text:
The Widow Lerouge by Emile Gaboriau
Previous: Chapter II.
Next: Chapter IV.
Chapter III.
M. Tabaret's house was in fact not more than four minutes' walk from the railway terminus of St. Lazare. It was a fine building carefully kept, and which probably yielded a fine income though the rents were not too high. The old fellow found plenty of room in it. He occupied on the first floor, overlooking the street, some handsome apartments, well arranged and comfortably furnished, the principal of which was his collection of books. He lived very simply from taste, as well as habit, waited on by an old servant, to whom on great occasions the concierge lent a helping hand.
No one in the house had the slightest suspicion of the avocations of the proprietor. Besides, even the humblest agent of police would be expected to possess a degree of acuteness for which no one gave M. Tabaret credit. Indeed, they mistook for incipient idiocy his continual abstraction of mind.
It is true that all who knew him remarked the singularity of his habits. His frequent absenses from home had given to his proceedings an appearance at once eccentric and mysterious. Never was young libertine more irregular in his habits than this old man. He came or failed to come home to his meals, ate it mattered not what or when. He went out at every hour of the day and night, often slept abroad, and even disappeared for entire weeks at a time. Then too he received the strangest visitors, odd looking men of suspicious appearance, and fellows of ill-favoured and sinister aspect.
This irregular way of living had robbed the old fellow of much consideration. Many believed they saw in him a shameless libertine, who squandered his income in disreputable places. They would remark to one another, "Is it not disgraceful, a man of his age?"
He was aware of all this tittle-tattle, and laughed at it. This did not, however, prevent many of his tenants from seeking his society and paying court to him. They would invite him to dinner, but he almost invariably refused.
He seldom visited but one person of the house, but with that one he was very intimate, so much so indeed, that he was more often in her apartment, than in his own. She was a widow lady, who for fifteen years had occupied an apartment on the third floor. Her name was Madame Gerdy, and she lived with her son Noel, whom she adored.
Noel Gerdy was a man thirty-three years of age, but looking older; tall and well made, with a noble and intelligent face, large black eyes, and black hair which curled naturally. An advocate, he passed for having great talent, and greater industry, and had already gained a certain amount of notoriety. He was an obstinate worker, cold and meditative, though devoted to his profession, and affected, with some ostentation, perhaps, a great rigidity of principle, and austerity of manners.
In Madame Gerdy's apartment, old Tabaret felt himself quite at home. He considered her as a relation, and looked upon Noel as a son. In spite of her fifty years, he had often thought of asking the hand of this charming widow, and was restrained less by the fear of a refusal than its consequence. To propose and to be rejected would sever the existing relations, so pleasurable to him. However, he had by his will, which was deposited with his notary constituted this young advocate his sole legatee; with the single condition of founding an annual prize of two thousand francs to be bestowed on the police agent who during the year had unravelled the most obscure and mysterious crime.
Short as was the distance to his house, old Tabaret was a good quarter of an hour in reaching it. On leaving M. Daburon his thoughts reverted to the scene of the murder; and, so blinded was the old fellow to external objects, that he moved along the street, first jostled on the right, then on the left, by the busy passers by, advancing one step and receding two. He repeated to himself for the fiftieth time the words uttered by Widow Lerouge, as reported by the milk-woman. "If I wished for any more, I could have it."
"All is in that," murmured he. "Widow Lerouge possessed some important secret, which persons rich and powerful had the strongest motives for concealing. She had them in her power, and that was her fortune. She made them sing to her tune; she probably went too far, and so they suppressed her. But of what nature was this secret, and how did she become possessed of it? Most likely she was in her youth a servant in some great family; and whilst there, she saw, heard, or discovered, something-- What? Evidently there is a woman at the bottom of it. Did she assist her mistress in some love intrigue? What more probable? And in that case the affair becomes even more complicated. Not only must the woman be found but her lover also; for it is the lover who has moved in this affair. He is, or I am greatly deceived, a man of noble birth. A person of inferior rank would have simply hired an assassin. This man has not hung back; he himself has struck the blow and by that means avoiding the indiscretion or the stupidity of an accomplice. He is a courageous rascal, full of audacity and coolness, for the crime has been admirably executed. The fellow left nothing behind of a nature to compromise him seriously. But for me, Gevrol, believing in the robbery, would have seen nothing. Fortunately, however, I was there. But yet it can hardly be that," continued the old man. "It must be something worse than a mere love affair."
Old Tabaret entered the porch of the house. The concierge seated by the window of his lodge saw him as he passed beneath the gas lamp.
"Ah," said he, "the proprietor has returned at last."
"So he has," replied his wife, "but it looks as though his princess would have nothing to do with him to-night. He seems more loose than ever."
"Is it not positively indecent," said the concierge, "and isn't he in a state! His fair ones do treat him well! One of these fine mornings I shall have to take him to a lunatic asylum in a straight waistcoat."
"Look at him now!" interrupted his wife, "just look at him now, in the middle of the courtyard!"
The old fellow had stopped at the extremity of the porch. He had taken off his hat, and, while talking to himself, gesticulated violently.
"No," said he, "I have not yet got hold of the clue, I am getting near it; but have not yet found it out."
He mounted the staircase, and rang his bell, forgetting that he had his latch-key in his pocket. His housekeeper opened the door.
"What, is it you, sir," said she, "and at this hour!"
"What's that you say?" asked the old fellow.
"I say," replied the housekeeper, "that it is more than half-past eight o'clock. I thought you were not coming back this evening. Have you at least dined?"
"No, not yet."
"Well, fortunately I have kept your dinner warm. You can sit down to it at once."
Old Tabaret took his place at the table, and helped himself to soup, but mounting his hobby-horse again, he forgot to eat, and remained, his spoon in the air, as though suddenly struck by an idea.
"He is certainly touched in the head," thought Manette, the housekeeper. "Look at that stupid expression. Who in his senses would lead the life he does?" She touched him on the shoulder, and bawled in his ear, as if he were deaf,--"You do not eat. Are you not hungry?"
"Yes, yes," muttered he, trying mechanically to escape the voice that sounded in his ears, "I am very hungry, for since the morning I have been obliged--" He interrupted himself, remaining with his mouth open, his eyes fixed on vacancy.
"You were obliged--?" repeated Manette.
"Thunder!" cried he, raising his clenched fists towards the ceiling,-- "heaven's thunder! I have it!"
His movement was so violent and sudden that the housekeeper was a little alarmed, and retired to the further end of the dining-room, near the door.
"Yes," continued he, "it is certain there is a child!"
Manette approached him quickly. "A child?" she asked in astonishment.
"What next!" cried he in a furious tone. "What are you doing there? Has your hardihood come to this that you pick up the words which escape me? Do me the pleasure to retire to your kitchen, and stay there until I call you."
"He is going crazy!" thought Manette, as she disappeared very quickly.
Old Tabaret resumed his seat. He hastily swallowed his soup which was completely cold. "Why," said he to himself, "did I not think of it before? Poor humanity! I am growing old, and my brain is worn out. For it is clear as day; the circumstances all point to that conclusion."
He rang the bell placed on the table beside him; the servant reappeared.
"Bring the roast," he said, "and leave me to myself."
"Yes," continued he furiously carving a leg of Presale mutton--"Yes, there is a child, and here is his history! The Widow Lerouge, when a young woman, is in the service of a great lady, immensely rich. Her husband, a sailor, probably had departed on a long voyage. The lady had a lover--found herself enciente. She confided in the Widow Lerouge, and, with her assistance, accomplished a clandestine accouchement."
He called again.
"Manette, the dessert, and get out!"
Certainly such a master was unworthy of so excellent a cook as Manette. He would have been puzzled to say what he had eaten for diner, or even what he was eating at this moment; it was a preserve of pears.
"But what," murmured he, "has become of the child? Has it been destroyed? No; for the Widow Lerouge, an accomplice in an infanticide, would be no longer formidable. The child has been preserved, and confided to the care of our widow, by whom it has been reared. They have been able to take the infant away from her, but not the proofs of its birth and its existence. Here is the opening. The father is the man of the fine carriage; the mother is the lady who came with the handsome young man. Ha! ha! I can well believe the dear old dame wanted for nothing. She had a secret worth a farm in Brie. But the old lady was extravagant; her expenses and her demands have increased year by year. Poor humanity! She has leaned upon the staff too heavily, and broken it. She has threatened. They have been frightened, and said, 'Let there be an end of this!' But who has charged himself with the commission? The papa? No; he is too old. By jupiter! The son,--the child himself! He would save his mother, the brave boy! He has slain the witness and burnt the proofs!"
Manette all this time, her ear to the keyhole, listened with all her soul; from time to time she gleaned a word, an oath, the noise of a blow upon the table; but that was all.
"For certain," thought she, "his women are running in his head."
Her curiosity overcame her prudence. Hearing no more, she ventured to open the door a little way. The old fellow caught her in the very act.
"Monsieur wants his coffee?" stammered she timidly.
"Yes, you may bring it to me," he answered.
He attempted to swallow his coffee at a gulp, but scalded himself so severely that the pain brought him suddenly from speculation to reality.
"Thunder!" growled he; "but it is hot! Devil take the case! it has set me beside myself. They are right when they say I am too enthusiastic. But who amongst the whole lot of them could have, by the sole exercise of observation and reason, established the whole history of the assassination? Certainly not Gevrol, poor man! Won't he feel vexed and humiliated, being altogether out of it. Shall I seek M. Daburon? No, not yet. The night is necessary to me to sift to the bottom all the particulars, and arrange my ideas systematically. But, on the other hand, if I sit here all alone, this confounded case will keep me in a fever of speculation, and as I have just eaten a great deal, I may get an attack of indigestion. My faith! I will call upon Madame Gerdy: she has been ailing for some days past. I will have a chat with Noel, and that will change the course of my ideas."
He got up from the table, put on his overcoat, and took his hat and cane.
"Are you going out, sir?" asked Manette.
"Shall you be late?"
"Possibly."
"But you will return to-night?"
"I do not know."
One minute later, M. Tabaret was ringing his friend's bell.
Madame Gerdy lived in respectable style. She possessed sufficient for her wants; and her son's practice, already large, had made them almost rich. She lived very quietly, and with the exception of one or two friends, whom Noel occasionally invited to dinner, received very few visitors. During more than fifteen years that M. Tabaret came familiarly to the apartments, he had only met the cure of the parish, one of Noel's old professors, and Madame Gerdy's brother, a retired colonel. When these three visitors happened to call on the same evening, an event somewhat rare, they played at a round game called Boston; on other evenings piquet or all-fours was the rule. Noel, however, seldom remained in the drawing-room, but shut himself up after dinner in his study, which with his bedroom formed a separate apartment to his mother's, and immersed himself in his law papers. He was supposed to work far into the night. Often in winter his lamp was not extinguished before dawn.
Mother and son absolutely lived for one another, as all who knew them took pleasure in repeating. They loved and honoured Noel for the care he bestowed upon his mother, for his more than filial devotion, for the sacrifices which all supposed he made in living at his age like an old man.
The neighbours were in the habit of contrasting the conduct of this exemplary young man with that of M. Tabaret, the incorrigible old rake, the hairless dangler.
As for Madame Gerdy, she saw nothing but her son in all the world. Her love had actually taken the form of worship. In Noel she believed she saw united all the physical and moral perfections. To her he seemed of a superior order to the rest of humanity. If he spoke, she was silent and listened: his word was a command, his advice a decree of Providence. To care for her son, study his tastes, anticipate his wishes, was the sole aim of her life. She was a mother.
"Is Madame Gerdy visible?" asked old Tabaret of the girl who opened the door; and, without waiting for an answer, he walked into the room like a man assured that his presence cannot be inopportune, and ought to be agreeable.
A single candle lighted the drawing-room, which was not in its accustomed order. The small marble-top table, usually in the middle of the room, had been rolled into a corner. Madame Gerdy's large arm- chair was near the window; a newspaper, all crumpled, lay before it on the carpet.
The amateur detective took in the whole at a glance.
"Has any accident happened?" he asked of the girl.
"Do not speak of it, sir: we have just had a fright! oh, such a fright!"
"What was it? tell me quickly!"
"You know that madame has been ailing for the last month. She has eaten I may say almost nothing. This morning, even, she said to me--"
"Yes, yes! but this evening?"
"After her dinner, madame went into the drawing-room as usual. She sat down and took up one of M. Noel's newspapers. Scarcely had she begun to read, when she uttered a great cry,--oh, a terrible cry! We hastened to her; madame had fallen on to the floor, as one dead. M. Noel raised her in his arms, and carried her into her room. I wanted to fetch the doctor, sir, but he said there was no need; he knew what was the matter with her."
"And how is she now?"
"She has come to her senses; that is to say, I suppose so; for M. Noel made me leave the room. All that I do know is, that a little while ago she was talking, and talking very loudly too, for I heard her. Ah, sir, it is all the same, very strange!"
"What is strange?"
"What I heard Madame Gerdy say to M. Noel."
"Ah ha! my girl!" sneered old Tabaret; "so you listen at key-holes, do you?"
"No, sir, I assure you; but madame cried out like one lost. She said,--"
"My girl!" interrupted old Tabaret severely, "one always hears wrong through key-holes. Ask Manette if that is not so."
The poor girl, thoroughly confused, sought to excuse herself.
"Enough, enough!" said the old man. "Return to your work: you need not disturb M. Noel; I can wait for him very well here."
And satisfied with the reproof he had administered, he picked up the newspaper, and seated himself beside the fire, placing the candle near him so as to read with ease. A minute had scarcely elapsed when he in his turn bounded in his chair, and stifled a cry of instinctive terror and surprise. These were the first words that met his eye.
"A horrible crime has plunged the village of La Jonchere in consternation. A poor widow, named Lerouge, who enjoyed the general esteem and love of the community, has been assassinated in her home. The officers of the law have made the usual preliminary investigations, and everything leads us to believe that the police are already on the track of the author of this dastardly crime."
"Thunder!" said old Tabaret to himself, "can it be that Madame Gerdy?--"
The idea but flashed across his mind; he fell back into his chair, and, shrugging his shoulders, murmured,--
"Really this affair of La Jonchere is driving me out of my senses! I can think of nothing but this Widow Lerouge. I shall be seeing her in everything now."
In the mean while, an uncontrollable curiosity made him peruse the entire newspaper. He found nothing with the exception of these lines, to justify or explain even the slightest emotion.
"It is an extremely singular coincidence, at the same time," thought the incorrigible police agent. Then, remarking that the newspaper was slightly torn at the lower part, and crushed, as if by a convulsive grasp, he repeated,--
"It is strange!"
At this moment the door of Madame Gerdy's room opened, and Noel appeared on the threshold.
Without doubt the accident to his mother had greatly excited him; for he was very pale and his countenance, ordinarily so calm, wore an expression of profound sorrow. He appeared surprised to see old Tabaret.
"Ah, my dear Noel!" cried the old fellow. "Calm my inquietude. How is your mother?"
"Madame Gerdy is as well as can be expected."
"Madame Gerdy!" repeated the old fellow with an air of astonishment; but he continued, "It is plain you have been seriously alarmed."
"In truth," replied the advocate, seating himself, "I have experienced a rude shock."
Noel was making visibly the greatest efforts to appear calm, to listen to the old fellow, and to answer him. Old Tabaret, as much disquieted on his side, perceived nothing.
"At least, my dear boy," said he, "tell me how this happened?"
The young man hesitated a moment, as if consulting with himself. No doubt he was unprepared for this point blank question, and knew not what answer to make; at last he replied,--
"Madame Gerdy has suffered a severe shock in learning from a paragraph in this newspaper that a woman in whom she takes a strong interest has been assassinated."
"Ah!" replied old Tabaret.
The old fellow was in a fever of embarrassment. He wanted to question Noel, but was restrained by the fear of revealing the secret of his association with the police. Indeed he had almost betrayed himself by the eagerness with which he exclaimed,--
"What! your mother knew the Widow Lerouge?"
By an effort he restrained himself, and with difficulty dissembled his satisfaction; for he was delighted to find himself so unexpectedly on the trace of the antecedents of the victim of La Jonchere.
"She was," continued Noel, "the slave of Madame Gerdy, devoted to her in every way! She would have sacrificed herself for her at a sign from her hand."
"Then you, my dear friend, you knew this poor woman!"
"I had not seen her for a very long time," replied Noel, whose voice seemed broken by emotion, "but I knew her well. I ought even to say I loved her tenderly. She was my nurse."
"She, this woman?" stammered old Tabaret.
This time he was thunderstruck. Widow Lerouge Noel's nurse? He was most unfortunate. Providence had evidently chosen him for its instrument, and was leading him by the hand. He was about to obtain all the information, which half an hour ago he had almost despaired of procuring. He remained seated before Noel amazed and speechless. Yet he understood, that, unless he would compromise himself, he must speak.
"It is a great misfortune," he murmured at last.
"What it is for Madame Gerdy, I cannot say," replied Noel with a gloomy air; "but, for me, it is an overwhelming misfortune! I am struck to the heart by the blow which has slain this poor woman. Her death, M. Tabaret, has annihilated all my dreams of the future, and probably overthrown my most cherished hopes. I had to avenge myself for cruel injuries; her death breaks the weapon in my hands, and reduces me to despair, to impotence. Alas! I am indeed unfortunate."
"You unfortunate?" cried old Tabaret, singularly affected by his dear Noel's sadness. "In heaven's name, what has happened to you?"
"I suffer," murmured the advocate, "and very cruelly. Not only do I fear that the injustice is irreparable; but here am I totally without defence delivered over to the shafts of calumny. I may be accused of inventing falsehood, of being an ambitious intriguer, having no regard for truth, no scruples of conscience."
Old Tabaret was puzzled. What connection could possibly exist between Noel's honour and the assassination at La Jonchere? His brain was in a whirl. A thousand troubled and confused ideas jostled one another in inextricable confusion.
"Come, come, Noel," said he, "compose yourself. Who would believe any calumny uttered about you? Take courage, have you not friends? am I not here? Have confidence, tell me what troubles you, and it will be strange, indeed if between us two--"
The advocate started to his feet, impressed by a sudden resolution.
"Well! yes," interrupted he, "yes, you shall know all. In fact, I am tired of carrying all alone a secret that is stifling me. The part I have been playing irritates and wearies me. I have need of a friend to console me. I require a counsellor whose voice will encourage me, for one is a bad judge of his own cause, and this crime has plunged me into an abyss of hesitations."
"You know," replied M. Tabaret kindly, "that I regard you as my own son. Do not scruple to let me serve you."
"Know then," commenced the advocate,--"but no, not here: what I have to say must not be overheard. Let us go into my study."


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Q: .on('click') VS 'selector.click Maybe I'm losing my mind or maybe I missed the memo. I ALWAYS use $(selector).click for any and all click events unless I'm interacting with elements added to the DOM after the fact. In which case I used something like $(closest permanent parent).on('click',selector.
I see tons of people on here that just use .on() for EVERYTHING. Am I missing the benefits of .on() or something? It seems incorrect to me. I've read the documentation and I see no reason to use .on() vs .click().
Is it strictly preference when interacting with static DOM elements?
EDIT
Apparently I was unclear. I understand the use of .on() for dynamically generated elements. My question was Why use it for static elements?

A: I basically use .on() event handler attachment for dynamically generated elements as a  kind delegated action.
Updates:
One more purpose is that you can attach/detach the event handler whenever you want using .on/.off

A: .click() is defined* as:
jQuery.fn.click = function( data, fn ) {
    return arguments.length > 0 ?
        this.on( 'click', null, data, fn ) :
        this.trigger( 'click' );

click is simply a partial of the on function, so for performance .on() is slightly faster. That said, the difference is negligible and that's not the actual reason I prefer on over click.
The real reason I stick with on over click is for maintainability. Oftentimes I'll start a plugin by binding an .on('click', ...) method, and later change it to .on('widgetaction', ...) event which is triggered by a click, but may also be triggered by a keypress or any other relevant event.
Sticking with the .on() function also means that I can easily go back and change from .on('click', ...) to .on('click', selector, ...) without significant effort.
In general it comes down to consistency, and I find that .on() is more consistent to use than .click().
* I've modified the source code slightly to reference the click event specifically, reference jQuery v1.10.2 lines 7554-7564 for the original unmodified version.

A: You are right
I prefer $(selector).click when I can. it's better for readablity

A: The benefits of using on() besides a more sane API (imo) is that you can specify the following event handler
$(body).on('click', '.myDiv', function() {
    //do stuff here
});

Which does the same thing that the old and deprecated (depending on version of jQuery) live() did, that is, binding a click handler to an element that might get introduced in the future, also, the on() method works better since you now use the same unified API for all your event handlers, on('hover'), on('mouseleave') etc.

A: The main difference between using $('selector').click() and $(body).on('click', 'selector') is for dynamically added content (namely ajax). on() will work flawlessly without bugs to content added after the page has loaded, however click() will only work for content present on page load.
From the jQuery documentation:
.on()
.click()
Lest not forget .live(): "Attach an event handler for all elements which match the current selector, now and in the future".

A: The prefered method (For direct binding) is to use .on() instead of .click().
Why you said? Because .click() is a shortcut to .on(). As you can see here, the .click() function is only doing element.on('click').
That being said. .click() only add 1 function call which mean not performance wise (even if it's just a little).

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text:
Post Malone Shares A #Free21Savage Poster To Stop The Deportation Of 21Savage
By Fahadullah Hussaini	 Last updated Feb 7, 2019
Post Malone Protested against the rapper 21Savage's arrest by sharing the "#Free21Savage Stop the Deportation of She'yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph" poster as well as the campaign link to his Instagram account.
link in bio
A post shared by Posty (@postmalone) on Feb 4, 2019 at 4:19pm PST
ICE agents arrested the Atlanta based rapper, 21Savage on Super Bowl Sunday.
Post Malone, Cardi B, Migos' Quavo, Metro Boomin, and other Hip-Hop big names raised their supporting hand for the 26-year-old emcee. 21Savage has unfortunately become a victim of the current crackdown on illegal immigrants.
The Legal Charges on 21Savage
According to ICE spokesman Brian Cox,
"The rapper is an "unlawfully present the United Kingdom national. He entered the country legally as a teenager in July 2005 on a visa, which expired the following year".
Shayaa Bin Abraham-Joseph aka 21 Savage was reportedly born on the British-colonized island of Dominica. However, Savage's birth certificate reveals that the emcee was actually born in Newham, London. He, in fact, lived there with his parents until he was 12 years old.
Moreover, the rapper is under grave suspicion as he was a guilty being on felony drug charges in October 2014 in Fulton County, Georgia.
Post Malone Support For 21Savage
Austin Richard Post professionally known as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer.
Post Malone and 21 Savage collaboration, the song 'rockstar' reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song surprisingly became the first number one Post Malone and 21 Savage's song.
In response to this sudden 21Savage arrest, Post Malone and fellow celebrities ardently supported the #Free21Savage Stop the Deportation of She'yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph campaign. Malone, in fact, shared a poster of his campaign on his Instagram account. He even shared a link relating 21Savage arrest and deportation to the detention of Black immigrants in the U.S
The #FREE21SAVAGE Movement
The campaign is very certain that this Mr Abraham-Joseph's detention is one of the strategies of intimidating the targeted Black immigrants. The protestors, however, claimed that The US' officials love to portray black U.S citizens as criminals. In lieu, they have currently introduced this awful legacy of detaining and deporting Black and Brown immigrants.
Legal Defense By 21Savage Attorney
21 Savage's attorney Charles H. Kuck released a statement to PEOPLE. He is sure that Savage's arrest is "based on incorrect information about prior criminal charges." Despite the fact that he has a pending U-Visa application with USCIS, and that he has relief from removal available to him."
Previously, stars like George Clooney, Nicki Minaj, Kristen Bell rail against Trump's Zero-tolerance immigration policy. The law that separates innocent children from their parents at the border.
#FREE21SAVAGE21SavageICEillegal immigrantsPost MaloneUS Laws
Fahadullah Hussaini 610 posts
Syed Fahadullah Hussaini is Dankanator's TV critic and reporter. Fahad has written for platforms including Parhlo, Wonderful Engineering and Mangobaaz. Fahad's work has also appeared on Dawn's Young World, and on several Paparazzi issues.
Fahad views TV as a resource rather than a medium. Laden richly with an extensive medley of ideas, cultures, facts, and fables. The writer taps on TV's new and returning presentations, and channels out every bit of news related to them, along with objectively (and subjectively) analyzing their substance.
Fahad is currently working on a short-stories collection, 'Seven Colors Of Life', which shall soon be available on his blog.
Jameela Jamil Wants You to Sign Petition Banning Detox Diets On Social Media
Great! Kristen Bell Recently Shared 'TRUE Caregiving Stories' Poster
Post Malone Goes Undercover For A Noble Cause
Is Candice King Joining Legacies Season 2 As Caroline…
Kylie Jenner Shares Her Anxiety Issues And Advises To Be…
Zayn Malik Thanks For His Nomination For Teen Choice Awards…

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Lenders beware! In the current economic climate, lenders are required to enforce their security to recover loans following default by lenders. However, the recent decision of the Court of Appeal for Ontario in P.A.R.C.E.L. Inc. v. Acquaviva made clear the limitations on the amount of recovery traditionally obtained by lenders enforcing mortgages.
P.A.R.C.E.L. sought an appeal of a summary judgment granted to Acquaviva on a promissory note and mortgage. In the particular circumstance of this matter, the Promissory Note secured a loan of $458,488.07 and was secured by a Mortgage that was registered on unspecified property. Each of the Promissory Note and the Mortage contained specific terms respecting default and the incurring of additional fees and charges to the borrower. However, the Promissory Note and the Mortgage differed in respect of the terms. In particular, the Mortgage provided for additional administrative fees, late charges, and "missed payment fees" which might typically be found in most mortgages, particularly those of private lenders. On the summary judgment motion, the motion judge granted judgment for the principal amount owing plus the additional administrative fees, late charges, and "missed payment fees". P.A.R.C.E.L. challenged the judgment taking the position that the charges and fees, particularly the increased interest charges, were not allowable under the Interest Act.
While not attacking or challenging the judgment itself, P.A.R.C.E.L. challenged the lender's entitlement to fees, charges, and the escalated interest rate. More specifically, P.A.R.C.E.L. took the position that the fees, charges, and escalated interest rate violated section 8 of the Interest Act and were "illegal". The Court of Appeal, for its part, was focused on whether or not the terms contained in the Promissory Note and the Mortgage offended section 8 of the Interest Act.
in the absence of evidence demonstrating that the charges and fees reflected real costs legitimately incurred by the lender for the recovery of the debt, the charges only act to impose additional penalties and fines apart from the interest rate agreed upon and therefore they violate the Interest Act.
So what can lenders do in the face of P.A.R.C.E.L. v. Acquaviva with respect to recovering administrative fees and charges that have long been a regular part of the enforcement process? Where the lender can clearly demonstrate actual costs associated with the recovery of the debt, these charges and fees may be legitimately recovered. In addition to fees such as N.S.F. charges, actual administration fees for the payment of staff and enforcement, there is reason to believe that this decision may leave open the opportunity to seek loss of opportunity damages as a result of not having funds available for reinvestment. In addition to this, while the Court of Appeal determined that such fees, charges, and penalties are not recoverable, the decision does not make it incumbent upon the court to deny claims by lenders for these additional amounts. To that end, there is no immediate need to stop seeking the fees, charges and penalties as a regular part of enforcement. Rather, it is up to the borrower to challenge these amounts at which time the lender should consider not pursuing them. The key is to be aware of the "illegal" nature of these charges and act accordingly if the issue arises.


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The Lumineers sono un gruppo musicale statunitense, formatosi nel 2005.

Biografia

Il gruppo si è formato nel 2005 dall'incontro tra il chitarrista e cantante Wesley Schultz (1982) e il batterista Jeremiah Fraites (1986). I due, cresciuti a Ramsey, un sobborgo a sud di New York, avevano già suonato in diverse band. Schultz inoltre era stato il migliore amico del fratello maggiore di Jeremiah, Joshua Fraites, morto all'età di 19 anni per un'overdose di farmaci, e con questi aveva condiviso diverse esperienze musicali in vari gruppi dell'ambiente newyorkese.

Poiché la vita nella costa orientale degli Stati Uniti era diventata troppo costosa, decisero di trasferirsi a Denver, in Colorado; nello stesso periodo pensarono che per il tipo di musica che avevano in mente sarebbe servito un violoncellista. Conobbero così Neyla Pekarek (1986), con alle spalle studi classici in vari strumenti, e da quel momento il gruppo è divenuto stabilmente un trio.

La loro prima apparizione pubblica è avvenuta sul palco del Meadowlark, un piccolo locale capace di un centinaio di posti, nei dintorni di Denver dove poterono far conoscere il loro stile folk-rock.

Nel 2009 hanno stampato un primo EP dimostrativo, ma il successo è arrivato nel 2011, quando la loro canzone Ho Hey è stata utilizzata come sigla della serie tv Hart of Dixie. La stessa canzone è stata anche la sigla di chiusura, nel 2016, del quinto episodio della decima stagione di X-Files intitolato Babilonia.

Comunque, la band ha firmato un contratto con la Dualtone Records, e il 3 aprile 2012 ha pubblicato il suo album di debutto, intitolato semplicemente The Lumineers, entrato direttamente al 77º posto della classifica Billboard 200 riguardante gli album, per salire poi fino all'11º posto dopo l'uscita come singolo della già fortunata Ho Hey, avvenuta nel giugno successivo. Quest'ultimo a sua volta si è collocato al quinto posto e ha conquistato il quadruplo disco di platino, superando le 4 milioni di copie scaricate.

Dopo un tour negli Stati Uniti che ha registrato ovunque il tutto esaurito e la partecipazione all'importante South by Southwest Festival, in autunno il disco è stato distribuito anche in Europa, dove è stato accolto in modo moderato.

Dal 2013 svariate loro canzoni vengono utilizzate all'interno della serie televisiva statunitense Reign e in particolare il brano Scotland ne diventa la sigla d'apertura.

Nel 2014 Schultz e Fraites collaborano alla scrittura del brano The Hanging Tree, interpretato da James Newton Howard e Jennifer Lawrence e pubblicato per la promozione del film Hunger Games: Il canto della rivolta - Parte 1.

Nell'aprile 2016 la band pubblica il secondo album Cleopatra, il quale ha esordito al vertice delle graduatorie sia statunitensi che britanniche.

Nell'ottobre 2018 Neyla Pekarek lascia la band annunciando di volersi concentrare sulla sua carriera da solista.

Dal 2021 Fraites vive a Torino insieme alla moglie Francesca, conosciuta in un festival musicale a Milano 8 anni prima. Dello stesso anno è il suo disco solista intitolato Piano Piano.

Formazione

Formazione attuale
 Wesley Keith Schultz – voce, chitarra, piano (dal 2005)
 Jeremiah Caleb Fraites – batteria, percussioni, pianoforte, mandolino, voce, cori, glockenspiel (dal 2005)

Tour
 Stelth Ulvang – piano, fisarmonica, mandolino, tromba, trombone, contrabbasso, flauto, batteria, banjo, clarinetto, chitarra, glockenspiel, cori (dal 2012)
 Byron Isaacs – basso, cori (dal 2016)
Brandon Miller - chitarra, mandolino, percussioni (dal 2016)
Lauren Jacobson - archi, piano, voce (dal 2018)

Ex componenti
 Jay Van Dyke – batteria, tastiera, cori
 Ben Wahamaki – basso, chitarra (2012-2015)
Neyla Pekarek – violoncello, pianoforte, voce, basso, mandolino (2010 - 2018)

Discografia

Album in studio
 2012 – The Lumineers
 2016 – Cleopatra
 2019 – III
 2022 - Brightside

Singoli
 2012 – Ho Hey
 2012 – Stubborn Love
 2013 – Submarines
 2013 – Gale Song
 2016 – Ophelia
 2016 – Cleopatra
 2016 – Angela
 2016 – Nobody Knows
 2016 – Holdin' Out
2016 – Boots of Spanish Leather
2016 – Blue Christmas
2018 – C-Sides
2018 – Walls
2018 – Pretty Paper
2019 – Gloria Sparks
2019 - Junior Sparks
2021 - BRIGHTSIDE
2021 - BIG SHOT
2021 - A.M. RADIO

Note

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Q: Javascript:Custom print button in mail templates I would like to know is there any options to include a 'PRINT' button and the functionality to print a particular div or the message body itself.

A: No there is not. JavaScript is not supported in emails (thank God!).
Also, why do you even want to do that? Every email programm has that functionality already.
Edit: OK, there are some exceptions that actually support JavaScript. But this does not mean you should even think about adding JavaScript to your emails.


Getting married in and around the Cotswolds? Looking for a totally unique way to get to your wedding? Well, you've just found our fabulous and ever so kitsch Indian Ambassador wedding car. Kushi means happiness in Hindi, and with our vintage Ambassador, our mission is to make you even happier on your wedding day. Reminiscent of a Morris Minor on the outside, our Kushi Car has bumpers festooned with exotic flowers and an interior decorated in rich fabrics of red and gold. Established in 2010, we have been hired for weddings at venues all over the Cotswolds and beyond, including Cripps Barn, Kingscote Barn, Stone Barn and Pitville Pump Rooms to name a few. Previously a London Karma Kar, we changed our name to Kushi Cars in 2013. Based in the regency town of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, we travel throughout the Cotswolds. We also drive to Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, The West Midlands, Bristol and Bath. Further afield is possible on request. Hire us for weddings, civil partnerships, TV & film work, photo shoots and PR launches.


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Week in Review: January 19–23
Genetically recoded organisms; oxytocin and autism; new human protein map; MYC, longevity, and health span
Tracy Vence
Containing GMOs
WIKIMEDIA, MATTOSAURUSBy making genetically modified organisms (GMOs)reliant on lab-made amino acids, two groups have come up with a new GMO biocontainment strategy. Their work was published in Nature this week (January 21).
"It really addresses a long-standing problem in biotechnology, by engineering a really compelling solution to engineering biocontainments or biological barriers that limit the spread and survival of organisms in natural environments, and along the way also endow these organisms with new and expanded biological function," said Farren Isaacs at Yale University, who led one of the studies.
Hormone therapy?
V. ALTOUNIAN/SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINEOxytocin may help improve social deficiency-related symptoms of autism, according to research on a mouse model of the disorders. Scientists who administered doses of oxytocin to mice displaying symptoms of autism spectrum disorders or ramped up the animals' production of the hormone saw that "it would rescue those social deficits," said Larry...
New proteome map
HUMAN PROTEIN ATLASUnlike those that preceded it, which were largely based on mass spectrometry data, the latest comprehensive map of the human proteome was created using immunohistochemistry. Members of the Human Protein Atlas project detailed the results of their years-long initiative to catalog protein expression throughout the body in Science this week (January 22).
"[The authors] have done a great job with putting the results out there in an easy-to-use format," said Anne-Claude Gingras, a proteomics researcher at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute in Toronto, Canada, who was not involved in the work.
Missing MYC
SEDIVY LAB, BROWN UNIVERSITYMice missing one copy of the gene that encodes the transcription factor MYC live longer, more healthful lives than their wild-type counterparts, researchers reported in Cell this week (January 22).
"We've been so focused on [MYC's] normal function and its cancer function," said biologist Linda Penn of the Ontario Cancer Institute and the University of Toronto in Canada, who was not involved in the work. "I don't think any of us really thought about what happens in terms of longevity."
Other news in life science:
Fraction of SNPs Can Affect Fitness
A point mutation analysis of the entire human genome finds that alterations to as many as 7.5 percent of nucleotides may have contributed to humans' evolutionary split from chimpanzees.
Zooming In
To improve the reach of optical microscopy, researchers are enlarging the biological features they wish to view.
Science Publishing Mega-Merger
Macmillan Science and Education, the publisher of Nature and Scientific American, will join forces with Springer Science+Business Media.
Understanding Antimalarial Drug Resistance
Researchers identify mutations associated with resistance to the frontline antimalarial drug artemisinin.
Reducing Gene Therapy-Related Risk
In a mouse model of a rare disease, scientists have figured out how to reduce the elevated cancer risk tied to a gene therapy treatment.
Week in Review: April 24–28
Week in Review: April 3–7
Week in Review: March 27–31


Huge thanks to everyone who donated to Sussex Pet Rescue for Ali's birthday!
Ali asked for donations to SPR instead of presents. The response was amazing. Thank you very much.
https://sussexpetrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/SPR-Tin-Tin-1-Head-Optimized.jpg 781 1020 Sussex Pet Rescue http://sussexpetrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/logo259x110.png Sussex Pet Rescue2019-04-16 19:33:022019-04-16 19:33:02Huge thanks to everyone who donated to Sussex Pet Rescue for Ali's birthday!
No more books for now please!
Thanks to your great generosity, we now have no more space for books, so please stop ringing for the moment. Many thanks.
https://sussexpetrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/purple-paw-print-hi.png 578 600 Sussex Pet Rescue http://sussexpetrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/logo259x110.png Sussex Pet Rescue2019-04-16 19:00:022019-04-16 19:38:16No more books for now please!
Staff available to help with vet fees applications after all.
If you need help with vet fees, please click on "Get Help With" then Vet fees and complete an application form. We will be in touch to let you know if you qualify for assistance. Many thanks.
https://sussexpetrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DCP01872-001.jpg 770 776 Sussex Pet Rescue http://sussexpetrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/logo259x110.png Sussex Pet Rescue2019-03-25 23:30:072019-03-26 08:59:14Staff available to help with vet fees applications after all.
Sam Benedict Parker is a freelance writer who has helped to put this article together. Thanks for drawing our attention to it, Sam. Please note Sussex Pet Rescue has no connection to Direct Line and this is not a recommendation of their products. Please also note that it is Sussex Pet Rescue's policy not to rehome a dog with children younger than 5 years old living at the property.
Due to staff shortages we are running to keep up at the moment. If you contact us, please be patient. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
Upper Dicker Dog Show – thanks for coming!
Thank you to everyone who came along on Sunday and helped to make the show a great success.
https://sussexpetrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_1912-Optimized.jpg 900 1200 Sussex Pet Rescue http://sussexpetrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/logo259x110.png Sussex Pet Rescue2018-05-08 10:00:302018-11-10 10:30:51Upper Dicker Dog Show - thanks for coming!
At Sussex Pet Rescue, we appreciate that some owners of companion animals find it hard to cope with the increasing cost of Veterinary treatment.
Although it is a very good idea to take out Insurance for your companion animal, not all medical conditions are covered, especially if the condition is pre-existing. If you are finding it difficult to cover the cost of Veterinary treatment and would like to speak to us about receiving financial help towards the costs then please call Jan on 01403 864742 or Marcia on 01273 551815. We do appreciate that every case and every circumstance is different and for that reason we assess everyone on an individual basis.


During the first hour of playing Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice I wasn't really impressed - it felt like a simple indie viking adventure with limited interactivity and average combat and puzzles. But later, after playing some more and watching the commentary movie, I've changed my mind - I think it's pretty good even with short playtime (~8+ hrs) and zero replayabitily, and it's also important.
Senua is a girl from a Picts tribe, who is travelling to hell to save her beloved one's soul. At the same time, from the beginning we're learning that she's suffering from a mental condition, a form of psychosis, which manifests itself as visions and voices in Senua's head, hear fears and obsessions. So, her journey is not a straight path to her destination, but also a wandering through the deepest parts of her mind. The story is immersive, it is full of pain and suffering, and it's not recommended for everyone.
What devs were trying to do is to grasp everything they knew about psychosis and put it inside a video game media to draw attention to this serious theme. They actively consulted a Cambridge professor while working on Hellblade, and they also invited a group of people, who suffered from that condition before, to tell about their experiences. Melina Juergens, who played Senua with godlike acting skills, had also experienced a mental disorder when she was a kid. Even in-game puzzles were designed based of a condition when people subconsciously trying to "solve" what they see, hear and feel around them.
Hellblade is an experiment in more than one way. It is an attempt to see if indie games like this has a right to live, and it's also an attempt to see the audience's reaction when it's set before a serious and an important theme. I think it succeeds in both attempts.
Among other innovative things the game offers, there is a "Photo mode" - a great tool for making screenshots. By using it you can pause a game at any time (even during cutscenes), then position, zoom and rotate camera, add depth of field, apply filters or add special effects. I wish more games had a tool like this.
I've just finished my long game for the monthly theme, it was enjoyable at times, but disappointing in general. Zestiria is one of the games in a very long series (it goes back to 1995), and the first one which was released on PC. The games are not connected directly between themselves, so each one tells a different story. In my opinion, Zestiria's narrative is just bad. I don't mind stories of exceptionally good guys defeating the ultimate evil, but this game tells it in a most boring way possible. By the way, the world (and some characters also) gives a bit of Avatar the Last Airbender vibe.
3D graphics and animations are crude and simple, not much better than in Neptunia or in similar games, unlike anime opening and some hand-drawn cutscenes, which are awesome. The combat system is over-complicated for no reasons, it takes more than a hundred tutorial screen pages to explain it, but at the same time the game is not very good at explaining things. For the first 10 hours of gameplay I was doing mostly button-mashing, and some things left unclear even after I've finished the game (for example, I didn't understand semi-auto controls of characters at all, but a two-minute video on youtube answered all of my questions). I think there are 200 or more types of attacks (all characters + combined), and all of them good or bad for different types of enemies, and you're usually meeting 2-3 types of different enemies at once. It's not hard on moderate difficulty, you can even go with full auto, but it's far from exciting, especially if the battle requires you to chase and hit and hit and hit rubber enemies again.
The stats system and equipment were made by people who just love numbers. There is no difference in a wide variety of items, except their stats, so your characters are always look the same (except a few clothing/accessories choices), All you do is balance between equipment combinations, because there isn't any really good item throughout the game. I imagine completing the game at 100% would take a huge amount of time - for example, there is an achievement for beating the final boss without retrying on maximum difficulty or on 5th playthrough! I wasn't able to do it on moderate, because there are three consecutive battles, and you have to fight the last one alone, without your companions and their powers (I was exactly at 1 hp at that point). Although it is possible even for me to beat the game on hard with a bit of determination, the point is I don't think I would ever want to play Zestiria again.
It's been a while since I've updated my journal, so I'll try to quickly review my backlog assassinations for the last two months. Silence, a point and click adventure by Daedalic, a sequel to The Whispered world - while the promo screenshots looked very promising, the game was not as fun as I expected. The graphics was awesome, but the gameplay didn't offer any challenges (there is no inventory, for example, which makes things too easy), and the story was unpolished and too fast-paced to like or dislike any character. Don't look at my playtime - it usually takes 5-7 hours to finish the game.
A detective visual novel which takes place in a steampunk world. The art style was beautiful, it reminded me of another VN - Cinders. The game has four different endings (I'd say "ending screens") with some additional variations of characters' destinies depending on your choices in dialogues. The writing wasn't bad, but it wasn't memorable either - I can't recall any exciting moments or unexpected plot twists.
A kind of rogue-like coding puzzle game. There is a plot involving a love triangle, a government conspiracy and rebel hackers, there are four different endings, but most of the time you are left in the open without any goals or objectives. You can hack (write additional lines of code to) a door, so it would teleport you somewhere, you can code a radio (or any other object) to make someone more attractive when you turn a knob, you can acquire godlike skills - but only if you'd like to do it for yourself, to test your skills (not because it's needed for the game's progress), and actually there's not much to do in the world except that.
A third game in the series, which was initially the end of the trilogy. It is similar to the previous games, not much to add, except that I hated a number of puzzles which made absolutely no sense, and some of jokes were too inappropriate for me. But, there were also good (even dramatic) moments.
A very unusual game, a walking simulator with puzzle elements and Half-Life's industrial desolation mood. You play as an engineer who investigates town's infrastructure, and who's trying to find the reason why everything is broken or out of order. You take photos, read logs, fix what you can while travelling through semi-abandoned stations and structures. The game is very calm, static and slow-paced, so I can't recommend it to everyone, but some may find it interesting, despite a few instances of questionable gameplay mechanics and a strong accent in voice acting.
This puzzle game left me in mixed feelings. It is big, it is pretty challenging at times, it is full of interesting design decisions. But, at the same time you're basically solving one puzzle with different elements over and over again. It doesn't feel rewarding at all (in comparison to Talos Principle's puzzles, for example), because the only reward for solving puzzle are more puzzles (usually more frustrating). New rules are hardly explained to you, and sometimes you have to try many times to understand how something (like tetris puzzles) works. I solved myself about 90% of puzzles, but those 10% left, especially audio puzzles and a few final puzzles (with dizziness effect) almost made me hate this game. By the way, only 1 of 5 people beat the game, and only about 4% of players completed the additional secret level - you can imagine what to expect.
A sci-fi point and click adventure. It's not bad, especially if you knew that most of it was done by two people. It's not hard, and puzzles are mostly solved by intuition. It's not a masterpiece, but it could help you spend a few evenings - it reminded me by its atmosphere (not by the gameplay) of another classic point and click game - The Dig.
I'm trying to stay away from any platformer game, but Brothers made me really curious, and I don't regret playing it. It's short, so I recommend to play it to anyone who owns a controller. Although the characters speak in a non-existent language, the story is very good, and it's pretty sad, too. The mechanics of controlling two brothers at the same time is interesting and unusual (I haven't seen anything like this before).
Sadly, it is the worst WD season so far (at least, to me). The episodes are shorter by a half in comparison to season 1, they mostly consist of cutscenes and dialogues, the characters are not that interesting (Clem is only appearing from time to time), and their actions are glued to the story not always in a realistic way. It reminded me of Fear the Walking Dead show, even some relationships were similar. I wish Telltale would concentrate on one game rather than spreading their resources on 3-4 games at once.
Another chapter in one of my favorite VNs. It would be more interesting if I haven't seen the anime before. This time it is another point of view on a story (variation of events) which happened in episode 2.
Tyranny is the exact opposite of the new Torment in terms of my expectation - I didn't expect too much from it, but it turned out to be better than Numenera and Pillars of Eternity, so I even played it twice in a row. It has its flaws, and I wish, for example, that skills and spells systems were more complex, but the game was fun to play even as it is. The most important thing that it offers you four different paths to your victory, and it doesn't judge you for being a villain, it even allows you to be the type villain you want to be =) Nice characters, an interesting story, good combat (somehow improved from PoE) - what's more to wish for?
A retro-style cyberpunk game, closest to a visual novel genre. I didn't like the writing - the dialogues are way too long, be it an explanation or a small talk, the way your robot companion talks to you is very annoying, moreover, you can't skip texts quickly - there's always a delay in every replica. The social justice and LGBT themes seem to be very important to the creators, and their influence is strong throughout the whole game. I just wish the game was more funny and relaxed, like VA-11 Hall-A, for example.
It's finally over! I think I've seen almost everything the game offers, except multiplayer missions. I also didn't try all the skills and weapons, but I've tested at least 2/3 of them. Combat felt fun thanks to the jetpack, but it eventually started to get a bit repetitive because of the same types of enemies everywhere. Can't say I really liked any weapons - there aren't ones that can became a favorite, and it was sad to see the ones I used in the previous games became unusable (Valkyrie, for example). Didn't like the limit of using only three skills - it's usually a combo starter, a combo finisher and some support skill, so you're doing the same combination over and over (although, you can switch the profiles with different skills, but it would cause an inconvenient cooldown). I've seen many bugs, but none of them were major (except the one when I became invisible during the most heartwarming scene of the game). None of the main or companion quests were bugged, and only one side quest was (cannot be finished for now). The story was okay, although some elements were uncomfortably similar to the Trilogy, it felt like the devs were reusing stuff from the past. There were interesting as well as tedious quests (especially the ones requiring you to bounce from planet to planet watching the same mildly annoying landing sequences). The crew wasn't as good as the original, but some of the members were great (Jaal of the new alien race, for example). It was fun to listen to Peebee, an asari who mixed some Liara parts with Inquisition's Sera's craziness (you'll never guess who her father was). Ryder was pretty funny at the moments, given the right dialogue choices. In summary, big plus to the game for all the action and the visuals (environments/effects), there's a need for a lot of patching, there are nice gameplay features, a lot of content, a bit generic (an-overlord-who-wants-to-destroy-a-galaxy), but not a bad story, a mix of fun and tiresome missions. I'd play it again one day.
An endless visual novel, might be the longest I've played. Unlike Higurashi from the same developers, this game includes all four chapters in one package, so it's like four games in one, which explains the playtime. Finishing it all takes a great amount of patience, but in the end I snapped and auto-played the whole last chapter at fast speed before I lost another 15 hours (by the way, this game is only 1/3 of the whole(?) Umineko story, so you can imagine my frustration). It might be wise to play it chapter by chapter, with some breaks between them.
My impressions are mixed. I think it could be a great detective story (an isolated island, a mansion, a mysterious host and his guests and servants), and the game had some strong points (they're trying to use logic tricks like Raven paradox, for example) and unexpected plot twists. What discouraged me is the amount of supernatural stuff, examples of extremely annoying/generic/violent characters, overuse of "the evil laughter" sound effect, too many pages of unrelated or boring reading, and the overall quality of dialogues and conclusions.
A very nice post-apocalyptic old-school point and click adventure developed by Wadjet Eye Games. I liked it more than similar type games such as Primordia and Technobabylon, and a bit less than Gemini Rue. The art was lovely, the atmosphere of the decaying world was very inspiring, and even the fact that the game was pretty easy and short didn't affect my impressions. One of the characters strongly reminded me of Bioshock Infinite's rebels, and the situation here was somehow similar. I'm thinking of playing it again with developers' commentaries.
Can't say much about it, because it might be dangerous to have a negative opinion on this game =o Well, it's not actually negative, but mixed. I can say only that I've expected more from this game, especially after playing Undertale, but it seem to be hard for anyone to reach TobyFox's level of creativity (yeah, I know that the first version of OneShot came earlier). Also, there were a few compatibility issues with meta elements on my PC.
A very interesting mix between action/adventure game and TV show. There are four episodes in the game, and each of them divided into a few chapters. The last chapters are live-action parts, and their contents might be slightly changed by your previous actions. I'd say it's not the best acting I've seen for the most of the actors (some of them might be familiar to you), so the show part itself is average, but the idea of including it deserves praise.
The main, interactive part of the game is great! Graphics is very nice, and the visual/sound effects are superb! There is a variety of interesting and useful superpowers you can use, and there are many approaches to defeat your enemies by manipulating time and environment - it's almost like "playing god". The only negative things I can think of are the running speed (it's pretty slow) and your powers' controls mechanics - they are not perfectly responsive, aiming "time bubbles" is sometimes problematic, and there are other minor inconvenience issues. At the same time, the game isn't hard, so those issues are not critical to the gameplay. The plot was exciting, there is a proper amount of action and calm sequences, cutscenes and time-involving puzzles (usually trivial, though). I'd say Quantum Break is a next step of quality in gamemaking for Remedy Entertainment, the creators of Alan Wake.
I haven't been here for a while, because BLAEO website is officially blocked in my country, because it shared an IP address with a service which helped to browse internet anonymously (therefore, it helped to access blocked resources, which is unacceptable for our Big Brother). There are different solutions to this inconvenience, but they all mess up my steam login sessions, so I'm still in the process of finding the best one.
What a marvelous expansions! Seriously, it is the best additional contents for video games ever! Firstly, it lasts as long as a standalone game (10+ hours of Hearts, 30+ hours for Blood and Wine, but for me it was twice as much), it offers new locations, new enemies, new weapons and gear, and even new mechanics, which can be used later in the original game or in game+ mode. As for the story, the main quests are so good, that they even surpass the original game in some aspects. There's a drama, a horror mystery, a story of love and revenge, a comedy; there are new and familiar characters, exciting events and unexpected situations.
Both DLCs are intended (but not necessary) to play after the main campaign. Hearts of Stone opens an area to the east and to the north of Novigrad, and part of it takes place in Oxenfurt, with enemies of levels ~30-35. You'll meet two strong and unforgettable characters, whose stories will be unraveling by the entire duration of the expansion. You'll also reunite with Shani from the first game in a very colorful event =3 Additionally, you'll be needing a lot of money (20K or 30K) if you're planning to try a new gear enchantment mechanics. Blood and Wine invites you to a new huge territory, a place which you'll never want to leave. It is a land of knights, vineyards and sun - an exceptionally beautiful place with many things to explore and many activities to do. I don't want to spoil anything, but I really loved the general storyline and many of the side quests. There are two main different outcomes depending of your choices, and four slightly different epilogues based on your relationship in the original game - finishing everything makes you a bit sad, when you know there are no adventures left. You can see some of my screenshots in steam.
A pretentious visual novel from 1999, polished and remade a bit. Apparently, there are many fans of it, because it was a debut work of Suda 51, an influential figure in Japanese game industry, but for me the game didn't feel interesting. There were many good ideas or things no one tried before - every minute of playtime you realize how unusual and strange the game is; sometimes it feels like an art experiment (there are live action or anime scenes, for example), but I didn't feel any depth or additional meaning behind a large part of that visual stuff. The characters, a group of detectives who investigate mysterious murders, are weird - they never act like adults or professionals at all, they love to have a long pseudo-philosophy conversations, and they remind me a group of kids who already "tired of life". Some plot things happen for the sake of happening, they are unreasonable and they never explained. The controls are beyond terrible - simple movement isn't simple at all here. So, despite my interest to the story and structure of the game (there are different cases, some kind of detective work, two sides of investigations - the police and the journalist), I see it as buried under Suda's creativity and his lack of knowledge of people and the police work (at least, by the time he published this).
I don't want to talk much about it, you should read steam reviews for a clearer picture. I had high hopes for Numenera, I was a backer and ordered a collectible edition, but it's nothing like the first Torment. I'm not really disappointed, because I've played it every chance I got, and I never got bored (except for combat), but it didn't feel like role-playing to me. 90% of the game is reading texts and choosing dialogue lines/doing skill checks in dialogues. The thing is, having balanced skills in your party, you would never have a problem with any checks, and the game reminds reading a visual novel (the texts themselves are great, by the way). Gameplay is mostly linear - you're usually doing everything in one area, then move to a next one. Some party characters are nice, but you'll hear all about them during the first dialogue - and barely get anything new from them later (they don't even talk among themselves). There are no voices and no character portraits, except for your party, and most of the world's inhabitants doesn't feel "alive". Combat and combat-related stuff (skills, for example) are shrunk to a minimum, everything you are used to from other RPGs isn't here, but existing fights are so uninteresting and tedious (and buggy for now), that they are better off skipped, thankfully it's usually possible. Tides system, the cornerstone of game's lore, isn't changing anything in the world. So, that's what we left with... I understand that it all sounds too negative, but I repeat: it's not a bad game at all, just not the game of the year I hoped for.
So, for the last two weeks my backlog's progress suddenly stopped, because I decided to replay Witcher 3 with two expansions (bought them a long time ago, but didn't have the right time and mood to play) from the very beginning, and it is a long story for me (at least two weeks more). There's no need to tell how great it is in every aspect =) At the same time, I bought only one game recently, and won another short one, which I finished right away, so I think it's okay to take a break, and there's no threat to my main clearing mission.
Just before Witcher, I've finished a visual novel - If My Heart Had Wings. I was optimistic about it at first, seeing that beautiful art and hoping for a decent slice of life story. One thing that really surprised me was audio options - you can choose a voice volume for every character separately, so you can make the most annoying ones completely silent. Approximately at 20th hour of gameplay I realized that I'm spending my precious lifetime in vain reading page after page about cutting vegetables and adoring cute duck, so I just auto-skipped the rest, as well as all alternative routes (I suppose it would've been another 20 hours, because skipping took a really long time). I can't deny there were interesting bits of story, but all of them were deeply hidden under the thick layers of boring narrative and cheesy dating sim stuff.
Another game I won and finished (in 45 minues) was ISLANDS: Non-Places. It's not a game at all, and not a movie either - I'd say it's an interactive art project, a minimalistic presentation dedicated to city life. I liked it, but to me it's something you never expect to find in Steam. I can't recommend it to everyone, but you might find it interesting if you're into modern art or unusual experiences.
The most warm and fuzzy point and click adventure I've ever played =) You play as Ruth, a young woman who lives on an isolated farm in the mountains in a company of four cows. You live simple life by taking care of your cattle and making cheese and butter, but one day everything changes because of an unforeseen strangeness. The game is short and relatively simple, but it makes you smile a lot, because all the texts and dialogues in it are rhymed, and there are some pretty good jokes, including the ones which break the fourth wall. I got stuck maybe two or three times by not finding a pathway to some locations and by not clearly understanding a puzzle, but it didn't reduce all the enjoyment I've got from the game.
A visual novel/bartender simulator, good enough to take place among my Favorites. You live in a cyberpunk future, where corporations rule the world, parts of the former countries went underwater, artificial humans live along the real ones, crime rate is high, and there is a shortage of real food. Despise all that, people are trying to live their everyday lives, they are still meeting, socializing, relaxing and having fun, and some of them come to the bar you're working at, where you talk to and listen to them, while mixing cocktails from peculiar ingredients. The game is nice and relaxing (it makes you feel kind of a bond with your "regulars" at the bar), and I especially loved the art, which reminded me of Toyoi Yuuta's works.
An entertaining concept, which unfortunately didn't fulfill all of my expectations. Superhot is a first person shooter with static time, where everything is almost stops while you're not moving. It creates an aura of a puzzle game, but it only looks like that, so it's nothing like Braid or other time-manipulation games. Although it is very exciting to play, the game feels somehow limited in what you can do, and while you're thinking about it, the game is already over. It takes 2-3 hours to finish the storyline, and all that's left is challenges (same maps as the story, but with limited weapons/time) and endless mode (you just kill as many enemies as you can) - both interesting, but not very appealing to me personally. One of the other memorable elements of the game is its DOS-type interface with weird applications (like Carpet generator) - good idea, but it's far from the effect Pony Island's interface creativity left on me. So, I recommend you to win it, or to buy it with a big discount, because it's not as hot as Carolina Reaper, more like a Tabasco Pepper.
P.S. I wrote a short Colored bars guide, if someone's interested in using those in their logs.
And that was the end of Higurashi's "Questions" arc - a little bit shorter than previous games, but still good. To me personally (I've watched all seasons of anime), the story was better when it was mysterious and creepy, without answers, before they started to explain everything. Because of that, I'm not that eager to play the next couple of games in the series, but I'll be waiting for them.
A short 2D horror puzzle game; a dark and disturbing, but outstandingly good and immersive experience! You are just a boy who needs to escape from somewhere, and that's it. You won't hear a single word, won't see any sign or inscription during the whole game, but the story it tells by its visuals, music and sounds is powerful and it's not easily forgotten (especially the last chapter, where things are getting beyond imagination). What I loved about the game, among other things, are the controls. Maybe I didn't play many 2D games to compare, but playing Inside was heaven! Jumping, grabbing things, the physics - everything was perfect, even during the unusual last part of the game. Puzzles were smart, but not frustrating - I used the guide only to find secret rooms (they are well hidden) for the achievements. The game lasts only a few hours, and it doesn't offer replayability, but I advise you to keep an eye on it during the sales - it was definitely one of the best games of 2016.
A worthy Portal successor! The game is very similar to Valve's creation: a girl has been woken up by an AI, and she finds herself in a series of test chambers, where she needs to reach the exit by using logic and a specially designed gun. This gun grabs and sends though a distance lumps of energy, which power up doors and machines. Despise the similarities, the game looks fresh and interesting - it's beautiful, the mechanics is nice, and "A Space Odyssey" type of story adds a degree of enjoyability. I didn't find most of the puzzles hard, but this must be a result of training by two Portals, Qube and Talos Principle =) I didn't need to use walkthrough, but I solved the last puzzle the wrong way (not using logic) - it seems that I wasn't the only one who used this method, but, at the same time, it was clearly "out of the box thinking" that the characters used to talk about.


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Christian Friedrich Henrici (Stolpen, 14 januari 1700 - Leipzig, 10 mei 1764) was een Duits dichter en librettist. Hij is vooral bekend gebleven als tekstdichter van cantates die later door Johann Sebastian Bach van muziek werden voorzien, onder het pseudoniem Picander. Henrici studeerde rechten in Wittenberg en Leipzig. Hij bekleedde de functie van Opperpostkommissar te Leipzig en was later aldaar districts- en stadsbelastinginner.

Picander en Bach
Picander is de tekstschrijver van enkele van Bachs bekendste werken, waaronder de (wereldlijke) Koffiecantate, de Matthäus-Passion en naar alle waarschijnlijkheid ook het Weihnachtsoratorium. De samenwerking tussen Bach en Picander begon begin 1725 met de wereldlijke Schäferkantate "Entfliehe, verschwindet , entweichet, ihr Sorgen" (BWV 249a) voor het hof van Weissenfels. Een jaar na de Matthäus Passion gaf de dichter een volledige cyclus genaamd Cantaten auf die Sonn- und Fest-Täge durch das gantze Jahr uit. Het voorwoord (24 juni 1728) doet vermoeden dat de hele bundel in 1729 door Bach op muziek is gezet, maar slechts negen van deze cantates zijn bewaard gebleven. De twee edities van Bachs vierstemmige koralen uit 1765-1769 en 1783-1787 wekken althans de indruk dat het om meer dan negen cantates moet zijn gegaan. Picanders afwisseling van koraaltekst en vrije poëzie in de aria's en koren gaven Bach gelegenheid om verschillende combinaties toe te passen, zoals in de nummers 1 en 19 van de Matthäus-Passion.

Picander gaf als tekstdichter zijn naam aan Bachs vierde cantatejaargang, omvattende de negen overgeleverde cantates gecomponeerd van 1727 tot 1729.

Externe link
Biografie

Duits dichter
Librettist


– Don't go late. You can miss the juicy part of the event if you do.
– Eat well before leaving the house.
– Dress well to avoid wardrobe malfunction.
– Stay in the right frame of mind.
– Make sure you see your drinks being opened or poured.
– Give room to mingle and don't block your feelings.
– Put on a lovely smile.
– Take a friend along if you have the feeling it might be a boring outing.
– Wear the right emotions you don't want to look odd and sad.
– Take some lovely pictures.
– Don't have too much to drink or eat to avoid stomach disorder and if you've got allergies, know what to eat before you begin to react to what you've been offered.
– Don't trust your own judgement about whether you're ok to drive; if you've been drinking.
– Never get a ride with someone who has been drinking, taken any drugs, or is really tired.


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Joe Niekro (#43)
Joe Niekro was one of several sets of brothers who played in the majors in the 1960s. Like his older brother Phil, Joe was a knuckleball pitcher.
Joe was signed by the Cubs in 1966, and after only one season in the minors, he made his big-league debut in April 1967. He pitched 36 games (22 starts) as a rookie, and finished 3rd in innings pitched on the Cubs' staff, behind Fergie Jenkins and fellow rookie Rich Nye.
Niekro was a member of the starting rotation for 2 seasons, then in late-April 1969 he was traded to the Padres for pitcher Dick Selma. Joe finished out the season with San Diego, then was traded to the Tigers for pitcher Pat Dobson.
Niekro spent played for the Tigers for all of 1970-71, and part of 1972. He spent the remainder of 1972 and most of 1973 in the Tigers' farm system.
When the Braves claimed him off waivers in early August 1973, he joined the Braves for the rest of the season (uniting him with brother Phil), and made 20 relief appearances. Joe split his time between the Braves and their AAA team in 1974, then was sold to the Astros 2 days before the start of the 1975 season.
Niekro enjoyed his greatest success during his 11 seasons with the Astros. In 1979 he led the NL with 21 wins, made the all-star team, and finished 2nd in the Cy Young voting. He followed up his great 1979 season by notching 20 wins in 1980, and pitching in the NLCS against the Phillies.
Two weeks before the end of the 1985 season, Joe was traded to the Yankees for pitcher Jim Deshaies. Once again, his brother Phil was a teammate, although Phil was traded away after the season. Joe remained in the Yankees' starting rotation until his June 1987 trade to the Twins.
Niekro pitched for the Twins for the remainder of the 1987 season (including the World Series vs. the Cardinals), but after pitching 5 games in 1988, he was released in early May, ending his 22-year career.
Niekro passed away in October 2006 at age 61.
Labels: ...baseball brothers, ...debut: 1967, .Cubs, Joe Niekro
Here's one of the four multi-player cards in the 1969 set. There is also a multi-player card for the Athletics in this set, which the previous owner of this blog posted in August 2009. I stumbled upon it a month later, which was my introduction to Google Blogger. A few days later, I started my 1967 and 1968 blogs.
Here, the Senators' manager Ted Williams apparently is showing young first baseman Mike Epstein the value of choking up on the bat. Epstein came over to the Senators early in the 1967 season from the Orioles, where he was blocked by Boog Powell.
Epstein played 2 seasons with the Nats before Williams' tenure as manager. During their first 2 seasons together, Epstein's stats improved greatly.
Perhaps the best example of Williams' influence on a player's batting was perennial light-weight Ed Brinkman. Prior to Ted's arrival in 1969, Brinkman struggled to reach the Mendoza Line. In fact, in 3 of the 4 seasons prior to 1969, Ed hit in the .180's. In the two seasons under Williams' tutelage, Brinkman's batting average soared to .268 and .262.
He was traded to the Tigers after the 1970 season, where his average plummeted 40 to 60 points below his 1969 high in each of the next 4 seasons.
Here is a post on my 1966 blog, listing all the multi-player cards in the 1966 to 1969 sets.
Labels: ...multi-player cards, .Senators, Ed Brinkman, Mike Epstein, Ted Williams
Duane Josephson (#222)
Today we take a look at Duane Josephson, the White Sox' starting catcher during the late-1960s.
Josephson was signed by Chicago in 1964, and worked his way up the ladder from rookie ball to triple-A from 1964-66. He played a few games for Chicago at the end of the '65 and '66 seasons, then made the White Sox at the start of 1967. (The Sox had traded veteran catcher Johnny Romano during the previous off-season.)
Duane started 10 of 16 games in April, and alternated with J. C. Martin through the month of May. He was out of the lineup for most of June after being run over at home plate. Three days after returning to the lineup, he broke a finger and missed most of July. He finished his rookie season with 53 starts (only 16 less than Martin).
The following season he was the undisputed regular catcher, starting 113 games, while 1967's 3rd-stringer Jerry McNertney started the rest (Martin having been shipped off to the Mets in November 1967). Duane made his only all-star team in 1968, as a reserve catcher behind the Tigers' Bill Freehan.
After batting only .247 with very little pop (6 homers) in '68, Josephson lost his starting job to rookie Ed Herrmann in 1969. They shared the position evenly in 1970, with the right-handed Josephson and the lefty Herrmann both greatly improving their batting averages.
During spring training in 1971, Duane was traded to the Red Sox for pitcher Vicente Romo. Josephson started half the games for the Bosox, alternating with Bob Montgomery. In September, a rookie catcher named Carlton Fisk was called up, and that was the beginning of the end for all other catchers.
Duane only played in 26 games in 1972 (6 starts behind the plate, and 15 at 1st base). His final major-league appearance came on July 2nd. Josephson had been diagnosed with pericarditis, an inflammation around the heart. This forced him into retirement in 1972 at age 30.
He died in his hometown of New Hampton, Iowa in January 1997, at age 54.
Duane Josephson profile on the SABR website
Labels: ...catchers, ...debut: 1965, ...died too soon, .White Sox, Duane Josephson


Ilsigvej 19, Hune, 9492 Blokhus. In front of Blokhus Lys.
Postbakken 4: Disabled parking only. At the garden entrance.
Follow the signs along the 140- metre long footpath from the Blokhus Lys car park to the garden entrance at Postbakken 4.
Coach parking facilities are available at Ilsigvej 19.
Attention drivers! Visitors may get on and off the coach at Postbakken 4, as long as the engine is turned off.
Sadly, we do not allow dogs into the garden. Then again, you might bump into our own live-in fox who has the run of the place.


September's shaping up to be a big month for book adaptations. And it looks like there's a fantastic lineup planned - I see humor, romance, drama, crime; a little something for everyone. Good stuff.
It's Kind of a Funny Story, starring Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts and Lauren Graham, based on the 2006 novel by Ned Vizzini . In theaters Sept. 24.
The Romantics, starring Katie Holmes, Josh Duhamel, Anna Paquin, Elijah Wood. Based on Galt Niederhoffer's book of the same name . In theaters Sept. 10.
Never Let Me Go, starring Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield, the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 novel. In theaters Sept. 15.
The Town, starring Ben Affleck, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall, Chris Cooper and Blake Lively. Based on Chuck Hogan's novel, Prince of Thieves . In theaters Sept. 17.
This final movie isn't actually an adaptation, but it is definitely literary. It's Howl, starring the delectable James Franco as Allen Ginsberg and co-starring Mary-Louis Parker, Jeff Daniels, Jon Hamm and Alan Alda. The film details the obscenity trial that took place after the publication of Gineberg's scandalous poem. In theaters Sept. 24.


A vibrant neighbourhood and a hub of cultural activity that's steeped in history, Old Town Central perfectly exemplifies Hong Kong's unique East-meets-West characteristics and traditional and contemporary influences. Home to many of the city's cultural cornerstones, exceptional Chinese and international restaurants, mesmerising street art and a renowned party hub, this district is the ideal location to work hard and play hard.
The guide is designed for meeting planners to plan and design the best spots in the OTC cluster, a community over 100 years old, which offers a great variety of meeting ideas, from venues to team-building and gourmet indulgence, and offers integrated solutions and setting a new bar for authentic MICE experiences.
Follow this guide and discover why you should host your next MICE event in Old Town Central - for business and for pleasure.


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Armen Van Buuren's "Game Of Thrones" Remix Will Tide You Over Until Season 6
9 June 2015, 10:55 | Updated: 8 May 2017, 17:09
Listen to the Dad of Trance's theme song remix and throw your own Westerosi rave.
Sad news: there's only one episode left of this season's Game Of Thrones. Yes, it always seems to return to us and disappear as quickly as it came (and yet there's still no sign of winter).
But if you're going to miss the series terribly in its absence, and are also looking for a summer jam, then let Armen van Buuren kill two characters with one stone for you. The trance icon has released his official remix of the epic (and long) theme song on his Soundcloud.
Van Buuren premiered the track at Ultra Music Festival, and has been playing it as a part of his regular set; but this is the first time it has debuted online. A self-confessed "big fan" of Game Of Thrones, Armen admits to being "honoured" to remix the theme.
Coldplay Teams Up With The Cast Of Game Of Thrones For Hilarious Red Nose Day Parody
Which "Game Of Thrones" Actor Has A New Music Video Out?


A parents room in the school, where parents can drop in at any time to meet HSCL co-ordinator and other parents.
Courses and talks have been offerred for parents eg. Aerobics, Maths classes for parents, Cookery classes,"Study skills and your child". English language classes. Positive Parenting Programme.
Keeping Parents involved in policy making, e.g. Healthy Eating Policy.
Availability of Co-ordinator to visit parents at home.
Encouraging parents to get involved in school activities both inside and outside the classroom e.g. Drama, 'Maths for Fun', shared reading programme.


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New BMW X3 diesel review – 20d and 30d SUV duo driven
BMW's latest SUV should sell better than ever, but entertainment takes a back seat to practicality and tech
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We've already driven the performance variant of the new BMW X3, the M40i, but this is our first opportunity to get behind the wheel of the models that most customers will end up buying – the X3 20d and X3 30d.
With underpinnings, powerplants and features cribbed from the current 5-series, BMW says the new X3 builds on the old car's dynamics and improves on its technology and connectivity. We were quietly impressed by these advancements in the X3 M40i – so how to the regular models fare?
Engine, transmission and 0-100km/h time
As implied by their model designations, the X3 20d uses BMW's 2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine, while the X3 30d packs a 3-litre inline-six turbodiesel. The former develops 140kW with 400Nm of torque available, overcoming a 1750kg kerb weight to post a 0-100km/h of eight seconds flat.
The 30d is, not unsurprisingly, a fair bit quicker. Maximum power here is 195kW, and it develops half as much torque again as the 20d at 645Nm There's more weight to lug around – 70kg more, in fact – but the 30d still manages to reach 100km/h in 5.8 seconds from rest and go on to 240km/h. For comparison, the X3 M40i is a second quicker to 100km/h and hits its limiter 6mph later.
> New BMW X2 revealed – BMW's latest compact SUV
No manual transmission is offered – customers of the previous generation rarely ticked that box, according to BMW – so an eight-speed ZF-developed Steptronic automatic transmission is the only one available. There are no two-wheel drive models this time around either – all-wheel drive is standard.
BMW claims the X3 is the most aerodynamically-efficient car in its class, with a drag coefficient of 0.29. Still some way behind conventional, non-SUV cars – the 5-series on which the X3 is based dips as low as 0.22, and has a smaller frontal area too. While that might have compromised refinement next to a 5-series, the new X3 has been filled with extra cladding and acoustic glazing, which cuts noise to minimal levels.
Wheels start an inch bigger than before – from 18 inches – and M Sport models come as standard with upgraded brakes with four-piston calipers up front. These are available as an option elsewhere, as is the M Sport's uprated suspension. Variable Damper Control is also an option, along with features like the 5/7-series style "Display Key" and upgrades to connectivity, including gesture control. Some semi-autonomous features are available under the guise of BMW Personal CoPilot.
> BMW X3 M40i review – BMW's latest performance SUV
We drove both engines in M Sport specification (with its upgraded suspension and brakes), a trim level that the majority of UK customers will opt for when the time comes to sign on the dotted line.
Visually this adds a dash of aggression to the X3's shape, but unless you're already familiar with the previous car you'll probably struggle to distinguish this one as an all-new model. A little softer in its details, a little larger in its kidney grille, but still identifiably an X3. It looks surprisingly compact from the outside but feels substantial when inside.
The interior takes a big step up from before, looking and feeling much like that of the current 5-series. That's a good thing, in case you were wondering, with a logic to the layout, a quality feel to every surface and a sense of solidity – spoiled slightly in one of our test cars by a buzz coming from within a passenger doorcard. The new seats are adjustable every which way and very comfortable, the visibility is on-par with others in the class, and both the rear cabin and boot are spacious and well-shaped.
> Take our BMW Quiz
Things don't deteriorate once you get underway. The ride can feel firm over certain surfaces but otherwise shrugs off most imperfections (helped by a stiff structure and those comfortable seats), and the steering feels precise with predictable movements of the nose as soon as you begin to turn into a corner. Feedback? Not really, and the M Sport cars' needlessly thick steering wheel rim doesn't help, but combined with good grip (and strong, well-modulated brakes), this is a car whose responses you can trust.
Both engines feel punchy too, the 20d almost to the point where you wouldn't feel too short-changed if you also got to try the 30d. The 2-litre is brisk enough for most driving conditions and BMW's efforts to hush the cabin mean even under hard acceleration it remains admirably muted. Gearshifts, as we've come to expect from this ZF 'box, are slick and responsive whether left to their own devices or activated with the paddles on the back of the steering wheel.
The six-pot is undoubtedly more pleasurable to drive – it picks up sooner, moves with more conviction under every throttle input, and sounds creamy smooth even at higher revs. But in the X3 you're less inclined to utilise the performance than you are in a 3-series or 5-series, and the X3 M40i delivers more vividly on the entertainment front, so if you're going diesel you might as well opt for the more frugal of the pair. Dull perhaps, but true.
Tags: BMW


Solving one environmental problem may often invoke or intensify another one. Such environmental problem shifting (EPS) is a neglected topic in global sustainability research. Indeed, it is difficult to study as it requires the merging of insights from various research areas. Here we identify relevant studies, and provide an illustration and guidelines for the systematic study of EPS. As a modest thought experiment to illustrate the relevance of EPS, we consider solutions to scarcity of energy resources and climate change that, due to their extreme nature, may lead to considerable environmental problem shifting. We qualitatively assess the likely environmental and socioeconomic impacts of three hypothetical energy futures to highlight the possibility that as we resolve one environmental problem, another may be aggravated. We further present a set of guidelines to study EPS in a systematic and focused way. Here we stress that shifting can be mediated by biophysical as well as socioeconomic mechanisms, which means that its analysis requires a genuine interdisciplinary effort.


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Q: How to prevent tilting over in a unity object I've got a hover tank and I'm working on a controller for it. The goal is to have the float above the ground, but I don't want it to tilt over more the a degree or two. I want it to basically stay level all the time.
I'm using a Rigidbody on the tank to control it with .MovePosition and .MoveRotation. You can see the FixedUpdate function below. I've got a section below to keep thinks level, where I check if there tank is tipping past its maxTilt amount. If it is, the keep it at the max.
This makes the tank very jittery all the time. It looks like it's bouncing up and down quickly. I think its due to the hover forces, but I'm not sure.
How can I keep the tank level while still letting it hoover?
FixedUdpate
void FixedUpdate () {
    if (!isServer) {
        return;
    }

    CheckGrounded ();
    Hoover ();

    if (_moveForward) {
        float moveAmount = moveSpeed * Time.deltaTime;
        _rigidbody.MovePosition(_rigidbody.position + _rigidbody.transform.forward * moveAmount);
    }
    if (_moveBackward) {
        float moveAmount = (-moveSpeed * 0.6f) * Time.deltaTime;
        _rigidbody.MovePosition(_rigidbody.position + _rigidbody.transform.forward * moveAmount);
    }

    if (_turnLeft) {
        Quaternion rotateAmount = Quaternion.Euler(new Vector3(0f, -angularSpeed, 0f) * Time.deltaTime);
        _rigidbody.MoveRotation(_rigidbody.rotation * rotateAmount);
    }
    if (_turnRight) {
        Quaternion rotateAmount = Quaternion.Euler(new Vector3(0f, angularSpeed, 0f) * Time.deltaTime);
        _rigidbody.MoveRotation(_rigidbody.rotation * rotateAmount);
    }

    if (_jump && _isGrounded) {
        _isJumping = true;
    }

    if (_isJumping && _jumpTimeLeft > 0) {
        float moveAmount = jumpSpeed * Time.deltaTime;
        _rigidbody.MovePosition(_rigidbody.position + _rigidbody.transform.up * moveAmount);

        _jumpTimeLeft -= Time.deltaTime;
    } else if (_isJumping) {
        _isJumping = false;
        _jumpTimeLeft = jumpTime;

    }

    // Keep things level
    Vector3 rotation = _rigidbody.rotation.eulerAngles;
    if (rotation.x > maxTilt) {
        rotation.x = maxTilt;
    } else if (rotation.x < -maxTilt) {
        rotation.x = -maxTilt;
    }
    if (rotation.y > maxTilt) {
        rotation.y = maxTilt;
    } else if (rotation.y < -maxTilt) {
        rotation.y = -maxTilt;
    }
    if (rotation.z > maxTilt) {
        rotation.z = maxTilt;
    } else if (rotation.z < -maxTilt) {
        rotation.z = -maxTilt;
    }
    Quaternion q = new Quaternion ();
    q.eulerAngles = rotation;
    _rigidbody.rotation = q;
}

Hoover
void Hoover() {
    foreach (Transform hoverPoint in hooverPoints) {
        Ray ray = new Ray (hoverPoint.position, -hoverPoint.up);
        RaycastHit hitInfo;

        if (Physics.Raycast (ray, out hitInfo, hooverHeight)) {
            float distance = Vector3.Distance (hoverPoint.position, hitInfo.point);

            if (distance < hooverHeight) {
                _rigidbody.AddForceAtPosition (hoverPoint.up * hooverForce * (1f - distance / hooverHeight), hoverPoint.position, ForceMode.Force);
            }
        }
    }
}

A: I'm thinking that the reason you are seeing 'jitters' is because...

All physics calculations and updates occur immediately after FixedUpdate.
  https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/ExecutionOrder.html

Because you are adjusting the tilt in FixedUpdate(), which is then immediately followed by the Physics Engine running its calculations this will sometimes alter the tilt value giving a 'jitter'. The reason I say sometimes is because FixedUpdate() can run multiple times per frame (FPS dependant), which potentially means the following call order for a single frame:

*

*FixedUpdate() // start frame

*PhysicsEngine

*FixedUpdate() // end frame
In the case above, there would be no jitter because you re-correct the tilt after the physics engine has done its thing - by complete fluke. However when you don't get a second FixedUpdate() call on a frame, you will have:

*

*FixedUpdate() // start frame

*PhysicsEngine // end frame
Which will result in your jitter.
So my suggestion is to break up your FixedUpdate() and offset any tilt corrections to LateUpdate(). Becuase LateUpdate() is always the last update call prior to the rendering of the frame.