With these tablets, you can connect your game controllers. These game controllers will help you to play your favorite games.
Several game controllers are available for android users to play games. These are enough to connect with an operating system of android tablets. A smartphone or tablet with a game controller will help you to enhance your gaming experience. See 5 best USB-C game controllers for android.
1. DELAM Controller
For your smartphone, you can use this controller. It is an affordable choice with numerous unique features. Starters can use an integrated power bank 4000mAh. With the help of a cooling fan, you can improve the operating condition of your device.
Combine an ergo 4-finger grip with some trigger buttons. It will help you to take your performance to another level.
2. Rotor Riot Mobile Gaming USB-C and Drone Controller
Use a USB-C port to connect this game and drone controller. It is compatible with over 400 apps on the Play Store of Google. There is no need to worry about any delay or lag. You can use it without recharging because batteries are not available.
With this gamepad controller, you can use L3 and R3 functions. These functions can make mobile gaming easy. This gaming controller is exceptionally durable. You can use arrowheads instead of embossed or engraved buttons. It will prevent the possibility of wiping out in the long run.
3. AKNES Kingkong Pro USB-C NS09 Gamepad
Remember, this game controller is compatible with numerous devices, such as laptops, personal computers, Nintendo Switch and Android. Make sure to buy a device with USB-C.
You can get the advantage of advanced design with an ARM 32-bit dual CPU for inactivity avoidance. With an enormous grip, you can use it with your big hands. This gaming controller is available with a steel ring for maximum durability.
4. 1andOne Pro2 N30 USB-C with Rumble Joystick
If you need a girly game controller, feel free to invest in this unit. This controller is compatible with NES and SNEX classic, Steam Windows, Nintendo Switch and Android. Feel free to connect it with your tablet in two ways, such as wireless technology and a USB-C cable.
5. SF30 8Bitdo USB-C Pro Controller with Rumble Vibration
If you want to play a game on your all android devices, you can choose SF30 8Bitdo game controller. This device offers double connection support and playtime of 18 hours. You can charge this controller within two hours.
Feel free to connect it with your mobile devices if it is out of power. Take advantage of its lithium-ion built-in battery for maximum performance.


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Red Toch (Tochliavri) Sold out
This favorite garlic of our family is from the Republic of Georgia. It’s delicious complex flavor is ideal. The large, long storing blubs will not disappoint you.
For more on this garlic check out http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/red-toch.html
Inchelium Red Sold out
Discovered on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington State, this garlic is the winner of the 1990 Rodale Kitchen’s taste contest. This local variety contains a robust flavor that makes it good for cooking and drying for garlic powder. Its unique, strong flavor has very little burn. With large bulbs, it is our longest storing garlic. Inchelium Red makes everything taste better.
For more on this garlic check out http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/inchelium-red.html
Susan Delafield (More pictures coming soon) Sold Out
The largest clove variety of the farm, this spicy garlic is all about its amazing size and scapes. A Canadian variety, Susan Delafield is a hardneck that produces wonderful scapes and incredibly large cloves. Cloves per bulb vary, but we’ve had four giant cloves per bulb.

domain: agronomy


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By DAVID BOLI
Polling for the Goroka by-election next week will for the first time see women vote in separate polling booths.
Acting Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai said this is to promote gender equality and also allow women to vote freely as it is understood that in the past, women did not experience a free and fair polling environment.
“This is mainly to allow women to participate equally in the democratic process. The law today allows women and girls to have the same opportunity like men, so police have been briefed and they will monitor this closely,”Mr Sinai said.
“This Goroka by-election will be a model for us to prepare for the upcoming national general elections in 2022,” he added.
Mr Sinai also mentioned that Covid-19 measures will be strictly applied during the polling and counting period thus, appealed to the eligible voters to comply with the health protocols.
“PPE’s and sanitisers will be used in all polling booths and all voters must take serious considerations of this,” he said.
In terms of funding for the by-election, Mr Sinai said the government made available K4 million from a K6.2 million submission put forward by the Electoral Commission.
“The first K1.8 million was used for preparations and the remaining funds will be used for polling and counting such as logistics,” he said.
“We are now working with the K3.8 million and I would like the people of Goroka to know that the funds have been released and the trainings for polling and counting have been conducted already.”

domain: sociology


March 19, 2015 – Pat Utomi Endorses Buhari, Says GMB Will Restore Hope To Nigeria
The founding member of Ndigbo group in Lagos and political economist, Professor Pat Utomi has endorsed APC Presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari.
He made this known during the unveiling of Igoekulie, a Pan-Igbo group in Lagos on Wednesday.
While responding to questions from journalists, Utomi likened Buhari’s ascendancy to what happened in the US back in 1981.
He added that it took the oldest man to run for Presidency in the United States, Ronald Reagan, to turn things around and revive the American spirit.
In his words:
“I think Nigerians don’t have any alternative in the person of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. I refer to him from my writings as the Buhari ascendancy. That reminds me of what happened in the US when I lived there with President Ronald Reagan.”
“We had one wonderful, nice guy called Jimmy Carter as President. Things went so awfully wrong. Inflation was 29 per cent.”


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To help support women working in small rural Councils to access professional development opportunities, we are making several scholarships available to cover the costs associated with attending the Women's Professional Development Forum and Women's Network Dinner, including the costs of attendance, accommodation and travel to the events. The aim of these scholarships is to assist women who would not normally be able to attend LGPro conferences.
We are pleased to announce the recipients of our seven Rural Women’s Professional Development Scholarships.
• Carole Hammond, Strathbogie Shire Council
• Julia Coates, Northern Grampians Shire Council
• Stacy Williams, Gannawarra Shire Council
• Kerrie Bell, Horsham Rural City Council
• Angeline Dooley, Hepburn Shire Council
• Amanda Lovick, Mansfield Shire Council
• Anna Handberg, Borough of Queenscliffe
We thank the following Corporate Partners and Councils who have committed to taking up a scholarship, we would not be able to provide these without their support.


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School Closure Information
At the direction of the Burlington County Department of Health, all LRHSD schools are closed March 16th through April 9th. Staff and students are scheduled to return after Spring Break on April 20th. For full details regarding the school closure please read the 3-13-20 Parent & Student Letter - Update.
NJ 2-1-1 is live. Residents can also text NJCOVID to 898-211 to receive text information and stay informed. To receive live text assistance, residents can text their zip code to 898-211. This will increase call capacity and reduce wait time.
General COVID-19 Information
At this time, the NJDOH does not recommend any further action by the school district other than following our standard procedures for preventing seasonal respiratory illnesses which include good respiratory hygiene, hand washing, the use of hand sanitizers, routine school cleaning, etc.
For information regarding the coronavirus please visit the following websites:
Coronavirus questions are being handled by the health experts at the NJ Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.
Mental Health Services
If you are feeling stressed about COVID-19 and want to talk to someone:
Warm Line: (877) 294-HELP (4357)
The NJ Department of Human Services operates a toll free “warm line” which is a resource for people seeking mental health service. The warm line is activated during events that impact the mental health of New Jersey residents. The warm line is available 24 hours and has language access; (877) 294-HELP (4357). NOTE: The “warm line” does not replace 911 and is not used to report emergencies.
Other mental health service resources:
- Mental Health Hotline: 866-202-4357
- NJ Hopeline (Peer Support & Suicide Prevention Hotline): 1-855-654-6735
- @NJVET@VET: 1-866-838-7654

domain: medical


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Description:Cambridge University Press, 1990. This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside.This book has hardback covers. In good all round condition. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item,1300grams, ISBN:0521365651
Similar copies are shown below.
Similar copies are shown to the right.
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Ruckers: A Harpsichord and Virginal Building Tradition (Cambridge Musical Texts and Monographs)
by O'Brien, Grant
hardcover. Good. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.

domain: literature


Caron Engineering Inc.
116 Willie Hill Road
Wells , ME 04090 US
As Seen In Modern Machine Shop
Caron's DTect-IT Sensor and Software Suite Capable of Various Machine Monitoring Applications
Caron Engineering’s DTect-IT, originally designed only for vibration detection, is now capable of communicating with multiple sensors, including vibration, strain (measuring force), high-precision power and analog.
Using Data to Do Better in Manufacturing
Although the Smart Manufacturing Experience 2018 event in Boston may not have provided a simple, clear definition of “smart manufacturing,” it did provide a broad experience of what smart manufacturing can be like.
Tool Identification System Transfers Data Via RFID Tags
Smart Manufacturing Experience 2018: The latest version of Caron Engineering’s ToolConnect retrofit hardware and software package for machine tools is designed to reduce human error and setup time by automating the transfer of CNC tool data to and from the control.
Monitoring System Detects Vibration with USB Sensors
Caron Engineering’s DTect-IT monitoring system identifies machine irregularities using custom USB sensors.
Monitoring Spindle Bearing Health
Caron Engineering’s Tool Monitoring Adaptive Control (TMAC) now has the capability of monitoring spindle bearing health.
Swiss for Short
A Swiss-type lathe with a B-axis milling spindle and significant tooling capacity enables this shop to be more effective at complex, short-run work—work the shop otherwise might not even bid on.


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Ms. Paro Anand Author's of 'The Other' Visits PWS Pathways World School, Gurgaon
The visit of Ms. Paro Anand on the recent release of her book 'The Other' lead us to mull over the following quote by Erik Pevernagie -
"When words remain unspoken and emotions are left unexpressed, just a glint in the eyes from otherness can inflame the mind and rouse a shower of empathy. ("Only needed a light ")
On Monday, 24th September, Grade 8 was honored to meet Ms. Paro Anand, a renowned author of 28 books for children and young adults, including plays, short stories, novellas and novels. She is also published in several anthologies and has written extensively on children's literature in the country.
She has been honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar Award, 2017 for her book Wild Child, now published as Like Smoke with additional content. Her book, No Guns at My Son's Funeral was on the IBBY Honor List and has been translated into German and Spanish.
She headed the National Centre for Children's Literature, The National Book Trust, India, the apex body for children's literature in India. She is involved with many projects like" BBC Hindi selected her for their #100 Women Project, a project highlighting the challenges and achievements of women in India.
Ms. Anand's novel, 'The Other' is a compilation of short stories about exclusion, apathy and our fear to be alone. Her question - What makes us different, what makes us an 'other'? made us to further probe to the figurative meaning rather than the literal one. To an extent, each of us would regard anyone opposite us as 'The Other', simply because we are not perfectly alike. A sense of belonging and inclusion in a community comes only when one can find clear similarities and has no obvious point of contrast.
An author who writes about sensitive issues for the younger population, Paro Anand treated us as equals in the discussion that took place. During the Q&A, students asked for tips to improve their writing skills and to help them hold on to their line of thought. Others asked about how she was able to unfurl different perspectives. The answer was simple – 'Observe'.
Paro Anand's book, 'The Other', is a striking piece. Through this book, she subtly criticised our tendency, as a society and as individuals, to make ourselves ignorant to certain issues and to control our urge to speak out because of our fear of being alienated. A change in the way we look at situations and the addition of tolerance to our characters may not decrease the number of obstacles we have as individuals, but it will make us happier people and will make it easier for us to get past those obstacles.

domain: library


In fields of intelligent robots and computer vision, the capability to select a few points representing salient structures has always been focused and investigated. In this paper, we present a novel interest point detector for 3D range images, which can be used with good results in applications of surface registration and object recognition. A local shape description around each point in the range image is firstly constructed based on the distribution map of the signed distances to the tangent plane in its local support region. Using this shape description, the interest value is computed for indicating the probability of a point being the interest point. Lastly a Non-Maxima Suppression procedure is performed to select stable interest points on positions that have large surface variation in the vicinity. Our method is robust to noise, occlusion and clutter, which can be seen from the higher repeatability values compared with the state-of-the-art 3D interest point detectors in experiments. In addition, the method can be implemented easily and requires low computation time.


Driving a car without using the brakes seems like a terribly unsafe idea. But Ethan and Jack from Car Throttle wanted to see if driving around a closed track without braking would help them become better and smoother drivers. To discourage braking, they rigged up their BMW E36 with an ear-splitting high-decibel alarm.
After hearing about a now-defunct competition where players modded power tools into race vehicles, William Osman gathered up some of YouTube’s most popular makers and content creators to put on their own version of the dangerous drag races. Needless to say, don’t attempt to replicate any of this at home.
With 24 released installments, and at least nine canceled ones, the Need for Speed video game franchise has been around since 1994. Noodle takes a look back at the popular racing series’ origins and evolution of the game, from its roots as a Road and Track tie-in to slick CG action. The opening animation alone is worth the watch.
Formula 1 drivers are used to zooming around race tracks at speeds over 200mph – but that’s in forward gear. In this video from Red Bull Racing, F1 drivers Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda challenged each other in a race where they had to stay in reverse the whole time while navigating obstacles.
Poke your head inside the cockpit of a modern Formula 1 race car, and you won’t see an ordinary steering wheel. Instead, you’ll see a detachable controller with a bunch of cryptic buttons and dials on it. WTF1 went inside the pits at a race for a rapid-fire explanation of what everything does on a Mercedes F1 car wheel.
We’ve always wanted a proper cockpit for playing racing sim games, but most of the ones you can buy aren’t exactly living-room friendly. Maker Chris Salamone built this elegant sit-down racing rig from wood, and it looks like an expensive piece of modern furniture that doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb.
Corso Concepts’ single-passenger reverse trike is a track day beast. It has a steel roll cage and carbon composite shell, and a curb weight of just 1,000 pounds. Its rear wheel is driven by a Hayabusa motor that makes 175 hp and spins at 11,000 RPM. Not awesome enough for you? Let the in-car footage convince you.
LEGO Technic expert The Brick Wall shows off a neat machine that uses motors, gears, magnets, and a turntable to allow tiny RC LEGO cars to drive around its surface. After rigging it up to drive with one vehicle, they upgraded it to become a two-player racing game. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s now a four-player version.
This POV footage from the motorcycle racing game Ride 4 running on a PS5 is some of the most photorealistic game footage we’ve ever seen. The reflections, lighting, shadows are so spot on that we can’t believe this was rendered in real-time by a game console. Watch at 4K 60 FPS and HDR if your system can handle it.
Performance carmakers test their vehicles on the Nürburgring. But did you know that Germany’s challenging 13-mile track is a public toll road that anyone can drive on? The rules of the road apply, though there is no speed limit. Tom Scott took a ride along with a pro driver for a look at the famed circuit and how they handle track safety.
Microsoft is ready to delight racing game fans with the latest installment of the Forza Horizon series. Take a look at the game’s gorgeous environments and buttery-smooth frame rates, as racers including a Ford Bronco, a C8 Corvette, a classic Porsche 911, and a Mercedes-AMG ONE each make a dramatic entrance.
Pro racer Travis Pastrana smashed his own record at the Mt. Washington Hill Climb driving the same 862 hp Subaru WRX STI he used to shred tires in Gymkhana 2020. He absolutely nailed the butt-clenching twists, turns, and drop-offs, recording a time of 5 minutes 28.67 seconds – smoking his closest competitor by 45 seconds.
Hop on board for a fantastically fast and quiet ride around Laguna Seca in Unplugged Performance’s 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid aka “Dark Helmet”. With Randy Pobst behind the wheel, the car set an EV track record, with a 1:28.213 lap time. The tuned car has a stock drivetrain with upgraded aero, suspension, and tires.
Ever wonder just how much a car’s steering system has to deal with while drifting at high speeds? Team Ponydrift Racing Gear shared this under-car POV footage of their 815 hp Rasmus Nissan Silvia S14 powersliding around a race track and steering at insane angles. Here’s another drift car with a similar setup.
To celebrate the 2021 British Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen took on a series of British icons. The fun-filled video pits the Honda RB7 agaisnt a double-decker bus, a classic black cab, and even a Supermarine Spitfire airplane. Even with a healthy headstart, the other vehicles had their work cut out for them.
Enduro racer Mani Lettenbichler takes us behind the scenes of the Erzbergrodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble, also known as the hardest dirt bike race in the world. The race takes place in a steep, rocky, rutted, and unforgiving mine in Austria. Sadly, the 2021 event was canceled due to the pandemic, but the race will return in 2022.
Reducing weight is one most important things you can do when it comes to performance cars. Automotive enthusiast ChrisFix wanted to see just how much weight could be stripped out of his BMW E46 3-series in preparation for track usage. He also tested the impact of the weight loss on acceleration and braking.
Outside of Bangkok, Thailand, adrenaline junkies pilot longtail wood boats with modified car engines that can make 500 hp or more. The boats can hit speeds upwards of 70 mph (112 km/h) as their captains steer inches from their powerful motors. CB Media offers a first-hand look at one of the world’s most bonkers activities.
We were fortunate to be among the first to take a ride in the 2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance. Pro race driver Townsend Bell gave us a speedy tour of Texas’ Eagles Canyon Raceway, sliding deftly through the corners in the 472 hp V8-powered RWD sports sedan. The exhaust note sounds fantastic on this thing too.
Excited about the Indianapolis 500? Hy-Vee sure is. This is Hy-Vee’s second time at the Indy 500. Last year, the Midwest-based grocery chain sponsored one car with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and this year they’re sponsoring two drivers in the race.
Smartphone racing games often require tilting the screen to steer. While it’s not a bad control method, we prefer this clever design, which places the phone in a cradle that’s been rigged up to a metal frame and steering wheel. Though if your game requires acceleration or braking, that’s another problem.
Get ready to race with this arcade racer, which brings Hot Wheels action to consoles and gaming PCs. The game features crazy tracks with lots of loops, twists, and banks, with online multiplayer for up to 12 racers. It also has a track editor and livery editor for your car collection. Drops 9.30.2021.
The Dakar Rally is known as one of the world’s most challenging and dangerous races. Driver Benediktas Vanagas shared in-car footage of his Toyota Gazoo Racing truck from Stage 9 of the race, as he and his co-driver tore through a stretch of the route that runs along the Red Sea coast then into the desert. (Thanks Algirdas!)
The Martelli Brothers and Mad Media offer up a different take on off-road racing videos, contrasting the quiet and serene setting of Baja, Mexico with the high horsepower action of trophy trucks, buggies, motorcycles, ATVs and UTVs as they tear across the desert, catching air and throwing dirt everywhere.
It’s been a while since we got a Wipeout game, but it sure looks like players have a new one now. Despite having a different name, Pacer features the same breakneck, futuristic racing combat, and looks like a blast. It features eight single-player modes and online multiplayer. Out now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Strap in for a thrilling mountain ride in the 2020 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, courtesy of driver Kash Singh, who strapped a camera to the front of his turbocharged 2017 Ford Mustang GT. What makes the perspective even more exciting is how low the camera was mounted, offering a tremendous sense of speed.


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(inc. of all taxes)
Sorry you have reached the maximum quantity
that can be ordered for this order
Ensure Diabetes Care is a healthy beverage which is beneficial for individuals with Diabetes. It can be consumed as a meal replacement or a healthy snack. Being a low calorie, low glycemic index, high fiber, good protein supplement, it’s an excellent beverage to provide continuous energy and strengthen muscle tone.
Ensure Diabetes Care is a nutritious beverage supplement for adults. The vanilla flavour makes the beverage appealing and tasteful in every sip. The supplement is scientifically formulated to improve the blood glucose levels and avoid hypoglycaemia episodes. This is achieved by presence of Fibersol (resistant maltodextrin), FOS, Inositol. The Ensure Diabetes Care Adult Nutrition Health Drink is recommended by health experts:
1. To improve daily protein intake and avoid muscle wear and tear
2. To increase vitamin and antioxidant quotient in diet
3. To improve heart health as the beverage is low in saturated fats and Trans Fatty Acids free
4. To assist in weight management as beverage constitutes a low-calorie meal replacement
What’s Included ?
• QTY: One Pack of Ensure Diabetes Care Adult Nutrition Health Drink- 400g (Vanilla)
All prices are inclusive of taxes
Key Features :
1. Lactose Free
2. Gluten Free
3. Trans fat free
4. No Sugar added
The beverage is prepared by adding 6 scoops powder of Ensure Diabetes Care Adult Nutrition Health Drink in 200 ml of water providing 226 Kcal.
Ensure Diabetes Care Adult Nutrition Health Drink is a remarkable beverage that prevents sudden low dips of blood glucose levels in individuals with Diabetes. This is because of the complex carbohydrates, fibre and protein content in the Ensure Diabetes Care Adults Nutrition Health Drink.
How will this benefit you ?
Ensure Diabetes Care Adult Nutrition Health Drink provides steady release of energy that helps avoid peaks in Blood Glucose levels. Continuous energy levels help improve endurance and avoid fatigue which is otherwise observed in adults with diabetes.
How does it affect blood glucose levels ?
Ensure Diabetes Care Adult Nutrition Health Drink contains Complex Carbohydrates which are Modified Maltodextrin). These control fluctuating spikes and low’s of blood glucose levels in individuals with diabetes and prevents associated physical weakness.
When to have it ?
Ensure Diabetes Care Adult Nutrition Health Drink can be added as partial meal replacement in breakfast, lunch or dinner. Otherwise, the beverage is a healthy low-calorie nutritious supplement in mid-afternoon or evening snack.
What are the other health benefits ?
Health benefits of drinking Ensure Diabetes Care Adults Nutrition Health Drink:
- Improves muscle endurance because of presence of vegetarian source of protein
- Presence of Vitamin B complex improves nutrition absorption
- Enhances antioxidant quotient in diet
- Instant preparation yet wholesome meal replacement or partial meal replacement
Shelf Life - 18 Months from manufacturing Date
Product Dimensions : 10.4 x 14.7 x
17.5 cm; 400 Grams
Manufacturer Details - ABBOTT HEALTHCARE PVT.LTD.
Customer Care details -
call - 1800 266 0448
email - email@example.com
LIC No. 10013021000829
Glocal Services Pvt Ltd
It is non-returnable product.
Country of Origin - India
Legal Disclaimer - Every effort is made to maintain accuracy of all information. However, actual product packaging and materials may contain more and/or different information. It is recommended not to solely rely on the information presented.

domain: food


12 Days of Christmas – Day 8
Today is December 16, 2015; The 8th day of the APC 12 Days of Christmas Sale.
Contact your local APC Store for a great deal on Celsius Universal Extended Life AntiFreeze/Coolant. Compatible with ANY antifreeze/ coolant – regardless of color – for use in ALL makes and models of cars and light duty trucks. This patented formula provides a high degree of performance durability and carefully balanced protection against temperature extremes and rust corrosion of all cooling system metals, including aluminum.
Also available for our Paint & Body Specialists
Premium Body Filler
- Tack free and stain resistant
- Superior spreading and sanding properties
- Advanced formula with ZNX-7 for superior adhesion to galvanized steel, aluminum, SMC and sanded OEM finishes
- Blue cream hardener included


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Chupan Chupai is an upcoming 2017 Pakistani comedy-thriller film directed by Mohsin Ali. The film stars Ahsan Khan and Neelam Muneer in the lead cast.
Directed by Mohsin Ali
Written by Mohsin Ali
Starring Ahsan Khan, Neelam Muneer, Wajdaan Shah, Adnan Jaffar, Sakina Samo, Talat Hussain, Rehan Sheikh, Faizan Khawaja, Saife Hassan, Javed Sheikh
Genre Comedy, Thriller
Release Date 29-Dec-2017
Official Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ChupanChupaiTheFilm/

domain: artistic


How we measure the level of harm in our land transport system may influence how we manage our safety goals. Traditional road safety measures of harm are the numbers of deaths and injuries suffered in crashes. The potential for these to be under-reported is well known but also overlooks other examples of casualties within the transport environment.
Recent safety investigations of people walking, biking, motorcycling and using other transport devices in Auckland found that considerably more people are suffering serious injuries on roads and paths from incidents not involving other vehicles. Research into road crashes nationally found similarly large social costs from non-motorised user incidents.
These findings may help inform funding decisions for maintenance of paths, vegetation and kerb-crossings, where many incidents occur. Targeting reduced casualties on our transport network can also be at odds with other targets to increase modes like walking and cycling (due to personal health benefits).
Australasian Road Safety Conference, Sep 2022, Christchurch NZ


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The Bank of England has cut interest rates in an emergency response to coronavirus. It could mean record low mortgage rates for residential borrowers and savings for buy-to-let landlords.
The base rate now sits at 0.25%, down from 0.75%. This is the same level it was held at from March 2009 to November 2017 following the financial crash.
The Bank of England stated: “The reduction in bank rate will help to support business and consumer confidence at a difficult time, to bolster the cash flows of businesses and households, and to reduce the cost, and to improve the availability, of finance.”
Lenders are expected to react quickly to the surprise cut, even though mortgage rates are already at record lows. Barclays, Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Bank and Halifax have all announced that the saving will be passed on to mortgage holders from 1 April.
What are the cuts?
Lloyds Bank’s homeowner variable rate will fall to 3.74% and its standard variable rate to 2.25%. Halifax and Bank of Scotland are also reducing their variable-rate mortgages to 3.74% from April.
Barclays announced that all existing tracker and variable rate mortgages will reduce by 0.5% from 1 April. New customers taking out a variable-rate loan can benefit from lower mortgage rates immediately.
Virgin Money customers with mortgages linked to the Bank of England rate will see their mortgage costs from 1 May. However, it has not made an announcement yet on its other variable rate loans.
Many borrowers to benefit
Borrowers on a repayment tracker mortgage will make a decent saving. For example, a £100,000 tracker mortgage that drops from 2% to 1.5% will make a monthly saving of about £25 per month.
Homeowners on fixed-rate mortgages will not be affected unless they are nearing the end of their term and looking to remortgage. Still, first-time buyers and home movers could all benefit from even lower mortgage rates than we have seen recently.
Could we see mortgage rates below 1%?
The industry is expecting to see five-year mortgage rates reduced further. It’s worth noting that the last time interest rates were at this level some lenders were offering two-year fixed rate deals at below 1% with a large deposit. It will be interesting to see what deals become available to borrowers over the next few weeks.
Mark Harris, chief executive of mortgage broker SPF Private Clients, said: “This is a bold and decisive move from the Bank of England. Swap rates have tumbled in recent days and both the reduction in base rate, plus lower swap rates, will lead to even cheaper mortgage products.”
“We would expect five-year pricing to fall close to its previous record low of 1.29% in 2017 (for a five-year fix from Atom Bank). The big question is, could they fall below 1%?”

domain: finance


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The captive life of the orca Lolita, also known as Tokitae, has come to an end, leaving animal rights activists mourning the closure of a chapter they hoped would lead to her freedom. The Miami Seaquarium, where he spent more than half a century, announced his death at the age of 57.
Lolita’s story had been both performance and controversy. The theme park had seen her perform for crowds since she was captured in 1970 at about age four. However, this chapter was overshadowed by fervent calls from activists for his release.
Plans were underway for Lolita to return to the ocean, a destination she hadn’t experienced in decades. Unfortunately, his caregivers were met with the unexpected as his health deteriorated. In her final days, Lolita showed signs of discomfort, prompting immediate and intensive medical attention. Despite his efforts, he succumbed to what is believed to be kidney disease.
Lolita’s journey had sparked passionate debates about the ethics of marine animal captivity. Born free, she had spent her life in a tank 80 feet by 35 feet by 20 feet deep. Their withdrawal from the show was an important step in addressing these concerns, marking a change in the way marine animals are treated in captivity.
Efforts were underway to relocate Lolita to a natural pen in the Pacific Northwest, with the support of The Dolphin Company and Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts. The news of her death was a blow to those who hoped for a better future for her.
As Lolita’s legacy lives on, she continues to inspire conversations about the treatment of marine animals and the importance of advocating for their welfare. His death underscores the need to question the impact of captivity on these majestic creatures and the ethical considerations surrounding it.
This article is sourced from and written by AI.
Track and stay informed about AI-generated news:

domain: news


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For this competency-level demonstration of mastery, you will summarize how the concepts in Competency 3 are applied to a situation in the real world. You will need to complete the following steps:
Locate a recent article (from within the last 5 years) from the library’s databases OR interview a business leader about how a time series pattern, a linear trend projection, or a seasonality model has been used to resolve a forecasting problem.
Summarize the problem presented in the article or interview.
Explain the objective function and constraints the business faced in relation to this problem.
Describe the linear programming model used to solve this problem.
Provide the optimal solution presented in the article or interview.
Summarize the final outcome of the implementation of the solution.
Incorporate citations from the lecture videos.
Include your perspective of operations management in the modern economy, and how a Christian worldview affects organizational decision-making. How might a Christian worldview be used to assist in the forecasting problem discussed in this paper?
Your summary should be between 500 and 750 words (not including the title and references pages).
Use proper APA formatting and citations throughout.
Delivering a high-quality product at a reasonable price is not enough anymore.
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domain: economics


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Saturday, December 6, 2008
Listen for the voice that speaks with heart
How important is the tone of voice, no matter what position we hold in life. The voice of authority, the demanding, commanding and authoritative voice has little lasting effect upon its audience. But the voice of kindness, the cheerful and friendly voice creates receptivity that few can resist.
The voice on the telephone creates a picture for the listener. With the business of the world being run to a very great extent by telephone, it is of the utmost importance what sort of picture that should be. No matter how sharp, strong, hard, flat, weak or soft, that voice creates an impression. If only we could have our voices played back, we would hear ourselves in one of those categories.
Even animals and children respond to voices as they truly are. All the actions in the world speak loudly, but the voice of love, the voice of friendship, and the voice of encouragement are the sweetest of all sounds.
The truly sincere quality in the voice is from the nature within, springing from concern for those about us, the divine love, the deep feeling for all life. unknown


A developer’s plan to build apartments beside and above East Liberty’s landmark Kelly Strayhorn Theater drew heated opposition from artists, activists and neighborhood residents at a hearing of the City Planning Commission, which opted to postpone its vote pending further discussions.
McKnight Realty Partners owns the Penn Avenue parcel which includes the theater and three other buildings. It wants to demolish a one-story building and construct a six-floor structure with retail space on the first floor and 38 apartments — including four affordable to low-income households — above.
The new building would cantilever above the Kelly Strayhorn. The developer’s team pledged that the theater’s operations would not be affected during or after construction. City Councilman Ricky Burgess and a neighborhood group called the Village Collaborative of East Liberty weighed in to support the proposal.
The commission, though, heard testimony in opposition from 25 people, most of whom urged that the developer first do a better job of communicating with the diversity-focused theater’s board and staff, and perhaps extend its lease which expires in 2029.
An artist’s rendering of the retail-and-apartment building which McKnight Realty Partners has proposed for an East Liberty parcel.
With just seven years left on its lease with McKnight, the theater has “no leverage to raise funds for a building that is in need of repairs,” said Adam Golden, vice chair of the board of the Kelly Strayhorn. He characterized McKnight’s communications to the theater’s management as “sometimes dictatorial,” and urged that they work toward “a partner-like relationship.”
Singers, dancers and other artists joined the virtual hearing to voice support for the theater.
“I will never stop hoping that big developers will work with community leaders to build into communities rather than over them,” said Anna Hale, a musician who performs under the moniker Swampwalk. “Let’s collaborate, and honestly, let’s care about the community.”
Read entire article here


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Did Downton Abbey’s Season 3 Finale Crash?
The final episode of Downton Abbey’s season 3 appears to have been a dub, based on the buzz heard around the world. The spectacular third season of Downton Abbey ended with spectacular heartbreak. It really couldn’t have happened any other way. Here’s some of the buzz we’re following in social media on the Downton Abbey season finale:

domain: entertainment


One of the biggest bands in electro will be gracing the stage of Dubai’s best pub (officially) next month, and this is a good reason to get excited.
Mark Thursday November 8 down in your diaries, because Caribou will be gracing the stage at The Irish Village, in what’s probably going to be one the best Thursday nights in town for some time, and you need to get your tickets now before they sell out.
If you’re in the mood for seeing out the week with a bit of a boogie at the place we crowned Pub of the Year at this year’s Time Out Dubai Music & Nightlife Awards, you have to check out this funky, trippy electro act.
If you have to get up to speed, listen to seminal album Swim, which producer Dan Snaith (the man behind Caribou) described as his attempt to create “liquid music”. It’s incredibly easy listening, but live this Grammy-nominated four-piece knows how to get a crowd going – that’s for sure. Fun fact: Caribou have even sold out the Sydney Opera House.
Fans of the FIFA video games will recognise this track – circa FIFA 2011. Ah the mems.
Time Out London even had this to say about Caribou album Our Love in 2014:
“One more reason to admire this underrated maestro – he’s made one of the most glorious and addictive albums of the year”
Caribou will be supported by up-and-coming six-piece RHYE – with both acts making their UAE debut at The Irish Village. Tickets are available now for Dhs249 (limited early bird), Dhs349 for general admission and Dhs449 for balcony views.
We cannot wait for this.
From Dhs249. Thu Nov 8, doors 8pm. Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, Garhoud, www.platinumlist.net.


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There is no surprise seeing food industry doing well on global level and the bakery industry is not an exception to this. In fact, the global bakery industry is making huge success and in coming few years, it is going to make new success. In today’s date, the industry is known to have technological advancements but it was not there in the beginning. The baking process started in the Roman Empire and they adored it. An increase was observed during weddings and feasts, events etc. as the demand increased during 300BC, bakery turned into professional affair and several bakery shops were set up. These days, we can see different bakery shops and the business is spreading.
The Indian bakery industry is blossoming and a bright future is estimated for this industry. Totally, 3 million tons of products are manufactured and out of it, 1.3 million tons are made by the organized sector. Remaining is manufactured by small scale industries. In the beginning, the industry was focusing on the lower or middle class but now it is serving people from all classes. Changes in lifestyle and assorted consuming patterns have made it possible for the industry to witness this change.
Bakery products are popular worldwide and so their consumption rate also. With some technological advancement, the industry is doing just fine with the production and quality of the products. However, there are bakery industries which are still totally dependent on the traditional bakery procedures despite of availability of the technologically advanced machineries. With the introduction of popular baked food stuffs such as pizza, burgers etc. numbers of consumers have increased over the period of time.
The future for the Indian bakery industry is promising but it has to face a stiff competition from some of the recognized international brands. There is biscuit industry which is growing by 15% as equated with the bread industry. The success of the Indian bakery industry is because of the augmentation in demand for baked food stuffs.


Social Media Marketing
Are Social Media Mistakes Holding Back Your Sales & Marketing?
Do you feel like your business isn’t meeting your goals for social media marketing? Perhaps you’re overlooking a few things that could boost your viral opportunities and overall exposure. That’s the point of a recent post by Heather Smith on PR Daily.
“Social media (participation) is the most popular online activity, so it makes perfect sense for businesses to want to tap into social media marketing to increase sales,” she writes. Simply opening an account or sending out some posts or tweets is not enough to make social media platforms a viable and profitable part of your marketing strategy. By avoiding some missteps, businesses have the ability to increase their return on investment (ROI) for social media marketing and create more awareness and leads from social media accounts.”Read More
Capitalizing on Your Good Work and Goodwill — Get Testimonials
Testimonials are the lifeblood of referral marketing. Many customers and clients are happy to give them when you do a great job or provide outstanding service on a project or over the long term. Sadly, few companies then put them in the right places to capitalize on them.
Building a good testimonial requires more than just doing good work. A blog post by Cairril Mills, owner of a design and marketing firm in Bloomington, IN, goes beyond the obvious. She advises approaching the clients who are like those you really want to work with and make sure they have a compelling story to tell. Then, interview people most likely to impress the prospects you want to impress. Get them to describe the problem or need they had, how your business helped them solve that problem or fill that need and the benefits gained from their relationship with you.Read More
What Your Competitors Know and Your Customers Hear
Here’s a competitive intelligence tool that’s credible and free.
Google Alerts can help you stay up to date on developments in your business by tracking industry news and trends and your competitors’ activities automatically. And this information has a wide variety of uses beyond tracking your competitors, such as gathering material for email marketing and social media campaigns.
We always think of Google searches as a way for customers and prospects to find out about us. As one of the world’s largest aggregators of information, Google is well-positioned to pull in news articles, blog posts, even website changes and anything else that hits the Internet. Google Alerts is a free service, all of it delivered to your email box whenever and as often as you want. Google Alerts recently launched a redesign of its format for better aesthetics and management.Read More
What Small/Mid-Size Businesses Can Learn from General Mills’ Community of Fans
There’s trouble in the General Mills community – even as the company had a weekend change of heart. As reported in many, many media outlets late last week, downloading a 50-cent coupon for a box of cereal may have precluded a consumer from suing the food-product giant – which sells a lot more than Cheerios and Fruit Loops.
Deep Face: Facial Recognition coming to Social Media
Facebook has been making technology news over the past few weeks with Virtual Reality (VR) which could have many exciting applications for marketing. Today, it’s another reason to assess your use social media because you it takes time to create an impact via Social.
Facebook has developed a new capability, called Deep Face, and is reportedly acquiring Oculus VR, a virtual reality company. Deep Face is both fascinating and fearful at the same time.Read More
Need Credibility? Get PR?
As reported in a blog by marketing executive Chad Pollitt, news coverage, termed “earned media,” is 80% more effective than branded content, or owned media, at the consideration and affinity stages of the purchase process. At the familiarity stage, which is closer to the actual purchase, news coverage is 38% more effective.
The study presented 900 consumers with three different types of content: expert content from credible sources (earned media), branded content (owned media), and user-generated content (such as reviews on Amazon).Read More
LinkedIn Changes : If It Doesn’t Matter to You, It Should
For Company Pages, LinkedIn is removing the Products & Services tab, on April 14. If you have a Company Page and use that tab to tell followers about your offerings, you’ll need to move that info to your Company Update or Showcase Pages, which some companies are already doing.
If you don’t have a Company Page, or never used the Products & Services tab, don’t blow off this blog post. Instead, look at how much information is being shared in LinkedIn groups and how often your biz dev folks’ profiles are being viewed each month.Read More
The Need to Change
If one thing hasn’t changed in the last 10 years, it’s that you constantly need to innovate and change to compete.
Lew Platt, the former CEO of Hewlett Packard, said in a speech 10 years ago: “You must anticipate that whatever made you successful in the past won’t in the future.” He made the statement in a speech that Industry Week characterized as “a bit of sage advice for guiding an organization in a time of rapid and turbulent change.”
If you go back and read the article, well, you’ll find that 10 years later, much remains unchanged about innovation, entrepreneurialism and change.Read More
Word-of-Mouth Speaks Volumes
Word-of-Mouth Marketing has established itself as one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways for small businesses to get out the word about their products and services. In today’s highly connected world, a good word-of-mouth strategy combines a number of techniques that are all designed to develop pathways that lead back to you.
Back when the Internet was coming into its own, word-of-mouth marketing was mostly a function of networking groups, some of which functioned – and still do – as lead-generation groups.Read More
Security Provider Verifies NicheLabs’ Digital Marketing Expertise
When changing your company’s name, updating your website just means replacing an old logo and name with the new, right? While updating aesthetics is one part of rebranding a website, website mechanics and search engine optimization strategies must change, as well. Provider of commercial security solutions for more than ten years, Atlanta-based Remote Protection (soon […]Read More


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Lansing Michigan has formerly voted to remove it’s designated status of “Sanctuary City”. It will remove the controversial designation from its official literature and has stated that it will begin cooperation with ICE and Federal law.
The shocking move came only a week after they had voted to retain the status. Pressure from local businesses fearing what would happen if Federal funding was removed led them to write letters informing the city council that staying a Sanctuary City would harm economic growth.
So far, so good. Many people seem happy that the city has turned its back on detrimental policies.
But the question remains as to whether they are merely paying lip-service to the idea, and whether or not they will actually follow through with it. If we remember that just last week (before the pressure from businesses) they voted unanimously to stay a Sanctuary City, it is a safe assumption that they are only bowing to pressure, and are not actually committed to following the law.
And the “concerned” businesses, they only called for the status to be overturned when they realized that Trump’s withdrawal of funding might make them poorer. So is there anyone actually looking out for Michigan’s citizens. It’s not the City Council, it’s not the influential business owners. Perhaps only the President.
Lately, we have heard over and over again how sanctuary cities are good for Americans, as they “protect” illegals from deportation to their home countries.
We’re really supposed to believe that crock from the Left?
Since President Trump has taken office, he has insisted that America once again, returns to its original lawful immigration roots, meaning that anyone who comes here illegally will be punished, in accordance to the laws already passed and signed by previous presidents. As some sanctuary cities have complained and refused to obey federal laws, another city actually decided to change course and rescind their sanctuary status, understanding that doing so would further help their community instead of harming it.
From Fox News:
The city council in Lansing, Mich. voted Wednesday to rescind its decision to deem itself a “sanctuary” city for illegal immigrants after concerns from the businesses that the status would draw unwelcome attention to the city.
The term “sanctuary city” generally refers to jurisdictions that do not cooperate with U.S. immigration officials. Under Lansing city policy, police don’t ask for people’s immigration status, except as required by U.S. or Michigan law or a court order.
Council members voted 5-2 to reverse last week’s 6-0 vote to give the city “sanctuary” status. Immigration advocates in the crowd called called council members “spineless” and said “you’re all losing your seats.”
The dispute comes as several cities are battling President Donald Trump’s promised crackdown on places that block cooperation between their police departments and U.S. immigration authorities. The Trump administration has warned that sanctuary cities could lose federal money for refusing to cooperate with immigration authorities.
After last week’s vote, council members received a letter from the Lansing Regional Chamber and Michigan Chamber of Commerce urging them to remove references to “sanctuary city” from its resolution.
“Lansing is a diverse community, rich with history and culture. It’s what makes our city a welcoming destination to live, work and thrive,” the business groups’ letter says. “Recent actions of City Council, whether intended or not, have placed an unnecessary target on the City of Lansing while jeopardizing millions of dollars in federal funding that impacts the city budget.”
Although the business community letters didn’t go into too much detail, what is at the heart of the matter is that if Lansing continued to stay as a sanctuary city, corruption from criminal illegals would grow, hurting their community members. Alongside that, the potential to lose federal funding in a state that is still recovering from the recession of 2008 would also drastically hurt their city.
America is cheering you on Lansing! Hopefully other cities will follow your lead soon!
Source: Fox News


Rahman goes live this May
India’s most prolific music composer and Padma Bhushan awardee AR Rahman will start his first round of gigs in India, post the Academy Awards, in Nagpur on May 15. This will be followed by a concert at Palace Grounds, Bengaluru on May 29.music Updated: May 11, 2011 18:45 IST
India’s most prolific music composer and Padma Bhushan awardee AR Rahman will start his first round of gigs in India, post the Academy Awards, in Nagpur on May 15. This will be followed by a concert at Palace Grounds, Bengaluru on May 29.
The multiple Academy and Grammy awardee chose Nagpur for his first show because it is the central-most point in India. Rahman, who is currently in Los Angeles, was unavailable for comment, but Deepak Gattani, managing director of Rapport Global Events, which has organised Rahman’s concerts for the past 16 years, says, “He (Rahman) wanted to start his new series from the heartland, and Nagpur lies at Point Zero. We will move outwards from here with the next show at Bengaluru on May 29. After this, the concerts will resume post monsoon, in October,” he says.Canadian-Italian singer Natalie Di Luccio, who shot to fame on the internet after her cover of Tu Jaane Na… from Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009) received over one million hits on YouTube, will also be part of a larger line-up of artistes performing with AR Rahman.
“I had sung a cover of his song Kahin To… from Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na (2008) and put it up on YouTube. His management must have seen it and shown it to him, because they got in touch with me and asked me to sing at his show,” Di Luccio says.
Although Di Luccio hasn’t met or spoken to Rahman yet, she feels that he’s every singer’s inspiration. “Just the thought of meeting him in person, seeing how his mind works, and how he is on stage is very exciting for me. I only really got to know of him after Slumdog Millionaire (2008), but his song Dil Se… is still my favourite,” she says.


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Vineyards in regions characterized by a lack of soil moisture, limited natural irrigation and low rainfall are often under significant water stress for the plants. These regions usually have arid or semi-arid climates, which can be a challenge for grape production. Some of these regions where vineyards are particularly stressed due to these conditions are located in Southern Mediterranean latitudes, Central Coast of California, Central Chile, South Africa, South Australia and South Argentina.
As plant-available water becomes more of a problem even in previously well-supplied regions, mapping soil properties can provide information on soil texture, moisture content and mineral composition and help to understand these variations in
order to tailor management measures to specific areas within a vineyard.
The moisture content of the soil is a critical factor for the health of the vines and the quality of the fruit. The electromagnetic induction method provides information about the moisture content of the soil and thus helps the responsible winemakers
to implement efficient irrigation strategies in the vineyards and to avoid problems such as overwatering or drought stress.
The Topsoil Mapper enables rapid non-invasive data collection on large areas even in difficult terrain. The picture shows the use of the Topsoil Mapper in a vineyard in Klosterneuburg/Austria in a south-exposed, mineral-rich site (alternating marl, slate, limestone and sandstone) on very steep terrain with a slope of > 36 %.
The Topsoil Mapper was used on this experimental vineyard, where different artificial irrigation strategies are being tested. The sensor was used to monitor plant available water under controlled irrigation conditions during the growing season.
Different irrigation strategies are clearly reflected in the ECa (apparent conductivity) data collected, which are shown in the
Areas with very low plant-available water are shown in red, while green and blue coloured areas have a higher water supply.
Clearly visible are the headland areas - in the north-east and south-west of the vineyards - where there is no irrigation and compaction is high due to the intensive, heavy machinery work. The rows starting to the east are drip irrigated, with watering reduced to a certain percentage in every third row. From row 9 onwards, the plants are only supplied with natural irrigation. As the available water changes, this is reflected in the ECa values, which are shown in the colour-coded map. For the case study area, the ECa mapping is converted into a moisture map of the available water in the main root zone of the upper soil layer (0 - 30 cm) by insitu calibration.
Overall, electromagnetic induction provides valuable insights into soil properties and moisture distribution, making it a versatile method for soil mapping in viticulture.
It enables winemakers to make informed decisions that optimise grape production, improve fruit quality and promote sustainable practices.


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Today, when William Shakespeare is generally perceived by the mass consciousness as iconized genius, a lot of people try to succumb to the temptation to perceive his works with respect and even nihilism. It should be stated that the masterpieces of this great dramatist are worth analyzing, because they are valuable pieces of writing not only from the artistic, but also from literary and historic perspectives. Various researchers manage to reveal new shades of meaning, hidden in his works, and it changes the general perception of characters and ideas, rendered in his plays. Shakespearean works arouse interest because they tell the readers a lot about values and mass perceptions of the world, which were prevalent during the Renaissance period. Shakespeare is the master of psychological portrait. Every character is marked by the differentiating features, deep inner world, particular virtues and defects. “Hamlet” is one of his most well-known dramas, which makes the audience indulge in the analysis and evaluation of its characters. One of the most intriguing characters is Gertrude, who is a mother of Hamlet. She is a shadowy heroine. For years, literary critics cannot find the consensus concerning her role in the play. According to the conventional attitudes, Gertrude is the archetype of lover who forgets about her duty, honor, and good manners. She is criticized for her adultery and lack of attention to the sufferings of the protagonist Hamlet. The character of Gertrude is interesting for the audience, because she represents the prototype of strong women of the Renaissance period, who includes the closely intertwined images of Queen, mother, and woman. This research aims at looking at “hamlet” from the new perspective, revealing the reasons for Gertrude’s sudden marriage, investigation of her general attitude to Hamlet, researching the extent of her guilt, and understanding her deeds through decomposition of her character into separate images, which could tell more about Gertrude as a personality.
Gertrude as Queen
Close analysis of the play has revealed that Gertrude is the heiress of the belligerent country; she is not young, and is familiar with all the subtleties of governance. She is steadfast and determined. One has to remind the scene, when supporters of Laertes made the rebellion, Gertrude was not frightened. She sternly ordered them “O, this is counter, you false Danish dogs!” (Shakespeare 173). This phrase is essential, as it shows readers the inner power and stamina of Gertrude as a Queen. She was able to rule the country due to her skills and intelligence. It could be assumed that she really did not know anything about the murder of her husband. She made a significant political maneuver and decided to marry her late husband’s brother. In such a way, Gertrude sacrificed her reputation in order to strengthen the position of her beloved son - Hamlet, as the heir of the throne. One should admit that Shakespeare did not include the scene, where Queen tells Claudius about her feelings. Sudden marriage to Claudius could be explained as the Queen’s wish to preserve the throne for her son, but not her desire to obtain a new lover.
While conducting the analysis of this play, the temporal period should be taken into account. Women occupied essential place during the period of Renaissance, and Shakespeare has manifested it, with the help of Gertrude. She was a wise woman, and her actions were marked by sophistication, obtained in the course of historical and social circumstances. Gaia Servalio in the work “Renaissance Woman” indicated one essential thing: “The Renaissance also started when woman became more masculine and men more feminine; by becoming more learned, women were able to argue, to give their opinion, to rule” (2). “Hamlet” serves as the confirmation of this hypothesis. The thing is that deep analysis shows that Gertrude conducted a number of actions in order to stay in control of the country, and Hamlet behaved in a feminine way. He constantly grieved and thought little about the fate of his country. The ability of the Queen to retain the cold-blooded premeditation reveals her authority to the audience and sheds light towards the motives of her deeds.
It could be stated that her asking Hamlet to stop grieving for his father and start treating Claudius differently were not the expressions of her frivolity, but rather exhibitions of her plan. Such an attitude towards personality of Gertrude is different from standard opinions, but it explains her behavior, and shows her not as frivolous woman, but as a bright politician. Gertrude is frequently depicted as a weak woman, due to her passivity and subservience to Claudius. Most researchers tie the passivity of this character with Elizabethan standards of femininity. However, it could be assumed that her outer passivity was worked out in order to manipulate her husband and secure her son. Despite the fact that there were different women during the Renaissance age, it is hardly possible that men treated them differently. The outer image of passive and lustful woman was beneficial for Gertrude, as she could embody her plans without the fear of being caught.
It could be assumed that Queen did not know that Claudius killed her husband, but she definitely was aware of his traits and power. The comparison of Hamlet and Claudius shows that Hamlet was weaker. He was young, less ambitious, and lacked the Claudius’ experience. If Gertrude did not marry him, he could pose danger to her and her son. Gertrude was a wise woman, aware of different political nuances, and she definitely had calculated all the possible steps. Marrying Claudius and retaining her image of weak widow was advantageous for Gertrude, as she could prepare her son for the future governance and secure him from the possible dangers. The analysis of Gertrude’s statements shows that she did everything she could to save Hamlet. Even when she insisted the madness of her son, it was the maneuver to distract the attention of Claudius from him.
“Mas as the sea and when both contend
Which is the mightier. In his lawless fit,
Behind the arras hearing something stir,
Whips out his rapier, cries ‘A rat, a rat!’
And in this brainish apprehension kills
The unseen good old man” (149)
At first sight, it seems that the Queen talked against her son, but in reality, she could simply defend him, diminishing his strength to Claudius. In such a way, she disoriented her husband. She portrayed Hamlet as a silly boy, who simply did not know what he said. But this is the thing, which even modern women apply in order to save their kids from punishment. They simply try to mollify the anger. This is the part of female psychology.
Unfortunately, most of the modern critics perceive Gertrude as a woman, who has turned from the archetype of woman and mother into the archetype of lover. One of them is Robert Blumenfeld. In order to understand his idea, the following quote from his work should be considered:
Certainly the extraverted Claudius is prey to his archetypal shadow’s desires, and taking Gertrude to wife represents for him the mystical triumph that is realized in his intense sexual relationship with her. Gertrude’s shadow too is apparent in her behavior: she has abandoned her role of archetypal mother, which she continues to play out in a formal, but uninvolved way, in favor of her role as the love-goddess archetype for Claudius. (Blumenfeld 249)
In the above statements, researcher Blumenfeld applies the standard way of thinking, which manifests no analysis of this heroine. It could be argued that Gertrude was a love-goddess archetype for herself. Claudius had to treat her as the exhibition of his victory, but Gertrude perceived it as her sacrifice. Despite the fact that readers generally perceive her as the lustful woman, it can be supposed that she really loved her husband, and that his death was a tragedy for her. She could not allow herself to grieve properly, because her son did not behave in the mannish way. He indulged in psychoanalysis and his emotional sufferings, and could not understand the fact that without the monarch, the country is vulnerable. Prince could not be the decent alteration of his father, because he was not ready for it. Being an intelligent Queen, Gertrude understood that specific steps had to be taken in order to preserve the throne for her son. Marrying Claudius was actually the best option.
One could consider the possible effects of Gertrude’s falling in deep depression, as Hamlet did. Claudius would marry another woman, and she, together with her son, would find themselves in danger. They would turn out to be the relatives of the previous monarch, and Claudius could simply chuck them out from the kingdom. For that reason, the Queen had to pull herself together, and pretend being the love-goddess. In such a way, she was able to control the situation. Moreover, her sexuality, which attracted Claudius, assisted the Queen to manipulate Claudius. Her naivety and outer passivity helped Gertrude to put off the Claudius guard.
One could state that Shakespeare looked at Queen Gertrude differently, than we do it now, and that he perceived her actions differently. Modern people analyze the play, from the viewpoint of norms and morale, present in the modern society, but it is not right. While considering the deeds of Shakespearean heroes, the readers should be able to put their actions into the historical context. During the Middle Ages, rivalry was prevalent in royal families, and people were not ruled by the democratic rules, which we perceive as norms today. People did everything possible to obtain the power. They killed, lied, and manipulated. While analyzing this work, the temporal gap should be taken into account. Intrigues were the part of daily life of the Middle Age people.
Perception of Queen Gertrude in this light totally alters the attitude of readers to her. They stop seeing her as frivolous widow, but start viewing as wise monarch.
Gertrude as Mother
Most readers of Shakespeare perceive Gertrude as Shakespearean vamp woman, who could ruthlessly burry her husband and marry for the second time. Moreover, a number of researchers depict her as the monarch, but not mother. One of them is Felicity Dunworth, who emphasized: “Gertrude’s relentlessly public function as queen disallows her personal role as mother” (176).
It could be supposed that Dunworth’s ideas are not totally right. Gertrude might be perceived as a smart mother, a ruler, who controlled the fate of her son. When the Queen is perceived through her actions and statements, but not through the Hamlet’s vision of his mother, she emerges as practical, intelligent, and wise woman, who truly loves her kids. She constantly takes care of her son, but he is too blind to understand it. Claudius confirmed the Laertes that she “lives almost by [Hamlet’s] looks”, and there is no textual evidence that she knew about the murder of her husband (Fisher and Silber 131).
She understood why Hamlet disliked Claudius, but revealing her plans to Hamlet was too dangerous for him. Hamlet is young and desperate, and he needed the cold-blooded person, who could look after him.
In order to understand the psychology of Gertrude, the analysis of the Act III, Scene 4 has to be conducted. Hamlet comes to the chamber of his mother to talk about his behavior, and kills Polonius, while the latter was listening to their conversation in the hiding place. Hamlet starts accusing his mother of adultery, and expresses the hatred, which he feels towards her. He tells her many offensive things, but as a real mother, she endures his moral punishment in a decent way.
“O shame! Where is thy blush! Rebellious hell,
If thou canst mutine in a matron’s bones
To flaming youth let virtue be as wax.
And melt in her own fire: proclaim no shame
When the compulsive ardour gives the charge,
Dince frost itself as actively duth burn,
And reason panders will”. (142)
She feels the pain, and wants him to stop losing his temprer, and look into the situation more realistically, but Hamlet is unable to do so. One should consider the following quote:
“O gentle son!
Upon the heat and flame of thy distemper
Sprinkle cool patience!”. (144)
Gertrude tries to persuade her son that his hatred, anger and emotions just exacerbate the situation. She asks him to calm down, and look into the situation differently.
The primary reason of Hamlet’s visiting his mother was not the talk about his behavior, but the expression of his feelings towards his mother. He wanted to state his dislike of the Claudius, and tell the way he feels about her betrayal. He succeeded in his primary goal, but his actions led to serious side effects, like murder of Polonius.
Most researchers depict him as a victim, who suffers from the father’s death and lack of attention from his mother. Though, it is not so. The analysis presents him as a teenager, who constantly conducts the highly emotional outbursts of his feelings grounded on the deep depression and self-deprecation. The Queen’s desire to save her kid becomes evident, as his behavior is unfit for the position of a real man. The death of his father killed the male traits in him. Men are generally known for their ability to preserve the calm mind in difficult situation, to analyze, monitor, and make conclusions. However, it was not about Hamlet. He simply locked in his inner world, and could not perceive the reality. It could be assumed that the presence of the ghost could be treated of Hamlet’s inner desire to talk with his father. He could not be brave enough to let him go and start taking concrete actions to clear the path to his kinship. His behavior resembles the performance of hysterical girl. Depression, anger, and overuse of emotions hinder the readers’ perception of him as a true Middle age man. The Queen, on the contrary, behaves in a mannish manner. Under the mask of love and passivity, she hides the strong will that can move the mountains to achieve the goal. She tries to calm her son down and explain the situation. If he behaved differently, he could easily kill Claudius without any victims, but his emotional outbursts resulted in Claudius’ suspicions, and his plan of poisoning Hamlet. As a result, Hamlet becomes deprived of one of his strongest allies, his mother.
Gertrude was a good mother, and her death serves as a symbolic confirmation of this fact. She expresses the apparent sincerity in her worries for Hamlet. She drank the poison, which was prepared for her son. In could be supposed that in such a way, Gertrude conducted her last step in protection of her son. She was always on his side, even in those cases, when he did not feel it. For example, during the duel with Laertes, she was openly on Hamlet’s side. Moreover, during the Ophelia’s funeral, Gertrude cried, and whispered that she hoped to call the girl her daughter. This act confirms her care and borderless love towards her son. She mourned the beloved woman of her son. Gertrude was the only person who understood his inner pain and sufferings. These scenes are often overlooked by the researchers, but they tell a lot about the Queen’s personality. They reveal her true character without masks and pretence. It could be assumed that if Hamlet knew that his mother conducted all her actions in order to protect him from the rage of Claudius, she would become closer to him, than she ever was.
The readers are often misled by Gertrude’s actions, which hinder them to deconstruct the motives of her deeds. For years, this character was associated with adultery, betrayal, lust, and passivity. But analysis of the inner sense layer, the quotes and consideration of the Gertrude’s behavior portrays her from the completely different perspectives. She was a strong woman, and doting mother, who could overcome all the difficulties and indulge in any activities, in order to protect her son and ensure that he occupies the right place in the kingdom. Her marriage was not the act of adultery, but the female sacrifice aimed at providing her son with the chance to inherit the throne.
Gertrude as Woman
Gertrude is able to fascinate the readers with her image. She performs the role of a shadowy character, but the close analysis of her deeds in the play assists the readers to grasp the truth about her. Investigation of the Gertrude’s features proves that she is one of the most significant characters of this play. She is a woman, who adds this story mystery and power. She is strong, sexual, dominant and authoritative. The queen could be compared to cheetah, who could be affectionate in one moment, and ruthless in another. There is a viewpoint that this quality was the thing, which attracted Claudius. She was sensual and strict simultaneously.
The audience should not perceive her as a silly woman, who was cheated by her late husband’s brother, and married him because of her true love and lack of understanding of the situation. This woman was not that simple, she applied her sensuality and sexuality to attract Claudius, and made him marry her, in order to demolish, when her son will be ready for the throne. She protected her son and decided to keep an eye on her enemy. She was a Middle Age vamp woman, who could lie, slip out, and be double faced. She was a real woman.
Predinger, Lester, and Ishizuka state that Gertrude was an archetype of woman (p. 242). She was mature and intelligent, true queen, who knew what to say and when. She was the key dramatic character of this literary work; she attracted the audience of the reader of her anarchic sexuality. Gertrude was not the ordinary dame, but the prototype of modern women.
Gertrude is often portrayed as an evil individual. However, in general perspective, every woman is evil. All women are descendants of Eve, who was the creator of sin. Gertrude was definitely a sinful woman, because she became the wife to Claudius, but she did not reveal her feelings toward him. This fact is intriguing, because she revealed her feelings towards her son in a number of facts. If Gertrude truly loved him, she could divulge her emotions in one of the parts. She has never declared any kind of emotion for Claudius. And he, on the contrary, expressed his profession of love and admiration towards the Queen. In such a way, it could be assumed that she was the Hamlet’s defender, and all her actions were conducted with one objective only - she wanted to make her son a king and protect him from danger.
Gertrude and Her Guilt
The guilt, which Gertrude has experienced, is one of the most debated topics, connected to this play. A number of researchers express very different opinions and visions of this issue. Gertrude was really guilty of Hamlet, and the cause of her guilt demands extra attention.
The analysis has confirmed the hypothesis that Gertrude’s behavior was the manifestation of her desire to protect her kid from the tyrannical uncle. In order to deflect the Claudius’ attention from her son, Gertrude applied her female beauty, sensuality and sexuality, and made Claudius adore her. Despite the fact that this deed was committed for the welfare of her kid, it has become the major cause of his depression. In this case, Gertrude turned out to be guilty.
Her purposive action caused many sufferings to her son. She could not behave differently. Gertrude was locked in the vicious circle. In order to protect her son, she had to tempt Claudius. While baiting Claudius, she destroyed her son. In such a way, she was partially guilty for her desire to defend him.
Sequentially, the father’s murder was not the only issue, which caused the Hamlet’s psychological collapse. His mother’s life, behavior, and her sexuality were the things, which caused him severe pain, which he simply could not stand. He could not bear the queen’s carnal love and her relationships with other man. His sufferings are revealed in the course of chamber scene. Hamlet starts his conversation with the word “mother” and ends it with the same word. He started his discussion with the exaggerated and idealized description of the character of his mother, and turned to Gertrude. He compared the positive traits of his father with the betrayal of Gertrude and childishly stroke out the uncontrolled outburst of anger.
Such kind of behavior is the sign of Hamlet’s inner destruction. He could not accept her deed. It caused him extreme psychological and emotional tortures, which served as a proof of Gertrude’s guilt.
It was an extremely difficult situation for her, because she had to choose between life and psychological well-being of her son. Unfortunately, few understood the complexity of her decisions and the emotional pain, which Gertrude experienced. She understood the feelings of Hamlet, but could not do anything. His explosive character could not allow her to reveal the truth, and her only way out was to continue her difficult mission.
Alteration of the Image of Gertrude
For years, various scholars wrote their works, trying to accuse Gertrude of all the sins, which happened to the royal family and Hamlet. The readers perceived her as a source of adulteration, bad mother, who preserved her duties only formally, and a passive woman, who could not take the wise and grounded decisions.
The accurate research can reveal new traits of Gertrude, which totally alter her image. She was a loving wife, doting mother, and wise monarch, who thought first and foremost about the well-being of her son and country. She was psychologically and emotionally strong woman, who could apply different methods in order to achieve her objective. Unlike the general persuasion, Gertrude was a woman, who could immolate her reputation and love of her son for his life and security. She was an extremely intelligent woman, who knew how to put her female spell on Claudius, and liberate the path to throne for her son. She was a cold-minded woman, who could hide her sufferings, pain and feelings and reveal authority - the artificial representation of her personality.
Despite the mass accusation of her betrayal, the work does not include the direct signs of her love towards Claudius. She did everything possible to defend her son, who behaved as a childish boy, unable to cope with his emotions. Gertrude was Hamlet’s invisible helper and his major ally. Unfortunately, he could not notice it and appreciate it. She sacrificed her life in order to give him an opportunity to grasp the gist and continue living.
Gertrude was not the evil woman, love-goddess, or traitoress, she was a Queen, a mother and a woman.
In conclusion, it should be stated that a lot of people perceive Shakespeare as a masterful dramatist, and respect his talent. Though, few understand that he was more than a dramatist, poet and writer, he was a narrator, who tried to portray the life in his works. While investigating his works, people often take the standard and conventional explanations, and use them for the perception of his works. But it is not right, as accurate analysis reveals the new shades of coloring, new features, new details and nuances, which totally alter the attitude of readers towards his characters, their roles, ideas of his works, etc.
“Hamlet” is generally perceived to be the tragedy of a young prince, who mourns the murder of his father and his father’s betrayal. Though, attentive reading of this wok changes its gist. It seems to be the tragedy of the young and blind prince, who locked himself in his inner world, full of grief, accusations, hatred, and pain, and did not notice how his mother sacrificed her reputation, her honor, and even her life to him. The queen Gertrude is often depicted as a woman-monster, who is deprived of the ability to feel, regret, and take care. This analysis has revealed this character from the completely new side. Gertrude turned out to be the woman, who thought about her son, cared about him, who constantly protected and defended him. She was his invisible assistant, ally, and friend, but Hamlet could not realize it.
While reading the Shakespearean works, people take into account the surface structure of his texts. This common mistake makes the readership unable to encode the true gist in his work. Shakespeare was a master, who dowered his plays with wisdom and practical lessons. People, who read his masterpieces, should be able to notice the nuances, analyze them, and make the necessary decisions.
The detailed investigation has totally altered the vision of Gertrude. She appeared to be the wise and intelligent queen and good mother, who could manipulate, pretend, and lie to save her kid.


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DENTSPLY closes merger with Sirona
The merger of equals created the "world's largest maufacturer of professional dental products and technologies," the companies said.
DENTSPLY International and Sirona Dental Systems are now part of the same company.
The dental products companies completed their merger Monday, they said in a news release. The merged company, called Dentsply Sirona, has its global headquarters in York. Its international headquarters are in Salzburg, Austria.
"With our merger complete, Dentsply Sirona can now focus its efforts on empowering dental professionals to provide better, safer and faster dental care," Jeffrey T. Slovin, Dentsply Sirona's CEO, said in the release.
Slovin, 51, was Long Island City, New York-based Sirona's chief executive. Bret W. Wise, 55, Dentsply Sirona's executive chairman, was DENTSPLY's CEO and chairman.
The combined company has about 15,000 employees in more than 40 countries.


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Frank Ocean has kept a pretty low profile recently -- save for brief album updates, and telling Chipotle to f--k off -- but the Channel Orange singer will surface for air when he performs at the Met Gala next week. Ocean was in attendance at last year's event with Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci, where Kanye West performed and got all sappy about Kim Kardashian onstage.
If we're lucky, Ocean might perform some new material from his upcoming album, which has no title or release date as yet. In a February 2013 interview with BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe, Ocean said he's "like 10,11 songs into this next thing. It's another cohesive thing bordering on a concept record again."
At the very least, it's probably safe to say that his performance will be drastically different from Kanye's screamfest last year.

domain: celebrity


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In recognition of International Safe Abortion Day (Sept 28), Amnesty International has released its updated institutional policy on abortion. We are also pleased to announce that the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FIGO) has endorsed the policy. To support the roll-out of Amnesty International’s updated abortion policy, we have produced a press release, an explanatory note, ‘key messages’ and a Q & A about the policy.
Amnesty International’s updated policy recognizes access to safe abortion as an essential component of a fair and equal society, and as integral to realising the full range of human rights. It further recognizes abortion, provided in a manner that respects human rights, autonomy, and dignity, as the right of anyone who can become pregnant. Amnesty International is calling for full decriminalization of abortion (removal of abortion from criminal and other punitive laws and policies and stop punishment of women, girls and all pregnant people, healthcare providers and others for obtaining, assisting with or providing abortion services), universal access to safe abortion, as early as possible and as late as necessary, and for provision of post-abortion care and evidence-based abortion-related information, among other things.
Amnesty International’s policy update was undertaken, in part, to account for the significant evolution of international legal norms and standards around abortion in the past decade, and to better place the organization to challenge the full range of human rights violations due to criminalization of abortion, to advocate for removal of all barriers to safe abortion and to promote reproductive, gender and economic justice.
The organization is hopeful that its updated abortion policy and supporting policy materials will be a useful resource for activists/advocates across movements.

domain: law


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CLIMATE PROGRESS The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued its second of four planned reports examining the state of climate science. This one summarizes what the scientific literature says about “Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability” (big PDF here ). As with every recent IPCC report, it is super-cautious to a fault and yet still incredibly alarming. Details here.
Showing posts from March, 2014
Dear Editor, After reading the letter-to-the-editor from Robert Sopuck, (Conservative MP for Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette) in The Roblin Review back in January (Canada-Eu agreement will bring jobs to the riding) (*see below), one would think there are no "downsides" to free trade, at all! How convenient that he and Prime Minister Harper are leaving out the parts that aren't as flattering. Free trade agreements have, for years, been chipping away at the ability of sovereign nations to make laws that protect our health and environment. Far from protecting us, such deals hand over more and more power to giant, ruthless and unelected corporations to sue nations like Canada, if our laws interfere with their own "rights" to make a profit. As long ago as the 1990s, an American outfit called Ethyl Corp. made off with $19 million of Canadian taxpayers' money under provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Ethyl Co
Ottawa – Four major environmental organizations have written to Health Minister Rona Ambrose asking her to stop stalling on taking action on pesticides suspected of killing bees, and that lack critical toxicity data. Clothianidin, one of the neonicotinoid pesticides suspected of killing bees, remains on the market despite the lack of valid scientific studies to support assessment of environmental hazards to bees. Scientific studies investigating the pesticide’s chronic toxicity to bees have been requested since 2004 by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) from certain Clothianidin registration-holders, and since 2008-2009 from other companies whose registrations were renewed by PMRA in July 2013 and that sparked a notice of objection in September 2013 by the environmental groups.
World Health Organization In new estimates released today, WHO reports that in 2012 around 7 million people died - one in eight of total global deaths – as a result of air pollution exposure. This finding more than doubles previous estimates and confirms that air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk. Reducing air pollution could save millions of lives. Details here. Photo credit - Google Images.
ScicnceDaily Far beneath the surface of the ocean, deep currents act as conveyer belts, channeling heat, carbon, oxygen and nutrients around the globe. A new has found that recent climate change may be acting to slow down one of these conveyer belts, with potentially serious consequences for the future of the planet's climate. Details here.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon Urges Water, Energy Security ‘For the Many & Not Just the Few’
Following is THE Secretary-General's message for World Water Day March 22ND: A Manitoba lake. PLT photo. Water is at the core of sustainable development. This year’s observance of World Water Day focuses on the links between water and energy. Both are critical for eradicating poverty. And they interact with each other in ways that can help — or hinder — our efforts to build stable societies and lives of dignity for all. Climate change driven in great part by the unsustainable use of energy will exacerbate water stress and scarcity in many regions. Efforts to provide universal access to water and energy will be undermined if the current warming trend continues. The many strong links between water and energy demand coherent, integrated policies and innovative strategies. Water must be used — and electricity must be generated and distributed — equitably and efficiently, so all users get a fair share. These are the goals of the ongoing work of UN-Water and of the
News5 About a million dollars in vegetables have been destroyed in the Valley of Peace area, Cayo District of Belize (Central America). The community is the largest provider of vegetables to two districts, but the farmers have lost their crops due to crop-dusting. Green Tropics, the controversial company which grazed land in the Laboring Creek Jaguar Corridor Wildlife Sanctuary in 2012, is looking like a repeat offender tonight because they are said to be responsible for the herbicide spraying. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Globe & Mail There’s a funny anecdote that occurs late into Alanna Mitchell’s Sea Sick , the solo show opening the Theatre Centre’s handsome new Queen West home in Toronto. It finds Mitchell in a submersible 3,000 feet under the sea, crammed into a compartment no wider than a bathtub, and suddenly having a desperate need to pee. Details here.
Do those negotiating the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership have any interest in democracy? Here’s a test. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 11th March 2014 Nothing threatens democracy as much as corporate power. Nowhere do corporations operate with greater freedom than between nations, for here there is no competition. With the exception of the European parliament there is no transnational democracy, anywhere. All other supranational bodies – the IMF, the World Bank, the United Nations, trade organisations and the rest – work on the principle of photocopy democracy (presumed consent is transferred, copy by copy, to ever greyer and more remote institutions) or no democracy at all(1).
OnEarth What is happening along the Rocky Mountain Front is what happens whenever big energy arrives in small places. It offers a devil’s bargain: a choice between the lure of prosperity and the preservation of place. It pits neighbour against neighbour, family against family, and whatever the eventual outcome, a lot of people are probably going to be unhappy. Details here.
Council of Canadians Oil pipe awaiting allocation on the CN line in Manitoba. PLT photo. Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow Tweeted these questions this week. "Were western farmers sacrificed so that Big Oil could take over the trains? Is that why Harper killed the Wheat Board?" Details here.


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Moving is serious business, especially when you're playing tetris with your furniture. While not everything is unpacked yet, I didn't expect it to take quite this long to get back to blogging, but life is life. That said, I want to continue the discourse from my last post regarding how cooperation is executed in games. With the advent of Guild Wars 2's first anniversary August 30th, I thought it would be a great parallel post to focus on.
Gotta love XKCD
I've only been able to be at launch for one other MMO in my life so far and that was Shin Megami Tensei Imagine. While I loved the idea of the game and the ability to persuade demons & youkai to my team and go around Pokemon style in a cyberpunk setting, the MMO never quite picked up like World of Warcraft or Guild Wars has. The lag, lack of players (and friends playing with me) after the first couple of months, and the inability of my laptop to play the game made me give up. I needed friends to really do dungeons, and when you can't even get a party together after a couple of hours because you can't find anyone within your level range and willing, it's rather a detriment. I'd like to go back eventually because I love the whole SMT series, but ultimately I think the MMO failed because of it was an earlier free to play MMO. To get ahead in the game, I would have had to spend money- money I couldn't afford, which was why I was happy to play this MMO.
A great game artistically at the very least, I hope it's something I can go back to someday without having to pay to win/play.
With Guild Wars 2, While I never played the original, I paid my initial $60.00 to buy a physical copy (I'm a bit old fashioned in that aspect I guess, I like being able to hold a game if I can) But having a company at least having an initial bit of money to fund the production of the game plus any money spent into its in game currency called gems in this instance, Guild Wars two takes a middling approach from the traditional monthly subscription fee business model. I for one enjoy this. I don't have to feel guilty that I'm wasting my time not playing because of how much I might pay a month or that I would need to cancel and renew as needed. With this more laid back attitude, I'm more relaxed in playing and thus I think more people are willing to play as the MMO is not bare bones, yet not as grindy for a constant need to keep player count active. I will say though that player count did drop significantly for a few months before they started releasing their monthly and bimonthly Living Story expansions. By these mini expansions coupled with a few game mechanic aspects unique to Guild Wars 2 gamer attendance is relatively stable.
Rawr! I'm a dragon!
The biggest mechanic that I want to mention here is the dynamic event mechanic. A player can find come across a random event that will trigger upon arrival into the area. It can be pretty much anything from collecting to escorting, to killing something really big. You don't have to be there from the start however and any amount of participation (whether alone, or in a zerg group) will net you some amount of reward. With this along with regular heart quests (which take place of regular quests), regional bosses, and three behemoth sized dragons make playing together in a group or as a map easier and much more fun. Luckily, most of these dynamic events and heart quests can be soloed, but for any world events or map event such a the claw of Jormag, Tequatl the sunless, or the Shatterer, dragon champions representing elemental dragons that have been plaguing the land of Tyria with their corrupted minions in tangent with Zhaitan, the games ultimate boss must be played cooperatively. Because of this, Guild Wars 2 rewards accordingly. Along with daily, monthly, and a slew of other achievements, the rewards for most of these feats are rather nice. In addition, a character is never vying for a fair share of the loot; every person is allotted a balanced share of the awards so there isn't the tension of rolling for loot within a party or guild.
Tequatl the Sunless, who is actually going to get beefed up in the next expansion since players have figured out pretty much everything about this guy.
Finally dungeons round out the PvE experience. These are the one other aspect of the game that cannot be soloed. One has a party of up to five people (though it's possible with one or two less) to tackle a dungeon particular to that area. There is incentive too to play more than just the initial time in “story mode” as there are three different branches opened up to the player after story mode in “explorable mode”. Explorable mode has a different boss to fight at the end of each branching route of varying difficulty and add extra fun and variety to an existing dungeon.
Honor of the waves, one of the prettiest dungeons, you're fighting on a giant ice ship trying to save the Kodans, giant polar bear people who have had to flee from Zhaitan, the colossal death dragon that's the boss of the MMO so far.
By having parties team up and creating a bonding experience over something completely new or the slightly familiar, I think Arena Net, the creator of Guild Wars 2 has the right idea in the particular mix they have going for them. There are other aspects which I haven’t mentioned such as World v World, a gargantuan map that pairs server vs server or SpvP which is more scaled down to individual teams of players fighting against each other with the mob Ais aren't enough of a challenge anymore, but that will be for another time. The cooperative focus on parties and spontaneous groupings of players to defeat a threat create a more engaging and familial environment, building upon the MMOs that came before it. Coupled with the biweekly expansions constantly churning out new content, Guild Wars 2 certainly can be considered a evolutionary step up in the MMO theatre.
The events even overlap with other heart quests or even other dynamic events