text:
Этот концепт или проект находится в ранней стадии разработки

Этот проект собирает отзывы от возможных покупателей, а также создает сообщество вокруг него. Если вам понравился этот проект, не стесняйтесь — оценивайте и добавляйте его в избранное. Голосование в этом разделе всего лишь позволяет разработчику понять, нравится ли его проект пользователям и как его улучшить. Это не означает, что проект будет распространяться через Steam.

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Комментариев: 41
Wig Bang 7 окт. 2015 в 14:59
Ok thanks for the update. Back on list it goes
nSwarm  [автор] 7 окт. 2015 в 9:47
@sharpnova Thanks for bringing this to my attention, we have not updated this page in forever. We've been through greenlight and we're on Steam, releasing this month in fact! Please follow us here:

Also check out our website here: http://pixelpigames.com/

Wig Bang 27 сен. 2015 в 11:29
Hmm. Dead project.

I'll try out the prototype for fun... and then take this game off my list.

Too bad. It looked promising.
noize 7 мая. 2015 в 8:55
What ever happened to this game?
TECAK 17 июн. 2014 в 6:29
looks nice. (ps animal abuse)
Brian Boru 11 мая. 2014 в 11:28
I played this game really early on and i've been hoping it would get made into a fully game. Good job.
InsanityLemon 6 мая. 2014 в 23:15
looks good.
01binarygames 16 мар. 2014 в 18:38
dead project?
Lighthammer 16 фев. 2014 в 8:40
Review on russian | Обзор на русском
LightSphere 28 сен. 2013 в 12:26
Right now I'm downloading the prototype from the official site. The trailers looks just awesome. This must be a fresh breeze in the industry, or, at least, that's what I dream it's gonna be.
SeeTheBridges 2 сен. 2013 в 10:43
I loved the prototype for the game. Looks wonderful, plays awesome!
That Guy 20 апр. 2013 в 14:59
your monster uses what sound like skyrim bear sounds.

there must be a better way to generate light than throwing pokemon

is there more to the game you could show?im not sure by your vague description of the game what exactly you do aside from what was shown in the short vid
Cheeseness 12 апр. 2013 в 1:22
Congratulations on the Kickstarter campaign! <3
Happy Squid 11 апр. 2013 в 23:50
Looks awesome
[SH] nicereddy 10 апр. 2013 в 16:01
Just posted your project on reddit and thought you'd be interested i9n commenting: http://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1c3h8b/pulse_a_survival_game_you_play_using_sound_has/
Cocorickoo 10 апр. 2013 в 7:06
great idea, i sure hope you get funded and self-publish this game !
whotheowlARP 1 апр. 2013 в 10:46
This game seems interesting, I'm going to have to keep an eye on it!
FedoraG4mer 25 мар. 2013 в 14:07
Love this game. It is amazing for just a prototype. I featured it as my first video in my "Kickin It" Series (kickstarter spotlight)
Kickin It With Pulse

Really hope the kickstarter is successful.
jwruth2 21 мар. 2013 в 14:46
I feel so bad for the mokos; I always end up throwing them off cliffs :(

Regardless, great game so far; I'm planning to back you guys on kickstarter some time at the start of April, since I have to wait to have some spending money. I hope that the kickstarter is successful as I'd love to see this game come to fruition.
nSwarm  [автор] 20 мар. 2013 в 19:17
Thanks a lot for the support guys!

@Infurnus Hehe the geometric structure of the world is something we want to play with more. It's just touching on the kinds of stuff our artist has dreamt up. :D

@Phedran Nice! That's super awesome. I always love watching playthroughs. Thanks!
Phedran 20 мар. 2013 в 16:16
Love it so far! Just featured it on my weekly indie game spotlight series. :)
infurnus 18 мар. 2013 в 1:21
Very cool polygonal worlds! Your 3D stuff looks really charming, the black monster totally has an Another World/Out Of This World vibe to it, loved that game. The contrast between the dark, dangerous sharp/polygonal world & the light round cute things that help you is very nice
sockpuppetcow 17 мар. 2013 в 15:11
This looks very cool. I'd definintely play it.
shoot me 16 мар. 2013 в 8:28
cool its an awsome concept.
<USPS> AngryMoldyMan 15 мар. 2013 в 3:05
Definatly would play. Looks awsome, gotta find time to play the prototype soon.
[BBI] Cards  [автор] 14 мар. 2013 в 23:24
@Killingfluid It may be a little morbid, but you can actually already do exactly that! Using the Mokos as distractions is one of the many things you can do with them in the prototype. The beasts are attracted to the Mokos, and... well... we'll let you find out what happens after that ;)
kuzma 14 мар. 2013 в 3:04
great concept) good luck
Moth Man! 13 мар. 2013 в 21:07
call me morbid but i can see potentual to use the little critter things you throw around to distract the hungry monsters to make an escape at the cost of your pet thing. I find mechanics like this interesting and if you could actually pull off making the world feel like a vast place full of the unknown it would be trully amazing.
Om Tare Tutare Ture Soha 12 мар. 2013 в 13:21
devils tuning fork's successor! i'd play
Seeglem 12 мар. 2013 в 5:51
maybe different little rabbit things you can unlock
nSwarm  [автор] 11 мар. 2013 в 20:44
Thanks a ton for your support everyone. :)

@Garrett Yep! We'll have time to explore some more environments and of course greatly enhance what we show in the prototype. Stay tuned!
Firefly 11 мар. 2013 в 5:11
Looks unique and interesting, thumbs up.
HappyFabian 11 мар. 2013 в 0:43
It looks like a really good game to be honest.
Baby Jager 10 мар. 2013 в 16:28
Looks great and it's an amazing concept. I just hope your environments are a bit more varried.
Subtext Creep 10 мар. 2013 в 9:56
It looks amazing! I will totally buy it. I will try and pledge it too (once I figure out how too...) I saw this as a browser game on Vsauce too!
zbakes 9 мар. 2013 в 19:01
its awesome and i will pledge your kickstater
McMarius11 9 мар. 2013 в 14:37
thanks for the info guys!!!
keep up the great work!!!! :)
nSwarm  [автор] 9 мар. 2013 в 13:39
Thanks a lot guys! @Jiangshi We'll be re-doing pretty much all of the SFX and music for the full game, no worries. We'll be very carefully looking over how everything relates to the emotion of the game.
McMarius11 9 мар. 2013 в 11:13
it looooooks sooo awesome!!!!
Onipunks 8 мар. 2013 в 15:55
Very nice concept, pledged for your KS campaign.
Jiangshi 7 мар. 2013 в 13:47
Been waiting for a unique concept to pop up on greenlight. Reminds me of a puzzle game similar to Portal or Quantum Conundrum.

Not sure if it was by design or not, but I feel like the noises the Mokos make detract from the anxiety inherent to a game where you are blind and in an unknown place. I do love the fact that they tense up when danger is around though.

Otherwise, great work so far, hope the best for this game and your team.


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Portal 2
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4 comentarios
Sloth.ps  [autor] 26 jul. 2013 a las 18:49
I made this one so long ago it's probably riddled with problems. Glad you had a good time, though :)
ZneX 26 jul. 2013 a las 18:48
I had a good time, but not sure I followed your chamber correctly. I never used the button up on the high wall so not sure what it was for.
Sloth.ps  [autor] 14 jun. 2012 a las 15:33
It's working fine. You're just doing it wrong :-p
AngryPotato 14 jun. 2012 a las 14:51
I'm not sure it's working correctly...

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text:
此遊戲現在上架到 Steam 上了！

感謝您的幫忙讓這款遊戲透過 Steam 發行。更多資訊包括 Steam 商店頁面連結可於下方找到。

Kingdom Rush
Aeolus Winds 2013 年 02 月 26 日 @ 下午 1 時 43 分
The Free/Price thing
I am writing this little discussion to say that this game is already free on some game sites. I know that this is almost a 'rebuild', but on the website's, the game is free, but there is premium content available for purchase. Will the game be free to play on steam, with the possibility of purchasing the bonus content? Or will you have to purchase the game, but get the premium content for free? Just a question.

Edit: Just to clarify, because some people seem to be getting the wrong idea, I AM HAPPY WITH PAYING.
最後修改者：Aeolus Winds; 2013 年 02 月 28 日 @ 上午 9 時 33 分
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DeltaActual 2013 年 02 月 26 日 @ 下午 1 時 47 分
i think it will be $15.00 with no IAP's...
G-Ken.Mercy 2013 年 02 月 26 日 @ 下午 6 時 37 分
I'd like the game to be Free to Play and Payable Premium Content... I feel like you'll get more people playing if it's already Free to Play but with additional Payable content it's how I got hooked with most games I play nowadays...
hitman02in 2013 年 02 月 27 日 @ 上午 7 時 30 分
i'd like a one time payment.anything upto 20$ is fine with me.prefer that to buy small stuff for 5$ every 2-3 months
Anonemesis 2013 年 02 月 27 日 @ 下午 4 時 56 分
This game deserves more then free, this is a quality game which can't be said about most of the greenlight games give the dev what they deserve this game is addictive and entertaining and theres no reason the dev's should be short changed if you want to play it free go play the sd version on armor games...otherwise buy the game with HD quality + extra content and quit trying to get a handout there was actual work put into this game if you want a freebie game go ask the lazy devs who made Surgeon Simulator that is the type of game that should be free to play, as those are the stupid games that have prevented quality games like kingdom rush from being greenlit.
最後修改者：Anonemesis; 2013 年 02 月 27 日 @ 下午 4 時 57 分
Lafore 2013 年 02 月 27 日 @ 下午 8 時 33 分
I bought this game's premium content on their website (one time fee) and I bought the app for my phone, but I refuse to get IAPs for the phone app. I refuse to be nickel and dimed to win.
Aeolus Winds 2013 年 02 月 28 日 @ 上午 12 時 06 分
To be honest, I'm not asking it to be F2P. What I'm asking is about the bonus content. There is bonus content to purchase on the websites, and thats fair enough. But the question I'm asking is do we have to buy the game on Steam, but get the Extra Content for free? Or is it free to play on Steam, but with the ability to purchase the Extra Content if we wanted to? To be honest, I would prefer the first, but thats my personal opinion.
DeltaActual 2013 年 02 月 28 日 @ 上午 1 時 39 分
@Aeolus WInds - i'm asking you to go out and make a few hundred bucks, so by the time KR comes out - you can pay for it. #@ck IAPs! Extra content is a Flash version thing. It never made it to IPad and i doubt it will show up on Steam. We all know what the game is all about and we all know it deserves every penny that Dev's may ask for it.
最後修改者：DeltaActual; 2013 年 02 月 28 日 @ 上午 1 時 43 分
Anonemesis 2013 年 02 月 28 日 @ 上午 5 時 05 分
Well since it says heroes are included with the game in the description I'm going to assume the extra premium content is included as well, it wouldn't make sense to sell it separably or they'd might as well sell the new Blackburn campaign as DLC as well, steams a huge market I'm sure their going to pull out all the stops to make KR have a successful launch, especially if they want people to buy KR 2 coming out this spring...so both games aren't far off from release
最後修改者：Anonemesis; 2013 年 02 月 28 日 @ 上午 5 時 09 分
Aeolus Winds 2013 年 02 月 28 日 @ 上午 9 時 27 分
@Delta Actual
My concern about this isn't the money. I have enough money for myself right now, but the thing I'm wondering about is the Extra Content going to come (Technically free) with the game? Right, lemme just set this out. ON FLASH VERSION, IS FREE BUT CAN PAY FOR NEW STUFF! That's happening. The question I'm asking is if this statement will be true: ON STEAM, IS FREE BUT CAN PAY FOR NEW STUFF! Got it? What I'm asking is wether you can play it for free on steam, but buy the extra content with it! I'll be honest, I'm fine with paying money for the game, hell, I'm happy with it. I just want to know wether the new stuff is INCLUDED with the steam.

Thank you for getting what I was saying. Thing is, in the 'regular' game, there are 3 heroes you can use for free, and 4 more you can pay for. I was literally asking, do we pay for the entire game, and get those 4 heroes free(Technically)? Or do we have to pay extra for the other 4.
最後修改者：Aeolus Winds; 2013 年 02 月 28 日 @ 上午 9 時 31 分
Anonemesis 2013 年 03 月 3 日 @ 上午 1 時 17 分
Ah. Hopefully it just comes with it in the purchase price :D only time will tell
Bastion ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 2013 年 03 月 4 日 @ 下午 3 時 49 分
Most likely 10 USA dollars.
N1tr0 2013 年 03 月 19 日 @ 下午 12 時 49 分
I'm ready to pay 20 USD. p.s. And i have an iPad version with all heroes, but i'm ready to pay more for this great game.
(UCOG) RoMaNdO 2013 年 03 月 20 日 @ 上午 6 時 51 分
I'll be happy if it will cost 10 €
最後修改者：(UCOG) RoMaNdO; 2013 年 03 月 20 日 @ 上午 6 時 51 分
[Latine] Cassius 2013 年 03 月 28 日 @ 上午 11 時 00 分
I personally absolutely hate in-app purchases. It'd be fine if it were a one-time fee of, say, $10?
Kilian 2013 年 04 月 2 日 @ 上午 1 時 15 分
I'd be happy with 10-15€ but no extra purchases. It's just annoying when you have to spend small amounts of money for every hero and map and tower upgrade...
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My STEM Units

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Biology Boot Camp: Teachers Engaging in STEM

We all know summers are short. Summers are even shorter for teachers. Between summer school, meetings and preparing for a new set of students, teachers are lucky to get three weeks. That’s what makes 33 local teachers even more amazing.

Recently, teachers spent a week learning how to incorporate STEM, or science, technology, engineering and mathematics, into their classrooms. STEM education is an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to learning that engages students in critical thinking, problem solving, creative and collaborative skills through cross-disciplinary focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. STEM integrated education ultimately establishes connections between the school, work place, community, and the global economy.
The weeklong “Biology Boot Camp” was a collaborative effort designed by the Navajo County Education Service Agency, Northland Pioneer College, White Mountain Nature Center, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Petrified Forest National Park and funded by a competitive grant by Arizona Department of Education.
Based on the real-world problem of protecting the endangered leopard frog, teachers engaged in hands-on, problem-based learning. In the mornings, teachers took water samples from Big Springs Environmental Study Area and made 3D models of plant and animal cells. In the afternoons, they worked in the lab at the college to analyze the samples in digital microscopes.
“I love professional development. It gets me pumped up for the upcoming school year,” teacher Marie Caldwell said. “(We) learned a lot and had a great time learning with fellow teachers: collecting water samples, observing nature, checking pH, learning basic chemistry and measuring seedlings.”
Biology Boot Camp was just the start to what will be a yearlong focus on STEM in the classrooms. Future weekend workshops will focus on bio-mimicry, engineering and using digital probes to test aquatic environments.

For more photos and a better insight into Biology Boot Camp, search Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #BiologyBootCamp.

Monday, February 15, 2016

Read Across America: Engineering Focus

Will you be celebrating Read Across America in your classroom?  Every year, thousands of classrooms (across the WORLD) celebrate reading on or around March 2nd.

In my fifteen years as an educator, I have seen a multitude of ways to celebrate Dr. Seuss and his contribution to reading.

  • Schools hold assemblies.
  • Some show Dr. Seuss videos.
  • Others have guest speakers read their favorite book to students.
  • Many have parties.
  • Students wear "Cat in the Hat" hats.
  • Cafeterias serve green eggs and ham.
  • I have seen DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) days with jammies and hot chocolate.
  • I have even seen STEM.  STEM?  Yes, STEM.

Perhaps my favorite Dr. Seuss book to read on March 2nd is Bartholomew and the Oobleck. The book lends itself well to a STEM lesson on solids, liquids, and gases. I add a math component with the recipe (think fractions!). Students then engage in a Socratic Seminar on the properties of matter. We conclude the unit with an Engineering Design Challenge: design a spaceship that can land on a planet and stay upright for at least 10 seconds. Your initial reports show that the surface of the planet is a non-Newtonian solid. (Ellen's got nothing on us!)

Jack and Josh following a recipe to create a non-Newtonian solid, otherwise known as "oobleck".
If you want to integrate Read Across America with your science studies, there are numerous books on the market that not only give you (great) lesson plans, but they also pair picture books with nonfiction books. The popular Picture-Perfect Science Lessons series offers just that.  They have books for K-5 and books more narrowed down to grade level bands K-2 and 3-5.  Click here for a link.  The National Science Teachers Association has produced their own book on the subject as well.  Teaching Science Through Trade Books offers lessons for grade bands K-3 and 4-6 with lessons and student engagement strategies.

This year, I wanted to focus on engineering. I love how Engineering is Elementary uses the first two lessons of each unit to teach students the difference between technology and engineering. All too often, students think engineering is merely building bridges and skyscrapers. (By the way, we do students no service by simply offering toothpick/marshmallow challenges. We need to go further!)  For instance, I recently created a STEM Family Challenge Gift Pack that focused on various engineering careers. As I was researching engineering degrees, I was amazed at the breadth of the discipline!

If you are confused as to the difference between science and engineering, you can read National Research Council's book A Framework for K-12 Science Education. (click here for a free download) The researchers did a wonderful job of spelling out the difference between science and engineering, and also, creating a case for engineering in our classrooms today.
"Science begins with a question about a phenomenon, such as "Why is the sky blue?" or "What causes cancer?," and seeks to develop theories that can provide explanatory answers to such questions....Engineering begins with a problem, need, or desire that suggests an engineering problem that needs to be solved." (National Research Council, p. 50).
Using the theme of engineering, I selected books at each grade level band (K-2nd, 3rd-5th, 6th-8th, and 9th-12th) that lent themselves to an Engineering Design Challenge. But, just telling teachers which books to read isn't enough. Teachers are already swamped with math lessons, reading tests, and indoor recess (!). Teachers need a go-to resource, where everything is a click away. Hence, my website:

The website (free for anyone to use) has a page devoted to each grade level band. Each page has a synopsis of the book, a teacher's guide, and an Engineering Design Challenge. Some books include an interactive online platform. For instance, Talk to Me is a National Science Foundation funded project. The project created a graphic novel, a "game", and an electronic journal. Some books have videos that accompany them, such as Rosie Revere, Engineer. The high school book launches a Star STEM War: the F=m(a) Awakens.

Each school in Navajo and Apache counties will receive their Read Across America book during Engineers Week, February 21st-27th. Each book comes with a QR code on the cover. The QR code links to the website, where the teachers (and students!) can quickly access their resources with their smartphones/devices.

I would love to hear how you are celebrating Read Across America or
how you used the website: for your festivities.
Email me at:

Friday, January 29, 2016

Students Learn Programming During Worldwide Computer Science Education Week

In December, students across Navajo and Apache counties participated in Hour of Code.
Hour of Code was part of the worldwide Computer Science Education Week where students learned not only coding and programming but also spatial reasoning, computational thinking and determining angles.
“Coding teaches those skills that tend to be harder to teach in the classroom. Skills like resiliency, following directions and creating,” trainer Linda Angelo said.
Angeloff recently trained 18 teachers from Navajo and Apache counties on how to use coding and programming to help teach sequencing, following directions, communicating and collaborating.
Computers are everywhere, but fewer schools teach computer science than 10 years ago. With recent budget cuts, many of the computer classes at junior high and middle schools have diminished.
“We are excited to have teachers willing to take this coding experience into their classes and allow our students to have this great opportunity,” Blue Ridge Junior High School Principal Loren Webb shared.

One such school was Blue Ridge Middle School, where math interventionist Deena Jorgenson had her students coding.
“Students at Harvard and Berkeley (universities) are using these programs. They start with Blockly and move into JavaScript,” she said.
Students learned how to use Blockly to program Star Wars, Minecraft, Frozen, Angry Birds and Flappy Bird. Other instructors participating in Hour of Code at Blue Ridge Middle School included David Butterfield, Amy Schimmel, Michele Gagnon and Cathie Steele.
“And sure enough, the students coded with confidence. One theme that seemed to emanate from the room was resiliency. Not one student coded an entire program with 100 percent accuracy. Yet, time and again, the students went back to their program, identified the error and made corrections. Imagine if they learn to apply that resiliency to real-world problems,” a press release said.
“We can’t anticipate what problems our students will face 15 years in the future. We couldn’t have anticipated just five years ago what we would do today with smartphones,” Navajo County Superintendent of Schools Jalyn Gerlich said.

Gerlich supports the addition of coding in classrooms to support our students for success in the 21st century. She believes every child should have a chance to learn about algorithms, how to make an app or how the Internet works, just like they learn about photosynthesis, the digestive system or electricity.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

STEM Family Challenge Pack

Maybe you are looking for STEM challenges for your classroom.

Or maybe you are looking for a way to keep your kids busy keep your sanity during snow days. (Still think teachers are overpaid?)

I have the perfect thing for you.

STEM Family Challenge Pack
All-Inclusive Kit includes all the materials to make all 5 challenges

The STEM Family Challenge Pack is a collection of Five STEM Challenges, which cover 7 engineering careers. Each challenge guides children through the engineering design process. Each challenge comes with a problem to solve, a video to help build background knowledge (if the child doesn't already know the concept), brainstorming, questions to guide through the evaluation and modification stages, extensions (online games/apps), and a reflection page with more information on engineering careers.
Each STEM Challenge starts with a story and a problem to solve.
The "Come Sail Away" challenge focuses on Marine Engineering.

Each STEM Challenge prompts the children to think about what they already know about a subject.
I realize that not all children know about all the scientific concepts, so I have embedded videos for each challenge. This video teaches about renewable and nonrenewable forms of energy.

Each STEM Challenge asks probing questions once the children have built their first model.
Engineering is an iterative process and children are gently guided through
evaluating and modifying their designs.

Each STEM Challenge offers exciting games/apps to extend the learning.
This Electrical Engineering challenge stretches children to add a switch to their simple circuit.

Each STEM Challenge ends with a chance for the children to reflect on the process. They are encouraged that, although the challenge might have been difficult, they learned something in the process and can apply that to school and/or their future. Each challenge also highlights at least one engineering career.

To receive a copy of the STEM Challenge Pack, please message me at

Thursday, October 29, 2015

STEM Family Challenge: November

STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, is a term used by teachers to encompass lessons and projects which include these subjects.  STEM does not just happen at school. In fact, STEM can be very effective, engaging, and fun at home.

STEM Family Challenge: November

November is Native American Heritage Month. Click here for the Native American Heritage Month website. Along with resources for teachers/families, they also have an interactive game where you can choose your own adventure and follow a Cheyenne tribe. (very, very cool!)

**Disclaimer: I have lived with, taught beside, learned from, loved deeply, cried alongside, and laughed with Native Americans for over 9 years. My own children have been raised and schooled on the reservation and know more Apache words than I do. I have seen many Native American "lessons" in the past, however I feel they denigrate Native American traditions and peoples. Let's move past the paper bag "leather vest" lessons.

My STEM Family Challenge for November is to honor Native American traditions and tradesmen. You might be wondering where you can go to get information on traditional trades. I have compiled a list of resources to inspire you and your children. You never know, you may find a new favorite author.

Books as Resources

I have used Michael Lacapa books in my classroom every year. Mr. Lacapa was a very talented Native American author/illustrator. Unfortunately, "Little Blue Bird" passed away too young, but, his books have become his legacy. Of all his books, The Flute Player is perhaps my favorite. I dare you not to cry.

For those who prefer novels, I suggest Scott O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins or Elizabeth George Spear's Sign of the Beaver.

Challenge: make a flute, make a canoe, or make a bow and arrow.

Maker Sites as Resources

loom on

Use Maker Space websites, such as to find a new engineering challenge. Want to learn how to bead? Look it up! Want to learn how to weave a dream catcher, find it here!

Another Maker site is There, you can learn everything from basket weaving to looms. You can even learn how to do the Hoop Dance.

If you wish to have your project displayed, email a pic of your project and the STEM Reflection Sheet to me at .  With your permission, I will post your pic!

Friday, October 23, 2015

Architecture of Accomplished Teaching

The Architecture of Accomplished Teaching.  National Board candidates and teachers know this double helix well.  They are accustomed to using the upward spiral to impact student learning.  I would like to posit that National Board candidates use the highly reflective practice when reflecting on their own journey to certification.

When accomplished teachers look at the architecture for their students, they start with their students.  Who are they?  Where are they now?

Then, said teachers set high goals that are appropriate to those students at that time.  As the teachers deliver instruction, they are constantly revisiting the goals and the student.  Is the student making progress?  If not, where is the breakdown?

Through reflection, the accomplished teacher sets new goals and the upward spiral continues.

But, what about using the architecture on yourself?  Is it not true that you, a National Board Candidate, looked yourself in the proverbial mirror one (or more) years ago and asked yourself, "Who am I?  Where am I now?  What are my goals?"

No doubt you had several conversations with yourself and maybe even with an advisor; a confidant.  You set worthwhile goals and you worked hard to achieve them.  Hard.  "National Board Certification is easy," said no teacher ever.

Through deep reflection, you honed your craft, tweaked your practice.  It is safe to say, you are not the same teacher you were a year ago.  And here's the beautiful thing: you never will be the same, just as the butterfly cannot become a caterpillar again.  You are transformed.

And here we sit.  Waiting for "score release".  The day you thought would never come.  The wait will probably seem like an eternity.  Might I suggest you use this time to thank the people who helped you come so far?  Maybe your family really stepped it up and took over household chores while you typed. and typed. and typed.  Maybe it was a colleague who listened.  A mentor who guided.  No matter the scores tomorrow, you know you could not have come so far were it not for them.

But, what happens after score release?  For some, it will be the affirmation of a lifelong passion.  Certification.  How wonderful that must feel.

For others, it will be the realization that there is still more mountain to climb.  The double helix continues upwards.

Advanced Candidates, don't look at your score as something that is "less than".  Look at it as "more than".  More than it was a year ago.

What do we do as accomplished teachers?  We look at our students where they are now.  Look at yourself.  You have come so far.  Where are you now?  Where do you want to be?  Look at your scores.  Where is there room for improvement?  For me, it was Entry 4: Documented Accomplishments and two assessment center exercises.  Yes, I too, was an Advanced Candidate.

Set a worthwhile goal for yourself.  Work to achieve that goal and reflect on your practice as you continue to move up that double helix.  Continue climbing until you have reached that summit!

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Happy Hexaflexagon Day!

flickr: J. Nathan Mathias

Happy Hexaflexagon Day!

What?! You didn't know it was Hexaflexagon Day?! You didn't see the commercials, hear the hexaflex music, and buy a card?!

I know. Not many people know about hexaflexagons, let alone Hexaflexagon Day. But, they will.

You are probably thinking, "hex-a-what-now?". Watch this video:

Ok, cool, but where is this talk of a day dedicated solely to hexaflexagons?

Watch this video:

Inspired? Intrigued? I am too!

I have to admit that I jumped on the hexaflexagon train a little late. I don't have any great lessons or pics. I do know this:
  • You can search for hexaflexagon templates. There are a bazillion. Some even in color. Find one you like, print it, and fold away!
  • You can search lesson plans for hexaflexagons. Although almost every lesson plan has these two videos in them.
  • You can let the students free-explore! Show these videos to your students. (have an unplanned indoor recess today? Show the videos!) Put out some scratch paper, scissors, and crayons.
  • Post your students' pics/videos to social media. I would also LOVE to see what your kids discover! If you wish to have your pics displayed here, email them to me at  .
Happy folding!


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Steeped for 2 minutes and between 30-45 seconds at about 195F. As Stoo said before, this tea has a wonderful woodsy flavor. It is also more than usually astringent than what I am used to in a black tea, but this does not detract from its appeal at all. Perfect served black—with tea sweets on the side for a mellower impact.

195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 30 sec

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An existentialist devotee of tea, yarn, and paper.

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A good ‘wake up’ tea, a lighter tea than I normally drink but its perfect to clear away the cobwebs. I don’t think I have tasted the maltyness mentioned but then I have never really looked for it.

Quite a, and I hate to use this term, meaty tea, it’s a substantial tea that won’t disappoint and its often one of few English teas readily supplied when you go abroad. Not that I’m saying I won’t sample the local teas as well its just that most hotel through it in for free, and I’m not one to turn down free tea.

205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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Category Archives: Podcasts

Records Management in a Web 2.0 World

My colleague James Lappin (Thinking Records Ltd) recently hosted and facilitated a podcast with me, Steve Baily – senior adviser on records management issues for JISC infoNet and author of the hugely successful and thought-provoking book ‘Managing the Crowd, rethinking … Continue reading

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

New York Law Puts Some Children Back in Booster Seats

The Post-Standard (Syracuse New York):
Just in time for Thanksgiving travels, a change in a state law will require all children under 8 years old to sit in a child safety seat or booster seat.

Under the current law, children were required to be in a child seat or booster seat until their 7th birthday. The new law takes effect Tuesday (November 24).

Parents can be fined anywhere between $25 and $100 and receive three points on their license for not following the law.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Town of Romulus Now Regulates Puppy Mills

Finger Lakes Times:
ROMULUS — The Town Board has banned so-called puppy mills.

Meeting Nov. 18, members voted unanimously to permanently regulate “inhumane’’ facilities whose purpose is to breed puppies for sale.

The law follows a nearly two-year moratorium on puppy mills.

It requires pet breeders to provide humane housing for dogs and cats and ensure that such animals are treated properly. It provides for periodic inspections and penalties for cruel treatment.

The law was drafted by the town Planning Board, headed by Barry Roach, and attorney Steven Getman.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

New DWI Penalties Proposed

Gannett News reports:

The state Legislature is expected to pass legislation that would toughen drunken-driving laws, making it a felony for driving while impaired with a child as a passenger.

The measure would also require people convicted of a DWI in New York, and every person convicted of a DWI-related crime, to have an ignition interlock installed as a condition of their sentence.


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Student Center Information Desk

What can the Student Center Information Desk do for you?

The Student Center Information Desk is your main stop for getting the information you need. Our Desk Assistants are available throughout daytime and evening hours to provide you assistance by answering questions, giving directions, assisting with event setups and AV equipment, and administering the various services available at the desk.

Besides being available to answer questions and provide general information, here are some of the specific services available at the Information Desk.

  • Game Equipment Sign Outs - Provide your Student ID to the desk assistant and check out a variety of gaming equipment to play pool, ping pong, and foosball. We also have  board and card games available.
  • Student Office Key Sign Outs - Need a key to a student organization's office or the student organization storage room? Use your Student ID to check out a key to access these rooms.
  • Banner Paper & Art Supplies - Does your organization need to make a banner to publicize an event? Check out the key to A.C.E. office to get paper, paint, and access to die-cut machine to make letters.
  • Forms -A variety of forms are available at the desk, such as the Special and Alcohol Event Registration, Clubs & Organization Registration, University Driver, Automobile Request, Greek Grade Release and more.
  • Student Organization Purchasing Cards - Do you need to make purchase for your student organization? If your organization's budget allows, you can check out a Student Organization credit card to assist you. Please click here for additional instructions on credit card usage.
  • Student Organization Copy Cards - If your organization has money budgeted for copying, officers can check out a copy card to make copies using your organization's budget.
  • SLUSAF Check Request and W9 forms - Do you need to pay a vendor or get reimbursed for a purchase made for your SLUSAF funded organization? Forms and the drop box for completed check requests are located behind the Information Desk.
  • Lost and Found - Lost an item in the Student Center? Come check to see if it has been returned to our desk. If we don't have the item here, we suggest checking with Security (items are sometimes turned in there as well).

You can also come to the Student Activities and Leadership Office to ask Timberly Hewitt, the Specialist/Administrative Assistant for assistance with:

  • Reserving a room in the Student Center or Pub 56 (please note Pub 56 can only be reserved on nights the space is closed for business). Please click here for additional information on Room Reservations.
  • Securing a table in the Atrium for your Student Organization.
  • Scheduling a van for your organization.
  • Publicizing your event on VideoNet.

Student Center Information Desk Hours

Monday – Wednesday     10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Thursday                            10:00 a.m. - midnight
Friday - Saturday               10:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sunday                                Noon - 10:00 p.m.

Fall Break

Thursday - 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Friday- 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Saturday 1:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Sunday - 2:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.


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Warren Buffett Hears Business Pitches From Kids Billionaire Warren Buffett plans to devote part of Monday to listening to a series of business ideas, but none of the people meeting with the investor even has a college degree.

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Keidel: Hail On The RedskinsUncle Sam dipped his beak in the NFL waters this week, making a statement about football's most controversial franchise
Top 10 Sports Figures Who Should Have Kept Their Mouths Shut In 2013As 2013 draws to a close, let's take a look back at the top 10 figures in the sporting world who would have been far better off avoiding Twitter, taking the high road, or playing the quiet game

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« The Crow's Nest | Main | It's the Third Thursday in November. Again »

November 16, 2011

Darcy Webb

I am so glad that Rick Schaden helped to open up such a good burger joint.

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2016 Blossom Festival Concerts Print E-mail

blossomThis year we are featuring choirs and musicians from seven of our local secondary schools in a full programme of lunchtime concerts.

Come and enjoy beautiful & inspiring music in our historic church during Blossom Week.

You are welcome to bring your lunch to the lunchtime concerts.  Entry is free but gold coin donations are welcomed.

Lunchtime School Concerts

Thurs   1 Sept   - 12.15pm   Te Aute College

Fri        2 Sept   - 12.15pm   Hastings Boys High School

Mon     5 Sept   - 12.15pm   Havelock North High School

Tues    6 Sept   - 12.15pm   Lindisfarne College / Hastings Girls High School

Wed    7 Sept   - 12.15pm   Woodford House

Thurs  8 Sept   - 12.15pm   Karamu High School

Fri       9 Sept   - 12.15pm   Iona College

Sunday Afternoon Concert

Sun    11 Sept   -  2.00pm   Hastings Music Society Concert - entry $5.00 for non members.

Click here for more information about the concerts...

Welcome to St Matthew's Print E-mail

Sunday Services at St Matthew's

Each Sunday at 10am our services now has a different “flavour”.

The first Sunday is a straight forward Eucharistic service,

The second Sunday is a more contemplative and reflective style of Eucharist,

The third Sunday is a Sung service (high i.e. sung psalm and Eucharist with traditional hymns and anthem),

The fourth Sunday is a more relaxed all age service (using the Eucharistic prayer that the School children use at their services).

Situated close to the CBD of Hastings, St Matthew’s has been involved in the life of Hastings city for over 100 years.

One of Hastings’ oldest buildings, St Matthew’s Church holds a Category One designation from the NZ Historic Places Trust.StMs-exterior-Aug2011

At the heart of the parish’s witness and activity is the historic church whose wooden nave was built in 1886 with the reinforced concrete additions added in 1915.  Damage was sustained in the 1931 earthquake but restoration was undertaken, and the tower rebuilt to a reduced height.  More recent modifications provide an effective setting for liturgy and a frequently used venue for concerts and recitals.

Within such a beautiful building, regular worship services are held on Sundays and weekdays.  Our style has a dignity appropriate to the setting but is, we trust, warm and welcoming to both visitors and regulars.

The historic St Matthew’s Church shares its central city site with several other buildings used by the Parish and others.  St Matthew’s Primary School, established in 1995, is a co-educational integrated school of over 130 pupils, from new entrant to Year 8.  Waiapu Kids St Matthew's provides preschool education in the nearby Canon Drake Hall.  In the large Parish Hall are located the Parish Office, an Opportunity Shop and venues for art and craft groups, a preschool music group and many other activities run by various organisations.

St Matthew’s welcomes visitors and sightseers.  The church is usually open most weekday mornings, for Sunday Services and at other times by arrangement.

Location: Cnr King Street South & Lyndon Road West, Hastings (see map

Section Navigation

Latest News

Latest Newsletter
Date Posted: Tuesday, 01 December 2015 00:00
Click on the links to read the parish newsletters: Follow Me Nov - Dec 2015.pdf Follow Me More...
Follow us on Facebook
Date Posted: Thursday, 29 January 2015 01:12
We now have an official Facebook page! Like us from your own Facebook for updates and photos More...
Sunday Prayer Vigil
Date Posted: Wednesday, 15 May 2013 19:47
Sunday Prayer Vigils are held each Sunday from 9.15 to 9.35am in the Lady Chapel. Everyone is More...
Prayer Book now available online!
Date Posted: Tuesday, 24 July 2012 11:05
Our NZ Prayer Book has been published online. "It is now almost a quarter of a century since A New More...


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Principles concerning Firstborn

As we continue our studies in “Sonship,” let us now begin to examine some of the principles concerning firstborn. In a figurative sense, the firstborn son represents that which is most excellent. The firstborn has its apotheosis in, reaches its zenith in our Lord Jesus Christ. But notice how the patriarch Jacob, in his deathbed prophecies over his twelve sons, spoke of Reuben, his firstborn son.

Genesis 49: 3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power.

This idea of the firstborn representing the strength of the father is applied on a corporate level, a national level, as the Psalmist speaks of God’s killing all the firstborn of Egypt.

Psalms 78: 51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham.

This idea of the firstborn representing the strength of the father, denoting excellency, the best, the chief, is no doubt very ancient, probably going back all the way to the Garden of Eden. We can think of it simply as a natural assumption and observation, or it might be that it derives from the fact that from the very beginning God demanded that man consecrate or dedicate to God Himself the first of all that he possessed. Remember the story of Cain and Abel?

Genesis 4: 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

There are a number of theories as to why God rejected Cain’s offering—for example, that God would only accept a blood sacrifice—and there may be validity to all of them; but what occurs to me here is that it is clear that Abel brought the best, the chief, the firstborn of his flocks as an offering to God. Whereas Cain possibly brought some inferior produce from his garden.

He did not bring the first and/or best produce. We cannot say that for sure, but we speculate that based upon the fact that verse 3 does not say that Cain brought of the firstfruits of the ground, merely that he brought of the fruits of the ground.

Is it not appropriate…is it not righteous and just for the creator, for the owner of all creation to demand the first portion, the best, to be given to him?— The first portion of man and beast and produce? This is, of course, the whole basis for the law of tithing. It is the principle of giving to God first.

We don’t wait until we see if all the bills are paid and then if there’s anything left over, we give it to God. No, instead, we should give to God first. Jesus said: “Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven…” and what’s the rest? “…and all these [material] things shall be added unto you.”

In other words, give to God first and then don’t be anxious because He will provide for you. It is really a matter of one’s heart attitude more than a matter of money. God is testing us to see if our heart is right towards Him. He wants to see if we are willing to give to Him first. And the pocketbook is one very good place to test us, don’t you agree?

it did not take long after the fall in the garden for man to pervert the truth regarding the giving of, or the dedication of, the firstborn to God. Heathen religions soon engaged in human sacrifice to placate the gods. (To be continued.)

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Downloadable Content for Wargame: European Escalation

Released Apr 12, 2012

"New Battlefields" for Wargame: European Escalation brings new, free content to all Commanders! Willing to test your Clan's newest tactics? Or to just have some quick fun with friends without pressure? Team up with other players and jump into the action against a computer controlled opponent!

Released Jul 5, 2012

‘’CONQUEST’’ for Wargame: European Escalation brings brand new exciting content to extend the conflict. Defy commanders worldwide in the brand new multiplayer mode: CONQUEST. To be victorious in this mode, in addition to the classic Command Points, you will have to control Victory Sectors (VS) located on the map, until the victory conditions are...

Released Sep 25, 2012

COMMANDER DLC for Wargame: European Escalation extends the conflict with brand new content. Wargame’s DLC features "Economy", a new game mode available in both multiplayer and AI matches with new objectives for commanders worldwide.

Released Nov 14, 2012

"Fatal Error", the 4th free DLC for Wargame: European Escalation, brings you a brand new 5-mission long Operation, as well as a new and finely tuned multi-touch gameplay for owners of Ultrabook™ with touch¹ display. Inspired by Intel®! This DLC focuses on solo play, adding a brand new fifth operation to Wargame's existing four.


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Rock, Paper, Shotgun - (Graham Smith)

Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives. One a day, every day of the year, perhaps for all time.>

I love its style even if I find playing Crazy Taxi a chore.

… [visit site to read more]

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - (Quintin Smith)

Oh, this is hot stuff! Couldn’t be hotter. Kieron sends words that Steam is now selling noteworthy Dreamcast titles Crazy Taxi, Sonic Adventure DX, Sega Bass Fishing and (here we go!) the inestimable, irrepressible Space Channel 5: Part 2 for £5.99 each, or £19.99 for the lot. Gamersgate has exactly the same deal, as it happens. Why should you be interested in taxis, fishes, Sonic the Hedgehog and… space channels? Careful, now. Those are poison thoughts you’re having. You’ll find precisely why you need each of these games after the jump.

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PC Gamer

If gaming can sometimes seem like a solitary experience, Spela Modigt // Play Bravely shows what happens when a group of players finds the chemistry and will to succeed as a unit. The new documentary follows professional Counter-Strike: GO player Jonatan "Devilwalk" Lundberg and his Fnatic team as it attempts to win the Dreamhack Winter 2013 tournament.

A support player in the Fnatic Counter-Strike squad, Lundberg likens himself to a psychologist or "shrink," as he puts it, in that a big part of achieving any goal is keeping people together and focused on a single objective.

"We are a team that doesn't really change," Lundberg says in the film. "We've had the same core players since the start of the year and that's really, really unique. People quit, people change lineups because they get in fights, can't resolve their issues. So they just start over, which is the wrong way to go I think."

As well as offering polished insight into some of the personalities behind a top eSports team, director Zacharias Dyrborg's film features some great play-by-play action of competitive Counter-Strike and works to explain the mindset of the Fnatic team before and after each match. For me, it showed that while skill will almost always show itself in highly stressful situations, success can also depend just as much on understanding how to take advantage of the emotional side of competition.
Community Announcements - CS:GO Official
Release Notes for 2/13/2014

- Aug and SG 553 scope modes now correctly respect players' zoomed mouse sensitivity settings.
- Fixed game client unexpectedly loading installed plugins. -LoadPluginsForClient is now required if client needs to load plugins, however with plugins client will start in insecure mode.
- Added buymenu localization tokens for the CZ75-Auto.
- Player teammate colors now stay consistent throughout a match in both Competitive MM and most third party services.
- Adjusted the teammate colors a bit based on feedback.
- Fixed miniscoreboard causing hitches by refreshing the avatars too often.
- Fixed the chat on Macs showing hex colors instead of names.
- Fixed Scar-20 icon not being visible in the in-game weapon inventory.
- Fixed NameTag text field not taking input.

[Shipped yesterday]
- Fixed Classic Static (crosshairstyle 4) not being static.
- Fixed player color arrows being bot colored in casual.
- Fixed letter label showing up over player dots in radar when spectating / watching a demo.
PC Gamer

There's been a new update for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which, according to Steam's not at all ridiculous new tagging system, is a Competitive Tactical Multiplayer Shooter. And a CoD-Like. Whatever Steam users think about the game, the community now has access to a new weapon type. Alongisde highly important features like "added diagnostic info to debug video config reset", the most recent patch has introduced the CZ75-Auto, a fully automatic pistol.

"When you load CS:GO today, you ll get a new stock weapon in your inventory," write Valve. "The fully-automatic CZ75-Auto is available for both teams, and can be equipped as a loadout alternative to the P250.

"An inexpensive option against armored opponents, the CZ s stats are identical to the P250 with two important exceptions: the pistol is fully-automatic, and comes with far less ammo. Accurate and deadly, the CZ75-Auto demands precise timing and trigger discipline."

That pistol can also be skinned in a variety of ways through the finishes contained in the new CSGO Weapons Case 3. That case is now dropping in-game because, as the tags themselves say, "Marketable Items".
Community Announcements - CS:GO Official
Release Notes for 2/12/2014

[ CZ75-Auto]
- Added the CZ75-Auto as a new stock pistol that is a loadout alternative to the P250. Its stats are identical to the P250's with the exception of being fully automatic and having only two magazines.

[ CS:GO Weapon Case #3 ]
- Introducing the CS:GO Weapon Case #3, comprised entirely of pistol finishes, including finishes for the new CZ75-Auto.

- Weapon adjustments based on data collected:
-- Increased Aug recoil
-- Reduced Aug rate of fire
-- Reduced Aug and Sg553 scoped run speeds
-- Increased Desert Eagle accuracy recovery by 2.5%
- Improved scope visuals for Aug and Sg553.
- Aug now has a new firing sound.
- Pressing the walk key while running now properly decelerates your speed to walking instead of instantly capping it.
- Fixed regression that broke environment fog not being reduced when zoomed with a scoped weapon.

[ UI ]
- Added text filter to loadout.
- Added peel animation when player cycles position.
- Fixed enemies on the square radar not rotating to match their view.
- Fixed teammate colors sometimes shuffling on some panels when a player disconnected in Competitive Mode.
- Crosshair style 2 (Classic) has been changed to accurately show weapon accuracy.
- Added some ConVars to be used with crosshairstyle 2 (Classic) to allow users to further customize how they want it to display. (cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitdist, cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_innermod, cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_outermod, cl_crosshair_dynamic_maxdist_splitratio)

[ MAPS ]
- Overpass
-- Improved visibility.
-- Removed small cover on CT side of Bombsite B.
-- Drastically reduced the number of trashcans.
-- Widened tunnel near T spawn.
-- Widened lower door in park connector.
-- Widened corridor near CT sniper room.

[ MISC ]
- Fixes to improve game stability during startup.
- Added diagnostic info to debug video config reset.
- Fixed dedicated server to write steam_appid.txt
- Fixed several game server memory leaks.
- Fixed a bug causing certain workshop maps to re-download every time the game is launched.
PC Gamer

Valve's official Operations for CS:GO have proven to be remarkably popular among CT's and T's alike. Naturally, Valve are readying for the game's third major Operation, and have been holding a vote to determine which community maps would get the official server treatment. While, according to Valve, those votes are still being counted (what, are they doing it by hand?), some maps have proved popular enough to have already secured a place. In a post on the CS:GO blog, Cache is announced as the operation's first confirmed battleground.

Cache is a bomb defusal map, set in Chernobyl of all places. Unlike other video game representations of the city, this one isn't inhabited by mutants, but instead by terrorists who are attempting to destroy a weapons cache. It's already available through the Steam Workshop, albeit not on the pristine pings of an official Valve server.

If there was any doubt about the popularity of the map, an infographic accompanying the post reveals that 11,753 hours are played in Cache every day. That and other incidental facts can be found over at the CS:GO blog.
PC Gamer

Evan surprises the group with a game of tabletop Counter-Strike can the crack team of podcasting terrorists successfully plant the bomb, or will they all roll 1s and throw their guns at the other team? The shocking conclusion to Table Offensive is followed up with some critical talk about two giant MMOs, starting with The Elder Scrolls Online, which Cory and Evan spent the weekend with, followed by EverQuest Next Landmark, which is Tyler's first MMO obsession since the original EverQuest, despite being nothing like it. Later, Wes gives us his take on The Wolf Among Us Episode Two and the group discusses episodic storytelling games, and everyone wants to play Jazzpunk.

Roll a 20 for initiative and click the link to listen to PC Gamer Podcast #371 - Roll for Headshot.

Have a question, comment, complaint, or observation? Send an MP3 to pcgamerpodcast@gmail.com or call us toll-free at 877-404-1337 x724.

Subscribe to the podcast RSS feed.

Follow us on Twitter:

@ELahti (Evan Lahti)
@wesleyfenlon (Wes Fenlon)
@tyler_wilde (Tyler Wilde)
@demiurge (Cory Banks)

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Graham Smith)

Wouldn't this look more fun if there were stickers?

Counter-Strike is a lot like high school. There are a lot of cliques. Fights break out in the hallways. Everybody is concerned with looking cool. And now, with Global Offensive’s latest update, people are able to decorate the covers of their books (guns) with stickers.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive now has stickers. This is a good thing. This is a very good thing. … [visit site to read more]

PC Gamer

Released yesterday, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's latest update adds Sticker Capsules to the game. Each capsule contains one sticker out of a series of sticker designs. The Sticker Capsules are dropped at the end of matches, and are opened with a Sticker Capsule key. The stickers can be applied to any gun in the game. You can also apply multiple stickers to a single weapon. They're a little like Team Fortress 2 hats, only for your guns. Gun hats!

In addition to the new stickers and some under-the-hood performance improvements, CS:GO's devs have tweaked the UI and weapon balancing. The UI highlights:

Added player teammate colors in Competitive Mode that displays a unique color per teammate in the radar, playercount panel, scoreboard and the arrow over their head (can be toggled offline with cl_cmm_showteamplayercolors).
Enemies icons on radar are now a different shape than teammates.
Added sort method 'Equipped' to the Inventory.

The biggest addition is the ability to use alternate fire to throw grenades underhand a short distance. Throw strength can be finely controlled by combining secondary and alternate fire.

In weapon balance news, the AUG and SG553 have received improved rates of fire and scoped control. Across the board, automatic weapons have seen a 50 percent increase in movement inaccuracy, but movement inaccuracy when walking is now being calculated differently for all guns, improving overall movement accuracy.

In terms of new content, the latest update also rolled out the Overpass and Cobblestone maps to all players.

While stickers are an interesting addition, cosmetic upgrades, a marketplace and Team Fortress 2-style random drops are not new to CS:GO. Last year, Valve introduced weapon skins to the game in the Arms Deal update, which function similarly to stickers.

Check out the full patch notes for minor fixes and tweaks to several of CS:GO's maps.
Community Announcements - CS:GO Official
Release Notes for 2/5/2014

- Added Sticker Capsules. Each capsule contains one sticker out of a series of sticker designs.
- Sticker Capsules can be received as drops at the end of matches, and are opened using a Sticker Capsule Key.
- A sticker can be applied to any gun, and each gun can hold multiple stickers.

[ MISC ]
- Several adjustments to improve performance for a range of hardware configurations.
- Ended Operation Bravo.
- Overpass and Cobblestone maps are now available to everyone.
- Removed the following items from the store:
-- Season's Gifts. They are still marketable on the Community Marketplace and remain fully functional.
-- Operation Bravo Passes. They are still marketable on the Community Marketplace and can be redeemed for an Operation Bravo Coin.
- Doing an ent_create now orients the created entity opposite the player's orientation so it's facing the player.
- Added a new material type called 'Lightmapped_4WayBlend' that can be used on displacements. Documentation can be found here: https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Lightmapped_4WayBlend
- Added more diagnostic information for buffer overflows in network channel.

[ UI ]
- Removed rouge [sic] pixel on mode map selection UI.
- Added player teammate colors in Competitive Mode that displays a unique color per teammate in the radar, playercount panel, scoreboard and the arrow over their head (can be toggled offline with cl_cmm_showteamplayercolors).
- Reduced translucency of avatars in playercount panel and did some minor visual updates.
- Enemies icons on radar are now a different shape than teammates.
- Hostages on radar now have an H in the dot and never rotate.
- Added sort method 'Equipped' to the Inventory.
- Added a setting to Game Options that allows hiding Team Tags in death notices.
- Team tags now scale to fit in the scoreboard and no longer overlap ping or get get cut off.
- Fixed an issue where sometimes no live games could be found in the Watch panel for the first minute after game launch.

- All grenades now have a secondary fire that throws an underhand grenade a short distance in front of the player.
-- Secondary fire can be combined with primary fire to precisely adjust the strength of the throw.

- Weapon balance has been adjusted:
-- Improved Desert Eagle accuracy recovery
-- Improved Sg553 and AUG rates of fire.
-- Improved Sg553 and AUG scoped control ( reduced inaccuracy and recoil ).
-- Increased movement inaccuracy on all automatic weapons by 50%.
-- Movement inaccuracy when walking is now calculated differently, resulting in better walking accuracy across the board.
- sv_airaccelerate has been slightly increased.

[ MAPS ]
- Mirage
-- Fixed a bug where you could peek over a crate at CT stairs.
-- Added a peek position in Bombsite A connector, towards Palace exit.
-- Clipped benches inside palace.
-- Fixed some boost/exploit spots (Thanks F3RO!).
-- Breakable metal panels can no longer be shot through without triggering break effect.
-- Made it easier to get into hole leading to CT sniper window.
-- Made it easier to move over cart leading to B route from CT spawn.
-- Reworked cover in Bombsite A.
-- Reworked cover in Bombsite B.

- Overpass
-- Changed cover in playground.
-- Fixed smoke sorting on water.
-- Made players easier to see in park connector stairs.
-- Raised upper park divider to prevent peeking over it.
-- Increased ambient lighting.
-- Made bridge near Bombsite B twice as wide.
-- Made it easier to spot players in T side of canal.
-- Simplified the layout of Bombsite B slightly.
-- Removed small tree at CT side of upper park.
-- Blocked visibility through truck in Bombsite A.
-- Tweaked soundscape.
-- General optimizations.

- Inferno
-- Fixed a bug where players could get stuck in ceilingfans.
-- Fixed some areas where thrown C4 could get stuck.
-- Increased brightness slightly in hallway leading to balcony in Bombsite A.
-- Fixed gaps that players could see through in Bombsite B.
-- Made wall penetration in construction more consistent (Thanks Pawlesslol!).
-- Nerfed the refire rate on the churchbells (changed from infinite dings per second to 1 ding per second).
-- General optimizations.

- Dust 2
-- Removed dark texture near tunnel stairs.
-- Removed sky collision over building near T spawn.
-- Covered up shadow that looked like a player near CT spawn.
-- Fixed invisible ledges on curved corners.

- Assault
-- Fixed various graphical bugs.
-- Fixed bugs related to prop_physics_multiplayer.
-- Added a CT van to CT spawn.
-- Fixed an exploit where players could get out of the map.
Community Announcements - CS:GO Official
Release Notes for 1/23/2014

- Significant improvement to server infrastructure to support growing CS:GO community.

[ UI ]
- Fixed an alt-tab related memory leak.
- Added ability for Friends Lister to display two columns of friends.
- Added ability for mouse wheel to scroll Friends Lister.
- Added filtering by item name. Players can enter any part of an item name in the text field to filter their inventory.
- Added ability to sort items when selecting items that will work with a tool.
- Players can no longer initiate a vote kick on the final round or match point.
- The 'bomb has been planted alert' now also states the number of seconds that mp_c4timer is set to.
- The voice chat button in the lobby (microphone) now stores it's state from session to session.
- Fixed remaining cases where Blog would take mouse input when if was obscured.
- Fixed Main Menu bar buttons getting stuck in highlighted state.
- Context menu entries are now divided into categories.
- Open Case UI will auto-select a key in cases where players do not need to choose between different types of keys.
- Fixed cases where players could not rename items in Lobby and Pause menu inventories.
- Inventory images will show the thumbnail for a weapon's sticker.
- Buying helmet when you already have kevlar will now update the health/armor HUD icon element immediately on purchase.
- Fixed the freeze cam panel not always having the killer's weapon item data during demo playback.
- Grenades now show player ownership in their name.
- Fixed some vote panel text getting truncated.
- Fixed the health, armor and ammo HUD elements not showing up sometimes when spectating some players.
- Fixed some alignment issues on the spectator follow panel
- Fixed the weapon image in the spectator panel not having a background.
- Realigned the spectator follow panel a bit.
- The gift drop alert panel has been de-holiday-ified.
- Removed the snow from the main menu background.
- Turned off rope and freeze cam holiday effects.
- Fixed missing Cyrillic characters in chat.
- Fixed HUD disappearing when alt-tabbing or starting another app (like hlmv).

[ MAPS ]

- [Bombsite A]
-- Moved CT van to give more effective cover
-- Made CT van climbable
-- Moved fences to give more space
-- Removed red car
-- Widened door into back of A
-- Blocked visibility from bridge to canal
-- Tweaked position/rotation of truck
-- Made corridors and stairs under A wider

- [Bombsite B]
-- Moved Bombsite B to CT side of pillar, extended area with a platform to give more space and cover
-- Made players in sniping room easier to silhouette against the background
-- Made cement sacks climbable
-- Opened up wall on CT side
-- Made bridge wider

- [General]
-- Moved up CT spawns and pushed T spawns further back
-- Increased C4 radius to 500 from 400
-- Railings in sniper room no longer blocks bullets or grenades
-- Added light to sniper room balcony
-- Made upper door in park connector wider
-- Made park connector easier to navigate
-- Made corridor near T spawn wider
-- Brighter ambient lights in canal pipes
-- Made climbing thing in playground more solid
-- Made bathroom corridor wider
-- Made windows in bathrooms breakable
-- Added spectator fixed camera positions
-- Tweaked soundscape settings
-- Fixed various minor bugs

- Added collision to top of trees
- Added more accurate model collision
- Removed particle effects that could be mistaken for grenades
- Blocked a sightline in battlements near A
- Blocked a hiding hole in underpass near A
- Removed light models near statue at B that could be mistaken for player heads
- Removed a portapotty at back of B
- Raised height of center fence near B
- Fixed various minor bugs


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May 16 2009

Pelosi Is A Foolish Fibber

Published by at 8:03 am under All General Discussions

It is hard to believe such an incompetent person is 3rd in line for the Presidency, but here again we have Nancy (“I’m Am Not A Torture Supporter”) Pelosi making an incredible fool of herself.

She went out on a high voltage limb yesterday when she claimed the CIA was lying (misleading)to Congress on water boarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques. The CIA has shot back a full broadside from their files that show “Congress” was briefed 40 times on the matter!

But even that statement is at odds with the official record of the briefings recorded in the CIAÂ memo dated to Sept. 4, 2002. That memo says Pelosi received a “briefing on EITs (enhanced interrogation techniques), including use of EITs on Abu Zubaydah, background on authorities and a description of particular EITs that had been employed.”

Pelosi is just one of 65 lawmakers who received 40 briefings dealing with the subject. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., for instance, was repeatedly briefed, as was Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., who took over Pelosi’s spot on the House Intelligence Committee.

In addition, from the beginning of the program in 2002 until it became public in the fall of 2006, the House held 13 votes to authorize intelligence funding at which time no one objected or demanded changes to any intelligence programs.

It has become clear Pelosi did not stay engaged in this critical national security topic. Only a short time after 9-11 she disengaged, and started sending staffers to the briefings (who she admits told her of the water boarding).

So how can a woman who only attended one or two briefings have any standing to make the claim the CIA misled Congress? By her own admission she was not at the briefings! She is madly slinging mud, but all of its is reflecting back onto her insane Bush Derangement Syndrome. Even the true blue democrat head of the CIA is publicly challenging Pelosi.

The woman is unstable. She has made unfounded claims of felonies in order to try and retain her faux image as an opponent of actions she condoned. Not once did she raise a red flag. Congress can put a stop on just about anything with a wave of a pen if they want to. She could also have asked for more information, she could have dove into the matter instead of walking away.

The fact is clear, Nancy Pelosi is misleading the country. She is the one lying. Pot, meet Ms Kettle.

17 responses so far

17 Responses to “Pelosi Is A Foolish Fibber”

  1. cj_thespook says:

    My Intell history teacher is an awesome and brilliant person with 35 yrs in. I thought you may find it interesting what he has to say on the matter, mind you, his opinion is shared by many in the community. I didn’t want to summarize what he said, because I thought he said it so well. However, I hope he doesn’t mind me posting his comment! shhhh

    Unlike real estate, they are making more history. It happens all the time, just not at a unifrom rate. Lately however, for our special slice of history, there have been potentially enormous things happening. Most of you will have at least heard about the House Speaker’s press conference today, and many of you may have opinions on it. Speaking from my own background (and history for that matter), this could propel us into a battle on the scale of the Church-Pike period. That period was especially ugly, and set US intelligence, particularly HUMINT back so far that we are still making up the loss after all these years. That period, including a few other matters from the time, did produce a largely “risk averse” IC, to the detriment of the country. Watch the news as it unfolds because intelligence history is being made now, and we do not know how it will come out.

    On another matter, IC briefings on the Hill are not haphazard affairs. What you will present is a co-ordinated agency product, not just your own opinion. You do not go there just because you are fun to have around the office. What you will say is planned and approved. What you say becomes a matter of record, along with who you said it to. The current controversey, fueled by the Speaker, has the potential to turn into a major and damaging battle and it may have an impact on the business for many years to come. So, watch the news and see it unfold first hand.

  2. kathie says:

    Because Nancy sent staffers to the meeting, maybe she didn’t know that meticulous records were kept of those meeting. I guess this is what happens when you, yourself, don’t think it’s impotent to do oversight. What a scumbag!

  3. […] The Strata-SphereÂ –Â It is hard to believe such an incompetent person is 3rd in line for the Presidency, but here again we have Nancy (â€Iâ€™m Am Not A Torture Supporterâ€) Pelosi making an incredible full of herself. […]

  4. Terrye says:

    I am beginning to think she is not in her right mind.

  5. crosspatch says:

    But her district is populated mostly by morons and nobody will run against her. She has the safest seat in the country. And the nuttier she acts, the more those idiots will love her.

    Now all she needs to do is come out and say the CIA was behind 9/11 and she will have a seat for life.

    So basically we have the people of a tiny little district in San Francisco calling the shots of the US House of Representatives. Amazing. Nothing good will come of it.

  6. kathie says:

    Careful CROSS…….my parents live in her district. They are not liberals. Yew, there are enough morons that live there that will vote for her. What a sad sight.

  7. owl says:

    Oh, I think something good has come of this. Several have finally stood up and pointed fingers back. Cheney, Newt, Hoekstra, Bond. Priceless. I loved each and every one.

    Do it again. It really is effective. The rest of that bunch of Overseers should take note and try it. Kit Bond even had them laughing on MSNBC.

  8. marksbbr says:

    Crosspatch, if I remember correctly, I think Cindy Sheehan wanted to challenge Pelosi in her district. But she is just as, if not as wacky as Pelosi.

  9. conman says:

    I think Pelosi’s flailing on her knowledge of the EIT program is a great development to further support the right way to get to the bottom of this issue. While most on the left hold the Bush administration (particularly Cheney & Rumsfeld) primarily accountable for the program since they developed, authorized and advocated for it, the majority know that Democratic congressional leaders knew about it and were too afraid to do anything. That is why Senate and House committee meetings is not the forum we need to get to the truth about the EIT program – these would led to partisan sideshows that would abscure the facts and real issues.

    We need a truth commission to get to the bottom of what really happened and whether it actually made us safer. The more we learn about it, the more apparent it is that some conduct was torture. Not only do we need to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in obtaining reliable intelligence (which is eroding further with each secret memo that is released), but we need to evaluate the negative repercussions. For all the flack that Obama took over reversing his decision on the release of the torture photos, which I think was the right and politically courageous decision, we now know that our military commanders uniformly believe that the use of these tactics will inflame the Arab world, complicate our efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and endanger our soldiers. It’s too bad there aren’t any real journalists left who would put that question to Cheney while he is on his You Better Not Prosecute Me For War Crimes road show – “Mr. Cheney, do you agree with our military commanders that the use of EIT tactics may have actually endangered our soldiers and international efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq?”

  10. owl says:

    This is as nice as I can say it…………………I consider you nuts if you believe even half of that babble. Torture? Bothers your higher moral self? Nuts.

  11. GuyFawkes says:

    That’s because you are a morally repugnant excuse for a human being.

  12. owl says:

    Guy, you got it but forgot to add that I’m darn proud of it. Just don’t try to get into my foxhole if the headchoppers come. I want you out there being the talking head. Get the Talking One to help you reason with them about your Geneva rights.

  13. GuyFawkes says:

    Yes, I have this foolish idea that we, as Americans, are supposed to be better than the terrorists.

    You, apparently, have no pride in your country whatsoever. The fact that you are not ashamed that this country had anything whatsoever to do with torture speaks to your low expectations of the United States.

    We’re supposed to be the good guys. But we can’t – so long as we are filled with pathetic, sadistic cowards like you.

  14. AJStrata says:

    We are the good guys. We had to invoke a natural neural response to get these people (3 and only 3) to stop an attack that would have killed thousands.

    It is not torture, it was all pretend. Torture is not playing a mind game, or invoking a fear (fear of prison, fear of execution, fear of drowning – what’s the big dif?). Your simple minded spin is inaccurate.

    We have lots of hurdles and checks and balances required to go to this level of interrogation. It only applies under very strict and threatening conditions – which need to be proven to exist.

    Your lack of understanding is what is embarrassing. Your inability to face reality is the problem, and it destroys your credibility completely.

  15. Alert1201 says:

    What is more morally repugnant, pathetic and sadistic, roughing up a few terrorists whose life is committed to killing innocents or standing by and doing nothing while planes plow into buildings.

    I take pride in our country because of what they did – putting the lives of hundreds/thousands of Americans over the comfort of a few terrorist. I would not be able to do so if they offered these people tea and crumpets while thousands of Americans died.

  16. GuyFawkes says:

    “What is more morally repugnant, pathetic and sadistic, roughing up a few terrorists whose life is committed to killing innocents or standing by and doing nothing while planes plow into buildings.”

    Well, Bush and Cheney did both – so why don’t you go ask them?

  17. GuyFawkes says:

    “We had to invoke a natural neural response to get these people (3 and only 3) to stop an attack that would have killed thousands.”

    Wrong. I admire your stubborness in pushing this idea, AJ – but it’s demonstrably false.

    The reason torture was commited was due to Cheney and Rumsfeld’s desire to find a link between Saddam and Al Qaeda when none existed. They were sick, twisted people, desperate to find justification for starting a war they had already decided to fight, whether it was just or not.

    Those of you that cheer on this kind of behavior are sick, or naive, or both. In any case, you should be ashamed of yourselves.


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A traumatic memory of childhood sexual abuse returned to me in mid-life.

Anger and fury propelled me to act. Knowing I had been violated, and how long I had suffered, I was determined to comb the literature for information about my long term confusing negative behaviours, destructive emotions and the debilitating feelings.

I learned two things through this search:

Knowledge (about mental health) is Power.

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Rating: 3.75
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ID: 3588

January 15, 2007, 4:08 am

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Feher and Veidt, the Ever-Sleeping

“Come and see Veidt, the ever-sleeping.  Born with an incurable condition, he has not woken once in twenty-six years.  Come and see the man who will never wake.  Come and see Feher’s sleepwalker.”

Feher is a stooped, elderly man with wild white hair.  He wears a pair of rather ugly spectacles to compensate for his poor eyesight.  His clothes went out of style sixty years ago at least, but have been well cared for.  He is a rather craggy individual, and is not given to polite interaction.

Veidt is a tall, thin young man, with very pale skin and rather sunken eyes.

No one is quite sure where Feher is from, and he has never given a straight answer to the question.  He travels a great deal, driving a rickety old wagon from destination to destination.  He carries very few personal belongings, most of which fit into a single large bag.  The sole exception is a large, heavy crate that stays in the back of the wagon, usually sealed tightly shut, and big enough to hold a full grown man.

It holds Feher’s source of income, and what he says is his pride and joy: a young man he calls Veidt.  Veidt, he says, is afflicted with a peculiar condition, causing him to sleep without ever waking.  He exhibits Veidt, allowing curious villagers to poke and prod the young man, who does not respond in the slightest.  To all appearances, he is unquestionably in a deep sleep.

Once the spectators have satisfied themselves, the second portion of his so-called “act” begins.  Upon Feher’s orders, Veidt will stiffly get out of his crate, standing there slackly until given another order.  He mumbles simple responses to direct questions from his master, without ever once waking.  This somewhat gruesome spectacle nets Feher a fairly comfortable living from curious villagers.

Special Equipment

Other than a few possessions, Feher owns nothing of interest besides the crate in which Veidt sleeps.  He discourages people from investigating the crate too closely, to the point of threatening people he catches around it.

Feher is nothing more than a showman, exploting people’s attraction to the bizzare.  Veidt is an actor he employs to pretend to be asleep.  When supposedly in his crate between shows, he doubles as Feher’s servant, stagehand, and teamster.  Skillful use of makeup hides his identity during performances.

Veidt is Feher’s son, and is truly a narcoleptic.  The old man has gone rather funny from the strain of caring for his helpless son.  Rather than trying to put effort into finding a cure, he ghoulishly makes a spectacle of Veidt.  At this point, he is actually likely to violently resist anyone curing Veidt.

Feher is a magician who specializes in various forms of mind control.  Veidt crossed him once, and was put into a deep sleep.  Now he slavishly obeys Feher’s every order.  He finds Veidt very useful for punishing other people who get in his way; despite his confinement and condition, he is a remarkably strong young man, and he’s killed more than once.

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Comments ( 7 )
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Voted Cheka Man
January 15, 2007, 11:02
Only voted
Voted the Wanderer
January 16, 2007, 0:56
Short, sweet and simple. I like "possibilities"...definitely a good add-on.
Voted Wulfhere
January 16, 2007, 1:17
I liked this one. It gave me a clear vision of these seedy fellows and their threadbare act. They certainly would get the players' attention.

The first explanation was kind of... vanilla. Now, if the two of them had some scheme going, or some sort of agenda... perhaps they travel the land in such guise to find something or someone. Perhaps they use the act as a cover, and they are actually spies or smugglers.

I like the second explanation. Perhaps the PCs could have the dilemma of discovering what's going on, but being unable to permanently cure the condition or find anyone else to care for the young man.

The third of the possible explanations is also very promising for the GM. I could see Feher drugging Veidt to keep him sedated when he doesn't need him awake, so that his magic can be saved for showtimes...
January 16, 2007, 2:18
Holding vote until updated.

What seems to be missing is his secondary motivations, what will entangle him with the lives of others.

See, with his "powers", most mundane issues resolve: "But I paid my fees", "Yes, I have those permits", "No, I gave my taxes... see you wrote it down"

So why does he get upset at people? What are his motivating issues?

Does he use his mind control abilities for other purposes: like his own perverse admusement or playing with people just to see what happens? His hobby of playing with people gives him a reason to keep on travelling.

Example: Such a man would begin to mess with a pretty girl, the hero's girlfriend or his best friend's girlfriend... usually brining the PCs into play

Someone's personality radically changes because they got in his face and he is toying with them.

Perhaps he likes setting up drama to watch it unfold.

What is going on with him?
Voted Scrasamax
January 16, 2007, 12:42
A linkage between the Tales of Adventure! (echo the last bit of Adventure for dramatic effect) and the Menagerie of Madness (add ominous dirge music)
Voted manfred
January 16, 2007, 14:41
It might be that Feher can only dominate the weak-willed, like Veidt. So he may be able to mind control one person, but is not smart enough to use it to full potential - hence the life of a circus number on the road.

An okay little encounter with some plot potential.
Voted valadaar
March 17, 2014, 12:04
A great bit part that can be pulled out to enliven a street scene, even if no plot is involved.

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The Death Priests

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On some of the islands off the coast, the rites of the local fertility god revolve around ceremonial death and rebirth. The religion's priests have overcome this cycle, however: Each of them is actually undead, ceremonially slain and "reborn"! Their religion is otherwise unremarkable, being an odd offshoot of the mainland's religions. The priests vow to resist their undead cravings, seeing these as the "cycle of life" attempting to reclaim their spirits.

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How to Become a Certified Office Manager

Learn how to become a certified office manager. Research the career requirements, certification information and experience required for starting a career as a certified office manager.

Should I Become a Certified Office Manager?

An office manager is in charge of managing the day-to-day activities within an office. A manager's duties vary by the type of organization and may include processing accounts receivable and accounts payable, as well as some administrative work like scheduling appointments. Office managers also perform human resource duties, train employees, and delegate tasks. Many office managers work overtime, and some might be on-call for problems that may arise during off-hours.

Career Requirements

Degree Level Associate's degree or some college; some employers prefer a bachelor's degree
Degree Fields Accounting, business or related area
Experience 2-5 years of related experience
Certification Voluntary through associations like the International Facility Management Association
Key Skills Customer service, management, administrative, communication, organizational, QuickBooks/general ledger/accounting, word processing, database, spreadsheet software
Salary (May 2014) $54,400 per year (Mean annual wage for all first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers)

Sources: Monster.com job postings (November 2012), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Step 1: Complete an Associate's Degree Program

A minimum of some college coursework or an associate's degree in a business related discipline is usually required to become a certified office manager. An associate's degree program typically covers areas like business theory, communication, law, management and computer systems. Math, accounting, economics, human resources and information management are other areas of study. These programs help prepare for entry-level employment in an office setting.

Success Tip:

  • Take classes in office skills. Prospective certified office managers can build their professional skills while earning an associate's degree by completing courses such as office procedures, business communication, speech and computer literacy.

Step 2: Gain Work Experience

Business office managers, or administrative services managers, are responsible for effective planning, coordinating and directing support staff in an office environment. Office managers must have related work experience in areas like leadership, purchasing, sales and contract administration, depending on the organization they manage. To gain proper experience in the areas needed, prospective certified office managers should consider entry-level office employment to work up to the level they desire. Secretarial, administrative assistant and office clerk positions could provide experience needed for certification and advancement to management positions.

Step 3: Get Certified

While not required by most employers, certification allows an office manager to display specific skills and mastery of certain areas of management. Certifications vary by industry and may be offered for managers of medical offices or facilities. For example, the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) offers the Certified Facility Manager (CFM) certification for those interested in facility management. The CFM credential is available to managers with a specific combination of education and experience. Applicants must pass an exam and complete continuing education activities every three years.

Step 4: Consider Earning a Bachelor's Degree

Some office manager positions require at least a bachelor's degree for employment. A Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree program offers an in-depth study of all areas of business and business management. Some typical areas of study include economics, accounting, marketing, financial management, business leadership, computer technology and human resources. Earning a bachelor's degree will also give an office manager a competitive edge when seeking further promotion into upper-management positions.

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