three women were carrying two pieces of gold hidden in pockets attached to their bras when they arrived at Hakodate airport from Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport on Nov. 11.
Each piece of gold, which was confiscated by the authorities, was 11 centimeters in diameter and weighed around 1.75 kilograms.
Prosecutors sought one-year prison terms and the confiscation of the gold, claiming the defendants had been offered travel expenses to Japan and NT$20,000 ($670) in exchange for taking part in the smuggling operation.
Defense lawyers, meanwhile, sought suspended prison terms, arguing that the three had merely transported the gold.
Kyodo News Plus is an online publication delivering the latest news from Japan. Kyodo News Plus collaborates with City-Cost to bring those stories related to lifestyle and culture to foreigners resident in Japan. For the latest news updates visit the official site at https://english.kyodonews.net


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The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) was a gift from France to the United States to commemorate the centennial of the War of Independence. The monument by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi is a remarkable feat of engineering. Prior to tackling the 151' tall masterpiece, Bartholdi first made three smaller versions, gradually grading them larger and adjusting the design as problems presented themselves. His final maquette was 1/4th the scale of the final and from this a plaster copy was made using painstaking calculation. From this plaster model, a wooden mould was created that was then used to hammer the 3/32" thick copper plates into shape. Gustave Eiffel, the renowned bridge builder and namesake of Paris' most famous landmark was commissioned to create an internal structure to support the copper skin, allowing for the strong winds in New York Bay, and fluctuations in temperature.
The Americans undertook the making of the pedestal and both projects saw considerable difficulties in funding. Although the statue was completed 10 years later than the centennial, it was received with considerable pomp and remains to this day a symbol of liberty, immigration, hope and fraternity between nations. You can learn more about the construction here. You can see photos of the construction here.
These two dioramas from the Musée des Arts et Metiérs show the making of the full scale plaster model and the construction of the copper skin.


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Remote Desktop Connection for Mac
With Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac, you can connect from your Macintosh computer to a Windows-based computer and work with programs and files on that computer. Mac users who have access to a Windows-based computer on a network, including users on Intel-based Macs, can use Remote Desktop Connection as an alternative to Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac.
System Requirements
To connect to a Windows-based computer, you need network access and permission to connect to the computer. In addition, the Windows-based computer must be running Terminal Services or Remote Desktop Services. The following Windows products support Remote Desktop connections:
· Windows Server 2003
· Windows 2000 Server
· Windows 2000 Advanced Server
· Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
RDC Download Instructions
Log on to the Internet and visit the following page:
On the right side of the page you will see a small gray window titled: RDC 2.0 Beta Now Available. Click on the Download Now link.
At the bottom of the page that loads, click on the English (.dmg) link to start the download process.
Depending upon your security settings you may be asked if you want to continue downloading the file, Click Continue.
Once the download is complete a small window will appear that will state:
"This package contains a program that determines if the software can be installed. Are you sure you want to continue?" Click Continue.
Follow the Install Remote Desktop Connection prompts that appear on your screen.
(Depending upon your security settings you may be asked to enter your computer's password.)
When installation is complete you may close the install window.
Using RDC Mac
After you have finished the installation process you may begin using the RDC software without restarting your computer.
Open the dive where you downloaded the RDC software to (for most people this should be the computer's main hard drive).
In the Applications folder locate the Remote Desktop Connection.
*Double click the Remote Desktop Connection application to launch it.
When the program opens a window will pop up prompting you to input the address of the computer you wish to connect to.
**Enter the following: 18.104.22.168:4555 Click Connect.
The Windows Server 2003 Log On Window will appear. Enter YOUR User name and Password as you normally would while on a school computer. Change the Log on to option to STAFF. Click OK.
Congratulations! You are now logged into the network and can access all of your school files from home on your Mac.
If you have any questions or need help, please e-mail FLHS Art Teacher and Mac-Geek Christine Boos, at firstname.lastname@example.com
*If you wish to add this program to your Dock you must FIRST drag its icon to the dock, THEN launch the program.
**The RDC program automatically stores up to five computer addresses so that you do not need to re-enter them each time you access the client. Simply use the drop down menu to choose the desired address when opening the program.


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By Andrew Hendricks
We've all posted something to social media that we ended up regretting. Maybe the night out at the bar wasn't best shared with our family and coworkers, and maybe our aggressive political opinions at 3AM were best kept to ourselves. Yet, no matter how often you've shot yourself in the foot by talking to the world, a single Facebook post is generally unlikely to cost you $80,000. But it could.
And for one girl and her family, it did. It all began when the former headmaster of Gulliver Preparatory School, Patrick Snay settled out of court with the school after he sued over their refusal to renew his contract. The non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that he signed, however, was predicated on the condition that he and his wife keep private the "terms and existence" of the settlement that totaled $80,000.
Whether or not Snay actually told his daughter the amount of the settlement is unclear, however, by the terms of his settlement, even telling his daughter of the existence of a settlement would violate the agreement.
So it did not help matters when Snay's daughter posted the following to Facebook:
"Gulliver is now officially paying for my vacation to Europe this summer. SUCK IT."
Gulliver's lawyers cried foul and were originally still ordered by the court to pay Snay, but they won on a higher court appeal because, as Slate writer Katy Waldman points out, "the infractions here were twofold: Snay divulging the deal to his daughter and his daughter broadcasting it to all of her 'friends.' What can we learn from their misfortune, fellow millennials? Do not boast. Do not mess with attorneys."
It apparently didn't help matters when it was pointed out that there was no European trip planned and Snay's daughter was joking (in case the "suck it" didn't make it clear).
The Snays are not the only sob story of someone who ought to have known better. Rushing online to brag about a new boyfriend, car, or job is simply second nature to some—especially younger people who have lived their entire adult lives in a world with internet access. Yet as natural as it may be, it's important to remember when you brag about specifics, it's not exactly anonymous. And if you've signed a piece of paper saying you won't publicly disclose any aspect of that which you wish to brag about, don't be surprised when it gets taken away from you. NDAs are not suggestions—they are legally binding agreements.
Another, somewhat sadder example of a naive NDA-violator was that of an excited poster in the "Pics" section of the website Reddit, a popular news aggregator website. Going by the user-name filthy33, the user posted a picture with the title "After 2 years, 4 months and 18 days of being unemployed. Tomorrow I can finally put on my new uniform."
In the post's picture was a "Chrome Specialist" badge, a certificate of training completion, and a Google Chrome shirt. The post received a lot of attention, but it was pointed out by someone that his answer to a fellow commenter's question regarding a plan of Google's to push sales of Samsung Chromebooks through Best Buy was probably a violation of the NDA he had to sign. It was. Google demanded he delete the Reddit account and terminated him from his position.
This led to a brief outcry when the poster informed the Reddit community of these facts from a new account. Yet to filthy33's credit, he owned up to his fault in the matter and did not blame Google for their response to his actions, which he really should have been able to predict.
Some who watched the drama unfold pointed out that even if he had technically violated the terms of his NDA (and boy did he), this was bad publicity for Google and that they would be smart, from a PR standpoint, to give the nice-if-not-naive Reddit poster his job back. This is a nice sentiment, however it misunderstands the entire concept of non-disclosure agreements and their purpose. Google undoubtedly bore this poor guy no ill will, but the last thing any major business would want to do is set a precedent for selectively enforcing and not enforcing NDAs.
In the digital age, employees are able to have access to more and more sensitive information, and the reasons for the sensitivity of certain details are sometimes not obvious to the individual employee. While many NDAs exist for the standard, boilerplate "don't contact or steal my clients under threat of law" rationale, when it comes to major tech companies, the leaking (even unintentionally) of a sales strategy, product launch, or a partnership with a new business can cost the company millions of dollars—a situation you do not want to be caught on the wrong end of. And when it comes to NDAs that spawn from court settlements, remember to also apply Slate's recommended strategy: "Don't mess with lawyers."


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- Push-out Score suggests push-out forces
- After 21 years in the position
- Joe McAdams taking over
- Lloyd McAdams will remain as Chairman at Anworth
- Lloyd McAdams said 41 words
(exechange) — Santa Monica, California, June 15, 2018 — Lloyd McAdams, chief executive of Anworth, leaves the position. As announced by Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation in a news release and in a regulatory filing published on Friday, June 15, 2018, Lloyd Lloyd McAdams leaves his post as Chief Executive Officer at the externally-managed mortgage real estate investment trust after 21 years in the role, effective September 30, 2018.
It is the end of an era.
Among the 3,000 largest publicly held companies incorporated in the U.S. based on market capitalization, the average tenure of the CEOs who departed over the past 12 months was 9.4 years, according to data compiled by exechange. Only 10 percent of the CEOs who departed over the past 12 months left the position after more than 20 years.
Lloyd McAdams's duties will be taken over by Joseph E. (Joe) McAdams, currently President of Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation.
It is a generational change as well. Joe McAdams is about 24 years younger than Lloyd McAdams.
Lloyd McAdams and Joseph E. McAdams are father and son.
"Natural transition"
Lloyd McAdams's departure from the CEO post is explained as follows. Anworth's Lead Independent Director, Lee A. Ault III, said: "[Joe McAdams's] appointment as CEO, and the retention of Lloyd McAdams as Chairman of the Board, will provide business continuity and a natural transition going forward."
Lloyd McAdams will remain as Chairman at Anworth
"Lloyd McAdams, …, Anworth's Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and current Chief Executive Officer, will remain Chairman of the Board of the Directors," Anworth said.
Anworth said: "Mr. Lloyd McAdams, the Company's Chairman of the Board of Directors … and Chief Executive Officer, will resign his position of Chief Executive Officer of the Company effective September 30, 2018."
Share price decline
The change follows a decline in the share price of Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation since June 2017.
In the position of CEO since 1997
Lloyd McAdams has been the Company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since the Company's formation in 1997.
McAdams is also the Managing Member of Anworth Management LLC, the external Manager of the Company.
McAdams is also the President, Chief Investment Officer and co-founder of Pacific Income Advisers, Inc. ("PIA"), an investment advisory firm organized in 1986 that manages portfolios for institutional and individual clients.
McAdams is also the sole director and Chairman of the Board of PIA Farmland, Inc., a privately-held real estate investment trust incorporated in February 2013 which invests in U.S. farmland properties that are leased to independent farm operators.
McAdams is also the Chairman of Syndicated Capital, Inc., a registered broker-dealer.
McAdams holds a Bachelor of Science in Statistics from Stanford University and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee.
McAdams is a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder and a Certified Employee Benefit Specialist.
Push-out Score suggests push-out forces
It is not completely certain what forces eventually triggered Lloyd McAdams's move.
The Push-out Score™ determined by exechange suggests that push-out forces may have contributed to the change.
Read the full story in the exechange report 25.2018 ($).


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Whatever Entry Table
Designer: Green Structured
The Whatever Entry Table has clean lines and a beautiful finish. One of Plushpod's favorites!
The Whatever Entry Table is "the" locale for the objects that go out and about with us on our daily duties, or those that need a little showing off. Designed to go wherever in your home and constructed of solid, sustainable lumber the minimalist occasional table is as versatile as it is indiscriminate to its location.
Available in FSC Black Walnut, FSC White Oak, or Bamboo. Walnut and White Oak finished with food grade Tung Oil. Bamboo finished in Low VOC water based Clear Coat.
FSC Walnut, FSC white oak or renewable Bamboo
- Available in your choice of natural or carbonized bamboo or FSC-certified black walnut or white oak
- Sustainable bamboo finished in water-based, low VOC clear coat
- Black walnut or white oak hand-rubbed with food grade Tung oil for sleek finish
- Overall dimensions: 46" W x 11.5" D x 34"T
- Designed and made in the USA
*See wood finishes above in the Slide Show*
Natural Bamboo
Carbonized Bamboo
FSC White Oak
FSC Walnut
46" W x 11.5" D x 34"T
Receive in 4 to 6 weeks, may be in stock for faster availability
Freight shipping may be additional or white glove delivery
Please call for faster availability


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Dogwood Acres- Chapel Hill Real Estate
Dogwood Acres- Chapel Hill Real Estate
Dogwood Acres is located south of Chapel Hill. These homes range in size from 1200 to 2000 square feet and were built in the 1950s and 1960s. The neighborhood has nice lot sizes. Many of the homes have been renovated.
Year Built: 1950's - 70's
Sq. Ft. 1000 - 2000 (3-6 bed, 1.5-5 baths)
Price Range: $130,000 - 250,000
Lot Size: .3 to 1.8 acres


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The Sacred & The Selfie: Technology & Performance at the Hajj
This lecture examines a modern pilgrimage artefact (i.e., the selfie) to gain a deeper appreciation of how Hajj pilgrims encounter and make sense of their journey in a globalized, hyper-connected era. It explores how media practices at Hajj are part of a broader discourse about what it means to be a Muslim in a post 9/11 world, and the diverse contemporary discourses that inform people's religious/spiritual experiences of pilgrimage.
Nadia Caidi, PhD, is a Professor at the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto. Trained in Linguistics and Communication, she also holds an MLIS and a Ph.D. in Information Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She joined the University of Toronto, and since then has been teaching, researching, and mentoring students in the areas of migrant information behaviour, information policy, and the social implications of information and communication technologies. Dr. Caidi was the 2016 President of the International Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T), and the President of the Canadian Association for Information Science (CAIS) in 2011. She has extensively consulted on information and media practices for a range of governmental agencies and foundations.
Date: Sunday January 27, 2019
Time: 2 – 4 pm
Location: Lower Social Room, Noor Cultural Centre
Admission: $5


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Broke AF: Cop Your Spring Wardrobe On The Low With Barbie Ferreira
Broke AF has always been the definitive guide from creatives across NYC on how to cop what your closet needs—on a budget. With spring around the corner, and fashion week finally finished, we popped over to Screaming Mimi's with the one and only Barbie Ferreira to get her take on thrifting best practices. We asked, and she answered: no money in the bank? No problem. Dressing for different body types? Sign her up. Defining what 'personal style' means to you, minus the personal shopper? Done and done. Barbie served up the wisdom, and we listened accordingly (and might have taken some notes, too). Watch the full video above, and stay tuned for more where this came from, 'cause you know we're all still broke as fuck.
Director and DP Matt Lucier
AD Jon Krippahne
Animations Andrew Noel & Tegan Butler
Graphic Designer Annie Igler
Producer Adair Smith
Editorial Director Emma Banks
Creative Director Roberto Max Salas
Music So Good by Eli Preiss at 22Twenty Records
Music Supervision Bad Radish Music
Stay tuned to Milk for more style authority.


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Senior Executive Service Band 1 - Defence Finance Group (Several) - [Archived Advertisement]
Department of Defence (View other jobs from this organisation)
Senior Executive Service Band 1 - Defence Finance Group (Several)
The Department of Defence is seeking high performing leaders to fill a number of vacancies in the Defence Finance Group (DFG).
As a Senior Executive within the DFG you will play a crucial role in advising and supporting the Minister for Defence, Secretary of Defence, Chief of the Defence Force and Defence Executives. Your role will be twofold. You will deliver high levels of professional support to clients including Band 3 / 3 Star Group Heads / Service Chiefs across Defence in relation to budget and financial management ensuring business outcomes are achieved and your team is providing value added services to clients. As a leader enabling the delivery of Defence capability you will lead an embedded shared service team and will successfully engage with internal and external stakeholders.
As a member of the DFG senior leadership group you will be involved in a major reform of Defence's financial management which will begin in early 2019. DFG has commenced a large and expansive reform program to become a modern, reliable, effective, and a highly professionalised and capable workforce. DFG will need to embrace change through strategically planning its operations, resources and staffing, implement full accrual accounting, embrace automation and digital solutions within its financial operations including supporting the implementation of a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform, and build strong relationships across the Defence business. DFG's workforce will need to be the subject of careful planning, to ensure that the capability and capacity are available in order that DFG will meet its delivery promise. This will also take significant cultural change whilst working with all business areas of Defence to ensure that we are value adding to the business.
You will exemplify the One Defence Leadership behaviours and engender a culture of innovation, collaboration and agility. At all times you will remain cognisant of the legislative and ethical frameworks in which you operate. You will be a team player committed to working across government, with industry and with international partners in pursuit of the national interest.
You will receive a competitive remuneration package inclusive of superannuation and an Executive Vehicle allowance. The salary component of your package may be negotiated. Relocation expenses will be paid where applicable.
Engagement may be negotiated on an ongoing basis or for a specified term. To be eligible for engagement to this position, an applicant must be a permanent Australian citizen. This is a security-designated position. The successful applicant will be required to undergo security assessments to the appropriate level.
Applicant information packs, including selection criteria and application instructions, can be obtained by visiting https://defencecareers.nga.net.au/cp/?audiencetypecode=defenceext. Applications close at 11:30pm (AEST) Sunday, 17 February 2019.
To discuss the requirements of the vacancies, after first obtaining the selection documentation, please telephone Jeff Kelly at Ford Kelly Executive Connection on 0408 534 133.
A merit pool of highly suitable candidates will be established to fill similar vacancies that may occur within the next twelve months.
For Senior Executive Service administrative recruitment enquiries please contact Mrs Steph Jiang in the Directorate of Senior Officer Management on (02) 6265 1742.
Job Summary
- Closing Date:
- 17 Feb 2019
- Location:
- ACT - Canberra
- Work Type:
- Full Time
- Category:
Defence Forces
Executive Management
Stakeholder Engagement/Management
- APS Classification:
- Senior Executive Service Band 1


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Here's a new layout for the day. I create this layout using my PhotoImpact X3. This layout is perfect for a travel blog, journey and personal. If you are interested with this layout, feel free to buzz me. The price is very affordable, you can get this layout for a very reasonable price. You can bid this layout if you want! The bidding won't be less than $5.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Blue Layout!
Posted by Femikey at 9:12 PM
Labels: blogging, layout, personal layout, travel layout
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Our regular fishing customer Nicholas Han decided to make another trip with some friends to try out some fishing for the Wild Golden Barramundi and Mangrove Jacks again. With perfect weather right up to the week before their arrival we were optimistic, however just before they got in the rainy came down and the water level was high and water discoloured. We decided to concentrate our efforts on another part of the lake which we thought looked better.
Day 1 : In the morning session boat Barra 2 guided by Shaktivel chose to fish a bay where Dr Fred and Iskandar caught some decent mangrove jack and a nice barramundi. While boat Barra 1 with Nicholas Han fished around prawn trap and Nicholas caught a 6 lb featherback on his third cast and some mangrove jack.
After a nice lunch and a bit of a break we went out on the afternoon fishing session around 2 pm. We start to fish the mouth of small river, where the barramundi wait in ambush and Iskandar on Barra 1 caught a nice barramundi. On the tide change we fished around prawn trap and Nicholas on Barra 2 caught some nice Mangrove Jacks and Iskandar missed 3 nice Feather back, Dr Fred caught some nice Mangrove Jacks and ladyfish. Nicholas landed some more Mangrove Jacks and ladyfish.
Day 2 : The mission of the day was for Dr Fred to catch his first feather back on lure. We decided to fish around a prawn trap. After 4 misses in the morning session Dr Fred finally hooked a nice feather back, this fish give a good fight in the current and jumped a lot. Dr Fred was very happy and impressed by the power of the fish. At the same time on Barra 2 fishing Iskandar and Nicholas had a great session with many Mangrove Jacks landed between 4 lb and 6 lb.
Afternoon : Nicholas decided to go with his family on Barra 2 on a tour of Bolgoda lake and bird watching, which his young son loves. Dr Fred and Iskandar fishing Barra 1 went after the barramundi again but the Barramundi were elusive again, but they did land a couple of Mangrove Jacks, Featherback and ladyfish.
Day 3 : Morning Session, we decided to follow the same game plan as yesterday hitting the prawn traps, Iskandar fishing alone on Barra 2 had a great fishing session where he caught many nice Mangrove Jacks,a couple of Featherback, a nice ladyfish and missed a very nice barramundi just before landing. While on Barra 1 Nicholas and Dr Fred landed more feather back and mangrove jack.
Afternoon Session : Nicholas stayed in guest house to have some family time with his son in the swimming pool. Iskandar on Barra 2 decided only to go after barramundi, after trying few spots he has a big one follow, but the fish smashed his lure close to the boat just as Iskandar was taking the lure out of the water, unlucky again with the barramundi... while Dr Fred wanted to concentrate his last fishing session on featherback and mangrove jack around prawn trap. He succeeded in catching another good featherback and more Mangrove Jacks.
Till our next report
Tight lines…
Nico - Head Fishing Guide


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Theatre Censorship in the Free World
Jessica Litwak
The Issue- Freedom of Artistic Expression
The Lie- The Free World = The Free Voice
The Solution: Truth, Dialogue, And Paradoxical Dexterity
The challenges to artistic freedom throughout the world are deeply felt, widespread and far more extreme anything one experiences in the West. My work with arts and human rights organizations has exposed me to many artists who are experiencing prison sentences, death threats, and rejection from family and community because of their artistic practice. I have worked directly with an actor in Afghanistan, a playwright in Iran, and a cartoonist from Cameroon, among others, each one either attacked, threatened, imprisoned or tortured for their creative expression.
As Westerners we need to be aware of our artistic liberties. A colleague of mine in Singapore recently asked me quite sincerely, "How long does it take the government to give you official permission to produce a play after you've applied for approval?" She could hardly believe that basically anyone can produce basically anything in the United States.
What stops us? Money, politics born from guilt, cultural identity – is what unifies us in the U.S. theatre community not what we proclaim but what we don't say?
In the west learn early on to limit our responses and say what is wanted, we learn self-censorship. The great improvisation guru Keith Johnstone (1987) wrote that when he was 18 he was reading a book and he started to weep. He was shocked at his own reaction: "I realized that my school had been teaching me not to respond" (p. 17).
The truth is of authentic response essential. Boal (1995), in describing how he understood the pedagogy of fear in oppressed peoples, said, "Truth is therapeutic" (p. 300). Boal believed that if practitioners work theatrically from the premise that all human beings needs to be seen holistically, then both the "tragic passion and clownish love" (p. 300) of humanity are represented and made useful by theater practice. Theater is immediate and evocative and everywhere. The magic of the theater is not an escape, but an invitation to return to the truth with new insight.
My Singaporean friend was not only surprised that there was no Government submission, it was equally shocking to her that National subsidies for the productions we did not have to report were essentially nonexistent.
However wide our external freedoms might range, the subtleties of exclusion, prejudice and censorship are still prevalent, both inside the theatre and outside of the profession. One aspect of our self-inflicted limitations on artistic liberty is the American unwillingness to look deeply at the shadows of our own culture. This blind spot to our own national murkiness affects liberal theatre artists as much as conservative politicians.
Art is subsidized by the rich in the west and so our censorship is insidious and often self imposed. In theatre we censor ourselves in order to please producers who in turn are aiming to please potential audience members, especially the regular subscribers who foot the bills.
This paper outlines some of the censorship encountered in the U.S. Theatre most specifically self censorship and fear that stop westerners from exercising their freedoms that could open up avenues of creative support for colleagues and friends across the globe.
My experience with a play I am working on has been both gorgeous and impossible. My Heart is in the East is a poetic exploration that explores history as a model for peace building. The play is a duet performed by two actors who play several roles, with ten puppets in two settings: Present day conflict zones in the Middle East and 11th Century Cordoba where Muslims and Jews lived for a period of time in relatively peaceful coexistence brought on by poetic cultural exchange in the form of bilingual poetry contests.
Following each performance the audience is invited to engage in a poetry contest and an open conversation about the possibilities for performance and peacebuilding, and history as a model for peace. The resistance I encountered on the road to creation astounded me. I interviewed more than 12 directors many of whom turned away from the material because of the subject matter. I heard a prominent Artistic Director say that he could produce a play about anything but the Jewish/Muslim Israeli/Palestine conflict. No one wants to talk about this. Should I? Audiences responded positively but directors and producers wanted nothing to do with this material. A facilitator at an Off Broadway theatre' Writer's Retreat where I was did a workshop of the play said she wouldn't moderates a discussion about this piece even you I paid her to do so. She said she was too worried about the adversarial discussion that might arise. . I often felt that if I just did the second half about the relatively peaceful poetic exchange in Cordoba and left out the more current challenges of Jews and Muslims in the Middle East and the West, the play would be much easier to produce. No one seemed to want to engage with the paradox of present tense as far as the Middle East is concerned. Not only have I experienced challenges due to the controversy of the subject matter (man-Woman, East-West, Muslim-Jew) but also I am experiencing a dialectic within my art form that is shaking the foundation of my knowledge and faith in art.
The poetics of struggle and turmoil is the stuff of great drama. The ongoing trouble people have with communication and expression is part of the fabric of life. As a theater maker engaged in human rights I need to find the challenges as fascinating as they are confounding. I must make a bridge between the rhetoric of my message of a peace and the actuality that the historic tension is still there and there is no way around it. The paradox continues and will continue to exist. I cannot eliminate and disappear the voices of paradox, in fact through the theatrical process I can dive right in.
But there is a vast difference between the ideal of theater (what it can and should be) and the facts of what most theater ends up being. The ideal (or my ideal) is that theatre is supposed to be able to resolve conflict it to reach above it and through it and beyond- it to unify people, to change the world. As an artist, I expect my creative work to reach into the difficult questions and make them beautiful enough to transcend the everyday and inspire extraordinary things in ordinary ways. Theater interrupts daily life with a vibrancy that is meant to illuminate our shortcomings, guide us to our best selves and bring us closer to each other and to the truth.
However, it doesn't always work that way. I have been betrayed by my own medium more than once. The theater has knocked me quite literally to my knees. We fetishize our art forms and the truth is that theatre like any art is about the process of people making it and it is consistently contested by humanity including individual ideologies, fears and prejudices. Theatre is not disentangled from the world we live and therefore it fails us as an ideal. While the art itself gets us to fall in love, the making of it quite often breaks our hearts. In these current times, extremists from both sides are engaged in acts of violence and injustice. Irreverent cartoonists are massacred in Paris, Black men are murdered in New York, an Artistic Director is fired from a Jewish theatre in Washington D.C. for producing plays that are pro-Palestinian, people are beheaded, thrown off buildings, discrimination prevails in schools, prisons, hospitals and in courtrooms. Are people fearful of retribution? Are people fearful of conversation?
Any post show discussion threatens to invoke tension, anger, fear and other feelings around an issue both ancient and present. But doesn't American theatre exist for that very reason, to raise issues, and to combat fear and revel in the green zone of free expression at the heart of a free world? Aren't all of these liberals who are turning away from heated discussion being somewhat hypocritical? My Heart is in The East brings up issues that are challenging but presents two sides and advocates peace. Why are people so afraid of braving discourse? I work hard to make the space safe for any performance or workshop. One of the benefits of doing rituals and training as a drama therapist is that I pay attention to safety and make sure any space where I will be performing or teaching is grounded and secure. I believe that it is very important to do this immediately in conflict zones so that people feel as free as possible to work and express themselves in the given environment. With strength and humorous warmth, I try to combine servant, charismatic and adaptive leadership tools to set participants/ observers at ease while instigating free and open conversation.
All Art is Revolution
Life is always filled with intersections that change the course of one's road. In my case it was some key conversations with one of my father's friends that changed mine. Earl Shorris was one of the most influential people in my life. He was a social critic and author whose interviews with prison inmates for a book inspired him to start a now nationally recognized educational program that introduces the poor and the unschooled to Plato, Kant and Tolstoy. He was sharply critical of Western culture as sliding toward plutocracy and materialism, and became best known in his final years for founding the Clemente Course in the Humanities, which earned him the National Humanities Medal, presented to him in 2000 by President Bill Clinton. Earl wanted to save America with books. In an interview in Harpers Magazine he said:
"I have wished for many years to be a physician to my beloved country. The means to care for it is clear. I was revived by love and ethics. I am not unique: no man, no woman is a metaphor; that is the place of gods. I do not know who will take America in their arms to revive her. No nation is forever."
Earl grew up poor in Texas and Mexico, went to The University of Chicago at age 13, and at one point went to work for a Madison Avenue advertising agency to support his wife and two sons while he wrote dozens of books late at night. Once right after my husband who was a PR executive left me heartbroken with two small children for another woman Earl told me that he never liked my husband because he never trusts anyone in PR. He told me a story that changed my life. This is a recollection of our private talk, in his imagined voice.
Earl: I was an AD man. I was a big guy in a big firm Madison Avenue top of the top, cream of the cream. Silk shirts, handmade ties, bone buttons. Supporting a wife and two sons. Worked hard 6 days a week from 7 am until nearly 10 each night. Wrote novels on Sundays- but on Saturday I worked. I drank the martinis, carried the brief case tooled in Italian leather. My shoes were polished to a mirrored shine. Black guy in the lobby did them every Thursday afternoon. Didn't matter what I thought, I was a company man. I came up with the bright ideas that silenced boardrooms. Those one of a kind light bulbs that made everyone wince inwardly: why didn't I think of that? I was such a hot young executive that they handed me one of their biggest account. Nestlé's. Chocolate powder. Cereal. Baby formula. Multi-millions resting on my brainpower. And then one day we got a report of record numbers of babies dying in Africa. A Nestlé boycott launched on July 7, 1977, was prompted by Nestlé's "aggressive marketing" of breast milk substitutes that had led to the deaths of thousands of babies who did not have access to clean water with which to mix the powder and who needed the antibodies in their mother's milk as an essential part of their immune system. The head of the board crowded into my office. They begged me to do something, save them. Save Nestle. I agreed to take 74 file folders home and read through the stack of papers over the weekend. I did. Skipped lunch, dinner, just read and drank and read more. I came in Monday morning, the Board was hovering. I invited them into my office and informed them of the good news: I could resolve their PR problem instantly- in just three words - they only had to follow my directions. I could feel them getting erections, leaning forward in their seats, eyes wide, waiting for my three magic words. " STOP. KILLING. BABIES." I said. Then I picked up my briefcase and left Madison Avenue. And I've never looked back.
Earl's convictions and strength of character bolstered me through many tough years of balancing theatre and single parenthood. Much later, when I was having a career crisis, we had another impactful conversation. Because of the inherent narcissism of the theatre, I was struggling with the conflict I felt between my need to make plays and my strong desire to be of service to the world. We were at a Chinese restaurant with his wife and my father. I talked non-stop about wanting to leave the theatre to do something more useful. He listened carefully, reminding me of the plays of mine he's seen and enjoyed, but also giving me guidance about opportunities for activism. We were all outside on the street after dinner, our two families walking in separate directions, when I heard him call my name. I stopped and turned back to him. "Remember Jessica" he shouted down the sidewalk, "All art is revolution."
All art, especially critical art is not only revolution, it is at risk. Even in the West, where artists are free to creative expressive truth, there are limits to artistic freedom, and prejudices against the validity of artist's work. The theatre is an especially threatened medium because it has become despite its roots, which were central to the workings of society, theatre has become less accessible, more expensive, less funded, and more rarified. Therefore we fear. We fear funders, we fear audiences, and we are less and less willing to spend our time looking at ourselves and at our culture with wide-open and self-critical eyes.
I was once commissioned by a famous actress known for her liberal politics to write a play about the history of reproductive rights. She wanted the play to feature a court scene and the story of Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood. I deeply researched the material for the play, sitting in on the hearings for Plan B (the morning after pill) interviewing staff at NAROL, The Center for Reproductive Rights, The National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, the ACLU. I also went undercover to the other side of the debate posing as the mother of a pregnant 14 year old to Project Rescue, Citizens United for Life, and a Crisis Pregnancy Center. Through this research I realized two things that surprised me and changed some of the content of the play. From the liberal side, I learned that there was a history of racial tension and racism in the reproductive rights movement. What was most shocking to me was that these tensions came from liberal women, most specifically between Caucasians and African Americans. Margaret Sanger herself had been accused of racism when she supported the theory of eugenics (the science of controlling genetics to improve the population) and believed in some compulsory sterilization plans to produce more children "from the fit and less from the unfit" (Sanger...) Sanger was a defender of these ideas for the purpose of protecting the poor and disabled women without access to birth control who were victims of multiple unwanted pregnancies. However good her social intentions were, the effect of her views was to create a rift between Black and White women that has lasted decades. I read the work of Angela Davis who was furious at Margaret Sanger and the liberal white women driving the reproductive rights movement for ignoring the needs and voices of African American women. The actress with whom I was working spoke to her friend Gloria Steinem who had the opposite view and argued for Sanger and against Davis's claims. Because this seemed like such a rich, ripe issue I put versions of Gloria and Angela into the play, and included the issues of racial tensions between women in the dramatic historical conversation about reproductive rights. I also discovered the unexpected kindness of the Pro-life community. As I presented my case as a soon to be grandmother, the people in these various organizations (whose opinions I personally deplored) I was offered money, housing, diapers, counseling, one man gave me his credit card number so I could take my young daughter out to dinner and "love her up" and assure her that we were ready for the baby. I doubt if any of my dear friends at The Nation would have responded so generously, and even though I disagreed with their methods and their ideas about a woman's freedom to choose, their warmth somehow touched me. I also put this in the play, de-vilifying the opposition. The actress who commissioned me was so infuriated by my theatrical inclusion of these complexities: the shadows on "our side" and the attributes of theirs, that she walked off the production, taking her funding with her, and has not spoken to me since.
It is also important to be aware of how Western theatre is seen by the population outside the profession. Barrish (1981) describes a prejudice against theatre that permeates Western culture in insidious ways extending even to the level of language.
" Most epithets derived from the arts are laudatory when applied to life; a landscape can be poetic, a man's struggle with adversity epic, a woman's beauty as lyric. In an old movie comedy an affected matron expressed her appreciation of dinner by declaring 'the fish was a poem', but with infrequent exceptions, terms borrowed from the theatre: theatrical, melodramatic, stagey, etc., tend to be hostile or belittling." (p. 1)
Can theatre be fully embraced by the rest of society? Can theatre change the world? I believe that with useful plays, moral imagination, and strong leadership, it can. Person by person, community by community, theatre as an art form can increase communication, mental and physical well being, and self-esteem. Theatre as a means of expression can enhance the peace building and social justice. Because of the expressive and collaborative quality of the art form, theatre allows each person to be seen and embraced by colleagues and audience alike. The act of being seen is in itself a small event of large political importance. As Allan Johnson writes in his book on power and privilege: "Of all human needs, few are as powerful as the need to be seen, included, and accepted by other people" (Johnson, 2006).
Many artists and peace builders over the ages have believed and claimed that theatre has the power to change the world. The playwright Bertolt Brecht wanted plays to teach. In his Epic theatre he wanted the theatre to be an adult exchange between actors and audience. Not spellbinding or false, not designed to make one feel, but to make one think. He was devoted to the idea of theatre as social transformation. Febres, who was one of leaders and facilitators of the Truth and Reconciliation, commission in Peru, said, "Theatre is an ally to traditional justice." The same of course could be said of poetry, certainly of spoken word performances. Febres said, " Art restores meaning in bringing us as responsible human beings face to face with undeniable facts and circumstances" (Febres, 2001). John Paul Lederach, describing the need for a moral imagination to exist inside each of us stated, "If we are to survive as a global community we must understand the imperative nature of giving space and to the moral imagination in all human affairs…. we must imagine beyond what is seen." As Lederach states (2005), "The moral imagination requires the capacity to imagine ourselves in a web of relationships that includes our enemies (p. 354). This concept of peace can be ethically challenging for those who believe that the pursuit of justice trumps the reach for peace, and that artists entering conflict zones to build peace are encouraging passive acceptance of oppression. According to Nussbaum (2010) the humanities are essential in the movement towards a healthy democracy. Nussbaum claims that it is vital for human beings to approach each other as something other than instruments or obstacles, "...we seem to be forgetting about the soul, about what it is for thought to open out of the soul and connect person to world in a rich, subtle and complicated manner" (p. 11). Though science and technology are important she states that her concern is that creative and literary abilities crucial "...to the creation of a decent world culture capable of constructively addressing the world's pressing problems are at the risk of getting lost." (p. 13).
In my opinion, there are three forms of theatre work: Theatre of Process, where the artists rank the experience and expression of art as the highest ambition, Theatre of Product, in which the money drives the art and production is effected by commercialism success defined by fame and wealth, and Theatre of Impact, a theatre practice striving for social change, the central goal being the effect of the work on the community. I believe in the alternative theatre community where social justice plays an important role these three viewpoints and methods cross over constantly. According to Kershaw (1992) mainstream theatre critics and historians have failed to recognize "the nature and extent of the socio-cultural impact of alternative and community theatre" (p. 42).
Resistance to truth and paradox
The process of creating My Heart Is in the East was both enjoyable and arduous. The amount of resistance I encountered on the path of generating the work astonished me. When getting ready to stage the culminating event, I interviewed directors who turned away because of the subject matter. I heard a prominent artistic director say that he could produce a play about anything in the world except the Jewish/Muslim Israeli/Palestine issue. Audiences responded positively to the topic, but directors and producers declined official involvement with the material. A facilitator at a NY playwright's retreat where I was working on the play said she wouldn't moderate a discussion about this piece even if I paid her to do so- she was too worried about the adversarial discussion that might arise. While I was writing this dissertation Irreverent cartoonists were massacred in Paris; Black men were murdered in New York; an artistic director was fired from a Jewish theater in Washington D.C. for producing pro-Palestinian plays; discrimination prevailed in schools, prisons, hospitals and courtrooms. Don't we need to talk and peace and justice? Are people fearful of conversation? Any post-show discussion threatens to evoke tension, anger, fear and other feelings around an issue both ancient and present. But doesn't American theatre exist for that very reason, to raise issues, and to combat fear and revel in the green zone of free expression at the heart of a free world? At one point in the play the Researcher threatens remove the character that embodies her own inner antagonist, the voice of Controversy.
MIRI: Your lines are cut from now on you are silent.
GRAVE DIGGER: You are marginalizing me.
MIRI: Marginalizing you? I wrote you.
GRAVE DIGGER: What gave you the right to write me?
This question is at the center of much of my work. I try to be rigorous with my self-questioning stance regarding my work as it pertains to other cultures and my own perception.
One of my goals with this recent play My Heart is in the East was to negotiate my own complicated relationship to Israeli- Palestinian (Jewish-Arab) strife with grace. I wanted to overcome these emotional challenges without losing my patience, temper or nerve, in order to offer a vibrant, meaningful and productive series of workshops. This proved to be even more challenging than I could have known.
From My Heart is in the East:
Both sides /You wanna cry for /Both sides /You gonna buy Guns for Both sides/ They expire/ Both sides / They are liars/ Both sides / They have kids / Both Sides /They are kids/ Both Sides/ You watch them bleeding /Both sides /Speeding Towards death / Both sides/ Ain't no dreaming, just scheming, leaning Towards dark, No spark Of hope to cope with dopes Who sit in offices, point guns at maps: THERE, kill THAT, Spill that, Grill that hill, Bill With your Mohammed, your Moses, your Christ Your Improvised Explosive Device / Far Wide / Both sides/
Discovering the need to go beyond the practice of teaching Lederach' theory of Paradoxical Curiosity - taking it one step further- teaching myself and others to become comfortable and dexterous with paradox and even eager for it.
If the arts were part of leadership training, how might leaders practice imagining change before taking action? Could dramatized history be a model for peace and justice?
If political leaders were trained in the arts, could that training manifest a more feminine principle of inclusion and hybridity, and a more dexterous relationship to paradox? What if world leaders practiced role playing, placing themselves in another person's shoes as a creative exercise? What if voice and movement work could free leaders to express themselves more authentically? What if clergy were trained in the arts? What would change through the practice of drama therapy or puppet building in the system and structure of churches and synagogues? If doctors were trained in the arts, and attuned to their own sensory experiences, would patient care be enriched?
And what if artists were trained in leadership? Would the arts be richer in service as a result? These are the questions I will continue to ask myself as I move forward in my life and work as a leader and an artist. I believe that my leadership dreams are reachable. I want to choose small daily acts of healing, education, activism and theater that serve individuals and communities while keeping the big picture in mind – the imagined communities of justice and peace. The grand goal of inspiring others to personal and social change through theatre is reached by a series of small peace(s). As an artist, I don't aim for global change, but to shift perception, incite new ideas, and move people towards insight and/or action one small act (or play, or workshop, or puppet) at a time.
According to Kegan and Lahey (2009) people are naturally resistant to change, "Resistance to change does not reflect opposition, nor is it merely a result of inertia. Instead, even as they hold a sincere commitment to change many people are unwittingly applying productive energy toward a hidden competing commitment" (p. 85). In my experience, I see people resisting change because it brings paradox, and they have a hidden, or not –so -hidden competing commitment to maintaining a state of clarity and simplicity. With my practice I move into discomfort to facilitate transformation. I hope to be an encouragement to others who may be contemplating change but fearful of the confusion along the way.
Paradox as a change tool is not an appealing notion for most of us. It is confusing and uncomfortable. Why are people so afraid of being confused and uncomfortable? Is life supposed to be clear-cut and uncomplicated? The more we know about each other's "nations," the more paradox arises. Conversely new knowledge information and encourages empathy but the details of cultural opposition can be contradictory. Sinclair (2007) stated" Education is the practice of freedom" (p. 35). Education may free us from ignorance, but does it free us from confusion? The more scholars engage with ethnography, and dig deeply to hear the truth in the stories of diverse life, the more possibility there is for incongruity to arise. This is why dialogue becomes a powerful tool towards understanding. Peace and justice become possible when "reinforced through discourse and discursive relationships" (p. 166). Educating ourselves does not always mean we will be offered an uncomplicated direction. Sometimes the unveiling of actuality, both current and historical, reveals not a clear set of facts but a tangle of paradoxical truths, which makes honest human interaction all the more necessary.
Whether or not theatre can effect change is not only a question that rests on the opinions of mainstream critics, the question of change reaches more deeply into the study of human nature itself. Resistance and immunity to change can be a product of the human mind as much as result of social oppression. The socialized mind which influences how one receives information, brings a person into hyper consciousness of his/her surroundings, in my mind weakening the thinker into a follower mentality, the self authorizing mind according to Kegan and Lahey (2009) has the beginnings of leadership and self actualization. The self-transforming mind not only envisions change but also gets the job done.
Inspired by Earl Shorris and many other activists engaging the world through art and literature, it is my objective to continue to research ways to fight for artistic freedom both locally and globally. A world without art is a world intelligence, depth, color or compassion. It is also my desire to see theatre as a craft, as healing agent, an educator and vehicle for social change thrive and continue to enrich the world by telling truths through art and embracing paradox as we go.
One way I have tried to tell and inspire honest stories is with puppet building, which has become both a performative tool and a therapeutic device for dealing with trauma in the field. The first thing you do is make the puppet's brain. A secret or an image or a memory or a poem, becomes the brain. Newspaper and masking tape form the head around it - a face emerges, and the stories come.
The other way I combat self-censorship is to keep taking the risk to say the things I need to say, that I feel may be useful for my audiences to hear and talk about. I try, despite my fears, to continue to ask hard questions both of my audiences and myself. From: My Heart is in the East:
MIRI: And so here ends our strange love story,
ABU: Without solution, without glory.
MIRI: Deep at sea in a school of sharks Instead of answers, more question marks.
ABU: Man versus woman, Arab versus Jew, East versus West, Red versus Blue.
MIRI: There are some who fight to see rays of light/ In this dark cold world where it's mostly night.
ABU: A distant glint in their upturned eyes, Look! A slight bright gash in the shadowed skies.
MIRI: And through the breach from either side/ Fly two flocks of birds with wings spread wide.
ABU: One covey predator, one flight prey / There will be blood by end of day.
ABU AND MIRI: Or
MIRI: The field on which these birds alight
ABU: Won't be the scene of a gory fight.
MIRI: Perhaps the Gods that favor geese
ABU: Will prevail on these birds for peace.
MIRI: Perhaps the hound won't bite the fox
ABU: And we'll make friends with paradox.
MIRI: Perhaps the lamb curls up with lion
ABU: And Mecca fastens hands with Zion?
ABU AND MIRI: But
MIRI: It's your decision, your choice, dear friends: How will this story reach its end? You must act fast to choose which track and solve the riddle before the lights go black:
In our vast lost choir what deeds win through? And faced with war...
ABU AND MIRI: What will YOU do?
Barish, J. (1981). The anti-theatrical prejudice, Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Boal, A. (1995). The rainbow of desire. New York, NY: Routledge.
Johnson, A. G. (2006). Privilege, power and difference, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Johnstone, K (1979) Imrpo, New York: Routledge
Kegan, R., & Lahey L. L. (2009), Immunity to change. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Lederach, J. P. (2005). The moral imagination: The art and soul of building peace. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Shorris, E. (2011). American Vespers: The ebbing of the body politic. New York, NY: Harper's Magazine
Sinclair, A. (2007). Leadership for the disillusioned, Australia: Allen & Unwin.


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Dead Fantasy...
Wednesday, July 22. 2009 | Comments (0)
My three favorite categories to click together when starting a post are "Anime", "Movies", and "Video Games." With this one, I get to add "Final Fantasy" as well.
Odds are, if you stumbled across this blog, you've already heard about Dead Fantasy, the fan made movie crossover of the Dead or Alive fighting games with Final Fantasy characters. Most of the work is done by one guy, Monty Oum. He first gained popularity with the intense and slightly yuri Haloid, a mash-up of Halo and Metroid. Then he made this:
featuring Yuna and Rikku from FFX and X-2 and Tifa from FFVII fighting Kasumi, Ayane, and Hitomi from Dead or Alive 3.
He followed with this:
which really ramped up the quality and complexity. 2 also added Rachel from Ninja Gaiden to the DOA team; and Rinoa from FFVIII and Kairin from Kingdom Hearts to the Final Fantasy team.
A common complaint at the end of 2 was that the Konami team seemed to be completely outmatched. I would point out that it's the Square team that has to keep getting rescued and restored. Also, it appears that Oum has compensated for the Square team's magical abilities by giving the Konami team increased physical strength (especially Hitomi) and incredibly fast recovery. The Square team can only recover quickly via the use of potions and ethers.
Part 2 ends with Rinoa summoning 4 portals, with the intent of pairing the other 8 combatants off in other arenas. Unfortunately, Kairin is dodged by Rachel, who attempts to tackle Rinoa. Rinoa opens another portal on herself, thus teleporting all of the characters.
Recently, part 3 was released:
This shorter video features Tifa and Hitomi's solo battle. It also features new character designs, which I'm not so thrilled about. Well, Tifa's design anyway. She looks insane. Spoilers below the fold, and that's ALL there is below the fold, so if you don't want to know what happens, DON'T CLICK THE READ MORE LINK!
And now part four has been released. On one hand, this video did some awesome and unexpected things...on the other hand, the new character designs are on full display and I REALLY DO NOT LIKE THEM. I've always felt that Yuna and Kasumi were two of the more attractive female game characters without being ridiculous (like Rachel), but...well, just look how they're being animated now:
Don't look at me with that face! Ugh! But other than that (below the fold...I'm warning you, it's spoilers and only spoilers)
Apparently, Monty actually has a story going on, too. That will be interesting. And honestly, aside from the model redesigns, I'm still really loving this series.
There's been a lot of talk on Monty's deviantart page about which characters may appear in the future. Of course, that debate has opened up a bit because of what happened in four. Monty himself has said that he's primarily interested in adding characters from FF7 and FF10.
Part Five is supposed to be posted in a week or so, and should feature Rikku vs. Ayane.
Continue reading "Dead Fantasy..."
Posted by Ben in Anime, Final Fantasy, Movies, Video Games at 09:20 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
New to the Party - Final Fantasy X (10) -- Special Two: Keeping Track of the Questions
Saturday, March 14. 2009 | Comments (2)
A handy reference; the mysteries of the story that haven't been explained yet:
1 ) How did Tidus arrive on Spira from a Zanarkand of 1000 years ago?
2 ) What is Sin, and how and why is it constantly destroying Spira?
A ) Why is Luca spared the rampages? (For real, not the crusader thing)
B ) What does this have to do with Tidus, Auron and Zanarkand of 1000 years ago?
C ) Why are the crusaders able to battle Sin, but seldom accomplish anything? Is Sin that powerful?
3 ) How do Summoners manage to "defeat" Sin temporarily every now and then? Why doesn't Sin stay defeated?
4 ) Who is the kid in the robe Tidus keeps seeing in his flashbacks? (I haven't talked about that much...it won't get important until later in the game.)
5 ) Was Tidus really that big of a crybaby?
6 ) What does blitzball have to do with anything?
7 ) Why can blitzball players and Al Behd breath underwater, or alternatively, not need to breath underwater?
8 ) Why does Tidus yawn and stretch so much?
9 ) What happened to Chappu, really? What does it have to do with Wakka and Lulu's current antagonistic relationship? OK, we finally got a bit of an answer here, but it was kinda of anti-climatic. Chappu and Lulu were dating; in fact Chappu had commented to Wakka that he was going to propose to Lulu right after the Aurochs won the championship. Instead, Luzzu talked Chappu into joining the crusaders in order to "protect" Lulu from Sin. Chappu refuses to take the sword Wakka gives to him when he leaves and also refuses to pray when he leaves. Chappu uses an Al Behd weapon and gets himself killed, making Wakka very angry with the Al Behd and un-religious people. You also seem to pick up that Wakka was in love with Lulu himself, and resents the hell out of Chappu's death denying him the ability to court Lulu. Cuz that would just be creepy and wrong, apparently.
10) Why does everyone fawn over Yuna's beauty and ignore Lulu?
11) What are Ronso? Are they important? What about the Guado? Those guys are creepy. Where did they come from, because they apparently weren't in Zanarkand 1000 years ago.
12) This whole Yevon thing seems silly. What's the deal with forbidden machina? Is that really why Sin appearered?
13) What's the deal with the Al Behd? Are they human? What makes them so different, and why do they speak a different language, when no one else does?
14) Apparently, this whole "sending" thing and the Farplane didn't exist 1000 years ago, either. Where did that come from?
15) And seriously, for the final time, *what's the deal with water in this game*?
16) Why does Auron hate everyone?
17) Who are Lord Zaeon and Lady Yunalesca?
18) What kind of person is Seymour Guado, anyway? Does he creep you out, too?
19) The church of Yevon excommunicated the crusaders for operation Mi'ihen, yet the operation was led by two Maesters of Yevon, Seymour and Kinoc...what the heck is going on?
I'll update this as we go through the game, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some things that have come up.
Posted by Ben in cRPGs, Final Fantasy, Video Games at 22:12 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)
New to the Party - Final Fantasy X (10) -- Part Ten: Creepy Is In The Eye of the Beholder
Saturday, March 14. 2009 | Comments (0)
The following morning, you get to meet Rin, the owner of the hotel. Tidus discovers he is an Al Behd, and while trying to exchange a polite greeting with Rin in Al Behd, you "officially" receive the Al Behd Language Sphere quest. To get you started, Rin gives you Al Behd Language Sphere #8. You have picked up seven so far, right? I hadn't.
The conversation is interrupted by shouts from outside. You exit the shop to find out that the Chocobo Eater is in the Chocobo Paddock. Tidus runs to the paddock, and you fight the Chocobo Eater. This boss battle isn't very hard, but it also has a twist: You can defeat the Chocobo Eater by an outright kill, or you can hit it hard and fast enough to push it over the edge of the nearby cliff. After defeating the monster, Rin will tell you about renting Chocobos to ride down the road.
As I mentioned earlier, riding Chocobos is definitely faster and safer, but you miss out on random encounters which will be useful for leveling up this early in the game. Regardless, even if you travel the road by foot for the leveling, you will want to travel right back on foot and rent a Chocobo as there are several areas in this section that can only be reached by Chocobo. Look for small, yellow bits on the ground, which are Chocobo feathers. If you approach and examine the feather while mounted, the Chocobo will leap to another small area that usually contains a treasure chest.
There is also a side area in this section that contains an NPC that I didn't mention when he first appeared in the game. O'aka (prounounced OH-AHka in the English) is a new traveling trader who first appears on the boat to Killika. He doesn't have anything to trade at that time, but he asks for "seed" money so that he can start purchasing supplies. You have the option to give him any amount of money you want, or brush him off. O'aka is one of two "prestige" traders in the game who will have some of the best equipment and harder-to-find (but not rare) items late in the game. The trick with O'aka is that the more money you give him in the early stages of the game, the better his prices will be later in the game. Several faqs recommend just giving him all your money when he asks. I don't know what the mathematical formula used is, so I can't comment on whats necessary or useful...I gave him 1000 gil at our first meeting. Anyway, you run into him again down here, and he again hits you up for money.
Continue reading "New to the Party - Final Fantasy X (10) -- Part Ten: Creepy Is In The Eye of the Beholder"
Posted by Ben in cRPGs, Final Fantasy, Video Games at 19:26 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
Moving Along: Final Fantasy VII
Saturday, March 7. 2009 | Comments (0)
I was sufficiently entertained enough by Final Fantasy X that I picked up Final Fantasy IV, V, VI (Super Nintendo games touched up and re-released in special packages for the Playstation) VII, VIII, and IX (all original Playstation releases). I was most interested in playing the three Playstation games, as 7-9 most directly impact the current status of cRPGs and modern Final Fantasy games.
I've now put in
1) Maybe VII opens up quite a bit more later in the the game, but so far it's just as linear as Final Fantasy X. Although there are fewer cutscenes, so that's a plus.
2) The Active Time Battle system takes a bit of getting used to if you haven't played it recently.
3) The story doesn't make much sense, although I'm sure the game will explain most of it sooner or later. Even then, the dialogue just doesn't flow very well. Of course, this game still communicates via dialogue balloons, so everything needs to be a bit "comic-booky".
4) The previous-generation graphics really aren't a distraction. They're even quite good most of the time. The cut-scene graphics are really good, especially considering when this game came out. I had heard repeatedly that Tifa was know for her "breasts" but I didn't really get it until the cut-scene escape from Shinra in which you can see her breasts bouncing with each step. I also love Aeris' battle animation; everyone else runs up to the enemies to attack them, Aeris leaps through the air in a single bound to deliver a whack on the head with her staff.
4b) Speaking of which, I also finally get why so many people really like the Aeris character. She has an incredible amount of personality; it's very easy to get attached to her. Plus the awesome attack that I mentioned earlier.
5) The game doesn't give very good indicators of where to go next to move the plot along. You frequently have to stumble onto the proper sequence of events, movements or locations.
6) The primary heroine has already been kidnapped two or three times. Might be a Final Fantasy thing.
7) Not sure I like the uncontrolled nature of the limit breaks. They charge up, when they're charged, you have to use them instead of your attack. Of course, you can still perform other actions, like use magic or an item, or defend. I would rather have the ability to store the charged attack until I needed it, ala FFX. From what I've read, many people consider managing the limit breaks one of the challenges of the battle system; learning when to not attack and avoid damage in order to control the charging. Maybe.
Posted by Ben in cRPGs, Final Fantasy, Video Games at 23:15 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
New to the Party - Final Fantasy X (10) -- Part Nine: On The Road With a Full Party
Saturday, March 7. 2009 | Comments (0)
Following the win (or loss), Wakka floats on his back in the middle of the water sphere. Tidus swims towards him. Suddenly, sinspawn attack the stadium. Tidus and Wakka find themselves in battle. Following a series of easy battles, the camera switches to Lulu, Kimarhi and Yuna, wondering what's going on. A short movie shows Auron battling and defeating a sinspawn. Auron then joins Tidus and Wakka; a short conversation at this point confirms that "Sir Auron" is the same person that Tidus has known for many years. The three of you fight through another battle then enter a boss battle. This boss battle is possibly the hardest in the game so far, as this boss uses party hits as regular attacks and counterattacks automatically, regardless of Slow, Haste or position in battle line.
After this battle, more monsters appear...in fact dozens and dozens. Rather than having to face them all, though, the game decides to show you a bit of Seymour's power. Seymour is apparently a Summoner himself, and he summons this...thing. I swear his aeon is one of the creepiest things I've ever seen in any game:
This thing even wails and moans like a soul in torment. Of course, my first thought is "Oh my!"; my second is "What kind of person is Seymour?!?" I guess we'll find out later. Anyway, Seymour's aeon pretty much wipes out every sinspawn in the arena.
Continue reading "New to the Party - Final Fantasy X (10) -- Part Nine: On The Road With a Full Party"
Posted by Ben in cRPGs, Final Fantasy, Video Games at 20:08 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
New to the Party - Final Fantasy X (10) -- Part Eight: What Game Am I Playing Again?
Sunday, February 22. 2009 | Comments (0)
After you finish the blitzball tutorial, Yuna enters the locker room, without knocking but with exciting news: she overheard someone saying that Sir Auron was in the cafe. Tidus is shocked, and agrees to go find him with Yuna. He promises Wakka he'll be back in time for the game. On the way, Yuna explains that Auron may know where Sir Jecht is, as they were both guardians to her father, Braska. Tidus narrates that only later did it occur to him that the Auron Yuna is referring to may not be the same Auron he knows. Of course, we know better, don't we? It HAS to be the same guy.
Along the way, Tidus and Yuna encounter two Al Behd, who chatter excitedly about...something, possibly having to do with Yuna, as you can make out the word "summoner"...when Tidus and Yuna approach. Tidus attempts to talk to the Al Behd, explaining about his rescue by Rikku and others; the two Al Behd aren't impressed. Fearing they might get separated in the crowd, Tidus tries to teach Yuna how to whistle. It fails, but it's a plot thing, as you'll learn later. You also learn that, at least according to Yuna, Luca isn't attacked by Sin because so many crusaders are in Luca to protect the blitzball stadium. Right.
At the cafe, Yuna is disappointed by a certain lack of Auron. However, there are two Ronso here, picking on Kimahri. Now, Kimarhi is a pretty big guy, 7 or 8 feet tall and solid muscle. The two Ronso are even bigger; they certainly make you believe that Kimarhi must be a runt. Tidus tells Kimarhi to take them on, and Kimarhi lays one of the antagonists out. The barman yells for them to take it outside, the game is starting. Yes THAT game.
Continue reading "New to the Party - Final Fantasy X (10) -- Part Eight: What Game Am I Playing Again?"
Posted by Ben in cRPGs, Final Fantasy, Video Games at 21:22 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
New to the Party - Final Fantasy X (10) -- Part Seven: Picking Up Speed
Wednesday, February 18. 2009 | Comments (2)
As the last commentary probably demonstrated, by the time the player reaches Luca, you've pretty much nailed down all of the basics of the game. You also have a good idea of how the game progresses: You're given a destination, there is one path to get there, you have a few random encounters on the way (unless you milk it and take your time), you reach the destination, you get video after video bridged by running from one point to another, you fight a few boss battles, you learn a little more about the world and the story, you're given a new destination. Repeat.
Now, gameplay is gameplay. Unless a game has really bad mechanics or engine design, most people will either be ambivalent about or like the gameplay. This is especially true in turn-based cRPGs, where the game's mechanics are practically set in stone. Final Fantasy games are generally well-known for taking the basic turn-based engine, tweaking it and adding functionality, and getting an impressive result. Of all currently released main-line Final Fantasy games, only FF8 is frequently singled out as having a poor control and management scheme. X has a simple, easy-to-learn and use interface, and there is very little challenge to the combat. Only boss battles will occasionally make you think a bit. Anyone expecting a challenge from this game may actually get bored.
Continue reading "New to the Party - Final Fantasy X (10) -- Part Seven: Picking Up Speed"
Posted by Ben in cRPGs, Final Fantasy, Video Games at 21:45 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)
New to the Party - Final Fantasy X (10) -- Part Six: Learn About Your Neighbors
Tuesday, February 17. 2009 | Comments (0)
The next morning, the Aurochs go to the Kilika temple to pray for victory, while Yuna and her guardians go in order to get Yuna's next aeon. Yuna also tells the group and Tidus that she wants Tidus to be a guardian. Neither the other guardians nor Tidus are sure this is a great idea, and Yuna drops the idea for now. While climbing the steps to the temple, "Sinspawn" attack. After defeating the Sinspawn, Wakka and Lulu explain to Tidus that Sinspawn are things that fall from Sin's body. If left alone long enough, Sin comes to reclaim them, so you have to find and defeat all the Sinspawn after a Sin attack. Following this conversation, Wakka questions Tidus about Zanarkand, explaining that he's been thinking that if Tidus actually came from Zanarkand 1000 years in the past, maybe it's possible that Sin doesn't actually kill everyone, it just sends them somewhere else. Which of course means that maybe those people will come back some day. Lulu interjects angrily that Wakka needs to accept that Chappu is dead. And while she's at it, no one can replace Chappu, or Sir Jecht, or Lord Braska for that matter. So, pointed accusations all around.
Tidus, bright lad that he is, deduces something happened between Wakka, Chappu and Lulu. Ya think?
Still traveling to the temple, you next meet a group of blitzball players from the Luca Goers (prounounced GO-ERS in the English). After a dick-waving match, Tidus reacts bitterly to the Goers' behavior, comparing their condescending comments with those of his father, Jecht. Yuna expresses surprise, "...Sir Jecht was a kind and gentle man!". Tidus doesn't buy it.
Continue reading "New to the Party - Final Fantasy X (10) -- Part Six: Learn About Your Neighbors"
Posted by Ben in cRPGs, Final Fantasy, Video Games at 20:53 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
New to the Party - Final Fantasy X (10) -- Special One: The Group Picture
Sunday, February 15. 2009 | Comments (0)
A visual aid. These are all of the main characters that join your party throughout the game. If you've been following along with the reviews, you may note that neither Rikku nor Auron are currently in the group. However, experienced role-players know that any character introduced with great detail early on will return, so I don't consider this a spoiler.
Obviously, this is an artistic rendering, rather than a game-engine rendering. But the in-game 3D models look almost as good (most of the time.)
NOTE: I didn't make the original collage wallpaper, I found it through Google. I just added the text labels. If you made this image and want credit, or want me to take it down, just let me know.
Posted by Ben in cRPGs, Final Fantasy, Video Games at 21:21 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
New to the Party - Final Fantasy X (10) -- Part Five: The Journey Begins
Friday, February 13. 2009 | Comments (0)
Moving right along from the last post:
Lulu and Wakka are arguing outside. The short version of the story, which you get the explanation for in a few minutes, is that Tidus looks like Wakka's brother Chappu. Lulu is upset with Wakka for bringing Tidus to the village, regardless of whether Tidus needed help or not. Wakka explains to Tidus that Chappu was with the crusaders when they fought Sin last year, and didn't survive the battle. Wakka got the news on the day of last year's blitzball tournament, which was why he was distracted. Chappu's death is also why Wakka became a guardian; to get revenge on Sin. Although he never comes off as terribly motivated...perhaps because ever since he became a guardian he's been distracted by blitzball.
The next morning, Tidus, Wakka and Lulu await Yuna for their trip to the boat. Wakka gives Tidus Chappu's sword, which apparently Chappu never used. Which is maybe why he didn't survive the battle last year. Tidus also learns that Yuna's leaving of the village is very momentous, as she first came to the village 10 years ago, after the last "Calm" began. What this means is not explained. After collecting Yuna, the group moves out. At the top of the hill outside of the village, Yuna turns and regards the village quietly for a few moments; then everyone pauses at the shrine to pray again. Wakka explains to Tidus that this is a very important tradition, especially as Chappu was in too much of a hurry on the day he left with the crusaders and forgot to stop and pray. Apparently Wakka finds this more important than perhaps Chappu forgetting his sword. As Tidus, you're given the option to pray or not to pray, but unless you're a malicious bastard, you'll pray. Who wants to see Wakka lose his marbles?
Continue reading "New to the Party - Final Fantasy X (10) -- Part Five: The Journey Begins"
Posted by in cRPGs, Final Fantasy, Video Games at 21:47 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
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Jen's parents were traveling around France for a week so Jen and I took the week off work to look after their little Cavapoo pup, Oscar whilst they were away. A trip to visit my parents in Stoke-on-Trent was long overdue and so we took the dogs down in the car. From Newcastle, it's roughly a 200 mile drive but with regular stops for the dogs, it took about 5 hours in total.
A visit to Trentham Gardens when in Stoke is a must, especially on a day when the sun decides to show. Stunning Italian Gardens splashed with colour, landscaped greens, incredible sculptures and lakeside walks are just some of the things visitors are treated to. A relaxing day out for all, the dogs loved it too.
Always good to see the fam too!
Me and Jen with my mum, sister Amina and my dad.


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Monday, February 8, 2016
Valentine Tea Light Holder
Just a quick post to show off the cute little tea light holder I made using the FREE Valentine Tea Light Holder file from Dreaming Tree.
I did add a pink vellum liner because I love the look of the electronic tealights thought vellum - a much softer, more diffuse glow I think.
I also had lots of fun digging through my stash of blingy things to find some hearts and other glitzy stuff to add to the project. I think Valentine's Day is the perfect holiday to go a little nuts with rhinestones and shiny stuff!
Thanks for stopping by!
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