Why not consider nudging a writer you know whose book you love, to consider entering this contest? Why not make a decision to read the books that are eligible for the Alliance Award, so you can be part of the nominating process.
Writers and publishers, the Realm award, the primer speculative fiction award, is in progress. Well, more accurately, the submission process is in progress.
Did you catch that date? Submissions will be accepted until midnight (Eastern time), January 21. That's in one week, folks. One week!
Unfortunately, I could not find the Realm Makers statement of faith online. There is a contact page and I'm sure anyone interested in reading the statement to help decide if they can sign off, will receive a copy in a timely fashion. But don't delay!
Books must be in the genre of fantasy, science fiction, horror, or related subgenre, published in 2018, either traditionally or self-published. They must be 60,000+ words, unless they are young adult which can be 50,000+ words.
The key here is to start reading now! If you have a favorite author or a favorite speculative genre, be sure to read any books that came out in 2018 so you can participate in the nominating process.
I don't know about you, but I love book awards season, which always starts with this submission/nominating process. But I've yet to hear of a book win an award without first being submitted or nominated.
A modern military provides special training for those in uniform who support warriors in action. Understanding combat support will add depth to the war stories you create.
The earliest imaginable form of combat support would stem from ancient tribal warfare in which warriors (let's be honest, they were almost always men) went out to battle and the wounded among those who survived to return home would be bandaged and given herbal remedies by village healers (who were, again, simply telling the truth, usually women). This generic type of scenario that played itself out throughout tribal societies across most of the globe is based on non-professional warriors, what I've previously called "barbarian" warriors (with no insult intended).
Early human literate civilization, the Mesopotamians, were the first to specifically train warriors to fight as a full-time profession. There's no direct evidence I know of that they also incorporated combat support specialist into their military. Yes, by the time of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, a military we know a great deal about, it's evident the Assyrian Army marched with various types of combat support personnel, to name only some of them: cooks, baggage handlers, chariot wheelwrights, healers, scribes who managed supplies and record keeping. But these activities were handled mainly by slaves or free non-military personnel. It wasn't soldiers in combat armor, with combat training, performing these tasks, with one likely exception.
Assyrians attack the Judean fortified city of Lachish. Note the tower where Jewish bowmen are shooting down at the Assyrians, who are driving up a complex weapon with a long pole (a siege engine), which is itself riding on a ramp that was constructed by Assyrian engineers while defenders shot at them. (In this time-compressed image, Judean prisoners of war are shown impaled on stakes in the background, while women and children are shown peacefully leaving the tower to be exiled to Assyria, events that probably happened after the battle was over.) Part of a relief from the palace of Sennacherib at Nineveh. British Museum, London.
Military engineers, who were responsible for building ramps and bridges and various other instruments to breach enemy defenses may have been wearing armor and trained in combat. After all, their construction projects, such as the ramp leading to the wall of the Israelite city of Lachish, allowing access to siege engines that would destroy the wall (one of the high-end weapons systems of their day), was built under enemy arrow attack. It's at least possible the engineers supervising the build represented a specific branch of the Assyrian military, military engineers. But not enough Assyrian history has been preserved to be certain of that.
The advantage of having your combat support personnel receive military training themselves is based on the fact it didn't take ancient people long to figure out you can ruin an army by attacking its supplies, or baggage train, i.e. its combat support. The ancient solution to this problem was to divert combat troops to guard duty, protecting the supplies and support personnel.
A military member with a non-combat job can be ordered into danger where civilians would be hesitant to go–and where they might have no idea what to do if they came under attack. In the Twentieth Century, the idea of training combat support troops really took off, modern militaries increasingly embracing the notion than they should be able to provide for themselves with support personnel in uniform. In World War I, roughly two-thirds of US troops were in combat specialties, only one-third support. By WWII, the support outnumbered the combat troops by 60% to 40%. In Korea and Vietnam, the WWI proportions flipped, so that only one third were combat forces and two thirds combat support. For the Cold War military in Germany, only 25% of the troops in uniform were combat arms specialists–75% were combat support.
It could be that the trend to reduce the number of combat support personnel increases over time. Though it could be that militaries of the future will turn both combat and non-combat roles over to robots and automated systems, in certain jobs, non-combat specialists are unlikely to ever be replaced (e.g. troop transport pilots), whereas in other jobs (e.g. cargo truck drivers), robots will likely take human jobs as soon as it's feasible to do so. All things considered, he proportions of combat to combat support personnel should stay about the same for the foreseeable future.
First of all, I want the readers of this series to be aware of the existence of combat support military personnel. Many readers of this site are fantasy writers and fantasy worlds usually parallel medieval or ancient models of warfare. So your stories may not include non-combat specialists who are part of military organizations, i.e. personnel who receive military training. Yet the things the combat support specialists do need to be done by someone else. You need to keep that in mind.
Second, you should be aware of how already-existing speculative fiction has a times focused on combat support specialties. Star Trek has done so extensively, as Travis C will mention.
Fourth, I want story makers to be aware that stories can be told from the point of view of combat support troops–and such stories are not necessarily less interesting than hearing about the most elite troops fighting as consummate professionals. This especially relates to the fact many groups in the history of Christianity have been pacifists–but as combat support soldiers, they could be thrust into a combat situation nonetheless (as per Hacksaw Ridge and my own science fiction short novella on Amazon, Unknown Biologic).
Travis C here with some helpful illustrations of our combat support topic. To highlight Travis P's last point, my favorite series in recent years is Glen Cook's The Black Company, which is told through via point of view of the mercenary company's doctor, who happens to function as the Annalist or historian. In this role, Croaker has first-hand knowledge and a legitimate reason to describe the deeds of the Company, and I feel the series is better because of that unique viewpoint.
What functions need to get accomplished? Travis P mentioned several: medical, logistics of moving troops and supplies, the supplies themselves, quarters for troops, repair and maintenance of equipment, other engineering needs, etc.
Who is going to accomplish those functions? Regular troopers, trained but non-fighting personnel, volunteers, families, slaves?
Does the success of, or lack/failure of, one of those functions become a necessary plot element in the story?
If so, what additional detail should be developed to add color to the picture?
In particular during The Next Generation, Star Trek used color to train its viewers to identify the various roles found across the Federation's Starfleet. Three primary colors: red, blue, and gold, were an easy way to distinguish between Command, Sciences (including medical), and Operations. Red and Gold uniforms kept the ships running and may and may not have been directly related to combat, but blue uniforms were a clear sign of a combat support specialist.
As an audience, we had expectations for any character depending on the color of their uniform. Red represented leadership and tactical training, blue an intellectual mind and appreciation for research and exploration, and gold the detail-oriented mind of an planner and engineering expertise to run a warp core. As expected, the writers of successive iterations of the Star Trek universe then flipped those expectations on their heads. The interplay between divisions yields great plot lines to explore ethics and relationships among characters.
Every George R.R. Martin reader knows the Night's Watch has its own maester to perform record keeping and healing. The clink of their maester's chain identifies those trained by the Citadel.
There's probably a unique way you can easily help readers identify with the combat support functions, understand how they are different from the combat arms characters, and help build structure in your world.
That's probably not a surprise, but I think it's safe to say even the "barbarian" form of combat support garnered no small amount of tension. One party is doing the fighting, right in harm's way, and subjecting themselves to imminent danger. The other side is waiting in the wings, perceived as being away from danger, but likely at more risk since the enemy knows how critical these roles are. Grunts are just dumb killers. Support are just scared weaklings incapable of doing more. You likely know these tropes already.
We've used Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archives several times already, but here's an example of the use of bridge crews (manned by slaves, unprotected from enemy fire, yet vital to movement of the armies across the Shattered Plains) to meet a critical support function with significant contrast to the armies and Brightlords conducting combat. Sanderson not only uses Kaladin as one of his main characters, but also uses the tension between organizations to drive the plot forward.
David Farland's second book of the Runelords series, Brotherhood of the Wolf (not to be confused with a film with the same name), does an excellent job of using the connection between Runelords who take endowments of power to those who give up those powers ( called Dedicates) to drive the story forward. The military cannot function without the enhanced abilities of strength, metabolism, wit, and senses that the Dedicates give up. At the same time, these Dedicates are ideal targets for military action since killing a Dedicate will immediately remove that attribute from the bearer. The Dedicates require significant protection, at the cost of military flexibility. Farland excellently uses this interplay to develop characters and add tension to the plot.
Lastly, and in line with my shared favorite, consider if you should add a different point of view to your story. We've all heard stories told from the perspective of the knight, the lord, the king, the starship captain, the great-grand-poobah. We've also watched the unlikely hero become a military mastermind (and as we've discussed earlier in the series, just how unlikely that is). What about the war told through the eyes of the frontline surgeon? The sapper digging under the castle walls? The cook hearing everyone's stories at the end of the fight? The engineer keeping the hypercore going on that rust-bucket starfrigate? It may not be the primary point of view or main character you develop a story around, but these secondary characters can add a lot of detail in interesting ways as interludes, prologues and epilogues, or even just scenes spread through the story.
Just like the combat arms functions, combat support has its own training needs that can add even more detail to your worlds. Maybe as backstory, maybe as a source of tension between combat functions, maybe just for fun. Being honest about how the military works in the context of your world is vital to building meaningful engagement with a reader. Plus, it'll help you when you've got a few more chapters to fill and want a way to show, not tell, what's happening in your military stories.
Is the only way to survive life's brutal realities to willfully blind oneself to the truth, as in "Bird Box"?
MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE BIRD BOX AHEAD. DO NOT READ IF YOU PLAN TO WATCH THIS FILM.
Like most people with a Netflix account, I have seen The Bird Box starring Sandra Bullock. And like many people who watched it, I was underwhelmed. I haven't read the book so I can't compare the two versions, but let me say that I have a high threshold for suspension of disbelief (my public professions of love for Michael Bay movies should be sufficient evidence) but even I found the central concept of The Bird Box hard to swallow. Invisible ghosts/spirits/aliens/demons/somethings that make you kill yourself only if you look at them? At least the main idea of The Happening with Mark Wahlberg made sense (humans are a disease and the Earth dispatches antibodies to kill off the infection). The Bird Box seems to be the result of a common problem in the literary brain: I have this cool idea; now how to make it into a story? Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
In the movie, if someones sees whatever those "things" are, they are driven to suicide. Yet some people, the mentally ill and psychotic, are compelled not to kill themselves, but to force others to look and die. And the entities are also sensed by animals (a good means of protection is keeping a bird in a box, sort of like a caged canary in a coal mine). When the bird gets agitated, it means one of the invisible monsters is around.
Applications for the film's symbolism are abundant. Is the only way to survive life's brutal realities to willfully blind oneself to the truth? Are dangerous principles only harmful if we give them any attention? Is it safer in the dark than in the light? Let's take a closer look through the lens of Scripture and the Christian walk.
What could the suicide-inducing monsters symbolize, if we were to ascribe meaning to them that transcends the screen? They could be regrets or traumatic memories. In any instance, it is not healthy to focus on such things, especially as Christians. Psalms 103:12 tells us that God has removed our transgressions from us as far as the East is from the West. It doesn't mean that past sins didn't happen, but God remembers them no more (Is. 43:25) and neither should we (Phi. 3:13). Dwelling on our sinful past hurts our faith, or can turn us toward bitterness and malice, wanting to inflict that hurt on others as well, especially if we think they deserve it.
Suppose the invisible monsters symbolize sin. Is being blind to sin a good thing? Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 14:20 to be like innocent babies when it comes to evil, but like mature adults in our thinking. We should not know the ins and outs of sin or be proud of our detailed knowledge if we lived in sin in the past. It should not be viewed as shameful for a Christian to have no experience with particular sins. On the other hand, we should not deceive ourselves in thinking this or that sin doesn't exist or isn't all that bad. This is where thinking as adults comes in. Like the world in The Bird Box where the air is swarming with these malevolent creatures, sin and demonic powers are everywhere and it is only God's grace and angelic protection that lets us make it through each day alive. We should be keenly aware of the horrors of sin around us, especially in the lives of those close to us. Yet we don't have to get our hands dirty to minister to them. We don't have to "look" in order to help them see Christ. Many people believe that you need to get down in the gutter to reach people that low. Perhaps for a short time, but you don't have to act like them, talk like them, and live like them to somehow win them over for Christ. He doesn't need our help to save anyone's souls. Living lives innocent of sin has a stronger witness than any "marketing plan" we could come up with.
If you still want to see The Bird Box, go right ahead. For me personally, though, some things are better left unseen.
On this new web portal, explore topics like Aquaman's "cheesiness," the widow's mite misinterpreted, and a weird search term.
Wow—I'd forgotten what a rewarding challenge that is, to blog once every weekday.
This shouldn't take away from my Tuesday work at Speculative Faith (and certainly not Lorehaven Magazine). If anything, this means SpecFaith readers can expect even better content from me. Now that I'm covering, say, some nonfiction biblical articles, general geeky and popular culture, and other topics at my own site, my SpecFaith articles can focus more exclusively on our mission.
EXPLORING TRUTH THROUGH STORIES FOR GOD'S GLORY.
Possible exception: today's article, which previews the last week's stories over at EStephenBurnett.com. Can you please pray real quick that I can keep up this exhilarating pace?
Jan. 1: Tim Keller: Jesus versus the 'Religious People'?
Jan. 2: Aquaman Isn't Simply 'Big Dumb Fun,' So Why Do Critics Claim It Is?
Jan. 7: 'Young Justice' Fans Actually Got the Show Renewed, So Why Do Some Still Complain?
Last Friday, the new season [of the animated superhero series Young Justice] debuted with the title Young Justice: Outsiders. With one "catch." (If you could even call it that.) DC had chosen not to host Young Justice season 3 on a preexisting streaming service, such as Netflix (where many fans, including myself, first found the story). Instead DC debuted the season exclusively on its own relatively new media/streaming service, DC Universe.
On a final note, here's one action item I neglected to share in last week's update!
Adventure requires action, and Havok Publishing wants to take you on an adventure.
Entertainment is changing. Literature is changing.
I received a bestselling YA novel for Christmas. It was written entirely through a series of fictional letters, medical notes, and top-secret government files. LitRPG is bridging the gap between the written word and video games, and it's exploding in a big way. Heck, people are so hungry for something new that they're turning to text messages for their fiction!
So when I had the opportunity to take over Havok Magazine, I knew I wanted to take a fresh direction. And I knew I'd need help.
Thankfully, the Christian fiction industry has a wealth of talent combined with a sense of camaraderie and shared accomplishment. This is not always the case in the secular market. And so, we called first on Havok's existing staff to form the new framework. Then we went on the Realm Makers community to fill in the gaps, and Havok Publishing was born.
Months of brainstorming with Cerberus (the nickname Lisa Godfrees, Teddi Deppner, and I call our combined braintrust) brought us more challenges than we could have imagined. (Creating a new model from the ground up tends to have that effect.) But we've fought through them, and now we're ready to show our creation to the world.
Havok Publishing exists as an ongoing competition in true gladiatorial style, providing exceptional, hard-hitting, flash fiction (always 1,000 words or less) with a speculative flavor to the widest audience possible.
As of January 1, we post a new story every weekday on GoHavok.com, allowing readers to vote and comment on their favorites across a variety of daily genres (Mystery Monday, Techno Tuesday, Wacky Wednesday, Thriller Thursday, and Fantasy Friday) and monthly themes. And the best stories are published bi-annually in a Havok anthology alongside some of today's biggest and best writers. In fact, our season one anthology (slated for publication in July 2019) will include stories from DiAnn Mills, David Farland, James Scott Bell, Kerry Nietz, and Robert Liparulo!
But now that you know how we work and what genres of fiction we publish, you're probably wondering what style of stories you can expect. As I said before, we aim to reach the widest audience possible. And so, we publish tight, clear, entertaining, and culturally relevant fiction while keeping everything PG-13 or lower. But more important than that, we publish stories that don't glorify sin.
Well, for example, a story may have an alcoholic main character. But the theme and plot will show his brokenness without making it sound "cool." He may or may not find redemption from his alcoholism in the story. But the story will most certainly show his behavior as a vice, a corruption. And this same principle is applied to every sinful act, whether its nature is sexual, violent, avaricious, prideful, or otherwise.
So as you can see, Havok fosters friendly, respectful competition with a community of talented writers and voracious (but oftentimes time-constrained) readers. Our basic content is free to the masses, and a few bucks gets you a ton of extras as a member of the Havok Horde.
Our stories are always exciting and speak to the human experience. Sometimes they tackle worldly topics. Yet they strive to shine the light of truth, hope, love, and beauty on everyday struggles.
In short, there's nothing ordinary about Havok. We're mashing genres and themes together on a daily basis. We roll out these stories for free and allow readers to form their own community. We're offering cash prizes to writers and readers alike. And we're doing it all right now.
So be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and most importantly, head to GoHavok.com to join in on the party!
Militaries by their nature develop specialized branches of combat arms and train their warriors to master particular war-fighting specialties.
This kind of training has gone through a variety of transformations over time, based on general types of weapons systems, transportation systems, and military doctrine in use. These historical patterns demonstrate models that can apply to fictional worlds.
But soon, the Sumerians learned to put armed men in four-wheeled wagons drawn by either horses or donkeys, and also put armed men on river boats, linking weapons with types of transportation for the first time. The arms used with the transportation at first were of the same type used on land–axes, daggers, spears, and bows. At first, the fighters in the back of the wagons or boats probably had the exact same training as those who fought on the ground. But using them off a new platform created new challenges and eventually spurred the development of new training.
Ancient Roman versus modern Italian infantry.
At even the most basic level, a military will have infantry soldiers, human beings walking into combat, with at least several basic types of weapons, including weapons designed to kill at a distance weapons and weapons designed to kill up close (i.e. "melee weapons"). (Spears and throwing axes and a few other weapons can be effective both up close and from a bit of distance). Infantry soldiers may hitch rides from various vehicles (which requires at least a bit distinctive vehicle training), but if they fight on their own feet, they are still considered infantry. Even if they carry modern, computerized weapons, they are in the same category as a Sumerian in a long cloak and a copper helmet, sporting a bronze-tipped spear. Infantry, when given the opportunity to seek shelter and fortify, are the best at conducting defense. Infantry can fortify towers, hills, and other strong points or create new strong points by digging trenches, or foxholes, or throwing up barriers. Though in the open, infantry are vulnerable to cavalry attacks.
But most militaries in the history of the world have incorporated some sort of fighting attached to a transportation system into their military. Whether by wagon, by chariot, on horseback, or (in modern times) in lightly armored vehicles, these faster-moving soldiers have had tactics in common from Sumerian times to the present. These tactics include scouting ahead of the infantry, attacking enemies in the rear (or their supplies), or attacking as shock troops to crush the morale of the main body of enemy forces. This branch of the military, of course, is the cavalry. Cavalry units are generally much better at attack (and scouting) than they are at defense.
Naval forces have shared a great deal in common with cavalry units in their tactics, but not long after naval forces came into use, the ship itself was used as a weapons system–ramming into enemies–in a way real horses are usually reluctant to do. Naval ships probably rammed one another long before they developed special devices helping them do so (like those of a Roman trireme). In so doing they pioneered a different kind of weapon, a crew-served weapon, one that requires more than one person to operate. Navy forces have also had their own type of Infantry that are trained to operate on and off ships–marine infantry, or in the United States, simply the Marines. In certain times and places, marine infantry were nothing more than regular infantry put on a ship, but there are advantages to training marines a bit differently–if nothing else, they need to know how to swim.
Roman Trireme with drawbridge to help marine infantry and a ship-sinking ram.
Boarding ships with marines or aggressive sailors is one way to destroy an enemy ship, but navies have always sought other shipboard weapons to destroy enemy vessels. Rams became fire weapons and fire weapons became cannons and those in turn led to torpedoes and missiles. Many naval weapons fall in the category of high end capability weapons as discussed in the last post, but not all do. Deck guns are not necessarily that advanced, even when they require a special crew to serve them.
What started with naval weapons crossed over to the land. Ancient armies first discovered that their calvary-type units, so effective against infantry out in the open, proved to be nearly worthless against fortified infantry. While an overwhelmingly superior number of infantry usually can take a position only held by infantry, it's very difficult and bloody. Crew-served weapons on land, siege weapons or engines, were invented to break through strongholds. Siege weapons early on included towers Mesopotamian engineers assembled, catapults, and giant stationary crossbows called ballista. Siege weapons would eventually lead to the development of artillery, the third major branch of ground force combat arms, after infantry and cavalry.
In Roman times the ballista was the most common kind of artillery, serving the basic purpose of extending the range of Roman troops to strike individual enemies through directly firing at them. Catapults, which the Romans also knew about, hurled rocks over walls in high arcs (as did the slingers in ancient Assyrian armies) into besieged cities or camps, indiscriminately killing or injuring anyone who happened to be where the rocks fell, causing enemy casualties by indirect fire.
The artillery branch of the military consists exclusively of crew-served weapons, weapons that require training for a group of operators to be able to function, but which may not represent high end capabilities, depending on the nation that owns them. Once the artillery branch gained cannons, the two basic roles of direct and indirect fire remained important. Direct fire was mostly used against fortifications (and in the navy, against enemy ships), and is responsible for the fact castles are no longer effective in warfare, while indirect fire was lobbed in various ways into mass formations of enemy or locations enemy might be. Today, artillery is mostly concerned with indirect fire, but has systems that are capable of direct fire (especially guided rockets and missiles).
The three main branches of ground forces: infantry, cavalry, and artillery (if we allow artillery to include siege weapons), dominated all battlefields everywhere in the world in almost all professional armies, from the time of the Sumerians up until the 20th Century, in particular in the Napoleonic Wars. The 20th Century saw the development of what we could perhaps think of as land ships–vehicles with armor like ships that can move over terrain, with weapons integrated into the structure of the vehicle itself. These weapons, otherwise known as tanks, form their own distinctive military branch, armor.
I earlier commented that military doctrine (or the concepts or philosophy behind the use of weapons) affects training as much as the particular weapon warriors train for and as much as the transportation system attached to weapons use. I'm only going to illustrate that point here, with a comment on military doctrine as it affected the training for tanks.
Tanks were first designed to cross trenches in World War I under enemy artillery and machine gun fire–in effect, their original purpose was to breach a specific kind of infantry defense. Later, between the world wars, the British in particular developed slow-moving tanks with the purpose of supporting infantry and faster-moving tanks with the purpose of taking over some of the roles of historic cavalry units. Military doctrine affected both the design of weapons and their use. But note that Blitzkrieg, the German doctrine of using armor units to first punch through strong defenses alongside infantry the way the first tanks did, then to rush behind enemy lines to cut off enemy formations from their supply chain, the way cavalry units historically did, made tanks much more effective beyond whatever design advantages German tanks may have had. In fact, the French tanks of the early forties are generally considered as suitable for Blitzkrieg as the German tanks were, or even more so–yet since using tanks that way was not part of French military doctrine (they felt tanks should be distributed among the infantry to help them defend themselves when in the open), French tank crews were not trained on how to conduct Blitzkrieg. So they didn't use their armor that way–much to their disadvantage.
Note that armor as a military branch happened at the same time as another branch, military aviation, which both supported ground troops and in specialized formations, supported naval units (and later took on the role of fighting other air units). Modern combat arms to this day include infantry (including elite infantry, i.e. special operations forces), cavalry, armor, artillery (including artillery designed to attack aircraft), and military aviation. And of course each of these branches also exist to a certain degree within navies, including marine infantry, elite marine infantry, fast small ships like cavalry, large heavy-hitting ships that are a bit like armor and artillery rolled into one, and of course naval aviation. Each particular specialty in combat arms having its own distinctive training.
While the names will change, we can expect futuristic militaries, say space-based ones, to have multiple branches that run in parallel with military organizations and systems we already know. Starships designed to fire weapons at planets or lob indirect weapons into regions of space will functionally be like artillery, even if that's not what they will be called. Fast moving formations of spaceships like cavalry will still be needed–shipboard infantry will probably be needed, as well as ground assault forces. The equivalent of an air force would be landing craft able to operate in planetary atmospheres, passing through the air as a bridge between space and ground.
A dragon attacking the ground in Game of Thrones.
Fantasy militaries can meet the needs of different branches of combat arms in different ways. Dragons could combine the capabilities of air forces and artillery. Mer-people could form a distinctive branch of underwater marine infantry. Magic could provide indirect fire weapons. Etc.
The point for this post though is that unless you write a story that portrays a society so futuristic that knowledge is directly downloaded into military members (or a society with powerful magic able to do the same thing), each one of these fighting military specialties will include its own training, which is quite distinct from other kinds. Each type of training requires time, which means that any one character can probably only master one type of fighting, or perhaps two–but not everything (a possible exception to this might be found in elves or other species that live very long lives–but even elves would have reasons to specialize in particular weapons, lest they fall behind the skill level of other near-immortals who chose to specialize).
For cavalry and other military branches for which a transportation system of some kind is key, knowledge of that system, be it the back of a horse, a chariot, a dragon, a ship, or a fighter plane, is probably the most important element of training. Knights and samurai spend a lot of time with horses–fighter pilots need to spend a lot of time in the air–sailors develop their skills over prolonged periods at sea. There's an enormous difference in the capabilities of well-trained, seasoned veterans than newbies who are fresh to the fight.
For artillery and similar forces that rely on technical skills, their training embraces a wide variety of things that are not directly dangerous to the enemy, including maintenance of weapons, their operation–even the mathematics required to accurately lob an artillery shell. (In this regard, artillery and related weapons skills is most like the high-end capabilities training we discussed in the last post).
Infantry troops, the most basic element of the vast majority of all militaries in world history, though they may someday be supplanted by combat robots or something similar, are the ones that most require the kinds of battle hardening and psychological conditioning that we've discussed in previous posts. But they also require training in their weapons systems, how to operate them, how to use them even under stress, and note that infantry weapons training does include crew-served weapons, especially machine guns and mortars (which are really like small artillery).
Note that the training required for combat arms introduces the concept of combat arms itself. While we will say more about combat arms operations in future installments, for next week we'll discuss those types of skills that militaries train for that support combat without directly killing enemies, like medical and maintenance specialties.
Travis C here with a rather sideways example of the distinctions we're discussing with combat arms. We'll introduce another related term, combined arms, in future posts. Combat arms is a way to describe the individual components of the military forces within your world-building. Combined arms describes a military philosophy of "combining" two or more of those functions in a way that the enemy cannot effectively defend against one without exposing itself to the strength of another. Also distinct from supporting arms, when two or more of the combat arms support each other in a mutual manner but can be defended against jointly (think of soldiers under their shields as a defense against either arrows or rocks – supporting arms, versus cavalry and archers working together that shields alone might not withstand – combined arms). Before we get to that complexity we need to understand the individual components well enough to describe their strengths, weaknesses, and how they developed into a cohesive force through training.
I feel confident we all have a series of books, TV series, and movies that depict the traditional categories of combat arms Travis P described earlier. Whether it's battalions of orc infantry in formation on the Pelennor fields, the Rohirrim cavalry charging down the slopes outside of Helm's Deep, the great mobile engines of the Telmarines, the dragons of A Song of Ice and Fire, or the vessels of the fleets of the Empire, the Rebel Alliance, or the Federation, we have many examples that clearly align with our conceptions of these combat arms categories. The fact they exist is clearly shown, though all too often we miss out on the reality of how such units are trained. We only see the great, climactic battle-to-save-the world, and not as often the training that occurred before hand.
As much as I hate to reuse an example, Brandon Sanderson really hit this nail on the head with his Stormlight Archive series and the plotline of Kaladin Stormblessed.
As we follow Kaladin through the first two books, he is a slave in one of the armies campaigning on the Shattered Plains. One of the worst duties for slaves was to be part of the bridge crews used by certain Brightlords to cross over the chasms common to the Plains. Without bridging units, the regular armies could not cross the chasms to engage in direct action with the Parshendi and capture the Gemhearts much sought after by the Alethi nobility. Since the Parshendi are indiscriminate in their targeting of troops, and the bridge crews are provided no defenses, this duty is effectively a suicide mission.
Kaladin recognizes two challenges the bridgemen face. First, there is no organization and training involved with their role. It's chaotic every time a bridge departs, with limited order provided by the slave masters. Second, without any hope of surviving, there is no motivation for the crew to do anything other than the minimum possible. After all, why try harder if you are only going to die?
Sanderson uses this context to provide a plotline that follows Kaladin as he leads by example and trains himself first, then others in basic military disciplines and builds cohesion within Bridge 4. Slowly, results begin to show. More of the men survive each bridge run. Minor changes result in significant improvements to their odds. The discipline builds up a sense of camaraderie among the bridge, and Kaladin is able to demonstrate the effectiveness of his methods in training for other bridges. A severe conflict is raised between the Brightlords of Sadeas' camp, the lord who primarily uses slaves as bridge fodder, and Kaladin who is trying to save as many of his brethren as possible.
Kaladin also goes on to train his bridge crew in the use of the spear. He falls back on his own soldier training from his previous life in Lord Amaram's army as a means of further developing the basic skills his team can rely on. The spear represents a useful tool on the battlefield, a means of standardizing a training regimen, and a way to baseline the troops. If nothing else, they can all use this most basic weapon and contribute as members of the infantry.
It's only later in the storyline that we see the crew introduced to new weapon systems (like one member gaining Shardplate and a Shardblade) and assuming their role as guard force. Something that should stand out is how those soldiers evolved from beaten-down slaves to an elite bridge crew to training spearmen to trusted guards. Sanderson shows us that development over a long, winding, maybe overly detailed story that helps us bond with favorite characters and invest in them, creating an even greater emotional commitment to a simple storyline of two races at war with each other.
Any of these can make a great plotline, even simply backstory, for your characters who come from or are involved in a military setting. And as Travis P mentioned, your unique world-building will have new opportunities to do the same, whether it's magic, a new weapon system, or other plot elements.
The Christmas season is over. But Christmas is always around the next corner.
Last year's growth at Speculative Faith, Lorehaven, Realm Makers and many Christian-fantasy portals gives us cause to celebrate.
This year proved quite the boom season for fans of Christian fantastical fiction, and we here at Speculative Faith have been thrilled to take part in this journey.
And for me personally, I look back and wonder if God may finally be providentially arranging many, many more readers who will embrace and take joy in unique fantastical novels made by (and sometimes for) biblical Christian readers.
Here's why I draw this exciting conclusion.
Speculative Faith has grown fourfold!
In 2018, Speculative Faith more than quadrupled our outreach.
We had four times more readers and page views than those totals in 2017.
Of course, this doesn't compare to a general-interest Christian ministry site. For those, readership extends into the millions, and their page views are even higher.
But for a comparatively "niche" site staffed solely by volunteers, it's amazing.
Travis Perry, Bear Publications owner, who's just finished his first year as a SpecFaith regular writer.
Not to mention our dozens of stellar guest voices. This year, we featured many new authors writing on Fridays and occasionally Tuesdays. We found these creative folks thanks to their books that we positively reviewed at Lorehaven Magazine.
In the fall, we added custom advertisements for each SpecFaith regular writer.
As site webmaster, I've continued to hone the website's best layout yet, which we debuted in summer 2017 when SpecFaith and Lorehaven joined the same system.
In 2019, this creative work could reach even more readers. Please pray that it does!
Subscribe for free and download the winter 2018 issue today!
We closed the year with our four inaugural issues of Lorehaven Magazine.
Our mission: to serve Christian fans by finding biblical truth in fantastic stories. Book clubs, free webzines, and a web-based community offer flash reviews, articles, and news about Christian fantasy, science fiction, and other fantastical genres.
Subscriptions are free, online, and ad-supported!
We featured the magazine last year at the incomparable annual Realm Makers event, hosted in 2018 at the Sharaton Westport Chalet in St. Louis, Missouri.
We'll return to the same venue this July for Realm Makers 2019!
This year, we plan more conferences that are geared toward Christian readers and fans. These are the fans—many of them young, some of them homeschooled—who will embrace Christian fantastical fiction in coming generations.
Watch this space for news about Lorehaven Magazine. Soon we will announce our first contest, partnering with the publisher of our recent reviewed novel. And although every Lorehaven issue is free (with a free online subscription), we're also making our spring 2018 issue completely public this month.
You can't get great Christian-made novels, and build joyous fans for them, without events and professional development to train these stories' authors.
For Christian fantasy writers, the best resource for their trade is Realm Makers.
That goes whether you're writing for fun, or have bigger, professional aspirations.
In 2017, Realm Makers jumped from its usual venues of university campuses (alternating in St. Louis and Villanova) to its first resort in Reno, Nevada. Last year this Christian-run conference for fantasy writers returned to St. Louis for its best venue yet: the charming and almost fantasy-themed Sheraton Westport Chalet.
Attendance at Realm Makers has increased each year.
So has attention from top creatives past and present, such as keynote speakers Thomas Locke (2016), Ted Dekker (2017), and Mary Weber (2018).
If you're a Christian who loves fantasy, and/or fantasy writing, join us this July 18–20, 2019, in St. Louis for Realm Makers 7.0!
This year's keynote speaker will be the bestselling novelist Brent Weeks.
They'll have folks like Ted Baehr—yes, MovieGuide's Ted Baehr—on faculty.
Several news stories earlier this year remarked upon this trend: that while big-box booksellers suffer (thanks to Amazon), indie bookstores are bucking this trend.
This is fantastic news for book fans (and authors).
It's also news that churches and Christian groups, ought to see as opportunity.
Pastors? Christian benefactors? Small business owners? This is your time.
Step up, step right up, and start a small bookstore in your town.
Not your gramma's "Christian bookstore." Instead, start an Inklings-type bookstore. Make great coffee. Make better conversation. Offer fiction and nonfiction on loan, to buy, or to print on demand—books not about sentimentalism or "Churchian" culture, but about the great themes of Scripture and the historic Church.
What a great way to help your community and to share the fantastical Gospel.
Social media, especially Facebook, did not have a banner year in 2018.
Skip all the political talk and just note that younger people (sometimes called "Generation Z") don't think Facebook is "cool" anymore. On a personal note, each of my siblings has a Facebook account, but I'm likely the heaviest user of the platform (mostly for SpecFaith/Lorehaven purposes). You can draw a line between siblings age 23 and below, and none of them often use Facebook.
Anecdotally I wonder if people have simply begun to see Facebook in perspective.
Yester-decade, the platform was all new and shiny. It was going to teach the world to scroll in perfect harmony. Today, the luster has dulled. We see the gift in better perspective—not an idol, but a plain glass reflecting humanity and all its flaws.
Mind you, I won't jump ship on Facebook. In fact, this year I made my profile public. Stop by, say hello, pass your friend request. It's still a great means to other ends.
But—to other ends. Like real-life conferences, church membership, and friendship.
As this continues, more people will be intentional about limiting their idle Facebook scroll time. They'll find apps, habits, and other people to help them use their time more wisely, with or without screen devices. They may even read … books.
I haven't seen this commented upon, but I've long wondered whether the reported slowdown in book sales is related to the growth of streaming media.
Anecdotally, this would make sense. Yesterday, I could only browse the internet at home, but I could take my books anywhere. Today, I can take my phone with me everywhere. On this phone, I can read and watch TV, and in places with WiFi (I still don't have unlimited 4G), I too frequently drift to the YouTube and Netflix apps.
Fortunately, this may be changing. I am seeing more articles about the expected "peak" of today's supposed "golden age" of TV streaming dramas. As with social media, their novelty may be dulling. In my personal case, my wife and I dropped several TV shows in 2018. (These include several of the seemingly endless, and increasingly Sexualityism religion–juked, superhero dramas.) Thanks in part to our Lorehaven work, we read many, many more books, including physical copies.
If others feel similar disillusionment, they will, again, return to reading more books.
Amazon is still making a multimillion-dollar Lord of the Rings–based fantasy drama.
Among newer authors, we just heard last month that The CW is making a series based on Christian novelist Tosca Lee's book The Progeny.
Locke said he will continue to pursue this goal of moral storytelling, whether in sci-fi like Enclave, or in his other stories that have attracted the attention of TV producers. This February, Locke visits Los Angeles to discuss two adaptations moving forward.
No matter the author (classic or contemporary), and no matter the "explicitness" of his/her faith, these adaptations will only serve to remind us that the best Christian-made fantastical stories will, with God's blessing, make inroads in our culture.
Lastly: I'm launching my own web portal.
If you're here, you're a fan (to some degree) of biblical truth and fantastical fiction.
As a fan, what do you eagerly expect in 2019?
If you're also a writer, about what are you most excited?
How can we pray for your pursuit of Jesus and his gifts of stories this year?
In part I think the love of speculative fiction grows from the need in the heart of each one of us for a person stronger, better, more capable, committed, willing to put his life on the line for others. We long for rescue—for ourselves, for our community, for the world. We love the idea that Someone will bring justice when we see no hope, when we are convinced that the bad guys will win, when we see devastation wrecking havoc in the face of our helplessness.
Speculative fiction of any stripe more often than not, includes heroes or superheroes. It's part of the trope of the imaginative worlds speculative authors create. For the Christian author, these heroic characters point to God or to Jesus Christ in some way or another.
For example, in C. S. Lewis's Narnia books, Aslan is the author's answer to "What would God look like in this world?" In other stories such as Superman or Captain America, fans and readers or viewers who are Christian, if not the creators of the narrative, see the Savior depicted by the fictitious savior who does a sacrificial act to rescue those in danger.
In the grand story of the world's history, a story that paints in blindingly bold colors the realities of original sin and man's fallenness, Jesus is the only hero.
So I wonder, what do most speculative stories today tell us about superheroes or heroes?
But is that all today's speculative stories are telling us?
One kind of story tells us we all have secret powers that we can uncover by looking within. In other words, despite appearances, we actually are the superheroes of our own stories.
Another kind of story tells us that whichever of the superheroes we need at the moment or turn to in our desperation, is the superhero that will save us. If we need the Hulk, then he will save us. If we need Thor, then he'll come to the rescue. If we need an entire organization, then S.H.E.I.L.D. will band together to protect us from the forces that aim for our destruction. In other words, there is no one hero that will point to God. If anything, this type of story may suggest that there are many gods and any one of them can be our way to salvation.
Recently I was reminded of a verse in Scripture that I as a fantasy fan find particularly meaningful, though clearly it was not meant as fantasy at all. It's real and in the original context is powerful and comforting. It points to a hero.
Imagine! A Victorious Warrior! And He doesn't stop with the rescue. He exults and loves and rejoices over those He's saved. He's involved, in a relationship kind of way.
What I think is especially powerful is that Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount, we are to seek His kingdom—the kingdom of the Victorious Warrior—and His righteousness, as our primary goals.
I have to ask myself at this turn of the new year, what will seeking the kingdom and righteousness of this Victorious Warrior, this One and only real Superhero, look like?


Job seeking can be an intimidating and confusing time for anyone, but for Autistic job seekers, these feelings are often compounded.
However, with a few tweaks to your approach, you can not only lessen the stress and confusion of trying to find work but also increase your chances of being successful!
Many people who identify as being neurodiverse, which covers neurological conditions such Aspergers, Autism, ADHD and Dyslexia, are reported as being under supported at work.
Australian and international statistics also indicate that between 52% and 60% of people with a disability or neurodiverse are unemployed. This does not include the large numbers that are underemployed (employed less than 32 hours a week) where they have the capacity and desire to work more.
With the often highly valuable workplace strengths that neurodiverse people possess, this represents a significant opportunity for organisations to access a capable and willing pool of talent.
When is a Disability Not a Disability?


text:
Notice to Navigators: Lower Mississippi River
By Dede Smith | January 14, 2022
LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER
LNM 02-22
SECTION VII – GENERAL
This section contains information of general concern to the Mariners. Mariners are advised to use caution while transiting these areas.
LA - SOUTHWEST PASS - MISSISSIPPI RIVER - Dredge Operation
Continuing through approximately August 31, 2022, the U.S. Government Contract Hopper Dredge GLENN EDWARDS is working in Southwest Pass, from Head of Passes Mile 0.0, to approximately Mile -22.0, BHOP, and in the Mississippi River, from Head of Passes to approximately Mile 13.0, AHOP. The dredge will work 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. The dredge can be contacted on either VHF-FM Channel 16 or 67, for sailing instructions. Mariners are urged to transit at their slowest safe speed to minimize wake and proceed with caution after passing arrangements have been made. The point of contact with the USACE, New Orleans District is Michelle Kornick at (504) 862-1842 or Heather Jennings, at (504) 862- 1253.
LA - MISSISSIPPI RIVER, MILE 95.0, AHOP - Construction Operations
Continuing until approximately August 1, 2022, APC Construction, LLC., are conducting construction operations at the Canal St. Ferry Terminal along the Lower Mississippi River, at Mile 95.0, AHOP, LDB. Operations will be conducted from 7:00 a.m., to 7:00 p.m., 7-days a weeks. M/V GEORGE C., and M/V ANDREW C., will be on-scene and monitoring VHF-FM Channels 10 and 67. Mariners are urged to use caution and minimize wake when transiting the area. For additional information, mariners can contact Joel McLain, at (504) 289-6207.
LA - MISSISSIPPI RIVER, MILE 102.3, AHOP, RDB - Dredge Operation
Continuing through January 25, 2022, dredging operations are being conducted along the Lower Mississippi River, at the Beverly Inc., 9-Mile Pit Facility, located at Mile 102.3, AHOP, RDB. The Dredge, W.B. WOOD, and Tender MR. KELLY will monitor VHF-FM Channel 67 or 71. Mariners are urged to transit the area at their slowest safe speed to minimize wake and exercise caution when transiting the area. For up-to-date information, mariners can contact Hunter Ham, at (504) 920-1561 or Brandon Taylor, at (985) 502-9200.
LA - MISSISSIPPI RIVER MILE 232.0, AHOP - Heavy Lifting Operation
Continuing through, Friday, January 14, 2022, from 7:00 a.m., to 4:00 p.m., each day, heavy lifting operations are being conducted at the Exxon Mobile Dock on the LDB, of Lower Mississippi River, at Mile 232.0, AHOP. Mariners are urged to transit at slowest safe speed to minimize wake in this area. Mariners can contact Derrek Lathon, at (225) 326-0460, or M/V DUSTIN COLE, on VHF-FM Channel 9 or 16.
LA - BATON ROUGE HARBOR - Dredge Operation
Continuing until approximately February 10, 2022, Dredge CAPTAIN FRANK is operating in the vicinity of Baton Rouge Harbor Area. Dredging operations will take place between approximate positions 30-31-22.19N 091-12-29.19W and 30-33-24.40N 091-13-08.51W. Dredged material will be transported via floating pipeline(s) to placement sites as directed by the USACE. Dredging operations will be conducted 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. The dredge and attendant plant will have all required U.S. Coast Guard lighting for night operations. The dredge and tugs will monitor VHF[1]FM Channels 13 and 16. Mariners are urged to use extreme caution and transit the area at their slowest safe speed to create minimum wake after passing arrangements have been made.
MILE 232.0 - HEAVY LIFT OPERATIONS
Continuing until January 15, 2022, from 7:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., each day, heavy lift operations are being conducted in the vicinity of Mile 232.0, LDB. Mariners are urged to transit the area at their slowest safe speed to minimize their wake and proceed with caution. Mariners may contact Derrek Lathon at (225) 326-0460 or the M/V DUSTIN COLE via VHF-FM Channel 9 or 16, for additional information.
Posted in Navigation Notices: Lower Mississippi River

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team that plays on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. The team is a charter member of the American League. They are the defending World Series champions, and are managed by former team shortstop Ozzie Guillin.


Thank to Author of LuaMacros. I hase make this litle application to work with LuaMacros.
The reason in using powerfull lua script and save time to develop GUI interfaces.
This FSMappingTool can received string commands from LuaMacros via Virtual Comports.
set any Offsets with parameter, or control events or run Macros via FSUIPC, set Lvar..etc.
(Write only. Read function still not support).
Howto Using FSMappingTool with LuaMacros.
* This App is still under construction. It may have bugs and problem during use!!
- Instal any free Virtual Comport Pairs like COM5<=>COM6. One (COM6) used for LuaMacros, other (COM5) for my FSMappingTool App.
- vJoy if you want to mapping keypress from LuaMacros to vJoy.
- FSUIPC registered to full function use with FSMappingTool.
- Copy All content of FSMappingTool to LuaMacros folder for easy using.
which located in %FS/Module folder, near FSUIPC.Dll. Key '.' demo simple set control event.
with your unique Keyboard ID.


Nephrotic syndrome (nephrosis) is not a distinct disease - it is a set of symptoms resulting from disease processes in the kidney. Characterized by a large loss of protein in the urine, which leads to the formation of generalized edema and lipid disorders. Often the first symptoms of is a foaming urine, caused by the presence of the protein, and increased susceptibility to infection.
Nephrotic syndrome can occur in many diseases, although to the glomerular basement membrane damage are leading immunological, toxic or allergic diseases. The most common cause is inflammation of the kidneys, systemic diseases (e.g. diabetes mellitus), allergies and damage caused by nephrotoxic compounds. In lipid nephrosis abnormal blood lipid levels is observed, which appears in very high cholesterol (often above 400 mg / dl) and triglycerides. Dietary treatment in nephrotic syndrome depends on both the disease and the therapy. The feeding base is a diet high in protein, which must be administered in an amount necessary to cover the normal demands of the body in relation to weight control and supplement the loss of protein in the urine during the day. Usually during the day about 100-120 grams of protein should be provided, including at least 80 g of animal protein. Such a large share of animal protein is necessary because it is wholesome, and thus contains all the essential amino acids in the proportions required by the body.
• Daily ration of food should be spread over 5-6 meals with a uniform protein content.
• The most recommended high protein products are lean meats (veal, poultry), fish, low fat cottage cheese, milk and milk drinks with reduced fat content, eggs (if the patient does not have elevated cholesterol levels).
• Limit the amount of salt in your diet in case of swelling and high blood pressure. In the case of small swelling and use of diuretics is sufficient to consume 1-3 grams of salt a day. In practice this means that meals are prepared without salt and the products containing a large quantity of salt should be limited. Salt in food can be replaced with herbal blends. Products that provide the greatest amount of salt includes cheese, canned meat and fish, smoked fish, meats, seasoning mixes, concentrates, sauces, bouillon cubes, powder soup. The source of large quantities of salt are also fast food products - such as french fries, pizza, hamburgers, hot - dogs and salty snacks, chips and crackers. In case of major edema you should give up a ready-made sausages and cook them yourself at home with no salt added.
• Depending on the patient's condition doctor may also recommend reducing the water in diet. The amount of fluid is depending on the amount of urine excreted per day.
• Because of the possibility of lipid abnormalities the proportion of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol should be significantly reduced. The source of saturated fatty acids are primarily fatty meat and meat products, foods cooked in butter, lard and hard margarines and pastry made with butter or hardened vegetable fats. While cholesterol is mostly contained in offal, eggs and red meat. Poultry meats, lean ham and loin are recommended. Definitely avoid pate, cold cuts of canned meat and offal. Permitted ways of cooking are: boiling, steaming, stewing without frying, roasting in the foil on the grill. Frying and stewing preceded with roast are not recommended.
• In the case of steroids treatment in addition pay attention to energy supply, adequate intake of calcium and simple sugars. Long-term steroid treatment increases appetite and leads to weight gain or obesity. Avoid high-calorie products, such as sweets, cakes and fatty foods. Steroids used in a long time also adversely affect bone mineralization, which can lead to osteoporosis. So that, diet must contain adequate amounts of calcium. The RDA for calcium varies (depending on gender, age and physiological state), from 800 to 1200 mg / day. This means that to cover the daily demand for this mineral in the amount of 1000 mg, you should put into a diet daily: 3 cups milk or 2 cups of milk and a cup of plain yoghurt (175 g) or a glass of kefir, 100 g of soy, 2 slices of cheese and 100 g of spinach. It must be remembered that the cheese, although it is an excellent source of calcium, it provides, unfortunately, a large amount of sodium and fat.
• The diet should also contain adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals. Therefore, for every meal of the day vegetables and fruits should be included. In the remission of the disease dietary recommendations are not as restrictive. The amount of protein in the diet decreases, and should correspond to the requirements specified by the standards body of healthy people. No need to restrict fluids, and we can put a soup and larger quantities of milk and juices into the menu. You can also return to the ready-made sausages and bread with salt. When preparing dishes still don't add salt.


Filling your walls with chic eye candy that points to your curatorial style and understanding of high culture can skew pretty pricey in practice. Whether it's paintings or woven hangs in question, even a small piece that hardly takes up any space can cost thousands and then some. So what's a gal to do when she wants to turn her apartment into bona fide gallery for a fraction of the cost? Shop Magnum Photos' fall sale, that's what.
The photo collective has teamed up with Aperture—a not-for-profit photography publisher—to sell signed and estate-stamped photos from more than 120 iconic photographers for just $100 through November 2. Like, photos you'd normally only see in a museum but couldn't actually own. The collection, called "Crossings," isn't short of options to choose from, either. There are museum-quality prints available from Nan Goldin, Kwame Brathwaite, Bob Gruen, Eve Arnold, and more. Even Mick Rock's famous shot of David Bowie is up for grabs.
Each six-by-six-inch print comes signed by the famous photog on the front or the back, according to their preference. And if you're feeling extra fancy, you can also pay an additional $99 to get it in a special custom white or black wooden frame…or, you know, just get your own frame and buy a second photo. Essentially, this special promotion gives you the chance to turn your apartment into a world-renowned art gallery on the cheap(ish) and get your hands on items you never thought you'd own in the process.
This artist creates itty-bitty plants out of paper you'll want in every nook of your home. Or, find out how to decorate your home like Gwyneth Paltrow's Zen-chic NYC apartment.


Each of this layer can be located on a different computer or server, this is called Multitier Distributed Applications. Find the location of the Midas.dll by searching the local drives on the computer where the application is installed. why it should be put in place that is not supposed to (Desktop)? For example, if you are simply using a ClientDataSet to store data temporarily in memory, it will also need access to these routines.
It's easy! Full Member 23 256 posts Pirate Posted September 16, 2014 (edited) hi all could possibly help me, I'm trying to create a non-commercial application to manage simple or any store to But also, it isn't actually needed. As a first stab What is this red X icon showing in Thunderbird?
Rating Average rating: 4.89 Votes: 0 0 1 2 34 Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 1=Poor, 5=Excellent Having the library in the same folder as your executable should be enough (this article confirms that by "If you need to distribute this application you may also need to deploy If you are running Windows, your Modules window will look similar to that shown in the following figure. delphi datasnap share|improve this question edited Sep 17 '14 at 15:25 Jan Doggen 4,380123068 asked Sep 16 '14 at 20:07 X-88 9117 That's more than weird.
Si quieres evitarte problemas con la libreria midas a�ade (yo lo hago en el datamodule) en el uses MidasLib Es decir compilaras la libreria dentro del ejecutable (un poco m�s de Ideas? Ese archivo(midas.dll) lo copie del disco de delphi, entonces no se porque pasa esto. How do I fix this?
A lot of application are build on the 3-layer model where data, logic and presentation are separated from each other. Each instance of the library is loaded into its own process. (They are ...Reply Posted by Ian Marteens on Nov 28 2002Another MIDAS trickI have found a lot of problems where digitop Ver Perfil Encontrar Todos los Mensajes de digitop #7 19-09-2006 david duarte Miembro Registrado: Aug 2005 Posts: 217 Hola!!!! ahora una pregunta tengo que incluirla en cada modulo o vasta con incluirla en uno solo.
Gracias!!! Sign in here. How can I make sure that my app will work on any windows (win32)? That way I believe themidas features are included in the exe.
It has a bug in that, the first time it is loaded on a machine, it writes a registry entry where it is located. To best understand this, let's create a simple application that includes a ClientDataSet, and then look at the modules that get loaded when you run it. These intense, two-day workshops give you the opportunity to explore and implement a variety of Delphi techniques with Cary Jensen, one of the world's leading Delphi experts. There are a couple of ways to fix the problem Put back the original directory with the midas.dll file in it.
Run your application. So you don't have to distributethe midas.dll 1 Reply 318 Views Switch to linear view Disable enhanced parsing Permalink to this page Thread Navigation Bill Dekleris 2004-06-22 09:29:39 UTC Kog 2004-06-22 How much? But also, it isn't actually needed.
Latest Comments View AllAdd NewRSSATOM Move mouse over comment to see the full text Reply Posted by Kristijan Horvat on Aug 19 2004re: Yet another warning about NOT using midas.dllDoes anyone Covered by US Patent. Thanks for your help! Covered by US Patent.
I have a small app which is is sent to potential client companies to present some data . Join & Ask a Question Need Help in Real-Time? Regards, Leslie 0 LVL 14 Overall: Level 14 Delphi 14 Message Expert Comment by:DragonSlayer2003-07-15 Hi Leslie,... Displaying this dialog box again after adding MidasLib to the project's uses clause and recompiling shows that the executable has grown in size, as shown here.
regsvr32 C:\Windows\System32\Midas.dll Saludos. __________________ Marc Guillot (Hi ha 10 tipus de persones, els que saben binari i els que no). Experts Exchange Setup SMTP relay to office 365 Video by: acox65807 how to add IIS SMTP to handle application/Scanner relays into office 365. It includes all... Join our community for more solutions or to ask questions.
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Tom's daughter patiently reminds him which jacket and tie he is to wear, today is a special occasion. He is confronted by a wardrobe rail of many garments. Tom is near to loosing his mind as his memories discharge like synaptic shrapnel across the stage.
This mesmeric, multi-platform performance takes us through his fragmenting recollections through mime, music and slow-motion balletic physical theatre. Episodes slide with segued synchronicity where composed music, momentary voices and ambient found-sounds weave a tapestry of complex childhood memories in an ecstasy of articulate fluidity that within an instant transfixed him like psychotic glue.
Classroom furniture are reimagined spacial metaphors, sound effects enhance Tom`s increasing confusion as he becomes entangled in vortices of fragmented discontinuities. His grasp on objectivity slurs, stammers and oscillate as scratch-mix vinyl and wireless station tuning static overwhelms his senses. His nuptial wedding kiss is snatched away – even is love strangled, frozen in perpetual stasis. Dementia – the diminisher of the soul's own purpose.
Poignant, intelligent and celebratory, the pathos is complemented by elevating wit and fundamental humanity. Conceived and directed by Guillaume Pigé (Tom), devised by the Company, composer/multi-instrumentalist, Alex Judd's aural expressionism is magical. Katherine Graham's lighting design might have come directly from the Beyond Caravaggio exhibition currently at the NGS.
Part of British Council Edinburgh Showcase 2017 The Nature of Forgetting renders superlatives near redundant, setting the bar so high this Fringe '17 that aspirant shows will experience vertigo in the matching. Today is Tom's birthday – he is fifty-five. He blows out the candles on the cake. We all know much more is being extinguished. The wardrobe rail is ransacked and scattered – it is Tom's grasp of self being stripped asunder. Utterly unmissable.


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I decided to make a cake…chocolate cake…my motto…if it isn't chocolate, why bother. Am I right?
Anyhow…the cake was out of the oven with one layer on the cake plate and the other sitting on a cooling rack…well…cooling…when Mr. Gypsy walked into the kitchen and asked "What's that?" I looked at him, stunned, and asked in return "What do you mean "what's that"? (I mean I knew it was a cake. Didn't everybody?) To which he asked again… "What is it?" To which I replied… "It's a cake!" Apparently, in it's current state, it was unrecognizable. Who knew?
There are times when we all have a hard time recognizing who God is making us into. The "ingredients" are there…we love Him, are faithful to Him, spend time in prayer, study and fellowship with Him but we seem to be caught in a trial that goes on longer than the the I-90.
James 1:3-5(AMP) Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
Sometimes we simply need to recognize God isn't done with the current lesson and we need to let Him finish the work He's started.
Philippians 1:6(AMP) And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.
Once everything comes together, often in hindsight, we can see how God was leading. We understand the what's/whys of His undertaking and it is always for our completion and benefit.
I like what you shared here. Yes, God looks upon us in our final form, sons and daughters of His. He knows our end from the beginning. Who can resist Him? Thank God it is not by our might or power that we are being transformed into the image of His Son, but by His mighty outstretched arm.
Oh yes, for sure. Most of my loooong trial in my life has been along or at one end of I-90. We are currently at mile marker 314 in a beautiful town on the lake and I see the trials these days as having a wonderful purpose and see them more objectively than subjectively. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and discoveries on here.
Thank's for your kind words. Trials do indeed have a purpose. The difficulty is in getting to the other side of them.


I've worked my way up the creative ranks at one agency for the past 8 years. There's a reason for that—the work. I've been continuously challenged and inspired. From leading a Fortune 100 account to creating breakthrough digital experiences, every project has made me a stronger designer, better coworker and more thoughtful leader.
Leads a talented group of designers, writers, UX designers and producers. On a daily basis, I team up with internal teams, agency partners and clients to deliver experiences rooted in strategy with measurable success.
Concepted and led American Family Insurance's biggest digital initiative in years, a multi-million dollar, multi-channel experience designed to make insurance present and proactive.
Led major projects within American Family Insurance's digital customer experience, resulting in a lift from #15 to #4 in Forrester's 2018 Insurers Customer Experience Index.
Collaborated with agency partners on national integrated campaigns for American Family Insurance, bringing user journeys to life and ensuring a smooth transition from one channel to the next, resulting in a 2% lift in unaided brand awareness.
Launched the Kaufman Institute, responsible for leading creative in everything from messaging development and style guide creation to final creative for site, social, display and CRM.
In my first management role, I had lead designer responsibilities for a global brand while also overseeing additional projects with high-profile clients.
Design lead for the campaign launch of U by Kotex Fitness, including broadcast, social and digital, resulting in 784MM earned media impressions and 9MM new website visitors.
Collaborated with developers and producers to launch U by Kotex's first ever dynamic display initiative.
Launched an all-new community for beauty-obsessed Sephora fans, attracting over 1MM users in just a few months.
Creative lead for Caesars Entertainment's digital loyalty rewards program, resulting in a comprehensive and actionable user experience.
While evolving my creative skills, I gained strong insights to other departments, resulting in a tighter grasp of what goes into exceptional work.
Design lead for U by Kotex's award-winning experiential project series designed to help create real change for women, resulting in well over a billion earned media impressions, shattering previous brand benchmarks.
Created Pull Ups' buzzworthy mobile tool for new parents and their potty-training tots, resulting in 5X the anticipated app downloads.
Starting my career among an exceptional group of creatives sharpened my craft, taught me how to handle feedback, juggle projects and deliver high quality work.
Created a responsive design system that brought Volkswagen's hyper-personalized digital ownership experience to life.
Designed and developed thousands of display ads for Hilton's wide suite of properties.


text:
Tottenham Hotspur Players
Kieran Trippier explains what he's heard about Tanguy Ndombele and criticises Mousa Dembele sale
The former Tottenham Hotspur right-back has been talking about his old club, his time there and what he can see happening now
Rob GuestTottenham Hotspur correspondent
Eric Dier, Kieran Trippier and Mousa Dembele
Kieran Trippier believes one of Tottenham Hotspur's biggest recent mistakes was selling Mousa Dembele and has also spoken about the Belgian's replacement Tanguy Ndombele.
The right-back left Spurs last summer to join Atletico Madrid and he has been speaking about that final season at the north London club.
In a long and extensive interview on The Beautiful Game podcast, Trippier explained the big mistake he felt the club made which could have altered the course of that last campaign, which ended in a Champions League final defeat to Liverpool.
"For me I felt personally it was about selling Mousa Dembele. He was the best player I've ever played with. For me you can't replace him, Mousa Dembele," he said.
"We sold him in January. I don't know about his situation and maybe he wanted to go but I personally feel that if we'd kept him for that extra four or five months and let him go on a free in the summer we would have done a lot, lot better.
"I think we would have won the final."
Spurs finally bought their Dembele replacement in his near-namesake Tanguy Ndombele. However, the club record signing from Lyon has struggled to become a regular in the team and gain Jose Mourinho's trust.
Trippier explained what he's been told about the Frenchman and how good he can be, but he couldn't help looking back to Dembele and the hole the Belgian left in the team when he left.
"I've not played with [Ndombele] but I've seen him play. From what I hear he's unbelievable and supposedly he's frightening," said Trippier.
"They've got quality players, but, for me, the little fine margins of winning something is obviously when Mousa left. That's my opinion. As a player you don't want to see a player like Mousa leave. especially in January. Unless there was something that he needed to leave or whatever, I honestly don't know.
"For me it didn't make sense because he's the fine margins of winning you the Champions League final. That's how good he was. He could have three players around him and you could give him the ball. The amount of respect the players had for him, and to see a player like that leave in January when you are going through a difficult season, for me it didn't make sense.
"That's just my opinion. I don't want to speak on any of the players' thoughts on that. That's just my opinion. As soon as he goes it just saps it out of you because you've lost Mousa Dembele.
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"It's a difficult period at the moment for them because with the team they've got they don't deserve to be where they are. They've missed H [Harry Kane] for so long and he's a natural goalscorer for them, Sonny with the military and the Olympics.
"They've got a fantastic team and it's about challenges. You will go through periods like this but they will come out the other end for sure. Make no mistake about that as they have a fantastic, unbelievable manager."
Trippier had plenty of praise for Mourinho and believes he will leave his mark on his old club.
"You look on paper and they have a quality team. I feel like they've brought the right manager in as he's a natural winner," he said.
"You look at everywhere he's been and he's always won trophies and he finds a way to win. I feel he's the perfect manager of course. The players, you've got Dele Alli, Harry Winks who is an absolute baller as well."
Trippier also spoke about his final few months in north London.
"I had mixed emotions throughout the last season. Injuries played a massive part for me," he said.
"I'm not someone who likes to use excuses but you see Christmas time now I had surgery and I needed that at Tottenham. I told them that I needed surgery because it was getting to a point where it was....I could have been less selfish, playing wise.
"We had Serge [Aurier] and Kyle Walker-Peters, two great right-backs but I can't help it if I'm getting picked in the majority of the games.
"Perhaps I should have been more professional, taken a step back said something. I was playing games at 60 or 70 per cent. Maybe I should have taken a step back.
"If it had happened now I definitely would, but they were such big games. Manchester City in the Champions League, Ajax, whoever.
"You want to play in these games, but looking back you suffer more after through playing.
"You have your ups and downs and as a footballer you hear all kinds of things. Rumours, maybe your time is coming to an end four months before. I heard a lot of stuff. Maybe I knew deep down that it was maybe time for a change."
Mauricio Pochettino and Kieran Trippier (Image: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
Trippier gave his full side of the story about his departure to Atletico Madrid and how it came about and admitted he has not really caught up with Mauricio Pochettino since leaving for the Spanish side.
"I've not really spoken to him since I left Tottenham. I've got a lot to thank him for. I've never once bad-mouthed him. I've just told it how it was," he explained.
"Tottenham, or whoever, can say what they want to say. I did knock on his [Pochettino's] door, and I said I have an opportunity to go to Atletico Madrid.
"If I am part of your plans, then I will stay. He didn't give me a yes, and he didn't give me a no in his office.
"So as a player you think 'oh right okay, no problem', but then I went to the chairman and told him the exact same.
"I had a conversation with the manager, and I said am I part of your plans? If I am, no problem but I have a great opportunity here to go to Atletico Madrid.
"But going back to what I said before, probably in March/April I heard off people I trust that they've tried to offload me, offering me to clubs.
"Like I said I was going through a lot, injuries, and when you're going through that and hearing that they're trying to sell you, so you know you're getting mixed messages.
"You think no problem and you just get on with it until the end of the season.
"That's why in pre-season I pulled over the manager and asked 'am I part of your plans?'. He didn't give me a yes or a no but said 'if you any help I'll help you'. That's the truth."
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Trippier had a message for those Tottenham fans who might have felt that he had disrespected the club since he left.
"I've not really had the opportunity to say what I wanted to say. When I came to Atletico and I said what I said about the situation, some Spurs fans I feel misread what I said or maybe I didn't really say it correctly," he said.
"I feel they felt disrespected in a way a little bit. They don't know what I personally went through last year with injuries and then four or five months before the season ended the club don't want you. It's not nice playing for four months and knowing the club doesn't want you. It's difficult. That's what I heard anyway.
"I thank the fans for welcoming me, most importantly they got behind me. It's just little things when you are playing and hear booing it's not nice, even off your own fans.
"I'm not saying they all did it, I'm just saying as a footballer you can hear people in the crowd when you are taking a corner or throw-in and you are getting a few boos here and there and it's your own fans.
"That''s not nice and it didn't help my confidence. I felt that was a big factor in my last five months. The first half of the season I thought I did well, I felt it started to go downhill from late December and that's when it started getting bad for me.
"There's little things like getting booed, hearing rumours about the club moving you on at the end of the season, so I'm thinking I need to sort my own career out and my next step when I do leave, injuries I was struggling."
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He added: "I thank all the Tottenham fans for welcoming me and supporting me. It wasn't like I was there one year, I was there five years and I had a good time with great memories at Tottenham. I just don't want the fans to feel like I was disrespecting them when I left with the comments I made as I was speaking the truth.
"To the fans why I did leave, I went to the manager and asked 'do you want me to stay?' If he said to me there and then 'yeah, you are part of my plans I want you to stay' then I would have stayed as I had it from him.
"When I didn't get an answer off him when I asked him, as soon as I didn't get a yes or a no I knew my time was up then, that's what I made the decision to leave.
"I've nothing bad to say about the manager as he took my career to the next level. I've nothing bad to say about anybody there. It was just a little bit sour with a few people. Nothing from my part, certainly nothing from my part. I would have stayed like I've said many times, but things aren't meant to be in football. Football happens so quickly and it's a funny old game.
"You hear rumours, you hear people talking and you just know as a player your time is up. But to the fans, nothing but respect to them. I don't want them to feel disrespected with the comments I made in pre-season when I was on the tour in America as I was speaking the truth.
"I'm not going to lie about something and I'm just going to speak the truth about what happened. That's exactly what happened."
Mousa Dembele
Daniel Levy


text:
Ruling AKP creating its own NGOs, group says
March 21 2016 00:01:00
Barçın Yinanç - barcinyinanc@hdn.com.tr
In contrast to more liberal policies pursued by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in its initial years in power, the space for civil society in Turkey today is deteriorating rapidly, Third Sector Foundation of Turkey (TÜSEV) head Tevfik Başak Ersen has told the Hürriyet Daily News.
AKP rule increasingly relies on "GONGOs," or government-oriented NGOs, with groups close to the government supported but the rest excluded and seen increasingly as a threat, according to Ersen, whose TÜSEV issues regular reports on the state of civil society in Turkey.
What is the general state of civil society organizations in Turkey?
Turkey's civil society is the reflection of the country. When the country suffers from an economic, political or social problem, civil society is directly affected.
What is perhaps special at the moment is that the political dimension is felt a bit more strongly than in the past, as Turkey is facing a new phenomenon: a single-party government that has been in power for 13 years. We see fluctuations in this government's policies and I think civil society has followed a parallel course.
There is an increase in the number and the capacity of civil society. The European Union accession process of reforms in the AKP's first years was the main determining factor for this. The legal framework has changed during the AKP government. The law on associations had dated from the 1980 military coup. The government changed that law and the the law on foundations. As a result, there has been a serious increase in the number of associations, and currently it is around 110,000. There has also been a serious increase in membership numbers as well.
How does this compare to world standards?
Turkey's population is approaching 80 million. That means one association for every 750 people, or 13 percent. In Scandinavian countries, there is 10 associations for each person. We are not really on an advanced scale; in fact we are far behind the developed world. We also see that the administrative members of associations and foundations are mostly male, upper middle-aged and relatively educated. The number of women members is very low – just 4 percent. The membership numbers among youth are equally very low.
But numbers don't show everything. Of the 110,000 associations, 25 percent are associations to construct and sustain a mosque. I personally am not against that. The tendency of undertaking religious services as a civil society activity is widespread in the world, especially in the Anglo-Saxon world. But there is something specific to Turkey; it is related to urbanization. You erect a mosque, set up an association, legalize the funding and then construct houses around the mosque, building a new neighbourhood.
So in our case, the first group belongs to associations related to mosques, then come sports. And you know the situation of sports in Turkey. When you take away all of these, the most striking result to me is this: all of the associations and foundations could be doing very important things, but the number of those who are truly conducting rights-based activities aiming to affect public policies and inform the public opinion, like the ones working on children's rights or women's rights, is very low.
That number is 1.5 percent among associations and 0.5 percent among foundations.
What does this tell us?
Turkish civil society is still in the early stages when compared to the Western context.
Civil society still focuses on charitable activities. They are entities to fulfill the role that the state has designed for civil society. For example, the state says: "we have certain needs in the education sector. Don't bother changing education policies, but I have a campaign to construct a school. Go build a school and then donate it to me."
Civil society organizations are present in the space that the state leaves for us, and we exist to the extent of the role that has been designed for us by the state. The moment you start saying, "yes, but there is democracy; we want to be part of that process of democratic governance," then the numbers of associations [that say this] diminishes and there is state intervention in the true sense of the word.
So what happened in the course of these 13 years? You said it started well at the beginning of the AKP's governance. Did the changes on the regulations remain on paper?
It was not just on paper, there was an improvement in the implementation, too. Some steps were taken on the Kurdish issue, for instance. The first period was very liberal and that had a very positive reflection on civil society because there was better dialogue at the time.
I think there was a culture of consultation, partly due to the AKP's insufficient capacity to govern at that time. Civil society organizations could participate in the decision-making processes, and what they were saying was taken into account. The government used to listen more.
But in its second phase, the AKP preferred not to consult with civil society organizations.
Then came the fact that together with an increase in its governance capacity and self-confidence, the AKP started to become the state itself.
The AKP's difference from previous governments is that it came to power understanding the meaning and importance of civil society. While coming to power and afterwards, the AKP used civil initiatives very effectively. In its second phase, we see that they set up government-oriented NGOs, the "GONGOs," and they used NGOs that are close to them very effectively and excluded the rest. The way it is reflected in their rhetoric goes like this: "We did consult civil society." Yes, but which civil society? GONGOs or the ones close to them.
The third phase which came after 2010 is more dramatic; there, we see a more distant attitude toward civil society, and that's the phase when we had the Gezi Park demonstrations as well as the Dec. 17, 2013, graft allegations followed by the operation against the "parallel structure."
This is a phase where the AKP adheres much more to security policies. It continues to support civil society organizations that it sees itself as close to, but perceives the rest as a threat. We have also seen measures that directly target these organizations.
Can you elaborate?
This is a government that understood the importance of civil society, but at the same time, it has realized that if left alone, [these organizations] will not go in the direction it wants. The AKP wants to bring everything under control. We have seen [Turkish] governments that have said, "If this country needs communism, we will bring it."
So this isn't much different. Just as in the past the state oppressed everything that it saw as dangerous, the same is true for the AKP now; things that are seen as dangerous are kept under pressure and even punished. We see this approach: "If you don't think like me, don't be there."
In our report monitoring 2013-2014, we underlined that the area where civil society is operating has been shrinking. Pressure has been on the rise, especially on the exercise of the right to organize, the right to assembly and the right to freedom of expression. There are serious threats to civil liberties.
The Kurdish issue has always been very problematic, and there is currently tremendous pressure on rights-based organization that deal with one or another aspect of the Kurdish issue, such as the closure of associations, detentions and all sorts of other harassments.
Who is Tevfik Başak Ersen?
After earning his bachelor's degree in political science from Istanbul University, T. Başak Ersen completed his master's degree on the same subject at Long Island University in New York. After working in a variety of different consulting firms, Ersen joined the Third Sector Foundation of Turkey (TUSEV) in 2004 and is currently serving as the secretary general of the organization.
Ersen is also an elected member of the Council of Foundations, the highest decision-making body within the General Directorate of Foundations. Aside from providing his expertise on association and foundation legislation to different entities, Ersen has written a significant number of articles and reports on subjects including capacity building in the non-profit sector, public sector-civil society partnership, legal reform and lobbying for NGOs, tax legislation improvement and social entrepreneurship development.
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If we're unaware of core beliefs, we may even convince ourselves that we just are not destined to be happy. Sadly many people accept this belief and thus manifest it into their destiny. But what if we are made aware of those core beliefs and we know that they can be healed? As long as we are open to the idea that they are not just "who we are", there is not one core belief that cannot be overcome, healed and integrated so that you can live a happier, healthier life.