This FAQ is primarily aimed at mod users rather than mod makers, but as such it addresses a lot of basic issues about how users will play a mod, and thus serves as a good introduction to mods in general.
This FAQ is intended to be a living document, so I frequently update parts of it and add new material. If you're trying to find information about Oblivion mods or mod-making, it's worth checking here to see if I've added something about it.
The latest updates are always posted to the CS Wiki version first (it's a lot easier to edit and also easier to navigate because it has a functioning Table of Contents), so you may want to check there if you can't find what you're looking for in this version.
Also, several German translations have been done -- one by Katan, Crow, DWS and another by the TES.info team.
If you have any ideas, suggestions, or corrections you'd like to contribute, please see the thread: How to improve the Oblivion Mods FAQ. Many thanks to everyone who contributed feedback in the draft thread (which has now expired) and the improvement thread. It is greatly appreciated.
How can I avoid corrupt downloads?
Can I get these mods on my Xbox-360?
The official patch broke my mods! What should I do?
What are mods? Are they the same as plug-ins, patches, or expansions? What do they do? Will they mess up my game? What else do I need to know before using them or making them?
Mods are modifications of the original game.
The terms "mod" and "plug-in" are interchangeable (in other words: yes, they're the same). Patches and expansions are not the same, however. Patches are official files intended to correct errors in the original game, and expansions (Tribunal, Bloodmoon) add official content to the game.
Some mods add content (such as new weapons, NPCs, quests, clothing, faces, buildings, etc.), and others seek to balance issues in the original game, such as making items or NPCs either more or less powerful. Still others seek to improve upon what was already in the game in various other ways.
Mods for Oblivion are a lot less likely to cause game-breaking problems than with Morrowind, due to major improvements in the way the game engine handles mods. This doesn't mean mods can't cause problems. It does mean that Oblivion mods can almost always be removed safely if you decide you don't like them.
Before using mods, you'll need to decide what kind you want to play. No one can answer that for you, so don't bother asking very broad questions on the forums such as "Which mods should I download?" It's fine to ask for other members' opinions on specific mods you're thinking of downloading, though.
Note: Many veteran players recommend that you not use many (if any) mods if you haven't yet played the game through at least one time. You can always replay later with mods installed, and you'll be better able to recognize what the mods added to the game. On the other hand, if there are things you don't like about the original game, chances are that someone has already made or is working on a mod to change that aspect of the game.
While many players only run a few simple mods that change some basic elements of the game, many other players run 50, 100, or even 200+ mods at once, dramatically altering and expanding numerous aspects of the game, as well as adding thousands of new weapons, armor, spells, NPCs, creatures, companions, dungeons, and quests. Oblivion is capable of running roughly 250 mods at one time, depending on your system, so the possibilities are almost limitless.
If you're ready to go get some mods, see the section "Where can I find good mods?" (below).
And for those new to using mods, don't forget to also see "How do I install mods?".
If you think you're ready to try your hand at making a mod, the first thing you should do is see "How do I make a mod?"
If you already know something about what you're looking for (like the author's name or a keyword like "armor"), then your best bet for finding a mod is probably Buddah's List o' Links Online since it includes mods from all the major hosting sites. You can also download Buddah's List o' Links as an offline XL spreadsheet.
BallOfFire's Oblivion Modlist -- a good recent list of mods that all work well together.
The Oblivion Quest List (TOQL) -- a guide to good quest mods.
The Oblivion Texture Overhaul (TOTO) -- a web site focusing on texture replacers.
A's List of Recommended Mods by Aelius.
red.room.service mod listing (focusing on realism & immersion).
SD's House Tweak Mod List -- house tweaks for "vanilla" Oblivion houses (see the related thread for updates).
Optimizing Oblivion v3.0: Into Modblivion (by Ashton Mills, aka Martigen, at Atomic MPC).
TESNexus -- Previously known as TESSource, this site is by far the largest database of Oblivion mods. Mods are uploaded by their creators with little or no intervention or review by the site's moderators. Downloads are free, as with all such sites, but the paid membership option offers some great extra features and is worth considering.
PlanetElderScrolls -- This site has fewer mods than TESSource, but all of the mods are checked by moderators before being released. Many people make the mistake of thinking PlanetElderScrolls requires you to pay for a membership. This is not true. It's not necessary to pay for access to PlanetElderScrolls -- they just make it a bit tricky to spot the free options. You just need to sign up for a free account and then when you go to download a mod, the list of download mirrors sites will pop up. All of the first ones you see in the list are paid-only premium servers, but if you wait a minute for everything to finish loading and scroll down to the bottom, you will see where the free servers are listed. The free servers work great.
ElricM and TES File Front -- These sites are smaller than the first two, but they host some excellent mods, often ones you can't get anywhere else. ElricM doesn't offer paid memberships, but they do accept donations via PayPal and Amazon. TES File Front appears to be supported entirely by advertising.
Also, bridgepiece has written an excellent guide on how to avoid Fake/Malicious Mods.
This depends largely on where the mod came from and how it was packaged.
The Bethesda official mods come packaged with an automatic installer that does everything for you. Once you've downloaded the .exe for an official mod, just double-click it to launch and follow the prompts. However, if you are using a 64-bit version of Windows, the official mod installer will not work.
Fan-made mods normally require a bit more involved process to install, unless they come packaged as an .omod file, in which case the installation process is very easy but requires an extra tool called Oblivion Mod Manager.
Regardless of whether a mod is already packaged as an .omod file, using Timeslip's Oblivion Mod Manager (OBMM) is perhaps the easiest way to install mods. It also lets you uninstall mods and all their related files very easily (something that's not always easy to do with mods installed manually). If you already have an OMOD, all you have to do is select it in OBMM and then click the Activate button. If the mod isn't available in OMOD format (most mods are not, unfortunately), then you'll need to create an OMOD for it yourself unless you want to install it manually (you can find instructions for manually installing mods in the next section of this FAQ).
Creating your own OMOD may seem intimidating at first, but it's really very simple after the first few times.
Browse to the mod archive you want to convert and open it (this will import the files from the selected archive).
Check to make sure the data files were added with correct paths (switch to the Data Files view and make sure the file paths start with "Meshes\", "Textures\", etc.
Fill in any blank fields (most are optional, except for name and version).
If the mod includes optional files, or isn't organized correctly, you'll probably need to extract it to a temporary folder somewhere, rearrange it correctly with the options you want to use, and then use add folder instead of add archive. Alternately, if you're really ambitious and have some scripting experience, you can attach a script to the OMOD so it will prompt you for the option choices during Activation.
Once you've created the OMOD, simply select it and click the Activate button. That's it! The mod files will be extracted into the proper place and any required plugins will be enabled.
Later, if you decide you don't like the mod, you can simply select the OMOD again and click the Deactivate button -- OBMM will disable and uninstall the mod (removes all the files it installed).
Unfortunately, most of the early tutorials written about OMOD creation have expired from ESF, but LHammonds' web site devoted to OBMM has several excellent OMOD tutorials. If you want to do more advanced things with OMODs, LHammonds also offers a very good introduction to OBMM scripting.
If you'd rather install mods manually, Apy has written a good beginner's guide to Installing Oblivion mods (includes screenshots). For a more detailed explanation of this process, read the next section of this FAQ.
How do I avoid corrupt downloads?
Q. I keep getting corrupt or incomplete downloads. Why can't I download this? Can you host it somewhere else?
There are quite a few very large mods for Oblivion, and a lot of players seem to have trouble downloading them.
If you're having trouble downloading a large mod file, especially when the download consistently dies just before finishing, chances are that it's your firewall causing the problem. Temporarily disable the firewall, download the file, then re-enable the firewall. You should also check to make sure you have enough free space on your boot drive (where the temp file is kept during the download) and wherever you're saving the file. Using a Download Manager is also a very good idea, and may be critical for some really huge mods.
With very large mods, it's a good idea to use a download manager. Among some critical features like the ability to resume downloads when connections are lost, download managers also claim to speed up downloads by opening up multiple connections. The idea is that if one connection is good, then 5, 8, 10 or even 20 simultaneous connections must be terrific. This probably isn't really the case most of the time since the limiting factor is probably your connection speed. However, download managers are critical when attempting to download very large files. Some work better than others.
Because it's a lot easier to find things there than under "Program Files\etc".
If you're not sure where you installed it, one easy way to locate the folder is to go to your desktop, right-click on the Oblivion icon, select Properties, and select the Shortcut tab. The path to your main Oblivion directory is shown in the "Start in" box.
This is the final destination where you will put the mod files. Don't put anything there yet, though.
If you want to be able to easily revert to the unmodified version of Oblivion, you can make a backup of the entire Data folder at this point (assuming you have plenty of free drive space). Doing this will avoid the need to reinstall Oblivion if you ever have a major problem down the road. You may also want to consider installing the 1.1 patch before making the backup so you don't have to reinstall the patch either.
When you're ready to install a mod, you will need to download the mod archive to a temporary folder and extract it, so let's talk about that next.
7zip is favored by many mod makers because it can produce dramatically smaller files than the other formats. It's also free, open-source, and supports all of the other common formats, so if you want to cover all your bases with one download, get 7zip. This is a personal bias on my part. Many people will argue in favor of one of the other tools.
Some archive programs will also let you use a right-click method of extraction, with simplifies the process. In this case, download the mod to your temporary directory, then right-click it to see what options you have. You should see a menu choice for the archive program, and under that a submenu (or "context" menu) that says something like "Extract Here" or "Extract to ...". I find this method significantly easier to use once you get used to it.
In either case, you'll need to extract (i.e., "unzip") the files to the temporary folder. Then open that folder and you will see either exactly the items you need, or you may have to dig down a bit further.
However, you might have to keep digging down a bit to find this stuff, so if you don't see a structure like that, then open any other folders you find until you get to the "Data" folder with those items in it.
Select all of these items -- except ArchiveInvalidation.txt, which we'll deal with in a minute -- and copy/paste or drag them into your Oblivion "Data" folder (described in Step 1 above).
If you already have some of these folders, Windows will prompt you with a warning about files with the same name. Click "Yes to All".
That's it! The mod is installed. Just a few more details and you're ready to go.
Oblivion normally gets all of its media assets (artwork, spoken dialog, music, etc.) from within a few large .bsa files rather than in individual folders (such as Meshes, Textures, Sound, etc.). The original game and official plugins use these .bsa files (it stands for Bethesda Softworks Archive). These .bsa files are organized internally just like your "Data" folder is.
Although fan-made mods are starting to use .bsa files more often, most mods still place individual meshes, textures, etc. into folders within your "Data" directory. This isn't a problem for new items added by a mod, but it can be a problem for some "replacer" mods that alter original game items. For example, some of the most popular types of mods are "armor texture replacers" and "landscape texture replacer" mods that improve the look of the game by replacing the original "stock" textures.
Normally, this isn't a problem since Oblivion is designed to automatically load any meshes, textures, etc. that it finds in your Data folder, as long as the timestamp (Modification Date) on each of these files is more recent than the timestamp on the original .bsa files. Since the .bsa files are older, items in them get replaced by any newer items with the same name that exist in your Data folders.
In some cases, however, this doesn't work correctly. It now seems fairly certain that this is caused by a bug in Oblivion's ArchiveInvalidation system itself. After more than a year and several official game patches, it seems unlikely that Bethesda will ever correct this bug. This means you will have to use one of several workarounds if you want to install any "replacer" mods.
Further details on this subject, as well as extensive testing results for ArchiveInvalidation problems in general, can be found in the article ArchiveInvalidation Explained (the ESF threads on the topic have expired).
BSA-alteration: This was the first true solution to the problem. It is widely used, very reliable, fairly simple, and most Oblivion mod users are by now familiar with using it. The disadvantages are that you must use one of several external tools (not a big deal since you probably need one of these tools anyway), you must update the BSA changes after installing or removing any replacer mods (although most of the tools will do this in an automated way), and you must remember to remove BSA changes before applying any of the official patches from Bethesda.
BSA-redirection: This is a new solution discovered very recently. Although not yet widely used, this method has advantages that will probably make it very popular going forward. The big advantage of this method is that it does not require any external tools (although it does require you to install some files and you may want to use a tool to help you configure it) and once it's set up, you can pretty much forget about it (no intervention is required after adding or removing any replacer mods).
BSA-invalidation: This was the first solution discovered, and as a result was the most widely used method for a long time. However, it has severe limitations and problems and is rarely used anymore because of this. Unfortunately, many early mods still recommend this solution, so lots of users get fooled into thinking it's a good idea. In fact, it's a terrible idea under most circumstances and the only way to make it work reliably is to also use BSA-extraction (see below). You should avoid this method if at all possible.
BSA-extraction: This solution works well for mod creators (who often need to have the source files extracted from the BSAs anyway). However, it has major disadvantages for mod players and because of this it is not discussed in any great detail here.
Next we'll examine these methods in a bit more detail.
BSA-alteration requires Wrye Bash (as of version 0.60) or one of Timeslip's excellent utility programs: Oblivion Mod Manager (OBMM version 0.7.10 or later) or BSA Patcher. What Wrye Bash, OBMM and BSA Patcher do is to sidestep the ArchiveInvalidation problem by making Oblivion think it never had a copy of the textures you are replacing.
In other words, these utilities edit your Textures BSA so that Oblivion cannot find the original version of texture files you have replaced, thus forcing the game to load the replacements instead of the originals.
Manual update: Click the Update button after adding/removing replacers. This also works on any replacers you already have installed manually or via another program (like OBMM).
Automatic update: Check the Automatic checkbox. The Textures BSA will be automatically updated whenever you add or remove a Replacer. Only works for texture mods installed/removed using the Replacers tab.
You should probably make a backup of your BSA files if you have the space (or a DVD-burner) just in case, but so far nobody has reported any corruption issues.
Wrye Bash requires Python 2.5 and wxPython 2.8.0.1 ANSI to work.
Click the Update button under Archive invalidation.
Note that Wrye Bash checks to make sure you don't already have any active BSA alterations from OBMM or BSA Patcher before allowing you to use this feature.
OBMM will keep track of which files have been renamed in your BSAs and provides a Remove BSA edits function to rollback any changes it has made to your BSA just in case you don't like the results. You should probably make a backup of your BSA files if you have the space (or a DVD-burner) just in case, but so far nobody has reported any corruption issues. OBMM supports a more complex set of options for BSA Alteration than Wrye Bash does, but none of these extra options are necessary. Only textures need invalidation.
OBMM requires .NET 2.0 to work, so if you can't run .NET 2.0 then you'll need to use BSA Patcher instead.
4. Click Directly Edit BSAs.
6. Check Generate archiveinvalidation entries on hash collision.
7. Check autoupdate on exit and/or click Update Now.
8. Close the Archive invalidation popup (click the red X in the upper-left corner).
9. Quit OBMM or click Launch Oblivion.
Here's a screenshot of the exact options to use in OBMM 0.7.11: Recommended OBMM settings for ArchiveInvalidation.
You can try different settings if you want, but these are known to work. You do need to make sure to check the box for Generate archiveinvalidation entries on hash collision, since that setting is critical. Using the above settings in OBMM will take care of everything for you.
If you didn't check the box for autoupdate on exit, then you'll need to click Update Now after each new mod you install.
BSA Patcher is a standalone program that will run with .NET 1.1 or with mono for those who don't have .NET 2.0. Like OBMM, it will rename textures in your BSA files if you also have the same texture in your Data folders. It does not offer all of the configuration options found in OBMM, but it will get the job done. The latest version (as of this writing) uses the same BSA alteration code from OBMM 0.7.10 and is vastly easier to use than previous versions.
You should probably still make a backup of your BSA files before using it just in case, but nobody has reported any corruption problems so far.
BSA Patcher automatically invalidates ALL replacement files, regardless of type. This is not really necessary, since only textures have a problem loading, but it does get the job done.
Put BSAPatch.exe into your Oblivion\Data folder and double-click it once to rename textures in your BSA. Run it again to restore them to their original names.
You can find more information, guidelines and updates on BSA Patcher and OBMM in the ESF thread: ArchiveInvalidation Revisited.
This method works by tricking the Oblivion game engine into using its bugged ArchiveInvalidation method on the wrong BSA file. By doing this, it allows all files in the main Textures BSA to be reliably superseded by any more recent files found in your Textures folder.
To do this, you'll need to either use a BSA file that came with some other mod to be your DUMMYFILE.bsa (any BSA file containing at least one texture should work), create one yourself using a tool like BSA Commander (you only need to put one texture in the BSA), or install a mod specifically designed to do this, such as ArchiveInvalidation Invalidated!.
Note that this solution relies on date precedence to override the BSA. This is generally not a problem, since most mod files are more recent than the standard Bethesda ones. Still, if you run into problems with some textures not loading, you may want to check the dates on the files. All replacement files must be dated more recently than the associated BSA file. If they're not, you can either give the BSA an older date or give the replacements a more recent date. Useful tools for doing this include FileDate Changer (for changing specific dates on specific files) and RTouch (for recursively changing the dates on a lot of files).
If you don't use BSA-alteration or BSA-redirection for some reason, then the only way to convince Oblivion to load these problem textures from the individual folders rather than from the .bsa files is to specifically force it to do this by creating a special file called (you guessed it) "ArchiveInvalidation.txt".
The ArchiveInvalidation.txt lists the relative path (from the "Data" folder) of texture files you want to replace the default artwork shipped with the game.
As a result of the extensive testing reported in the ArchiveInvalidation Explained threads, we now have very clear information about how ArchiveInvalidation works and how it fails to work. Suffice to say that it can get extremely complicated.
My current best practice, based on the above-mentioned research, is that ArchiveInvalidation.txt should only list just the DDS textures from the original game that are being replaced by individual files in your Data folders. In other words, this means it should only contain entries for texture replacement mods. No meshes, sounds, or voices should be listed.
Be aware, however, that many earlier approaches recommended listing ALL your moded meshes/textures/etc. in ArchiveInvalidation.txt, regardless of whether they replace anything from the original game.
If you do use any texture replacement mods, there is a high probability you will need an ArchiveInvalidation.txt file listing these replacements (if you don't use the OBMM's "Directly Edit BSAs" feature). Without it, chances are that many of Bethesda's default textures will continue to be loaded. Also, if you have bad entries in your ArchiveInvalidation.txt file, or even in some cases if your ArchiveInvalidation.txt file is perfectly correct, you may see items in the game appearing purple or even invisible.
Given all these warnings, if you still want to try using an ArchiveInvalidation.txt file, there are several fan-created tools that will generate these file listings for you automatically.
ElChE's Oblivion Automatic Content Validator 1.0.2 (also called Automatic Content Validator) will create an ArchiveInvalidation.txt file for you automatically, and it also does some other very useful things like making sure all of your meshes have valid texture paths. Be sure to get 1.0.2 or later because it adds the option to only generate listings for replacer files. You may need to manually remove any meshes from the list it generates.
Oblivion Mod Manager, which we mentioned earlier, also has an excellent set of options for automatically creating the ArchiveInvalidation.txt. This process executes automatically every time you quit from OBMM or use OBMM to launch Oblivion. Make sure to get version 0.7.8 or later.
If you prefer to create ArchiveInvalidation.txt by hand, this will work fine, but you can probably guess that it will quickly become a huge problem to maintain all the file listings if you try new replacers very often.
If you do create it by hand, here's what you need to do.
Create a text file named "ArchiveInvalidation.txt" in your main Oblivion folder. This is not the "Data" folder, but is one level up from that, in the same folder with OblivionLauncher.exe and Oblivion.exe. The reason for placing it here is primarily to avoid accidentally overwriting it when you install a new mod.
Note that textures whose names end with "_g.dds" and "_n.dds" don't need to be listed. Other DDS files that don't need to be listed include those in the Menu directory and those in "icon" directories.
If your replacer mod came packaged with an ArchiveInvalidation.txt file, you can copy and paste the contents of the lines of that file into yours. If you do this, be careful not to accidentally paste over any lines that you've previously added for other replacer mods.
Don't believe it. It's a great urban legend, but it doesn't work.
If you are using Wrye Bash, then you can activate your new plugin ESP and ESM files from the Mods tab.
If you are using Oblivion Mod Manager, either with or without .omod's, then you can activate your mods using the ESP list on the left.
alphabetical listing of all the .esm and .esp files you have installed.
Regardless of which method you use, you must make sure the plugins you want to use are checked with an "X" using one of these tools. The Oblivion.esm file must always be checked. The others shown in this list (usually .esp files) will represent whatever mods you have installed.
If you did everything correctly, you should have no problems with your newly-installed mod.
You can launch the game and test it out now.
Note that if you play with a very large number of mods (i.e., more than 100), it's a good idea to keep most of your inactive mods somewhere other than in the \Oblivion\Data\ folder. Having a very large number of inactive mods in the Data folder can cause system slowdowns and crashes. You can just move them into a separate subfolder (i.e., "InactiveMods" or something similar). Wrye Bash includes a feature to help you "hide" such inactive mods.
The Official mods from Bethesda are available for the Xbox-360 via Xbox Live Marketplace.
Fan-made mods are NOT available for the Xbox-360.
Q. I installed the patch, how do I get my texture mods back?
The patch updates the compressed textures .bsa file, causing it to have a newer date than your texture replacement mods, and giving the textures in the .bsa file priority.
In OBMM, set the view to 'Load order', click on 'Oblivion.esm', then click on 'Move up' until it's back at the very top.
In Wrye Bash, click the Load Order column header to sort your mods by Load Order, then click on 'Oblivion.esm' to select it and type Ctrl-UpArrow to move it back to the top of the list.
It's inevitable that the more mods you use, the greater the chances some of them will clash. While mods that address different areas of the game are, for the most part, clearly compatible, it's not so simple for mods of similar intentions, due to the way the game handles its data structures.
For example, if you want to use "Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul" but prefer a different rate of skill leveling as provided by the "Level Rates Modified" mod - how does Oblivion handle the conflict?
Quite simply actually - the last mod loaded takes precedence. So if you did want to use the skill rates that "Level Rates Modified" provides, simply ensure it's loaded after Oscuro's. And how do you do this? Glad you asked.
Oblivion loads mods by order of date. Ensuring a mod is 'newer' than another causes it be loaded last, and thus take priority.
The problem with this is that the mod selector under 'Data files' in the Oblivion launcher lists mods alphabetically - good to find and choose the mods you want to use, but doesn't tell you the order they are loaded in.
The best way to see the load order - and more importantly, re-order them - is to use one of the excellent fan-made tools for managing your mods.
For Oblivion Mod Manager, you'll need .NET installed, but it's well worth it. From OBMM, you can simply click the 'Load order' view, select the mod you want to move, and then use the 'Move up' or 'Move down' buttons to re-order them. You can also right-click on a mod and select Move to Top or Move to Bottom.
Be sure to get the latest version of OBMM (0.9.16 or later) since earlier versions had a problem with the Load Order View failing to sort masters (ESMs) and plugins (ESPs) properly. ESMs always load before ESPs, but OBMM's load order view wasn't reflecting this fact until Version 0.9.16 or later. You can also export a copy of your load order and then reload it later if something goes wrong or you just don't like the way things are working with your load order changes.
For Wrye Bash, you'll need Python and wxPython installed, but it's also well worth the hassle. From the Mods tab, sort your mods by Load Order (click the Load Order column header), then select a single mod and type Ctrl-UpArrow or Ctrl-DownArrow to change its position in the list.
If you run a lot of mods, need to change your load order a lot, or install frequent updates, it's arguably easier to use Wrye Bash to manage your load order. First, it properly sorts masters (ESMs) and plugins (ESPs). It provides a Lock Times feature that keeps mods "locked" into their place in the list (much like an automated version of OBMM's Export/Import Load Order). This means that if you install some new mod updates, you don't need to worry about the load order because as soon as you launch Wrye Bash it will instantly reset your plugins back to the dates they had the last time you arranged them. It also lets you Ctrl-Click to select a whole group of plugins at once and then change the dates for them all at the same time (right-click in the list of selected mods and then pick file->redate). This is extremely useful if you need to move a whole bunch of files up or down in your load order.
It's perfectly fine to use both OBMM and Wrye Bash, but be careful if you use Lock Times in Wrye Bash and then change the order for some things in OBMM. If you use both programs and you want to alter the order of your mods in OBMM, you should first disable the Lock Times option in Wrye Bash or it will revert your changes the next time you launch it.
See General Load-Order Guidelines for more detail on which types of mods should go where in your load order.
Probably the best tool to use for exploring overlaps between mods is TES4View. This utility will let you easily see how multiple mods interact and override each other, as well as giving you a quick view of the changes that a plugin makes. It lets you browse a graphical record tree of your active plugins, revealing the values set by most record types and comparing overlapping changes from each active plugin.
TES4View also has a sibling, TES4Dump, which produces a text report with most of the same detailed information.
and look at the list. Don't worry about 'green' or 'yellow' warnings. Mods crossing data entities here are compatible unless they edit the exact same object (such as a location on a map), which is rare. The conflicts to look for are those in red - these are the ones where only one mod or the other can have its changes go through, and again the mod loaded last will stick.
If it looks a little overwhelming, follow this guide: as the leveled list mods like Osucro's or Sagerbliv's are the most important with regards to balance, load these mods last with the exception of specific changes you want to make to them - as with the example, using a mod like Level Rates Modified to set skill rates or the TF_time mod to make days last longer. This way you get the best of both worlds.
Lots of players make the mistake of getting overly worried about red conflicts, so this is worth restating. Stop worrying so much!
When you have conflicts, even red ones, it just means that two mods are changing the same thing and the last one will get precedence over any earlier ones. OBMM lists mods in the order they load, and you can easily change the load order using the move up or move down buttons (behind the scenes, OBMM is changing the dates on the files to alter the load order).
It is fairly rare to find conflicts that actually break anything. The conflict report is mostly useful for tracking down problems where a mod is not working the way it's supposed to work because a later mod changes the same thing. In this case you just have to decide which behavior you prefer and then move that mod down (later) in the load order so it gets precedence by loading last. If you really want to use conflicting changes from more than one mod at the same time, check to see if anyone has released a compatibility patch to make the mods work together, and if not you may be able to merge the two mods together using ScripterRon's TES4 Plugin Utility.
For more details on this topic, see Understanding Mod Conflict Reports by Martigen and motub.
Many people have experienced problems with losing stuff they had previously acquired after installing a new mod or updating an existing mod. This happens because Oblivion savegames keep track of items based in part on the load order and based in part on the mod filename.
If you've been playing with some mods for a while and then add a new mod or update an existing one, this may change the load order (a new mod may have an older date than mods already in the list, or an updated mod may have a newer date than the previous version. Frequently, mod .esp filenames include a version number, which helps you and the author to keep track of which version is old and which version is new, but it also means that the filename will change when you replace an existing mod with an updated .esp file.
Changing the load order of a mod does not seem to have much effect on whether Oblivion can keep track of that mod, so generally this is not a problem. However, changing the filename of the ESP will almost always cause Oblivion to lose track of previous data for that mod. This means the game will lose track of which mod an item came from, your progress in a quest added by a mod, or even worse, which mod added a storage container that you've stored a bunch of stuff in. If this happens, the items in question may disappear from your inventory or from a storage container.
Load order is critical for making sure you get the changes you want when more than one mod changes the same thing(s), as noted above in the "Load Order and Conflicts" section. Since the "Data Files" selector you get when running the default OblivionLauncher.exe lists mods alphabetically, you have no way of knowing what the load order is without using an external tool or using Windows Explorer to sort your "Data" folder by date.
This is yet another powerful argument for using a tool like Wrye Bash or Oblivion Mod Manager. They can list mods in load order. OBMM also automatically adds new mods to the end of the load list so they don't mess with your existing load order, although this feature can be problematic when installing updates to mods you already have. OBMM and Wrye Bash also make it easy to move mods up and down in list so you can make sure that an update to an existing mod gets moved into the same position previously occupied by the old version. They both also let you keep a version number for the mod without having to include it in the .esp filename.
Mod-makers should avoid the practice of naming mods with a version number, because users installing a mod update that has an even slightly different .esp filename is a surefire way to make their savegame lose track of any related data (such as loot they won or items they stored in cells or containers added by the mod). Most of the time, keeping the same .esp filename on all versions of a mod will prevent lost data even if the load order of the .esp file changes.
Note: You can use Wrye Bash to rename the masters of your savegame, and thus move from an older to a newer version of a mod whose name has changed without losing any data.
If you forgot to use BSA-alteration, or you're trying to use only an ArchiveInvalidation.txt file and it does not contain the proper entries, or is in the wrong location, etc., you may notice that some or all of the textures you installed with a mod will not work properly. This usually shows up as items becoming invisible or appearing purple when playing the game. See the section How do I install mods? in this FAQ for more information.
If you're still having problems with invisible, purple, or black items, please see ArchiveInvalidation Explained.
Oblivion is a very resource-intensive game and many different factors can cause it to run slowly even on a very powerful computer. If you're having FPS (frames-per-second) or other performance problems, or just want to get the most you can out of the game, the best bet is to read Koroush Ghazi's Oblivion Tweak Guide. It's by far the most comprehensive guide to Oblivion performance tuning I've found.
Q. Help! I just installed a bunch of mods and now everything is in Spanish! How do I figure out which mod is causing this problem so I can disable it?
If you're having problems with an item, building, NPC or any other object in the game, you can easily find out which mod (if any) has added or changed the object by using the Beta Comment file. Note that if more than one mod has changed the object, only the changes made by the last mod to load will actually affect the object, so it will be the one this technique will find.
Double-clicking this file will usually open the file in Notepad.
1) Start Oblivion and find the mystery object.
2) Open the console with the ` or ~ key, or whatever key is specific to your locale.
3) Click on the object so that you see its name and reference ID (eight hexadecimal characters, ie "001C8F02") at the top of the screen.
bc "This object should not be here"
5) It's a good idea to include the name of the object in the comment so you can use this as a search string later.
6) Press Enter and you should see Beta Comment added.
Go into the main Oblivion folder, the one where the game program and Data folder lives.
9) There will be a file there with the name you chose above (i.e., MyBetaComments.txt in the example.) Open the file in Notepad.
8/15/2006 (10:12)	Oblivion.esm	5/19/2006 (14:42)	MyName	SomeOutdoorCell (8,3)	38235	14531	1508	"This looks fine"
8/15/2006 (10:13)	PrankMod.esp	8/12/2006 (15:30)	MyName	SomeIndoorCell	-1914	682	-80	"This object should not be here"
Anything with the source Oblivion.esm is from the original game and hasn't been altered. Anything that has been altered by a mod will list the name of the problem mod, in this case the fictional "PrankMod.esp".
Unfortunately this may not always tell you which mod altered something from Oblivion.esm. Also, the spot where you would normally see the plugin name may be blank if the object came from Oblivion.esm. This is particularly true for spawned creatures or other dynamic elements placed with scripts because the modindex will point to your savegame rather than a plugin (you can tell if this is the case when the FormID starts with "ff").
You can usually get around this problem if you included the name of the object in your comment. Having the name or even part of the name will let you easily search through your plugins for this name using a free utility like WinGrep.
That's it! Now that you've found the problem mod, all you have to do is disable it by unchecking the .esp file in your Data Files selector (and/or you can delete the .esp file itself if you're really mad by now). If you like the mod and want to see the problem fixed, you can always open the plugin with the CS yourself and try to figure out what's wrong, or you can report the problem to the mod creator (and/or the mod community if you can't locate the creator) using a discussion forum such as the one you're on now.
If you just can't seem to figure out the problem yourself, you can always post a request for help in your favorite mod forum. If you do this, however, be prepared to provide a complete list of the mods you're using and the order in which they are loaded. The easiest way to do this depends on which tools you have available.
If you have a recent version of Wrye Bash (0.80 or later), you can simply go to the Saves tab, right-click the savegame and select List Masters from the context menu. If you have an older version, you'll need to look in the lower-right corner of the savegame details panel, right-click on the header of the Masters list (the header label says "File") and choose Copy Masterlist. Either way, it will copy the load order list to your clipboard so you can paste it into Notepad or directly into your help request.
To do this with OBMM, you used to be able to simply export your load order, but this list is no longer easily readable in recent versions of OBMM. If you have OBMM version 1.04 or later, you can use the new view load order button to make this a lot easier.
Where <user> is your Windows login. You should be able to open this file in Notepad and copy/paste it into your help request, but it will be sorted alphabetically rather than by load order unless you use OBMM to set your load order (Wrye Bash doesn't sort it by load order).
This will create a new text file (C:\Mod_List.txt) containing a list of all your mods sorted by date. You can then open this file and copy/paste it into your help request.
The most important place to look for information about making mods, including many tutorials and how-to articles, is this very web site. The best tutorial to start with is Dtom's Modding Tutorial. You should also be familiar with Modding Etiquette. You may also want to check out bioxx's CS/NifSkope Video Tutorials. The best place to find help with the Construction Set is the official CS forum on the ESF boards.
If you're looking for technical details about the Oblivion file formats, fan-made tools, etc., you should definitely try the Oblivion Modding and Tech Support section of the UESP Wiki.
If you want to gain a better understanding of how multiple mods interact and override each other or just gain a quick view of the changes that a plugin makes, you'll definitely want to try ElminsterEU's excellent TES4View. It lets you browse a graphical record tree of your active plugins, revealing the values set by most record types and comparing overlapping changes from each active plugin. TES4View also has a sibling, TES4Dump, which produces a text report with most of the same detailed information.
If you're looking for information on how to create 3D meshes for use in Oblivion, the NifTools Wiki is the place to look. In particular, you should download the latest release of NifSkope, grab the latest mesh exporter for whichever modeling program you want to use, and find help on the Help Forums. Also, NIBlE will let you edit Oblivion meshes, as well as convert Morrowind NIFs to Oblivion NIFs.
Custom animations and completely original creatures are now possible in Oblivion thanks to the hard work of Tazpn and the NifTools team. XMarksTheSpot has written a great Basic Animation Tutorial for 3D Studio Max and Breeze582000 has written a tutorial on Importing Animations from Blender. Also, see animation tutorial, custom animations, mocap demo, and more animations. Also see Getting 100% Custom Creature Ingame. In an effort to make all this a bit easier, SnowFoxZA has created a command-line utility called NifBlend to help with exporting Blender animations to Oblivion .kf files.
If you need to merge several plugins into a single mod, copy records from one mod to another, or merge a mod into its master, then you'll need ScripterRon's TES4 Plugin Utility. This great tool will also automatically set up the silent MP3 files needed to keep dialog lines on-screen for more than a few seconds (when you don't have full voice acting done or the mod is still in development). An enhanced version of ScripterRon's original TES4 Plugin Utility is also available: TES4Gecko adds new functions for splitting mods into master/plugin components and comparing differences between two plugins.
Scanti has created a tool for generating EGM files (which are needed to resize hair and helmet meshes to fit various races) called The Conformulator. Lightwave has created TESport, a tool for porting landmasses and NPCs from Morrowind mods into Oblivion mods, and TEStroi, a tool for porting Oblivion worldspace landmasses back to Morrowind. Lightwave has also created TESAnnwyn, which will let you import and export 8/16/32-bit RAW files or 8-bit(Greyscale)/16/32-bit BMPs containing height map data to and from a 3D landscape in Oblivion and Morrowind.
The Oblivion Script Dumper takes an ESM or ESP file and extracts/dumps all of the scripts in it to a directory. It then creates an Index of functions, commands, spell effects and global variables with hyperlinks to the script files. The index and the scripts also have hyperlinks for the commands and functions back to the CS Set Wiki site. This becomes even more useful when working with Oblivion Script Syntax for EditPlus (includes syntax highlighting for OBSE functions).
Wrye Bash is a general mod and savegame management tool with several important special purpose functions. You can use it to: reorder your mods; sync your modlist to your savegame; get a load order list of your mods; switch between character profiles (different save/mod sets for different characters); import/exort player and NPC faces between saves and mods; relevel NPCs when adding/removing major releveling mods like Oscuros' or Francescos; rename masters of a mod or savegame; edit names of custom spells, enchantements, etc. in a savegame; delete spells from your savegame spell list; repair the animation slowing bomb; merge leveled lists; and more.
Both BSA Commander and Oblivion Mod Manager allow you to browse/unpack/create BSA files.
The TES4Files utility will automatically gather up all the resources (textures, meshes, etc.) used by your mod and package them up for distribution. It can also create a BSA file for your mod.
Several low-level record editors are now available for Oblivion: TESsnip, ObEdit, and TES4++.
The Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE) has created dramatic new possibilities for modding in Oblivion, including new combat moves, expanded hotkeys, universal ingredient sorters, polymorph (controlling a creature), etc.
Wz has released a GenerateFar utility, based on the NifTools NifLib, to automatically create low-poly Visible When Distant *_far.nif files. This will make it much easier for modders to make sure their houses/castles/etc. are visible from a distance.
ICUP has started a great List O' Tutorial Links, which, as the name suggests, provides an extensive list of modding tutorials. More recently, Logam has created an excellent list of Modders Resources, including free-source meshes/textures, tutorials, and FAQs.
If you're creating a mod that includes new dialogue, you can get voice acting help from The Voice (The Voice Over International Cadre), which replaced the now-defunct Oblivion Voice Actors Guild (OVAG).
If you need background TES lore, maps, etc., for your mod, check the The Imperial Library.
Mods you create should be packaged in a common format (see the list of archive formats) along with a readme file describing what it does and how to install/uninstall it. The Modding Etiquette page provides some good tips on how to package and distribute your mod. If you want to make it really easy for users to install your mod, you should consider distributing it as an OMOD. To get started creating OMODs, you should read the OBMM Manual, as well as Motub's Advanced Omod Creation Guide and lhammonds' Introduction to OBMM Scripting.
Another very extensive guide to playing mods is the OVERCLOCK.NET FAQ on Oblivion Modding by jamenta.
The most comprehensive guide to performance tuning is Koroush Ghazi's Oblivion Tweak Guide.
- and many others on the ESF forums and CanadianIce forums. Thank you all!
A lot of the material in this FAQ is based (at least loosely) on the Morrowind Mods FAQ, assembled by the ESF moderators with input from many others.
Special thanks to Archeopterix for first agreeing to submit this to the ESF administrators to try and get it pinned (and for answering many PMs from me on the subject), and to Blith Erring Idio for getting it pinned! Also, Grizz deserves a huge thank-you for pinning the FAQ on the CanadianIce forums.
I did manage to get permission from all the folks whose work I have mangled here, so a very special thank-you is in order for all of them. This FAQ wouldn't exist without all that great source material to draw from!
Rather than continue to maintain multiple, lengthy revision lists, I've decided to rely on the changelog from the CS Wiki version of this FAQ.
Edited by Cosmic-Banana, 23 September 2007 - 12:45 PM.
Could I get a download version for this, please? Reading material on screen is hard, as my eyes go woozy. It would be for myself, and would not be redistributed.
There's no downloadable version but you could go File | Print and get a hard copy that way.
Thanks. That will do nicely.


text:
Freight trains start moving out of China
Just a week after China's labour force has officially returned to work, the train schedules with westbound departures are starting to show some green marks. Several trains have departed, fully loaded on their way to Europe. At the same time, many others have been cancelled till the end of February.
The hubs of Hefei, Xiamen and Chengdu are most likely to see train departures, Jacky Yan already said last week. Representing Chinatrans International, he and colleagues are gathering all information to provide the industry with real-time possibilities to ship cargo out of China.
Chinese East coast
Indeed, the Hefei-Neuss train departed on time on 13 February, and the next one is scheduled to depart to Hamburg on 19 February. From The Xiamen, a train moves to Hamburg, Duisburg and Malaszewicze on 22, 26 and 29 February. As the latter city is located on the Chinese east coast, it is a suitable intermodal link for cargo coming from Japan or South East Asia. «We can take cross-border shipments from Southeast Asia and Japan as well», noted Luther Zengh from Chinatrans International.
This last fact is good news for companies able to shift to these markets for its product sources. «Some customers, such as car manufacturers, are changing sourcing to other parts of China or even Korea and Vietnam.That is already happening and proves to be a good solution. A car manufacturer in Europe cannot afford to wait for its car parts from China to finish a product, it will look for other sources,» said Igor Tambaca from Rail Cargo Bridge in an earlier webinar.
Chengdu and Chongqing
But also from the central hubs of Chengdu and Chongqing several trains are departing. From Chengdu to Lodz in Poland departures are scheduled on 22, 26 and 29 February. To Tilburg in the Netherlands a train leaves on 23, 26 and 28 February and to Nuremberg in Germany on 27 February.
Also from Chongqing the main hubs of Duisburg, Hamburg and Malaszewicze will be served with departures on 23, 26 and 29 February. However, cargo can only be picked up from within Chongqing city location. In Chengdu, the first mile limitations are also apparent: cargo is only picked up from within within Sichuan province.
In many other hubs, train departures have been cancelled until the end of the month. The train from Zhengzhou has been cancelled for the entire month of February and will resume running on 1 March. The next train from Xi'an and Yiwu is on 29 February in both places. In locked down Wuhan, no train traffic comes and out, a situation that is likely to last for a while.
The problem in most provinces remains the first and last mile transportation. Miłosz Witkowski from IFB International Freightbridge (Poland) noted that around 80 per cent of the truck drivers in China have not resumed to work as normal since the holidays. «FCL and LCL pickup from South and East China has to be seen case by case, bases on the cargo details and specific address, his China office had reported.
According to Zheng, the pick up of goods works better in South China than in the East. From places such as Guangdong, Fujian, this works OK. This region is less impacted, but haulage is much more expensive due to a lack of drivers», he writes, noting that inland train traffic from South China to Xi'an and Chengdu is another option.
«The pick up in Eastern Chinese provinces and cities( Jiangsu, Zhejiang) is extremely difficult, or not even possible. Haulage is insanely expensive due to a lack of drivers and road restrictions», he adds. Yan last week explained that truck drivers are checked by number plate, ID, body temperature and permits, with each city having different conditions for each city of origin.
Europe Subnational entities of the PRC Legal regulation Guangdong Sichuan Chongqing
www.railfreight.com
Swiss subsidies for rail freight remain in place till 2026
Rail transportation Tariffs Legal regulation Subsidizing
Freight train to Duisburg launched
Source: Sohu
Germany Guangdong Dostyk-Alashankou
Beijing throws its weight behind VGM regulations
China Sea transportation Legal regulation
This interactive map shows the impact of the coronavirus / COVID-19 crisis on the production of motor vehicles for each of the 27 EU member states plus the UK.
Source: European Automobile Manufacturers Association
Automotive engineering Legal regulation EU Great Britain
China–EU shippers turn to rail after ocean capacity cuts
Exporters of Chinese goods to Europe are scrambling to shift cargo shipments from ocean to the China—Europe rail land bridge, as ship slots become scarcer due to capacity cancelations from container lines in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Source: JOC.com
China Europe COVID-19

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
i can tell by the look in your eyes rod stewart
D C One look in your blue eyes and suddenly my heart can't tell you no. I can tell by your eyes That you've probably been crying forever And the stars in the sky don't mean nothing To you, they're a mirror. [Chorus 2] Did you see an error? Maggie May Lyrics: Wake up, Maggie / I think I got something to say to you / It's late September and / I really should be back at school / I know I keep you amused / But I feel I'm being used / Oh [Chorus 3] You made a first-class fool out of me
[Outro] I want to receive notifications about featured artists and news. And get on back to school In 1971, while working on his third solo album, Rod Stewart met guitarist Martin Quittenton, and they conceived of the song during an impromptu meeting at Stewart's home in London, and later refined it after recording the melody and a few phrases during a demo session Morgan Sound Studios in London. Oh, Maggie, I wished I'd never seen your face "Maggie May" is an embellished retelling of a tryst Rod Stewart had with an older woman in 1961. It's late September and
And make a living out of playing pool Just to save you from being alone ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
I suppose I could collect my books [Chorus] C D G D/F# Em I don't wanna talk about it, how you broke my heart. I was 16 and just coming out of my beatnik phase, wondering whether I should become a Mod. But I feel I'm being used Just to save you from being alone [Guitar Solo] I don't wanna talk about it How you broke my heart If I stay here just a little bit longer If I stay here, won't you listen to my heart? Oh, Maggie, I couldn't have tried anymore Copyright: Unfortunately we're not authorized to show these lyrics.
"Maggie May" topped Billboard's Hot 100 chart for 5 weeks. Oh, Maggie, I couldn't have tried anymore I'll get on back home one of these days, ooh, ooh, ooh. In adition, 'Stewart has joked that if a DJ hadn't flipped the single over, he'd have gone back to his old job: digging graves.', Il Mistero Dei Bulli by Elio e le Storie Tese, Maggie May (Live VH1 Storytellers) by Rod Stewart. Em D Still I want to hold you, touch you C Em When you look at me that way. [Instrumental Interlude]
Her name wasn't Maggie May, but the experience I had with her would influence the writing of the song 10 years later. (Official Music Video)
Are you sure you want to delete this playlist? I can tell by your eyesThat you've probably been crying foreverAnd the stars in the sky don't mean nothingTo you, they're a mirror, I don't wanna talk about itHow you broke my heartIf I stay here just a little bit longerIf I stay here, won't you listen to my heart?Oh, my heart, If I stand all aloneWill the shadows hide the colors of my heart?Blue for the tears, black for the night's fearsThe stars in the sky don't mean nothingTo you, they're just a mirror, I don't wanna talk about itHow you broke this old heartIf I stay here just a little bit longerIf I stay here, won't you listen to my heart?Oh, my heartMy heartOh, my heart, Music begins with lyrics © 2003 - 2020, 2.9 millions of lyrics Made with love in Belo Horizonte - Brazil. The concert was held on the lawns of an estate owned by Lord Montagu, who was a big jazz fan. Wake up, Maggie That don't worry me none Kesha's 2017 track "Woman" was the first song titled "Woman" sung by a woman to reach the Hot 100. You stole my heart, but I love you anyway Lyrics Terms of Use, Unfortunately, we aren't authorized to display these lyrics. You led me away from home The prior "Woman" singles to reach the chart were all recorded by male acts. The morning sun, when it's in your face [Verse 2]
To lend a guiding hand You wore me out
You led me away from home Sir Roderick David Stewart CBE (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock singer and songwriter. But you turned into a lover, and mother what a lover! © 2020 METROLYRICS, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. It was a transitional period for me with days of much confusion… That afternoon, we snuck into the festival through a large runoff pipe and eventually made our way to a beer tent. Rod Srewaret summed it up in one sentence: more or less a true story about the first woman I had sex with.
Later, Stewart listened back to the demo tape after the session, and pieced together the rest of the lyrics from there. In my eyes, you're everything I really should be back at school It also went #1 in Australia, Canada, and the UK. The woman's name was not Maggie May, and Stewart says the song's title is taken from "'Maggie Mae,' an old Liverpudlian folk song about a prostitute." Contrary to the character in the song, Rod Stewart did not return to school and instead continued to pursue his career in music.
Or steal my daddy's cue You led me away from home
Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. You stole my soul and that's a pain I can do without Oh, my heart. [Chorus 4] Stewart is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold over 250 million records worldwide. And in the morning kick me in the head That needs a helping hand 'Cause you didn't want to be alone My love you didn't need to coax
Or find myself a rock & roll band I think I got something to say to you [Verse 1]
All you did was wreck my bed Send us your revision. Really shows your age If I stand all alone Will the shadows hide the colors of my heart? There, I met an older woman who was something of a sexual predator. I was a virgin, and all I could think is, 'This is it, Rod Stewart, you'd better put on a good performance here or else your reputation will be ruined all over North London." But it was all over in a few seconds. And for the first time I am looking in your eyes For the first time I'm seeing who you are I can't believe how much I see when you're looking back at me now I understand what love is, love is for the first time Can this be real Can this be true Am I the person I was this morning and are you the same you It's all so strange How can it be [Verse 1] G Am I can tell by your eyes, D G that you've probably been crying forever. [Verse 3] One thing led to the next, and we ended up nearby on a secluded patch of lawn. Rod Stewart recalls the circumstances that inspired the song: In July 1961, a few of my mates and I went off to the south of England to camp out at the Beaulieu Jazz Festival. Am D And the stars in the sky don't mean nothing, G to you they're a mirror. But I'm as blind as a fool can be Lyrics to 'I Don't Want To Talk About It' by Rod Stewart: 8 Things You Didn't Know About Drake; XXXTENTACION - SAD! [Verse 4] G You're crazy if you think just half your love C Could ever please me. I know I keep you amused [Chorus 1] NEW SONG: AC/DC - "Shot In The Dark" - LYRICS, HOT SONG: 21 Savage x Metro Boomin - "My Dawg" - LYRICS, NEW SONG: Rod Wave - POP SMOKE - "MOOD SWINGS" ft. Lil Tjay - LYRICS, NEW SONG: Shawn Mendes - "Wonder" - LYRICS, The 18 Greatest Revenge Songs of All Time. Maggie, I wished I'd never seen your face Are you sure you want to exit without saving your changes? The morning sun when it's in your face really shows your age But that don't worry me none in my eyes you're everything I laughed at all of your jokes my love you didn't need to coax Oh, maggie I couldn't have tried any more You lured me away from home, just to save you from being alone You stole my soul and that's a pain I can do without
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Diane Lucille Meyer, PhD, has been a professional artist and fine art educator since 1975. She received her doctorate in psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology with a specialization in Creative Expression. Her dissertation research focused on transformation through the creative process. Diane brings experience as a facilitator in creative and conscious aging and is focusing her current research on creativity and artistic language.
Diane began her career as an exhibiting artist in Chicago at the Jan Cicero Gallery. Her watercolor paintings are presently displayed nationally and housed in over 25 distinguished corporate and museum collections.
She is a Jill Mellick Creative Expression laureate for 2017, Sophia University, Palo Alto, CA.


The American military helicopter that crashed in Iraq Thursday hit a power line, U.S. officials said today, killing all seven airmen on board.
"This tragedy reminds us of the risks our men and women face every day in service of our nations," Brig. Gen. Jonathan Braga, director of operations, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, said in a coalition statement.
The HH-60 Pave Hawk crashed after striking a power line, a U.S. official told ABC News, an assessment made by the crew of a U.S. helicopter accompanying the HH-60.
The investigation is ongoing and has not ruled out other factors but there are no signs of hostile fire, officials said.
The names of the victims have not been released, pending notification of relatives.
The aircraft went down near al Qaim in western Anbar Province.
It's believed to be the first fatalhelicopter crash in Iraq since the U.S. began fighting ISIS there in 2014.
The incident occurs as the U.S. is shifting personnel and resources out of Iraq and into Afghanistan, as the war against ISIS in Iraq has wound down in recent months.
Two Americans have lost their lives in Iraq this year in non-combat related incidents.
There are approximately 5,262 U.S. service members in Iraq, according tothe Pentagon.


text:
Review: An American in Paris Cinema Screening, The Hospital Club
Following a recent run in the West End at the Dominion Theatre, hit musical An American in Paris arrives on the big screen next week.
This charming, lavish musical, scripted by Craig Lucas and inspired by the Oscar-winning film starring Gene Kelly, tells the tale of hope, love and achieving your dreams in a post-war Paris.
After a chance encounter, former American GI turned aspiring artist Jerry Mulligan (played by Robert Fairchild) becomes enamoured with Parisian Lise Dassin (Leanne Cope), a perfume shop assistant and ballerina who dreams of following her mother's footsteps and becoming a star. What Jerry doesn't know is that he's not the only one battling for her affections – his close friends, Adam (David Seadon-Young), the show's narrator and a talented, struggling composer; and wannabe singer Henri (Haydn Oakley) are also smitten with the young woman. In turn, American heiress Milo Davenport (Zoë Rainey) has taken a shine to the artist. She commissions Adam to write a ballet starring Lise, with Jerry designing the set.
With music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, the musical features old favourites including "I Got Rhythm", "S Wonderful" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me" which, combined with Bob Crowley's colourful costumes and dazzling set bringing to life the City of Light, means that the show doesn't really put a foot wrong.
Directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, the feel-good musical includes energetic, memorable ballet, jazz and tap routines ('I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise', complete with tuxedos, sequins and step kicks, is a particular highlight) that will leave the audience with "fidgety feet" and wanting to dance in the aisles. The show takes a gamble too at times, with the final fifteen minutes or so purely a ballet routine, but it pays off and if anything highlights the enviable talents of its leading couple.
American in Paris features a stellar company of more than 50 dancers, singers and actors, including Jane Asher, who plays Henri's strict but amusing mother and commands every scene that she's in. Fairchild is perfect as the charismatic yet persistent (a little too persistent at times) artist, and his almost effortless dancing is a joy to watch, while Cope sparkles as the graceful, elegant Lise, who has to choose between her head and her heart. The pair have the perfect chemistry, which truly shines through during the final ballet scene, and their singing voices are equally as impressive. But it's Seadon-Young who steals the show with his commanding, poignant performance as the witty yet sensitive narrator – his personality endearing to the audience, and his dry humour on the mark.
An American in Paris boasts a talented cast, slick choreography and toe-tapping tunes. Who could ask for anything more?
This review was originally written for Love London Love Culture. To read the original, click here.
Published by kherrington83
View all posts by kherrington83
an american in paris, cinema, london, Love London Love Culture, musical, review, theatre
Review: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Drayton Arms Theatre


text:
Q: How can I remove an extension for an Azure scale set I know I can remove extensions for Azure Virtual machines, however how can I do the same for an Azure Scale Set deployed with RM?

A: I would imagine that using the Remove-AzureRmVmssExtension Powershell cmdlet is the easiest way. I was unable to find any real examples, but I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be very hard.
Reference:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/azurerm.compute/remove-azurermvmssextension?view=azurermps-4.0.0

A: You could use Azure CLI 2.0 to remove VMSS's extensions. You could use the following command.
az vmss extension delete --name
                         --resource-group
                         --vmss-name

I test in my lab, you could refer to the following examples.
1.List VMSS extesnion.
root@shui:~/.ssh# az vmss extension list --resource-group shuivmss --vmss-name shui
[
  {
    "autoUpgradeMinorVersion": true,
    "id": null,
    "name": "customScript",
    "protectedSettings": null,
    "provisioningState": null,
    "publisher": "Microsoft.Compute",
    "settings": {
      "fileUris": [
        "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Azure/azure-quickstart-templates/master/201-vmss-custom-script-windows/scripts/helloWorld.ps1"
      ]
    },
    "type": "CustomScriptExtension",
    "typeHandlerVersion": "1.8"
  }
]

2.Get extension name and remove it.
az vmss extension delete --name customScript --resource-group shuivmss --vmss-name shui

More information about az vmss extension usage please refer to this link.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


…from the willow we had to cut down just before Christmas (it was threatening to fall where it wasn't wanted). We keep the big bits of wood for our heating supply at the farmhouse and for Otter Cottage and Balebarn Lodge, but the small stuff we sometimes have to burn. Not this time though – we're using it to top up the brash pile near the corner pond (where we usually see the first frogspawn). It's a good habitat for overwintering creatures including lizards and newts. And in spring blackbirds will probably nest in the loose branches – hopefully far enough in to be away from predators.


edition to standard sized 5.5x8.5 paperback.
This is one of the main books from which Lockyer and Myers drew their information (also available).
- Voices from the Edge of Eternity (1968; 2012 printing) John Myers, 256pp., pb., 15.00 + P&H.
2000 printing) Herbert Lockyer, 240pp., pb., 14.00 + P&H.


text:
News Zimbabwe
Displaying items by tag: Zimbabwe
Livetouch Investments plans Zvishavane cement plant
Zimbabwe: Livetouch Investments plans to build a new 200,000t/yr cement plant in Zvishavane, Midlands Province. The first phase of construction will reach completion in mid-2024 and cost US$20m. When subsequently commissioned, the plant will create 300 new jobs. The Chronicle newspaper has reported that the upcoming plant is situated close to Livetouch Investments' existing limestone resources.
Livetouch Investments' mananging director Kyle Wang said that the company is building the plant in order to reduce Zimbabwe's reliance on imports of cement, notably via Zambia. Zimbabwe already has a cement capacity of 2.6Mt/yr, but a cement demand of just 1.6Mt/yr.
Children burnt at PPC Zimbabwe cement plant
Zimbabwe: Three boys aged 11, 12 and 14 were injured at PPC Zimbabwe integrated Colleen Bawn cement plant on 13 January 2023. Two of children reportedly jumped into a dump site at the plant and sustained second-degree burns from hot material, according to News24. The third child suffered burns whilst trying to help the other two. The children are in a stable condition. The dump is reportedly quarantined from the local community. An investigation is ongoing.
Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe suspended from Zimbabwe Stock Exchange
Zimbabwe: Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe has secured a suspension on trading in its shares on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange until April 2023. Chronicle News has reported that the Holcim subsidiary requested the suspension, in which to 'address in-house challenges.'
The producer assured the market that this latest development 'will not in any way affect business, amid consideration of various courses of action, with a view to protecting the business and the interests of all stakeholders.'
Lafarge acquisition notice delay leads to new audit rules
Zimbabwe: Companies registered in Zimbabwe are now subject to a new penalty framework under which they will face a US$14,200 fine for failure to publish audited full-year accounts within 90 days of the end of the year. Additional fines will accrue at a rate of US$100/day for the subsequent 30 days or less, whereupon the regulator will take further action. Business Weekly News has reported that the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe (SecZim) enacted the new rules after Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe failed to fully disclose its acquisition by Fossil Mines in December 2022.
Update on Zimbabwe, January 2023
Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe (LCZ) received an unwelcome present before Christmas when the US Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) placed the company buying it on its economic sanctions list. OFAC made its announcement on 12 December 2022. However, the cement producer said that its parent company, Associated International Cement, had concluded its sale of a 76% stake in LCZ to Fossil Mines on 6 December 2022. Local press reports that the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange halted trading in the cement company on 23 December 2022. Then, LCZ said on 29 December 2022 that the OFAC sanctions had "impacted some processes" within it. It added that it was considering various courses of action to protect the business and the interests of all stakeholders.
OFAC took action against Fossil Agro, Fossil Contracting and the group's chief executive officer, Obey Chimuka, due to alleged links to a previously sanctioned individual, Kudakwashe Tagwirei, and his company, Sakunda Holdings. OFAC said that Tagwirei had "materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical, or technical support for, or goods or services in support of, the Government of Zimbabwe." It accused him of using his relationships with government officials to gain state contracts, to receive access to currencies, including the US Dollar, and of supplying luxury items such as cars to ministers. It added that Chimuka was a "longtime business partner" of Tagwirei. Fossil Agro was also linked to a mismanaged agricultural subsidy scheme.
When a company says it has concluded a divestment or acquisition the expectation is that everything has finished. However, LCZ has admitted that the OFAC action has caused it some problems. We'll have to wait for more information to be released to appreciate the full extent of these 'problems.' However, it is worth noting that government capital controls caused delays for the handover of a new vertical cement mill ordered from China-based CBMI to LCZ in mid-2022. At the time it was reported that the cement producer still owed the supplier around US$5m but was unable to make the payment due to economic measures the government had taken to avoid depreciation of the local currency. Other potential issues could also lie in any continuing services or materials that Associated International Cement and its parent company Holcim might have agreed to supply to Fossil Mines in the future as part of the divestment deal.
Looking at LCZ's business more generally, in its third quarter trading update it said that revenue was down by 43% year-on-year due to suppressed cement and mortar sales volumes. Yet, this was due, in part, to a roof collapse at the company's plant in late 2021 and the commissioning and ramp-up of that new mill in the fourth quarter of 2022. So the company expects 'significant' recovery in its sales volumes in 2023. In a sobering aside illustrating the realities of doing business in Zimbabwe, it also mentioned that the local interest rate jumped to above 200% in July 2022! Despite all of this though, it noted that both residential and government-based infrastructure markets were driving market demand.
South Africa's PPC reported a fall in its cement sales volumes from its subsidiary PPC Zimbabwe in the six months to September 2022 with knock-on declines to revenue and earnings. It blamed this on a planned kiln shutdown, noted the negative role of hyperinflation and forecast that volumes would improve subsequently due to 'robust' cement demand. It pointed out that its earnings were hit during the maintenance period because it had to import clinker from South Africa and Zambia and that this was more expensive than locally manufactured clinker. The other thing that both LCZ and PPC raised were power cuts, although LCZ reported that unscheduled outages had decreased in the third quarter of 2022.
The growing demand for cement in Zimbabwe as reported by both LCZ and PPC helps to explain how Holcim was able to finalise a deal to sell its local subsidiary in 2022. Operational and financial hurdles such as coping with hyperinflation and power cuts show the problems these companies have also faced running a business in the country. Merger and acquisition deals in the cement sector often face travails as they are proposed, negotiated, made public and then put to the scrutiny of regulators. It seems unusual though for a divestment deal to run into problems after it has seemingly been closed.
Published in Analysis
Lafarge Zimbabwe divestment stalled by US sanctions
Zimbabwe: A deal by Fossil Mines to buy a 76% stake in Lafarge Zimbabwe has been stalled by the introduction of economic sanctions by the US Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC). In mid-December 2022 OFAC added Fossil Agro, Fossil Contracting and the group's chief executive officer, Obey Chimuka, to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list due to alleged links to a previously sanctioned individual, Kudakwashe Tagwirei, and his company, Sakunda Holdings.
OFAC said that Tagwirei had "materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical, or technical support for, or goods or services in support of, the Government of Zimbabwe." It accused him of using his relationships with government officials to gain state contracts, to receive access to currencies including the US Dollar and of supplying luxury items such as cars to ministers. It added that Chimuka was a "longtime business partner" of Tagwirei. Fossil Agro was also linked to a mismanaged agricultural subsidy scheme.
In a statement Lafarge Zimbabwe said that it was "considering various courses of action with a view to protecting the business and the interests of all stakeholders." The deal to sell a majority stake in the subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim was originally finalised in early December 2022.
Innocent Zulu Chikwata appointed as acting head of Lafarge Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Fossils Mines has appointed Innocent Zulu Chikwata as the acting chief executive officer (CEO) of Lafarge Zimbabwe. Willcort Dzuda has become the acting chief finance officer (CFO), according to the Business Times newspaper. The appointments follow the departure of Geoffrey Ndugwa and Amry El Moufay, as CEO and CFO respectively, following the acquisition of a majority stake in the cement producer by Fossils Mines in December 2022.
Chikwata worked previously as the sales manager and then the commercial director of Lafarge Zimbabwe since joining the company in 2017. He holds over 15 years of experience in the construction materials and consumer packaged goods sectors. Dzuda is a chartered accountant and registered public auditor. He holds 25 years of experience in auditing, consultancy and financial management.
Published in People
Lafarge Zimbabwe finalises deal to sell majority stake to Fossil Mines
Zimbabwe: Lafarge Zimbabwe has finalised a deal to sell a 76% stake in the company to Fossil Mines. The transaction is now set to conclude once the shares are transferred in exchange for the agreed price. The divestment by the subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim was first announced in June 2022. No amount for the transaction has been disclosed publicly.
PPC's earnings fall by 12% to US$42m in first half
South Africa: PPC's earnings fell by 12% year-on-year to US$42m in the six months to September 2022, excluding its subsidiary in Zimbabwe due to hyperinflation. In South Africa and Botswana the group reported higher sales in coastal regions due to less imports but tougher conditions inland that led to a 2.6% fall in cement sales volumes. Despite this, it raised its revenue through price rises. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 29% to US$29.9m. Performance was better in Rwanda where its Cimerwa subsidiary increased its sales volumes by 11% and its EBITDA by 63% to US$14.5m. PPC Zimbabwe's sales volumes declined by 13% due to a planned kiln shutdown in the first quarter and margins were negatively affected by the use of imported clinker primarily from PPC South Africa and increased maintenance costs. However, sales volumes improved in the second quarter. EBITDA fell by 48% to US$8.59m.
Roland van Wijnen, the chief executive officer PPC, said, "The PPC group continues to deliver sound cash generation and deleverage the balance sheet despite difficult trading conditions in its core South African and Botswana cement market, offset by positive trading conditions in its Zimbabwe and Rwanda operations. To maintain volumes in the South African and Botswana cement markets, sales price increases were limited to 5% in the period under review. Key input costs, especially those related to fuel and energy, increased at double-digits in percentage terms."
Chinese cement producer imports Zimbabwean coal
China/Zimbabwe: A cement producer in China has imported 20,000t of coal from Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwean Coal Producers Association said that the Port of Beira, Mozambique, despatched the order. Mining News has reported that the shipment is a trial, with other orders also anticipated.


text:
Q: Passing structures in pthread I am trying to pass a structure when creating a thread but does not seem to work correctly!
Here is the structure:
struct analyse_data {
    int verbose; //should be 1 or 0
};

Note that verbose can only be 1 or 0 and nothing else.
Here is the method being called (note it can be called multiple times by another method):
void dispatch(struct pcap_pkthdr *header, const unsigned char *packet,
        int verbose) {

    static bool thread_settings_initialised = false;

    printf("Verbose: %d\n", verbose); //Prints 1 or 0

    //Only run the first time dispatch method runs
    if (thread_settings_initialised == false){
        thread_settings_initialised = true;

        //...

        //Set mutex for the appropriate variables to remain thread safe
        //...

        //Set attr so threads are "Detached"
        pthread_attr_init(&attr);
        pthread_attr_setdetachstate(&attr, PTHREAD_CREATE_DETACHED);

        //Set pthread_cond_init
        //...
    }

    //Put parameters into a struct so can be sent in a thread
    struct analyse_data data;
    data.verbose = verbose;

    //...

    pthread_t tid;
    printf("data.verbose: %d\n", data.verbose); //This prints 1 or 0
    int rc = pthread_create( &tid, &attr, bar, (void *) &data);
    if (rc) {
        printf("ERROR; return code from pthread_create() is %d\n", rc);
        exit(-1);
    }

}

and this is the method thats being called by the thread:
void analyse(void *thread_data) {
    struct analyse_data *data;
    data = (struct analyse_data *) thread_data;
    int verbose = data->verbose;
    printf("Verbose =  %d\n", verbose ); //Prints weird numbers like -547845...
}

As you can see from my comments, the value of verbose changes when being used inside the method. Why? What am I doing Wrong?
Many Thanks!
Update (thanks to JS1)
I updated my code to use a pointer:
void dispatch(struct pcap_pkthdr *header, const unsigned char *packet,
        int verbose) {

    static bool thread_settings_initialised = false;

    printf("Verbose: %d\n", verbose); //Prints 1 or 0

    //...

    //Put parameters into a struct so can be sent in a thread
    struct analyse_data *data = malloc(sizeof(struct analyse_data)); //NEW
    data->verbose = verbose;

    //...

    pthread_t tid;
    printf("data.verbose: %d\n", data.verbose); //This prints 1 or 0
    int rc = pthread_create( &tid, &attr, bar, (void *) data);
    //...
}

But now the analyse() method always outputs 0, even when verbose is 1!

A: You should not pass a stack variable to pthread_create.  Notice that data is local to the function dispatch and will be out of scope when dispatch returns.  You should instead either use malloc to allocate data, or use a static or global variable.
If you use the malloc method, it will look like this:
struct analyse_data *data = malloc(sizeof(struct analyse_data));
data->verbose = verbose;

int rc = pthread_create( &tid, &attr, bar, data);

You must remember to not call free on data from dispatch.  The memory should "belong" to the thread, so you should eventually call free on data from the thread when you are done using the contents of data.


text:
Interview with Ian Ó Dálaigh: 'Ireland remains partitioned and the workers exploited'
Posted in Europe, World
The following interview with Ian Ó Dálaigh of Ireland was conducted by Zach Gevelinger. Ó Dálaigh is the Galway-area representative for Éirígí. He is also involved with the Galway Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Galway Housing Action Group. Éirígí is a socialist republican party. In Ireland, "republicanism" historically means a political ideology that seeks a cultural, political and economic divorce from England and the United Kingdom. Irish republicanism was founded on the basis of a secular nonsectarian approach to religion, as well as liberty and equality for the people of no property.
Gevelinger: Could you briefly explain the origins of your party, meaning and platform?
Ó Dálaigh: Éirígí was founded in April 2006 as a campaigns group by socialist republicans based in Dublin. We then went on to constitute as a political party at our first Ard Fheis [annual party conference] in 2007. The root cause of our formation was the simple fact that Ireland remained partitioned and the working class remained exploited.
Éirígí is an Irish Gaelic word, translated as "arise" or "rise up," in reference to the famous quote from one of James Larkin's speeches: "The great only appear great because we are on our knees: Let us rise."
As for our platform, we place ourselves firmly in the long socialist republican tradition that exists in Ireland. Our platform is premised on the fact that, as I've already said, Ireland is partitioned and its working class is exploited. This has been the case for a long, long time — and it may take a long time to change it. Right now, the need to popularize a genuine socialist republican alternative to capitalism and imperialism is of paramount importance.
Gevelinger: How does Éirígí differ from other republican and/or socialist groups?
Ó Dálaigh: The decision to form Éirígí was not one that was taken lightly. It was felt that there was space for a new socialist republican organization. The growth of the party since then, from seven Dublin-based members to having bases across Ireland, confirms that this analysis was the correct one. While we are constituted as a political party, we differ from most other parties in that we do not see electoralism as a means towards creating a socialist republic. While we do feel that tactical engagement in elections can be of use in certain circumstances, what we are about is mobilizing people against capitalism and imperialism. We also believe the building of a new progressive social movement to be an essential step on the road to transforming Ireland's socioeconomic system. Such a movement will need to encompass trade unions, political parties, community groups, campaign groups, residents associations and nonaligned individuals.
Gevelinger: What current political work is Éirígí engaged in?
Ó Dálaigh: We began 2016 by taking part in the Save Moore Street campaign, which involved the occupation of buildings that were the last headquarters of the rebel leaders during the 1916 Rising. The campaign ended in victory, as a court ruled that the buildings and streets surrounding 16 Moore Street are of huge historical significance and should be protected.
Our activists were heavily involved in the anti-water tax campaign, which has recently come to a halt, and ended with success — for now at least, as the issue has been put on the long finger [i.e., postponed] by the free state government.
More recently, November saw the launch of our Public Housing for All campaign. This is currently our main campaign, and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future, as the housing crisis across Ireland is deepening. Some of our members were involved in the recent occupation of Apollo House in Dublin, a direct action which brought huge focus on the housing crisis and ensured that 76 people previously sleeping on our streets have been transitioned into stable beds. So you could say that we began 2016 fighting for heritage, and ended it by fighting for our future.
Our Ciorcal [branch] in County Wicklow recently rolled out the first of what we hope will be many community programs: providing low-cost fuel to their community through the formation of a local co-op. These are the kinds of actions that we feel simultaneously highlight the failings of capitalism, the importance of people power, and the need for community empowerment in striving towards a better world.
Gevelinger: How is the Easter Rising still relevant 100 years on?
Ó Dálaigh: Simply put, it is still relevant because its aims and objectives have not yet been achieved. An Ireland that "cherishes all of the children of the nation" remains an aspiration, not a concrete reality. The challenges facing republicans today may be different, but the objective remains the same. When you look at the main driving forces behind the Rising — the militant trade unionism of the Irish Citizen Army, the desire for national liberation of the IRB [Irish Republican Brotherhood] and Irish Volunteers — it is clear that the root causes of conflict in Ireland have still not been fully addressed. We believe, as James Connolly did, that the class question and national question are intrinsically linked and any attempt to separate them will lead us down a blind alley instead of advancing the aims of socialist republicanism. The failings of capitalism in Ireland are there for all to see — the housing crisis, the deep inequality, our reliance on foreign direct investment — are just a few examples. In addition, imperialism is still rife in Ireland — the British occupation of the six counties, U.S. military involvement in Shannon airport, and European Union membership attest to this. So, if we accept the premise that the Easter Rising was born out of a desire to overthrow an imperialist power and establish a republic that would put the needs of the many over the greed of the few, then any observer of modern Ireland will see that the Rising is still very much relevant.
Gevelinger: Would you like to add anything else?
Ó Dálaigh: I'd like to thank you for giving Éirígí the opportunity to explain its ideas to people in the U.S. Communication and solidarity between peoples involved in struggle is essential in the fight for a better world, and long may it continue.


Crack the eggs into a bowl first. This way, you can pick out any stray pieces of eggshell. Plus, the eggs stay together better when you add them all at once.
Add the eggs to a hot wok or pan. The oil should be glistening before you add the eggs, so they won't stick and so the edges will begin to crisp almost immediately.
After about 1 minute, lower the heat to medium. This way, the egg whites have a chance to fully set before the bottoms over-brown.
The egg whites around the yolks have the hardest time cooking because that part is usually the thickest. Use a fork or edge of a spatula to poke holes around the outside of the yolks so the uncooked egg whites on top can seep through, make contact with the pan, and cook.
The only difference between these eggs and the ones I normally make is that I chopped up some kimchi and spooned it onto the egg whites as they were setting. But since I keep talking about how great and simple these eggs are, and for whatever reason had never posted the recipe, here it is.
Croquembouche may have to wait for another day.
In a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce and soy sauce and stir until well-mixed. Set aside.
With a wide spatula, carefully transfer the eggs to a plate. Spoon the oyster sauce mixture of the eggs and top with scallions. Serve alone or with rice on the side.
Note: This dish can be made completely vegetarian by using vegetarian oyster sauce, which gets its flavoring from mushrooms.


text:
Casey Bill Improves Pre-K Access & Quality
Washington — The bipartisan First Focus Campaign for Children released a letter today endorsing legislation to make high-quality pre-kindergarten (pre-K) available to more children. The Prepare All Kids Act (S. 502), introduced by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), would establish a federal-state partnership to improve access and promote quality early education.
"Pre-k can provide a solid foundation for lifelong learning, if we ensure that it's high-quality, and that it's widely available– Senator Casey's bill delivers on both counts," said First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley.
Children who attend high-quality pre-K programs show improved academic achievement throughout school and are less likely to drop out of school, become teen parents, or be convicted of a crime. But pre-K initiatives vary considerably in quality, and there are not enough high-quality pre-K providers to serve all age-eligible children. The Prepare All Kids Act addresses both problems.
The legislation includes a set of specific quality promotion policies. It requires research-based pre-K curricula that adapts to individual children's learning styles and promotes the development of "soft skills" that help children learn how to learn, such as focus, persistence and critical thinking. The also bill sets maximum class sizes and student-teacher ratios, requires that teachers work toward and obtain bachelor's degrees over time, and requires progress monitoring that does not depend on testing young children.
"It isn't just about 'checking the pre-K box' – it's about building on what works, so high quality is both expected and attained," said Lesley.
To promote access, the bill creates a federal-state funding partnership, like the highly successful Children's Health Insurance Program. To lower cost barriers, the legislation focuses on providing pre-K for children in families earning up to twice the poverty level (about $47,000 for a family of four in 2013, less for smaller families). The objective of this investment is to ensure that all four-year-olds have access to at least one year of high-quality pre-K, while maintaining funding commitments to initiatives serving children from birth through age three. The legislation will require participating states to prioritize access for children with special needs, such as children with disabilities and English language learners.
"High quality pre-K does no good if kids can't get in the door, and by making high-quality pre-K more available to families who cannot afford it, this bill will help millions of kids get a strong start in school and life," said Lesley.
President Barack Obama made universal access to high-quality pre-K a focus of his 2013 State of the Union address. The Casey proposal embodies the federal-state partnership outlined by the President. It also includes other critical elements of the White House proposal, like maintaining investments in Head Start and child care.
"President Obama offered a bold vision, and Senator Casey has responded with a plan to make that vision a reality," said Lesley.
The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children's advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are a priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit www.ffcampaignforchildren.org.
Early Childhood Education Poverty & Family Economics Press Release