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Last Updated (12 July'10):
– Review by Pcworld
Panasonic Lumix ZR3 is a 14.1-megapixel digital compact camera features 8X optical zoom (25-200mm in 35mm equiv.) with Optical image stabilization, ISO 80-1600, and 2.7-inch large Intelligent LCD offers dynamic and clear view out of its small body. The camera measures (W x H x D) 97.8 x 54.8 x 26.0 mm (3.85 x 2.15 x 1.02 inch) and weighs 137 g (0.30 lb) without Battery and SD Memory Card.
Overall Rating: | Latest Price Info
Panasonic Lumix ZR3 Reviews
PCWorld reviews the Panasonic Lumix ZR3 and writes;
"The focusing of the LUMIX DMC-ZR3 is fast and accurate. It has a face recognition mode that can easily track a face if it's moving across the screen. Furthermore, you can lock the focus on any object, which will then track it and keep it in focus even if it moves toward you, away from you or side to side. Video can be captured at the press of a button, regardless of the position of the mode dial — even if you're in pin-hole mode. The camera captures video at 1280×720 and it can autofocus relatively quickly while doing so."
Digitalcamerainfo reviews the Panasonic Lumix ZR3 and writes;
"The DMC-ZR3 packs a lot of features into a small, cute package. New in this model are an improved image stabilization and a longer zoom lens, but this camera is missing some of the fancy features found on other new models; there is no panorama mode, fast shooting or other special features. What it does have, however, is the promise of good image quality from the 14.1 megapixel images it captures at a very decent price: the ZR3 will be priced at $300 and will be available in the spring."
rating: N/A
PhotographyBlog reviews the Panasonic Lumix ZR3 and writes;
"The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX3 produced images of very good quality during the review period. The 1/2.33 inch, 14 megapixel sensor used in the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX3 produces noise-free images at ISO 100 and 200, with ISO 400 also looking good, although there's slight loss of saturation. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX3 dealt extremely well with chromatic aberrations, with limited purple fringing effects appearing only at the edges of the frame in high contrast situations."
Steve'sDigicams reviews the Panasonic Lumix ZR3 and writes;
"Panasonic's Lumix DMC-ZR3 is a very nice compact camera. This unit offers the benefits of a small pocket-size camera, with some of the versatility of a super-zoom with it's 8x optical zoom and Intelligent Zoom function. The camera captures pleasing photos and video in various shooting conditions, and also does well in lower lighting. Not to mention the ZR3 is quite fast for a camera in this price range."
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CNET reviews the Panasonic Lumix ZR3 and writes;
"White balance is very good, other than being a little warm indoors when set to Auto. Exposure is also very good, and Panasonic's Intelligent Exposure does a good job of rescuing shadow details without overexposing highlights.. Video quality is good, on par with a pocket minicamcorder. Like those, if you do a lot of panning or you're shooting fast-moving subjects, you'll see a fair amount of judder. You do get use of the zoom lens while recording, and despite being a mono mic, sound quality was very good. "
Digitalcamera-hq reviews the Panasonic Lumix ZR3 and writes;
"The ZR3's image quality is what I expected: sharp shots almost every time, but room for improvement indoors. It's a real treat outdoors, and I had a great time taking nature shots. I wasn't blown away by either image or video, but overall, the ZR3 pretty much met my expectations for image quality, considering the price."
Rating: N/A
Panasonic Lumix ZR3 User Reviews
Wonderful high definition Video with optical zoom in still camera | Rating:
"I bought this versatile camera for a trip to Cuba. Great stills. VIDEO is amazing, because full optical zoom can be used while shooting. Video is true high definition and plays on HD Television and windows seven computer. Video taken of dancers in a cabaret and of reflections on water at night were great. The LCD is amazingly sharp. LCD is bright too. Battery life is good. Camera is light and fits in my pocket. Did I mention that I love the ability to optically zoom while taking great high definition video, which is still very rare? All my older video cameras are history. I love it. Oh, it turns on fast, and power switch is a tiny excellent toggle. Clever power saving too. Still photos are great, with good low light ability." – By kevin Bruce
Panasonic Lumix, | Rating:
"The Lumix DMC-ZR3 is a very good camera. I especially like the AI setting which is great for a quick point and shoot pictures of the grand kids. The pictures are easily downloaded to my computer using the supplied USB cable. Overall I'm very pleased with the Lumix ZR3, it takes a great picture and is easy to operate." – By Thomas Kulig
Nice little camera with high zoom, great HD video | Rating:
"I got this camera a week ago, and I am pretty pleased with the picture, video testing so far. I also have ZS3, which takes great outdoor shots but poor indoor shots with flash. So I was curious how much indoor flash shot is improved with ZR3. I was happy to see that indoor portrait shots from ZR3 came out much better with more accurate skin colors and the annoying reddish cast from ZS3 seems to be gone with ZR3. In outdoors, the ZR3 takes just takes beautiful crisp pictures with iAuto mode and I am very happy with the results." – By Jin Won Sung
Panasonic Lumix ZR3 Sample Photos
– Panasonic Lumix ZR3 Sample Photos @ Photographyblog.com
– Panasonic Lumix ZR3 Sample Photos @ Flickr.com
Panasonic Lumix ZR3 User Manual (PDF)
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Panasonic Lumix ZR3 Features
Panasonic DMC-ZR3 Digital Camera Features
Thanks to the newly incorporated Intelligent Resolution technology, the Intelligent Zoom is available with the DMC-ZR3 which extends the zoom ratio by approx. 1.3x maintaining the picture quality even combining a digital zoom. This means the 8x optical can virtually extend to 10x equivalent. Furthermore, the Extra Optical Zoom function that extends zoom power to 16.9x by using the center part of the large CCD to bring subjects even closer.
25mm Ultra Wide-angle Lens
The 25mm ultra wide-angle lens* has about twice the shooting area as a standard 35mm lens. This enhances all kinds of shooting situations, like when you're photographing a group of people at an indoor party or shooting a large structure or sweeping landscape while traveling. * Converted to standard 35mm camera equivalent, at the maximum wide position.
HD Movie in AVCHD Lite
In addition to Motion JPEG images, the DMC-ZR3 can record high-definition motion images in AVCHD Lite. It features almost double the recording time in HD quality compared with the conventional Motion JPEG format.
Powerful 8x Optical Zoom
The DMC-ZR3 also lets you use zooming when taking motion pictures. Its powerful 8x optical zoom is ideal for capturing dynamic video clips of sports action or animals in nature.
High Quality Sound
The DMC-ZR3 features Dolby Digital Creator to record high quality audio, so you can match the beautiful movies with outstanding sound. *Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) Shake Detection
Just about everyone has had the experience of taking a photo at night and hoping to capture all the memories and beauty, only to be disappointed at the poor result. The POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer)* nearly doubles the hand-shake correction power of conventional MEGA O.I.S. You get bright photos without blurring even from handheld sho
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Keep your dishes and hands clean with a liquid soap dispenser. Choose from wall mounted or standalone soap dispensers that fit the look of your decor. Great for kitchens and bathrooms, a soap dispenser is a handy accessory for around the home. For hands-free operation, look for soap dispensers with motion sensors to help prevent the spread of germs. If you have limited space in your kitchen or bathroom, you can find sink tops that have a soap dispenser built in.
Whether you're looking for a soap dispenser that's purely functional or one that enhances your decor, you're sure to find the right match from our selection. When buying a soap dispenser, you'll want to consider the size of the dispenser as well. For busy households, make sure to buy a soap dispenser that doesn't require frequent refilling to help ensure everyone's hands stay clean.
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New Year's Eve lunch with AThursday, December 31, 2009
A is going to Auckland tomorrow morning to spend the first few weeks of the new year 2010 with her relatives. So, we met up to celebrate the end of 2009 with the Last Lunch of the year, at a small cafe called Browser's near the mall.
We shared two pizza wedges and a garden salad. I expected the place to be full of hanging garden pots and pretty flowers, but oh well, it was still nice to be able to sit outside during our usual talk marathon.


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Our expertise in data management helps you keep critical information organized and easily accessible when you need it, such as...
The fact that you are here suggests that you are actively seeking professional administrative assistance for your business without the added costs associated with hiring someone full time.
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This is considered as any task that will take more than 1 week to complete; such as event planning, vacation coverage, maternity leave coverage, or if you wish to utilize any service for an extended period of time.
Let us know what service(s) you wish to utilize from the list of services above and you will receive an information package with a quotation. Once the terms, deadlines and performance indicators are mutually agreed upon, we are ready to start working together!
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10 Things to Outsource to a Virtual Assistant
Featured in Entrepreneur Magazine
Using a virtual assistant can shave hours from your workweek, but knowing which tasks to delegate can be tricky, whether you're starting or growing a business. Most virtual assistants are contract or freelance workers who do their jobs from home and focus on administrative tasks that are similar to those of an executive assistant or secretary.
Read article here.
What 40 Successful Entrepreneurs Can Teach You about Hiring a Virtual Assistant!
By: Owen McGab Enaohwo Topics: Blogging,Entrepreneurship
How would you like to reduce your daily workload by at least 50% and double your annual business revenues? As in work less while earning more!
It's common to think that the easiest way to get out of the 9 to 5 work week is to start your own business and carry the title, "entrepreneur".
Well, it doesn't always work out that way.
As an entrepreneur, your business success… or failure (as the case may be) entirely depends on you. It also depends on a factor that many seem to be slaves to.
8 Reasons We Hired a Virtual Assistant
07/30/2014 01:45 pm ET | Updated Sep 29, 2014
This Huffington Post featured article comprised of answers to the question 'Why Hire a Virtual Assistant'? The answers were provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world's most promising young entrepreneurs, who found great success in partnering with a virtual assistant during the crucial start up phases of their business - and beyond. Read the article here.
Esoteric Property Investment Corporation: Checkmark's credentials for providing top tier executive assistance and business development support is second to one. Tara critically instrumental in supporting us and taking Esoteric Property Investments to the next level over the course of the last year. She has played a key role in the execution, operations and project management of many facets of our business. Tara's enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit makes her the perfect partnership to have on any successful team.
Lift Truck Rebuilders: Checkmark has played a key role in the expansion of our business as has assisted in the creation and implementation of various marketing campaigns that catapulted LTRI into a very successful venture. Tara took on many administrative tasks and trained our staff to become more efficient! We could not have done this without her!


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Parallel Post Announces Third Annual Farm to Trumbull Dining Series
Parallel Post restaurant at the Trumbull Marriott announces the return of its third annual Farm-To-Trumbull dining series on Thursday, June 25 at 7:00 p.m.
Farm-to-table restaurants throughout CT plus some from travels outside the state.
Parallel Post restaurant at the Trumbull Marriott announces the return of its third annual Farm-To-Trumbull dining series on Thursday, June 25 at 7:00 p.m.
Have you ever tasted a dog cookie? Until recently, I could honestly say no. That is no longer the case.
I had the privilege of meeting Paul and Lynn Gallant, owners of Paul's Custom Pet Food in New Milford. As a parting gift, I received a package of pumpkin dog cookies. With an ingredient list of organic brown rice flour, organic pumpkin, organic eggs, dried goat's milk, organic parsley, and sea salt, I gave one a try.
One could easily despair over the slow pace of change in our nation's food system, but I choose to put that aside at the holidays and celebrate all the important work being done at the grassroots level.
Community Supported Agriculture Programs (CSAs) continue to gain in popularity as consumers discover how economical and fun they are. While summer CSA programs typically run for many months, fall and winter programs are much shorter and therefore ideal for those trying them for the first time.
After three years of negotiating to trademark the name Graze, the company recently lost the negotiations to a UK snack box company. The process of re-branding to Simple Scallion is now complete and consumers will find a freshened up website and online community that include a blog.
Fresh Nation, the online marketplace for farmers' markets, and Westport Farmers' Market announced they have formed a strategic partnership to provide online shopping and home delivery of farm-fresh food.
Bring the whole family to the Sustainable Food & Farm Expo 2014 on Sunday, March 9, 2014, from 10 am – 4 pm, at Audubon Greenwich. Learn about our rich and diverse sustainable food community; engage with organic farmers and chefs, homesteading experts, artisan food producers and retailers at the marketplace; and attend sustainable food talks and tasting workshops.
Assuming you always use reusable bags when shopping, have ditched bottled water for good, and compost your food waste rather than throwing it in the garbage, you're ready for bigger and tastier challenges. Here are a few to consider:
Almost all the meat you purchase in the grocery store and eat in restaurants and fast food outlets is from factory farms (ditto for school lunch). So is the dairy. Slow down just a minute to ponder the fact that the meat you eat and milk you drink is from animals kept confined, indoors, 24/7 on feedlots instead of being raised on pasture.
I rarely indulge in shameless self promotion, but I'm making an exception for Morris Media' Group's 2014 Green Awards. I'd love to win a Green Award in recognition of the contributions the Fairfield Green Food Guide (FGFG) has made to create a more sustainable community in Fairfield County. It's readers like you that can make that happen.
Given the increasing popularity of Community Supported Agriculture, local farms are starting to offer Winter CSAs, so continuing to get seasonal produce, sometimes even delivered right to your door, is more accessible than ever.
Fresh Nation founders Tony Lee, Melanie Franklin, Hannah Pullman, and Alexander Lee decided to introduce a concierge- style farm-to-home delivery business to serve this very market, with a personal shopper assigned to each order to remove some of the stress from our lives. While there are a number of farm-to-door services operating in Fairfield County, Fresh Nation is unique for three important reasons.
This season Graze is offering two choices of home-delivered, Certified Organic CSAs from a collective of small Vermont Farmers: A 10-week Summer Vacation CSA and a 16-week Extend the Harvest CSA. For your added convenience, you may choose to add eggs or bread, or both to your weekly share for the entire season.
If you're like most people, you make a list – at least mentally – of the things you'll do differently in the coming year. Perhaps you're already eating sustainably to some degree, but are looking to increase your commitment. Here you'll find a multitude of suggestions for doing just that – whether you're just starting to eat greener or are a dedicated sustainable eater. Choose where you are on the continuum – from Newbie to Dedicated – to find suggestions suitable for you.


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Research has shown that an audience perceives the speaker in three different ways which combine together to form their impression of him or her. The largest impact is made visually – about 55% of the overall perception comes through how you are seen as a speaker. 38% is from how you sound l and only 7% from the words you use. As we have already made clear, any presentation must be logical and well prepared but it is also important that you create the appropriate impression in the eyes of your audience.
Many speakers have mannerisms and make gestures, of which they are rarely aware. If we can find out about them, we can do something about correcting them so as to present a good, confident and unself-conscious image. So it is very useful to receive feedback from trainers or peers, and videotaping presentations allows you to analyse for yourself the image that you present to your audience. If you notice any mannerisms that you would prefer to avoid, you will be surprised how easy it is to conquer them when you work at it.
Remember that the audience cannot see your palpitating heart nor can they hear the noise of your knees knocking. If you appear confident and composed the audience will assume that this is exactly how you feel.
Let's look at some of the messages, which our non-verbal behaviour can give to an audience.
Stand tall – you will look and feel much more confident. Raise yourself to your full height – no matter what that height is. It will also help your breathing and allow you to project your voice more effectively.
Stand firmly with your feet slightly apart and with one foot a few inches behind the other. Switch the weight from foot to foot when necessary, but avoid constant shuffling, which can be distracting. Moving backwards and forwards, or walking to and fro like a caged animal, will convey the message that you are nervous and lacking in confidence – you may be, but don't let the audience know it!
This does not mean that you must stand nailed to one spot throughout the presentation, but it does mean that when you do move, it should be a definite, controlled movement that looks to have been made for a purpose.
The problem of what to do with your hands is one that is faced by almost all speakers. The truth is that nothing you do with them will seem entirely natural as you are in an unnatural situation – standing up in front of a group of people who are looking at everything you do. Aim therefore to find a solution that is comfortable for you, yet does not distract the audience or convey unfavourable non-verbal messages.
It is almost an absolute not to put both hands in your pockets – however pragmatic that might seem! It is perceived as over-casual, unfocused or arrogant. In African countries it is a considerable affront to the audience's dignity! Even one hand in the pocket might not be received positively except in very informal situations.
Practise clasping your hands lightly together in front of your waist, where it is easy to use them to make the sort of gestures that will bring added life and interest to your presentation.
If you find it more comfortable you may prefer to let your hands rest at your sides or to clasp them behind your back.
Whatever you do remember not to:
The reason that eye contact is so important is that it is essential for a speaker to establish a rapport with the audience. You will not be able to do this unless you look at them. But share the eye contact equally with all the audience. Concentrating your gaze on one person will make the recipient uncomfortable or disaffect the remainder who feel excluded – or both!
Even when using PowerPoint or overhead projectors you should give as much eye contact as possible rather than looking just at the screen.
If you find it difficult to look into the eyes of your audience, break yourself in gently – start by looking at their noses or at their foreheads – they will think that you are maintaining eye contact. Once you have overcome the initial awkwardness of looking into their eyes, work to improve the quality of your eye contact. Practise looking at everybody in turn for two to three seconds and you will soon find that eye contact comes naturally to you, just as it does when you are talking informally to a small group of your friends.
Now that you are able to maintain eye contact you must consider what message your facial expression is conveying to them. It is through our eyes and facial expression that we can convey (or betray) our mood, whether it is one of enthusiasm, excitement or boredom. Learn to match your facial expression to the message you wish to convey and work at speaking not only with your mouth but also with all of your facial muscles. Above all, smile! Most people have a pleasant gentle smile around their lips in normal conversation, but in so many cases this disappears and is replaced by an iron mask when making a presentation. Don't be fooled into thinking that because you smile you will be thought to be less serious about your subject. What you will be doing is looking more natural, more approachable and warmer than if you appear grim faced. It may seem a small point, but it is a vitally important ingredient of the message that your body language conveys.


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Album Review: Human Serpent – For I, The Misanthropist (Ogmios Underground)
Human Serpent, a black metal band from Greece will release their third album 'For I, the Misanthropist' on January 30th 2018 via Ogmios Underground.
A brutal experience, Human Serpent provide classic black metal riffing with vocals that alternate between hellish growls, roars and more rhythmic singing. This is an album for the old-school black metal fan, one with a simple aim…destroy.
Seven Billion Slaves, the title track & Temple of All Despair do exactly that with fiery blackened metal & just the smallest hint of rhythm here & there. It's these moments that take on a more classic metal style that really helps the album stand out as without them it's black metal done well but not exactly original.
However, when Human Serpent fire on all cylinders the likes of The Scars of Millions & Deep-Seated Pessimism sound absolutely huge yet still within the darkened boundaries of deep caves.
If uncompromising heaviness is what you're after then Human Serpent certainly deliver as …To Son of Nothing & Us and Them opens up the gates of hell. The latter in particular delivers an absolute bloody horror show of bile-inducing vocals.
For I, the Misanthropist wraps up with 3 and a half minutes of repeating guitar rhythm & evilly spoken word vocals. It's a bit of flat finale unfortunately, taming the beast rather then unleashing it.
Human Serpent – For I, the Misanthropist Full Track Listing:
1. Seven Billion Slaves
2. For I, The Misanthropist
3. Temple Of All Despair
4. The Scars of Millions
5. …To Son of Nothing
6. Us and Them
7. Devotion to Denial
8. Deep-Seated Pessimism
9. Blessed is the Man Who Expects Nothing
You can order the album via Bandcamp in a number of different formats. Find out more about Human Serpent on their website and check out some of their videos on YouTube.
Human Serpent - For I, The Misanthropist (Ogmios Underground)
The Final Score - 7.5/10


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[HISTORY: Adopted by the Annual Town Meeting of the Town of Belchertown 5-13-2013 by Art. 22.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
Editor's Note: This article also repealed former Ch. 278, User Charge System, adopted by the Board of Selectmen May 1997.
This user charge system has been designed to produce revenues required for the operation and maintenance of the Town of Belchertown's wastewater treatment plant and sanitary sewers, including capital costs for wastewater treatment plant upgrade and sanitary sewer extensions.
This user charge system is also designed to generate sufficient revenues to cover, at a minimum, replacement stock for sewers; costs relating to the replacement and repair of sewers, including street work and maintenance of all equipment and related appurtenances necessary for provision of wastewater treatment services; all costs of chemicals and other supplies relating to the treatment of wastewater; costs relating to personnel for wastewater collection and treatment systems; and all administrative costs relating to operation of the wastewater collection and treatment system and the collection of fees as provided for by this user charge system.
This user charge system has been developed in accordance with the requirements, providing that each user which discharges pollutants that cause an increase in the cost of managing the effluent or sludge from the treatment works shall pay for such increased cost.
Notification of fees and other charges assessed under this user charge system shall be provided to users in conjunction with a regular bill to be issued quarterly under most circumstances, but in no case less than annually. This notification shall include the rate and that portion of the user charges which is attributable to wastewater treatment services.
The Town shall maintain a financial management system that will accurately account for revenues generated by this user charge system and expenditures for operation and maintenance (including replacement) of the treatment system, based on an adequate budget identifying the basis for determining the annual operation and maintenance costs and the costs of personnel, material, energy and administration. The budget shall be prepared on an annual basis and shall be approved by Town Meeting vote. An independent audit of the financial management system shall be performed on a periodic basis.
This user charge system provides for the recovery of wastewater and sewer-related costs from three sources: user fees, wastewater treatment assessments and general property tax rates. This system has been designed to acknowledge that the improvements to the wastewater treatment works will benefit the community as a whole and will benefit future as well as current users.
User fees. User fees shall be developed based on the annual projected budget for operation and maintenance of the wastewater treatment facilities, including maintenance and repair of the collection system. These costs shall be allocated to all users based on equivalent dwelling units as calculated per 310 CMR 15.203 (Title V design criteria) or based on estimates of the long-term average flow for the facility or other method as deemed appropriate by the Board of Selectmen to capture the costs and expenses of the services provided by the Town through such system. Multiple-family dwelling establishments shall not be calculated below 0.67 EDU per living unit. Where a commercial or industrial user discharges wastes of unusual characteristics, the Board of Selectmen may impose additional fees to cover the costs associated with treatment of such wastes. Billing will be conducted quarterly as described herein:
Any person proposing a new discharge into the sewer system or a substantial change in the volume or character of pollutants is required to complete a connection application. The Board of Selectmen, acting through the Department of Public Works, will review, and if found appropriate, approve, the connection application constituting the issuance of a connection permit. Once a sewer connection permit is issued, it is the permit holder's responsibility to notify the Department of Public Works at least 24 hours in advance of any work related to the installation of the sanitary sewer service. The Department will schedule the necessary inspections. If the connection is installed properly and ready for use, the Department of Public Works will notify the appropriate Town agencies, and sewer billing will be implemented in the following manner:
For existing, developed property, and modifications to an existing connection which will result in a substantial change in the volume or character of pollutants, sewer billing will begin as of the date the connection is deemed complete.
For new construction requiring a building permit, sewer billing will begin as of the date the building inspector issues a certificate of occupancy. For multiple-unit facilities, sewer billing will begin for the total number of units for which the Building Inspector issued a certificate of occupancy, during the billing period (quarterly).
New accounts, regardless of type, will be established in the following manner:
If the account status is billable prior to the middle of the quarter, sewer billing will include the entire quarterly charges; if the account status is billable on or after the middle of the quarter, billing will begin on the first day of the next quarter.
Account status will remain as billable unless the property is deemed uninhabitable by the Building Inspector or by the issuance of a demolition permit, condemnation order, or any similar order that may be issued by the local, state, or federal agencies with the proper authorization to do so. It is the property owner's responsibility to notify the Town when their property becomes uninhabitable. Abatements and/or status change, if approved, will be effective as of the date written notification was received by the Town. Properties deemed uninhabitable will be required to obtain a connection permit, in accordance with Chapter 256 of the Code of Belchertown.
Modifications to existing accounts will only be considered upon written request from the property owners or their authorized representative. The Town may, from time to time, audit accounts on file and make changes as required. All modifications will be implemented as of the date written notification was received, in the manner previously described.
Wastewater treatment assessments. The capital costs for wastewater treatment plant improvements shall be recovered in majority through a wastewater treatment assessment applied to all users. Wastewater treatment assessments will apply to all users based on equivalent single-family dwelling units as per 310 CMR 15.203 (Title V design criteria) or based on estimates of the long-term average flow for the facility or other method as deemed appropriate by the Board of Selectmen to capture the costs and expenses of the services provided by the Town through such system. Additionally, a portion of the capital costs for the wastewater treatment system improvements may be funded through the general tax rolls.
For the purposes of calculating the wastewater treatment assessment, the total capital costs for the improvements over the loan period will be divided by the existing equivalent dwelling units. This will determine the wastewater treatment assessment per equivalent single-family dwelling. The wastewater treatment assessment for other types of residential or commercial facilities will be determined by multiplying the single-family equivalency factor times the single-family dwelling wastewater treatment assessment. That portion of the capital costs for the wastewater treatment improvements which is not covered by revenues generated by the wastewater treatment assessment will be adsorbed by the general tax revenues.
General property tax. As discussed above, a portion of the capital costs for wastewater treatment facility improvements may be funded from the general property tax revenues. The amount to be funded from the general property tax rolls may decrease as additional users are brought online. The amount to be funded from the general tax rolls will be determined each year by the Board of Selectmen by subtracting projected revenues from betterment and wastewater treatment assessments from the total capital recovery costs for the year.
Abatements shall be given for errors in billing calculations, provided such errors are brought to the Board's attention within 60 calendar days of the billing date. Abatements may be granted for financial hardship if it is in the opinion of the Board of Selectmen that such abatement is warranted. Abatements will only be granted for sewer costs; assessments and betterments will still apply.
Time limits for applications.
Review and comment by the Board of Selectmen or its designee will begin once the applicant has provided sufficient documentation to support the reasons for the abatement.
When the request is deemed complete, the Board of Selectmen or its designee will stamp the request complete, indicating the date of completion. Completed abatement requests shall be approved or denied by the Board of Selectmen or its designee within 30 days of completion date.
A sewer connection permit may be considered as an inactive account if the owner of record can provide satisfactory documentation, in the form of water or electrical usage, that the premises have not been occupied for a period of 366 consecutive days. Those accounts that are deemed to be inactive shall be placed in an inactive file and not billed for the current fiscal year. The status of inactive accounts shall be checked from time to time and reviewed annually. When an inactive account has been reoccupied and reconnected to the utilities, the permit shall be considered active and billed from the period when utilities were reconnected to the end of the fiscal year, at the prevailing rate.


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Free museums in London to experience culture and history
March 22nd 2017
Museums preserve our history and culture in a way that few other mediums can… From interactive presentations, to the display of authentic relics from the past, museums give us a glimpse into past lives and how we became who we are today. You do not need a lot of money to explore the best museums in London — many of them are absolutely free! Whether you are a student or


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HOD's Message
Dr. Sharda Vashisth
Head of the Department
With increasing competition for jobs for engineering graduates in Telecom & IT space, the ECE dept. at NCU also has taken several innovative steps both in revamping program curriculum & teaching pedagogy to ensure that our students are well equipped & stay ahead in the job market.
Our recent interactions with top industry experts have brought out that employability of the students no longer depends only on domain knowledge but also requires higher order skills like problem solving, creative thinking, design & analytical skills, communication skills, leadership & team work etc. For development of many of these skills, within & also beyond the classroom learning is required. The department has created several opportunities for students to achieve this through introduction of context & project based learning, setting up of tinkering lab, innovation & incubation center, thought lab, multiple mini projects and several co-curricular & extracurricular activities and also integrating these with curriculum. The curriculum, through optimum balance, provides sufficient time to students for undertaking these activities & gives due credits for out of class achievements.
A faculty externship scheme has also been introduced to keep the faculty updated about latest in industry. The faculty spends about a week every semester in relevant industry to study & experience industry environment and bring the industry perspective to class room teaching to bridge the gap between teaching & its real life applications. During this period, the faculty also interacts with industry experts to establish linkages with industry for upgrading curriculum in tune with industry requirement, having industry live projects, possibilities of student internships and also student placements. The results of these initiatives have been very positive.
The department has always maintained its position amongst the best in the university and the reason for this is its spirit for continuous innovation. The department offers very congenial environment for learning & research for all its students. Through consistent efforts , the department continues to realize its vision of producing responsible citizens who are well trained professionals in their own domain & industry ready to take up rewarding careers. Come, be part of this enthusiastic professional team at ECE dept. and experience the joys of learning with excellent rewards.


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9p Show: "HellaSecret" Comedy Show & Tiki Bar Night (San Francisco)
Secret Location (SF) | San Francisco, CA
"HellaSecret" Comedy Show & Tiki Bar Night (San Francisco)
Get ready for the first "HellaSecret" comedy show. A brand new series of pop-up (and socially distant) live outdoor comedy shows at unique spots all across the bay. We'll take over a venue and you'll get an email with the secret location the morning of the show.
Get $5 off Tickets – Early bird tickets $15 adv w/ code FUNCHEAP (otherwise $20) – limited to 40 tickets due to maintain social-distance
Shows crossed out are SOLD OUT
This HellaSecret comedy show takes place at an awesome secret Tiki bar in San Francisco that's a retro-oasis filled with dreamy decor and colorful assortment of decorative exotica. (Location revealed to ticket holders morning of the event)
TROPICAL DRINKS: Drinks Menu has lots of fun tiki-inspired drinks like Mai Tais, Hurricanes and Mango Banana Coladas plus draft beer.
KOREAN FOOD POP-UP: Serving dishes like crazy spicy Korean ramen, bibimbap, veggie fried rice and Korean deep fried chicken
To help support local bars and restaurants, there is a two drink minimum per person (Like all restaurants, a food purchase is required in order to drink alcohol)
The Comedy
It's a 90-minute show with five comics on the bill with credits like Cobbs, Punchline, SF Sketchfest, ABC and NBC.
Details & Mask Rules
- Show is outdoors with socially-distant seating – Limited to 40 people per show.
- Masks required when not eating/drinking
Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.
Buy Tickets
Cost: $15*


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Red Sands of Petra 4" x 6" Mosaic Photo Frame
Rich striations of copper, russet, brown, burgundy and plum...just like the sandy rocks at Petra...make for a rich and special little picture frame. Vitreous glass tiles are arranged in a simple row, with deeper burgundy tile corners. The mahogany toned wood frame is simple and sleek in design, with slightly worn rubbed finish, and an inner edge of camel.
Easel back for horizontal or vertical display. Clear glass. Overall dimensions approximately 6 1/2" x 8 1/2". Mosaic by Brenda Pokorny.
This frame has sold!
However, you can view all of the frames and mirrors I currently have available for convenient online purchase in my Etsy.com shop:
Contact me for more info/custom requests.
Gallery of Mosaics by Brenda Pokorny > Mosaic Photo Frames & Mirrors > 4" x 6" Mosaic Photo Frames >


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Jan Morris was a reporter, working for the Times of London, who wrote a huge number of travel essays on assignment for that paper and other publications. He began his career as a man, but after a sex change operation in Casablanca (who goes to Casablanca for a sex change?), finished her career as a woman.
Morris had a couple of tendencies that show up in this book. First, she used a ton of obscure vocabulary. Quick! Define, without googling the terms, "gallimaufry", "prolixity", and "quiddity." This book will challenge you, certainly, even if you consider yourself well-versed in word lore. Second, she tended to long, flowery descriptions of the places she visited, with very little concrete information about realities "on the ground", and lots of talk about the atmosphere and attitude of those far-off lands.
A humorous aside:
"...long after Ernesto (Guevara) had matured into Che and had become a world-celebrated icon of the youth culture, I gave a lift in England to a hitch-hiker whose T-shirt bore a familiar picture of him - by then one of the best-known photographs on earth. 'I bet I'm the onlhy person you've ever got a lift from who actually met Che Guevara.' 'Oh yeah,' was the reply. 'Who was Che Guevara?'"
On the dreariness of the Soviet Union:
"Moscow in winter is hardly a dream, and not exactly a nightmare, but has more the quality of a hangover: blurred, dry-mouthed and baleful, but pierced by moments of almost painful clarity, in which words, ideas, or recollections roll about in the mind metallically, like balls on a pin-table."
On the job of travel writing/reporting:
"In Khartoum...I was interviewing the Minister of National Guidance (later executed for misguiding the nation) and he told me that my duties should be to report 'thrilling, attractive and good news, coinciding where possible with the truth.' I have followed his advice ever since."
Some things never change, and Morris remarks on Kashmir in the 70s:
"Kashmir is one of those places, deposited here and there in awkward corners of the earth, that never seem quite settled; a bazaar rumour kind of place, a UN resolution place, a plae that nags the lesser headlines down the years, like a family argument never finally resolved."
When I worked in the semiconductor industry a while back, Singapore was well on its way to world dominance in the field. Morris seems to anticipate this, also written in the 70s:
"Lee Kuan Yew (a Chinese politician) believes that the whole state must be resolutely directed towards a kind of communal expertise. There is no time for argument. There is no room for dilettantism, nostalgia or party politics. Prosperity is the single aim of the state, and it can be retained only by rigorous discipline and specialization, under the unchallenged authority of an intelligent despotism. Political stability, reasons Lee Kuan Yew, equals foreign confidence, equals investment, equals money for all, which is all the average citizen wants of life and statesmanship."
Might be some words for our own politicians to heed, there.
Morris seemed also to enjoy the big cities of the U.S.:
"New York..is a city of dedicated poets, earnest actors and endlessly rehearsing musicians. Draft after draft its writers are rejecting, and there are more good pianists playing in New York every evening than in the whole of Europe - smouldering jazz pianists in the downtown clubs, crazy punk pianists on Bleecker Street, stuff-shirt romantic pianists in the Midtown tourist spots, smashing student pianists practising for next year's Tchaikovsky competition, jolly young pianists accompnaying off Broadway musicals, drop-out pianists, drunk ruined pianists, mendicant pianists with instruments on trolley wheels, Steinway pianists flown by Concorde that afternoon for their concerti at Lincoln Center."
Armchair travelers should really have fun with Morris' book.


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This week's poem, "Clothing," is by the Devon-born poet, Annemarie Austin. It first appeared in On the Border (1993), and is reprinted in Very, an unusually titled, and uniformly impressive, New and Selected Poems published by Bloodaxe in 2008. Catching up recently with this collection, I found myself marking poem after poem as a candidate for Poem of the Week, not a little unnerved by the prospect of choosing a single piece to represent a writer of such subtlety and originality. Austin deserves to be far better known, and I warmly recommend the collection as a whole.
She writes memorably about West Country landscapes and seascapes, the weather, the moon landing, rooms, birds, paintings, and, with a passion that owes nothing to political fashion, lives diminished by circumstance or expectation. These are hardly unfamiliar poetic fare, but Austin's response is unpredictable and fresh. A concern with the tricks and distortions of perception seems native to her, and gives the work a contemporary thrust. Particularly characteristic is her knack of representing psychological phenomena through metaphor. In "Clothing", the metaphorical vehicles – moon, onion, winter clothes, snowball, snowman – are simple and ordinary-seeming, but their combination is startling. Most importantly, the mysterious processes they literalise are not rendered less mysterious.
In the beginning, the tone is drily amused and distant. "Correlation," for example, belongs to a register associated with scientific discourse. The address to "you" in line four, however, tunes the poem to a more personal setting, suggesting it was urgency of emotion that needed, first, to be suitably "clothed" and "compacted".
It's interesting that "moon" in line three lacks the usual definite article, as "earth" often does in idiomatic speech. This is deliberate, and adds nearness and depth to the image. The moon's association with the Muse is clearly relevant.
So what is the "object" the poem summons and addresses? Reference to "essential you, the person where I started" suggests an oblique love-poem, and that the drily-envisioned "object" is human. The allusions to the dream clothing that "pulls on the neck and shoulders" in stanza two, and to the "snowman-building" in stanza 3, seem to reinforce this interpretation. Even so, the "person" evoked might be metaphorical. It could represent desire. It could, in fact, be the moon.
The symbols the poet chooses are characterised by layers: some of these objects are light, like the onion and the snowball, some heavy. The poem enjoys conjuring with the idea of weightiness. In line three, "perhaps, they say, you are not so very weighty", but, in the middle stanza, "weight" is assertively combined with "freight" for the poem's only full rhyme, and the freight, which has been increased by dreams, is imagined in terms of heavy winter-wear. Now the speaker, the imaginer, is also subject to "clothing". The layers represent, I think, perception and imagination, the way in which our minds submerge a desired "object", and our own selves, in interpretation.
The fascination with light versus heavy is mirrored in the last stanza's concern with expansion versus diminution. Imagination may amplify, or it may work the other way, to distil an essence. Perhaps the second line echoes Yeats, who clothed his own muse in such mythical and magical colours: "I have spread my dreams under your feet." Austin, again, is gently humorous, contrasting the privacy of the imagined figure with the splashy impact of a celebrity, whose arrival parts crowds. Finally, the assiduous imagination is all ready to clothe the image again, with "half at least a cloakroom's worth of coats." That there is some kernel of reality inside the layers has already been acknowledged in the reference to the "living centre" in stanza one, "where the green shoot waits its moment, nearly stifled". There, and in the wry humour of the subsequent metaphors, lies an acknowledgement that the intense imaginative work of desire distorts and constricts, while intuition tells us it liberates and enlivens. Because that very acknowledgement is allowed into the poem, it seems that the art of balance striven for in the opening lines has been achieved, and that the clear air of reason circulates between the layers of rich poetic imagination.
There should be, I assume, some correlation
between each object and the desire it calls
to itself, like moon dragging tides along behind;
but perhaps, they say, you are not so very weighty,
I've clothed you in layers like an onion's coats,
desire on desire, distorting your living centre
where the green shoot waits its moment, nearly stifled.
I don't know. Nightly dreams increase the freight,
complexity, compile a past we do not really share
in every kind of setting, every age; the huge weight
of them pulls on the neck and shoulders, hunching
both of us; we are attired for several Arctic winters.
Yet at the grain of the snowball, somewhere,
there is essential you, the person where I started.
Smaller perhaps, compacted, distillation of the colours
I have spread to make you from, taking less space
in passages and hallways, surrounded by less air
and echo everywhere, quieter; crowds do not part
inevitably letting you through nor do admirers gather
for your arrival… except me, equipped for snowman-
building with half at least a cloakroom's worth of coats.


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Paul Krugman can't stop attacking the McKinsey survey. His filed his latest apologia this morning ("McKinsey Pulls Back the Curtain"). It's not his finest moment.
He dismisses the report as a mere "poll," which is presumably a less reliable thing than the economic models that everyone else has been using. But why should a detailed survey—over 50 questions asked of over 1,300 respondents, mostly decision-makers—be less reliable than statistical extrapolations from not very comparable historical data?
Krugman quotes a stat from a Time reporter, Kate Pickert—not from the original document, curiously—with what he thinks is a clincher. The respondents didn't know what they were talking about!
When asked how much their companies spend on medical and prescription drug benefits per full-time employee – something you might expect a health benefit pro to be intimately familiar with – 58.3% said they didn't know.
Yes, that's in the survey (question 15, for those scoring at home). The full question is actually more complicated, and might require a little spreadsheet work to figure out precisely:
Approximately what did your company spend on medical and prescription drug benefits last year per each active, full-time employee (averaged across both single employees and employees with spouses/families)?
I think it's certain that the "don't knows" know that they're spending more than $2,000.
And the respondents weren't just "health benefit pros." Only about 10% were human resources execs; far more were owners and CEOs (question 2).
That aside, Krugman forgot to quote this observation from Pickert, from the same article:
Its poll of employers was not a GOP-funded shoddy survey meant to gin up criticism of Obamacare. Rather, the poll was long, complicated, conducted by a well-established polling firm and weighted to reflect the American business community as a whole. (This weighting helps compensate for the fact that the survey was conducted online, which can lead to problematic self-selection.) There are more than 50 questions in the survey, many of them multi-part questions, and the data collected is organized into easy to read cross tabs and breakdowns….That McKinsey initially seemed to release only the most headline-grabbing data subset is disappointing – the full results are full of all sorts of interesting nuggets like that, compared to very small businesses, about half as many large businesses would probably or definitely drop coverage post-reform. But its initial decision to keep its full data trove secret doesn't mean the company's motives were evil or partisan.
By contrast, Krugman's motives, though not evil, sure look partisan.


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Table of Contents
Mechanics of Play
|Above: Fudge dice
Fudge Dice
The Far Recon roleplay uses the FUDGE dice system. The fudge die is a three-sided die that can come up +, -, or 0. A + adds one to the roll, a - subtracts one, and a 0 makes no change. For example, rolling the set (0, +, 0, -) equates to one +1, one -1, and two 0s, for a combined roll of 0 to be added to the character's base skill.
The basic command for rolling dice within the IRC is "4df+X", where X is the combination of your skill and situational modifiers, both concepts which will be explained later on in this document.
Resolving Skill Rolls
There are two types of difficulty rolls: Opposed rolls, and Difficulty Checks (DC).
An Opposed Roll are used when two or more character's skills are engaged in conflict with each other. For example, if Alice wanted to sneak past Bob, Alice would roll her Stealth skill against Bob's Perception. If Alice's roll is higher than Bob's, or if the rolls are tied, then Alice would win the conflict and succeed at sneaking past Bob. The winner of the roll would typically roleplay the action out.
A Difficulty Check is when a character uses their skills against a static value, usually when a character must interact with or apply their skills with a degree of focus. For example, For instance, using Strength to climb a wall, or using Electronics to crack a computer's security. The GM would assign the DC for the action, and any character that rolls their relevant skill at or above the set DC passes the the check. Difficulty Checks are also used to heal wounds.
Action Points
Action Points are a sort of character currency, representing those moments of inspiration and bursts of energy that can turn a bad situation around or cement a victory for good. All new characters begin with a pool of 3 AP; this pool is reset to full at the beginning and end of a run. This pool can be tapped for various actions during the course of a run. Replenishing the pool during runs is a rare event, only possible via accepting compulsions, so any AP expenditures should be carefully considered.
Although AP is used in multiple situations such as Aspects, Powers, Feats and Masteries, there are some applications of AP that don't fall under the above. A player may re-roll any roll in any situation for 1 AP, while 2 AP may be spent forcing a success on a non-combat roll without the need to roll.
The Medical skill allows lost Body points to be regained while in the field, allowing a wounded character to get back in the fight after being injured. Healing is accomplished by using expendable items that the character is carrying with them. When an item is used, it isn't automatically spent. Rather, the amount of Body the item heals is used, and the remainder can be used later to treat other injuries. Normally, healing supplies are not spent if the healer fails the DC. Only if the roll is a critical fail (-,-,-,-) are healing supplies expended.
In order to heal, a character must roll their Medical skill against the damage caused by the specific wound the medic wishes to treat. If there are any additional wounds on the same place, the DC increases by 1 for any additional wounds on top of the first one. For example, if Alice had a wound that caused 4 damage to her, the DC that Bob would have to defeat in order to heal that damage would be 4. Should Alice had another wound at the same place that caused 3 damage, the DCs for both wounds would be 5 and 4 respectively. Note that wounds must be treated individually, even if they are located on the same place.
In the event that a character's health drops to 0, they become incapacitated and are left unconscious, but stable. Their health remains at 0 in the absence of further damage or medical attention. In order to heal incapacitated characters, the medic only needs to treat the wound that incapacitated the character in the first place. Once this is done, they regain consciousness on their next turn.
Should a character's health drops below 0 into the negatives, they enter a critical state where they could die outright, and if left too long, could succumb to their injuries. The window of opportunity is very small: The medic must give medical treatment to the fallen character before the beginning of the next turn or they may die (unless they pass a check, see Combat). Healing critically wounded characters involves successfully treating the offending injuries that caused them to become critically injured. Whether or not the character's health was brought back to the positive digits, any successful medical roll on a critically wounded character automatically stabilizes them. Should the medic be successful in reviving the character and brings their health back into the positives, the character wakes up in 1d4 turns.
In the event that medical supplies have been exhausted, a character can still attempt to heal someone who's injured, but it won't be as effective. After all, even the most skillful paramedic or surgeon needs tools to work with. When attempting to heal without supplies, a character must find something to improvise with (such as using scraps of a torn shirt to fashion a bandage, or sticks to brace a sprain or break), but otherwise rolls as normal. If the roll succeeds, 1 Body is restored. Note that a given wound can only be treated once this way, unless the character has been injured on the same place again. It is impossible to stabilize critically injured characters without supplies.
Treating an injured character can take up to two turns in an active combat situation, or even longer if things are particularly hairy.
All characters who are injured must make a trip to the infirmary after the mission for follow-up treatment.
Maneuvers allow a character to take advantage of proficiency in one skill to improve their rolls with other skills. To call a maneuver, you must roll the skill in question and state the skill or situation to which the maneuver will be applied (along with whatever explanation is necessary to justify the maneuver). The maneuver rolls are either made against a DC of 3, or against a skill roll by the target, depending on whether the roll is directly opposed.
Should the roll succeed, the maneuver may be applied to subsequent rolls, as befitting the nature of the maneuver. For example, a Perception maneuver could be used to scan an enemy for weaknesses, and if successful could provide a +2 bonus to attack rolls against that enemy. Setting up a maneuver takes up your turn, meaning you will have to wait until your next turn to perform the boosted roll yourself. If the maneuver is of a sort transmissible to others, however, those others may make use of it in the same round as it was rolled.
While maneuvers are similar in function to Aspects, they do not normally require the expenditure of AP for their use. However, if characters are attempting to maintain maneuvers across multiple rounds of combat, they may be required to spend AP to do so. If, for example, a character was using a Perception maneuver to focus fire on a specific enemy, but was attacked or otherwise distracted in between turns, they would be required to either spend one AP in maintaining the maneuver, or lose the maneuver bonus while keeping the AP.
Bonuses from maneuvers may not be added to further maneuver rolls.
Example Maneuvers
Load Limit
Load Limit is a measure of how much the character can carry, without becoming overburdened and decreasing their effectiveness. This particular stat is derived from the sum of 4 + Agility + Strength. Only weapons, particularly bulky or heavy items, Equipment from the Pre-run equipment repository, and unlockable equipment count for load. Everything else does not cost load, within reason.
Determining Load
Far Recon's Load system takes two variables into account when determining the Load of a particular item: Weight (how much the object will weigh the carrier down) and Size (how large and unwieldy the object is to carry around, and how much room it takes up).
NOTE: The examples are not exhaustive. They merely give you an idea of what sort of size and form factor you are looking at for each category.
|> 500g
|A grenade, other small handheld items
|Anywhere you like
|~500g - 1.5kg
|Most handguns, a large torch, knives, small pouch of things
|Clipped to a belt, in a holster, in a backpack
|~2 - 4kg
|Assault rifles, SMGs, briefcases, laptops, standard body armour, things generally requiring two hands to use
|Shoulder strap, in hands, backpack/back
|~6 -12kg
|Light Machine Guns, large cases, rocket launchers, heavy body armour
|Carried by hand or on the back
|Extra Large
|A backpack welding kit, very large and bulky items
|Carried on the back
GMs are to be consulted regarding load at the beginning of character creation, as well as when adding any items to a character's load post-creation.
Flavour Items
As of 21/09/2013, 'Flavour Items' no longer cost any Load to carry. Flavour Items are here defined as items:
- Smaller than 2-3 Load;
- That are not weapons;
- That do not grant any bonuses.
A character is allowed to carry/use a reasonable number of occupation-appropriate Flavour Items. This is at GM discretion, and exceptions may be made, particularly if an item is large, or it is felt that a player is abusing the system by taking excessive amounts of 'free' items. As with all items, they must be GM approved, and cannot be added to a character at a whim.
The following are good examples of Flavour Items:
- A light source
- Camelbak or water bottle
- Gloves
- Department specific items:
- Espionage
- Basic Lockpicks
- Binoculars
- Medical
- First aid kit
- Security
- Flexicuffs
- Maintenance
- Toolkit
- Espionage
XP, or experience points are awarded at the end of a run or at GM discretion. They may be used to buy equipment or upgrades for your character.
XP is automatically granted to:
- Players who actively participate in a run to its end
- GMs who execute a given run
XP is generally limited to 1 XP per character and GM per run, with the following exception:
Double XP
Double XP, or 'DuxP', is given to players in special circumstances, based on their performance. As might be gathered, it is 2 points of XP, rather than the standard 1. It is awarded on the following principles:
- DuxP is going above and beyond the 'confines' of the run. It is coming up with solutions and actions that are innovative and interesting, beyond simply standing out.
- For instance, the player's character is fighting a mime that puts up an invisible wall. They make their character walk over and open an invisible window, then punch the mime.
- DuxP isn't you making a right and clever choice of talking to the bird instead of shooting it - it's doing more than that. For example, convincing said bird that you are messengers of the god it worships and having it lead a crusade in your name.
- DuxP is given for really changing the narrative with your actions - it's based almost exclusively on how you respond to, and RP in, a situation, rather than rolls of the dice.
DuxP will not be awarded for the following actions:
- Simply 'standing out'
- Using actions, which although creative, are suggested by other people
- Killing everything
NOTE: These guidelines are not set in stone, and admins or GMs may also give extra XP for other reasons. Please be aware that this is a rarity.
Birthday Points
Is it your birthday? Tell the GMs. They'll reward you 4 XP as consolation for being one more year closer to your impending death.
Using XP
So you have all your precious points. Now what? Well, XP can be used to boost your character. How is that, you ask? You purchase Unlockable Equipment.
For instance, Bobby has 6 XP and he wants to purchase some new armor for use by his character. He spends the XP, RPs requisitioning them from the Armory and bam, he has the armor unlocked. All going well, his character will keep the armor until they dies.
XP Conversion
Should you have a character made prior to the 7/19/14 reboot, all your equipment and upgrades will revert to XP, in which you get to keep 8 XP to start out with. The remainder is rendered null and placed under "XP Used"..
LP Conversion
Should you have Legacy Points given under the previous LP/XP system, these are to be converted to XP using the following conversion rate: 2XP per LP, but only 10XP of this can be given on to one character. The remainder is stored, and given to your next character upon creation.
Equipment Buybacks
Should a character have purchased equipment for XP that they no longer want or need, they may return it to the Armoury, and gain back 50% of the price paid, rounding up where that value is a fraction. This only applies to physical, returnable items - upgrades (or downgrades) granted by the Improver and courses/training (including that given by handbooks, guides or primers) cannot be redeemed.
Character Death
As stated in greater detail in the Combat page, If your character's health either drops to the additive inverse of their base Body (e.g. Falling down to -8 Body if you have 8 base Body), or they fail their saving throw against death, or their Mind drops down to the negative numbers, your character will die.
Once a character dies, their player has two choices:
- They can transfer one piece of equipment from the old character to the new one. If that piece of equipment is Department-specific, then the new character gets the closest equivalent in their Department list that is not more expensive; OR
- They can convert the character's equipment to XP, using the rate specified in the buyback section, capping out at a maximum of 10XP. The same restrictions on what can be redeemed apply..
Character Leave and Retirement
Sometimes, if you play the same character for a while, you'll crave a bit of a change of pace. You can put your character on leave, allowing you to play a new character while your old character is off-base for whatever reason. If you tire of playing this backup character, however, you cannot bring in a third character: you must return to your old character or keep this one around. Characters put on leave do not transfer equipment or XP to their replacements, nor vice versa.
If you've played the same character for at least three months (discounting any significant absences on the part of the player), you may retire that character: they're taken off-base permanently and you get to make a new character. If your new character dies or is put on leave, you may choose whether to bring your old character back, or create a new one. Retired characters may transfer one piece of equipment to their replacement.


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Café De Trésor
The Café with bright window, which is filling with the fashion and modern impression. And the Western and Asian cuisine is met here elegantly.
FuQuan Ge Chinese Restaurant
Embodying the Chinese culture elite, FuQuan Ge Chinese Restaurant consist of 18 compartments and FuQuan Ge hall, with a creation of healthy and traditional Huaiyang cuisine will provide you a special fine dinning experience.
Kingtaikyo Japanese Restaurant
Wind pure Japanese cuisine, not only enable you to get close to the Japanese cuisine, but experience of Japanese culture.
Yun Lobby Lounge
Romantic piano accompanied with various of western deserts, soft drinks and tea, enjoy your free time.


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Broker Licensing
Completing the broker licensing courses will give you the training and education you need to understand how the business of real estate works far beyond buyer and seller transactions.
Prerequisite for Broker License:
- Applicant must be a high school graduate or hold a certificate of equivalency and be 21 years old.
- A background check is required.
- Must be licensed in real estate for a minimum of three years
Completing the Broker Licensing Process:
For LLR licensing process and fees contact the SC Real Estate Commission.
Hours and Pricing:
Broker A | (OPL050005) 30 Hours | $275
Broker B | (OPL050003) 30 Hours | $275
Register and pay in full 5 business days in advance for an early bird price of $250.
Gold Card Price – $200
Gold Card holders must register and pay in full 10 business days before course begins to receive the discount.
Broker A Course – Brokerage Management
This course covers the topics & materials needed to establish a real estate office/brokerage in SC. The Brokerage Management Course (Unit III-A) is one of the two, thirty hour courses that must be completed before applying to take the state Broker Exam. (OPL050005) 30 Hours
Broker A Licensing Course | 9am – 6pm | October 7, 8, 14, 15
Broker B Course – Broker Exam Prep
This course covers the basic subject matter and fundamentals of real estate laws and processes. The Broker's Exam Prep Course (Unit III-B) is one of the two, thirty hour courses that must be completed before applying to take the state Broker Exam. The final course exam must be passed to receive credit for the course.
(OPL050003) 30 Hours
Broker B Licensing Course | 9am – 5pm | October 19, 20, 21, 22
Exam October 27


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70 + Hewlett Packard Enterprise Living Progress expands on more than 70 years of commitment to global citizenship and mobilizes us to tackle the significant challenges facing humanity.
As one of the world's largest information technology companies, what we do and how we do it matters. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Living Progress drives our strategy and action to create a world that is sustainable, where people are thriving and the economy is robust.
Corporate affairs
We are in a unique position to influence public policies that can have a positive impact on people and communities worldwide.
Policies and Standards
Find our own policies and standards here, including those for diversity, environment and supply chain.
Affiliations and memberships
We belong to or affiliate with many organizations that address global citizenship issues.


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Lady Gaga Shows What It's Like to Live With Chronic Pain in New Documentary Trailer
Lady Gaga offers an inside look into a painful part of her life.
After announcing on Sunday that she was postponing the European leg of her Joanne World Tour due to her fibromyalgia condition, a new trailer was released for her upcoming Netflix documentary, Gaga: Five Foot Two, that offers a glimpse into the health struggles she's been facing.
According to the Mayo Clinic, "fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues."
"I have chased this pain for four or five years," Gaga says over scenes of her getting shots at a medical facility.
She then credits her Little Monsters for helping with the discomfort. "But when I feel the adrenaline in my music and my fans, I can f**king go."
MORE: Kesha Sends Message of Support for Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez -- 'Heal Safe and Feel Good'
Gaga also detailed her chronic pain in an Instagram post where she apologized for having to postpone her tour. "I have always been honest about my physical and mental health struggles. Searching for years to get to the bottom of them," she wrote. "It is complicated and difficult to explain, and we are trying to figure it out. As I get stronger and when I feel ready, I will tell my story in more depth, and plan to take this on strongly so I can not only raise awareness, but expand research for others who suffer as I do, so I can help make a difference."
Gaga: Five Foot Two starts streaming on Netflix on Sept. 22.
Here's another look at the singer's emotional documentary:


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Since their inception several decades ago, snowmobiles have improved for better safety and performance for more adventurous snowmobilers. When first manufactured, their basic purpose made traveling across snow-covered landscapes less of a chore that what it was. But as with every produce, snowmobiles have constantly been updated and improved upon as technology and snowmobile lovers have changed. Snowmobiles have been made to go faster and other accommodations have been made to make the sport of snowmobiling more exciting and interesting. As a result, snowmobile competitions have become one of the more popular spectator sports across North America.
The most popular snowmobile competition occurs at the X Games in Aspen, Colorado. In 1998, the Snocross event was added to the roster of the X Games. At the time, it was similar to the Motocross event in that it was a lengthy course with holes and jumps. The Snocross differs from Motocross in that it is held outside and the holes and big jumps are covered in snow. Snowmobilers will enjoy watching this event as current snowmobiles can gain speeds of 70 MPH in less than 4 seconds, making the Snocross event one of the most popular events at the Winter X Games. An added event for 2007 will also be exciting for enthusiasts. The Snowmobile Freestyle event will consist of 10 riders in the first-ever snowmobile freestyle course. Riders and spectators will undoubtedly marvel at the individual runs that include jumps ranging from 45-100 feet, enabling participants to come up with bigger and more awe-inspiring tricks. As an added benefit, the X Games have become a breeding ground for events that often make their way into the Olympics, so Snowmobile Freestyle may soon become an Olympic event.
In Michigan, spectators and sportsmen alike will enjoy watching any of the events that make up a full winter schedule of snowmobiling and snow-related sports. These events often take place at various Michigan county fairgrounds and other venues. Popular snowmobile locations in Michigan are often in Upper Peninsula region of the state in cities like Mackinac, St. Ignace, and Sault Ste. Marie. But there are also places in the Lower Peninsula where the winter weather is ideal for snowmobile enthusiasts, including Cadillac, Traverse City, and Gaylord.
Annual snowmobile regional races take place throughout the northern states. In Minnesota, spectators and enthusiasts will surely enjoy the Minnesota State Championship Series. In Wisconsin, the Northwoods Challenge is a respectable and exciting snowmobile racing event as is the Rock Maple Racing Regional in New Hampshire. Canada is no stranger to snowmobiling, either. The Ski-Doo Grand Prix de Valcourt in Valcourt, Quebec is one of the more recognized and popular events in North America, although Canada is the leader in the snowmobiling and winter sport industry.
Although the X Games provides the most popular venue for snowmobile competitions, every winter there are events occurring across North America in which snowmobilers and spectators can participate. The National Snowmobile Racing Association sponsors and sanctions many of these annual events and they are often broadcast on television so the less adventurous spectators can enjoy the events from the warmth and comforts of their own home. Thanks to the popularity of the X Games, the snowmobiling industry has attracted some of the world's top athletes and a larger group of spectators. The sport of snowmobiling is one of the more exciting events to watch and there is no sign of its popularity fading anytime soon.
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text: Report reply Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) 618 Posted April 21, 2019 Sixth form at Ford Castle - 1968. Photo from Mansel Dinnis's Movie & Memorabilia Website. When I went back to the Movie & Memorabilla website, to update Mansel's copy of the photo with the couple of names from the Bygone Bedlington Facebook group, the website was closed down. I emailed Mansel, over two months ago, and I haven't had a reply back Share this comment Link to comment


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This is was an iPhone. It is broken. Why is it broken? Probably because the owner didn't have a protective case on it. As you can see by the shards of phone surrounding the iPhone's crippled, mangled body, the front screen is made of glass. This is an EXTREMELY broken phone, but in most incidents the screen just shatters.
Welcome to the first of three installments on why you should protect your $500 phone.
The most common question I get is, "Why would I put a $50 case on a $50 phone? If I break it, can't I come back and get another one for $50?" The answer is, "No, you can't." You just signed a new 2-year contract and, if you're lucky and you pay your bills on time, you'll be eligible to get that same deal in 20 months. In the meantime if you walk out of the store and drop your phone on the pavement of the cell phone dealer's parking lot, breaking the phone, you're going to pay the full price. Lets take the iPhone 3GS for example. At the time of this article, it is $49 when you sign a new two-year agreement with AT&T. If you break it and you want to buy a full-price replacement, you're going to pay $425. Now how's that case lookin'? Find the full story after the break...
|This is the Otterbox Defender case with the
gel in one corner pulled away to reveal the
harder plastic inside.
The next level down in protection does not offer any built-in screen protector. These cases cover all edges and the back of the case, and leave the front open. When you get these types of cases, they are best paired with a stick-on screen protector. Examples of these cases are Otterbox Commuters, Speck Candy Shells, or Casemate Pop! cases. The Otterbox commuter is a high-grade silicon inside piece with a hard plastic shell around the outside of it. These still cover up the headphone jack and the charger and cost $40. The Speck and Casemate covers are a one-piece bendier plastic that tends to not break when you drop it. They have rubberized insides with hard plastic outsides. They also come in a ton of different colors. These, paired with a Zagg invisibleSHIELD, prove to be quite formidable against dropping and scratching.
|Hard plastic clip on case for the iPhone 3GS. This is fun, but
doesn't offer any protection for the front of the phone.
|Speck brand cases are one of my favorites. They're skinny,
have harder but still bendier plastic outsides and rubberized
insides and they're all one piece.


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Japan's former Justice Minister Keiko Chiba surprised many people when she ordered the hanging of two convicted killers at the end of July.
For one thing, Chiba is a death penalty abolitionist who, prior to becoming justice minister in September 2009, spoke openly and often about Japan's need to ban a punishment that has been abandoned in law or practice by 70 percent of the nations in the world. For another, Chiba observed these executions, making her the first justice minister to watch the state killings that only this official can authorize.
It is unclear why Chiba ordered these hangings. Perhaps she believed it was her legal duty to do so (though many scholars disagree). There is also evidence that she was pressured by prosecutors in her ministry, who in the past have pushed reluctant ministers to keep the machinery of death moving lest the country drift into another moratorium on executions like the one it experienced for 40 months between 1989 and 1993.
Whatever the reasons, Chiba used the occasion of these executions to stimulate a much-needed discussion of Japan's death penalty, which has long been surrounded by secrecy, silence and ignorance. Among other things, she allowed a handful of reporters to observe the gallows in Tokyo, and she created an insiders-only "study group" in the Ministry of Justice to consider issues related to the retention and use of capital punishment.
Chiba recently was replaced as justice minister by Minoru Yanagida, but before leaving office she stressed that she expects the study group to continue. Toward that end, this essay explores several central questions about capital punishment in Japan, none of which has received the attention it deserves. Transparency
First, what would it mean for the study group to do what Chiba intended it to do: encourage public discussion and debate about the institution of capital punishment?
Permitting a few carefully selected reporters to view the Tokyo gallows is one welcome step away from the thoroughgoing secrecy that surrounds executions in Japan, but it is only a baby step. Observing the gallows when they are not in operation reveals as much about how executions are administered as walking through an empty Tokyo Dome reveals about how the Yomiuri Giants play baseball.
For real information openness to occur, a limited number of journalists and at least a few family members and friends of the victims and condemned must be allowed to watch how the state kills.
Real information openness also requires much more disclosure about the conditions on Japan's seven death rows. A 2009 report by Amnesty International concluded that Japan's treatment of condemned inmates violates its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Because persons on death row are imprisoned in almost total isolation for years or even decades — they are socially extinguished before they are physically killed — many of them develop serious mental health problems.
More information openness should also be extended to the death row inmates themselves, both with respect to their communications with family, friends and supporters (which are highly restricted), and with respect to the timing of their own executions.
At present, inmates on death row are not notified of the date of execution until an hour or two before it occurs. Some inmates are even extracted from their cells on the ruse that they are "wanted in the office." At most, the condemned is given only enough time to clean his or her cell, write a final letter and receive last rites.
Officials in the Ministry of Justice say that the purpose of the sudden your-time- has-come policy is to maintain the "emotional stability" of the condemned, but this is a dubious claim. In reality, the current notification policy means that most inmates live for years on death row not knowing if the present day will be their last. It also means that officials in the ministry who maintain the present policy are shielded from outside scrutiny and criticism — and from last-minute appeals by the condemned. In this sense, the purpose of the present policy appears to be protection.
Transparency also requires officials in the ministry to explain how they choose who will be hanged next. At present, 107 persons (including seven women) have received a finalized sentence of death. Twenty-eight of these people have been eligible to be executed for at least 10 years, and one man has been on death row since 1970. By law, any of the 107 could be chosen to die next, leading some observers to conclude that prosecutors are "playing god" when they choose names to present to the minister of justice for the signature that authorizes hanging.
When Kazuo Shinozawa and Hidenori Ogata were hanged on July 28, they were pushed ahead of 60 men and women who were condemned to death before they were. In the absence of any explanation about the order of execution, decisions about who to hang seem arbitrary and capricious. Public opinion
Surveys show that more than 80 percent of Japanese adults support the death penalty, and many of these supporters believe that the continued use of capital punishment reflects democracy at work. But what is the relationship between public opinion and death penalty policy and practice?
And in the face of widespread public support, is it unrealistic to suppose that Japanese leaders could retire their hangmen and abolish a sanction that more than half of other Asian nations have already quit?
Not if there is political will. When jurisdictions abolish capital punishment, as Hong Kong did in 1993 and the Philippines did in 2006, they invariably do so despite widespread public support for the institution at the time of the policy change. The same is true when countries stop executing without changing the law, as South Korea did in 1997. Sometimes leaders need to lead from the front, not simply follow public opinion.
A related question is how much consideration should be given to the feelings of crime victims and the bereaved. For much of the postwar period they did not receive the regard or help that they should have, though in recent years the situation has improved. But solicitude for victims' feelings can also be taken too far, for in the end the criminal process is not merely a victim-service program. Saying this will not win me many friends among those who have had loved ones murdered, but it does need to be recognized. The criminal justice system must serve a wide array of interests and values.
What is more, when the death penalty is framed as a matter of satisfying victims and helping them to achieve "closure" — as is often the case in Japan and the United States — one important effect is to legitimate a sanction that has become increasingly difficult to justify on other grounds. It is no coincidence that the acceleration of "serving victims" rhetoric corresponded with death penalty increases in both Japan after 2000 and in the United States a decade earlier.
We also must ask how many victims and survivors feel served by capital punishment — and how many feel disserved. In Japan, a death sentence is imposed on only 1 or 2 percent of all homicide offenders — about the same percentage as in the United States.
If the severity of sentence is deemed to reflect how much a victim is valued, then the infrequent application of capital punishment encourages the perception that the vast majority of homicide victims are not fully respected. To prevent this perception, Japan would need to use the death penalty much more often than it does at present. Deterrence
If the death penalty deters better than a long term of imprisonment, then executing convicted killers might be considered a prudent approach to public safety, for fewer people would die in a system with capital punishment than in one without it.
One key question, therefore, is whether the death penalty deters homicide, which in practice is the only offense that leads to a capital sentence in Japan.
The available evidence demonstrates that capital punishment deters no better than a long prison term. In Japan, executions fell from an average of 25 per year in the 1950s to an average of 1.5 per year in the 1980s, yet the country's homicide rate dropped 80 percent over the same period of time.
Likewise, in 1997, the last year that South Korea executed, 23 persons were hanged on Dec. 30. South Korea's execution record is similarly "lumpy" for the previous 35 years, with mass executions on a single day interrupting long periods without any executions, yet there is no discernible difference in homicide between the months or years following mass execution and the months or years preceding it.
The most telling test of the capacity of capital punishment to deter homicide comes from a comparison of Hong Kong and Singapore. These two jurisdictions resemble each other in many ways — British colonialism, economic development, Sinocentric culture — but they have death penalty policies that are as divergent as any can be.
Hong Kong has had no executions since 1966 and formally abolished the death penalty in 1993, while Singapore went from no more than four or five executions a year in the late 1980s to the world's highest execution rates in the mid-1990s, before reducing executions by more than 90 percent in the subsequent decade.
Therefore, Singapore, in practice, has conducted two of the most dramatic death penalty experiments on record — a huge increase followed by an extraordinary decline. Since Hong Kong is execution-free throughout the same period, if the death penalty deters homicide, then we would expect to see major differences in these two cities' murder trends.
But that is not at all what we find. Instead, the murder rates in Hong Kong and Singapore have tracked each other closely for nearly four decades. Singapore's homicide decline started well before the execution surge of the mid-1990s and continued thereafter, leaving the city slightly safer in an era of five or fewer executions per year (2005-2009) than it was with 50 or more (1994-1996).
Hong Kong's homicide experience is so similar that the two cities' murder rates seem to be holding hands since the early 1970s. At present, Hong Kong — with no executions for 44 years — is every bit as safe a city as Singapore.
In 1994, at the peak of Singapore's execution surge, the city-state executed 76 people, which is as many as Japan (with a population 30 times larger) executed in the 30 years between 1978 and 2007. Yet compared to Hong Kong, Singapore received no extra deterrence from its aggressive execution policy. It would be folly to suppose that Japanese jurisdictions enjoy greater crime control benefits from their vastly less frequent use of the same sanction. Looking forward
Nobel Prize laureate Albert Camus observed that "instead of saying that the death penalty is first of all necessary and then adding that it is better not to talk about it, it is essential to say what it really is and then say whether, being what it is, it is to be considered as necessary." Japanese officials have long promoted a "better not to talk about it" policy.
The question they now ought to confront is why they want to keep a sanction that is not needed for crime control, especially when it is inconsistent with the country's best values.
Sometime soon Japanese citizens will be asked to make life and death decisions in lay judge trials. It is difficult to predict what the effects of this new form of lay participation will be.
On the one hand, there is much anxiety about crime in Japan, and there is plenty of room in the lay judge system to allow fear, fury and wishful thinking to shape sentencing decisions. Because of the lifetime confidentiality requirement imposed on lay judges, there is also no way for society to learn what transpired in sentencing deliberations.
On the other hand, there is some evidence suggesting that the more people know about the death penalty, the less they like it. Japan's lay judge system will force many citizens to think more deeply about the death penalty than they ever have before. But that is not enough. If the Ministry of Justice study group is serious about its mission, it will do everything it can to encourage informed discussion about an institution of punishment that is as unnecessary for crime control as it is impossible to administer in a manner that is fair, just and accurate.
David T. Johnson is professor of sociology at the University of Hawaii. His book "The Japanese Way of Justice: Prosecuting Crime in Japan (Oxford University Press, 2002), received awards from the American Society of Criminology and the American Sociological Association. It has been translated into Japanese as "Amerikajin no Mita Nihon no Kensatsu Seido: Nichibei no Hikaku Kosatsu" (Springer-Verlag, 2004). Johnson is also coauthor, with Franklin E. Zimring, of "The Next Frontier: National Development, Political Change, and the Death Penalty in Asia" (Oxford University Press, 2009).
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Witness to Greatness
OK. Now we're even.
Once, I made Andre Agassi cry.
I was a pretty fair tennis player back then -- the best 17-year-old in Seattle, one of the better junior players in the nation, bound for Cal with a tennis scholarship. For my last five months of high school, I went to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, a hot, humid boarding school in Florida, where, for the first time, I trained with some of the best.
"Hey, I'm Andre," he said. "Nice to meet you."
I had just arrived. It was nearly midnight. After a long flight, I'd made my way inside the dorm, laid down my rackets and fallen into a bottom bunk, hoping I wouldn't wake anybody up.
A light came on. There he was, a kid looking down at me from the top bunk.
He had floppy brown hair, a wide smile and bright eyes. Andre Agassi was my first roommate. He was only 14, and it didn't last long. About two weeks later, I moved into another dorm with kids closer to my age. But during those two weeks and for the next few months, I got to know an Andre Agassi that many would not see until his career was nearly over.
Junior tennis operated on a caste system. The very best players tended to stick with the very best -- and the tomato cans with the tomato cans. Most of the top dogs were white, wealthy, sure of themselves. I was none of those. I was good, not great. Middle class, not wealthy. Shy, not sure. Black, not white. It was hard to fit in.
But Andre, the son of an Iranian immigrant who worked at the casinos in Las Vegas, went out of his way to help me. Maybe it was because by birth he was something of an outsider himself.
He showed me where the buses lined up for school in the morning. He made sure I knew when I could fit in some rest during the day, when to line up outside the cafeteria, where to do my laundry, who the tough coaches were. The other kids couldn't care less about helping a newcomer. Here was Andre, though, going out of his way to be nice to someone he'd never known.
His life was hard and complicated. I found this out on the court. There was so much expected of him. And he didn't seem to know how to deal with the emotions that came with being blessed with prodigious talent.
The first time I saw him strike a tennis ball, it was 100 degrees; the air was damp and thick. Most of us were dying, but Andre just couldn't miss. He turned his shoulders, cranked his hips and let it ride -- thwack. Then came another forehand -- thwack. And another -- thwack. I could close my eyes and tell the sound of his black racket swooping through the air and crashing into each ball.
The sound was different. It was deeper, clearer, with a resonance that seemed to swish into my eardrums and stay there. Andre, I had been told, was the best player in the world for his age. Watching him, I wasn't surprised. I thought he possessed genius. I was an excellent athlete, but no matter how hard I worked, I could never make that sound.
Andre was so accomplished that he practiced with the top 17- and 18-year-olds, a group of kids so skilled they could take sets off touring pros. He held his own. He was small and spindly. His serve wasn't very good. But everything else was a version of the Andre who would go on to win Wimbledon, the French Open, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open.
You had to keep the ball away from his forehand. If you went there, and especially if you hit a ball right into his strike zone, he'd stuff a winner down your throat. Nobody could return serves like him. He could already handle serves from the pros, hard serves, the spinning, arcing, curving serves, and ram them back as hard, fast and arcing as they came.
Andre was already better than I was. It took me a couple of months to work my way into the best group of players. The top dogs were surprised to see me. Still, on days when I was hot and my big, left-handed serve was humming, I could beat any of them.
I played Andre twice when I had things going right. It was just practice, but both times I laid into him. Because he was Andre, and because he knew in his bones that he possessed greatness and I did not, losing to me, even losing a couple of practice sets, was something he couldn't handle.
I remember acing him. I remember watching my high bouncing serves shank off his frame. I remember sending my lefty slice so hard into his body that the ball nearly knocked him over. And, I remember his tears.
The second time we played, Andre grew so frustrated that he began to sob, openly, right there on the court, as he waited for my serve, the tears flowing faster with every service winner I hit.
We were interrupted by a booming voice. It was Bollettieri himself, a former Marine, who yelled:
"Andre! I've had enough of this crap! Get off the court! Go to your room!"
I felt sorry for Andre. He seemed unhappy, living as he was -- so far from his family in Las Vegas, with so much expected of him. To me, it felt as if Bollettieri knew what was in store for Andre, and he used every moment he could to teach his budding genius a lesson. He couldn't allow Andre to just melt into a pool of misery on the rare occasion when he was not able to handle a serve.
Andre trudged off the court that day and went to his room, head down, eyes filled with wetness, all alone.
Soon, of course, he turned professional, became a star, and developed a rebel, self-involved, image-is-everything persona. For years, as I went through college, played a bit of minor league professional tennis and then became a journalist, I told anyone who would listen that the Andre I had known wasn't at all like the young Turk in the TV ads.
I figured that the image he cultivated was just a mask, a marketing tool. It is satisfying to know, after seeing him shed that mask and then, over the last few years, give millions of dollars to charity and run his own school for poor kids in Las Vegas, that I had it right.
The real Andre, even before he became a star, is an unusually kind person.
My career earnings, from a single year mired in the minors? About $15,000. His, from 21 years of glory? More than $31 million. I might not have gotten rich playing tennis, but I've always considered myself lucky. Part of it was whom I met along the way. There's Arthur Ashe and Bollettieri, who teamed up to help me go to the academy in Florida. And right beside them in my personal pantheon: Andre.
I was lucky to have been around his greatness, if ever briefly, and lucky to be able to appreciate his evolution, to see it from the start. To see him change from the kind but punky kid, who cried when I aced him, into the prodigy who was all hair and attitude as he swept to the top, and finally into the stunningly graceful man who brought me to tears as I watched him walk off a court in New York, one of the greatest champions of all time.


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