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Armored Warfare's story has been rewritten several times over the course of it's existence, with the latest batch of story being a complete revamp by the Lead Content Manager, starting in early 2017. This page will cover primarily the new lore for Armored Warfare as it expands outward. Many Global Operations and PvE Missions revolve around various events within the lore.
1 The World of Armored Warfare
1.1 The Broken World
1.2 Rise of the Corporations
1.3 Corporate Armies and Mercenaries
1.4 The Badlands
1.5 The World as It Stands Today
2 Special Operations
2.1 Before the storm
2.2 The Carribean Crisis
2.2.1 Chapter 1 – Attack
2.2.2 Chapter 2 – Pursuit
2.2.3 Chapter 3 – Threat from the Sea
2.2.4 Chapter 4 – Exfiltration
2.3 Black Sea Incursion
2.3.1 Chapter 1 – Meeting in Batumi
2.3.2 Chapter 2 – Tkvarcheli Siege
2.3.3 Chapter 3 – Tkvarcheli Trap
2.3.4 Chapter 4 – Stronghold
2.4 Arabian Nights
2.4.1 Chapter 1 – Plant in El Arish
2.4.2 Chapter 2 – Hunt in Basra
2.4.3 Chapter 3 – Latakia Breakthrough
2.4.4 Chapter 4 – Olavsvern Takeover
2.5 Moscow Calling
2.5.1 Chapter 1 – Summit
2.5.2 Chapter 2 – Castle
2.5.3 Chapter 3 – Midnight Ambush
2.5.4 Chapter 4 – Freedom
The World of Armored Warfare[edit | edit source]
The Broken World[edit | edit source]
File:Part 2 of Kloudowlf in action.gif
In the late 2010s, Europe found itself at the brink. With a worsening economy, a detached political sphere, and an increasingly isolationist United States, EU leaders made the choice to leave its collective border open to the vast groups of refugees flooding in from the war-torn Middle East. Due to an inadequate response to the reality of new security risks, Europe experienced the worst series of terrorist attacks in history, culminating in the detonation of two "dirty" nuclear devices on the outskirts of Paris and Berlin. This sparked a revolution of the kind Europe had never seen before. The United States, while mostly immune to foreign terrorism due to their new isolationist policies, suffered economically with the establishment of many domestic militias in the southern states, funded by South American drug cartels, and eventually devolved into civil war.
From Europe's fires of revolution rose populist leaders to power with promises to end corruption, solve the constant state of crisis and make Europe safe again. Backed by unprecedented popular support, a political witch hunt began, and by the time the fervor subsided, thousands of political figures, bankers or businessmen had been executed or imprisoned. The popularity of the new leaders soon began to wane as the economic situation spiraled lower and lower due to the near complete destruction of the economies of the European nations. In desperation, the leaders turned to corporations for help, hammering the last nail into the coffin of the old world.
Rise of the Corporations[edit | edit source]
The largest corporations in the world survived the entire European crisis relatively unscathed due to their global nature, with many exploiting, to give them a better bargaining position. When the dust settled, many of the largest companies found themselves richer than the nations themselves. With such vast wealth, any attempts to rein them in and tax them failed, as the corporation's influence permeated all levels of society. In their desperation, European leaders traded the only thing they had left for bailouts and relief – rights, privileges and land. Within a few years, entire regions had been sold to corporations as private property in exchange for financial aid, strengthening them further. This Culminated in the signing of the 2029 Bordeaux Treaty, granting major corporations exemption from control by any local governments and allowing them to form private armies and police forces.
Territories owned by corporations (termed "Corporate Space") became centers of trade and business wealth, causing hundreds of thousands of citizens to flock towards them. What that found was a Despotic system where basic rights such as free speech, the freedom to assemble or the right for political representation were disregarded in exchange for the promise of food and shelter. Any newcomers found acting out of line from these laws were hunted down by corporate security forces and deported from its territory – or worse.
Corporate Armies and Mercenaries[edit | edit source]
After the Bordeaux Treaty, each major corporation established a military branch, with a core based on its own security service, expanding by recruitment of many former soldiers and mercenaries. Due to the unbridled nature of these new Private Military Coorperations, an international agreement defining the rules of law relating to private military forces, called the Private Military Treaty, was created. In order for a PMC to be considered a legal entity (and therefore subject to fair treatment during wartime), legal PMCs had to be registered, and were subject to restrictions and a uniform Code of Conduct.
The Badlands[edit | edit source]
Those who fought the new system, for one reason or another, were drawn to the far corners of the world where they could exist in relative peace; The Badlands. These areas, such as the American Southwest, north-western China, and central Africa, were some of the last bastions of freedom in a world controlled by corporate will. While occasional corporate PMCs intervened in the area, a protracted guerrilla war would follow occupation, ending in eventual desertion of the area due to the expense of holding the area.
The World as It Stands Today[edit | edit source]
In the late 2030s, an uneasy balance was achieved between countries and corporations. But corporate greed has begun to clash with the dozens of freedom fighter groups, criminal organizations and deadly cults that form every year. It is only a question of time before the world is plunged into the chaos once more. Welcome to the world of Armored Warfare.
Special Operations[edit | edit source]
Before the storm[edit | edit source]
The world of 2042 is a broken one with corporations usurping much of the world's resources and former superpowers like the United States of America are but a shadow of their former glory. This is a result of decades of deterioration, greed and unbridled exploitation of the most powerful consortiums, some of which are wealthier than entire continents combined. These corporations control private mercenary armies, equipped with all kinds of weaponry short of nuclear. Entire divisions of armored vehicles are at their disposal, ready to do their master's bidding – not out of patriotism or loyalty, but for Credits – the universal currency of the new world.
In the late 2030s, a series of conflicts that would eventually become known as the Corporate Wars devastated large portions of Europe and the United States. Several major corporations including the British Clayburn Industries and the German Lodestar GmbH engaged in conflicts that left massive territories in corporate hands. Mercenaries, private security forces and rebel militias fought each other all over central Europe and the Balkans. The years of strife culminated in the 2039 Seahawk Rebellion when an entire battalion-sized unit of Clayburn Industries rose up against orders to commit genocide.
Unbeknownst to them, the uprising was in fact a clever ruse prepared by the mastermind behind the Clayburn Industries Corporation, Andrew Clayburn, to gain more influence across the world. Employing the services of a Corporate Wars veteran Sebastian Grimm known for his campaign against Clayburn's rival, Lodestar GmbH, Clayburn's plan worked almost flawlessly, resulting in thousands of dead enemies and a massive territory and wealth influx for the company, including a portion of the former American south. The handful of surviving Seahawks retreated to Istanbul, reduced to a life in shadows.
Now, two years later, you, commander, are amongst the mercenaries tasked with protecting the Clayburn Industries facility in the Mojave Desert against unknown assailants...
The Carribean Crisis[edit | edit source]
Chapter 1 – Attack[edit | edit source]
Location: Mojave Desert
Your mercenary unit was hired by the ISD (an international security organization overseeing the legal mercenary groups) to investigate a Clayburn Industries facility deep in the Mojave Desert, which suddenly felt silent. You find the facility abandoned, save for a mysterious group of assailants, led by a man who introduces himself as Magnus Holter. While investigating the area, it becomes clear that the mysterious enemies are trying to loot it for chemical weapons. Despite your best efforts, Magnus Holter escapes with enough chlorine to wipe out an entire city.
Chapter 2 – Pursuit[edit | edit source]
Location: Panama Canal
The mysterious mercenaries from Mojave escaped with the chemical payload, but you are hot on their trail. Summoning an ISD-provided transport ship equipped with a Zubr landing craft, you pursue the assailants to the Panama Canal only to find the sluices blocked and protected by the same forces that previously attacked the Clayburn Industries plant. You defend the Zubr while opening one sluice after another in order to allow it to pass through while looking for clues. You find out that the mercenary ship you are pursuing made its way through the canal without any trouble on its way to Jamaica, only to be ambushed by Clayburn Industries security! Could the mercenaries be actually working with Clayburn?
Chapter 3 – Threat from the Sea[edit | edit source]
Location: Port Antonio, Jamaica
Arriving at Port Antonio, you find out that the area is occupied by two unmarked enemy warships. The Zubr landing craft drops you off at the far side of the town but you soon find that the beautiful, tropical beaches of Jamaica are far deadlier than anyone would have thought. The town is occupied by mercenaries who not only have considerable forces stationed in the area, but also operate sophisticated equipment never previously seen on any battlefield, such as anti-aircraft lasers. The Zubr craft is taken out, leaving you only one way – forward. It turns out that the plan of the enemy commander, Magnus Holter, is, for reasons unknown, to destroy the town using a warhead made using the chemicals from the looted Clayburn facility.
You take the city after a tough fight and now it is the enemy commander who is left with no choice but to evacuate to a nearby island where the last of the mercenary forces are seemingly entrenched. In the midst of a heated battle to take the AA positions on the island, you see three Clayburn Industries fighter jets arrive and take out the enemy warships, followed by a forced landing of a Clayburn Industries kill team. It's clear you're in for the fight of your lives.
Chapter 4 – Exfiltration[edit | edit source]
By a strange twist of fate, you find yourselves on the side of your former enemies with a Clayburn Industries kill team having arrived to wipe you all out in an attempt to leave no witnesses alive. It's now clear that there is some deeper connection between the enemy commander and Clayburn Industries – something the corporation definitely doesn't want you to find out.
The Clayburn forces quickly overrun and rout Magnus Holter's forces, leaving only pockets of stragglers. Desperate to get out of there alive, you gather whatever's left of your former enemies, saving one of his top lieutenants, Andrey Zaytsev, in the process. Pushing towards the Clayburn Industries landing, you take out an entire armored company sent against you and commandeer one of the massive Zubr hovercrafts they arrived in. Desperate to stop you at all costs, the entire Clayburn force descends at you as you realize you've just become an enemy of one of the most powerful corporations in the world. Following the battle, Magnus Holter welcomes you to his side and starts to explain his past in Clayburn Industries...
Black Sea Incursion[edit | edit source]
Chapter 1 – Meeting in Batumi[edit | edit source]
Location: Batumi, Georgia
A year before the events of the Caribbean Crisis, Magnus Holter, then a commander of the Clayburn Industries security service, was sent to the capital of Georgia, Batumi, on a mission to resolve a situation where valuable cargo was allegedly damaged by Clayburn forces. Georgia, once a teeming holiday resort with all the attraction a discerning tourist might crave for, was hit hard by the events of the 2030s, becoming a nest of rogue mercenaries, criminals and wannabe revolutionaries. Even so, the mission was expected to be nothing more than a formality – after the Corporate Wars and the enormous influence gains during the Seahawk rebellion, Clayburn assets were all but untouchable.
Holter and his small escort arrived in Batumi to meet his contact in a nearby seaside hotel. His colleague and friend, Aleksandr Cortez, the commander of the Black Eagle mercenary company (at that time in Clayburn service), was in the meanwhile dispatched to the other side of the city to guard the cargo. The hotel turned out to be a trap. The place was empty but Holter's guards were attacked by unknown mercenaries. Holter quickly found out that the entire city had been emptied and fortified – something very wrong was going on. To top it off, Cortez came under attack by the same mercenaries and was having a hard time repelling their assault.
Upon having his forces search the hotel thoroughly, Holter decided to go to the regional Clayburn HQ not far from the hotel. The HQ was emptied as well – it looked like everyone had left in a hurry. The approach to it was, however, heavily fortified with the mysterious mercs fighting Holter every inch of the way. Upon seeing the scale of the enemy mercenary presence, Holter decided to unite his men with Cortez and wait for extraction on a nearby beach. But he was too late – before he could get to him, Cortez's units were overwhelmed and captured. The cargo itself was destroyed. Fighting off yet another wave of enemy mercenaries, Holter was successful in holding the beach until a Clayburn landing craft arrived to pick his forces up. Holter decided to report the incident to the CEO of Clayburn Industries, Sebastian Grimm. An investigation into what had happened was launched.
Chapter 2 – Tkvarcheli Siege[edit | edit source]
Location: Tkvarcheli, Georgia
As Holter had predicted, Grimm was furious. He wanted the culprits found and punished. Clayburn Industries' intelligence network found them rather quickly – the mysterious mercs were a local band called the Evocati. They were known for taking pretty much any job, no matter how dirty, although no evidence of anything illegal had ever been found – the Evocati didn't like or leave witnesses. Under the Bordeaux Treaty and the Orleans Treaty, they were legal, but just barely.
The Evocati had a base in an old mining city of Tkvarcheli. Tkvarcheli was a relic from the Soviet era, its golden days long gone following the decline of its coal mining industry – a perfect hideout for a group of mercenaries who were supplied by the few locals left living in the area in exchange for "protection". Their leader, Douglas O'Reilly, had a well-deserved reputation for ruthlessness and brutality.
Grimm tasked Holter with leading an invasion to teach the Evocati the price of crossing Clayburn Industries. The whole operation was technically illegal – such faction wars were specifically prohibited by the Orleans Treaty, but Clayburn Industries was an influential company and it made sense that it would get away with such an (arguably justified) breach.
It turned out that the Evocati controlled a vast amount of manpower and vehicles. What was supposed to be a small-scale punitive operation turned into a massive battle, the likes of which hadn't been seen since the Corporate Wars, involving dozens of armored vehicles and heavy artillery. The Clayburn Industries forces advanced on the city center where most of the Evocati mercs were holed up. Halfway through the battle, Holter was contacted by badly wounded Aleksandr Cortez, who alone was able to escape captivity in the chaos. Cortez tried to warn Holter of something and told him to get out of there, but he was interrupted by radio jamming.
The Evocati forces were finally pushed to the brink of annihilation when the Clayburn forces received an order to withdraw from an unknown source. Holter and his closest allies were left stranded along with the surviving Evocati. Just as the fighting was dying down, the entire area was suddenly surrounded by ISD forces led by Fedor Volkov, declaring the operation illegal. Additionally, Douglas O'Reilly, clearly allied with the ISD, arrived in his AC-130 gunship. The regular Clayburn forces retreated from the area, leaving the blame solely on Holter's shoulders.
Chapter 3 – Tkvarcheli Trap[edit | edit source]
The International Security Department (ISD) was a multi-lateral body, established following the end of the Corporate Wars to oversee any large-scale mercenary operations across the world so that such a major conflict would never happen again. The Orleans Treaty that ended the fighting specifically prohibited such aggressive corporate assaults.
However, the whole world also knew that some parties to the Treaty were more equal than the others. The ISD would never do anything that would openly cross the interests of Clayburn Industries and was effectively a corporate puppet, existing to give the semblance of lawful oversight to the masses tired by constant warfare.
The fact the ISD forces conveniently appeared in Tkvarcheli just as the fighting was almost over only meant one thing – they acted with the consent of Clayburn Industries.
Fedor Volkov, commanding the ISD operation, was an old acquaintance of Holter's back from the days when the ISD and Clayburn Industries had cooperated on regular basis. From his intercepted radio transmission, Holter learned that he had been stripped of his Clayburn Industries security commander rank and that he was to be taken – dead or alive.
Realizing what that meant, Holter refused Volkov's appeal to turn himself in and a battle ensued with the ISD forces. During the battle, Douglas O'Reilly supported the ISD forces with his AC-130. He was ultimately shot down by Holter's forces, but not before revealing that Sebastian Grimm, the CEO of Clayburn Industries, was behind the order to throw Magnus Holter to the wolves. Hearing that, Fedor Volkov realized it was all a set-up and pulled his battered forces back to regroup, allowing Holter half an hour to escape...
Chapter 4 – Stronghold[edit | edit source]
Location: Gori, Georgia
Instead of running, Magnus Holter and his remaining forces decided to make an aggressive move and assault the Clayburn Industries regional headquarters in Gori, some 60 kilometers north-west of the old Georgian capital, Tbilisi, hoping the catch Sebastian Grimm, the Clayburn CEO, off-guard.
Ditching most of their heavy equipment in order to make the best time possible, Holter's forces made it just in time to be welcomed by all the Clayburn forces Grimm could muster, including a whole tank company Scores of Clayburn Security Forces men (soldiers in all but name) took their positions around the city, armed to the teeth with anti-tank guided missiles. The mission seemed hopeless but, seeing no other option, Holter decided to launch a desperate attack anyway. In a private radio conversation, Grimm told Holter of his motivation, how Holter had become too powerful and popular for his own good, threatening Grimm's position – he had to be removed, but not before being discredited as a rogue mercenary, a war criminal who had broken the Orleans treaty.
Advancing under the cover of a snowstorm that grounded the local squadron of assault helicopters armed with guns and rockets, Holter and his forces fought their way to the base dominating the city, defeating platoons of Clayburn tanks and clearing one street after another of enemy combatants.
The snowstorm cleared halfway through the battle, allowing Grimm to reinforce his faltering units in the city with helicopters and long-range artillery strikes – but to no avail. Magnus knew about the base's weakness and disabled its external power supply before breaking down the gates and entering the base itself.
Searching one bunker after another while evading constant enemy strikes, Holter's forces reached the top of the base only to watch Grimm escape in a fighter jet, powerless to stop him. The situation seemed hopeless – dozens of remaining Clayburn armored vehicles were amassed outside of the base and were readying themselves to re-take it. Clayburn helicopters pounded what was left of Holter's men to oblivion. In desperation, Holter called out to an unknown ally – a choice he knew would come with a hefty price tag in the future. A stealth bomber with previously unseen cloaking technology was dispatched to drop an EMP bomb over the entire city, knocking out the power in every vehicle on the battlefield. In the chaos that ensued, Holter was able to escape the encirclement.
And so ends Holter's story of how he became a "war criminal" – betrayed by the man he had trusted and left for the ISD to deal with. Extending an invitation, he is ready to welcome you amongst the ranks of his followers.
Arabian Nights[edit | edit source]
Chapter 1 – Plant in El Arish[edit | edit source]
Location: El Arish, Egypt
More than five months have passed since you met Magnus Holter in Jamaica and defected to his side to fight Clayburn Industries, now a dominating force in the mercenary world. Sebastian Grimm, the CEO of CI, used the fallout from Holter's attempt to destroy the CI base in Port Antonio using chlorine gas. Painting Holter as a war criminal and worlds' biggest threat, Grimm used his influence to withdraw from the treaty of Orleans that had, years prior, ended the Corporate Wars that had been ravaging much of the world. He spent most of late 2042 consolidating his power, taking over one competing enterprise by another, both peacefully and by force, while the rest of the corporations, ever suspicious, bickered bitterly amongst themselves, withdrawing their support from ISD one by one.
Magnus Holter's forces, on the other hand, were ravaged in the clash with CI and he spent much of the past half-year to rebuild his strength and to recruit new followers with promises of freedom from corporate oppression, revenge or – in most cases – money. Luckily for Holter, Clayburn forces overextended themselves and Holter's intelligence corps reported one of the CI processing plants located in Egypt was left temporarily vulnerable. In a twist of fate, the security was also provided by another organization from Holter's past – the Evocati PMC, now fully in CI service. Magnus Holter decided to take the opportunity to strike at his old enemy.
Your unit participates in the strike under the call-sign "Steel Breakers", supported by Holter's elite units, call sign "Willow" and a hired local mercenary flight, the Hawks. You fall upon the plant like a whirlwind, quickly overrunning the outer defenses and forcing the Evocati tanks into a desperate counterattack, which you crush easily with the help of Hawks' bombers. Even understaffed, the plant seems remarkably well defended, a fact that doesn't escape Holter's notice.
As you press forward into the facility, you notice a train ready to depart as well as a large number of trucks evacuating the premises – Clayburn Industries have been warned of your strike and are removing the most valuable assets. Clearly, this plant is more than it seems, you realize, as a large contingent of Evocati arrives to reinforce the reeling defenders. After a pitched but victorious battle, the Willow unit commandos take place of a bunker hidden beneath the plant, full of chemical weapons and the cargo that had allegedly been stolen from Batumi – finally a proof that Clayburn was involved in some very illegal operations.
Holter realizes that even this evidence is not enough to bring the combined might of the world down on Clayburn forces. He hatches a daring plan – to force Douglas O'Reilly, the leader of the Evocati, to testify against Grimm, he must first be captured. Fortunately for Holter, one of the captured Evocati officers knows where O'Reilly's hiding – the port city of Basra.
Chapter 2 – Hunt in Basra[edit | edit source]
Location: Basra, Iraq
You arrive at Basra only to find the city in a state of lockdown – getting in won't be easy with the streets being guarded by the Evocati elite along with all the auxiliary forces they could muster. Holter was, on the other hand, able to gather only limited support in time – the Hawks have arrived to support your advance, gleefully bombing one Evocati unit after another. The other support units, call-sign "Maple", were, however, overwhelmed by the Evocati and are fighting for their survival somewhere in the city.
You fight your way through the outskirts, your commandos searching one building after another, until they capture an Evocati officer who knows where O'Reilly is holed up – in a warehouse across the Shatt al-Arab river. Rescuing what remains of the Maple forces, you traverse the bridge to the hiding spot and find that the information provided by your prisoner is true – the place is crawling with Evocati elite. Your commandos storm the place while you hold off the merc reinforcements. Taking heavy losses, they finally manage to capture Douglas O'Reilly for interrogation. He will be delivered to Fedor Volkov, the commander of the remaining ISD forces. There would be no escape for O'Reilly or Grimm this time...
Chapter 3 – Latakia Breakthrough[edit | edit source]
Location: Latakia, Syria
After his capture in Basra, Douglas O'Reilly was transported to Latakia to an ISD base for interrogations. This turned out to be a mistake as the base immediately came under attack by a Clayburn Industries expeditionary force – Sebastian Grimm clearly doesn't want O'Reilly to talk. Fortunately for Fedor Volkov and his ISD troops, you and Magnus Holter's remaining soldiers also made the trip and weren't caught completely off-guard.
After defeating the initial wave of attackers, Volkov has O'Reilly loaded into the best protected ISD tank they can get their hands on and, under your protection, they drive to downtown Latakia while you fend off constant attacks from the Clayburn forces. Fearing for his life, Douglas O'Reilly realizes he has nothing to lose and promises to tell Fedor Volkov about a secret Clayburn Industries base where Sebastian Grimm awaits – but to do that, you have to get him out of the encirclement alive.
What follows is a fierce battle, in which Magnus and you manage to break through the enemy blockade and board one of the commandeered landing craft left on the beach in order to get to safety. Being true to his words, Douglas O'Reilly finally confesses and starts talking about Grimm's plans.
Chapter 4 – Olavsvern Takeover[edit | edit source]
Location: Olavsvern, Norway
Douglas O'Reilly finally disclosed the location of Sebastian Grimm's secret base where he's hiding from justice – it's located in Olavsvern, Norway. Your forces uneasily watch the wrecks of derelict ships littering the misty shores as you make your landing at the head of a large naval armada. Once again, Magnus Holter and Fedor Volkov are working together – if only for a short while.
As you disembark Holter's landing ships and take first orders from Volkov, Magnus Holter reveals his true colors and – more importantly – his intention. Volkov's goal is to capture Sebastian Grimm in order to put him on trial for Clayburn Industries' crimes, but Holter has another fate in store for him – a cold, icy resting place six feet under the frozen soil of his own base.
Shortly after the beginning of your missions, you will have a choice to make – either you can join Fedor Volkov and bring Grimm to international justice, or side with Magnus Holter, allowing him to finally enact his revenge and kill Sebastian Grimm, decapitating his world-spanning corporation in one fell swoop. Regardless of your choices, you are in for the toughest fight of your career as you punch through an entire battalion of enemy troops desperately defending every inch of their precious facility. Eventually, you manage to overcome their resistance and reach the base's port, only to find out that Grimm is on board of his own private destroyer and is bent on slipping under your nose again, taunting you along the way.
The outcome of the battle reflects the choice you made – if you sided with Fedor Volkov, he will try to convince Grimm to surrender and face an international court, revealing that the ISD is no longer a Clayburn puppet, but a reformed organization fighting to bring peace to the post-corporate-wars world. Grimm mocks the proposal but his ship is eventually sunk by air strikes and the concentrated fire of your forces. Grimm is then taken into ISD custody to await his trial.
Siding of with Magnus Holter, will, however, reveal the story of how Grimm ended up controlling Clayburn Industries – him and Magnus Holter murdered Clayburn's former CEO and founder at the height of his power, taking over one of the most powerful corporations in the world and growing it even further. But Sebastian Grimm, a former mercenary commander himself, became drunk on power and corrupted – instead of bringing the corporate wars to an end, he started obsessing over territory, control and money, betraying even his closes friend Magnus Holter in the process. Magnus, however, is not the forgiving type and instead of listening to Fedor Volkov, he has Grimm's vessel bombed and sunk, leaving Grimm to die on his doomed ship.
So ends Magnus Holter's story – but which ending is the correct one?
We leave that up to you to decide, commanders. We will take a look at the statistics of Chapter 4 and the majority choice will become the canon ending. Now's a good opportunity to influence the future of Armored Warfare storyline – are you up to the task?
Moscow Calling[edit | edit source]
The last mission of the Arabian Nights Special Operation left players with a choice – either side with Magnus and kill Sebastian Grimm, or side with Fedor Volkov and arrest him. Upon examining the results of this choice, we are pleased to report that most players sided with Fedor Volkov. The story will therefore continue with this outcome in mind.
Chapter 1 – Summit[edit | edit source]
Clayburn Industries has been defeated, its fate sealed with the arrest of its CEO, Sebastian Grimm, during the pacification of the Olavsvern base in Norway. All around the world, its assets are being seized by the victorious International Security Department that finally found its way out of the clutches of CI's corrupting influence. No longer a corporate puppet, the ISD calls for a major summit that takes place in the city of Moscow. The largest corporations on the planet, wary of the example made of Clayburn Industries, quickly accept the invitation as numerous world leaders also prepare to attend this historical meeting.
You, the Hero of Olavsvern and the man who brought down an empire, are tasked with one last mission – in the service of the ISD, you are to guard the summit. You are to be joined by Magnus Holter – with his crusade over, the man was, once again, saved by Fedor Volkov despite his Olavsvern actions, and vowed to join the ISD as a low-ranking officer to make up for the crimes he had committed. After all, men of his talents are rare and the ISD, now a global peacekeeper, could not afford to not employ someone as skilled and experienced as him.
The summit starts peacefully. The streets of Moscow are silent, emptied by the omnipresent troops with only the sound of rain providing a background to what is to be one of the most important political events in history. The melancholic stillness of downtown Moscow, lit by the distant lights emanating from the city's skyline, is suddenly interrupted by a massive bomb explosion annihilating one of the incoming world leader convoys. Chaos ensues, as hundreds of troops and dozens of armored vehicles suddenly swarm the protectors.
These wear the livery of Liberty Militia, and old world-wide anti-corporate insurgency group pre-dating even the rise corporations. The insurgency was thought annihilated during the Corporate Wars by the ISD, but now is back in force, armed with the very best the black market can deliver. Someone incredibly rich must be backing them, you think, as you fight your way through their units to keep the summit attendees alive. You and Magnus, now commanding his own tank, fight like lions and eventually overcome the assailants, but the summit is in ruins as, over the radio, you hear the sounds of battle – this is no mere terrorist attack but a full-fledged military assault.
You almost make it out of the hot zone... almost. As you drive out of an underpass, you are ambushed by unknown enemies with colors you haven't seen before. Magnus seems to know who they are and promises to tell you after the battle – but doesn't get the chance. A massive missile falls on the city, annihilating the entire summit area along with Fedor Volkov. You and Magnus, reeling from the shock, are reduced to watching as several high-tech prototype tanks, masked by some kind of cloaking technology, materialize out of thin air before your eyes.
A man named Victor Blaze greets you – an old acquaintance of Magnus', it seems, as both men are familiar with another and you recall hearing his voice during the El Arish operation on the radio. Magnus is taken hostage, but you are not so lucky – Blaze has no interest in keeping you alive since you've proven to be so troublesome and orders the others to fire at your vehicle even as you surrender. The last thing you see is a muzzle flash from an enemy cannon. The story of the mercenary group who survived all the way from the events of the Caribbean Crisis ends here. From now on, other heroes will have to step up to fight this menace.
Chapter 2 – Castle[edit | edit source]
An unknown enemy emerges. All across Europe, the ISD infrastructure is being dismantled and its units taken out one by one by an unknown enemy who has seemingly unlimited resources at his disposal. Even though the enemies use the colors of the Liberty Militia, it's obvious that one group could never muster such power. This cannot be just an insurgency. Their numbers clearly dwarf those of many countries.
One by one, ISD outposts fall until only Salzburg is left stand. Hana Buric, an ISD officer, is desperately trying to mount resistance against nearly insurmountable odds but her units are getting overwhelmed.
In this battle, you assume the role of Hana as you fight off waves of enemies, buying your men some time to evacuate the residents of the city and your remaining forces. You still don't know who are you fighting and why and all you can do is holding your ground. Halfway through the battle, you get attacked by enemy aircraft and helicopters.
Despite heavy losses, you fight your way through Salzburg and block off most access routes but your adversaries are relentless. Your last stand takes place inside the Salzburg castle where the last of the surviving helicopters await the evacuation. You manage to board them and run. As you flee, a giant shadow blots out the sun. A craft so giant it almost defies the laws of physics is the last thing you see before the doomed city disappears from your sight. Your comm units managed to contact some American insurgents.
Chapter 3 – Midnight Ambush[edit | edit source]
Location: Pleternica, Croatia
It's been a rough couple of months for the ISD but you now know the identity of the enemy – or, at least, how they identify to the world. They call themselves Enigma, but little is certain beyond that as their motives and sources of power remain a mystery.
No mystery is, however, absolute. There are those who have dealt with this mysterious organization in the past. The conspiracy that allowed Enigma to take over most of Europe in a single night runs deep, but could not have happened without at least someone high up the food chain being aware of their existence. Many such people were captured or killed during the Moscow Summit – perhaps that is why it happened in the first place, to cover up any tracks.
There's also the matter of the cloaking technology Enigma uses. While deployed rarely, it gives them an enormous advantage as they are able to sneak even heavy vehicles behind enemy lines without being noticed. This technology would be extremely useful in Hana's hands and without it, any rescue attempts are likely set to fail.
But, by a stroke of luck, Hana Buric – now a rebel leader with the ISD effectively annihilated – managed to learn of a transport that could carry some unspecified components for the stealth technology – as well as some answers.
Making their way to Croatia, you and the rest of the former ISD troops set up an ambush near the village of Pleternica. Hana's intel turns out to be correct as numerous trucks start to arrive. However, they have a major escort along with artillery support. Additionally, the massive flying Enigma warship you saw in Salzburg turns up as well along with the forces of another insurgency group, the NPAA – it's clearly an ambush. Nevertheless, you fight your way through the ordeal and escape with valuable technology in your hands...
Chapter 4 – Freedom[edit | edit source]
The stealth camouflage, captured during your Pleternica operation, worked like a charm but the mission was still a major gamble. Using all her men and resources, Hana Buric mounted an all-out assault on the hotbed of Enigma activity, Moscow, with only one goal in mind – to rescue Magnus Holter, one of the most experienced warriors on the planet.
The assault commences well enough but, soon, you and your forces are neck-deep in Enigma troops as you and all the former ISD troops left advance to the prisoner compound. Your commandos storm the building and indeed find Magnus Holter alive inside. Equally shocked by and grateful for his unexpected rescue, Magnus leaves for a nearby airport where the final part of Hana's plan is unveiled – to hijack one of the giant Enigma warships with stealth technology.
Enigma, however, is not planning to sit idly by – another warship appears and is heading towards your forces while your crew is preparing the captured one for a long flight west. You escape destruction by the skin of your teeth as the enemy warship crashes into the ground, shot down by captured turrets. As its remnants burn around you, you embark on the journey without many of your friends who paid the ultimate price, but with one thing you didn't have before – hope.
The World of Armored Warfare
Special Operations: Story So Far
Retrieved from "https://armoredwarfare.gamepedia.com/index.php?title=Story&oldid=20820"


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Just hours before the league doubles tennis tournament was to start on April 26, an 86-year-old woman was found murdered at Highlands High School, causing the match to be rescheduled.
According to the Sacramento Bee, Fusako Petrus and her 60-year-old exercise partner, whose name has not been released, were on their morning walk around the Highlands High track when a man attacked and sexually assaulted the younger of the two women. When Petrus tried to assist her friend, she too was attacked and died at the scene.
The police have 18-year-old suspect Neven Butler in custody.
Due to the murder, the tournament was rescheduled for the following day, April 27.
Four of the seven Country Day tennis players qualified to represent SCDS.
Sophomore Michaela Chen competed in the girls' singles championship match, and seniors Emil Erickson and Christian Van Vleck played boys' doubles.
Junior Nico Burns's match for the boys' singles championships was canceled because his opponent forfeited.
Chen, seeded second in the league for girls' singles, played Rebecca Mar, a sophomore from Bradshaw Christian High School, seeded first.
Chen had lost to Mar twice before, so it did not come as a surprise when she was beaten a third time (0-6, 3-6).
"My opponent was skilled," Chen said, commenting on Mar's impressive ball control, serves and topspins.
Even though she lost, Chen was not disappointed in her playing.
"I played smart and tired out my opponent by hitting the ball from one corner to the other," Chen said.
The one thing she wished she had done differently was hit with a less open racket, so the balls didn't go so far.
Nevertheless, Chen qualified for sectionals.
Erickson and Van Vleck placed second in the boys doubles championships.
They did very well in their first two matches, (6-0, 6-0) and (6-2, 6-1), but struggled in their last and lost (1-6, 1-6).
According to Erickson, this was about what they expected.
"We played well (but) the team we played in the final was really good," Erickson said.
Van Vleck agreed, saying that although they were outplayed in their final match, they communicated well.
Check back for the results of the section championships on Thursday, May 4, and Friday, May 5.


text:
Q: Is Spec of a ring monoidal or anti-monoidal? Let $A$ and $B$ be rings. A very senior mathematician impressed on me the importance of writing
$$
\operatorname{Spec}{A \otimes B} = \operatorname{Spec}{B} \times \operatorname{Spec}{A}
$$
One can find this, for example, in 4.0.5 of Brown - Integral points on curves, the unit equation, and motivic periods.
On the other hand, most mathematicians write
$$
\operatorname{Spec}{A \otimes B} = \operatorname{Spec}{A} \times \operatorname{Spec}{B},
$$
as in 6.3.5 of Vakil's notes Foundations of algebraic geometry, the proof of Theorem II.3.3 in Hartshorne, or 3.2.2, p. 104, of EGA I.
Which one is correct? More specifically, what are the benefits and downsides of each? Does something go wrong if one writes things in the latter manner?

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Excellent investment potential! 3-unit multifamily home in wonderful Marlborough NH. Walking distance to elementary school, hardware store, laundromat, several interesting shops, eateries, post office, gas/covenience store, fire department, community garden spaces and the Marlborough Community Center. Property is on Route 101, 5 minutes from Keene and in the back overlooks the Miniwawa Brook. Tenants pay all their own utilities. Great starter opportunity for an investor-owner to easily move in to Unit #3 and owner occupy and have the other 2 units pay your mortgage and then some! 24 hour notice to show due to tenants please.
The listing office is HKS Associates, Inc. and listing agent is Ann Connor. The data relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the IDX Program of NNEREN. Copyright(c) 2019 Northern New England Real Estate Network, Inc. All rights reserved. This information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. RLS2000.com, Inc. and its subscribers disclaim any and all respresentations or warranties as to the accuracy of this information. The data was last modified on 12/18/2018 2:24:00 PM.


Coinciding with the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence, Footscray's wit incorporated theatre company has announced an exciting new season for 2017 that puts women at the heart of the story.
Artistic Director Belinda Campbell says it's an important statement. "Too often, we see stories that feature women only in supporting roles, even when it's a lead character," she says. "It can also be difficult to find stories written or directed by women. So this season, we're presenting a season of works by women. That means every actor, director and writer involved is a woman."
"But we know that gender isn't the only great divider in our society. So you'll also see casts as diverse as the community in which they are performing," Campbell says. "That means our shows will be performed by actors from diverse cultural backgrounds, of differing sexuality, some with disability some without.
"Of course, at the heart of it all, is great storytelling."
During the company's season launch party on Friday 2 December, Campbell also introduced the 2017 ensemble, including Allison Bell, Claire Bowen and Sarah Clarke, alongside Campbell herself and Company Manager Jennifer Piper.
The season opens with the world-premiere of A Hero's Guide to Saving the Planet, written by Campbell after the incredible success of 2016's Fairy Tale News (now published and available via Australian Plays Online). It's a comedy for anyone who loves a super-hero and will delight audiences of all ages during the mid-year school holidays. Another world-premiere follows, with A Scandal in the Weimar, a new Sherlock Holmes adventure from Claire Bowen and Jennifer Piper. Campbell will direct the classic buddy story, as Lady Sherlock Holmes and Dr Jean Watson travel to Berlin in 1939 to face off against the Nazis. 2017 will finish with Outside In. Set inside a women's prison, it's a script that the team believes should be a contemporary classic. It's everything audiences love about TV shows like Wentworth and Orange is the New Black, but live on stage.
wit incorporated has also promised more play readings and special events throughout the year.
The company's children's outreach program, Wit Kids, will continue into its second year, with support from Braybrook Community Hub and Seddon Community Bank.
They will also continue their Sundays at the Church workshop series, inviting theatre makers from around Melbourne's inner west and beyond to join them and continue to work on their craft in the beautiful surrounds of Bluestone Church Arts Space.
Company Manager Jennifer Piper says the program would not be possible without the support of City of Maribyrnong.
"Maribyrnong City Council, as well as hosting us in this amazing space, provided two grants in 2016 – one to fund the development of Couch Potato and one to run the pilot year of Wit Kids," Piper says. "In 2017 they're providing another grant to help us grow our corporate partnership program, and they've also welcomed us back as Artists in Residence for 2016.
"We really couldn't do this without them."


When you're toting the vino to the party, look no further for an A+ tote (it's literally made for the job). Tough, industrial-weight canvas in a spread of hand-dyed hues will keep your precious cargo tucked in for the journey and a sun-tanned leather handle lets you carry it with confidence.
Solo is 6"W x 1"H and fits a standard wine bottle; Duo is 12"W x 11"H and fits two standard wine bottles.
Working with merino wool felt and quality leather hides, Graf & Lantz produces modern and elegant accessories and homewares. Their commitment to sustainability—from their vertically integrated operation to their fair-wage business model to the materials they use—is evident in the quality and design of every object they make.
From cacio e pepe to Ottolenghi-fied, these orange spuds don't lack personality.
Resist the urge to dress this cake up -- it's perfect just the way it is.


text:
KESMI 107.1 FM
Home Politics 'It is refreshing to give us hope' – Togbe Afede to Mahama
'It is refreshing to give us hope' – Togbe Afede to Mahama
Oduro Kwaku
Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of Asogli State, has indicated that it is refreshing for the former President to give the people of the Volta Region some hope, as he campaigns to get voted for his second term.
Togbe Afede XIV indicated that the country for almost four years under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has seen joblessness as a result of the banking crisis and COVID-19, a situation causing growing poverty in the country.
"It's very refreshing to hear you try to give us hope. The hope that we all need. This is the time to give hope to our people, time to give hope to our youth. I believe that working together in unity devoid of
[partisan]
politics we can transform our beautiful country into a paradise," he said when John Dramani Mahama paid a courtesy call on him.
Togbe Afede explained that Ghana has all that it takes to turn our country into a paradise.
He added that the tenets of the constitution need to be upheld in order for the country to succeed, "particularly, the Directive Principles of State Policy which requires that the state should do all it can to maximize economic development".
Togbe Afede XIV condemned the Ghana Armed Forces invasion of the Volta Region during the recently ended voter registration exercise and the exclusion of some Ewe communities from taking part in the exercise.
He said: "Unfortunately, the 'Freedom' and the 'Justice' that we are promised under our Constitution has become imperilled by tribalism. Our country has never been as divided.
"I don't think the Ghanaian is inherently tribalistic, no. And I recall that during a meeting that Otumfuo addressed, he said it among all others that we are one people and Anlos (Ewes) and Asantes are one people. He talked, with pride, about the fact that the cook in his house is an Ewe and coincidentally, the cook in my house in Accra is an Akan, so, we are, indeed, one people. The Ghanaian is not inherently tribalistic."
The traditional leader further said: "It's so sad, just as you [Mahama] said that after 63 years of nationhood, we are still trying to define who a Ghanaian is."
He continued: "We don't know, as of now, the value of our birth certificates in which we took so much pride as evidence of our belonging to the nation Ghana. And, of course, if the birth certificate has lost its credibility, then, of course, passports that are given based on those birth certificates also would lack credibility."
Togbe Afede went on: "It is a difficult time, indeed, for our country when we are now trying to rediscover ourselves; who are we; are we Ghanaians or are we not Ghanaians?"
There is a song in Ewe, he said, "that suggests that, and just as you [Mahama] said: 'Everybody's mother came from somewhere to give him birth at his place of birth,' but of course, we've all lived as tribes of Ghana on this land for hundreds of years and we have every right to be proud of our Ghanaian citizenship."
And, he also noted, "As I said several times recently, this is not the time for anybody to claim to be more Ghanaian than others. Tribalism is dangerous, as I've always said and tribalism is a result of ignorance."
"It's also a result of greedy politics, whose aim is to exclude some others, and therefore, to define some as insiders and some as outsiders," Togbe Afede stressed.
SOURCEGhanaweb.com
Previous articleRetain my government to protect Ghana's prosperity – Akufo-Addo
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2020 elections: NPP, NDC initiate 16 legal proceedings against each other
2020 Elections: 'We're Going To Win Big Time . . ....
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Get a map to your doctor's office, check the status of a claim and more with Blue Cross' new iPhone/Ipad app.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana announced Dec. 5 that customers can now find urgent care, get a map to their doctor's office and check the status of their claims - all on the go with a new free mobile app for Apple's iPhone and iPad.
Blue Cross' new app is named "BCBSLA" and has features that allow the company's customers to access their health care coverage information easily from an Apple mobile device.
Find a doctor or urgent care: Customers can use the app to get a map and directions to a nearby doctor's office or facility that is in the Blue Cross network, easing their access to care.
View benefits and claims: Customers can see important information about their health care coverage benefits, including the status of their claims, deductibles, copays, coinsurance and balances.
"Today, many of our members prefer to engage with us through mobile devices," Blue Cross mobile administrator Kassim Rasoulian said in a press release. "We designed this app after identifying the information they are most often seeking, so we could put that at their fingertips."
Blue Cross says the app for Apple devices is a first step; the insurance company will expand into the Android market next.


text:
The Impending Execution of Robert Towery
The Impending Execution of Keith Thurmond
Robert Towery sits on death row awaiting execution by the people of Arizona.
Towery has an alleged alibi, and the prosecutor's conduct during the trial was so bad that the appellate court reported him to the state bar for possible sanctions. Towery claims his roommate murdered the victim during an armed robbery, and that he (Towery) wasn't even there. Towery was convicted in large measure based on the testimony of that roommate, who got a sweet deal for testifying.
In other words, this case has many of the elements that make me question a conviction. On the other hand, the armed robbery / murder in question had much the same motis operandi as the multiple other armed robberies Towery had committed, including the use of plastic tie wraps to bind the victim (and in this case) to strangle the victim. Towery also ended up with much of the stolen merchandise, though he claims he purchased it from his roommate.
From Towery v. Shriro (2010)
Robert Towery lived with Randy Barker and John Meacham in Scottsdale, Arizona, and shared his bedroom with his girlfriend and her young daughter. As the Arizona Supreme Court recognized, the case against Towery relied largely on the testimony of Barker, who testified in exchange for a reduced charge of second-degree murder. Unless otherwise indicated, the following facts are based on Barker's account.
On September 4, 1991, Barker and Towery agreed to rob Mark Jones, whom Towery had previously met, at Jones' house. That evening, the two of them drove in Barker's car to a Denny's Restaurant and from there took a taxi to be dropped off in Jones' neighborhood. They knocked on Jones' door, and Towery asked if they could use his telephone because their vehicle had broken down. Towery said, "Do you remember me? I'm from R and D Automotive."
After the two were let in, Barker pretended to make a telephone call, while Towery pulled a gun out of his briefcase. Towery told Jones that they were robbing him, both men put gloves on and Barker handcuffed Jones. Over the course of about two hours, Barker kept watch on Jones while Towery collected about $1,200 in cash and loaded Jones' car with jewelry, electronics and other items.
Towery and Barker then led Jones to the master bedroom at gunpoint, asking him whether he expected anyone soon. Towery asked Jones whether he preferred to be tied up or to be injected with a drug that would put him to sleep. Jones chose the latter option and was laid face down on the bed. Towery then tried several times to inject Jones with a large veterinary syringe that Barker believed contained battery acid.
Believing Jones was pretending to have fallen asleep, Towery created a noose using a set of tie wraps from his briefcase and began to strangle him. Jones did not struggle, but made choking and gagging sounds. After removing the noose, Towery determined that Jones was not yet dead, made another noose and repeated his previous action. Towery and Barker then drove Jones' car to the Denny's to get Barker's car, unloaded the goods at their house and abandoned Jones' car in the parking lot of an apartment complex. A security guard at the complex saw the men and later identified Towery in a photo lineup. Jones' body was discovered the next morning.
Towery testified and offered an alibi. He said he dropped Barker off at the Denny's and saw him get picked up by someone else. Towery then drove Barker's car to meet Tina Collins at an adult book shop. Towery drove with Collins to another parking lot, where they talked for about two hours. Afterward, not finding Barker at their planned meeting spot, Towery drove home. Barker arrived at the house with Jones' car and property, and Towery helped him unload the goods and dispose of the car. Towery also claimed that he bought the stolen items that the police found in his possession from Barker.
Collins' videotaped deposition was admitted to corroborate Towery's story. She said they had first met a couple of weeks earlier and arranged to meet on September 4. She did not talk with Towery again until February 9, when she visited the prison at the suggestion of a friend of hers who happened to be visiting Towery's cellmate. In his closing argument, the prosecutor suggested that Collins had never met Towery prior to the prison visit and fabricated her testimony to bolster his alibi.
... Barker testified at trial that Towery was the murderer and that, before strangling Jones, Towery had repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempted to inject him with battery acid, using an abnormally large syringe. The County Medical Examiner's testimony also suggested that someone had made multiple, "not too skillful" attempts to inject the murder victim with an unknown substance. Towery contends his counsel rendered ineffective assistance by failing to introduce evidence that Towery was a skilled intravenous drug user who would not have been so clumsy and would have had access to regular-sized syringes. In Towery's view, this would have impeached the credibility of Barker's testimony and bolstered Towery's alibi, suggesting that Towery was not the murderer. ...
Even if evidence of Towery's skill with syringes would not have added to the opprobrium flowing from evidence of his drug use already before the jury, it nonetheless might have led the jury to consider it more likely that Towery was the murderer given his use of and access to hypodermic needles, instead of less likely on the theory that a skilled drug user probably would not have used a big needle and miss veins. More importantly, considerable other evidence linked Towery to the murder, including Jones' gold dental crown and car keys found in Towery's briefcase, other stolen items found in Towery's bedroom, Towery's fingerprint found on the housing of the compact disc player that had been removed from Jones' car and Barker's girlfriend's testimony that Barker and Towery split the stolen money evenly and that Towery showed her photographs taken from the victim's home and said "the guy deserved it."
Though I don't know whether Robert Towery or Randy Barker is the person who actually killed Mark Jones, I'm confident they both were involved in the robbery. Since I oppose executions only when I believe there is a reasonable chance the person to be executed might not have been involved in the crime, I stand mute with respect to the execution of Robert Towery.
Labels: Robert Towery
Keith Thurmond sits on death row awaiting execution by the people of Texas. I provide the details of his crime twice, once as reported by YourHoustonNews.com and once as summarized by an appellate court.
From YourHoustonNews.com:
With several unsuccessful appeals behind him, Keith Steven Thurmond, who killed his estranged wife and her boyfriend in 2001 while the Thurmonds' young son watched, appears to be set for his execution Wednesday evening in Huntsville.
But Thurmond's latest appellate attorney stated in an email to The Courier Friday he will file a petition for writ of certiorari Monday in another attempt to stop Thurmond's execution by lethal injection.
A Montgomery County jury convicted Thurmond in 2002. The day of the killings, a judge had ordered Thurmond, who lived in the Magnolia area at the time, to stay away from his wife and 8-year-old son.
Instead, he armed himself and headed to the home of Guy Fernandes, where Fernandes, Sharon Anne Thurmond and the Thurmonds' son were in a pickup truck.
The boy told investigators at the time how he had seen his father, with the gun, chasing his mother around the yard while Fernandes, 35, ran into the mobile home, The Courier previously reported. The boy then said he saw his father shoot his mother "a couple of times and ... then ran into Guy's mobile home with the gun," according to arrest warrant affidavits.
The boy then told investigators he heard several shots, and he then ran to his father's home across the street.
Keith Thurmond then barricaded himself and his son inside his home. He later released the boy unharmed, but he remained inside the mobile home armed with at least one pistol and another firearm.
Officers persuaded Thurmond, 41 at the time, to surrender peacefully after a couple of hours.
Sharon Thurmond, 32, had sought protective orders against her husband twice, including the one issued the day she died.
Now from Thurmond v. Thaler (2011)
Sharon Thurmond separated from her husband a few months before the murder. She took their child and moved across the street to live with Guy Sean Fernandez. The day of the murders, deputies served Thurmond with a protective order and placed his six-year-old son in the custody of his wife. Thurmond was unhappy that his wife was living across the street with another man. After the deputies left with the child, Thurmond became very upset. He then shot and killed both victims.
I oppose executions in which there is some reasonable chance the person to be executed might be factually innocent. In all other cases, I stand mute.
With respect to the impending execution of Keith Thurmond, I stand mute.
Labels: Keith Thurmond


text:
Popdose Prime: Five Holy-Grail Playset Toys of the 1980s
For most of us who played with any of the mass-produced toy lines of the 1980s, our appetite for bigger and better toys was curbed by two things — limited space and limited (parental) money. Working with those restraints we scooped up as many G.I. Joe, Transformers, or He-Man action figures, vehicles, and modestly priced playsets as we could get. And that would just have to be good enough.
But we all knew that kid. The one whose parents saw fit to buy him or her anything and everything they wanted. The one for whom neither room nor funds was an issue. Through them we discovered new feelings like jealousy and despair. If you had a really cool astronaut action figure, Johnny had the 1/20th scale space station powered by a miniature fusion reactor. If you had the hottest new doll on the market, Laura had the giant dollhouse that only sold in Japan and actually hooked into the city water supply. Little fuckers, the lot of them.
Where was I? Oh yeah. So here's a list of "holy grail" toys that helped convince a generation of kids that maybe their parents didn't love them quite as much as they should have.
#5. Crystal Castle/Crystal Falls (She-Ra: Princess of Power)
Don't worry, I'm not going to forget the ladies as so many other lists like this do.
If you were a girl in the '80s and didn't go for any of that Barbie or dollhouse jazz, there were few toys out there that afforded an experience like the boys got. So if you wanted toys that seemed a little more tough, your best bet was She-Ra: Princess of Power. And within that universe, there were two excellent playsets — Crystal Castle and Crystal Falls, the latter of which was the more original.
While Crystal Castle was quite cool, it was definitely an imitation of He-Man's Castle Grayskull. Crystal Falls, on the other hand, was a whole new ballgame. Sure neither of them appealed to me, but I know there are a lot of women who appreciated the effort from Mattel.
#4. Eternia (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe)
I never really bought into the He-Man hype back in the '80s. I watched the shitty Filmation cartoon pretty regularly but collected a grand total of four or five action figures. But still, how could you not love the plastic colossus that was the Eternia playset — the largest He-Man toy Mattel produced? It was made up of three towers connected by a motorized monorail/cable car, proving that even a war-ravaged planet has a better mass transit system than most U.S. cities. Then again it also had a plenty of prison space, so maybe they're not so progressive after all.
Not only is Eternia huge and expensive, it's also pretty rare. I didn't even know this thing existed until recently. Either way, in terms of sheer size and complexity it puts smaller sets like Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain to shame, and as a bonus it looks like a scale model of Epcot as designed by Charles Manson.
You can still find used Eternia playsets out in the wild, just be prepared to drop upwards of four figures on one.
#3. Fortress Maximus (Transformers)
For a quarter century, Fortress Maximus held the distinction of being the largest Transformers toy ever produced. I'll admit that by the time it came out in 1987 — as part of the new Headmasters line — my interest in Transformers was waning. You can blame a little device called the Nintendo Entertainment System for that.
Fortress Maximus (subtle name, by the way, Hasbro) stood at 22 inches high in robot mode, more than twice the height of a typical Generation 1 Transformers specimen, and retailed for around $100. Its other two modes were rolling battle station and city, which is why this Autobot's code name was "Detroit."
#2. AT-AT (Star Wars)
In the early '80s there may have been no cooler toy experience than to have one of these bad boys in a snowy backyard, as it lumbered its way though a hapless Rebel defense line. Sure, it took you and at least three of your friends to operate the thing, but man was it ever worth it. I had the Imperial Attack Base and it was alright, but this was easily the coolest toy from the coolest Star Wars movie ever.
If you're like me and you missed out on the AT-AT the first time around, never fear! There is an up-to-date version for sale now, and it looks just as awesome as the original. No shoddy out-of-box originals on eBay for me, no sir!
(You might have been expecting to see the Millennium Falcon on this list but the original version came out in 1979, and was the same as the one released to coincide with The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, so it's disqualified.)
#1. U.S.S. Flagg Aircraft Carrier (G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero)
Jesus, look at this thing.
Released in 1985, the U.S.S. Flagg aircraft carrier was slightly smaller than the average Japanese import car of its time. It retailed for $89.99, weighed almost 40 pounds, and measured seven-and-a-half feet long. This thing wasn't just big, it was fucking huge. So huge that it couldn't even fit on one page of the Sears catalog.
You don't show this off to your friends so much as you give walking tours. I knew exactly one kid who had this beast, and it was kept in his parents' unfinished basement. I think they had to remove the furnace to make room for it but hey, freedom isn't free you know.
Popdose Lists
1980s, Castle Grayskull, Eternia, G.I. Joe, He-Man, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, lists, playsets, She-Ra, Star Wars, toys, Transformers
Chris Holmes
Chris Holmes joined the Popdose writing staff only after enduring a humiliating series of hazing rituals. One day he'll write a tell-all book, and then they'll all pay. Until then, you can also catch him at his regular home, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, or you can follow him on Twitter.
An Aging Hipster's Top 50 Albums of 2019
2018's 50 Best Albums: An Apocalypse Survival Guide
You're Dead to Us: TV Shows for, and Starring, Old People
Like, Omigod! Digging Through the '80s Pop Culture Box, Part 12


Empanada is one pastry that crosses income segments. It can be sold to the masses at mall kiosks, to the well-heeled at Sunday neighborhood markets, or even to guests at 5-star hotels! If you are looking for a quick but promising home-based food business idea, this should get you started.
1. Sauté onion and garlic in hot oil until translucent.
2. Add meat, sauté for 5 more minutes. Stir in tomatoes, stock, and remaining ingredients.
1. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2. Cut the shortening into the flour as though you were making a pie crust by working it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Sprinkle dough with just enough cold water so that it will just hold together. Knead together briefly and allow to rest, covered for about 10 minutes.
4. Roll dough out on a lightly floured board to circles about 3-4 inches in diameter.
5. Place a spoonful of empanada filling of your choice on one side of the circle. Moisten the edges of the circle with a small amount of water and fold the dough over the filling to make a half circle. Press the edges together to seal.
6. You can opt to make a pattern on the edges of the crust by pressing on it with the tines of a fork. Vary your patterns if you are making empanadas with different fillings to distinguish one from the other.
7. Bake at 375° F for 15-20 minutes or deep fry in oil until the crust turns golden brown.


text:
Q: Chrome Extension - execute script not injecting in new tab I can't get execute script to work. I followed the example and can't get anything to execute. I have tried editing the permissions and I have tried injecting a console.log, a settimeout. I have read the documentation repeatedly, I am at a loss. I am simply trying to inject a script that enters in a username and password and then click the login button.
var script =  ' var e = document.getElementById("email"); var p = document.getElementById("password");'+
              'e.value ="'+currentEmployee.email+'"; p.value = "'+currentEmployee.password+'";'+
              'var osbut = document.getElementById("osLoginButton"); osbut.submit();';
chrome.tabs.create({
    url: 'https://www.example.net/login'
}, function (tab) {
    chrome.tabs.executeScript(tab.id, {
        code: script
    });
});

Here is my manifest.json
{
   "name": "Example",
  "description": "example",
  "version": "1.0",
  "manifest_version": 2,

    "browser_action": {
        "default_icon": "icon.png",
    "default_popup": "popup.html",
    "default_script": "popup.js",
        "default_title": "example!"
},
  "permissions": [
    "activeTab",
    "storage",
    "http://*/",
    "https://*/",
    "tabs",
    "*://www.example.net/*"
  ]
}

A: This is what I finally got to work. The biggest thing I needed was that the tab needed to not be active. Thats what was screwing everything up. The newly created tab stopped the popup from continuing with the functions. So the new tab was created and even though there was a callback the popup was destroyed so there was nothing to callback to. Hopefully this helps someone else, using a popup.js with newly created tabs.
chrome.tabs.create({
    url: web, active: false
}, function (tab) {myTab = tab;
  setTimeout(checkLoad, 2000);
  }
)
}//end func

function checkLoad(){ console.log(web);
chrome.tabs.query({status: "complete", url: web }, function (tab) {
  console.log(tab);
  for(var i = 0; i < tab.length; i++){ if(tab[i].title =! undefined){setTimeout(pressure, 1000)}
else{setTimeout(checkLoad, 1000) }

}} )}

function pressure(){

var script = "var e = ''; var p = ''; var j = '';"+
'setTimeout(function(){'+
'var l = document.getElementsByTagName("input");'+
'console.log(l);for(var i = 0; i < l.length; i++){if (l[i].type == "email" || l[i].name == "email" || l[i].id == "email" || l[i].id.includes("user") ){ e = l[i]; console.log(e.name)};if (l[i].type == "password" || l[i].id == "password" ||  l[i].id.includes("pass") || l[i].name.includes("pass")){ p = l[i]; console.log(p.name)};if (l[i].type == "submit"){ j = l[i]; j.click(); }};'+
'e.focus();'+'e.value ="";'+
'e = document.execCommand("insertText", true,'+ '"'+currentEmployee.email+'");'+
'p.value = "";'+
'p.focus();'+
'p = document.execCommand("insertText", true, '+'"'+currentEmployee.password+'");'+
'}, 750);'+
'setTimeout(function(){j.click()}, 1000)';
 chrome.tabs.executeScript(myTab.id, {allFrames : true, code : script})
}


text:
Alun Wyn Jones
Nigel Owens column: Alun Wyn Jones and Richie McCaw would be first two names in a World XV of greatest players I've refereed
Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones overtakes New Zealand great Richie McCaw's Test appearance record when he leads out his country against Scotland in Six Nations
Nigel Owens
Alun Wyn Jones, leading by example (Image: Ben Evans/Huw Evans Agency)
Alun Wyn Jones makes a special piece of rugby history today, when he goes past Richie McCaw's world record landmark of 148 Test matches.
As he leads his team out against Scotland at Parc-y-Scarlets it will be Alun Wyn's 149th international appearance, 140 for Wales and nine for the Lions.
That is a remarkable achievement in its own right, demonstrating incredible levels of fitness, ability, professionalism and longevity.
But what marks these two special rugby warriors out as even more unique is that they have played the game right at the coalface, took the bumps, bruises and huge hits.
Yet were always still back for the next game, stood the test of time.
It's extraordinary really, when you put it in context like that.
McCaw made his New Zealand debut in 2001 and as a back-rower put his body on the line right through to his final match, the World Cup final against Australia at Twickenham 14 years on which I was fortunate enough to referee.
He took the hits, never moaned, was always respectful, and just got on with the game. Yes he would challenge you at times, just like any good captain, but always in a respectful way, I found.
There are so many similarities with Alun Wyn. He too plays in a position which means he bears the brunt of the physicality.
Look, with due respect to a full-back or winger, say, whilst those are hugely important positions in any rugby team, they're not in the thick of it for the 80 minutes in the way a back-rower, or lock will be.
So for Alyn Wyn to play 149 Test matches when he's been in the boilerhouse, jumping in the lineout, head down in the scrum, carrying the ball up, tackling and doing his work around the field, is something that is truly out of the ordinary.
And do you know what, in the 14 years Alun Wyn has played for Wales, since making his debut in Argentina back in 2006, I bet there has hardly been a time when Gareth Jenkins, Warren Gatland or more recently Wayne Pivac have not had him down as the first name on their team-sheet.
There will have been the odd occasion when he has needed a rest, or an injury niggle has ruled him out, but by and large the Wales coaches have been able to rely upon their Mr Dependable.
In those 148 games to date Alun Wyn has invariably played well and I'm sure it will be the same against Scotland. Okay, he may not have had a great match at times by his lofty standards, but you'll rarely get people saying 'Alun Wyn was poor today.' At the very least there will have been an acceptable level of workmanlike qualities, doing his bit for the team.
It's not just about Wales, either. There have been many players who have shone for their country, whether England, Wales, Ireland or Scotland, but not necessarily excelled for the Lions. Yet he's managed that too, against South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Again, that is the mark of the man and player.
So what's he like to referee?
So similar to McCaw, I'd say.
There's no messing about, no nonsense, no prima donna mentality. What you see is what you get with Alun Wyn Jones. He just wants to get on with the game. Similar in many ways to McCaw, Owen Farrell, Martyn Williams, or a few others who spring to mind, like the great David Pocock.
That's not to say I haven't had the occasional 'run-in', shall we call it, with Alun Wyn down the years.
He was complaining to me once during an Ospreys game in Munster and I had to tell him, 'Look, if you carry on like this you'll be on the sidelines for 10 minutes.'
'Uugh, ok,' he responded, before asking if I minded looking at something he felt Munster were doing against the laws.
"Yes, of course I will," I replied, and that satisfied him.
This is what the best leaders do. They have a rapport with referees. Alun Wyn knew he had a duty to his team-mates and just wanted to raise a particular issue which he felt was happening in that game. But, and this is the absolute key, it was done in a polite and respectful manner.
His role as captain was to ask the tough questions. Whether the opposition were creeping offside, if he felt something was going on at a ruck, or at scrum time. Yes, there were occasions when I've had to say 'Hang on a minute, I'm refereeing this game, you get on with your job.'
But he never once bore a grudge, never displayed a disrespectful attitude, always made a point of shaking my hand at the end of the match to say thank-you.
I've reffed some games where a player didn't like certain decisions so wouldn't shake my hand, or might do so and murmur something. Not Alun Wyn. He has always been courteous, understanding and respectful to the game of rugby union and its referees.
McCaw was very similar in his own mannerisms and I guess what stands these two out as exceptions is how highly they are regarded not only among their peers and in their own country, but also among the opposition and officials throughout the world.
Alun Wyn Jones and Nigel Owens at the end of a Munster v Ospreys match
You will rarely hear a bad word said about either man. They just command respect because of who they are, how they played and how they conducted themselves, on and off the pitch.
A couple of years back the Welsh Charitables held a dinner in honour of me at the Holland House hotel in Cardiff to raise money for a number of charities. Derek Bevan and Wayne Barnes were among the speakers on the night and the organisers asked Alun Wyn, as captain of Wales, if he could say some words too.
He had a prior commitment that evening, yet still made a point of turning up an hour into the evening to make sure he was present.
That meant an awful lot to me, he didn't have to do it, but it's a measure of the individual.
For me Alun Wyn Jones is a great man off the field, and a true legend on it.
The words great and legend are bandied around far too frequently when it comes to our sports stars, but they most certainly each apply in the case of him.
I don't like comparing eras and men like Delme Thomas, Geoff Wheel and Allan Martin were legends in their own right, back in the 1960s, '70s and early '80s. Fabulous players for Wales, loved by the Welsh public for their deeds out there in the thick of battle on that pitch.
Gareth Edwards' personal tribute to JJ Williams that reveals a glimpse into the friendship of legends
Nigel Owens column: Time for players to stop the histrionics and dissent that is creeping into the game
But Alun Wyn Jones surely has to be Wales' greatest lock and, indeed, will be remembered in time right up there with the finest players we have produced, next to Gareth Edwards, Jonathan Davies, Phil Bennett, Barry John and the other true, true greats of our game.
Statistically speaking, of course, he is already there as he breaks the Test appearance record today. My guess is Richie McCaw would be the first to offer his congratulations.
These two have so much in common. Brilliant captains, superb players, dedication, professionalism and an exemplary attitude. Completely respectful of the game, referees and the opposition.
Let me tell you this; If I were picking a team of the best XV players I have refereed, Richie McCaw would be the first name I'd jot down, very quickly followed by that of Alun Wyn Jones.
That's how highly I regard the pair of them. One and two in my eyes. And trust me, I've refereed some truly fabulous players in my time.
They have done the sport of rugby union proud, are wonderful role models.
Pob lwc on your special day Alun Wyn. Nobody deserves it more.
Wales Rugby Team
Scotland Rugby Union Team


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