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Save time and money. We compare the offers of car rental companies in France on your behalf.
Carrentals.co.uk offers simple and straightforward car hire comparison services. We don't add a penny to your quotes!
Whether you're looking for a small rental car or a station wagon for the entire family, we will always have a suitable vehicle for the lowest price. Below are some examples from our selection in France.
Average daily rate per month
Carrentals.co.uk compares rental car prices at the following destinations
France is best explored by rental car. Carrentals.co.uk has over 624 pick-up locations in France. This means there is always a pick-up location close to your destination.
The romantic appeal of France along with stunning beach resorts and miles of rugged coastline make this country a popular holiday destination. For short stays, Paris has no end of attractions, while further historical treasures and outstanding scenery are only a short drive away. The country offers something for all holidaymakers. There's the option of hiking in the Alps, sampling the best wine or simply reclining on one of the many idyllic Mediterranean or Atlantic beaches.
Although the high-speed railway network is well renowned, much of France's appeal lies in the winding roads that cross the rugged countryside. On the whole, car rental is significantly cheaper than taking trains, as rental prices are reasonable. Roads are well maintained and driving allows visitors to experience the true beauty of the country at their own pace.
Driving licences: EU licences which have been held for at least one year prior and are written in a Romanised alphabet are accepted. Drivers with licences from non-EU countries must obtain an International Driving Licence.
Which side does France drive on: the right.
Speed limits:
Highways and dual carriageways: 80mph (130kph)
National or provincial roads: 68mph (110kph)
Local roads: 49mph (80kph)
Urban roads: 31mph (50kph)
Alcohol limits: the limit is 0.05 per cent; slightly stricter than the UK limit of 0.08 per cent. Driving over the legal limit is a serious offence which can result in severe penalties.
Driving age: although the legal age to drive is 18, the minimum age to rent a vehicle is 20 years and drivers must have held their driving licence for a minimum of one year.
Seatbelts: all passengers, regardless of age, must wear a seatbelt. Passengers under the age of 10 are not permitted to sit in the front of the vehicle. Fines are issued to anyone caught ignoring these regulations.
Mobile phones and GPS: driving while using a mobile phone is prohibited, with fines for those caught flouting this law. Using GPS is legal and advisable as the signs in rural France are rare and difficult to follow.
Cost of fuel in France: similar to the UK, although it is occasionally cheaper.
Car hire and fuel payment: a credit card is required for car hire. The majority of petrol stations accept credit cards as many are self-service.
Insurance: car rental firms are required to include liability coverage with each rental by law. However, additional insurance is often only a little more in price and can come in handy for things like flat tyres, which are not covered by basic insurance.
Traffic and parking: parking laws in France are enforced and even in rural areas, finding parking can be difficult. Spaces are clearly indicated, and parking outside of regulated spaces can result in a fine or even the vehicle being towed. Traffic isn't usually a problem outside of city centres; however, in places such as Paris it can add significant time to a journey.
The Eurostar connects London with Paris in just 2 hours, 15 minutes, while other high-speed routes enter from neighbouring countries such as Belgium and Spain. The TGV is the best option for covering long distances. Reservations are obligatory but the trains are significantly faster than other slower trains. However, the slow trains offer the chance to enjoy the scenery at a more relaxing pace. The French National Railway runs most services, with both second and first class travel available. Prices vary but a standard ticket from Paris to Toulouse costs between £100 and £150.
Although taxis are not ideal for long journeys, they are an easy way of getting around the city centres. They can be hailed on the street, but it is more common to find them at designated taxi stations, which can be found across most cities and towns. Prices are charged per kilometre according to a meter. A standard fare from Charles de Gaulle Airport to the centre of Paris is around £40.
Bus isn't a popular way to enter France although international services exist. Although there are a number of intercity buses, travelling by bus is fairly uncommon and as a result, service is limited. Eurolines is the single operator, linking a number of cities across the country, while intercity bus services run within each region. Local services are cheap, at around £1 for a standard single fare.
While ferries are not commonly used for domestic travel within France, they are a popular way to reach the country from the UK. P&O Ferries, Brittany Ferries and SeaFrance are among the main providers, with routes between Dover and Calais and Portsmouth and Caen among the most popular. Return tickets are available for under £50.
The domestic airline network in France is extensive, with Paris Charles de Gaulle the main entry point. With so many carriers providing services, competition is fierce so there are some great deals to be found by those who shop around. Air France, CCM and Twin Jet are the most popular services. EasyJet also offers a number of services between cities such as Marseille, Nice and Lyon, with a flight from Paris to Nice typically costing between £100 and £120.
From the iconic Eiffel Tower to the stunning Arc de Triomphe and the famous Mona Lisa, Paris alone has enough to keep tourists entertained. However, driving out of the capital and across the country allows tourists to see the magnificent countryside and numerous historic sites and chateaux, particularly in the Loire Valley.
Each region in France has its own unique charm. Bordeaux is known for its wine and driving through the miles of vineyards and sampling the local produce are great ways to spend a few days here. Lyon has a historic old centre and a number of Roman ruins, while Strasbourg is an EU headquarters filled with German-influenced architecture. Northern France's Normandy features many reminders of WWII.
Nantes in the south is home to a number of ancient monuments, while St Tropez is the best city to head for celebrity spotting, with its many great bars and clubs for night owls as well as its Mediterranean beaches. For hiking, the Pyrenees can't be beat, while the Alps draw winter skiers.
French Alps – a visit to France isn't complete without a trip to the French Alps. With over 450 miles of winding roads all boasting spectacular views, it's a great place to explore by car. Journeys here can take anywhere between three to seven days, depending on the amount of stops and the weather.
Crest Road – one of France's oldest mountain ranges, the Vosgues, is well known as the best hiking area in the country. It's also an ideal spot to sample local cheeses in the town of Munster or enjoy a coffee in Col de la Schlucht.
Route des Grand Crus – Burgundy's wine country boasts this scenic drive which winds past numerous famous wineries and vineyards. The 37-mile stretch is easy to cover in a day or two, with the obligatory stops to sample to local produce factored in.
Gorges of the Ardeche – this route runs along the Ardeche River, and with an astounding backdrop of the Rhone Valley, it's not hard to see why it is such a popular drive. The route showcases much of France's finest canyons and unusual rock formations.
New Year's Day (1 January)
Easter (March/April)
Labour Day (1 May)
Christmas Day (25 December)
The size of France means that there is a wide variety of weather. The north tends to have a cool climate all year round; however, the Mediterranean coast sees scorching summers and mild winters. The mountainous regions have significantly colder winters than the rest of the country, making them ideal places to head for a ski vacation.
With its amazing scenery, France is all about the journey, not just the destination. Thanks to France's proximity to England and the ease of travel via the Channel Tunnel, it's one of the easiest countries to reach from the UK and has a wide range of travel facilities for visitors.
France contact numbers
Country code - (+33)
Traffic news/weather/road accident – +33 48 94 33 33
Emergency services – 112
Emergency police – 17 (from mobile)
Emergency medical services – 15 (from mobile)
Emergency fire – 18 (from mobile)
British Embassy – +33 1 44 51 31 00
Irish Embassy – +33 1 44 17 67 00
US Embassy – +33 1 43 12 22 22
French Embassy – +33 1 40 59 33 00
Canadian Embassy – +33 1 44 43 29 02
Money matters
The official currency of France is the euro. Exchange offices can be found across the country at banks, post offices, airports and bus and train stations. Although it is illegal to exchange money in shops or hotels, travellers' cheques are accepted by these establishments. Banks are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 to 17:00, but are usually closed between 13:00 and 15:00.
Health and safety
There are few health concerns for those visiting France aside from the common threat of hepatitis. Although the tap water is drinkable, it is best for visitors to stick with bottled water to avoid any foreign microbes. EU citizens can receive free or heavily discounted healthcare in cases of emergency. EU citizens should carry their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) at all times.
Fitting in…
The French are well known art, fashion and culture devotees, and many expect visitors to value these subjects, even if their knowledge of them is somewhat limited. Smart dress is expected in most instances, and learning one or two French phrases goes down extremely well with the locals. The French are very patriotic so avoid saying anything that could be construed as insulting.
Visas for France
UK, EU and Schengen citizens can enter visa free for stays of any length. Canadian and American nationals are also able to enter visa-free, but for a maximum stay of three months. Citizens from other countries can check with their nearest French embassy for visa information.
In France, the voltage is 220-240 at 50 Hertz. The plugs used feature two round pins so travellers from nations with different plugs are advised to pack a universal plug adapter.
Business hours
Shops: 09:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 18:00, Tuesday to Sunday
Government offices: 09:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday
Banks: 09:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday
Helpful phrases
Bonjour - Hello
Comment allez-vous? – How are you?
Au revoir – Goodbye
Combien? – How much?
Excusez-moi – Excuse me
Désolé – I'm sorry
Je ne comprends pas – I don't understand
Très bien – Very well
Non merci – No thank you
The following questions and answers are a selection of the most popular questions. If you do not find the answer to your question, have a look at the Frequently Asked Questions page or contact us.
Yes, we offer a guarantee of the lowest price - because we compare various retailers, we can always offer you the best price in town.
To pick up your car, you will need your voucher, passport, driver's license and a credit card. It is very important that your driver's license and credit card are in the same name as the main driver. Keep in mind that the local rental company will reserve a certain amount on your credit card as a deposit. This requires the PIN code for your credit card. If your driver's license is foreign (for example, in Chinese), you must bring a translation with you. Only your original passport and driver's license will be accepted - a copy is not sufficient.
In general, our rates are all-inclusive. Should there be any additional costs, our booking department will get in touch with you before issuing the invoice. Should you object, you can always cancel your reservation with no obligations attached (at least 48 hours in advance).
In general, Liability Insurance, Fire Insurance, All-Risks Insurance and Theft Insurance are included in the cost of your rental car.
This label indicates that a rental car satisfies the following requirements: Unlimited kilometers, no excess liability (and no excess cover available), sustainable energy policy, and that the car rental company has a good reputation. Availability of cars satisfying these four requirements will speed up the selection of a suitable vehicle for you.
You can cancel your reservation through "My Account". We recommend contacting us by phone if your changes to your booking or cancellation takes place at short notice (48 hours or less).
Most reservations will receive confirmation within minutes after payment takes place. We recommend contacting our Booking Department for last minute reservations (pick-up within 48 hours).


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The Orlando Sentinel has thoughtfully provided an overview of the Gators' offensive playcalling on the season here (h/t Team Speed Kills). There's even a database, if you want to look at that, too.
I'm sure Grantham's already got the data, but it's nice for us to be able to read along with him.

subset: commoncrawl


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Once upon a time, major advertisers happily coughed up what was then considered to be a vast sum of money for Super Bowl ad time. They were comfortable in the knowledge that the ad would be seen by tens of millions of people and result in zillions of extra thingamabobs being sold. It was simple. It was effective. It was like printing money.
But this year, CBS is charging $3.8 million to $4 million for a 30-second commercial during Sunday's Ravens vs. 49ers game.
That's up a minimum of $300,000 from 2012, when, yes, your ad was part of TV history's most-watched broadcast (111.4 million viewers on average) — but you shelled out a whopping $3.5 million for the privilege.
This year's price tag also is nearly $1 million stiffer than a Super Bowl as recent as 2009, when a mere $2.9 million bought you an average audience of about 106 million.
That was the year Bud Light gave us Conan O'Brien getting talked into doing a Swedish TV ad and such duds as a guy blue-skying about Doritos-flavored beer.
Back in 1984 — the year of Apple's Ridley Scott-directed Orwellian MacIntosh ad — regarded as the best Super Bowl ad ever and maybe the best ad, period — 30 seconds' worth of Super Bowl time cost about $370,000, according to Nielsen — for which you got nearly 78 million viewers. In today's dollars, that ad time cost less than $1 mill.
With the cost of a game-day ad being what it is, and ad clutter infecting this sacred TV franchise (approaching 50 minutes), two schools of advertisers have emerged: those who preview their ads before kickoff to amortize the cost over social media and those who think such spoilers blunt a Super Bowl ad's impact.
For this year's Super Bowl XLVII, more advertisers put out some, or all, of their ads ahead of time — on movie screens, online and across social media.
In some cases — as with Audi, which is making its sixth Super Bowl appearance — companies produced multiple ad endings and have asked viewers to vote for which they'd most like to see Sunday. Audi thinks this is the only way to go, its research showing that chatter about Super Bowl ads begins a quick fade within 24 hours of the game.
Launching the ad before the game lets the company have "a much longer conversation" with consumers, Audi's brand-marketing general manager told Ad Age last month.
"The value is certainly in the anticipation of the Super Bowl," Loren Angelo explained.
Releasing your ad early also comes with fringe benefits.
On Wednesday night, CBS — this year's Super Bowl host — aired a TV special: "Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials." It purported to list the 10 best Super Bowl ads of all time — but included looks at the making of Budweiser's newest Super Bowl ad with Clydesdales and a look at the making of Toyota's new ad for the RAV4, featuring "Big Bang Theory's" Kaley Cuoco as a wish-fulfilling genie.
"I can't believe it — I am so excited," Cuoco said on the special. She also praised the ad creators for letting her be "sarcastic and funny," which is "kind of my thing."
Nearly 10 million people watched that on-air valentine to Bud's and Toyota's ads — the second-biggest audience on TV that night, behind only Fox's "American Idol."
The TV special's list lacked Apple's "1984" ad, as well as lizards Louie and Frank, who starred in one of Budweiser's longest-running and most successful Super Bowl ad campaigns. Also missing: Old Spice Man, a.k.a. former NFL practice-squad wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa, whose 2010 Super Bowl ad was viewed on YouTube more than 13 million times by July of that year, spawning a social-media blitz that NBC News said "changed the rules of social network marketing."
Other advertisers say that all this spoiling of Super Bowl ads will wind up killing the golden-egg-laying goose.
"I'm more of the old school; I like the element of surprise. If I ruled the world, I'd go back to holding out and waiting," John Norman, chief creative officer at TBWA/Chiat/Day Los Angeles, told the New York Times this week.
That element of surprise can really work for an advertiser — particularly if all the other advertisers in their category joined the spoiler stampede. This year, for instance, almost all automakers who'd bought time in the game released at least portions of their ads ahead of Sunday's game — except for Chrysler. Chrysler's ad is one of this year's most highly anticipated, what with last year's Chrysler ad — also held until game day — winding up being the most memorable ad of that Super Bowl. It featured Clint Eastwood telling viewers it was "halftime in America" and urging people hurt by the economy to "make a comeback" because "our second half is about to begin."


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So, lately we've been obsessed with the decadence and glamour of the 1970s disco scene, especially in Europe! And when we found this video by avant-garde superstar Amanda Lear, we found it to be the perfect combination of vintage awesomeness and spooky elegance!!!
We didn't know very much about this divinity (don't worry…we will be working on giving her an honored place on our altar of Style Idols & Divinities), but we have been delving into this marvelous woman's life like no one's business!
Here is a woman who hobnobbed with The Beatles, David Bowie, Brian Jones, Bryan Ferry, Andy Warhol…had the model looks of Verushka and the voice of Marlene Dietrich. Not only that, she was a close confidante to THE Salvador Dali, and remained one of his closest friends and muses until his death. She even closed Jean Paul Gaultier's 1980s pop music muses collection back in 2013!
What is so wonderful about Amanda is her mystery . . . sometimes things are best left to the imagination, and Lear keeps this enigmatic quality to this day (her birth date and nationality is still unclear, as well as other rumors circulating)!
This is what we respect most of this bad ass woman! Just be yourself, and everything else will fall into place.
Until we meet again,


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As the calendar turns and we enter the second decade of the 21st century, a time to reflect on the past and plan for the future.
Here are some amazing folks who are making a significant impact helping the less fortunate. These are all smaller, younger organizations that are doing great stuff and really making a difference.
Take a look at some of the inspirational videos that highlight their work and their messages. May they inspire you to greater things in 2011.
Wishing you all a Happy New Year and a Terrific 2011.
Helping women micro-entrepreneurs with a path out of poverty by building sustainable enterprises.
Seeding Labs
Building world class research institutions in developing countries by equipping them with lab equipment and state of the art training.
Providing clean water, toilets and hygiene education to 10,000 kids in India who do not have access to these basic amenities
United Prosperity
Multiplying your social impact 2X – 5X by guaranteeing a loan to a microfinance entrepreneur. View United Prosperity's Model of Loan Guarantees.
Prosperity Candle
Investing in enterprising women living in distressed areas of the world to start their own businesses
Dream a Dream
Providing quality education to underserved children and helping them develop critical life skills
Designing affordable sanitary pads for women in the developing world.
Design that Matters
Creating new products that allow social enterprises in developing countries to offer improved services and scale more quickly.
Project Hip Hop
Providing a space where predominantly young people of color from traditionally low-income communities in Boston can develop and exercise their individual and collective leadership
Supporting independent musicians from developing countries by allowing you to micro-fund their artistic works.
Young Entrepreneurs Alliance
Helping low-income teens realize their economic potential by taking steps toward financial independence by owning and running viable businesses.


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Foreign Income & Taxpayers
As part of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act, P.L. 111-147, enacted in March 2010, Congress expanded the passive foreign investment company (PFIC) reporting requirements by adding new Sec. 1298(f). Under this provision, "[e]xcept as otherwise provided by the Secretary, each United States person who is a shareholder of a passive foreign investment company shall file an annual report containing such information as the Secretary may require" (emphasis added).
The broad language of this provision could cause many more shareholders to be subject to the PFIC reporting requirements than historically have been subject to them. Before Sec. 1298(f) was enacted, the only taxpayers who were required to file Form 8621, Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund, were U.S. persons who were direct or indirect shareholders in a PFIC for each tax year in which such persons (1) recognized gain on a direct or indirect disposition of PFIC stock, (2) received certain direct or indirect distributions from a PFIC, or (3) were making an election on Part I of the form (e.g., a deemed sale election) (Form 8621 instructions (rev. December 2011)). To date, the IRS has issued limited guidance regarding the expanded reporting requirement; thus, the impact of the rule on taxpayers who invest in PFICs remains unclear.
Current Guidance
In Notice 2010-34, the IRS clarified that the new provision is effective only for tax years beginning on or after March 18, 2010. Thus, for a calendar-year taxpayer, the first tax year that could be affected by the new filing requirements is the tax year ending Dec. 31, 2011.
Notice 2011-55 informed PFIC investors that the annual report required under Sec. 1298(f) is expected to be in the form of a revised Form 8621 attached to the PFIC investor's income tax return or information return. This notice suspended the filing requirements for PFIC investors not otherwise required to file a Form 8621 under the current instructions to the form until the revised form is released.
After the revised Form 8621 is released, PFIC investors whose filing requirements were suspended under Notice 2011-55 will be required to attach Form 8621 for the suspended tax years to their next income tax or information return required to be filed. Due to this potential for future filing requirements related to past years, PFIC investors who currently are not required to file a Form 8621 should be aware of the possibility that they will be required to retroactively file a Form 8621 relating to tax years beginning on or after March 18, 2010.
Affected PFIC Investors
Several types of PFIC investors that historically have not filed Forms 8621 may be required to do so under Sec. 1298(f). For example, pursuant to the instructions to Form 8621, investors in Sec. 1291 funds who do not recognize gain on a direct or indirect disposition of, or receive a direct or indirect distribution from, the Sec. 1291 fund and do not make an election with respect to the fund have not been required to file Form 8621. (A Sec. 1291 fund is a PFIC for which (1) the shareholder did not make a qualifying electing fund (QEF) or mark-to-market election or (2) the PFIC is an "unpedigreed QEF" under Regs. Sec. 1.1291-9(j)(2)(iii) (Form 8621 instructions (rev. December 2011)).) Although Prop. Regs. Sec. 1.1291-1(i) provides a broader filing requirement than the instructions (similar to that of Sec. 1298(f)), many taxpayers historically have followed the instructions to Form 8621 because the regulations are not final. Notice 2011-55 similarly looks to the instructions to Form 8621 for the current filing requirements and, as noted above, intends to use the instructions as a vehicle for setting forth the revised reporting requirements under Sec. 1298(f).
In addition, certain indirect shareholders historically have not been required to file Form 8621 if an intermediate entity (e.g., a U.S. partnership) files the form. Further, although the reporting requirements of exempt organizations that invest in PFICs are not entirely clear, certain tax-exempt investors that are not subject to Sec. 1291 or the regulations thereunder may not have been required to file Form 8621. PFIC investors in the circumstances described above who historically have not filed Forms 8621 with respect to their interests in PFICs should continue to monitor any developments in this area. Upon release of the revised instructions to Form 8621 incorporating guidance under Sec. 1298(f), these investors should determine whether the revised instructions impose reporting requirements with respect to their PFIC interests.
Additional Filing Requirement
In addition to the possible expanded Form 8621 filing requirements, investors in PFICs should be aware that another filing requirement may apply. As part of the HIRE Act, Congress also enacted new Sec. 6038D, which requires certain taxpayers who invest in "specified foreign financial assets" to attach required information to their income tax return. This reporting requirement applies to taxpayers whose aggregate investment in specified foreign financial assets exceeds $50,000. Stock in a foreign corporation is considered a specified foreign financial asset for this purpose. Thus, if a PFIC investor meets the $50,000 threshold, the reporting requirements set forth under Sec. 6038D may apply to that investor in addition to the PFIC reporting requirements.
The Joint Committee on Taxation staff's technical explanation of the HIRE Act (JCX-4-10 (Feb. 23, 2010)) indicated that "the Secretary will exercise regulatory authority under [Sec. 1298(f)] or new section 6038D to avoid duplicative reporting." In November 2011, the IRS released Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets . The instructions to Form 8938 indicate that taxpayers who report a specified foreign financial asset on Form 8621 are not required to file Form 8938. This is consistent with temporary regulations issued under Sec. 6038D (Temp. Regs. Sec. 1.6038D-7T(a)(1)(i)(C)). However, PFIC investors who are not required to file Form 8621 nonetheless must file Form 8938 with respect to their interest in a PFIC if those investors meet the $50,000 threshold discussed above.
Taxpayers who are required to file Form 8938 and fail to do so timely are subject to a $10,000 penalty and up to $50,000 in additional penalties for continued failure to file upon IRS notification. Thus, PFIC investors who are not required to file Form 8621 should consider carefully whether they must file Form 8938.
Although the IRS has not yet implemented guidance that expands the current PFIC reporting requirements in Form 8621, the IRS has indicated that guidance implementing Sec. 1298(f) is forthcoming and is expected to be set forth in revisions to Form 8621 and the instructions. Thus, PFIC investors should be aware that these rules may change and should be alert to developments that may affect their PFIC reporting requirements.
Annette Smith is a partner with PwC, Washington National Tax Services, in Washington, D.C.
For additional information about these items, contact Ms. Smith at 202-414-1048 or email@example.com.
Unless otherwise noted, contributors are members of or associated with PwC.


text: Fox News Sued by EEOC for Retaliation Attorney Review Guide March 26, 2018 Business Law, Court Cases, Discrimination, Resources No Comment Fox News Sued by EEOC for Retaliation The EEOC announced in a press release that New York-based Fox News Network LLC, which owns and operates the Fox News Channel based in Washington, D.C., retaliated against news reporter Catherine Herridge after she complained to Fox that she was subjected to disparate pay and unequal employment opportunities because of her gender and age, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced in a lawsuit filed today. According to the EEOC's complaint, during 2007 Herridge made several complaints to management officials at Fox News about employment practices that she believed were discriminatory. Fox conducted an investigation into Herridge's allegations beginning around December 2007, but notified Herridge that no evidence of age and sex discrimination had been found. Around the summer or fall of 2008, Fox News included language in Herridge's employment contract, which was set for renewal, that referenced Herridge's discrimination complaints and was intended to stop Herridge from making more of them in the future, the EEOC charged. Herridge refused to sign the employment contract until the language was removed. Thereafter, Fox refused to negotiate further with Herridge, would not respond to counteroffers as to substantive issues in the proposed contract, and ceased speaking to her agent or to her about her contract. As a result of Fox's refusal to proceed with a new employment contract absent the retaliatory language, Herridge became an "at-will" employee without any job protections, causing her considerable stress, the EEOC alleged. It was only after Herridge filed a charge of discrimination with the EEOC, and an EEOC investigator conducted an on-site investigation, that Fox agreed to take out the retaliatory language and presented Herridge with a new contract with the retaliatory language removed, in June 2009 which she signed. Retaliation against an employee for making a discrimination complaint violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Pay Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The EEOC filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (EEOC v. Fox News Network LLC, Civil Action No. 1:10-cv-01660) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement. The EEOC's lawsuit seeks monetary relief for Herridge, including compensatory and punitive damages and an injunction enjoining Fox News from engaging in further retaliation against employees based on their opposition to employment practices which the employee reasonably believes to be unlawful under the federal statutes enforced by the EEOC. "The anti-retaliation provisions of Title VII and other federal anti-discrimination laws are indispensable to the attainment of a workplace free of discrimination," said Lynette A. Barnes, regional attorney for the EEOC's Charlotte District Office, which oversees litigation filed by the agency in the District of Columbia. "Employers must take care that any action taken in response to a discrimination complaint is constructive and not retaliatory." Tags: Attorney Ratings, Attorney Reviews, Court Cases, Find Attorneys, Fox, Fox News, Fox News Channel, Fox News Network, Law Firm Ratings, Lawyers Near Me, National News, Top Rated Attorneys


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Calif. school couldn't expel teens accused in assault case, official says
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – The attorney for the family of a 15-year-old Northern California girl who hanged herself after she was allegedly sexually abused by three boys disputed an explanation by a school superintendent of why the boys were not expelled.
After Saratoga schools superintendent Bob Mistele said Wednesday the three teens suspected of assaulting Audrie Pott were at a party which was not on campus or related to school, so they could not be expelled, attorney Robert Allard responded by saying his reaction and that of the Pott family was "one of disgust and dismay."
In his response, Allard outlined four areas of disagreement with district's statement, including the claim that the boys could not be expelled because the alleged assault did not take place on campus and was not related to school.
"Whether the sexual assault occurred on or off campus, it is clear from the accounts of various students that the dissemination of at least one photograph occurred on school grounds for the specific purpose to harass and intimidate Audrie while she was attending school related activities, Allard said in a statement issued late Wednesday.
"For that reason, in our view, the school district was obligated to investigate and take action against these young men. The Pott family in fact participated in several meetings with school administrators to demand that the young men be expelled or removed from campus," the statement said.
The boys accused in the case were charged in the fall but remained in school seven months until April 11, when sheriff's deputies took them out of their classrooms and arrested them on charges of sexual battery and distribution of child pornography. Attorneys representing the teens, whose names have not been released because of their ages, did not return repeated calls seeking comment Wednesday.
The Pott family filed a lawsuit against the boys and their families Monday, and has also filed a claim against the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District, alleging that administrators were slack in responding to bullying against Audrie, who committed suicide eight days after she was assaulted.
Allard alleges that the three suspects took her upstairs to a bedroom during a Labor Day weekend party where she drank a combination of vodka and Gatorade and passed out. The boys allegedly assaulted her, drew and wrote on her, and took a photo of an intimate body part, said attorney Robert Allard.
Allard said the district failed to document a meeting the Pott family had with administrators about bullying several months before Audrie's death.
In a written statement responding to questions from The Associated Press and other media, Mistele confirmed that administrators had met with the Pott family before her death, but he said "the issue of bullying was not the subject covered in those conversations."
Mistele said that after Audrie's death, a small group of students came to the office to tell an assistant principal that students were talking about an incident at a party involving the girl, and that some photographs were being shared among students.
He said school officials contacted the campus resource officer but it remains "very unclear" whether photographs of the alleged sexual assault were circulated among students on campus.
But in his response to the school district's statement, Allard described the school district as "more interested in protecting its image than in taking responsibility for its lack of actions in Audrie's case."
Allard said Audrie saw people huddled around a phone and believed her photo was being shared. And the school newspaper reported Sunday that several students whom they did not name thought that about 10 students had seen the photo.
"The whole school is talking about it. My life is over," Audrie wrote in a Facebook message before she killed herself, her stepmother said.
But Mistele said that along with law enforcement investigators, school officials "have been unable to verify the extent to which any photographic images may have been shared on campus or the Internet before or after her suicide that may have contributed to her feeling embarrassed or harassed."
The three boys spent the weekend in the county juvenile detention center and appeared in court Tuesday. The Santa Clara County sheriff's office did not respond to calls about their current situation.
Mistele said the boys' alleged misconduct now warrants a suspension or placement in independent study to avoid "a disruption or distraction on campus." He said the students' parents have agreed with administrators that they won't go back to campus until the case is resolved, and if they are found guilty, Mistele said the teens could be expelled.
A candlelight vigil is planned for Audrie this Friday at 8 p.m. at Saratoga High School.


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June 26, 2006
The Narrative Structure of Procopius' Wars
So, I've been thinking a bit about the structure of the Wars as whole and here I'm going to add some ideas that I might try testing out at some point in the future. Not sure just how plausible it is yet, but, a little elbow grease, a few more months, and some more close reading of P's Wars and I might have a better idea. It does seem to fit with this wonky 'rise and fall of Belisarius' idea. So, much to think about.
Having thought about the Homeric aspects again of the Gothic Wars and then the Wars as whole, I think that the Wars, whether or not it really does present the rise of Belisarius, is at least presented fairly symmetrically: in other words, it has a more or less symmetrical narrative. The order I think would be something like A1–A2–B1–B2–C–B/A. Now, the A and the B at the beginning are a little longer than the B and A (which is why I have made it A1–A2–B1–B2 and then B/A) in the latter part of the Wars, and admittedly the C is not quite at the geometric centre of the history. But, there are a number of things that, at least at this point, suggest such a structure.
1. Early on in the PW there is the somewhat mythological (historical perhaps?) battle between Ephthalites and Huns; at the end of the bk 8 there is the Heroic battle (as P calls it) between Teias and the Goths and Narses and the Romans.
2. Not long afterwards in the PW is the key battle of that part of the Wars, the Battle of Dara, which represents Belisarius' smashing debut; towards the end of bk 8 is the Battle of Taginae, which in many respects represents Narses' smashing debut. Plus, the two battles themselves are ordered along similar lines. P gives us a list of the Roman fighters in both cases, the forces themselves in both cases are heterogenous (reflective of the actual situation I'm sure, but P doesn't always highlight the varied character of the armies), there is a little skirmish between the 2 forces, there is one central set or lone single combat which boosts the morale of the Roman forces , there is the some sort of communication between the two sides before the central part of the narrative really begins (Peroz to Belisarius about bathing and Totila to Narses about a delay), there are speeches that are in some ways similar, there is the arrival of reinforcements for one side which ushers in the 2nd day of battle, and there's even the eating issue (midday stratagem at Dara, Narses prepared for that at Taginae), and then finally the main phase of fighting, and even the length of the two battles is comparable (about 85 lines for Dara, and about 95 for Taginae). Not perfect, but awfully similar, particularly when it's clear that there is quite a bit of variety among all the battle–narratives.
3. There is another key battle in bk 8 (the naval battle around Ancon) just as there is yet another key battle in the PW at Callinicum. And, while both of these battles are fairly important, it is the preceding in the case of the PW, and the following in the case of bk 8, that is the most important.
4. The peak of the narrative is the first siege of Rome, when Belisarius reaches his high–point of his career. The fighting here is rather unlike any other fighting in the rest of the Wars. Plus, this part of the Gothic Wars is also the most 'Homeric' and so 'heroic' of the Wars as a whole. And, to be honest, it is really only the Gothic Wars that is Homeric, for there P focuses on the single–combats and makes numerous references to both Homer and the events of the Odyssey (journeys of Odysseus).
5. In book 8 we have a return to the affairs of the capital of Byzantium, which were somewhat passed over in the VW and first couple of books of the GW, that were a fairly important part of the PW (though admittedly, bk 8 lacks set pieces along the lines of the the plague and the riots).
6. There is only the second sea–battle presented a little more than halfway through bk 8 that is similar to the sea battle at the beginning of the VW.
7. One last thing that I'll point out (of what I've noticed at this early stage) is the fact that we seem to get a return to the analepses that were common in the battels of the PW, but weren't really in the VW. At the same time, the prolepses that were fairly common in the VW, are not quite so evident in the bk 8 and in the latter stages of the GW.
8. One very last point: Belisarius doesn't appear in the narrative until well into the PW, whereas, he disappears from the narrative in the early stages of book 8.
One thing that I'll want to check about this is what sorts of events are described in the beginning and the end of the narrative. If there are X battles in the first 'half' of the narrative, are there also X battles in the second half? And if not, how close are they? As it stands, there are several battles described later on too, but they're often quite brief. That, however, may have been a conscious choice. I'll have to think about that.
Anyway, before I really think about any more of this I'll be doing some more thinking about discipline and generalship in the sixth century. A conference paper is only a week and a day away. Oh…and with 5 minutes to kickoff, go Australia!


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Four decades ago, a leading zoologist dismissed Jane Goodall as an amateur. She agreed. "My future is so ridiculous," she wrote. "I just squat here, chimp-like, on my rocks, pulling out prickles and thorns, and laugh to think of this unknown 'Miss Goodall' who is said to be doing scientific research somewhere."
But within a few months of beginning her study of chimpanzees in 1960, insinuating herself into their lives in the forests of Africa,she made a shocking discovery: Chimpanzees construct tools. Legendary anthropologist Louis Leakey announced that because of Goodall's observations, "we must redefine tool, redefine man, or accept chimpanzees as human." She soon gained entrance to a doctoral program at Cambridge University, even though her highest previous degree was from a secretarial school, and was well on her way to becoming a scientific icon.
To this slim, ponytailed young woman, chimps looked more clever, more scary, and often more human than anyone had ever suspected. They hunt, sometimes engage in cannibalism, make war on each other, adopt orphans, and drum on tree roots and wave branches in ritual-like displays. Some chimps are cunning politicians; others seem devoted to their families.
Fame and age have broadened Goodall's focus. These days she spends most of her time on the road, lecturing and raising funds for the Jane Goodall Institute (check their blog) and its efforts to assist wild and rescued chimpanzees. But she still keeps close tabs on her adopted family, the African primates who took her in.
When you arrived in Africa, did you imagine you'd be spending 47 years involved with chimpanzees? No [laughs]. How could I have back then? One year there seemed enormous at the time. I was only 23. I was invited to Africa by a school friend whose parents had moved to Kenya. One of their friends said, "If you're interested in animals, you should meet Dr. Louis Leakey." So I went to see him at the Coryndon Museum [where Leakey was director], and he ended up offering me a job as his secretary. During the time I worked for him, I had the opportunity to go out on the Serengeti with him. He knew I didn't care about clothes and hair,dresses and parties, and that I really, really, really wanted to live with animals in the bush. And that I didn't care about a degree—I just wanted to learn.
What is your fondest memory of observing the chimps in Tanzania? When I would sit quietly with a family and watch the interactions between mother and child, brothers and sisters. Yes, it was amazing to see tool use for the first time, but it didn't really surprise me that they could do that. I hadn't been to college and didn't realize how exciting this observation was. Ironically, about three weeks after[field biologist] George Schaller visited me for the first time, I saw[chimpanzee] David Greybeard using a tool. George had said during his visit to my camp, "If you see tool using and hunting, it will have made the whole study worthwhile." Within a month, I'd seen both.
Watching the chimpanzees, did you ever long to be one? Sometimes I did, especially in the early days when it was just me and the chimps and the forest. I just wanted to know what they were thinking and feeling, and what it felt like in the evening to be making a nest, and what it felt like to be a female when a big male comes thundering in. Are you afraid or excited? It was impossible to tell.
Did you immediately recognize distinctive personalities among the chimpanzees? It took a long time before they lost their fear of me. But as I got to know them and watched them interact, their personalities became very obvious. There were mean ones and generous ones, aggressive ones and gentle ones.
To many people, you are the scientist who made chimps seem almost human. Is that how they appear to you? They kiss, embrace, hold hands, pat one another on the back, swagger, shake their fists, and throw rocks in the same context that we do these things. There are strong bonds of affection and support between family members. They help each other. And they have violent and brutal aggression, even a kind of primitive war. In all these ways, they're very like us.
Was the violence frightening? You were attacked once by a chimp named Frodo when you tried to help him. Well, he was only being a young male. When they bash you, they aren't trying to hurt or kill you. If they were, I wouldn't be here, because they are eight times stronger than me. So it's just showing off, just bravado. If he's scaring off other chimps, then why not me?
If chimps are so much like us, why are they endangered while humans dominate the globe? Well, in some ways we're not successful at all. We're destroying our home. That's not a bit successful. Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutan shave been living for hundreds of thousands of years in their forest,living fantastic lives, never overpopulating, never destroying the forest. I would say that they have been in a way more successful than us as far as being in harmony with the environment.
Yet they never evolved to our intellectual level. Why? What makes us human, I think, is an ability to ask questions, a consequence of our sophisticated spoken language. Chimps have something like the beginning of morality, but once you have language—once you can discuss something and talk about it in the abstract and take lessons from the past and plan for the future—that is what makes the difference.


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Ahead of next month's North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Honda today released a teaser image of an "Urban SUV concept."
Although the photo reveals only the car's roof, belt, and shoulder lines, there's a good chance that we're looking at the upcoming SUV variant of the Fit. Rumors of the vehicle were already circulating: Just last week Automotive News reported that Honda will build three vehicles with the Fit platform: a compact, sedan dubbed the "City", and this Fit-based crossover.
Powering this new Fit offshoot will most likely be Honda's mouthful of a new hybrid system, the Sport Hybrid Intelligent Dual Clutch Drive system (i-DCD)—a replacement for the aging Integrated Motor Assist. The pint-sized crossover will carry a 1.4-liter inline-four Atkinson cycle engine and an electric motor mated to a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. Honda hopes that the i-DCD system, in addition to injecting some sportiness, will improve efficiency over the old system by up to 30 percent. The vehicle will use the torquey electric motor to get the car up to speed and then engage the gas engine at cruise speeds to save the batteries.
More From Popular Mechanics
While Honda is billing this Fit-based compact SUV as a concept, the Japanese automaker's track record would suggest that the car it reveals in Detroit will look virtually the same as the car that ends up at a dealership near you. Just take a look at the 2013 Crosstour.


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Here in DC, we recently had an unexpected snow day. By the word unexpected, I don't mean that the snow wasn't forecast – it was definitely forecast. It just never came. However due to the forecast I decided to avoid traffic just in case the predictions were correct. So while staying at home, I began thinking about some things that I've been wanting to update on the site and one thing that came up was an update to my Sudoku program. Previously, it contained about 10000 sample puzzles of varying difficulty. However, I told myself that I would return to the idea of generating my own Sudoku puzzles. I decided to tackle that task last week.
The question was how would I do this. The Sudoku solver itself works through the dancing links algorithm which uses backtracking, so this was the approach that figured as most likely to get me a profitable result in generating new puzzles (I have also seen alternative approaches discussed where people start with an initial Sudoku and swap rows and columns to generate a new puzzle). The next question was how to actually implement this method.
Here is an overview of the algorithm. I went from cell to cell (left to right, and top to bottom starting in the top left corner) attempting to place a random value in that cell. If that value can be a part of a valid Sudoku (meaning that there exists a solution with the current cells filled in as is), then we continue and fill in the next cell. Otherwise, we will try to place a different value in the current cell. This process is continued until all cells are filled in.
The next step was to create a puzzle out of a filled in Sudoku. The tricky about this step is that if too many cells are removed then we wind up generating a puzzle that has multiple solutions. If too few cells are removed though, then the puzzle will be too easy to solve. Initially, I went repeatedly removed cells from the locations that were considered the most beneficial. This generally results in a puzzle with about 35-40 values remaining. To remove additional cells, I considered each of the remaining values and questioned whether hiding the cell would result in the puzzle having multiple solutions. If this was the case, then the cell value was not removed. Otherwise it was. As a result I now have a program that generates Sudoku puzzles that generally have around 25 hints.


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Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers, team of American movie comedians. The members were Julius (1890?–1977), known as Groucho; Arthur (1888?–1964), originally Adolph and known as Harpo; Leonard (1887?–1961), known as Chico; and two other brothers, Milton (Gummo) and Herbert (Zeppo), who had both left the act by 1935; all were born in New York City. After starting in vaudeville they made a sensation on Broadway with The Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers, both of which they transferred to film (1929, 1930). Their anarchic, slapstick humor turned dignified settings into playhouses for Groucho's outrageous puns and wisecracks, Harpo's horn honking and girl chasing, and Chico's distorted logic. Zeppo appeared in their first five films as straight man. Their films include Monkey Business (1931), Horse Feathers (1932), Duck Soup (1933), and A Night at the Opera (1935). Groucho enjoyed a solo career as film actor, television game show emcee, and master raconteur in concert.
See autobiographies by Groucho (1959) and Harpo (1961); A. Marx, Life with Groucho (1954) and Son of Groucho (1972); biographies of Groucho by H. Arce (1979) and S. Kanfer (2001); Groucho Marx and R. J. Anobile, The Marx Bros. Scrapbook (1973); S. Kanfer: The Essential Groucho: Writings by, for, and about Groucho Marx (2000); S. Louvish, Monkey Business (2001); G. Mitchell, The Marx Brothers Encyclopedia (2003).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Film and Television: Biographies


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The wait for the BCS Championship game (seriously, January 10? and a playoff would take too much time?) may be over, but the waiting for a lot of other sports news is just getting started. I delayed this post as long as possible hoping a couple of these things might actually go ahead and happen, but apparently the sports world does not exist to satisfy my needs as a blogger. Still, here's a brief run down of pending news just in case you don't want to refresh ESPN every five minutes.
The Football Shoe
Cam Newton may have announced today that he's leaving Auburn (and really, does he need to stick around the NCAA at this point?) and Big XII star receivers Justin Blackmon and Ryan Broyles are sticking around their respective schools, but several anxious alumni and students are still waiting for their star players, among them Auburn's Nick Fairley, who has announced he'll make an announcement on Friday. The interesting subplot here is the number of underclassmen who seem to be staying put despite being seen as potential high draft picks — is the NFL's uncertain labor situation coming in to play here? Or does everyone just really, really not want to play for Carolina?
The Baseball Shoe
Meanwhile, in St. Louis, the Cardinals front office are doing everything they can to keep their fan base from throwing themselves into the Mississippi River by trying to sign Albert Pujols to a contract extension before this season. Albert, shown here wondering if it's actually possible to swim in a pool full of hundred dollar bills, has reportedly said he will not do any further negotiations once Spring Training begins, so I'm hoping they'll announce a signed extension soon, so I can stop having nightmares about being tormented with his exploits as a Yankee every time I walk past a newsstand.
The Basketball Shoe
As the week began, I thought I was going to get another chance to show off my Nets uniform photoshopping skills, as a big Nets-Nuggets-Pistons trade seemed all but set. By yesterday, however, there were rumors that maybe the Knicks (Carmelo's favored destination) weren't completely out of the running, and tonight a possible Nuggets-Knicks-Grizzlies trade involving O.J. Mayo is also hovering, not to mention the possibility of a team desperate for healthy star power (Houston) offering a quick swap because they don't care if he becomes a free agent at the end of the season. And yes, I did pick the above photo because it reflects how reading about this mess makes me feel.
Of course there's also a certain playoff game between a certain NFL team I may have painted my toenails bright green for and their archrivals that I'm waiting around for, but given my terrible track record when mentioning teams I'm rooting for on this blog, that's all I'm going to say.
Are you just waiting for the NFL playoff games? The holiday weekend? Or does some other pending sporting news have you all antsy?


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We're pretty excited about the return to classic Spider-Man villains in Marc Webb's Spider-Man movie. Especially when they involve the Lizard's dark origin story. Check out this possible inside look at Spider-Man as one kid auditions to play Billy Connors!
Comic Book Movies stumbled across this child actor's audition for the role of Billy Connors, son of the Lizard. Normally we equate child auditions with watching a cat walk on its hind legs — odd and unnecessary. But child actor Stuart Allan won us over with his awesome pet bird and eagerness to piss off his father, THE LIZARD. Watch, and fast forward to the end to watch a quickie scene that might be in Webb's Spider-Man (or why else would they be cast Billy Connors?)
Stuart Allan: Audition for Untitled Teen Action Film — Role of Billy from Stuart Allan on Vimeo.
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Conduit 2 demands your attention. It's a first person shooter with incredible controls, great graphics, good humour, addictive gameplay, a wealthy amount of options and customisation, and a whole lot of style. It's a fairly short game, but it's full blown entertainment from start to finish, and makes no compromises or excuses for it. Michael Ford is here to kick ass and take names, and he's all out of names. Life's too short for formality – there's no time for "the" anymore – this is simply Conduit 2, and it's time to shoot bad guys.
The story in the first game was hilarious and ridiculous. The same goes for Conduit 2, but this time it's presented much differently, and it's funny for the right reasons. The game KNOWS how stupid it is, and enjoys poking fun at itself. Michael Ford is full of magical one-liners all of a sudden, and directly comments on the game's flaws as you play. I guess fighting so many aliens in the first game and getting nowhere actually gave him some resilience and a personality. The story itself has everything: it's a worldwide government conspiracy tied to an alien invasion and features zombies, sea monsters, robots, time travel, lost cities, mayan references, sasquatch, and somehow manages to link all this to real life government conspiracies of the past. I won't spoil which ones because it's just ridiculous and amazing when you find them in the game.
While Michael Ford coats the game with a thick layer of cheese and insincerity, the game world itself is actually quite interesting and involved. The levels are littered with "conspiracy items" to scan and hidden messages on the walls to find, and there's some interesting stuff here. It varies from meaningless diary entries and emails to top secret information about important people. There's some guy on the oil rig who is depressed with the current fishing situation, and blames the Conduit's electricity for scaring away all the fish. Pointless, but a cool addition to the game world that makes it feel more alive and interesting. There's also hidden energy crystals and ancient messages on the walls to find, providing some incentive to explore, not just to "clear" the game, but to find out more about what's happening.
The controls are smooth and responsive, not just like any good game, but moreso than anything out there. The Wii Remote (when used properly) is the absolute pinnacle of FPS control, producing more accuracy than a joystick, and more natural movements than a mouse. It's silly to even compare, because it still doesn't feel close to any of those. It's not realistic in its movement, unless you walk around with a pipe up your arse and your legs dont bend. Its strength lies in giving you a greater degree of freedom over what you see. Conduit 2's controls eliminate the conscious barrier of "adjusting" your view. With the Wii remote, you can't turn too little or look too far, you just point and you're there, the same way you move your eyes. Your eyes dont "miss" things, they don't bounce around like a nervous thumb; when you see something you look straight at it, and Conduit 2 does well to capture this in your hand.
The controls create a level of immersion that wasn't possible before, and it turns an above-average shooter into a GREAT one. It doesn't just enhance the shooting, it makes it more fun to look around exploring the levels and finding items. It creates a feeling like you're poking your head around corners and over objects. It can take a bit of time to adapt to the controls and adjust to your liking, but this is mainly because of the ridiculous amount of options we have here. You can slow down the turning speed to a crawl, or spin around 10 times per second. I won't go into too much detail about the control options – Pro Daisy explains them in much greater detail than I ever could right here (an easy-to-understand article that thoroughly explains what each control adjustment does). My setup is similar, same Dead Zone, but I use the "Human" camera view, with a lower turning speed of 18 to offset the "floaty" camera, and a higher sensitivity of 48 so I can still shoot fast and because I personally don't mind it bouncing around a bit. Unfortunately, there's no option to fix the floaty camera, and they've also slowed down the movement from the first Conduit, including a new "run" button to make up for it. It seems like an intentional design from High Voltage Software to make movement more "realistic". The game focuses more on exploration than the first, which to them probably justifies the approach, but overall they've just removed an option the first game had. It's a shame because Conduit 2 does refine a lot of other things over the first game, but instead of being a direct improvement it's just "different". Overall I prefer Conduit 2's controls to the first, because while you're inside the Dead Zone the floaty camera isn't an issue, and primary aiming feels a lot better. This is the best FPS I've ever played, and the controls are half the reason why. Conduit 1 and 2 are top of the class when it comes to Wii shooters, without a doubt.
The enemy AI falls into the same cliche as the rest of the game: satisfyingly bad. Bad guys are stupid, and some will get eaten or killed before you can even fire a round in their direction. The AI patterns of the enemies aren't made to look realistic: they're made to trick the player. A gunman will start running back, and do a circle as you chase him, bringing all the focus to him. This is usually done when there's a group of enemies, and while this is happening, the other 3 or 4 will all come out at once and gun you down. IF you're still focusing on the special retarded "AI" event of the first guy, you'll be dead when the group attacks. This "crap AI" brings you out into the open, and makes you scream "STUPID AI! SHIT GAME!" as the game hands you your arse on the death screen. More like stupid player.
There aren't many instances of this in the game; special AI events are limited. Mostly, the AI is very basic and it's something you don't really notice. If you're looking for strategy, you won't find it in Conduit 2. The bad guys stand there, shoot, take cover, reload, and repeat. They're pretty crap at taking cover too; usually you can still see the top or side of their head, and it's enough to kill them instantly. Sometimes enemies that are right in front of you will run to cover instead of shooting, but you know what? Sometimes I do that too. It feels like the "safe" option in the face of sudden danger. I bet most of the time we human players look pretty ridiculous to the AI.
The enemies themselves are pretty varied, aside from human soldiers there's a variety of aliens and robots in many shapes and sizes, from flying moth things to relentless robot dogs that have come from Resident Evil to tear out your soul. These are especially annoying because they appear after you get spotted by surveilance cameras you can't shoot or avoid. Interactive environments aren't found in this game. The most you can do is annihilate a desk fan or flip over a bench / soda machine. There are some boss fights to change things up, a nice distraction, but their patterns are laughably easy to predict and they aren't very stimulating.
Difficulty can be adjusted on the fly during gameplay; it doesn't change the game much but at least it's fair and balanced. On the hardest difficulty, enemies shoot quicker and more accurately, explosions have a bigger blast ratio, and you die with less hits. The enemies intelligence seems exactly the same, and you can still kill them with one shot to the head. There's no cheap tricks to make the game harder, just the simple things have been turned up and you have to be smarter and more careful. I prefer playing on the hardest difficulty because otherwise you can just run out into the open and kill everything, it's more fun when you have to use cover and split the enemies up. Even on the hardest difficulty the game can be a bit too easy once you've mastered the controls.
The graphics are great. It's one of the best looking Wii games; High Voltage Software really knows the console well. Everything runs smoothly with a good amount of detail, without having that blurry / blocky "third party Wii game" classic look. While the environments are a lot more varied and interesting than the first Conduit, there's just not enough of them. The whole single player campaign can be beaten in about 5 hours, and I've gotten to the point where I've played each level 8-10 times. The game has a lot of achievements and hidden items to keep you playing, but more levels would be a much better motivator.
Aside from the single player campaign, there's online play with a heap of different modes, and 4 player split screen multiplayer for people in the same room – which is sadly becoming a rare feature in today's games. As a package, Conduit 2 is rough around the edges, but it still delivers fun where it counts. The gameplay engine is absolutely solid: movement is easy, aiming is blissful, and it all feels natural. High Voltage Software are one of the very few developers to do justice to the Wii's potential, and the result isn't something that'll turn the world upside down, just a very fun game.


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On a hot and bright California day, the red steel frame of a half-built house, its footprint a jagged stamp on the landscape, glints in the sunshine beaming down on Santa Clara University. Crawling around the crescent-shaped structure, workers holler measurements, fasten sheathing and snap chalk lines. They're wearing hard hats and tool belts, and the noise of steel swatting plywood sounds unmistakably like a job site. But this is hardly a construction crew out of central casting. Swinging a sledgehammer in this gravel lot somewhere between the quad and the cafeteria, a student volunteer with arms as skinny as the tool's handle tries in vain to pound a steel spike into the ground. He swings, misses and repeats, while the crew snickers. Each stroke gets more and more desperate, until, finally, a cartwheel swing sends the kid headlong. His oversized hard hat flies off and the crowd cracks up, prompting structural and construction manager Dan Ruffoni, a 22-year-old senior at Santa Clara, to intervene. Ruffoni sinks the spike in a few clean blows and progress resumes, but the sledgehammer slapstick has cost the rookie contractors 7 precious minutes. They really don't have 7 minutes to spare.
The students have been working 100-hour weeks all semester, running to the job site after class and doffing hard hats to take midterms. So far, they've managed to finance the project and file 138 pages of engineering drawings on deadline--not to mention pass their exams. But the big deadline, though still months away, is approaching fast. That's when the half-clad structure now rising from the campus will have to function as a superefficient, sun-powered home of the future at the Solar Decathlon, in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy this fall, the competition will pit 20 teams of college students against each other in an international showdown of innovative engineering. Team California's young roster tops out at age 23, whereas some schools attract Ph.D. candidates, or students Ruffoni describes as "old enough to look like they're already in the homebuilding business." As team project manager Allison Kopf puts it: "We don't have a construction background. We're undergrads--we have no background, period." But the students don't see that as a serious impediment; if anything, it has increased their drive to win.
Like many of his teammates, 21-year-old Preet Anand says he "works on the project full-time and does school on the side." While workers whistle to "Layla" from a dusty boombox, Anand, the team's water systems leader, gestures to a rectangle of blue sky visible through the ceiling beams in the asymmetrical structure. "We're putting solar photovoltaics and flat-plate solar thermal collectors on the roof," he says, "and clerestory windows will provide simple daylighting. Our architecture is not only performance-driven, we want the house to look good." He describes his team's strategy as a "young, daring Silicon Valley approach"--and it's not without its challenges. Window shutters with thin-film solar collectors along the louvers had to be axed because of safety concerns. Certain products have proven to be so obscure that it was unclear whether they could be shipped to the U.S. For other prototypes, students have had to prove that new materials are up to code.
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All this before crossing the last major hurdle: simply showing up at the competition. The members of Team California (which also includes students from California College of the Arts) must dismantle the house once they finally complete it and transport the pieces in three wide loads on a meticulously planned, 2848-mile journey across the country, only to reassemble the structure in just six days upon arrival at the National Mall. Then, they must move into their house for the duration of the competition. In the end, they're not just building a solar-powered home--they're proving that people can live in solar-powered homes, comfortably and without sacrifice. Teams have to shower in their houses, watch TV, do laundry and even host other teams for two dinner parties and a movie night.
During the competition, the DOE will open the solar village's 20 homes for public tours from Oct. 9 to 13 and Oct. 15 to 18. On Oct. 14, expert judges in 10 categories--including architecture, engineering and market viability--will comb through each home, scrutinizing details down to the placement of the lighting. This year, there's an added twist: The houses will be plugged into the Potomac Electric Power Company's grid, where real-time meters will monitor both the amount of energy consumed and the power each home feeds back into the system. Nationally, meters like these could help utilities respond more quickly to power outages or prevent rolling brownouts. At the Solar Decathlon, they will keep score--50 additional points go to houses that generate more energy than they consume.
How It Works
Remarkable ingenuity defines every Solar Decathlon house. But these three standouts employ fresh technology and radical architecture to solve specific challenges.
Hot fluid from the rooftop solar thermal system transfers heat to water in PEX tubing in the floor panels, warming rooms. A second array of tubing in the ceiling can provide radiant cooling--an unusual twist. Cold water routed from a heat pump flows overhead, absorbing heat from the rooms and lowering the indoor temperature.
Flat-plate solar thermal collectors, on the roof alongside photovoltaic panels, refract sunlight through heat-transmitting glass and a radiation-trapping absorptive coating. The process heats a freeze-proof fluid, which transfers heat to water in the domestic hot-water tank and radiant tubing in the floor. Radiant cooling, to be driven by solar thermal in the original plan, went electric when the manufacturer of a solar-powered absorption chiller couldn't deliver.
Graywater draining from the home's washing machine, sink and shower enters a planter that passively filters it through sand, loam and gravel. This filtered water irrigates an edible garden. A collection system channels rainwater to a pond and tank beneath the house, reducing runoff and aiding irrigation.
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Team California's heating and cooling system may help the house hover near that perfect zero. "Doing all the heating and cooling with electricity would take a lot of power from our solar panels," 23-year-old thermal design leader Tim Sennott says. So the students drew up an elaborate system in which solar thermal collectors heat and cool the house through radiant tubing in the floor and ceiling. An energy-recovery ventilator maintains a constant indoor temperature and humidity, further reducing HVAC demands. "What we designed is a whole ton more complicated than something we would ever put in a residential home," Sennott says. "We're trying to do stuff with technology that's not mainstream yet." The tactic can be risky. In July, the supplier of the cooling system's solar-powered absorption chiller pulled out, leaving students scrambling for an alternative.
The Solar Decathlon has a precedent of such edgy approaches, according to its director, Richard King. Students in years past have adopted solar technologies that were "hardly even heard of at the time," King says. The competition gives the public a chance to see these new technologies work together as a system--some, like California's radiant cooling, for the first time.
Santa Clara's 2007 Solar Decathlon house, its boxy frame crowned with solar panels, stands a short walk from the current job site. In its sunny living room, sitting in a chair made from reclaimed wine-barrel staves, Anand pulls a tape measure from his back pocket and points to handsome bamboo joists along the ceiling. The 2007 team wanted to develop bamboo-based structural materials, he says. That idea caught the eye of the company Teragren, which sent unfinished bamboo for the students to test in a Tinius Olsen machine--a massive contraption that stresses I-beams to evaluate tensile strength and shear-load capacities. That year, underdog Santa Clara took third place. The students' joists, now certified under multiple international building codes, will soon be on the market.
"It's one thing to manufacture a product, but it's another to have it installed in a building that meets code," says Tom Goodham, Teragren's vice president of operations. "The beauty of putting products into an actual building is that it helps people understand it's not just conceptual. This is a material that's ready to be used, that can be integrated into design today." Working with Santa Clara on this year's house, Teragren revised the joist to create open-web floor trusses. The elegant, trestle-shaped bamboo beams have openings to run conduit, simplifying installation.
But really, all the cutting-edge technology eclipses the core challenge--building a house isn't easy. Try doing it on top of a full college course load. Despite the occasional decision Ruffoni describes as "so embarrassingly wrong that only students would do it," his teammate Anand credits their team's inexperience as a major asset. Unfamiliar with the sobering constraints of actual construction, he says, "The only thing we had to apply was creativity."
3 Solar Decathlon Standout Competitors
Team California's systems harness both the sun and rain--to keep the house's consumption at net-zero, nothing can go to waste.
Team Boston, comprising Boston Architectural College and Tufts University, wanted to keep its house's market price below $300,000. So students opted for a modular $200 Enphase micro-inverter--which converts DC into AC power--rather than a $3000 converter that typically handles the whole photovoltaic array. Ross Trethewey, the team's solar thermal engineer, also specified flat-panel thermal collectors at a third of the price of comparable evacuated tubes. "This isn't as flashy, but it's going to be affordable," Trethewey says, "and that's sustainable."
Sensors on the concrete floor inside Virginia Tech's house and a weather station on the roof detect temperature changes inside and out; a series of sliding panels, inspired by functional shutters, move across the front of the structure to adjust the interior climate accordingly. "The 'responsive architecture' strategy allows the user to easily manipulate shade and insulation screens to block harsh weather conditions, as well as open the house up when the weather is good," team leader Alden Haley says.
The sun doesn't hit the top of a house at quite the same angle in Duluth, Minn., as it does in, say, Tucson, Ariz. So the University of Arizona's house has a pivoting hinge that can adjust the one-piece southern wall and roof assembly to catch rays at the optimal angle. An airflow channel and a layer of insulation beneath the panels lowers their temperature. "Rooftop surface temperatures around here can get up to 150 F or 160 F," project manager Matt Gindle-sparger says. "PV panels are rated to tolerate even higher temperatures. But they're a lot happier when they're cooler."