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- Format: XBLA, PC
- Unleashed: Out Now
- Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
- Developer: Supergiant Games
- Players: 1
- Site: http://supergiantgames.com/?page_id=242
"Proper story's supposed to start at the beginning," rumbles the narrator, as Bastion's albino-haired hero slumbers on a chunk of rock in the sky. "Ain't so simple with this one."
The opening lines ring true, and odds are you've never played a game like this before. The Kid (it's the only name he's got) picks himself up and takes a good look around.
It's a beautiful land, torn apart as it is. Crumbling stone and twisting plants join with scarcely recognisable ruins to hang suspended in the air, coloured with a palette that reeks of mystery and a touch of old beauty. Some great disaster known as the Calamity did a real number on the place. The ground appears before the Kid's feet as he walks, which sometimes goes awry when he gets unfairly stranded somewhere with nothing but death to save him. Still, taking the overhead camera into consideration, it's not a bad way to keep him on track.
Before long he stumbles upon a long-lost hammer and starts smashing things straight away.
"It's a touching reunion," remarks the narrator with a voice of superb gravel and bass.
See, everything the Kid does is told by this narrator in a story-like fashion. Take a swing at a gasfella – one of the violent survivors of the Calamity – and he'll relate some of their tragic situation. Lose a chunk of health in the fight and he'll mention the Kid's scrapes and bruises. Never overbearing (let alone unwelcome), the narrator tells the whole tale top to bottom. It's a straight-up fascinating way to spin a video game yarn and lends Bastion its standout feature.
So the narrator does his thing while the Kid does his own; namely, fighting. The effect isn't unlike a typical top-down RPG: weapon in hand, he strikes and dodges in quick spurts, timing a damaging counter with his shield every now and then. You'd be pardoned to mistake the combat as simple – even shallow – but you'd also be wrong. It takes wits and strategy to keep up the pace, and the Kid has to contend with dropping floor panels, screaming swamp beasts, and treacherous airship rides. It's not especially punishing, but it's no walk in the park either.
Of course, the Kid doesn't stop with hammers; a repeater is found soon enough, which opens up a world of long-range tactics. This particular weapon won't let him move an inch while firing, but it unloads a round like you wouldn't believe. Bunches of other weapons can be snatched up too, including the sure-shot breaker's bow and a vicious war machete, and they're each as unique as they are effective. The Kid manages to lug around two at a time; choosing the rights ones can be a matter of life or death.
But at the end of the day, it's not about the bloodshed; it's about the Bastion. If it can be fixed, so can this whole mess. The Kid returns to the safe haven after every mission, constructing useful buildings when he has the chance. The Arsenal lets him pick through his weapon collection, the Forge powers up said weapons using supplies found along the road, the Distillery offers spirits to grant secret skills, and a handful of other places are worth checking out in their own right. The Kid'll need money for all this grandeur, so keeping an eye out for shiny bits of currency isn't a half bad idea.
Tying this cracked world together is a story far beyond its downloadable peers. Always subtle and complimented by the narrator's brusque commentary, the Kid's tale is mournful and wide open to interpretation. It's liable to move you somewhere deep inside; those of a less manly disposition may shed a tear come its close. The music, described by its own creator as acoustic frontier trip-hop, fits the tale like a comfy glove and deserves to be heard time and time again.
In fact, the game deserves the same treatment, so it's fortunate nobody will be left out in the cold when the end pops up. Creative challenges tempt the Kid with fancy prizes and a New Game Plus mode lets him start afresh with all those precious weapons and skills in tow. Yes indeed, boredom will have a nasty time coming out on top in this brawl.
Above all, Bastion is one of those games you just can't forget. It does things never before tried and does them well. Strong and deceptively deep action props up a story that thrives in a rich setting. It's a bold start for Supergiant Games, who've managed to do a lot with a little. So go on and give the Kid a hand with putting his world back together; it's a trip you won't regret taking.


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subset: commoncrawl


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PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) Yun Sungbin left no doubt. It's his track. It's his gold medal.
The most decisive Olympic skeleton champion ever is a 23-year-old who had no idea what he was doing on a sled a few years ago and now stands taller than anyone else in the sport.
Yun won in commanding fashion at the Pyeongchang Games on Friday, his four-run time of 3 minutes, 20.55 seconds easily coming in 1.63 seconds ahead of silver medalist Nikita Tregubov of Russia. Most skeleton races are decided by tenths or hundreths of a second, but Yun was dominant from start to finish – the fastest slider, in every way, in every heat.
He stepped onto the award podium shortly after finishing, arms skyward as thousands of his fellow South Koreans roared. They showed up early on a bright morning in the Taebaek Mountains, fully expecting to see the sort of dominance he himself envisioned when taking thousands of training runs on the track that was built for these Olympics, the track he knows better than anyone else in sliding.
"Yun! Sung! Bin!" they chanted, over and over. "Yun! Sung! Bin!"
Yun delivered.
Happy New Year, indeed. On a national holiday in Korea – the start of a lunar new year – Yun became a national hero. He is the reigning World Cup overall champion, is now the Olympic champion and his career is only just starting.
"If you see the Korean guy, he has the best material," Spain's Ander Mirambell said. "He will win this easy."
It was the biggest victory margin in Olympic skeleton, topping 1948 when Italy's Nino Bibbia topped Jack Heaton of the U.S. by 1.4 seconds in a six-heat race.
The only drama in the final heat was who would finish second. Tregubov won that battle, edging Dom Parsons of Britain. Latvia's Martins Dukurs, the winningest World Cup men's skeleton racer in history, struggled in the final run and slipped to fourth.
For the U.S., 2014 Olympic bronze medalist Matt Antoine was 11th and three-time Olympian John Daly was 16th.
For more AP Olympic coverage: https://www.wintergames.ap.org


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"Grandpa," Friend, Jan. 1982, 46
Lisa stood in the doorway of Grandpa's bedroom. She wanted to talk to him, but he was sound asleep. There was so much to say and so little time. Grandpa couldn't even get out of bed now.
"I'll be thankful if I get to see another crocus," he had said. Those words brought back vividly all the hurt and pain she had felt when Keekee, her pet hamster, died.
Lisa hurried out of the house and went directly to the far end of the garden where Keekee was buried. Since it was mid-January, the plants were bare. Not a leaf or bud anywhere. She and Grandpa had put Keekee to rest between the red rose bushes. She swallowed hard, remembering it all.
"I won't ever see Keekee again," she had cried.
"Death isn't forever, Lisa," Grandpa comforted.
After Grandpa talked to her, some of the pain seemed to ease.
"By loving Keekee," he said, "he will always live in your heart. All else can fade away but love is forever."
They stood beside the grave. "What would you like to say on the marker?" Grandpa had asked.
Lisa hesitated. "Name and dates, I guess."
"Don't be ashamed to say what's in your heart," encouraged Grandpa.
Lisa looked into Grandpa's warm brown eyes, then down at the ground. "I love you, Keekee …" she whispered.
Grandpa smiled. "Each time you read those words, Lisa, your memory of Keekee will come alive. Dying is a fact of life. One day we all must go away for a while."
"Will that happen to you, too, Grandpa?"
"Yes, Lisa, but you must remember that separation is not a final thing and that someday we'll all be together again."
Now it is Grandpa's turn to go, Lisa thought sadly. All the pain of parting came back again. Once more she looked over the garden. Every year she and Grandpa had planted bulbs along both sides of the walkway but now Grandpa was too ill. She remembered how one by one she had handed Grandpa the crocus bulbs and watched him place them into freshly dug holes. Then he covered them gently, almost with a prayer.
Lisa went back to Grandpa's room. He seemed to still be asleep but then he opened his eyes. "Is that you, Lisa?" he asked.
"Yes, Grandpa, is there anything I can do for you? Anything you want?"
"Just sit and talk to me," he said, taking her hand.
"The garden misses you, Grandpa. We don't want you to go."
"It will only be for a little while. In Heavenly Father's time it will only be like a winter away. Plants sleep during the winter and wake up in the spring. So it is with people. We are parted for a while and come together again in a world where there is no more separation."
Grandpa's hand became limp and he fell asleep.
Lisa went out into the garden again.
"Grandpa loves you," she spoke to the lilac tree and the rosebushes as though they could understand. "If you could give him a flower, it would make him so happy." But only the silence and the cold wind answered her. Every day after that, Lisa carefully examined each plant, but there wasn't even a sign of a swollen node.
Mother had asked Lisa to help in preparing the house for company who would want to visit with Grandpa. "Friends and relatives will come to see Grandpa often," she said, "and you must keep the porch and steps clean."
Many people did come to see Grandpa, and each day he seemed to sleep a little longer. Sometimes he didn't know Lisa was there beside him. One day as she was sweeping the porch, the pain of losing Grandpa seemed to grow so big within Lisa that she thought it would burst. She began to cry. The broom slipped from her hand and fell beside the steps. As she stooped to pick it up, something caught her eye. It was half-hidden under the porch and behind the steps. She got on her knees and could hardly believe what she saw. In a sheltered place, well-protected from the wind and cold, was a purple crocus poking up from the dark earth. Although it was still winter, a flower had been born.
Lisa rushed to Grandpa's bedroom where he lay sleeping. "Please wake up, Grandpa, and see what I found!" she cried. But Grandpa didn't stir. Lisa waited and waited. She was about to leave the room when Grandpa opened his eyes.
"Look, Grandpa. Look what I have for you!" Lisa said softly.
"A crocus," he whispered. "How wonderful!" He took the flower and held it to his face. "Where did you find it, Lisa? We took up all the bulbs last fall."
"I guess we missed this one. It was in the corner by the steps."
Grandpa smiled. "Lisa, did I ever tell you the story about the tree that began to sprout leaves in the winter? At the time, people called it a miracle. It brought new hope to many who needed it. Later it was discovered that a steam pipe near the tree had a leak and the warmth made the tree think it was spring—time to wake up and time to show its leaves. People talked about it for months afterward. Many felt it was a message from God, telling them that they should never despair."
Lisa sat quietly thinking about the miracle tree. She looked down at Grandpa, who had fallen asleep again, the crocus still in his hand. Lisa stood beside the bed for a long time. Slowly some of the pain she felt began to ease. Grandpa's going away didn't hurt quite as much now. She knew that one day they would be together again.
"I love you, Grandpa," she whispered, recalling his words, All else can fade away but love is forever.


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Legend Pranks Entire School
On last night's Phone Show Legend called in and told us about his mid-80's prank on a Florida church school. Legend called the school and claimed to be from NASA in Houston and said their school had been randomly selected to talk with Commander Crippen from the Discovery space shuttle which was currently orbiting the Earth at 17,400 miles per hour. Of course the school bought it and assembled all of the students together to let some of them talk to a real astronaut in space.
To add to the authenticity (and hilarity) Legend had his Commodore 64 computer set up to make all kinds of "space noises" in the background, such as beeping and static. For 2 full hours Legend kept teachers and students on the phone, answering questions such as, "What would happen if an astronaut sneezed?"
"It would propel you against the wall," Legend replies. He also claimed that they were fixing satellites and all kinds of other nonsense.
Legend says he was 16 at the time and bored as hell. One thing lead to another and the next thing he knows he's wasted 2 hours of the church school's valuable time. After 2 hours his ADD started kicking in so he hung up. It was around that time that the school discovered they had been pranked.
Legend has been a member of the various PLA communities for most of this decade and you can often find him hanging out on the PLA Voice Bridge. He even helped RBCP stalk that wacky morning DJ from PLA Radio Episode #14. Legend's NASA prank could be one of the world's first large-scale pranks by phone. Have you ever heard of any pranks this awesome happening before the mid-80's? Tell us about it in the comments section below. It's just too bad none of it was recorded by Legend or by the school.
To listen to our interview with Legend, visit www.phonelosers.org/phoneshow. The full newspaper article of the incident is below.


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The city's top restaurant with sweeping views of the Acropolis, Première gazes out onto the city of Athens from its lofty rooftop perch, with exquisite flavors and one-of-a-kind service. Award-winning for its imaginative French-influenced cuisine created from the freshest ingredients the Mediterranean has to offer, and complete with an impressive wine selection coming from both domestic and international vineyards, the Première has a deserved place among the capital's best restaurants. Winter and summer alike, the Acropolis dramatically fills the restaurant's interior space, while original works of art including Giorgos Lappas' "The Bourgeois" serve to underscore the hotel's flair for excellence. During summer months, the restaurant opens its doors out onto its stunning rooftop terrace, with the wondrous Parthenon just a stone's throw away.
Open: Daily
From 30th September: Tuesday-Saturday
Serves: Dinner
Before your dinner, or perhaps following it, relish in the luxury of an unforgettable moment. As you enjoy your aperitif or digestif, let your gaze wander across to the rock of the Acropolis and take in the wonder of the ancient Greek spirit and the countless capacities of human talent. There, among original works of art, in its gorgeous exterior space or minimalist interior, you will realize that the Première Bar is a luxury you owe to yourself.


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Collider says:
Though Marvel is releasing Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger this year, everyone knows the true flick that has fans waiting with baited breath is the all-star event that is The Avengers. Writer/director Joss Whedon is assembling his team of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johanssen to start shooting the film very soon. While plot details are under lock and key, James Gunn, writer/director of the Rainn Wilson indie-superhero flick Super recently spoke to Wired about what he's heard regarding Whedon's script for The Avengers:
I wouldn't want to be the one in charge of writing this flick but I trust in Whedon.
As a screenwriter this would absolutely kill me. I write movies to revolve around two or three characters, but at the core its two main characters. I do that because scripting other characters, developing them, and remembering them mid script is a pain in the arse. I hate developing 6 or 7 characters, Ive tried it. Its hard and I can undestand why Spiderman 3 was a little lacking.
I hope it's really good. I've enjoyed the Marvel movies so far, but Iron Man 2 showed us just how bad the studio influence can be. Hopefully they'll let the filmmakers work their magic.
I have absolute faith in Whedon.
@JL, you are breaking my heart! Fricking watch Firefly and Serenity and you'll totally change your mind. The clips and stuff like that don't portray the scale and depth those have. I wasn't interested in them either until a friend sat me down to watch them. I've been a loyal browncoat ever since.


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Head of paid service and Executive Directors of Norfolk County Council.
Tom has held similar roles in Shropshire and Cheshire.
Tom's remit ranges from libraries to economic development; highways to Fire and Rescue; recycling centres to customer services. The focus is on tailoring services to needs of local communities, and working with partners to ensure value for money.
Previously Tom has worked for a number of county, city and unitary councils including Kent, Lancashire and Liverpool.
Fiona's remit covers a range of corporate services, including HR, nplaw, Democratic Services, Communications, Intelligence and Analytics and Strategy.
Before joining the County Council, she worked in three different local authorities, as well as a not-for-profit social business (INCLUDE). Much of her early experience was with social services, now children's services and adult services, in both operational and policy and strategy roles.
Fiona came to Norfolk in 2002 to establish the Connexions Service as its Chief Executive. She then moved to the County Council as Assistant Director for Economic Development and Strategy in 2009 and was appointed in April 2017 to the Strategy Director role, leading evidence-based strategy development, supported by the Communications Team and HR and Organisational Development service.
Sara's role is a key statutory one, leading a department which combines children's social care with support to deliver excellence in education countywide.
Sara is a social worker by profession, with 32 years of experience delivering services to children and young people. She has held a number of senior roles over the last 10 years, leading social care, education and community health services.
Sara was the Director of Children Services for three-and-a-half years with Dorset County Council and led a successful bid for £2m from the Department for Education's social care innovation fund, to rethink social work. In April 2017, Sara took on the additional role of adult and community services.
Sara spent four years as elected director on the board of ADCS (2011-2015). She advised ministers in the production of the 2004 Children Act, contributed to the publication 'Narrowing the Gap' and was part of the expert group for prevention and early intervention, producing the publication 'Grasping the Nettle'.
Simon joined Norfolk County Council in May 2015 from the London Borough of Harrow where he was Director of Finance and Assurance. Simon joined Harrow from Ealing Council, where he had a similar role for eight years.
Simon's primary role is to ensure the council's long-term financial health and his remit includes the Budget and financial management, audit, pensions, and making the most of our property assets.
Prior to this he worked at the BBC for 10 years in senior finance roles across TV, radio and new media. Simon was part of the launch team of the multi award winning BBC News Online.
Before his appointment at Norfolk County Council, Simon was chair of the Board of Trustees at the Norfolk children's charity Break.
James Bullion took up the role of Executive Director of Adult Social Services in January 2017. His role is to develop and transform services in a department responsible for spending almost £1m a day to improve the lives of vulnerable adults in the county.
For the previous two years he had been Director of Adult Operations at Essex County Council, which he joined in 2013 as a Director for Commissioning. During his time in Essex, he oversaw some major developments in the fast-moving world of adult social care, including the implementation of the Care Act and a new case management system, at the same time as leading Adult Operations through a major restructure to reconnect frontline teams with the communities they serve.
Under his leadership, Essex forged stronger links with the health service, including the introduction of 'Good Lives' in adult social care – an approach which is receiving national recognition as an innovative response to the challenges facing the sector, by creating a new relationship between professionals and people who need support.
James is also the national Director lead for Social Care and Justice for the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) and the regional ADASS lead for workforce and leadership development.


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The Social Investment Forum (SIF) is the only national membership association dedicated to advancing the concept, practice, and growth of socially and environmentally responsible investing (SRI). Our members integrate economic, environmental, social and governance factors into their investment decisions and SIF provides programs and resources to advance this work.
SIF's membership includes more than 500 social investment practitioners and institutions, including financial professionals, analysts, portfolio managers, banks, mutual funds, researchers, foundations, community development organizations, and public educators.


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No TV, Even for Me!
This summer I've done some serious soul searching about how I'm spending my time. One of the things my husband and I decided to do was dramatic for us…
For two self-professed TV-aholics, this was a serious change.
Our children, now all grown and living on their own (sniff,sniff!), can hardly believe it. We were a family who had the TV on for most of the day, even when no one was watching. As my husband told one of our friends, "I have been addicted to TV since Bugs Bunny." (A little reference for the over 45 crowd…).
Let me tell you, the results have been nothing short of outstanding.
First of all, we talk more… a lot more. For two people who constantly communicate since we work and live together 24/7, it's STILL been a huge increase.
It's not all about quantity either. The quality of our conversations has also changed. We're discussing our philosophies and beliefs, our dreams and goals, our mistakes, our victories…. instead of talking about things that don't matter… like politics (UGH!), or the plot of whatever stupid show we watched the night before, or even a depressing news story we can't do anything about anyway….
Secondly, we are getting A LOT more done. The laundry is caught up. I've cooked more. Our house is clean. Home projects are being planned and getting finished. Hooray!
Lastly… and this is the biggest one…
We are much, much, much more peaceful.
As in…
In our 30+ year marriage and all our crazy, busy life, turning off the TV has been a big game-changer for us.
Actually, ALL our screen time has significantly decreased. Especially the obsession with my cell phone. Yesterday, a Sunday, I didn't even look at it until well into the evening. Seriously…. NOT ALL DAY.
We keep looking at each other and asking, "Why didn't we do this sooner?"
My answer is… "I don't know."
If you've read my website, listened to my podcast, or heard me speak, I rail against screen time for my little late talking friends. I have advised family after family to turn off the TV for their toddlers who are irritable, hyperactive, dysregulated, and have terribly short attention spans.
I should have taken my own advice.
Now I know firsthand that what I'm recommending is good for any family who is stressed, burned out, or even just a little scatter-brained and distracted. (Ring any bells? Do you recognize yourself?)
Experts agree… especially for children.
Last year the American Academy of Pediatrics released a new statement about screentime…
"Media in all forms, including TV, computers, and smartphones can affect how children feel, learn, think, and behave."
"Because of their immature symbolic, memory, and attentional skills, infants and toddlers cannot learn from traditional digital media as they do from interactions with caregivers, and they have difficulty transferring that knowledge to their 3-dimensional experience. The chief factor that facilitates toddlers' learning from commercial media (starting around 15 months of age) is parents watching with them and reteaching the content."
"…For children younger than 2 years, evidence for benefits of media is still limited, adult interaction with the child during media use is crucial, and there continues to be evidence of harm from excessive digital media use."
Bottom line… The words "evidence of harm" are serious! Rethink your patterns about screentime for little ones! It's not as educational or as beneficial as we think!
You can read the full position statement at aap.org.
More tomorrow…. I'll be doing lots of other things until then, instead of being attached to a screen!!
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Connecting the Troopers of Today with the Veterans of Yesterday.
49 members
I remember the morning of the crash. Everyone was instantly awake and I heard every M16 bolt go forward at the same time. By the time we got the real word on what happened it was getting pretty light so they sent us out to the foxholes to wait it out.
I was in a foxhole with Eric Linzmeyer and we were listening to the sounds of cooking ammo flying somewhere overhead.
As far as the burned private, I have no idea. I don't even remember hearing about it.
Good luck!
Monzell Ford, Mike Tinnin, Scott Coppinger, and Tim Green are on Facebook.
Tim sorry I wouldn't even know how to find these guys. After the went back to the states that was it. Sorry couldn't help Wayde
I was in that area quite often, my dad had a friend that lived on the other corner beside Fat Jacks. My wife lived across the street beside Schoonover Park when she was a kid. Small world!
I lived on W Vine, near the refinery. The flares were my nightlights!
Yep, I was the PT officer for Savage troop. CPT Jay Smith allowed me to attend the Master Fitness Trainer Course and I used the troop as my test subjects. :-)
That was SSG Sam David taken in 1989. The pilot was CW2 John Sensing.
Lima! I grew up in Lima and live in Ada now. Hello and welcome my fellow beantowner.
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Blessings On This Day
From Plank Road Publishingby Teresa Jennings/arr. Paul Jennings
This simple hymn conjures up images of folks standing in a congregation singing together on Thanksgiving Day. Indeed, the song was written with that day in mind, however, you will note that it does not mention it specifically. You could use it for other special days, too. (from Music K-8, Vol. 16, No. 2)
(Run time: 1:53)
About the Downloadable OptionThe downloadable version contains all the components the print version would, but in electronic format. Files may be quite large: A high-speed connection is recommended. (Visit the Download Help page for more info.)
About the Audio RecordingsAudio recordings contain full performance and accompaniment only (instrumental) tracks.
Downloadable PDFs and Performance/


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Protein Shake Reviews
As a vegan on a lookout for any healthy options to go well with my lifestyle I really enjoy the viva sativa shakes. Especially mixed with banana and almond milk smoothie! Best option available for vegans! And very tasty too 🙂
As an IBS sufferer, I often struggle with milk based proteins… I find this plant based blend to be very easy on my stomach – plus unlike other plant based proteins, the Sativa shakes mix well and taste great!
I recommend Viva High Pro which I've been using in my preparations for the Miami Pro Fitness Model & Bodybuilding Championships this October. I use it as part of my dietary preparation along with 2 hours in the gym 5 days a week !
I used to think all protein shakes would taste the same. Having now tried a wide variety, I can safely say that not only is that not the case, but that it is hard to find one that is remotely palatable. Hemp is notoriously hard to swallow, but Sativa Shakes have made it entirely drinkable. For people who get easily put off my lumpy or gritty shakes, rest assured that the whole range mixes really easily to a smooth texture. I prefer a slightly higher protein content so my personal choice is the High Pro which has a similar nutritional profile to most powders out there. Both flavours are subtly sweet and don't taste as artificial as many shakes I have tasted – my personal favourite is Chocolate Caramel. The products are very reasonably priced, especially for hemp, and I believe the ingredients are of a high quality. I always prefer buying from smaller companies when I can, so I will be happy to keep using Sativa Shakes. Read more about Sativa Shakes at Claire's blog Great Vegan Expectations.
Iwan Thomas MBE (Current UK 400m record holder) James Ellington (Team GB 100m and 200m)


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Social engagement
Social engagement (CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility)
From the very beginning, Dallmeier has not only felt committed to economic success. For us it is equally important that we recognise our social responsibility.
This conviction shapes all our corporate activities and we have regard for sustainability at every stage of the value creation chain. In the past, Dallmeier has been pioneering the area of video security technology in many ways and will continue to develop innovative products which set the benchmark for the industry. With the same energy that the company uses to promote its financial and economic success, it also dedicates itself to fulfilling its ecological, social and community responsibilities.
Various aspects of our corporate culture prove that this is not just lip service. Here you can see some examples!


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|Biography and CV
Brigitte Jurack (born Duesseldorf, 1962) studied at Kunstakademie Duesseldorf, Glasgow School of Art and Chelsea College of Art & Design in London.
As an artist, Jurack looks at the world as it is and tries to make sense of it; her process could be described as picking up what is already out there. The material and non-material outcomes of what actually appears in the studio or exhibition are driven by the desire to create and hold on to the elusiveness of visual sensations.
Jurack has exhibited widely, including Irish Museum of Modern Art (Dublin), European Ceramic Work Centre (Hertogenbosch) and The 3rd World Water Conference (Kyoto). She was the 2002 Henry Moore Sculpture Fellow and was nominated for the 2014 Liverpool Art Prize. She is currently Head of Sculpture at Manchester School of Art, where she is undertaking a practice-based PhD. The research considers the connections between sculpture and play and included a study period at the British School in Athens under a Prince of Wales Bursary.
Jurack is also founding member of the artists' group Foreign Investment who have exhibited in Rio de Janeiro, Kiev, Hong Kong, Oslo, Berlin and the Istanbul and Venice Biennials. See www.foreign-investments.com.
Click for CV (pdf)


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Health Economics and Clinical Outcomes Research (HECOR) - M.S.HECOR - M.S.
Request Information
Program at a Glance
Credit Hours
Year Program
Per Credit Hour
Shape the future of healthcare with a Master of Science in Health Economics and Clinical Outcomes Research (MS-HECOR) from Xavier University. Offered 100% online, this program prepares students to conduct comparative research and use real-world evidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. The program is nationally recognized, recently ranking in the Top 15 Online Master's in Clinical Research Programs by Intelligent.com.
Designed for working professionals and people with a passion for using the latest health data to improve care, Xavier University's 39-credit hour program features coursework that includes lectures, applied analysis exercises, group activities, discussion and case studies led by experienced full and part-time faculty who have practiced in the HECOR field.
Graduates of the MS-HECOR program will learn to conduct research that generates evidence on the effectiveness, benefits, and harms of different treatment options in order to make informed healthcare decisions — skills needed to pursue impactful careers as healthcare analysts and administrators in the private and government health services industry, including public health agencies, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology companies, hospital systems, and clinical research organizations.
The program is designed as an intensive part-time program to be completed entirely online. Students may complete the program in as little as 2 years with courses offered in the fall, spring, and summer terms.
Yes. Intelligent.com recently ranked Xavier University's Master of Science in Health Economics and Clinical Outcomes Research program #4 in their list of Best Online Master's in Clinical Research Programs for 2020.
No, The program is entirely online. However, if you are local to the Cincinnati area or in-town visiting, the faculty would enjoy meeting in person.
The tuition rate for the HECOR program is $715 per credit hour. The total cost of the degree program will vary, depending upon transfer credits awarded, additional fees, and the cost of textbooks/materials. See the Tuition page for more information about the program's cost.
Yes; however, we only schedule interviews with applicants who we feel are qualified after an initial review of their application.
Applications are reviewed as they are completed. Students will know within 2 to 3 days of filing their completed application if they are approved for an interview. Students will find out if they are accepted into the program within 2 to 3 weeks of the interview.
Students are encouraged to enroll at least 1 week before the class start date. A student can commit and hold their place by contacting their Enrollment Specialist at (855)815-3054, and by registering for classes and paying the Bursar.
Students must register 1 week prior to class start unless given special approval by the program director.
We have program start dates in August and January of each year.
Students may be able to transfer up to 6 credit hours upon approval by the program director, department chair, and university. Students desiring to transfer credit for advanced standing must meet with the program director prior to the start of their first course to review the request.
The 39-hour program is designed to be completed in 2 years with 2 to 3 courses (6 to 9 credit hours) per semester, including summer. Xavier considers full-time status to be 9 credit hours or more for graduate students.
Students can take up to 3 courses per session.
The program is designed to be completed in 2 years. The program must be completed within 6 years per Xavier University standards.
Participation expectations vary by professor. Students are not required to log in at specific times during most courses. However, professors have the option of including mandatory or optional log-in times for online sessions in their courses.
The courses include components such as readings, activities, video lectures, discussion boards and other peer interaction, tests, quizzes, and group projects. Most courses do not include mandatory login times; however, they are synchronously paced – students progress through the course together according to the scheduled course content and activities.
Yes, HECOR students will have the opportunity to participate in interprofessional online work to gain experiential learning that complements coursework and demonstrate mastery of project management skills that are crucial to postgraduate success.
Students should have their own PC or MAC computer with a webcam, the full Microsoft Office Suite, and high-speed internet connection. A Google Chromebook or Tablet is not sufficient. Some courses may require additional software that, similar to textbooks, students must purchase for personal use. Generally, these software packages have academic pricing that is comparable to a textbook price.
Xavier University uses CANVAS.
Students should expect to dedicate about 10 hours per class per week on average. Please note that some weeks may require more hours and others may require fewer.
Office hours vary with each faculty member, but all Xavier University faculty members make themselves available to students through other options such as phone, chat, email, text, etc.
Health economics and clinical outcomes research is a growing, interdisciplinary field in which HECOR practitioners quantify the clinical and economic value of healthcare interventions and treatments. Researchers evaluate the effectiveness, benefits, and harms of various treatment options, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostic tests, procedures, and health policy. Evidence generated through this research is used to facilitate informed healthcare decisions; to improve patient care, access, and outcomes; and to implement effective healthcare policy. Graduates of the MS-HECOR program are well equipped to pursue careers as analysts, consultants, managers, and directors in the fields of health outcomes research, healthcare policy, and market access and reimbursement. The MS-HECOR prepares graduates for an evidence-driven future in:
- Pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies;
- Public health and government agencies;
- Policy and regulatory agencies;
- Insurance companies and third-party payors;
- Clinical research organizations;
- Consulting firms;
- Healthcare providers/systems and managed care organizations.
Xavier University's 39-credit hour online master's degree in health economics and clinical outcomes research prepares students with strong skills in statistics, health outcomes and economics and population health. The flexible program concludes with a capstone project, which demonstrates the skills and knowledge gained throughout the program's coursework.
Online HECOR Core Courses (9 credits)
The core online courses will expose you to a general overview of HECOR. They introduce a number of contemporary approaches to comparative effectiveness research and economic evaluation. You will be introduced to epidemiologic concepts, skills and data, the application of epidemiology to population health and health services and to the application of epidemiologic literature in health services. The core courses conclude with a foundation of basic ethical theory and its application to HECOR.
This course will expose students to a general overview of health economics and clinical outcomes research (HECOR). The topics covered in this course represent a broad selection of major themes in the field; each topic will provide students with the opportunity to develop their understanding of the field as well as learn how economists, epidemiologists and statisticians think about and conduct HECOR research.
Students will be introduced to epidemiologic concepts, skills and data; the application of epidemiology to population health and health services; and the application of epidemiologic literature in health services management through an applied project using a health status analysis. Methods to determine risk factors for health problems will be discussed and examined in this project.
This course is a graduate-level introduction to basic ethical theory, language and methodology needed to critically examine contemporary cases in HECOR including such topics as health informatics, health data use, patient confidentiality, large-scale data management, fraud and retrospective analyses. The course will cover the tension of patient-centered vs. population health research, and the use of personal health records for post-market studies. Students will investigate ethical and practical issues by participating in and leading discussions and written reflective case analysis.
Online Statistics & Analytics Courses (10 credits)
The first course in the statistics block is an introductory statistics course. This foundation is then advanced and deepened in the context of real health-care problems in the next 2 applied analysis courses. These courses will allow you to focus on using real data and multivariate analyses to address current problems in the healthcare field.
This is the first in a 3-course series on applied statistics for health economics and clinical outcomes research. It will provide a detailed overview of descriptive statistics, and will also cover basic inferential statistics using univariate analysis methods. This course will introduce students to the concepts of multivariable and multivariate analysis procedures.
This course builds off of HECO 521 and is the second in a 3-course series on applied statistics for health economics and clinical outcomes research. This course will delve deeper into multivariate analysis as well as methods to analyze categorical data and non-normally distributed data. A strong emphasis on applied methods of data analysis using the SAS programming software will be present.
This course is the third in a 3-course series on applied statistics for health economics and clinical outcomes research. It will provide a survey of more advanced statistical methods with a focus on causal inference, i.e. methods designed to address research questions that concern the impact of some potential cause (e.g., a medical intervention, a change in treatment, economic conditions or policies) on some outcome (e.g., time to event, comorbidity, healthcare utilization and expenditures). Students will apply the skills learned in HECO 521 and 522 on a data-analysis project.
This course will examine the application of economic principles to the allocation of scarce resources in health care; the use of economic theory to understand problems of organization, delivery and financing of health services; and the choices available to society regarding these issues. In this course, we will use methods from microeconomics to investigate how different aspects of the health care system function and to assess the implications for different policies designed to improve that functioning. We will use economic tools and techniques from the sub-disciplines of information economics, industrial organization, labor economics, public economics, behavioral economics and decision theory to think about these questions.
This course provides (1) a historical perspective on the development of healthcare services in the United States, (2) a description of the key factors and issues which influence the development of the current health care delivery systems, (3) a description of the current healthcare delivery systems including reimbursement, and (4) discussion of the future of US healthcare system.
This course will examine the structure of health care systems in different countries, focusing on financing; organization of delivery systems; reimbursement of physicians, hospitals and pharmaceuticals and adoption of new technologies. Students will study the relative roles of private and public sector payers and providers and the effect of system design on cost, quality, efficiency and equity of medical services.
This course will introduce students to the basics of economic evaluations of health care interventions or technology. This value depends not only on how effective a treatment is, but also how costly it is. Economic evaluations provide a method for assimilating different costs and health outcomes associated with medical treatments into a common metric that allows one to assess that treatment's worth in relation to other possible alternatives. By the end of this course, students should be familiar with the basic types of economic evaluations and should understand what issues should be addressed in performing a sound economic evaluation. Through examples and applications, students should also become familiar with how specific economic evaluations are performed and what are the major challenges and limitations of these approaches.
This course will introduce the development, methodological approach and application of quantitative models used to inform healthcare decisions. The course will emphasize decision trees and Markov models and introduce agent-based modeling techniques. Approaches to uncertainty in the model will be addressed through one-way, two-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. The course will consider the application and presentation of the model to stakeholders with an emphasis on the ethical use and proper disclosure of the limitations inherent in the data and methods.
This course is the first in a 2-course series that integrates the specialized disciplines and knowledge learned from previous HECOR courses through the use of case analyses. Students will be challenged to identify the specific research question, methodologies to answer the question, conduct the analysis, and disseminate the results. This course will focus on the how to formulate an answerable research question, query the literature, search for evidence, develop the study design, assemble data and prepare a research proposal.
This course is the second in a 2-course series that integrates the specialized disciplines and knowledge learned from previous HECOR courses through the use of case analyses. Students will execute their research proposal prepared in HECO 692. The course will emphasize the dissemination of scientific research covering the principles of good scientific writing for publication and peer-review, and will culminate in the development of an abstract and oral presentation of their research.
HECOR Online Course Sequence:
- Intro to HECOR HECO 571
- Intro to Statistics for HECOR HECO 521
- Applied Analysis for HECOR I HECO 522
- Health Ethics in Informatics & Research HECO 585
- Healthcare Services Past and Future HESA 572
- Intro to HECOR HECO 571
- Health Ethics in Informatics & Research HECO 585
- Healthcare Services Past and Future HESA 572
- Applied Analysis for HECOR II HECO 523
- Health Economics HECO 575
- Health Economics HECO 575
- Global Health Systems HECO 631
- Cost Benefit Analysis HECO 674
- Applied Epidemiology HECO 567
- Intro to Statistics for HECOR HECO 521
- Cost Benefit Analysis HECO 674
- Economic Evaluation & Simulation Modeling HECO 675
- HECOR Capstone I HECO 692
- Applied Analysis for HECOR I HECO 522
- Economic Evaluation & Simulation Modeling HECO 675
- Global Health Systems HECO 631
- HECOR Capstone II HECO 693
- Applied Analysis for HECOR II HECO 523
- HECOR Capstone I HECO 692
- Applied Epidemiology HECO 567
- HECOR Capstone II HECO 693
*Please note that the recommended course sequence is provided for planning purposes only and is subject to change.
Applicants interested in applying to Xavier University's online HECOR program should submit the following:
Xavier University's free online application.
Official transcripts of completed coursework from accredited colleges and universities. Applicants must have an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited university. Send to:
Xavier University
ATTN: Admission Processing Center
3800 Victory Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45207-5131
For electronic transcripts, send to:
Current résumé of work experience.
Two letters of recommendation, preferably one from a current or former employer who can assess your potential for success in this program.
A 500-word, clear, concise and articulate Personal Letter of Intent. (Standard page margins of 1 inch, single-spaced, sans-serif font - Arial or Calibri recommended.)
Key points the personal letter of intent should address:
- What are your motivations for applying to Xavier University's HECOR program?
- How will the HECOR degree program at Xavier University help you to accomplish your objectives in career and life?
- HECOR is a quantitative, analytic and team project-oriented discipline. How are you prepared to be a successful graduate student in this program?
- Xavier University's mission is characterized by critical thinking to educate the whole person, with special attention to ethical issues and values. What does this mission mean to you?
Preferred (not required):
- 3 or more years of healthcare work experience.
- Grade of B or higher in any previous statistics or econometrics coursework.
- Grade of B or higher in previous microeconomics coursework.
- GRE or GMAT scores (sent directly from the testing agency) if GPA is less than 3.0.
International student requirements
Xavier University welcomes students from outside the United States to enroll in its online programs. However, some countries do not formally recognize foreign online degrees. This may have implications for enrolling in subsequent degree programs or for securing employment requiring these credentials. It is students' responsibility to determine whether the online degree will be recognized in their country of residence or in any country in which they plan to work. Additionally, students should inquire in their country of residence how the collection of student data may be used and whether they will be subject to additional withholding taxes in addition to the cost of tuition.
- All international students are strongly encouraged to submit an official third-party course-by-course evaluation of their high school and/or college transcripts from an international credential evaluation service accredited by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services.
- International students must pass either the TOEFL or IELTS exam if English is your second language.
- International students may have additional application requirements. Click here for more information.
Note: International students in the U.S. cannot enroll in an online degree program to fulfill the legal requirement for an F-1 or J-1 visa.
State Authorization
Xavier University is authorized to offer this fully-online program in most states. View the complete list of approved states on the State Authorization page.
Students enrolled in Xavier University's online master's degree program in health economics and clinical outcomes research will learn from dedicated faculty and professionals currently working in the field of health economics, epidemiology, healthcare reimbursement and market access. Our exceptional faculty members include:
Director of Health Economics & Clinical Outcomes Research (HECOR) Program
Peter Mallow, Ph.D. the director of the HECOR Program and Assistant Professor at Xavier University. His research interests include understanding complex healthcare systems and how decisions are made with respect to uncertainty, value, efficiency and equity. His methodological expertise is in conducting economic evaluations and outcomes research to make explicit the tradeoffs involved in these complex decisions. He has earned several awards for his research and has been published in several leading health services journals. Prior to joining Xavier, Mallow served as the Program Director, Health Economics, Market Access and Outcomes Research for Cardinal Health and Associate Director of Health Economics at CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting. Mallow earned his Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati where he served as an adjunct faculty member from 2015 to 2017.
Assistant Professor
Eileen Alexander, Ph.D. MS, BSN, RN is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Services Administration at Xavier University. She also serves as a Woodside Fellow in the Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology for Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Prior to these roles, she worked in the Department of Quality and Risk Management at Deaconess Hospital in Cincinnati. Alexander is licensed as an RN in the State of Ohio and has worked in nursing at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, TN, and the Veterans Administration Hospital in Cincinnati. Alexander completed her Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Her research interests include human gene/microbiota/chemical interfaces; study design and analysis of epigenetically mediated disorders that differentially affect males/females and adults/children; education, retention and leadership development for minorities in STEM disciplines; and public health promotion.
Principal, One Tall Tree Consulting
Eric Bell, MBA is a Principal of One Tall Tree Consulting. He has worked in the pharmaceutical and medical devices field for over fifteen years, developing numerous decision-support tools such as budget impact and cost-effectiveness models, using a variety of techniques including decision trees, Markov modeling and Monte Carlo simulations. Fluent in numerous programming languages, he has more than thirty years of experience writing software in a variety of contexts, including avionics, text editing, device drivers, stock market trading, workflow management, databases and database-driven web applications. Eric has an undergraduate degree in mathematics, graduate study in computer science and an MBA.
Clinical Performance Analyst
Jessica Curran, MSc. is a Clinical Performance Analyst at Banner Health. She is responsible for proposing, study design, analysis, and dissemination of clinical process and outcomes measure for a variety of clinical practice areas across a large integrated delivery network. Prior to joining Banner Health, Curran worked at Cerner Corporation and WebMD. She earned her Master of Science in Statistics from the University of Virginia where she also served as a biostatistics lecturer from 2014 to 2016.
Assistant Professor
Stephanie Donauer, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Services Administration at Xavier University. From 2013-2016, she held a National Research Service Award General Pediatric Research Fellowship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Prior to that, she served as a Biostatistician and Epidemiologist at Cincinnati Children's, where she designed, conducted, analyzed and published medical research studies. Donauer earned her Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Cincinnati. In 2014, she was awarded a University of Cincinnati Center for Environmental Genetics Career Development Award to study environmental toxicants during pregnancy and the subsequent vaccine response in offspring. Her research focuses on the effects of prenatal exposure to environmental toxins and the effectiveness of the Rotavirus vaccine.
Senior Director, Health Economics & Market Access
Diane Francis, MPH is Senior Director, Health Economics & Market Access for Ethicon US, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson Company. She has worked in various roles related to health economics and reimbursement for Johnson & Johnson since 2000. Prior to 2000, Francis served in administrative roles with hospital systems, including as Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer for Health Care Network of New Jersey, LLC, and as Primary Care Network Coordinator for The Brooklyn Hospital Center. Francis received her Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management from Columbia University's School of Public Health. Francis has been recognized through several awards, including a Johnson & Johnson Innovation Award in 2014; Johnson & Johnson Standards of Leadership Award in 2008, 2010 and 2015; and Trinitas Regional Hospital Center Humanitarian Award in 2010. Her recent publications and presentations focus on analyzing data associated with bariatric surgery outcomes.
Vice President of Health Economics and Outcomes Research
Candace Gunnarsson, Ed.D. is Vice President of Health Economics and Outcomes Research at CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting Services. In addition to leading the HECOR team and consultants, Gunnarsson actively participates as a Principal Investigator and works closely with the Executive Director of Consulting Management to staff HECOR projects in the areas of scientific and regulatory affairs, project management and biometrics. Gunnarsson played an essential role in developing and launching the new Master of Science program in Health Economic and Clinical Outcomes Research (HECOR) at Xavier University. She has considerable expertise with large-scale databases, such as electronic medical records, commercial payer, hospital, pharmacy, government and physician databases. Gunnarsson received her Doctorate with Data Sciences Certification from the University of Cincinnati. Her research has appeared in leading health services and medical journals. She has authored a vast portfolio of publications and presentations and has received numerous industry and teaching awards throughout her career.
Vice President of Health Outcomes and Biostatistics
William Irish, Ph.D., Vice President of Health Outcomes and Biostatistics at CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting Services (CTI) and adjunct assistant consulting professor in transplantation surgery for Duke University in Durham, NC, is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of study design and analysis. He has been a resource in transplantation for more than twenty years, beginning as a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh and continuing throughout his career in various biotechnology and pharmaceutical areas. Dr. Irish specializes in outcomes research, statistical modeling and prediction, risk assessment, risk analysis, clinical trial methodology and large-scale database and claims analysis.
Principal Clinical Research Scientist
Paul Niklewski, Ph.D. is Principal Clinical Research Scientist for Ethicon Inc., a Johnson and Johnson Company. In addition to teaching in the HECOR program at Xavier, he is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Cell Biophysics at University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine. Niklewski has approximately 20 years of industry experience, both in medical devices and pharmaceuticals. During his career, he has worked on both the design of medical products and outcomes in the health industry. He has developed a comprehensive understanding of both the clinical and economic needs over his career for companies, hospitals and payers. This includes understanding the current changes in health care driven by the affordable care act and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Niklewski completed his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Recent publications focus on patient safety during procedural sedation. He has been recognized with the Johnson and Johnson Standard of Leadership Award in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013.
Chief Clinical Officer
Stephen Roller, DHA, APRN, FNP-C, CENP is Chief Clinical Officer for Primary Health Solutions, a Federally Qualified Health Center providing care to medically underserved populations in Southwest Ohio. Prior to joining Primary Health Solutions, Roller served in nurse, nurse practitioner and nursing management positions for eight years. He is Certified in Executive Nursing Practice, as well as an Advanced Practiced Registered Nurse, as a Family Nurse Practitioner and as a Basic Life Support Healthcare Provider. Roller earned his Doctorate in Healthcare Administration and Leadership from the Medical University of South Carolina and his MSN-FNP and BSN from The Ohio State University.
Health GIS Research Specialist
Michael Topmiller, Ph.D. is a Health GIS Research Specialist at HealthLandscape, a division of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He serves a variety of roles at HealthLandscape, including leading multiple geospatial and population health research projects, developing prototypes and configuring web-based mapping tools, and providing support and webinar training for HealthLandscape's suite of online data visualization tools. In addition, Michael is a fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Interdisciplinary Research Leaders program, where he is working on a community-based participatory research project focused on early childhood wellness in two Cincinnati neighborhoods. Michael's educational background includes undergraduate degrees in mathematics and secondary education from the University of Kentucky, an MA in Latin American Studies from San Diego State University and a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Cincinnati.


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GDC & SXSW bring developers and industry together in one (two?…) places and provide some of the best promotion, networking, and business development opportunities of the year. Did we mention parties? Oh, so many parties…
Make sure YOUR games play ahead of the pack and stand out by following these simple 10 tips to keeping up during one of the industry's busiest weeks of the year.
1: Plan your day!
Check conference tracks and make sure you know where you need to be and when. Highlight your "must sees" and make sure you give yourself adequate time to make it to your venue and hold a spot for yourself. There is nothing worse than not getting a seat, especially if you've been waiting in an hour-long line. Not sure if your highlighted tracks are popular? Ask around your network (FB, Twitter) in advance and get the skinny on what tracks and events will be the most popular this year.
2: Dress comfortably (but not TOO comfortably…)
You'll be on your feet all day, but you'll also be making connections with some potentially career-making/breaking people (sometimes by complete happenstance). Put your best foot forward, stand out from the crowd, and make sure, when someone meets you, they know they can take you seriously. You want them to know that you're a person worth partnering with and that you will respect the business development process. Don't forget to wear comfortable business-casual shoes, bring your business cards, and have all pertinent materials (press kits, portfolio, etc.) on hand. No shame in a solid backpack or bag to stay organized.
3. Get names. Write them down.
You know that old memory trick- once you are given a business card, jot a quick note about the conversation you had with that person or something that stands out about your meeting on the back of the card. Consider bringing a notepad and having a single space where you collect all contact information for the week. You will forget details by the end of the week, so be organized and keep your contact info in a central location!
4. Don't forget to Follow Up
Don't let more than a week go by after making a contact without sending an email. Nothing says, "I respect you, your time, and moving forward working together" better than a solid follow up. Remind them who you are, where you met, the discussion you had at the conference. Don't be shy – also remind them of how a relationship with you will benefit them, what you can do for them, and offer a time to follow up further in person or over the phone.
5. Identification
You may find yourself visiting another city this week. Traffic, transportation, getting into 21+ events, and collecting your credentials/registration is going to be a thing. Have your identification ready to go from the moment you hit the airport to the moment you go grab your badge. Don't hold the team up; have your ID ready to go.
6. KEEP CHARGED and STAY CONNECTED
Don't forget to keep your devices (phones, computers) charged, and get them charged when you have a moment. Bring a small external battery pack, if necessary. This will help you stay in the loop and not miss out on important emails, staying social, and inevitable changes to time and location of conference events.
7. Get noticed online!
What are your social media handles, promotional hashtags, and other digital assets that you need promoted? Connect with new friends fast by following each other on social (bring that 3DS for StreetPass connections, too!) and take some solid photos and footage of the events. Post what you can and look for event hashtags to tag/mention! This will help bring attention to your company, game, or project. Grab one of these FREE Zymge Social Media Stickers! Be part of the global conversation WHILE it is happening, and capture the attention of onlookers with your visuals.
8. Don't over do it. (How much fun is too much?)
Remember to sleep, eat, and recharge your own batteries. Common sense, right? Nope! And we've all been there. Be cautious and safe where alcohol consumption is concerned. Make sure you leave enough energy in the tank to survive the entire week. After the least day, you still need to load out, make it home, and complete your follow-ups quickly. Survive by getting a solid breakfast in, bring a light snack, and don't party too hard. That being said, some of your best networking will happen in the after hours, and nobody wants to partner or work with a total stiff. So get in there, tiger!
9. Have your promotional materials handy
Keep your promotional kit compact and easy to hand out as you go. Don't over do it! People don't want to carry a crate of your materials around with them. Give them all the best information and contacts, links or information to get more info. Travel light and help your fellow conference attendees do the same thing.
10. Austin Gaming, represent!
Represent the Austin Game Dev community well. We have the best talent in the world, and we want companies, publishers, and distributors to know that Austin is where best-in-class game development is happening. When one of us wins, it's a victory for the ENTIRE game development community.


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The best tropical vacations may not be located at the best-known five star beach resorts, as they have become much like visiting Disney world instead of a remote location to enjoy the white powder beaches of the Yucatan Peninsula. In the past people would flee from the snowy winters of Chicago, and Fargo North Dakota to enjoy the semi private beaches of Cancun and Cozumel. This of course was over thirty years ago, and presently these resort areas have become densely over crowded by their popularity.
If you do want to know about the the best tropical vacations, then the question now that should be asked is where is Tulum Mexico. The answer is it is a remote area just about seventy miles south of Cancun Mexico known as the Village of Tankah, and it still has that undisturbed natural landscape that other parts of Mexico started out as in decades past. You will not find bright neon lights, and a plethora of speed boats cluttering the ocean front properties along the beach, but you may run into a few migrating White Egrets that have come south to enjoy the perfect weather during the frost bitten months of the year in the United States.
If you love birds, and other forms of wildlife then Tulum will definitely be your cup of tea, as there are raccoons, wild turkeys, Caguama turtles, toucans, iguanas, geckos, and hermit crabs to enjoy watching in their natural habitat. Not too from Tulum is the second largest nature reserve in Mexico that is home to over three hundred and forty different species of birds. During the summer, the turtles make their way up the beaches to lay their eggs, and you will find many making their journey at night as you stroll down the beach.
Activities such a day trips on boats to go fishing or just enjoy the Tankah Bay are available, scuba equipment rental, and classes are available, plus of course the bay area is known for some of the best snorkeling in the country due to the crystal clear blue waters, and white sand ocean floor. Generally, people who bring their families to Village Tankah, or Tulum Mexico are not looking a lot of activities but as a time to rejuvenate, and rekindle the unity and strength of the entire family.
For those interested in history, one of the largest Mayan temples ever built is very close to the coastline, and is a very popular attraction to explore for days on end.


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About SchemeServe Reporting
SchemeServe has an advanced system for building reports using the data stored in its' database. One of the main issues with many other insurance systems is the time that it takes to deliver such reports. SchemeServe has been designed to facilitate rapid report building so that you can eliminate the wait associated with other systems.
This section of the SchemeServe guide takes you through the basic reports and into developing your own reports. To get the most from this section it is highly recommended that you read through each component in order. To help with this we have labelled each section with a number in the "see also" section.
You can report on anything that you collect data on in SchemeServe. One of the best reasons to create memorable names for data fields, questions, etc. is that when it comes to reporting it is easier to identify which ones to use in your reports. "Field1", "Field2", "QuestionA", "QuestionB", etc. aren't easy to report on at a later date without reviewing each one in detail before you begin compiling your reports.
Reports can be used outside of SchemeServe as well as viewed inside the system. These are generated in CSV (Comma Separated Variable) file format for use in all major spreadsheet packages such as Excel, OpenOffice, and in text editors such as Notepad++. You can also import a CSV file into most other database packages for further analysis.
See Also:
- About SchemeServe Reporting
- Understanding and Using the Graphical Charts
- Listing SchemeServe Reports
- Copying an Existing Report
- Editing an Existing Report
- Creating a New Report
- Setting Conditions in a Report
- Columns in SchemeServe Reports
- Formula Columns
- Printing and Running Reports
- Exporting Reports
- Reviewing Case Data from Reports
- Deleting Reports


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We all know it's important to be able to build your code in one step, but when I came to build a project I'm working on at home I found it was actually a bit of a faff. Gradle came to the rescue, and in 15 minutes we made steps towards having a 1-step setup and build.
The project in question is built in Grails but uses Bower to ensure we have the right versions of AngularJS, Bootstrap, etc. Once your development machine is setup it's as "easy" as running
bower install whenever the dependencies change, and otherwise using the standard
grails commands.
When you come to a fresh machine there are a few more steps before you can get up and running:
This is already too much hassle! Grails makes life easier by generating a Grails wrapper,
grailsw, so we don't need to check that Grails is installed. So far, so good!
NodeJS is a requirement for development, so I made the assumption that any developer machine would have it present. From there I wanted to use NPM to install Bower and then run Bower to grab the dependencies. There were plenty of options but I'm keen to learn a bit more Gradle so this was a great opportunity. 15 minutes later and we've got a build file (thanks to Mr Haki for the OutputStream processing):
There may well be a better way of doing this, but it worked for me on OSX. There was a path-related error when we tried to run it on Windows, and if anyone can point out why that would be great.
Once the Gradle build has completed you still need to run
grailsw run-app but 2 steps is better than 4. A brief foray into building Grails with Gradle yielded spurious errors before my 15 minutes was up, but recent commits may well solve that. Grails is expected to move to Gradle for version 3, so soon we'll be able to do our entire build process through a single click.
Was this post useful? Why not help others find it by sharing on twitter. While you're there, get in touch and let me know what you think!
I care about code, building great teams and the community. I run Slate Horse but I'm still a full-stack developer. Previously co-organiser of JSOxford and OxRUG.


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Strategic Initiatives for Meaningful Outcomes & Measures
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Achieve positive campus results.
Traditionally, the value and quality of a college experience has been assessed using the easiest outcomes to measure rather than the most meaningful. But Gallup goes beyond traditional measures and uses quantitative and qualitative insights to help institutions answer some of the most fundamental questions facing higher education today.
Strengths-Based Development
Transform your students' college experience by inspiring and empowering them to apply their talents in leadership roles and in their clubs and organizations. Bring the power of CliftonStrengths for Students to your entire campus.Learn More
Long-Term Alumni Outcomes
Learn how to improve the undergraduate experience at your university by examining national and institution-level findings on alumni life after graduation. The The Gallup Alumni Survey, formerly the Gallup-Purdue Index, is the largest study of U.S. college graduates. This annual report identifies critical undergraduate experiences that align with positive long-term graduate outcomes.Learn More
Consumer View of Education
Hear how current, prospective and former education consumers feel about their education and how well it prepared them for the workforce. Gallup's daily poll on education and work preparedness, Education Consumer Insights, collects U.S. adults' opinions about their educational path and empowers consumers and leaders in higher education to strengthen education-to-employment pathways for all Americans.Learn More
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Partner with Gallup to understand and boost well-being on your campus. Knowing how to identify top drivers of well-being and engagement will inspire your institution to achieve higher education's central promise -- to set students on a course for meaningful, fulfilled and engaged lives.Learn More
Engage and develop your students and staff.
Gallup helps your institution create a culture of engagement for students and staff. With Gallup's vital data and expertise, university leaders can create a roadmap for improvement.
Create a thriving culture and campus climate.
Today's campus cultures face a host of threats. Issues of free speech, diversity and inclusion, and campus safety concerns can all detract from a healthy and thriving campus environment. With Gallup, you can explore the issues facing your campus and find out how your institution compares with others using our national benchmarks.
Diversity and Inclusion
Discover the numerous advantages of cultures that are both diverse and inclusive. Gallup's diversity and inclusivity metrics and advanced analytics focus on the structural and cultural influences on your campus that shape daily behavior and experiences.View PDF
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Determine the status of your institutional culture using Gallup's national and global expertise on topics related to campus climate -- free speech, well-being, and diversity and inclusion. Gallup's extensive bank of survey items and national data sets offer insights and comparisons to inform your decision-making.Learn More


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When it comes to social media, the marketers who focus on creating meaningful interactions with their audience are the ones winning the battle for attention. For B2B marketers, this means a much more targeted and personalized approach than a typical social media campaign. Twitter is cracking down on bots and automation. Facebook is taking a stricter stance on data usage. The ability for social media marketers to take shortcuts to engage their audience is going away. We recently launched a … [Read more...]
How We Use Social Media to Reach Leads at Conferences
This post was originally published in 2016. Due to popular demand, this blog post has been updated to get you ready for a successful 2018 conference season. Conferences, trade shows, and other industry events are a demand generation goldmine, not just because your best prospects are all in the same room at the same time, but because conferences create conversations, with thousands of people talking about relevant topics on social media. So what's the secret weapon to extract the most value … [Read more...]
Introducing Socedo's Criteria Self-Optimization
Note: We released criteria optimization a couple of years ago. In 2017, we made some improvements to our sorting engine. Now, the Twitter users who are most likely to follow you back will always be at the top of your Socedo campaigns. Whether you're a marketing or sales professional, a small business owner, or a startup founder, everyone wants more leads, and with 72% of all online adults on social media, your leads are out there. That's why we've worked hard to make Socedo the best platform … [Read more...]
The Ins and Outs of Running Social Lead Generation Campaigns
Thinking about kicking off a campaign to generate leads from Twitter? Or maybe you're already a Socedo customer and you're looking for tips on taking things to the next level. Of all the questions we get, these are the questions our customers raise most often regarding running social lead gen campaigns: What keywords should I use when starting a new campaign? How do I know when my campaign's performance has declined and it's time to do something about it? If a campaign isn't … [Read more...]
9 Proven Ways to Increase Your Marketing Contribution to the Sales Pipeline
When was the last time that your Sales VP complained that Marketing isn't contributing enough high quality leads to the sales pipeline? When was the last time your CEO asked what your marketing team has succeeded in doing this quarter? Chances are, you get these questions fairly often. At this point, many organizations are starting to judge their marketing department on their ability to contribute to top-line revenue. And a great marketing team is one that's able to prove their worth. … [Read more...]
Using Twitter for Lead Generation: The Two Approaches You Need to Know
Editor's Note: This post was published in 2016 and has been updated to reflect product changes made by Twitter and by Socedo. Twitter is one of the best social media platforms for B2B marketing. Why? Because it's open and it's public (unless you set your profile on private of course). People frequently check in to share professional content, to do research and to engage with companies. Best of all, Twitter is a great place for businesses to find the people who are interested in what they're … [Read more...]
What We've learned From Our Lead Generation Experiments
Editor's Note: This blog post has been updated to reflect product changes in Socedo. As a startup, we've had to grow our business without the massive budget of a multinational business. In the past couple of years, we've done a fair amount of experiments to figure out the most effective ways to grow our email marketing database and generate leads for our sales team. Like other B2B businesses, we believe in content marketing and optimizing our website for inbound traffic. But inbound … [Read more...]
Find More Quality Prospects with Automated Keyword Suggestions
Coming up with a solid set of keywords to reach your target audience is one of the tougher parts of any lead generation program. We hear this from our customers a lot. For the past few months, we've been working on an automated keyword suggestions system to make it easier for our customers find their target audience through Socedo. How Keyword Suggestions Work Our system utilizes public Twitter data (i.e. Tweets, follow relationships) from all past searches across our customer base to … [Read more...]
The Ultimate Guide to Using Intent Data to Implement an ABM Program
At this point, the benefits of account-based marketing are clear. Focusing your resources on a target set of accounts and utilizing specific, personalized approaches to engage decision-makers in target companies is the best way for your marketing and sales teams to spend their time and hit revenue goals. While organizations see value in moving towards an account-based approach, many still aren't sure how to operationalize an ABM program. One big challenge many organizations are facing is … [Read more...]
How Sales Teams Can Use Social Intent Data to Reel in the Perfect Lead
This post was originally published on the Hubspot Sales blog. #Instagood. #DebateNight. #tbt. #ICYMI, social media rules. With an increasing number of hashtags, trending topics, and shares, the social sea is flush with leads. But while all of that data can be incredibly useful, the crowded waters have made it difficult for business leaders to tell a minnow from a marlin. When casting a net for legitimate sales leads, social media data is indicative of a lead's interest level or … [Read more...]
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Topics Map > Human Resource System (HRS) > HRS Human Resources Administration > HR Learning Path
Entering Contract Administration in HRS
OverviewThis procedure explains the process to store and maintain contract dates for employees. Some positions and jobs have contractual periods beyond one fiscal year and are not tracked with an Expected Job End Date (EJED). Some positions that may use the Contract Administration pages include the initial review period for Tenure Track Faculty, Multiple Year or Fixed Renewable employees who have a Guaranteed Length of job.
Process Considerations:
- Contracts are linked by Person, therefore, it is important to note the position number within the Contract pages to ensure the link between Job/Position and Person exists. Contract Administration is not to be used for the full Tenure Tracking; Faculty Events (Workforce Development>Faculty Events). See Entering Tenure Tracking in HRS
You may click on the links below to navigate directly to a section:
Follow steps to add hire an employee
- On the Job Information Tab, click on "Next Contract Number" to assign a contract to the person in the job.
- The UW Custom Tab will display the Contract Type and Guaranteed Length for this job.
Click to Save Job Data, a warning message will appear
- Click OK to continue to Save.
Go to Workforce Administration>Job Information>Contract Administration>Update Contracts.
- On the Contract Status/Content complete the following fields: Contract Expected End Date; Contract Content (include the position number for quick identification purposes).
- Go to the Contract Type/Clauses Tab and select the Contract Type (LI, FA, AS, OT). Then click "Save".
Additional Resources
Related KBs:
Get Help
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Reflections on Iraq…and Syria
Yes, we won the war in Iraq and, as the inimitable Walter Russell Mead points out, we may have changed the course of history. Sure, it's still early and there are many events that still have to play themselves out, but Iraq today is a country at relative peace surrounded by dangerous turbulence.
The remaining question, though, is what happens to the rest of the Middle East? In the name of "human rights", the U.S. administration attacks Libya, the only Arab regime that had negotiated a working relationship with the U.S post-Iraq, while playing nice with a Syrian regime that slaughters demonstrators does this to children (WARNING: Graphic Description):
Meanwhile, talks are underway to give $20 billion in aid borrowed from China to a soon-to-be Muslim Brotherhood-led Egypt, one dedicated to the persecution of its large Christian minority, while all efforts are made to undermine a normal, pluralistic and civilized country's ability to defend itself.
There may be a larger strategic calculus at work here, but it certainly is hard to discern.


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Tooth Extraction in Vinton, VA
Preserving your natural teeth and keeping them healthy is our top priority. But sometimes a situation develops where extracting a tooth becomes necessary to protect your oral health.
Dr. Law and our caring and compassionate team have helped many patients who need a tooth extracted. We know that tooth extraction can be challenging for most people, and our goal is to make the experience as stress-free as possible.
Reasons for Tooth Extraction
Some of the more common reasons for removing a tooth are:
- Advanced Decay – A decayed tooth is so damaged that there is not enough healthy tooth structure left to save it with other treatments.
- Root Canal Infection – Infection has penetrated the root canal and cannot be eliminated with traditional treatment.
- Damage Due to Dental Trauma – A tooth is broken or deeply fractured and cannot be saved any other way.
- Crowded Wisdom Teeth – Wisdom teeth often create crowding and may need to be removed to ensure proper alignment of surrounding teeth.
- Preparation for Dentures – In preparation for full or partial dentures, several or all teeth may need to be removed.
- Orthodontic Treatment – In some cases, a child may need to have some baby teeth extracted to make sure that permanent teeth grow in properly.
Compassionate Care to Reduce Anxiety
Some patients feel anxious about any trip to the dentist, and almost everyone experiences some stress about having a tooth extracted. This reaction is very common, and you can be assured that we are sensitive to your concerns. With our compassionate approach and updated technology, extractions performed at our dental office in Vinton are nothing to worry about.
Dr. Law will help you decide if sedation is needed and what will work best for you. Sedation options like nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and prescription medications can significantly reduce your anxiety and help to calm you. Our professional team is trained to offer support and will be on hand throughout the entire procedure to make sure you are completely comfortable.
When the procedure is done, someone will stay with you until we are sure that you are ready to go home. We provide instructions for aftercare and are always available by phone to answer any questions you may have once you return home.
Contact Our Office for More Information
If you have questions about tooth extraction, please contact our dental office in Vinton at (540) 342-4945. You can rest assured that your treatment will be handled by our friendly, caring team who will listen to your concerns and make sure that you have the most comfortable experience possible.


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Looking for a TMJ Physio in Melbourne?
Our TMJ Osteopaths and TMJ physios have a particular interest in head, face and jaw pain.
We understand that for many people with TMJ disorder (jaw pain), it is a particularly distressing disorder. They experience considerable pain, distress and interference in everyday life. The things such as opening your mouth to talk or eat can be excruciating or just impossible.
We see many patients who have had their TMJ problems for months or years. With the right treatment and expertise, even the most difficult cases of jaw pain can be helped.
At Premier Sports & Spinal Medicine, we have seen thousands of cases of TMJ Disorder.
Our team of TMJ osteopaths and TMJ physios will work together to ensure that you are getting the right treatment for you.
Our TMJ Physios are often asked to provide second opinions for longstanding and difficult cases, or as an alternative to surgery or dental appliances such as night splints ( read more here)
If your TMJ disorder is longstanding, complex or especially painful, we recommend an initial 60 minutes consultation for us to be able to fully assess and treat your jaw pain. Please inform the receptionist that you have a TMJ disorder when calling so the appropriate time can be allocated.
Temporomandibular disorders (Jaw Pain), commonly called TMJ, are characterised by pain in the jaw joint and surrounding tissues and limitation in jaw movements. Injury and other conditions that routinely affect other joints in the body such as arthritis also affect the temporomandibular joint. One or both joints may be involved and depending on the severity, can affect a person's ability to speak, eat, too, swallow and laugh.
While both men and women experience these disorders, the majority of those seeking treatment are women in their childbearing years. The ratio of women to men increases with the severity of symptoms, approaching 9 to 1 patients with major limitations in jaw movements and chronic, unrelenting pain
The jaw joint or TMJ, is a complex joint that undergoes thousands of movements every day. Many TMJ disorders have multiple causes that may include jaw muscle tension/spasm due to prolonged dental procedures, jaw muscle tension/spasm due to clenching teeth, overuse, or trauma, altered posture of the upper back, neck and head, neck problems such as at the next joint stiffness, poor dental alignment or trauma to head, neck or jaw.
The pain of TMJ disorders is often described as a dull, aching pain which comes and goes in the jaw joint and nearby areas. Some people however report no pain and still have problems using the jaws with activities such as eating, talking, laughing, and yawning.
Symptoms can include;
pain in the jaw muscles
pain in the neck and shoulders
chronic headaches
jaw muscle stiffness
limited movement or locking of the jaw
ear pain or pressure
painful clicking, popping or grating in the jaw joint when opening or closing the mouth
a bite that feels "off"
Specialists recommend treating TMJ with the most conservative approaches possible, such as with TMJ Osteopathy or a TMJ Physio. Our TMJ Osteos and TMJ Physios have additional training and experience in the assessment and treatment of TMJ problems such as jaw pain.
These treatments relieve muscle spasm and improve joint alignment, thereby improving the ability of the jaw to open and close. Even when these disorders have become persistent, most patients do not need aggressive types of treatment such as surgery.
Call 9481 7794 to make an appointment or to speak to one of our consultants who can help you overcome TMJ disorder.
All initial appointments need to be 1 hour to allow a comprehensive assessment of your TMJ or Jaw pain.
Call 9481 7794 to book your initial assessment


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The Haight Ashbury Flower Power Walking Tour is your backstage
pass to the coolest area in the universe! Stroll through the cosmic
history of it all, from rock and roll to art, fashion and architecture,
this fantastic walking adventure gives you a real insight to the
mysterious draw of the Haight-Ashbury!
The tour is approximately 60% hippy history and 40% general
neighborhood history and architecture, but it's always 100%
'far-out' fun! Sauntering along the same side streets
and alley ways that Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead,
Joni Mitchell and countless others etched their marks into the
collective creativity of the 20th century!
Approximately 12 blocks are covered and the ending point is
about 2 blocks from the point of origin. A poetic and symbolic
act of retracing the footsteps of so many, returning back to yourself
with greater understanding and knowledge.
Join us every Tuesday and Saturday
at 9:30 am,
or, if you prefer to sleep later, Friday at 11:00
$20 per person, except kids age 9 and under are
purchase is strongly recommended, as tours often sell out quickly.
Walkups are a gamble!
inquiries or large groups please call the tour at
(415) 863-1621 or email firstname.lastname@example.com
transit to Stanyan & Waller (starting location) is all from
Market Street: #6, #7, #71 or "N" Judah.
Exit bus or light rail ("N") at Stanyan Street
and walk one to three blocks depending on which bus you take.
Groups of 10 or more receive a 20% discount when booked and
paid at least one week in advance. Private tours for 4 or more
persons (or for an $80 minimum) are available upon request. Dates
and times can be customized for groups.
available dates
and buy tickets online
To purchase tickets by phone, please call
(800) 979-3370 or
(212) 209-3370
SF Convention & Visitors Bureau
since 1993
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