Through my time in Twin Mirror, I helped Sam get closure with an old girlfriend, an act that not only helped him be able to move on but that felt like I was dealing with my past letdowns and traumas at the same time. There is a particular type of beauty in slowly making things right with those you love and hashing out unfinished business with those you loved that’s hard to explain when you’re not in the driver’s seat. In the case of Twin Mirror, you’re also trying your best to piece together the life Sam abandoned when he left town. As with any good detective story, you’ll find yourself reading documents, uncovering clues and interrogating suspects while remembering key moments of your past and reconnecting with those you once called friends and neighbours.Īt its core, Twin Mirror is about solving the mystery behind your best friend’s untimely death, but as can be expected from this type of game, it’s also about so much more. Just like that, you find yourself in the middle of an investigation, trying to get to the bottom of things while also putting your own life back together again, piece by piece. Instead, she believes her father had gotten too close to something or someone he shouldn’t have and asks Sam if he would look into it. She lets him know that she doesn’t believe her dad just died in an ordinary car crash. Upon returning to town, his best friend’s teenage daughter corners Sam. Essentially, you play Sam, an investigative reporter who finds himself returning to his hometown after the death of his best friend. I’m going to only touch on the story of Twin Mirror in the briefest possible way because if you haven’t played it yet and you know nothing about the game, that’s precisely how you want to go into it. After avoiding hard emotions for most of my life, I had just found myself hit in the face with all of them, and I wanted, no needed, more. I found myself snapping back to reality, hours and hours later, a blubbering mess. However, after stumbling my way into Life is Strange one night, as a way to pass the time, I was instantly hooked. My whole life, I’ve stayed away from dramas and tragedies, favouring action or scares or comedy instead. ![]() I also see all the hours put into Final Fantasy, wishing that my own Tidus or Cloud would turn up.Īnd if I think about my early twenties, I think about Life is Strange, the game that taught me it was okay to feel things. If I think of my early teenage years, I see myself sitting in my room late at night, playing Silent Hill, sweat dripping from my brow and heart sitting in my throat. I spent hours lying on the floor of my parent’s lounge, holding a controller slightly sticky from gross children’s hands, trying with all my might to get Spyro to fly through all the or catch that last, elusive monkey. ![]() For example, I will always think of Ape Escape and Spyro as core parts of my childhood. If I think back on my life, some games stand out as marking specific time periods growing up.
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“The number eight is about infinity, or the endless loop of energy,” Michaela says. Have a hard time letting go? Try this 12-minute moving meditation: This might help you be more open to the messages the universe is trying to send you. Wilder wholeheartedly agrees, calling this angel number “a message from our higher self.” If you see this angel number, Wilder suggests making time to daydream, meditate, and doodle. ![]() Instead, embrace the present and trust that everything is always working out for you. “Give up your control of what’s going to happen next,” Michaela says. Repeating sevens are basically the universe urging you to relax and let go of your fears for the future. “This could be the angels pointing you to family or close relationships, that your ancestors are in the wings waiting to help, or that you need extra protection and guidance in the near future.” 777 “This is a strong message from your angel guardians to take personal responsibility in your own life, and ask yourself in all areas, ‘What do I need to do differently?’” Michaela says.Īnother way to conceptualize 666 is “love on the deepest level,” says Wilder. Though this is often referred to as “the number of the beast,” numerologists say that the sequence of triple sixes isn’t actually anything to be afraid of. Wilder adds that seeing the angel number five is also indicative of inspiration, which “is coming through other people and your connection to them, however fleeting.” With this particular number, says Wilder, you might benefit from being open to messages from conversations happening around you as well as the lyrics to your favorite song. ![]() “Life will look different when you get what you want.” “Change can be seen as a negative thing, but with the right mindset and the right alignment to your goals, it’s actually your angel’s way of readjusting your life to fit with what you want to happen,” Michaela says. Before you get worried, know that the change is a good thing, even if it might be uncomfortable. When you start spotting 555, that means change is coming. Focus on your support systems, build a foundation, and trust the ride.” 555 “Seeing repeating fours is a sign that you have what it takes and will make it through," says Wilder. “Whatever is going on-all your thoughts, visualizations, goals, and dreams-they are going to be replicated.” So when you see this sequence, ensuring your thoughts and energy are focused on what you want can help usher that energy into existence, according to numerology.įours also relate to change and transformation. ![]() “When you see 111, think of the universe as taking a screenshot of your frame of mind,” Michaela says. One is a powerful number for manifestation, which is part of why many make a wish when they see it repeated in a sequence, like 11:11 on a clock. Seeing a number tripled means that the full potential of that energy is present.” 111 “The more a number shows up around a person, the stronger the vibration behind it, which is influencing that person's life. “In numerology, repeating numbers are seen as an amplification of energy,” says Wilder. The meaning of specific sequences of angel numbers, according to numerologists To help you better understand angel numbers, experts break down how to spot angel numbers and decipher their meanings, below. ![]() ^ Knutson, Michael (September 13, 2004).^ a b "Hearts of Iron: Platinum for PC Reviews".Archived from the original on April 29, 2007. Archived from the original on October 17, 2006. Archived from the original on August 16, 2003. ^ a b "Hearts of Iron for PC Reviews".^ a b Bates, Jason (December 10, 2002).^ "VP Ltd ships MindRover, Hearts of Iron, Player Manager". ![]() "Hearts of Iron Ships to Retail Stores Nationwide". Hearts of Iron IV, the fourth main installment in the series, was released on June 6, 2016. West – A Hearts of Iron Game was scheduled to release in 2014, but was canceled. Hearts of Iron – The Card Game was released as a free-to-play, browser-based collectible card game on October 3, 2011. The third game in the series, Hearts of Iron III was released on August 7, 2009. Two spin-offs were created for Hearts of Iron II: Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game and Arsenal of Democracy: A Hearts of Iron Game. ![]() Sequels Ī sequel to Hearts of Iron, Hearts of Iron II, was released in 2005. The game ends when there is only one alliance left or when the end date is reached the winning alliance is determined through a victory point system, with points being given to alliances that control key regions or cities. Players can also control their nation's economy, government, and military. Nations in the game can attempt to join these alliances. There are three main alliances in the game: the Allies, the Axis, and the Comintern. Players play as a nation in the world in the years leading up to, during, and immediately after World War II. Three additional games have been released in the series: Hearts of Iron II, Hearts of Iron III, and Hearts of Iron IV. Hearts of Iron is the first game in the eponymous series of grand strategy wargames. Hearts of Iron allows the player to take control of a nation in the world and guide it through World War II and the years immediately before and after it. In 2004, Atari, SA published Hearts of Iron: Platinum, an updated version that sought to improve several aspects of the game. A Mac OS X version was released by Virtual Programming the following year. Based on the Europa Engine, it was originally released in 2002 for Microsoft Windows. Hearts of Iron is a grand strategy video game developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Strategy First. ![]() Just please add Forward and Back buttons to the image viewer. As a business tool it’s faster to screenshot, annotate & share, rather than write. There’s a button at the bottom of the image viewer that let’s you drag and drop your image - instantly putting it in other applications. Annotated text is very clear and stands out well on whatever image you are writing on. Some of the best features of skitch are the annotation and image sharing capabilities. ![]() When I am later reviewing my notes of the day, all the screen shots are available. The integration with evernote is superb as well. However, even with this little niggle, I love using Skitch. At the moment I have to click back to the list of all images then click on the next image and so on. One feature I would like to see added is a Forward and Backwards button to navigate through captured images. It’s fast, easy to use, and reliable as well. Have tried the alternatives and I prefer Skitch. Superb!įor several years, I have been using Skitch. All other capturing, mark up and saving and sharing functions are free and do not require an Evernote account. Google SketchUp is a free, easy-to-learn 3D-modeling program with a few simple tools to let you create 3D models of houses, sheds, decks, home additions, woodworking projects, and even space ships. Skitch’s PDF Markup feature requires an Evernote Premium account.Īn Evernote account is required to save to Evernote. Open a PDF and highlight changes to skip the lengthy, confusing email chains and give clear feedback. Share a diagram of the earth’s layers and have students label it with youĬapture a map, mark it up, and share it with your friends to show them where you'll be. Mark up photos of silly, cool, or inspiring things you see and share them via social, email, SMS, and more.Īnnotate photos of your backyard to plan out your vegetable garden. People everywhere use Skitch to help them visually share their thoughts with others. Your bold ideas stand out even brighter with Skitch. See something that sparks an idea? Use Skitch to snap it, mark it up, and send it on in an instant. ![]() Main political parties in #SouthSudan have recently reached agreement on transitional security arrangements and signed a deal. However, Luke Patey, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies focusing on Chinese foreign and security policy, believes China has already begun to change that hands-off narrative in South Sudan. I know a couple of people who have benefited from bureaucratic exchange programs with China, which is a plus.” Nevertheless, they provide opportunities for exchange for different groups of people. The stereotype is that they don’t engage in the political process in a way that actually seeks peace or stability. “When a violation of the peace agreement happens, other embassies issue statements, but you never see anything from China. READ MORE China's 'eat bitter' business model doesn't work in Africa ![]() Their engagement is often viewed through humanitarian donations or infrastructure projects – mostly on the outskirts of Juba – but China barely speaks on issues of the peace process, peace building, or human rights. She says: “I may be biased, but my general impression is that China doesn’t care about South Sudan’s political process or stability. The stereotype is that they don’t engage in the political process in a way that actually seeks peace or stability They tend to be in their own spaces unless you go to Lily’s, a supermarket run by the Chinese, or a Chinese hospital or school,” she tells The Africa Report. ![]() “The Chinese don’t necessarily seek integration or get to know the locals much. She doesn’t sense strong Chinese engagement here as in other African countries, such as Kenya. READ MORE How China and the US are fighting over AfricaĮsther Soma, a native of South Sudan who previously worked with the UN on conflict resolution, has witnessed her home country’s arduous journey towards peace building. In 2008, it established a Consulate General in Juba and recognised South Sudan’s independence in July 2011. This oil wealth has qualified South Sudan as a middle-income country despite its immense poverty and underdevelopment (the World Bank estimates that about half the population – 7.2 million people – face crisis-level food insecurity, with nearly 4 million people still displaced from years of conflict).Ĭhina first entered Sudan’s petroleum industry in 1995 in the thick of the second Sudanese civil war, despite American economic sanctions on Sudan. I may be biased, but my general impression is that China doesn’t care about South Sudan’s political process or stabilityĮstimated to contain the third-largest oil reserves in Africa, South Sudan was found to yield at least 3.5 billion barrels of crude oil. The discovery of oil in the 1970s furthered strains between Juba and Khartoum – with both cities wanting control of regional oil fields – and is inextricably linked to the armed conflict that later turned into a 38-year civil war, the longest-running one on the continent. Sudan, after all, was China’s first overseas oil success story. Unlike most other African countries, where Chinese companies or state-owned enterprises are present as construction contractors, China has a much more entrenched position in the South Sudanese oil industry. Active managers believe that by doing this work, they can earn higher-than-average returns on their investments.READ MORE Is China weaponizing ports built along the Belt Road Initiative? This often requires several hours of research per week. Hands-on, active management requires investors to continuously keep up-to-date on the positions that they hold. However, even a passively-managed portfolio will need to be adjusted periodically as the beneficiary hits certain milestones, such as retirement.Ī hands-off investment strategy is well-suited to many retail investors who may not have the time needed to routinely monitor and research their investments.A look at historic returns on the S&P 500 shows passively managed funds tend to outperform their actively managed counterparts over time.A hands-off investor is more likely to be drawn to index funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), or target-date funds, than to picking individual stocks or other securities.A hands-off investor is a more passive investor who chooses to make asset allocations and other investment choices and then makes few changes as time progresses. ![]() The credit hours are multiplied by the course grade point, and then divided accordingly. We won’t get into too much detail, but let’s quickly look at college GPAs, because they’re calculated a little differently.Įach college class has a certain number of credit usually 3, but they can sometimes be 4–5 if the class is particularly difficult, or requires extra time, like lab work. ![]() Summing up the grade points (19) and dividing by the number of classes (5) yields:Ī 3.8 GPA is very good! See how the 5.0 scale for the Honors and AP classes increased the GPA to an “A-” range, even though you earned 3 “B” grades? If you're taking Honors or AP classes and want to see what your current weighted class grades are, try our weighted grade calculator which lets you select different weights for each of your high school class assignments. Let’s say you took two honors classes this semester: ![]() This will increase your GPA, almost automatically-so, it’s a great idea to take AP and Honors classes whenever you can. So, when you take an AP or Honors class, your GPA scale for that class is higher than for a regular class. How AP and Honors Classes Affect GPAĪs mentioned above, if you take an AP or Honors class, your “A” is converted to a 5.0, instead of a 4.0. Pretty easy, right? But, if you want to skip the calculations altogether, head on over to our wonderful high school GPA calculator which will perform the same math but behind the scenes, letting you focus on getting those grades where you want them. Now, we divide that total by the number of semesters (7) to get your cumulative GPA: We’ll look at how many points you received, how many were available, what your percentage grade was, and how that translates to a letter grade. Let’s say you’ve taken the following class, and you have 10 grades for the final report card. We know, for example, that an “A” is great! An “F,” not so much.īut, what’s the breakdown of a letter grade, as it relates to the GPA scale in particular?īasically, to calculate a letter grade, your teacher figured out your class percentage grade, and converted that to a letter grade. Most of us are familiar with “letter grades.” Since early childhood, we’ve most likely received grades on our report cards that are based on the letter grade system. Percentages to Letter Grades to Grade Points and Back Again Calculating your percentage These three factors, together, make up the GPA scale. Likewise, calculating a letter grade is usually done by looking at a particular percentage. For example, the letter grade of an “A” has a number value. GPA’s are actually calculations, based on a person’s letter grade. Finally, job opportunities can be dependent on a person’s GPA. An individual’s GPA can affect the availability of grants or scholarships for financial aid. It can also open or close doors to what graduate or advanced degree programs might be available. You’ve probably heard the term, GPA or Grade Point Average, and discovered how important it is during high school, college, and your early career.Ī person’s GPA can affect what colleges are likely to accept him or her. ![]() Products: Passion, Thermo Burn, Truth, Vitamin Mineral consists of various kinds of minerals that promotes healthy bones and muscles. Omega-3 in Omegas can help in the recovery of damaged bones and joint. They also help in supporting joint health. Both nutrients play an essential role in to build and maintain strong bones. By consuming Dream, mental focus is no more a dream.įlex is high on Calcium and Vitamin K. Many people suffer from declining mental focus these days and lack of quality sleep is one of the cause. It is said that Thermo G helps in overcoming fatigue and provides a long-lasting energy, which in turn can improve your mental focus through out the day.ĭream is a capsule that promotes sound sleep. One of them is Thermo G, a unique ingredient consists of complex nutrients. Passion and Thermo Burn consist nutrient that are able to boost metabolism, such as Vitamin C and various kinds of acid.īoth Passion and Thermo Burn consist similar ingredients. As mentioned in point 1, Alkalete is designed to balance our body’s acidity. Alkalete is able to take care of this problem. Glutathione helps in improving our immune system. High level of protein in Yes promotes the formation of glutathione. Pure and Yes consist fiber which can support immune system. Instead of coke or caffeinated-beverages (which high on sugar and calory), Yes can be a healthier option for you. Pure consist dietary fiber that helps in promoting healthy digestion, which in turn leads to healthy weight loss. Alkalete and Thermo Burn come in capsule form, whereas Passion, Yes and Fun come in powder form consumed as a drink. The aforementioned products are high in fiber and protein which can boost energy that last longer. ![]() Most of Yoli’s products provide energy booster. ![]() Indeed, scores of novelists in a variety of genres-P. Lewis, and, more recently, the Times ran a feature on Lee Child. ![]() Parker’s Spenser books were treated to a laudatory piece in the Book Review by the esteemed critic and biographer R. ![]() In 1965, Kingsley Amis compiled his “James Bond Dossier,” and six years later Eudora Welty gushed over Ross Macdonald’s “Underground Man” on the front page of the Times Book Review. If you were good-maybe not Chandler good, but good enough-you could find a booster among the literati. “Literature is bunk,” he retorted, propagated by “fancy boys, clever-clever darlings, stream-of-consciousness ladies and gents, and editorial novelists”-in other words, a bunch of literary dudes.įor all that, it was Chandler’s blend of stylish wit and tough-guy sentimentality that made it easier for the commercial writers who followed. The result was “Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?,” which dispatched the genre’s big guns with seignorial aplomb: Dorothy Sayers’s “The Nine Tailors” was “one of the dullest books I have ever encountered in any field” Margery Allingham’s “Flowers for the Judge” was “completely unreadable.” Reading mysteries, Wilson concluded, “is a kind of vice that, for silliness and minor harmfulness, ranks somewhere between crossword puzzles and smoking.” He admitted that John Dickson Carr had a descriptive gift and that Raymond Chandler wrote well, though he remained “a long way below Graham Greene.” Chandler wasn’t pleased. To Wilson’s surprise, he received more passionate letters than his criticisms of the Soviet Union ever elicited-so many, in fact, that he felt compelled to revisit the case a few months later. He was irritated by the giddy approval of highbrows like Nicolson, and, in 1944, published an article in this magazine that contained some disparaging remarks about the mystery genre. Nicolson’s point was not that Agatha Christie is better than George Eliot but that readers who seek out mystery novels are looking to escape not from life but from literature, from the “pluperfect tenses of the psychical novel.” Nicolson was speaking on behalf of those intellectuals who, “weary unto death of introspective and psychological literature,” simply yearned for a good story. In 1929, the eminent Milton scholar Marjorie Nicolson, the first female president of Phi Beta Kappa, described a dinner party rescued from the brink of dullness when the desperate hostess asked a distinguished scholar to name “the most significant book of recent years.” The great man replied, “I never can make up my mind between ‘The Bellamy Trial’ and ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.’ ” That, you can imagine, got the room buzzing. Chesterton, the creator of the plump, priestly sleuth Father Brown, lamented, “Many people do not realize that there is such a thing as a good detective story it is to them like speaking of a good devil.”īut good devils make for good company, and, in time, bookish people did begin to speak of them. Genre writers were not exactly unmindful of this. You could either go to an amusement park or trundle off to a museum, ride a roller coaster or stroll among the Flemish Masters. And part of the pleasure we derive from them is the knowledge that we could be reading something better, something that, in the words of Arnold, reflects “the best that has been thought and said in this world.”įor the longest time, there was little ambiguity between literary fiction and genre fiction: one was good for you, one simply tasted good. Such writers-commercial and genre novelists-aim at delivering less rarefied pleasures. Of course, it’s one thing for a poet who contains multitudes to become a literary dude it’s another for writers who deal with lawmen, criminals, private detectives, spies, aliens, ghosts, fallen heroines, and killer cars. ![]() Matthiessen), and you, too, can become respectable. He was wrong, and therein lies a lesson for all hardworking scribblers: stick around long enough, develop a cult following, gain the approval of one or two literary dudes (in Whitman’s case: Henry James, Ezra Pound, and F. Arnold reaffirmed all that was “rich, hefted, lousy, reeking with delicacy, refinement, elegance, prettiness, propriety, criticism, analysis.” He was, in short, “one of the dudes of literature.” Whitman probably figured that his own gnarly hirsuteness would save him from becoming a dude. “He will not be missed,” Whitman told a friend. When Matthew Arnold keeled over, in April, 1888, while hurrying to catch the Liverpool tram, Walt Whitman managed to contain his grief. Orwell had a weakness for escapist fiction, for “good bad books.” Illustration by John Cuneo ![]() It's been said that it may take nine Bayonetta games to tell the full story, but Bayonetta 4 has not been announced at the time of this writing.īayonetta 3 is out now on the Nintendo Switch. Some have said this development was unearned, particularly when it comes to the Bayonetta and Luka romance.Ĭonsidering the reaction to Bayonetta 3's ending, it will be interesting to see where PlatinumGames takes the franchise from here. Bayonetta and Luka become love interests of sorts at the end, and it's revealed that Viola is the daughter of alternate versions of them. Bayonetta 3 is an invigorated sequel with fresh new ideas that embolden its 13-year-old combat system, an impressive amount of variety throughout its 10 to 12-hour campaign, and more of that. The decision to make Viola the new Bayonetta has been hugely controversial, but how the ending went down in general has not sat well with fans. Others like Viola but still aren't happy about her becoming the new Bayonetta, while others still have no problem with the ending and don't mind that she will seemingly replace Bayonetta in the franchise moving forward. Viola is a divisive character as it is, with some fans taking issue with her combat style compared to Bayonetta and finding her personality to be grating. ![]() Needless to say, having Viola become the new Bayonetta has not sat well with Bayonetta 3 fans. She dons Luka's scarf and Bayonetta's glasses, and in fact, becomes the franchise's new Bayonetta, replacing the character that has defined the franchise since its inception. In the aftermath, new character Viola continues working with Gates of Hell shopkeeper Rodin, completing various jobs. RELATED: ESRB Rating May Hint at Bayonetta 3 DLCĪfter Bayonetta 3's final boss fight, Bayonetta essentially dies and is dragged to Inferno (the Bayonetta franchise's version of Hell) along with Luka. This confirms that players have been playing as a different Bayonetta in all three games, which is something that may drum up controversy in and of itself, though is not the reason why people are so upset. It all leads up to a climactic showdown where the Bayonetta from Bayonetta 3 finds herself teaming up with the Bayonetta from the first two games. Bayonetta 3 is a multiverse story where an evil entity is bouncing from one world to the next and killing that world's versions of Bayonetta and Jeanne. To discuss why the Bayonetta 3 ending is causing so much controversy, it's first necessary to explain exactly what happens in it. WARNING: Major Bayonetta 3 spoilers follow For those that don't care about spoilers, here is why the Bayonetta 3 ending is causing so much controversy in the community. Others that have yet to finish the story may have noticed some discourse about the Bayonetta 3 ending online and could be wondering why there seems to be so much negativity aimed at it. Bayonetta 3 has been available for a little over a week now, and since the game is fairly short, it's safe to say that most hardcore fans of the franchise have already finished it. ![]() Changes in either management regimes have great implications for vegetation cover and composition. Seminatural grasslands have long been shaped and maintained by human-induced fire and grazing regimes in order to utilise extensive land areas, not suitable for intensive cultivation, for the production of protein for human consumption. We underpin the need for further research on the mechanism, rate and spatial extent of ecotone shift by using advanced tools to understand the process in-depth. We argue that local processes in terms of changed land use may best explain the phenomenon of ecotone shift and consequent forest expansion in these grasslands. Temporally, tree establishment in grasslands started following the gradual decline in disturbance. Spatial pattern of tree size structure and regeneration infers that forest boundary is advancing towards the grasslands at the expense of the grassland area, and tree establishment in the grasslands is part of a successional process. Vascular plant species richness linearly increased while moving from forest interior to grassland center. Forest and grasslands were different in terms of floristic composition and diversity. Vegetation data consisting of species richness and composition, and size structure and regeneration of the two most dominant tree species, namely Rhododendron arboreum and Abies spectabilis, from the transects, were used to analyze the trend of the forest-grassland ecotone. We analyzed vegetation data sampled from belt transects laid across the forest-grassland ecotone in semi-natural grassland patches. ![]() In this context, we assessed the forest-grassland ecotone of temperate mountains in central Nepal by i) comparing species composition and richness across the ecotone, ii) analyzing if the forest-grassland ecotone is shifting towards the grassland center by colonizing them with trees, and iii) discussing the consequence of changed disturbance regime in the dynamics of this ecotone and the surrounding grasslands. The ecotone position and structure are dynamic over time and space and it is driven by the changes in climate, land use or their interaction. However, empirical studies do not always confirm higher richness at the ecotone. ![]() The ecotone, the spatial transition zone between two vegetation communities, is claimed to have more species than the adjoining communities. |
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