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streaming wars
European regulators say Amazon can buy MGM because it's not a 'must-have'
If the FTC also approves the deal, Amazon's streaming service will add a catalog of MGM classics.
Lawmakers looking to reform antitrust have used Amazon's proposed deal for MGM to highlight the need for renewed merger enforcement.
Photo Illustration: Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The great streaming service consolidation is only a few years away. To dominate the market, companies will need to acquire the most comprehensive catalog they can.
That's probably what Amazon was thinking when it announced its $6.5 billion — $8.45 billion, including debt — bid to acquire Hollywood lion MGM. Today, the company just cleared the first major hurdle to making that a reality. The European Commission announced Tuesday that they will greenlight the deal.
"The addition of MGM's content into Amazon's Prime Video offer would not have a significant impact on Amazon's position as a provider of marketplace services," said the Commission. Notably, the Commission has filed charges against Amazon for its use of vendor data to compete with third-party sellers on its online retail platform. But while the EU's executive arm finds Amazon's ecommerce operations anticompetitive, it says the company's acquisition of MGM wouldn't be problematic because MGM isn't a "must-have."
Every streaming service is facing down the inevitability of the deal between Discovery+ and HBO Max, announced last year and set to be finalized next month. AT&T is spinning off Warner Media, and the company's shareholders will own 71% of the new company, Warner Brothers Discovery. Variety reported that content will be consolidated into a single app.
That merged service, which doesn't yet have a name, could be a Netflix killer. Amazon Prime adding MGM content likely won't have the same effect. Amazon Prime passed 200 million subscribers last year, and the company said 175 million of those paying members also streamed Prime Video content. But it's unclear how many folks are watch Prime Video regularly.
Meanwhile, Netflix leads the streaming pack with 222 million global subscribers and a slate of originals that continue to drive cultural conversations. Discovery+ and HBO Max will have close to 96 million subscribers combined, though it's unclear how many will subscribe to the new mega-bundle.
Now that Amazon has been blessed by EU regulators, it faces the Federal Trade Commission, which will reportedly make its decision on the deal by mid-March.
mgm discovery streaming wars amazon bulletins

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Susy is a Loudoun County native and a resident of Lovettsville. She received her nursing degree from Radford University and her Masters degree as Family Nurse Practitioner from Shenandoah University. She is an adjunct faculty member for Shenandoah and Frontier Universities. Susy has a special interest in health maintenance for the whole family, especially as it relates to women's health, pediatrics and dermatology. In her spare time, she enjoys golf and gardening.


text:
11 Memorable Glenn Frey Musical Performances (Videos)
TheWrap looks back on the greatest hits of the Eagles member who passed away at the age of 67
Joe Otterson | January 18, 2016 @ 3:44 PM	Last Updated: January 18, 2016 @ 4:50 PM
1. "The Heat Is On" — Glenn Frey (1984)
2. "The One You Love" — Glenn Frey (1982)
3. "Smuggler's Blues" — Glenn Frey (1985)
4. "You Belong to the City" — Glenn Frey (1984)
5. "Hotel California" — The Eagles
6. "Take It Easy" — The Eagles, 1977
7. "Already Gone" — The Eagles
8. "Desperado" — The Eagles, live in Houston in 1976
9. "Tequila Sunrise" — The Eagles
10. "Take It to the Limit" — The Eagles, live at the Capital Centre, 1977
11. "Lyin' Eyes" — The Eagles (1977)


Enjoy our delicious Easter Afternoon Tea's available for adults and children from Monday 8th until Monday 22nd April!
Indulge in a selection of finger sandwiches, hot cross bun, a selection of Easter themed cakes accompanied by freshly brewed tea or coffee for only £18.50 per adult, £9.25 for a child. You can enjoy this in the heart of our lounge area or in the relaxed surroundings of our Restaurant.


Antagonists: What Have They Lost?
Okay, I admit, this feels like an odd post to be writing at the end of the year, with a new one and all its possibilities just around the corner. But I'm working on characters this week, and I'm spending quite a bit of time with my antagonists. All of whom, really, have their good sides. In fact, they're all a little too nice at this point, and I'm digging for what they want so badly that it's turning them against my MC.
And as I was thinking about one character's particular want, I realized that this want–his deep, most real want–is impossible. He lost any chance of getting that want years ago–through no fault of his own. I know, storywise, that the path is not going to turn; it won't be a surprise, happy ending for him. So…because without a goal, there is no plot, I needed to think of another want for him, less powerful maybe, but one that has filled in for the older need–one that still motivates his actions and choices in the story. A want that still makes problems for my MC.
It came to me pretty quickly. Okay, let's face it, I was laying in bed not wanting to get up and character development is as good an excuse as any to stay warm and cozy.
The cool thing that I realized was that the new want hasn't completely erased the old one. Oh, sure, the character is 99.9999% sure that he'll get that old want. He knows it intellectually and at a gut level. But…he still wants it. If you said to him, what would you do to get X, he'd come up with a huge list of things he'd sacrifice. In a nano-second.
So what do you get with this character, then? You get a character who knows loss, and who will fight more strongly than ever to keep from losing more. I think it's this loss, this awareness of what they can't have, that makes an antagonist so powerful in his battle. He can't go back, can't have that original want, but he will hold onto his "replacement" want with everything he's got.
The character I was thinking about this morning, just to try and make things more clear, is my MC's father. I don't want to get too deeply into specifics, but his original want is the woman he fell in love with, his wife (the MC's mother) as she was before something bad happened to her. He can't have that woman–she is forever gone. She broke years ago, and she has changed permanently, but she has healed…some. So his second want, the one he lives with now, is to keep safe the woman he does have, to stop anything from breaking her again.
Even if this means stopping his daughter.
What does this create? An antagonist in serious conflict with the hero. An antagonist who the reader will sympathize with (assuming I can actually write this!), and who will make big problems for the main character. An antagonist with power.
Take a look at your bad guy. What do they want, now, at this moment in the story. And then…what would they rather have? What have they, in essence, given up on, but still hold the tiniest bit of hope for? How many more sides do you see to this antagonist, when you add that extra piece?
Oh, this is brilliant. I love it. Thanks for sharing this! It's so important to make the characters–especially the antagonist–real!
I agree – this is brilliant. I love how you think this all through. Not sure I could do it before actually writing. But I can, at least, learn from the fact that you do it and share it with us.
Joyce, I don't know that I do/will do it all before writing. But it was a nice thing to learn about this character & something to think about as I get to know the others!
Great post, Becky! You made me think again about my antagonists – about their motivation. Sometimes I get so caught up in my mc's dilemma, wants and needs , that I forget bout the antagonists.
Not just the dilemma, but for me I get caught up in making the MC active, I forget what that antagonist is doing to make the MC REACT! 🙂 Happy writing in 2010, Stella.


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Mathew Forstater — Alan Watts got it. So did Alexander Del Mar
Alan Watts, best known for bringing Eastern philosophy to Western readers, had a better understanding of money than most economists. In an essay entitled "Wealth versus Money," he writes that money is a unit of measurement, like acres measure units of land. You can run out of land, but you can't run out of acres. Here's the passage from his essay:
'It was just as if someone had come to work on building a house and…the boss had said, "Sorry, baby, but we can't build today. No inches." "Whaddya mean no inches? We got wood. We got metal. We even got tape measures." "Yeah, but you don't understand business. We been using too many inches and there's just no more to go around."'
This is similar to Alexander Del Mar's distinction between a unit of measurement and the thing it measures. Del Mar wrote that, "Money is not pieces of merchandise any more than…minutes are pieces of clocks." Or Warren Mosler's admonition that money is how we "keep score," and the idea that we can run out of money is as absurd as the idea that the scorekeeper in a football match can run out of "points": Peyton Manning threw another touchdown pass? Sorry, no points left, we can't increase the Broncos' score!
Mathew Forstater
lifted from FaceBook
Posted by Tom Hickey at 3:45 PM
Labels: Alan Watts, Alexander del Mar, MMT, unit of account, Warren Mosler
Or Warren Mosler's admonition that money is how we "keep score,"
Actually, mostly how well some legally cheat others via a government-backed counterfeiting cartel for the sake of the banks and the so-called creditworthy.
I've thought for some time now the logical conclusion is we live in a post-monetary economy.
"The New Britain movement proposed four basic changes in the social order. The first was Social Credit, based on the economic philosophies of Major Douglas, Ezra Pound, and Frederic Soddy, who had realized that money was an abstraction, a mere measure of such real wealth as land, food, and clothing."
Alan Watts In My Own Way
There is an interesting connection between Pound and Del Mar also. Pound discovered Del Mar's work in 1950 and considered his ideas so important that he spent considerable energy trying to getting A.D.M.'s books back in print. Pound's publishers were for the most part profoundly uninterested, but his tenacity eventually resulted in some of Del Mar's books being reprinted. Were it not for Pound, Del Mar would be even less known than he is today.
But the gold and silver were REAL David...
So this is interesting where you have people like Pound who see at some level the 'abstraction' and identify the REAL ie 'land, food, clothing'
What was Pound's relationship with gold and silver?
iow if you could re-write Watt's sentence there: "who had realized that money was an abstraction, a mere measure of such real wealth as land, food, and clothing and silver and gold." Then his work is of no help imo...
the way I interpret DelMar is he repudiated the authority of silver and gold, (ie he read Aristotle/Plato on 'nomisma' and was on board) BUT he still advocated for silver as he couldnt come up with an alternative system back then that could do the job like we have today due to the advancement of Information Technology since Del Mar's late 1800's...
imo without FULL repudiation of the authority of the column 11 metals, you cant understand what we are doing with systems like the USD system today... Warren terms this vestigial moronhood a "gold standard mentality"...
there are a lot of people out there still who are in love with/subject to the column 11 metals... those of this human remnant are acting as a major impediment to our being able to advance our knowledge about the current USD system to the others and they need to be strongly confronted imo...
Here's a piece on Pound that sounds like it could have been written by F. Beard with its references to "theft", etc...
http://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/authors/Hartley-Ezra-Pound-on-Money.html
"Here's the rub. If money supply grows faster than the amount of things made, then theft is taking place. The thief creates extraneous dollars and spends them first: at the time when the rest of us expect a dollar to be worth a certain amount. By the time the thief's dollars have been absorbed into the economy, we notice our dollars are buying less. This is inflation. The thief has dipped into our savings and traded with shoddy bills.
What happens when money supply shrinks compared to things made? Then a new characteristic of money emerges. Things made don't always last — take bread for instance. A baker must sell his bread in a matter of days, otherwise it's lost. Money isn't bound by such considerations. A thief can horde money until the baker's goods rot, then buy his bakery at a huge discount.
The "thief" in both these examples holds a special place in society: he controls the supply of money and "future money" called credit. Controlling money supply is economic power; it is a sovereign privilege. The people who really control a nation control its money supply. [1]"
ALL WRONG under our USD system... moron monetarist pov "quantity not price" garbage...
Actually Franko, Pound nails it in that statement with regard to inflation, money hoarding and deflation.
And btw Franko, greed IS a form of idolatry according to Paul's writings:
Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. [bold added]
I suggest you CONTINUE to read Scripture, as Paul did, lest you lose what you think you have.
Greed is one of the seven cardinal sins in Christian theology.
One of the big three for Sri Ramakrishna: lust (kam), anger (krodh), greed (kanch). The literal meaning of kanch is money.
It's one of the big two for Buddha — grasping (craving, lusting after) and clinging (attachment, greed).
Greed (lobh) is one of the five thieves in Sikhism.
In all theological traditions, sin is separation from whatever the ultimate principle is called. This breaks the wholeness and results in alienation based on attachment to something partial and illusory.
In the Sufism of Al 'Arabi, idolatry (shirk) is worshipping anything unworthy of worship. In Islam, shirk is polytheism, but for Sufis, it is attachment to anything other than ultimate reality, all difference being merely phenomenal and not actual. This is also the view of Vedanta, same idea expressed differently.
The basic principle of perennial wisdom is that is you "own" anything, even what you consider as yourself, you can't "own" everything, i.e., know reality, which is the source of abiding fulfillment.
F,
You are over thinking it (as usual)...
Just read the words here:
http://scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/col3.pdf
nekrOsate
make-YE-DEAD
melh
umwn humOn
OF-YOU(p)
ths tEs
OF-THE
LAND earth
porneian
akaqarsian
UN-cleanness
EMOTION passion
epithumian
ON-FEELing desire
pleonexian
MORE-HAVing greed
hEtis
WHICH-ANY which-any
estin
eidOlolatreia
THRU because-of
WHICH which(p)
erchetai
IS-COMING
theou
huious
apeitheias
UN-PERSUADableness stubbornness
etc.....
F, Paul is NOT defining WHAT is 'idolatry' here by listing these behaviors, 'idolatry' is DEFINED ALREADY as 'offering devine service' so what Paul is saying is to NOT do ANY of those above listed activities (btw NOT just 'greed') IF those activities are being conducted as part of an act of offering divine service... THAT is what this scripture means...
Paul didnt want these people who may have wanted some additional balances of state currency to be going over the local temple of the 'god of wealth' or whatever and praying to the stone idol image there anymore... THAT IS ALL...
F, "greed" is 'pleonexia' which is SIMPLY defined as 'more-having', it DOES NOT mean 'idolatry' there is another Greek word for that ...
What are you saying? that if a person desires to save some balances of state currency, ie "more-having" some state currency, for a rainy day that just by that simple act they are offering divine service to the creation rather than the Creator and they are going to hell? LOL!!!!
All of these people featured in the TV show "Hoarders" are going to hell???? LOL!!!!!
F, you are going about this THE HARD WAY...
Paul teaches thru 'rote' methods, read the words and seek to simply believe them AS THEY ARE, Paul does NOT teach a 'creative thinking' process...
For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. [bold added]
What are you saying? that if a person desires to save some balances of state currency, ie "more-having" some state currency, for a rainy day that just by that simple act they are offering divine service to the creation rather than the Creator and they are going to hell? LOL!!!! Franko
Of course I'm not saying that and never have. The Biblical ideal is investment but some saving may be necessary to buy an investment (Proverbs 31:16) and SOME liquidity is justified too.
"...WHO... IS... AN... IDOLATOR..."
The word 'idolator' here is a modifier of the word "MAN" and NOT a modifier of the alleged word there "covetous".
Paul had no authority to re-define the Greek language.... Paul USED the Greek language...
Paul is NOT saying that the alleged word 'covetousness' there is now 'idolatry' all of a sudden...
These are TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORDS that are well defined in the Greek language.... dont over think this...
Here is that scripture:
http://scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/eph5.pdf
You can see that your translation that you are using is now translating the same word "pleonexia" in Colossians 3:5 as "greed" is now translating THE SAME WORD 'pleonexia' here in Ephesians 5:5 as 'covetous' these are two COMPLETELY DIFFERENT things....
so btw your translation you are using there is garbage btw and is probable leading you astray to a great extent...
Look, all Paul is saying is that no person who is conducting themselves in those lifestyles as part of a system that is offering divine service to some pagan god's idol image has a future allotment in the Kingdom of Christ and God....
DUH! Why would they? BY DEFINITION they are pagan idolators! Why would they have an allotment in Christ if they are led to not believe in Christ and rather be down at the pagan temple worshiping the god of whatever???
and btw I missed the "hell" part here from Paul for these people too btw... where is Paul threatening people with "hell" here if they are not making the alleged correct "freewill" choice to not go down to the pagan temple of whatever????
All Paul is saying is that these people's allotment is not in Christ... so what for them???? That is all...
You are over-thinking all of this...
Dont belive me, here is another direct explanation from Paul which is better any day:
"5 For even if so be that there are those being termed gods, whether in heaven or on earth, even as there are many gods and many lords,
6 nevertheless for us there is one God, the Father, out of Whom all is, and we for Him, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through Whom all is, and we through Him.
7 But not in all is there this knowledge. " 1 Cor 8
No threatening of "hell" is forthcoming from Paul here btw....
Not all had/have this knowledge at this time its not that big of a deal imo as far as mankind's ultimate salvation.
Get over it... rsp,
I said nothing about Hell, Franko. Where are you dragging that from? The same place as you drag your strawman positions that you attribute to me? Or do you equate inheriting the Kingdom of God with escaping Hell?
Btw, covetousness and greed are nearly synonymous.
If you think all mankind has to do is close down the banks and convert bank accounts to postal savings accounts or whatever and then all of a sudden we will have economic justice you are seriously deluded...
Covert over to something you term "ethical money" (which is a non-scriptural term btw...) and everything is all of a sudden going to be righteous on earth and we will say goodbye to economic injustice again you are here seriously UNDER-thinking it...
If you think all mankind has to do is close down the banks and convert bank accounts to postal savings accounts or whatever and then all of a sudden we will have economic justice you are seriously deluded... Franko
There you go Franko, strawmaning my positions again.
For one thing, I've never said the banks should be shut down; instead I've said they should be made 100% private.
For another, I advocate restitution with new fiat for the entire population and the equal distribution of the common stock of all large corporations. And also land reform ala Leviticus 25.
As for deluded, I read the Bible daily as I have firm hope in this:
So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:31-32 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
You, otoh, appear to be trying to make Scripture fit your beliefs rather than let Scripture transform your mind.
Matt, I would not presume to vouch for either Pound or Watts, both of whom have certain aspects to their biographies that I wouldn't wish to try to defend. I only wanted to point out that there was at least a whiff of monetary literacy among the avant garde literati in the first half of 20th century. Most of them weren't capable (or interested) in going too deeply into the matter, and some of them made a pure muck of it. Pound, it must be admitted, often had questionable political judgement, but his literary acumen was usually excellent. His early recognition and fierce support of several important literary figures including James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway is acknowledged but perhaps not fully appreciated. Pounds advocacy for Del Mar is usually viewed as an aspect his crankishness (or craziness). I don't agree. I think his basic instinct about the importance of the money system was spot on, even if his thinking on the subject may not always have been.
As to Del Mar, I think you are basically correct. His political position in the late 1800's was to simply remonetize silver which had been effectively de-monetized in 1873 due to a clause mysteriously inserted into the mint code. He had no interest in so-called "free silver" and he didn't join the greenback movement, although he admitted that it was a perfectly legitimate form of money. His reasoning was that mankind had a lot of experience with the bi-metallic system and society wasn't yet ready for a pure nomisma system.
"His reasoning was that mankind had a lot of experience with the bi-metallic system and society wasn't yet ready for a pure nomisma system."
Right I could see him thinking this way... To do that system (which btw I look at as our current system...) I think you need very good communications channels which although we had the telegraph back it the late 1800s this system just wasnt good/robust enough to overcome the metals system which after 2,000 years was really dug in and ingrained in humans (still is with MANY..)
Once we came up with global real time comms, the metals were finished imo at the national level... that took all the way until 1971 with the space technology...
So we are getting this system back finally but it is taking waaay too long for me anyways... many still suffer under the authority of these metals and the rest are morons who think "we are out of money" and are completely lost and disgraced... this wouldnt be so bad if these two cohorts didnt comprise 99.999% of our ruling class.
Entrenched ideas die hard because they have become cultural rituals and social institutions. Certainly, money is a prime example.
But as the use of cash dwindles and the use of digital forms of money increases, e.g., credit cards, online banking, etc., people will become more accustomed to money as a unit of account rather than as a token. But we are still in the totem and taboo stage regarding money as a fetish.
"to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;"
imo this probably describes you, but not me.
"Disciple" or in Greek 'mathetai' means 'learner'... imo some (perhaps like yourself) have to become 'learners' in the context of the Greek 'mathetai' ('secondary school student') apparently.
Paul never uses the word "disciple", I'm under Paul's teaching... I'm not a 'learner' in the context of the word 'mathetai'.
I think perhaps you (and many others) are though... you apparently have to 'learn' via this process of a 'mathetai' which to me looks like "the hard way"...
Its like 'rote' vs 'creative thinking'.... you seem to be a 'creative thinker' in all of this.
I'm just able to read what Paul writes and simply believe it as it is written (ie 'rote')... as opposed to most others like yourself who seemingly just cant leave it at that...
All for His purpose anyway.
Bottom line for me, Paul taught this:
http://scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/1ti6.pdf
"10 For a root of all of the evils is the fondness for silver, which some, craving, were led astray from the faith and try themselves on all sides with much pain.
11 Now you, O man of God, flee from these things" 1 Tim 6
No mention here of any "ethical money" or whatever (this is where you are over-thinking it...)
Lets just confront and rebuke and hopefully suppress this evil supporting "metal-love" that Paul identifies here and see what happens... that is as far as the scripture goes...
Roger Erickson said...
That still begs the question of why our current electorate, net economics profession, and politician owners do NOT get it.
We won't get anything until they do?
That still begs the question of why our current electorate, net economics profession, and politician owners do NOT get it. Rodger Erickson
In 2 words, Biblical ignorance, especially of the Old Testament.
Progressives have shot themselves in the foot by rejecting the Old Testament since it concerns itself far more with social justice than it does with the alleged right of homosexuals to fornicate in public*.
You've been hoodwinked into giving up an extremely powerful weapon for social justice!
*Since two or more witnesses were required before someone could be executed.
No mention here of any "ethical money" or whatever (this is where you are over-thinking it...) Franko
Have you ever heard of initiative, Franko?
You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?
"And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right? For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent." Luke 12:56-59 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
I suspect you've evolved your strange beliefs because you conflate inheriting the Kingdom with escaping eternal damnation. They are NOT the same! All believers will escape damnation but only SOME will inherit the Kingdom of God.
Btw, what is your denomination so I can be forewarned when I look for a congregation to worship with?
I'm (obviously) outside of current orthodoxy...
No 'intiative' here:
http://scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/luk12.pdf
btw it is a rhetorical question He is asking there imo... He knows why...
He knows why... Franko
Most likely ignorance of Scripture, which is your problem too.
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text:
"Hitman 3" Releases Brutally Gorgeous Launch Trailer
Top 7 Examples of Classical Music in Games
By Pacheco Last updated Dec 22, 2017
While It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Video Game music, it might be lesser known that I'm actually a bigger fan of "Classical" and orchestral music. Classical here being used as an umbrella term for pretty much everything made before the 20th century that requires a conductor to perform. Orchestral music to me reigns supreme as the pinnacle of music with it's ability to ebb and flow on the fly to match the dynamic cadence similar to natural human speech. All it takes is a few nuanced changes and suddenly a familiar piece of music paints a vastly different picture, the best example of this I can think of off the top of my head is Dead Space's rendition of Mozart's 12 Variations in C Major K265 or more commonly known as "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" that they used for the announcement trailer. While I've been a fan of classical for as long I can remember, video games were my catalyst into the world of playing music. The little bleeps and bloops we more than enough to spark my imagination and soon I was running around everywhere whilst humming my own theme just like in early RPGs. Nostalgia aside, classical pieces have a certain gravitas that can really emphasize a scene or moment in time and below are some the best examples of classical music in video games.
Claire de Lune – Claude Debussy – The Evil Within
If it's one thing horror games get right, it's making you feel on edge for your entire playthrough. The Evil Within, created by the same team as Resident Evil, places you in a nightmare of mysteries and close shaves that every time you hear Debussy's most famous piece you can't help but sigh in relief for the respite. But the longer you stay in the save room the more haunting the theme becomes as you realize the eventuality of leaving its relative safety.
William Tell Overture "The Storm" by Gioacchino Rossini and Various other Composer's – Catherine
It was honestly kinda hard to pick one above the others to exemplify this fiendish tower puzzle game, that revolves around Vincent and his indecisiveness between marrying Katherine, the straight-edge and driven businesswoman and Catherine, the wild and unpredictable succubus. I felt like "The Storm" perfectly encompasses the overall feel of this game. The game is adult-oriented in its themes as it explores the fears and irrationalities that many males face with a commitment. If you've ever heard of the "Mozart Effect" then you would know that the music selected from Rossini and other classical composers for the OST function more like a concentration aid to this puzzle platformer game. While it does add to the overall urgency and fear themes of the bosses like the Social Life Killer Baby and the Bridezilla for example, they are really no more than just well made short loops that make it hard to appreciate the pieces for more than ambiance.
Requiem in D minor K.626 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Bioshock Infinite
Bioshock is one of those series of games that make the best case argument for video games to be viewed as art, with its chilling claustrophobia-inducing level design and art style of Rapture contrasted by the bright, open and vivid grandiose setting of Bioshock Infinite complemented by its thrilling backstory told by all the hidden tapes scattered all around Columbia, the sky floating city. The best moment in the game to me is when you enter Lady Comstock's Memorial and you enter it starts off with the crescendo from the third section of the requiem Sequentia and the phrase "Lacrimosa dies illa". The halls of the exhibit echo the sorrow felt by our antagonist serving as foreshadowing for the big reveal at the end.
Night on Bald Mountain – Modest Mussorgsky – Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts is an RPG that mixes both worlds and characters from Disney and Final Fantasy so naturally, this piece seems like it's out of place. That is until you realize that it's from Disney's Fantasia. While Fantasia might not be on your list of favorite Disney films, simply because it's really old and some of the younger fans simply haven't seen the film, the inclusion of the 1940's arrangement as well as the Demon Chernabog from the final scene might have flown over your head only to think that it's just a really cool boss with an epic theme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUYUG14MYmU
"Ave Maria" from The Lady of the Lake – Franz Schubert – Hitman Series
"Hitman 3" Releases Brutally Gorgeous Launch…
After three games Agent 47, the original video game assassin genetically enhanced to be the most efficient killing machine, it seemed like he was at the top of the proverbial crimelord food chain. The pleasantly serene Schubert piece atop of the backdrop of a dead Agent 47 is reminiscent of the Louis Armstrong "It's a Beautiful World" playing alongside videos of war and extreme violence. The very dissonance of intentions of each creator is what really makes it stand out and has subsequently become a staple in the franchise since.
Etude Opus 10 No.12 in C minor – Frederic Francois Chopin – Eternal Sonata
Eternal Sonata is one of those games that stand out for many reasons including its wonderful cast of characters inspired by musical instruments, terms, and styles. The game's premise is set in the dream-like world that Chopin (A famous Romantic-era piano composer) created towards the final hours of his life in which he is the main protagonist. Interestingly enough while this piece is more commonly known as the "Revolutionary" Etude (named for the polish revolution at the time) and aside from the "Funeral March" Chopin himself has never named any of his pieces beyond genre, number and key, leaving interpretation to the listener. This piece was amazingly arranged for orchestration and choir making the final battle against Frederic both sorrowful and cathartic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ8jysczObk
Symphony No. 9 in E Minor – Allegro con Fuoco "From The New World" – Antonin Dvorak – Asura's Wrath
Starting off with the relaxing and well-paced rendition of the second movement before giving way to the symphonic genius of Dvorak during the opening of chapter 11; perfectly building up the tension during the battle with Asura's mentor Augus on the moon. The triumphant crescendos match up exquisitely as the standoff starts as a simple fist fight between former teacher and pupil and slowly but intensely building with every crushing blow into an epic battle that eventually ends up having its decisive end on Earth. There is a certain panache that the new world brings into this fight that's very reminiscent of western duels making this one of the best uses of Symphony no. 9.
The effects and inspiration of these pieces are still felt today, hundreds of years after they've been written. With this, I hope that you, our reader, can appreciate the music which many ignorantly argue are too old to be relevant today. Now, go out and see an orchestra perform whether it's the Distant Worlds, Symphony of the Goddesses, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter or a classical recital.
What other examples of classical music in video games did we miss, let us know in the comments below! What classical music era would you like to see more often in games? Which game soundtracks would you like to see orchestrated?
Let us know in the comments below and be sure to join the discussion with the Gamecast every Tuesday @ 8pm PST!
For more awesome Top Tens and other video game and nerdy related articles don't forget to check out NerdBot every day!
Antonin DvorakAsura's WrathAve MariaBioshock InfiniteCatherineClaire de LuneClassical MusicClaude Debussy
David Amadeus Pacheco is a photographer, writer, and assistant videographer for Nerdbot. He's a lvl76 memelord who studied Music Composition and Broadcasting and also runs Rock Me Amadeus, Photography.
His favorite video game series include The Legend of Zelda, Hyperdemension Neptunia, Civilization, StarCraft, Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts
Details Of Quentin Tarantino's New Project Leaks
The Nerdbot BotCast Episode 32 – Vince Caso, The Guild, Gaming


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Designer(s) Error, Friedemann Friese
Publisher(s) Error, Stronghold Games
In a distant future, scientists were able to build small alternate Earths. Exactly 504 such Earths have thus far been built. The scientists programmed each of these Worlds with an individual set of laws and rules which the residents strictly follow and consider most important for their lives. These may be exploration, consumption, economics, military, etc., and each is unique. You can visit all of these 504 alternate Earths to experience how the people are living, and decide which of these worlds harbors the best civilization. On which World do you want to live? Explore them all and decide!
504 is a game that creates 504 different games out of one box. The game consists of nine modules:
-Module 1: Pick-Up & Deliver
-Module 2: Race
-Module 3: Privileges
-Module 4: Military
-Module 5: Exploration
-Module 6: Roads
-Module 7: Majorities
-Module 8: Production
-Module 9: Shares
In each single game, you take three different modules from the nine available and assemble them in any order you like to create a new game. For example, you can play: a racing game that expands through exploration with technology improving the racing or exploration (World "253"), an 18XX-style stock game with network building for income and production sites to provide workers for the road building (World "968") or a war game with a pick-up and deliver economy and bonus scoring from majorities ("World 417"). You decide what world you want to create, so be ready for anything!
504 is Number 2 in the new Stronghold Games' The Great Designers Series. This game is designed by Friedemann Friese.


Countryside. Beechen Glamping has a warm welcome for you!
Located on the edge of the South Downs National Park and at the mid-point of a long established route between Winchester and Portsmouth in Hampshire, Beechen Glamping is a lovely place to stop, relax and enjoy the outdoors taking in the magical views from our two luxury camping tents, the Hazel Safari and Hawk Lodge.
You can choose from wandering through nature reserves, glimpsing wildlife such as hares, buzzards, deer, walking or cycling for miles on the South Down Trails.
Within walking distance is Bishop's Waltham, a vibrant and historic medieval market town. The high street has a range of shops including butchers, baker, cafés and restaurants. You are also able to explore the extensive remains of the Palace Ruins.
Beechen Glamping is set within the grounds of Beechen Stables, which have livestock of free-range chickens, geese, goats and horses. Dogs are very welcome but must at all times be kept on a lead. Free range eggs can be purchased and free range goat meat can also be ordered.


It takes about 5 hours to fill and 3 hours to heat up, so we just need a bit of notice, usually the day before is fine.
Many weekenders book it so it is ready to jump in to when they arrive on the Friday evening.
Once it is filled and heated, it is over to you to keep it going. Wood is provided. If you run out of wood, the wood shed is close by.
If you are happy to re-heat it the following day with the same water, you can keep using it (as long as it hasn't been booked by the other cabin) for no extra charge.
We charge for the time it takes to prepare it, fill & heat it, empty and clean it.


To create the perfect wedding dress, an alteration will always be required. And whether you choose the bridal boutique you purchased it from or a local seamstress, the costs, unless otherwise stated, will come at an additional cost.
David's Bridal is no exception.
Even if you purchased your wedding dress here, they will still charge you for alteration, according to the many brides who discussed their prices online.
At all 300+ of its locations, according to the official website, they will have on-site specialists who are able to alter your wedding dress that was either purchased in-store or online.
How can David's Bridal alter your dress?
What is included in the alteration quote?
The entire alter, according to your measurements and specifications, along with a professional press and steam. As mentioned, the company is able to personalize your dress to your liking. Whether it's adding a new style to a strapless dress, adding full cap sleeves and/or replacing your back zipper with a lacy corset, all locations will be able to provide you a full list of the alterations they are able to do for you.
The full amount will be due on the day of your fitting, and if you choose a rush delivery, which often completes in less than 14 days, then this will be added to the final total as well.
The company recommends you make the appointment the day you purchase the dress as it can take up to four weeks for the alterations to complete. Depending on your location, the specialist on site will be able to discuss your options. The first fitting typically takes anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the type of dress being altered.
On the day of your fitting, you will want to bring the exact lingerie you plan on wearing the day of your wedding to ensure the dress fits as planned.
Always bring a close friend or family member who is in your bridal party so she is able to learn how to bustle the train.
EverAfterGuide.net recommends starting alterations about four to six months prior to the wedding, primarily due to finding a good seamstress as most will be booked for this amount of time.


Take a walk into one of our stores and you will see how much we love styling with plants. They bring so much life to our displays and many make their way into your homes. So we were very excited to hear that "Greenery" was announced as Pantone's 2017 Colour of the Year.
A refreshing yellow-green shade of nature that symbolises renewal, revitalisation and restoration, just the colour you need in your home to escape the chaos of modern day life. Whatever your interior style may be, the addition of greenery to your decor can create a tranquil, relaxed space to unwind at the end of a long day. So take a leaf out of our book and bring the outdoors in!
Not to worry… You can still bring the outdoors in with great quality faux plants. Gone are the days when faux plants looked like faux plants! We have an amazing range of faux greenery available and they are such great quality that it is actually hard to tell that they are not real. With a rich, realistic green colour and true-to-life shape and form, our faux plants may be a little more expensive but with easy maintenance they will last for years. No watering. No pruning. Just give them a quick wipe with a damp cloth occasionally to remove dust and keep them out of direct sunlight. Too easy!
Delicate ferns warm up a cold bathroom. Cascading plants soften shelves or bookcases.
Clusters of succulents nestled in a beautiful bowl or tray add contrast to a coffee table or sideboard.
Invite some greenery into your home and reconnect with nature.


text:
Q: Update TextBoxes bound to properties backed by the same local variable In an App using ReactiveUI, I have two properties backed by the same local variable.  Then the properties are used to bind to two textboxes where one showing the value and the other showing the value times 2.  I need to have one box reflects the change in the other box.
ViewModel:
public class AppViewModel : ReactiveObject
{
    private int? _boxCommon;
    public int? boxOrg
    {
        get => _boxCommon;
        set
        {
            Trace.WriteLine($"**** Check1: {value}");
            _ = this.RaiseAndSetIfChanged(ref _boxCommon, value);
        }
    }
    public int? boxDouble
    {
        get => _boxCommon * 2;
        set
        {
            Trace.WriteLine($"**** Check2: {value}");
            _ = this.RaiseAndSetIfChanged(ref _boxCommon, (int)value / 2);
        }
    }

    private int? lastVal;

    public AppViewModel()
    {
        _boxCommon = 10;
        lastVal = 10;

        // Reflect changes to the other box.
        this.WhenAnyValue(x => x.boxOrg)
            .Throttle(TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(800))
            .Select((t) =>
            {
                if (t != lastVal)
                {
                    return t * 2;
                }
                else
                {
                    return boxDouble;
                }
            })
            .ObserveOn(RxApp.MainThreadScheduler)
            .Subscribe((t) => boxDouble = t);  // seems reduntdant cause both backed by the same var.

        this.WhenAnyValue(x => x.boxDouble)
            .Throttle(TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(800))
            .Select((t) =>
            {
                if (t != lastVal)
                {

                    return t / 2;
                }
                else
                {
                    return boxOrg;
                }
            })
            .ObserveOn(RxApp.MainThreadScheduler)
            .Subscribe((t) => boxOrg = t);
    }
}

View:
<reactiveui:ReactiveWindow
    x:Class="ReactiveDemo.MainWindow"
    x:TypeArguments="reactivedemo:AppViewModel"
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
    xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
    xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
    xmlns:reactivedemo="clr-namespace:ReactiveDemo"
    xmlns:reactiveui="http://reactiveui.net"
    Title="Test" Height="150" Width="200"
    mc:Ignorable="d">
    <Grid Margin="12">
        <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
            <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto" />
            <ColumnDefinition Width="*" />
        </Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
        <Grid.RowDefinitions>
            <RowDefinition />
            <RowDefinition />
        </Grid.RowDefinitions>
        <TextBlock Text="OrgNum: "/>
        <TextBox Grid.Column="1" x:Name="orgBox" />
        <TextBlock Grid.Row="1" Text="DoubleNum: "/>
        <TextBox Grid.Column="1" Grid.Row="1" x:Name="doubleBox" />
    </Grid>
</reactiveui:ReactiveWindow>

View code behind:
public MainWindow()
{
    InitializeComponent();
    ViewModel = new AppViewModel();

    this.WhenActivated(disposableRegistration =>
    {
        // Notice we don't have to provide a converter, on WPF a global converter is
        // registered which knows how to convert a boolean into visibility.
        this.Bind(ViewModel,
            viewModel => viewModel.boxOrg,
            view => view.orgBox.Text)
            .DisposeWith(disposableRegistration);
        this.Bind(ViewModel,
            viewModel => viewModel.boxDouble,
            view => view.doubleBox.Text)
            .DisposeWith(disposableRegistration);

    });
}

When I make changes in one box, the Trace does print out the new value set to the other box.  However, the GUI element is not updated with the new value. New to WPF and ReactiveUI, any pointers are greatly appreciated.

A: You would rather use ValueConverter than your solution:
ViewModel:
private int _boxSingle;
public int BoxSingle
{
    get => _boxSingle;
    set
    {
        this.RaiseAndSetIfChanged(ref _boxSingle, value);
    }
}

Bindings:
this.Bind(ViewModel, vm => vm.BoxSingle, view => view.textBox1.Text)
    .DisposeWith(d);

this.Bind(ViewModel, vm => vm.BoxSingle, view => view.textBox2.Text,
        v => (v * 2).ToString(),
        v => int.Parse(v) / 2 )
    .DisposeWith(d);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: onfling indicator in viewpager android I am developing an android application in which I am using Tablerow with viewpagerAdapter.
I need to add an indicator as the user swipes from one page to the other,for which I want to add an horizontal line, just as shown in the image below.
http://imgur.com/ZTD7w0e
I tried adding the Image(Horizontal line),it fits all the 3 tabs instead of just tab1
Here is the code:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:background="@color/white"
android:orientation="vertical" >

<TableLayout
    style="@style/layout_f_w"
    android:stretchColumns="*" >

    <TableRow
        android:id="@+id/tableRow1"
        style="@style/layout_wrap"
        android:background="#dddddd"
        android:clickable="true" >

        <!-- First Tab -->

        <LinearLayout
            android:id="@+id/first_text"
            style="@style/layout_f_w"
            android:orientation="vertical" >

            <TextView
                android:id="@+id/textView1"
                style="@style/text_title"
                android:text="Tab1" />
        </LinearLayout>

            <LinearLayout
            android:id="@+id/second_text"
            style="@style/layout_f_w"
            android:orientation="vertical" >

            <TextView
                android:id="@+id/textView1"
                style="@style/text_title"
                android:text="Tab2" />
        </LinearLayout>

        <LinearLayout
            android:id="@+id/third_text"
            style="@style/layout_f_w"
            android:orientation="vertical" >

            <TextView
                android:id="@+id/textView1"
                style="@style/text_title"
                android:text="Tab3" />
        </LinearLayout>
    </TableRow>
</TableLayout>

<include
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    layout="@layout/indicator" />

<ImageView

    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:src="@drawable/h_line" />

<android.support.v4.view.ViewPager
    android:id="@+id/viewPager"
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="fill_parent" />

Thanks!

A: Use this:
Android-ViewPagerIndicator


The Loft: Bedroom - Goodnight Starshine.
Aside from Pillowland - I would have to say that our Bedroom is my next favorite place to disappear to. It's the brightest area in our loft - as diffused light floods the space in the mid-morning - which is great when you're lounging around on a Saturday morning. However, John's " in complete darkness" sleeping pattern has definitely changed since moving into our loft.
Trying to design a sleeping space that would accommodate both of our aesthetics didn't seem too difficult. Then, we sat down and talked about colors and style - boy, were we wrong - we were all over the place. John was drawn to the industrial, focusing more on masculine pieces, darker colors with a splash of color - his favorite, burnt orange. I, on the other hand, preferred light & soft colors, with a focus on textures and mango wood - all that drew from a beach-side type of living. John understood that he had given me "free-range" to decorate our loft as I saw fit. But he still wanted to feel like he was still part of some of the design aesthetic.
Luckily, we found a happy medium.
With our bed situated away from the wall - we had enough space to keep the area feeling light and airy. We kept to darker fabrics that had a very simple pattern - with neutral accent pillows to create a bit of depth and texture. Since our walls were white - it played for a perfect backdrop to display my second-hand yellow surfboard as well as a familiar piece that once hung in Pillowland.
My DIY wall hanging was moved during the Holiday Season - since most of it would have been covered by our Christmas tree. However, after we took down the tree - we decided that the wall hanging was a better fit on the wall, behind our bed.
Other items added to our sleeping area was a mango wood topped circle side table, one of John's "plant babies" - his fiddle-leaf fig tree "Phineas," a few Brixton hats, & a skate deck from our friend's shop Nothing Usual in Downtown Santa Ana.


text:
Reserves Team
Trust Info
Berwick Rangers FC
Supporters Direct
Members Hall of Fame
Society Board
Trust News
BRFC Reserves
Trust Board Meeting on Saturday, March 22nd
By Supporters Trust | on March 17, 2014 |
There will be a meeting of Berwick Rangers Supporters Trust Board on Saturday, March 22nd, 2014 in 'The Pilot Inn', Low Greens, Berwick at 11:00 a.m. Any Trust member is welcome to attend. One item on the agenda will be organising the poll for this season's Supporters Trust 'Player of the Year'. On the same day, Berwick Rangers host Clyde in SPFL 2, kick off 3:00 p.m.
** Last Saturday, March 15th, both Berwick Rangers first team and Reserves were in action against top of the table opposition. At Balmoor Stadium, the senior team's play-off hopes suffered a setback when they went down 3-0 to Peterhead.
At Shielfield, the Reserves became the first team this season to beat Easthouses Lily in the East of Scotland League First Division. Second half goals from local youngster Regan Graham and Stephen Anderson secured a 2-0 win.
A feature of both games was the influence of a very strong wind.
Keenweld – Welding supplies and service
The Pilot Inn – Quality B&B and pub
Fantasy Prints – Printing, signs and emboidery
Website by Viva Digital
© Berwick Rangers Supporters Trust. All Rights Reserved.


text:
« Coffee in Thailand, Part 3 (The North)
Wat Nantaram in Chiang Kham »
Black House (บ้านดำ) Museum in Chiang Rai
Michael Babcock, April 1st, 2014
In Chiang Rai we visited one of the most fascinating places I've ever experienced anywhere. The Baandam Museum – พิพิธภัณฑ์บ้านดำ – บ้าน (baan) meaning "house" and ดำ (dam) meaning "black" – is actually (also) the residence of National Artist Thawan Duchanee. And what a residence it is!
Spoiler alert: When I visited here I had no preconceptions of what I was going to see. The experience was probably much stronger because of that. If you'd prefer an experience unfettered by knowledge, you may want to skip this blog.
Here's a link to practical details about the museum (hours, location). There's also a slideshow of images from the museum (with many more images than in the blog).
The front two buildings
The "museum" or "house" is actually a compound with over 40 buildings spread across a wide area. The house of the artist is one of the buildings, one of several not open to the public. The other buildings vary in degree of access: some are open and you can go into them; on others the doors are locked and fettered; others are closed but you can see into the windows; others are covered spaces easily visible and accessible.
(Click images to see a larger version.)
At the entry there are two beautiful buildings: a smaller one in front with a larger one behind, both reminiscent of (echoing? based on?) temples or of buildings you'd see on a temple ground. At this point, I though that these two buildings were the entire museum.
Smaller building in front
Wood carving on the small building
From the very start, encountering the front building, the eye is arrested by details: glorious and detailed wood carvings flanking and on the doors and above the lintel; statues in front; crushed rock enclosing the base of the building; triangular wooden carvings of nagas supporting the upper sides, just as they do at most temples in Thailand.
The front building's carved door
Detail of front door carving
To the left is the entryway to the smaller, frontmost building: a carved door with a fanciful scrollwork of leaves and branches above the door.
To the right we see the carving on the door itself up close: an array of courtiers or celestial beings.
This frontmost building is not open to the public.
The second building, from the outside, could be a viharn, an assembly hall for the laity at a temple, which usually houses the principal Buddha image. It's plainer on the outside (by comparison to the first building) and has some lovely wooden carvings on the facade. The lower portion is all natural wood.
As you enter the building, the interior is mostly dark, lit only by light through the doors and windows. It is a vast, open space with beams, filled with objects everywhere you look. The architecture of the building may resemble a Thai Buddhist temple but the interior of a temple was never arrayed like this room.
Here's some of what I saw.
Columns of wood carvings
Close up of a carved Garuda
Carved wooden pillars in groups.
(Do click on the pictures to see a larger version with more detail.)
The long table
Hornbill head surrounded by feathers
A long table laid with two long snake skins and statues, the table surrounded by large black chairs with legs made from buffalo horns.
A hornbill head mounted in the middle of a circle of peacock feathers.
This building is just the beginning of Thawan Duchanee's world.
Exit the back door to the rest of the compound. There are at least 40 other buildings, each one compelling attention in a different way. There are: many temple-like bulidings; open air structures (salas); circular white buildings (which echo certain temple structures as well); a building like a giant whale; an open building with huge drums; skulls lining a building's perimeter.
Rock garden in front of a building
Although there was a great deal of black, there was also quite a bit of natural wood in the buildings, with salas and a few white buildings acting as a counterpoint. Very little feels modern here. Rather than plastic or shiny metal (with an exception or two), there is wood (lots of wood), stone and clay tile – materials that call to mind the world of nature.
One of the most striking features for me were the stones. Many buildings are preceded by areas with crushed stone of various sizes, often with other large stones, reminiscent of a Zen rock garden.
Wooden carving, scrollwork
And everywhere there are the wooden carvings: lovely, detailed depictions of nagas, devas and courtly figures with exuberant scrollworks of leaves and branches.
With all the differing structures and the differing features there is still a coherency to the compound, the indication of a single vastly creative mind at work, a mind fascinated with natural objects: bones, skulls, snake skins, horns, wood, shells, crocodile skins, rocks and stones.
It was fascinating to wonder through the compound, a bit dreamlike and almost outside of normal time and space – going from structure to structure, first caught by an entire building, then focusing in on a whole carving, then captivated by a detail and then drawn into a further detail.
Statue guarding the door
There are many temple motifs: nagas on buildings and doors, carvings of celestial beings, here and there a Buddha statue. There also is an erotic component, such as the statue with the stiff phallus guarding a white circular building or in the arrangement of a row of conch shells.
I've heard the opinion that the museum is very dark or even "creepy" (because of all the black and the bones, the skulls). I disagree. I found it incredibly life-affirming. The whole of life is arrayed here: the sublime and the earthy, heaven and hell. Always, the natural objects return you to this world.
Entering some of the buildings is like entering a shrine more than a museum. To enter one of the small, white circular buildings you first must pass the phallic guardian. The room is surrounded by chairs made from water buffalo horns resting on animal skins with an animal skin on the seat. Some chairs are interspersed with statues. The center of the room is filled with a huge alligator skin surrounded by hundreds of large shells.
Inside a small circular building
You tread softly here. There is a stillness that you hesitate to break. You are careful not to change the position of anything: everything is just where it belongs. Why the chairs? What kind of a assemblage would take place here?
Traditionally, round buildings such as this on temple grounds house depictions of Buddhist hell. Certainly, the Thais who visit the room have this context for what is inside. In such a building at a temple there might be statues or paintings depicting the horrors of hell and often a deva or spirit in a chair sitting in judgment: in (some) Buddhist cosmology when you die, you are sent to a place where your entire life is appraised. In this room there are animal elements (the horn, the animal skins), a strong element of the sea and water (the shells and alligator) and the chairs: perhaps they are an invitation to sit, to examine the totality of one's life from a different, wider perspective.
Thawan Duchanee was born in Chiang Rai in September 1939, making him 74 years old in 2014 (when this is being written). In appearance the artist looks like a Taoist sage. You can see a photo of him here. He studied both in Thailand and Europe (at the Royal Academy of Visual Arts in Amsterdam).
When he returned to Thailand, he became controversial. According to The Nation, "Thawan developed a unique style of artistry using black and red tones, based on the styles of traditional Buddhist art to explore the darkness lurking within humanity." (The Nation article on "The 40 Most Internationally Acclaimed Thais".) The Black House was begun in 1976. He was named a National Artist in 2001.
A blog devoted to him explains his work like this:
He then began to explore and reexamine the insanity, degeneration, violence, eroticism, and death lurking in the heart of modern man as they are involved with religion. Mr. Thawan expressed these concepts with a startling technique utilizing a black tone, drawing from the wellspring of traditional Thai Buddhist art and Buddhist thought."
– Quote from thawanduchanee.blogspot.com (offsite, opens in new window).
Some of his exhibits were so controversial that they were attacked.
Talking of his home and the museum, the artist said:
The Black House evokes the past Thai civilization in a contemporary manner. I try to bring the spirit, heart and soul in their life [into the pieces]. (From Time Magazine's The Dark and the Light Side of Thai Art – offsite, opens in new window.)
The Black House Museum contains almost no paintings or drawings: it is composed of buildings, objects and sculptures. The whole compound is a three-dimensional work of art.
I've put together a slideshow that details some of my wanderings that day at the Baandam Museum. I hope that some of the numinous nature and sense of wonder comes through, some of the sense of wandering and discovering yet another unique vision. What the slides can not convey is the solidity of the objects, the visceral reaction to bone, shell and skin.
Details about the museum (hours, location) are found after the slideshow.
I'll close with this quote from the artist, taken as printed (no punctuation or line breaks) from thawanduchanee.blogspot.com – offsite, opens in new window):
Do not seek for understanding, in the temple of mysterious Feel them my friends from heart to heart Do not ask the meaning of the stars in the constellation Smile of the baby in the cradle of mothers Sweet fragrance in the pollens of flowers It is the work of art !
my friends… In the deepest of my mystic mind, come closer to my spirit Listen to my heartbeat, without word.
Slideshow of บ้านดำ (Black House)
Click on "Play" below to begin a slideshow.
Clicking on a slide will take you to the next image.
PausePlayPlayPrev|NextShow thumbnailsHide thumbnails
You see these two buildings at the very front of the Black House Museum
This is the smaller building in the front
Carving of a naga on the frontmost building, similar to those found in temples
The entryway to the first building is a carved door flanked by elaborate carved scrollwork
Figures carved on the first building's doorway
An elaborate wood carving, part of the second building
A forest of carved, wooden pillars inside the larger second building
The pillars cry out to be looked at, examined
A naga on one of the carved wooden pillars
Garuda head on one of the wooden columns
Further close-up of the Garuda carving
The long table in the front building
This statue is found on the long table
A close-up of the statute
Interior shot with hornbill sculpture
Fanciful sculpture utilizing a hornbill head encircled by peacock feathers
Close-up of the hornbill sculpture
Another building on the grounds after exiting the front buildings
The wooden scrollwork on the front of the building
One of the nagas guarding a building entry
A different naga at a different building
The roofs of yet another building
A cage with a bird on the compound
Bones and a skull underneath one of the buildings
This building has a stone and rock garden in the front
A close-up of the stone and rock garden
Stone monoliths on the grounds
One of many statues found around the property
A multi-bodied/headed naga, just as you'd find in a temple
Door panel behind the multiple naga
Close-up of a similar panel showing nagas
More carving (with many celestial beings) above a door
Two of the buildings on the compound
One of the artisans at work
This building is reminiscent of a Christian church (on the outside)
It has this elaborate array of items at the door
The inside is surrounded by chairs covered in animal hides
There are three, smaller white circular buildings together
This statue guards the door of one of the small, circular buildings
The interior houses an array of large shells
One of the statues on the surrounding wall
Chairs with animal hides line the walls
The interior of another of the small, white circular buildings
The interior of the 3rd of these buildings
A fanciful building, reminiscent of an exuberant whale
The outside of this sala is lined with skulls
Close-up of one of the skulls,
A bathroom in one of the buildings, perhaps a guesthouse
Another rock and stone garden precedes one of the structures
One of the doors on the structure
The eye focuses in . . .
. . . and keeps going
A "singh" (mythical lion) at the bottom of the carving
A further close-up of the "singh" (mythical lion)
An area with a circle of bones underneath a building
A close-up of the bones
Another edifice with its temple-like roof and its wooden carvings
The carving above the lintel
This sala has rough-hewn tables and chairs
Two favorite motifs: wooden carving and animal skull
Another of the buildings
A statue of Ganesh
On my way out I focused in on this building . . .
. . . housing 3 Buddha statues
Here's a close-up of the two frontmost Buddhas and an end to the slide show
Details About Black House
Baandam Museum
414 Moo 13 Nanglae
Muang, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand
Tel/Fax : (66) 53 – 776 – 333
Mobile: (66) 83 – 336 – 5333
Open Daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed from noon to 1 p.m.)
Leave plenty of time to wander.
Here is a map on Google:
The location on Google Maps (offsite, opens in new window).
It is found 1.9 kilometers pas Chiang Rai University by turning left on Soi 13. After nearly half a kilometer turn left note a small soi and you'll soon see it on the left.
thawanduchanee.blogspot.com (offsite, opens in new window)
Thawan Duchanee Facebook Page (offsite, opens in new window)
Photo album of บ้านดำ (Baandam) on Facebook (offsite, opens in new window)
Blog on Black House by "ChristianPFC." (offsite, opens in new window)
Written by Michael Babcock, April 2014
Tags: art, Chiang Rai, museum, Thawan Duchanee
This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2014 at 12:05 am	and is filed under Thai Culture, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


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The OECD and an end of the era of tax havens?
Nabila Ahmed looks at Biden's proposed new 15% global minimum tax rate and what it means for Ethical Consumer's Covid Tech Tax Campaign and Amazon Boycott.
It's not every day that the United States pushes through a new agreement on global tax structures with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). As of Saturday 5th July, the Group of 7 (G7) countries of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and US, have agreed in principle to a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15%.
If this measure becomes adopted, it will mean that tax havens such as Bermuda, Luxembourg and the Cayman Islands can no longer operate so effectively as escape routes for corporate profits. The reform is helpfully designed in a way that it cannot be ignored or blocked by the tax havens themselves. If they don't put up their tax rates to at least 15% percent, other countries can 'tax back' the difference.
The current, outdated, global taxation system has had enormous consequences. Every year, multinational companies shift an estimated $1.38 trillion in profits to tax havens, with over $245bn in direct tax revenues lost globally.
However, it appears that with a change in US president and the current coronavirus pandemic, the dynamic has shifted, and the US has finally seen the need for increased taxation. As well as proposing a 15% minimum global tax floor, President Biden is also planning to increase the US corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%.
How will this affect Amazon?
Despite increasing its European sales to a record €44bn in 2020, bizarrely Amazon is still recording a 'loss' of €1.2bn on its European activities. Adding insult to injury, Amazon EU Sarl, which is based in the tax haven of Luxembourg, was granted €56m in tax credits, along with €2.7bn of carried forward losses stored up, which can be used to offset any future profits.
Unfortunately, this means that it is looking unlikely that Amazon's 'profits' will be captured by Biden's 15% global minimum tax rate in its current form. According to the Guardian, Alex Cobham, chief executive of Tax Justice Network, said:
"If the OECD cannot ensure Amazon is in scope, not only will it fail to meet the public demand for fairness, it will also offer a blueprint for other major multinationals to escape this element of the reform."
However, Janet Yellen, the US Treasury secretary, told the Reuters news agency that she expected Facebook and Amazon to be covered by the proposal, and it is possible that other proposed elements may make some difference. Until the dust settles however, our Amazon boycott campaign over its systemic tax avoidance is not going anywhere.
Minimum Effective Tax Rate
At Ethical Consumer we welcome the proposals for a 15% minimum tax rate, viewing this as a historic and major win for the cause of tax justice. As we have argued in our Tax Tech Now campaign, the Covid-19 pandemic has made the case for greater state intervention in the economy and the need to fill Treasury coffers to support that. As such, even in their imperfect state, these proposals should be championed.
However, we also support the position of the Tax Justice Network which argues that the 15% global minimum tax rate does not go far enough and that, in its current form, the benefits are not shared out fairly enough between rich and poor nations of the world. It proposes instead a Minimum Effective Tax Rate (METR) which, it claims, would raise $460bn globally, rather than the estimated $275bn in the OECD's approach.
India would gain $13bn under the METR proposal compared to $4bn under the OECD proposal. Similarly, Brazil would gain $10bn instead of $3bn, and South Africa would gain $3.5bn instead of $1.5bn.
Where now for our Covid tech tax campaign?
Since July 2020 Ethical Consumer has been campaigning for windfall taxes on tech multinationals to help pay for the costs of the pandemic. We have argued that the best way to do this is through raising the Digital Services Tax which is already being levied by the government to try to address the problem of serial tax avoidance by this sector.
It is clear that Biden's proposals for reform (which also include other measures for taxing digital income) will only come to pass if other countries promise to end their own Digital Services Taxes. While this is a reasonable price to pay, it is important that they only come to an end once the new agreement is signed and in place. Some think that this may be years away, although others think a deal may be done this year. It is not inconceivable either that the whole deal fails, as occurred with other OECD tax reform proposals in the 1990s.
Until the point of a new agreement being in place and operational, we will continue to call for a windfall digital services tax. It has now been agreed by 132 countries, and it looks like the implementation date will be 2023.
Covid shifting the tax focus
It looks like the Covid-19 pandemic is beginning to shift the course of world history. For over 40 years, the neoliberal consensus of keeping the government at arm's length, reducing taxation for the wealthiest in society and liberalising trade and taxation rules has held sway.
This has created a situation where income inequality soared, both within and between countries. These times of deep crisis have given the impetus for serious change to occur. Tax is the crucial building block for any sort of redistributive economic system.
These reforms could genuinely be the end of tax havens as we know them, the start of a fairer global tax system, and an end of the race to the bottom between nations offering ever lower corporate tax rates. We are nearly there, but it is not quite the time for our tax campaigning to pack up and go home yet.
What can consumers do?
If you enjoyed reading this article please:
follow our Tax Tech campaign
keep up to date by following our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube).
for more information about tax justice, you can follow the Tax Justice Network.
Tax campaign for big tech
Our Boycott Amazon campaign
Find out what tax avoidance is
See our list of tax havens
What makes a company unethical?
See our product guide to booksellers, including alternatives to Amazon
Holding global financial businesses to account
Ryan Brightwell, Director of Research at the Dutch NGO BankTrack, reports from the front line.
How your bank could be funding global deforestation and climate disaster
UK banks are fuelling deforestation around the world. Martha Marcuson, Senior Communications Advisor at Global Witness, explores the problem and what can be done to stop financial institutions funding the destruction of climate-critical forests. Also see our guide to ethical banking.
Q & A with Ethex
We caught up with Lisa Ashford, CEO of Ethex and Energise Africa, ahead of Ethical Consumer Week 2021 to hear about what they've got in store for the week and learn a little more about the world of ethical finance.
Big tech, tax and consumer attitudes
If Big Tech engaged with the ethical behaviour of consumers and business, it wouldn't take a deal by global leaders to ensure fair tax. Digital multinationals continue to underestimate the level of public consciousness around responsible business, but consumers still have a choice. Emma Davies explains more...


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Gorgeous, golden Art Nouveau-inspired floral design meets iridescent moonstones in the Nouveau Fan Moonstone necklace.
This delicate necklace is part of Electro, a collection of handcrafted jewelry inspired by the Native Sons Building in San Francisco, CA. The juxtaposition of old and new architectural elements in this historic piece of architecture inspired the modern yet ornate statement pieces in this special collection.
Check out the big sister and larger version of this special gem - Fancy Moonstone Necklace.


text:
On a Wave of Mutilation: Jays 16, BoSox 2
By hugo Aug 20, 2010, 11:38pm EDT
Share All sharing options for: On a Wave of Mutilation: Jays 16, BoSox 2
The Jays won a laugher today, but there's not much more fun than routing the Red Sox.
On the Mound:
Brett Cecil has had his problems with Boston, but today wasn't one of those days. Cecil pitched six scoreless innings before giving up a couple of runs in the 7th. He struck out 6 over 6 2/3 innings, walking three (one in the 7th), and did a nice job against a tough offense.
At the Plate:
The Jays started teeing off early against Boston starter Jon Lester and they never stopped, chasing Lester after two and not relenting after getting into the bullpen. Lyle Overbay crushed two three-man home runs and added an RBI single in the 8th for good measure for a 7-RBI day. Fred Lewis and John Buck (as well as the aforementioned Overbay) reached base 4 times apiece, and Yunel Escobar reached 3 times. Jose Bautista hit yet another home run, his 38th of the season, a solo job as so many of them have been. And how about that John McDonald, who hit a 3-run home run and also doubled and singled. Just a huge day for our offense.
From the Pen:
After Cecil left the game, Jesse Carlson (pitching against his hometown team) and Shawn Camp pitched a perfect 2 1/3 between them to close things out, with each notching a strikeout.
So that was fun. Too bad it only counts for one win (except in the land of Pythagoras). Jays of the Day are Overbay, Cecil, Buck, and Lewis. Tomorrow's game features an interesting matchup - Daisuke Matsuzaka for Boston and Ricky Romero for Toronto.


PHILLIP JACQUES was booked on 9/11/2018 4:56:00 PM. JACQUES was arrested by BEND POLICE DEPARTMENT in Bend, Oregon. JACQUES was 48 years old at the time of the arrest.
PHILLIP JACQUES may not have been convicted of the charges or crimes listed and are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Please contact the BEND POLICE DEPARTMENT for more information regarding arrest records.


text:
Margaret Ruth
What Do We Cover In Your Personal Reading?
Would you benefit from a personal reading? Call Margaret at 801-575-7103 or email MR@MargaretRuth.com to set up a convenient time to meet either inperson or phone/Skype.
People like you get a reading because they have questions, about their life and their feelings, that don't seem to have ready answers:
What is going on with me?
Why I am so stuck?
Will I ever get what I want?
Should I stay where I am at now?
When will things get better?
I have no idea what is going to happen to me. What can I do to make the future better?
Because of this, I tend to specialize in complicated people, those who need a very multidimensional look at their lives in order to get some answers that make sense and feel right.
Give Me 30 Minutes of Your Time And We Will Discover Your
Greatest Obstacles and Your Greatest Future Potentials
Get a reading with Margaret Ruth
The cost of your private reading with Margaret Ruth depends upon how long a session is best for you. A 45 Minute is $125.00; a 60 Minute Reading is $145.00; a 75 Minute Reading with Margaret Ruth is $170.00 USD
You can have a Phone, Skype or In-person Session.
Get a 45 Minute Reading with Margaret Ruth $125.00 USD Get a 60 Minute Reading with Margaret Ruth $145.00 USD Get a 75 Minute Reading with Margaret Ruth $170.00 USD
What people are saying...
University of Utah Continuing Education Division:Â Intermediate Tarot just wrapped up and the reviews are wonderful! Margaret Ruth will be back with Palmistry this summer!
Here is what one student had to say: "I greatly enjoyed the Intermediate Tarot class. The instructor, Margret Ruth, brought the tarot to life for me in concept and practice. The class was well paced, I never felt lost or overwhelmed, and I left having really learned some valuable information that I will use for a long time. "
âI just wanted to say how truly talented you are! Iâve been to many psychics and you are by far the most accurate. You hear all the time how psychics are too general and the reading you receive could fit anyoneâs life. But I truly believe you are connected to something that is hard to comprehend and you relay information that we really need to hear. But I must say you are very kind, giving and patient. You have a true gift and use it well. The world is a better place with people like you in it. Thanks again.â -R.W.
"Just finished reading your book!! love love loved it!! I had an 'ah ha' moment! I never fully understood how to know or live my truth! I get it now! thanks so much!" -J.B.
âHello Margaret Ruth...I just had to tell you that, as per usual, you were right!! You said I'd be moving in July...you said "getting a really strong 7" and I said, "No way...That is too soon" but, alas, you are ALWAYS right!â -J.B.
"I just wanted to take a moment and tell you thank you ! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you. I look forward to meeting again as I know have a hell of a lot more questions :) Your book is amazing." -S.B.
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Distance from Shāhi to Rāth is 328 kilometers. This air travel distance is equal to 204 miles.
The air travel (bird fly) shortest distance between Shāhi and Rāth is 328 km= 204 miles.
If you travel with an airplane (which has average speed of 560 miles) from Shahi to Rath, It takes 0.36 hours to arrive.
Shahi is located in India.
Rath is located in India.


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Frontsite
Fynn's positive life blog
On story expectations
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So this is kind of a general discussion, but the general rant I have is based on three popular 3DS RPGs: Bravely Default, Fire Emblem: Awakening, and Shin Megami Tensei IV. Sorry if this is chaotic, as I'm just writing this as it comes into my mind. Also, spoilers from the three games abound.
All of those games were very well received, though for different reasons. SMT is kind of here to serve as a neutral ground, as the evaluation of its story is pretty divided, whereas the consensus on the story of the other two is pretty much the opposite of what I believe.
So my general theory is that JRPGs have moved on from traditional stories but not in a way that would be expected (i.e. not relying on cliches and making new stuff). In a way, post-modernism now seems to be more and more en vogue, as evidenced by things like Danganronpa with its clashing tone and meta humor (and even more exaggerated in the sequel), and Bravely Default. This brings me to the first point. What Danganronpa is generally hailed to high heaven for, Bravely Default is slammed. On one hand, I can see why. The repetitions may have been interesting from a mets standpoint, as the player truly experienced the hopelessness that the characters did and it really drove home the main message of the game = that you have to keep moving forward, no matter what, without taking shortcuts - but then, it was a very tedious element of the gameplay and story. So here I can understand why that's considered a downside, as I personally am on the fence about this.
But it's the rest of the story that I really can't agree on with the consensus, and this really ties into Fire Emblem: Awakening. Both Fire Emblem: Awakening and Bravely Default rely heavily on anime and JRPG cliches, and yet, one is praised for its epic, incredible story, while the other is criticised for the very same thing, despite relying on similar cliches. I really struggle to understand why Awakening's story is so adored, as is really lacks a good structure and never does anything groundbreaking with any of its characters and plot elements. The support system is nice and all, but the role of the characters in the plot is negligible, the time travel twist is incredibly underutilized and underwhelming, and the villain is the most basic of basic villains. Garland had more depth.
Granted, Ouroboros from Bravely Default was also a "MUAHAHA destroy EVERYTHING!" bad guy, but the primary antagonist of the game is your exposition fairy from the beginning which is just such an awesome twist because it just plays with your expectations so much. Throughout the game you rely on her because you really have no other way of knowing that something is wrong and needs fixing and how to fix it. Then it slowly seeps in that you've been making the whole thing worse, despite making it better as well. Behind the cliched characters (that turned out to be very memorable and not so cliche after all in later chapters) is a story that deconstructs not only its initial premise, but basically everything we know and love about the genre as a whole. First, we have an evil atheist group picking on the innocent religious folk, which is a twist on the evil church trope, but then it turns out that not only what you're doing as you follow the teachings of that church is wrong and that the church is corrupt, which is a more typical trope, BUT THEN, it turns out neither side is completely good or bad and that people can coexist by talking to the members of the opposite faction and working together for a better future hand in hand. And that's just one plot thread and it's really smartly executed how it turns on tis head what we've come to expect from JRPGs.
Shin Megami Tensei IV suffers from another problem. And that's the exposure of the people to its subseries, Persona, clouding everyone's expectations. SMT by nature is very different than Persona, as Persona relies on character interactions in scenarios close to real life, where you get to know the characters from inside and out. The story of SMT IV is more focused on the world and the characters that make up that world, but in a much broader perspective. And that perspective works really well, IMO, as the terrible things that happen later you can really see how they impact the characters and their tragic friendships, despite us not knowing what soup Isabeau likes best.
I think that the reason why Danganronpa gets a pass and Bravely Default doesn't can be either the system it's released on, or the target audience. Or both, really, as there's overlap. Nintendo lives off simple games that reach a broad demographic, so perhaps a more postmodern approach is a bit too alienating for people just expecting a traditional fantasy story that Fire Emblem delivers? Or perhaps Danganronpa, being a visual novel, appeals to a more meta-liking crowd than a traditional turn-based RPG with an audience that grew up on, say, FFVII? SMT IV illustrates how the expectations can really influence that, as the people who did enjoy the story were fans of older, mainline SMT titles, whereas it was mostly the Persona 3 and 4 fans that criticised it.
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Rules & Game Mechanics
Kingdoms of Novitas
Having Goals for Your Character
By ubergeek2012, April 30, 2010 in Rules & Game Mechanics
ubergeek2012 0
Baby Slayer
Location:Dryden, NY
Interests:LARPs, anime, video games, science fiction, stuffing my fat face.
This is reposted (with permission) to show off what I thought was an excellent post from one of the players. I've also bolded what I think is the most important part. If I had something like this from every player, I'd be a happy man. Seriously, this makes the job of a GM much easier. It also makes it far more likely that plots the player will like will ind their way to him.
Here are my characters current goals an how he plans on achieving them:
Main Goals:
Discover how the mages of old wielded such great power,
Learn to wield such power, take on an apprentice to teach it to,
Begin to Rebuild Nalbendel if time allows.
Steps to achieving goals:
Seek out ancestors of mages from Nalbendel.
Find other scholars and researchers with a similar purpose.
Learn Piscean and become an emissary with them.
Uncover ancient texts and artifacts, or people who have them already.
Locate and speak to beings that can channel more power than me.
Continue to learn ancient languages that might help,
Contact a medium that can speak with the dead and spirits who may help.
Contact a druid whom speaks with trees, who may help.
Keep writing my life's work and experimenting with channeling more magic.
I was pretty surprised at the progress I've already made with these. I also figure Pinedale will change him, not being used to "adventuring" all the time, which is a really weird lifestyle, or at least it will be for him, and I'll come up with some secondary goals along the way. If there is one thing I've learned in this game, its to have goals and pursue them, otherwise the game can be hit and miss and totally reliant on what random plots you may or may not get.
hivemind 0
PR Nightmare
Location:Utica, NY
Interests:Games, IT, my wife, your mom...
The bold section is 100% correct. The players who consistently have a great time, every event, are those that have a good concept of their goals and directions for their character - and then work towards them.
The players who get bored and have a lousy time are invariably the ones that are playing themselves in funny clothes, sitting around waiting to be entertained.
The game is a sandbox. It is what you make of it. Some of the best events I ever had were with the HoCB when we had NO interactions with the GMs. There was a time when they just didn't seem to understand how to deal with us, and we got left largely alone for almost a year - and we had a bangin' time every event.
If this was a game where the PCs paid $150 to PC the whole weekend, I could see people getting irritated if they weren't entertained - but KoN is NOT that game, and will never be. For $20 we provide you with a world to go play in, and it's up to YOU to have fun in it.
Dren Ollevres 0
All up in yer' field, killin' yer dragonz.
Location:Maplewood
Interests:Yes.
I agree entirely. This is definitely something I'm going to be working towards this year. It took me over a year to realize it. I'm not saying I ever had a 'bad game', but I need to learn to not expect a spoon-feeding from plot in order to make my weekend exciting. It's all about putting in the effort and making shit happen as a PC.
There are weekends when the HoCB has so much shit planned to do they literally don't have time for GM plots...
psiko 0
Location:Oswego
Interests:Stuff
I remember those games. Those were always a blast. There's likely to be more of those in the near future. Consider yourselves warned... ;)
Papa Goob 0
Amateur Human Being.
Location:Albany, NY
Interests:Evil deeds do not prosper; the slow man catches up with the swift.<br />
--Homer, The Odyssey
I am particularly looking forward to "The Argument".
Septon Zander Fulke, Chosen of the Elemental
Location:Munnsville, NY
Interests:Novitas, Dagorhir and all sorts of other Nerd Shit
While I agree with everything here I think it's worth mentioning at least for my own sake that I never felt like it would be ok to post something like this to the gm's. It almost feels like "Hey look at my special snowflake's needs" and I am happy to hear there is a proper way to go about this.
Well, you just don't write it as a laundry list of demands and it's fine. These work best if they're things you can pursue regardless of GM involvement.
Right, there's no guarantee that you'll get what you're looking for but it helps when the GMs are looking for something to guide their plot writing.
Vicious the Jester 0
Armour Snob
Location:Rochester, NY
Interests:swords, computers, guns, role-playing games (LARP, tabletop, computer, etc), movies...
This is really no different than writing a character history, after the character has already been in play. This is something that could easily go into a blog. It never hurts for the GMs to know what your goals and motivations are, especially your motivations. There's been more than 1 time that I've been writing plot and couldn't figure out a way to draw a group into it.
This is also a good reason to use your group's private forums here because the GMs occasionally go trolling through them to get ideas, if you're actually willing to talk about goals and motivations there as well.
Important note here, note that this player includes ways to get other people involved in their plot. This isn't "all about me" plot. GMs, Marshals, Plot & Continuity, we love that stuff. The more you can include other people in your plot goals, the more GMs are likely to want to pick it up and use it. LARPing is a group activity. We want to entertain a bunch of people at the same time. Plot that only involves 1 person tends to be a waste of our time and resources.
You might also be thinking, "I'm not creative like this", then my recommendation is to get into a group that has at least one person who does do this, or get someone in your current group to do something like this, but make sure they're not the only thing driving that plot, otherwise, if they die, the plot dies with them.
Can we get this stickied? This thread is full of useful advice.
Go To Topic Listing Rules & Game Mechanics


monitoring the ungulates. The main goal is to prevent the wild fauna from going through the protected areas and to limit the damages to farms caused by ungulates.
The connectivity in rural areas will be possible by creating SAT connection systems, i.e.
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