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Headlining day 2 of Rock N America on the mainstage, the influential and legendary Scorpions deliver an exemplary performance to the largest festival crowd of the weekend.
As noted in coverage from the groups Atlanta show, at 38 years young, the Scorpions deliver jaw dropping performances with arena sized stage productions as they begin their 3 year world farewell tour. This nights performance would perhaps come with a unique opportunity given Scorpions founder Michael Schenker had performed with his band MSG earlier in the day. As such, expectation was high that he would join brother Rudolph Schenker on stage during the set.
Shooting Notes:
Given the impeccable shooting of the Scorpions performance weeks prior, the band was my most anticipated shoot of the Rock N America festival.
Here is what happened…
Rumors swirled around media attendees in the early afternoon regarding a separate Scorpions credential being required for the Scorpions headlining performance at Rock N America. I immediately inquired with event media and was told no such "additional" credential was required. As such, I went about my day and made no additional arrangements for credentials. Entering the pit, touring staff informed an additional credential was in fact required. Confusion set in and we were informed that perhaps we would be allowed to shoot from the standing room only 350+ VIP area, amongst the fans. The media on assignment fully aware of Michael Schenker's planned performance with the group quickly disappeared into the sea of fans. Impossible to get to a position in the front rows, I made my way stage left in the darkness which seemed to have less hands in the air as I would need to shoot above and/or through them. From here I enjoyed another jaw dropping performance by the while waiting patiently. All shots were captured with a single Nikon D700 and 70-200 2.8 hand held overhead. A testament to the Nikon D700's 21 point dynamic focus point selection and good aim by photographer. Exposures fell around a very leisurely 1/400 F2.8 ISO1600.


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breaking in my 357...
i got my new 357 started finally.. the large wire on the started was loose.. apparently i hadnt tightened it all the way. so i got it started and proceded to idle the engine around 1500rpm to start the cam break in process for 30 min. the engine has a compression of anywhere from 9.5-9.8, i run an XE268 cam, melling high volume low pressure pump, edelbrock air gap rpm, edelbrock 600cfm. the engine seemed to climb to 180deg very quick and the radiator is hotter than its ever been... scolding to the touch. initially oil pressure was 60lbs which i assume is optimal then dropped around the 50-55lbs range. is an engine suppose to get overly hot during break in period? its seems to me the engine temp would have kept climbing since it reached that temp so fast... so i killed the engine. i use a 160 thermo and a summit aluminum 2-core (4 core capacity ) radiator. any thoughts on this? it just had me worried.. i really have no idea.
Check your timing. If it is retarded the engine will run higher than normal very quickly. You will also see your exhaust close to the headers begin to "glow" with a retarded ignition.
Check for vacuum leaks as well. This would cause a lean condition leading to high temps.
Since you are breaking in the cam; disconnect the vacuum advance and plug it. Start the engine and bring it up to around 2500 RPM and set the "Total mechanical Timing" around 34-36 degrees. Continue with the cam break in run. Watch the water temp, oil pressure and check for leaks. Don't worry about adjusting the carb until after you have completed the cam break in.
Another thing to look for is enough air flow thru the radiator. Are you running a clutch type fan? If you are, it will not be sufficient to pull enough air thru the radiator with the engine stationary. Place a 'box fan' in front of the radiator for additional air flow.
Replace the thermostat with a 180 degree one.
Be sure to replace the oil and oil filter after the cam break in period. :D
it seems the distributor is one tooth off... thats the only reason we can figure why it is overheating. we have another truck with a 350 that had the same problem. you can hear the engine isnt running very evenly either. because despite where the timing was...it always ran hot. so we'll move it a tooth over and see where we fall.
Keep in mind that a new engine will make more heat until it starts to break in. If there is any air in the block that hasn't burped out yet it can over heat.
Keep in mind that a new engine will make more heat until it starts to break in. If there is any air in the block that hasn't burped out yet it can over heat.
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text:
Human Resources and Payroll Systems Requirements (Exposure Draft)
JFMIP-SR-98-5: Published: Nov 5, 1998. Publicly Released: Nov 5, 1998.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
(202) 512-4800
GAO published a functional requirements document for human resource and payroll systems for U.S. civilian personnel. This document concerns human resources and payroll financial systems analysts, system accountants, and others who design, develop, implement, operate, and maintain financial management systems.
Apr 26, 2017
SSA Disability Benefits:Antifraud Efforts Need a Comprehensive Strategic ApproachGAO-17-585T: Published: Apr 26, 2017. Publicly Released: Apr 26, 2017.
Apr 6, 2017
Human Trafficking:Action Needed to Identify the Number of Native American Victims Receiving Federally-funded ServicesGAO-17-325: Published: Mar 30, 2017. Publicly Released: Apr 6, 2017.
Mar 22, 2017
Face Recognition Technology:DOJ and FBI Need to Take Additional Actions to Ensure Privacy and AccuracyGAO-17-489T: Published: Mar 22, 2017. Publicly Released: Mar 22, 2017.
Mar 21, 2017
Department Of Justice:Continued Actions Needed to Enhance Program Efficiency and Resource ManagementGAO-17-471T: Published: Mar 21, 2017. Publicly Released: Mar 21, 2017.
Feb 7, 2017
Drug-Free Communities Support Program:Agencies Have Strengthened Collaboration but Could Enhance Grantee Compliance and Performance MonitoringGAO-17-120: Published: Feb 7, 2017. Publicly Released: Feb 7, 2017.
Dec 14, 2016
Federal Judiciary:Progress Made in Reducing Appellate Space, but Innovative Practices Should Be Shared across CourtsGAO-17-134: Published: Dec 14, 2016. Publicly Released: Dec 14, 2016.
Nov 30, 2016
Confidential Informants:Status of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Efforts to Address a GAO RecommendationGAO-17-265R: Published: Nov 30, 2016. Publicly Released: Nov 30, 2016.
Elder Abuse:The Extent of Abuse by Guardians Is Unknown, but Some Measures Exist to Help Protect Older AdultsGAO-17-33: Published: Nov 16, 2016. Publicly Released: Nov 30, 2016.
Aug 3, 2016
FACE Recognition Technology:FBI Should Better Ensure Privacy and Accuracy [Reissued on August 3, 2016]GAO-16-267: Published: May 16, 2016. Publicly Released: Jun 15, 2016.
Aug 1, 2016
Firearms Data:ATF Did Not Always Comply with the Appropriations Act Restriction and Should Better Adhere to Its PoliciesGAO-16-552: Published: Jun 30, 2016. Publicly Released: Aug 1, 2016.
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text: CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Metabolix, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBLX) today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Joseph Shaulson as its new president and chief executive officer (CEO) effective January 2, 2014 and as a member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Shaulson, previously Executive Vice President of Arch Chemicals, will succeed Richard Eno, who will remain with the Company until January 31, 2014 to assist with the transition. Shaulson, 48, brings nearly 20 years of experience as a senior executive with mid-sized specialty chemicals and advanced materials companies and as a corporate lawyer specializing in corporate development and corporate finance transactions. While at Arch Chemicals, Shaulson had responsibility for a variety of global businesses, including Personal Care and Industrial Biocides, Wood Protection, Performance Products and Industrial Coatings. He also led Arch's strategic planning and corporate development functions when he joined the company as Vice President, Strategic Development in 2008. "Joe is a proven executive who has successfully led and developed global chemicals and materials businesses," commented Robert Van Nostrand, Chairman of the Board. "His broad experience with specialty products in diverse applications and dynamic end markets is a great fit for Metabolix as we work to accelerate the progress of our biopolymers business and navigate through the next stage of our development and growth." From 1996 to 2007, Shaulson served in various leadership positions at Hexcel Corporation, an advanced composites company, including President of the Reinforcements Business Unit. From 1991 to 1996, he served as a corporate associate at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Shaulson received a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Metabolix also announced that Barbara Wells and Jay Kouba will be resigning as members of the Board of Directors effective January 2, 2014 to focus on other personal and professional pursuits. Van Nostrand added, "On behalf of the Board, I thank Rick for his leadership and contributions to Metabolix during the past five years that have positioned the Company for growth in high value markets. In addition, we extend our appreciation to both Barbara and Jay for their contributions and many years of service." In connection with this appointment, Metabolix granted Shaulson inducement equity awards in accordance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The grants, which were made outside the Metabolix 2006 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, were approved by the Compensation Committee of the Company's Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors, as an inducement material to Shaulson's entering into employment with Metabolix. The inducement grants to Shaulson consist of (i) nonqualified options to purchase 1,150,000 shares of Metabolix common stock with a 10-year term and an exercise price equal to the closing price of the Company's common stock on the date of grant; (ii) up to 600,000 shares of common stock that vest in various percentages once certain Metabolix stock price or revenue based targets are achieved; and (iii) the sale of 250,000 shares of Metabolix common stock to Shaulson on his start date at a price 10% below the closing price of the Company's common stock on today's date (subject to a 1-year holding period). Shaulson's stock option for 1,150,000 shares will vest as follows: 25% on the second anniversary of his start date, 25% on the third anniversary of his start date and the remaining 50% on the fourth anniversary of his start date, subject to his continued employment with Metabolix over such period, or other employment termination events that could continue the vesting terms. In the event of a change of control, all of Shaulson's unvested options will become fully-vested immediately.


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A July 2009 report by five agency Inspectors Generals puts the spotlight on another "anti-terrorism" measure that fails to augment national security but infringes on civil liberties. Without identifying any specific activities, the unclassified report refers to "Presidential Surveillance Programs" (PSP) authorized by the Bush administration in the aftermath of 9/11. The report describes "conflicting views surrounding the legality" of parts of the PSP and questions the benefits received from the information collected. Authorized by the 2008 FISA Amendment Act (FAA), the report also divulges the Bush White House politicizing the "threat assessment" that it had used as the basis for the domestic surveillance programs.
In the report, the Inspectors General from Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Justice (DOJ), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Agency (NSA) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) called the arrangements that excluded all but three Justice lawyers from knowing of the PSP "extraordinary and inappropriate." The secrecy surrounding PSP was furthered demonstrated during the creation of the "threat assessment memoranda." After terrorism analysts had completed their intelligence examination, a "senior White House official" added text to their appraisal that suggested possible threats from "individuals and organizations involved in global terrorism" and a recommendation authorizing "the NSA to conduct surveillance activities under the PSP." If the analysis had shown insufficient evidence of threats or lacked a "compelling case for reauthorization of PSP", the continuation of PSP would have been in jeopardy.
FBI, CIA and other officials "had difficulty evaluating the precise contribution of the PSP to counterterrorism efforts." An examination of the "impact of PSP information" revealed most data collected was on the periphery of investigations as "one source among many available analytic and intelligence gathering tools" and not the primary source for key anti-terrorism intelligence. The report also called for the data collected by PSP to be "carefully monitored."
According to ACLU Legislative Counsel, Michelle Richardson, "Giving up the Fourth Amendment for an ineffective program is a double slap in the face of Americans." The ACLU press release highlighted several issues raised by the report including:
- Information derived from the PSP was "vague or without context," leading analysts to rely on more useful tools (p.34);
- Agencies generally have no meaningful way to tag what information they used, and possibly are still using, that was collected under the illegal program as opposed to information collected by lawful means (pps. 32-35);
Richardson added, "We already know that the NSA has overstepped the overbroad bounds of the FISA Amendments Act, and it's time for Congress to take a thorough look at the surveillance powers it's handed our government."
House Democrats are in favor of legislation that increases congressional access to secret intelligence briefings. The White House has not expressed support for additional Congressional oversight.


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The Capitol building in downtown Austin is an impressive structure. It is taller than the national capitol building by a few feet. Everything is bigger in Texas!

© Brandon Seidel / The University of Texas tower. Everything you have heard and read about it is true!

© Kushal Bose / Kayaking on Lady Bird Lake is an Austin institution. Get away from it all and still be right in the middle of town!

© Kushal Bose / Thousands of bats spend their day just under the Congress Ave. bridge. At dusk they fly out to feed. The site is spectacular!

© Kushal Bose / If you are in Austin and don't spend at least 75% of your time near live music...you just aren't trying!

© Ricardo Garza / Many times live music is out looking for you! You don't have to look far to find a talented musician playing on a street corner for tips.

© GSPhotography / They won't let you back on the plane without a new pair of boots!

© GSPhotography / Some of our local delicacies are legendary. Amy's Ice Cream, for instance....

© Alfie Photography / Mexican food of every variety....

© Alfie Photography / 6th street is where everyone back home will ask about. You have to at least take a visit!

© Alfie Photography / Need car while you're here Rent one by the hour!

© Alfie Photography / You'll find more retro-fit buildings that are now bars and restaurants than you can count. And they are all good!

© Alfie Photography / Visit the Steve Ray Vaughn statue on Auditorium Shores

© Alfie Photography / If you don't eat something from a food truck, you'll go hungry

© Alfie Photography / One of the most adventurous things you can do is ride a pedi-cab to your next destination. The drivers make sure you have a good time!

© Alfie Photography / We call it SoCo. South Congress Ave. You'll never want to leave

© Alfie Photography / The Paramount Theater has been around since 1915. If you sit really quietly you can hear Vaudeville.....

© John Pesina / Austin, Texas. King of the food trailers!

© Tricia Daniel / The Bob Bullock Texas History Museum is a must-visit!

© Blanscape / our brand new state-of-the-art F1 track is just a little ways out of town.

© Jeff Schultes / Photo 1 of 1 Continue Gallery


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Freedom Express 282BHDS
Step inside this 282BHDS Freedom Express deep slide bunkhouse travel trailer by Coachmen RV, and see all the conveniences provided. Starting with the deep slide in the living and kitchen area which creates plenty of added interior space. There is also a set of double bed bunks, and even two entry/exit doors, plus more.
The rear corner double bed bunks easily accommodate a larger family, or one that enjoys bringing along extra guests. There is a full bath right next door with a convenient private entry so you don't have to run all through the trailer when you need the restroom from outdoors.
The kitchen also provides all of the necessary amenities needed to create meals and snacks while away from home. There is a pantry/wardrobe combo, a refrigerator, and a three burner range with microwave oven making cooking super easy. The double sink to the left of the front most entry door makes it easy to clean up afterwards, plus there is overhead storage for your daily dishes and things as well.
With the slide out booth dinette and sofa along the road side you will find plenty of seating for meals or just hanging out. There is also an entertainment center for watching movies when the weather doesn't allow you to be outdoors. This entertainment center rotates 360 degrees creating multiple viewing locations.
The front bedroom provides a comfortable queen size bed with double wardrobes, one on either side of the bed. There is also an overhead cabinet above the bed for extra storage space.
Besides the convenient front pass-through compartment for all your extra outdoor gear, there is a second storage bay in the rear below the double bed bunks, and so much more!Have a question about this floorplan?Contact Us
Sleeps 8 Slides 1 Length 31 ft 11 in Ext Width 8 ft Ext Height 10 ft 9 in Interior Color Russet, Chestnut, Cashmere Hitch Weight 736 lbs Gross Weight 7700 lbs Dry Weight 5908 lbs Cargo Weight 1792 lbs Fresh Water Capacity 49 gals Grey Water Capacity 33 gals Black Water Capacity 33 gals Tire Size ST205/75R14C
Similar Travel Trailer Floorplans
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Just a disclaimer. This post is not for the faint of heart or safe for work (meaning NSFW!). Instead of the normal adult sex toys you might be familiar with we have something even better, Japanese sex toys. "Wait a minute," you are thinking to yourself. "Don't the Japanese just make Civics, Playstations, and digital cameras?" Nope my friends, that's not all they make. In my humble opinion the Japanese are one of the most sexually repressed people in the world. The result of this is the most fantastic, kinkiest, and most technologically advanced sex toys on the planet. Don't believe me? Then you are in for a treat. We've chosen 10 of the craziest Japanese sex toys we could find.
Depending on your level of kinkiness you might not find these toys all that CRAZY, but at least we did or found them extremely amusing. Our friends from the East have definitely implemented some serious innovation to the sex toy industry. Without further ado here are 10 of the craziest and freakiest Japanese sex toys (make sure to look through all and see if you spot what all these toys have in common…bonus points will be awarded):
1. A10 Cyclone R1 Unit Combo
Also known as the Robotic Masturbator and Controler Set, but we think of it as a Juicer but for your privates. A Juicer that includes a remote control as well. Awesome!
This A10 Cyclone R1 Unit Combo gives you everything you need to have the best sexual experience of your life! Let the power of BOTH the R1 base unit and the Cyclone create the amazing sensation of a blowjob and other feelings. The Cyclone races around your member at incredible speeds, yet gently caresses you to a state of impossible pleasure.
Price to experience the genital Juicer: $160
Just in case you thought this picture was a photoshopped image. See the A10 Cyclone in action:
2. Virgin Meiki Aoi Chihiro
The tag line for this device is "experience the first time, every time." That just about sums it up.
We all remember our first time. And this deluxe onahole has been designed to create the sensation of deflowering a virgin. The realistic Virgin Meiki Aoi Chihiro comes with a hymen and red vaginal passage, as well as hips for gripping.
Price to deflower this leg-less upper torso-less virgin: $96
3. Ona Max Revolution Sex Machine
Again we have to wonder what is Japan's fascination with genital food processing hybrid machines. If I didn't know any better I'd probably try to make a smoothie with this before sticking my penis in it. But alas, another sex machine.
The Ona Max Revolution is the most adaptable and stimulating sex machine on the market, and only available for export from Japan at Kanojo Toys. The Robotech Thruster is good, but at twice the price you get ten times the functionality, including TWO internal 6V rotators that vibrate and massage your member as the piston works its magic. It has to be seen to be believed.
Price to have magic applied to your member: $258
I didn't believe in the 10x functionality so I dared to see it. And now I share what I saw with you:
4. Rolling Fella Bomber
Not only is Japanese sex technology interesting, the names are pretty cool as well. The device is a bit freaky looking, like a head on a stick or pink Pacman looking to bite off your member. But it looks like it gets the job done.
If you want the feeling of real fellatio without having to do any of the hard work of courtship, then you should just reach for the Rolling Fella Bomber. It might look a strange color but don't let that put you off. This ingenious device has a deep mouth to swallow your member – and a powerful moving tongue to tend to your needs. With strong or weak speed adjustment, this must be one of the best electric fellatio toys on the market. Easy to use and maintain, roll this onto your penis and bombs away!
Price to have bombs dropped on your penis: $75
5. Mangekyo Mami Hairy Onahole
Apparently translated this product also goes by the name "Double Hold with Bush toy." Definitely not as catchy as "Mangekyo Mami Hairy Onahole."
It's not a secret that some of us like a hairy bush. Some guys prefer it totally shaved; others like it real and furry. It's just about taste. However, most adult toys only give us hair-free fun. Where has the realism gone? Well, the Mangekyo Mami Hairy Onahole is here to insert some bush back into the equation.
Price to get some bush added to the equation: $78
6. High School Girl Used Panties
Have you heard the rumor that Japanese men love high school girls panties? Well this "toy" confirms it. Though besides sniffing them, I don't know what else you really could do with them…maybe wear them on your head?
As the Japanese say, only the blind could not have a thing for Japanese high school girls. Come on, you've all thought about it, right? Well, now your fantasies can come to life with the High School Girl Used Panties, simulation underwear designed to tantalize and tickle your dirtiest thoughts!
Price to tickle your dirtiest thoughts: $26 (that's a bargain!)
7. CandyGirl Jewel Rosa F Japanese Love Doll
These aren't your average $5 blow up doll. These dolls are featured on television specials about those who want companionship but don't want to deal with all the "talking" that apparently comes with a live woman. They are also perfect for those same guys who can't meet and seduce women the normal way everyone else does. What else can you do with these high end sex dolls? Take them when you shower, in the bedroom or even when you go out. Keep reading…I'm not making this stuff up.
The tallest and bustiest model made to date, the Candy Girl Jewel Rosa F is the latest top of the line love doll model from Orient Industries, and you can customize your very own right here on KanojoToys. Rosa is a buxom beauty, but with beautifully subtle features that are undeniably Japanese. Customize Rosa to be just the girl you want, with a wide selection of faces and hairpieces that are all different, but fully interchangeable. Being made of 100% silicone, Rosa is soft and lifelike to the touch, and incredibly flexible and posable to suit your special tastes.
All of our dolls are waterproof and will be fine in the bath with you (submerged up to the shoulders), or simply posing by herself. Rosa's silicone breasts feel extremely soft and realistic, as does all of her skin. It's smooth without the drag you typically feel on latex when you touch it. Because she's 100% silicone, the skin is seamless in the joint areas, making her look more real than any other love dolls out there.
The Grip Frame has tighter joints that can be moved and kept in that position for the best poses. This is ideal for taking photos, or simply for having more secure positions such as on her knees or standing (with support). The Free Frame has less tightness for those who want a freer feel. You can even choose your own hairpiece.
For your hands-on experience, the Rosa set comes with a hairless "Boing" body hole designed just for her. The body hole is extremely high-quality and durable, and provides amazing sensations for your special moments. If needed, choose an additional "Styler" body hole (has a tighter grip).
Can you guess how much it costs to take home Rosa to meet your parents? Maybe $500? $1000? Nope.
Price to to enjoy bathing with the world's sexiest rubber ducky: $10,019 plus $2,094 for shipping
Perhaps you don't believe that this doll is that lifelike. I didn't think it was possible…until I watched the video demo:
8. Boin Splash Breasts
Just so we're clear in the photo above…the breasts on the right are real and that monstrosity on the left is the sex toy. I don't know if they are trying to fool me, but the Boin Splash doesn't look anything like the boobs on the right.
For fans of breast sex (paizuri), the Boin Splash will keep you satisfied again and again. These two generously sized breasts have ample curves and pert nipples. Just touching them is often enough to get us off.
I'd be scared out of my mind if I saw any girl that looked like the image above. That is just not right, but I'm sure it feels interesting, nonetheless.
Price to be pleasured by 2 mounds of plastic and a cheese grater: $71
9. Triple Pleasure ultimate Onahole
All the essentials you'll need. This toy doesn't mess around. The best parts of a woman without any of that extra baggage that's normally included!
The Triple Pleasure is the most complete onahole ever, including a usable mouth, vagina, and soft breasts. Best of all, there's an internal vibe to top it all off and give you even more pleasure. Use her breasts and finish on her face, or do it the other way around! You have plenty of options with Triple Pleasure.
Price to be tripled pleasured by Quasimodo's sister: $102
10) Wind God Soft Type Penis Wrap
When I first saw the picture I thought "cool it's a penis handiwipe." Again I was wrong. It's assisted unnatural penis enhancement! A tool that maybe particularly appealing to Japanese men (not normally known for Godzilla-sized penises). This not only helps them gain the girth they've been wanting their whole life, but it has an image of a god on it too!
The Wind God Power Soft Type Penis Wrap is a great accessory for any man who would like to add some vroom to his womb broom. With this amazing silicon wrap-around you gain a noticeable increase in girth that she is sure to go bonkers for. That's because the rough dekoboko surface gives all new sensations combined with your own thrusts.
And what's more, the surface is emblazoned with a "Wind God' design that is not only inspiring and motivational for anyone who wears it, but it's sure to tickle her fancy in ways that ways that you never expected.
Price to add some vroom to your womb broom: $121 (plus it comes with a stylish carrying case)
Bonus Question:
Congrats if you made it down through all those crazy Japanese sex toys. Our question to you is did you notice the trend with all the sex toys we featured?
That's right, they are all for men! Apparently Japanese women are so satisfied with their men they have no need for toys, unlike their unsatisfied western female counterparts. You earn 500 bonus points if you picked up on that trend. Give yourself a pat on the back.
No related posts.


text:
Station Cinema
26 Station Road,
26 Station Road,London, SW9 8PD
No one has favorited this theater yet
Located in the southwest London inner-city district of Brixton, within a railway arch in Station Road. The Popular Bioscope Theatre opened in 1910 by Emile Savage. It was briefly re-named Pleasure Land Cinema. Last operated by J. Lazarus as the Station Cinema, it was closed in 1921.
In 2009, a clothing shop operates from this address.
There was also another Pleasure Land Cinema which briefly operated in 1915 on Atlantic Road.
Contributed by Ken Roe
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text:
MenuOur PeopleEnquire
Enquire »Enquire »
New Clients: 0800 260 5010
Existing Clients: 0345 357 9000
Agent Line: 0800 206 1523
Cases concerning industrial disease and illness can be emotive and require an efficient yet sympathetic approach. Our Industrial Disease specialist team will always work with you to get the best outcome. We have helped previous clients to win compensation for asbestos related illness, environmental exposure, occupational cancer, work related deafness, occupational asthma, hand arm vibration syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive strain injury claims, we can help you.
Adrian Fawden
Partner, Personal Injury
Anthony Waddington
Solicitor, Industrial Disease
Bryan Nott
Director of Personal Legal Services
Emma Costin
Director of Complex Personal Injury
Gavin Evans
Partner, Head of Industrial Disease
Helen Grady
Partner, Industrial Disease
Janet Cooper
Head of Care Home Claims
Joanna Tloczek
Litigation Executive, Industrial Disease
Julie Dudson
Partner, Medical Negligence
Lauren Randall
Paralegal, Industrial Disease
Phillip Gower
Partner, Industrial Disease
Rebecca Ryan
Solicitor, Industrial Disease
Sarah Grogan
Partner, Medical Negligence
Tamika Ndovi
Solicitor, Industrial Disease


text:
Before stunts were banned, daredevils on a quest for fame titillated audiences with outrageous tricks above the churning waters of the Niagara Gorge. But as they'd come to learn, no one could top The Great Blondin.
Artist Anthony Crease's Niagara Falls, circa 1850. Starting in 1859, the falls became a hot spot for daredevils looking to shock their audiences with risky stunts.
(Toronto Public Library)
Jean Francois Gravelet, better known by his stage name, The Great Blondin, made history when he became the first to traverse the Niagara Gorge on June 30, 1859 on a tightrope. The Frenchman is seen here in an autographed portrait, sporting decorations he won for his tightrope prowess. He's the most famous of the Niagara daredevils, and successfully executed a number of crowd-pleasing stunts.
(The Canadian Press)
For his first trip, Blondin started his journey on the American side of the Falls. The audience saw him drop a cord to the Maid of the Mist boat and retrieve a bottle, the contents of which he drank while sitting on the tightrope. As Blondin headed toward the Canadian shore, he stopped, adjusted his balancing pole and executed a back flip.
In 1859, Blondin crossed the gorge nine times on a manila rope measuring 335 metres long and eight centimetres thick. To help keep his balance, he used a nine-metre, 18-kilogram balancing pole. Each stunt was more daring than the last: On separate occasions, Blondin walked the tightrope blindfolded, journeyed across on a bicycle, reached the other side pushing a wheelbarrow and even took the trip with his hands and feet manacled. During one crossing, Blondin cooked an omelet on a small burner in the centre of the high wire.
(The Library of Congress)
However, Blondin's greatest feat was carrying his manager, Harry Colcord, across the gorge on his back. The centre portion swayed violently, and when Blondin tried to run for the first guy-line, it snapped, leaving him fighting to stay balanced. At the next guy-line, a terrified Colcord had to climb off so Blondin could rest. In all, the manager had to dismount six times during the perilous trip. Blondin returned to Niagara in 1860 and continued his treks. His last crossing was Sept. 8, 1860.
(The Canadian Press)
William Leonard Hunt, better known as The Great Farini, replicated most of Blondin's stunts. Farini, who grew up in Port Hope, Ont., made his first tightrope walk at Niagara Falls on Aug. 15, 1860. When he reached the mid-point, Farini attached a rope to the tightrope and lowered himself onto the deck of the Maid of the Mist more than 60 metres below. He drank a glass of wine, chatted with passengers and then ascended back to his tightrope. Farini was committed to outdoing The Great Blondin, but never managed to achieve the same level of fame. His most noteworthy stunt took place on Sept. 5, 1860, when he carried a washtub onto the tightrope, collected water from the gorge using a bucket on a cord, and washed a number of handkerchiefs.
In 1867, Signorina Maria Spelterina became the first (and only) woman to cross the Niagara Gorge on a tightrope. She also walked backward on the rope, wore a paper bag over her head and put peach baskets on her feet during her performances. She's seen here in an 1889 souvenir album, Tugby's Illustrated Guide to Niagara Falls.
(Library of Congress)
Many attempted to walk across the gorge in an effort to emulate The Great Blondin. But it was Stephen Peer, a 47-year-old Niagara Falls native who wanted to outdo him. Peer had admired Blondin's technique and ambition, and on June 22, 1887 he successfully walked across the Niagara River on a wire cable measuring just 1.6 centimetres thick, strung between two railway bridges. This feat brought him much acclaim since the wire cable was much thinner than the ropes used by past daredevils. Unfortunately, Peer's fame was short lived: he was found dead in the gorge three days later. It was assumed he had fallen while attempting to cross the river at night in his street shoes.
An unidentified tightrope walker is seen crossing the Niagara Gorge in the early 1890s. The man could be Toronto photographer Samuel Dixon, who first crossed the gorge dressed in terracotta-coloured tights, black silk trunks and wearing a Civil War cap on Sept. 6, 1890. He could also be Clifford Calverley, a Toronto man who made several trips across the tightrope on Oct. 12, 1892. He set the time record when he crossed from one end to the other in six minutes, 32 1/2 seconds.
(City of Toronto Archives)


text:
Avery Johnson
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|Avery Johnson
|Biographical information
Late 2400s
187.2 centimeters (6 ft 1.7 in)[1]
95.5 kilograms (211 lb)[1]
Hair color:
Eye color:
|Political and military information
Notable info:
- "Dear humanity: We regret being alien bastards. We regret coming to Earth. And we most definitely regret that the Corps just blew up our raggedy-ass fleet!"
- —SgtMaj. Avery Johnson, 2552[2]
Sergeant Major Avery Junior Johnson (SN: 48789-20114-AJ [3]) was a senior non-commissioned officer of the UNSC Marine Corps who served during in the fight against the Insurrection and the Human-Covenant War. Johnson was a highly trained marine, who also served with various units of the Naval Special Warfare Command, most notably the highly classified ORION Project, the UNSC's first super-soldier program.
Johnson played a vital role over the course of the Covenant War. He resisted the Covenant's attack on Harvest at the outbreak of the war and went on to participate in numerous engagements. In the war's final months Johnson fought during the Fall of Reach, on Installation 04, at Earth, on Installation 05, and on the Ark and Installation 04B. He was key to the formation of an alliance between humanity and Thel 'Vadam and the Fleet of Retribution following the Great Schism in November 2552. Ultimately, Sergeant Major Johnson was killed by monitor 343 Guilty Spark while attempting to prematurely activate Installation 04B.
- 1 Biography
- 2 Personality
- 3 Age and appearance
- 4 Decorations
- 5 Trivia
- 6 Gallery
- 7 List of appearances
- 8 Notes
- 9 Sources
Avery Junior Johnson was born in the sprawling Greater Chicago Industrial Zone near the Great Lakes of the Unified Republic of North America.[4] His family broke up when he was six and he was placed in the care of his aunt Marcille by Zone Protective Services.[5] One situation that Johnson had fond memories of was his first day of church, as his aunt tried her best to get the large shoes and small clothes of his cousins to fit him. Her religious beliefs resonated deeply within Avery and often made him question his own decision to kill other human beings, even long after her death. However, he had no qualms about fighting the Covenant and fought actively in several campaigns to protect humanity from their threat.
Early military career
Johnson enlisted in the UNSC Marine Corps when he was nineteen and was soon thrown into the Insurrection.[6] His name was dubiously associated with dozens of black operations and programs, including assignment to the highly classified unit called ORION Project, which performed experimental bioenhancement procedures on volunteer troops, who would later be referred to as "SPARTAN-Is". Johnson was also known to have participated on missions codenamed TANGLEWOOD and KALEIDOSCOPE.[7]
The files that contain the records of his involvement with the ORION Program were subsequently covered up by ONI Section Zero, and anyone who tries to access them is automatically sent a fake file marked "\P_BS48789-2011-AJ.txt", also known as the "Paris/BS Spoof" File.[8] He was a graduate of the Naval Special Warfare Sniper School, where he exceeded the expectations of his superiors, and received training in Human Entry Vehicle orbital drops,[9] and close quarters battle, while serving in NavSpecWar. He also served as a squad leader on many black operations missions during the Insurrection.[10]
In 2524, Johnson participated in Operation: TREBUCHET, leading Alpha Squad and a platoon of NAVSPECWAR Marines alongside Staff Sergeant Nolan Byrne. Their squads used Hornets to conduct air assaults on multiple targets in efforts to eliminate Insurrectionist bomb making factories.[11] However, when a rebel (armed with a bomb) was cornered in a Jim Dandy restaurant, Byrne told Johnson to fire his rifle, at an Insurrectionist holding a child hostage. Johnson did not have a clear shot at the rebel, and his hesitation led to a civilian (the child's father trying to rescue his son) tackling the female rebel, who then detonated her explosives, which destroyed the Jim Dandy restaurant,[12] along with all of the Marines in Byrne's squad (except Byrne himself), and thirty-eight civilians. Byrne would hold a great deal of animosity towards Johnson for quite some time as a result of this incident.[13]
After the incident, Johnson came home and found his aunt dead of natural causes,[14] and soon went on a massive drinking binge. He started a brawl with bouncers at a Chicago club,[15] and ended up in a gutter until he was found by Lieutenant Downs, a UNSC Marine Corps recruiter.[16] He was re-assigned to the planet Harvest by Jilan al-Cygni.[17]
Human-Covenant War
- Main article: Human-Covenant War
Officially, Johnson was re-assigned to train the Colonial Militia on Harvest, but their actual mission was to create a covert anti-insurgency unit, and to lay an ambush on insurgent forces suspected in the disappearances of DCS freighters around Harvest. However, while lying in wait on a bait freighter, he and Sergeant Byrne, who was also assigned to the position, fought and defeated four bird-like extraterrestrials in the first official battle between the UNSC and the alliance of alien species known as the Covenant. Johnson and Byrne (with the rest of the militia of Harvest) were also present at the initial negotiations between the Brutes and the humans. They also fought Brute Chieftain Maccabeus, his nephew Tartarus, and several Grunts. He aided Staff Sergeant Byrne and ONI operative Lt. Cdr. Jilan al-Cygni in repelling the Brute ship Rapid Conversion long enough to allow most of the planet's population to escape into the Tiara, a station attached to seven different space elevators stationed on the planet. Later, he would become romantically involved with al-Cygni after escaping from the planet. Although Johnson and al-Cygni seemed quite taken with each other it is unclear whether they formed a relationship, or how long it lasted. After Harvest, his UNSC career is unknown, but he is presumed to have served on many planets between 2525 and 2549, when the Battle of Paris IV took place.
Johnson was later present in the fall of the planet Reach. During the final stages of the battle on August 30, 2552, Johnson led a search-and-destroy team aboard the orbital Reach Station Gamma, made up of PFC Wallace Jenkins, and Privates Bisenti and O'Brien. They were almost killed by the attacking Jackals and Elites, but were later picked up by SPARTAN-IIs Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 and Petty Officer Second Class Linda-058.[18] He escaped onto the UNSC Pillar of Autumn, which fled the battle into slipspace.
Battle of Installation 04
- Main article: Battle of Installation 04
- Sergeant Johnson: "Once again, it is our job to finish what the flyboys started. We are leaving this ship, platoon, and engaging the Covenant on solid ground. When we meet the enemy, we will rip their skulls from their spines, and toss 'em away, laughin'! Am I right, Marines?"
- UNSC Marines: "Sir, yes sir!"
- Sergeant Johnson: "Mmm-hmmm! Damn right I am!"
- —Sergeant Johnson motivating his Marines in preparation for the battle on Halo.
After coming out of slipspace, the Pillar of Autumn came across a Forerunner artifact known as Halo. The Covenant, cautious not to damage the ring world by firing at the Autumn in space, began boarding actions to "cleanly" neutralize the Autumn by boarding the ship and wiping out the crew and altering its course away from the Installation, before planting charges and blowing it up. On board, Johnson helped defend the Autumn from the invading Covenant boarding troops, but like everyone else was forced to abandon ship when Captain Jacob Keyes issued the order.
Sergeant Johnson's escape pod and one of his fireteams landed on the ring, with most of his Marines surviving. However, as soon as they regrouped, Covenant strike teams viciously attacked them. With his platoon scattered all over the valley, he was glad to see John-117 coming up to assist in the nick of time.[19]
Johnson and Fire Team Charlie were evacuated by Captain Carol "Foe Hammer" Rawley and remained at Alpha Base for some time until asked to join a mission, led by Captain Keyes, into the inner workings of Installation 04. The crew intercepted a Covenant transmission detailing the transport of numerous weapons to somewhere in the swampy regions of Installation 04. This, as well as a captured Elite's testimony of a large weapons cache located in a swamp, prompted Keyes to investigate. Johnson, being an experienced and respected sergeant, accompanied the captain along with his squad.
Shortly after they were dropped off, the squad came across a structure leading underground. As they ventured further into the facility, they came across several Sangheili corpses with scrambled innards. Passing them off as friendly fire, they proceeded deeper into the facility until they entered a seemingly empty room. Annoyed by Private Manuel Mendoza's paranoia, Johnson shrugged off the situation until massive numbers of Flood infection forms barged out of the nearby holding cells and attacked the squad. As each Marine fell, Johnson was forced to kill a few of his own men, who were mutating before his eyes and would have killed him if he had done otherwise.
Johnson, however, was able to survive the ambush uninfected due to his skill, tenacity and physiological enhancement. Later, however, a query by the AI Cortana into Johnson's medical history claimed that he had a condition known as Boren's Syndrome. This disease was supposedly contracted while he was stationed at Paris IV. When the Covenant attacked Paris IV, Johnson fought valiantly; during the battle, he repossessed a crate of Covenant plasma grenades when his troops needed them and used them all against the enemy troops to keep them at bay so his fellow soldiers could evacuate. He received a commendation for bravery, and a twelve-hundred-rad cumulative dose of radiation as an unanticipated "bonus" from all the plasma detonations.[20] Allegedly, the Boren's Syndrome had an unexpected side effect, as it made him effectively immune to infection by the Flood because the radiation scrambled his nervous system so much that Flood infection forms could not force a match. This supposedly rendered the Flood unable to control him. However, the Boren's Syndrome story (referred to as the "Paris/BS Spoof"), was a hoax to cover up Johnson's involvement in the ORION Project,[21][22] and his survival from the Flood was solely due to his ability to fight off the parasite before it could infect him thanks to his augmented physique and superior skill, as opposed to an actual immunity.[23][24][note 1]
John-117 presumed Johnson dead after finding Private Jenkins' helmet recorder log, showing the gory details of the Marines' fates. However, Johnson escaped after Master Chief found Corporal Lovik and the remains of his team.
Operation FIRST STRIKE
- Main article: Operation: FIRST STRIKE
- "Don't look like any 'uneven elephant' to me - more like two squid kissing."
- —Johnson on the Unyielding Hierophant.[25]
Johnson met up with Lt. Elias Haverson, Cpl. Locklear, and PO2 Shiela Polaski, escaping Halo's destruction in a Pelican moments before it collapsed in multiple explosions. Polaski piloted the dropship away from the ring, meeting up with a GA-TL1 Longsword carrying the Master Chief and Cortana, who had also escaped the Flood and Halo. Having seen Jenkins' video himself, SPARTAN-117 was alarmed by Johnson's appearance and promptly pulled Johnson's own M6D pistol and pointed it to his head. Johnson had expressed no objection, and assured the Spartan that he was fine, although it took Cortana's intervention to convince the Chief that Johnson was still human.
Without a viable way to return to the nearest safe outpost, it was decided that the new crew would take over the nearest Covenant ship in the vicinity, the Ascendant Justice, a Covenant capital ship. The Master Chief assumed command due to his higher-priority mission, although Lieutenant Haverson was the ranking officer, and Johnson assisted Master Chief by helping him assert control over Corporal Locklear and Haverson. After they boarded the Ascendant Justice, Johnson and the others made their way through the ship towards the bridge, where he witnessed a showdown between the Master Chief and a Sangheili, where he brought down the alien's shields in order for SPARTAN-117 to push the Elite into an escape pod and send it away from the ship.
After they had captured the Covenant ship, not being able to return to Earth because of the Cole Protocol, Master Chief suggested they return to Reach to regroup. They proceeded with this plan despite protests that Reach was almost certainly a dead world. When they arrived at Reach, the planet was almost completely glassed, except for a small portion. Using a Covenant dropship, they traveled to the surface of the desecrated planet, where Johnson was becoming nervous. After they landed, they found the surviving SPARTAN-IIs and Dr. Catherine Halsey. Johnson was the first to realize that they were surrounded by thousands of invisible Covenant, and pointed it out to Vice Admiral Whitcomb before their dropship walked into the trap.
After a harrowing escape, Johnson accompanied the new and growing crew as the ship moved through Slipspace. Unknown to him, Dr. Halsey and the Master Chief were reviewing his medical files. They matched Johnson's survival against the Flood to his Boren's Syndrome. Flood DNA was present in Johnson's blood, but it was dormant and non-infectious. Halsey also confirmed that Johnson had gained some unique regenerative abilities as a side effect from the attempted assimilation back on Halo when they accidentally opened the Flood containment facility. Halsey had prepared two separate documents for ONI Section Three to review:
- All relevant data on Halsey's analysis and the possible technology to counter an initial Flood infestation, as well as Jenkins's and Johnson's mission logs and Johnson's medical files, focusing on the interaction between Flood super cell and Boren's Syndrome.
- The file above, minus any reference to Avery Johnson or his encounter with the Flood.
Halsey placed the decision of which data crystal to give to ONI in the Chief's hands. If he gave them the first crystal, ONI would probably have dissected Johnson in an attempt to figure out how he resisted the Flood, killing the Sergeant. The Chief had thought at first that the first crystal held the better solution, despite it essentially being a death sentence for his friend, but later decided to save Johnson's life by crushing the first crystal.
Although Johnson's involvement in Operation: FIRST STRIKE was minimal, he came up with the idea to attack the Covenant space station Unyielding Hierophant in order to delay the Covenant from finding Earth. Johnson continued to be of assistance when the Spartans began the mission, staying behind with Cortana in the damaged UNSC Gettysburg while they charged head-on into the Covenant ship after the operation.
Invasion of Earth
- Main article: Battle of Earth
- "Usually the good Lord works in mysterious ways. But not today! This here is sixty-six tons of straight up, H-E-spewing dee-vine intervention! If God is love, then you can call me Cupid!"
- —Sergeant Johnson talking to the frightened Marine before the assault on New Mombasa.
Most of the crew returned to Earth safely, and they were given time to rest and were debriefed on their experiences. Aboard Cairo Station, Johnson was promoted to Sergeant Major and was awarded the Colonial Cross by Lord Terrence Hood for his actions on Halo. During the ceremony, a Covenant excavation fleet headed by the Prophet of Regret arrived at the Human homeworld, sparking the Battle of Earth.
Johnson aided in the defense of the Cairo along with John-117. As the Spartan led the human forces deeper into the station, Johnson and Commander Miranda Keyes, the daughter of the deceased Jacob Keyes, boarded the UNSC Frigate In Amber Clad.
As they arrived on the surface, Cortana intercepted data that pointed towards one of the Covenant's spiritual leaders being present in the invasion. Johnson led Pelicans full of marines into battle, but they were shot down by a Covenant Scarab before they got close to the ship that carried the High Prophet of Regret. Wielding a sniper rifle, Johnson fought in the residential district of the city, providing cover fire and serving as a lookout. As the Master Chief went on to find Marines from another downed Pelican, Johnson stayed back and joined the rescue units to provide cover. Viewing the Scarab as a threat to the mission, he returned to In Amber Clad to bring a Scorpion tank for the Chief to use in a front line assault against the Covenant invasion force.
After the destruction of the Scarab, Johnson picked up the Chief and brought him back into In Amber Clad, which pulled up next to the massive Covenant ship just as it took off into Slipspace, the human vessel being close enough to "piggyback" along on the same jump.
The Great Schism
- Chips Dubbo: "Whoa. It's like a postcard: Dear Sarge, kicking ass in outer space, wish you were here."
- Avery J. Johnson: "I heard that...jackass!"
- —PFC Chips Dubbo joking around with Sergeant Avery J. Johnson on Delta Halo
Coming out of Slipspace, Johnson was shocked to learn that there was another Halo, nearly choking on his ever-present cigar. Determined to find and capture the Prophet of Regret, Commander Keyes ordered SPARTAN-117 to clear a landing zone and the Sergeant to take two flights of Pelicans and land on the ring. Johnson carried out the orders and followed the Chief and a small detachment of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers onto the surface, providing artillery and troops by means of dropships to fight the Covenant stationed in the ring's ancient temples.
During the mission, Cortana translated a message from Regret being broadcast on the Covenant network, and learned that Regret planned to activate the Halo, which would wipe out all life in the galaxy. Pulling information gathered from the first Halo, Keyes found the location of Delta Halo's library, housing the Index which was needed to activate the ring. She ordered Johnson to extract his troops and return to In Amber Clad for reassignment.
Johnson and a group of his best Marines joined Commander Keyes on a search for the Index. As they neared the center of the massive structure, the small unit was attacked by a large amount of Flood. They dug in and fought the creatures off, finally locating the Index. Johnson helped Keyes grab the key, but before they headed out, they were attacked by Thel 'Vadamee, the Covenant Arbiter, who had activated his camouflage to hide from the Humans. Johnson was quickly incapacitated and captured by the Brute Chieftain Tartarus, and brought to the Covenant capital city, High Charity.
Johnson and Keyes were held in the Covenant city of High Charity, until the High Prophet of Truth instructed Tartarus to activate the ring and initiate the Great Journey. Tartarus ordered his Jiralhanae to split Johnson, Keyes, and the captured Oracle into two different Phantoms. Johnson was joined by Staff Sergeant Banks and Gunnery Sergeant Stacker for an execution by a pack of Jiralhanae. Moments before their deaths, the Arbiter and his squad burst out of the nearby structure and attacked the Jiralhanae, distracting them long enough for Johnson and his Marines to board the nearby Scarab walker.
After the executioners were killed, Johnson and his Marines commandeered the Scarab, and confronted 'Vadamee. They both agreed that Tartarus needed to be stopped. Johnson suggested that 'Vadamee commandeer a Banshee to provide air support. After that, they joined forces and traveled through the canyon towards the Control Room. Knowing the brute strength of the Scarab's main weapon, Johnson fired at the heavily armored door, shattering it with ease. Arming himself with a Particle Beam Rifle, Johnson followed the Arbiter inside alone.
- "Please... Don't shake the lightbulb."
- —Avery J. Johnson makes his presence known to Tartarus.
He arrived during the Arbiter's confrontation with Tartarus. He aimed his Beam Rifle at the Chieftain's head, keeping him from forcing Keyes to insert the Index. Tartarus threw 343 Guilty Spark at Johnson, knocking him over. Swiftly, he forced Miranda Keyes to insert the Index into the control panel, starting the firing process. The Arbiter and his squad of Elites challenged Tartarus, and Johnson provided backup, using his Beam Rifle to bring down the Chieftain's shields. With his shields down, 'Vadamee was able to kill Tartarus, thereby allowing Keyes to grab the Index and stop Installation 05 from firing.
With the remainder of the Sangheili squad keeping the area secure, 343 Guilty Spark explained to Johnson, Keyes, and 'Vadamee that the other Installations were in a sort of "standby mode", still ready to fire. This is a fail-safe if one of the Halo installations misfires. This allowed them all to be activated remotely from "the Ark".
Return to Earth
- "The Brutes. The bastards who put bombs on your buddies and killed millions of my people...they're digging a mighty big hole. You're gonna tell me exactly what they're looking for. And then, you're gonna help me stop 'em."
- —Johnson to the captured Engineer
While most of the Fleet of Retribution remained to maintain the quarantine of High Charity, Johnson, Commander Keyes and the Arbiter returned to Earth on one of the fleet's vessels and arrived before the Forerunner Dreadnought with John-117 onboard.[26]
During the arrival of Truth's fleet, an ODST squad had managed to capture a Huragok called Quick to Adjust.[27] Avery Johnson, with clearance from Lord Hood, interrogated the Huragok in an ONI-appropriated section of the Quito Terminus to find out what Truth was searching for in New Mombasa, as his Covenant forces were "digging a mighty big hole."
When John-117 crash-landed on Earth, he was met by Johnson, the Arbiter, and a squad of Marines. After a few minutes of hiking through the jungle, he and his squad split off from the Master Chief and the Arbiter after encountering enemy Phantoms, reasoning that they would be safer apart than together. Johnson and his team proceeded to continue through the woods, and arrived at the evacuation site several moments before John-117 and 'Vadam. However, enemy Banshees soon discovered the awaiting Pelicans, and he was shot down, crash landing about a kilometer away. He and the surviving Marines were forced to flee pursuing Brutes. At some point Johnson and his men were captured. After being freed by the Spartan, he grabbed the nearest weapon and helped fend off incoming Covenant until Hocus, a Pelican pilot, came to the rescue. Hocus eventually arrived, destroying two Phantoms that were pinning Sergeant Johnson, the Chief, the Arbiter, and the surviving Marines down. Johnson was evacuated along with the Master Chief, the Arbiter, and surviving Marines.
Sgt. Johnson, John-117, and 'Vadam were brought to a UNSC base codenamed Crow's Nest, deep underground in the African jungle. There, they linked up with Commander Miranda Keyes, who briefed them on the situation. Johnson and the Arbiter stayed behind to defend the ops center from Covenant attacks, while the Master Chief went off to secure the perimeter. After a lengthy battle, he was forced to fall back as Jiralhanae overran the control room. He rendezvoused with Keyes and 'Vadam in a Pelican, and guided the Chief through the base to an elevator that would take him to the Pelicans. Unfortunately, the base exploded before the Chief could reach Johnson, forcing the Sergeant to leave him to meet up with Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds under the base instead.
Johnson warned the Chief that the Covenant had uncovered what he thought was the Ark, and that the humans had to get to it. Johnson provided air support for the Spartan and the Marine survivors, dropping off Warthogs so the Chief and his Marines could break through the Jiralhanae blockades. At one point, he dropped off several Mongoose ATVs to assist the Master Chief in destroying a Covenant Scarab. Johnson remained in a Pelican dropship for most, if not all of the Battle of Voi, dispersing armor and troops throughout the city as necessary to help push the Covenant back. When the Pelican made a crash-landing in Voi, Johnson probably docked on the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn along with Commander Keyes. He was present when the Master Chief retrieved a message from Cortana, who had been left behind on the Flood-infested High Charity. Johnson was one of the Marines that followed the High Prophet of Truth to the real Ark, which was located past the slipspace portal generated by the device the Covenant uncovered on Earth.
Assault on the Ark
- 343 Guilty Spark: "Shall I help you choose a vehicle, Reclaimer? This one seems in very good condition, primitive armor notwithstanding."
- Avery J. Johnson: "A tank's a tank, lightbulb."
- —Johnson sarcastically responds to Spark's comment
After the Fleet of Retribution's arrival at Installation 00 on December 11,[28] Johnson descended to the Ark with a half a dozen Pelicans along with the Master Chief, and helped him secure a landing zone and stop the construction of an AA battery. He later brought in a platoon of Marines lead by Gunnery Sergeant Stacker, and some tanks from the frigate, helping throughout the mission, until the location of Truth was discovered from the Cartographer.
He then went on to command the second squad in taking down the third tower that was projecting the shield barrier protecting Truth in the Citadel. There, he, along with his squad, were overrun and captured by overwhelming Brute, Hunter and Drone forces. Johnson's squad was killed, and he was brought to the Citadel.
The Prophet of Truth attempted to use Johnson to activate the Ark, and set off the Halo array, but he only taunted the Jiralhanae, in particular a Chieftain, in hopes of angering the Brute to the point where he would kill him, and deny Truth the ability to activate the array. Miranda Keyes attempted to rescue him by crashing a Pelican through a large observatory window. Keyes was able to kill one brute, a Chieftain, and fatally wounded another, but was surrounded. Realizing what the Prophet of Truth wished to use them for, Johnson told her that she should kill them both so they could not be used. While Keyes hesitated, Truth shot her in the back with a Spiker, killing her instantly and used the demoralized Johnson to activate the Array. Johnson was rescued by John-117 and Thel 'Vadam, along with a horde of Flood. After the Master Chief deactivated the array, the Flood turned on the three, and while Johnson managed to escape on Keyes' Pelican with her body, the Chief and the Arbiter were knocked off by the Gravemind, forced to fight their way back through the Flood.
- "Send me out... with a bang."
- —Avery J. Johnson's last words, said to John-117.
After it was discovered that a Halo was located within the Ark, a plan was developed to activate that ring and that ring alone, which would destroy the Flood on the Ark, including the Gravemind, ending their threat once and for all, while simultaneously sparing the rest of the life in the galaxy. This was possible because Cortana still held within her the code to the Index from Installation 04, the first Halo. After John-117 invaded High Charity to recover Cortana, destroying the city on his way out, Sergeant Johnson helped the Master Chief and the Arbiter fight through hordes of Flood to get to the control room of the new Halo, providing cover fire with a Spartan Laser. Johnson tried to activate the ring despite 343 Guilty Spark's suggestion that they wait for it to be finished, which could take several days. Realizing that "his" ring was about to be destroyed again, the Monitor turned on his allies, firing his sentinel beam into Johnson's front armor piece and fatally wounding him.
While the Master Chief fought the rogue construct, Johnson used the last of his life and fired his laser, rendering Spark vulnerable. With a few choice words ("Kick his ass") he handed the Chief his weapon and fell unconscious. After the rogue AI was destroyed, Johnson gave John-117 the chip containing Cortana, and told him "Don't ever let her go". Despite John's promise that they would not leave him behind, the dying Johnson knew that he wasn't going to make it, requesting that the Chief "send [him] out with a 'bang'" before dying of his injuries. Following his wishes, John-117 left his body in the Control Room as the ring activated, its unfinished state meaning that the activation sequence tore itself apart. Johnson's body was disintegrated in the explosion while Chief and Thel 'Vadam took Johnson's Warthog to escape on the Forward Unto Dawn. Johnson's death brought condolences from Cortana and Thel 'Vadam, whom Johnson aided in his fight against Tartarus.
On March 3, 2553, a picture of him was seen among the fallen and dead on the Voi Memorial.
Avery Johnson's behavior was often eccentric, delivering bizarre and outlandish speeches to boost the morale of those serving under him.[29][30] However, as shown in Contact Harvest, he also was a no-nonsense NCO who cared deeply for the lives of his troops. Johnson believed in pushing his soldiers to their limit in training, in order to give them a better chance of surviving real combat.[31]
He was best known for his typical "gung-ho" attitude towards life, personal goals, and as a leader to his fellow Marines. This earned him a reputation, respect, and admiration from his subordinates and superiors alike. Johnson was a noted fan of "flip music", a style of music similar to the heavy metal from the 21st century. He was also known as being one of a select few outside of the SPARTAN-II Program to befriend Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, a soldier with whom he fought alongside many times throughout the final months of the Human-Covenant War; ultimately dying in his arms after being critically injured. He has a large amount of respect for the SPARTAN-IIs, and appears to respect every human fighting for humanity, as well as the Sangheili when they joined forces with the UNSC. In return, Thel 'Vadam respects him as well as after his death, offering condolences to John, "I am sorry, Spartan" and "even in death, your Sergeant guides us all."
In Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, Johnson seemed energetic and well-humored, often cracking jokes, puns, and insults at the expense of the Covenant or even in response to UNSC transmissions, as shown in the following quote:
- "Dear humanity, we regret being alien bastards, we regret coming to Earth, and we most definitely regret that the Corps just blew up our raggedy-ass fleet!"
- —In response to Miranda Keyes at the beginning of the Battle of Mombasa.
Age and appearance
Johnson's age is affected by the same ambiguities as all beings who undergo extended voyages through space. Born in the late 2400s, chronologically Johnson would have been over 60 years old at the time of his death in 2552. He has spent much of his life in cryosleep. Cellular activity is slowed to near standstill in cryosleep, effectively halting the aging process. As a result, Johnson's biological age is significantly less than his age as measured by Terran chronology. His ORION augmentations likely played a part in this as well, as they were known to have extended the active service careers of many of the program's former members.[32]
Johnson has received three known medals in his service: The Colonial Cross and the Purple Heart,[33] as well as the UNSC Legion of Honor, which may have been a posthumous decoration.[34] Johnson was not awarded any medals during his time with the ORION detachment, due to the sensitive nature of its missions.[citation needed]
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Production notes
- Johnson was voiced by David Scully in Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo: Reach. Scully also voiced a number of Elites in those games, notably the ones who talk in an energetic voice in Halo 2 and Halo 3. In an out-take for Halo 2, Scully says, "In Halo 4, I get a woman!".[35] In Halo Wars 2, Johnson was voiced by another actor because Scully was part of an ongoing strike among video game voice actors.[citation needed]
- In Halo: Combat Evolved, the Elite quote "Wort, wort, wort!" is actually a slowed-down reversal of Johnson saying, "Go, go, go!"[citation needed]
- Damion Poitier provides Johnson's motion and facial capture in the reimagined cinematics by Blur Studios for Halo 2: Anniversary.[36]
- Johnson is heavily based on the character Gunnery Sergeant Al Apone from the film Aliens, with whom Johnson shares many character and physical traits, as well as some dialogue.
- Johnson is a playable character in Halo 3: ODST's Firefight. He is available only to those who pre-ordered the game from participating retailers.
- Johnson is a DLC Leader released on May 22, 2017 for Halo Wars 2's multiplayer.[37]
Easter eggs and glitches
- In the non-canonical Legendary ending of Halo: Combat Evolved, he is seen fighting with an Elite over an assault rifle.
- It is possible, through a glitch, to keep Johnson alive despite his death by 343 Guilty Spark. This can be accomplished by killing him right before the cutscene in which he gets killed by Guilty Spark. By doing this glitch it is also possible to get Johnson infected by the Flood.
- With the Sputnik skull activated on the Halo 2 level "Cairo Station", the player can push Johnson into outer space when at the station's umbilicals. It is very difficult, however, as Johnson will keep attempting to run back to his assigned position.
- Staff Sergeant Johnson first appeared in a short video shown to kick off the Halo Launch Party held in Chicago on November 10, 2001.[38]
- In Halo: Combat Evolved, Johnson will always appear in later levels, even if killed.
- Johnson's voice is usable in Halo: Reach's Firefight mode for 100,000 cR.[39]
- Johnson was the first human to kill a member of the Covenant.[40] He also witnessed Truth's death, making him the only human to have personally witnessed both the beginning and the end of the Human-Covenant War.
- Johnson may have been married: According to a quote during gameplay on the level "Cairo Station", Johnson says that the Covenant are "worse than [his] mother-in-law."[citation needed] In Halo: Contact Harvest, Johnson was involved in a romantic relationship with his commanding officer, Jilan al-Cygni, leading fans to theorize that the two were married at some point.[41]
- Johnson was fond of Sweet William cigars.[42]
- In Halo 3: ODST Firefight, Johnson has the exact same body as the Rookie.
- "Send Me Out... with a Bang", the Achievement granted for completing the final mission of Halo: Reach, is a reference to Johnson's final words.
Johnson in his Marine BDU in Halo: Combat Evolved.
Johnson and John-117 fight off Covenant forces on the surface of Installation 04.
Johnson in his Battle Dress Uniform in Halo 2.
Johnson in his Marine Corps Dress Uniform in Halo 2.
Johnson in the Halo Graphic Novel.
Johnson in Halo 3.
Johnson in Halo 3: ODST's Firefight.
Johnson in Halo Legends: Origins.
Johnson's profile in Halo: Reach's Firefight.
Johnson fighting onboard Gamma Station in Halo: Fall of Reach.
Close-up of Johnson in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.
Johnson in Halo 2: Anniversary.
Johnson, Miranda, and Guilty Spark on Installation 05.
Blitz card of Johnson in Halo Wars 2.
Johnson on the field in Halo Wars 2.
List of appearances
- Halo: The Fall of Reach (First appearance)
- Halo: Combat Evolved
- Halo: The Flood
- Halo: First Strike
- Halo: Ghosts of Onyx (Mentioned only)
- Halo 2
- Conversations from the Universe (Mentioned only)
- Halo Graphic Novel
- Starry Night
- Halo 3
- Halo: Contact Harvest
- Halo 3: ODST
- Halo Legends
- Halo: Reach
- Halo: Fall of Reach
- Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
- Halo 4 (Mentioned only)
- Halo 2: Anniversary
- Halo: New Blood (Mentioned only)
- Halo Mythos
- Halo Wars 2 (Non-canonical appearance)
- ^ Johnson's supposed biological immunity to the Flood as a result of Boren's Syndrome was originally presented as factual in the novel Halo: First Strike. As stated by Joseph Staten here, Bungie disliked the notion of a Flood immunity and established the disease as being fictitious on page 122 of the Halo Graphic Novel. As stated in the introduction to Breaking Quarantine, the comic was intended to further cement Bungie's original vision for Johnson's escape from the Flood. The comic indicates that he simply fought his way out of the containment facility and did not suffer lacerations which would expose him to Flood infection in the process.
- ^ a b c d Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 102
- ^ Halo 2, Outskirts
- ^ Halo Graphic Novel, page 122
- ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 37
- ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 42
- ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 45
- ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 47 ("The Lieutenant's eyes widened as a long string of meritorious citations and battlefield commendations cascaded down the monochromatic screen. ORION, KALEIDOSCOPE, TANGLEWOOD, TREBUCHET. Dozens of programs and operations, most of which Downs had never heard of.")
- ^ Halo: Graphic Novel, page 122
- ^ Halo:Contact Harvest, page 350
- ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 76
- ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 9
- ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 20
- ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 86
- ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 41
- ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 44
- ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 47
- ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 123
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, pages 325, 328, and 349
- ^ Halo: The Flood, pages 68-69
- ^ Halo: First Strike, page 244
- ^ Halo: Graphic Novel, page 122
- ^ Halo Encyclopedia, page 81
- ^ Halo Waypoint: Catalog Interaction - Page 14 ("No known biological [scaffolding] augmentation impedes efficacy of parasite conversion process.")
- ^ Halo Graphic Novel, Breaking Quarantine
- ^ Halo: First Strike, page 328
- ^ Halo Waypoint, "The Long Road Home"
- ^ Halo Waypoint - Is there an actual name for Vergil?
- ^ Halo Waypoint — Hero-"Fortitude"
- ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level The Pillar of Autumn
- ^ Halo 2, campaign level Metropolis
- ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page ??
- ^ Halo Waypoint - Spartans
- ^ Halo 2, Cairo Station
- ^ Halo 3, Halo (Halo 3 level)
- ^ Bungie.net: Media Player - Halo 2 Audio Outtakes
- ^ Black Film: SDCC 2014 Exclusive: Catching Up With Damion Poitier, The Avengers' First Thanos
- ^ Halo Waypoint - Welcome Sgt. Johnson
- ^ Bungie.net Media Player - Introductions
- ^ Bungie.net: Bungie Weekly Update: 07.16.10
- ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 130
- ^ Bungie.net: The Bungie Podcast: 07/23/07
- ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, "Epilogue"


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Transaction Reporting Framework for MiFID
Challenges we address
The Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II) legislation published by the European Commission in October 2011 requires that global financial institutions periodically review and report on their processes and business operations — a move that has dramatically changed these institutions' operating models and financial transaction services. MiFID transaction reporting is a challenging task that involves handling diverse securities transactions and business processes within a bank, generally occurring across a multitude of applications spread across many systems, and each with its own processing rules. Organizations need services that allow them to reuse and combine the functionality embedded in their existing applications with new functionalities to deliver composite applications that meet MiFID requirements. This would entail defining a business-process-management framework that defines new, end-to-end processes with business functions encapsulated in the services, rather than trying to customize applications. More importantly, given that the MiFID directive is evolving, and new rules and regulations are likely to be introduced, financial transaction services must be agile and robust.
HCL's Transaction Reporting Framework
Our SOA-based enterprise architecture is helping global financial institutions meet The Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II) reporting requirements. It is a framework that is delivering agile and flexible solutions that address the ever-changing needs of the business. An abstract view depicts it as a layered architecture of loosely coupled services that align with business processes. This clear separation of concerns provides the unprecedented flexibility to plug in new services or to upgrade existing ones. It can also help expose existing enterprise applications as services, thereby safeguarding IT infrastructure investments. The business process flows are supported by the choreography of these exposed services into composite applications integrated through an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB).
The Framework's key features:
- A data-filtering mechanism for cleansing trade data obtained from multiple systems and financial transactions. This helps add instrument classes from various trade data systems, and handle feeds from source systems - both in batch and real time modes.
- A rules engine picks up the right trades for transaction reporting to ensure transparency in the application of business rules, along with mechanisms to view the processing logic and rules that were applied
- A single flexible gateway for external connectivity to reporting mechanisms or direct regulatory reporting
- Standard messaging formats for external notifications
- Robust infrastructure with a best-of-breed rules engine and servers with secondary standby capacity
- Scalable infrastructure to handle volume spikes and separation of databases by business services
- Business process performance monitoring through a dashboard that includes measuring and generating management reports. Key aspects considered around financial transaction services include accuracy, throughput, time taken, outage, and number of errors
- Services that can easily be shared across applications
What you can expect
- A modular approach to transaction reporting – easily adding various instruments and reporting mechanisms
- A consolidated engine that handles all types of financial transactions and reporting requirements
- Business rules centralization - from a transaction reporting perspective
- Improved understanding and operation of the entire reporting framework through an uncomplicated management console
- The ability to cater to increased business volumes


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Geography of Games
Each roleplaying game is a city.
This is what I've been thinking about as I've been turning over definitions of roleplaying games and story games in my head, these past few days. RPGs and cities are two of my favorite things to read about and explore. I love them for their emergent beauty and their complex identities. They are things made up of multitudes.
An RPG, like a city, has many inhabitants who may love the place for disparate reasons, see it different ways, live very different lives amid the same avenues and structures. We may not travel the city in the same way, we may be visitors or residents, we may support different teams or be regulars at different pubs—we may even think the other is not getting the proper local experience. Yet we are neighbors.
Each game has its own character and history and internal geography. We can say that your hometown and my hometown both have grids or boulevards or grand plazas and that helps us understand each other but it doesn't attempt to wrap up the whole city, to contain it, bottle it up, or define it. We can say that one city has a lot of beautiful bridges and another has cultivated a dazzling skyline and appreciate both for their own charms without damning the other by comparison. We can prize one city's grand plaza without reaching the conclusion that cities lacking identical plazas are "broken."
Cities may have common climates, similar architecture, interwoven histories, while at the same time being too complex and too full of myriad tales, intersecting stories, moving individuals and unmeasured networks to be easily appreciated through summary. The planner who lays out the park can't know how many couples will propose marriage inside it and how many will break up on its benches. Your London is a city of first loves, awkward kisses, and blurry first dates. Mine is a honeymoon spot, that place where I saw the big dog trapped at the bottom of tube escalators, where I ate a sandwich in the rain outside the Tate.
We don't actually attend places, we inhabit places and times together. Our experiences—happy or sad, precious or common—may be statistically uncommon but no less genuine. I've been robbed in San Francisco and that does not make it a city of thieves and nor does that get me my stuff back.
Roleplaying games are likewise vast and experiential and emergent and poorly rendered through categorical descriptors. We talk about cities by sharing details, by offering advice, by giving directions that may not be the only ways to reach favorite spots. We can report on population density or elevation or annual rainfall and get one sense of a city but that is not the same as meeting people from that place and that is not the same as going there.
Successfully defining the word city (Oxford American tells me it means "a large town" or "an incorporated municipal center") does so little to tell us what cities are actually like. If I say "Picture a city" and you picture Istanbul and I picture Tokyo we are both right. One is not more representative of the form than the other.
We can bullshit about populations and histories and skylines, we can defend our favorite city over beers, we can insist that New York is more quintessentially this and London is more iconically that, but none of those things takes us to the place and introduces us to the people and feeds us the food. Our citizenship can be long-standing and loyal, our dedication true, but none of that establishes our expertise over the form. Understanding the electrical grid of Miami doesn't improve the plumbing in Cairo.
It seems to me that so many arguments about RPGs devolve into geographical trivia mistaken for indicators of quality. You say Chicago is a certain distance from Atlanta and I think it's probably not that far. We could curse each other's names over it yet, if we were together in person, chatting over drinks, I imagine we'd say something like, "Well, whatever, the point is, there's this great bar I love in Little Five Points called the Porter, and if you get the chance, you should go there."
Atlanta doesn't become more Atlanta-like or "better" than Boston if we establish exactly how far either is from Tulsa. The yardage between burgs doesn't tell us that much about the cities themselves. It doesn't help us understand what a city is.
The metaphor's imperfect. Of course it's imperfect.
How far away is Apocalypse World or Night's Black Agents? Depends where you're standing.
Is your new game walkable? What do I care—I like cars, I like trains, and I've got time.
What's the tallest building in Eclipse Phase? How high is Burning Wheel above sea level? Is that new Marvel RPG on the Gulf Stream? Did you know Mutants & Masterminds has more parks per capita than Technoir but that Technoir's got citywide wifi? You know, D&D stands on the site of an ancient fort where many bloody battles were won.
Go to the places. See the sites. Come back and share your perspective, your photos, your stories. Love the cities you love. The cities stay cities, no matter what we say in this pub.
7 Comments
Andy CollinsJanuary 19, 2012
Great post, Will. Our treasured memories of RPGs are rarely about the words printed in the rulebooks, much like our memories of cities typically revolve around the street grid.
OK, maybe you remember the roundabouts in Christchurch, but that's probably because you cracked a "Hey kids, Big Ben…Parliament!" joke to your passenger and now every time you use the same line the two of you think about your awesome trip to New Zealand.
It's about the emergent stories you shared with the people who were along for the same ride.
Alan KelloggJanuary 19, 2012
So what city is D&D?
Chicago. Gary grew up there before his family moved to Lake Geneva, and his memories of the Windy City flavor Greyhawk. Now Fritz Lieber's Lankhmar had its impact, but Chicago is the foundation.
Vampire: The Masquerade is more New York City.
Will HindmarchJanuary 19, 2012
Thanks, Andy. Well said.
That's a rabbit hole, right there, Alan! 🙂
Brand RobinsJanuary 19, 2012
This is an excellent article, and reminds me both of the many and diverse cities and games that I have loved.
It also makes me think of how differently I think of cities as a citizen, as a tourist, and as (for a short time) an urban planning student. Trying to live in a city, trying to visit a city, trying to maintain a city, and trying to build a city are all different.
When I lived in LA I hated the traffic, loved the food, reveled in the mobility, was disappointed by the lack of center. When I worked with City programs in LA I always wanted to cry and kick and scream over the inhumanity of the system. When I studied LA I was always captivated by the way it defied the structural expectations of other cities. When I visit LA now I just love the weather, the sun, the beach and the fact that I don't have to fight with it anymore.
It's a similar thing with games. When I play a game, when I run a game, when I lonely fun around a game, when I design a game… just like with LA, each of those things happens around the construct I call "XX game" — but each of them has a very different moment of experience.
P.S. Los Angeles is broken. Love it, but it is.
ShaneJanuary 20, 2012
Will I love how this looks and feels like a "to each her own" / "de gustibus" essay, but the metaphor actually improves my ability to compare and evaluate different games.
(Mostly by reminding me to be careful in deciding what is and isn't comparable, and to be super-careful in teasing actual implications out from the noise).
The Weekly Assembly: Futuristic Fighting Edition | The Gamer AssemblyJanuary 23, 2012
[…] The Geography of Games by Will Hindmarch at http://gameplaywright.net argues that different RPGs can be seen as different cities. Is Chicago really better than Seattle? […]
TavisJanuary 29, 2012
Alan, Lankhmar had such an impact because it's Chicago too; later stories get overlaid with San Francisco, but I bet research would reveal that Leiber was first corresponding with Fischer when he was in the Windy City, and my time living amongst its smoke-ghost vistas felt just like D&D to me.
Great essay Will. Note that because we learn to play from mentors, actual cities tell lots of the history of RPGs too. Back before the internet this was even more true; the original tragedy of TSR is in large part a conflict between the values of Lake Geneva/Chicago and those of Minneapolis/St. Paul, at a time when long-distance calls between the two were hard for a fledgling company to afford.


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What the experts say about SharePoint (MOSS)
Content and Code's visual representation of the SharePoint Platform
There continues to be much discussion, debate, interest, enthusiasm, and caution about SharePoint (MOSS 2007).
Gartner nails the analysis in its spring report Five Best Practices for Deploying SharePoint:
"Though it covers a broad spectrum of capabilities, MOSS 2007 is not yet a full enterprise content management (ECM) system. Organizations requiring advanced content management capabilities and process-centric applications will need to augment their capabilities with partner offerings, or deploy MOSS 2007 alongside an ECM system rather than as a replacement for it."
Jed Cawthorne, our resident MOSS expert at Prescient Digital Media, offers his own conclusions on his blog, ECM Stuff:
- It might be the product for you, but how do you know unless you analyze your requirements
- A phased implementation appears to be more successful, add bells and whistles later
- SharePoint in itself is not a 'strategy' - it can be part of ECM, Intranet or collaboration elements of your overall Information Management strategy
- Contrary to MS marketing hype, SharePoint does not actually do everything brilliantly
- A SharePoint deployment, like any other technology implementation will ultimately fail if not aligned with strategy, and if not properly planned with commensurate governance in place
I should disclose at this point that perhaps it might appear that I'm not a fan of SharePoint – or that I oppose it. Not at all; in fact, we use SharePoint for our own intranet and are upgrading to MOSS 2007. As well, we have many clients that use WSS and MOSS. However, I do think however that SharePoint is being used by too many organizations, including clients, that aren't well served by it.
I believe there are two telling quotes, both by Shawn Shell and Alan Pelz-Sharpe, the co-authors of the CMS Watch The Sharepoint Report 2008 (TSR) (the best analysis report on MOSS that I've seen) that best sum-up MOSS:
- "SharePoint does a lot of things, but it does very few things very well." Shawn Shell (see The pros and cons of SharePoint).
- "MOSS is very good for very good in smaller, workgroup environments (it's not traditionally very good for 5,000 or 10,000 concurrent users)," Alan Pelz-Sharpe (see SharePoint overview (pros & cons, MOSS).
- "Without proper architecture and governance, I can guarantee you that SharePoint will fail," says Bob Mixon, President of Mixon Consulting, addressing the annual Enterprise 3 conference in San Diego (see SharePoint requires proper architecture & governance ).
A number of experts and users (owners / licensees) have weighed-in on their expert opinions and analysis of SharePoint. To avoid any controversy and to protect the individuals who were freely expressing and sharing their opinions at the jboye08 in Aarhus, here are some of the more frank quotes:
- "The perception is that the search engine is terrible. I'm not 100% in agreement… the engine is pretty good, but the search interface can be weak (e.g. the engine does support wild card and Boolean searches, but usually the implemented interface does not)."
- "Personal sites (my Site functionality) is both interesting and scary at the same time."
- "The complexity across farms is ridiculous. Make sure your consultant (MS partner or implementer) give you a list of those things that stop working across farms."
Still more advice from Information Week writer Nicolas Hoover (thanks to our own Cathy Mcknight, Can Microsoft Keep SharePoint Rolling?)
"The software's Swiss Army knife approach helps companies create more useful intranets, set up document sharing, offer blogs and wikis, and build a richer online company directory. This boundary-blurring nature is part of its appeal, and can even help in budgeting: IT teams that might not get the nod for document management software have been known to slip SharePoint into the Microsoft Office budget.
But SharePoint's feature sprawl can be part of the problem. By taking what comes bundled in SharePoint, companies can end up compromising on critical functions compared with best-of-breed tools. And SharePoint deployments easily can go wrong if IT teams just turn on additional modules without considering the business case, requirements, and training needed to make them part of a business process. SharePoint's all-in-one appeal may lessen as content management standards become more prevalent, making best-of-breed approaches more viable. Still, it's undeniable that SharePoint's on a roll because of intense demand to better manage and share an expanding glut of diverse content."
If you have MOSS, or are thinking of buying, Gartner offers the following recommendations:
- To ensure that SharePoint does not become another content silo, build or update your enterprisewide content management strategy to address collaborative and basic content management.
- Build a broad inventory of existing content management applications and repositories and assess the investment levels in those before bringing in another platform such as SharePoint.
- Define business requirements and the corresponding technical and functional needs, which may span collaborative and process-centric content applications. Map your content management products to them with an eye toward minimizing the redundancy in application development, IT operational or other costs.
- Examine the integration points required between MOSS 2007 and an ECM suite and assess the availability tools and technologies to ensure interoperability.
- Establish and enforce governance policies regarding when to use and when not to use SharePoint.
MOSS 2007 is a wonderful solution – but its ideal for smaller companies, and can be a "massive problem" for larger ones. I like it a lot, but I'm technology neutral and am frank about its strengths and weaknesses. I'll continue to recommend MOSS for some, but not for others.
Based on our early adopter knowledge of CMS Platforms, a technology-neutral approach to defining business requirements and a proven methodology for aligning online collaboration needs with organizational goals, Prescient has developed a customizable CMS Blueprint to help client select the best CMS platform for their organization.
For more information on our CMS Blueprint Service, please contact us directly for more information on how to transform your intranet into a high-value employee & business system.
Also free for downloading:
Good to Great Intranet Matrix
Social Media Checklist – Updated
Finding ROI: Measuring Intranet Investments


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Oregon Historical County Records Guide
Polk County Scenic Images
Independence Mural
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A mural in Independence. (Photo No. polDA0044a)
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Dimensions: 3392 x 2252 pixels (300 dpi version); Date created: November 2009; Camera: Nikon D80 Digital SLR; Lens: Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED; Photographer citation: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives; Keywords/Tags: horizontal, Oregon, Polk County, Independence, small town, mural, painting, public art, sternwheeler, riverboat, river, transportation, history, heritage, downtown.
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