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Illka has succinctly remarked on an endearing attribute of video games that speaks in part to why they're leaving the movie industry in the dust:
The reality [is] that despite selling more than movies, video games still fly under the radar and thus get to operate under very different social rules and constraints than, say, mainstream television shows and movies, especially since video games are pure products of the the engineer and nerd culture that is completely different from, say, the culture born of marketing, social sciences and various "critical studies" that currently dominates Hollywood and print media.This is not to say that the virtual gaming world is devoid of leftist or progressive themes--Final Fantasy VII took misanthropic environmentalism to the extreme, for example--only that there is far less territory strictly off limits in the gaming world as compared to other popular forms of entertainment.
So it is with the tenth fullscale installation of the Final Fantasy series. How propitious it is for the story to be brought to mind in front of the Presidential election this November. Seymour, the primary antagonist, embodies many of the worst fears of Obama's detractors--leveraging his biracialism for political advantage and maintaining a public veneer diametrically opposed to his history and the actual objectives he strives to fulfill.
Born of a human mother and a Guado father, Seymour's childhood is an emotionally traumatic one. He was neglected by his Big Man father, an important leader of the Guado, who would record a warning ahead of becoming a victim of patricide that his son's corruption was his fault as a failed father. Seymour was abandoned by his mother who became a Fayth (thus removing herself from the world of the living) while he was a kid. Raised by Guado, the half human Seymour spent much of his formative years brooding alone.
Despite this inner turmoil, he showed promise as a gifted speaker and potent magic user. His mother's conversion into a Fayth allowed him to summon Anima, a tortured but powerful aeon and personification of the emotive side of Seymour's soul. (In Jungian psychology, the anima is the female side of a man's unconscious mind, while more generally in psychoanalytical mythology it is the underlying influence on a person's thoughts, behavior, and personality--it's basically interchangeable with the word "psyche").
By harnessing the power of Anima and combining it with his sharp mind and rhetorical prowess, Seymour attracts the notice of Yevon's (the ecumenical 'Church' that is run by four 'high priests', or Maesters--two humans, one Guado, and one Ronso) ruling class. In announcing his selection as Maester, he is billed as a racial healer who, half human and half Guado, will be able to bring the races together and integrate the separatist Guado into the mainstream (and mostly human) Spiran society. Demonstrating his messianic credentials, Seymour calls upon Anima to ward off one of Sin's attacks on Spira much like Isaiah called upon God when Jerusalem was under siege:
King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this. And the LORD sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons cut him down with the sword.Seymour's ideas of healing differ from conventional conceptions, however. A life of emotional suffering has led him to the Buddhistic conclusion that all life is suffering, and that to end Spira's suffering he must end all life in Spira. To achieve this, he must infiltrate Sin, take the reigns, and obliterate life itself. In his words, "Life is but a passing dream. The death that follows is eternal."
That puts him at odds with another biracial aeon summoner. Yuna's different colored eyes are not a result of heterochromia, they are a manifestation of her half human, half Al Bhed heritage. Like Seymour, she is seen as a prospective savior of Spira. She even walks on water:
While Seymour bolsters John S Bolton's assertion that the mixed-race are not natural bridges but natural dividers, in Yuna's case it's not so clear. Her intentions are clearly noble, but an argument can be made that Seymour's are as well. Initially, she does not stray from the teachings of Yevon. And the teachings of Yevon call for a literal implementation, over and over again, of what Paul explained to be God's intention:
We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.So begins her pilgrimmage to enlist the aid of the Fayth and their aeons in a bid to confront Sin and knock it out of the picture for another several years of calm before the inevitable process repeats itself. Seymour's intention is to insert himself into that pilgrimmage and ultimately become the one she chooses as the final aeon necessary to vanquish (and eventually reinhabit) Sin.
FFX breaks with other titles in the series in the prominent role organized religion plays. That has traditionally been territory Dragon Quest has explored but Final Fantasy has left alone. Understandably so, given DQ's relative popularity in Japan, where the religious landscape is more pluralistic and syncretic than it is in the US.
Unlike DQ, where a more-or-less balanced account of organized religion is offered, FFX goes for the jugular. Yevon is a corrupt institution with teachings it hypocritically does not adhere to (the use of Machina, for example, is forbidden yet at Bevelle--Yevon's Vatican--they are heavily utilized). Its followers are dupes, even if well-intentioned (like Shelinda or poor Wakka) and its leadership is merciless.
For example, in Operation Mi'ihen, the Crusaders and the Al Bhed team up to do battle with Sin. Maesters Seymour and Kinoc, the later who is head of Yevon's warrior monks, are present to oversee the operation, which both know will end badly for Yevon's coalition, a coalition that doesn't actually involve anyone from Yevon on the front lines. That's why they're present--to make sure it's executed, ensuring a staggering loss of life for the Crusaders and the Al Bhed.
The Crusaders are a military order ("Templars" or "Hospitallers" would've been a more appropriate name for them, but would risk being lost on some players relative to the broader name recognition of "Crusaders") born out of a conflict with Yevon. They are devoted to fighting Sin and its spawn. Kinoc's efforts to guarantee their downfall is surreptitiously reminiscient of King Philip IV's destruction of the Templars, whom Philip, like Kinoc, owed much to for their previous military assistance.
Both Kinoc and Philip saw destorying these respective military orders as the best way to erase their debt and free themselves from potential military challenge in the future. Like Philip, who martyred Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay cried out as he died would soon face him before God, Kinoc was on borrowed time. Both Philip and Kinoc would be dead within the year of running the military orders they were putatively aligned with into the ground.
The Al Bhed are a curious race of Nordic-looking pirates*. They are entirely secular and consequently detested by Yevon, the Guado, and much of the human population. Unsympathetic to Yevon's ludditism, they rely heavily on the machina of the past. As the technological knowledge required to create machina has been lost over the last thousand years, the Al Bhed are only able to drive the car, not understand how or why it works. Their situation brings to mind that of Europe during the Middle Ages, after the collapse of the Roman Empire. Thomas Sowell writes:
Europeans lived for centuries with the presecne of ruins more magnificent than anything they were capable of creating or even restoring. It is hardly surprising that they looked back at the ancients with awe, long before they developed the modern Western tendency to look forward to greater accomplishments in the future than those of the past of the present.As atheistic separatists, pirates, and kidnappers, equipped with potent mechanical weapons and the willingness to harness technological knowledge to challenge the prevailing stasis, Yevon's desire for the Al Bhed's destruction is easy to understand. In a rebuke of the extreme misanthropic environmentalism of FFVII, the regressive position is not held up adoringly but instead seen as a dire obstacle to be overcome. Maester Mika explains the stasis Yevon is to maintain: "Yevon is embodied by eternal unchanging continuity, summoner... Those who question these truths--they are traitors!"
Kinoc's giddiness in front of the impending failure is hard to miss, and Auron coldly receives his old comrade as it is about to be executed. The more thoughtful and tactful Seymour engages a skeptical Wakka over the operation, arguing that pragmatic concerns must outweigh strict orthodoxy in trying times, and anyway the intentions of the Crusaders and the Al Bhed are both good, so he must 'assist' them.
Yevon never finds redemption. It falls to pieces as the story unfolds. Maester Kelk, a Ronso, shows signs of genuine concern over Seymour's murder of his father Jyscal, but it is not long after that point that he is rubbed out by Seymour, just as Seymour knocked off Kinoc. Maester Mika turns out to have been an unsent for some time. By definition, the unsent are those who've not accepted death and grow increasingly resentful of the living in their zombie state, caught in limbo between the world of Spira and the Farplane, where the souls of the dead find eternal rest**. Whether or not he understands that Yevon is perpetuating the spiral of destruction that has continued to wreck Spira for a millenia isn't discernible, but as he comes to further resent the people of Spira he cannot possibly have their best interests at heart.
Yet despite the designation of the unsent as those who've not yet accepted their deaths and must therefore be forcibly sent by a summoner lest they wander the world aimlessly, Auron is the most purpose-driven character in the game. Having experienced the cruel Sin cycle firsthand, he ensured Yuna would be safe by placing her under the protection of Kimahri before dying. As an unsent he then 'travelled' to Zanarkand during its antiquity to bring Tidus to Spira, joined Yuna's party (with Tidus in train), and steadfastly kept the party on the road to Zanarkand with the modest goal of destroying Yunalesca, Jecht, and finally Yu Yevon himself, thus overturning the whole structure the Sin cycle rested upon and in the process ridding Spira of its need for Yevon.
It might be unfair to Kimahri to designate Auron as the game's most determined. The Ronso are a primitive race with a warrior culture respecting little other than physical strength. Their's is a closed society. Consequently, Kimahri's shameful banishment from the tribe after refusing to submit to Biron after losing to him in a fight is accentuated by his subsequent devotion to Yuna. Yet it is from this devotion to her that he draws the strength needed to topple Biron in their rematch. This warrior ethos stifles his communication with Tidus, who finds asking questions gets him the same treatment Ibn Fadlan frequently received when he queried the Norsemen--the silent shaking of the head and a cold shoulder.
But Kimahri's devotion is undivided. He challenges Tidus early on to ensure that he is worthy of guarding her, and only opens up to Tidus after Operation Mi'ihen, when Tidus' commitment to Yuna has become clear. Although as a Ronso he is naturally distrustful of the Al Bhed, on the way to Guadsalom he makes it clear that he trusts Rikku as an individual, as he has seen her devotion to Yuna firsthand. Following the escape from Via Purifico (literally "the road to purification"), Kimahri doesn't hesitate for a moment to fatally hold up Seymour so the others are able to escape. Against the advice of Auron, who doesn't have Seymour on his radar screen, the rest of the party returns to save Kimahri.
Kimahri is similar to Steiner from FFIX. His unrelenting devotion makes him appear naive. But in a world where everyone's motivations are as pure as his are, that naivete no longer serves as a weakness. He is only susceptible because of the evil of others.
He also illustrates how the Japanese like to deal with underachieving minority groups (think the Native American Red XIII from FFVII). His dress, his name, his voice***, and his weaponry all strongly suggest that he is sub-Saharan****, but he's not black--he's blue. And he's not human, he's an anthropomorphic lion!
Wakka and Lulu are supporting acts. The affable (he is a Pacific Islander) Wakka brings refreshing warmth to a story that is in its first couple of hours cold and vertiginous:
He instantly strikes up a friendship with Tidus that is more natural than any other that develops between any of the characters. As is revealed later, this is enhanced by Tidus' resemblance of Wakka's late brother and Lulu's fiance, Chappu. Wakka's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's pragmatic. In crossing over submerged Al Bhed ruins built against the advice of Yevon on the Shoopuf, he asks a rhetorical question of relevance to Americans: "Good lesson. Why build a city over a river, ya?"
Both Lulu and Wakka serve as plot dumps, in addition to voicing the views and concerns of the general population. They are active adherents to Yevon's teachings, which they (Wakka especially) reflexively defend.
Rikku adds some spice to the equation. She is the most superfluous character, as the story isn't dependent upon her at all--Cid could've offered assistance to Yuna without the aid of an intermediary. He is the summoner's uncle, after all.
Spira's story is one with an overarching theme of sacrifice coarsing throughout. The Sin cycle is founded upon a steady stream of self-immolating summoners. The moloch is never permanently sated. According to the teachings, Sin always returns as a reincarnation of a guardian of the very summoner who subjugated it years before, all due to the misdeeds of the Spiran population.
Yuna is to play the sacrificial lamb, just as her father did a decade prior. For this her popularity is almost universal. Finding her in the field, the Spiran scholar Machean greets her, in an allusion to the famous meeting between David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley, by saying, "Lady Yuna, I presume?" Following in her father's footsteps, she determines at a young age that her life will be forfeited for the benefit, however temporary, of the Spiran people. When Tidus challenges her on this after the first battle with Belgemine on the Mi'ihen Highroad, Yuna responds that defeating Sin is something she must do because "a time when people can sleep safely is worth anything, no matter how short it is."
Yuna's willingness--eagerness, really--to sacrifice herself to (temporarily) defeat Sin might appear to reveal her as the moral apotheosis, all the more so to one living in the midst of the navel-gazing facebook generation. She's Christ in a religion that has more than one of them. But to read it this way is mistaken. Yuna is taking an easy moral path. She's been in cruise control since deciding to make the pilgrimage as a child. Her life means little to her. So then is her sacrifice, separate its real-world consequences, of little moral consideration. To the contrary, to those--Rikku, Cid, and Tidus--for whom Yuna's life is of greater importance than it is to Yuna herself, her self-sacrifice is an act of tragically misguided good intent or even of selfishness.
Tidus is perhaps the one who is able to tip the scales to dissuade Yuna from continuing the Sin cycle. The Al Bhed attempt to save summoners--against the summoners' own wishes--from themselves, but Yuna's guardians keep it from happening to her. Rikku knows her cousin faces certain death by following uncertain teachings, but with the support of Auron, Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri, in addition to her own convictions, Yuna doesn't budge. Tidus, an enthusiastic supporter of Yuna's pilgrimage to defeat Sin, only finds out much later that part of that pilgrimage involves Yuna's death. Upon this revelation, he immediately switches sides and conspires with Rikku to find a way to avoid Yuna's death at the final summoning.
Little comes to fruition from their conspiring, but Tidus' protestations clearly way heavily on Yuna, as the intimate scene at Lake Macalania illustrates^:
It is the confrontation with Yunalesca that pushes Yuna over the edge. In the face of Yuna's self-immolation, Yunalesca makes it clear that the Yevon teachings are bunk when Wakka and Lulu challenge her. The somber ceremony, in which Yuna is to choose one of her guardians to become the final aeon, gets contentious and then downright belligerent. Yunalesca will not be aiding in the final aeon creation, for this summoner and her guardians have now come for blood. Auron, who'd been guiding the process towards this outcome from the story's opening in Zanarkand 1,000 years prior^^, exhibits an uncharacteristic burst of animation as the battle begins that was only characteristic of him before he died. He has been living (heh) as a zombie in Spira for a decade in anticipation of this moment:
After exposing the falsity of Yevon's teachings, defeating Yunalesca, breaking into Sin, and putting Jecht to rest, Yuna makes the ultimate sacrifice. To destroy Yu Yevon and thus end the Sin cycle forever, she vanquishes her loyal aeons who've been indispensable in the all that has transpired. She does this knowing it is also the death knell^^^ of both Auron and Tidus. And she must live on with this sorrow to try and piece back together a very broken Spira. Calling it quits in the meeting with Yunalesca would've been a much easier out.
As Yuna shows the failings a reckless disregard for one's own existence brings, Tidus demonstrates the more apparent failings of being wrapped up in one's self. As he makes his way through Spira, he is initially concerned with little other than finding a way back home. He is haunted by his father, who displayed the same overarching desire to get back to the Zanarkand of the past. But as Tidus witnesses the mass sending at Kilika, he is drawn in by Spira's suffering. The love he develops for Yuna manifests itself as a tireless search for a way to prevent the pilgrimage from ending in her death. In between Mt. Gagazet and Zanarkand, the Fayth make it clear in a dream that while Yuna may live through the showdown with Yu Yevon, Tidus will not. In either victory or defeat, he will cease to exist. Yuna suspects he is hiding something, but as she hid her impending doom from him for so long, he withholds his from her.
Drawn against his will into a wrecked foreign world, Tidus ends up paying the ultimate price for its betterment. FFX portrays religion in a very unflattering light. Unlike the more nuanced approach of Dragon Quest VIII, there is nothing redemptive or inspiring about it. The 'hope' Yevon's teachings inspire is clearly a false one that does not address any spiritual need whatsoever--it only serves to assuage the people's fears that they'll be annihilated by Sin today instead of tomorrow. Yunalesca puts it succinctly when she says, "Death is the final liberation... It is better for you to die in hope than to live in despair."
Tidus' ordeal is truly Christlike. He is thrust into a world that ranges from indifference to dislike of him, has it revealed to him that he must give his own life to redeem the place, and does so against his wishes but with the understanding that it is not his will to be done, but something greater than himself at work. In this, he steps out of his father's shadow. Jecht gave himself up so Spira might have ten short years of peace. Tidus did so to give it an everlasting peace.
Final Fantasy X does not close with its participants living happily ever after. In many ways the ending is deeply unsatisfying. The protagonist disappears from Spira as abruptly as he entered it. The bonds he formed with the people of that world are torn away, and we're left with the heartbroken love of his life facing a devastated Spira that is left in tatters, without a unifying body (previously Yevon) to bring together the hostile races. Our protective instinct kicks in and we want to be there to put the pieces back together. There is some comfort in knowing Kimahri, Lulu, Wakka, and Rikku are still there, but it's far from complete.
Unpalatable as it may taste, it's an ingenius metaphor for speaking directly to us, the rpgers. A great game gets the player wrapped up in its universe, allowing him to suspend his disbelief and become engrossed. The characters are more than virtual avatars, they are real people. Yet like so much else, the magic is fleeting. FFX does more than just let us experience painful disengagement as players in the real world, it injects that pain into the story itself. Thus we are hit by it twice--in the traditional way as game players always are, and also vicariously through the characters themselves. Instead of fading into the credits as we see everyone living happily ever after, the people we've spent fifty hours with say their goodbyes to us directly. As the name of the track implies, someday the dream must end.
* There is some reason to entertain the idea that the Al Bhed are an allusion to the Islamic Golden Age (basically the first few centuries after its birth, when it inherited 'pagan' Arab and Persian mathematics and astronomy before, as Toby Huff argues, it brought advances in them to a halt), juxtaposed to Europe's 'Dark Ages', between the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance in Italy, as represented by Yevon. Perhaps, but the rapid expansion of Islam had a transformative effect on the Middle East and Persia as it spread, yet the only thing Islamic about the Al Bhed appears to be their name (they're all blond, and Rin sounds Swedish).
** The amount of space devoted to the metaphysical aspects of FF games are something I tend to minimize. I find them overly fantastic and rarely flushed out well enough to make much sense of. They strike me as unnecessarily distracting and usually disappointing.
*** John DiMaggio (voice of Bender from Futurama), who is white, does his voice (as well as Wakka's), but in character he sounds like James Earl Jones doing Mufasa from The Lion King.
**** The Mt. Gagazet musical track has a melancholy Amerindian edge to it, however.
^ In addition to the bemusing Al Bhed, Tidus has European complexion and features, but conspicuously 'Asian' hair. We have no reason to doubt Jecht's paternity, but maybe his wife's utter dependence on him is her way of atoning for past infidelity (or maybe she's just a bad mother, like Linda from Brave New World). Father and son bear little resemblance to one another. Jecht has dark hair and dark eyes (to Tidus' blond hair and blue eyes), and with his gruff voice that accompanies a gruff personality, could be a cariacture of white rednecks. When confronted about his drinking problem, he quips, "I can stop anytime I want. But why do today what you can leave for tomorrow?" As Sowell writes in Black Rednecks and White Liberals:
The cultural values and social patterns prevalent among Southern whites included an aversion to work, proneness to violence, neglect of education, sexual promiscuity, improvidence, drunkenness, lack of entrepreneuriship, reckless searches for excitement...Finally there's Oaka, the travelling Scotish merchant from the 19th Century, who must've warped in from Poland.
^^ That Auron keeps this to himself throughout the pilgrimage until the last moment deserves a spot on a tabulation opposite Peter's Evil Overlord list. He presumes as long as he is there to guide the party, their ignorance is inconsequential. Not only is does this cause unnecessary emotional hardship for everyone else, one can't help but wonder how Yunalesca would've ever been challenged if Auron were to give up the ghost somewhere along the way. When accosted by Rikku for this, he unsatisfyingly responds "If I had told you the truth, would that really have stopped you from coming?" Sir Auron, that's a hypothetical question, not a rhetorical one!
^^^ Okay, Auron will be sent to the farplane (I guess), and Tidus will end up in an infinitely large body of water, swimming around alone. They might as well be dead. As mentioned previously, the metaphysical stuff annoys me.


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Editors' note: As of July 14, 2011, the premium Spotify music subscription service is available on the Onkyo TX-NR609 to users in the U.S. As of August 8, 2011, Last.fm and Aupeo services are also available.
Onkyo has a reputation for delivering tons of features and high-end performance at a budget price, and in many ways the TX-NR609 fits the bill. It's packed with six HDMI inputs (including a front-panel input), built-in networking (plus an optional Wi-Fi dongle for a very affordable $40), and more streaming music services than even the Denon AVR-1912. Even better, the current street price is around $495, which is the cheapest we've seen a midrange receiver of this caliber.
But it's missing the one feature that many buyers will care about: AirPlay. We're definitely fans of Apple's wireless music standard, so it's hard to recommend the TX-NR609 over the AirPlay-compatible Denon AVR-1912 and Pioneer VSX-1021-K if you own an iOS device (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad). If you don't have an iOS device, the Onkyo is our top pick in terms of features, although if you're picky about sound quality, the Denon and Pioneer sounded better to us when we compared them. Ultimately, as much as we like the Onkyo TX-NR609, it's a step behind the Denon or Pioneer, but it has plenty of unique features (and a cheaper price) that will make it the best pick for some buyers.
AV receivers all pretty much look the same, but the TX-NR609's looks are even more utilitarian than usual. Its stark, flat front panel and relatively sharp corners contrast with the Denon AVR-1912's soft, rounded look. By default, the volume knob is surrounded by a bright blue light. Luckily you can turn it off by pressing the dimmer button in the lower left of the remote, although we were surprised this option wasn't in the setup menu. Purely in terms of looks, the TX-NR609 isn't our favorite, but styling isn't a priority for us with AV receivers.
Remote and remote apps
We're always annoyed by the complexity of AV receiver remotes, so the simple layout of the TX-NR609's remote is appreciated. There are many fewer buttons than on competitors' remotes and the volume rocker is easy to spot. Still, there's plenty of room for improvement, and nontechies will likely be baffled by all the functions. As always, it's worth investing in a quality universal remote to control all your home theater gear.
Onkyo's remote app (available for iOS) is excellent. It has a simple layout, making it easy to quickly switch inputs, adjust the volume, or even switch to a new sound mode like Music. What really sets it apart is its ability to fully control streaming music services like Rhapsody and Pandora. You can search right in the app and queue up music, and the TX-NR609 responds near-instantly.
Controlling streaming media services from your iOS device actually feels very similar to AirPlay, although there are more limitations: you're limited to the streaming services Onkyo supports and you can't stream music stored on your iOS device. The irony is that Onkyo's app is currently only available via iOS (not Android), which is a shame because otherwise the excellent experience of the TX-NR609's remote app would make it a compelling AirPlay alternative for Android fans.
User interface
The Onkyo TX-NR609 features a graphical user interface that's a modest step up from the old text-based menus that virtually all receivers had a few years ago. There are basic graphics that make the setup process a little easier to understand, and the text actually looks pretty crisp compared with the menus on the Denon AVR-1912.
We loved the Onkyo's main streaming interface screen, which features large icons for all the different services. The layout isn't quite as nice once you get into the actual services, especially compared with other home theater devices like a PS3 or Apple TV. It gets the job done, especially for services like Pandora that don't need a lot of input, but if you're searching for music in Rhapsody, it can get tedious to use the onscreen keyboard. Of course, if you're using the remote app, you won't actually need to navigate these screens that frequently.
|Key AV receiver features
|Analog video upconversion
|Graphical user interface
|Automatic speaker calibration
The Onkyo TX-NR609 has all the key features we expect at this price level, including a two-year warranty, which is a year longer than Pioneer offers for the competing VSX-1021-K.
|iPod/iPhone features chart
|Connect iPod/iPhone via USB
|iOS remote app
|Proprietary iPod dock
The lack of AirPlay will be the big sticking point for buyers with iOS devices. While Onkyo's remote app is excellent and can somewhat replace AirPlay for some of the streaming services like Rhapsody, it's not a true AirPlay replacement. Still, if you're on a tight budget and don't need everything AirPlay offers, the TX-NR690 is available for less than either the Denon AVR-1911 or Pioneer VSX-1021-K. And as with all other receivers at this price level, you can connect any iPod directly via the USB port on the front panel. (If you want to add AirPlay to the Onkyo, you'll need to invest $100 in an Apple TV.)
|HDMI features
|HDMI version
|3D pass-through
|Audio return channel
|Standby pass-through
This year all of the midrange receivers we've tested support the major new HDMI features, including the handy standby pass-through mode, which allows the receiver to pass audio and video signal to a TV even when the receiver is off. No midrange receiver that we've seen so far supports HDMI Ethernet Channel.
|Video connectivity
|HDMI inputs
|Component video inputs
|Composite video inputs
|Max connected HD devices
|Other: PC input
The TX-NR609's video connectivity is flat-out awesome. Six HDMI inputs is the most we've seen at this price class (matching the Denon AVR-1912 and Yamaha RX-V671) and we love that Onkyo put one of the inputs on the front panel, for quick hookups to a laptop, digital camera, or camcorder.
Also note that you can switch among eight HD inputs (HDMI and component video) simultaneously, which is more than any other receiver we've tested this year. The TX-NR609 even has a PC input on the back. We're not sure how much use that will get these days, but it could be a bonus for those with older home theater PCs.

subset: commoncrawl


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ETSU, Musketeers to tip off Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (March 15, 2010) - After being the first team to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament over a week ago, the ETSU women's basketball team finally learned its seed and first round match-up on Monday evening during the ESPN selection show.
With over 100-plus fans watching on inside Fanatics, ETSU (23-8) received the No. 14 seed and will take on third-seeded Xavier (27-3) in the first round in
"We thought we would be around a 13 or 14 seed, because we didn't have a big win over one of the power conferences this year," added head coach Karen Kemp, who has now guided the Lady Bucs to all five postseason appearances in school history. "A fourteen is a good seed and we are familiar with Xavier since we played them two years ago. They do have two really good post players, so we have to be ready to battle with them.
"This is very exciting because going to the tournament for a third straight year is rare. However, this time is more about taking care of business. We want to make some noise and surprise a lot of people, because most people would be if we defeated Xavier."
The Lady Bucs, who enter the tournament with a program-best 23 wins, have won ten straight and 19 of their last 20 games. ETSU's ten consecutive wins puts them amongst the nations best, as the Lady Bucs are tied for the ninth longest winning streak in the country (Liberty).
For the third consecutive season, ETSU is making a trip to the NCAA Tournament after defeating
This marks the ninth NCAA appearance all-time for Xavier and the 12th time in the last 13 seasons that the Musketeers have reached national postseason play. The program currently carries a 4-9 record all time in the tournament and the last trip was made by last year's squad, which received a No. 5 seed in the Oklahoma City Regional. Xavier fell 74-59 to No. 12 seed Gonzaga in
Xavier won its second consecutive A-10 regular season crown this year and is led by the junior tandem of
The Lady Bucs have faced the Musketeers once in program history with Xavier taking a 76-67 contest back on December, 16, 2007 inside the
For more information on Lady Buccaneer basketball as they make final preparations for the NCAA Tournament, visit www.ETSUBucs.com.


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The Crofton man accused of threatening a workplace shooting and calling himself "a joker" appeared in a Prince George's County courtroom Tuesday, hours after leaving the inpatient psychiatric facility where he stayed voluntarily for more than three weeks after police raided his home.
A county mental health court judge released Neil Edwin Prescott, 28, into the custody of his parents and ruled that he must continue taking medication and attend counseling while he awaits arraignment in Upper Marlboro next week, according to court records.
He faces a single misdemeanor charge of misusing the telephone, which carries a maximum of three years in prison and a $500 fine. The case against Prescott drew national headlines when law enforcement officials said they had thwarted an incident that might have mimicked a recent shooting rampage in a Colorado movie theater. Prosecutors later said the evidence enabled them only to charge Prescott with a misdemeanor and called on state legislators to toughen laws against making threats.
Prescott, who legally owns more than two dozen firearms, is accused of threatening last month to "blow everybody up" at his former workplace, the mail services provider Pitney Bowes. His former supervisor told police that Prescott said in phone calls that he wanted to see the supervisor's "brain splatter all over the sidewalk" and repeatedly said, "I am a joker. I'm going to load my guns," according to court records.
The apparent allusion to the recent mass shooting in Aurora, Colo., during a showing of a "Batman" movie — along with Prescott's cache of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition — left authorities fearful of a copycat attack. Twelve people were killed and 58 wounded in Aurora.
Tuesday's court appearance was Prescott's first in the case. He will be fitted with a GPS ankle monitor, according to court records. The judge ordered Prescott not to have contact with his former employer or former co-workers or visit his former office in a Capitol Heights office park. A Pitney Bowes spokeswoman has said Prescott had not been on company property for four months before the calls.
Since police raided his apartment July 27, Prescott underwent an emergency psychiatric evaluation and voluntarily remained in the care of mental health experts, his attorney and prosecutors said.
In announcing the charge this month, Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks said prosecutors regarded the telephone-misuse charge as insufficient, but said Maryland lacks felony laws against making generalized threats.
Prescott's attorney, William C. Brennan Jr., said he would not comment before trial and declined to say where Prescott had received treatment over the past few weeks.
Friends described Prescott, who is listed in court records as 6 feet 7 inches tall, as a gun enthusiast and "gentle giant."
Maryland State Police records show Prescott held a collector's license that waives state limits on purchasing one firearm every 30 days.


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A group of parents in Tyrone will not allow their children to take part in the First Holy Communion ceremony if Father Martin McVeigh is involved. McVeigh recently showed 16 images of gay porn at the start of a PowerPoint slideshow of the parents of the Communion class.
McVeigh was giving a talk on preparing children for the Holy Communion ceremony. When he entered his USB into the computer 16 gay porn images popped up for all the 26 parents, some teachers, and one eight-year-old child to see.
The priest left the room "shaken and flustered" and then returned to finish the meeting by asking children to consider donating some of their First Communion money to the Church.
The parents initially complained to the Catholic Parish Outreach (CPO), Council for Catholic Maintained School (CCMS), and the CPO of the Armagh Diocese. So far according to the Mid Ulster Mail newspaper, no action has been taken.
On Monday the parents met to discuss the incident. They are still waiting to hear whether McVeigh will preside over their children's ceremony.
In a statement they sent to the Mail they said "If we find that he will be conducting the service or even in attendance, we won't allow our children to take part.
"It is absolutely disgraceful that Armagh has not suspended him from his duties after what took place last week. We have been left in the dark over this matter but we certainly will not be stopping until we get answers."
The parent feel that the Church is "doing nothing and hoping that we will go away".
"The questions that remain unanswered are the fact that Fr McVeigh is still saying Mass and has not been suspended pending an investigation.
"In any other responsible organization this would have been the first action."
"The parents are enraged that Fr McVeigh has been entrusted with the pastoral care of their children however, he has given no explanation for why he left the room for 20 minutes after the incident or no apology to the offended child, parents or teachers.
"The good name of the school is being tarnished with a matter that should be dealt with by the Church not through the media.
"We feel that the situation is not being treated with the gravitas that it warrants and we as parents feel that the Church are doing nothing and hoping that we will go away," concluded the statement.
In another letter sent to the Mail a parishioner said they would be withholding their weekly donation to the Church. Another local said that McVeigh should not be judged until the Church has concluded their investigation.
On Monday Ireland's Primate, Cardinal Sean Brady, released a statement saying "inappropriate imagery was inadvertently shown by a priest at the beginning of a PowerPoint presentation."
He continued "The priest has stated that he had no knowledge of the offending imagery. The archdiocese immediately sought the advice of the PSNI who indicated that, on the basis of the evidence available, no crime had been committed.
"The priest is co-operating with an investigation of the matter on the part of the archdiocese."
The Mail also confirmed that McVeigh is continuing to preside over morning sermons at the Church of Assumption in Pomeroy since the incident. They attempted to contact the parish about the matter but no calls were returned.


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I had a great weekend. There was a party at a friend's house and the boy was there. Everyone kept calling us cute and one guy even said (multiple times) that we had a "warm glow". It was nice. Mellow. I was happy.
Then Monday came. My mom told me that my dad had called the night before, and my grandma wasn't doing very well. Less than an hour later he called and told us she had passed. It didn't really hit me until today. I just want to call her and tell her I love her. I really, really miss her. She was really the only grandparent I had. My maternal grandfather passed away long before I was born, and my paternal one passed when I was 9. I didn't really get to know him because he and my dad didn't get along very well. My other grandmother is still alive and doing well, but she's not exactly the warm, cuddly type. She has about 30 assorted grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and she's never really shown a great interest in my sister or I.
This grandma was different. My sister and I were her only grandchildren, and she adored us. She called me pussycat and loved to tell me the story of how I sang "You Are My Sunshine" to her on the phone when I was 3. She was the only one who called me Jenna. (It's Jennifer, and everyone else calls me Jen) She was the strongest, toughest woman I have ever known. There are so many things I want to tell her and now I can't. I registered to take Russian next year in school, and that side of my family is Russian, and I was so excited to be able to finally speak it with her.
She wasn't well the last couple of years, and I know she wasn't happy. I like to believe she's in a much better place, but I just wish I could talk to her again. She means so much to me.
My head is not in a good place right now. And when I get this way, I close myself off and push everyone away. I'm trying really hard to not do it this time… so I'm going to ask one of my friends to hang out tomorrow so I can talk to someone about this, and some other stuff. It sort of involves her, so I'm not entirely sure she would be the best person, but she's nice, honest, and I trust her. I'll update you on that later. One thing at a time.


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This is a set of one-page problems about the scale of objects in images returned by spacecraft. Learners will measure scaled drawings using high-resolution images of the lunar and martian surfaces. Options are presented so that students may learn... (View More) about the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission through a NASA press release or by viewing a NASA eClips™ video [4 min]. Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts are identified. This activity is part of the Space Math multi-media modules that integrate NASA press releases, NASA archival video, and mathematics problems targeted at specific math standards commonly encountered in middle school. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free
Math skills are applied throughout this investigation of windows. Starting with basic window shapes, students determine area and complete a cost analysis, then do the same for windows of unconventional shapes. Students will examine photographs taken... (View More) by astronauts through windows on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station to explore the inverse relationship between lens size and area covered. This lesson is part of the Expedition Earth and Beyond Education Program. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free


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Return Air Grille Electronic Air Purifier 20 x 12.5 (Honeywell)
Code: AIR52F1048
Price: $677.79
Quantity in Basket: None
Honeywell Return Grille Electronic Air Cleaner, 20 x 12.5
The F52F Return Grille Electronic Air Cleaner is wall or ceiling mounted in the main return air duct of a central forced air heating, cooling, or ventilation system. It captures a significant number of the airborne particles (0.5 microns and larger) from the air circulated through the cell(s).
Removes airborne particles from the air circulated through it.
Electronic cells can be washed easily.
Neon light shows that air cleaner is operating.
Wiring consists of simply connecting air cleaner to power source.
Solid state power supply is energized by an airflow switch; no interconnection to the fan system is required.
Solid state power supply is self-regulating and maintains peak efficiency during a wide range of cell dirt loading conditions.
Automatic interlock switch disconnects power when unit is opened.
Use with optional W8600F Electronic Air Cleaner Monitor (ordered separately) to monitor air cleaner performance.
Product Specifications
Application Return Grill .
Dimensions (in.) 20 in. x 12 1/2 in..
Dimensions (mm) 508 mm x 318 mm.
Airflow Max.-Capacity (cfm) 1000 cfm.
Airflow Max.-Capacity (m³/hr) 1700 m³/hr.
Efficiency Standard Efficiency ratings are based on American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air COnditioning Engineers Standard 52.2-1999. Efficiency ranges are defined for small particles, E1=0.3 to 1.0 microns; medium particles, E2=1.0 to 3.0 microns; and large part.
Fractional Efficiency E1=73%, E2=88%, E3=95%.
Electrical Ratings 120 Vac, 0.4A max..
Static Pressure Drop (in. w.c.) 0.2 at max flow.
Type or Air Cleaner Electronic Air Cleaner.
Frequency 60 Hz.
Approvals, Underwriters Laboratories Inc Listed: Report E30954.
Tradeline Value Tradeline, RET20x12
Replaces Part Numbers:F52F1006, F52F1048, CARF52F1048


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Dave Franco's a good sport about it, but really, we can all stop asking the actor about his big brother James. He's had enough.
"I mean, that happened three years ago," says the younger Franco, whose new movie "Now You See Me" opened Friday, with a laugh. "More than that. Ten years ago. I love and respect him so much, and when I was first starting out, it would be weird if people weren't drawing the comparisons and mentioning his name every time they brought me up … Maybe two or three years ago, I made a conscious decision to distance myself from him work-wise just because I want to pave my own path and I don't want to be referred to as James Franco's little brother for the rest of my life.
"We are very, very different. He can take on roles that I could never touch, and vice-versa."
With recent supporting turns in "21 Jump Street" and "Warm Bodies," and starring with Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and Isla Fisher as a quartet of magicians/possible bank robbers in "Now You See Me," Franco is proving he can stand on his own. He'll also be seen next year alongside Seth Rogen and Zac Efron in "Townies."
To play "NYSM" magician Jack Wilder, Franco—who says he's not on Twitter because it makes him anxious, just as AIM did at first—worked with a magic consultant on set and practiced every night after shooting. "I would come back to my apartment and I would either sit in front of the TV and just practice my little sleight of hand moves," he says, "Or I would just be throwing cards against the wall for hours on end."
After having soup for lunch at "X-O-C-O or something," the 27-year-old actor settled in at the Peninsula Hotel to talk about his non-thieving past, the potential of a magician-related reality show and an audition that keeps coming back to haunt him.
Click here for our music discussion with Franco
Have you ever fantasized about robbing a bank, and what's the worst thing you've ever stolen?
I want to give you a fun answer for the bank, but I'm going to go with no on that. The worst thing I've ever [stolen]--I wasn't a horrible kid in terms of that kind of stuff. I think I'm going to go with a Milky Way from 7-11. Which in hindsight, it's like 50 cents. What the hell was I doing? I can literally probably find 50 cents on the ground outside of 7-11.
Did you get caught?
I did not.
Did you feel guilty while you ate it?
I think so! I was about to say, I think I felt horrible about it. I probably didn't even finish it.
Why do you think magic has a nerdy stigma to it?
I saw this documentary about magic—I forget what it's called now. It was about all these young magicians pretty much discovering magic and how it plays out in their life. A lot of them, the common thread was that they were kind of antisocial and they didn't have a lot of friends and it was a way to make people appreciate them and be in awe of them. That makes sense.
When Jack comes on screen in the film he says, "I am the next great magician." How do you think a reality show called "The Next Great Magician" would do?
I think that's a good idea!
[Laughs.] You're shocked! I think it's a pretty good idea. Everyone loves magic, right? I would assume on a show like that you would get a lot of these young magicians who are trying to bring something fresh to the game. I'm all about it. You could have people from all different fields of magic. Just like the characters in this movie: You have an escape artist, mentalist … I don't know how you would judge them against each other though, the people in the different fields, but I like the idea. I think you're onto something, man. You almost said it as a joke, but I'm in. [Laughs.]
People are comparing this movie to "Ocean's Eleven." Who do you match up with in that movie?
I think it's the Matt Damon character. If I remember correctly, he's like somewhat of the newcomer and he has to prove himself and find his place in the group, and that seems right in line with my character in the movie.
How do you compare to Matt Damon?
Not well. Actually, he's one of these guys who I actually really do look up to in the sense that he can go from doing a big comedy to an independent comedy to this action franchise [and] serious dramas. He kind of does it all and you really believe him … I'm not the audience for this movie, but in "We Bought a Zoo," you even watch him in that and he's so grounded. It's like he can do no wrong in my book.
You talked about feeling like the odd man out in "Now You See Me." I know the cast treated you well, but was there anything that made you feel like at first that they didn't know who you were? Or were there moments that made you feel like you didn't belong in this movie for even a second?
Probably. Let me think. As I say this answer maybe something will pop in my head, but to be honest, it's a really friendly cast. Literally, every single person, they never talked down to me. They treated me as an equal, even though I'm clearly not. It was in my own head. It was literally self-conscious stuff, where even though they were all treating me as an equal, it was like, "All right, I should be doing more. Literally, just do everything you can." I think I'm a perfectionist to a fault sometimes.
You tested for Edward Cullen in "Twilight" and said you were glad you didn't get it. Want to show me what that audition was like, so we know …?
What is your next question on the list? [Laughs.] It's so funny that people … I mean, this was how many years ago now, six years ago when I auditioned for this part? And people still bring it up. It's so crazy.
I'll play a part of the scene too if you want, just to draw it out of you.
What do you got? Give me something and see if I can react.
(Attempting to act) "Edward, I just have to be with you."
I can't do this. [Laughs.]
How much has that impacted what you audition for now? Are you against going for a big franchise?
I wouldn't say I'm against it. It would definitely have to be the right role and the right director. I would say it's not my ideal project that I'm going after, but I would never say no flat-out.
We need more superheroes that are our height.
I'm with you. Is there anyone out there that you can think of?
I don't know comics that well, but there has to be someone.
Tobey Maguire's probably like 5'8"-ish, but that's a while back now. You're totally right. You're totally right. Yes, I forgot what the initial question was, but I should be a superhero. [Laughs.]
What are your powers going to be?
Um, let's go with throwing playing cards. I don't know! … I should play Gambit [from X-Men]! There you go. Spinoff Gambit movie.
Would you ever want to play a part that adjusts the way you look? It's so easy for actors to get typecast. "He looks like this type of person."
Definitely, definitely. One hundred percent, the answer is yes. There's a role that I can't talk about right now just 'cause it's something I really want and it's not mine yet and if I got it, it would be a transformation in terms of the fact that I would probably have a haircut that I gave myself. It would be very bizarre, and I would probably put on some weight and I would dress in suits that are five sizes too big. I like the idea of doing something like that.
What he remembers about his Lolla experiences the past two years in Chicago: "That's a good question. [Laughs] I remember the weather being pretty damn good and walking away from this city and being like, 'This is the greatest city on earth.' And my buddy who lives here, he's like, '[Bleep] you; come here in the winter.' We had a good time at Lollapalooza."
Who he's listening to now: Vampire Weekend, the National, Charles Bradley, Laura Marling
On the new wave of magic: "There's these two guys, I'm not going to remember their names; I saw them perform at the Magic Castle in L.A. There seems to be this new wave of magic, where instead of the top hat and the silly outfits and the grand gestures it's these relatable people who are actually really funny and just likable, and you want to root for them. I think that's the new wave, and those are the guys that seem to be at the top. The guys who are obviously very technically sound, but you like them too."
What people most often ask him about James Franco: "It's either, 'What advice has he given you?' or, 'Being related to him, has it been beneficial or has it hindered you in any way?'"
On "Townies": "Let me start with it was by far the most improv I have ever had to do. It was very loose on "[21] Jump Street" but nothing like this. Literally, every single scene was improvised. Which was intimidating at first. Sometimes you come into work and you're tired or you're sick and you're just mentally exhausted and it's just like, 'Guys, I can't do it today. Just feed me stuff.' And they would. And that's the great thing about Nick Stoller and Seth Rogen is they're so naturally funny and they will give you so many [set-ups]. And that was amazing and then the role itself, it's fun. On the surface [the role is] what you might expect from me. It's like a frat boy who's, whatever, he's the vice president of the frat and he's kind of cool I guess, but that being said he's got a good journey. All the guys in the frat are dumb, but I get to play the smartest of the dumb kids, and I get to play the nicest of the meaner kids, and I have a heart in it but at the same time I have those frat boy qualities as well. So it feels like there's a lot going on with this character."
On the "21 Jump Street" sequel: "I've heard whispers that there might be a cameo but at this point logistically it's going to be tough for them to take me out of jail and make me an intergral part of the story but I'll be as involved as they want me to be."
Watch Matt on "You & Me This Morning," Friday at 6:55 a.m. on WCIU, the U
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The Governor of Nebraska, Dave Heineman, has approved a new route for the long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline. But now the State Department is slow-walking the final decision as long as it can. State has the say on Keystone because the pipeline will cross a national boundary. This is actually good news, since State has to deal with Canada directly about many matters, unlike the EPA, which can disregard Canadian interests. I've always thought this was the decisive factor in why the pipeline would eventually be approved. But now I'm less sure.
Obama once again promised action on climate change in his inaugural address. Item 1: There is zero chance of cap and trade ever passing, and I'm sure most Democrats never want to hear the phrase again. Item 2: Obama's own spokesman Jay Carney said some weeks ago that the White House would "never" propose a carbon tax, which is the simpler alternative, and which some energy companies (such as ExxonMobil) have said is acceptable. Yet there are also widespread accounts around Washington that Obama has reassured environmentalists that he is determined to "put a price on carbon" in his second term. Hmmm. This promise doesn't square with Items #1 and #2. So what can he do?
Perhaps Obama could hold out Keystone approval (which easily has majority support in the Senate, if Harry Reid allowed a vote on it) if Republicans will agree to some kind of climate deal. I doubt this is realistic, and I doubt Obama's opposition to Keystone can be sustained indefinitely, though it is possible that if he holds out long enough, Canada will say "screw this" and start planning an alternative pipeline to British Columbia and ship the oil to China, which will happily buy it. You never know; given Obama's desire to break the Republican Party, holding out Keystone as a carrot in an ambiguous deal might well appeal to his political strategy.


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Quick History: The Moravian Star
Star-shaped lanterns are often associated with Moroccan art or with American folk art. Or at least that's what I've always associated them with. In fact, these forms are known as Moravian Stars, because they were supposedly originally created in Germany at a Moravian school for boys. So why the connection to Islamic design, and why the boarding school pedigree?
The Moravian church was founded in the 15th century, and is considered the first Protestant denomination, based on the philosophies of Jan Hus. By the 18th century, members of the church had been forced out of their homelands in Moravia and Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic), and some had ended up in Herrnhut, Germany. There, they set up schools where sons would be raised and educated while their parents were away doing missionary work.
As the story goes, early one December some time in the mid-19th century, a teacher at the Herrnhut schools developed an art project for the students where they would use paper and glue to make a star-shaped polyhedron by attaching tall pyramids to a multifaceted geometrical solid (image 2). This challenging math lesson yielded beautiful star shapes, which the students used as lanterns for Christmas decorations (tip: it worked out for them, but I wouldn't recommend combining fire and paper in your own home decor). Subsequently, the shape came to be known as the Moravian Star, and was primarily associated with Advent and Christmas decorations.
Around 1900, an industrial manufacture sprang up in Herrnhut, mass-producing the star lanterns out of tin and glass. They also produced DIY-type kits for people to assemble at home, out of paper punched with holes. The advent of mail-order and the increase in international travel meant that Moravian stars became familiar in other parts of the world, as well, especially in the areas of Pennsylvania and upstate New York where the Moravian Church had been going strong since the 18th century.
Not only is it surprising to think of a school craft project turning into an international piece of design, but it is even more surprising to realize that the complexity of the star form had only recently been understood by the most brilliant mathematicians. If we're going to get geometrical here, the Moravian Star is technically a Great Stellated Dodecahedron, a form first identified by Johannes Kepler in 1619 and then again by Louis Poinsot (who was unfamiliar with Kepler's work) in 1809 — just a few short decades before the Herrnhut art project. The teacher responsible must therefore have been familiar with the most recent and complicated mathematical writings.
Of course, Kepler and Poinsot did not invent the great stellated dodecahedron, they just named and rationalized it. There is a mosaic representation of a small stellated dodecahedron (small because its points are short, as opposed to the tall isosceles points of the 'great' version) on the floor of San Marco Basilica in Venice, attributed to Paolo Uccello in the 1450s (image 3). And art and architecture from Western Islamic lands like Morocco have been primarily based on geometrical patterns for centuries, yielding flat, two-dimensional variations on star shapes (primarily 6- and 8-pointed stars) in endless tessellations (image 4), or concave three-dimensional star fragments in muqarnas (image 5). Perhaps this is the reason for the association of the star-shaped lanterns with Moroccan design? I could find no historical Moroccan, Islamic or Arabic lanterns shaped like a star. (Any readers know otherwise?)
While the Moravian star might originally have been used as Christmas decoration, it is above all a pleasing geometric form, and is now all but stripped of its religious or seasonal associations. At once complex and austere, it manages to be whimsical while also providing a pretty literal interpretation of starlight.
Images: 1 A Ginger Barber interior photographed by VIctoria Pearson for House Beautiful; 2 Herrnhuter-sterne.de; 3 Wikimedia Commons; 4 A zillij tile dado in Marrakesh, via Stars In Symmetry, a great blog about Islamic art and architecture; 5 Nasr al-Molk Mosque in Shiraz, Iran, via Wikipedia; 6-8 High Street Market; 9 Rum Interior Design via ATSF; 10 Elements of Style.