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Children and Food Festivals
The month of September is always a favorite in my home, not just because it is my birthday or the fact that for the last few years the weather has been some of the best of the year, last weekend was spent swimming in the sea off Llangrannog this weekend The Abergavenny Food Festival probably my favorite weekend of the year.
Tickets were bought online the day the site went live, a firm favorite of Ffions is the food academy there was an added bonus this year in the fact that one of the guest chefs was Richard Bertinet, the classes are a first come first served basis so at around 1.15 on Saturday afternoon we placed ourselves in some chairs near the tent.
Ffion the cook
The classes are coordinated by Catherine Fookes who does a fantastic job. This was Ffion’s third time having previously made Welsh sausage ragu and last year canapes. On this occasion the children were making smoked fish chowder.
Big cook little cook
A simple recipe but a classic, potato, mushroom, onion, smoked haddock, bacon and milk. As you can see the little cook needed a sous chef to help with prep, this is a common trend with her, I think one day she will make a good head chef as she is very good at giving the orders.
Richard was fantastic with the children and helped out with the prep as well.
Two big cooks one little cook
It is going to take a bit more practice on knife skills for the filleting.
If you get the chance for your children to attend one of the kitchen academy classes I would highly recommend it for the grown ups Richard runs classes in Bath one of which will be my next course.
Ffion enjoyed it so much that tonight she is making it for me again using bacon from Trealy Farm and smoked haddock from Black Mountain Smokery I will do separate post of this shortly. Of course with a good chowder a good bread is needed and Ffion mad a lot of people jealous when after watching Richard do his rant at the Rude Health rants that she was the very proud recipient of one very large sourdough. One of the best loaves of bread I have ever tasted.
Ffion and her sourdough
This years food festival was as usual fantastic and the organisers should give themselves a big pat on the back.


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On April 16, 2020, the Amazon logo is seen in Douai, northern France. Amazon.com Inc. axed another 9,000 jobs on March 20, 2023. PHOTO AP Amazon.com Inc will axe another 9,000 jobs on Monday, adding to a wave of layoffs that have swept the tech sector as an uncertain economy forces companies to get leaner.
In a remarkable turn for a company that has long touted its job creation, Amazon will have eliminated 27,000 positions in the last few months, or 9% of its 300,000 strong corporate workforce.
The cuts focus on Amazon's highly-profitable cloud and advertising divisions, once seen as untouchable until economic concerns led business customers to scrutinize their spending.
Amazon's streaming unit, Twitch, will be affected by the layoffs. Dan Clancy, who was named CEO of Twitch last week, said the platform will lay off more than 400 employees.
The new round of job cuts is about to be finalized by Amazon by April.
ALSO READ: Microsoft to shed 10,000 jobs, adding to the glut of tech layoffs.
I don't think this means much for other companies, except that all will be more careful before they can allow their headcount to balloon in the future, Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said.
In a move that seems a harbinger, Facebook's parent Meta Platforms Inc said last week it would cut 10,000 jobs this year, kicking off a second round of layoffs for the sector after it eliminated more than 11,000 positions in 2022.
In a note to staff that Amazon posted online, Andy Jassy, CEO of the company, said the decision stemmed from an ongoing analysis of priorities and uncertainty about the economy.
He wrote that some people may ask why we didn't announce these role reductions with the ones we announced a couple of months ago. In the late fall, not all of the teams were done with their analyses. Due to the uncertain economy in which we reside, and the uncertainty that exists in the near future, we have decided to be more streamlined in our costs and headcount. Amazon said last month that operating profit may continue to slump in the current quarter due to the financial impact of consumers and cloud customers clamping down on spending.
The Athena Coalition, a labor and activist group that is critical of Amazon, said in a statement: "No of these layoffs have to happen." Jassy is trying to make them happen to pad Amazon's bottom line. The company has shut down or slowed entire services, like its virtual primary care offering for employers in recent months.

domain: finance


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Last week was an eventful week on the political, regulatory and scientific stage. And it comes at a time when the world of cleantech investing remains impacted by public perception regarding the pace and impact of climate change, and how forcefully governments will push a move away from fossil fuel generated power. Two key news pieces dominated the conversation last week—Obama’s plan to limit carbon emissions from power plants and the long awaited UN report on climate change.
Friday saw the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) new climate report. The last report was released in 2007 and the United Nations panel had a few meaningful revisions as to the state of climate change. The highlights:
1) The panel is now 95 to 100 percent sure that the global warming of the past few decades is human caused, up from 90 to 100 percent in the last released reports. Yeah, it’s a small revision but perhaps it’s getting incrementally more difficult to argue that a warming planet is somehow due to non-human causes.
2) If we want to keep warming to under 2 degrees Celsius, we’ll need to severely limit how much carbon we emit over the next 3 decades. Humans have emitted a bit over 500 billion metric tons of carbon. If we want to halt warming we can only emit about another 500 billion, which at current rates would occur by around 2040.
3) The rate of warming has slowed in the last 15 years. But as most scientists know the earth won’t warm in a linear fashion. Few things in nature happen in a linear way. Impacts are discontinuous. This hasn’t stop climate change deniers from using this fact to try and dominate the conversation.
4) Sea level rise will happen even if we halted greenhouse gas emissions today. This point is often overlooked but the question really is: do we want to shoot for the lower end of the range (0.26 meters) or the higher end (0.82 meters). Folks in vulnerable geographic areas places like Amsterdam, Venice and the Maldives care about this issue a great deal.
The impact of the continual flow of climate change reports is hard to gauge since they document what’s happened and provide theoretical predictions. Unfortunately, humans tend to respond to existing problems, not future ones. But at least in the U.S. there’s a fairly strong correlation between states where people believe strongly in climate change and where you find pro-renewable energy policy. So each report that supports this view can’t hurt.
And perhaps it was no coincidence that on the domestic front, the Obama Administration chose last week to announce new regulations governing carbon emissions from new power plants. Obama is hamstrung, unable to enact serious climate legislation as he fights an uncooperative House. Instead Obama has resorted to executive power, and the EPA’s ability to regulate emissions.
1) The proposed limits cap new coal power plants at 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour. Given that the average coal plant emits about 1,800 pounds, many Republicans and pro-coal state Democrats are crying foul, calling the move Obama’s “war on coal.”
2) Coal power plants are effectively dead right now in terms of new construction largely due to the competitiveness of natural gas pricing. But also because of regulatory uncertainty about the future of coal regulation. In 2003 coal accounted for about half of electricity generation while it sits at just 37 percent today. The real fight is yet to come as EPA head Gina McCarthy will feel out support for limiting existing coal power plants to 1,100 pounds per megawatt hour, which would be a very significant change, forcing existing coal plants to capture and sequester their carbon.
3) All of this talk on capping coal power plant emissions is reviving talk of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology. CCS has never been demonstrated on a large scale and most estimates indicate it’ll increase the cost of producing power by 75 percent. But perhaps some brave VCs will back a technology that could keep the coal industry alive, particularly since sinking domestic demand for coal could make the natural resource even cheaper. Skyonic, which converts carbon emissions to baking soda picked up $128 million in cash this year. Unsurprisingly the money came from the oil and gas industry.
The question with all of these regulatory changes and scientific reports is: Are we moving fast enough to curb climate change? There’s no simple answer because much depends on how good the predictive models prove to be at foretelling when impacts start occurring.
But my thinking has always been the following: Do we want to take the risk of being on the wrong side of the predictive model or should we do everything we can to ensure that we mitigate a consequence the magnitude of which we have a hard time conceiving of. In those terms, the answer is simple.

domain: news


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One of the greatest truths in the Bible is found in the book of Ecclesiastes. Many well-known sayings have their origins in this biblical book.
It says in Chapter 4 verses 9-12: ‘Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.’
There is so much truth to these verses that reflect not only the heart and wisdom of God. We were created not only to be in relationship with God but also with others and we are meant to operate in partnership with others.
This was why man and woman were originally created; to help and support one another.
We perhaps need to revisit these biblical principles and apply them to our lives today. We were never meant to go through life alone. We gain strength and suport by sharing our lives with others.
Whether you are starting up a business, setting up home, raising a family or just seeking to achieve something in life it is so much easier if you do it in partnership with someone else. Not one successful person can ever say: “I did it alone!”
Can we achieve anything in life without the help and support of others? I’m not convinced we can.
We all need people around us; people to share our lives and struggles with, as well as our joys. On top of that, a job shared is a job halved so our daily responsibilities often demand that we share our workload, otherwise we would simply not do everything that’s required. There’s just not enough time or energy to do everything ourselves.
The ‘I want to be alone’ mentality is both unwise and totally impractical.
Having been married for over 30 years I can honestly say that I could never have managed the demands that have been placed on me as husband, father and employee, if it wasn’t for my wife. (Don’t tell her this….but I would be nothing without her!)
Whilst I am quite resourceful and like my own company I shudder to think what life would be like if I had to navigate life’s journey unaccompanied.
I think God knew full well that man needed woman to be complete and to make up for man’s shortcomings. I’m sure if God created woman first he would never have needed to create man. Thankfully He knew what He was doing. He also knew that living in community was essential for us to live an effective life.
Perhaps we need to remember the importance of interdependence and get back to the biblical principle of ‘two being better than one’.
Social mobility, the lack of community and an often independent spirit has resulted in so many people living isolated and unsupported lives.
You can live in densely populated areas but spend much of the time completely alone. Whether it’s staying in closer contact with our family and friends, joining a social club or being part of a faith community we need to get connected and stay connected if we are going to meet the demands of modern life. Cultivating relationships and partnering with others is therefore not only the biblical way to live but is also the most productive way to live our lives today.
Makes sense doesn’t it?

domain: literature


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Welcome to Friday Favorites, a series where we share our favorite decor, design inspiration, fashion finds, TV shows, recipes and more!
Since we still have a few more weeks of summer, I’m hanging on with everything I’ve got – at least for now. Today I’m sharing summer tops, summer food, summer books, and of course, some good design ideas, too. Welcome to August!
THIS POST MAY INCLUDE AFFILIATE LINKS. CLICK HERE FOR MY FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY.
THINGS I LOVE IN DESIGN/DECOR
Wait until you see this remodel in the Provencal countryside! They’ve done an amazing job of modernizing the property while keeping original elements, too. You’ll die over the patio/pool area!
I’ve been focusing on the kitchen lately – adding a few wood items to bring in more texture and mix with the white. This cake stand is my absolute favorite, this olive topiary would be so cute on the counter, and how perfect is this wood pedestal for setting dish soap on at the sink or next to the stove to hold olive oil? And what about a little texture on the floor with this well priced jute rug? Soo cute in a kitchen!
I’m obsessed with these adorable embossed bowls (I got them in both sizes and can’t wait to use them for fruit, cereal, dessert and more). I love that they are white, yet the embossing adds lots of texture and interest.
And you all know I’m always on the hunt for more rustic vases and urns to add (and I know you love them too because you ask whenever one sells out!) I bought this one a few months ago and love it in the kitchen, and I just found this one and this one that are so well priced (and they look authentic, too!)
THINGS I’M WEARING/LOVING/WANTING
How about a little bridge between those summer dresses and full-on fall? I’m loving blouses that can work now and later! This white denim shirt is amazing (and 30% off) Why has no one done a denim shirt in white before? I just ordered this white top (so versatile) and this drapey shirt in the black, and this oh-so-pretty lace blouse could easily be dressed up or down. And just an FYI: these jeans that I love and featured last month are on major sale – under $60! (love the crop and the buttons!)
When I shared that I was looking for bracelets a couple weeks back, you guys loved them as much as I did! This is one I just ordered to layer with my others (love!), and this one is beautiful and a less expensive option.
And my one thing I do like to shop for early is a fall bag. By the time August is over I’m ready to move on from the straw bags of summer and this gorgeous handbag is on sale (you could buy the grey or the camel for fall, or go with a summer color and put it away until next spring). I have this one by the same brand which is also on sale, and this tote bag comes in tons of colors.
THINGS I’M WATCHING/READING/LISTENING TO
Since I’ve been quickly running out of shows, it’s the perfect time to indulge in some major reading as summer winds down. Preferably on the patio, or in the sand. 😉
THINGS I’M MAKING/EATING/DRINKING
My sangria recipe, of course! But seriously, sangria is something I’ve had in restaurants and loved, but for some reason, I had never made it at home. To me, it’s so perfect for summer! It’s boozy and fruity and great for dinner parties, BBQs, and the like. It easily doubles or triples and it could not be easier to make. If you’re in doubt, check out the printable recipe here.
And how about some yummy summer recipes to go with that sangria? These Oven Roasted Shrimp and these BBQ Ribs both look good. And if you’re looking for a side for a BBQ or grilling night, try these Twice-Baked Chipotle Sweet Potatoes. They’re a delicious family favorite (FYI, I cut way down on the cream and butter).
Or you could wow your guests and go classic Spanish with this Skillet Grilled Paella!
My hands seem to take such a beating between cleaning, cooking and gardening so a couple of nights a week I slather them in Aquaphor and wear these gloves to bed. It makes a world of difference in how soft they are!
Where people are headed this summer, according to Airbnb.
Love this gorgeous raw wood dresser makeover!
Gorgeous European kitchen inspiration from DeVOL Kitchens.
Have you signed up to be a Maison de Cinq subscriber yet? You’ll get every post so you don’t miss any and you’ll receive my free 5-day email series How to Get French Farmhouse Style for Less for FREE! Sign up here and get Maison de Cinq straight to your inbox!
Oh and if you’ve missed any of the previous Friday Favorites, you can find them all here!

domain: hobby


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In 1971, a dozen Boston feminists published a groundbreaking book on women’s health and sexuality, originally called Women and Their Bodies. The book, first available in alternative bookshops in a stapled, newsprint edition of 193 pages, became so hugely popular – largely by word-of-mouth, that it went on to be republished in nine revised editions in more than twenty foreign-language translations.
The idea for the book was formed in 1969, when the twelve women met during a women’s liberation conference in Boston. At a workshop on “women and their bodies,” they talked about their own experiences and decided to collaborate on a resource to make uncensored information about women’s bodies and health available to everyone.
In 1971 the authors changed the name of the book to Our Bodies, Ourselves and it was republished by the New England Free Press. The first commercial edition was published by Simon & Schuster in 1973.
In 1976, the book was recognized by the American Library Association’s Young Adult Service Division as one of the Best Books of the Decade.
In 1979, Our Bodies, Ourselves was recognized by “Time Magazine” as one of the Best 100 Nonfiction Books (in English) since 1923, when the magazine started.
In 2012, Our Bodies, Ourselves was chosen as one of 88 books included in the 2012 Library of Congress exhibition “Books that Shaped America,” a list of important works “intended to spark a national conversation on books written by Americans that have influenced our lives.”
In this day and age, when no subject is taboo and detailed explanations of every facet of existence are freely available online, it is hard to imagine a time when women could not find out reliable information about what was going on with their bodies, and what options were available to help them manage their lives as women. This book totally changed the social and political landscape for women.
The founders did not stop their activism with this book, but each of them has gone on to work for women and for social justice, as is clear from their biographies on the Our Bodies, Ourselves website, here. (The group now calls itself Our Bodies Ourselves (OBOS), and operates as a nonprofit, public interest organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As they explain on the website, they develop and promote evidence-based information on girls’ and women’s reproductive health and sexuality.)

domain: library


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Jump To Section
What Is Urfa Biber?
Urfa biber (Capsicum annum), also known as isot pepper, is a hot pepper named after the southeastern Urfa region of Turkey. These Turkish chile peppers are similar to their Syrian relative, Aleppo pepper (pul biber), but much larger—about the size of a bell pepper. Like Aleppo pepper, urfa biber undergoes a sun-drying process that preserves its oil content, making it an ideal condiment for Turkish cuisine.
What Does Urfa Biber Pepper Taste Like?
Unlike red pepper flakes, urfa peppers ripen to a dark maroon and, once cured, are so dark that the resulting chile flakes are often called "black pepper." Urfa pepper's dark color belies its flavor profile: dried fruit, coffee, chocolate. Urfa biber is very hot. It rates 50,000–80,000 Scoville Heat Units, making urfa biber hotter than chipotle peppers (2,500—8,000 SHU) and cayenne peppers (30,000–50,000 SHU).
Where to Buy Urfa Biber Pepper
You can find urfa biber pepper in Middle Eastern grocery stores, specialty spice shops, and online. Urfa biber peppers are rarely sold whole, since they are typically ground immediately after drying. Urfa biber chile flakes should be slightly oily, and mixed with a little salt to prevent clumping.
How to Use Urfa Biber Peppers
Urfa biber pairs well with cumin, sumac, paprika, za'atar, and chocolate (try it in brownies). It's a natural seasoning for all kinds of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine, including:
- Lamb kebabs and meatballs: Urfa biber is a classic condiment and marinade ingredient for lamb kebabs, since its sour, smoky flavor balances any gaminess.
- Hummus: If you like your hummus with a little heat, try a sprinkling of urfa biber, which complements the tanginess of the lemon in the Middle Eastern chickpea dip. Sprinkle urfa biber pepper over the finished dish for a pop of color.
- Baba ganoush: Traditional baba ganoush should have a smoky flavor from charring the eggplants over an open grill. Urfa biber not only adds pleasant heat, but it brings out the smokiness. Learn how to make Chef Gordon Ramsay's baba ganoush recipe here.
Want to Learn More About Cooking?
Become a better chef with the MasterClass All-Access Pass. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by culinary masters, including Gabriela Cámara, Chef Thomas Keller, Massimo Bottura, Dominique Ansel, Gordon Ramsay, Alice Waters, and more.

domain: food


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For many years now, residents of Alexandria have counted on Kitchen & Bath Shop for their kitchen renovations and remodels. We offer several different packages to fit every budget and kitchen. Whether you want to update your cabinets, add a stovetop backsplash, or redo everything, we offer a service tailored to your needs.
Our kitchen designers will work with you to pick out exactly the options you want for your kitchen. From hardwood flooring and granite countertops to modern cabinets and sinks, we’ll build around your desires.
Our process is simple. You pick a package, choose options for things like cabinets and countertops, and then let our teams get to work. We never leave a job half done, and we’re proud of the reputation we have among our customers in Alexandria VA who stand by our work.
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If you are searching the internet for “best kitchen remodeling contractor near me" or "kitchen renovation Alexandria VA,” Kitchen & Bath Shop serves all of Alexandria, Virginia (20151 and 20152) and its neighboring towns and cities. Get in touch with us today!

domain: design


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Leigh Lockhart, owner of Main Squeeze Cafe, filmed a video Wednesday on how to cook with tofu and soy products. The film is part of a series called “Columbia Cooks,” which is a result of the city receiving a grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health to film videos on healthy cooking to be broadcast on Columbia’s cable channel.
That's because the Food and Drug Administration has determined that tomatoes grown in more than 35 states, including Missouri, are not linked to the recent salmonella outbreak and are safe to eat.
Gov. Matt Blunt signed legislation Thursday adding the contribution checkoff to Missouri’s income tax forms.
When Kate and Christian Basi’s daughter, Julianna, was born, they said they were in a state of denial that she had Down syndrome. Now, Kate Basi says she would not change her daughter’s condition; Julianna is perfect the way she is.
The American Heart Association made a presentation at MU's Lowry Mall.
MU's International Center for Psychosocial Trauma team develops and introduces creative ways to talk and work with children and families suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. New Orleans is the center’s most recent focus — MU teams have made six trips to the area since Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005 — but the program has reached thousands of people worldwide, focusing on children.
The seven-story building houses the Russell D. and Mary B. Shelden Clinical Simulation Center, a state-of-the-art facility for students learning how to perform medical procedures.
Yoga nidra literally means the sleep of the yogis; a yogi being a yoga master or practitioner of yoga. It is a sensing practice that helps to reduce stress. In Columbia, yoga nidra is gaining popularity and has also been shown to help reduce stress for soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Families claiming that a mercury-based preservative in vaccines triggers autism will challenge mainstream medicine Monday as they take their case to a federal court.
Developed in 1996 at University Hospital by David Jimenez and Constance Barone, an endoscopic strip craniectomy requires a small incision in a baby’s skull to remove a strip of bone, creating room for the brain to grow and eliminating the buildup of pressure. In May 2007, Usiakimi Igbaseimokumo started preforming this technique and has taken over the research looking at the long-term effects on children treated by this method.
The city’s seventh annual Bike, Walk and Wheel week featured several “ArtCycle’s,” the Mayor’s Challenge race and warm weather.
The debate about the propriety of locating The Spa on campus has raised questions about the status of MU’s contract with Tan Time LLC.
Columbia’s drinking water in 2007 exceeded government standards for a contaminant linked to a long-term cancer risk, the city reported Friday.
Samuel Wong, president and founder of the Global Music Healing Institute, delivered the 2008 Carlos Perez-Mesa, MD, Lectureship in Medical Humanities about his research in music medicine on Thursday evening.
When Jeff Barnes listed his graduation cap and gown on eBay, he was thinking more about the environment than his wallet.
Barnes, who lives in a one-bedroom apartment, said he didn’t have the space or the sentimental inclination to keep the gown from his graduation at Macalester College, but didn’t want to throw it away either.
Testing on the city’s drinking water has been completed by the U.S. Geological Survey, and the city will launch a broad education campaign on May 1.
JEFFERSON CITY — After its flashy debut fizzled out, Gov. Matt Blunt's Insure Missouri proposal made a comeback of sorts today as senators debated legislation that eventually could subsidize health insurance for as many as 200,000 lower-income Missourians.
A government-appointed working group is charged with picking the most important safety questions for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research over the next five years. The group is to get public input in setting those priorities.
Most of the college students who got the mumps in a big outbreak in 2006 had received the recommended two vaccine shots, according to a study that raises questions about whether a new vaccine or another booster shot is needed.
ATLANTA — The current flu season has shaped up to be the worst in four years, partly because the vaccine didn't work well against the viruses that made most people sick, health officials said today.


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California’s political ethics watchdog agency has hired a new executive director – straight out of Gov. Jerry Brown’s office.
The Fair Political Practices Commission on Friday named Erin Peth, 36, of Sacramento, as its new executive director, following a nationwide search.
“Her years of experience with the Political Reform Act and with state government will serve the FPPC well,” said FPPC Chairwoman Ann Ravel, who may be departing soon – President Obama recently nominated her to the Federal Election Commission. “Erin’s commitment to the Commission’s goals and ability to build coalitions among interested parties will be extremely beneficial as the Commission continues to increase transparency in the political process and clarify our ethics laws.”
Peth has served since 2011 as deputy legal affairs secretary in the governor’s office, where she counseled public officials on governmental ethics, conflicts of interest, and transparency.
From 2007 to 2011, she was a deputy attorney general in the California Department of Justice, where she advised constitutional officers and high-level state officials on compliance with the Political Reform Act’s provisions and other laws. She was an editor of the 2010 Attorney General’s Conflicts of Interest Guide and was on the team that prosecuted the first enforcement action involving electronic voting machines, which resulted in a multi-million dollar settlement for the state.
Earlier, Peth was an attorney with the Sacramento firm of Olson, Hagel & Fishburn from 2003 to 2007, counseling clients and litigating cases on election, political, campaign finance, and governmental matters – including at least one lawsuit against the very agency she’s now going to lead.
A Sacramento native and a Democrat, Peth earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and public relations from Marquette University and a law degree from King Hall at the University of California, Davis.
Peth’s annual salary in the governor’s office was $108,481 as of last year. I’ve not yet received a response to my inquiry about what her FPPC salary will be.
UPDATE AT 2:28 p.m.: Ravel says Peth’s salary “has not been determined yet. I believe the range is between $140,000 and $155,000 (approximately).”


Gammasonics Institute for Medical Research Pty Ltd
Gammasonics has been a pioneer since 1977 in the design and manufacture of radiation detection equipment for diagnostic, radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, industrial radiation and national and home land security.
|Phone:||02 9713 1122|
|Fax:||02 9713 1238|
90 Queen Road , Five Dock NSW 2046 (Directions)


X415 is powered by latest 10th Intel Core processor, with DDR4 RAM for smooth visuals and great experiences. And with dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, you’ll enjoy super-fast web performance.
Processor: 10th Gen Intel Core i3-1005G1 Processor, 1.2 GHz Base Speed, Up to 3.4 GHz Turbo Boost Speed, 2 Cores, 4 Threads, 4MB Cache
Memory & Storage: 4GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM, Upgradeable up to 12GB using 1x SO-DIMM Slot with, | Storage: 1TB HDD 2.5-inch SATA 5400RPM + empty M.2 Slot for SSD Storage Expansion
Display: 14-inch LED-Backlit, FHD (1920 x 1080) 16:9, 220nits, NanoEdge bezel, Anti-Glare Plane with 45% NTSC, 82% Screen-To-Body Ratio
Graphics: Integrated Intel UHD Graphics
Operating System: Pre-loaded Windows 10 Home with lifetime validity | Software Included: Pre-installed MS Office Home and Student 2019
Specification: ASUS VivoBook 14 (2020) Intel Core i3-1005G1 10th Gen 14″ (35.56cms) FHD Thin and Light Laptop (4GB/1TB HDD/Integrated Graphics/Windows 10/MS Office 2019/Transparent Silver/1.6 kg), X415JA-EK302TS
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.


Oxford, Green Development, and PHFA break ground on new senior living apartment complex
Mt. Lebanon, PA — Oxford Development Company, Green Development, and the Allegheny County Housing Authority broke ground on Dorchester of Mt. Lebanon, a 60-unit apartment community in the Mt. Lebanon neighborhood of Allegheny County. Located at 2903 Midland Ave., Mt. Lebanon, at the intersection of McNeilly Rd. and Midland Ave. Opening is anticipated for February 2019. The units are reserved for senior citizens age 62 and older. A market study of the area found a shortage of affordable, age restricted housing options. “The project allows current residents of Mt. Lebanon, Brookline, and other South Hills communities to downsize to smaller, more affordable housing while staying in their community near family and friends,” said Steve Guy, president and CEO, Oxford Development Company.


John Silvester is a Walkley-award winning crime writer and columnist. A co-author of the best-selling books that formed the basis of the hit Australian TV series Underbelly, Silvester is also a regular guest on 3AW with his "Sly of the Underworld" segment.
John Silvester It was not a big gathering as far as school reunions go, but then again we were not a big school to begin with.
John Silvester Chief Commissioner Ken Lay would be entitled to take to strong drink.
John Silvester Geelong the greatest team of all? Show a little humility, please. That mantle belongs to Hawthorn.


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Gennady Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KO’s) and Saul Alvarez (38-0-1, 34 KO’s) will try to re-define the strongest Middleweight in the world.
Chapter promotion company “Golden Boy Promotions” Oscar De La Hoya on his page on “Instagram” has announced the successful completion of negotiations with team Golovkin on fight-revenge.
One of the most anticipated Boxing matches of the year will be held on September 15. The venue of the fight is to be announced. Probably Golovkin and Alvarez will meet again in Las Vegas.
Revenge Golovkin and Alvarez were to be held in may, but Mexican for a few weeks before the battle, passed a positive doping test and has been suspended for six months.
Re-negotiations between the promoters were close to failure – team Golovkin on the rights of the world champion demanded parity of conditions sharing a common fee, representatives of Alvarez didn’t want to pay the Kazakhs for more than 40%.
The first fight between Gennady Golovkin and Alvarez Saulem took place in September last year in Las Vegas. Megafit ended in a controversial draw with mixed results referee notes (115:113, 114:114 and 110:118).


text:
Who are members of the middle class in Malaysia?
Theoretically, they consist of those in the middle income distribution. The middle class is a relative position between the poor and the elites, however both are defined.
But it is not that simple. On Wikipedia alone, there are plenty of dimensions to be considered beyond income. Among the factors are education, nature of employment, social status and even as fluffy a factor as lifestyle. Wealth is another marker, which is related to income but perhaps better except its data is not as easy to get.
In Malaysia, perhaps for over 10 years now, we have chosen a specific way to define it. We do it through income distribution. We have the bottom 40 percentile households in terms of income distribution defined as the poor (the B40), the next 40 percentile households are understood as the middle class (the M40), and the top 20% household income earners are taken as the rich (T20).
The classification is needed to operationalize certain policies like conditional cash transfer that Malaysia has. Household income, whatever its weakness, is an easy proxy of status. It is needed for targeting purposes. You lose something, but it does the job. Arbitrary, but convenient and it works.
Our problem is that the same convenient arbitrary classification that works is beginning to have an unintended negative effect on social discourse. Familiar to the definitions used by the government for implementation convenience, the public is beginning to associate the M40 as the middle class, and the middle class as M40, when in fact, there are middle class people falling outside of the M40 group. Additionally, there are people inside the M40 who are not really members of the middle class. The shorthand of B40-M40-T20 is dividing the middle class crudely and consider some members of the middle class as members of the elites.
It creates a class war against the middle class just through misattribution arising from arbitary statistical definition.
The middle class is special because they are largely the flagbearers of progressive values. With such values, they function as a check-and-balance mechanism in any society. Members of the middle class are not poor and that allows them to spend more time on matters other than livelihood issues. Things like corruption, environment or something that is well above something that is similar to the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. At the same time, they individually are not rich enough to have outsized influence on society like few elites. Yet collectively, they check the power of the elites thanks to their education level. They are the bulwark preventing the elites from abusing power. They are the ones crucial in keeping a democracy from becoming crass majoritarianism.
When members of the middle class are considered as elites, middle class values would be condemned as elitist. Once identified as so, the same values would be rejected by the majority because they feel the values are meant for the few.
This is the danger of the M40 classification. The misattribution makes the middle class alien to the poor as the elites are, but without having the same influence the elites have. This weakens the roles of the middle class in protecting democracy from abuse by the elites, and from majoritarian excesses.
That is one of the costs of the B40-M40-T20 classification. It breaks the middle class, and then artificially and implicitly labels middle class values as elitist. With that, the roles of the middle class as the moderating force in our society gets weakened.
In short, the M40 classification mischaracterizes the middle class, and weakens the middle class’s role in moderating Malaysian democracy.

domain: sociology


text:
Here's another AnrakuAnsaku! Meet Giant Chiteidako Zoromederu, or Dako as we American guys seem to call him.
The name Dako, seen at the end of the word Chiteidako, has something to do with octopus, and you can see that in this figure. And like the Gogamejiras, on www.anrakuansaku.com you can find Flash movies of Dako up to no good as many giant monsters like to do.
Header //4.75 out of 5//:
This header is more like the Goga header than the Mescalgon header was. I've said it before about these, but I really like the homemade "zine" feel they have to them. I like this one a lot. The front of the header features artwork similar to what would appear in one of the website's Flash movies... Dako rising from the sea. I actually wish my Dako was painted to look like this particular artwork. The back of the header is darker. Dako appears here with much more text that I don't understand in a cool, shadowy image composed of basically 1 color (2 if you just count the creepy yellow eyes.
Sculpt //4 out of 5//:
As far as moving parts go, the Dako also is simpler in its design. There is a seam at the waist, and this one also has one at the neck although, because of the tentacles, you can't really turn the head. I would like some movement in the tentacles as well.
The body shape reflects the aquatic nature of the character well looking almost spongy. The texture, as on the other Anraku pieces I have written about, is fantastic and very detailed - with tiny additions like suckers on the tentacles. The oversized head while looking like an octopus, has an almost humorous human-like face that seems to say oooooo!
Paint //3.5 out of 5//:
This is a decent paint job, but not as impressive as other Anraku pieces out there. It's pretty simple overall with host of the application being spray red over yellow vinyl. There is a dark brown spray on the feet that is a nice touch, as well as hand applied black eyes and blue mouth.
Coolness //4.5 out of 5//:
I will always think Anraku toys are cool and make a big toy statement. The bright color of this guy will draw the eye on a shelf as will the facial expression and raised tentacles.
Value //2 out of 5//:
Picked this one up secondhand again, which is going to put some hurtin on the bank. At retail, Anraku pieces are definitely worth the cost!
Overall //4.25 out of 5//:
Positives: Bright, large, nice texture, Hulk Hogan similarities, reversable lower body
Negatives: Pricey, limited poseability

domain: artistic


text:
I stood under the oculus and felt the light shining down on me. Like a crew member on the Starship Enterprise or a saint chosen by God, I felt I could be beamed up at any moment and transported to another time and place even into heaven.
My first experience standing in the Pantheon, Rome’s ” temple of the gods” looking up at the vault of a “perfect heaven” was one of the most awe-inspiring moments I’ve had traveling in Italy. Commissioned in various forms by a series of Roman Emperors, the Pantheon as we know it is associated with the power and divine authority of the Emperor Hadrian who claimed it to be a perfect sphere resting in a perfect cylinder like a “shield of gold where rain would form its clear pool on the pavement below and prayers would rise like smoke toward that void where we place the gods”.
The impression created by the concentrated light of the oculus or opening at the top of the dome that illuminates the inner rotunda created such an effect that when Michelangelo first saw the Pantheon acclaimed it as “angelic and not of human design”. No CGI program or special effects department could duplicate the intensity and brilliance of this moving disc of light against the stark concrete dome.
Historians have found that the beaming light of the Pantheon is very particular at certain times of the year. Every Summer Solstice at Midsummer on June 21 the sun reaches closest to the center of the Pantheon. The oculus or Great Eye in the ceiling of the Pantheon concentrates the light of the sun’s solstice rays so that they shine from the oculus through the front door . The drama and spectacle of this blinded by the light phenomenon entering through the massive domed roof is a wonder.
Of all the great buildings constructed during the peak of the Roman Empire, only this one still stands. Described as Hadrian’s giant sun-dial, a monument from classical antiquity, a tomb (the painter Raphael, the first two kings and first queen of Italy are buried here), and a church dedicated to the Christian martyrs, the Pantheon is all of these. One of the most recognizable works of architecture on the planet, a statement that Rome remains eternal and a model for monumental construction projects (the Pantheon inspired Brunelleschi’s dome for the Cathedral in Florence, Bramante’s design for St. Peter’s Basilica and the US Capitol building) from Michelangelo to Thomas Jefferson it remains an inspiration to always strive towards the Light.
You do know that the 17 foot statue in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria is an imposter, a body double of Michelangelo’s David. The original “Davida” is safely housed under a doomed rotunda in Florence’s Accademia Gallery safe from the elements and the city’s roosting pigeons. After all, he’s been through a lot and the somewhat insulated environment of a museum seems a safe and sound place for David to call home.
For almost 400 years he stood in front of the town hall subject to the vagaries of Florentine politics which were not for the faint of heart. In 1527 he lost his left arm and hand in a civil disturbance when opponents of the government hurled stones at the statue. Before that he was an abandoned orphan, an unfinished block of marble for almost 20 years. He was thought to be too massive in size, too difficult to work with and of poor quality. It wasn’t until Michelangelo took an interest in this partially chiseled block of marble that he came to life. First as a proud symbol of the Florentine Republic, then as an expression of classic antiquity and sculptural greatness and now one of the most copied and recognizable figures in the world.
Today David’s celebrity goes way beyond the original intent when it was set in the piazza in 1504. Florence’s one abandoned orphan can be found on everything from refrigerator magnets to men’s cologne. Viewing David is an obligatory part of a “show and tell ” tour of Florence making David one of the most sought after celebrities in the world. Having a body double is certainly understandable.
The Medici were living large from the 13th to the 17th century. This powerful Florentine family produced three popes (Leo X, Clement VII and Leo XI), numerous rulers of Florence (notably Lorenzo the Magnificent, patron of some of the most famous works of Renaissance art) and later members of the French and English royalty. They ate, drank and made merry and some would say led Italy into the Renaissance. Through banking and commerce they achieved great wealth and political influence throughout Europe.
So I was very surprised when I first saw the unassuming Church of San Lorenzo ,the official church of the Medici where six of the Medici dukes are buried as well as other family members. Michelangelo was commissioned to create a chapel of tombs for the Medici family. His famous
sculptures of Dusk and Dawn, Night and Day are to be found here. The other part of the Medici Chapels is a domed octagonal room where the grand dukes themselves are buried. I like the gray and white interior and austere facade of San Lorenzo and I’m glad that Michelangelo left Florence without completing the exterior of the basilica. Work was abruptly cancelled by his financially-strapped patrons before any real progress had been made and the basilica lacks a facade to this day.
The Italian pig is revered. One of Italy’s most famous salumi comes in the form of cured hams known as prosciutto crudo. The celebrated hams of San Daniele, Parma and Toscana are so valued for their flavor, aroma and methods of preparation that they are given DOP aka PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) certification, the Italian government’s seal of approval that they are a product of a food tradition that can occur nowhere else. DOP certification sets out strict rules regarding the genetic make-up and breeding of pigs that will be wearing the ducal crown (the trademark of Prosciutto di Parma) or those whose hams are elegantly shaped like a Stradivarian violin (Prosciutto di San Daniele).
Porchetta, a suckling pig rolled up and spit roasted (girarosto) over a wood fire with salt, pepper, garlic and wild fennel has a gastronomic reputation that goes back to the time of the ancient Etruscans. Just about every sagra or street fair in Italy will have a porchetta on the spit with a line of Italians strung out waiting for packets of sliced pork (maiale) to eat on the spot or take home.
Signor Pig is treated very well in Italy. He was always respected as a symbol of plenty. The Cinta Senese or Sienese Belt Pig (named for a white belt around their chest) is pictured in a famous fresco by Ambrogio Lorenzentti (1338) in Siena’s Palazzo Comunale (town hall) titled L’Allegoria del Buon Governo (the good/wise government). In the contra fresco il cattivo governo (the bad government), the pigs are missing and in the quarries of Michelangelo the cured lard of Colonnata (Lardo di Colonnata), with the intoxicating flavor of aromatic spices and herbs is an artisanal delicacy thinly sliced and served over warm Tuscan bread that can be described as nothing less than inscensual.
So when you’re seeing a savoring Italy make sure to arrange an introduction to Signore Pig at the local trattorie. He’s dressed in many ways (sausage, salami, prosciutto, arista di maiale) and although he may be called Stinco in Bolzano he is most congenial and not to be missed.
*You can make any piece of meat in the porchetta style along as you have roasted it in a wood fire oven and stuffed or even marinated or cooked with fennel (preferably wild)


'Lessons learned' from abuse case
Stormont's health minister has pledged to learn from the controversial case of two paedophile brothers allowed to move back to the scene of their crimes after an investigation broadly backed the actions of care workers.
Michael McGimpsey welcomed the findings of the independent report on his staff's handling of serial abusers James and Owen Roe McDermott but acknowledged the need to promote greater understanding of the complex issues around it.
There was a public outcry in the Co Fermanagh village of Donagh when a judge permitted the brothers, who have learning disabilities, to return to live there after being deemed mentally unfit to stand trial.
The Western Health and Social Care Trust came in for particular criticism over its advice to the judge, which approved the accommodation. The men have since voluntarily admitted themselves to hospital care.
A report by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA), commissioned by Mr McGimpsey in the wake of the controversy, found that trust employees had properly discharged their responsibilities in relation to the case.
"It is clear from the report that the Western Trust fulfilled its statutory duties and responsibilities in relation to this case," said the minister. "I accept that there is learning which is relevant to all Health and Social Care organisations, and to partner organisations in education and criminal justice."
The judge issued two court orders on the brothers - a Sexual Offences Prevention Order and Supervision and Treatment Order.
While the former was a matter largely for the law and agencies, the latter was an issue for the trust, in particular how and where supervised treatment would be administered to the men.
The RQIA probe did not express a view on the trust`s conclusion that the brothers could receive treatment in their home in Donagh, but on whether staff had followed all procedures and requirements needed to make such an assessment.
It found that health and social care workers had also performed their duties correctly in regard to the treatment of the brothers and over child and public protection issues.


HALIFAX, N.S. — Nova Scotia highways will be safer under an agreement signed April 4, that says Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations will share commercial vehicle enforcement with the RCMP.
“As a result of this agreement, there will be more sets of eyes watching commercial carriers, resulting in safer vehicles and safer highways,” says Peter Christie, Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.
Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations’ vehicle compliance officers inspect commercial carriers at five weigh scales and through roadside spot checks conducted by officers who patrol the province’s highways and roads.
About 100 RCMP officers will also be on the watch for unsafe or overweight commercial vehicles.
“This is another example of our commitment to integrated policing and our commitment to sharing best practices,” says RCMP Chief Superintendent Ian Atkins.
RCMP and Service Nova Scotia staff will receive cross-training to help them adapt to their new roles. The police will learn how to do a basic walk-around safety check and what documentation commercial carriers must carry. The province’s vehicle compliance officers will learn how to use the police communications system and about safety programs conducted by the RCMP.
Vehicle compliance officers will report to the RCMP any speeders or erratic drivers that they see passing the scale houses or their patrol vehicles.
“We’re looking for overweight vehicles, rigs with safety defects or incomplete travel documents; the vehicles that pose a risk to other motorists and our highway infrastructure,” says Dave Munro, manager of vehicle compliance.
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The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846. It is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Pulitzer Prizes in its history, including four for editorial writing and three for photography. In 1981, it became a tabloid newspaper.


text:
Peel or clean and wash carrots, potatoes and onions. Cut everything into small pieces. Clean, wash and seed the chillies. Heat the oil in a pot and fry the prepared ingredients for about 5 minutes. Add 1 l stock and orange juice. Stir in Ajvar. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes until soft.
Finely puree the vegetable soup with a hand blender, if necessary add some stock to the soup until the desired consistency is achieved. Season soup with salt and pepper. Wash the chives, shake dry and cut into small rolls. Sprinkle the parmesan shavings and a little pepper on the soup.


This propshaft is standard in our G-Drive unit propshaft assembly. Specially hardened steel, oiled to resist rust until you need it. Threaded 1/4-28, with the flat already ground for the drive dog screw. Comes with a 1/4-28 flanged nut. If your propshaft has two flats, always use the one furthest from the threaded end.


Since 2005 our family owned and operated business has been providing service, maintenance, sales, and installation of heating and cooling equipment with professional expertise, a helpful attitude, and our customers trust. Our team prides itself on quality work, customer satisfaction, continued education, factory training, and a focus on family.
Our NATE (North American Technician Excellence) Certified Technicians have nearly 100 years of combined experience and can service just about any piece of HVAC equipment regardless of brand.
Our installation teams are also journeyman class workers who can install everything from high efficiency furnaces and heat pumps, to air conditioning systems, radiant floor systems, various controls & thermostats, ductless splits, boilers, tankless water heaters, and whole home air cleaners.
Our friendly office staff is happy to take your call and help assess your needs. Our professional project estimators provide no-charge bids and proposals on most projects. We are all here to serve our customers with a smile and helpful attitude. Allow us to show you the High Mark Heating difference. We are small enough to embody the trust that you want from your heating and cooling contractor, and skilled enough to provide the customized service and sales you deserve. Whatever your heating and cooling needs, High Mark Heating & Cooling can help. Whatever it takes!


UME is the complete/combined version of the MAME / MESS project.
I’ve noticed some interest in the Ken Sei Mogura update below, but so far hadn’t got around to posting a binary with support for it. UME 0.153ex5 has support for the aforementioned title (along with a better internal layout from hap) in addition to a number of other things I’ll cover later.
DCS sound system based games (eg. Carnevil, California Speed, NFL Blitz) have been broken since the DCS based Williams Pinball display drivers were improved so I was hoping to see that fixed before issuing a new update, but it hasn’t yet happened; hopefully it will be fixed before there is an official 0.154 release (probably still a month away at least)
0.153ex5 is built from SVN revision 31072
UME 0.153ex5 Windows binaries – 32-bit, 64-bit and all tools
UME 0.153ex5 sources
Here is the 0.153ex4 to 0.153ex5 SVN log
Other Binaries (if you don’t know what these are you don’t need them)
MAME/MESS split 0.153ex5 Windows binaries – 32-bit, 64-bit and all tools
UME/MAME/MESS split 0.153ex5 Windows *SDL* binaries – 32-bit
UME/MAME/MESS split 0.153ex5 Windows *SDL* binaries – 64-bit
Points of Interest
We’ve seen a number of prototypes show up over the last few years, some of them early builds, some of them almost indistinguishable from the final versions of the game. Another one so far falling into the latter category is a Raiden Fighters SPI Cartridge. ‘Karen’ found this version of Raiden Fighters and it displays an interesting message on the title screen ‘EVALUATION SOFTWARE FOR SHOW LICENSEE TUNING – GERMANY’. This message is present in the ROMs for all versions of the game, however it isn’t usually used. We know TUNING licensed a lot of Seibu’s games (including the Raiden Fighters games) for use in Germany, so it makes sense that them might have been sent preview versions. What makes a little less sense is that the board is an Australian region board (according to the region byte) and was found in Australia.
It would be easy to write it off as some kind of hoax / hack, but the actual codebase is clearly a different revision than any of the previously supported sets at least, so it’s definietly not a cheap hack of a set we already know about, and could actually be earlier code, although so far we’ve been unable to identify any actual differences in the gameplay so it’s probably close to the final, or maybe even a later revision than those used in Japan if it was sent for evaluation after the actual Japanese release. I do hope somebody attempts to identify all the differences in the various Seibu revisions one day because most of their games have a number of builds.
Along similar lines what appears to be a ‘close to final’ US / World revision of Galaga 88 was found / dumped by Andrew Welburn. There are only a few differences between the ROMs found on this PCB and the final PCB but all the ROMs were hand-dated and in one of the graphics sockets there was an extra rom containing only the fonts and a few other characters – it has the earliest date and is probably a leftover from an earlier point in development because the game doesn’t seem to use it.
An early revision of Peek-A-Boo was also dumped. The ROMs on this one were marked as ‘Version 1.0’ and the title screen indicates that it’s a US set. Furthermore the game seems to be a ‘Paddle Only’ version because enabling the dipswitch for ‘Button’ mode causes the game to enter a debug menu after a few seconds. (This needs further investigation tho)
— early Joust 2
— early Knights of Valour Super Heroes
One fix that is likely to be overlooked by the majority is the one made to the Amiga emulation allowing the Arcadia game Space Ranger to function correctly. Space Ranger has been marked as ‘Working’ in MAME for a long time, but was another case of a driver being marked as working prematurely. To play the game you need 2 buttons, and for the majority of Arcadia games both buttons worked, however in Space Ranger the 2nd button didn’t, meaning you couldn’t use the net to capture / rescue the creatures along the bottom. It turned out to be an issue with the emulation of an internal timer, so hopefully the fix has also improved some Amiga titles where inputs weren’t responding correctly. Along with coming up with this fix Duke has also continued to improve other areas of the Amiga emulation although it still struggles with most copy protected software.
The steady flow of Spanish versions of games continues, this time with a professionally made (possibly licensed) version of Space Invaders from Electromar. This has all the texts translated and even has a nice touch in that the Invader steals the ‘M’ of ‘FIM’ and replaces it with ‘N’ as opposed to replacing an inverted ‘Y’ of ‘PLAY’ in the regular versions. You can thank Roselson of AUMAP for finding this one.
Another interesting finding was made when Artemio dumped his 2 Crude Dude board. Quite often when people dump boards they take a rather lazy approach of dumping only the program roms, even in cases where other roms are socketed. What Artemio found is that later revisions of 2 Crude Dudes are meant to use an updated tile rom, with some changes to the Japanese characters. His actual board was a US version so these tiles are unlikely to be used on it, but after looking at some photos it appears the later Japanese versions should also use this revised rom and were not doing so.
I mentioned hap improved the Kensei Mogura internal layout a bit, this is how it looks now
– Sinclair QL work
– x68K blending work + other fixes
– Konami cleanups
– More MSX improvements
– Better Namco System 1 memory maps
One from the ‘requested at a timely moment’ department is the fix made to Super Volleyball. A number of gameplay elements were missing, such as marker arrows, player hints and the confetti after scoring. The fix was actually simple, the bug was caused by an incorrect loading of the sprite roms, meaning it WAS drawing those elements, just with blank tiles. Fixing it turned out to be nice and easy. I don’t know if it’s always been like this, or regressed during other cleanups. Fixed now anyway.
The recent work by Roberto caught my eye too, we’ve known for a long time that there were some other ‘games’ on Cherry Master hardware and his most recent update shows emulation of two of them. Tetris and Pacman.
Now you’re not going to want to actually play either of those. The Tetris version is criminally boring, the playfield is so wide you’ll have hit the quit button long before you’ve filled a line and the aspect ratio is just odd. Pacman isn’t much better, on my first play I managed to glitch the game so that one of the fruit items was stuck on the screen, couldn’t be collected, and wouldn’t disappear, furthermore the ghosts tend to move mostly at random but usually end up simply blocking your access to the power dots by congregating around those areas. Don’t expect smooth movement on the games either, the hardware has no sprites, only tilemaps.
The reason these existed was not so they could be played, the games are just facades, as Roberto mentions they simply hide Cherry Master games behind an innocent looking exterior. This worked in a similar way to the drugs trade, these Cherry Master games were banned in various places, so importing / exporting them wasn’t allowed, and if you were found to be operating them you’d have your boards seized / destroyed as well as being handed large fines or worse. By hiding them behind a more innocent looking game (even if said innocent looking games were probably just as illegal with all the ripped art assets) these games could be operated with greater secrecy, and switched between titles with a secret operator input if needs be. I’m glad to see these dumped / emulated because we’ve seen the same things but with physical protections too, for example light sensors so that if the cpu boxes were opened to inspect the games the content was erased – needless to say between boards being seized and the kind of physical protection I mentioned some of them are rather rare now, but it’s part of history that needs documenting.
Some of the most important work done on the arcade side of things over the last few weeks has been a number of the devs putting in some hours to figure out decryption keys for a number of Sega FD1094 based games where we didn’t have the CPU modules, or the modules we had were already dead. This isn’t easy work because although the basic structure of the keys can be generated from a seed there are areas of them were customized in each CPU and working these out requires extensive studying of the code between sets. Andreas Naive and Chris Hardy were the ones doing this work, with hap acting in a supporting role to hook up driver level differences between the games. For the most part this isn’t especially rewarding work as the clones often only differ by the encryption types used, however it’s important work and in some cases subtle differences can be seen. Out of the various sets that were decrypted the System 16B version of Ace Attacker was the most interesting, it required the controls hooked up in a different way, and also interestingly uses a different font for the ‘Insert Coin’ text with an actual graphic being used where the System 16A version just used ordinary text.
Haze, can you able to add Mr. Bison’s Face on each buttons on that layer?
Much better to reconize the original Machine.
Somebody could create external artwork with such things on, the idea of the internal artwork is that it represents enough of the game without risking infringing any copyright on the artwork.
Better be glad those are Mr. Bison heads not private part popping in and out. LOL
Thanks for the info Haze. It could be fun doing that, get’s more attractive. I don´t know if possible to transform Mr.Bison’s Head in 3D, using Blender or AutoDesk and make it work on MAME :D
Accurate 3D models can be actually created by just scanning the pieces with a Kinect, but there doesn’t seem to be much interest on such things at the moment…
I’d love to see a proof of concept for this kind of thing !
Even if the 3D models were made (and please correct me if I’m wrong), I don’t think MAME/MESS can currently display any 3D imagery as it does with the 2D artwork.
I’m guessing that, if it could be done already, somebody would have tried to recreate at least one pinball table at this point (not talking about making it playable, but at least the external appearance with a working attract mode).
When I said proof of concept I was actually talking about someone coming up with the first lines of code to support that kind of experimentation with 3D artwork… Regarding potential copyright infringement I would start with crude cylinders going up & down supported natively in MAME, while more detailed 3D models from external artwork files could be loaded optionally by the users.
I see you are also sharing SDL builds for Windows. I thank you for this. My frontend Emu Loader now supports SDLMAME for Windows :)
Thank you for the updated MAME builds. You’re continuing work in MAME is really appreciated.
Yeah, I’ve seen a few people ask about them lately and there were some recent fixes so I quickly put them up, remembered now I forgot to strip the source from those packages, but nevermind.
I left them in the experimental section because I’m not 100% convinced by the SDL experience on Windows, there are definitely a few niggles (the location it chooses to open new windows upon launch is often partially off-screen, you can’t ctrl-c quit from the command prompt if the debugger is open, and there seems to be more audio-breakup and audio-lag, and the default renderer sucks, you need to specify -video opengl) but I guess a few people might appreciate the added flexibility of GLSL (although from what I’ve read it fails on games with dynamic resolution changes) and be interested in seeing the state of it in general (the QT based debugger etc.)
I’ve noticed similar ‘issues’ with other SDL applications too tho, so it might not even be something that can be improved on Windows.
I don´t know nothing, but i’m sure someday Mame must be transformed in to a 3D Dimension. Now we can play Arcade Machines in 3D, like we are in a Store.
Here is one example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfmN8PJkLTc
How fun can be Mame like this?
This game is to make the underwear in a violence explosion
From what I could test, some GLSL shaders are pretty sweet.
Hmmmn, I get a “Unable to compile shader (unspecified reason)” error when I run a game in Mame 0.153 ex5 64bit with HLSL enabled, works fine with HLSL off. The official Mame sites 0.153 64 works fine with HLSL enabled.
Exception at EIP=00000000015DCF77 (d3d::shaders::delete_resources(bool)+0x0197): While attempting to read memory at 000000000000000
I can only reproduce that if I delete the hlsl folder (or change the path to point somewhere invalid)
any further information on what you’re doing?
I just did a clean install of ex5 (default settings except for HLSL enabled) and that message came up. I think I’ve isolated the problem to be with Emu Loader 7.6.3, I think it’s altering the hlslpath hlsl in mame.ini to say hlslpath “then nothing” by default. Anyway, it’s fixed now. Thanks for your help there and for doing the different builds. Love your work, Haze.
I will investigate this problem with Emu Loader. I’ll test with UMEux5, MAMEux5 and the latest official MAME release.
I found the problem. Some .ini settings now have “auto” in them (UME.153ex4 and ex5) but official MAME .153 still use integer numbers (mame.ini)
Entry ‘sound’ is one of them. It has ‘auto’ now and Emu Loader can only handle integer values in it.
Another entry ‘video’. The default value is ‘auto’ now, but it used to be d3d.
I need to update Emu Loader as soon as possible.
Haze, I think you know the reason why I didn’t compile MESS no more for myself.
Did you you tried the “-ab” autoboot command
(LUA script) on your compiled MESS/UME 32-bit binaries?
OK, no need further discussions about the LUA script.
“Anna: Correct Lua scripting for the most part is broken at the moment. It will be a while before it is fixed.”
Thanks Tafoid for the info!
Emu Loader updated to support ex5 builds (Win and SDL) :)
Good to know. That should mean you’re better prepared for 0.154 too, because I imagine they’ll stick and once 0.154 is released a lot more people will be exposed to them.
We can’t do 3D models right now, although there are definitely some things that would benefit from full cabinet simulations (where they use physical mirrors etc. to place things at different positions / give 3d effects)
It’s worth people collecting things, creating HQ resources etc. because maybe one day there will be demand for them but like everything it’s a case of somebody special needing to do something in a way everybody agrees with. (and there are many things to consider, eg. does it include a physics model for advanced cabinet simlatuions or would it be a purely artistic / visual feature with fancy shaders doing mirrors etc.)
yeah, lots of underlying changes going on at the moment, although I guess there’s a chance if the code changes enough it might start working again in your own compiles once everything is done ;-)
Sorry to butt-in, but is there any timeline for migration to SDL2?
I believe the code is quite stable now and receives almost daily attention from Sam and others.
I believe he has fixed a lot of the issues with the windowing and other behaviour that you mention.
I get this error when I exit Mame 0.153ex5 64bit after playing R-Type II. Either with HLSL on or off.
Average speed: 100.00% (40 seconds)
Error: attempt to free untracked memory 0000000004B02080 in (null)(0)!
0000000008D1F100: 00000000015C2ADE (winmain_dump_stack()+0x003e)
0000000008D1F1C0: 0000000002433E94 (osd_break_into_debugger(char const*)+0x002
0000000008D1F230: 00000000022598A4 (free_file_line(void*, char const*, int, bo
0000000008D1F2F0: 00000000015D95E5 (d3d::shaders::~shaders()+0x0065)
0000000008D1F3A0: 00000000015E7486 (d3d::renderer::device_delete()+0x0076)
0000000008D1F440: 00000000015E76B2 (drawd3d_window_destroy(win_window_info*)+0
0000000008D1F530: 00000000015D0FAE (winwindow_video_window_proc(HWND__*, unsig
ned int, unsigned long long, long long)+0x061e)
0000000008D1F560: 00000000015E602D (winwindow_video_window_proc_ui(HWND__*, un
signed int, unsigned long long, long long)+0x000d)
0000000008D1F620: 0000000077A69BD1 (TranslateMessageEx+0x02a1)
0000000008D1F670: 0000000077A63BFC (CallWindowProcW+0x009c)
0000000008D1F6B0: 0000000077A63B78 (CallWindowProcW+0x0018)
0000000008D1F720: 000007FEEFD035D3 (Direct3DShaderValidatorCreate9+0x58f7)
0000000008D1F7E0: 0000000077A69BD1 (TranslateMessageEx+0x02a1)
0000000008D1F840: 0000000077A672CB (SetWindowTextW+0x0277)
0000000008D1F8A0: 0000000077A66829 (IsDialogMessageW+0x0169)
0000000008D1F928: 0000000077CC11F5 (KiUserCallbackDispatcher+0x001f)
0000000008D1F930: 0000000077A5CBFA (DestroyWindow+0x000a)
0000000008D1FA20: 00000000015D0E21 (winwindow_video_window_proc(HWND__*, unsig
ned int, unsigned long long, long long)+0x0491)
0000000008D1FA50: 00000000015E602D (winwindow_video_window_proc_ui(HWND__*, un
signed int, unsigned long long, long long)+0x000d)
0000000008D1FB10: 0000000077A69BD1 (TranslateMessageEx+0x02a1)
0000000008D1FB60: 0000000077A63BFC (CallWindowProcW+0x009c)
0000000008D1FBA0: 0000000077A63B78 (CallWindowProcW+0x0018)
0000000008D1FC10: 000007FEEFD035D3 (Direct3DShaderValidatorCreate9+0x58f7)
0000000008D1FCD0: 0000000077A69BD1 (TranslateMessageEx+0x02a1)
0000000008D1FD30: 0000000077A672CB (SetWindowTextW+0x0277)
0000000008D1FD90: 0000000077A66829 (IsDialogMessageW+0x0169)
0000000008D1FE18: 0000000077CC11F5 (KiUserCallbackDispatcher+0x001f)
0000000008D1FE20: 0000000077A69E6A (SfmDxSetSwapChainStats+0x001a)
0000000008D1FE50: 0000000077A69E9E (GetMessageW+0x002a)
0000000008D1FEF0: 00000000015CF53E (thread_entry(void*)+0x007e)
0000000008D1FF20: 000007FEFF81415F (srand+0x0093)
0000000008D1FF50: 000007FEFF816EBD (ftime64_s+0x01dd)
0000000008D1FF80: 0000000077B659ED (BaseThreadInitThunk+0x000d)
0000000008D1FFD0: 0000000077C9C541 (RtlUserThreadStart+0x0021)
— memory leak warning —
#008137, nofree 1344 bytes (src/osd/windows/d3dhlsl.c:734)
a total of 1344 bytes were not freed
I’m not seeing this at all, is it with cheats or something?
I don’t know what happened exactly, but after making a new mame.ini, it’s stopped the error message from occurring. 8^/
I didn’t have cheats enabled.
I think I know what causes the problem now, it occurrs when you have “hlsl_preset” set to anything other than “-1”.
This occurs with HLSL on or off.
ok, I can confirm that.. wonder if it’s recent cli changes, or if it’s been happening for a while.
I’m not sure what the plans are, I guess it will happen eventually (afaik it’s needed for better multi-input/output support anyway)
SDL2 is likely to become the default early next year and you can enable it now if you’re curious, but be warned that SDL2 itself is rough (particularly on OS X), and MAME’s support for it is even rougher, so we don’t support those builds in any way yet.
I expect things will have smoothed out enough to make it a viable end user default late this year (once Fedora 21, Ubuntu 14.10, and SDL2 2.0.4+ have shipped).
It is good to see Super Volleyball finally 100% emulated,I love that game,it was playable but harder in a way you couldn´t tell where the ball was going to hit…
And it´s a nice touch to see that whackamole SF game,I clearly remember seeing that game at an arcade in Mar del Plata(seaside city in Argentina)it was put together beside kiddie games,I´d loved to play it but I´d look ridiculous…hope you understand my bad English…
Haze how about Primal Rage II?
I heard people telling this board have a lot of protections.
I wish can able to test this game on mame.
“That “0.36a number” tell me nothing to be a alpha or a beta game”
It’s so completed.
Haze you don´t need.
Maybe in the future, new people will do it.
It is OK now from the newer SVN source. Made the build this morning. :)
Average speed: 100.00% (63 seconds)
Press any key to continue . . .
The kinst driver is outputting a memory leak warning:
— memory leak warning —
#013552, nofree 144 bytes (src/lib/util/coretmpl.h:404)
#013489, nofree 144 bytes (src/lib/util/coretmpl.h:404)
#013521, nofree 144 bytes (src/lib/util/coretmpl.h:404)
#013494, nofree 144 bytes (src/lib/util/coretmpl.h:404)
#013562, nofree 144 bytes (src/lib/util/coretmpl.h:404)
#013525, nofree 144 bytes (src/lib/util/coretmpl.h:404)
#013608, nofree 144 bytes (src/lib/util/coretmpl.h:404)
#013565, nofree 144 bytes (src/lib/util/coretmpl.h:404)
#013618, nofree 144 bytes (src/lib/util/coretmpl.h:404)
#013549, nofree 144 bytes (src/lib/util/coretmpl.h:404)
#013511, nofree 144 bytes (src/lib/util/coretmpl.h:404)
a total of 1584 bytes were not freed
Those people are, as far as I know, incorrect. There is no obvious protection whatsoever, just typical late-period Atari coding.
The game used to boot and run some of the attract mode. You can go back to the version before Turret Tower was enabled and see.
Well in mame 0.150 only freezes in the select char. I can´t even play it.
I think it was mentioned that there’s an Altera PLD on there that could be acting as some kind of basic protection, although it wouldn’t surprise me if the disk geometry was just wrong or something given the stupid stuff we’ve seen in the past.
I wonder if anybody has tested the CHD we have in MAME on a real drive.
the reported issue is when using -hlsl_preset 2 (or something ‘invalid’ along those lines)
Yes Haze i have the CHD, and i already test it.
The first Read will give you a black screen.
The Secound time if we reset the game will give you a “WatchDog Reset” and continues to get black screen.
And i try to run by selecting the CHD on the menu Tab, and gives a error and tell me it have already the CHD Read.
Size: 524MB – 549.781.704 bytes
primrag2 0000000 ide:0:hdd:image
In the Audit options it have this…
primrag2 : upd78081.655 (8192 bytes) – NOT FOUND – NO GOOD DUMP KNOWN
Is that the same Tuning responsible for Bubble 2000?
yeah, I think they were the importer / licensee for Afega too.
Oh OK. I just saw on or off. So thought it was the game itself is doing that.
By the way. I saw the memory leak warning a few times when I use the command lines. On some of the MESS systems. I haven’t seen the warning in a while.
Note: Don’t use any of the shaders with the sdlmess64 genesis or megadriv or megadrij. R. Belmont point it out there is a screen issue on this. Leave the GLSL settings turn off when running this. What is happening is the screen doesn’t scale right. Go out of bounce which causes graphics corruption and the resizing. There is no screen issue when it is turn off. :)
Oh one more thing.
This will fix the nes and neogeo screen issue.
R. Belmont “There are known problems with games that change resolutions (e.g. if you let Sonic 2 go into 2 player split-screen you’ll be missing half the screen afterwards).”
that’s an MCU internal rom on the zn motherboard for analog controls, most games don’t use it
Anonymous: he means writing the CHD to a physical harddrive and trying it on a real Primal Rage II board. We are aware of how it (mal)functions in MAME :)
You should *never* enable that option on a video card made after 2002, my GTX 780 shows NES and NeoGeo fine with it off.
Thanks Arbee, i was thinking later about this, and that is your correct answer.
Please if possible on mame 0.154 a working version of this game.
it’s very unlikely it will be working any time soon, I don’t think anybody with the knowledge to even attempt to fix it is actually looking at it.
Now that the Saturn CD ROM is dumped, does this have any implications for Saturn emulation in MESS, or is something else holding it up?
it’s good news, because the CD block HLE is a complex mess of guesses.
it might improve compatibility a bit, but the main end-user effect will be the driver becoming slower, because it’s yet another CPU to emulate and likely have to keep in perfect sync with other devices!
I will pray for that haze.
SH-1 won’t require perfect sync, but yes it will likely make the driver slower even as it improves some compatibility corner cases.
That said, the CD block isn’t really the main problem with the driver, the graphics rendering is.
graphic rendering and timing issues, unfortunately due to the complexity of the system getting the subtleties of the timing right is a nightmare, there seems to be stuff that issues vdp draw commands THEN uploads some of the sprite tiles, because they know the vdp1 won’t have actually drawn that image before the sh2 has uploaded the data for it, unless I’m misdiagnosing the problem.
(and of course on the MAME side, the remaining protections, which are some kind of Naomi style encryption stream)
Thanks a million for Super Volleyball, it always been that way as long as I remember, and I’ve been into Mame (and into Super Volleyball as well) for a looooong time.
I am actually happy i requested this easy fix at the right moment :-)
Just awaiting for .154 so that my beloved Groovymame gets updated. Thanks again mate !


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