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Today's post is far from our usual post. We have a clients talked to us about her visit to her son who studies in college and stays in the college dorm for the past two years. During the coaching session she mentioned the importance of cleaniness and hygiene for her son's dorm. From our conversations, I discovered a few things about how to keep the college dorm fresh and funky.
College students, especially freshmen, have a reputation for being far from clean. You know the kind of thing I'm on about – if you imagine a college student's dorm room, you probably conjure up an image of an unmade bed surrounded by piles of dirty clothes. As you can probably tell, that isn't exactly a healthy way to live. The air in your room will quickly become stale, and you might find that your dorm room becomes a breeding ground for some very unpleasant germs and bacteria!
Not willing to live like this when you go to college? Well, here is everything you need to know about keeping your dorm room as fresh as possible and free from any funky smells!
Keep On Top Of Your Washing
If you don't do all of your washing and laundry for weeks on end, then there is a really big chance that your room will start to smell. That's just because of all the dirty laundry that will be lying around on the floor! So, you should try and do your laundry once a week. Do it on a specific day each week so that you start to get into the habit of it and never forget.
Get A Good Air Conditioning Unit
It's always good to open your windows as often as possible to air out your bedroom. However, not all dorm rooms will come with windows and sometimes you might be stuck with a very small one that isn't much use. If this sounds like your room, you should invest in a portable aircon so that you can add some freshness to your dorm room whenever it needs any. Not only that, though, but this small aircon unit will also help to keep your room cool throughout the summer months.
Use Some Baking Soda
Can you smell something in your room? Not sure what it is or where it is coming from? That doesn't matter, there is still one way you can successfully get rid of any bad odours. Just use some baking soda! You'll find that this is incredibly cheap to buy in the supermarket. You can simply sprinkle it onto your carpet for some instant freshness, or place a mixture of water and baking soda in a bowl on your windowsill. The soda will absorb any odours from the air!
Add A Few Pot Plants
It's also a nice idea to add a few pot plants to your room. First of all, these will help to brighten things up a bit. Not only that, though, but they can help to freshen the air in your room. In fact, there are some species of plants that are known for removing various toxins from the air. These include ones like spider plants and peace lilies. Pop these in your dorm room and you will rarely have to tackle any foul smells again!
Worried about a smelly dorm room? Now that you know the above tips, you have nothing at all to worry about!
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Lisa Fuller will lead the first session of the Shared Pulpit program on Monday, November 18, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. Six BUUFers have already signed up to participate, and there is room for a maximum of two more. Participants are asked to buy the book "Shared Pulpit" and read the Introduction prior to attending. There will be tea, water and a light snack at this first session.
The Shared Pulpit is "is a complete workshop to help lay people gain experience writing and preaching a full-length sermon for their congregation. This easy-to-use guide for both facilitators and participants provides a step-by-step lesson plan for eight sessions. Workshop members learn about the theory and theology of preaching, then practice writing and speaking with authenticity, gradually building toward composing quality 20-minute sermons. Workshop leaders learn to foster a supportive environment in which participants offer one another helpful feedback. The Shared Pulpit includes a separate leader's guide, readings for homework, sample sermons, and exercises to help first-time preachers polish their preaching craft."
Community Conversations, Small Group Ministry & Welcoming Congregation Committee are teaming up to complete our Welcoming Congregation renewal with a module that informs, educates, and raises awareness about the issues and needs of the LGBTQ+ / TGQNB* community. Join us for this renewal seminar in the month of November with two different date/time opportunities. We will be watching the movie Treasure: From Tragedy to Trans Justice, Mapping a Detroit Story. Following the movie will be a UUA guided discussion. We will also learn the state of inequality for the LGBTQ+ / TGQNB* community in the nation & specifically in Michigan using the HRC State Equality Index.
Please contact email@example.com for more details.
Read Rev. Michael J. Crumpler's letter to UUA congregations for the state of welcoming congregations in the UU faith.
*LGBTQ+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning + Intersex, Asexual and related communities / TGQNB stands for Transgender, Genderqueer and Non-Binary
The next film in our Environmental Justice Film Series will be shown on Thursday, November 21st at 7:00 PM.
(2018) Living the Change explores solutions to the global crises we face today through the inspiring stories of people pioneering change in their own lives and in their communities in order to live in a sustainable and regenerative way. The film is 85 minutes, and after we watch it, we'll discuss what actions we can take on this and other environmental justice issues.
This event is hosted by Berrien UU Fellowship President Harvey Johnson and is free and open to the public. Free popcorn is included; BYOB encouraged. Doors open at 6:30 PM, so come early, get yourself settled and enjoy some popcorn before the show begins at 7:00!
The November Parents' Night Out is scheduled for Saturday, November 23rd. Parents are invited to bring their children to Berrien UU Fellowship at 6:00 PM, where they will eat a healthy meal and engage in fun, kid-friendly activities. Lisa Fuller, Rev. Jim McConnell, Joan Guilfoyle and other adult volunteers will provide child care. Meanwhile, Beth and David La Fleur have invited parents to a potluck dinner, celebration of November birthdays, and game night at their house. Enjoy this opportunity for a relaxing, child-free evening with other BUUF parents.
This Sunday, November 24th, Shawnaque (Shawnee Woman of the South) will share the Inside Scoop on the first Thanksgiving. Deej Leggitt's sermon will be titled "Giving is What We Do." Deej will also drum and lead "Fly Like an Eagle" as a call and response, and both Hunter and Deej will tell the Story for All Ages. Jim Gehring will read "A Poem by Tecumseh," and Lisa Fuller will be our service leader.
Come and celebrate the first Americans and the sacred act of giving.

subset: commoncrawl


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Farmer's Market Opening Day
Written by WBTA STAFF on June 8, 2018
It's the first day for the Farmers Market in downtown Batavia with returning vendors alongside several newcomers already attracting customers for a taste of local fare.
New to the Marketplace for this season is Pickle Annie's who specializes in delicious homemade apple cider vinegars and pickles along with Bad-Ash Bar-B-Que a BBQ food truck from Middleport.
Market Manager Mike Bakos has some special tips for market shoppers…
Beginning in July the Market also gives away a free bag of groceries every week with products donated by the vendors.
Bakos also commented on the DRI project proposal to build an outdoor enclosure to serve as a public marketplace.
He said rain and wind are a big detractor for customers that an outdoor enclosure would address…


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Wow! I just watched all your videos! You have an amazing concept here, letting people actually see and understand each step thoroughly. Everyone has a unique learning process. Personally, I need to be SHOWN how to do something, not just hearing words. I'm a visual learner, I'm sure a lot of folks out here feel the same way. For myself, I'd like to say thank you, thank you for your effort and time spent on helping people truly understand the names of fittings etc. again.. TY!
While decorative concrete may cost more than some other types of flooring, its proponents point to the long life expectancy of this material. Even cracks in the floor can be considered an attractive rustic feature as long as they do not reflect structural problems. Those concerned by the slippery nature of high-gloss sealers can add a non-slip additive to sealer or stain before application.
The average cost of basement remodeling varies based on the square footage of the basement space, if structural changes are needed, and if you are adding in elements such as electrical work for a kitchenette or plumbing for a half bath. Other factors in cost include whether you have design plans already and what work you want done on the finishes such as trim and flooring. Here's a breakdown of the various cost factors.
There is no shortage of modern basement ideas to borrow from. Unused basements tend to get filled with every old and unwanted item in the house from worn out furniture to childhood memorabilia. Unfortunately, this is letting precious square footage go to waste. The basement is a perfect space that could be transformed into a warm and welcoming area for your family and friends to enjoy.
Avoiding Finished Basement Roadblocks This post goes out to all of my fellow d.i.y. basement finishing bosses who are faced with nasty ugly basement obstacles, that are smack in the middle of Basement Progress Avenue. You know what I'm talking about...speed bumps like poles, pipes, wires, beams maybe a furnace or a water heater...you name it...right where you wish they weren't located....
A luxurious modern basement home features a custom bowling alley room with two regulation size lanes, automatic Brunswick pinsetter machines, automatic lane cleaning/conditioning machine, secondary ball return storage rack, projection screen at the end of the lanes, medium tone wood plank flooring, wooden transition strip is incorporated onto the flush-mounted lane surface, different colored neon lights are installed on the walls adding a more modern accent , a mini bar and state of the arts swivel chairs.
Create a restful retreat with a cottage inspired basement with a built-in wood bench and a cozy bed nook. Cool neutral color scheme of tan, pale blue, cream and white combined with minimal furnishings gives this area a warm and welcoming ambiance. For small finished bedroom ideas a built in bench that can be converted in to a bed with under cabinet storage is a great space saver and can increase the home's value.
Finished basement made use of existing materials and transformed it into an elegant basement living room. Painted concrete floors and concrete hollow blocks walls are painted in classic white and cool gray. Exposed beams are furnished with industrial lights which provide ample lights to the room. Comfy, soft upholstered sofas and accent chair in neutral colors adds coziness, perfect place to sit back and relax. Splash of patterns and colors from the area rug, accent chair and throw pillows gives a warm and welcoming ambiance.
This basement was nothing more than a dumping ground for holiday decorations and too-small clothing until the family realized its hidden potential. To open the basement to the outdoors and create a walkout, they excavated 5 feet out of the backyard. A set of double doors and windows, with the same details that match the rest of the home, were installed and allow light to fill the space.
Before you even consider color, you want to have lighting in the space figured out. If you don't have any natural light, how are you going to brighten up the space? Will you use pot lights or track lighting, will you supplement with floor and table lamps? Your paint will look worlds different if you change your lighting after you paint, so try to sort out your lighting needs first.
Estimate the overall cost to install drywall in the basement at approximately $1.50 per square foot. The basic drywall panel measures 8-feet tall and 4-feet wide and is available in thicknesses that range from 1/4" to 5/8". This standard panel usually costs between $10 and $20. Price will vary depending on the brand, panel's thickness, and if it has any special features like mold resistance which may be beneficial for a basement space. Other material costs when adding drywall include the hardware to secure it to the framing, joint tape, and drywall mud.
If you are going for a movie screening room, then go with a dark neutral, or simply go dark. You want the walls to recede and you don't want a lot of glare from your projection equipment or tv. Make sure to use a flat paint and paint the ceiling in a dark neutral to prevent light from bouncing around and creating glares. For a classic, old world move theater feeling, go with a rich burgundy or deep navy.
This practice basement room is haven for the music lovers, a retreat to express yourself through music and perfect place for a much-needed privacy and band practice. Complete with drum set, keyboard and a collection of different types of guitars, are instruments which make it possible for beautiful songs to be composed and played to the musician's heart content.
This beautiful luxurious wine cellar basement with dining table is a haven for wine lover homeowners and their guest to enjoy and unwind. This wine cellar innovation is an efficient and proper way to store and keep vintage wine collection. Traditional custom made cabinetry with natural wood finish is the best choice for this wine cellar; it is designed to prevent airborne contaminants to spoil those vintage wines. The coffered ceiling with recessed lights, crystal chandelier and patterned flooring complete the traditional rustic style.
After your new bathroom is complete, or you have remodeled an existing space, get it inspected to ensure all plumbing and electrical installation are done correctly. If your bathroom needs to be installed from the ground up, expect to pay somewhere between $6,000 and $15,000 for the entire project. If your basement is already finished but does not yet have the necessary plumbing for a bathroom in the space, you can expect to pay between $200 - $500 to hire a plumber.
1. Evaluate the space. Be sure to consider potential obstacles to your basement remodel like low ceilings, excessive moisture or ventilation concerns. Determine if your basement needs to be professionally waterproofed before spending tens of thousands of dollars to renovate it as neglecting to address moisture issues will simply result in expensive damage repairs.
Planning is the first stage with any basement bathroom installation. For a basement that's designed as a recreation room, work space, or kids' play area, a half-bath (stool and sink, but no shower or tub) is adequate. A basement with bedroom or en suite needs a full bathroom. Knowing how you plan to use the basement living space typically dictates the functional purpose of its bathroom.
Even if it's currently cold concrete and crammed with boxes of off-season duds, the lowest floor of your home probably has loads of potential. Treat it just as you would any of the rooms aboveground, and it might just become the most popular spot in the house—for a lot less cash than adding on. Here's our bottom-line advice for turning this underutilized space into a place you'll be eager to spend time in.
Adding or enlarging basement windows and adding exterior doors are jobs for a professional, but the resulting natural light and ventilation will significantly increase your enjoyment of this living space. To add below-ground windows you'll need to dig a window well. The retaining wall for the well may be made of masonry, limestone blocks, or treated landscape timbers, as in this window well. The terraced timbers serve as pot garden perches as well as steps for an emergency exit.
Even if you do not use an online tool, plan extensively beforehand as to exactly what you plan to do. What color will the wall be? Will you put in any art? What flooring style will you go for? If your budget allows, you can consult an interior designer for recommendations. One advantage of such planning is that it allows you to set out a budget that you can work within, ensuring that you are not caught short of cash in the middle of your project.
This fun and sophisticated football and baseball inspired sports room basement, features leather seats and sleek modern furniture is a perfect place for family members and friends to gather and watch Sunday night football. The display shelves of sports memorabilia draw attention to a collection of all those valuable and unique sports souvenirs. This basement combined with a home workout gym is designed to keep you fit while having fun.
This contemporary basement media room features a living room with comfortable long brown leather couch with tufted ottoman; multiple TV screens are perfect when watching movies on a weekday evening or weekend, or watching your favorite sports live. Components and other things are tucked away in the custom-built cabinets below. Neutral, monotone colors and layout scheme makes the basement hangout open and bright.
Cork is an eco-friendly flooring material that can be installed over an existing floor or concrete. Cork is derived from the bark of the cork tree, meaning trees are not cut down during harvesting. Cork flooring is durable and has good insulating qualities, but if you choose cork flooring for your basement, make sure you choose a type that is recommended for a basement environment as not all cork flooring is appropriate for basements.
Take a basement spare bedroom one step further by turning your downstairs into an apartment suite. Go with a kitchenette with updated appliances and an island, a small space to put a couch for lounging, a half wall to create the boundaries of a bedroom, and a bathroom. You can rent the space out to earn some extra money, or let your college kids stay there in between living arrangements and jobs.
Stucco can be applied directly to cinderblocks, and the process is fairly easy. Since masonry walls are strong, a support system is not required. All that is needed is application of a concrete bonding agent. Traditional application requires a scratch coat, brown coat and finish coat. Advantages of stucco include the unique patterns and textures that can be created to add interest to the basement space. The material is durable and able to accept numerous colors.
Even if you do not use an online tool, plan extensively beforehand as to exactly what you plan to do. What color will the wall be? Will you put in any art? What flooring style will you go for? If your budget allows, you can consult an interior designer for recommendations. One advantage of such planning is that it allows you to set out a budget that you can work within, ensuring that you are not caught short of cash in the middle of your project.
This basement was nothing more than a dumping ground for holiday decorations and too-small clothing until the family realized its hidden potential. To open the basement to the outdoors and create a walkout, they excavated 5 feet out of the backyard. A set of double doors and windows, with the same details that match the rest of the home, were installed and allow light to fill the space.
Are you thinking about finally completing your unfinished basement? While the average basement remodel cost is around $6,500 to $18,500, the return on investment can be up to 69%. That means having a finished basement is not only great for entertaining guests, but it's also incredibly profitable for you because it's a home feature buyers want. Here are some basement remodeling ideas to help you get started!
Elegantly designed finished basement which features an arched entry leading to the home bar is an inspiration for a timeless European style design. Light tone cabinetry provides more additional storage space. Granite countertop blends well with the whole color scheme. Neutral colored patterned ceramic tile flooring works well with the whole design scheme.
For a playroom, keep it cheerful and bright. A lovely lemon-curd yellow is a great choice provided you have ample lighting. Any yellow tone will look muddy in a dimply lit room, so keep that in mind when selecting paint colors. If you want to be really adventurous, purple is perfect for a basement playroom. Purple inspires creativity and energy and is great for the playroom that will double as a creative space.
Avoiding Finished Basement Roadblocks This post goes out to all of my fellow d.i.y. basement finishing bosses who are faced with nasty ugly basement obstacles, that are smack in the middle of Basement Progress Avenue. You know what I'm talking about...speed bumps like poles, pipes, wires, beams maybe a furnace or a water heater...you name it...right where you wish they weren't located....


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The fifth annual conference on Transnational Journalism History will be held May 28-29, 2020, at Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia.
Papers that study historical transformations in journalism from a transnational perspective are being sought. The deadline to submit papers is Feb. 1.
Conference organizers welcome papers that discuss theoretical or methodological issues as well as empirical case studies from all parts of the world. Specifically, here are possible contributions:
Abstracts of maximum 500 words (for research-in-progress), full papers (for completed projects) and panel proposals (max. 4 papers; 400-word panel description and 150-word abstract of each paper) should be submitted to firstname.lastname@example.com by Feb. 1, 2020. Submissions will be blind reviewed.
Conference fee is still being finalized but should be around $75 and will include coffee/tea breaks, lunches and conference dinner. Keynote speaker will be announced in the next months.
This conference is sponsored by the journalism and mass communication programs at Augusta University, at Dublin City University in Ireland, Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, and the Centre for Media and Journalism Studies at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
Any questions may be addressed to Debbie van Tuyll (firstname.lastname@example.com), Marcel Broersma or Frank Harbers via firstname.lastname@example.com, or Mark O'Brien (firstname.lastname@example.com).
Book project
The conference organizers are working toward the publication of a Companion to Transnational Journalism History. Submissions for the conference will also be considered (in adapted form) for publication in the handbook, and discussions during the conference will be geared toward preparing the publication.
About Transnational Journalism History
Transnational journalism history acknowledges that cultural forms are produced and exchanged across borders. It focuses on the interactions between agents, ideas, innovations, norms and social and cultural practices, and their consecutive incorporation and adaptation into national frameworks. By moving back and forth between the national and transnational level, the connective and dialectic nature of these movements is emphasized. It thus treats the nation as only one phenomenon among a range of others, instead of being the primary frame for analysis.
This opens new venues for research because journalism history is institutionally and topically still confined primarily to national boundaries. This holds true for studies restricted to the development of journalism in one country, like most press histories, as well as studies that take nations as units for comparative research. Differences and, to a lesser extent, similarities in professional practices and news coverage are usually discussed as autonomous developments and ascribed to national peculiarities. Transnational journalism history critically interrogates these national paradigms and provides new ways forward.
Copyright © 2019 AJHA ♦ All Rights Reserved
Contact AJHA via email


text: 2020-06-05: News Headlines Vijay Prashad (2020-06-05). Goliath is not invincible. mronline.org Last year, I walked with Mariela Machado in her housing complex known as Kaikachi in the neighbourhood of La Vega (Caracas, Venezuela). After Hugo Chávez was inaugurated president in 1999, a group of working-class residents of the city saw an empty piece of land and occupied it. Mariela and others went to the government and … Manar Alkuzweny, Anita Raj, Sanjay Mehta (2020-06-05). [Letter] Preparing for a COVID-19 surge. thelancet.com As of May 12, 2020, over 4.2 million cases of COVID-19 across 187 countries have been reported, of which 1.3 million have occurred in the United States (US) alone [1]. Although many infected individuals will have mild symptoms, older patients are disproportionately more likely to progress to severe disease (US adults aged 65—84 are hospitalized at a rate of 31—59%, and infected adults over 85 at a rate of 31—70%) [2]. As hospital capacity and the population density of older adults vary considerably across the country and worldwide, understanding which regions will face disproportionate burden fr… Zoe PC (2020-06-05). How do you resist a hybrid war amid a pandemic? peoplesdispatch.org The COVID-19 pandemic has provoked a series of unexpected challenges in countries across the world. However amid the uncertainty, crisis and tragedy, we have seen traces of a more humane society based in solidarity. In several countries, States have committed to paying the salaries of workers that lost their jobs, some have implemented a basic income, and the healthcare systems have been re-nationalized. These measures have shown not only that it is not antagonistic to protect and support the people but long term it is actually better for the economy. On the international level, China and Cuba stand out for showi… Caitlin Johnstone (2020-06-05). Smartphone Cameras Are The Windows Into Society's Soul. thealtworld.com In ages past we knew hardly anything about what was going on in a given civilization. Mythology about a population's history were handed down around campfires in the form of verbal tradition from generation to generation. When the written word came around we invented something called "history", which was really just records of the ancient propaganda from whoever happened to have won the most recent war. Then later on we got very clever and invented something called "journalism", which was really just whatever stories the people who controlled the media wanted told. | None of these presentations were particularly… Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-05). Taxing large fortunes, a tool of social justice. peoplesdispatch.org Several countries around the world are discussing a tax on large fortunes to deal with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The question of combating extreme inequality is a political decision that governments have to make. | According to an Oxfam study, since 2015, the richest population, which accounts for 1% of the total, has more wealth than the rest of the planet. Small elites of countries seize an increasing proportion of national income, while hundreds of millions of people still do not have access to potable drinking water or enough food for their families. | The gap between rich and poor people wid… Philip Giraldi (2020-06-04). Operating Outside the Rule of Law: Washington Pressures International Criminal Court. globalresearch.ca There is apparently no limit to what the United States and Israel can get away with without any consequences. The United States has been waging devastating economic warfare against Iran and Venezuela while also blaming China for a global health … Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz (2020-06-04). Venezuelan Government and Opposition Reach Deal to Fight Coronavirus. venezuelanalysis.com Spain has agreed to transfer $10 million in frozen Venezuelan funds to the Pan American Health Organization's medical efforts in the country. Helen Yaffe (2020-06-04). Leading by Example: Cuba in the Covid-19 Pandemic. counterpunch.org The response of socialist Cuba to the global SARS-CoV2 pandemic has been outstanding both domestically and for its international contribution. That a small island nation, subjected to hundreds of years of colonialism and imperialism and, since the Revolution of 1959, six decades of the criminal United States blockade, can play such an exemplary role is due to Cuba's socialist system. Luis Alberto Martinez-Juarez, Ana Cristina Sedas, Miriam Orcutt, Raj Bhopal (2020-06-04). [Commentary] Governments and international institutions should urgently attend to the unjust disparities that COVID-19 is exposing and causing. thelancet.com During the COVID-19 pandemic, world leaders should pay more attention to those populations living in the poorest conditions, such as the homeless, those in prisons, poor ethnic & racial minorities, and millions of distressed migrants and refugees in unsanitary camps, settlements, shelters or detention centres. These vulnerable groups are most likely to suffer the consequences of inadequate and equitable access to testing, treatment and medical care [1]. Socio-economic circumstances determine the distribution of health conditions in populations and the severity of outcomes. Brett Heinz (2020-06-04). The UN's Anti-Poverty Proposal for Latin America: a "Basic Emergency Income" counterpunch.org The economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis on Latin America could be potentially devastating, according to a new Special Report by the UN's Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). The report, based on the available data in mid-April, has estimated a -5.3 percent drop for the region's GDP growth in 2020 — Jake Johnston (2020-06-04). The OAS Picks Sides in Haiti … Again. cepr.net Haitian president Jovenel MoàØse, governing without parliament after terms expired in January without new elections taking place, is facing increasing questions over when, exactly, his own presidential mandate ends. MoàØse assumed the presidency after 2015 presidential elections, which had to be rerun after the discovery of widespread irregularities that undermined the credibility of the vote. … Jen Moore (2020-06-04). Defending Land and Water From Mining Profiteers in the Time of Covid-19. counterpunch.org Over the years, the mining industry has taken advantage of dictatorship, disasters, and a variety of distractions to expand operations in Latin America. In the time of Covid-19, with entire populations under lockdown and economies falling apart, mining companies have also hopped on the pandemic profiteering bandwagon. The potential implications are wide-reaching. In Latin America, Anya Parampil (2020-06-03). Venezuelan Embassy Protection Collective wins legal victory in face of hostile Obama-appointed judge & govt prosecution. thegrayzone.com The sentencing of the final four from the Venezuelan Embassy Protection Collective marked another defeat for Juan Guaidó and his… Vijay Prashad (2020-06-03). CoronaShock and the Hybrid War against Venezuela. mronline.org CoronaShock is a term that refers to how a virus struck the world with such gripping force; it refers to how the social order in the bourgeois state crumbled, while the social order in the socialist parts of the world appeared more resilient. G. Dunkel (2020-06-03). Big banks profit from COVID-19 as food, shelter, even water at risk for millions. workers.org On top of COVID-19, another epidemic — one of growing hunger, evictions and foreclosures — now looms over millions of poor people in the United States. They are disproportionately Indigenous, African Americans, Latinx and other people of color. Many live far from big population centers. From March to the end . . . | Joe Emersberger (2020-06-03). U.S. campaign against Cuba's medical brigades targets healthcare, not 'forced labor'. mronline.org For decades, Cuba has sent tens of thousands of its medical professionals abroad to work in countries where natural disasters or poverty have left people without healthcare. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the catastrophic U.S. response to it, the absurdity of a propaganda war against Cuban medical missions has become more obvious … Kenneth Surin (2020-06-03). The UK Compared With Other Countries on the Pandemic. counterpunch.org As I write (the weekend of 30-31 May), the UK's death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic has reached 38,489. Even the rightwing Financial Times regards this figure as an under-estimate, and says the actual toll is 60,300. The Murdoch-owned Sky News reports that the UK's population-adjusted COVID19 death toll has now overtaken Italy's: UK: 543 Alexander Rubinstein (2020-06-02). Top Venezuelan opposition leaders blame The Grayzone and Nicolas Maduro for US uprising against police brutality. thegrayzone.com Unhinged right-wing Venezuelan opposition leaders point to Max Blumenthal's t-shirt as evidence of a devious plot by the government of… Stephen Sefton (2020-06-02). Nicaragua — False Witness, False Memory. COVID-19 and Nicaragua's Community Approach to Health Care. globalresearch.ca On Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The standard Western canonical sources of record, namely international institutions, non-governmental organizations and media outlets, practically universally contend that all three countries are authoritarian or even tyrannical regimes, denying their peoples' basic democratic rights. The … Ricardo Vaz (2020-06-02). US Sanctions Shipping Companies, Torpedoes Venezuela Oil-for-Food Deal. venezuelanalysis.com Washington is cracking down on swap deals that provide Venezuela with food, fuel and other vital imports in exchange for crude oil. Wang TY. (2020-06-01). Public Health Interventions for Lowering Dietary Sodium Intake. jamanetwork.com The link between dietary sodium intake and hypertension has been well established, with reductions in dietary sodium intake being associated with decreases in blood pressure and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The World Health Organization recommends reducing sodium intake (limit sodium intake to <5 g [87 mmol] per day for adults) as one of the most cost-effective measures that countries can take to improve general population health outcomes. Paul Dobson (2020-06-01). Venezuela Inaugurates New Fuel System, Increases Local Production. venezuelanalysis.com The new model features dual prices, dollar payments and private import permits, ending the state's 50-year monopoly on fuel supply. Nash Landesman (2020-06-04). Across Colombia, Red Flags of Despair Fly as Harsh COVID Lockdown Is Extended for a Third Time. anti-empire.com Bogota, Colombia — Red flags hang draped from the doors, rooftops and windows of Bogota's impoverished southern neighborhoods. They symbolize the suffering wreaked by a now thrice-extended house-arrest and quarantine policy purportedly aimed at containing the Coronavirus. While the pandemic has infected only a few thousand people out of a population of more than thirty million in Colombia, the quarantine has caused prolonged unemployment, a wave of housing evictions, and rioting; fueling scourges like domestic violence while pushing many to the edge of starvation. | Colombia's tragedy mirrors those of the m… ahtribune (2020-06-01). Thierry Deronne :"The Revolt That Is Happening in the United States Is the Same One That Founds the Resistance of the Venezuelan People" ahtribune.com Mohsen Abdelmoumen: What is the current situation in Venezuela? | Thierry Deronne: The daily problems derived from the US blockade and sabotage, such as the lack of water, gas, electricity, petrol, or the price war of a predominant sector, which have brutally reduced the purchasing power, have not caused the popular revolt that the United States is hoping for. On the one hand because the government continues to invent restraint barriers, allowances, food at low prices, on the other hand because the population has been in a resistance school for at least six years, helps each other and adapts very quickly. The… RT (2020-06-05). Paris denies that Guaido is hiding in French Embassy in Caracas as Venezuela demands he be handed over. rt.com France has rejected allegations that Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has been holed up inside the nation's diplomatic mission in Caracas. Venezuelan authorities earlier labeled Guaido a "fugitive from justice." | "Juan Guaido is not at the French residence in Caracas. We have repeatedly confirmed this to the Venezuelan authorities," French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Agnes von der Muhll said. | Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza earlier claimed that Guaido, who was named 'interim president' by the opposition-controlled parliament last year, has been hiding inside the French Embassy, and deman… RT (2020-06-05). Venezuelan FM says Guaido is holed up in French Embassy in Caracas, calls on Paris to 'hand over the fugitive'. rt.com Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has taken refuge at the French Embassy in the country's capital, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said. Guaido previously sought to shoot down the rumors, insisting he is "with the people." | "We cannot enter the premises of any country's embassy whatsoever, in this case Spain or France," Arreaza said on Thursday, referring to both Guaido and fellow opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who fled to a Spanish diplomatic compound soon after a failed attempt to spark an insurrection in April 2019. Arreaza said this means that any arrest of the two men "is not possible." | We hop… Eds. (2020-06-02). Is the Republican Party Fascist? mronline.org Donald Trump is the culmination of how the Republican Party has been developing for years. Together they threaten to establish an authoritarian state in the service of big capital. They endanger the lives, health, and living standards of the working class and the rest of the population. But supporting the Democratic Party is not the … _____ (2020-06-04). Protectors Of The Venezuelan Embassy Victorious After Federal Charges Are Dropped. popularresistance.org Federal charges against the four protectors of the Venezuelan Embassy, who defended the building in Washington DC against violent opposition crowds for several weeks between April 10 and May 16 of 2019, were completely dropped in a case that was brought directly by prosecutors of the Trump administration. | After several months of proceedings that produced a mistrial in February 2020, the four activists expressed in a public statement that "Today's sentence marks yet another victory in the effort to protect the Venezuelan Embassy. The Embassy Protection Collective broke through the blockade and got supplies to th… Last Process: 28 Citations: 2020-06-05 16:17 GMT (12:17 EST)


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Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.4L
You can expect a lot from the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. With less than 40,000 miles on the odometer, this 4 door sport utility vehicle prioritizes comfort, safety and convenience. Under the hood you'll find a 4 cylinder engine with more than 170 horsepower, and for added security, dynamic Stability Control supplements the drivetrain. All of the premium features expected of a Hyundai are offered, including: 1-touch window functionality, a tachometer, a trip computer, air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, power windows, and a split folding rear seat. Hyundai ensures the safety and security of its passengers with equipment such as: dual front impact airbags with occupant sensing airbag, head curtain airbags, traction control, brake assist, a security system, and 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS. Sophisticated all wheel drive technology maintains a firm grip on the road. A Carfax history report provides you peace of mind by detailing information related to past owners and service records. Our experienced sales staff is eager to share its knowledge and enthusiasm with you. They'll work with you to find the right vehicle at a price you can afford. We are here to help you.


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16 videos
When studying the Qur'an, writing notes can be very useful. However, is it disrespectful to write in the Qur'an? Should the Qur'an not be written in?
It is permissible to write in your personal mus'haf if you are learning tajweed, or how to read, or if you are studying the meaning of the Qur'an.
Shaykh Mohammed Mana answers the question further
No transcription found
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Announcements - 2004/01 - Mirror, Mirror
January 2004 - Patch Page
Click image for full size version.
Original Link (now dead) - http://microsoftgamesinsider.com/AC1/jan04_teaser.htm
January '04 Teaser
Mirror, Mirror
The cold black walls were home. There was no other explanation for the warmth that spread through him. Since Kaedrix had made him aware that the Virindi were leaving the home of his Lord, the Mirror had wanted to see the halls, the halls of Bael'Zharon, the Hopeslayer, the most fearsome entity that this world had ever known. His Lord.
A thin black smile stretched across his shadowy face, and his children began leaving him. They pulled themselves from his body and swarmed along the walls, into the shadows and along the floor. The children giggled and danced and played, as all good children should. Finally, he was home.
The Virindi had not been to this depth. They had not violated the sanctity of the deepest temple. Here he had stood so long ago with his Lord and the other chosen, performing rites to call the black breath to scourge the world and bring about the destruction of it all.
The children suddenly stopped dancing and giggling. Playtime was done; now the air grew colder as the Mirror's eyes blazed and spilled red across the ebon floor. The thin smile turned to a dark scowl and the crown atop his head spilled shadowy fumes about him. The children gathered into a circle on the floor, sitting in silence—no, not silence, reverence. The Mirror made his way to an altar set into the wall. A basin filled with bubbling black blood was set within the stone and lit from above by some spectral form of crimson light. Here was the place it would begin again.
The children waited expectantly. The Mirror dipped a shadowy hand into the blood and lifted it to his lips. As he drank, strength flowed through him once more. Power flooded into his arms and his eyes burned brighter, flooding the cavern with radiant light he looked up to the ceiling…there, gathered and huddled in the darkness, were thousands of sleeping forms. The Mirror turned his attention to the children who waited, so patiently, such good children. They deserved a reward. They deserved a story.
"Such precious children, obedient and silent. You have earned a story, children. But this story is unlike any other I have told you, for you shall live it." His hand dipped into the blood again, but this time his fingers extended, etching symbols onto the wall behind the altar. "It begins before the coming of our new Lord, when the world was dark with rain and the Black Breath reached to cleanse the Lightbringer's blight. It was then that our Lord, our First Lord, asked me of children."
"Such a painful wound on the mind, heart and soul of our Lord, as his own son had been taken from him. But still he spoke to me of children, asking how to teach them and speak to them as I had done. How to love children as I did, and how to mold them in his own image." The Mirror drew the face of his master in the blood and then a smaller form beside him. The images took on a ghostly white sheen and began to move about one another. "My master could not have the children he wanted, so I made children from him and for him." The images danced and combined, then parted, splitting into several small winged outlines. The Mirror smiled. "Now it is time for Ler Rhan to revisit his master's children and wake them from their slumber. Would you children like to help?"
The small shadow forms nodded their heads in unison and Ler Rhan, the Mirror, smiled once again. Tendrils of darkness began pouring from his mouth and from the top of his crown. A web-work stretched over his children, reaching to the top of the giant cavern and touching the motionless forms.
"Such good children. Take his blood, take the blood of my master, and feed his children. We shall wake them and then we shall take what is ours."
The children clamored one by one, by the tens, the hundreds, then by the thousands to carry the black blood through the webs to the cavern's ceiling. There, they dripped the viscous liquid into sleeping mouths and fled to the safety of the floor below. Ler Rhan cast his red gaze toward the ceiling and marveled as the forms started moving.
"Good children, good." The tendrils retreated into his form and the children began clapping, leaping, dancing and playing again. The first Margul descended and landed before Ler Rhan. He bowed his head to the little creature and it spoke.
"Where is father?" It tilted its head to the side. "We awake and do not feel his call."
"Father is…resting." Ler Rhan responded and the children hushed. The little creature looked to the ceiling and his brethren. It looked back to Ler Rhan.
"We remember you. You are the Creator. You are the teacher, and despoiler. We shall serve as father wishes." It bowed low, pulling its wings about it as it did. Ler Rhan nodded.
"We have much to do." His shadowy children, staring in awe, began crawling toward him, toward the little creature. "These are my children. There are many others coming, children of the new master. They will arrive soon and then we take the land above and claim it once again."
The little creature bowed its head again. It let out a call and above Ler Rhan thousands of wings began flapping and cries echoed through the cavernous halls.
Lord Aerbax, the children of the Hopeslayer are wakened.
Excellent. Continue with your efforts and rend the land asunder, drive out those who cling to the ideals of the Quiddity, and loose my children on the world. Take back the home of your former master. Let me rest, the transformation is far from complete.
As you wish, Lord Aerbax.
"Go!" Ler Rhan commanded.
Rollout Article
Original Link (now dead) - http://microsoftgamesinsider.com/AC1/jan04rollout.htm
Rollout Article - January
Ayan Baqur saw it first, a black pillar billowing far to the southwest. It rose into the sky and threatened to block out the sun. The black pillar cleared and the ground shook as a wave approached the shore of the direlands. Water rose as the wave crashed just below the edge of the city and dragged the creatures on the western coast into the sea.
When the waves ceased to crash they saw them, teeth that rose toward the sky. The mountains of the island in the southwest had risen to be like knives. The island was changed and only the heartiest and most adventurous would dare travel there now.
While this transpired in the west, High Queen Elysa approved the work of the council in enhancing the methods of communications within monarchies. The work of months came to fruition as the whispers of all sworn to her could speak amongst themselves at last.
The Sho town of Shoushi saw the first of her improvements as a lifestone was anchored in the center of the town. Asheron and Nuhmudira remained apart from the endeavor. The work instead fell to Shoyanen Kenchu, Master of the Right Hand, who also completed the task of reworking the portal space beacon. The town saw an increased interest from the bestial inhabitants of Dereth, their curiosity piqued by the attention the town received.
The Ongoing Saga
The High Queen continues her work with the same intensity that she has shown since awakening from her coma. As the newly restructured High Council sits down to business, the eruption of darkness in the southwest reminds all that Dereth still has many dangers.
Now let's take a look at some of the changes coming in this month's event.
Content Revisions
As we've hinted at all month, the Singularity Caul and many of the quests associated with it have been revised. Hopefully you took our warning and didn't leave any characters logged off on the Caul, otherwise they may be in for a nasty fall, followed by an encounter with some of its new inhabitants.
In addition, we've revised much of the content around the starter town of Shoushi, rebalancing and tweaking where we felt it was necessary. Over time, we plan on retouching all of the older towns in this manner, as well as making other changes and improvements to make them more fun and valuable to spend time in.
Fellowship XP
In the December event, we made a change to the location of the Marketplace to prevent players from gaining fellowship XP while trading or idling there. In the December Rollout Article, we said, "We intend to fix the code that allows fellowship XP to be shared between players who are not in the same dungeon." This month, we've made good on that intention.
As of this event, you will no longer receive fellowship XP from fellowship members:
- If they are indoors while you are outdoors, or vice-versa.
- If you are both indoors but in different landblocks.
"Indoors" means inside a dungeon, or inside a building or cave on the surface. As almost all dungeons are in different landblocks, this means that you can no longer gain fellowship XP if you are in a different dungeon than the rest of your fellowship.
In addition, we have decreased the maximum distance between fellowship members at which you can share fellowship XP. In the past, you could be about 8 map units away from each other and still receive full fellowship XP. (8 map units is the distance between 0.0N, 0.0W, and 8.0N, 0.0W.) After that, the amount that you receive would decrease slowly. For example, you could be about 48 map units away approximately the distance between Lytelthorpe and Al-Jalima and still receive 50% of fellowship XP.
Starting with this event, you must be within a little less than 2.5 map units to receive 100% of fellowship XP. After that it will drop off quickly when you are more than 5 map units away from your fellows, your fellowship XP will be at 0%.
These changes are intended to reinforce the design of fellowships as groups of allied players, working together either in hunting or questing.
PK/L Radar Blips
We listened to the negative feedback that we received regarding the PK/L radar blip changes that were made in the November 2003 event. To improve the ability to correctly identify friend from foe, as well as determine the number of possible opponents, we're making the following tweaks:
- Threat blips the X's have been made smaller so that they no longer overlap in confusing ways. They are now the same size as the standard blips.
- Allegiance threat blips the X's on top of squares have been removed as they did not have the intended effect. Allegiance members are squares, no matter what their PK/L status may be.
Here's an example of how things should work now: If you have two spells cast on you, one which increases your maximum mana by 50 and one which decreases your maximum mana by 20, your total increase should be 30. If you then had another spell cast on you which increased your maximum mana by 80, it would override the increase of 50, and you would have a total increase of 60.
Max Mana Spells
There are several spells in the game that either increase or decrease a player's maximum mana. Many of these spells did not stack properly. This has now been fixed. Spells that increase or decrease your maximum mana should now stack based on the amount of their effect.
Release Notes
Original Link (now dead) - http://microsoftgamesinsider.com/AC1/jan04_devnotes.htm
Developer's Notes - January
New Functionality and Content
- Allegiance chat! See the Letter to the Players for details. Please note that the old allegiance broadcasts can still be done with the /allegiance command, just type /allegiance, . Don't forget the comma!
- The Singularity Caul has been revised. Please see the Rollout Article for details.
- Shoushi and its surrounding content has seen some revisions. Please see the Rollout Article for details.
- Fellowship XP across distances, and between dungeons, has been adjusted. Please see the Rollout Article for details.
Miscellaneous Improvements and Changes
- Radar blips for PK and PKL players have been changed. Please see the Rollout Articlefor details.
- The color of direct tells has been adjusted. Tells that you receive are still bright yellow, but tells that you send are now a dull yellow.
- The spells that increase or decrease your maximum mana now stack in a more logical manner. Please see the Rollout Article for details.
- Signs in town can now be read simply by examining them no more need to double-click them.
- Some NPCs in towns, particularly those tied to starter quests or the Explorer quests, no longer collect monster trophies.
- The body parts for guises and masks have stopped dropping from creatures. Look for their return next Festival season!
- The appearance of the sleek dress has been improved, particularly when dyed.
- Poison is now house-hookable.
- The translated Missives to the World Shaper are no longer droppable or giveable.
- The trees on Aerlinthe have been decreased in number to improve graphics performance.
- Belt pouches and baskets can now be purchased in multiple colors.
- Baskets, belt pouches, and sacks now have the same value and burden as backpacks. Regular and small Tusker backpacks now have the same value and burden as the large Tusker backpack.
- The new leather boots can now be tinkered and dyed properly.
- The new leather gauntlets can now be dyed winter blue.
- You will no longer see house guest or storage messages from characters that you have squelched.
Minor Details
- The Tusker Obliterator and Olthoi Sentinel have been changed for balance.
- Valley of Death creatures should no longer spawn in the extreme Direlands.
- The Olthoi Abdomen Fragment should drop more reliably, and three of them should drop instead of just one.
- The icon for Moderate Item Enchantment is now correct.
- Last month's new housing tables should properly fall to the ground when dropped.
- The Electric Weeping Axe now has the correct name.
- The higher level of the two Koji's Beast masks is now called Koji's Fiend, and the crafter who makes them no longer refers to "Kojii".
Letter to the Players
Original Link (now dead) - http://microsoftgamesinsider.com/AC1/dec_lttp.htm
Letter to the Players - January
Welcome to the first Letter to the Players of 2004! This will be a very exciting and challenging year for Asheron's Call. Hopefully by now you've seen the announcement that Turbine is purchasing the Asheron's Call franchise from Microsoft. If you've missed that somehow, just check out the announcements on Turbine's Asheron's Call website.
One thing that you'll be seeing more of in the next few months is information from us. In addition to updates regarding the transition of services from Microsoft to Turbine, you'll be seeing more information from the Live Team regarding where the game is and where it's going. Some of these articles will be questions that we ask you, the fans, similar to our PK Lite request for feedback. Other articles won't focus as much on questions, but will be more like informal essays on our plans and goals for various game mechanics and content. We look forward to sharing our ideas with you, and we know we'll get a lot of great feedback either way.
In Dereth, things have been equally as busy. To the surprise of many, High Queen Elysa Strathelar awoke from her coma with a new drive and determination. The High Council has been restructured, and Nuhmudira is no longer a member.
Many have sought the identity of the High Queen's assassin and have been well-rewarded for their efforts. Meanwhile, the Undead fight the Olthoi deep in the bowels of Dereth.
It is a new year both in our world and in Dereth, and this new year brings many changes. We believe you'll be very excited about them, we know we are!
Allegiance Chat
In the January event, we'll be introducing a feature that many of you have been asking about for some time server-wide allegiance chat!
Our initial implementation of allegiance chat is very straightforward if I am in an allegiance, and I type @a Hi! or /a Hi!, all the members of my allegiance will see [Allegiance] Ibn says, "Hi!"
If you are in an allegiance, you will be added into your allegiance chat channel as soon as you log in. If you aren't in an allegiance, you'll be added as soon as you swear to a patron, or have someone swear to you.
If you do not wish to see Allegiance chat, type @filter allegiance, just like any other message type. When you want to see it again, type @unfilter allegiance. If you @squelch a character, you will no longer see that character's speech in Allegiance chat.
There are a number of additional features that we plan to add to Allegiance chat as time permits. For example, currently there is no way for a monarch to remove someone from the Allegiance chat channel other than removing that character from the allegiance completely. We hope to introduce that feature as well as other options shortly.
We're very excited about other possible uses for this technology. Zyrca, srand, and Gator our server engineer worked very hard to make this possible, and it creates a number of opportunities. You should see more information from us on this soon.
January Event Delayed
So, those are two bits of good news... here's the bad news. You will have to wait a little longer than expected to get these two new features, as well as the rest of the great content we have planned for the January event. We are moving our event date back in order to allow for the AC1 server datacenter move, currently planned for January 20 through January 23.
You might be thinking, "Why not just make the January event live during the move downtime?" This is something that we did consider. However, we want to make sure that the worlds are running normally after the move before we make any changes to them. To that end, the January event is now currently scheduled for Tuesday, January 27.
AC1 ACCMTY Forums
As per this post, as of February 1, we'll be moving official support from the AC1 ACCMTY forums to the Turbine AC1 forums located here. We will not be doing any live team support on the ACCMTY forums after that. Update your bookmarks!
The Singularity Caul
Recent events have hinted at some major changes in store for the Caul. With that in mind, I bring you a warning:
DO NOT leave any characters logged off ANYWHERE on the Caul when the worlds come down for the January event! Not if you value their lives and death items, that is!
That's all for now. Remember, we've still got a long road ahead of us as the transition continues. We'll provide more information whenever we can. Thanks for sticking with us. I hope you're as excited as we are!
See you in Dereth!
Allegiance Experience
Original Link (now dead) - http://ac.turbinegames.com/index.php?page_id=157
Allegiance Experience
For some time now, bringing up the topic of allegiance experience (XP) in an Asheron's Call discussion forum has been an excellent way of starting a flame war. There are those who have passionately campaigned for a change to the system, and there are those who have just as passionately defended it.
In this article, I'll be explaining why the Live Team believes that the system should be changed. I'll also be explaining what changes we plan on making as well as the expected impact of these changes on your characters and the community.
I'm sure that one of your first questions is, Why now? Why make a change to a key system of the game four years after release?
There are many reasons why we've decided to go forward with this change. The most important is that we believe it is in the best interests of Asheron's Call in the long term. Asheron's Call still has a long future ahead of it! There are some who might say, "It's too late for this change to make any difference." However if you look at it from another perspective, the last four years have been just the beginning of AC's lifespan.
We also believe that the recent creature rebalancing has removed a lot of the tedious "level grinding" in the upper levels. Allegiance experience used to provide a helping hand past these boring levels, but with more high level quests, better high level creatures, and more opportunities to earn appropriate experience rewards at high levels while actively playing the game, allegiance experience is no longer quite so necessary for this purpose.
In addition, as Jessica announced earlier this week we plan to open a new world in the Spring. This creates a great opportunity for us to open this world with the new system firmly in place.
Our plans call for this system to go live as part of the February event.
The Original Goals
When Asheron's Call launched, there were three initial goals for the allegiance system:
- Create an incentive for high-level players to assist low-level players via the patron-vassal relationship.
- Provide a framework for a social game experience.
- Add to the atmosphere and background of the game.
A system of allegiance experience, or "pass-up", was designed to create in-game incentives to help meet these goals. As vassals gained experience, their patrons would also gain XP. The XP "passed up" was based on the amount of experience gained by the vassal, and modified by a number of factors such as the Loyalty of the vassal and the Leadership of the patron. The patron would then pass a percentage of this XP up to his patron, and so on.
This provided an incentive for experienced players to assist new players. The experienced players could provide the new players with equipment, advice, and aid, and would gain experience as their vassals advanced. As folks banded together under this system, they created allegiances and a whole social dynamic.
Simple, right?
Problems with the System
As the AC player base matured, folks began to figure out exactly how to use the allegiance XP system to get the maximum experience return. There were several problems with the initial system.
Skill Issues
To a casual observer of this system, going by the in-game documentation, it would appear that the best way for a vassal to increase pass-up to a patron is to increase his or her Loyalty skill. Likewise, the best way for a patron to increase pass-up from his or vassals is to train and put XP into Leadership.
However, as many of you have learned, this is not necessarily the case.
There are a number of other factors that contribute to a character's effective Loyalty and Leadership. The effective Leadership and Loyalty skill levels are the numbers that are actually used in allegiance experience calculation.
For example, it is possible to increase your effective Loyalty by spending more time in-game sworn to the same patron. Vassal-to-patron pass-up has no effective cap, but patron-to-grandpatron pass-up caps with an effective Loyalty of 175. If you're sworn for 10 days to the same patron, the base Loyalty required to maximize the pass-up from your vassal through you to your patron is only 88. Take into account level 7 enchantments, and you can see how there's practically no need to spend XP on the skill, due to the ease in reaching the cap.
Leadership is arguably worse off. In theory, you need to train Leadership and spend XP on it in order to get maximum results. However, effective Leadership is multiplied by two factors how many vassals you have, and how long they have been sworn to you, with the emphasis on the number of vassals you have. The effect of Leadership on pass-up caps at around 165 effective Leadership 83 base Leadership before the modifier.
The end result of this is that if you have two active vassals and you can get 10 mules sworn underneath you for an average of 5 in-game days, you never need to raise your Leadership beyond 83. Again, take into account level 7 enchantments and you can see why few people even bother training the skill. It's just too easy to reach the cap.
Clearly, these two skills should have value beyond what they have now.
And there is one other issue with the Loyalty and Leadership skills. As both of these skills are based on the Self attribute, and since magic-using characters tend to start with a higher Self and put more XP into increasing it, magic-using characters tend to have higher Leadership and Loyalty than other characters. When considered from the point of view of XP pass-up, the entire system appears biased towards mages.
"Chain" XP
This is generally perceived to the biggest problem with the system. To put it simply, the mathematics of the system means that multiple characters can generate an extraordinary amount of XP very quickly by maximizing pass-up and having all members of the allegiance sworn into a straight line from monarch to lowest-level vassal.
As an example, imagine a chain of ten characters. A is sworn to B, B is sworn to C, C is sworn to D, and so on up to J. All ten players have optimized their characters for maximum pass-up, something that is not particularly difficult to do, as I demonstrated previously.
In this situation, if A earns 1 million XP, B will receive around 440,000 XP. That's not a whole lot, really. But then C will receive around 400,000 XP, D will receive around 390,000, and so on up the chain. After the initial vassal-to-patron step, each additional step provides only slightly less XP than the step before it. After a full nine steps, J is still receiving over 300,000 XP. With only ten characters involved, the allegiance system by itself will create over 3 million XP in addition to the 1 million that A earned! This only increases as you add more characters to the chain. A chain of 30 characters can multiply that initial 1 million into an additional 6 million, just by existing! And, of course, these figures ignore the insane accumulation of experience that can result when all 30 of those characters are themselves actively earning XP.
This compounding of experience has a number of side-effects, the most obvious being rapid advancement. This makes balancing the game more difficult and can actually lead to boredom, as players level past content that should have kept them busy for awhile. In addition, many of our players see this rapid advancement as being unfair to those who do not use this system. They feel as though they are trapped between a rock and a hard place they must either use this system or be "left behind".
Side Effects
While many allegiances have chosen not to restructure to take best advantage of the XP pass-up system, the lure is always present. Many allegiances have lost valued members to the call of free and easy XP. Many (although certainly not all) "Chain" allegiances are XP-producing machines with none of the patron-to-vassal aid or other social structures of the allegiance as it was envisioned by the original designers.
In addition, the impact on player morale has been noticeable. Many players feel upset or cheated when they have worked hard to achieve a high level in the game, and others reach that same level on the back of an XP chain.
Our Goals
We had three goals in mind when considering this system for revision:
- Increase the value of the direct patron-vassal relationship.
- Reduce the sheer amount of experience produced by XP chains.
- Make experience spent on Leadership and Loyalty more valuable.
The primary strength of the allegiance system lies in the direct patron-vassal relationship. While there is obviously also value in the vassal-grandpatron relationship, and particularly in the relationship between the monarch and all of the monarch's followers, we believe that the emphasis for experience pass-up should be the direct vassal-patron relationship.
The New System
Leadership and Loyalty
The largest change that we are making to these skills is that they will no longer inherit part of their skill levels from the level of your Self attribute. In fact, these skills will no longer be based on any attribute at all! The only way to raise these skills will be to invest experience into each skill directly.
Effective Loyalty will still be modified by the time you have spent sworn to your patron. Effective Leadership will still be modified by number of vassals and average time that they have been sworn to you, but the emphasis will be on the "time sworn" side and not on the "number of vassals" side. In fact, the vassals required to achieve the maximum benefit will be decreased from 12 to 4. This is to reduce the incentive to have non-playing vassals.
For both Loyalty and Leadership, the time sworn modifier will now be a factor of both in-game time and real time. Existing patron-vassal relationships will start with the same bonus that they are currently receiving. For example, if you have been sworn to your patron for enough time to receive 50% of the maximum benefit, you will still receive 50% of the maximum benefit when the new system is implemented.
Most importantly, Leadership and Loyalty will no longer "cap". That is, for every point you raise Leadership or Loyalty skills by investing experience into them, you will continue to see a benefit in terms of experience pass-up.
XP Pass-up
This is where we are making the greatest changes. In a nutshell, these are the new minimums and maximums:
- Vassal-to-patron pass-up will have a minimum of 25% of earned XP, and a maximum of 90% of earned XP. Under the old system, the minimum was about 9% of earned XP, and the effective maximum was somewhere near 44% of earned XP.
- Patron-to-grandpatron pass-up will have a minimum of 0% of XP passed-up by the patron's vassal, and a maximum of 10% of passed-up XP. Under the old system, the minimum was about 30% and the maximum was about 94%.
You will see that while the pass-up for grandpatrons and higher will be greatly decreased, the maximum pass-up for direct vassal-to-patron pass-up will be increased. This reinforces the basic patron-vassal relationship while reducing the amount of experience that is generated further up the chain.
Let's look at the example we had before, characters A through J, all optimized for maximum pass-up. If character A earns 1 million XP, character B will receive 900,000 XP. This is much higher than before! But character C will only receive 90,000, and character D will only receive 9,000. Characters H, I, and J will receive practically nothing. The new system will create 1 million XP over ten levels of pass-up, unlike the existing system which creates over 3 million.
The old system had only slightly diminishing returns as the chain increased. The new system will have drastically diminishing returns beyond the immediate patron of the character earning the XP.
Some of you will also want to know: Will we be removing previously gained allegiance experience from existing characters? However, that is not an option for us. The exact total amount of allegiance experience that a character has received over their lifetime is not recorded by the system.
What Do These Changes Mean?
Direct Effects
- Patrons of active characters will see much more pass-up from these characters.
- Patrons or monarchs with inactive vassals, but active grand-vassals, will see much less pass-up from these characters. Characters that are in XP chains will see the XP that they receive from these chains decrease.
- Due to the changes in Leadership and Loyalty, the numerical value of these skills will decrease. However the new skill curves will take this into account. A patron who has put XP into Leadership may have a lower value in the skill than before, but they will be receiving as much or more XP from their direct vassals as before because of the changes to the system.
Additional Expected Effects
- Those players who are most concerned with optimizing their XP over time will probably try to recruit 12 active vassals of the highest possible level. This will create a great benefit for the patron character, with less benefit for the patron's patron and no experience benefit for the vassals. The chain system, which benefited all members above the lowest vassal in the chain, will become much less valuable.
- Monarchs of "traditional" allegiances, particularly those in old allegiances in which their direct vassals are no longer active, may see their received pass-up greatly decrease. If they are concerned with pass-up XP, they may seek to reorganize their monarchies.
- It will become easier to "power-level" a secondary character by swearing your primary character to him or her. However, it will be much harder to power-level three or more characters with one primary character.
http://forums.turbinegames.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=812 Comment on this article here.
Additional Improvements
Visible Player Information
On one hand, you will no longer be able to view the Loyalty and Leadership skills of a player by ID'ing him or her. On the other hand, you will be able to see when the character was created, and in particular whether the character was created before or after the new allegiance XP system was implemented.
The first change should foster more social interaction when seeking new vassals. No longer can you ID every player you see and immediately try to recruit the one with the highest Loyalty!
We are implementing the second change because we understand than many players are very competitive and enjoy comparing their accomplishments against those of their peers. To this end, players will want to know if a character was leveled to 126 in the "old days" when chain XP was effective, or under the "new system".
While we'd really love to be able to show you exactly how much allegiance XP a character has received, we unfortunately can't do that. We felt that this was the next best thing.
Monarchy Improvements
We understand that many monarchs may see this as a "nerf". Pass-up XP was one of the tangible benefits of running an allegiance, along with the ability to purchase a mansion and other smaller benefits.
We have plans to add a number of benefits to monarchs and monarchies in the future. In the short term, you should be seeing limited allegiance chat in the January event, as we stated in the Letter to the Players. We also would like to implement a number of organizational tools for monarchs, including the ability to permanently restrict a character or an account from swearing into an allegiance.
The changes described in this article will enter the game in the February event. These changes will reshape many allegiances along new lines, with stronger direct patron-vassal bonds. Those players who want to benefit most from allegiance pass-up will put XP into their Leadership and Loyalty skills, and the benefit they see will be commensurate with the experience they invest.
In the end, we believe that these changes will greatly benefit Asheron's Call. As I wrote at the beginning, we plan on sticking around for a long, long time to come. We do expect to see a lot of heated feedback on these changes, both from those who feel that we should not do this, and those who feel we are not doing enough. During this time, we will do our best to answer your questions about this new system.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and we'll see you in Dereth!
- Ibn
Allegiance Experience Follow-Up
Original Link (now dead) - http://ac.turbinegames.com/index.php?page_id=162
Allegiance Experience Follow-Up
After our article on Allegiance Experience changes, we received an enormous amount of feedback, which we expected. In this article, we'd like to answer some of the most common questions and complaints about the new system.
If you haven't read the first article yet, please read it before you read this one – otherwise most of this won't make much sense.
Date of Birth
The players who complained about how we presented the reasoning for the Date of Birth feature are right: The message was phrased badly and we should have realized it would be insulting to some players. We certainly didn't mean to imply that players who used XP chains in the past were cheaters; with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, however, it is pretty obvious how that phrasing can be taken. In truth, we have been planning the DoB feature for a long time; this seemed like a propitious moment to implement it, since we had time on the schedule and it seemed to be important to the XP Chain issue, too. It looked like killing two birds with one stone to us. We should have been more sensitive in how we presented it, especially considering the polarizing nature of the issue.
So, to all of you: We apologize. We had no intention of insulting or offending you, and we apologize for our choice of wording in the article.
To be very clear: Those who may have optimized allegiance pass-up through chains in the past are neither cheaters nor exploiters. The system was what it was, and we bear no ill will towards those who found ways to best advance their characters with it. We don't feel that leaving the system in the game is in the best interests of the future of AC, but our wish to change the system in no way reflects any feelings towards those who used it.
Specifically regarding the date-of-birth visibility, we have been listening to your feedback. Taking that into account, we will be making the following changes:
- The display of your character's date of birth will be on a toggleable option, defaulting to off. Your date of birth will only be visible to other players if you choose to turn the option on.
- Because of this added functionality, we won't be able to introduce this feature in February as we had originally planned. Instead, an optional date of birth display (plus optional displays of other interesting character data, such as your age, chess rank, number of deaths, and fishing skill) will be added in March.
This way those players who wish to display this information have the option, and those players who do not wish to are not forced to.
Again, we apologize for our choice of words and any misunderstanding that this has caused.
Powerleveling Characters
A number of players came to us with concerns that, under the new system with optimized pass-up, it would be considerably easier to quickly get a character to high levels.
There are two responses to this concern. The first is that yes, it will be easier to get one character to high levels. However rapidly advancing dozens if not hundreds of characters simultaneously will be much more difficult. The old system created huge amounts of XP for almost all participants – under the new system, only direct patrons receive the largest benefit. We are not specifically trying to remove the ability to powerlevel characters through the allegiance system, but we are removing a system that provided, in our opinion, too much free experience to almost all participants.
The second thing to keep in mind is that achieving optimum pass-up is not trivial. To reach the maximum direct pass-up of 90% of earned XP, the following must all be true:
- The vassal has capped his or her Loyalty.
- The patron has capped his or her Leadership.
- The time that this vassal has spent sworn to the patron, both in terms of in-game time and real time, is at the maximum.
- The average of the times that all the vassals of this patron have been sworn (again both in-game and real time) are at the maximum.
- The patron has at least four vassals.
One thing to keep in mind – this does mean that the pass-through from these characters will be drastically reduced. However, all pass-through has been drastically reduced. If you were relying on the XP passed up from grand-vassals through an inactive character, you'll find that this XP will be greatly reduced whether or not this character ever logs in again.
"Capped" means that the skill has been raised to a point where no more experience can be spent on it. For Loyalty and Leadership, that will be 208 if the skills are trained, 236 if the skills are specialized.
Maximizing the time sworn modifiers will not be easy either. The two factors are multiplied together to get the final modifier. For example, if you have been sworn for half the time needed for the maximum of the in-game modifier, but only a tenth of the time needed for the real time modifier, you will only have 5% of the maximum time sworn benefit. (50% * 10% = 5%)
This factor will cause a number of the "rotating patron" schemes that we've seen described to be less effective than their designers may have hoped. The real time sworn takes a very long time to reach its maximum.
Trades Characters
Many players expressed concern that they would no longer be able to use small three-character chains to level their dedicated tradeskill characters. In the past, I could swear my main character to one of your characters, and then you could swear your character to my trades character. Because of the way the system worked, we could easily ensure that almost all the experience that I passed up to you was also passed up to my trades character.
On the one hand, this is no longer the case. The experience passed up to my trades character from my main will be considerably diminished. However, if your character is at all active, the experience passed up to my trades character from you will be considerably increased.
In addition, keep in mind that there are already a few quests for trades characters, and that many trophy items exist that can be turned into a collector in exchange for experience. (The casinos are an excellent place to find these trophies.) And we are always looking for new ways that trades characters can gain experience.
Time Sworn for Existing Allegiance Ties
In our original article, we wrote:
Existing patron-vassal relationships will start with the same bonus that they are currently receiving. For example, if you have been sworn to your patron for enough time to receive 50% of the maximum benefit, you will still receive 50% of the maximum benefit when the new system is implemented.
This is not entirely accurate. After the original article went out, we discovered that the system we had planned to use could not be implemented because of how the information needed is currently stored. Instead, you will receive the same bonus from your in-game time sworn. When you log in after the February event goes live, your in-game time will be adjusted to ensure that you receive the same bonus from it that you did before the event. There is one exception – your in-game time sworn can never be greater than the total age of the character.
For example, let's say that my character has been in-game for 1 full day, and has been sworn to the same patron for all but 1 hour of that. Currently the time sworn is 23 hours. When I log in after the February event, the game will multiply those 23 hours by a factor to get the new time sworn bonus. However, because my character has only been around for 1 in-game day, the time sworn is capped at 1 day. When I log in, I'll be getting a smaller bonus from in-game time sworn than I did before the event.
This may affect a small number of characters, but it was necessary to prevent strange situations caused by characters having an in-game time sworn that was longer than their total in-game time. You'll see why this is necessary in the next paragraph.
Real time sworn will also be calculated upon first login after the February event. Because the real time date that you swore to your patron was never stored in a form we can use, we have to either start everyone from 0 real time sworn, or make a guess. So after the game recalculates your in-game time sworn, it will compare that time to the total amount of time you have spent online since character creation. That ratio will be applied to the total amount of real time since character creation to get a rough approximation of the amount of real time that the character has been sworn.
So, for example, let's say that after the in-game time calculation, it sets my in-game time sworn to two weeks, and my total in-game time is a month. My in-game time sworn is half of my total in-game time, so my real time sworn is set to half of the total real time since the character was created. If my character were created a year ago, my real time sworn would be set to 6 months.
You may have picked up on the "upon first login" part of this. Unfortunately, we don't have the information we need to make the adjustments until you log in. What does this mean for abandoned or inactive characters? Until these characters enter the game, their in-game time sworn is not adjusted and their real time sworn is left at 0.