text:
A bonus game for an underlying base casino machine played by a player wherein the bonus game provides a Pachinko playing field, a ball propelled onto the Pachinko playing field when a bonus condition occurs during play of an underlying casino game. The Pachinko playing field having a row of lanes so that the ball, after traversing the playing field, travels through one of the lanes. A display at said row of lanes on said playing field for displaying at the lanes, targets, digits used to form a decimal number, graphic symbols used to perform a mathematical operation, symbols appearing in the underlying game outcome, so as to provide awards, wild symbols, extended game play, etc.
1. A casino bonus game for an underlying casino game machine, said casino bonus game comprising:
a playing field;
a ball, said ball propelled onto said playing field when an initiate condition occurs during the play of said underlying game;
a row of lanes on said playing field, said ball after traversing said playing field traveling through one of said lanes in said row;
a display at said row of lanes on said playing field for displaying at least one target across a plurality of said lanes;
a game response indication when said ball travels through said one lane, said game response indication being an award when said at least one target is hit.
2. The casino bonus game of
3. The casino bonus game of
4. The casino bonus game of
5. The casino bonus game of
6. The casino bonus game of
7. The casino bonus game of
8. The casino bonus game of
9. The casino bonus game of
10. The casino bonus game of
11. The casino bonus game of
12. The casino bonus game of
13. The casino bonus game of
a credit meter,
a ball sensor in each of said lanes;
a controller, said controller in response to said initiate condition occurring (1) randomly displaying said at least one target in said display, (2) activating said launch mechanism, (3) receiving a signal from the ball sensor at said lane said ball traveled through, (4) determining whether said at least one target is hit, and (5) incrementing said credit meter with a payoff for hitting the target.
14. The casino bonus game of
15. The casino bonus game of
16. The casino bonus game of
17. A casino game comprising:
a playing field;
a ball, said ball propelled onto said playing field;
a row of lanes on said playing field, said ball after traversing said playing field traveling through one of said lanes;
a display at said row of lanes on said playing field, said display randomly displaying a plurality of targets;
a ball sensor in each of said lanes;
a controller, said controller randomly displaying said plurality of targets in said display, activating said launch mechanism, receiving a signal from the ball sensor at said lane said ball traveled through, and determining whether a target is hit and issuing a game response indication when said target is hit.
18. A method for playing a bonus casino game comprising:
starting play of the bonus casino game when a bonus condition occurs in an underlying casino game;
randomly displaying a plurality of targets at exit lanes of the bonus casino game;
propelling a ball onto a playing field for said bonus casino game, the ball exiting one of the exit lanes;
determining whether the exit lane the ball traveled through has a target displayed;
issuing a game response indication when a target is determined to be at the aforesaid lane;
randomly displaying a plurality of new targets at the exit lanes in response to issuing a game response indication,
propelling another ball onto the playing field, the another ball exiting one of the exit lanes,
determining whether the aforesaid one exit lane has a new target,
issuing a second game response indication when a new target is determined to be at the aforesaid one exit lane.
19. The method of
20. The method of
21. The method of
displaying a set of objects in response to the issuance of a game response indication,
receiving an input from a player selecting one of the objects in the set,
revealing an award associated with the selected one object.
22. The method of
displaying a set of objects in response to the issuance of a second game response indication,
receiving an input from a player selecting one of the objects in the set,
revealing an award associated with the selected one object.
23. A method for playing a bonus casino game comprising:
starting play of the bonus casino game when a bonus condition occurs in an underlying casino game;
randomly displaying a series of single digit numbers at exit lanes of the bonus casino game, one single digit number displayed at each of said exit lanes;
sequentially launching a pre-determined number of balls onto a playing field for said bonus casino game, each of the pre-determined number of balls exiting one of the exit lanes;
determining the displayed random number at the exit lane for each of the pre-determined number balls based upon when the balls exited the lanes;
issuing a game response indication in the form of a number read wherein each number read corresponds to a decimal number placement for a decimal number.
24. The method of
providing an award based on the maximum number created from the number read.
25. The method of
providing an award based on the number read.
26. The method of
27. The method of
28. The method of
29. A method for playing a bonus casino game comprising:
starting play of the bonus casino game when a bonus condition occurs in an underlying casino game;
randomly displaying a plurality of numerical award values at exit lanes of the bonus casino game, one of said series of numbers displayed at each of a corresponding number of said exit lanes;
randomly displaying at least one graphic in an exit lane not displaying one of said plurality of numerical award values;
launching a ball onto a playing field for said bonus casino game, the ball exiting one of the exit lanes;
when the ball exits the lane displaying the at least one graphic, then performing a predetermined mathematical operation based on the graphic;
issuing a game response indication based on the predetermined mathematical operation.
30. The method of
31. The method of
32. The method of
33. The method of
34. A method for playing a bonus casino game interacting with its underlying casino game comprising:
randomly displaying a game outcome in the underlying casino game, the game outcome based on a plurality of different symbols;
randomly displaying at least one of the plurality of symbols at at least one of the exit lanes of the bonus casino game when a bonus trigger occurs in the underlying casino game;
propelling a ball onto a playing field for the bonus casino game, the ball exiting one of the exit lanes;
determining whether the exit lane the ball traveled through has the at least one symbol displayed;
converting all symbols corresponding to the aforesaid displayed symbol to a wild symbol in the game outcome in response to the aforesaid determining;
paying based upon the game outcome having the converted wild symbols.
35. A method for playing a bonus casino game interacting with its underlying casino game comprising:
randomly displaying a game outcome in the underlying casino game, the game outcome comprising a plurality of different symbols arranged in a plurality of columns;
propelling a ball onto a playing field for the bonus casino game, the ball exiting one of the exit lanes, each lane corresponding to a column in the plurality of columns;
determining the exit lane the ball traveled through and its corresponding column;
converting each of the symbols in the determined corresponding column of the game outcome to wild symbols;
paying based upon the game outcome having the converted wild symbols.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/161,568 filed Jun. 3, 2002 which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/632,357 filed Aug. 3, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,219 issued Jun. 4, 2002, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/442,831 filed Nov. 17, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,013 issued Oct. 31, 2000, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/098,804 filed Jun. 17, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,963 issued Apr. 11, 2000 which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/081,724 filed Apr. 14, 1998.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to Pachinko games and, in particular, to a Pachinko stand-alone game and to a Pachinko bonus game for an underlying game such as a slot machine.
2. Statement of the Problem
Slot machine bonusing features have become popular, and examples of their success include WHEEL OF GOLD, WHEEL OF FORTUNE, JEOPARDY!, REEL 'EM IN, PIGGY BANKIN', and many others. What has been heretofore lacking is a bonus game which utilizes the excitement and dynamic qualities of Pachinko. A need exists to provide a form of Pachinko as a bonus game for an underlying game such as a slot machine.
One problem associated with Pachinko games is that wear and tear caused by repeated play causes bias to occur wherein a ball may more frequently pass through certain lanes rather than through other lanes. A need exists to provide random payoffs during the play of Pachinko whether as a bonus game for an underlying game or as a stand-alone game despite bias caused by wear and tear.
A need also exists to provide additional excitement to the conventional play of a game such as video poker, slot machines and the like by providing additional random play in the dispensing of different values when a winning combination on the game is obtained.
Solution to the Problem
The present invention addresses the aforesaid needs. The Pachinko bonus game of the present invention is placed near an existing slot machine such as on top of, at the rear of, side-by-side with, or located near (such as on a wall). The Pachinko bonus game is started when an initiation condition such as when a symbol or combination of symbols align on the payline of the slot machine. The payoff selection and display on a per game basis is random so that biasing caused by wear and tear is eliminated whether the Pachinko game is played as a bonus game or as a stand-alone game. The Pachinko game can be used to dispense payoffs for conventional winning combinations of the underlying game.
The present invention pertains to a Pachinko bonus game system for an underlying game machine (such as a slot machine) being played by a player. The underlying game machine has a credit meter. The Pachinko bonus game system provides a playing field wherein the playing field has a plurality of rows of pegs with each row of pegs staggered from each adjacent row. A ball is launched onto the playing field by a launch mechanism. The launching or propelling of the ball onto the playing field occurs when an initiate condition occurs during play of the underlying game. In the case of a slot machine, the initiate condition can be the appearance of a special symbol on the payline. A number of different initiate conditions can be utilized based upon the underlying game. A row of lanes are provided on the playing field. The ball, after traversing among the pegs on the playing field, eventually travels through one of the lanes. At each lane is displayed a bonus payoff value. The lane the ball travels through senses the presence of the ball and the value displayed for that lane is added to the credit meter. The bonus payoff values are displayed at each lane with a flush mounted display so as not to interfere with or impede the travel of the ball through the lane. The bonus payoff values are randomly changed which would eliminate any mechanical bias present in the Pachinko game.
The Pachinko stand-alone game operates independently of an underlying game and is conventionally activated by a player to play the game. However, the playing field, ball, launch mechanism, rows of lanes, and the payoff display are as described above for the Pachinko bonus game with the exception of the credit meters in the Pachinko stand-alone game.
A bonus game for an underlying base casino machine played by a player wherein the bonus game further provides a Pachinko playing field, a ball propelled onto the Pachinko playing field when a bonus condition occurs during play of an underlying casino game. The Pachinko playing field having a row of lanes so that the ball, after traversing the playing field, travels through one of the lanes. A display at said row of lanes on said playing field for displaying at the lanes, targets, digits used to form a decimal number, graphic symbols used to perform a mathematical operation, symbols appearing in the underlying game outcome, so as to provide awards, wild symbols, extended game play, etc. Variations of the bonus game are found in scratch lottery tickets, standalone casino games, and features to gaming machines and systems.
And in yet another embodiment of the present invention, the Pachinko game system operates as a payoff dispenser for a conventional game.
The adjacent slot machine 20 functions conventionally when taking wagers, making payments and being played. The slot machine 20 has a conventional credit meter 24 which displays the player's current credits. Slot machines 20 are conventional and are made by a number of different manufacturers. How and in what form (i.e., coin-ins, dollar acceptors, magnetic cards, smart cards, etc.) wagers are placed at the slot machine 20 by a player is immaterial to the teachings of the present invention. What is material is that the credit meter 24 of the slot machine 20 is modified to increase when the player wins at the Pachinko bonus game 30. In addition, should an initiation condition arise during play of the slot machines such as a special symbol 26 (or set of symbols) appearing on the payline 22 of the slot machine 20, it automatically activates the Pachinko bonus game 30 (and deactivates the slot machine 20) so that the player of the slot machine 20 can play the Pachinko bonus game 30. Other means to "initiate" the Pachinko bonus game 30 are possible. The occurrence of a "winning combination" in the underlying game such as "two cherries" in a slot machine, or "twenty-one" in a blackjack game, or "three twos" in joker poker. The occurrence of the player accumulating a predetermined amount of winning such as "seventyseven" dollars (or coins) in the underlying game. The occurrence of a symbol such as a "bonus" symbol appearing anywhere in the window or field of view in a slot machine even if it is not on the payline or receiving a card in a card game having a bonus symbol on it. The occurrence of an event such as a random signal to participate in the bonus game.
When utilized as a bonusing mechanism, the preferred Pachinko bonus game 30 embodiment utilizes one ball 220, which is propelled up onto a playing field 200 comprising alternately spaced rows of pegs 210. After traversing the playing field 200, the ball 220 falls through one of a plurality of chutes or lanes 230 separated by bumpers 240. The player receives an appropriate bonus payoff corresponding to the lane 230 the ball 220 travels through. The bonus payoff is credited to the slot game meter 24. The bonus game 30 ends and play reverts to the slot machine 20. The Pachinko game could also have a separate credit meter which is selectively incremented.
Details of Pachinko Game 30
In the preferred embodiment, the Pachinko game 30 of
The ball 220 is preferably three-quarters of an inch to one and one-half inch in diameter (i.e. about one inch). For example, in games 30 mounted on a wall, the ball 220 and pegs 210 would be scaled up such as having wider lanes. The pegs 210 are preferably on one and one-half to two-inch centers and each peg is preferably three-sixteenths an inch in diameter. Each row of pegs 210 is preferably staggered from the adjacent row above and below by one-half the center-to-center distance between pegs 210. These dimensions illustrate the present invention and are not meant to limit the teachings thereof. While the present invention uses one ball 220 per bonus, it is to be understood that more than one ball 220 could be used and that more than one ball 220 could be simultaneously or successively launched.
It is important to prevent outside influences from affecting the operation of the Pachinko bonus game 30 such as 1) possible tilting of the Pachinko game 30 to coax the ball 220 into desirable lanes 230 and 2) possible use of magnets to coax a steel or magnetic ball. Both of these concerns are eliminated in the present invention by using leveling sensors and a non-magnetic ball 220. While the use of plastic is preferred, the teachings of the present invention are not limited to plastic and other non-magnetic materials may be used. Furthermore, the algorithms and methods contained herein would also apply to conventional steel balls. Hence, the teachings of the present invention are not to be limited to use of either plastic balls or leveling sensors.
Algorithms for assigning the bonus game 30 values 260 to the lanes L1-L8 include, but are not limited to, the following three algorithms:
The slot machine 20 assigns a random payoff value 260 to the bonus game 30, either before or during play, that is independent of the outcome of the Pachinko action. After the ball 220 travels through a lane 230, the predetermined random payoff value 260 is displayed in display 250. Under this algorithm, the value of bonus payoffs is not determined by the ball 220 play in the Pachinko game.
Bonus payoff values 260 are randomly assigned to each lane 230 as a function of time and based upon game play. The value 260 for the bonus game 30 is determined by the displayed lane value at the time the ball 220 passes through a lane 230. This algorithm can either be free running (i.e., continuously) or start when the Pachinko bonus game 30 is activated. If free running, the cycle time for displaying a set of bonus payoffs 260 in displays 250 is preferably less than the typical Pachinko bonus game cycle time. For example, if it takes an average five seconds to play the Pachinko bonus game 30, then the payoff cycle time could be two seconds. In this example, every two seconds new payoffs 260 would be randomly displayed in displays 250. The display cycle time cannot be too fast since it must be viewed by a player, nor can it be too slow, if free running, since a player could take advantage of high payout values. Under the teachings of the present invention, the display cycle time, TD, is preferably less than the game cycle time, TG, or TD≦TG.
It is to be understood that the display in each lane could change at the same time; or the display in each lane could change at staggered times. For example, the first lane at time T0, the second lane at time T0+TS, the third lane at time T0+2TS, etc.; where TS is a predetermined stagger time period. This creates a flickering effect which is aesthetically pleasing.
In yet another embodiment, the time a value is displayed in a lane is constant (equal), but the frequency of selection is based upon the weight of the value. For example, if the values are ten dollars and one hundred dollars and the respective weights are 50% and 5%, then each value is displayed for the same amount of time (e.g., two seconds), but the ten-dollar value is displayed 50% of the overall time and the one hundred dollar value is displayed 5% of the overall time.
In yet another embodiment, the weight for each lane is constant (equal), but the frequency of selection is based upon time. For example, if the values are ten and one hundred dollars and the respective weights are each 50%, then each value has the same probability of being displayed, but the time of displaying the ten-dollar value is much longer than the time for displaying the one hundred dollar value.
Bonus payoff values 260 are assigned and displayed in displays 250 to each lane 230 randomly, via a weighted probability pay table, at any time after the bonus game 30 is activated and before the ball 220 travels through a lane 230. These bonus payoff values 260 remain fixed and the lane 230 selected by the ball 220 determines the ultimate payoff amount for the bonus game.
Algorithm No. 3 is the preferred embodiment for determining bonus payoff values 260 in that it allows players to see what bonus payoffs are possible, and to root for the ball 220 to settle into lanes 230 with high potential payoffs. It also gives players reassurance in knowing that no "funny business" is taking place (i.e., after launch the values 260 are fixed and known to the player, and subsequently the ball 220—and the ball 220 alone—determines the bonus payoff 260 the player will receive).
Bonus Payoff Values 260 Details Based on Algorithm No. 3
The above three algorithms are preferred embodiments. Other algorithms could be equivalently used under the teachings of the present invention.
Assume the desired average bonus payoff value for the Pachinko bonus game 30 is D units. The term "units" is used to refer to any suitable bonus payoff form such as monetary value (dollars), numbers of coins (number of quarters), tickets, etc. The teachings of the present invention are not limited to the form of the bonus payoff. Two preferred methods are used to determine the payoff.
Method 1: This method assigns bonus payoff values 260 to each lane 230 such that the expected value per lane 230 remains at D units, while particular bonus payoff values fluctuate above and below D units. In this fashion, the average value per game still remains at D units, but players experience variety in game play.
In Method 1, the average value per game remains equal to D units regardless of any bias which may exist or which may develop in the Pachinko bonus game 30 toward the lanes 230 and is accomplished in the following manner.
Let the number of lanes be NL and the number of payoffs for lane l be Rl. The set of payoffs and their associated weights (i.e., probabilities) for lane l is Pl,k and wl,k, where k is an index assuming values from 1 to Rl. Let the desired average value for the game be D. Then for each lane l the expected value becomes:
EV l=Σk(w l,k �P l,k)≡a constant FORMULA 1
where EVl=Expected Value for lane l
Thus EV for the game is simply that of each lane, provided this is constant (i.e., equal for each lane). Furthermore, EV is independent of the weights wl of occurrence for each lane. Thus any bias developing through wear and tear which affects the wl has no bearing on EV. With no multiplier (M=1), the solution is EV=D. This is an important advantage of the present invention that the bonus payoff values 260 of the game are unaffected by physical wear and tear of the associated hardware. That is, even if the Pachinko bonus game 30 becomes biased toward one or more lanes 230, the bonus payoff value 260 of the game is unchanged. Randomness and fairness to the house and to the player is maintained. In the worst case of bias, the ball would fall through the same lane, game after game, yet the value, D, for the game is recovered.
Assume the Pachinko bonus game 30 has a value, per play, of EV=D=50 units, then the following is an example of random assignments for each lane L1-L8 of FIGS. 1 and 2:
For example, for lane L4, there is a 70% chance the payoff chosen is 10 units, a 10% chance it is 30 units, and a 20% chance it is 200 units. The expected value for lane 4 is therefore 0.7�10+0.1�30+0.2�200=50 units, as required.
It should be apparent that the average bonus payoff value for each lane 230 is 50 units. However, the weights and associated possible bonus payoffs for each lane can be very different from each other. Furthermore, not all payoffs need to be possible for each lane, and vice-versa.
Several examples will illustrate the operation of Table I. In the first example, assume that the controller (as will be discussed subsequently) selects the following payoff values for L1-L8 of FIG. 2: {90, 50, 70, 200, 70, 80, 60, 100} which is shown in FIG. 2. In this first example, the controller has selected the highest bonus payoff combination for each lane which is possible under this method. It is also possible, under this method and as a second example, that the lowest combination of values could be selected and displayed in L1-L8: {10, 50, 30, 10, 30, 30, 40, 20}. The second example represents the lowest payoffs that can be selected for each lane. Of course, any random combination of payoffs 260 based upon the percentage weights per lane could be selected by the controller from the payoff values in Table I. It is noted that for lane L2 in Table I, the payoff value of 50 is always selected. Under the teachings of the present invention any set of payoffs are possible such that Formula I is satisfied.
Further, to add even more randomness, the lanes L1-L8 can be rotated from game to game (i.e., the weights for lane 1 may be applied to lane 2 in the next game, and so forth). The fixed value of 50 for lane L3 in Table I would be the value for lane L4 for the next game, for lane L5 etc. Or, the mapping from Table I for each successive game to actual lanes 230 may be done in a random fashion. The fixed value of 50 for lane L3 in Table I would be the value for a randomly selected lane such as lane L7 for the next game.
Note, too, that this algorithm does not require that each expected payoff, on a per-game basis, is always exactly D units. This volatility is a further advantage of this approach. For a third example, the lane payoff values are randomly chosen to be: {80, 50, 50, 200, 30, 40, 60, 30} for lanes L1 through L8, respectively. The probability of this occurring is 0.00012, and the expected value for the bonus game 30 is greater than 50 units. However, in the long run, the payoff will average D units.
Table I represents an illustration showing how bonus payoff values 260 are randomly selected from bonus game to bonus game. Many other values of combinations are possible which fall within the teachings of the present invention. D may be any suitable value, the number of lanes L are a design choice, and the actual payoff values can be tailored to the casino's requirements. A low value of D, such as D≦5, would generate little excitement in playing the Pachinko bonus game 30, while a high value of D, such as D≧100, would generate higher excitement. Also of consideration is how frequently the bonus symbol(s) 26 stop at the payline 22. The more frequent, then a lower D may be desirable. The lower the frequency, then a higher D may be desirable.
Method 2: An alternate approach which yields the same expected value EV each game is to randomly select a set of bonus payoff values 260 whose average value is D, and then assign each element of this set randomly to a lane 230.
For example, consider the set of lane payoffs L1-L8: {20, 20, 30, 40, 40, 50, 100, 100} with an average value D=50. Each of these payoff values 260 are randomly mapped to a lane in a one-to-one fashion, thus ensuring a game of value D. No equipment bias affects the expected value of the game, through the random assignment of values to lanes. In choosing different sets of lane payoffs, the volatility of playing the bonus game 30 may be increased or decreased.
A modified form of Methods 1 and 2 is to tie into the temporal approach of Algorithm 2 by randomly varying the lane value 260 as a function of time, with frequency governed such that the time-averaged value is D (e.g., by Table 1 above). This can be done by, e.g., fixing the time of a reward at TD and selecting based on weight w, or fixing the selection as the same for all and selecting the period proportionate to weight. Other manifestations are possible. Provided that the period (time between changing values) is shorter than the typical cycle time for a ball to drop through a lane, but long enough for a player to recognize the present lane value, the game should provide considerable excitement.
Under the teachings of the present invention, instead of credits, prizes or other types of awards may be provided.
Lane Multiplier(s) Algorithm
In addition to the algorithms described above, additional lanes are provided elsewhere on the playing field 200 in an alternate embodiment. Such rows could be added above or below lanes L1-L8.
Consider the embodiment shown in
Alternately, the values for the multipliers may be chosen in a fashion similar to that described in Method 1 above.
It is to be expressly understood in this embodiment, that any number of lanes in row 300 could be utilized to provide the multiplication. Furthermore, one or more of the lanes L9-L16 could be a "lose" lane (i.e., O�) so that when the ball 220 falls through that lane, the player loses; in which case when the ball 220 continues to fall and travel through on lanes L1-L8, the payoff value is not recorded. Indeed, passing through a lose lane, in one embodiment, would instantly cause the displays 250 to display "zero" and there could be a multimedia display informing the player and others of the lose. The location and number of the additional lanes L9-L16 is a design choice and they vary in number and can be placed anywhere in the playing field 200 above or below the pay lanes L1-L8. They do not have to be aligned in a row and can be dispersed on the field 200. Indeed, in some designs the ball 220 may enter a first multiplier lane (e.g., 2�) and then a second multiplier lane (e.g., 3�) before entering a payoff lane (e.g., $10—in which case the player receives 2�3�$10=$60). The number of lanes, the position of the lanes, and the number of rows are simply a design choice and do not depart from the teachings of the present invention.
Lane Addition Algorithm
The row 300 in another embodiment could be additive, subtractive, or both. For example, lanes L9-L16 could be {1+, 1+, 1+, 1+, 1+, 2+, 2+, 3+} mapped in a random fashion where the average addition is A=1.5+. In another example, lanes L9-L16 could be {1+, 1+, 1−, 1−, 2+, 2−, 3+, 3−} mapped in a random fashion where the average addition is A=0.
Double-or-Nothing Algorithm
In another embodiment, the player may replay the Pachinko bonus game as follows.
The player is given the option to double-or-nothing the bonus payoff just received such as by re-pushing a button 28 in FIG. 1. Should the player decide to risk the winnings from the prior Pachinko bonus game, the Pachinko lanes L1-L8 would then be displayed in meters 24 with either a "Double" or "Nothing" symbol. By randomly assigning four "Double" symbols and four "Nothing" symbols to the bottom eight lanes L1-L8 prior to re-propelling of the ball 220, the chances are 50/50 for success/failure each game. As before, this will be true despite any lane bias that may be present in the equipment.
Other variations in this embodiment include triple, quadruple, etc., or nothing. For example, lanes L1-L8 could have the set {0�, 0�, 0�, 0�, 0�, 2�, 2�, 4�} randomly mapped to it resulting in an average multiplier of M=1.
Payoff Display Sequence
The displays 250 operate in several different sequences under the teachings of the present invention. In a first display sequence, the displays 250 for all lanes simultaneously display the payoff values 260. In a second display sequence, the displays 250 operate to randomly flicker payoff values 260 at different staggered times so that while a display in one lane is present, a display in another lane is just being displayed, etc. In a third display sequence, the time that a particular payoff value 260 is displayed in a lane 230 is proportional to the payoff weight so that a two hundred dollar payoff would have a shorter display time and a ten dollar payoff would have a faster display time.
Stand-Alone Pachinko Game
The algorithms of the present invention can also be employed if the Pachinko game is a stand-alone machine. In this case, however, some of the payoff values are net losers based on coin-in. To encourage variety in the lane payoff values, and to allow for a variety of house advantages, Method 1 coupled with either Algorithm No. 2 or Algorithm No. 3 is preferred in this case.
Consider a stand-alone five-coin Pachinko game with a desired 10% house advantage. Assume the multiplier value is fixed at M=1�. To obtain a payoff value of D=4.5, the following is an example:
As before, the value for each lane 230 is chosen randomly by a controller and displayed in displays 250, with weights according to Table II above. In so doing, any equipment bias in the stand-alone Pachinko game is nullified with respect to house advantage. In the example above, lane 5 will have a value of 100 coins 4.5% of the time. A 500-coin payoff in lane 4 will appear once every 200 games.
These payoffs are merely exemplary and can, of course, be modified to the particular design. Table II does demonstrate, however, the mechanism whereby large "jackpot" values will periodically appear as possible payoffs and wherein the payoff values 260 in displays 250 are randomly changed from game to game.
These large jackpots can also arise from the use of multiple rows of lanes possibly including multipliers, additions, etc.
Bonus Game Hardware Configuration
The Pachinko game controller 430, in response to the activation signal received on lines 422 and the activation of button 28 by the player enables the launch ball mechanism 450 over line 434 to launch the ball 220 onto the field 200. Under alternate embodiments, the launch ball mechanism may be mechanically activated by a player such as by conventionally pulling back on a pull rod which is then released to propel the ball up chute 280 and into the playing field 200. Or, in other embodiments, a mechanical ball launcher 450 is used and if the player does not launch the ball within a predetermined time period, such as five seconds, the Pachinko game controller 430 automatically launches the ball. The Pachinko game controller 430, in response to the activation signal over lines 422, selects a set of payoff values 260 for delivery over lines 436 into the displays 250. Several approaches for determining what payoff values 260 are to be displayed have been discussed above. The Pachinko game controller 430 is suitably programmed and works with a random number generator 460 which may be a separate chip or software embedded in the Pachinko game controller 430 to randomly select payoff values from a table in memory 480 over lines 482 such as set forth in Table I.
After the ball 220 is propelled by the launch ball mechanism 450, the ball, after a period of time, travels through one lane 230. In
It is to be expressly understood that a number of different designs could be implemented under the teachings of the present invention. For example, one skilled in the art could remove the random number generator 460 and the Pachinko game controller 430 as well as the communication ports 410 and 420, and have the connections 436, 472, 432, and 434 delivered directly into and under control of the slot machine controller 400.
The field 200 may have any number of recessed lights, lighted designs, and/or sound effects commonly found in Pachinko and pinball games which are not shown and which are controlled by Pachinko game controller 430.
It is to be expressly understood that the order of stages 530, 540, and 550 can vary based upon method and the algorithm being used as discussed above as well as other design considerations. For example, if Algorithm No. 2 is used for a simultaneous display, and is based upon a two-second repetitive cycle, then every two seconds stage 530 selects new random payoffs for simultaneous display in stage 540. This continuously occurs until the bonus game play is over with. In the preferred embodiment of Algorithm No. 3, Method 1, the Pachinko game controller 430, at any time after being activated in stage 520 and before play is done in stage 560, can select a random payoff value for display. However, in the preferred operation of Algorithm No. 3, Method 1, sometime after activation in stage 520, the random values 260 are selected in stage 530 for display in stage 540. The launch ball mechanism 450 is then activated in stage 550 and play is done when the ball 220, as shown in
Stand-Alone Pachinko Game
Likewise, in
Payoff Dispensing Mechanism
In yet another alternate approach to the teachings of the present invention, Pachinko game 30 of the present invention can utilize as a payoff dispensing mechanism. Formula 1 sets forth an overall payoff value of D as the expected value, EV.
It is well known in conventional game play for an underlying casino machine 20, that payoffs are commonly given. These payoffs are typically shown as printed charts actually on the machine. For example, in the case of the slot machine 20 and three double bars, the payoff printed on the chart may be twenty dollars. A player receiving a winning combination for the underlying casino gaming machine 20 is assured of receiving the printed payoff value. Under the teachings of the present invention, whenever a winning combination is obtained by a player at the underlying gaming machine 20, the Pachinko game 30 automatically is activated to allow the player the opportunity to receive more or less than the printed payoff value. In other words, the Pachinko bonus game of the present invention acts as a payoff-dispensing machine. From the casino operator's point of view, under Formula 1, the casino still pays the printed payout values. However, from the viewpoint of the player, a significant and additional level of excitement and further game play is present in watching the Pachinko game operate to dispense payoff which may be more or less than the stated printed payoffs. In some embodiments of this modification of the present invention, a player may have the option to take the printed payoff value or to play automatically for the higher or lower value.
Fixed Payoff Embodiment
The disclosed Pachinko bonus game and/or the stand-alone Pachinko game discussed above, in this embodiment, provides fixed payoff values 260 for lanes L1-L8 which could be printed at each lane or displayed in displays 250. Hence, the payoff values remain the same from game-to-game. Of course, this embodiment is subject to mechanical bias.
Bonus Game with Themed Play
A bonus feature utilizing the Pachinko top-box 30 themed to a casino game, such as the well known BATTLESHIP game from Hasbro as shown in
The bonus display 800 can be a video screen display (or any suitable display whether electronic or mechanical) mounted behind or below the field 200 so that the ball 220 can travel over or up to the edge of the screen. The dividers 240 can physically extend all the way down to the bottom over the video display 800 (or only partially). Alternatively, the dividers 240 can be adjacent to the video display 800. The video display 80 can have etched or painted on lines 810 to simulate the continuation of the physical division of dividers 240 or can be graphically shown as part of the video presentation. In the situation where the display 800 is a video display, the targets T (T1-T3) such as ships 802, 804, 806 can be stationary at a lane L (L1-L8). Or, the targets T can have moving effects such as caused by wave action from water. Or, the targets T can actually be moving across the lanes L in the bonus display 800. Note furthermore that each target T may occupy one lane or more than one lane. In one embodiment, a target occupying more than one lane occupies a plurality of adjacent lanes, such as a boat whose length occupies, e.g., three lanes. Furthermore, when the ball 220 "hits" a target as shown by arrow 820, a game response indication 830 such as a visual effect and/or other suitable display such as an exploding noise and an explosion visually shown on display 800 can occur to add more excitement to the game. In other embodiments, the display 800 can be any suitable mechanical or electrical/mechanical display that displays the target T in a stationary fashion or in a moving fashion.
Bonus game play is initiated through a qualification condition in the underlying casino game machine game 20. A large number of conventional conditions can occur such as a bonus trigger symbol appearing. The top box 30 includes the Pachinko playfield 200 with a display 800 that indicates whether each lane 230 is empty or whether it has a "target" T such as an enemy ship 802, 804, 806 located therein. The object of the game in
As the bonus game of
After each hit, the video screen 40 (on the base game 20) changes to display a set of "objects" 900 based on the "stage" of battle as shown in FIG. 9. For example, for "Stage 1 Complete" the player might choose from "objects" 900 such as seashells, while other stages might display starfish, coconuts, palm trees, etc. The player is prompted to choose an object 900 which then reveals a hidden award 910. The awards are shown in dotted lines in FIG. 9. Thereafter, (for the next stage of the bonus game) the hit ship (802, 804, 806) is removed (extinguished in the top box display 800), and the remaining ships are shuffled (randomly, in one embodiment or orderly, in another embodiment) and reassigned to be at lanes L prior to the next "shot." Alternatively, the player might "advance" to the next battle scenario and a new set of ships might be assigned to lanes L prior to the next "shot." The bonus game of
It is an advantage that the player generally takes multiple shots during the bonus game, each hit resulting in the next stage of bonus play. Too, as the potential awards for each Stage grow, and yet the chance of success slowly diminishes, the suspense also grows for the player with each successful shot.
The following average pay schedule is exemplary for 8 stages of play:
To avoid any physical bias that may be introduced into the equipment, the ships and vacant lanes are randomly positioned in one embodiment such that each lane has an equal likelihood of containing a ship or being vacant. For example, consider a casino game with 10 lanes L, one of which is to be vacant and nine of which are to have a "ship" occupy the lane. To preserve fairness to the house and to the player even in the case of mechanical bias in the Pachinko equipment, the placing algorithm should be such that each of the 10 lanes is equally likely to be vacant (and hence, each of the 10 lanes is equally likely to have a ship). In practice, this may be done by first randomly choosing which lane shall be vacant (say, lane L4), and then subsequently "filling in" the other lanes with ships of varying sizes (e.g., a ship filling in three lanes, a ship filling in two lanes, and a ship filling in four lanes).
As an alternative, to add suspense, prior to each shot, one of the remaining ships may be selected to randomly display a special effect such as blinking, being lit, having a value, etc. Should this ship be sunk, the resultant award may be increased, for example, tripled.
The method steps implementing the bonus game described above in software are shown in FIG. 10. The bonus game starts in any conventional fashion from the base game 20 in step 1000. The Pachinko bonus game of
In one embodiment, bonus game play continues so that step 1060 is entered to display a set of objects 900 in the base game display 40 as shown in FIG. 9. Here, the player is afforded the opportunity to select in stage 1070 by touching (or other input) one of the displayed objects 900 so that it can reveal an additional award for the next stage play. This continued interaction of the player with the base game display 40 is optional.
The "next stage" is entered at step 1070, and play of the Pachinko bonus game 1010 continues with new targets T 1020 displayed. As mentioned above, and in one embodiment, the target T hit in the prior play is removed from the remaining targets T and the remaining targets are randomly shuffled and displayed across the lanes L. In this embodiment, with a target T removed, more lanes are empty, thereby increasing the possibility that play will end at step 1040 with a miss when the ball travels through an empty lane L. In another embodiment, the same targets T are randomly shuffled and displayed. In another embodiment, entirely different targets T are displayed in each new stage with or without the same number of targets for each next stage. It can be appreciated that the game is vigorous at this point with many possible embodiments. Play continues according to
In another embodiment of the present invention, more than one ball 220 can be launched either sequentially or simultaneously so as to provide for more possible hits in a single play of the Pachinko bonus casino game disclosed herein.
The playing field 200 can be any playing field and is not limited to the type shown in FIG. 8. Any conventional playing field or future playing field can be utilized with the lanes L to display in display 800 at least one target T. According to the teachings of the present invention, this display 800 provides the opportunity to add further excitement to the play of the ball on a playing field wherein the ball would exit through a plurality of lanes to either hit a target or to miss a target according to the discussion contained herein.
The term "underlying casino game machine" shall be any mechanical, electronic, or video slot machine, any casino base game whether or not a slot machine, etc. The definition is vigorous and is not meant to limit the invention to past, present, or future gaming machines.
The terms "hit" and "miss" are used to mean the presence (or non-presence) of a target T at the lane the ball 220 travels through. The ball 220, of course, does not literally hit a target, but the correspondence of the ball and the target "at" the same lane L by the computer constitutes a "hit" to the player which results in the award of a payout. The term "at" used above means above the lanes L, in the lanes L, behind the lanes L, near the lanes L, or below the lanes L.
Furthermore, the bonus game disclosure herein can be adopted for a stand-alone Pachinko game as fully discussed earlier in this application. Such a stand-alone Pachinko casino game would be initiated upon placing a wager (rather than being initiated upon the occurrence of a bonus condition). In this embodiment, the targets T are randomly displayed and disposed at a plurality of lanes L wherein more lanes are empty (i.e., not having an associated target present when the ball travels through a lane) so as to obtain more misses.
It is to be expressly understood that
The above disclosure can be implemented in a wide area progressive. As an example, with a playing field having a row of eight lanes, the probability of sinking all eight ships is 0.0024 (approximately 1 in 416) for eight successive shots. As such, with a base symbol probability of 0.0000416 (approximately 1 in 24,033), the overall probability of winning the wide area progressive is set to approximately 1 in 10,000,000 utilizing a dual-stage qualification (1/416�1/24033). This gives players more of a "taste" of almost winning compared to traditional wide area progressives. Each ship occupies only one lane. The casino bonus described in this example has up to eight "shots" (i.e., eight separate launches of a ball). The first shot is with 8 ships (hence a sure hit). The next shot is with seven randomly placed ships, then 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and finally 1 ship. In each case, the lanes with ships/vacant are randomly assigned.
Bonus Game with Mathematical Computation
In another embodiment shown in
Indeed, under the teachings of this embodiment, more balls such as the optional ball B4 could also be delivered to provide the "thousands" decimal placement, etc. The game response indication for this win is shown as 1110 and can be used to increment a credit meter or the like.
In another embodiment, the three balls generate three numbers (e.g., 1, 4 and 6), and the player is awarded the maximum number thereby created (e.g., 641) multiplied by an initiating bet (or 641 units are awarded).
In another embodiment of
In yet another embodiment shown in
Another lane might have a "bomb" picture 1410 as shown in FIG. 14. If the ball B1 drops into this lane L4, the bomb graphically explodes 1420, giving the player an award computed with the values affected by the explosion 1420. In
In the above two examples of a directional arrow 1310 and bomb 1410, a graphic is displayed in one (or more) of the lanes L and if the graphic is hit by the ball, a predetermined mathematical operation based on the graphic occurs. In the case of
In still another embodiment shown in
While the embodiments of
The latter is shown in
What is described above in
Bonus Game Interacting with Base Game
The above embodiments of
These symbols are the conventional symbols that may also be displayed in display 40 in the reel spin as a game outcome shown as 1900. The game outcome in the underlying casino game is based on these symbols. Some or all of these symbols may appear in the game outcome. This is a conventional game outcome, and the symbols S1-S10 are conventional and can comprise any desired symbol. The designations S1-S10 are only used to illustrate the embodiment of the present invention. The ball B1 travels through lane L4 which corresponds to a randomly displayed symbol S8. As soon as the ball B1 travels through lane L4, it is sensed, as discussed above. Then, all S8 symbols in the displayed game outcome 1900 are changed to a wild symbol W. Any payout to the player is based upon the game outcome with all S8 symbols converted to wild symbols. This adds excitement and increases the possible award based upon the game outcome 1900 with the converted wild symbols.
In this embodiment, the Pachinko bonus game is used to generate wild symbols in the underlying casino game.
The various Pachinko bonus embodiments shown in
The above disclosure sets forth a number of embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in this art will however appreciate that other arrangements or embodiments, not precisely set forth, could be practiced under the teachings of the present invention and that the scope of this invention should only be limited by the scope of the following claims.
Patent Citations
Referenced by
Legal Events
Original Image


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Hugh Hefner let the Kat out of the bag yesterday, tweeting, "The May issue of Playboy is unforgettable with Dancing With The Stars' Karina Smirnoff on the cover & nude inside." Karina in Playboy means what exactly for the family-friendly Dancing With The Stars? According to sources, they aren't too happy about this news. "If Karina posed naked," says an insider, "she can kiss her dancing days goodbye. I hope for Karina's sake that this isn't true."
Apparently, ABC's hellbent on protecting the image of the show which, apart from a steamy Latin dance or two, is all rainbows and apple pie. Another source revealed, "ABC publicity department controls the image of this show with an iron fist. It's a cash cow and they are not going to allow its reputation to be soiled by a dancer who wants to do Playboy." Is that fair? More importantly, is that true? We'll have to see when the May issue rolls in!
[Photo: Getty Images]

subset: commoncrawl


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The 3-day span of downtown's Umoja Festival features a variety of musical performances. (Photo Contributed)
Johnson's City 18th annual Umoja Festival is set to run Aug. 8 and 9.
Two days of music on two downtown stages; two days of storytelling in Majestic Park; a car show; a bike show; a children's carnival with train rides; a full block of international foods and traditional festival fare; a full block of craft vendors and community information booths; a 5K Run/Walk; and Umoja's signature parade with African stilt walkers, dancers, drummers and more, will all be part of the lineup.
The festival will kick off at 3 p.m. Friday and the entertainment will start at 6 with Vincent Dial making the Call to the Drums on the Main Stage at Buffalo Street.
The Billy Crawford Band will lead of Friday night's music with a blues performance and will be followed by Nashville hip hop artist K-DA, singer-songwriter Shava Jae, urban soul singer Jack Profit, The Company Band and the night's headline performer, Johnson City's own rising R&B pop artist Jae Marie.
Main Stage entertainment will resume at 3 p.m. Saturday with an open mic session followed by performances by the Watoto dancers and drummers, Amethysts, the MJ Beck Band, saxophonist Casey McClintock and the night's headliner, Phaze II.
Music on the Young Adult Stage will begin at 6:45 Friday with DJ Sterl the Perl followed by the UMOJA 106 Perk Style Rap Battle. Now in its fourth year, the popular, profanity-free Rap Battle is known to draw a crowd as children and adults take the stage to rap to anything the DJ plays for cash and other prizes.
The Umoja Gospel Fest will run form 1-4 p.m. Saturday on the Young Adult Stage and will be followed by The African Dolls and a closing performance by and DJ Sterl. This year's Gospel Fest will feature Thankful Mind, Christian rapper Aaron Cole, Vashti, Aretha Scott, Jordan Copas and several others.
"It's going to be a blessing, Gospel Fest is," Umoja Committee member Vicki Briscoe said. "And the Rap Battle is just a blast."
Committee member Joe Bradley said, "All our entertainment this year is really upbeat where everyone can get up and dance and really have a good time. We think this will be one of the biggest events we've had and we want everyone to come and bring their lawn chairs, sit down and enjoy the show and get up and dance all night."
Storytelling at the Majestic Park Gazebo will begin at 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday and will feature Dr. Joseph Sobel of East Tennessee State University's Storytelling Program as festival's storyteller in residence. Hawaiian storyteller Jeff Gere and the Re-Generation Story Slam also will be featured.
New to the festival this year will be a motorcycle show featuring the Vicious Hogs riding club of Raleigh, N.C.. They will have their bikes on display throughout the festival and roll though town in Saturday morning's Umoja Parade.
The parade will begin at Carver Recreation Center at 10 a.m. and will proceed along Unaka Avenue and West Walnut Street to Commerce Street. Carver Recreation Center Director Herb Greenlee will serve as the parade's grand marshal with the Shriners' Color Guard leading the way for the Shaka Zulu stilt walkers, the Wototo drummers and dancers, the Shriners' tiny precision motorcycles and many others.
The Umoja Car Show will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday in the parking lot at Commerce Street and Windsor Way. The show will conclude at 5 p.m. with a trophy presentation for the top finishers in each division.
The 5K Unity Race Run/Walk will start at 7:30 p.m. Friday behind the main stage. A sanctioned Johnson City 5K event, the road course will follow Buffalo Street across State of Franklin Road, wind through the Tree Streets and return downtown. Registration may be completed in advance online at www.werunevents.com or Friday evening before the race.
The children's carnival will be set up in the parking lot of the Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church on East Market Street and will feature blowup attractions and activities, including a children's train ride along East Market, North Roan and Buffalo streets back to the church.
The festival's food court, featuring a wide variety of international foods and traditional festival fare, will be set up along Market Street and merchandise vendors and booths with free information about local health and service organizations will be located on Main Street.
"We have vendors coming from all over the country and we have people coming from all over the country," committee member Loraine Washington said. "A lot of families have reunions during Umoja and people come from New York, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Florida and, of course, we wouldn't have an Umoja Parade without Shaka Zulu from New Orleans."
More information about the festival, including a complete schedule of events, can be found online at UmojaJC.org.comments powered by Disqus


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Volume 42, Nr. 1a, February 2011 Richardton, ND 58652
Again tragedy strikes. In Tucson, an alienated young man, filled with irrational, demented hatred bred in isolation, targeted and shot a generous and compassionate congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords. He wounded thirteen and killed six innocent bystanders. His assault pierced our hearts, touching a nerve deep within our individual and collective souls. Why? Because his actions made us face once again that we have, for too long, been a self-righteous and angry society, polarized to the point of near splintering. Our anger is nurtured by fear and distrust. American culture is inevitably suffering.
Tucson gives witness to the power of compassionate non-violence and the whisperings of resurrection. Witnesses ran to cover one another and to attend to the wounded. Citizens gathered for prayer. Testimony to the dead and injured praised their character and lives. President Obama asked why, and challenged us that we can do better because we are capable of better.
Congresswoman Giffords knew she was someone's target, fearing she'd be shot one day. She did not hide and apparently had refused some of the protection offered her. Giffords did not want to give in to fear and remove herself from her constituents. She arranged opportunities to meet with them and hear their concerns. Hers was fierce courage in the face of cowardly distrust and hatred. Gabriella Giffords is one of Benedict's peacemakers.
In Sudan, after years of civil war and the shame of Darfur, Bishop Macram Max Gassis' tenacious negotiations have led the nation toward the possibility of a more just future. Gassis endured years of war, standing firm in his vision of a better Sudan, and seasons of exile. He persevered. Macram Max Bassis is one of Benedict's peacemakers.
In Tunisia a young generation, having seen that life can be more equitable and humane, took to the streets. A tyrant fled. Now begins the slow work of visioning justice-making. In Egypt the young and old alike have taken to the streets in the hope of change toward what remains to be seen. There is global upheaval because the "what is" is simply too painful to endure any longer. There is global upheaval in the hope for new life, for a better life. Where is the hope?
Seeking peace is not easy; it requires prayer and action. Seeking peace requires trust in oneself, others and God. It pulls from us the sweat of hard work, an openness to learning from our "enemy," and compromise . . . tenacity and perseverance, embedded in prayer.
We are peacemakers when we engage life, concerned for the welfare of others and our environment. We are peacemakers when we prioritize our time and talent and resources to bring forth the possibility of new life. The risk, of course, is that we may be called to change, and change can be uncomfortable. We are each challenged to seek peace and pursue it. Obsculta
Laura Swan, OSB
ABA President
Issue Contents
Do everything with counsel and you will not be sorry afterward (Sir 32:24/Prov 31:3/RB 3.13).
Both the Rule of Benedict and the Code of Canon Law require the abbot/prioress to seek advice from the members of the monastery. The entirety of chapter 3 of the Rule is devoted to this topic. Benedict demands seeking counsel in matters of importance as well as in matters of lesser importance. Interestingly, Benedict doesn't demand that the abbot follow the advice of the majority of the members. After all, it is only advice, consultation. Rather, the whole purpose of the abbot's/prioress' seeking counsel from the members of the monastery is "not to ascertain the majority view but to try to discern the will of God" (RB 1980, 179, footnote 3.1). Benedict directs that, "after hearing the advice of the members, let [the abbot/prioress] ponder it and follow what he/she judges the wiser course."
Clearly, Benedict recognized that the monastic leader did not have a corner on wisdom, but rather believed that the wisest course would be to seek the wisdom of all. (See Terrence Kardong, Benedict's Rule: A Translation and Commentary, p. 71.) Benedict also is careful to direct that the counsel of the youngest member (RB 3.3) as well as of visiting monastics (RB 61.4) be heard. What may be considered unlikely sources of wisdom – the newest member or a stranger – are nevertheless possible sources of revelation of God's will. "On the part of both [monastic members] and abbot [prioress], this process demands . . . a genuine humility and self-effacement, and an opening of one's mind and heart to the mysterious action of God" (RB 1980, 179, note 3.1).
Canon 633, found in the canons dealing with religious life, assumes that there are bodies within the religious institute whose function it is to give counsel to the religious superior. According to this canon, these bodies "are to express the care and participation of all the members for the good of the whole institute or community." One of the longer canons in the code (canon 127), found in Book I on General Norms, describes in some detail the way in which the members of the religious community are to be called together and how their advice or consent is to be sought and received. Unlike the Rule, the Code requires that the religious superior seek and get consent, not just consultation, of the members or some part of the members, such as the council, in certain types of matters. For example, consent of the council is required for transacting certain financial matters, and even consent of the entire chapter is required for financial matters exceeding a certain amount.
However, wisely, the drafters of the code exercised the guiding principle of subsidiarity in writing almost all of the canons governing religious, including the canons for religious superiors seeking consent and consultation. One commentator explains: "It was advisable to maximize the principle of subsidiarity in view of the fact that although there are many forms of participation, not all are equally suitable to all the institutes. This explains why the canons . . . leave to the institutes' proper law and to their nature, the development and adaptation of the general principles . . . as to the different ways in which the principles of participation or consultation are expressed." (Code of Canon Law Annotated, 2004, often referred to as the Navarra commentary or the "red book": Caparros, et al, ed. at p. 510. Readers may wish to refer to the canon law column of February 2008 on the topic of "proper law.")
In the Rule, St Benedict begins with the directive "Listen." He directs the monastics to listen with the ear of their heart to the master's instruction (RB Prol. 1). Benedict also directs the abbot to listen not only to the master's instruction (e.g., RB 2.4), but also to the members of the monastery for the voice of the divine will (e.g., RB 3.3). The abbot's "consultation, then, is not a matter of assembling human opinions, but of listening to all the sources through which the divine will may manifest itself, and then discerning which of these has made known an authentic communication of the Spirit" (RB 1980, 179, note 3).
In the Code this requirement of seeking counsel, and sometimes consent, is so essential that if taking counsel does not occur when required the superior's act sans counsel is invalid (Canon 127 §§1 & 2). This clearly illustrates the value of the wisdom that resides in the community as well as in the superior. The Code directs that, besides those items about which the universal law requires counsel to be taken by the superior, the proper law of the institute, i.e., its constitutions and/or other supplementary documents, is to determine what other cases require the superior to seek either consent or counsel (Canon 627 §2). So, as in all things, it is important that not only the direction of the Code be sought but also the law that is proper to the religious community in order to determine which types of business about which the religious superior must seek counsel before acting validly.
It is instructive to do a digital search of the Code of Canon Law for the word "consult." It is readily seen how central this concept of going beyond oneself for direction is in the law. Numerous times a bishop or other ordinary or a religious superior must take counsel with, e.g., the College of Consultors in a diocese (Canon 502). Canon 627 §1 directs that religious "superiors are to have their own council, whose assistance they are to use in carrying out their office."
As often as anything important is to be done in the monastery, the abbot shall call the whole community together and himself explain what the business is; and after hearing the advice of the brothers, let him ponder it and follow what he judges the wiser course. . . . If less important business of the monastery is to be transacted, he shall take counsel with the seniors only, as it is written: Do everything with counsel and you will not be sorry afterward (RB 3.1-2, 12).
Readers are reminded that the canon law columnist welcomes ideas for exploration in these columns. These may be submitted by email to email@example.com or by post to
Lynn McKenzie, OSB
Sacred Heart Monastery
916 Convent Road NE
Cullman, AL 35055
Issue Contents
Issue Contents
Sister Laura Swan, president of ABA, announced that she would be seeking "some poignant, thought-provoking pieces on the theme Seek Peace and Pursue It for this newsletter over the next five issues" leading up to the 2012 convention with that theme. Below are the first two of these essays.
"Receive me, O Lord, as you have promised and I shall live. Do not disappoint me in my hope" (RB 58.21).
I am forty-nine years of age, and I will be celebrating my twentieth year in monastic profession at St. Paul's Monastery. I presently serve my community in leadership positions: assistant to the prioress and member of the monastic council. I am a councilor for the Federation of St. Benedict. I also minister part time in a local parish working with youth, and I care for my father, who is blind and has diabetes. In the midst of these ministries, I cannot help but feel stretched, knowing the many levels of peace that are needed for a balanced life.
Sometimes it is hard to reach a level of peace with so many distractions. In my heart, I know and understand that the quest for peace is one of the hallmarks of monastic life. Feeling the lack of peace is not external, but internal. In prayer, I yearn for a sense of harmony that can be long preserved. This is why I believe each monastic lives a life of formation from the day he/she enters the monastery until death. There are many wise monastics who have demonstrated peace with a moderation and transformation in the midst of their mission who have helped form our communities of today.
"Only when you follow the Holy Rule will you attain, with God's protection, the higher peaks of doctrine and virtue that we have pointed out. Amen" (RB 73.9).
In my search for God's peace, I have experienced inner violence from anger, resentments, and a lack of self-compassion. Seeking peace, I tap into my spiritual tool box that has been handed to me through my parents, families, friends, and monastic community. I live out my monastic vocation when the tools can be seen and are alive as my guiding principles. Through prayer I come to understand that peace is a gift from God. The Liturgy of the Hours is one of those tools. If my inner peace is not of God, then how can I support outer peace in a troubled world? How can I be called to love my neighbor, and show compassion and seek justice for the poor? Jesus taught us to love our enemies, and this is a challenge when the enemy can be within one's self. Without inner peace, our external work holds little value.
"Therefore we must establish a school for the Lord's service" (RB Prol. 45).
At St. Paul's Monastery, the members of our monastic community resonate harmony among and through each other and to the guests we receive. It is meeting God within others that brings me back to God whom I desire in my heart. I cannot look back, but to the present. Like monasticism, we learn from the past, stay in the present, as we look into the future. We are to be messengers of peace, and without a messenger there is no peace!
"Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it" (Psalm 33:14).
We have the tools to seek and pursue peace, but first we need to ask for it through perseverance, so that in all things God may be glorified!
Linda Soler, OSB
St. Paul Monastery
St. Paul, MN
This January on a brilliant cold afternoon, Benedictine sisters under the age of fifty-five from across the continental United States and Puerto Rico gathered at Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, KS. The leadership of their federations and congregation had invited their younger sisters to gather for the good purpose of drawing strength from the history of their tradition and of strengthening the bonds among these younger Benedictine women.
Upheaval was present in many of the stories shared in conversations large and small in Atchison: sudden deaths, estranged relationships, financial problems, and the ever present dilemma of having few sisters who are able-bodied enough to support their elders while also honoring their own spiritual and physical needs. We could have easily skidded on those upheavals in our conversations with our presenters and with one another, landing in the ditch and spinning our wheels in the ice and mud. We could have ended up standing on the side of the road not knowing what to do next. Such bewilderment may have been understandable since it is those sisters present who will soon be, if they aren't already, attending to all of the above upheavals with their communities.
Yet in the midst of that upheaval, monasticism thrives. It thrives in the cooperation of the younger sisters and their communities who worked hard to open the time and space for them to come to Atchison. It thrives in the abundant hospitality of the Atchison community and the willingness of all four federation and congregation leaders to remain with their younger sisters for the duration of the conference. It thrives in sacraments and prayer, in the tambourine that accompanied the last hymn for the vigil Mass on Saturday, as well as the clink of toast after toast during the social afterwards. It thrives in the laughter and tears of good friends who live far apart. It seems simple, and perhaps it is. Upheaval and a thriving monastic commitment can, perhaps must, be lived all tangled together.
When one participant asked the panel of leaders what the next step for these younger generations ought to be, Sister Pat Nyquist of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration quietly replied, "Perhaps you can tell us." For the moment, the next step is to be grateful for the clear grace of the Holy Spirit during four days in Kansas. More steps will come, yet for now, the younger sisters who came to Atchison can take in that grace, bring it home to their sisters, and share it with the wider Benedictine world, including the members of the American Benedictine Academy.
We, your younger sisters, are here. We want to be faithful and we want to serve. How can that be anything less that thriving? How can that be anything less than making peace, the peace that thrives in the midst of upheaval, the peace that is the Paschal Mystery, our quest and our aim?
Hilda Kleiman, OSB
Queen of Angels Monastery
Mount Angel, OR
Issue Contents
The Byzantine Benedictine Sisters of Queen of Heaven Monastery in Warren, OH, have received permission from the Sacred Congregation for Eastern Churches to change their status to that of a dependent monastery of Sacred Heart Monastery in Lisle, IL.
A private Ceremony of Change of Status was held on Sunday, November 21. Prioress Judith Ann Heble, OSB, of Lisle and Sister Glenna Smith, OSB, president of the Federation of St. Scholastica, were present. This was the culmination of a decision made by the Byzantine Benedictine Sisters in 2007.
Sister Judith Ann appointed Sister Margaret Mary Schima, OSB, the administrator of the dependent monastery. According to a 14-point agreement with the Lisle community, the sisters in Warren will continue to function as a Benedictine monastery of the Byzantine Church in matters of spirituality, traditions, and liturgical life. They will follow their own norms, administer their own finances, and retain their Ohio civil corporation. The sisters plan to move to smaller accommodations in Warren and continue their ministries to the Byzantine people.
* * * * * *
The Alliance of International Monasticism (AIM), an organization which supports Third World monasteries, welcomed Susan Hutchens, OSB, president of the Federation and Anne Wambach, OSB, prioress of the Erie Benedictines, as new board members when the AIM USA board of trustees held their annual meeting at Mount St. Benedict Monastery in Erie, PA. Fond farewells were shared with Kathryn Huber, OSB, outgoing board president, and Susan Doubet, OSB, former executive director. The board has appointed Sister Stephanie Schmidt, OSB, of the Erie community as the new executive director of the secretariat.
Issue Contents
My husband and I operate a Catholic used-book ministry in South Carolina and have had contact with many Benedictine sisters. We offer books to people around the world who are interested in good Catholic books. It is a pleasure and blessing for us to find a book for someone who is looking into the Catholic faith or someone who is a "cradle Catholic" who wants to defend the faith.
At the present time we are in dire need of books for our ministry. For this reason, we ask for books you no longer want and for your prayers. We work on a small budget but can always pay all the shipping costs and offer a small donation for the books. Please call or e-mail us if you should require more information or references.
Linda Mayntz
St. Anthony's Books
461-B Fleming Road
Charleston, SC 29412
(843) 588-9906
Issue Contents
OSB | ABA | American Monastic Newsletter
Monastic Researchers' Newsletter
© Copyright 2011 by American Benedictine Academy / Webweaver
/ www.osb.org/aba/news/2011/feba.html


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Taco Madness 2009 ~ Taco Tournament
Welcome to the Taco Madness 2009 LA Taco Tournament! After weeks of consultations, we've seeded the top 16 taco places around town. If you don't see your favorite, don't feel bad– next year we'll expand to 32 places. Spots were chosen for a combination of taste, fame and authenticity.
UPDATE MARCH 20th: 3 polls still open, the rest are closed. Vote now in the last three!! The last poll closes on Sunday, then on to the SABROCHO!!!!!
The first battle is between East side heavyweight King Taco, and a small west side outpost with two locations, Tacomiendo. Vote below!!
[poll id="2″]
The second battle is between East LA's famed fish taco kings Tacos Baja Ensenada, and one of the best taco trucks in town, Tacos El Korita. Vote below!!
[poll id="3″]
The third first round battle is between Highland Park's outlets La Estrella, and Echo Park's popular taco wagon, Tacos Zone.
[poll id="4″]
The fourth first round battle is between Los Feliz's family owned Yuca's, and the two location Loteria Grill. Vote below!!
[poll id="5″]
The fifth first round battle is between Santa Monica's most popular taco spot Tacos Por Favor, and the wonderful carnitas of Carnitas Michoacan. Vote below!!
[poll id="6″]
The sixth first round battle pits the King Taco affiliated El Taurino against the Westside's best-known (and arguably most controversial) taco stand, Tito's Tacos.
[poll id="7″]
In the second to last first round battle, we have the spot many have proclaimed the best in the city, East LA's famed Cinco Puntos going up against the well-known and respected (especially by the city's late night crews) Cactus Taqueria. Vote Below!
[poll ID="8″]
In the final round battle, we have the internet sensation Korean fusion taco truck Kogi BBQ going up against the one of the top spots in the valley Tacos El Zorro. Vote Below!
[poll ID="9″]
Comments (63) to "Taco Madness 2009 ~ Taco Tournament"
Have you done a review on Sergio's Tacos? carnitas is the bomb there.
trippin, wheres los guichos off slauson exit on the 110? Trrrrriiiipinnn….
What about Best Fish Taco in Ensenada on Hillhurst??
'miendo (inglewood blvd) deserves far better than an eight seed
What about 'Tina Tacos on the Music Center Plaza… The Al Pastor…yummm
@kid7: we love Sergio's and it was one of the "bubble" tacos that didn't make it this year.
@queso: I will have to try that one
@aziz: I love that spot too, but TBE is better and in the same division
@drnella: 'miendo rules but it's tough out there. Plus it's lesser-known.
@Taco Gourmet: I have not tried that al pastor, thanks for the reccomend.
los cinco puntos up in east los is my all time fave…..king taco was once my fave, its all about the taste and portions for me. even the tortillas are hecho a mano at 5 points….yo!
I have been living in LA for a long time and I am a taco expert I think Mariela's taco is better than any of this taco
Where is Macho Tacos on Hollywood & Vermont represented? That place is the go to spot and it's open 24 – 7.
What about Pinche's on Sunset? This list is so incomplete.
Gonna have to go with King Taco on this first one. Tacomiendo is good, their fish is better, but King Taco rules with their salsas.
Thanks Matt. Your site is awesome by the way.
When in LBC, Taqueria la Mexicana is a must. Insane Care Asada ($1.10 a taco) & best bean and cheese burrito around.
On 3200 block of 4th street.
The al pastor at La Taquiza is manna from God.
How about a taco scorecard that we can print out? That way we can all judge from the same criteria.
EXCELLENT site, btw.
No El Parian? It's Taco Hunter's top taco. But I'll go with the flow….
does no one read the post? have no fear taco lovers..you're favorite spot will more than likely be on the list next month.
Sky's Tacos…hands down….Pico & Hauser….
neighborhood joint that have the best seasoned shells….famous 4 the shrimp tacos…..fresh "sassy" salsa…..now featuring lobster, tilapia & salmon tacos….yum….and the sweet hibiscus drink in the mason jar
Yuca's has a 2nd location on Hollywood!
i never been to King Taco but i did go to Tacomiendo on the way to Baja Cali from home in State of Jefferson. So good i adapted a recipe in my new little taco book out this fall from Sasquatch Books in Seattle. we went to 7 places in 3 hrs on taco blitzkreig, south from Santa Barbara, into Venice, SaMo, thence south. Nothing but tacos for two weeks. San Vicente was with us al the way. it's taco geometry, really, you pick a trajectory and strike out and try to do taco justice in the places where you go, looking for little joints, following leads, handpainted lettering in store fronts, station wagons and minivans with crowds around them, taco and tamal slices throwing down, soda pop and fluorescent bulbs. i dug the carve through that slice of SoCal and always look fwd to visiting such taco rich lands. But seriously, try the tacos de ojo in Santa Barbara down by the fwy, name escapes me now.
[…] (Food, Taco Tournament) First off, thanks to Mike for finding this. It seems there's a taco tournament to find the best taco in LA. Here are the 16 places that made it into the […]
@Erich: aight check it out. its a truck spot that opens at night. Its parked inside an auto shop parking lot exactly to your right when you get off slauson; going north on the 110 coming from south bay/harbor area. go late, go hungry and they have a great selection of bootleg DVD's! a complete night right there.
where is Leos Taco Truck from Eagle Rock! it needs to be there next year!
Titos aint authentic but it is tasty. Sup with La Playita?? that shit is on point
seriously, titos tacos over the el taurino chain!?!?
it's some of the best damn al pastor in the city! i can at least vouche for the panorama city locations, though i've tried the 11th St and Hoover spot.
tito's on the other hand, i tried a few times… it's good for an american translation of the taco but no comparison. just a strange matchup i suppose.
What about Senor Fish? Best fish tacos in LA. Also Rick's Tacos in Pasadena is a must-have for next year.
el taco llama in n. hollywood — great asada tacos and it's in a car wash, so extra pts for ambience. also, the truck at fountain and western is excellent, name on the side says 'armando's hot foods'…
My new favorite site!!!!
Maybe someone could help me. I've lost my favorite taco truck (more like a trailer). it used to be on the corner of 3rd and Vermont called El Cuate, Tacos Y Mariscos… but it's disappeared. Anyone have any clue where it shows up now?
U gueros are outta ur freakin mind! Tito's specializes in tacos "al carton" that are flavorless and wiggity wiggity wiggity wack. Cinco puntos losing to Cactus goes to show that the majority of ppl voting here are not from East Los or Mexican decent. Seriously, I grew up in Boyle Heights and now live in Hollywood. I know tacos, cabrones, and cinco puntos is the where it's at. Eat it like a real mexican with nopales (cactus) on it. To be fair, King Taco shouldn't be in this bracket; not since they made their burritos the size of a taquito and started charging twice the price for them. That's it.
You gotta be joking, right? King Taco a #1 seed? Cactus a #8?!? Are you writing this from Nebraska?
Have you tried Pinche Tacos on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. Its small, but the food is great.
I can't believe thet Chabelita's on western is not on here. Dude, seriously the best Taco in L.A.! I'll will drive from anywhere at anytime just to get one!!!
@Chris taste is not the only criteria. King Taco is the undisputed "most famous" local chain, and one that has grown and grown through the years. Cactus is a personal fave but the selection committee has spoken. Next year we'll open up the committee and you can apply for a spot. I warn you that the application is several pages long.
YUK! TITO's, BAH! How did Tito's Tacos even get in this? Tito's Tacos is just plain gross and a bad case of the runs waiting to happen. They've been busted for serving dog food and horse meat.
now you KNOW its not brown folk doing the voting if Tito's Tacos is beating El Taurino!!! what a shame.
how did Tito's even get on this?!?!?!?!
Where are the Poquito Mas ahi tacos? They are the best, and probably the healthiest. They also make fresh tortillas at the restaurant, and that's one of the big differences since only a few of these places take the time to do it right.
@Rosa Tito's was a very controversial selection. It was chosen because of it's name and place in the taco history. It's the only "gringo taco" joint on the list. There are a lot of Tito-like places in town, it is a genre of tacos.
Rosa, you're totally right! I live on the westside near Tito's, and I've been there enough over the years to know that it's no way near El Taurino. Although, I like King Taco better lately.
Also, speaking of genre-tacos, Kogi's not really authentic now, is it? If you're in the mood for Mexican/Korean, go to El Taurino and look at the people in line. Peace.
@Pete thank you! but authenticity isn't my only problem with Tito's, it's also taste. that meat? yuck!
I really think nostalgia might be reason people return to that place. that, or they're too lazy to drive across town to get the good stuff.
Sky's Gourmet Tacos on Pico are really incredible. Maybe the best taco I've ever had.
[…] Very excited to see this LA taco shop throwdown. I'm gonna have to at least hit up the "Elite Eight". Cast your vote and participate in the "madness" at LA TACO » Taco Madness 2009 […]
[…] March Madness Is Here Enough about sports. It's time to settle who can claim the title of Best Taqueria in Los Angeles. […]
Tito's tacos over El Taurino? Silly white folks.
Are we voting on Taqueria or just the tacos?
In either case…Tacomiendo being a #8 seed much less losing in the first round is a crime.
Once again, the committee shafts the mid-majors…tournament style.
Say what you want about Tito's, but it's got TWICE as many votes as ANY other place on this list… And I don't know of ANY other taco place in L.A. where I hear from friends all over the country who have moved away that they still crave it. I go there all the time, and the crowd is by far not just white, either. Good is good, and Tito's is the best.
Tito's Tacos?!?! Are you kidding me? Leave the westside once in a while and try some Mexican food. You'll like it. Any menu with "ground beef" as an ingredient is a dead give-away.
Now I grew up on Tito's…and I NEVER liked their meat. It was only about the cheese. Recently re-visited my past…after leaving LA for 10 years and engaging in culinary euphoria in NYC, Seattle and Atlanta (no places to compare tacos, obviously). So I'm back and trying tito's and thinking "YUCK." Even the salsa sucks! Tacomiendo is the place! (Tacos por favor is just a spot well-to-do baseball little leaguer families love to get dinner in a pinch). La Playita used to be our fave, until we found Tacomiendo.
I gotta tell ya, I have been eating at Titos tacos since i was 5 years old, just about the time they opened. I live in Lancaster now, and still have to make the trip at least once a month for the Titos fix, nothing beats the tacos or burritos.
[…] LA Taco hosts Taco Madness! A bracket where voters decide which taqueria takes home the trophy. […]
mmmm… word on the street is that tito's tacos is campaigning for votes. haha.
Taco King is just another commercial place like McDonalds all the meat is premade in a Cental Kithen and heated in steam tables,if you want eat fresh cooked meat try somwere else Like El Kotita ,Koji BBQ Tacomedio are your best bet.
tito's is going to smoke this competition
What about taconazo if youre going to include fish tacos. Best I have had even in comparison to Ensenada locations.
I just discovered this great site. I do an eating blog in Oakland and did a taco edition last year. You might dig it:
Can you please remove Tito's Tacos from the tournament. If you can't then please add Taco Bell and Del Taco to the competition…they serve basically the same food.
"Anita Pu wrote:
Tito's Tacos?!?! Are you kidding me? Leave the westside once in a while and try some Mexican food. You'll like it. Any menu with "ground beef" as an ingredient is a dead give-away."
My thoughts exactly! Tito's is all hype. Why not put Taco Bell on the list???!!!
[…] Comments i find this great and hilarious and enticing, all at the same time. LA taco has started a taco tournament for L.A. it's already completed a good amount of the ladder, but it makes me wanna hit up all […]
I would give my first born to see El Parian with their tacos de birria. Best taco in town.
Taco plus has THE BEST carnitas tacos in town. if you havent had them go to West LA and try them now. this is the place i will miss the most if i ever move.
This site has a bunch of retards voting. Tito's over El Taurino? Yet King Taco is favored to win it all? El Taurino is King Taco, only better!
Please do not reproduce.
[…] forget the source, but I somehow can across this blog post on lataco.com. A tournament of tacos from LA's best tacquerias: I had to participate. My […]
I would have to vote for TACOS EL GAVILAN!!! Who is with me?
Hey tacos la Playita in Lynwood is bomb that guacamole is off the hook


text:
The Bulldogs got a boost when Aaron Murray (6-1, 208,Sr.) announced he would return for his final season. Murraywill enter 2013 as a legitimate candidate for All-Americahonors and Heisman Trophy consideration.
Click here for the original story.
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text: Publications Search Results Users may wish to consult What's Included in the Bibliography. Results 1 - 1 Results per page: 25 50 100 Sort by: Pub Date (newest) Title Recent Additions Author Clear All Pub. Year Citation 2010 Elder, G.H., Wang, L., Spence, N.J., Adkins, D., Brown, T.H. . Pathways to the All-Volunteer Military. Social Science Quarterly. 91, (2), 455-475. Full Text Options: DOI Worldcat Google Scholar Export Options: RIS EndNote XML [1]


text:
The academy is hosting its 6th Annual National Character and Leadership Symposium, and this year's theme is "Integrity First." The symposium is intended to stimulate dialogue and ideas on nurturing a social climate that promotes a common commitment to integrity, service and excellence not only within the military, but in all walks of life.
Hamre's remarks are open for media coverage. For more information, contact Neil Tabbot at the academy's public affairs office at (719) 333-7639.


text:
Nasdaq to compensate Facebook investors
Kai Ryssdal
Jun 5, 2012 It says there was a 30-minute glitch at the Facebook open a few weeks ago. Losses are estimated to be near $100 million.
Companies delay IPO due to Facebook, Euro crisis
Christopher Werth
Jun 1, 2012 Yesterday discount travel website Kayak announced it's putting off going public. In the UK, luxury jeweler Graff Diamonds has made a similar move, and today Formula One announced it's shelving its IPO.
Investors beware: IPOs are a big boy's game
Bob Moon
Interview with
Jun 1, 2012 In the wake of Facebook's IPO, senior business correspondent Bob Moon explains why individual investors are at a sharp disadvantage.
Low U.S. employment growth and the tech sector slows
David Brancaccio
Interview by
May 25, 2012 Some point to the Facebook stock flop as sign of a slowing tech sector. Meanwhile, employment growth for unskilled workers in the U.S. remains stalled.
Facebook investors seek compensation
Stacey Vanek Smith
May 25, 2012 A week on, Facebook is grappling with small investors who want compensation for losses due to Nasdaq's technical snags.
Will Facebook switch from NASDAQ to NYSE?
Scott Tong
May 24, 2012 After technical snafus on the NASDAQ market interfered with the launch of Facebook stock, there are reports the New York Stock Exhange reached out to Facebook to pick up their business.
Facebook: Part of the insider's financial club?
Heidi N. Moore
Interview with
May 23, 2012 What did the Morgan Stanley know about Facebook, when did it know, and who did it tell? Shareholders prepare to sue the bank and Facebook over how the public offering of stock was handled.
Shareholders sue Facebook and banks over IPO
Josh Brown
Interview with
May 23, 2012 On the fourth day of Facebook public trading, shareholders sued the company, Mark Zuckerberg, as well as several banks that underwrote the deal.
Lawsuit claims Facebook hid revenue forecast reduction
Scott Tong
May 23, 2012 The shareholder lawsuit against Facebook and its banking partners argues they made a "severe and pronounced reduction" to the company's revenue projects days before the initial offering but hid it from the public.
Could Facebook's IPO be unveiling a new tech bubble?
Scott Tong
May 22, 2012 The stock tanked 11 percent yesterday, and a technology glitch marred its first day of trading Friday. Some look at the disappointing debut and wonder if something's amiss generally in the tech sector.


text:
At the Stardust NExT press conference in February, Dr. Ed Weiler, Associate Administrator for NASA's Science, had a message for school kids curious about how we navigate our spacecraft. How were we able to reposition Stardust NExT -- a spacecraft that had been in space for 12 years -- to intercept a rotating comet travelling 24700 mph in the other direction. His answer? "It's done with math!"
With math as our primary tool, we not only rendezvous with comets and visit planets and asteroids, we're also headed into interstellar space via the twin Voyager spacecraft. An event will be held April 28th at NASA Headquarters to celebrate the accomplishments of these amazing space probes.
The Voyagers were launched in 1977* and for the past 33 years have been on an incredible journey, making discoveries that have had a profound influence on our world of planetary science. They are the longest operating, continuously functioning mechanisms (space probes) ever sent into space by humankind -- a fabulous accomplishment considering the astronomical expanses traveled and the distances over which control commands are sent. Most certainly, it's math!
Having left the "planetary" domain behind many years ago, the Voyagers are now exploring the heliosphere -- the enormous bubble of gas blown by the solar wind and enveloping our solar system. Voyager-1 is almost 117 AU (astronomical units) from our sun, and Voyager-2 is not far behind, about 95 AU from the sun. (To put that in perspective, 1 AU is the distance from the Earth to the sun, or about 149 million km, or 93 million miles. Do the math!)** The spacecraft are heading for the boundary of the heliosheath, the outer layer of the heliosphere.
The sun controls the environment within this bubble, and once the spacecraft cross over into interstellar space, we'll have data never before available. What's it like out where the sun is no longer really influencing you? Will things be different there, where you're sort of drifting through space? It will be incredibly interesting to find out.
The Voyagers have already given us an entirely new perspective of our place in the solar system and the universe. When Voyager-1 reached a point, over twenty years ago, beyond the outermost planet in our solar system, the spacecraft's camera rotated inward to capture some final photographs of our family of planets. These images were pieced together to create the first group portrait. The MESSENGER spacecraft, before getting into orbit around Mercury, completed a second group picture of our solar system. It is the view that our sun would have.
In each of these "portraits" we see Earth as a blue speck of light within the vast expanse of our solar system -- which is itself only a small portion of a tremendous galaxy in a universe abundant with galaxies.
Not only have the Voyager spacecraft given us new perspective, they've greatly expanded our knowledge. Among their many discoveries are Jupiter's tumultuous atmosphere featuring hurricane-like storm systems; new moons -- new worlds in and of themselves, with volcanoes, methane lakes, erupting geysers and the like -- orbiting many of our solar system's planets; and the termination shock, the inner boundary between the heliosphere and the rest of interstellar space.
And we continue to progress. Since the Voyagers launched in the 1970's we've learned to do more than fly by the worlds we want to study. Advances in spacecraft are enabling us to explore many of our planets and other bodies within this solar system by orbiting, landing or roving on them. In the decades since the Voyagers launched, researchers have also discovered more than a thousand Kuiper Belt objects beyond Pluto and found close to 1,500 exoplanet candidates.
Space missions are daunting endeavors -- the distances traveled are vast and the challenges, including budget challenges, are tremendous. How are we able to continually meet these challenges and take the human race to new vistas? Just remember ... it's done with math!
Read More by Dr. James Green


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Associate Director Service-Learning position at Purdue University
The Center for Instructional Excellence at Purdue University is seeking an Assistant Director for Service-Learning (job # 1200784). This is a new position in the Center. The position description can be found by visiting the following link and typing in the position number (1200784) in the appropriate field using the basic search feature. Interested individuals can also apply online by following the same link. http://purdue.taleo.net/careersection/wl/jobsearch.ftl
Purdue University is a large research intensive University, with approximately 40,000 students, located in West Lafayette Indiana. Purdue is recognized for its outstanding programs in Engineering, Business, Veterinary Medicine, Aerospace/Aeronautic, and Biological/Agriculture. Purdue is among the top 100 institutions in the Nation (ranked number 62 nationally) and among the top 25 Public Universities.
Several large scale, University-wide initiatives are underway, such as the creation of a Core curriculum, the Foundation of Excellence First-Year experience, and IMPACT course transformation, making it a very exciting time to be part of Purdue University. For more information about Purdue University visit http://www.purdue.edu/.
To find out more about Service-Learning at Purdue University, please visit http://www.purdue.edu/servicelearning/index.html
In addition, more information about the Center for Instructional Excellence can be found on our website http://www.purdue.edu/cie/. If you have questions regarding this position, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me.
Chantal Levesque-Bristol
Director, Center for Instructional Excellence
Professor, Educational Studies


text:
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and SPECT Brain Imaging in the Treatment of Chronic Brain Injury
Paul G. Harch M.D.Clinical Assistant Professor L.S.U. School of Medicine
This free downloadable PDF contains many case presentations of SPECT brain scans.
Available at Amazon
By Dr. Paul G. Harch
& Virginia McCullough
More info >
Subscribe today to be stay informed about HBOT!


text:
Now is the time to find summer camps for your kids. Check out the Kids Sports Network Summer Camp List.
Baseball, softball and soccer season are underway. Other organizations run their seasons and sports at different times. For more information, follow the red links to each organization's website. Also check the Kids Sports Network youth sports registration and information page.