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Die 69. Internationalen Filmfestspiele von Venedig () fanden vom 29. August bis zum 8. September 2012 statt. Sie zählen neben der Berlinale und den Internationalen Filmfestspielen von Cannes zu den drei bedeutendsten A-Festivals der Welt. 2012 wurden 3231 Lang- und Kurzfilme für das Festival eingereicht, von denen mehr als 50 aus über 40 Ländern in drei Sektionen (Venezia 69, Außer Konkurrenz, Orizzonti) sowie zwei Retrospektiven (80!, Venezia Classici) vorgestellt wurden. Bei allen aufgeführten Filmen handelte es sich um Weltpremieren. Am häufigsten waren Produktionen und Koproduktionen aus Frankreich vertreten (anteilig 25 Filme), gefolgt von Italien (20) und den Vereinigten Staaten (15). Den Hauptpreis gewann der südkoreanische Beitrag Pieta von Kim Ki-duk. Der Film stellt einen jungen und brutalen Geldeintreiber aus Seoul (dargestellt von Lee Jung-jin) in den Mittelpunkt, der auf eine ältere Frau (Cho Min-soo) trifft, die behauptet, seine Mutter zu sein.

Hauptspielstätte am Lido war der Palazzo del Cinema mit dem Sala Grande (1032 Sitzplätze). Weitere Spielstätten 2012 waren der Sala Darsena (1300 Plätze), PalaBiennale (1700), der Sala Perla in Venedigs Casino (400) und der temporär in der Hauptspielstätte eingerichtete Sala Volpi (150).

Eröffnet wurden die Filmfestspiele mit Mira Nairs außer Konkurrenz laufenden Politthriller The Reluctant Fundamentalist.  Die Literaturverfilmung nach dem gleichnamigen Roman von Mohsin Hamid (dt. Titel: Der Fundamentalist, der keiner sein wollte) erzählt die Geschichte eines pakistanischen Princeton-Absolventen (dargestellt von Riz Ahmed), der in den Vereinigten Staaten Karriere gemacht hat, aber nach den Terroranschlägen vom 11. September 2001 in sein Heimatland zurückkehrt. Abschlussfilm war L'homme qui rit von Jean-Pierre Améris mit Gérard Depardieu und Emmanuelle Seigner in den Hauptrollen.

Neuer Direktor des Filmfestivals, das zur Biennale di Venezia gehört, wurde 2012 der Italiener Alberto Barbera. Der frühere Leiter des Turiner Filmfestivals und des dortigen nationalen Filmmuseums (Museo nazionale del Cinema) hatte bereits von Dezember 1998 bis April 2002 dieses Amt bekleidet und löste Marco Müller ab, der das Filmfestival seit 2004 geleitet hatte (im März 2012 war bekannt geworden, dass Müller die Leitung des konkurrierenden Filmfestivals von Rom übernehmen würde). Ein neu eingeführtes Reglement schrieb die Anzahl der Filme im internationalen Wettbewerb die um den Goldenen Löwen konkurrieren auf maximal 20 vor, nachdem bei den vorangegangenen Auflagen stets mehr Filme um den Hauptpreis des Festivals gewetteifert hatten. Gleichzeitig sollten in Zukunft nicht mehr als elf Filmproduktionen außerhalb des Wettbewerbs gezeigt werden und die Anzahl an offiziellen Nebensektionen wurde neben den Retrospektiven auf eine (Orizzonti) verringert. Weitere signifikante Neuerungen waren die Eröffnung eines offiziellen Filmmarkts wie in Cannes und Berlin unter Leitung des Franzosen Pascal Diot ("Venice Film Markt", 30. August bis 3. September im Hotel Excelsior), auf dem Filmrechte gekauft und veräußert werden konnten sowie die Einrichtung des "Biennale College", eines speziellen Workshops für die Produktion von Low-Budget-Filmen junger internationaler Regisseure. Erstmals in der Geschichte des Filmfestivals wurden außerdem im Rahmen der Sektion Orizzonti gegen eine Gebühr Online-Streams von Lang- und Kurzfilmen angeboten.

Bereits als Gewinner fest stand Francesco Rosi. Der italienische Filmregisseur und Drehbuchautor, der 1963 für seinen sozialkritischen Spielfilm Hände über der Stadt den Hauptpreis des Filmfestivals gewann, wurde mit dem Goldenen Löwen für das Lebenswerk eines Filmschaffenden geehrt. Einher ging diese Ehrung mit der Uraufführung einer restaurierten Fassung seines Films Der Fall Mattei, für den er 1972 den Hauptpreis der Filmfestspiele von Cannes gewonnen hatte.

Die in Italien tätige polnische Schauspielerin Kasia Smutniak wurde als Moderatorin für die Eröffnungs- und Abschlusszeremonie ausgewählt.

Offizielle Sektionen

Wettbewerb

Jury

Als Nachfolger des letztjährigen Jurypräsidenten Darren Aronofsky wurde Anfang Juni 2012 Michael Mann präsentiert. Er war damit der dritte US-amerikanische Jurypräsident in Folge seit Quentin Tarantino (2010). Der Filmregisseur, Drehbuchautor und Produzent Mann, der wiederholt betonte kein Genreregisseur sein zu wollen, war in der Vergangenheit zu den wenigen Autorenfilmern des Hollywood-Kinos gezählt worden. Er hatte 2004 in Venedig seinen Thriller Collateral vorgestellt, während er 2011 als Produzent an dem Wettbewerbsbeitrag Texas Killing Fields – Schreiendes Land mitgewirkt hatte, der Regiearbeit seiner Tochter Ami Canaan Mann. Laut Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung würden in Manns Arbeit "Bild, Ton, Musik und Produktionsdesign, Schauspieler und Schauplätze von Anfang an eine Symbiose" eingehen, "die den besonderen Sog der Filme" ausmache.

Wie in den Vorjahren standen dem Jurypräsidenten bei seiner Entscheidung Jurymitglieder zur Seite, wobei die Zahl im Vergleich zu den Vorjahren um zwei erhöht wurde. Es handelte sich überwiegend um Filmschaffende:

 Marina Abramović – serbische Performance-Künstlerin
 Laetitia Casta – französische Schauspielerin und Model
 Peter Ho-Sun Chan – Filmregisseur und Produzent des Hongkong-Kinos
 Ari Folman – israelischer Filmregisseur, Drehbuchautor und Produzent
 Matteo Garrone – italienischer Filmregisseur, Drehbuchautor und Produzent
 Ursula Meier – Schweizer Regisseurin
 Samantha Morton – britische Schauspielerin
 Pablo Trapero – argentinischer Filmregisseur, Drehbuchautor und Produzent

Konkurrenten um den Goldenen Löwen
Das Wettbewerbsprogramm war am 26. Juli 2012 auf einer offiziellen Pressekonferenz in Rom bekanntgegeben worden. Bis zum 21. Juni, dem Ende der Einreichungsfrist, waren 1459 Spielfilme vorgeschlagen worden. Am 7. August wurde mit Paul Thomas Andersons Spielfilm The Master ein weiterer Wettbewerbsfilm nachgereicht. 18 Produktionen aus 13 Ländern konkurrierten um den Goldenen Löwen, den Hauptpreis des Festivals. Wie bei den letzten Auflagen kamen die Mehrheit der gezeigten Filme aus Europa (11), gefolgt von den Vereinigten Staaten (4) und Asien (3). Bis auf den mit Outrage Beyond zum siebten Mal eingeladenen japanischen Regisseur Takeshi Kitano (1997 für Hana-Bi mit dem Goldenen Löwen geehrt) hatte keiner der eingeladenen Filmemacher den Hauptpreis des Festivals gewinnen können.

Mit vier Beiträgen waren US-amerikanische Filmemacher wie schon in den Vorjahren am häufigsten vertreten, gefolgt von ihren Kollegen aus Italien (drei) und Frankreich (zwei). Die Regisseure von zehn der 18 bekanntgegebenen Produktionen (Olivier Assayas, Ramin Bahrani, die Co-Regisseure Peter Brosens und Jessica Woodworth, Rama Burshtein, Daniele Ciprì, Xavier Giannoli, Harmony Korine, Terrence Malick, Valeria Sarmiento und Kirill Serebrennikow) debütieren im Wettbewerb von Venedig. Deutsche und Schweizer Filmemacher waren wie bei der letztjährigen Auflage nicht vertreten. Dagegen erhielt der Österreicher Ulrich Seidl seine zweite Einladung nach Venedig. Nach Hundstage (Spezialpreis der Jury 2001) konkurriert Seidl 2012 mit der Koproduktion Paradies: Glaube. Der zweite Teil seiner Paradies-Trilogie (der erste Teil Paradies: Liebe wurde in den Wettbewerb der Filmfestspiele von Cannes 2012 eingeladen) stellt eine alleinstehende Frau um die 50 (gespielt von Maria Hofstätter) in den Mittelpunkt. Sie verbringt ihren Urlaub damit, mit einer "Wandermuttergottes-Statue" von Haus zu Haus zu gehen, um Österreich katholischer zu machen. Es entwickelt sich ein Kleinkrieg um Ehe und Religion, als ihr auf einen Rollstuhl angewiesener Ehemann, ein ägyptischer Moslem (Nabil Saleh), nach Jahren der Abwesenheit wieder zu ihr zurückkehrt.

Orizzonti

Die Sektion Orizzonti (dt.: Horizonte) widmet sich neuen Trends im internationalen Film und stellt vor allem unkonventionelle Filme vor, darunter Spiel-, Dokumentar- und Experimentalfilme. Es wurden sowohl Kurz- als auch Langfilme akzeptiert. Erstmals in der Geschichte des Filmfestivals wurden im Rahmen von Orizzonti Online-Streams von 10 aufgeführten Lang- und 13 Kurzfilmen angeboten. Ab 20. August wurden 500 weltweit gültige "virtuelle Kinotickets" zu einem Preis von 4,20 Euro pro Person angeboten. Die Filme, in der Originalsprache mit englischen Untertiteln versehen, waren ab Aufführungstag 24 Stunden lang für den Nutzer einsehbar.

Der Vorsitz der internationalen Jury oblag dem italienischen Schauspieler Pierfrancesco Favino. Ihm zur Seite standen folgende Jurymitglieder:
 Sandra den Hamer, Direktorin des Filmmuseums von Amsterdam und frühere Leiterin des International Film Festival Rotterdam (2000–2004)
 Runa Islam, Videokünstlerin aus Bangladesch
 Jason Kliot, US-amerikanischer Filmproduzent
 Nadine Labaki, libanesische Regisseurin und Schauspielerin
 Milčo Mančevski, mazedonischer Regisseur und Drehbuchautor (Gewinner des Goldenen Löwen 1994)
 Amir Naderi, iranischer Regisseur und Drehbuchautor

Retrospektiven

80!
Die Retrospektive 80! widmete sich in Anlehnung an die erste Auflage der Filmfestspiele von Venedig vor 80 Jahren sieben seltenen Lang- und drei Mittellang- und Kurzfilmen, die im Rahmen des Festivals aufgeführt worden waren. Die Kopien stammten aus Beständen der Historic Archives of the Contemporary Arts of the Biennale (ASAC). Die Filme wurden in Vorbereitung am L'Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna restauriert und digital oder analog auf ein 35-mm-Format gezogen.

Spielfilme
 Die letzte Nacht (Poslednjaja notsch) von Juli Raisman (Sowjetunion, 1936)
 Gott braucht Menschen (Dieu a besoin des hommes) von Jean Delannoy (Frankreich, 1950)
 Genghis Khan von Manuel Conde und Salvador Lou (Philippinen, 1950).
 Der Brigant (Il brigante) von Renato Castellani (Italien, 1961)
 Free at Last von Gregory Shuker, James Desmond und Nicholas Proferes (Vereinigte Staaten, 1968)
 Pagine chiuse von Gianni Da Campo (Italien, 1968)
 Stress zu dritt (Stress es tres, tres) von Carlos Saura (Spanien, 1968)

Mittellang- und Kurzfilme
 Pytel blech (A Bagful of Fleas) von Věra Chytilová (Tschechoslowakei, 1963)
 Zablácené mesto (Mud-covered City) von Václav Táborský (Tschechoslowakei, 1963)
 Ahora te vamos a llamar hermano von Raúl Ruiz (Chile, 1971)

Venezia Classici
Die Reihe Venezia Classici präsentierte ergänzend zur Retrospektive 80! restaurierte Filmklassiker sowie Dokumentarfilme über das Filmemachen und einzelne Filmschaffende. Neben Der Fall Mattei des Ehrenpreisträgers Francesco Rosi wurde auch eine durch Criterion restaurierte Kopie der Originalfassung von Heaven's Gate (1980, 219 min) gezeigt, im Beisein des Regisseurs Michael Cimino, der mit dem Persol Award ausgezeichnet wurde, benannt nach einem Sponsor des Filmfestivals. Die ungekürzte Fassung war bei den Filmfestspielen von Venedig im Jahr 1982 uraufgeführt worden.

Restaurierte Filme
 Der Fall Mattei (Il caso Mattei) von Francesco Rosi (Italien, 1972)
 Heaven's Gate von Michael Cimino (Vereinigte Staaten, 1980)
 American Dreams von James Benning (Vereinigte Staaten, 1984)
 Anita Garibaldi von Goffredo Alessandrini (Italien, 1952)
 Blondinen bevorzugt von Howard Hawks (Vereinigte Staaten, 1953)
 Boulevard der Dämmerung von Billy Wilder (Vereinigte Staaten, 1950)
 Carmen kehrt heim von Keisuke Kinoshita (Japan, 1951)
 Cinerama South Seas Adventure von Francis D. Lyon, Walter Thompson, Basil Wrangler, Richard Goldstone und Carl Dudley (Vereinigte Staaten, 1958)
 Ermittlungen gegen einen über jeden Verdacht erhabenen Bürger von Elio Petri (Italien, 1970)
 Falstaff von Orson Welles (Spanien/Schweiz, 1965)
 Fanny und Alexander von Ingmar Bergman (Schweden, 1982)
 Ein Gespenst auf Freiersfüßen von Joseph L. Mankiewicz (Vereinigte Staaten, 1947)
 Himala von Ishmael Bernal (Philippinen, 1982)
 Mit 20 Jahren in den Aures von René Vautier (Frankreich, 1972)
 Der Schweinestall von Pier Paolo Pasolini (Italien, 1969)
 Stromboli von Roberto Rossellini (Italien, 1949)
 Tell Me Lies von Peter Brook (Vereinigtes Königreich/Vereinigte Staaten, 1968)
 Terra animata (1967) und SKMP2 (1968) von Luca Patella (Italien)
 Das zehnte Opfer von Elio Petri (Italien, 1965)

Dokumentarfilme
 La Guerra dei vulcani von Francesco Patierno (Italien)
 Dai nostri inviati alla Mostra del Cinema di Venezia 1932–1953 von G. Giannotti, D. Savelli, E. Salvatori  (Italien)
 Valentino's Ghost von Michael Singh (Vereinigte Staaten)
 Miradas Múltiples (La máquina loca) von Emilio Maillé  (Mexiko/Frankreich/Spanien)
 Harry Dean Stanton Partly Fiction von Sophie Huber (Vereinigte Staaten/Schweiz)
 Conteurs d'images von Noelle Deschamps (Frankreich)
 Sedia elettrica, il making-of di 'Io e Te' von Monica Stambrini (Italien)
 Gli anni delle immagini perdute von Adolfo Conti (Italien)
 Monicelli. La versione di Mario von Mario Canale, Felice Farina, Mario Gianni, Wilma Labate und Annarosa Morri (Italien)

Premio Luigi De Laurentiis und unabhängige Filmreihen

Den Premio Luigi De Laurentiis vergab eine Jury unter Vorsitz des indischen Filmregisseurs Shekhar Kapur. Die Auszeichnung ehrte den besten Debütfilm eines Regisseurs (Löwe der Zukunft), alle Sektionen konnten berücksichtigt werden. Der Preis war mit einer Summe von 100.000 US-Dollar dotiert.

Parallel zum Filmfestival fanden zwei unabhängige Filmreihen statt. Die italienische Filmkritikervereinigung Sindacato Nazionale Critici Cinematografici Italiani veranstaltete die Internationale Kritikerwoche (Settimana Internazionale della Critica – SIC), bei der internationale Debütfilme von einer unabhängigen Kommission ausgewählt wurden. Die Associazione Nazionale Autori Cinematografici (ANAC) bereitete gemeinsam mit der Associazione Autori e Produttori Indipendenti (API) die Giornate degli Autori – Venice Days vor, die italienische und ausländische Spiel- und Dokumentarfilme zeigte.

Auszeichnungen
Übersicht über die während des Festivals vergebenen Preise:

Hauptpreise (Wettbewerb um den Goldenen Löwen)

 Goldener Löwe: Pieta – Regie Kim Ki-duk
 Silberner Löwe – Beste Regie: Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master)
 Spezialpreis der Jury: Paradies: Glaube – Regie: Ulrich Seidl
 Coppa Volpi – Bester Darsteller: Philip Seymour Hoffman und Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)
 Coppa Volpi – Beste Darstellerin: Hadas Yaron (An ihrer Stelle (Lemale et Ha'chalal))
 Marcello-Mastroianni-Preis: Fabrizio Falco (Bella Addormentata und È stato il figlio)
 Bestes Drehbuch: Olivier Assayas (Après mai)
 Beste technische Leistung: Daniele Ciprì (Kameraarbeit für È stato il figlio)

 Goldener Löwe für sein Lebenswerk: Francesco Rosi

Weitere Preise
 FIPRESCI-Preis: The Master von Paul Thomas Anderson (Wettbewerb) und L'intervallo von Leonardo Di Costanzo (Orizzonti und Internationale Kritikerwoche)
 SIGNIS-Preis: To the Wonder von Terrence Malick, Lobende Erwähnung: Lemale et Ha'chalal von Rama Burshtein
 RaroVideo-Publikumspreis der Internationalen Kritikerwoche: Äta Sova Dö von Gabriela Pichler
 Label Europa Cinemas Award: Crawl von Hervé Lasgouttes
 Leoncino d'Oro Agiscuola Award: Pieta von Kim Ki-duk
 Cinema-for-UNICEF-Erwähnung: È stato il figlio von Daniele Ciprì
 Francesco Pasinetti (SNGCI) Award: L'intervallo von Leonardo Di Costanzo
 Francesco Pasinetti (SNGCI) Award – Bester Dokumentarfilm: La nave dolce (The Human Cargo) von Daniele Vicari
 Francesco Pasinetti (SNGCI) Award – Bester Darsteller: Valerio Mastandrea (Gli Equilibristi)
 Pasinetti-Spezialpreis: Clarisse von Liliana Cavani
 Brian Award: Bella Addormentata von Marco Bellocchio
 Queer Lion Award (Associazione Cinemarte): The Weight von Jeon Kyu-Hwan
 Arca CinemaGiovani Award (Wettbewerb): Die fünfte Jahreszeit (La Cinquième Saison) von Peter Brosens und Jessica Woodworth
 Arca CinemaGiovani Award (Bester italienischer Film): La città ideale von Luigi Lo Cascio
 Biografilm Lancia Award: La nave dolce (The Human Cargo) von Daniele Vicari und Bad25 von Spike Lee
 CICT – UNESCO "Enrico Fulchignoni" Award: L'intervallo von Leonardo Di Costanzo
 CICAE – Cinema d'Arte e d'Essai Award: Wadjda von Haifaa Al Mansour
 CinemAvvenire Award (Wettbewerb): Paradies: Glaube von Ulrich Seidl
 CinemAvvenire Award – Bester Film (Il cerchio non è rotondo (Cinema per la pace e la ricchezza delle diversità)): Wadjda von Haifaa Al Mansour
 FEDIC Award: L'intervallo von Leonardo Di Costanzo, Lobende Erwähnung: Bellas Mariposas von Salvatore Mereu
 Fondazione Mimmo Rotella Award: Après mai von Olivier Assayas
 Future Film Festival Digital Award: Bad25 von Spike Lee, Lobende Erwähnung: Spring Breakers von Harmony Korine
 P. Nazareno Taddei Award: Pieta von Kim Ki-duk, Lobende Erwähnung: Sinapupunan von Brillante Mendoza
 Lanterna Magica (CGS) Award: L'intervallo von Leonardo Di Costanzo
 Open Award: The Company You Keep – Die Akte Grant (The Company You Keep) von Robert Redford
 La Navicella – Venezia Cinema Award: Sinapupunan von Brillante Mendoza
 Lina Mangiacapre Award: Queen Of Montreuil von Sòlveig Anspach
 AIF – FORFILMFEST  Award: L'intervallo von Leonardo Di Costanzo
 Mouse d'Oro Award: Pieta von Kim Ki-duk
 Mouse d'Argento: Anton tut ryadom (Anton's Right Here) von Lyubov Arkus
 UK – Italy Creative Industries Award – Best Innovative Budget Award: L'intervallo von Leonardo Di Costanzo
 Gillo Pontecorvo – Arcobaleno Latino Award: Laura Delli Colli
 Christopher D. Smithers Foundation Award: Low Tide von Roberto Minervini
 Interfilm Award für die Förderung des interreligiösen Dialogs: Wadjda von Haifaa Al Mansour
 Giovani Giurati del Vittorio Veneto Film Festival Award: The Company You Keep – Die Akte Grant (The Company You Keep) von Robert Redford, Lobende Erwähnung für Toni Servillo
 Premio Cinematografico "Civitas Vitae prossima" Award: Terramatta von Costanza Quatriglio
 Green Drop Award: Die fünfte Jahreszeit (La Cinquième Saison) von Peter Brosens und Jessica Woodworth

Weblinks
 Offizielle Webpräsenz der Internationalen Filmfestspiele von Venedig (italienisch, englisch)
 Offizielle Webpräsenz der unabhängigen Nebensektion Internationale Kritikerwoche (italienisch, englisch)
 Offizielle Webpräsenz der unabhängigen Nebensektion Venice Days (italienisch, englisch)

Einzelnachweise

Preisverleihung 2012
2012
Filmjahr 2012
Preisverleihung in Venedig

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Insights into adaptation game design challenges
Sponsored article: Abstraction goes through the tailoring pillars that shape its adaptation design approach for the GamesIndustry.biz Academy
Academy Sponsored
Thursday 27th August 2020
Abstraction Games
Tailoring (verb): The process of adapting a game user experience and user interface to a new platform.
Let's talk about the design side of Abstraction.
Over the last 12 years, Abstraction has been in the business of porting, co-development and multiplatform development. We worked on 15 different platforms and delivered over 160 SKUs, spanning over a broad spectrum of video game genres from point-and-click adventure, to strategy or survival games.
Tailoring, or adaptation design at Abstraction, is guided by the following principles:
Mastering the platform specific user paradigm
Understanding the player's User Experience (UX from now on)
Adapting and enhancing the game UX on any new platform
"Our tailoring designers develop extensive platform user paradigm knowledge and intimate understanding of the general UX principles"
In our experience, these principles apply to any given game and platform adaptation project and, in a broader sense, hold true for any type of user-facing software on multiple platforms. We use this framework to define concrete goals for tailoring and set quality standards across any type of adaptation project.
Over the past decade we observed that new gaming platforms often introduce changes that either add something new to the user paradigm (i.e. Nintendo Switch with the mix of controller and tablet touch controls) or improve the existing paradigm to better structure the UX (i.e. the evolution of the rule set for user interface on Sony PlayStation).
To successfully adapt a game to other platforms, we consider it essential for our tailoring designers to develop extensive platform user paradigm knowledge and intimate understanding of the general UX principles.
The Pillars of Tailoring
In practice, there are three tailoring pillars that shape our adaptation design approach: the player input deals with how controls are informed by specific platforms, the user flow focuses on overall use of the game interface and the UI visual design centers on functional aesthetics of the interface.
First Pillar: Player Input
Definition: the rule set for how players use platform peripherals to control the game.
We separate player input in several categories determined by gaming platforms:
Mouse and keyboard (PC/Mac)
Controller (PlayStation/Xbox)
Touch (iOS/Android)
Hybrid controller and touch (Nintendo Switch)
Each category of player input comes with its own set of rules and conventions. There are various degrees of complexity when tailoring games from one platform to another. In our experience, tailoring games to and from mobile platforms is the most involved process, practically requiring full reconceptualization of the player input approach, with significant design changes and additions. At the other end of the spectrum, tailoring from console to console is often a simpler endeavor.
It is worth mentioning that it may be easy to assume PC is a more forgiving target platform, but we found out that is generally not the case.
This fundamental understanding of platform specific paradigms is the first cornerstone of our tailoring design.
Challenge: The main challenge with player input is to find the best way of recreating the outcome of players input using a completely different device while preserving the nature of the game experience.
For example, one of the common issues in tailoring design is converting PC mouse and keyboard input into console controller input. That becomes particularly challenging when the original title relies extensively on affordances like keyboard shortcuts, mouse 'click and drag' functions or mouse cursor hover over for tooltips.
As we have discovered, the reverse can also be true when tailoring to PC games that have been purpose built for consoles.
Abstraction War Story
A few years back, we worked on a project involving the adaptation of a console-exclusive fighting game from PS4 to PC, called The King of Fighters XIV, by SNK.
"Never assume tailoring is less challenging just because the target platform is less restrictive"
While initially we felt confident that tailoring would be a relatively straight forward effort, because of the target platform being pretty forgiving and less restrictive on resources, we encountered an unexpected challenge: our client desired to support an extensive range of controllers compatible with PC, ranging from professional fight sticks to generic fight pads, in addition to mouse and keyboard.
Apart from the implicit technical challenge, this required extensive research into types of PC-compatible controllers, fight sticks and fight pads. Luckily, one of our programmers was an avid fighting games player and helped with narrowing down the list to the most established types of devices in common use within the community.
On the tailoring side, this meant a host of new tasks:
Break down the controllers, fight sticks and fight pads into archetype classes
Create a set of control input templates for each class of controller, fight stick and fight pad
Redefine the system to automatically map the player input on the different types of controllers
Redesign the controller configuration menu to display the different classes of input device
Adjust the game session flow to correctly represent the input device for each player before a multiplayer match
We delivered on this task to the client's satisfaction and along the way learned to never assume tailoring is less challenging just because the target platform is less restrictive.
Second Pillar: User Flow
Definition: the user interface navigation, interaction and feedback rule set.
While game specific requirements inform the player input to a certain extent, they will predominantly determine the user flow. In this case it is much more difficult to define clear cut categories, but in our tailoring and adaptation work, we always consider the following:
Game genre
Single player vs. multiplayer modes
In-game menu granularity
In-world interaction complexity
Certain genres, like strategy or role-playing games, are menu heavy affairs that often include complex interaction flows. Others, like simulation or builder games, come with extensive in-world interactions that range from gamified* conventions to complex and intricate manipulation of in-game objects or environments.
A deep understanding of specific genres and their underlying mechanics and systems is the second cornerstone of our tailoring design.
Challenge: The main challenge with user flow is to find the best approach to facilitate players' interactions with the game UI and the game world.
It is worth noting that we sometimes encountered outliers like games in early access. Usually, early access games are still being developed and often come with incomplete UI or unpolished user flow, with existing features constantly changing, being removed or new ones being added. That had a significant impact on tailoring design work and affected both player input and user flow.
At some point in the recent past, we had an adaptation project for a popular PC-based survival multiplayer game, called ARK: Survival Evolved, by Studio Wildcard. The goal was to adapt it to consoles. But it came with a twist: the game was in early access. From a tailoring perspective, needless to say, it was a tough project.
Our client was aware of the unfinished state of the game and particularly of the state of the UI, but the development team was so busy with implementing new features, adding new content and fixing existing bugs, they simply did not have the time to work on the UI.
"One of the key challenges was to adapt the complex user flow for in-game menus"
Never shying away from a challenge, we undertook the task to do it.
The scale of work, even without considering the constantly evolving state of the game, was significant. This led to us assigning a dedicated team of two programmers, two artists and two designers whose purpose was to deliver a polished user interface that supported console controller input and worked consistently on both consoles and back to PC. Everything UI you see today in ARK is basically our design and implementation.
From a design tailoring perspective, one of the key challenges was to adapt the complex user flow for in-game menus. This complexity mainly came from interactions nested* within the inventory, equipment and crafting menus of the game.
Another significant challenge was that some of the interactions were contextually enabled or disabled. And to top it off, most of the menu interaction rules were exposed only via tooltips activated when the mouse cursor was hovering over an UI element. While on PC this feature is trivial, it is particularly difficult to deal with when players are limited to gamepads. On consoles this usually requires a complete rework of the layout to include dedicated info areas and extra button prompts for all possible contexts in addition to supporting tooltips.
To achieve our goal, we did a complete redesign of the user flow and optimized it for controller driven player input. Among other tasks, this entailed:
Restructure the layout of in-game menus like player inventory, player stats, player equipment and crafting
Redefine the flow of manipulating inventory objects
Automate basic interactions to optimize required player input
Minimize the level of nesting interactions
Standardize the types of interactions like splitting inventory items stacks
"It is crucial that we make all the decisions related to player input, user flow and user interface visual style"
In addition to the complete overhaul of the user flow we also added a complete user interface visual facelift.
As a side note, our client for this project was initially interested only in us focusing on the technical aspect of porting the game to consoles. After earning their trust delivering good results faster than expected for the initial porting work, they decided to give us a shot at working on the game UI.
In the end, the updated interface we delivered was so well received by the community, our client decided to adopt it for all platforms.
The important lesson for us was that for a tailoring endeavor of such scope, it is crucial that we make all the decisions related to player input, user flow and user interface visual style.
Third Pillar: User Interface Visual Design
Definition: the art style, graphic design and layout of the UI.
The UI visual design is usually determined by the game's established art direction. For tailoring purposes, we break it down into several relevant components:
Menu and HUD layouts
Graphic design elements
UI art style
In our experience with adaptation projects, we found that UI visual design is always necessary. Almost every tailoring project will require menu layout changes and our art team has been trained to seek out or create opportunities to improve the experience through discreet additions, like new visual effects that improve feedback, or stylistic additions that add an extra pinch of flair to the art style to better fit on the new platforms.
The ability to understand and adopt a given art direction is the third cornerstone of our tailoring design.
Challenge: The main challenge with UI visual design is to identify and deliver on opportunities that best support and enhance the player experience on the new platform.
Ultimately what you want is UI design that is so good, and so unobtrusive, that people don't even notice it's there. If players have nothing to say, you know you've done your job right.
One of the projects that stood out as a tailoring challenge a few years ago was adapting a classic PC adventure game to PlayStation 4, called Shadowgate 2014, by Zojoi. What made this project unique for us? The goal was to adapt a pure mouse-based point & click experience to one based on a gamepad controller where you wouldn't feel held back by awkward and slow controls.
The entire player input and user flow had to be overhauled to match the modern console user paradigm. This also required completely new HUD* and game menus art assets to support our gamepad control input.
Our solution for player point & click interactions: use a floating interaction wheel UI. We kept a virtual pointer driven by an analog stick, but the initial implementation was feeling a little rough.
To smoothen the input, we implemented pointer movement inertia. While this felt better, it still wasn't as good as we wanted it. So, taking advantage of the 2D environments of each scene, we also implemented scene background movement opposite to pointer movement input to create a perception of movement acceleration.
"What you want is UI design that is so good, and so unobtrusive, that people don't even notice it's there"
This also involved a re-design of the HUD layout to better support the new input approach.
In addition, we created new art assets like interaction icons and various feedback elements (e.g. selection markers, button highlights, etc.).
Since the console version was published, we've seen positive player feedback praising the consideration we have given to preserving the original player experience while the UI look stayed true to the original art style.
In the big picture of adapting games to new platforms, UI and UX tailoring is a distinct component of successfully porting games to other platforms. It is a part of the process that often requires serious consideration and effort and we view it as essential for the quality standards of Abstraction.
Tailoring UI and UX across different platforms is ultimately a unique brain teaser that often feels like detective work.
It is not about throwing UI elements at the wall and hoping they stick; it's about understanding the intentions of the original developer, interpreting the function of each decision, and providing alternatives that (by Abstraction mandate) are even better than what's already there.
It is a job that allows us to stretch our design muscles across a multitude of genres, demands an in-depth understanding of all gaming platforms, and pushes our understanding of games as holistic experiences.
Authors: Tiberius Lazar (creative director), Savvas Lampoudis (senior game designer), Ralph Egas (CEO of Abstraction). Want to know more about the way design for adaptions works? Get in touch here.
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How they got Ark: Survival Evolved working on Switch
Port specialists Abstraction on Nintendo, hitting the headlines at GDC and creating its own IP
By Christopher Dring
The indie explosion means boom time for porting house Abstraction Games
By Brendan Sinclair

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This simple reusable cup comes in deep blue with a white spitfire blueprint design and screw top lid.
Please note that this is a resuable cup and not a thermos, therefore not suitable for keeping drinks warm for extended periods of time.
Material: Double wall insulated BPA free plastic.


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a new double-height glass-fronted reception area with a mezzanine-level exhibition space|The foyer showcases the four main building materials: timber, glass, steel and concrete|The concrete wall has been imprinted to mirror the grain in the Douglas fir shuttering of the entrance doors|Glass circles diffuse light through the stair|The strong diagnonal created by the stairwell contrasts with the grid-like shapes of the facade|The revamp marks a significant chapter in the Institution's history: having been based in SW1 since 1926|The revamp marks a significant chapter in the Institution's history: having been based in SW1 since 1926|There's also workspace for 55 staff, a public conference centre, members' facilities and a library|There's also workspace for 55 staff, a public conference centre, members' facilities and a library||
Structural Engineers' HQ by Hugh Broughton
Category: Interiors
Hugh Broughton Architects has completed The Institution of Structural Engineers' new headquarters in Clerkenwell. The project saw the retrofit of a four-storey 1960s office building, creating a new double-height glass-fronted reception area with a mezzanine-level exhibition space and a central cantilevered staircase.
There's also workspace for 55 staff, a public conference centre, members' facilities and a library.
The foyer, says founder Hugh Broughton, was concerned with showcasing the four main building materials: timber, glass, steel and concrete. Nowhere is this design principle more clearly in evidence than the staircase.
It is supported by a concrete wall has been imprinted to mirror the grain in the Douglas fir shuttering of the entrance doors. The treads are supported by red steel and formed in white pre-cast concrete, which are interspersed with glass circles that diffuse light through the stair.
The revamp marks a significant chapter in the Institution's history: having been based in SW1 since 1926. The move to Bastwick Street acknowledges the preponderance of engineers and indeed architects in the EC1 area.
The 1600sq m development ticks numerous sustainability boxes using smart technology. These include the mixed mode ventilation system, which prevents overheating and allows minimum energy consumption when cooling is not required and high efficiency LED lighting. The system used in conjunction with controls carefully balances daylight and artificial light as the latter is needed.
The provision of video conferencing and webinar facilities further reduces members' carbon footprint by lessening the need for international travel.


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Q: Is Solr best for "Did you mean" Just like Google? I want to build spell/query correction functionality. I have 49GB of indexed data into Solr. I want to create a mechanism just like Google - "Did you mean".
Example - If any user asks any question/query into search then my system/application gives the correct query and will correct all the misspell word from query/question.
So, Is Solr is best for this functionality? Or Is there any other tools for the same?

A: Is this beer the best beer of the world?
It depends!
The quality of the results from the solr spell checking functionality depends form your configuration and the language, you like to check.
And.. it depends on the data based on.
I spend a lot of hours to get an working environment for spechecking with solr (language: german). Finally only with the option "only more popular" this features gives an result with an satisfaction-rate of 75% .
What I'm trying to say: to find the best application for spell checking in your case: simply test several way.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The broker filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy after an accounting discrepancy sent a potential buyer packing. Public trading of MF Global shares was suspended. The Wall Street Journal reported that it was the eighth-largest corporate bankruptcy in U.S. history and the biggest failure by a securities firm since Lehman Brothers in September 2008.
The provider of wireless services saw shares gain 11% after announcing a strong third quarter. Brigantine Advisors analyst Bruce J. Roberts reiterated Leap Wireless at Buy and lifted the price target to $11 from $9. "By introducing an all-inclusive rate plan, an improved portfolio of devices, successful promotions, focus on customer-retention and costs control, the company delivered a superlative quarter," Roberts wrote in a research report.
The Internet ad agency's shares surged 21% on news that Interclick agreed to be acquired by Yahoo! (YHOO) for about $270 million in cash, or $9 a share. The deal was approved by the boards of both companies and is expected to close by early 2012.
The franchiser of Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin Robbins saw shares fall 7.5% as news of a secondary offering of 22 million shares overshadowed a strong third-quarter report. In the just-ended quarter Dunkin' Brands had a pro forma weighted average of 113.3 million shares outstanding, so the dilution from the proposed offering would be significant. The offering is set to be completed in the fourth quarter. Baird analyst David E. Tarantino maintained the company at Outperform with a price target of $33. "We are confident in the company's ability to increase earnings at a healthy pace in upcoming years, based primarily on visible opportunities to expand the unit base and prospects for healthy same-store sales gains," wrote Tarantino.


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Enrico MassettiAboutContact
Enrico Massetti About Contact
Central Italy - epub
It is a matter of fact: Italy possesses the most remarkable artistic and cultural heritage of the world. And its culture is not just to be found in the great creative cities, but is diffuse, "spread" throughout national territory as in no other country.
The proof? Le Marche. A region in which a rich and varied countryside with the Adriatic sea, its flat and sandy coast interrupted at intervals by rugged, rocky precipices. Also, the musical agricultural landscape of its gentle hills, the deep and mysterious caves, the protected areas of natural beauty enriched with towns, villages, palaces, and religious buildings, all of them of significant architectural and artistic value.
It is the case with the cathedral of Ancona, the regional capital, and an essential Adriatic port, or the temple of Pesaro. In Urbino, the Ducal Palace is a stupefying testimony of Renaissance grandeur. If you find yourself in Macerata during the summer, it is unpardonable not to book a seat at the grand Sferisterio theatre for a play or musical performance. At Ascoli Piceno, the blend of medieval and renaissance architecture (S. Francesco, Loggia dei Mercanti, Piazza del Popolo, etc.) arrests the attention of even the most distracted visitor. But in almost all the centers of Le Marche, even the smallest, there are many genuine artistic treasures.
This guide leads you in a two weeks car trip through Central Italy, in the regions of the Marches, Umbria, and Abruzzo.
It covers the towns of Pesaro, Urbino, Gubbio, Perugia, Assisi, Spello, Foligno, Montefalco, Spoleto, Terni, Rieti, L'Aquila, Popoli, Rivisondoli, Roccaraso, Chieti, Pescara, Teramo, Ascoli Piceno, Macerata, Loreto and Ancona.
It includes many photos and descriptions of the attractions.
More products from Enrico Massetti
Friuli Venezia Giulia PDF
Friuli Venezia Giulia epub
Lakes of Northern Italy PDF


A touch of green and nature must never be missing on the table, but let a design salad bowl present it in the best possible way. Elegant but always functional, the salad bowl has character and is not afraid to show it. Traditional porcelain or unusual steel, it will never stand in the middle of your table.


This section of the site features liquid herbal extracts from single herbs.
The terms tincture and extract are interchangeable in our herbal products. All are prepared with pure wild crafted and organic liquid extracts and tinctures, as well as other products that are delivered to you in their purest forms.


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Substantial Lincolnshire coastal development site on the market for £1.5m
ALSO IN THE NEWS by Zoe Monk	on July 8, 2020
A former hotel with planning permissions for two extensive mixed-use schemes, in Sandilands, on the Lincolnshire coast, is being sold by Colliers International, off a guide price of £1.5m.
The hotel, closed since September 2018, is located 300m from the beach in the village of Sandilands, and comes with heaps of development potential.
East Lindsey District Council has approved planning permission for a new owner to retain the existing hotel building and develop 22 holiday apartments, a swimming pool and retail on the rear land.
Alternatively, the purchaser also has the option to demolish the former hotel building, which has detailed planning permission for a fully sustainable development consisting of 13 houses; a destination 20-bedroom colonial style spa hotel with indoor pool; jacuzzi; gymnasium; exercise room; sauna and steam room, 21 holiday apartments and retail.
Paul Barrasford, Hotels Agency at Colliers International commented: "The site is now offered for sale due to our client's focus on other (non-related) business interests.
"The closure of the previous hotel was a disappointment to many who visit and live in the area. It is felt that either of the new schemes would be very popular with local and visiting clientele. In particular, the much-improved product offering would make it a destination hotel in its own right."
He added that the residential properties would also see 'strong buyer demand' and the area of Lincolnshire remains the 'domestic destination of choice for many'.
Tim Cross, the current owner of the site, added: "History abounds in this part of Lincolnshire with Woodhall Spa being the base for the famous Dam Busters raid. I have no doubt that the development of a new destination hotel with spa facilities will be a great success as Sandilands is part of the Gateway to the Lincolnshire Coastal Development Plan."
Tags : colliers internationaldevelopmentfor salehotelsLincolnshire
Government announces £10m kickstart tourism package to support businesses adapt to new normal
Pub and hospitality trade bodies publish track and trace guidance for businesses
The author Zoe Monk
'Hundreds of enquiries already' for Beach Lofts at Watergate Bay
New cash cocktail urgently needed to save hospitality jobs says UKHC
HOW TO: Maximise your outdoor space ahead of reopening
ADVICE: Claiming Business Interruption insurance
Watergate Bay introduces seven new Beach Lofts in former Jamie Oliver eatery


text:
Formsand används vid gjutning av metall i formar. Den består av kvartssand som blandats med lera i varierande mängd för att öka dess styrka, seghet och genomsläppningsförmåga. Man skiljer mellan råsand med mindre än 10 % lera, torrsand med upp till 20 % lera och lersand med mer än 20 % lera. Inblandning av kolpulver kan göras för att hindra sanden från att bränna fast vid gjutgodset.

Mager formsand används, då formen skall tjänstgöra i fuktigt tillstånd (råsandformning), medan fet (lerrik) formsand väljs, då formen före gjutningen skall torkas (torrsandformning). Det förra formsättet är vanligare, det senare kommer till användning, då större noggrannhet erfordras.

Kvalitetskontroll
Råsand består av basisk sand (skalsand), bentonit eller annat bindemedel, kol- eller beckpulver, och främmande partiklar. Sandens erforderliga egenskaper kan inte enhetlig bestämmas för alla gjuterier och gjutgods som sådana, men specifikationerna kan ändå från fall till fall ställas upp för att uppnå minimal andel kassation.

En grundläggande uppsättning av parametrar för sådana test är:
 1. Finhetsnummer (kornstorlek / AFS-nummer) av grundsanden.
 2. Fukthalt i blandningen (sträcker sig från 2-7 % beroende på gjutmetod).
 3. Permeabilitet (förmåga att i kompakterad form låta luft passera genom sanden).
 4. Totalt lerhalt (partikelhalt).
 5. Aktivt lerinnehåll (förekomst av aktiv bentonit / lera som kan tillgodose bindning).
 6. Tryckhållfasthet.

Källor

 Bra Böckers lexikon, 1975
 http://runeberg.org/nfbi/0638.html

Gjutning
Material


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The Bomb Builds Confidence for Joan Winfrey, Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay, Wisconsin – Whether it's a roster player or a player fighting for a starting job, every rep is vetted by coaches and scouts.
And if you're one of the recipients, by Aaron Rodgers.
Before his ninth game at Green Bay Packers training camp, Rodgers heard the call from his helmet headset, then turned to his receivers.
Who is 'X'?
"I said, 'Me,'" said third-year recipient Joan Winfrey, and he gave me that smile and said, 'Let's go. "There, that was all the confidence I needed."
With Rashaan Gary pushing Royce Newman in Rodgers' face, the four-time MVP unleashed a deep bombshell Winfrey Road. Facing outstanding second-year cornerback Eric Stokes, Winfree took a stride and made a fine catch along the right sideline. The crowd filling the bleachers of Ray Nitschke Field won plaudits.
"Just to get it back there's everything," Winfrey said. "Nobody can throw this. It was only where I could get it. I'm excited. It's going to be a fun camp to earn that trust and show him I can be that guy. That's all I want to do is help this team, show this team that I can." To be responsible, show the head coach and show my "12" that I can be responsible."
Winfree has a golden opportunity ahead of him. A sixth-round pick by Denver in 2019, he earned the first eight assists of his career last season, including four in Arizona to help upset the undefeated Cardinal.
The Packers didn't have Davante Adams or Marques Valdes-Scantling on the field for that game, and they obviously won't be on the field for them in any game this season. To replace them, General Manager Brian Gutkunst signed Sammy Watkins into free agency and drafted Christian Watson, Romeo Dobbs and Samori Toure, but the only sure thing on the set was Allen Lazard.
New men, whether it's Watkins trying to rewrite his career history or freshmen trying to make a surprising impact, have received the bulk of the hype over the past few months. Winfree, despite a strong string of informal practices, has flown under the radar.
"I wouldn't be surprised if 88 was there, 'Hey, I'm a very good footballer. Don't forget me,'" Rodgers said.
The bootcamp and prep will present a series of tests to see who will join Lazard in the first week's squad in Minnesota. Winfrey passed Rodgers' first audition, and there is no doubt that Rodgers will memorize that audition in his legendary memory.
Go to follow
"When he's in the first rally and you see me throw a deep ball at him, that's great for him," Rodgers said. "It's the same message I'm sending you guys, and I trust you. You guys know, this is an important step to take in the process from quarterback to receiver. I'm really proud of Juwann. He's always been a pro for us, and he's had some bad luck. With injuries, we hope he can stay healthy and have a great camp."
Winfree joined the Packers coaching staff in October 2020. In the latest season, with Adams and some other veteran recipients skipping volunteer practices, Winfree has stepped up and positioned himself to make the roster during training camp. The injury robbed him of the opportunity and he had to secure a place on the coaching team.
Having "learned how to be a pro" since arriving in Green Bay, Winfree is coming off another strong season. The Big Wednesday hunt was a continuation.
"My whole journey has been about adversity. Not everything has gone right," he said. "I have to take responsibility for a lot of it, my junior year and how it went. From now on, I only knew what was required in order to become a professional in this league. Things didn't go the right way with my health. I have to thank the guy upstairs because it's all done and I'm fine now. …
"I knew I had the skill set to be a playmaker in this league. Once you have that confidence, once you know what to do, the sky is the limit. I'm just trying to keep building every day and showing that I can be a man responsible here."
Exercise 1 of Packers Training Camp
Highlights from practice 1
Opening depth charts
Aaron Rodgers will miss having 'this guy' in the receiver
Aaron Rodgers Hall of Fame Response to Davante Adams
David Bakhtiari: My knee looks normal
Rank each player in the list
Packers stick to what they have in the recipient


Kendrick is one of the greatest artists of this generation. I love this!
Kendrick won 5 Grammy Awards during the night including Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. He also won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Music Video (with Taylor Swift).
If you like this video, please share with your friends on Facebook. Lets spread the word. Thank you!


I wanted to be healthy and to make sure that I made a change in my life so I could be there for theirs. Want more deals like this? NutriSystem D is not the first meal delivery service to create diabetic meal plans. If makes for inaccurate entires when there is no unit of measurement. Compared to other apps out there, this one really falls short. Consuming the right amount of calories is one part of a successful weight loss regime. With Auto-Delivery, you are automatically charged and shipped your Day program once every 4 weeks unless you cancel.
Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem give you meal plans that include their branded foods. The programs have websites where you can track your progress, get tips for diet and exercise, and interact with trained consultants and fellow dieters.
With Jenny Craig, you pay a program fee that entitles you to weekly one-on-one counseling by telephone or at a walk-in center. If you want to continue after your initial program runs out whether or not you've lost the weight , you pay an additional fee. You can pick up your food at the center or have it delivered to your home. Nutrisystem has no walk-in locations but provides optional online and phone support at no additional charge. Food is delivered to your home. It's the company's most popular option; all of the plan's meals are shelf-stable, which means they don't require refrigeration.
If you don't like the restricted choice of the programs, you can devise a homemade version using frozen diet meals from the supermarket. Two experienced sensory testers tasted, in total, 32 Jenny Craig products and 27 Nutrisystem Basic products.
Where possible, we chose similar items. We also conducted a side test of six frozen entrées from Nutrisystem's more expensive Select line. The products were tasted in random order within categories—breakfasts with breakfasts, snacks with snacks, and so on. In our objective Nutrisystem review, we will take a closer look at just what Nutrisystem is and what you might be able to expect from this popular form of dieting.
Does Nutrisystem really work? It would be impossible to have a thorough Nutrisystem review without first taking a closer look at exactly who Nutrisystem claims to be.
The answer is fairly simple: The Nutrisystem for men plans typically include an extra snack throughout the day to account for the higher caloric intake that men usually require. Nutrisystem reviews your weight loss goals alongside your current height and weight to help you determine which plan works best for you: No matter which plan you go with, during the first week you will always have two shakes each day along with your meals to help you jump right into your weight loss.
The food is a combination of shelf-stable, frozen, and fresh, giving you options such as frozen waffles, double chocolate muffins, grilled chicken sandwiches, mushroom-stuffed chicken, and cheesecake bars. An important feature to note in a Nutrisystem review is that by upgrading to either the core or uniquely yours plans, you also receive access to a counselor and dietitian for any additional questions you might have.
How does Nutrisystem work? By providing you with meals and a controlled program, Nutrisystem reviews the caloric count for you to help you to lose weight quickly with minimal effort. But does Nutrisystem really work? What do the facts say? Does Nutrisystem Really Work? Is there any science behind the dieting program to prove that it can lead to significant weight loss?
In a scientific Nutrisystem review, meal provision and replacement products such as the shakes included in the first week of the program could help consumers to reach greater weight loss. Take a look at the numbers: It seems that the science behind the Nutrisystem review above would affirm that the program does certainly promote healthy weight loss. The answer varies depending on which plan you opt for: These foods are designed to cover every meal of the day — including dessert.
Expect to see muffins, roasted vegetable pizza, stuffed shells, macaroni and cheese, chicken noodle soup, chicken parmesan, and tacos as some of your main meals. Meanwhile, snacks include granola bars and pretzels. Some of the items are delivered ready to eat, while others require heating.
Meals are also designed to be low in sodium and trans fats. By achieving these macro nutrient values, Nutrisystem promises to help customers manage their blood sugar while maintaining a feeling of fullness or satiety between meals.
Those numbers will go up or down slightly according to your current weight, age, and activity level. Every day, you eat three Nutrisystem meals and two Nutrisystem snacks along with six servings of fresh fruits and vegetables Nutrisystem will recommend which fruits and vegetables to add to your daily diet. A typical day on the Nutrisystem diet includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, one snack, and one dessert.
You can choose which meals to eat every day, or you can get Nutrisystem to automatically choose your meals based on customer favorites. Nutrisystem also likes to emphasize its natural food sources: Nutrisystem also advertises that whole grains play a significant part of the diet, and that the grains meet USDA guidelines for saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbs, fiber, and protein.
Nutrisystem encourages its members to get minutes of moderate exercise every week. For most members, that works out to about 30 minutes of exercise, 5 days a week. Some of the recommended fitness activities for Nutrisystem include zumba, aerobics classes, walking, kickboxing, yoga, Pilates, biking, swimming, jogging, or even fitness video games.
All Nutrisystem members receive a customized 2 week fitness plan. As your fitness level improves, this plan will be adjusted. A sample fitness plan for the week might look like this:. Or, you can choose the Diabetes plan, which features the same prices listed above but offers pre-picked foods specifically designed to help you manage your diabetes.
What do I get with my All Access subscription? Your subscription grants you unlimited access to 50+ fitness plans! You can utilize our entire library of programs whenever you'd like. This article is a little help for our readers which are looking for a way out to manage weight. Here is what Nutrisystem is good for. The Nutrisystem Lean 13 enforces the controlled food as per your basic body requirement. The problem with weight watchers is that they don't eat much. Many of them don't know what to eat, and. Or, if middle management feels particularly generous, a pizza day could be in order. Very few people turn down freebies, nor should anyone feel obligated to do so. NutriSystem offers, in my.


Atlus have released a new trailer for Dragon's Crown Pro comparing the original release to the updated version. Dragon's Crown Pro will launch in Europe and the Americas on May 15 on PlayStation 4. Take a hop, skip and jump to check it out below.
Visuals Fit for an Ancient Dragon – With beautifully-refined artwork and 4K resolution support, Vanillaware's signature art style will come alive as you bludgeon, cleave, shoot, and loot through the dungeons of Hydeland.


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Community Independence Forum centred on residents: Global Civic Sharing stakeholders praise its operation and impact
Global Civic Sharing Rwanda [GCS-Rwanda], an international non-governmental organization that supports citizens of the Kamonyi District through self-help groups (SHGs), is widely praised by its stakeholders for how it implements its citizen transformation activities in accordance with government policies.
On December 26, 2022, at Runda sector of Kamonyi District, the organization organized a consultative meeting focusing on Community Independence Forum centred on residents as part of self-reliance Project for vulnerable people based on civil empowerment in Rwanda, funded by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) with its partners and stakeholders where GCS presented its activities and performance from 2009 to the present.
Dr. Emmanuel TWAGIRIMANA, a Research officer at Rwanda's Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning [MINECOFIN) says the ministry has seen that the GCS is on the right track, and the best way to move on,
As the Ministry, we see that it is assisting us in implementing what we have approved as government policies, particularly those available in the National Vision of 2050, National Transformation Strategies-NST1, and then, as an organization that implements this on the ground, we see that it is good for us all." TWAGIRIMANA said.
Twagirimana during discussion
TWAGIRIMANA urged the organization to consult with the Joint Action Development Forum (JADF) to reach an agreement on what needs to be done at the district level and even of it has been operating in Nyarubaka sector, it's time to extend its activities at District or National Level.
Immigration officer, GCS country Representative and MINAGRI representative
Sosthene NDIKUMANA, the planning specialist at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources [MINAGRI], which is the line Ministry of GCS, as well as the focal point for agriculture and livestock-based NGOs, says they value GCS's contribution to changing citizens' mindsets and equipping them with fertilizers and seeds.
NDIKUMANA highlights the cassava plantation to promote value chain practices that GCS is building in Nyarubaka as a success that will help to improve the lives of the citizens and especially food security.
GCS is our partner in various activities and helps us enhance agriculture and animal husbandry policies. We find it extremely useful in putting development plans into action,"NDIKUMANA says.
He added that since the 2018 agreement with GCS they started with, they have signed many different agreements to help implement the ministry's 6-year planning program.
"They are helping us in providing farmers with seeds and fertilizers, helping them to store their harvest, and with infrastructure. This is a very good organization that we value as a ministry," he said.
For recommendations, NDIKUMANA urges GCS to continue cooperation in developing the agricultural and livestock sectors, as well as to increase production, increase the number of farmers, and expand their activities in other Kamonyi sectors.
Hyunju Cho, Executive Director of Global Civic Sharing in Korea says that he appreciates the role of stakeholders in Rwanda.
We believe in the power of the community and the power of Rwanda. It is an enormous pleasure to discover the great potentials in you and to be with you on the journey to grow together." He says
Hyunju Cho, Executive Director of Global Civic Sharing in Korea
Hyunju Cho adds that it is a time to focus on other issues.
And we need to substantiate sustainable development for our future generations. I hope that 'resident groups' play a key role in contributing to green, resilient, and inclusive development in Rwanda. Please support the people so that they can protect themselves and the community."
He noticed.
According to the Kamonyi District Director of Education, Diogène KAYIJUKA, encouraging someone to move from one level to another allows them to set other goals, which is precisely what GCS did at Nyarubaka.
On 21 December 2022, GCS organized an event at Nyarubaka sector level where local leaders and keys stakeholders were invited to present achievements, challenges and learnt lessons so as to continue supporting the sector a sustainable and self-reliant way
Aimable Twagirayezu, the GCS Country Representative, assured stakeholders that the ideas and suggestions they have provided will guide them in carrying out their responsibilities effective in the next years.
For Twagirayezu, GCS's mission and vision are achievable, but progress is a journey.
GCS country Representative during consultative meeting
He emphasized that they were focused on changing citizen mindsets and citizen's ownership of their activities so that they could continue or remain sustainable when GCS's mission ended.
In the new direction, we will continue to help the savings groups that have not graduated so that they can graduate; we will help the cooperatives; we will give support so that cassava plantation and enhance agriculture and livestock programs to sustainability, as well as providing the training and inputs; and we will focus on the children's education, which includes different components, " he stated.
Global Civic Sharing (GCS) provides development aid to needy communities in different countries.
The organization was founded in 1998 and has its headquarters in South Korea with operations in Vietnam, East Timor, Mongolia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Kenya.
Previous Rwanda's response to accusations of support for the DRC armed group
Next Students hopeful as school feeding in Nyarubaka gets boosted from GCS-Rwanda
Students hopeful as school feeding in Nyarubaka gets boosted from GCS-Rwanda
Rwanda's response to accusations of support for the DRC armed group
Kamonyi: SHGs Graduation-Citizens' mindset changed thanks to the Global Civic Sharing support


This week marks the start of the 2013 harvest in Europe, with the vineyards in Tenerife, Spain in the Canary Islands and Roussillon region in France, reports wine-searcher.com.
A lorry trailer carrying 50,000 bottles of wine worth £300,000, which was parked in a haulage yard in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, has been stolen.
Drinks wholesaler Matthew Clark has partnered with iRiS Software Systems to offer customers digital wine and drinks lists.
Manchester is to add to its developing fine-dining ethos with a new venture from celebrity chef James Martin and an announcement from Allied London that the Spinningfields area is to become a bespoke high-end dining, leisure and cultural destination.
Pernod Ricard UK is to add Argentinian wine Graffigna Centenario Malbec to its portfolio to capitalise on the growing popularity of wines from Argentina.
Lancashire-based independent retailer EWGA has announced expansion plans to extend its bonded warehouse facility in order to satisfy growing demand.
Extreme food pairings and sonic tastings are on the cards for this year's Whisky Exchange Whisky Show.


TV Mini Series The Cry.
Caroline (Sarah Lancashire) & Kate (Nina Sosanya) - A Change Is Gonna Come (McElliot).
Caroline & Kate from Last Tango in Halifax. Song is by Sam Cooke - A Change is Gonna Come. No copyright was intended, all rights go to the BBC. Enjoy!
©2018 by new york to nebraska. All Right Reserved.


text:
Debates Club
APIR Center Publications
Pence: Trump won't repeat Korea mistakes
UN condemns North Korea rights violations
North Korea tests new 'tactical' weapon
Pompeo warns Seoul over Korea ties
North Korea still using main nuclear site
Russian-Vietnamese Relations: Position and Prospects
Once Again on the Mysterious North Korean Hackers
The Development of DPRK's Missile-Nuclear Complex and the US Reaction
Ongoing Russo-Vietnamese Military Cooperation Ensures Regional Stability
The Launch of the Kvanmenson Rocket
Aug 20, 2012 – Round Table "The results of the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War. A look into the future " in Ivanovo.
On the 70th anniversary of Victory in Great Patriotic War, the Central Scientific Library of the universal Ivanovo State Archives and State History Museum named after D.G Burylin, carried out a collaborative project "The Great Victory in the fate of Ivanovo, country and humanity."
Within the limits of the project on August, 9th, 2012 at 11:00 in Local Centre of Information and History of the Central Scientific Library, took place round table "Results of the Great Patriotic War and Second World Wars. Looking into the future". The meeting was attended by representatives of the authorities of Ivanovo Region, Scientific public higher education institutions, Far Eastern State University of Humanities in the face of head of the Department of General History Timoshenko Valery Nikolayevich the director of APIR Center (Khabarovsk). Yaroslavl State Pedagogical University, the staff of the State Archives of the Ivanovo region, State Local History Museum named after D.G. Burylin, Ivanovo Regional Art Museum, Museum Chernsk secondary school of Lezhnevsky region, local historians, veterans of the Great Patriotic War, the librarians of the city and the region.
During discussion were raised the questions concerning results of World War II and the Great Patriotic War, the prospects for further integration of Russia with the countries of Europe and the Far East, to prevent the falsification of history.
For the first time unique documents from archival funds of the NKVD-KGB of USSR: postcards, personal letters, diary of the last ten days of stay in the Soviet Union of the former Commander of the Kwantung Army – General Otodzo Yamada, contained in a POW camp № 48 in the village of Chernsk Lezhnevsky region Ivanovo region. (Japan).
In the period from 17 to 27 May 1956 Otodzo Yamada came back from Chernsk camps to their homeland. In a diary records that Otodzo Yamada kept during a multi-day trip to the Soviet Union, the former general sadly remembered his friends, to whom did not have time to say goodbye, noted heartiness and attention of his staff camp and in traditional Japanese quatrains – haiku describing limitless expanses and attractions in Central Russia, Siberia and the Far East. In his letters from Japan to friends still remaining in detention, he expressed gratitude to the camps officers of NKVD and medical personnel, "for cardiac care and assistance" "For my friend, sibling equivalent care" during his illness, "for the attention down to the smallest detail."
Editions of the given documents which were in funds of local information and history Centre Central universal scientific library have been exhibited on a round table.
Also great interest of present raised graphics and watercolor works from the Ivanovo Art Museum and the Museum of Chernsk secondary school Lezhnevskiy region in Ivanovo, completed by former commander of the 6th Army of Wehrmacht (Germany), General-Field Marshal Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus during his stay in the camp № 48.
The Data documents of historical value, led to the conclusion that the Chernsk camp created conditions conducive to the maintenance of the individual and the development of creative possibilities of war.
Besides the State Archives of the Ivanovo region at the roundtable presented memories and photos of Ivanovo parties Manchurian operation in 1945, including memoirs of Marshal Vasilevsky, A.M. and essays on the Soviet Union hero Vilkov N.A.
Activities on the theme of the Central Universal Scientific Library prepared book exhibition, where presented more than 1000 scientific articles in the leading domestic and foreign scholars, books and periodicals, a memoir of the great patriotic war and the second world war, and also the most complete collection of local history documents for participation of Ivanovo residents in the discussed events. The most important proceedings of the Roundtable will be included in the scientific and popular electronic edition of the combined distribution of "The Great Victory in the fate of Ivanovo, country and humanity", Which is the Central Scientific Library prepares to the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
After the event, everyone visited memorial sites in the village Chernsk: school museum, burial of the dead prisoners Vorotinsky mansion, which houses "generalship" camp number 48, and services Park alleys, which were high ranking prisoners of war.
The debate, the issues raised, the veterans speeches, ongoing scientific research and an introduction to the scientific use of new archival documents will contribute to an objective view on the discussed historical events and further development of the cultural and economic relations between countries-participants of World War II, and will open a new page in the history of the Ivanovo region.
The Administration of Asia-Pacific International Relations Study Center would like to thank colleagues from the city of Ivanovo, for the warm welcome.
Опубликовано в Events, Press Review, Russia
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Enrollment figures for Pennsylvania's higher education system are troubling both educators and politics as they indicate a drop in applications and matriculation for the last 3 years.
This is a worrying trend because the universities are financially constrained — they depend on tuition dollars — and a drop in the number of students is only making budgets tighter. 12 of the 14 state-owned universities have shown losses in the number of students for the third year in a row.
Bill Schackner of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the total number of students system-wide is at 122,315, which is 2.1% lower from last year and 6% lower than in 2010. These numbers are significant in scale, and authorities have noticed. Now they need to come up with a plan to reverse this trend.
With this fall's losses, six system schools now have seen double-digit declines over three years, chief among them Cheyney University, which has lost nearly 24 percent of its student population since 2010; Edinboro University, down almost 18 percent since 2010; and Clarion University, where enrollment has fallen just under 17 percent during those years.
Some officials predicted that the number of people enrolling would decrease simply because the number of graduates has decreased. Furthermore, they predict that the figures will not rebound until 2020.
However, even though this year's enrollment decline was smaller than that of last year, it is still bigger than what was expected — and faulty projections have budget implications and call into question long-term plans for individual campuses and the system overall.
The combination of fewer students, decreased funding, increased campus costs and a slow economy has resulted in a dire financial situation of the higher education system.
Fewer students, a recent 18 percent cut in the system's state appropriation and rising campus costs in a sluggish economy have created what system leaders in recent months have described as "a perfect storm" financially, including a $50 million budget shortfall this year alone.
During a board meeting, system administrators discussed the need for funding to be diverted from those universities where the enrollment figures are low to Pennsylvania's programs focusing on future workforce requirements. Frank Brogan, the new chancellor of the state system, put forward ideas on how to get more funding from the state even though the economy is weak.
He suggested perhaps a pilot involving one or more programs so as to avoid unintended consequences.


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Coached by Mike Daer. Team staff include Grant Brouwer, Bill Lorch, Ivan Popen, Harm Spangenburg, Helen Spangenburg, Darryl VanLingen.
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The event, hosted by the Scottish Socialist Party, took place in John Brown's Bar and organisers appealed to members of the public to demand that all but defence and foreign affairs are handled by the Scottish Government.
Speakers challenged the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems to hold true to "The Vow" they made before the independence referendum and follow through on more powers for Scotland.
Billed as 'Unite Against the Tories' War on the Working Class — Demand the Powers to Transform our Lives', the public meeting was part of a wider campaign around the west of Scotland.
SSP West of Scotland regional organiser Richie Venton said: "During the referendum we warned of the horrendous consequences of continued Westminster rule, by and for the rich.
"But the Tories didn't even wait a week before launching an all-out class war on workers and communities through cuts to benefits, pay, jobs, services and human rights." He added: "The public meeting last night was part of a series going on across the west of Scotland.


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text:
@class NSData, NSObject<OS_dispatch_queue>, WXGMigrationMsgItemDB;

@interface WXGMigrationRecoverHelper : NSObject
{
    NSObject<OS_dispatch_queue> *m_FileSerialQueue;
    NSData *m_encryptKey;
    WXGMigrationMsgItemDB *m_msgItemDB;
    id <WXGMigrationRecoverHelperDelegate> _delegate;
}

@property(nonatomic) __weak id <WXGMigrationRecoverHelperDelegate> delegate; // @synthesize delegate=_delegate;
- (void).cxx_destruct;
- (void)p_writeBufferFileToPersistentPath;
- (_Bool)p_writeMediaDataPush:(id)arg1 toPath:(id)arg2;
- (_Bool)p_writeMsgListDataPush:(id)arg1 toPath:(id)arg2;
- (void)asynProcessMigrationRequestSessionDataInfoArray:(id)arg1 shouldCheckPersisten:(_Bool)arg2;
- (void)asynProcessMigrationDataTag:(id)arg1;
- (void)oldAsyncProcessPieceOfData:(id)arg1;
- (void)asynProcessPieceOfData:(id)arg1;
- (void)dealloc;
- (id)initWithEncryptKey:(id)arg1;

@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Evening Waiheke Wine Tasting and Dinner Tour from Auckland. Escape Auckland and spend an evening indulging in Waiheke Island's best wine and culinary options. After a scenic cruise to Waiheke, enjoy a tour of Stonyridge Vineyard, and wine-tasting (included in price). This half-day, guided tour includes a 2-course dinner.
enjoy a tour of Stonyridge Vineyard, and wine-tasting (included in price). This half-day, guided tour includes a 2-course dinner.
Waiheke Island boasts beautiful beaches, bohemian artists and award-winning vineyards, olive groves and restaurants.
enjoy a wine tasting at the award-winning Stonyridge Vineyard nestled in Onetangi Valley.
Then, head to Batch Winery, the highest altitude vineyard on the island, for incredible views, a vineyard tour and a seasonal two-course dinner. To top it all off, take in Auckland's glittering skyline as you sail back to the city.
Bed & Breakfast Albany - Bed and Breakfast.


RFEGs engage in two types of enhancement, both of which are invaluable to the recovery and survival of ESA-listed salmonid stocks.
Salmon enhancement activities help to recover and conserve the state's naturally spawning salmon populations. Every year, RFEGs raise tens of millions of salmon eggs, smolt, and fry and release them into creeks and rivers.
RFEGs distribute thousands of salmon carcasses to provide marine-derived nutrients to support the watershed ecosystem. In watersheds with intact rearing and spawning habitat, nutrient enhancement may be the last option in an attempt to bolster juvenile production and promote the recovery of dwindling returns of natural-origin salmon and steelhead stocks.


Ah, Tuscany -- how we love you. Home of all those wonderful Sangiovese grapes which get turned into Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and rich goodies like Super Tuscan wines.
The Super Tuscans, are not made according to the traditional standards of Tuscany. Instead, these wines generally have Sangiovese blended with other grape varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot -- usually yielding wines that are bigger and richer than many of their Italian counterparts.
So what happens when a winemaker in Montepulciano decides, "Oh, heck with it -- I've got all these high-quality Bordeaux-blend grapes...let's make a high-end wine from that juice and commit the heresy of including zero Sangiovese in the mix."
The answer, or at least one of them, is the Avignonesi Desiderio Cortona DOC Merlot 2011. This Bordeaux blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet is a big, burly bottle of red, clocking in at 14.5% alcohol. It's aged for 18 months in barriques, which are the small barrels traditionally used to age Bordeaux.
Thanks to Sean at Colangelo, I had the opportunity to try a sample of this high end (around $60) Italian red.
Not a wine for the faint of heart -- this merlot is toothstainingly rich and thick. I'd say it's probably as big an "Old World" wine as I've come across any time recently. That said, the Desiderio starts with a nose that's surprisingly light. I caught the cherry notes that I usually find accompanying a Sangiovese-based wine, which is probably at least some function of the teroir. I also found some darker blackcurrant scents followed by a whiff of chocolate.
Any illusions that the light nose might yield subtle flavors disappear quickly. On the palate. stuff gets going right away with the gobs of big, rich dark fruit that you'd expect in a merlot, but alongside a big blast of smoky tannin. The mouthfeel is big, tannic, and drying. The finish lingers long and dry, with plenty of plum and smoke. I found the Desiderio to be little rough around the edges, so you might want to consider laying it down for a bit. If you crack it now, decant it for a good long while, and serve it next to some hearty, preferably grilled, fare or big sauces to take the edge off. Many lamb preparations would be a good match here.
Champagne. Sparkling wine. Spumante. Bubbly. It's that time of year.
Dom Perignon, the monk who popularized the concept of carbonated wine apocryphally stated, "Come quickly, I am drinking the stars!" upon opening a bottle in the wine caves of his monastery, and generations thereafter have shared that particular sensation, especially around this time of the year, when the loud pop of a cork accompanies celebrations large and small.
"Champagne," remember, is not a grape varietal or type of wine. It's the region of Northern France where this style of wine originated, and where the most famous and most expensive versions of this sparkling wine -- like Veuve Cliquot, Moet & Chandon, and the aforementioned Dom Perignon -- are produced. If you go to the wine store and ask for "Champagne," you might get steered over to this rack, where you'll be staring at a bunch of French names and pricetags starting at forty or fifty bucks.
Getting back to the French stuff, and getting down to brass tacks – in all honesty, Champagne can be a real ripoff. Yes, Champagne is wonderful. I've had the opportunity to try a few high-end champagnes, and they're delightful. They're flavorful and sensuous…and completely overpriced for my semi-educated palate. I say this since, if you're reading this, I'm guessing you're likely not going to be doing vertical tastings of high enders like Krug or Pol Roger anytime soon. Still, why are these wines so damned expensive?
We pay a premium for these wines because of the name on the label – no different from buying clothes, cars, or headphones. In some cases, the quality of actual Champagnes might be slightly higher than other sparkling wines, but at 11:59 on December 31st, are you really thinking about doing a Parker-esque pull-apart of the various flavors? I thought not. If you're opening vintage Champagne at midnight on New Year's, you're either showin' off, or you're at a ritzier party than I'm ever getting invited to.
That said, there's nothing quite like the ritual of cracking open a bottle of celebratory bubbly. Good news! Consumption of sparkling wine has increased sharply in the first half of this decade. (We must be in a collective mood to get down!) Because of this increased demand, there are many options to allow you to have a good experience while still maintaining a grip on your fiscal sanity.
A couple of quick things to consider about buying sparkling wine. Unlike most reds and whites, many sparkling wines do not have vintage dates, as they're often made from blends of wines from different years to produce a consistent product. Vintage wines often command higher prices, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're better.
Also, remember that the wine's sweetness level is on the label. The traditional French nomenclature for sparkling wine is more or less the standard. The ones you're likely to see are, from sweetest to driest: Doux (sweet) → Demi-Sec (semi-dry) → Sec (Dry) → Extra Dry → Brut. Yep. Brut is "drier than dry." There are actually another two, even drier, levels -- Extra Brut and Brut Nature, but you're unlikely to come across those.
Crémant – We'll start in France. Crémant (pronounced cray-mahn) has come to refer to French sparkling wine produced outside the Champagne region. Most Crémant is produced with the same methode Champenoise process that Champagne is, often with the same grapes. The big difference? These are more "everyday" French sparkling wines, and usually can be had for between ten and twenty bucks. The best known will be labeled Crémant d'Alsace, Crémant de Bourgogne, Crémant de Loire, and Crémant de Jura. All of these make excellent alternatives if you're trying to look classy by putting a bottle of French sparkling wine on the table at your next party. Are they as high quality as high-end Champagne? No. Is that quality difference worth $50 or more? You be the judge.
Cava – Over to Spain. Cava is my go-to inexpensive sparkling wine. This sparkler, produced in the area around Barcelona. The name "Cava" stems from the caves in which these wines were originally stored and aged. These wines are also produced in the same method as Champagne. I find most Cava to be crisper and somewhat more acidic than the creamy gentle bubbles in the French versions. The extra acidity, in my opinion, is what makes Cava perfect for tapas – allowing it to go alongside almost any kind of food. Cava is also quite inexpensive. For a typical bottle of Cava, if you're spending more than $15, you're overpaying.
Prosecco & Moscato – The Italian sparkling entries. Prosecco is the more "traditional" version of sparkling wine – and you'll typically find it nestled next to the Cava in your local wine store. I find it to be fruitier and slightly sweeter than other sparkling wines, which I think makes it a better option for an early evening palate cleanser or morning-after mimosas than for cracking at the end of the year, but your mileage may vary. Moscato, whose popularity boomed in the early 2000's, is a sweet, peachy, low-alcohol sparkling wine that – as a wine-savvy friend once put it – "you could drink for breakfast." Produced in both sparkling and still versions, Moscato is a favorite of brunch aficionados and high school shoplifters everywhere.
United States Sparkling Wine – While some more expensive versions of "California Champagne" are decent (for instance, President Obama celebrated his inauguration with a special version of Korbel Natural), in general, they're best used for christening boats or hosing down your friends after winning the sports contest of your choice. That said, there's no shortage of high quality bubbly within our own borders. In my experience, the highest quality stuff comes from Northern California, and can be every bit as expensive as its French counterparts. However, there are many of these California products you'll find in the $15-20 range that are very serviceable for any occasion. Oregon, Washington, and New Mexico are producing very good sparklers at bargain prices.
Bottom line – unless you're really wed to the idea of having "traditional" Champagne for whatever your occasion may be, you'll have good luck finding alternatives that won't break your bank. So snag some bottles and pop your corks. You deserve it.
Just when I think I had this whole Italian wine naming convention down pat, I come to learn that those folks have gone and changed the rules on us.
Actually, this happened a few years ago, but the newly named wines are finding their way to our shores now, so we might as well get ourselves good and caught up. So, what's the story?
· DOC – short for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which means that the wine is made under a certain set of standards for a particular region, like Chianti. There is some flexibility for wine makers working under a "DOC" label. These are generally the standard wines from an area.
· DOCG – short for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita. These wines are made under stricter rules than DOC wines. They are from particular vineyards, have strict aging standards, and tend to be the highest quality wines from a region, like a Chianti Classico.
· VDT – short for Vino da Tavola, which translates as "table wine" and is…well…exactly that. Generally inexpensive wine made to be drunk young.
· IGT – short for Indicazione Geografica Tipica. This designation, technically a subcategory of vino da tavola, was created for wines that don't fall under the general classification system, but are considered of high quality. "Super Tuscan" wines fall into this category.
· VDT – again, table wine, but the primary grape varietal must be listed on the label.
· IGP – short for Indicazione Geografica Protetta, and is identical in standards to the old "IGT" designation. IGP is now a separate category from VDT. An IGP wine must pass certain standards for aging and quality -- which differentiate it from VDT.
· DOC and DOCG wines are now both subcategories of DOP. DOP, or Denominazione d'Origine Protetta, is more often now applied to foodstuffs like tomatoes. DOP is basically a guarantee that, yes, an item is actually produced in a particular area of Italy. DOP and DOC are now used somewhat interchangeably, while DOCG is still the mark of highest quality. All DOP wines must now include a vintage, with the exception of sparkling wines.
Many thanks to Italia Wijn!
The DOP and IGP classifications are also used for other Italian foodstuffs like tomatoes, cheese, meats, etc. In those cases, the designation indicates that the items were actually produced in particular regions, using particular standards of quality. IGP is considered less stringent than DOP. Look at a can of real Italian tomatoes next time you're at the grocery store and you can see what I mean.
The aforementioned samples,from Maggie at Colangelo, are from Acinum wines – a new producer from the Veneto region. "Acinum" is Latin for "Grape," and these wines are intended to provide relatively low-cost, high quality Italian juice.
Acinum (NV) Prosecco Extra Dry DOP – Quite a nice Prosecco. Very pleasant flavors. Straightforwardly crisp flavor of lemon at first sip, with a lively carbonation. The flavors settle into a lemon crème and pear palate which smooths nicely into little acidic tingles at the back end. Just a very pleasant sparkler. My sister was visiting the Sweet Partner in Crime and I when we opened this over brunch. We had it with an arugula salad with roasted butternut squash & white sweet potatoes, toasted walnuts, and pomegranate seeds in a citrus and sesame oil dressing. Made easy what would have been a somewhat difficult pairing. Also makes great mimosas! $11.
Acinum 2014 Soave Classico DOP –The Acinum Soave isn't the lean, acid-driven sipper that many of its Italian compatriots are. A much fuller-bodied white than your Pinot Grigio or Vernacchia, the Soave is a richer, creamier experience. The nose is quite floral, a bit of a "Viognier-lite" in character. The first tastes are quite fruity, but the body is quite silky and elegant, full of honey and pears. The finish does turn slightly acidic, but in a very pleasant manner that makes it quite food friendly. While suggested as an aperitif or with fish, we had this with a braised chicken with fennel and white sweet potatoes (can you guess what we got in the farmshare this week?) and it more than held its own. $11.
Acinum 2012 Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG – Amarone is one of the biggest, most expensive Italian wines. Made from raisinated grapes, these wines generally pack quite a punch. This one is dense and full without being heavy. I got leather, plum, and a little raisin on the fragrant nose. Big concentrated dark fruit flavors were followed by a shot of smoke on the palate. Lots of structure with a great balance between fruit and tannin. Certainly a muscular wine, but no one flavor takes over too much. The finish goes on and on with blackberry and smoky tannin. I could easily get remnants of flavor after well over a minute. Strong and elegant. Well done. The pricetag on this one stunned me. Retail on this one is $55, which seems high – but many Amarone will run you that for a half-bottle. Snag for a special occasion.
If you're a little confused by the shifts in designations, don't worry. A little extra research turned up the fact that while winemakers must register with the government under the new naming conventions, their labeling can remain basically the same. So, for the most part, don't worry about IGT/DOC/DOCG going away or referring to new things anytime soon. Keep calm and drink on.


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text:
Onyx Delivers CRM Services to Airborne Express
Monday Apr 16th 2001 by Robyn Greenspan
The air express distribution service takes Onyx as a partner in an effort to gain critical market share from rivals.
Provider of worldwide distribution solutions Airborne Express has selected Onyx Software Corp. to deliver the customer relationship management (CRM) tools and expertise needed to propel sales and marketing efforts.
The air express delivery field is becoming more competitive and the 50-year-old Airborne hopes to expand its traditional services to include new offerings designed to gain critical market share from rivals. Aware of the low success rates in CRM implementation, Airborne chose Onyx for their comprehensive mix of technology, strategic services and strong commitment to customer success.
"Of the competing solutions we scrutinized during the selection process, Onyx was the only company that focused on understanding our new service offerings, business issues and unique market needs," said Ken McCumber, senior vice president of sales for Airborne. "Onyx understands go-to-market sales strategy, and their diligence at every stage of our involvement with them proved to us that Onyx was serious about being a true partner. Secondly, Onyx was the only candidate that could use its software to demonstrate where we were in its own sales process -- something that, surprisingly, no other company could effectively illustrate."
Airborne now joins the growing list of Onyx customers which include American Express, Broadwing, Commerce One, Credit Suisse, Dreyfus, FirstWorld Communications, Portland Trail Blazers, Prudential Securities and Sierra Health Services.


text:
Q: AWS System Manager CLI function I have been running into troubles when running a CLI command to create a AWS System Manager Association task. The command is the one listed below:
aws ssm create-association --name AWS-RunRemoteScript --targets Key=instanceids,Values=i-03710c82b70551c32 --parameters '{"sourceType":["S3"],"sourceInfo":["{"path":\"https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/xxx/private/xxx.ps1\"}"],"commandLine":["xxx.ps1"]}' --schedule-expression "cron(0 0 2 ? * SUN *)"

Every time I get an error that there is something wrong with parameters part but I have tried all combinations of quotes but couldn't find any fix for it.

Error parsing parameter '--parameters': Expected: '=', received: '''
  for input:
  '{sourceType:[S3],sourceInfo:[{https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/xxx/private/xxx.ps1"}],commandLine:[xxx]}'

Did someone faced a similar problem?

A: The sourceInfo requires a list of strings. Be sure to escape any quotes within the string.
Instead of:
'{"sourceType":["S3"],"sourceInfo":["{"path":\"https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/xxx/private/xxx.ps1\"}"],"commandLine":["xxx.ps1"]}'

Use this:
'{"sourceType":["S3"],"sourceInfo":["{\"path\":\"https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/xxx/private/xxx.ps1\"}"],"commandLine":["xxx.ps1"]}'

It worked fine for me on a Mac:
$ aws ssm create-association --name AWS-RunRemoteScript --targets Key=instanceids,Values=i-03710c82b70551c32 --parameters '{"sourceType":["S3"],"sourceInfo":["{\"path\":\"https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/xxx/private/xxx.ps1\"}"],"commandLine":["xxx.ps1"]}' --schedule-expression "cron(0 0 2 ? * SUN *)"
{
    "AssociationDescription": {
        "Name": "AWS-RunRemoteScript",
        "AssociationVersion": "1",
        "Date": 1551432508.365,
        "LastUpdateAssociationDate": 1551432508.365,
        "Overview": {
            "Status": "Pending",
            "DetailedStatus": "Creating"
        },
        "DocumentVersion": "$DEFAULT",
        "Parameters": {
            "commandLine": [
                "xxx.ps1"
            ],
            "sourceInfo": [
                "{\"path\":\"https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/xxx/private/xxx.ps1\"}"
            ],
            "sourceType": [
                "S3"
            ]
        },
        "AssociationId": "5de73031-a390-4e7f-8b99-8064584e84cb",
        "Targets": [
            {
                "Key": "instanceids",
                "Values": [
                    "i-03710c82b70551c32"
                ]
            }
        ],
        "ScheduleExpression": "cron(0 0 2 ? * SUN *)"
    }
}