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This article is for the PC version of Stellaris only.
In Stellaris, an empire's economy is based around resources which are produced in limited quantities on astronomical objects and are used for various purposes.
Resources are obtained by having a POP on its tile in a colony or by building a specific type of station in space. They can also be produced on a planet by constructing buildings and these stack with already existing resources of the same type. Gathered resources can benefit a planet, a sector or an empire as a whole.
Resources can vary from fairly common food crops to very rare substances such as dark matter and from physical minerals to "produced" knowledge, such as engineering research.
In that way, resources are very important and ought to be quickly scouted, exploited, and developed.
There are two kinds of resources: basic and strategic.
Basic resources
Please help with verifying or updating this section. It was last verified for version 1.4.
Basic resources are the most important type as they provide the means to expand both geographically, developmentally and technologically. They are gathered and stockpiled on a monthly basis, but not nessesarily on the same day. While they all have a stockpile, how that stockpile and the excess is used varries fundamentally between each resource.
Energy credits
Energy credits are the game's currency, backed by an empire's ability to produce energy. Their focus is mostly on Produciton for Maintenance, rather then storing large amounts. They are mainly used for recurring expenses such as maintenance of buildings, ships, spaceport modules, stations and food replacement for Robots. There is a significant maintenance cost for colony ships and colonies that are being established. Energy credits are also expended as lump-sum payments for other various tasks, such as clearing tile blockers, initiating terraforming (a significant investment, with the cheapest process costing 2000 energy), and building robots.
Finally, they can also act as bargaining chip in trade deals with early empires. However as empires grow more established, producing and storing larger amounts of energy credits, they can become worthless for trade. However that can make it really cheap to acquire them via trade deals, especially for Minerals.
They can be acquired by building mining stations around celestial bodies, building solar panel networks spaceports and by constructing and upgrading power plants on colonized worlds. They are produced and stored on a sector-by-sector basis as well as empire basis so it is advisable to keep an eye out on a players' energy balance before handing systems away.
It is very important to keep a positive storage as not having enough energy credits will cause a critical resource shortage that reduces the output of minerals, all research, ship and army build speeds, ship shields and weapons damage by half. Additionally, colonies in the process of establishing themselves on new worlds will halt their progress and the output of robotic pops will be reduced by half.
Generally, consistency of energy output is more important than amount, unless active expansion is in process.
Empires can stockpile 5000 energy credits at the start of the game. This cap can be increased by technology (500 for each ship power source technology, 500 for each Power Plant technology except the first and last, and 1000 for each Power Hub technology) for a maximum cap of 10000 energy credits.
Minerals is a collective term for all physical, material resources that are used for constructing and upgrading stations and buildings. Repairing ships in a Spaceport also costs a small amount of minerals per day, drawn directly from storage. Minerals are also required for the upkeep of ships.
Minerals also act as a valuable commodity for trade deals, as they are consumed by a significantly wider range of projects than energy credits; there are few times where an otherwise somewhat unattractive trade deal cannot be made attractive to another empire by offering them a modest sum of minerals.
They, like energy credits, can be obtained by building mining stations, and by constructing and upgrading mines on the surface of planets and moons. They are also produced and accumulated on a sector-by-sector basis.
It is often important to have a sizable storage, especially so in times of war, in order to better deal with urgent situations and be able to survive production sites being lost or cut off. Not having enough minerals will cause a critical resource shortage that reduces ship armor, army damage, weapons damage and research speed by half . A careful player should decide how many months or years worth of minerals should be kept in storage as a reserve. Minerals production should be pretty much maximized at all times, unless there is energy shortage or the empire has passed the point of saturation and cannot put minerals to use faster.
Empires can stockpile up to 5000 minerals by default, with mining-related technologies and the Mineral Silo building increasing the limit. Sectors have their own separate stockpiles.
In banks (1.5) there is now a "taxation" of minerals called consumer goods, which are used to keep populations happy. Depending on the level you have a species' standards at, the amount used will vary from 0.5 - 3.0 per pop (or in the case of undesirables/non-existants, 0).
Each planet grows its own food and can export or import food. Surplus food increases population growth. Likewise, an empire-wide food shortage leads to starvation, which decreases happiness and halts or even regresses pop growth. Existing pops will not die but otherwise should carry on living. Empire food storage can be managed via the empire policies.
Food can be produced by constructing orbital hydroponic farms on spaceports or by building and upgrading hydroponic farms on the surface. Development of each planet should start with evaluation of potential population growth and planning for enough food production to grow the population to that level and sustain them. Rushing food production in new colonies is a decent initial strategy, once colony reaches its maximum population and production potential in shorter time excessive farms could be replaced with more useful buildings.
Starvation penalties apply once the deficit reaches at least 2; a deficit causes a "starvation" malus of -5% happiness per missing food, stacking. Whilst happiness penalties do not affect food production (to avoid runaway scenarios where unhappy farmers produce less food, and then become even more upset because they aren't farming enough to feed themselves), the happiness penalties can cause significant reductions to all other resource outputs and causes unrest to spike. As such, starvation should be avoided at all costs.
Influence represents political and diplomatic clout. It is used for colonizing planets, enacting or maintaining edicts, conquering primitive civilizations, incorporating vassals, changing government types, recruiting leaders, building (and maintaining) frontier outposts and empire-unique buildings, maintaining defensive pacts and federations, and dealing with factions. Depending on a players' governing ethos and government type, it is also possible to use it to resettle POPs and influence elections.
It can be gained by declaring rivalries, researching technologies that increase influence output, by finishing events or anomalies, having protectorates, adopting the galactic ambitions tradition in the expansion tradition tree (cuts the frontier outpost unkeep by half), building an Empire capital-complex, winning wars using the "Humiliate" and "Stop Atrocity" war goals, and in the case of democratic governments by fulfilling rulers' mandates. It is produced on an empire basis so it doesn't matter if a given system is managed by a sector.
The base cost of colonizing a planet, building a frontier outpost, or attacking a primitive civilization is 30 influence, which is increased the further away the system is from one's existing borders.
While not as important as energy credits or minerals in the day-to-day economy, it is nonetheless critical in the long-term strategic sense -- correct application of influence in critical moments may give an empire much needed edge. It is quite vital in the early/mid stages, when building frontier outposts is highly recommended in order to increase an empires' reach and secure additional, potential resources and habitable worlds.
Empires produce a base of 2 influence a month, can store only 1000, and the storage amount cannot be increased.
An influence shortage causes an empire-wide -20% happiness penalty.
Please help with verifying or updating this table. It was last verified for version 1.9.
Unity is a resource used to acquire traditions, allowing one to progress through tradition trees and, by extension, gain ascension perks.
Every empire has a base gain of +1 Unity. Additional unity is generated by buildings, in particular the Planetary Capitol building. Research and traditions can add a number of unity generation buildings. Civics and ethics can also affect the unity gain rather drastically.
Research is used to acquire new technologies in the Physics, Society, and Engineering departments. It can also be used when dealing with some special projects.
It can be acquired by building research stations and by constructing and upgrading science labs on the surface of planets and moons. It, like influence, is produced on an empire basis.
Stored research works totally differently from other stored resources. Storage can only be acquired from any time spent not working on either an active research topic or by finishing a special projects, including salvage operations. The moment active research does take place, stored research is used to speed up the progress. For every point of research income, an additional point from the storage is used to effectively double the speed. As such research tends towards 0 storage eventually, while still allowing lump sums to be gained and stored.
Research points gained from anomaly investigation and from salvaging debris are added to the stored research pool; research points are not added to the stored research pool when conducting special projects such as debris salvage or genetic modification.
Strategic resources
Please help with verifying or updating this section. It was last verified for version 1.5.
Strategic resources are rare resources that provide an empire-wide modifier boost. To exploit them, they must first be revealed by researching technologies. Usually one location can hold only one strategic resource. The resources do not stack and require only a single item of the resource to get the boost.
They can also be traded with other empires and are valued far more than the common basic resources. Due to their rarity and potency, strategic resources may lead to tensions with envious rival empires, sometimes leading to war in an attempt to acquire them by force.
|Dark matter
|Dark Matter Drawing
|+20% Physics research
|This exotic substance has many properties that seemingly defy the laws of physics. Harvestable concentrations can only be found near Black Holes or in certain nebulas.
|Engos vapor
|Engos Vapor Refining
|+5% Habitability
|A naturally occurring stimulant that helps all forms of life adapt and evolve.
|Garanthium ore
|Garanthium Mining
|+10% Ship health
|This ore can be refined into a metal that is both very malleable and durable. It is an excellent material used for the construction of ships.
|Living metal
|Living Metal Tech
|This inorganic metal shows characteristics usually seen only in biological life forms. It will always attempt to regenerate back into the shape it was stabilized into.
|Lythuric gas
|Lythuric Gas Refining
|+20% Ship shield health
|Small concentrations of this gas has been shown to significantly strengthen the integrity of energy force fields.
|Muutagan crystals
|Trader enclave
|+10% Government Ethics Attraction
|The $guardian.104.name$ are the only group that posses the knowledge of crafting these crystals. If struck, these 'singing' crystals start to vibrate while emitting a unique humming sound. They are often used as musical instruments, and have a calming effect on most beings.
|Neutronium ore
|Neutronium Extraction
|+20% Ship armor health
|Neutronium is a super-dense substance composed of neutrons that can be forged into extremely resistant and durable armor.
|Orillium ore
|Orillium Extraction
|+15% Explosive Weapon Damage
|Orillium is a very dense and unstable element that can be used for powerful explosives.
|Pitharan dust
|Pitharan Dust Refining
|+10% Food
|This energy-dense fine dust serves as an excellent fertilizer.
|Riggan spice
|Trader enclave
|+5% Happiness
|The secret methods of extracting and mixing this spice is something that is not known outside the $guardian.103.name$. The spice has a unique flavor and is a popular food ingredient.
|Satramene gas
|Satramene Refining
|+10% Government Ethics Attraction
|This gas is a naturally occurring stimulant found on some worlds. It has a calming effect on most beings, and can be used as a non-violent way of pacifying hostile individuals. Its addictive nature is a well-documented side-effect.
|Teldar crystals
|Teldar Crystal Mining
|+15% Kinetic Weapon Damage
|Extremely durable crystals that enhance the armor-piercing capabilities and destructive potential of projectile weapons.
|Terraforming gases
|Terrestrial Sculpting
|-25% Terraforming cost
|Mined from Gas Giants, Terraforming Gases represents an assortment of gases such as Hydrogen, Helium and Methane. Access to Terraforming Gases will make it easier for us to terraform planets.
|Terraforming liquids
|Terrestrial Sculpting
|-25% Terraforming cost
|Mined from Frozen planets, Terraforming Fluids represents different types of fluids such as dihydrogen monoxide. Access to Terraforming Fluids will make it easier for us to terraform planets.
|Trader enclave
|+5% Habitability
|Produced by $guardian.100.name$, this gel claims various positive medicinal effects for creatures living in inhospitable environments.
|Yurantic crystals
|Yurantic Crystal Mining
|+15% Energy Weapon Damage
|These crystals have rare reflective properties that enhance the power output of energy weapons.
|Zro Distillation
|An extremely rare aerosol of exotic particles. It has been deposited on a number of worlds through meteor impacts, but its true origin is a mystery. If ingested by psionically-gifted individuals, zro acts as a very potent (and addictive) drug that enhances PSI abilities.
Local resources
In addition to the global-modifier resources there are also some local resources which provide a certain boost only to the planet they are on. These resources require the construction of a special building on the resource tile to exploit them.
|Alien Pets
|Xeno Zoo building
| +10% Happiness
|These docile non-sentient creatures can easily be domesticated, and their friendly demeanor and appealing looks would make them popular as pets and companions. Xenophiles value them highly and proudly present them in their zoos.
|Betharian stone
|Betharian Power Plant building
|+10 Energy credits
|These rare stones have been deposited on many worlds through meteor strikes. They burn very slowly and are very efficient energy sources.
|Empire • Ethics • Government • Civics • Policies • Edicts • Leader • Factions • Population • Species rights • Economy • Technology • Traditions • Crime
|Exploration • Map • Species • Anomaly • Events • FTL • Fallen empire • Pre-FTL species • Precursors • Spaceborne aliens
|Colonization • Celestial body • Planetary features • Planetary management • Districts • Buildings • Ship • Starbase • Megastructures
|Diplomacy • Trade • Subject empire • Federations • Galactic community • AI personalities
|Warfare • Space warfare • Land warfare • Ship designer
|Traits • Terraforming • Pop modification • Slavery • Crisis • Preset empires • AI players • Easter eggs


text: I have to confess that even though I live in Belgium, I think I like confections almost as much as chocolate. Except for chocolate covered almonds, I LOVE those. Although, I haven't seen/found them in Belgium yet. (If you want to know more about Belgian chocolate, which I also like, you can see this post). Living in Canada, I always knew about fudge, but now being in Europe, I have discovered…Read More

subset: commoncrawl


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its good to see you both on here in rebel land..
for those of you on here that do not know Jeff or Chris . they are both members of the NEG501st, and plan on doing a few rebel outfits : Jeff is working on a jedi outfit, as you can see from his sign in name (qui-gonn Jeff ) and Chris ,is hard at work on a Han Solo.. . and I have heard some rumors of another one in the thought process at the moment..for Jeff. best wishes on that jeff.. it would rock if you did !!!
Jeff.. please make sure you register on the local forums, as we tend to talk more on there.. THANKS !!! Looking forward to chattting with you again soon.I know Chris is on there already. Sincerly,


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My boyfriend Ward is a successful songwriter and DJ. He's signed to Young Money and he behaves like the Prince song: he wants to be my lover, my mother, my brother, my sister too, and my father. I'm so lucky that Ward supports me while I finish college and medical school. Ward swears he's a good Christian and focused on family. He's a great boyfriend and we're gonna get engaged at Christmas. Ward claims he has the ultimate respect for me as his girlfriend. Then why do I have crabs?
-Sheila M.
My boyfriend Rajiv is very smart — the Cornell grad is going to be a doctor. He spent the whole summer studying really hard for his medical board examinations. I'm really proud to be his girlfriend. On August 30th, I teased Mr. Workaholic into taking a break to celebrate his birthday at his favorite BBQ restaurant in Murray Hill. We had the candles and sparklers and singing waitress with a molten chocolate lava cake. One of the other waitresses pulled me aside and asked me why my boyfriend has three different birthdays and three different girlfriends to celebrate each one with him. So Rajiv is the man with three birthdays. He has 3 girlfriends at the same time and he told us all different birthdays: June, July and August 30th. He kept the dates similar so that if any one of us looked at his Driver's License, he could say that there was a mistake at the DMV. Rajiv is really smart. I mean, a douchebag but a smart one. And I got played like a Stradivarius.
-Nora K.
These days, being girlfriend and boyfriend doesn't always count for much besides friendly sexual access. Many men get a "girlfriend" not because they love the woman, but because this is the simplest and easiest way to get laid consistently for cheap.
Ladies, this is the new game in town: "The Bullsh*t Title."
Dinner is a setup — you know how it's gonna end. Meeting his friends, co-workers and Mom is just a ruse to make it seem real. Time together is spent watching TV at home. You'll be doing alot of hot sex. Not that anything's wrong with hot sex. But what's the point? Where is it going? Very likely nowhere. Women stay "girlfriends" with a B.S. man for years and realize way late that he never planned to marry them. He may talk kids, marriage and homebuying but… Is he funny about giving you gifts you can keep? Dodgy about travelling together and spending holidays together? Having events and trips you aren't welcome at? "Hanging with the boys" again? When it's all said & done, he enjoyed the consistent piece of ass. I hope you enjoyed delivering it, too.
Deciphering the B.S. is what this blog and the dating game is all about. And it can be tougher to solve than the Rubik's cube.
Don't fall for the "B.S. title" game.
If you both felt you struck gold with each other, then there would be no need keep dating and having lovers behind your back. Next!


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Coping with Pet Loss
Hands down one of the most difficult experiences in my life was saying goodbye to my soul dog. This dog meant the absolute world to me; he was the reason I met my husband, introduced me to all of my friends since college and is the reason I am involved in the pet industry. While his meaning is understandable to me, I also fully understood that I had the choice when to give my final gift of good death – literally what euthanasia means in Greek.
Despite knowing all of this, coping with my pet's pending death and then eventually his departure from my physical world was to this day – the most difficult process I have endured. To some that might sound silly but I can assure you I have had greater stressors in my life but none ravaged my entire emotional bank as much as letting go of something I loved so hard, and to put an end to a life that had literally built mine.
Now the thought of having to explain or help a child through that same journey can be daunting but as adults we must be there in the entirety of the process. Children do not have the understanding that we do about life and death, all they know is feelings and depending on their age; they will try to make sense of why something they loved so dearly, is no longer in their life. To them, their beloved best friend was taken from them – this is a great challenge for a young mind to understand. It brings up the "life is unfair" idea that no matter what age you are, that concept just doesn't make anyone feel better.
Talk to Your Children about Pet Loss
Talking to your children and most importantly, allowing them to talk about what they are feeling or imagining is necessary. The concept of death to an adult is simplified, we completely understand the finality. By our adult age we have developed our own concept about what may or may not happen once a body takes its final breath. This is not the case for children, ranging from 2 years old through adolescence. The finality of death is not an easy concept to grasp when your life has been surrounded by so much life!
Your children should know that no matter what their feelings are, they are important. If they are confusion, sadness, anger, whatever those feelings are; they 100% matter. Please allow your child to express them and most importantly, talk to you about them.
Tell Your Children About Death
As adults, and particularly as parents, we always want to protect our children. The last thing we want for them is to see them suffer through anything that we know is painful. This protective sense can cause harm to your child when applied to death. If children are told that Fido was taken by God or he went to sleep this does not explain why they have not returned. God can became scary and evil since he took their pet away and going to bed could develop into a fear since their dog went to sleep and never returned.
You do not have to go into the details of your pets particular sickness but an explanation that whatever caused your pet's death, it made their departure permanent. They didn't go to visit a farm, they have left your world. This may seem harsh but a child – no matter the age – should not be left to question whether or not their beloved pet will return. This can cause children to place blame on themselves. They may associate some anger they had towards the pet (when Fido ate his crayons) with the reason why the pet left. Children have a right to know.
Certainly explain whatever your beliefs are in afterlife if you have them but the point to convey is that the pet has died and will not return. Most importantly, however that makes your child feel it is ok and they should always be able to come to you to discuss any sadness, anger, confusion; whatever the loss of the pet leaves in their minds.
Death is Age Appropriate
While many of us would like to protect a 2 yr old from a hard life lesson so early in life, you will not be offering any benefit to leaving your 2 yr old wondering when their favorite fluffy cat is returning. This is a wonderful age to explain death and to convey finality. At this age if children are not told that a pet will not return and that it has died, they can develop a sense that they did something to prevent their pet's return. Children at this age are learning right and wrong behaviors; your pet's death should not fall into the concept that they did something wrong so their pet was taken away. Children can create this thought so as parents it is our duty to explain that their pet's departure has nothing to do with their actions.
By the time your child is 4-6 yrs old explaining the permanence of death can be challenging. Children's imaginations are in full swing and while you may tell your children that Fluffy is gone for good and buried in the backyard, their fantastical minds might believe that Fluffy is rolling around with a ball of yarn 6 feet under! Some may even fear that death could be contagious since it will eventually happen to all of us and it is not unusual for a child to start bed wetting, or having problems sleeping or eating. This is why it is crucial to not only discuss with your children what has happened to their best friend but ask and listen to how that makes them feel. Being able to discuss their feelings, understand they are normal and why they have them is crucial.
For the 7-9 yr old, they seem to be able to grasp the concept of death being final and they do not tend to personalize it; meaning they don't often blame themselves or worry about catching death. They do however commonly start to worry about death affecting others in their life like their parents. They are very likely to experience grief which often manifests as acting out. Constant communication is key with children at this age, ask them what they are thinking or feeling and discuss the answers with them.
10-12 yr old children are at a brain development stage where they conceptually grasp and handle death much like adults. They will grieve and go through the stages of grief but generally understand what has happened and cope as most adults do.
The adolescent child who's brain is under another serious level of construction tends to understand the concept as an adult would but often due to emotional changes, find it very difficult to display emotional reactions and thus internalize the grief. They also are susceptible to denial. Children of this age may in fact be very grief stricken but will not outwardly display such emotions.
Death is Final
No one wants to have the conversation telling their child that their best friend, the wonderful sentient being that has been there for them, sometimes since birth – is gone for good. It never feels good to see someone you love in pain. The death of a pet can be a good way for the entire family to come together and grieve together. This can happen in many ways from celebrating the pets life with memorials or paw print ornaments to going to the shelter or breeder and finding another pet to share your life with as you did the one you lost.
While death is certainly final and closes a door on an animal for whom your family adored, it does not have to shut doors on your emotions or the emotions of your children. Let everyone in your family feel the loss of their pet, understand that each person, even the adults in the home may grieve differently but it is normal and should be accepted openly; discussing your feelings with each other often.
Before our pets get sick, or even during, it is a great idea for the family to understand the care their animals need. Taking the ProPetHero course doesn't just teach us all how to recognize emergencies and act, or preventative care; Dr. Bobbi Conner discusses the real issues surrounding euthanasia and it is a fantastic learning experience for everyone in your family.


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George Szirtes has skewered Jeremy Paxman; nicely, poetically, but firmly. He may be wriggling at this moment. In pinning Paxo to the wall, George has written with insight about poetry itself. I particularly liked this:And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,Then how should I beginTo spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?T S Eliot
Poetry is as ancient as language itself, and the sense of the poetic precedes language. Animals could be charmed by music; mere drumming can heal the sick. The poetic even penetrates to football commentators who exclaim "Sheer poetry!" at a particularly wonderful moment. They tend not to exclaim "Sheer prose!"Ah yes, the beautiful game. A wonderful metaphor for artistry. Playwrights come out of it pretty well too. There is the "Theatre of Dreams", faking injury is "play acting", a match can be "high drama", a club plunging down through the leagues is "a Greek tragedy".
But what about us prose writers, especially those who get published by a respectable academic press? What do we get? A prosaic style of football, and that's it. Surely we can join in the fun. How about, "that goalless draw was as turgid as a Judith Butler paragraph!" No? Ah well, I suppose we will have to resign ourselves to playing in the Championship, whilst the poets and dramatists fight it out in the Champions' League.


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A hint of Southwest spice and chile heat blend with sweet apples for a crowd-pleasing change from traditional turkey.
How to Make It
To prepare brine, combine first 6 ingredients, stirring well.
To prepare turkey, remove giblets and neck from turkey; reserve neck and giblets. Trim excess fat. Place a turkey-sized oven bag inside a second bag to form a double thickness. Place bags in a large stockpot. Place turkey inside inner bag. Add brine. Secure bags with several twist ties. Refrigerate 12 to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 500°.
Remove turkey from bags; discard brine. Pat turkey dry. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Combine 1 tablespoon sugar and next 6 ingredients (through coriander) in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture under loosened skin over flesh. Place 1 apple quarter and 1 poblano quarter in the neck cavity; close skin flap. Arrange 5 apple quarters, 1 poblano quarter, and 1 cup cilantro leaves in the body cavity. Secure legs with kitchen twine. Arrange turkey, neck, and giblets on the rack of a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Arrange remaining 6 apple quarters and 6 poblano quarters in bottom of roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Place rack with turkey in pan. Roast at 500° for 30 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 350° (do not remove turkey from oven). Place a foil tent over turkey breast. Pour 3 cups water in bottom of pan.
Bake turkey at 350° for 40 minutes. Rotate turkey, and baste with 3/4 cup broth. Roast for 30 minutes; rotate turkey. Baste with 3/4 cup broth. Roast 20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°. Remove from oven. Place turkey, breast side down, on a jelly-roll pan or cutting board. Let stand, covered, for 30 minutes. Serve breast side up. Chop giblets. Discard neck.
Strain pan drippings through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté for 5 minutes or until translucent. Stir in reserved chopped giblets and garlic; sauté 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Sprinkle flour over onion mixture; saute 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add drippings, remaining 1 1/2 cups broth, and 1 cup apple cider; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to 3 cups (about 15 minutes). Strain through a sieve over a bowl, and discard solids. Stir in chopped cilantro and lime juice. Discard turkey skin; carve. Serve with gravy.


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I have been wanting to do marbleized painting again with my son for some time now. I have had ideas on what to do and then I have gotten busy doing other projects and forgotten about the marbleized painting. Well this week it was on my mind again and so were clovers(shamrocks). So I decided to put the two together in a marbleized painted clover garland to decorate the house with. A fun way to get the kids involved in planning for any upcoming holiday is to make decorations. They have fun making them and even more fun showing them off to family and friends when they come over. My boys are always so proud of their art work and love to tell grandparents all about it when they come to visit.
Marbleized Rainbow Clover Garland
{for St. Patrick's Day)
What we used:
I always try and get everything together before I sit the boys down. This keeps them from getting too anxious while they wait. I got out oil, food coloring, small bowls, paint brushes, & cardstock. Later I will use a clover template, scissors, yarn, and hole punch.
What we did:
I mixed water, oil, and food coloring in little bowls. I set them out with paint brushes and white cardstock paper. My oldest 4yr painted each sheet a separate color. We left them to dry over night. The next day I traced a clover template over each sheet and cut it out. I used a hole punch to put 2 holes in each clover. This was for me to string yarn through. Now it was ready to be hung up.
I love how it turned out with all the fun colors. Now we get to enjoy it for a few weeks until St. Patrick's Day.
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Sylvia Plath is in the midst of a renaissance. Since the publication of her Unabridged Journals in 2000, hardly a week goes by without her name appearing in the news, and the publication of a succession of books continues to re-evaluate the poets status in the literary world. Although Plath proved to be one of the most contentious, interesting, and passionate writers of the 20th century, the 21st has been much kinder. The books about Plath published in the last seven years each attempt and succeed to change the way we read her works, examine archival material to enrich our readings, and call our attention to lesser-known poems, stories, and other creative products. This is most evident in Eye Rhymes: Sylvia Plath's Visual of the Art edited by Kathleen Connors and Sally Bayley.
In addition to six wonderful essays by leading scholars, Eye Rhymes publishes for the first time more than 70 art works by Plath. The earliest dates from when she was just seven years old, and the latest is her Cold War collage, perhaps the most familiar and talked about piece she created. The book marries the artwork and Plath's creative writing, illustrating a one-to-one translation between the two types of creativity; what Susan Gubar in her Afterword calls the "sister arts" of Sylvia Plath.
Kathleen Connors essay "Living Color: The Interactive Arts of Sylvia Plath" walks the reader through Plath's childhood and adolescence and into her young adult and adult life as a writer and an artist. The foundation was laid very early in Plath to think and to feel, and most importantly, to express herself in any necessary way. As we grow with Plath, we too struggle to decide whether to study Art or English in college. For it was a struggle, and one story, one prize, made all the difference. Plath's 1952 short story "Sunday at the Mintons", winner of the 1952 Mademoiselle College Fiction Contest, singularly made up her mind which subject to major in at Smith. Connors is painstakingly and passionately detailed in her review of Plath's interactive arts. The value of this essay is in reading and re-reading it, and not through reading my review.
Connors essay could stand on its own in the book. However, the other essays build upon Connors' very solid foundation. Langdon Hammer's writes on "Plath at War", a look some of her war imagery, both in visual and written formats. Plath's political writing has been an exciting subject over the last five or so years, but Hammer's essay, by focusing both on Plath's eighth-grade social studies assignments and later poems such as "Cut" and "Daddy", is wholly original. He is able to tie together writing done by Plath as a 14 year old, and Plath as a 29/30 year old, and he does so very eloquently.
"Plath, Hughes, and Three Caryatids" by Diane Middlebrook is a wonderful and playful piece on Plath's long-titled poem "'Three Caryatids without a Portico,' by Hugo Robus. A Study in Sculptural Dimensions", and Hughes' two caryatid poems in Birthday Letters. A photograph of Robus's sculpture that inspired the poem is included in the book. It was Plath's "Three Caryatids" poem in Chequer that the Saint Botolph's crew took exception to in a review published in Broadsheet in early 1956. Plath read those poems in the Saint Botolph's Review with a vengeance on 25 February 1956, determined to suss out the writer of that review and make herself known. Middlebrook's playfulness reaches its peak in the following sentence in Eye Rhymes, "This is the origin in the legend of Hughes and Plath: the famous party that set up the kiss that caused the bite that prompted the tryst that led to the sex that became the passion that fueled the marriage that led to the poems of Plath and Hughes" (162). A completely genuine, successful and smart essay by a professional who took such joy her work. Anyone lucky enough to have ever seen Middlebrook discuss the meeting of Plath and Hughes cannot forget the sparkles in her eyes and the smile on her face.
Christina Britzolakis' essay, "Conversation amongst the Ruins: Plath and de Chirico", continues her theoretical and psychoanalytical reading of Plath's oeuvre. This essay looks not necessarily at Plath's own visual art, but at artwork by de Chirico, an important influence on Plath's writing nonetheless. She covers the important poetic outburst by Plath during the spring of 1958, and includes poems attributed as being written a year earlier. Those poems inspired by de Chirico are "The Disquieting Muses" and "On the Decline of Oracles". (Plath's other art poems are "Snakecharmer", "Battle-Scene from the Comic Operatic Fantasy The Seafarer", "The Ghost's Leavetaking", "Conversation Among the Ruins", "Virgin in a Tree", "Perseus: The Triumph of Wit Over Suffering", and "Yadwigha, on a Red Couch, Among Lilies". ) There is some overlap between this essay and and Britzolakis's 1999 book Sylvia Plath and the Theatre of Mourning.
Sally Bayley's "Sylvia Plath and the Costume of Femininity" examines "Plath's involvement with constructed forms of femininity reflective of the prescribed social and cultural codes of post-World War II America: the processes of female socialization" (183). Bayley looks specifically Plath from the early 1940s to the 1950s, at "the body of commercial and cultural imagery arising from Plath's artwork: the drawings, home-made cards, collages, and paintings" (183). Bayley argues that Plath's adolescent interest in the "acculturated female" directly informs her mature poems. In addition to journal entries, correspondence, and The Bell Jar, Bayley analyzes "Two Sisters of Persephone", "Initiation", "Cinderella", "Kitchen Interlude", "Lesbos", and notes taken while a student at Smith College.
Fan Jinghua's "Sylvia Plath's Visual Poetics" seeks to "delineate and demonstrate the influence of visual art and its sensibility in [Plath's] poetics from the perspective of visual art techniques and her own visual art practices" (205). He argues, successfully, that Plath's poetics "is developed out of the interaction between the visual and the verbal..." (205). The term for "a verbal representation of a visual representation" is ekphrasis. This is a relatively new way of looking at Plath so far as I can tell, though Jinghua did deliver a paper on it at the first Sylvia Plath Symposium in 2002. Through examining Plath's poems based specifically on works of art, Jinghua traces one of Plath's deepest and longest sources of creative inspiration.
Susan Gubar's contributes an a Afterword on "The Sister Arts of Sylvia Plath". From the start, I noticed the lack of reference to quoted sources, lack of internal citation to artworks featured as plates in the text, and an alarming split of attention between Plath and poet Catherine Bowman. This is the least successful aspect of the book, which is disappointing given Gubar's status and reputation in the academic and literary world.
As I state in my own biography of Plath, her pre-Smith years (1932-1950) are overlooked most often by scholars and researchers. Her published journals and letters both select her Freshman year at college as their starting point. Her Collected Poems start even later, in 1956. However, it is the formative, pre-college years that gave birth to this poet and, in the end, are responsible for The Bell Jar and the Ariel poems for which she is most famous. All the tools and values Plath needed to succeed as a writer came from this period, and it is a shame that it is so frequently neglected. No longer, as any reader of Eye Rhymes will develop a new appreciation for Plath the precocious child, Plath the driven adolescent, and Plath the talented artist. Eye Rhymes is a monumental contribution to Plath scholarship.
This review is dedicated to the late Diane Middlebrook. Eye Rhymes: Sylvia Plath's Art of the Visual is published by Oxford University Press (2007).


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I just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't stopped writing, I'm just taking the time to listen to some music. The pile of CDs on my desk has grown and there is also a serious pile of unopened DVDs that have gone unwatched…..I'm trying to get caught up.
The weather has been beautiful here in Rhode Island so I have been spending a lot of time outside working on the house, etc. Nice thing is that we have electric outlets outside so I can bring a radio outside and catch up on an album or two.
As far as collecting, I admit that I haven't really bought much. The backlog of CDs and DVDs, and lack of time, has temporarily stopped my purchases. One thing I am going to start doing is ordering online more and getting back into Ebay. I haven't searched Ebay in months and I'm starting to get the itch. I also can't seem to get imports locally like I used to so I'm going to start using some online stores rather than wait for a U.S. release.
On the concert trail, I have a ticket to see Heaven & Hell on May 15 and I just scored a seat in the 10th row for Def Leppard/Styx/Foreigner for August 11. I also plan on seeing the Rush tour, the Poison/Ratt tour, and Michael Schenker (in Connecticut) if he shows. So far, the Summer concert series looks good.
My night off is tomorrow and I think my plan will be to set up some posts for the upcoming week so I can just login and publish. I seem to post in a timely manner when I use one day to knock out a week's worth rather than do one a day. I'd also like to update some links, blogs, and websites to the sidebar.
The good news is that I have actually GAINED readers in the last month even with a lack of posts. A check of the blog stats shows that people are coming to the site to see Gene's facelift and then moving to other posts and exploring. To all the new readers…..Welcome!
And to all…..stay Metal!


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Group Life Ministry involves gatherings of 6-14 people who meet regularly to explore the intersection of faith and daily life. As we pursue Christ and encounter Him within the small group community, we find that life gains more purpose and fulfillment. Group Life is more than just a social network. They are places where people are encouraged to look, love and live like Jesus so that they can leave a legacy.
The best way to get connected to a group is to use the "Group Finder" to see when and where groups meet, and then contact the leader of a group to sign up.


text: News Volleyball 18/07/2015 We learn a lot from this encounter: Japan coach Manabe Saori Kimura scored an equal game-high 15 points for Japan Hong Kong, China, July 18, 2015 - Japan beat Thailand 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-15) in Pool H, with a superior blocking and serving performance helping them claim maximum points.Japan coach MasayoshiManabe: "We are happy to play againstThailand today. We both come from Asia and neither team has advantage in termsof height, but we do learn a lot from this encounter. We hope we can make useof this experience and play better in the upcoming games."Japan captain Saori Kimura: "The Thailand team is very tough that we always haveto plan complex strategies. Our effective blocking led us to the triumph today."Thailand coach KiattipongRadchatagriengkai: "We are really glad to get toplay again in Hong Kong, against the best teams in the world. Congratulationsto the Japan team, they played very well today. We have learnt a lot from theirtechniques. We will try to play better in future."Thailand player Wipawee Srithong: "Congratulations to Japan. Their performance wasexcellent today with few errors committed. Meanwhile, our team made quite a lotof mistakes. We will evaluate and review our performance and improve inupcoming games." Print this Page News {{item.LocalShortDate}} {{item.Title}} All the News


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I've found that a misconception exists in the young adult genre. Not from the writers who create it or the teens who read it, but from adults who think they understand it. Specifically, I've encountered people who think that "writing for teenagers" means dumping a bunch of cheesy morals onto a page as you step onto your writing soapbox. Yeah, that's kinda not true.
Now, young adult (YA) novels span a huge spectrum. You've got your squeaky clean books—like Meg Cabot, who's fabulous—and you've got your more taboo novels—like the Gossip Girl series, which is also fabulous. I personally think my Amor and Summer Secrets series falls somewhere in between—actually, I thought my books leaned closer to Meg than Cecily. There's no cursing, sex or drugs in my stories; in fact, my main character, Mariana, has her first kiss at age 15.
But I've still gotten my fair share of criticism, like whether featuring a gay adult cousin is controversial (since when?). And whether my series depicts a "casual treatment of eating disorders."
It's true that Mariana's best friend, Madison, is a ballerina who's obsessed with every calorie she puts into her mouth. No one outwardly discusses Madison's eating habits with her, and she never ends up in a hospital with a feeding tube down her throat. So I guess that could mean to some that my portrayal is "casual." I, however, think it's realistic.
I have plenty of friends who, unfortunately, struggled with food in their teen years. And for most of them, their eating habits (or lack there of) went relatively unnoticed by their parents. They never got counseling, and they ultimately found a way to turn their mindset around. It doesn't mean I'm condoning eating disorders, or that you shouldn't get help if you need it. It means that I'm trying to create a realistic character based on my life experience, and not force a message into my story that doesn't belong. Amor and Summer Secrets is not a book about eating disorders.
Nor is it a book about underage drinking. Mariana has her first alcoholic drink in the novel. During that time she is with family, at her uncle's house, in Puerto Rico where the drinking age is 18. No, Mariana is not 18. But she's spending the summer immersed in a culture that doesn't view alcohol the same way we do in the states. Spend time with my family in Utuado, and you'll see what I mean. The culture is almost European in that way; and if I forced our laws and beliefs into a story where they clearly do not fit that would make me a pretty crappy writer.
Same goes for Mariana's brother, Vince. The story starts off with him complaining that he can't spend the summer traveling with his friends. Why can't he go? Because he got arrested when he was 16 for underage drinking at a party in suburban Philadelphia. His father no longer trusts him the way that he used to. Now, I grew up in suburban Philadelphia. I know that that storyline is realistic. But it doesn't mean that I'm condoning underage drinking. It means that I'm creating a character, Vince, who is consistently portrayed as irresponsible while also intelligent and athletic.
Characters are layered. They have flaws, just like people. They face very real problems, just like people. And they don't always handle them the way that priests, doctors, or policeman would like. But I'm not writing an After-School Special where every girl who has sex gets pregnant, and every teen who smokes a cigarette gets lung cancer.
Not that dance fights are not an effective way to get your message across (in the above case, I think the message is don't wear purple?).
I don't feel it's my job as a novelist to preach about social issues. My job is to write an entertaining and realistic story that teens will relate to and will want to read. I purposely avoid injecting any message that will ring false while treading a line of social responsibility that I feel comfortable with.
And I don't feel like there's anything happening in the YA genre, even the most scandalous books, that's not occurring on TV or in movies. Yet, I feel we're held to a different standard, and often that standard leads to censorship. And if there's anything I will get on a soapbox for, it's the right to free speech. There's an issue I'd like to see tackled in an after-school special.
POP CULTURE RANT: October Road
I just found out that October Road was canceled and will not return with a new season this winter (late to the news, I know). I'm disappointed. I liked watching about a novelist who's my age and who wrote a story about his high school classmates, struck it rich, and has Bill Bellamy as a publicist. Now I'll never know if his high school girlfriend's son is really is, and if he goes on tour with U2 to promote his novel (because yes, that last one was an actual plotline). R.I.P. fictitious novel guy. I hope you're reading your book on stage with Bono somewhere in Never, Never, Land.


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A federal appeals court ruled that a Los Angeles ordinance preventing homeless people from living in cars is unconstitutionally vague and struck down the ban.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the law that banned people living in their cars or recreational vehicles on a public street or in a public parking lot (even overnight) is unconstitutionally vague and encourages arbitrary or discriminatory enforcement. The decision overturned the District Court of Appeals ruling in favor of the city.
The ban was enacted in 1983, but faced renewed enforcement in 2010, after Los Angeles officials held a September town hall to address complaints of homeless people living in vehicles on streets in the Venice area of the city. City officials repeatedly said at the meeting that the "concern was not homelessness generally, but the illegal dumping of trash and human waste on city streets that was endangering public health," the ruling said in the factual background.
The Los Angeles Police Department then created the Venice Homelessness Task Force, made of 21 officers to cite and arrest people living in cars, as well as distribute information about local shelters and social services. During their training, task force members were told that "an individual need not be sleeping or have slept in the vehicle to violate" the city ban, and that the LAPD officers should look for "possessions normally found in a home, such as food, bedding, clothing, medicine, and basic necessities." They were to offer a warning for the first violation, a citation for the second and make an arrest on the third.
In reality, the various members of the task force interpreted their enforcement duties in different ways, making it "incompatible with the concept of an evenhanded administration of the law to the poor and to the rich that is fundamental to a democratic society."
"Is it impermissible to eat food in a vehicle? Is it illegal to keep a sleeping bag? Canned food? Books? What about speaking on a cellphone? Or staying in the car to get out of the rain?" Judge Harry Pregerson wrote for the panel. "These are all actions plaintiffs were taking when arrested for violation of the ordinance, all of which are otherwise perfectly legal."
One of the plaintiffs in the case, Steve Jacobs-Elstein, lost his home in 2007 and began living in his car. When he was told by a police officer of the city's ban in 2009, he looked up the ordinance, and began parking at motels and other private property.
In September 2010, he was parked on a public street in front of a church, waiting for its food distribution program to open, when two task force officers ordered Jacobs-Elstein out of his car, searched it and gave him a citation. They did not give him any information on social services. The same officers later arrested him in October 2010. They, along with other members of the task force, repeatedly yelled at him and searched his car over the course of several months. It was not until January 2011 that Jacobs-Elstein received any information on complying with the city's law.
"Yet Jacobs-Elstein soon discovered that this information was not helpful to him," the ruling said. "It provided information only on RV parks, where Jacobs-Elstein could not park his car, and shelters, where he could not keep his belongings during the day."
Jacobs-Elstein was joined by three other plaintiffs: Chris Taylor, Patricia Warivonchik and William Cagle. In October 2010, Taylor was issued a warning during his first interaction with the task force. He was subsequently arrested in December 2010, despite showing officers proof he had slept in a shelter and not in his car. In November 2010, Warivonchik was driving the RV she lived in to a local fair where she planned to sell artwork when she was pulled over for not using a blinker and given a written warning for living in the RV. Cagle was arrested in October 2010 because his van contained clothing, bedding, boxed foods, bottles of medicine and a portable radio. When he explained to the arresting officers that he was not sleeping in his vehicle, he was told that sleeping is not the only criteria for violating the ordinance.
Although the plaintiffs attempted to comply with the law, "there appears to be nothing they can do to avoid violating the statute short of discarding all of their possessions or their vehicles, or leaving Los Angeles," the ruling said.
"This broad and cryptic statute criminalizes innocent behavior, making it impossible for citizens to know how to keep their conduct within the pale," Pregerson wrote in the ruling.
The ban "is broad enough to cover any driver in Los Angeles who eats food or transports personal belongings in his or her vehicle," the court said. "It appears to be applied only to the homeless."
Carol Sobel, the lawyer for the group of homeless people, told KCRA that she hoped the ruling would force other cities within the 9th Circuit to amend their statutes against sleeping in vehicles.


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This walkthrough is for Myst Online: Uru Live
What am I supposed to do here?Where can I find clues to solve Minkata's puzzle How do I determine which way to go? How do I figure out how far to go in any direction? I keep hearing music! What does it mean? What do I do once I find a kiva? I'm trapped inside the enclosure! How do I get out? How do I get back to the enclosure when it's night time? I finished all 5 courses. Now what do I do? What rewards are there to find in this age?
Minkata book as it appears on your Relto bookshelf
In late May, 2007 the DRC opened an age called Minkata to exploration. Its linking book is located in Ae'gura on a pedestal on the left side of the Library's upper level.
There is a leather-bound journal next to it on the pedestal that contains important clues for solving Minkata's puzzle. Before linking to Minkata download a pdf file of the Journal and print it for future reference. The linking book and journal are present in the library of the neighborhood instance of Ae'gura as well as the public instance.
It will help you in Minkata to turn on shadows if you do not use them. As you move around in Minkata, consider using your keyboard's up and down arrow keys to walk forward and back, and your comma and period keys to move left and right. This helps assure that you maintain a constant direction as you walk or run. It will also help to activate the preference to Go to Where I Click. Do this by selecting the spanner (wrench), selecting navigation, selecting advanced, and checking the box for Go to Where I Click.
Minkata, a D'ni word meaning heavily-scarred, is said to have been a training age for members of the Guild of Surveyors. Surveying Minkata must have been a challenge even for experienced surveyors. To say Minkata is windswept is an understatement. Constant winds whip sand into the air obscuring sight of all objects but those closest to you. Your objective in Minkata is to locate specific objects in the Age, then carry out actions on these objects. There are two reward objects to collect.You link into Minkata near a large cage made of animal bones and rope. Hide covers the top of it and inside it there is a large, oval stone inscribed with Bahro symbols and the English words "Find Your Path in the Stars." The stone has a jagged, but clean, split down its long axis.
When you arrive, the first thing to do is look around and take stock of your environment. The top of the cage is a good place from which to do that. As you walk toward the cage, notice that you leave tracks in the sand for a short period of time. About halfway around the cage from the link-in point the ropes are closer together forming a ladder. Climb to the top of the cage and look around.
From this vantage point, as far as you can see there are flat-topped, more or less circular or oval mounds that are brown at the top and white on the sides. These are eroded remnants of younger rock or sediment that once covered Minkata's surface. Through time, sand suspended in the air by strong winds has scoured the surface, leaving behind only the areas of sediment most resistant to this scouring.
In several directions you see flags of various colors tied to long animal bones — surveyors' markers left to disintegrate in the blowing wind and bright sun. Look carefully and you should be able to see six flags from the top of the cage in addition to those that are attached to bones that form the cage. Also in the distance among the mounds you will see a few large bones. All of these objects are reference points. It will be helpful to sketch on paper the locations of the flags and bones in relationship to the cage and to one another.
There are several things to observe about Minkata that will make your exploration easier. The first thing to note is that Minkata has three suns. Were you to return to Minkata at various times over a period of days, you would see that they are always in the same location relative to the link in point, the cage and the flags. The planet is in a stationary orbit relative to all three of its suns. This observation is a very important to your successful completion of the journey on Minkata because it means your shadows always point in the same direction.
Next, as you are standing atop the cage, look down at the surface to see a compass rose. A compass rose is a circle that shows the principal directions that are printed on a map or a chart.
We see them all the time on maps we use. Typically they have two intersecting lines marking the primary directions, north, south, east and west, and typically the direction to north is indicated by a longer line or being noted with the letter N. Often there are additional intersecting lines on a compass rose to indicate the directions NE, SE, SW and NW, and perhaps still more lines marking the direction to NNE, ENE, ESE, SSE, SSW, WSW, WNW and NNW. These relationships are illustrated here.
By convention, on Earth (and for convenience, on Minkata), north is designated 0 degrees and the numbers increase clockwise: 90 degrees becomes east, 180 degrees becomes south and 270 degrees becomes west. Note that there are 20 points on Minkata's compass rose, making each point on it 18 degrees.Notice that you cast three shadows of varying length and intensity; one from each sun. The shadows are easier to see when you are on the sand. The longest and darkest shadow always points north because the center, brightest, lowest sun is almost directly south. When you are facing north, the shadow to the right points 18 degrees northeast through the first purple arrow to the right of north. When you are facing north, the shadow to the left points 306 degrees or 54 degrees west of north through the second purple arrow on the left. The numbers are not as important as noting through which of the arrows your shadows pass.What else do you see from the top of the cage? Now you can see that the red flag in the sand closest to the cage is due north of it. Turn west (left) to face two green flags. Turn left again to see what look like purple and orange flags located southeast of the cage. Turn left again and, if you are very patient and wait until some dust clears, you can barely make out a flagpole located northeast of the cage. It is far enough away that you may not be able to see its flag through the dust cloud.Jump off the cage and walk to the closest red flag. It bears two inscriptions: the symbol of the Guild of Surveyors that is identical to the one in the center of the compass rose and a D'ni number, 125. Turn and run to the green flags to see that they bear the symbol, but lack numbers. Turn back toward the cage and run to the orange flag that is now to its right (SE). You may have to wait for a lull in the winds to see it. It bears the symbol and the D'ni number 625. Turn right (south toward the lowest sun) and run to the flag in the distance. There is a symbol, but no number on it. Turn back north toward the cage. All you see is sand. You know you just ran south, so you could retrace your steps back to the north to return to the orange flag, but if you are patient and wait for the wind to drop, you can just make out the orange flag through the dust and, to the left, you can see the two green flags. The point is that you can see distant objects even in Minkata's dust storm if you are patient and observant. As you run back toward the orange flag you'll eventually see the bones of the cage rising above the densest portion of the dust cloud. Return to the cage.
There is one more visible flag to check; the one that is located east north east of the cage. Run to it. It is a purple flag with a symbol, but no number. Turn and use your footprints to retrace your steps to the cage. Watch for its bones to appear above the dust cloud.We have surveyed the obvious features and objects in the immediate vicinity of the cage. Next let's look at the clues in Minkata's journal. At this point you may want to explore the age to get a feel for the land. Should you get lost you can use your Relto book to return to the island and from there come back to Minkata to start again. You may be lucky enough to stumble across one or two of the locations you seek. Many of us have done that.
Minkata's Journal
Open Minkata's journal or refer to the pages you have printed. Look at the first numbered page to see familiar objects: four compass roses and a flag with the number 125. Also note the numbers 625 and 3125 that are printed on the page. You've seen a flag bearing the number 625, so this must mean there is a third flag somewhere bearing the number 3125. A future task may be to locate that flag.
Examine the compass roses. They look very similar to the one at the top of the cage, except that each has a long, green arrow pointing in some direction and each has a number associated with it: 360, 556, 442 and 420. You would be correct to reason that the four compass roses on the journal page labeled 1 (one) indicate directions and distances you should travel to reach a destination.
Look at the other pages in the journal; note that in all it contains five separate courses that you must follow to find certain spots in the Age. Each course is laid out in several legs (like a golf course). You must go the correct distance at the correct compass heading to complete each course and reach a destination.
Finding all five destinations is the first part of solving the puzzle. Walking or running all of the legs accurately is difficult, but possible, after finding a practical way to calculate distance.
DistanceReturn to Minkata and use the surveyors' flags to calibrate distance. Two of the three flags are close by; one of them 125 units away and the other 625 units away. It is not important what the units are, though it has been speculated that they may be 1/25 of a shahfee. A shahfee, which translates to "span" in English, is a unit of D'ni distance equivalent to about 13.3 feet or 4 meters.Using the flag numbered 625 will give you more accurate results. Stand at the center of the compass rose on the cage and press your caps lock key so you will run. Have a timing device handy: a stopwatch or a watch with a sweep second hand or a digital watch with a timer. The only tricky part of this calibration is the rope ladder toward which you will run. Your avie will want to climb down the ladder, so you will have to jump as you reach the edge of the cage to avoid doing that. Repeated trials with male and female avies give a time of 26 seconds to reach the flag labeled 625. Try it to get your own value. Rounding to the nearest second is ok.Next try this "time and compass method" for the first course that has four legs. Calculate the length of time you will need to run along each leg of the course. Using 0.0416 seconds for each unit of distance, that comes to: 15 seconds for leg 1, 23 seconds for leg 2, 18 seconds for leg 3 and 17 seconds for leg 4. Remember to use your shadows to identify the direction you need to run each time. You should plot this course on paper before you begin. Not only will it speed your journey toward the destination, it will provide a clue for future use. Times are from the center of the compass rose on the cage.
Please turn on the sound for the movie above.
If you have calculated correctly and run the course correctly, you will reach your destination — a kiva or deep hole in the desert. You can see it from a distance because as you approach, its top looks white rather than brown. Walk away from it and look back to see what it looks like compared to a normal mound. Remember the way it looks from a distance! Being able to do so is a useful skill to have! As you approach the kiva you hear reward music in the zone between the last waypoint in a course and the endpoint. It is an audible cue that you are approaching your destination.
Climb down the ladder into the kiva to see what is in it. You find: a circle of large tusks, bones, the symbol from the surveyors' flags, a spool of rope, open boxes - some with remnants of flag material, and straight ahead of you, a Bahro stone identical to the one in the cage, also bearing the phrase in English, "Find Your Path in the Stars". Touch the center of the stone. The zigzag pattern at the center glows and you link somewhere.You appear to be in the same kiva, but light and sound have changed. Climb out of the kiva to look around. It is night and the sky is incredible! There are two prominent spiral nebulae, billions and billions of stars and five prominent constellations. Could one of them be the path to follow? Look around closer to the ground to see the cage in the distance, now appearing broken. Walk or run to it. The ropes are gone and some of the large bones have fallen down so you can approach its Bahro stone. Touch it and this time the entire pattern at the center glows and you link back to the previous state: daylight Minkata and an intact cage.To leave the cage you have two options - use your Relto book to go there and then return to daylight Minkata, or touch the stone again returning to nighttime Minkata, go back to the nearby kiva Do the latter now. Touch the stone to return to nighttime Minkata and go back to the kiva.
Nighttime MinkataWhen you plotted the course to this kiva (kiva 1) you created a course plot on paper that resembles a zigzag. When you touched the Bahro stone the zigzag portion of the pattern glowed and you linked to nighttime Minkata. Look at the five bright constellations in the night sky from a position on the surface next to kiva 1. Do you see one that resembles a zigzag?
What to do next is not obvious. Click on the zigzag constellation to set a course; walk toward it. This only works if you are using Go to Where I Click. If you don't use that preference, just turn and start walking toward the constellation. Keep walking until something happens. At a point along your path you will see a floating Bahro glyph — a zigzag and four circles, usually a short way left or right of your path. You are likely to be closer to it if you do use the Go to Where I Click preference option. Walk through the floating glyph. When you do, the zigzag constellation moves in the night sky. Turn to watch where it goes. When it stops moving, the floating glyph will move off in the same direction. Look near the planet's surface. The constellation has stopped just above the cage and the floating glyph has moved toward the cage. Now you know how to find your way back to the cage at night after you have found each kiva.
Congratulations! You have completed the first part of Minkata's puzzle. There are four more destinations to find, rewards to find, and that flag labeled 3125 to find. You can do those things now or you can read below another way to locate the kivas using vectors.
With each kiva located and bahro stone touched, the glowing glyph in the cage changes to resemble the pattern at the center of the stone (see the map). When the pattern is complete, walk through the glyph to be transported to a Bahro cave with a single rotating stone and the zigzag and circle pattern on the cave wall. Touch the pattern to have the stone moved to your Relto and jump into the void to follow it.
For your reference here are details of the courses to the five kivas that to use with the "time and compass" method of locating them.
For an individual Minkata courses map with plot points, click on the image above (PDF file)
VectorsThere is a more direct way to locate the five destinations. Each compass rose gives data for a vector - a concept in physics and mathematics that is represented by a line that has direction and magnitude (distance in this case). A useful property of vectors that have a common point of origin, as these do, is that you can draw them end to end in any order and generate a single, straight line pointing toward the destination and with its length giving the distance to it. This result is called the vector sum. The center of the compass rose is the common point of origin for our vectors.Try it for yourself with the four compass roses from the first course. You will need paper, pencil and a protractor. Paper with a square grid and a protractor make the job easier, but they aren't essential. And it does not matter what scale you pick for distance as long as all of the lines fit on the paper you use. Here's what to do.Identify a starting point on the paper. Note that the first compass rose identifies a vector pointing 153 degrees for 360 units, the second one identifies a vector pointing 18 degrees for 556 units, the third one identifies a vector pointing 36 degrees for 442 units, and the last one identifies a vector pointing 270 degrees (west) for 420 units. The vector sum is a line pointing 20 degrees (NNE) for a distance of 581 units. You can draw the vectors in any order and each time the vector sum is the same — a line pointing at 20 degrees for a distance of 581 units.Climb to the top of the cage, stand at the center of the compass rose and turn until you are facing 20 degrees (northeast). Remember to observe your shadows before you move forward so you can reorient yourself should you need to. Run forward and jump off of the cage at a point next to a large bone. It takes 24 seconds, approximately 80 running steps from the base of the cage, to reach kiva 1.Here is the vector sum information you need to reach all five destinations:
Click on the image to download the complete full size Minkata map (PDF file)
1. 20 degrees — (northeast) for 24 seconds. Distance is 581.2. 104 degrees — (east southeast) for 103 seconds. Distance is 2483.3. 319 degrees — (northwest) for 82 seconds. Distance is 1975.4. 213 degrees — (southwest) for 116 seconds. Distance is 2792.5. 273 degrees — (west) for 91 seconds. Distance is 2179.
You will not hear reward music if you approach a kiva along a vector unless you happen to cross a location between the last "time and compass" waypoint and the kiva. Whether you use the time and compass method or the vector method to reach the five kivas, you should plot the course to them on paper as doing so provides essential clues. Although you can plot the vectors in any order, you should plot them in a specific order to obtain the clues. D'ni books are read from left to right and so is the information in this journal. As you plot a course, begin with the compass rose in the upper left and work your way systematically down the page to the lower right.Repeat this process at each of the five kivas, touching the Bahro stone in the cage each time you return to it. Gradually the glowing glyph changes to resemble the pattern at the center of the stone. When the pattern is complete, walk through the glyph to be transported to a Bahro cave with a single rotating stone and the zigzag and circle pattern on the cave wall. Touch the pattern to have the stone moved to your Relto and jump into the void to follow it.You have completed Minkata's puzzle with the exception of locating the rewards. Be sure to return to Minkata to collect the rewards and to listen to Tim Larkin's wonderful music.
There is a pair of hiking boots and an oversized soccer ball to be found as rewards, but no Relto pages. The hiking boots are located in the kiva 4 in nighttime Minkata. The soccer ball can be found day or night by running for 30 seconds due south of the kiva 4.
To find the yellow flag labeled 3125, run due east of the cage for 30 seconds. Make a north pointing line in the sand by using the comma key to make a guide line in the sand, turn and run along that bearing (north) for about 126.5 seconds. Using the vector method this is a bearing of about 13 degrees (northeast) for 130 seconds.
Written by Lial. Coordinates and data calculations by J'iim. Photographs by J'iim and Ayli. Instructions on how to use Minkata Journal by boblishman. Movies by J'iim. Design by Ayli.


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Dean & Jerry – What Might Have Been
September 21, 2019 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
One event on September 19, 2019 at 8:00 pm
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One event on September 21, 2019 at 7:00 pm
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Derek Marshall and Nicholas Arnold bring their own brand of wacky humour to their tribute of the legendary comedy team that dominated television, radio and nightclub stages in the 1950s, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Enjoy timeless hits such as Everybody Loves Somebody, You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You, Volaré, That's Amoré and Rockabye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody. The comedy schtick and storytelling of these two terrific entertainers will take you through a real-life story that begs the question… what if they had never split?


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Follow KRLD: Facebook | Twitter
Republicans have driven President Donald Trump's choice for health secretary through a testy Senate in a party-line vote.
The 52-47 roll call early Friday means Georgia GOP Rep. Tom Price will head the Health and Human Services Department. He'll help lead the Republican push to erase President Barack Obama's health care overhaul and the administration will likely issue regulations aimed at curbing the law.
It was the Senate's fourth consecutive contested vote for a Trump Cabinet secretary. Partisan battles for Cabinet posts are usually rare, but the first weeks of Trump's presidency have seen little collegiality between the two sides.
Price is a veteran House member and orthopedic surgeon who Republicans call a knowledgeable pick for the job. Democrats say he's an ideologue whose policies would snatch care from many Americans.
(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Ok, so I am a little late in getting around to this. I know, I think it is purely denial, I mean why would google actually get rid of google reader?!?!?
Let me repeat, Google Reader is going away :-(
Yes, it is true and if I don't get my act together, you won't be able to follow me after July 1st
Please make sure that whichever reader you decide on, you follow my blog:
Quilling, Art and Expression (http://quilling.blogspot.com/)
You may have noticed I added a new icon / link to allow you to easily follow via BlogLovin' .... The truth is that I'm not sure which I like better, BlogLovin or Feedly, so why did I add the BlogLovin' link you may ask? There was a super easy to follow link that added the code to my blog for me - you know, the easier the better and you cannot get easier than that.
My friends, I hope that you are able to convert over (I actually have an account with both) and I'll see you on the other side of no more google reader - lol :-)
One last thing.... If you subscribe via email you shouldn't have to do anything, and I haven't changed anything else.
Have a WONDERFUL day!
Quilling, Paper Filigree or Filigrana. Tons of free instructions and patterns for quilling, card making, tea bag folding, and paper crafts can be found here. Silhouette cut files too. Quilling is an art form that dates back to the Renaissance and involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to make intricate designs. Come join us for an adventure and meet some talented artists too! Love Unconditionally, Laugh Uncontrollably, Live Unexpectedly Free!
Friday, June 28, 2013
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Birthday Card and some Linky Parties
The weather can't decide what it wants to do these days, it is rainy, hot, cold, dry, you name it.
I made this birthday card for a co-worker whose birthday happened to fall on a business trip we took recently. I'm glad I took a picture of it before our trip because it didn't travel well, it was a wee bit squished when we arrived - lol.
While I was contemplating what to make, I made my rounds around blog-land and decided to follow the sketch from this weeks Sweet Stampin Challenge Blog to inspire my card.
So what do you think of my interpretation of this sketch? To make it more fun, I decided to try some colors I don't use very often and added some fun dies and followed my inspiration muse. I added the Pink "ribbon" to soften up the card.
I am participating in the following challenges:
- Sweet Stampin Challenge Blog - Sketch Challenge - Follow the sketch; keep it simple, dress it up as much as you like so long as we can see the layout on your creations
- Make it Monday #144 b - with Nicecrane Designs - Ignacio is generously providing a $20 gift voucher to our winner! to be in the running to win the prize from our sponsor this week just leave a comment for another entry. Be sure to mention you saw them on Make It Monday
I used my Marianne Designs - Creatables Die on this card because I hadn't used them before :-)
I hope you have a wonderful day!
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How will be our planet if it has a ring? I found this interesting video on the web that I wanted to share with you. Surprisingly I wrote this 7 days ago and apparently forgot to publish it.
Find below the video.
Interesting isn't it? I think it is amazing that people are now able to create such animation. They are extremely useful to help us explaining in a classroom what is the Roche limit, and how does the effect of the tilt of the planet act on the season.
On a completely irrelevant topic, I have some great news! I am going tomorrow to Cleveland, OH to meet my colleague John Dankanich at the NASA Glenn Research Center. We will discuss the design of a space mission to study multiple asteroid systems. I am giving a talk at the Fall AGU meeting to present this mission. This is an interesting development in my career and I really appreciate this great opportunity. More news soon…
Franck M.
Really nice video !!! I appreciate to learn sth.new like – what is Roche limit – from your blog. Looking forward to hear some news from you about "Space mission to study multiple asteroid systems".