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Afterlife is a resource management game released in 1996 by LucasArts. In it, you play as a sort of celestial mayor called a "demiurge," with the ability to design a custom afterlife for the dead. It's sort of like Sim City, only the citizens are the souls of the departed and you are punishing them for their sins or rewarding them for their good virtues.
Help can be summoned to you in the form of an angel called Aria, and Jasper, the demon who really wishes he wasn't here right now. It's not all easy, though — multiple random (and weird) events can happen and mess up things badly. Like many life sims, the game doesn't end in the traditional sense, but you can lose the game in multiple ways.
Just remember not to cheat too many times. If you do, the Death Star will come and start destroying everything you've built.
In April 2015, the game was released on GoG, where it can be found here.
Not to be confused with the ITV show of the same name, or the 2009 film.
This game features examples of:
- Afterlife Express: Inverted; there are vehicles out of the afterlife for reincarnation (buses or trains) - the SOULs just arrive in gates.
- Alliterative Name: A few buildings (Palaces of Pincer Peril, Community Colleges of the Clouds, Flabbergasting Flatulence Ol-Factory, Creamy Candy Castle) and structures (Sickeningly Sweet Sugar Savannas, Purple Passion Pulsing Plasma Pods).
- And I Must Scream:
- Most of the higher punishments reach these levels by design.
- In the backstory, Scegf0d the Ungrateful Angel (and later the Ungrateful Demon), who ticked off The Powers That Be badly enough that they turned him into a living, self-aware rock with no ability to do or perceive anything at all, and then left him to go mad.The Powers That Be: "You are the single biggest schmuck in all of Creation. You have found no joy in Heaven, and have known no pain in Hell. We are left with no choice but to reincarnate you as a rock. As the universes only sentient rock, you will be unable to see, hear, smell, taste, or feel. You will be a thing of pure thought, unable to experience anything but your own, ever-increasing dementia. Have a nice day."
- Anti-Frustration Features: An automated manager option exists for the purpose of balancing Rewards and Punishments (among an axis based on how many SOULs are temporary versus permanent residents of the structure), for maximum efficiency. Unfortunately, using the manager is prohibitively expensive, which means the player will have to balance each structure manually until their Afterlife generates enough income.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Some of the blurbs for the punishments in Hell use this as their main source of black humor:Octoplex 666: Remember that scene in "A Clockwork Orange" where Malcolm McDowell was being forced to watch a seemingly neverending series of violent and pointless movies? This is infinitely worse. And the popcorn sucks.
- Bat Out of Hell: Literally. And Hell buildings hit by their droppings increase productivity.
- Berserk Button: The Powers That Be do not like whiners. The Ungrateful Angel/Demon found out what They do when one doesn't stop complaining.
- Black Comedy: Any humor a Demiurge can find while building Hell comes from the descriptions of the buildings, which go into detail about the punishments that the Damned suffer in them. If it isn't a sickening account of what's going on, it lapses into this trope. Subverted with the Deadly Serious Caverns, in which even dark humor is completely banned and anyone caught getting so much as an ironic chuckle at their fate is punished... seriously.
- The Blank: One of the Wrath punishments, appropriately named "Illuminatiland," is specifically designed to slowly, methodically, turn every SOUL living in it into one of these.
- Bloody Bowels of Hell: The Ultimate Gluttony punishment "The Bowels of Hell", a gigantic version of The Human Centipede, but worse, since there is no SOUL lucky enough to be the front, it's a closed loop.
- Celestial Bureaucracy: The player goes through this (including bank interest). And in a variant, some of Hell's punishments involve forcing SOULs to work in the Infernal Bureaucracy.
- Clap Your Hands If You Believe: A SOUL's fate depends on what it believed in in life. If an EMBO believes that Only Cloud Realms Await, then it will not go to Hell no matter how sinful it is, but either their soul will cease to exist or it will reincarnate (presumably as something worse) depending on where their belief fell in that department. Alternatively, believing Only Pit Realms Await means that their soul will join the universal oneness (or will reincarnate, presumably as something better) if they were good.
- Crappy Carnival:
- The "Evil Carny" punishment building forces damned souls to suffer everything wrong with carnivals and amusement parks crammed into one location.
- "666 Pennants Over Perdition" punishes Slothful souls by forcing them to work themselves to exhaustion keeping the customers happy at an understaffed amusement park.
- Credits Gag: The credits are organized through Circles IX-I for the main staff (before it goes to planets and stuff) with a few jokes spread i.e. Designer, Project Lead and Guy to Blame: Michael Stemmle.
- Crystal Dragon Jesus: The fake religions. There's no actual Jesus analogue, but there are prophets you can inspire to spread one or more tenets.
- Cue the Flying Pigs: In addition to the basic bank structures being decorated with a flying pig statue (or a flying warthog in the case of Hell), there's one of the disasters is "Hell Freezes Over". The description evokes the trope:Once in a long while, little pieces of Hell freeze over. No one's sure why this happens, but many Demons attribute the phenomena to honest politicians, surprisingly strong dramatic performances by Madonna, and the occasional Rose Bowl appearances of Stanford and Northwestern.
- Deadpan Snarker: Jasper and Aria, the former more so. And they will indulge in Snark-to-Snark Combat almost every time they're both on-screen.Aria: Heaven's pretty little ports can't keep up with all the pretty little SOULs that want to cross the pretty little rivers. Why don't you build them a new pretty little port?
Jasper: If I wasn't already dead, I'd get a pretty little gun and shoot myself.
Jasper: My dear, "helpful" is my middle name.
Aria: I thought it was "Herbert".
- Death Is Not Permanent: If you believe in reincarnation, that is.
- Depraved Dentist: Sinful souls in the "Tooth or Dare" punishment building are tormented by evil dentists.
- The Ditz: Aria. Though she can occasionally give good advice on afterlife management.
- Endless Game: Like most simulation games, there is no victory condition. There are quite a few defeat conditions, though. Train too many angels and demons, and the unemployed ones decide that whole War-Between-Heaven-And-Hell thing would really solve their boredom. Lose too many SOULs, and The Powers That Be perform the Heaven and Hell Fall, everyone vanishes miracle. And if your funds go too far into the red, you'll get a visit by the Four Surfers of the Apocalypso, who will destroy everything you've built with magma.
- Equal-Opportunity Evil: The description of Hell states that it "DOESN'T discriminate based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, eye color, or whether you think Kirk is better than Picard."
- Female Angel, Male Demon: Your advisors, Aria Goodhalo and Jasper Wormsworth.
- Fluffy Cloud Heaven: Of course. The underneath of Heaven's buildings are even such clouds.
- Fire and Brimstone Hell: And by contrast, Hell has fiery rivers and ashes.
- From Bad to Worse: Almost all the Envy Punishments work like this. The best example is the ultimate Envy Punishment, the Escher Pits. In it, SOULs are tortured through a variety of means, each different from one another. These are in full view of their neighbors, and they're given the chance to switch every few days. Naturally, they switch thinking someone else's punishment is not as bad... only to find ALL the other punishments are somehow WORSE than the last.
- Fun with Acronyms: Almost everything. EMBOs are Ethically Mature Biological Organisms. When they die, they become SOULs, Stuff Of Unending Life.
- Gameplay Automation: The automatic balancing of buildings.
- Gods Need Prayer Badly: What the people on the planet believe can and will have consequences for the Afterlife. They can believe that Heaven and Hell exist, Heaven is the only thing after death, or Hell awaits everyone. This directly impacts the amount of souls coming in to the respective sides of the Afterlife. The most dangerous is when they start believing that there is nothing at all; if not addressed, it will literally put the Afterlife out of business from lack of SOULs.
- Good Angel, Bad Angel: Parodied. Aria's the nicer of the two, but she is by no means the smartest.
- Gratuitous Disco Sequence: The Disco Inferno. A giant demon in a jumpsuit dances through Hell, demolishing everything on the dance floor. Yes, when it comes to tastes in music, fashion, and choreography, even Hell has standards.
- Great Big Library of Everything: In the "Library of the Infinite", Diligent SOULs can find and enjoy every book, film, and recording ever made, and then some.
- Heaven's Devils: You need demons to run Hell just as much as you need angels in Heaven. Shortages will result in SOULs not being punished efficiently. However, too many of either angels or demons will get bored and eventually declare war on the opposing astral plane.
- Hell Is War: The Ultimate Punishment for Wrath, War: What is it good for?
- Hope Spot: Some of the Avarice Punishments motivate and further torment the damned with the promise of "Get Out Of Hell Free" cards (that are implied to never come).
- Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Actually, Surfers of the Apocalypso.
- Ironic Hell: Most of the punishments qualify to some extent, and there's actually a low-level building that crops up every once in a while that deconstructs the concept; the amount of time the demons within spend finding the most Ironic Hell conceivable for each individual soul is actually rather inefficient.
- The Humility reward structures could be considered the inversion of this trope: Most of them are lavish tributes to humble SOULs, from press conferences to huge "Monuments to Humility". Similarly, the Temperance Rewards are all about food and partying.
- Scegf0d the Ungrateful eventually got a personalized one. After complaining that Heaven wasn't good enough and building five machines to improve each of the five senses (then doing the same thing in reverse in Hell), he was turned into a rock with no ability to see, hear, taste, smell, or feel.
- Kangaroo Court: The Hellish building "Gross Miscarriages of Justice" is about subjecting its victims to an endless procession of "pointless, vicious, media-saturated" trials.
- Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards: Heaven is easier to run early in the game, because Heaven prefers short travel times for SOULs to walk to their eternal reward, while Hell prefers the Damned walk a long time as another layer of punishment. As the game goes on, and both planes' road systems become more complex, Aria will inevitably start whining about it, and there's nothing you can do.
- Literal Metaphor: Several of the punishments in hell invoke this. For instance, "Another Man's Shoes" (a punishment for those envious SOULs who spent their lives wishing they were in another man's shoes), involves spending eternity imprisoned in someone's giant, smelly footwear.
- Loading Screen: Which has jokes, of course.
- Logo Joke: The winged guy falls into a hellpit and emerges like an angel.
- Magical Defibrillator: Averted in the intro. The defibrillator, referred to as the "electro-cardial stimulator" or, when the nurse is slow on the uptake, "the jumper cable, you fool!" does absolutely no good for the patient, despite liberal and increasingly frantic use.
- Man of Wealth and Taste: Jasper dresses in a snazzy business suit.
- Mundane Afterlife:
- A lot of the heavenly rewards bring to mind an indefinite vacation at an expensive resort hotel, something like a cross between Center Parcs and Disneyland. It actually comes off as really, really dull. Some rewards do seem more interesting than others, but SOULs appear to only get one reward each that they stay in permanently. However, the Ad Infinitum that you collect to power the Rewards (and Punishments), also functions to keep Heaven and Hell eternally fulfilling and painful, respectively, so this is more or less an Averted Trope.
- Similarly, some of the Hell punishments are rather mundane annoyances that would only be mild or moderately unpleasant if it weren't for the fact that they went on literally forever (like the "Ampitheatres of Anguish", which subject Envious souls to all the music they hate the most, or "The Chalkboard").
- No Fair Cheating: There is a code you can input into the game that will deposit one million pennies into your account. Players who think they can now infinitely splurge and enter the code more than four times end up summoning The Death Star to blast their planet to atoms.
- Non Standard Game Over: Given it's supposed to be an Endless Game.
- Twilight of the Demiurges: Too many unemployed angels and demons, and they will eventually get bored and start a massive war between Heaven and Hell, destroying your afterlife.
- Nuclear Holocaust: If the planet has developed nuclear technology and has high Wrath levels, Atomic Hate ensues and the resulting extinction will ensure a dearth of SOU Ls.
- Four Surfers of the Apocalypso: Enter too much debt, and rivers of magma sweep off your afterlife. (though unlike the other two, there is no game over screen that ends the game: it keeps on running and showing the desolation)
- Our Souls Are Different: Or, "Our SOULs (Stuff Of Unending Life)". They can be turned into angels\demons, reincarnate, among other things.
- Out of the Frying Pan: One of Hell's punishments places the damned in a literal frying pan over a fire. SOULs occasionally jump, vainly hoping that the flames will be less hot this time.
- The Pearly Gates: The gates actually come in three versions, with bigger and better gates allowing you to process a higher volume of souls. And of course you also have their Evil Counterpart.
- Postmodernism: One of Heaven's fate structures is... "Game of Afterlife", in which the SOULs play a Heaven/Hell building game. The game's description even lampshades this:
- Powered by a Forsaken Child:
- Omnibolges, massive buildings capable of punishing billions of SOUL at a time, are the remains of other Hells that were so actively evil that they collapsed in upon themselves. The horrible thing is that these buildings are still fully-functioning Hells themselves. That table? A super-compressed Lust punishment. That coffee cup? A super-compressed Sloth punishment.
- Interestingly, Heaven gets something similar with their Love Domes. Instead of collapsing upon themselves, Love Domes are other Heavens that became so happy and peaceful that the entire Heaven ascended to pure happiness. That chair you're sitting on is composed of trillions of heavenly SOULs.
- Reference Overdosed: The currency is "Pennies from Heaven", the structures go from the rewarding "Casino Royale" to the punishment "The Real Underworld", and then there's the Death Star mentioned above (it's a LucasArts game, after all) Just take a good look at the descriptions...
- Self-Deprecation: The "Riddle Me This" Punishment:Almost everyone likes a good puzzle once in a while (and thank goodness they do, or I'd be out of a job!). But try to imagine how much life would suck if EVERYTHING were a puzzle. Picture a world where every door needs a key, and every key requires an answer to a riddle which can only be found by going on a quest to retrieve an object which is hidden in a silver box which is... well, you get the picture.
(Author's note: This vision of Hell should not be seen as a representation of LucasArts' many fine adventure games, such as "Sam & Max Hit the Road," "The Dig," "Full Throttle," etc. Many of these games are very much the anitithesis of a Hell-like experience, and should be regarded as the exception that proves the rule.)
- Another case is the description of The Enchanted Forest of Cable: "Unlike the offices of a certain successful computer game company, Hell HAS shelled out the necessary sheckels to get cable television. "
- Seven Deadly Sins: Of course this springs up. All Punishments revolve around the Sins, while all Rewards revolve around their opposing Virtues. You can imagine which side takes care of which. While the Sins are the default ones found on the trope page, the Virtues have Contentment instead of Kindness, and Peacefulness instead of Patience.
- Shout-Out: During the map tutorial, Aria discusses the harp and pitchfork buttons that quickly toggle between Heaven and Hell.Aria: Heaven. Hell. Heaven. Hell. Heaven. Hell. Rabbit Season, Duck Season. Fire!
- Sugar Bowl: A lot of the heavenly Rewards give off that impression.
- Summer Campy: Taken to a hellish extreme with the generic vice punishment of Camp Mennihackatorso. If the overbearing counselors and bad food don't get you, the hockey-masked psycho killers will.
- Take That!: Given it's Reference Overdosed, more than a few descriptions. Along with the case listed under Cue the Flying Pigs:
- While in Hell, Scegf0d says that "I've seen worse things in a Pauly Shore movie!" and "The music down here is no worse than your average Michael Bolton concert!"
- A Heavenly structure allows to build creatures such as "purple dinosaurs that sing badly, then explode."
- The Powers That Be: These are the overseers of all Afterlifes, and are the ones who ultimately control them and the Demiurges who run them. It's rather surprising to discover that they start getting scared of a Demiurge that manages to make Heaven or Hell have 5 million SOUL's. They actually send the last gift structure as tribute to you.
- This Isn't Heaven: A few punishments make the damned believe they're in Heaven, such as "Faux Heaven" and "Illuminatiland" (the latter, straighter to the trope as the SOUL starts to notice the flaws and suffers a mental breakdown).
- Too Clever by Half: Scegf0d is this. He made devices that perfected the senses of everyone in a set radius in Heaven, then made terrible machines that made things even worse in Hell. As Scegf0d's story continues, it reveals that he was able to create these machines within hours near the end of his tale.
- Ungrateful Bastard: The creator of the structures you receive when you hit population milestones. He started as an angel who found issue with EVERYTHING in Heaven, no matter how pleasant, relaxing or beautiful they were, and made the heavenly ones to make the surrounding area more pleasant based on which sense it represented.. Eventually, the Powers That Be tossed him down to Hell... where he proceeded to do the exact same thing in Hell , focusing on trying to make Hell even worse than it already was. Ultimately he was reincarnated into a sentient rock, unable to see, hear, smell, taste, or feel for his impudence.
- Unstoppable Force Meets Immovable Object: Referenced with the "Rocks Too Heavy To Lift" that cover both Heaven and Hell. They cannot be destroyed, but their physical properties can be used to build the Ad Infinitum Siphons necessary for keeping the SOULs from growing bored and developing the Rewards/Punishments.
- Visual Pun: Most of the random events are the manifestation of popular phrases involving Heaven or Hell. Hell in a Handbasket is a giant handbasket that floats through Heaven and transports what it takes to Hell, as an example.
- World of Pun: Almost everything has puns in its title or description.


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Today the government will propose drastically changing our immigration system, to make it much harder for families to stay together and prosper in the United States. The new plan would halve the number of family-based and humanitarian visas to the U.S. in favor of education requirements, language tests, and class-based social engineering.
Millions of people have realized the American Dream because of the protections guaranteed in the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. Define American wants to hear your family's story!
Tell us how your family benefited from family reunification! Use the hashtag #ThanksFam on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or anywhere else you internet.
- If you were sponsored by your kids, parents, spouse, or siblings, let us know with #ThanksFam.
- If you arrived on a diversity visa, got asylum, or have refugee status, you are part of the family too. Let us know your story with the #ThanksFam hashtag.
- If your family came prior to 1965, seeking safety, freedom, and prosperity here, shout out the ancestors with a #ThanksFam post.
If you'd like to tell your full American immigration story, visit the Define American storytelling platform or tag us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
Families are America's greatest strength. Why would we weaken reunification laws?
- People come to America for their families, and with their families. As it has been throughout our history, they start family businesses, practice their faith, and participate in our democracy.
- Those who would limit family immigration are betraying the best things about our country. We stand as a beacon to the world for families seeking safe harbor. This administration is trying hard to end that legacy.
- Anti-immigrant hate groups have spent the past decade fixated on how to reduce the number of families coming to America. Our time-tested formula for who comes to the country favors family reunification, humanitarianism, and diversity. This administration would end that.
Why does this administration want to change a system it's benefited from?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
See the last paragraph for the part I need help with
Yesterday my little hobby-project DevLids.com reached 200 contributors. (There are some people with more than one, so the total number of images is a bit higher)
Where did I get 200 lids?
I got lots of content (especially in the beginning) from dev.to-users, so thank you all for sticking paper on your horribly expensive machines! Also thanks to Ali for her shoutout.
Most lids I get from searching and asking on Twitter. I had lots of SalesForce-folks tweeting me in the last days. (They do have some cool stickers! Where do I get those?).
Last week I did a short talk about DevLids at the React-Day in Berlin, at the GitNation-Open-Source-Stage (it starts at 05:08:30-ish). From there I also got a few submissions.
For me it's more important to keep it running slowly but steadily. The most interesting thing will be to look back in five years and giggle at the old stuff ("hihi, remember EDGE?" or "remember LAPTOPS?").
I don't have many followers on any platform, so I don't expect any bursts of submissions, anyways.
How popular is DevLids?
As little as I care about popularity (I just want something I can look at when I can't sleep), sometimes I'm curious about the reach.
DevLids has no analytics, but my hoster is providing some basic insight, and it looks like there are at least a couple hundred visitors a month, which is way more than any other project I did before.
What else is happening in the Lidiverse?
- Slight updates of the layout, with a (hopefully) clearer and bigger how-to-sumbit-section.
- There's a React-version of DevLids, but it's just a playground for learning, it won't replace the current version.
- There's an alphabetic list of contributors.
- I had some stickers made! I can't send them to everybody, albeit if you really want some, DM me on Twitter.
- I'm looking into ways to add tags to the lids and make it sortable by stickers. The Google-Cloud-Logo-Detection works OK, but I guess I'll have to tag by hand.
Want to submit your lid?
Send me a photo on Twitter, or just post it in the comments.
I need help!
I'd like to be able to edit submissions in the browser. I would have to be able to do perspective-cropping for this, which currently I can only do in Photoshop.
If somebody knows a way to do perspective-cropping in the browser, please let me know in the comments. It could be a JS-plugin, paper, or an algorithm which gives me the pixels after defining four points in the source-image. Any hint on what to look for is appreciated.
Thanks for reading!
Posted on by:
Antonio Radovcic
Front-End-Developer, DevLids.com
Great project!
Not sure if they have what you need, but Cloudinary has tons of resources for on demand image manipulation, and I believe they have a free tier: cloudinary.com/documentation/image...
Yep, looks like Cloudinary might be just what you want:
Uuuh thank you! It's kinda the opposite of what I need, but this lead me to Imagemagick and Four Point Distortion Methods, which seems to be the exact thing I need. Thanks!
Your lid is still missing BTW.
DeSkew Idea:
This somehow got buried in my notifications, I'm so sorry.
I added it now => devlids.com/lids/boris-jamot
Thank you 💯


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16 Tops to Wear With Skirts This Season
Getting dressed is an art form. Certain pieces just work better with each other, and while you should always wear what you feel most comfortable in and what you like, sometimes a bit of guidance comes in handy. Right now, you might be starting the wardrobe switch, packing away warm-weather staples and replacing them with cold-weather essentials—just don't pack away your skirts.
If you need some help piecing together winter skirt outfits, you're in luck. We've already highlighted the best shoes to wear with midi skirts; found some great fall outfits with skirts; and today, we're serving up a quick lesson on the best tops to wear with skirts. Don't worry, though: Mastering the top-and-skirt art form is much easier than you think, and your options are plentiful. Ahead, the tops to wear with every type of skirt, from mini to midi to A-line and beyond.


text: The MRD released an army of sentinels has come and started taking other mutants from their own homes. Play this street fighting game and save all the mutants and defeat all the sentinels you can. Play as Logan and slash all the sentinels you can before they defeat you. Jump, crouch and navigate your way through the streets using the arrow buttons and attack the sentinels using the Space Bar. When your meter bar is full, press X and release a huge attack against your enemies and watch them get defeated by your sharp claws and kicks. Wolverine Sentinel Slash is one of our many Fighting Games that we publish on TheGamerStop.com. This game is also tagged as a Wolverine game. Click the play button to start having fun. To play even more free games, view our popular and new games page. If you want to play more games like this, then you can simply check out the games inside the game tags that are the most relevant to your interests or the Fighting Games category or the games like this game page at the end of the game tags.


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We are so excited to be sharing Rebecca Yarros's REBEL with you today! REBEL is the third standalone in the Renegades series and is out now–hurry and grab your copy today!
About REBEL
Sheâs Penna Carstairs.
The Renegade they call Rebel.
FMX-treme Magazineâs sexiest female athlete of the year.
Thereâs no rule in extreme sports she hasnât broken,
No gender barrier she hasnât demolished.
Sheâs the woman I met in a bar in Vegas.
The woman I illegally BASE jumped for.
The woman I spent one insane, incredible night with.
But now Iâm screwed.
Or ratherâ¦not screwed.
Because the woman I canât get out of my head is the one woman I can never touch again.
Iâm Dr. Cruz Delgadoâthe youngest professor on this campus,
And Penelope Carstairs just walked into my class.
âWelcome to Latin American History.â
At that deep, lightly accented voice, my pen fell to the paper, as useless as my brain.
âThis class will also serve as your Study At Sea seminar, which means I have the joy of getting to know each of you very well over the next three months since youâll be writing a thirty-page thesis for me.â
The class groaned, and I slowly dragged my eyes from the paper, past the neck of the red-haired boy in front of me, to the man who stood at the head of our class, casually leaning against his desk. I took in the way his pants hugged his hips, the contrast of his rolled white button-down against his tanned skin, and the loose green tie at his throat. My gaze caught on his lips, the strong line of his nose and cheekbones, to the melty chocolate eyes that were focused on the other side of the room as he addressed the students there. His hair looked like heâd run his hands through it more than a few times, and his teeth flashed white when he grinned, those panty-dissolving dimples appearing.
My heart stopped beating and my breath froze in my lungs, as if the slightest motion would make him disappear. A rush of heat flushed my skin, and the knot in my chest loosened, unraveling as surely as my body had the last time Iâd seen him.
âSo letâs get started, shall we? I just flew in from the States today, but Iâll be sure to learn all of your names by the end of the week. Now if youâll let me have this moment, Iâve been waiting eight years to say itâ My name is Dr. Delgado.â
Two thoughts slammed into me simultaneously.
OneâDelgado. At least now I knew his last name.
TwoâHoly. Fucking. Shit. Cruz was my professor.
Iâm Paxton Wilder.
Motocross phenom & adrenaline junkie.
I have more tattoos than scars.
And Iâve never seen a stunt I couldnât pull offâ
Or a girl I canât get off.
Until she walks in.
My new tutor is sexy, smart, more stubborn than I am, and one hundred percent off limits.
Thatâs rightâthe only rule this semester is Donât Touch the Tutor.
For the first time in my life, I want someone I canât have.
Sheâs the girl who obeys every rule.
Iâm the guy who breaks them.
Our biggest risk is falling for each other,
But I live for riskâ¦
The only heart he wants is the one he already brokeâ¦
Heâs Landon Rhodes.
The Renegade they call Nova.
Sinfully gorgeous, broody, tatted-up, professional snowboarder.
Four-time X Games medalistâ
Full-time heartbreaker.
They say a girl broke him onceâ
Thatâs why heâs so reckless, so driven, so careless with his conquests.
But Iâm that girl.
They can call me his curse all they want.
He and I both know the truthâ
Heâs the one who destroyed me,
And Iâm not the sucker who will let that happen again.
About REBECCA YARROS
Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and a lover of all things coffee, chocolate, and Paleo. She is the author of the Flight & Glory, Renegades, and Legacy series. She loves military heroes, and has been blissfully married to hers for fifteen years.
When sheâs not writing, sheâs tying hockey skates for her four sons, sneaking in some guitar time, or watching brat-pack movies with her two daughters. She lives in Colorado with the hottest Apache pilot ever, their rambunctious gaggle of kids, an English bulldog who is more stubborn than sweet, and a tortoise who might be faster than the bulldog. They recently adopted their youngest daughter from the foster system, and Rebecca is passionate about helping others do the same.
Connect with Rebecca!
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


text: For someone wanting to buy a used Bolt, is there a way to guage battery health? Mileage alone wouldn't necessarily be a good indication; i recently watched a U-Tube video of a fella with a Bolt that has 100,000 miles on it. He claimed that his battery had lost only 9% of its original capacity. Simply charging to 100% and reading the GOM mileage would be highly dependent on how it's been driven recently.


text:
At St. Elias Centre, we are the experts at hosting events. We host hundreds of special occasions each year, from weddings to galas, bar mitzvahs, and corporate functions. People choose our facilities because we offer an elegant setting, flexible design, professional staffing, and imaginative and innovative cuisine that keeps people coming back. To see what all the fuss is about, here's a peek into our two most requested event menus and what they have to offer.
Social Events, Galas, Fundraisers
For our special events, we offer our guests the choice between one of the most delectable three-course plated dinners or a premier buffet selection. So whether you're planning a formal sit-down event or networking one, we have you covered.
Three Course Dinners
Our fine dining option features a three-course menu that is designed to astonish every one of your guests. Our trained staff will start by serving you a tasty mixed salad, followed by your choice of favourite main, accompanied by vegetables with roasted potatoes or rice, and finished off with a delectable choice of strawberry shortcake or black forest cake served with tea and coffee.
For the main course, your guests will get to personalize their plate with their favourite quality meat like stuffed chicken florentine, Italian style chicken Valentino, classic chicken cordon bleu, our specialty St. Elias chicken, aged prime rib, premium filet mignon, or tender pork tenderloin medallions.
Premium Buffet Selection
If you prefer to order a buffet-style meal for a more social setting, we can provide you with an incredible spread that comes with all the buffet favourites. Our buffet station will come prepared with coffee and tea, your choice of 3 gourmet salads, a fine selection of dessert squares, a melange of steamed vegetables, oven roasted potatoes, rice, freshly baked rolls, and your choice of 3 hot entrée items from our 10-items premium buffet list. With a mix of the classics and artistic creations like the New York deli potato salad, tri-coloured pasta salad, beef bourguignon, chicken Madagascar, cheese tortellini, and sweet and sour meatballs, it will be easy to please the palates of all your guests.
When you're looking to host a special event, why not pick a place that has established a reputation for captivating guests with an exquisite ambience and irresistible menu? We are constantly in pursuit of perfection and are determined to make your event a special one. Contact us at St. Elias Centre to learn more about what we have to offer.


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Innovative Nostalgia
Designing the future by referring to the past
Innovative Nostalgia is a design strategy that aims to smooth technological change by linking newfangled technologies with familiar phenomena. We feel more comfortable with technological changes when they are wrapped in a recognizable packaging by referring to accepted objects, habits, values, traditions or intuitions.
Linking modern technologies with old familiar phenomena: the nostalgia can refer to a phenomenon from your youth, your grandparents life, or even the ancient history of humankind. Back to the natural future?


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JJY: I did it in the mourning house. I must be a trashㅋㅋㅋ
Singer Lee: Enjoy it while you can
Pictures of Jung Joonyoung and Roy Kim attending the funeral of the late Lee Maenghee (Chairman of CJ Group)
In the previous posts, I explained that Sangga/상가 could mean both shopping center and mourning house/funeral
-So that 'Sangga' he means was this funeral??
-What was his relation to Lee Maenghee?
ㄴI'm not sure but Jung Joonyoung is under CJ Ent.
-Roy Kim is there too..
ㄴIs Roy Kim the one that's mentioned as 'Singer Lee' in the news?
ㄴRoy Kim's real name is Kim Sangwoo,..
-If he really did that in a funeral then wow..
-How do you know that this was the Sangga that he meant..?
-So the Kakao Talk conversation was really from 2015, right..?
-How could you have the thoughts to do it in a funeral..? Whoa.. He's seriously beyond my expectations..
-So the Sangga he meant was not 'Shopping Centre' but a 'Mourning House'..??
-I don't care whether if it's a shopping center or a mourning house, it's just really shocking for me..
-He just said Sangga, so I thought he meant it was a shopping center..
-I'm sure that's not the only funeral he went to in 2015. I think this is too much of reaching..
-Why..? Why is this controversial..?


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Pedestrian Struck by Vehicle on S. Salinas
Vehicle vs pedestrian in the 400 Block of South Salinas. The Fire Department, Medic's, and SBPD are on the scene.
2 Comments
Salinas safety would be improved with flashing light crosswalks like those installed on Milpas. This is a heavy foot traffic part of town with 3 elementary schools. Visibility restricted by on-public street free parking of work trucks and resident vehicles. City is misguided installing stupid bullnose, bulb outs or whatever they are called that restrict fire truck access narrowing road space. Install more crosswalks w flashing lights on the Eastside! Build City parking lots. On Eastside to address high density worsened by 1-2 ADUs per parcel, plus 2-5 families per R-1 single family residence parcel. Council, wake up.


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The Luxury desert tours from Marrakech to Chebbi is a great chance to escape the noise and stress of the city. Even more, enjoy a relaxing quiet in the beautiful dunes of Erg Chigaga in the heart of the sahara desert of Morocco.
Certainly, a stunning trip to Morocco won't be complete without discovering the rolling sands of the Sahara for every traveler. Morocco is an amazing place for a number of Esert towns and evocative camp. You can visit with an overnight stay at Erg Chebbi and embark upon a camel ride across the sand dunes. The beautiful country of Morocco is always surprising for so many spectacular luxury desert tours. Merzouga luxury desert camps can be a special home for the tourists on the golden brown sands. You enjoy the luxurious atmosphere, sitting on a camel which is amazing to do in one of the most charming Sahara deserts of the world. Below are given a few luxurious desert tours in Morocco, from which you may select your favorite.
Luxury desert camps in Morocco offer a comfortable desert tour experience with larger tents, double sized luxury beds, carpets, lamps, flushing toilets, and running water. You can receive more facilities from this camp's tour. The luxury camps tend to be close to the desert towns with all types of facilities such as a utility supply. You can easily embark upon a luxury camel track into the desert and again back to the camp during the return trip. Merzouga Luxury desert camps are situated one and a half hours away from Erfoud. You can earn a spectacular experience with a camel ride at sunrise and sunset from the higher of the dunes. Then, enjoy a special night under the sky with sparkling stars, and lastly an authentic Moroccan dinner.
Highlights of some common tour activities:
Marrakech to Erg Chebbi dunes can take you to Merzouga Sahara desert, which is the second biggest dunes in Morocco. Travelers enjoy so many activities in this tour: such as an overnight desert camp, camel trekking, sandboarding, and listening to Berber music around the fire. The climate-friendly time to visit Morocco is between the month of October to April. However, you can go at any other time as well. In the winter season, you have to bring warm clothes because of the cold temperature.
If you want to experience the Sahara Desert. Then, it is recommended that you spend a night in the desert camp, which is inspired by the Berber traditions. Desert camp Marrakech in the desert are located further out in the desert with villages out of sight and you will need an hour's camel trek to get there. The camps feature colorful tents which are pitched in a rectangular arrangement which face a central communal area of seats, rugs, and low tables where the guest can dine for breakfast and in the evening.
With luxury camps, you will get a comfortable desert experience with larger tents that have fixed beds, running water, lamps, flushing toilets, and carpets. Although the luxury camps have to be closer to desert towns because of the standard of the facilities requires electricity and water supplies. You can easily trek to such camps from Merzouga and M'hamid village but you can still choose to go for a camel trek further out in the desert while going back to the camp.
Luxury or deluxe desert camps can be described as 5-star living in the middle of the desert. Think luxury at the highest level – a 5-star hotel room within a very spacious tent with private en-suite bathroom, wall-to-wall rugs, a comfortable bed, armchairs, and quality linen. Electricity is provided in the tent via solar power. The tents surround a cozy, relaxation area where you can enjoy a scrumptious dinner of Moroccan specialities under a blanket of stars, and as entertainment, the beating of drums and singing to the tune of traditional Berber music.
In the next morning, we serve breakfast before you return to the hotel on your camels. Then, we continue our journey to the next destination.
Every new experience and memory will feel remarkable to you when selecting our luxury desert tour in Morocco. Remember to keep a proper head scarf to protect your hair from the sun and sand. Also, make sure about the other important things – meals, water, tents, etc. The tour duration depends on your tour plan. However, you can choose 3 to 6 days duration to get a real taste of the numerous activities in Morocco. You can visit this tour as a solo traveler. Also, with a group of friends, your family or on your honeymoon tour as well with your significant other. The luxury desert tours in Morocco are a memorable adventure for everyone. Enjoy your next holiday in Morocco!


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How to ADD suspender tabs to a corset pattern?
How to ADD suspender tabs to a corset pattern?
It's a very simple and easy process that has a massive impact on the final look of your corset.
You can add suspenders tabs for extra functionality of the corset or it can be a purely decorative thing. Doesn't really matter, in this tutorial, you will learn how.
Suspenders can be sewn on to a corset without adding fancy suspender tabs but there isn't a lot of fun there. To hold up stockings, we need at least 1 pair of suspenders, one per side but the sky is your limit. Or, more precisely, the size of the corset is the limit.
If you wish you can add an ungodly amount of suspenders, it would make a big statement. Then again, you can keep it withing the usual and stick to 2 or 3 pairs. Easy to use while holding stockings securely.
For this tutorial, I've made an example that uses 2 suspender tab pair. One for the front and one for the back. Further more, front pair is placed right on the seam line while the back pair sits on the middle of a pattern piece. Both options are fine, just a matter of preference and style.
Hope you will find this method helpful and happy sewing!
Method is demonstrated on Underbust corset pattern LOLITA though the same principle can be applied to any other corset patterns.
Aside from the instructional tutorial being available online, it can also be DOWNLOADED as a PDF file for offline viewing.
Make it EXTRA! Adding suspender tabs to a corset pattern!
Suspender tabs can be added to a lot of different corset patterns.
For suspenders to hold stockings, we need at least 1 pair but it is very usual to have 2 pair though 3 pairs are seen often.
Suspenders don't need to be functional. They can be added to corsets worn as outer garments, for decorative purposes.
Suspender tab length depends on the wearers preference and length of the original pattern.
Pattern used as an example is Underbust Corset Pattern LOLITA by AraneaBlack.
Start the process by measuring the distance between your waist circumference to the bottom edge of the suspender tab.(Marked as "X")
Keep in mind that the suspender elastic will be sent on to the suspender tab so the tab itself doesn't have to reach the edge of our stockings!
Decide if you will be covering your suspenders with fancy fabric and/or lace before drafting the suspender tabs to the corset pattern as it will greatly affect the finished width of suspenders.
Measure the width of the suspender elastic (marked as "Y").
I will add 2 pairs of suspender tabs to demonstrate the technique but more can be drafted in the same way, if you wish so.
Draw a long straight horizontal line.
Lay all pattern pieces on it, from center front to center back while making sure that the waist line aligns with the new line.
Measure the distance from the waist line to the bottom edge of the suspender tab length (marked "X").
Draw a new line parallel to the waist line.
Decide where your tabs will be positioned.They are usually placed one the half width of front and back halves of patterns.
Draw lines on the right angle to the suspender tab line, where the middle of the suspender tab will be located.
Usually, we don't want to place suspender tabs just anywhere but you are free to do as you please.
Divide the suspender elastic width (previously marked with "Y") in half.
Mark the value of half the width of suspender elastic on each sides of the newly drawn lines.
Extend all pattern piece seam lines to the suspender tab line.
If suspender tab will be placed right on the seam line, use it as the middle of the tab width.
As seen on front pieces.
Temporarily tape together all pattern pieces from waist line to suspender tap line.
Draw the new bottom edge shape.
I've only added tabs while keeping the front, side and back lengths but it's up to you how much to change.
Your pattern is ready to make a corset!
Happy sewing!!!


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Arrow "Spartan" Preview Clip
ImagesNewsSpoilersVideo April 22, 2019 Craig Byrne
The CW has released a preview clip from tonight's (April 22) Arrow in which Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and John Diggle (David Ramsey) go to visit General Stewart (guest star Ernie Hudson), and clearly there's something about the guy that makes John uncomfortable, which we will see in the episode itself, which airs at 9PM ET/PT. (Note the hour later than the show was before).
We're still wondering if General Roy Stewart has a connection to John Stewart, a.k.a. Green Lantern, which Elseworlds told us is actually the way John Diggle is known on Earth-90.
You can see the clip below; a description and some photos follow. The episode is called "Spartan."
ERNIE HUDSON ("GHOSTBUSTERS") GUEST STARS — After the Ninth Circle delivers a major setback for Team Arrow, Diggle (David Ramsey) reluctantly reaches out to a Four-Star General of the Defense Intelligence Agency (guest star Ernie Hudson) for help, despite unresolved tension from their past. Meanwhile, Oliver (Stephen Amell) discovers a piece of information that he believes will turn Emiko (Sea Shimooka) against the Ninth Circle. Alena (guest star Kacey Rohl) returns with an interesting proposal for Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards). Avi Youabian directed the episode written by Benjamin Raab & Deric A. Hughes (#719). Original airdate 4/22/2019.


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BANDUNG-West Java Provincial Government is planning to build an integrated service mall for the public that will integrate all services in one roof.
Sekda Jabar Iwa Karniwa said the public mall development plan is an extension of the services provided by the Office of Investment and Integrated Services One Door (DPMPTSP) Jabar forward. "Later it is not only the provincial licensing service but from the vertical institution we also input in this public service mall," he said in Bandung, Wednesday (7/2)
The location of public service mall is planned to take the building and land Training Agency SDM Jabar located in the city of Bandung. This development is done considering the current office of DPMPTSP Jabar in terms of area and location is not possible to expand. "Later BPSDM will be concentrated and concentrated in Cipageran, Cimahi," he said.
According to him, the effort to design this mall became one of the tasks of the Ease of Business Task Force formed by West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan. It targets the development process and preparation of the mall lay out can be done in 2018. "So 2019 we can finish and use," he said.
The Task Force itself is currently consolidating the technical teams of a number of regional licensing (OPD) technical organizations such as Bina Marga and Spatial Planning, Energy and Mineral Resources to agriculture to deploy personnel in the DPMPTSP. "We also consolidate electronic services to tracking licensing issues that are hampered, permits also delegated to the DPMPTSP head," he explained.
Iwa said in a public service mall later the citizens and entrepreneurs can come and take care of the licensing and information from the start of electrical installation, management of IMB to the needs of the police. "Lay outnya like a mall, comfortable society and get a clear service. Once the people come they get certainty about time and cost, "he said.
Earlier in Bappeda Jabar, Director of Research and Development Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Wawan Wardiana said it welcomes if the West Java provincial government has a plan to provide integrated public services in the service mall. "As long as the provincial government thinks it is effective, efficient and boosts regional income please only," he said.
According to him if his intention to optimize revenue other than the matter of ease of service, West Java Provincial Government can learn on the breakthrough conducted DKI Jakarta with KPK. DKI according to Wawan has one very complete and integrated data from all tribes of the agency to the related institutions. "The key is in data integration," he said. (Even)


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Some advisers can fall into the trap of taking a simplistic view of recommendations for term life cover – the simplest to understand and least expensive type of cover.
In fact, there are many factors to consider when calculating the sum insured as well as selecting the appropriate product.
The sum insured is usually calculated so that, upon the client's death, there is little or no financial disruption to the household.
Advisers consider a range of components including lost future income, debt, future expenses and funeral expenses. Total need is demonstrated by breaking it down into each component.
We won't discuss every component of the sum insured here, but will delve more deeply into those areas of most interest and complexity.
1. Allow for salary increases
Advisers understand that an appropriate way to determine the client's lost future income is by calculating a present value of each future year's income, taking into account a net investment return.
However, often advisers ignore the large salary increases that a younger client may potentially have compared to a client with an established career, whose salary may only increase by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Allowing for larger salary increases for younger clients may be more reflective of the true amount of lost future income.
In addition, there may be variation in income growth throughout a particular client's working life. Calculators will generally not allow for such variation, but an approximation can be calculated by using a suitable average rate of income growth, over the remaining working life of the client.
2. Add super to the mix
Superannuation contributions can also be included in the yearly lost income figure, as these will be lost along with salary, if the client dies before retirement.
The client's superannuation savings (and loss of them) have a significant effect on the household and determine the retirement age of a remaining working spouse, or the ability of a non-working spouse to continue their current lifestyle after the client's proposed retirement age.
3. Changing family situations may impact on future income
The fact that the client's situation will change in the future is also often overlooked.
For example, a parent who has been the homemaker for several years, may have plans to return to work. If that parent were to suffer from an early death or disability, this would not only increase household costs (to hire a nanny and housekeeper), but future income would also be lost.
4. Kids become more expensive as they get older
Child-related education costs can be a significant element of future expenses.
When the kids are young they are fairly inexpensive, but can become progressively costly over time, especially if parents want to educate them through a private school.
The national average for all private schooling costs from pre-school through to year 12 is approaching the half million dollar mark, with the NSW urban average close to $550,000^.
^ Australian education costs revealed — Australian Scholarships Group survey 2014
Furthermore, children grow up to be young adults at university, so increases in the cost of tertiary education should be considered.
Notably, we are currently in a political environment where the proportion of university fees that a student must contribute is uncertain.
5. Revise lost future income if paying off debt
If insurance proceeds are used to extinguish debt, then repayments are no longer required and hence income is not required to support it.
Therefore, the lost future income component can be revised down, if debt will be paid off.
6. Check the fine print on existing cover
If the client has existing term life cover, a simple reduction in the amount of proposed term life cover is the usual course of action.
However, if existing term life cover is offered on a unitised basis through superannuation group insurance (eg. industry super funds), this sum insured will reduce over time.
Advisers need to be aware of this and should also consider whether the existing product is appropriate for the needs and objectives of their particular client.
There are also other limitations to keep in mind with group insurance, such as possible pre-existing condition exclusions and cancellable cover.
Advisers should consider whether existing group insurance cover through super is appropriate.
If so, the proposed cover can be recommended in addition to existing cover. If not, a retail policy may be the best solution for the client's total needs.
To ensure consistency and completeness when deriving the term life sum insured for clients, general principles should apply for all clients and all advisers.
These principles should ensure that basic components such as final expenses, debt, lost future income and future expense changes are included.
By Rachel Leong, product technical manager, Life Insurance, BT
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The Prosperity Group
About Me
The Prosperity Group brings together positive insights, bold creativity and assured financial competence in blue-ribbon developments designed to shape environments and enhance communities.
Founded in 2006, The Prosperity Group's primary focus is on working with partners to develop contemporary residential, commercial and mixed-use building projects. Past and present activities are spread throughout Europe and the Middle East – with large-scale projects in the UK, Cyprus, Croatia and Israel, and individual, yet significant, projects in Holland.
A versatile organization with impeccable credentials, the Group performs cohesively at the highest levels across all industry-relevant disciplines – evaluation, analysis, finance, investment, design, development, construction and asset management.
Successful value-generating projects go beyond a structure, and The Prosperity Group possesses and nurtures an inherent strength that lies in the depth and breadth of its expertise: enabling the Group to fully exploit opportunities worldwide; to respond swiftly wherever and whenever a prospect presents itself – be it residential, commercial, hospitality, retail, leisure or entertainment.
A principled organization, The Prosperity Group is equally committed to people, culture and environmental stewardship – partnering visionary architects and designers to create landmarks that exemplify next-generation living.


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Sushanth (born as Sushanth Anumolu) is the grandson of the legendary actor Dr. Akkinenin Nageshwara Rao and nephew of Akkineni Nagarjuna, a leading superstar in Tollywood. His cousins Sumanth, Naga Chaitanya and Akhil are also popular heroes.
After completing his formal education in the USA, Sushanth worked as an Electrical Engineer at "United Technologies" in the USA and moved to India to pursue the career in acting and was trained in dancing and acting at "Kreating Charakters" Training School in Mumbai. He made debut with Kalidasuf followed by Current. Both these movies were average grossers, but Sushanth's dancing and action skills were highly appreciated. Despite being 7 years old in the industry, he could deliver on 3 films as he was too choosy in the scripts. Movies of Sushanth are Kalidasu, Current, and Adda.