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Home Reviews Third Person Games Dragon Age 2: Rise To Power
Dragon Age 2: Rise To Power
Written by Starfox
Don't shoot the story...
Don't talk to me unless I want t
Don't hurt me... much
I'm Hi-Tech
Developer: Bioware
Average Price (at review time): $40
Demo: Official Page
Official Site: http://dragonage.bioware.com/da2/home/
ESRB rating: Mature (Blood, gore, sexual content, violence)
PEGI rating: 18+ (Violence, gore)
The first point to be noted about Bioware is that it's like a good student with a a steady level of good notes. A, A+, B+, A, A+... you get the idea. Then suddenly the good student drops a C. In itself it's not a very bad note but it makes you wonder suddenly, WTF went wrong? Summarizing Dragon Age 2 goes about like that. It's an average game. Developed by any other studio, especially a new one, it would even be an "above average" game... But it's Bioware. And one thing is sure, Bioware never used us to a C. But before going into details about the feeling I had and why I had it, let's build a little background and set the game story regarding the whole Dragon Age universe as started with Dragon Age: Origins.
Before we go any further and talk about the main character and his/her story, it's better to point out first how the story is actually told because we have here a whole narrative effort playing in the background. The events depicted in the game are past actually and the one telling them is Varric, a Dwarf that is going to be one – if not the main – companion of your character during the game. Varric is, let's say, a businessman, loosely speaking, and he's arrested right at the beginning of the game by Cassandra Pentaghast, a Seeker of the Chantry (Seekers representing in the Dragon Age universe a new twist as they are kind of the secret services of the Chantry while in the first game the Chantry did not seem to have such a paramilitary organization, aside of the Templars).
The poor Varric was arrested because of his relationship with the Champion of Kirkwall (the title that your character will bear at some point). The Chantry is very interested in knowing the true story of the rise of the Champion and his/her exact role in the events that conducted to the gigantic global screw up that seems to affect the world of Thedas.
And Varric tells the story – not that he has a real choice in the matter – starting by the legend which of course only marginally corresponds to what really happened. It's the occasion for the player to take control of the main character for the first time. At this point you just get to choose your class but that's not important as Varric starts with a pack of bullshit. Pentaghast being midly pissed about that, he switches very soon to the real story.
This whole story spans over ten years divided in three chapters. Each chapter has a main quest that once completed leads to a jump in time to the next chapter, the transition being assured by a dialog between Varric and his *interviewer* Pentaghast. The narrative approach of the story is well implemented and doesn't come at the expense of the main storyline (which sadly has its very own problems). The narration of past events by a character who was one of the hero companions is a new twist in RPG and works nicely in Dragon Age 2 without disturbing the game (from a player point of view). This narration trick is one of the most brilliant aspects of the game.
Alas there are flaws.
I don't want any more darkspawn
The name of the central character of the game is Hawke (first name, you're free to choose... it defaults to Garrett for male and Marian for female). Hawke can be either a soldier (warrior or rogue) or a mage which modifies the story somehow (but not by much). If you start as a warrior or a rogue, then Hawke was with his/her brother at the ill fated battle of Ostagar which of course is the same battle than the one in DA:O where king Cailan and the Grey Wardens were defeated. If you start as a mage then Hawke is an apostate and as such was not at Ostagar for fear of being tracked down by the Templars. No matter the case, you don't get to relive the battle as the real story begins after it in a ruined Lothering as the whole of the Hawke family is fleeing the Darkspawn. It's at this point that the real game begins and that you can customize your character as in any other RPG.
This part of the story is described at leisure in the demo so there's no need to explain what happens. The important thing is that Hawke and a part of his family escapes to rejoin the city of Kirkwall in the Freemarches, across the sea North from Ferelden.
In the process, Hawkes looses either a brother or a sister (that depends actually on the class you choose to be. If you play a warrior/rogue you'll loose the warrior brother Carver and if you choose to play a mage, you'll loose the mage sister Bethany).
The fact above is worth mentioning because there begins the whole "shit happens because the story wills it and there's nothing you can do about it" trend of the game. If it was only for this particular event, I wouldn't mind but alas it's far to be the only one and further along up to the very end of the game, you'll notice a lot of bits that for story purpose can't be modified even if your character is in position to directly influence them. The number of times I replayed a part of the game differently just to finally meet the same outcome (or a very similar one) is quite ridiculously high for a RPG, especially a Bioware production.
And that's probably what bothers me the much about Dragon Age 2. During my playthroughs I was constantly reminded that my real place was on the back seat and that I was not meant to be the driver which is a bit weird for a RPG because this is normally the kind of game where your character is supposed to make a difference. Each time that I was in an apparent position to influence a particular outcome... BAM the game slapped me in the face and put me back to my rightful place, which of a spectator. Some of the story elements seem to be there just so that a NPC can place a comment about them later (comment that wouldn't have the same impact if Hawke was allowed to modify some outcomes). I agree that any RPG story needs a backbone to prevent players from wandering aimlessly but in Dragon Age 2 I was confronted to a whole skeleton with flesh attached. A book of sorts. The game felt that rigid to me with very little room to maneuver.
I don't know about most gamers but when I role play a character in a game, I expect it to matter and not just to be a helpless spectator to the situation that is evolving around him/her. If I wanted that I could always turn on my TV and watch the news, which sometimes depict events that affect me but over which I have no control other than the fact that a new tax may be voted because I helped – or not – to elect the current government.
In the end, Hawke appears to be a character involved in very big events which are about to affect the whole world of Thedas but over which he/she has very little to no control. Hopefully one can imagine that the rightful place of the hero will be restored in the third game as Hawke will be possibly called to stop the mess he/she didn't started but participated in but as far as it goes for Dragon Age 2 the main story feels more like something you have to endure, pretty much like your common FPS. In all you'll have to make a couple of major choices in the game, each that may or may not have an impact in Dragon Age 3 but that are of no real consequence in Dragon Age 2.
By comparison, DA:O had a more involving storyline as the game had only one loose string the player had to follow – gathering allies, defeating the Blight – but other than this string you were pretty much free to gather the allies any way you wanted and doing so to create outcomes that would be felt long after the end of the Blight (by putting a new king on the throne, deciding who was going to be the new king of Orzammar, retrieving/destroying the Anvil of the Void, killing the Dalish elves or the werewolves or solving the situation peacefully... etc.). Even if you didn't witness the results yourself, you knew that your decisions were going to have long lasting consequences. In Dragon Age 2, this feeling is gone with the wind of craziness that blows over Kirkwall. No matter what you think or what you're trying to achieve, the storyline stubbornly follows its own route making of Hawke possibly one of the least needed main character in a RPG ever... At most he/she is a vessel that serves to transport the player through the storyline.
The whole game reflect pretty much this "you're welcome to try but... whatever" up until the two possible endings that only differ depending on your previous choices in... well, nothing actually. You have a side to choose you fight the two same bosses no matter which side you chose and... that's pretty much it. As it is Dragon Age 2 story is worth a prologue, certainly not a full game. And that's probably what Dragon Age 2 is anyway, a mere prologue to Dragon Age 3.
In the end it's pretty amusing to see that some of Hawke's companions are the ones who shape up the great events in Kirkwall and that they just allow Hawke to tag along like a faithful mabari and to witness the progression of their own schemes.
Don't shoot the story, it's already full of holes
For Dragon Age 2, Bioware tried to follow the path of Mass Effect and offers the possibility to import your savegame for Dragon Age: Origin to draw the Dragon Age 2 universe. Alas, storyline inconsistencies and player's choices voluntarily ignored hamper the process and – depending on your DA:O experience – may make the whole thing significantly more idiotic in Dragon Age 2 than in Mass Effect 2. Depending on how you played Dragon Age: Origin and Awakening the bad impact may be mild all the way up to incredibly annoying. Some people who died in DA:O may suddenly reappear in DA2 whatever the reason may be. For instance, the original Dragon Age offered the possibility to kill Leliana at one point (during the "Sacred Ashes" quest, more precisely) and even though most players didn't kill her, those who did will have a shock seeing her reappear in Dragon Age 2, no matter what. Same goes for Zevran. Unlike Mass Effect Bioware seems to have taken the most likely player decisions and implemented those instead of implementing real player's decisions which kind of defeat the whole idea of savegame import.
Mind you, most of the save import feature still works as expected (like who the Grey Warden put on the throne of Orzammar and of Ferelden...) but it's always the things that are out of order that get noticed.
Also some timeline inconsistencies are plain ridiculous. Let's take the case of Anders, for example, one of Hawke companions who was also one of the Grey Warden's companions in Awakening. Not to mention that in at least one ending of Awakening Anders may die during the defense of Vigil's Keep – and still be a companion in DA2, no matter what – even when he survived the timeline is hard to follow. Story wise, at the moment you meet him in DA2 you shouldn't be able to – according to the ending story of Awakening where he follows the Grey Wardens for some years, go teach at the Circle of Ferelden for a few months, then go back to the Grey Warden; best case of availability for him would be a few years after the ending of Dragon Age 2. Always according to Awakening ending, Justice – the spirit that got mixed with Anders in DA2 – either vanished during the final assault on Vigil's Keep or continued to serve with the Grey Warden for many years before disappearing... No matter what he will be in Anders in DA2 even when he shouldn't.
All these little things – and others – let you think that not only the whole savegame import concept was botched for Dragon Age 2 but that extends to the storyline too that in some respects could simply exist in a parallel universe. Obviously and added to the lack of Hawke's impact in the grand scheme of Dragon Age 2 story arc, that does not make the game any more agreeable to follow or like.
In short the savegame import system of Dragon Age 2 seems to be there because it's "cool" and worked great in Mass Effect 2. Unfortunately it's not because a system works great in one game that it automatically works great in all games especially when you decide to implement it "on the fly" without thinking too much about it or the storyline consequences.
And the story inconsistancies don't stop with the save import feature. Know the difference between Ferelden Templars and Kirkwall Templars? Kirkwall Templars are brain dead... if you play as a mage. Right at the beginning of the game, when Hawke is fleeing Lothering, the first Templar you encounter spots that you're a mage right on even though he's in pretty bad shape while in Kirkwall you spend several years running under their nose (with a party that may contain up to two other mages) without even seeing one of them give a thought about it. So OK, maybe they're just not very clever and that the "mage" robes and "mage" staff Hawke wears and carries 90% of the time are not labeled "mage" enough but even when you find yourself forced to fight along side one of them against some abominations the guy does not even react. Yeah, he totally believes that you're just a normal citizen and that all the pretty colors you used to defeat the abominations were just a perfectly normal combat technique. It's only late in Chapter 2 that the truth finally blow their minds. "Wow! It's a mage! Can't believe we were that stupid!"
As far as the story goes this kind of inconsistancies does not help... at all especially when there were ways to go around the problem just by adding a few lines. For example the templar you help fight the abomination would tell Hawke "Well, I see you're an apostate. Nevertheless you helped me there so I'll let it slide. Just don't make me regret it later, ok?" That's the kind of thing that Bioware would have normally done to lighten what is arguably a plothole (as hawke is supposed to be very afraid to be caught by templars the fact that no templar is able to acknowledge a mage Hawke is absurd). But in general Dragon Age 2 is pretty far from what Bioware would normally do regarding the story. So I suppose it's not a surprise. I guess they just expected players to tune out the weird stuff and to focus on... well whatever they tried to do.
When Dragon Age 2 was in development, Bioware stated that you didn't need to play Dragon Age: Origin to play Dragon Age 2 and that Dragon Age 2 was a perfect entry point to the series for those new to the Dragon Age universe. You know what? They were right. In fact I would even go all the way to say that it's far more preferable if you never played Dragon Age: Origin or can successfully forget that you ever played it.
Keep your friends close, your rivals even closer
So what is it that you can do in the game if not being busy resolving the global mess (because the main quest could pretty much evolve alone even if your computer was playing the game on autopilot – if such a thing existed in computers – your presence being appreciated but not required). To give you the feeling that Hawke's decisions have a real importance, there are companions and there are the side quests you'll do with them. That's the big thing about Dragon Age 2 because the only real impact Hawke has during the span of the game is on the various companions met. The system there is not different from Dragon Age: Origin with an appreciation system with "friendly" on one side and "rivalry" on the other. When I say Dragon Age: Origin, it's clearly a mistake, excuse me. Let me rephrase that: the companion system is about the same than the one featured in Dragon Age: Awakening (the official expansion to Dragon Age: Origins). For me that was not without real unpleasant consequences.
Each companion features a set of quests spread across the 3 chapters of the game. Some of these quests are even tied to the main events of the game (this is true in particular for Varric's, Anders and Isabela). So let's introduce Hawke's companions:
Aveline: she's the first companion (aside the brother and/or sister) that Hawke meets in the game. She was married to a Templar – who dies early in the game contaminated by Darkspawn blood – and is a true born soldier with honor and justice as motto. If your character is the "paladin" type, then she probably will be your favorite character.
Varric: as already mentioned, he's a dwarf, and he's also kind of a jack of all trades with an ear to the ground and an infamous crossbow named Bianca. Varric is also a bit on the edge morally. He's a good character but doesn't mind going into a nasty business if that serves a purpose or if a profit can be expected. However he hates things that involve unnecessary brutality and prefer to talk his way out of situations, only fighting as a last resort.
Isabela: beside the fact that she was already featured as a minor character in Dragon Age: Origins, Isabela is a pirate lady who lost her ship in some unfortunate circumstances. As she cannot sail anymore and that Hawke gave her a hand (no pun intended) in some matter, she decides to stick around at least until she can find a new ship. Being a pirate and a rogue, Isabella is clearly on the wrong side of the law. She also has a sexual appetite unusually developed which makes of her quite the easy choice as a romance option – if that word can be applied to her case.
Anders: yeah, Anders is the same Anders from Dragon Age: Awakening except that you get two for the price of one as for some reason, Anders melted himself with the spirit Justice (also from Awakening) resulting in a guy even more crazy than he previously was. The rebel mage turned into a possessed guy a bit nasty. Technically he is an abomination but most of the time he doesn't really behave like one.
Merril: is an elf. She's also an avowed blood mage and doesn't have two brain cells to rub together if we are to believe her numerous comments and (in one of my playthroughs) the lovely way she had to blow up one of the few persuasion attempts my sarcastic Hawke was allowed to make. As with Isabela, Merril comes directly from Dragon Age: Origins (that is if you started the story as a Dalish elf – she was the one that accompanied you during the prologue). First to the keeper of her clan, she's trying to restore the infamous Eluvian (mirror) that was the cause of the initial corruption of the Dalish Elf Grey Warden by the Darkspawn. Trying to restore the mirror led her to take advice from a demon and to become a blood mage. Aside from that she seems a nice girl though, that is if you fancy the "so naive that I don't know what's going on most of the time" type. Just don't go say anything bad about blood magic under her nose.
Fenris: is an elf slave that comes from the Tevinter Imperium. Submitted to the whims of his former Magister master from the claws of whom he escaped several years ago, Fenris is a broody character who hates magic and mages. For him every single bad thing that happened in the world and in his life was the direct or indirect result of magic and its use by mages. The amusing twist is that he uses magic itself, his lyrium tattoos giving him increased performance in combat. No matter what he still hates magic and mages. If you play as a mage don't expect a friendly attitude unless you spent your time to tell him that he's right, that all the mages should die and that you're so vile and dirty yourself that you should jump into the nearest lava pit. If you're not the kind to apologize for being what you are then you should target the rivalry with him.
Carver/Bethany: Hawke's brother/sister (depending on the one who survived). Carver is a dumbass that considers himself overshadowed by Hawke and want to achieve his own destiny preferably far from his siblings. He also harbors some kind of hatred for mages which is probably due to the fact that magic runs in the family. Bethany is more agreeable... At least you don't get the feeling that you're about to kill her at her every single word unlike Carver.
Those are about the basic companions for Dragon Age 2. One already popped up as a day one DLC (surprise surprise) but won't be discussed here even though he should have been (as I see it) part of the main game. But that's EA marketing to you; It sucks which is not surprising.
Don't talk to me unless I want to
Taken separately, those companions show some promise. So why weren't I able to really care for any of them – Varric being somewhat the only exception? The reason lies in the way the whole companion thing is handled. As I stated previously the system is about the same than Awakening and I didn't care for any of the characters there either (except for Oghren and that's because I already knew him). It didn't really bothered me for Awakening though as it was an expansion, not a full game. Had I known that the system would be implemented in Dragon Age 2 I would have said: "Stop right there!".
What's the problem? Basically it is that you only really get to converse with your different companions when the game tells you to do so, not when you wish to. Conversations is even handled via quests. Basically when the game wants you to speak to one of your companions, it creates a quest especially for that purpose. It's really one of the worst way to handle relationships ever, far worse than DA:O and even worse than Mass Effect 2 (and despite the fact that after a while ME 2 companions have nothing new to tell you). Outside of those special "go talk to them" quests, the only thing you'll get out of your companions are basic comments about the situation.
For me the whole thing didn't work in Awakening and it doesn't work in Dragon Age 2 either. Consequently I felt emotionally detached from the characters, only accomplishing their quests because there was a point in making the story progress -- the way Dragon Age 2 is built if you decide to ignore companions quests then you'd better not play the game at all. It's the very first full game by Bioware (if I set aside the Awakening expansion) where I felt that way. In their other games I was able to love or hate characters but there... just about nothing.
Varric is somewhat the exception because he's the only companion that has a real presence during the whole game as both a companion and the story narrator and as such he finishes by imposing himself to you.
I love you... or not
Romance is possible in Dragon Age 2 though given my personal grip about the companionship system I hardly cared for that. It is worth mentioning though that all the characters that can be romanced are bi so the gender you choose to be is irrelevant (simplification is the keyword of this game; why bother with sexual preferences?). Characters that cannot be romanced are Carver / Bethany – for obvious family reasons – Aveline and Varric (for story reason... I guess).
Due to the companionship system already mentioned, even romances are awkward anyway. I romanced Isabela during my first playthrough and that was just because it fell right in my lap without me having anything special to do for it. But then we never talked about it again for several years (game time). There again the companionship handling is the culprit. Why even having romance when the only feeling you get from the game is just "screwing around" (forgive my expression).
Do you like my persona?
In Dragon Age 2, Bioware introduced a new twist to the conversation system and I'm not talking about the obvious conversation wheel. You may like this one or not. Personally I do not dislike it. It worked well in Mass Effect and it works as well in Dragon Age 2. No, the real twist is what Bioware calls dominant persona. So what is it? Well, in the game depending on your answers your character can be diplomatic, sarcastic or forceful. After a while the dominant persona of your character will be the one you use the most. So for example, if you chose mostly sarcastic answers then your character persona will stick to sarcastic introductions and comments when meeting new characters or situations. This will also open some new dialog options that will allow you in a few cases to defuse some situations.
On the paper the thing seems to be very nice. Between the paper and playing the game there is a huge difference however. First of all, for the thing to work, you have to stick to a chosen persona, not to spread your answers all over the place. If like me you like switching your style depending on the situation or the character you talk to the whole persona thing impact is considerably reduced. Second of all, even when the persona works (which was the case on my second playthrough where I decided to be exclusively sarcastic denying myself any kind of flexibility which I never do even in real life) there are problems. Sometimes your character may sound like a downright idiot depending on the situation.
The whole thing is aggravated by the fact that diplomacy, persuasion and intimidation options have been mostly eliminated. Rather than basing those options on your character attributes, Bioware chose to base them on your character persona effectively taking out any kind of peaceful resolution from most situations. After 2 playthroughs you quickly discover that some situations can only be solved peacefully with the right persona. If your character persona is diplomatic then you'll be able to defuse some situations but not the same ones than if your character persona is sarcastic. The wrong persona for a given situation will automatically result in a fight, unless you have a joker in your party (and that is only in a few cases).
That's another thing. The joker companion. Now if you're confronted to a situation that is seemingly unsolvable by your character because of a wrong persona, you may be able to call in a companion to talk your party out of the issue if and only if the right companion is in your party. For example, Varric can help you in situations involving a sarcastic solution (if your character is sarcastic you can do it yourself). That doesn't work in all cases however and in some particular instances only your character can do the trick with the right persona. In case of wrong persona and if you don't have any suitable character to assist then you're screwed which in most cases means that you'll be forced to fight. Which conveniently leads us to the combat system.
The combat gameplay is oddly enough the part of the game for which I have mixed but good feeling except for one or two specific complaint. That's a pretty unusual fact for a Bioware game where generally the storyline is much more brilliant than the gameplay. Sure despite the claimed fact that difficulty was decreased compared to the insanity that was DA:O, it is still challenging at times, especially during some of the boss fights. However, the combat dynamic itself is much more fun that it was especially for classes like mage, or a 2 handed warrior.
As for the complaints, the biggest one would be the constant and often ridiculous enemy spawning. Most fights actually go that way: you enter a room with enemies, you fight and defeat them then another wave comes down – and when I say "comes down" I mean literally, sometimes they just fall from the roof – you defeat them again then a third wave arrives... And so on. In any case you may expect a minimum of 3 up to 4 or 5 waves. In general the enemies spawn around you (which would effectively make of friendly-fire an utter pain in the ass if it was implemented on all levels of difficulty like it was in DA:O). Where it becomes really ridiculous is when you see the enemy spawning right under your nose out of thin air.
All in all the combat is much more dynamic than DA:O, and less tactical even though the use of tactics is still enforced. Some will have hard time to get over the lack of any "top-down" tactical view though it's not my case as even in DA:O I barely used this view at all.
However there's for me a definitive no go as far as gameplay is concerned. Enemies that become invincible while using some abilities. Let's say, you're targeting a rogue and go for a backstab. But the rogue at this same moment activate stealth. No matter, your strike connects before he disappear... but with no result at all. Visually the guy is still there. Visually your blades are right through him but the game decides that the guy was already in stealth when your hit occurred, even if he was still visible on the screen, denying any damage done by your attack. That goes for other enemies as well, notably enemy casters, rage demons... pretty much every enemy that has the ability to go out of view at some point. It's confusing and unnerving. Being unable to target and hit an enemy that is concealed is normal... Being unable to hit an enemy just because an animation is playing is confusing and unnerving especially because your spell/ability is lost for nothing.
And the traps... What about the traps. There are traps in the game (like there was in DA:O) but the amusing thing is that most of the time you cannot even detect them. If your character is a rogue your chances of detecting a trap before stepping on it are slightly better. The trap detection distance has been so much reduced that even when you have a rogue in your party if he/she is not in point he/she will fail to detect most of the traps before you step on them. That's certainly an amusing trick especially because one of the perks of being a rogue or of having a rogue in your party is being able to detect traps.
What's in my backpack?
As far the character progression goes, you still have full control over the attributes already present in the first game as well as your own inventory and to a lesser extent to the inventory of your companions.
The way the attributes influence the game has been somewhat modified. For example the percentage of critical chance is no more determined by the weapon used but by the dexterity attribute. Rogues are especially favored with the new attribute distribution as their two main attributes (dexterity for the amount of basic damage/attack and cunning to disarm trap and open locks) are also used to calculate critical chances, critical damages and defense. The end result is that rogues represent the class the most likely to deal quickly the most critical hits with the most extended damage while having a very decent defense while other classes need to distribute some points in those attributes that are not their favored ones hence sacrificing some points that would go to their favored attributes otherwise. In the other hand, warriors are favored as tanks as their main attribute (strength) beside determining the basic damage done also serves to calculate the chances to ignore or reduce some disabling effects like knock back or stun.
Although you remain in control of the whole inventory for your own character, the biggest twist about your party management is certainly the fact that you can't anymore change your companions outfits. These ones are defined for each companion à la Mass Effect 2 and evolve with them the only customize option you have being to find (mostly buy) upgrades for each companion armor. Those upgrades cannot be fitted to any companion, each of them is specifically tailored for one companion. This was supposed to allow each companion to have his/her own defined style tailored to his/her own personality so in fact they were supposed to increase the personality impact of each companion. Unfortunately, companion personalities are not all about how they look. To put it simply, the personalities of your companions in DA:O were more marked despite the fact that they could all be dressed in the same standard armor.
Recycling is good... for the environment
I had the obviously wrong idea that Bioware definitely abandoned area recycling after the first Mass Effect. As a matter of fact in both Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origin it was impossible to find a new area that looked exactly like one you already explored before. Sadly this is no longer true in Dragon Age 2 where recycled areas make their big comeback, at least as far a side-quests location are concerned.
In all, there's no more than 2 basic cave designs, 2 mansion interior designs, 2 Deep Roads designs, a couple of outside area designs and you spend your time exploring those. To make the thing a bit more intriguing, Bioware changed the entry points, the furniture, in some cases the lighting and open or close some door/passages in an attempt to trick us into thinking that it is not the exact same area we already explored a gazillion times. Unfortunately, that doesn't work. The feeling of dejà vu is already there the first time you go to explore a second cave that is supposed to be distinct from the first one you explored previously but however looks amazingly similar and it only gets worse after that.
Recycling may be good for the environment but definitely not for games.
Technically, Dragon Age 2 applies a scheme that to some is utterly curious. In the facts, the game only support DirectX 9 and DirectX 11 but allow playing with DirectX 10 cards (as DX10 commands can be sent via DX11). That is not going without some effects depending on what OS version and card you possess. So here's the deal:
For Windows XP/Vista and 7:
DirectX 9 (Windows XP/Vista/7) plus any supported card = play with low or medium quality settings
For Windows Vista and 7:
DirectX 11 plus supported DX10 card = play up to high quality settings
DirectX 11 plus DX11 card = play up to very high quality (max) settings
So if you still run XP you'll be limited to low or medium quality, no matter the card you have as XP is DX9 only. If you have Vista or Seven and a DX10 graphic card you'll be able to play with up to high quality settings, very high quality settings being only achieved with Vista/Seven AND a DX11 card (AMD/ATI HD5xxx or HD6xxx series and Nvidia 4xx and 5xx series).
Additionally Bioware released on the same day as the game a HD texture pack (that curiously wasn't included on the game DVD and must be downloaded separately even if you bought the retail version of the game). Officially though, this texture pack is only working if you run the game in DX11 with a DX11 card. Too bad because without this textures pack, vanilla textures looks like crap, especially when playing in high quality mode.
But running the game in DX11 with very high quality settings engaged is not necessarily worth it anyway. The only real big change between high and very high setting being the use of DX11 tessellation capability (DX11 creates polygons from textures, instead of just having "flat" textures). But that has a cost. On current middle range hardware such as the Radeon HD6850 card, your framerate is cut in half, the visual gain not really compensating the framerate loss. If your computer is powerful enough, the game is still playable but may become sluggish in some areas.
So what do you make of that Sherlock?
It's not that Dragon Age 2 is a very bad game. Would it have been developed by a newcomer on the video gaming scene I would have qualified it of "promising albeit quickly wrapped with significant room for improvement". But this is Bioware we're talking about. They are not newcomers, they are some of the best in the industry when it comes to RPG and Dragon Age 2 just does not meet the bare minimal expectations I have when I put a Bioware product in my drive. I was replaying Mass Effect (the first one) the other day and it is just so much better when it comes to characterization and storyline handling. Mass Effect 2 was even better in these areas.
But after having replayed (yeah I am that masochist) the game a couple more times I decided to go and play the Arrival DLC for Mass Effect 2, and I realized something amazing: Dragon Age 2 storyline barely accomplishes anything more than the story-bridging Arrival; it's just an over-sized story bridge between the Dragon Age: Origin universe and the probable Dragon Age 3. It sets most of the stuff that will play a role in Dragon Age 3 but does not let the player be really involved in it -- indeed some of your DA2 companions have more impact on the storyline than your own character (despite his big -- and over-hyped as far as I'm concerned -- "Champion" title). Whereas Arrival lasts about 1 hour and a half however, Dragon Age 2 roughly average 38 hours. 38 hours for a story-bridge; was it really worth a game? Why not a book instead?
Finally it's this feeling to just get a fourth of a real Bioware game that is probably the most disconcerting , especially for a story that is supposed to last about 10 years. Dragon Age: Origin lasts just one year and the possible combinations were endless when compared to DA2.
With Dragon Age 2, Bioware just offers us some kind of hack and slash sub-product that they shouldn't be proud of. It's obvious they tried to build a more enjoyable and accessible gameplay but doing so it's like if they dropped the ball on the aspects that always make their games successful to me. And that is seriously worrying. Those of you who read our reviews of other Bioware products on the Foxhole know how much we generally appreciate Bioware games and for what reasons we do. It makes the very average note of Dragon Age 2 even more painful. So let's make that a warning... Wrong move Bioware. Just let it be the only one you make.
Review summary 5.0/10
The narration of the story by Varric is a nice trick
A more enjoyable combat system
It could be much worse... I guess General storyline inconsistancies that may be aggravated if you import a savegame where you made choices that are contrary to Bioware "canon"
Bad companionship handling that may make players emotionally detached from the NPCs they should care about
Lack of participation of the main character in any big decision making of the player a spectator to the big events more than anything else
The persona concept denies all kind of flexibility to the player regarding how a specific situation could be handled.
The Witcher - Director's Cut Edition
Mass Effect 2 DLC
Thief: Deadly Shadows
[HL1] Todesangst
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Brief bio: I got involved in the research group led by Dr. Jianmin Wan early on my undergraduate career, where I focused on the genetic regulation of rice development. During my PhD, I mainly identified the important roles of OsSHI1 transcription factor on plant architecture and PFP enzyme on grain quality in rice. I continued my postdoc research in the State Key Laboratory for Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement to study about the genetic basis for rice grain quality.


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Home > Daily WebLogs > 2017 > 12-2017 > Philippine Trip Report, Part 1
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Philippine Trip Report, Part 1
The Open Door Ministry, which was prophesied three decades ago, was launched at our Tabernacles conference, October 15, 2017.
Our first Open Door journey took place when Brad and I flew to the Philippines on October 24, 2017. We arrived in Manila the next day, where we spent the night at a hotel, and then we flew to Davao City on the morning of October 26.
The conference itself, held every two months, was sponsored by Apostle David, whose church I attended from 2009 until he moved to South Korea in 2014. He commutes every two months to the Philippines, where he has been building relationships with many pastors and churches, with the idea of setting up a Bible School in Davao. (He will be spending the entire month of February 2018 in Davao making preparations for that Bible School. The idea is for me to help with the curriculum.)
So the conference this time was held on October 26-28. I had requested not to speak at the regular conference, since I preferred to spend more time in a single location so that I could develop a deeper teaching over a period of a week. So other members of the team preached during that conference: Cathy Gronfield, Pastor Saah, and Apostle David.
Here are some worship dancers at the conference.
Also, a group of handicapped people blessed us with a few songs of joy and praise.
My first teaching session came in the evening of October 28, where I addressed a group of pastors and teachers. I talked about our identity in Christ, the old man vs. the new man. Only one pastor seemed to have a problem with this. It sounded to him like "hyper-grace." I asked him for his definition of the term, but others broke into the discussion, and we never got back to it.
The rest of the pastors, including our host, Pastor Sammy Sanchez, told me later that he was in agreement with me, not because I taught it, but because I backed it up with plenty of Scripture. I was glad to hear that Scripture was the critical issue to him. Here is Pastor Sammy and his wife, Evelyn. Sammy has some experience with the spirit of denominationalism. That helps!
In the morning, Brad and I split up, each scheduled to speak at a different church. He was able to minister on the emotional problems of not knowing your true identity in Christ, and then was able to counsel a girl who had been contemplating suicide, bringing her back to joy.
I spoke at Pastor Cano's church, pictured below.
I taught from Isaiah 52:15 through Isaiah 53 and related it to the story of Philip in Acts 8:26-40. I taught on this, because a couple of nights earlier, the Father had revealed this to me. Isaiah 52:15 was a prophecy that was fulfilled (first) by the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. He was the one who did not understand Isaiah 53, and so he asked Philip to explain it to him.
The eunuch was also baptized in Acts 8:38, as prophesied in Isaiah 52:15, which says, "Thus He will sprinkle many nations." The Ethiopian eunuch was fulfilling this, along with all the Samaritans who had been baptized earlier.
My point was that Philip was the first evangelist to begin fulfilling The Great Commission, while the other disciples remained in Jerusalem after Pentecost. Philip was a type of the Philippines. So my purpose was to instill in the people the vision of sending missionaries to other parts of the world, even as Philip went to Samaria. Of course, my own purpose was (and is) to teach them the Scriptures in order to equip them to fulfill their calling.
After the meeting, Pastor Cano was driven to the airport, because he had been scheduled to fly to Alaska as a missionary for the next two years. So after the meeting, people hugged him and cried over him, knowing that he would be gone for a long time.
Pastor Cano's son, pictured below, will be taking charge of the ministry in his father's absence. This picture shows the front of the church.
It occurred to me that my word to that church was being confirmed by signs, because Pastor Cano was acting out the part of Philip the evangelist. I believe that he was the sign of the first to be sent out, as Philip, to Samaria.
That also suggests that Samaria is the USA. The original Samaria, of course, was the capital of the House of Israel. Interesting. In Philip's time, Samaria was the land of mixture, not only ethnic mixture, but also religious mixture. When Israel was deported from the land by the Assyrians, the king of Assyria brought immigrants to Samaria to replace them (2 Kings 17:23, 24).
But they ran into a problem when "the Lord sent lions among them which killed some of them" (2 Kings 17:25). So the newcomers concluded that they needed to have some understanding of the local god of that land, and they sent for one of the exiled priests who had gone into captivity with the rest of the Israelites. This priest returned to the land and began teaching at Bethel.
But the new immigrants still retained their old gods and their own ways. We read in 2 Kings 17:28, 29, 41,
28 So one of the priests whom they had carried away into exile from Samaria came and lived at Bethel and taught them how they should fear the Lord. 29 But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. 41 So while these nations feared the Lord, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day [i.e., Ezra's day after the Babylonian captivity].
The result was a mixture that sounds very much like how the church developed after the first few centuries had passed. When Christianity was legalized in the fourth century, many pagans became nominal Christians in order to please the emperors, but they also brought much of their paganism into the church. Many church leaders did not care, and others who did care were powerless to stop it. Pagan temples were turned into churches. Statues of the gods and goddesses were renamed as Christian saints. Pagan holidays were given Christian names and meanings. As long as the pagans submitted to church leadership and subscribed to the latest creeds, they maintained good standing in the church.
This problem is still rampant in the Philippines as well, where the Roman church is strong. It was common knowledge in my early years in the mission school that most of the people who attended the local Catholic church on Sunday worshipped their idols at home during the rest of the week. They saw little difference between the statues in the church and the statues at home.
So Pastor Cano flew to America as a missionary to modern "Samaria." I believe that he was a sign of things to come, a sign that confirmed the message that I was led to give. Of course, the greater fulfillment is yet to come. Philip's trip to Samaria occurred after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Today we await the greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will facilitate a greater fulfillment of the Great Commission in our time.
Yet meanwhile, we do not sit here doing nothing. The future Filipino evangelists must be taught and trained, so that the Holy Spirit has something to work with in sending them out. Our task is to give them a greater vision and understanding of the Scriptures, so that they can better fulfill their calling and destiny.
Philippines Trip Report, Part 2
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Fry denies 'Doctor Who' rumours
Stephen Fry says he will not pen an episode of BBC show Doctor Who, but is writing a script for Peter Jackson.
By Joanne Oatts
Actor, writer and comedian Stephen Fry said he would not be writing an episode of Doctor Who, despite rumours to the contrary.
There has been widespread speculation about Fry appearing in and writing an episode of the cult show since 2005.
Fry, who was speaking at a press launch of new ITV1 drama Kingdom today, said he unfortunately did not have the time.
He said: "They asked me to do a series and I tried, but I just ran out of time, and so I wrote a pathetic letter of 'I'm sorry I can't do this' to Russell Davies."
Fry made a guest appearance in a special webcast version of Doctor Who in a story called "Death Comes to Time," in which he plays a Time Lord, the Minister of Chance.
Fry is certainly busy. He added that he is currently writing a film script for Peter Jackson, with veteran broadcaster David Frost as executive producer, for a movie about the World War II 'Dambuster' raids. In addition, he is finishing a pantomine script for Kevin Spacey for London's Old Vic theatre, and filming a documentary for BBC Two on HIV and Aids.
More From Doctor Who
Russell T Davies confirms new Doctor Who project
Why new Doctor Who casting was missed opportunity
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Whoopi Goldberg wants to be first US Doctor Who
First look at Christopher Eccleston Dr Who return
The Expanse references Doctor Who, Game of Thrones
Doctor Who star talks pressure playing The Master
BBC responds to Jodie Whittaker Doctor Who report
Doctor Who special references a fan-favourite
Did Doctor Who just set up a Torchwood revival?
BBC denies 'Doctor Who' rivalry rumours
'Doctor Who' writer denies Nesbitt rumour
Joanna Page denies 'Doctor Who' rumours
Robert Carlyle denies 'Doctor Who' rumours
Fry interested in writing 'Doctor Who'
'Doctor Who' Eccleston rumours denied


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Q: What does the mean "[](unsigned char x)"? What does the mean [](unsigned char x)
Here is my code:
#include <algorithm>

std::string str1 = "Text with some     spaces";

str1.erase(std::remove(str1.begin(), str1.end(), ' '), str1.end());

std::cout << str1 << '\n';

std::string str2 = "Text\n with\tsome \t whitesspaces\n\n";

str2.erase(std::remove_if(str2.begin(), str2.end(), [](unsigned char x) {return std::isspace(x);}), str2.end());

std::cout << str2 <<'\n';

A: It's the beginning of a lambda function defintion:
[](unsigned char x) {
    return std::isspace(x);
}

This defines a temporary function receiving a unsigned char and returning an int (automatically determined by the return value of std::isspace, since the lambda did not specify a return type).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Gmina Kula (serb. Opština Kula / Општина Кула) – gmina w Serbii, w Wojwodinie, w okręgu zachodniobackim. W 2018 roku liczyła 39 609 mieszkańców.

Przypisy

Kula

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Russia rocket to fetch cosmonauts from ISS
Russia will launch another Soyuz rocket to bring home two cosmonauts and a United States astronaut from the International Space Station after their original capsule sprang a coolant leak.
The leak stemmed from a tiny puncture in the external radiator of the Soyuz MS-22 capsule currently docked to the ISS and had been due to bring the three crew members back to earth in March.
"The expedition of Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and Francisco Rubio to the ISS is being extended," Roskosmos said.
"They will return to earth on Soyuz MS-23.
"The launch of the Soyuz MS-23 will be on February 20, 2023 in an unmanned mode."
The MS-23 launch had earlier been planned for mid-March.
Soyuz MS-22 will descend to earth without a crew, it said.
Roskosmos said damage to the radiator pipeline occurred as a result of a meteorite.
"The diameter of the hole is less than one millimetre," it said.
The incident has disrupted Russia's ISS activities, forcing a suspension of spacewalks by its cosmonauts as officials focus on the leaky capsule, which serves as a lifeboat for the crew.
The leak is also a problem for NASA.
The US agency said last month it was exploring whether SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft could offer an alternative ride home for some ISS crew members, in case Russia was unable to launch another Soyuz.
Business backs climate policy, coalition seeks to fight
Concerns have been raised that stalling changes to climate change regulation and laws will allow business uncertainty to fester.Labor is gearing up for a fight against the opposition and wrangling with the Greens on its climate policy, in particular changes to the safeguard mechanism.
French immigrant confused by Aussie kitchen habit
A French woman has taken to social media to ask why Aussie's don't rinse off soapsuds when washing the dishes.


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Home Fashion Celebrity Style
Chiara Ferragni got married in custom-made Dior
The super popular blogger, Chiara Ferragni aka The Blonde Salad, got married on Saturday, with the Italian rapper Fedez. The outdoor ceremony was held at Dimora delle Balze, a secluded 19th-century palazzo in Noto. Chiara flew all her friends & family on a private Alitalia flight and the guests were welcomed at the airport by mascot versions of the couple. The wedding festivities started one day earlier, on August 31st, leading to the big rehearsal dinner at Noto Bassi di Palazzo Nicolaci. Chiara wore a Prada dress for her rehearsal dinner, and the night was very emotional but also very fun. For the wedding the #TheFerragnez was created, and everyone posted photos from the wedding weekend online. Marco Ferragni, the bride's father, was the one that escorted her down the aisle, following the bridesmaids, all dressed in custom pink Alberta Ferretti dresses. Her sisters were 2 of the bridesmaids, along with some of her closest friends. Chiara wore a custom Dior dress, consisted of an embroidered playsuit, and a long tulle skirt. Her shoes were also Dior, personalized with her name on one of the shoes. For the reception, Chiara wore a second custom dress by Dior, with embroideries and romantic phrases stitched into them. To make the dress more personal, she had the Dior Teaam add phrases from the song, Fedez wrote (and proposed with) for her. After the dinner, she switched her long skirt for a mini tulle one, allowing her to be able to enjoy the night even more. The night ended with a performance by Fedez, and an amusement park full with a Ferris wheel, and a carousel, and of course, lots of fireworks.
Royal Wedding | Celebrity Style
The Royal Wedding was held on May 19th, in Windsor, and hundreds of guests were invited to join the ceremony, and celebrate the marriage of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. According to the dress code on the invite, men were invited to wear military uniform, morning coats, or lounge suits while women were advised to choose a "day dress with hat". Some guests followed the dress code, while others followed their own path, and were "frowned upon" by the media. Our favorite dress was definitely the one Amal Clooney wore.
Met Gala 2018 | Celebrity style
The title of the Costume Institute's blockbuster 2018 show, for the Met Gala, was Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, and it's one of the biggest that has ever been produced, with Vatican having lent approximately 50 pieces from the Sistine Chapel Sacristy. But how did the celebrities interpreted the theme of the event? Some added a bejewelled crucifix on their couture attire, while others opted for halos, or High Renaissance inspiration. Katy Perry took it even further, by wearing a Versace gold outfit (with over-the-knee boots), and full-on wings. We can't really pick favorites here, because there were so many inspired outfits, but we'll tell you which ones we found more impressive, and on-theme.
Meghan Markle's Style Evolution
Everyone is talking about Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's wife-to-be, these days, but we had noticed Meghan and her style, way before their engagement, or even their relationship started. Meghan is an actress, mostly known for her role as Rachel Zane, in the popular TV show, Suits. As a TV series aficionado, of course I was already watching the show, and I actually loved her style on the show. But has Meghan's style changed a lot since her early days, or even after her relationship with Prince Harry was announced? Well, we went way back to 2008, and even though she did choose different outfits and styles back then, as it's natural, her style core has stayed more or less the same. Meghan have always chosen midi dresses and skirts, but she also liked shorts and jeans. She was always known for her high stiletto heels, her long hair and chic style. So we think she'll have no difficulty fitting into her new role as Prince Harry's fiance and soon-to-be wife. We love how she changed her style slightly after the announcement of the relationship, and she's looking amazing in the most recent photos of their engagement with Prince Harry. We actually can't wait to see her style evolve even more in the future, and we're hoping that she'll be bringing a breath of fresh air into the Royal family. Let's hope so! We'll definitely keep an eye on her and her style. But for now, let's see how her style evolved from 2008 and on (the top picture shows her more recent style choices).
Which Boots are on trend this season| Winter Fashion 2017
Photo: 1. stylishfashions.us – 2.theblondesalad.com
Everyone knows that boots are a staple in every woman's wardrobe during Winter. And let's be honest we all own more than we need. But can you blame us? Each year fashion industries come out with the most adorable patterns and designs. What are though the latest trends and which boots, the beauty bloggers and influencers choose this Winter? We are about to find out.
Nina Dobrev captivates us in her latest interview for Ocean Drive Magazine
Nina Dobrev is charming than ever in her latest interview for Ocean Drive Magazine. She appears in September's cover wearing a Prada jacket, top and skirt while posing poolside. Her stylist Ilaria Urbinati chose pieces from the fall collections of famous brands like Versace, Emporio Armani and Dolce & Gabbana. As part of the People's Most Beautiful issue and especially part of the no make up on section, she talks about unrealistic beauty standards and how they affect the young girls in her opinion. Take a look below for more shots.
Best dressed celebrities at the Cannes Film Festival 2017
The 70th Cannes Film Festival has started, and we've already seen some amazing appearances both on the red carpet and on the streets from celebrities such as actresses, singers and models attending the premieres and events. The list of celebrity attendees is big, but included big names such as Nicole Kidman, Kendall Jenner, Uma Thurman, Rihanna, Susan Sarandon and many more. Here are some of the best looks we've seen so far:
Celebrity Style: Amber Heard
Amber Heard started getting widely known after her relationship with Johnny Depp. Ηowever she will always be my new age Old-Hollywood glamour icon. Her very feminine look is not something she creates for her red carpet appearances – she always dresses like that, reminiscing a beauty of another era. Either wearing glamorous gowns or tuxedos, with or without red lipstick, she always looks stunning. So this article, as you may have already understood, is going to feature her best looks. Enjoy!
*This is a guest post by Marianna of Vintageholicblog.com. Find her also on Instagram!!
Celebrities on the red carpet of Cannes Film Festival
The first day of Cannes Film Festival is finally here and many celebrities like Victoria Beckham, Naomi Watts and Kirsten Dunst didn't miss a chance to shine on the red carpet, wearing designers' gowns. See the chicest appearances of the Cafe Society movie premiere which took place on the first day of the festival:
Coachella Style | The Fashion Bloggers Edition
Coachella Festival takes place in April every year at the Coachella Valley in California and it lasts for 3 weekends, when many bands perform! The festival has a hippie, 60's vibe and every year the hot topic around the festival is the stylish -or not- choices of its visitors! So let's take a look at the fashionable bloggers who attended the festival during the first weekend!


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We serve 180 correspondent firms from coast to coast. In their own words, read about how we've helped four of them be even more successful. And imagine how we can help you achieve the specific goals you have for your own business.


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Q: Integration of a function approximated by a nth order polynomial I've been playing with Simpson's rule and a thing came up to my mind. The rectangular rule is a 0th order polynomial approximation of integration. The trapezoidal rule is 1st. Simpson's rule is 2nd. Then what about nth? I've been working on this issue more than 2 weeks and couldn't get the answer. How could I solve this?
What I did is below.
approach 1
A nth order polynomial function passing $n+1$ points $(x_i, y_i) (0 \leq i\leq n)$ can be written by Lagrange polynomial as
$$ g(x) = \sum_{j=0}^{n} y_i \displaystyle \prod_{i=0 \atop i \neq j}^{n} \frac{x-x_i}{x_j - x_i}$$
So, if $y=f(x)$, $g(x)$ is a polynomial approximation of $f(x)$. So, the integration of $f(x)$ can be written as follow.
$$ \int_{x_0}^{x_n} f(x) dx \simeq \int_{x_0}^{x_n} g(x) dx = \int_{x_0}^{x_n} \sum_{j=0}^{n} f(x_i) \displaystyle \prod_{i=0 \atop i \neq j}^{n} \frac{x-x_i}{x_j - x_i} dx \\
= \sum_{j=0}^{n} f(x_i) \displaystyle \prod_{i=0 \atop i \neq j}^{n} (x_j - x_i)^{-1} \int_{x_0}^{x_n} \prod_{i=0 \atop i \neq j}^{n} (x-x_i) dx
$$
Here, we suppose $x_i = x_0 + hi$ where $h$ is constant, $z = \frac{x - x_0}{h}$ and $z_i = \frac{x_i - x_0}{h} = i$ and the equation can be simplified.
$$\sum_{j=0}^{n} f(x_i) \displaystyle \prod_{i=0 \atop i \neq j}^{n} (x_j - x_i)^{-1} \int_{x_0}^{x_n} \prod_{i=0 \atop i \neq j}^{n} (x-x_i) dx \\
=  \sum_{j=0}^{n} f(x_i) \displaystyle \prod_{i=0 \atop i \neq j}^{n} (j - i)^{-1} h \int_{0}^{n} \prod_{i=0 \atop i \neq j}^{n} (z-i) dz$$
$f(x_i)$ was left intact intentionally. Solving equation boils down to solving $\int_{0}^{n} \displaystyle \prod_{i=0 \atop i \neq j}^{n} (z-i) dz$ which is quite difficult.
$S(z, j) := \displaystyle \prod_{i=0 \atop i \neq j}^{n} (z-i)$ can be written as follows.
$$S(z, j) = \displaystyle \prod_{i=0 \atop i \neq j}^{n} (z-i)
= \sum_{i=0}^{n} a_i z^i$$
$a_i$ is constant. Notice the upper value of $\sum$ is $n$ for the number of $z$s in $\prod$ is $(n - 0 + 1) - 1 = n$ because $i \neq j$.
It is trivial $S(z, j) = 0$ when $z = 0, 1, ... , n$ but $\neq j$. So the following is true.
$$\sum_{i=0}^{n} a_i z^i = 0 \,(z = 0, 1, ... , n \cap z \neq j)$$
The integration can be calculated as below.
$$\int_{0}^{n} \displaystyle \prod_{i=0 \atop i \neq j}^{n} (z-i) dz =
\int_{0}^{n} S(z, j) dz = \int_{0}^{n} \sum_{i=0}^{n} a_i z^i dz \\
= \big[\sum_{i=0}^{n} a_i \frac{z^{i+1}}{i+1}\big]_{0}^{n} \\
= \sum_{i=0}^{n} a_i \frac{n^{i+1}}{i+1}$$
To solve this, evaluating $a_i$ is required. $a_i$ can be evaluated as below.
$$\sum_{i=0}^{n} a_i z^i = 0 \,(z = 0, 1, ... , n \cap z \neq j) \\
\Leftrightarrow
\displaystyle
  {\begin{pmatrix}
    1 & 0 & 0 & \cdots & 0 \\
    1 & 1 & 1 & \cdots & 1 \\
    1 & 2 & 2^{2} & \cdots & 2^{n} \\
    \vdots & \vdots & \vdots & \ddots & \vdots \\
    1 & n & n^{2} & \cdots & n^{n}
  \end{pmatrix}}
{\begin{pmatrix}a_{0}\\a_{1}\\a_{2}\\\vdots \\a_{n}\end{pmatrix}}
= {\begin{pmatrix}b_{0}\\b_{1}\\b_{2}\\\vdots \\b_{n}\end{pmatrix}} \\
(b_i =
\begin{cases}
  S(j,j)\,\,(i = j) \\
  0 \,\,(i \neq j)
\end{cases}
)
$$
As $a_n = 1$ and $a_0 = \prod_{i=0 \atop i \neq j}^{n} -i$ the equation can be written as follows.
$$\sum_{i=0}^{n} a_i z^i = 0 \,(z = 0, 1, ... , n \cap z \neq j) \\
\Leftrightarrow
\sum_{i=0}^{n-1} a_i z^i = -z^n \,(z = 1, 2, ... , n \cap z \neq j) \\
\Leftrightarrow
\displaystyle
  {\begin{pmatrix}
    1 & 1 & 1 & \cdots & 1 \\
    1 & 2 & 2^{2} & \cdots & 2^{n-1} \\
    \vdots & \vdots & \vdots & \ddots & \vdots \\
    1 & n & n^{2} & \cdots & n^{n-1}
  \end{pmatrix}}
{\begin{pmatrix}a_{1}\\a_{2}\\\vdots \\a_{n-1}\end{pmatrix}}
= {\begin{pmatrix}b_{1}\\b_{2}\\\vdots \\b_{n-1}\end{pmatrix}} \\
(b_i =
\begin{cases}
  S(j,j) - z^j\,\,(i = j) \\
  -z^i \,\,(i \neq j)
\end{cases}
)
$$
The leftmost matrix is Vandermonde's matrix and multiplying its inverse matrix to the left of both sides gives $a_i$. However, the inverse matrix is quite complicated and I find it pretty hard to calculate (Inverse of Vandermonde's matrix).
approach 2
I guessed $i \neq j$ makes the problem difficult. So I went for deleting it.
$$ \int_{0}^{n} \displaystyle \prod_{i=0 \atop i \neq j}^{n} (z-i) dz =
\int_{0}^{n} \frac{\displaystyle \prod_{i=0}^{n} z-i}{z-j} dz$$
The limit of $\frac{\prod_{i=0}^{n} z-i}{z-j}$ when $z$ approaches $j$ is given by L'hospital's rule, which is finite.
$$ \frac{(\prod_{i=0}^{n} z-i)'}{(z-j)'}|_{z=j} = (\prod_{i=0}^{n} z-i)'|_{z=j}$$
But after hours of thinking, I couldn't come up with how to solve $\int_{0}^{n} \frac{\displaystyle \prod_{i=0}^{n} z-i}{z-j} dz$. Two $z$s at both the enumerator and denominator. Integration by parts didn't work.
I've read the following articles and still didn't make it to find the answer.

*

*Riemann sum

*Newton–Cotes formulas

*Lagrange polynomial

*Vandermonde matrix

*Gaussian quadrature
How do I solve this?

A: That is a very interesting question. If you're still interested here are some things you can look into.
The sequence for the n-th order is given in the OEIS, namely at A002177, A002178, A002179, .... You are looking for the Cotesian numbers.
The whole triangle (this is probably the one you want, with the values calculated up to 100-th degree polynomials) is given at A100642. I believe that that is what you are looking for.
In the above sequences there is a link to a scanned copy of W.M. Johnson's paper "On Cotesian numbers: their history, computation and values to n=20". This will provide you with some explanation on how to calculate them.

Update (1 july 2022): I conducted the full derivation of the closed form expression for the Cotesian numbers in my bachelor thesis "Methods for reducing error in approximations of the Rayleigh integral" in appendix B.
If we let $s(n, k)$ denote the signed Stirling numbers of the first kind, the closed form expression of the Cotesian numbers is proven to be
$$c_i = \frac{1}{(n-1)!} \binom{n}{i} \sum_{j=0}^n \sum_{m=0}^{n-j} i^m n^j \frac{(-1)^{i+n} s(n+1, j+m+1)}{j+1}\,.$$

Update (4 october 2022): The specific pages of the derivation can now also be found on my github page.


text:
My TRAVELS THROUGH THE SPORTS WORLD
My New York Times colleague Jere Longman and I near the 2004 Olympic Stadium in Athens as it was under construction.
In the Sochi Olympic Stadium just before the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Talking about Yuna Kim with Korean TV at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
The press conference after the IOC 2016 bid evaluation commission's visit to Chicago.
The IOC board room became a temporary press room during a 2008 Executive Board meeting. I got the President's spot.
My golden moment on "Meet the Olympic Press" at 2010 Winter Games.
Eavesdropping in Istanbul as Chicago 2016 CEO Pat Ryan does interview.
In front of the Bird's Nest a year before the 2008 Olympics.
Press credentials are a colorful record of my work life.
A line from my story illustrates "Scribes and Mikemen" exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame.
With El Comandante at the Palace of the Revolution in 1987.
Poster for 2011 appearance at the American School in London.
In the scrum interviewing Thomas Bach after he was elected IOC President in 2013.
Doing an interview with MSNBC's Kate Snow on the Russian doping scandal.
Checking out the state of the Bird's Nest in Beijing two years before the 2008 Olympics.
I had the front-page story on the Bears' Super Bowl win.
Running a leg of the Olympic torch relay at the 1994 Winter Games in Norway.
Commemorating my 30 years at the Tribune.
When I went to Iran for stories prior to the 1998 men's World Cup, I realized a long-held dream of visiting Persepolis.


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A self-catering cottage holiday is a great way to escape the everyday, kick back and do what you like, when you like. From farmhouses and gites to thatched cottages and castles, the range of properties on offer means you are sure to find the perfect holiday retreat to suit your needs and budget.
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text:
Hunting for Clues to Parkinson's Disease
Doctors operate to place electrical devices in the brain of a patient with Parkinson's to ease symptoms of the disease
Download this story as a PDF
BARBARA KLEIN: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Barbara Klein.
BOB DOUGHTY: And I'm Bob Doughty. Today we tell about the latest research and treatments for Parkinson's disease.
BARBARA KLEIN: Parkinson's is a disease of the central nervous system. It is a progressive disorder, meaning it gets worse over time. The disease affects a small area of cells in the middle of the brain. This area is called the substantia nigra. The cells slowly lose their ability to produce a chemical called dopamine.
The decrease in the amount of dopamine can result in one or more general signs of Parkinson's disease. These include shaking of the hands, arms and legs. They also include difficulty moving or keeping balanced while walking or standing. Also, there may be emotional changes, like feeling depressed or worried. The symptoms of Parkinson's differ from person to person. They also differ in their intensity.
BOB DOUGHTY: The disease is named after James Parkinson. He was a British doctor who first described this condition in eighteen seventeen.
During the nineteen sixties, researchers discovered changes in the brains of people with the disease. These discoveries led to medicines to treat the effects of the disease. There is no cure for Parkinson's and no way to prevent it. And doctors still are not sure what causes Parkinson's.
BARBARA KLEIN: The United States National Institutes of Health says at least five hundred thousand people in the country are believed to have Parkinson's disease. About fifty thousand new cases are reported each year. That number is expected to grow as the average age of the population increases.
Parkinson's appears most often in people over the age of fifty. Some researchers believe that almost everyone would develop Parkinson's eventually if they lived long enough.
BOB DOUGHTY: Most patients have what is called idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Idiopathic means the cause is unknown. People who develop the disease often want to link it to something they can identify. This might be a medical operation or extreme emotional tension.
Yet many doctors reject this idea of a direct link to Parkinson's. They point to people who have similar experiences and do not develop the disease.
There are several theories about the cause of Parkinson's, but none has ever been confirmed. Studies have shown a link between the disease and some chemical products. In two thousand eight, an American study found a link between Parkinson's and pesticides, like those used for killing insects. The study compared three hundred nineteen Parkinson's patients to more than two hundred family members.
BARBARA KLEIN: Scientists say it is difficult to show a direct link between diseases like Parkinson's and environmental factors or influences. But in two thousand seven a European study found a link between Parkinson's and pesticide use. This study also showed that serious head injuries increased a person's risk of the disease.
Scientists at Aberdeen University in Scotland collected information about more than nine hundred people with Parkinson's or similar conditions. They compared this group to almost two thousand people without the disorder. All the people were asked about their use of pesticides, chemical fluids and metals like iron. The researchers also collected information about family history of the disease and head injuries.
Farm workers and people who said they often used pesticides had a forty-one percent greater risk of Parkinson's than others. The disease was also two and one-half times more common among people who had been knocked unconscious more than once in their lives. These people temporarily lost consciousness after suffering a blow to the head.
BOB DOUGHTY: Another area of study is family genetics. There are examples of members of a family having the disease. The National Institutes of Health says about fifteen percent of people with Parkinson's have a family history of the disease. However, most cases involve people with no such family history.
Researchers have produced what they call a large map to show genetic links with Parkinson's disease. The map identifies changes in genes that may increase the risk in some people.
BARBARA KLEIN: Recently, a group called The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research announced plans for a major study of the disease. The group is named after actor Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson's. The study is called PPMI -- the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative. Its goal is to identify one or more biological signs of the disease in Parkinson's patients.
The foundation says the study will involve two hundred healthy individuals and four hundred people recently diagnosed with Parkinson's. The PPMI will be carried out at twenty-one clinical centers in the United States and Europe.
BOB DOUGHTY: There is no cure for Parkinson's disease. But improved treatments to ease the effects of the disease make it possible for many patients to live almost normal lives. People who have lost their ability to do many things are sometimes able to regain some of these abilities with treatment.
The most commonly used drug is levodopa combined with carbidopa. The National Institutes of Health says levodopa is a chemical found naturally in plants and animals. When it reaches the brain, levodopa is changed into dopamine, the chemical that is lacking in people with the disease. Carbidopa delays the change in levodopa until after it reaches the brain.
BARBARA KLEIN: Levodopa helps ease the symptoms of Parkinson's. But it does not prevent more changes in the brain that are caused by the disease. Other drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease act like dopamine. They produce reactions in the nerve cells in the brain. They can be given alone or in combination with levodopa. Many of the possible side effects are similar to those linked with the use of levodopa. They include sleepiness, feeling sick or having bad dreams.
BOB DOUGHTY: A surgical operation called deep-brain stimulation also is used to treat Parkinson's disease. Doctors use this treatment to shock the brain in areas that help send messages to the body. These areas can become blocked in Parkinson's patients. When this happens, the messages give misinformation to the body.
In deep brain stimulation, doctors make two small holes in the patient's head. Two thin, electrical wires are then placed in the brain. They are connected under the skin to another wire that leads to a small battery placed in the chest. The device supplies electricity.
BARBARA KLEIN: Deep brain stimulation can reduce the need for levodopa and other drugs. It also helps to reduce symptoms such as shaking and slowness of movement.
In two thousand nine, researchers in the United States published a study that examined the effectiveness of deep brain stimulation. They found that the physical condition of Parkinson's patients often improves after they receive deep brain stimulation. And improvement was reported in about seventy percent of patients who received the treatment. In fact, the patients who were treated reported an average gain of nearly five hours each day of good control of their symptoms.
BOB DOUGHTY: But brain stimulation was also shown to have more side effects than drug treatments. About forty percent of the patients who had the surgery experienced problems, including infection.
Deep brain stimulation is not the answer for all Parkinson's patients. Doctors say it is best for patients whose medicines cause side effects or are not working. The treatment is not new. It was first approved for use in the United States in nineteen ninety-seven.
BARBARA KLEIN: Scientists are also exploring other experimental treatments. Since taking office, President Obama ended restrictions on the use of federal money for studies of human embryonic stem cells. Stem cells from very early embryos are able to grow into any tissue in the body. Scientists say such cells might be able to cure or treat diseases like Parkinson's. But opponents say stem cell experiments are wrong because human embryos are destroyed. They say this is just like destroying a human life.
BOB DOUGHTY: This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Brianna Blake. Our producer was June Simms. I'm Bob Doughty.
BARBARA KLEIN: And I'm Barbara Klein. You can find transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our programs at voaspecialenglish.com. Listen again next week for more news about science, in Special English, on the Voice of America.
Hear or download this story


I took a few pics when I installed my Energy Suspension steering rack bushings today. It was a easy install, takes about 30-40 minutes without any complications. I took a drive across town after the install and I could feel a difference in the steering with the new bushings. It was tighter and more responsive.
You can get at the bolts from the bottom of the steering rack. You'll need the extension to get at the higher bolt.
After removing the bolts, take the clamp off so you can get to the steering rack bushing.
Here's the clamp and the bolts.
Next, you use the pry bar to move the rack up maybe half an inch or so then you can slide the bushing out and replace it with the new bushing. I thought this would be the difficult part but the steering rack is very light.
The new Energy Suspension bushings…could a sprung for the Nismo but I'm cheap!
Here's a pic of the old passenger side bushing next to the new passenger side bushing. Old and busted…new flyness!
Here's a pic of the old drivers side bushing next to the new drivers side bushing. It was in bad shape literally coming apart. I guess the bracket was holding it together hence the slop in my steering.
Finished product. Now just rinse and repeat this procedure for the drivers side and you done. It may take you a couple of tries to move the drivers side bushing into it's correct place but you'll get it. Torque the bolts/nuts down to 65-80 ft.lbs. (88-108Nm) You may need an alignment afterwards also.


007: *     .. Array Arguments ..
021: *     op( A ) = A   or   op( A ) = A'   or   op( A ) = conjg( A' ).
026: *  SIDE   - CHARACTER*1.
030: *              SIDE = 'L' or 'l'   B := alpha*op( A )*B.
032: *              SIDE = 'R' or 'r'   B := alpha*B*op( A ).
036: *  UPLO   - CHARACTER*1.
040: *              UPLO = 'U' or 'u'   A is an upper triangular matrix.
042: *              UPLO = 'L' or 'l'   A is a lower triangular matrix.
044: *           Unchanged on exit.
046: *  TRANSA - CHARACTER*1.
050: *              TRANSA = 'N' or 'n'   op( A ) = A.
052: *              TRANSA = 'T' or 't'   op( A ) = A'.
054: *              TRANSA = 'C' or 'c'   op( A ) = conjg( A' ).
056: *           Unchanged on exit.
058: *  DIAG   - CHARACTER*1.
062: *              DIAG = 'U' or 'u'   A is assumed to be unit triangular.
067: *           Unchanged on exit.
069: *  M      - INTEGER.
072: *           Unchanged on exit.
074: *  N      - INTEGER.
076: *           at least zero.
077: *           Unchanged on exit.
079: *  ALPHA  - COMPLEX         .
083: *           Unchanged on exit.
086: *           when  SIDE = 'L' or 'l'  and is  n  when  SIDE = 'R' or 'r'.
090: *           A is not referenced.
094: *           A is not referenced.
096: *           A  are not referenced either,  but are assumed to be  unity.
097: *           Unchanged on exit.
099: *  LDA    - INTEGER.
103: *           then LDA must be at least max( 1, n ).
104: *           Unchanged on exit.
106: *  B      - COMPLEX          array of DIMENSION ( LDB, n ).
111: *  LDB    - INTEGER.
114: *           max( 1, m ).
115: *           Unchanged on exit.
120: *  Level 3 Blas routine.
122: *  -- Written on 8-February-1989.
123: *     Jack Dongarra, Argonne National Laboratory.
124: *     Iain Duff, AERE Harwell.
125: *     Jeremy Du Croz, Numerical Algorithms Group Ltd.
126: *     Sven Hammarling, Numerical Algorithms Group Ltd.
130: *     .. External Functions ..
134: *     .. External Subroutines ..
137: *     .. Intrinsic Functions ..
140: *     .. Local Scalars ..
145: *     .. Parameters ..
152: *     Test the input parameters.
169:       ELSE IF ((.NOT.LSAME(TRANSA,'N')) .AND.
189: *     Quick return if possible.
193: *     And when  alpha.eq.zero.
204: *     Start the operations.
209: *           Form  B := alpha*A*B.
240: *           Form  B := alpha*A'*B   or   B := alpha*conjg( A' )*B.
283: *           Form  B := alpha*B*A.
320: *           Form  B := alpha*B*A'   or   B := alpha*B*conjg( A' ).
384: *     End of CTRMM .


Do rolls of holiday wrapping paper leave you feeling uninspired this year? It's cool. You can always branch out to different mediums. In fact, knowing how to wrap presents without wrapping paper can make your gift-giving presentation more creative and unique than ever. There are so many cool alternatives to wrapping paper that you may never buy a roll of it again.
Pretty fabrics, scrap paper, and even kitchen staples can all replace wrapping paper. With a little creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, you can find some truly original, fun ways to wrap gifts with unexpected materials, many of which are probably even already in your house somewhere. It can turn gift-wrapping into a fun, and less expensive, activity, instead of yet another chore to complete for the holidays.
Why else would you want to forego the rolls of wrapping paper? Many people who are eco-conscious, for example, don't like the thought of all that single-use paper ending up in a landfill right after the holidays. It can be seen as an unnecessary waste. Other people just don't like the hassle of measuring and wrapping each gift individually. (Hey, it's tricky to get the optimum amount of wrapping paper for each box, OK?) Whatever the case, feel free to use these ideas to wrap gifts without wrapping paper as a jumping-off point for your own creative projects.
Wrapping a present in a scarf is an absolutely gorgeous way to give a gift. You can buy a scarf special as part of the present, or even repurpose an older one. If you don't have a scarf on hand, then cloth napkins, bandanas, handkerchiefs, and tea towels are also possibilities that will surely be used after the holidays.
OK, it's kind of an obvious solution, but don't discount the humble gift bag. Certain gift bags have circulated around my family at every gift-giving occasion for years now. They last much longer than single-use wrapping paper, and it's probably the easiest way to present a present, to be honest. They're festive, fun, and super easy to reuse for the next holiday, or to just carry a pile of gifts home.
Last year, a family friend gave me a gift wrapped in a reusable shopping tote, and the tote featured a prominent photograph of her cat. It's one of the best things I've ever received from anyone. Even if you don't have time to personalize a tote, reusable shopping bags are the best and the recipient will get so much use out of them.
Grab an inexpensive basket from the thrift or craft store and put all your gifts on display. If you're feeling particularly festive, you can even decorate the basket with ornaments, ribbons, tinsel, and the like. Then put all your goods on display. Hey, if you're giving a fun gift, why hide it?
Put all those Trader Joe's shopping bags that live under the kitchen sink to work. Paper shopping bags make fantastic low-key gift wrap. You can even draw or stamp some designs on the paper to be a little extra, or write your holiday note directly on the surface. It's the perfect blank canvas for wherever your imagination takes you.
If you're a crafter or seamstress, you probably have a stash of (far too much) scrap fabric on hand. This can be used as gorgeous gift wraps. Oh, and if you don't have fabric on hand, a blanket can work, too, especially if it's one that's part of your present.
Do you have an old map stashed in the glove compartment or a closet? Perfect. Old maps make totally gorgeous wrapping paper for any present. It makes the gift look extra worldly and special.
If you're a musician, then you probably have at least a little extra sheet music at home. As noted by Buzzfeed, sheet music can make stunning wrapping paper. If you can find holiday sheet music to reuse, then it's even better.
If you have a ball of tissue paper in the closet from holidays past, consider reusing it this year. It's great for little kids who are just learning how to wrap gifts, or adults (like me) who still haven't mastered the art of gift wrap. Plus, it's much easier to rip open than traditional wrapping paper, in case your gift recipient is on the impatient side (also me).
Aluminum foil is an inexpensive, readily available, and recyclable alternative gift wrap. Plus, it looks surprisingly nice. All it needs is a simple bow or bauble to give it a festive touch.
Old calendars, planners, newspapers, junk mail, and magazines can all be mined for wrapping paper. It's a beautiful and handy way to use up extra loose sheets of anything lying around.


text:
Tony Award Noms Announced (and we don't care)
Filed under: Awards,Broadway,News,Opinions — offoffbway @ 3:47 am
The Tony Awards nominations have been announced and we think we should be pleased. Why? A couple of "smaller" shows (read: transferred from off-Broadway and/or have no stars in them) received a lot of attention, such as "In The Heights" and "Passing Strange." Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" – or rather, "Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein" as it is officially known – received only 3 nominations, and none in the Best Musical category.
Are you asleep yet?
In case you haven't guessed, we sort of don't care much about this. But why not? Small is better, small is the new big, blah blah blah. The truth is, you don't get to Broadway without a crapload of cash behind you. It's a little bit like being so excited about Barack Obama's "outsider" status. Do you really believe that someone can run for President without tons of money and connections? How "outside" could he possibly be?
When "Urinetown" was nominated and won lots of awards, that was a little different. This was a couple of guys who toiled on tiny stages for years, had no intention of making a run at Broadway, and got there anyway. I'm not knocking "Passing Strange", which has a little bit of that pedigree. "In The Heights" seems like just more of the same. Regardless, it's all Broadway, it's $100+ for a ticket, so screw 'em.
Oscar observations
Filed under: Awards,Silliness — offoffbway @ 12:31 pm
Two quick thoughts:
– Ellen Degeneres should've said "This is ironic that I'm the host, because my drag name is Oscar Brunch."
– When they started playing music to get her off the stage, Jennifer Hudson should have said "I AM TELLING YOU I'M NOT GOING!"
FringeNYC Awards, FringeNYC Encores
Filed under: Awards,Press Releases — offoffbway @ 3:21 pm
This is the FringeNYC awards, and also the shows that will get a little more viewing time via the new FringeNYC Encores series.
A little bit of trivia: the first year of the festival, the awards were called BIFFs – Best In Fringe Festival. Overall Excellence sounds a little bit like something from a 'Simpsons' episode (specifically this one), but at least it isn't named after a guy you didn't want to talk to in high school.
FringeNYC 2006 Overall Excellence Award Winners
'Awesome 80's Prom' Wins ITA Award
Filed under: 2cents,Awards,Clubs,News — offoffbway @ 10:29 pm
What is the ITA Award, you ask? The Improvisational Theater Association, you dummy.
Look, any show that makes theater out of Brat Pack-era stuff is okay by us. And what they (the ITA) say makes sense: "The ITA created these awards in celebration of the unique form of interactive or 'reality theater' that has been a part of the legitimate theatrical landscape for decades and has produced some of the longest running shows in New York City and around the world, including Tony 'n Tina's Wedding, The Donkey Show, De La Guarda, and The Awesome 80s Prom. Despite the length and success of these runs, prior to the ITA, there has never been an organization that has recognized and honored the achievements of these unique productions." And besides, if the film industry can have a separate award for every film that gets made, why can't the thee-tah add a few more statues to the industry's mantle?
Via BroadwayWorld.com.


This past weekend thousands of Swiss cows participated in La Poya, the annual ascent to their high summer pastures in the Alps and once again mountain alpage meadows are, to quote that famous song, alive with the sound of music.
The music of cowbells and mooing. In the Swiss-Romande, or French-speaking part of Swtizerland, this age-old transhumance procession is cause for celebration after a long winter in which man and beast have been confined to their winter residence in the lower valleys. For the move, cows are adorned with headdresses of fresh-cut flowers and ceremonial cowbells and farming families dress in traditional costume to accompany their herds up the mountains. Some will stay all summer tending the cows, making cheese and even offering hospitality.
The grass, herbs and flowers in the lush high pastures produce the richest, most delicious milk and the cheese made with it is prized. Most traditional cheeses from Europe's alpine regions have winter and summer versions. To find a summer cheese produced on an alpage look for words like "alpage" "alpaggio" "fermier" "alp cheese" "alp käse"or "été" on the label. In France, "fruitier" or "laitier"denote cheese that is produced in a dairy (not on the farm), and "Hiver" is a cheese produced with winter milk. Generally alpage cheese costs a little more and for good reason; it represents the best cheese produced each year. If you are shopping for cheeses such as Comte, Gruyere, Reblochon, Beaufort, Fontina, Abondance, Emmenthal, Appenzell (just to name a few), this is something to ask your cheesemonger about. In Switzerland one of my favorite alpage cheeses is Etivaz, known as the "delicious secret of the alpage". The rules for the AOC governing Etivaz are very strict. Each year this special gruyere-style cheese is produced only from May 10th to October 10th from the raw milk of 2,800 cows grazing on 130 alpage pastures in the Etivaz region. In the winter it is not made at all!
It is not just cows that are led to the high pastures. Depending on the region, it can be sheep or goats. Frequently it is a combination. Traditionally there would also have been a few pigs and chickens on the march. The pigs would be fattened on whey, the by-product of cheese-making, and the chickens would provide fresh eggs for those spending their summers on the alpage. In the fall the pigs would be slaughtered and extra income made by selling prized Alpage pork. Sadly, it is hard to find farms today that still take pigs to their alpage. But some do. In my small village on Lac Leman for a brief period each fall there is a discreet sign in the window of the butcher shop inviting "Orders for Alpage Pork".
All over Europe mountain farms are open to guests and you can hike to them. Some are also accessible by funicular, mountain bike and increasingly by car. Income produced from tourism is often essential to these families, enabling them to carry on the alpage traditions. Many offer simple and delicious mountain meals featuring their cheese, local charcuterie, potatoes and preserves. Overnight accommodation is sometimes available, making alpage farms a valuable resource for hikers and mountaineers. For those seeking the truly authentic experience, you can even find yourself waking up in a hay loft dormitory.
Last Friday, Michael and I were returning from a hike and dinner at one of our favorite alpage restaurants on top of the Mont D'Or in the French Jura. The full moon lit the small mountain road we were descending as it snaked its way into Switzerland. Just as we crossed the border we heard a concert of cowbells and soon we encountered a local Poya. It is not the first time we have happened upon one of these events, and it is always a moving experience to witness. The cows and their farmers seem so happy to be on the go after a long winter. There was a sense the animals knew where they were headed, almost giddy with delight. I felt overwhelmed with gratitude for the farmers' hard work and dedication that is preserving these ancient traditions and enriching not just the alpine landscape but the lives of all the people who get to experience their warm hospitality and exceptional cheese.
In October there is an equally celebratory procession when the cows are led back to the valley farms for the winter called the Désalpe. If you scroll down to the end of this post I have uploaded a wonderful video of that event I found on the Etivaz-aoc.ch website. To see the poya Michael and I experienced on Friday, turn up your volume and click on my instagram post below.
If any of you are planning to travel to the alps this summer be sure to make time to visit an alpage dairy. Not only will you experience some of Europe's most majestic landscape, you will help support an ancient tradition and get to taste some of the most authentic and delicious cheese in the world.
watching the beautiful procession of La Poya this evening near Mont d'Or. The annual transhumance when Swiss farmers lead their cows to their high summer "alpage" pastures to graze until the fall. Don't these cows look happy?
Alpage at the Col des Aravis.
Typical alpage farm of the Aravis.
Cows on an alpage at the Col des Aravis.
High pastures and a chapel at the Col des Aravis.
The Belalp, an alpage in winter.
The alpage at La Boissaude in winter.
Cows on the summer pasture at Mont Cenis pass.
A transhumance shepherd and his flock in Abruzzo.
Post prandial sheep in their summer pastures in the mountains of Abruzzo.
The aging room of a transhumance shepherd in Abruzzo Italy.
Cows in Gerola heading up to their high summer pastures where their milk will be used to make the region's excellent Bitto and Casera cheese.
Transhumance and the road to Ficuzza in Sicily.
Traditionally pigs were also taken up to the mountain alpages where they were fattened up on whey all summer.
Sheep resting on a mountain alpage near Soglio.
Near the Col des Aravis Reblochon Fermier is produced.
Reblochon Fruitier and Fermier. Fermier has the green label and means it was made on a mountain farm.
Beaufort d'Ete, means Beaufort cheese made in the summer when the cows are on their high pastures.
Beaufort d'Hiver – winter Beaufort.
The famed Tome des Bauges.
Hiking in the Swiss mountains in the summer will usually lead you to an alpage.
Fermier sheep or goat's milk cheese.
Gryon Switzerland, you can see the green alpine pastures dotting the mountains.
La Poya, also the name for the traditional Swiss decoupage illustrating the seasonal transhumance.
until the désalpe in the fall….