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Getting in Touch With Literacy:
David Andrews of Minnesota writes to pass along the following announcement:
Mark your calendar for the Third Biennial Conference of Getting in Touch with Literacy, a national conference focusing on the needs of individuals who are blind or visually impaired. It will be held at the Radisson Plaza Hotel, Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 25, 26, and 27, 1997. It is organized by Minnesota Teachers of the Blind & Visually Impaired; Minnesota State Services for the Blind; National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota; Minnesota Department of Children, Families, and Learning; Minnesota Deaf/Blind Technical Assistance Project; Minnesota State Academy for the Blind and Visually Impaired; AER of Minnesota; and the Wisconsin Bureau of Exceptional Children.
Help us make The third Biennial Conference exceptionally exciting, a conference of innovative as well as practical applications to literacy in all stages of life. For further information contact Jean Martin, Minnesota Resource Center for the Blind/Visually Impaired, Box 308, Faribault, Minnesota 55021-0308 (507)332-5510, e-mail email@example.com
Changing What it Means to be Blind--One School Assembly at a Time:
We recently received the following little piece from Carol Castellano. It is a useful reminder to us all of the importance of taking the time to talk with school children. It also nicely summarizes the goals of such programs. This is what she says:
Last week three members of the National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey--Joe Ruffalo, affiliate President; Ed Lewinson, President of the Northern Chapter of the NFB of New Jersey; and I, President of New Jersey Parents of Blind Children--visited an elementary school to make a presentation about blindness. We were to speak at two assemblies, one for the older students and one for the younger.
The school principal introduced us to each group. In her first introduction she said, "Boys and girls, as you know, today is the kickoff of Helping Hands Week at Washington School, and this assembly is the first of many activities. Our guests today are members of the National Federation of the Blind, and for Helping Hands Week they are going to tell us how we can help the blind." We then went on to give our presentation.
After the second group of students took their places in the school's auditorium, the principal once again introduced us. But this time, after having heard what we had to say in the first assembly, she said with great enthusiasm, "Boys and girls, we are lucky to have with us today members of the National Federation of the Blind. They are going to tell us all about how blind people do just what everyone else does, simply by using different tools and methods!"
Incidentally, here are the objectives we kept in mind as we spoke to the students:
* For students to understand that blind people live full, normal, productive lives, complete with jobs, families, friends, and fun
* For students to understand that blind people learn and use simple, effective methods for doing tasks that sighted people do with eyesight
* For students to gain familiarity with the basic skills of blindness
* For students to understand how a blind child gets an education
* For students to conclude that blind people are not helpless and do not need to be watched over.
Hoping to Buy:
We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
I would like to buy a used Kurzweil Reading Edge in good condition and English and Spanish recognition cards, which would allow the Kurzweil to read in either language. Contact Gerardo Corripio in Braille or print at 9226 Wellsworth Drive, Houston, Texas 77083, or call (281) 530- 5640 weekdays after 2:30 p.m. or all day on weekends.
New Reading Service Available:
Ben Bazo, President of the Northwest Florida Radio Reading Service, Inc., has asked us to carry the following announcement:
"The Voice of Print" of the Northwest Florida Radio Reading Service, Inc., announces that we now have a toll- free phone number at your service. It is available twenty- four hours a day, seven days a week. An answering machine will take your call. Tell us your reading request, leave your name and number, and your call will be returned as soon as possible. We will record any personal material on tape: manuals, religious books, recipes, address books, etc. This is a free service for the blind and physically handicapped. We also have hurricane preparedness tapes available. Call 941-2888 (local) or (888) 941-2888 (toll free).
Recipe Tapes Available:
We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
Recipe collections on 90-minute cassettes, including diabetic, microwave meals, one-dish meals, crock pot recipes, low-fat/low-cholesterol, vegetarian, and cookies. Tapes are $12 each. Send check, money order, or cash to Janet Murphy, 24A Coddington St., Newport, Rhode Island 02840. All tapes will be sent out the day your order is received.
Technical Brailling Service Planned:
We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
If you are a blind engineer, mathematician, or scientist, you may be interested in the Technical Braille Center being established by a nonprofit organization. This center will produce highly technical material in Braille or in a special file format. Mathematics will be done in the Nemeth Code. Tactile graphics will be included where practical. Books will be available to anyone at prices that will depend on the cost of production. To secure funding to get the service started, information is needed on how many people might use it and the kinds of technical materials that are most needed. Please contact John J. Boyer at Computers to Help People, Inc., 825 East Johnson Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53703, (608) 257-5917, e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com
Norma Gonzales Baker, Secretary of the Austin Chapter of the NFB of Texas, reports the chapter's recent election of officers. They are Wanda Hamm, President; Mary Ward, First Vice President; Zena Pearcy, Second Vice President; Norma Gonzales Baker, Secretary; Margaret "Cokie" Craig, Treasurer; and Jim Shaffer and Mike Waddles, Board Members.
Braille Atlas of the Middle East Available:
We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
This collection of tactile maps of the Middle East covers seventeen countries from Egypt in the west to Iran in the east, from Turkey in the north to Yemen in the south, and all countries, large and small, in between. The countries are arranged alphabetically; each country is introduced by a page of facts in Braille, followed by key information and a full-page map showing major cities, physical features, and points of interest. In a few cases two maps are needed to show this information. The scale of the maps varies from twelve miles per inch for Lebanon, one of the smallest countries, to 120 miles per inch for Saudi Arabia. Both the maps and the factual information are adapted from The World Today Series: The Middle East and South Asia, 1996, by Malcolm B. Russell, Stryker-Post Publications, West Virginia.
Five introductory maps provide an overall view of the Middle East. These maps show the location of the Middle East in the Eastern Hemisphere, the boundaries of the seventeen countries, the elevation, the climate, and the location of the oil fields.
Some experience with tactile graphics is recommended. The complete Atlas consists of sixty-nine Brailon pages, including twenty-five pages of maps, bound with cardboard covers and a multi-ring binder. Cost, $20 including shipping. Allow four to six weeks for delivery. Order from Princeton Braillists, 28-B Portsmouth Street, Whiting, New Jersey 08759 or call (908) 350-3708.
Technical Summer Internships Available:
We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
AAAS and IBM announce a program to provide outstanding summer opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities who are pursuing technical fields. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is committed to strengthening the role of disabled professionals in the advancement of technology for all industries. In that spirit we are participating in a precedent-setting partnership with IBM. Continually seeking the brightest minds anywhere, we hope to place qualified students with disabilities in internships throughout the country. We want to offer opportunities to work with people who are transforming the world using technologies that won't reach the classroom for years.
Take Matt King, for example. When he's not working hard designing database software for a mobile workstation, using computer screen-reading equipment and a Braille printer, he is training for paralympic gold. Backed by IBM, there's little that stands in Matt's way.
Think about it. An internship at IBM can get you where you really want to be--up close with the hottest industry- advancing projects on the planet. You'll be amazed at how quickly we'll start applying your skills. In one summer you can get more real-world experience than most students get in four years.
The 1997 summer program lasts from ten to twelve weeks. There may be opportunities for successive summer internships and potential placement upon graduation. To be eligible you must be majoring in a technical field, e.g., computer science, engineering, mathematics, or physical science. Provide a copy of your resume, current GPA, and contact information.
IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. This program is open to U.S. citizens or nationals; permanent residents, refugees, asylees, or those authorized to work under the amnesty provision of U.S. immigration law. Contact Laureen Summers, AAAS, (202) 326-6649 (phone/TDD) (202) 371-9849 or e-mail, firstname.lastname@example.com
New Baby:
Many Federationists know Joe and Patricia Miller. Mr. Miller is largely responsible for seeing that the National Office computer network behaves properly and does what it's requested to do. Mrs. Miller served as President Maurer's Secretary for a number of years before she took over direction of the Records Center. On Wednesday, March 12, at 1:00 a.m., the Millers' daughter Alexandra Juliet made her first appearance in the world. She measured 18 1/2 inches in length and weighed 6 pounds, eleven ounces. All three members of the Miller family are doing well, and the proud parents report that Alexandra is extraordinarily beautiful. Congratulations to the Millers.
Extended Technical Support Hours at Blazie Engineering:
We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
Blazie Engineering has increased its weekly hours of available telephone technical support by 33 percent. Effective immediately, customers with questions about Blazie products can call Blazie any time between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, at (410) 893- 9333.
This extra telephone availability arrives in conjunction with the recent release of the Braille 'n Speak 2000 personal data assistant. New, feature-laden Braille 'n Speak 2000 is a stand-alone word processor with voice output, a fully adjustable speech synthesizer, a Braille-to- print translator, and much more. The 2000-Series upgrade also comes standard on Type 'n Speak and Braille Lite 18 personal data assistants from Blazie.
Blazie Engineering's customers with Internet access can also find help there. Visit blazie.com on the World Wide Web to download files, link to other blindness-related sites, catalog-browse, or access product demos and manuals. Also available are e-mail discussion groups known as list- servers. These are forums of dialogue between users of Blazie products and Blazie Engineering tech support personnel.
For more information on Blazie Engineering's extended telephone support hours, Braille 'n Speak 2000, or Blazie's e-mail discussion groups, contact Blazie Engineering, 105 East Jarrettsville Road, Forest Hill, Maryland 21050, or call (410) 893-9333. On the World Wide Web visit http://www.blazie.com
Laminating Service Available:
We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
I will laminate address cards for mailing cassettes. The lamination process provides much longer use without the cards' being worn out or ruined by weather. The size of the lamination can range from a business card up to a 4-by-6- inch card. The cost of this service varies. Business cards and wallet-sized pictures cost fifty cents each. Anything bigger than this costs $1 each. If the customer would like me to type out all of the information on the card, the cost is $1.25 per card. I must receive all of the information, including correct spellings, for the address cards in Braille or on cassette. I will only accept money orders and cashier's checks as payment. If there are any questions about this service, please contact Claudia Del Real, 2346 Birch Ave., Whiting, Indiana 46393-2135, (219) 688-0716.
Guitar-by-Ear Course Available:
We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
A new guitar course just for the visually impaired has been released. The all-cassette course (nothing to see or read) was created by Bill Brown, who has been teaching guitar for over twenty-five years. The cost of the course is $34.95, which includes shipping and access to a tuning hot- line in case the student needs help tuning the guitar. After completing the course, the student will know the basic chords in first position, the most commonly used rhythm patterns for these chords, several songs using these cords and patterns, the names of the notes on the strings, and several songs using these notes. The student will also be able to access the entire Guitar-by-Ear library of guitar songs. To order the course, send a check for $34.95 to Bill Brown, 704 Habersham Road, Valdosta, Georgia 31602. If you have further questions, you may call Bill Brown at (912) 249-0628.
Braille Magazines Wanted:
We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
I would appreciate receiving pass-along copies of the following Braille magazines: Reader's Digest; National Geographic; Fortune; the Isaac Asimov Science Fiction magazine; the New York Times, Braille edition; or any other Braille magazines with fiction features. I am deaf and blind. Any letters must be in Braille. Contact Gordon Janz, 101-2425 Brunswick St., Vancouver, British Columbia, V5T 3ML.
Omni 1000 Available:
We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
The vision of Ray Kurzweil is helping to enhance the lives of blind and visually impaired people by allowing them greater independence and improved productivity. His new PC- based reading system, Omni 1000, converts the printed word into speech. This leading edge technology offers the most accurate optical character recognition (OCR) and the clearest synthetic speech available. Omni 1000 features a 40,000-word dictionary and the ability to operate the system using your voice, among its useful features.
Omni 1000 is available for as low as $995 for software only or for just under $4000 as a complete system (pentium PC, scanner, and software). Upgrade your Arkenstone, Oscar, Xerox, etc., reading machine and receive an Omni 1000 plus for just $595. For more information, please contact Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc., 411 Waverley Oaks Road, Waltham, Massachusetts 02154, (800) 894-5374, e-mail: email@example.com or visit our website at www.kurzweiledu.com
At its January, 1997, meeting the North Central Chapter of the NFB of Louisiana elected the following new officers: Josh Boudreaux, President; Brenda Walburn, First Vice President; Constance Connolly, Second Vice President; Pam Dubel, Secretary; Harold Wilson, Treasurer; and Arlene Hill and Eddie Culp, Board members.
Hoping to Buy:
I am looking for a Sharp Talking Time One talking alarm clock. If you have one for sale or if you know where I can purchase one, please call Tony Lewis at (510) 865-3171 or write 1211 Paru, Apt. E, Alameda, California 94501.
Letter from a Very Young Federationist:
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is James Randall Ostergaard, son of Jim and Olivia Ostergaard of the Fresno, California, Chapter. I arrived on January 15, 1997, at 12:33 a.m. I weighed seven pounds, four ounces and was nineteen and three-fourths inches long.
I am looking forward to attending NFB meetings. I am especially interested in the Parents of Blind Children Division. Maybe they can help my mommy and daddy learn how to take care of me. Maybe I'll have my mommy tell you about some of the things we've been experiencing that first-time blind parents need to know.
I am excited about life and look forward to being a Federationist. I know the California affiliate has been waiting a long time for me to get here. So tell Willows and the gang that I'm rarin' to go after I grow up a little.
Thanks for reading my letter. Here's to a better Federation!
James Randall Ostergaard
Position Available:
We have been asked to carry the following announcement:
Research Director. Full-time, professional position. Qualifications: earned doctorate in rehabilitation counseling or a closely related field from an accredited college or university. CRC preferred. Five years experience in conducting applied rehabilitation research and/or in grants management activities with a minimum of two years experience in applied rehabilitation research. Demonstrated success in securing research grants. Expertise in computerized statistical packages, spreadsheet packages, and other research techniques required. Applicants must be able to coordinate and direct research activities of the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision at Mississippi State University. Salary: negotiable, depending upon training and experience. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Send letter of application, resume, three letters of reference, and transcripts to John Maxson, Chair, Screening Committee, RRTC on Blindness and Low Vision, P.O. Drawer 6189, Mississippi State University, Mississippi 39762. Questions regarding the position can also be sent to firstname.lastname@example.com or call (601) 325-2001. MSU is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer.
NAC Takes a Hit in the Journal of Rehabilitation:
The January/February/March, 1997, issue of the Journal of Rehabilitation, perhaps the most prestigious publication in the general rehabilitation field, published an article titled, "Why Accreditation Failed Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Impaired." The author was C. Edwin Vaughan, Professor of Sociology at the University of Missouri at Columbia. The article's abstract tells the sorry NAC tale. The handful of agencies still clinging to NAC accreditation would do well to read this history and consider their actions in the light of the field's decision to move on, leaving NAC behind. This is what the abstract says:
Four major organizations provide national accrediting services for rehabilitation agencies. National accreditation becomes increasingly important when both consumers of services and those who provide economic support for these agencies expect increased accountability. The most specialized of these national agencies is the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped (NAC). NAC grew out of a two-year planning process which culminated in the establishment of the new accrediting organization in 1967. Its founders envisioned accrediting more than five hundred agencies that provided education and rehabilitation services to people who are blind. Throughout its history NAC has been opposed by well-organized consumers of services and has not attracted the support of most agencies. It has never reached its envisioned goals and is now declining. This article reviews the history of this accrediting organization and discusses the reasons for continuous and intense consumer and professional resistance. It analyzes why different occupational groups within this field failed to unite in support of NAC and provides data documenting its rapid decline during the past decade. The article concludes by exploring available alternatives for agencies in the blindness field when accreditation fails.
Elected to Serve:
On December 11, 1996, David Stayer, one of the leaders of the National Federation of the Blind of New York, was elected to chair the Rehabilitation Advisory Council of the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped. Congratulations to David Stayer and to the Commission's Advisory Council.
Scholarships for Part-time Students Available:
The George Washington University is pleased to invite applicants for the Barbara Jackman Zuckert Scholarship for Blind Part-time Students. The scholarship fund was established by Barbara Jackman Zuckert in 1985 to assist visually impaired or blind students seeking higher education at The George Washington University. It is the goal of this scholarship to encourage enrollment of visually impaired or blind students by extending financial assistance when other sources of support are not available.
The purpose of the Barbara Jackman Zuckert Scholarship for Blind Part-Time Students is now amended to include learning- disabled students who have a significant deficit in the area of reading. These may be students, primarily those with dyslexia, who qualify for and use books on tape, such as those designed primarily for sight-impaired persons.
Applicants for the Barbara Jackman Zuckert Scholarship must submit a complete application (including a financial aid statement), a letter of application, certification of disability, and a high school or college transcript to the selection committee. Applications must be postmarked no later than May 30, 1997. Applications can be obtained from the George Washington University, Disability Support Services, Marvin Center 436, 800 21st Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20052. Please feel free to call Christy Willis, Director, Disability Support Services, (202) 994- 8250, if you have any further questions.
Ninetieth Anniversary Celebration:
We recently received this picture and press release:
With its March issue, the Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind completed ninety years of uninterrupted publication--a record most print publications cannot match. The Ziegler came into existence in 1907 following the serendipitous meeting of Mrs. William Ziegler, who had a blind son, and a Tennessee newspaper man, Walter G. Holmes, who had a blind brother. He knew how difficult and expensive it was for blind people to find materials they could read with their fingers. For example, the then-popular book, Ben Hur, which cost one dollar in print, cost $10.50 in an embossed form.
After meeting Mr. Holmes in 1905, Mrs. Ziegler agreed to pay all the costs of an embossed magazine if he would edit it. To this arrangement he readily agreed, and the first issue was mailed to subscribers in March, 1907. It required two horse-drawn wagons to haul the dozens of mail bags stuffed with the bulky raised-dot publication from the magazine's Manhattan plant to the post office.
At that time Braille was not the most widely-used embossed reading system. The first run of the Ziegler Magazine, therefore, had only 2,000 copies in Braille, but had 5,000 in the popular New York Point.
The Ziegler was a pioneering publication in other ways. It was the first publication to solve the problem of embossing both sides of a sheet of paper without crushing the dots on the first side. What is now called "Free Matter for the Blind or Handicapped" was also pioneered by the magazine. As early as 1904 books lent out by libraries for the blind could be mailed free of postage. In 1910 editor Walter G. Holmes instigated legislation that would allow magazines for the blind also to be mailed postage-free. This legislation was designed specifically to spare the Ziegler from second-class postage but has since benefited every comparable periodical for the blind and physically handicapped.
A free subscription may be had by anyone who can read Braille or has a four-track, half-speed cassette player. For details contact Ziegler Magazine, 80 8th Ave., Room 1304, New York, New York 10011, (212) 242-0263. Fax (212) 633- 1601, e-mail: email@example.com Home page: www.zieglermag.org
A history of the magazine, The Ziegler Magazine Story, is available free of charge in Braille, standard speed cassette, or large print from the above address.


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JUBA, Sudan — His memorial appears untouched since the funeral a year ago. Temporary aluminum roofing covers baskets of dusty plastic flowers. Tattered flags and fading tinsel hang limply from metal beams.
Yet each day, visitors stream by to pay their respects to Sudanese rebel leader John Garang, who led a 21-year civil war against the government before signing a landmark peace deal, only to die six months later in a helicopter crash.
Around Juba, the dilapidated capital of southern Sudan, many can't help but wonder what might have been.
Would Garang have secured a stronger role for his fellow southerners in the new coalition government led by his onetime archenemy, Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir? Would Garang have made good on his pledge to resolve the standoff in the western region of Darfur, which has worsened since his death? Would he have pushed for faster development in the long-neglected south?
"If Garang were still around, life would be different," said Samuel Gouorid, 41, leaning over his stand of eggplant and limes in Juba's central market.

subset: commoncrawl


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Hope in a Jar and When in Doubt Add Butter are ABSOLUTELY hilarious and wonderful reads you will not be disappointed at all
I have actually already read them. This is a list of books I have read since starting this blog. For books I plan on reading I have a goodreads account.
Thanks for the sweet note!


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Taste the difference quality makes
Visit Our Award-Winning Burnaby Bakery
Thanks to our customers, Valley Bakery Ltd. has been in business over 60 years. We have the largest variety of fresh, delicious cookies, pastries and other baked items in the city!
Valley Bakery's craftsmen have created a huge selection of baked foods. Come to our Burnaby bakery for our legendary European cakes made with whipped creams, buttercreams and custards. You can also enjoy a variety of pastries, petit fours and cookies that are sure to delight. And when you are looking for something really nutritious and a delight to eat, try one of our fresh artisan breads. Treat yourself, and stop by our location in Burnaby Heights. We are easy to access from anywhere in the Lower Mainland.
Our Burnaby Bakery Is Committed to Quality
At Valley Bakery Ltd., we pay close attention to your wants and needs, and we are constantly striving to be the best bakery in all of Canada. We have strong ties to Europe, but our treats appeal to all nationalities. We love sharing our delicious products with everyone who walks through our door, and every day, we look forward to bringing a smile to the faces of old friends and first-time customers.
We are a scratch bakery that does everything on-site, meaning you won't find our products anywhere else. And we have the largest selection of baked foods you're likely to find in any other retail bakery in Burnaby.
Do you have an upcoming special occasion?
Liven up your party with our custom cakes!


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I just have them put a stuffed animal at their spot. I have four stuffed animals for the bathroom.
This year with all the cute owls out there in the blogging world I decided to make my own. ( To tell the truth I had to have help from my mom because I do not sew very well.)
I found this idea months ago at 5 Orange Potatoes and she has step by step directions there if you are interested..
|5 Orange Potatoes
I made my owls out of baby hats I found on the clearance racks at Target for 25 cents so they turned out a little bit bigger and brighter.


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Since I composed my last blog, I've had a great deal of reflecting, rethinking, and reframing to do, which has driven me to write another post on the matter and readdress some issues with my newfound perspectives. The initial post on Queen Rania not only embodied my own emotional disruption, but elicited a strong response from many readers on various points of the spectrum, from defending her, to expressing anger and frustration about the state of their country, to blatant accusations of shady business deals and laying blame for maltreatment of children in far off countries to which she has no ties.
Rania vs. Queen Rania
Such is the problem for public personas and those of us who follow them, deciphering between the reality and the fantasy of who these people are, who they present themselves to be, and who others claim them to be. Accused of being the epitome of pretention, despite Rania's claims that she uses the internet to allow people to get closer to her "real self", it could very easily be argued that the "self" Rania portrays online is no more realistic than the self she portrays in every other public domain of her life. Some people even argue it's not really her posting. However, in light of Occam's razor, perhaps she really is just being herself and trying her hardest to prove it to a world of naysayers. So how do we know who's who? God help me for alluding to Eminem but will the real Queen Rania please stand up?
Publicity vs. Philanthropy
Sadly, with all the doubt and suspicions, no one will ever truly know who the real Rania is. I don't know her and I do not foresee myself bumping into her down at 7-11 while I'm snatching a Big Gulp to sustain a crippling Diet Coke addiction (I said Diet Coke…the soda…put away the 800 numbers). However, there can be no fantasy without some basis of reality, and Rania cannot portray herself to be a philanthropist without actually accomplishing some good. Whether it's a nothing more than a photo op or a woman just doing her job with a photographer on her tail, there are always beneficiaries of her work. As one person told me, does it matter what her motives are so long as someone's being helped? Ultimately, no. People don't care if they're being used for a front page spread to gain public favor when they're starving or freezing, as long as they get the food they need and the clothing to keep them warm. And while it's not the stuff role models are made of, if Rania is truly self-serving and self-indulgent in her work, so long as people are being taken care of, that will be an issue she will have to contend with when she meets whomever she answers to morally. In other words, not our problem.
Role Models vs. Models Playing Roles
A few people were surprised of the investment I've made in this woman in terms of admiration and expectation. As I briefly alluded to in the postscript of my previous blog, role models have always been in short supply in my world and I often needed to look to public figures for guidance. Some came and went, because let's face it; 13 year olds are not great judges of character when it comes to picking personal influences. But even today, I feel I still need the positive influence and the guidance to help direct me down the right path in life, a set example to aspire towards, and though some may find it childish that a 26 year old looks to public figures for such, I don't believe our need for that crucial example ever dies no matter how old we get, and what's wrong with admiring someone who seems to embody the values you wish to have?
Now herein lies the problems with role models, especially the public kind we never get to meet. From a safe distance and filtered through TV screens and magazine pages, it becomes all too easy to forget that these people are, in fact, nothing more than human beings, regular people behind superfluous titles who are given to every day imperfections that make us human. Hence, we build these individuals up in our minds and are greatly disappointed when we find they are not who we hoped (who could forget that gut-wrenching moment when Julia Child called Julie's blog "stupid"?), and Rania is no different. Of course if she ever calls my blog stupid there will be swift retribution of epic proportions…in other words I will grab a small bottle of tequila and spend the evening flipping off my computer screen…but I will do so swiftly! But I will be the first to say (actually I'm like the third after a few friends gave me a verbal knock upside the head) that I set impossible expectations of this woman and in turn set myself up for failure.
I was greatly disappointed when I learned of all the suffering that still goes on in Jordan, how many people are still hungry, still freezing through the winters, still struggling to survive. But then, as I was browsing the discussion board of Rania's Facebook page, I began to see what could only be described as a digital wailing wall. With topics entitled "I Need Help", "Only You Can Help This Woman!", and "Why?", posts range from begging for help with education, organizations for the disabled, calling for advocacy of Human Rights issues, even requests to help some find a wife, a job, or low airfare to Jordan. And I realized, how can this woman do so much? How is she supposed to solve every single problem for every single person in her country, and then some? No doubt she prioritizes and tackles the most pressing matters first. But the people of Jordan have every right to be upset, having to sit back and watch as her charity is bestowed upon someone else, just waiting and wondering "when will it be my turn? When will my suffering be enough to get someone's attention?" And when you're in pain, all you see is the one person who seems to have the power to help, and the fact that she doesn't. They can't see the burden of a country, the sack of troubles and worries she seems to carry on her back. And fake persona or not, no one can listen to those voices pleading for help and go home to a restful sleep at night. It will never be enough, she will never be enough. And I'm beginning to pity her plight right alongside the other Jordanians.
Dollars and Sense
Now I don't want this to sound like I'm back-tracking my way up to oblivion again. While I've changed my perspective on Rania the person, Rania the queen still has some work to do. I still can't defend the spending of the royal family, because excessive spending is not something I'm familiar with. I am a self-proclaimed anti-materialist and anti-conspicuous consumer, I shop for clothes at Wal-Mart and Target, I pass on accessories and the latest gadget, and I prefer to spend my birthdays in a quiet low-priced restaurant enjoying a turkey sandwich, topped off with a cupcake my mother buys for me (thanks Ma). It's not because I'm broke, it's not because I am technologically challenged, and it's not because I'm the biggest bore in SoCal (course you won't find me dancing on the pool tables at The Colorado either -ahem- Miss M). I just know there are better things I can be spending my money on. There's no need to have the shiniest, fanciest car just so you can drive around and show off the fact that you can afford it. There's no need to pay $80 for a shirt that cost a company $4 to make just because it has a well-known name sewn on the tag, a tag no one will see. And while 40 is a big birthday, I don't know if I would celebrate it on a luxury yacht in France. Not when there are people in the world who don't even have safe drinking water. Now I'm not asking for a vow of poverty, but do people really need 20 pairs of Jimmy Choo shoes? In the scheme of things, the people who truly matter don't give a damn about what's on your feet anyways. I stand by my previous comments on the matter, something in Jordan has to change, and it can start by selling a Prada bag and feeding a few hundred families.
Internet Checks and Balances
Likewise, I won't change my beef with the internet censorship. I had a vague recollection of an interview Rania gave bragging about free internet in Jordan and meant to post it in the last blog, but couldn't locate it until now. Attending Le Web in Paris during December of last year, Rania denounced internet restrictions, claiming that such a system of censorship is "not sustainable, and will never last" and goes so far as to call it a violation of human rights. Remarkably, she echoes the comments I made (or rather I unintentionally echoed her) that efforts should be made to resolve situations creating criticism rather than in trying to silence that criticism. So what gives? Ironically, the bill was passed just a few weeks after Rania returned from France. Either Rania was bullshitting us, or there's some serious discrepancies between the viewpoints of the queen and the Jordanian government, but either way, someone's looking bad.**
Now there is hope at the end of this tale. In what could be called coincidental, or maybe the woman actually read this blog, in response to the birthday wishes she received on Twitter, Rania wrote "When ur [sic] in ur 20s u think these old 40yr olds must have it figured out…not true! Ur still a little confused! Questioning, exploring and seeking ways to make urself and everything around u better." So she has acknowledged that she is not one of those omniscient leaders I was complaining about two blogs ago and that she, like all of us, is still learning and still growing, and sure enough, imperfect. And God help her, for one reason or another, she's trying. Whether or not this persona is the real Rania, until we meet at the soda fountain of a local convenience store, I can only take her at face value and hope that she is who she claims to be. If she is putting on a façade, that's on her head, if I wrongfully accuse her, then it's on mine. Is it worse to believe a liar or condemn an honest person?
Author's Note: If all else fails, she's still pretty freakin' hot.
**UPDATE: It was brought to my attention by one of my readers that an article was published on the Canadian Reuters site 2 days prior to the composition of this blog addressing the Jordanian internet censorship. After heavy criticism from the public sector of Jordan and concerns of the image that would portray to the western world, the incredibly vague bill restricting freedom of speech on the internet was amended to include only criminal issues such as pornography and e-fraud. Yay for you Jordan! Guess Rania was right, it won't last.


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I. Introduction.
A. Reasons for undertaking research.
At the times of Soviet Union, there wasn't not only small or middle business, there was not any business at all, everything was public and there was no owners; so all countries of ex-Soviet Union have to develop their small enterprises intensively. For Kazakhstan, it was very difficult, mainly because Kazakhstan had more mineral industry and a little of agriculture, for the most part - grain. Processing industry was very weak. When USSR broke up and young Kazakhstan had to care about itself, enterprises needed huge amounts of money to buy necessary equipment, employ qualified workers to work in mineral industry and to develop processing industry, which demand, by the way, more expenses. However, firstly, government and banks did not have enough money to give credits to the enterprises and secondly, it was much easier to create monopoly. Thus, our system of supporting small business was not correct from the very beginning.
But still, 10 years later when it seems that Kazakhstan had grown roots and almost everything going rather well, our system of supporting small business in a bad condition (see Appendix 1).
There are several reasons why our small business develops very slowly. Firstly, there was not any optimal government strategy it support small business. Government did not reveal the appropriate branch and regional priorities for small business. Secondly, another problem is corruption. As we know, officials can build huge barriers before entrepreneurs, for example, different checks, problems with registration, and others. Thirdly, a high taxes on enterprises.
Small enterprises pay more taxes than big ones. This system of taxation should be more fair, because for small enterprises there is no stimulus not to develop, but even to conduct their own business. Lastly, in our country there is no appropriate lending...


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THE annual CFDA Awards is always one of the biggest nights on the fashion calendar and 2013 did not disappoint.
As per CFDA tradition, many of the year's winning and nominated designers arrived with one of their favourite muses on their arm - Zac Posen with Juliette Lewis, Michael Kors with Karolina Kurkova, Francisco Costa with Rooney Mara and Riccardo Tisci with Jessica Chastain - with the glamorous plus-ones naturally dressed in designs by their dates.
Rooney Mara in Calvin Klein Collection dress and heels by Brian Atwood.
Miranda Kerr in a Proenza Schouler dress with a clutch and heels by Stuart Weitzman and jewellery by Elodie K and Jennifer Meyer.
Jessica Chastain in a custom-made Givenchy dress.
Nicole Richie in Marc Jacobs autumn/winter 2013-14 slip dress, Christian Louboutin clutch, Jennifer Meyer jewellery and Giuseppe Zanotti sandals.
Jourdan Dunn in Calvin Klein Collection and clutch by Perrin Paris.
Kerry Washington in a Jason Wu autumn/winter 2013-14 dress.
Elizabeth Olsen wore a dress and carried a clutch from her sisters' label, The Row, while Mary-Kate Olsen wore a vintage Issey Miyake dress.
Hailee Steinfeldin a custom-designed crop top and full skirt by Suno, Jimmy Choo heels and jewellery by Jennifer Meyer.
Karlie Kloss in a Cushnie et Ochs dress.
Joan Smalls in a Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci pre-spring/summer 2014 dress.
Karolina Kurkova and Cody Horn were both guests of Michael Kors, so were naturally dressed by the designer.
Linda Evangelista in Oscar de la Renta dress and clutch by Reece Hudson.
Candice Swanepoel in Prabal Gurung.
Lily Aldridge wore The Row top-to-toe.
Olivia Palermo in Dennis Basso spring/summer 2013 dress , Sergio Rossi heels and Zara clutch.
Adriana Lima in a sheer-skirted dress by Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci.
Ellie Kemper in a Naeem Khan autumn/winter 2013-14 dress, Rupert Sanderson sandals and Irene Neuwith jewellery.
Erin Wasson in Alexander Wang.
Hilary Rhoda in a Helmut Lang dress.
Jessica Hart in Rachel Roy.
Sofia Vergara in Hervé L. Leroux.
Donna Karan in a dress of her own design.
Kate Mara in a Dolce & Gabbana dress and Brian Atwood heels.
Rose Byrne in a Thakoon dress, Salvatore Ferragamo heels and Rona Pfeiffer jewellery.
Jessica Stam in Rebecca Minkoff dress and Christian Louboutin heels.
Juliette Lewis arrived with Zac Posen and wore a dress of his design.
Bee Shaffer and Anna Wintour.
My fav, Harley Viera-Newton wore a Steven Alan white suit and carried a clutch by Olympia Le Tan.
For more check out (http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/celebrity-photos/2013/6/4/cfda-awards)
Thanks for reading :) MT


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Magnificent Penthouse Residence. Truly outstanding views of the Gulf of Mexico and 10,000 Islands from private expansive terraces designed for outside living & entertaining. Exquisitely decorated and superbly appointed by renowned design team Collins Dupont. Extensive custom upgrades & floor plan enhancements makes this penthouse a remarkable property. Extensive fine architectural details including custom moldings and ceiling treatments, custom built- ins, intricate inlay marbles, granite & tiles. Exceptional specialty electronics, one touch lighting and surround sound, electric blinds, custom built in T/V systems and more. Stunning furnishings, rich fabrics, & wallpapers, custom faux painting through out this outstanding residence. Totally upgraded gourmet kitchen will delight the family chef with Viking range, upgraded granite counter tops, center Island, Sub Zero & GE Monogram appliances etc. Rare PRIVATE TWO CAR GARAGE included.
Additional Property Details


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Woodstar12 Feedback reviews, 100% positive
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50x the Magnificence
Closeness is nothing without clarity. Enjoy 50x optical zooming, silky-smooth Full HD video and razor-sharp, 20.4MP pics?perfect for sporting events and all your adventures. Looking to capture the mood of a shot without the harshness of a flash? Low-light environments (think candlelight and campfire) maintain their warmth thanks to the sensitive Exmor® R CMOS sensor.
Shake-free Footage
Shoot incredibly smooth video and still images thanks to the new BIONZ® X processor and Optical SteadyShot? with Intelligent Active mode1. When the processor and image stabilization technology work together they deliver sharp, blur-free photos and footage in otherwise unsteady situations, like shooting video while walking or zoomed in.
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With a 20.4-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor, capture high-resolution images that take full advantage of the camera's high-quality ZEISS lens. More pixels means you can enlarge, zoom in and crop your photos without losing detail. Advanced BIONZ X image processor technology reduces noise and graininess for incredibly crisp, clear images?even in challenging low-light conditions, while sensor and processor working together enable 10fps, Anti Motion Blur, Hand-held Twilight and 1080p movie modes.
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Now you can wirelessly share your photos and videos through simplified Wi-Fi®/NFC (Near Field Communication) control3. Even better, you can easily share media between your camera and a compatible Android? device through convenient and quick NFC with just one touch. Simply tap devices together to establish a link; no complicated setup is required.


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- Arthur Blundell's and Emily Hartwell's piece called "Missing the Peace for the Trees," in Foreign Policy
- A report by Forest Trends by Arthur Blundell and Emily Harwell
- The UN Peacemaker website for peace Agreements and statistics
- Our own collection of peace agreements, which we study once in a while.
Surprisingly, there seemed to be very little other scientific/empirical evidence available concerning the relationship between peacemaking and land degradation. There is an overall acceptance, though, that land issues and conflict have a distinct connection.
Do we now need a Security Council Resolution for the planet, stating that all peace negotiations need to take into account the issue of nature, the environment and its protection, so as to preserve the land for present and future generations?
On reflection, the facts, statistics, and peace agreements all pointed to four key facts that need to be communicated if we are to "get the picture" when it comes to understand land restoration and peacemaking.
Fact 1: Land issues are marginal to peace negotiations.
15% of all post-WWII Peace Agreements mentioned land and resources, and of these, the issues are mostly mentioned in terms of joint or shared management. That's the same amount as those which address women and children. It is shocking that those who bear most of the brunt of conflict – women, children and nature/land – have scarcely received a mention. There are a lot of reasons why this is the case, but their exclusion is unjustifiable.
Fact 2: The degree of failure of peace agreements
It is by now a well-established fact that most peace agreements fail within the first five years of their implementation (in fact there is an estimation of 50-70%).
Fact 3: Natural resources in peace agreements are unstable
Agreements that feature clauses on natural resources are twice more likely to fail than other agreements. This is an interesting figure, and begs the question as to why. Is it because the agreement on natural resources is a result of inefficient negotiation, or is it because the root causes have not truly been addressed? Indeed, the cause may be neither of the two; let's give these deals the benefit of the doubt, for now.
What is truly remarkable though, is that according to these statistics, 86.5 % of peace agreements that feature natural resources or land sharing fail, which means 13 out of 15 agreements.
Fact 4: Natural Resources are a driving source of conflict
What makes this all quite disconcerting is that, according to the figures of UNEP, 40% of all conflicts are indeed driven by natural resource issues.
These simple hard facts give sufficient leverage to the argument that the peace making and land degradation nexus needs to be worked out.
Serious empirical research on this topic remains to be done, as we are seeking to set up a pilot project on this issue. However, from my experience so far, there seem to be five principal causes creating friction between land degradation/restoration and sustainable peace settlements.
- The first one is that, even after years of capacity-building, many negotiators and peace makers still negotiate compromise. That is, when we talk about sharing, we divide things rather than finding solutions where everyone could augment their share if truly committed. In the field of land restoration that is what is needed. Most often, the sharing involves natural resources that generate income. Governments and stakeholders have a very short-term vision about this, viewing their resources as a fast-track to wealth and power, rather than a long-term vision that considers nature as a stakeholder and key to sustainable peace and development. Thus it seems 'natural' that natural resource conflicts are likely to relapse into conflict.
- From this we could also derive that the method in which we practice negotiation –making the pie bigger – is suboptimal. No surprise to anyone. Parties, mediators and negotiators still are stuck in the field of distributive bargaining. Communities and their wellbeing are of little importance, even if conflict is often driven by groups of communities (ethnic, territorial) and the competition for resources that exists among them.
- The third point is that the issue of land restoration and degradation is a complex subject. I have spent a year talking to my colleagues and have come to consider it as a specialist subject area, without doubt. Whilst the UN has recognised this special status, we have done little to make it accessible in the way that gender, transitional justice or security issues have been "opened up". Why? Maybe because we do not understand that nature is, in fact, a hard security issue.
- The fourth related cause is lack of engagement with land restoration issues due to the time it takes for scientific evidence to emerge. Land restoration takes years, even decades. Although of academic interest, studies which demonstrate the long-term benefits of land restoration efforts simply cannot be produced quickly enough to have an impact around the negotiating table.
- Last but not least, we should not forget one of the main reasons why the issue of land restoration remains unsolved: many natural resources are tied up with vested private-sector interests who have inherently short-term visions. When a resource can be vital for filling coffers and serving political interests, the public interest becomes secondary. This is no different from the Western world, and it is only a raising of public consciousness about this issue that will transform this way of thinking and acting when it comes to natural issues. The Earth's resources are not unlimited free goods, and they certainly do not belong to politicians. Having said that, politicians do play a vital role in managing these resources for everyone's benefit.
So what do we do about all this?
To close this stream of thought, there are a several things that came into my mind about what could be done to instigate change and bring nature to the negotiating table.
I'm reminded of the discussions and work that we did about the role of women in peace negotiations, remaining largely underrepresented in peace talks despite constituting half of our world's population and a very important piece of its social fabric. On this matter, the United Nations formulated a Security Council Resolution (SCR1325) around which a lot of energy, resources and institutions were formed, leading to promising changes and an awareness of the work that still remains to be done. Do we now need a Security Council Resolution for the planet, stating that all peace negotiations need to take into account the issue of nature, the environment and its protection, so as to preserve the land for present and future generations? It might be an initiative worth reflecting upon and a campaign worth investing in.
In parallel, we should build capacity. In order to work on land degradation and restoration as a tool for peace, we obviously need to understand it much better. This includes making key audiences aware of the issues, through workshop seminars and trainings. It also means developing the necessary expertise among those who can bridge the nexus between land issues and peace processes. It demands extra effort in linking the usual silos of science, development, agroforestry practice, security, peacemaking and peace building.
Finally, it is also clear that we, as in the entire international community, need to create a system of accountability for the state and private-sector use of nature for people and societies. The Paris Agreement on Climate change has a big overarching aim here. Let us, as peacebuilders, make it a concrete aim that peace negotiations not only seek to satisfy the needs of all parties, but to do so sustainably – in every sense of the word. I think that's something that we all want.
We are also looking forward to investing our energies in deepening this important area of work.
Thanks to Miguel Varela and Martin Leng for editorial support.


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News | Newsbriefs | Events | Sports | Schools | People | Police | Legals | Bulletin Board | Letters | Progress | Readers Choice
There are several challengers in this year's South St. Paul School Board race for four seats.
The St. Thomas Academy Experimental Vehicle Team (EVT) finished fifth in the world at the 2018 Shell Eco-marathon Drivers' World Championship on July 8.
West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan Area Schools (District 197) has announced that Moreland Arts and Health Sciences Magnet Elementary School has been named a United States Department of Education Green Ribbon School for 2018.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) announced May 22 that Erie 1 BOCES Harkness Career and Technical Center in Cheektowaga, New York, is the winner of the sixth annual Aviation Design Challenge and St.
courtesy Inver Grove Heights Schools • Inver Grove Heights Schools is looking at possibly switching the start and end times of its elementary and secondary schools. This would put the start time of secondary students in better alignment with research that shows later start times are better for their sleep habits. The change, which would need to be approved by the ISD 199 school board, wouldn't take effect until the 2019-2020 school year.
South St. Paul school district begins its own look
Courtesy of Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District • L'Etoile du Nord French Immersion School students went around the Beaver Lake neighborhood in early May to encourage neighbors to "adopt a drain" and help keep local water sources clean. The students have been working with the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District all year on various water quality projects.
L'Etoile du Nord French Immersion School fourth-grade students went around the Beaver Lake neighborhood in early May encouraging neighbors to adopt a drain.
Cover art courtesy of Mid-Continent Oceanographic Institute • Fifth-grade students from John A. Johnson Elementary are now published authors after spending the school year writing and editing poems. Their work is appearing in an anthology called "The Bold, Untold North," through the help of creative writing and tutoring nonprofit the Mid-Continent Oceanographic Institute.
Anyone can be a writer and everyone's voice matters is a lesson that John A. Johnson Elementary school students have been learning throughout the school year.
Hannah Burlingame/Review • Parker Knudson and Az'Rhyanna Smith, who are both third-graders at Kaposia Education Center, are just two of the many students who have been helped by 67-year-old John Kidd, who has been working at the school since 2016 as part of Minnesota Reading Corps.
Kaposia Reading Corp tutor gives teaching a try
On May 8, voters in the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan School District 197 passed a bond referendum for $117 million. It was approved with 62 percent of the vote.
courtesy of Janine Bauert • A group of students from Henry Sibley High School in Mendota Heights calling themselves MNeverAgain traveled to Washington, D.C., to take part in the March For Our Lives rally on March 24. The march was to raise awareness about gun violence in light of the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
A group of 36 students and 10 chaperones loaded onto buses March 22 to begin the more than 1,000-mile trip to Washington D.C.
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|Tim Hill
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|Blending state-of-the-art animation with live action Hop tells the hilarious tale of Fred (James Marsden) an out-of-work slacker who accidentally injures the Easter Bunny (voiced by Russell Brand) and must take him in as he recovers. As Fred struggles with the world's worst houseguest both will learn what it takes to finally grow up.
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Diego tries to finish off this final archer, but isn't quite up to the task as the weapon triangle rears its ugly head.
Fortunately, Darius has him covered.
That just leaves this jerk, who we stab...
...drops some rocks on...
...and stab again.
Well, maybe you shouldn't love so many evil shit-heels. Or be one.
I'll refrain from any obvious jokes about his father's name out of respect for the soon to be deceased.
Kane is gone, and no one cares, least of all our heroes, but he did drop his rad sword! I'm pretty sure that I forgot to equip it afterwards. >_<
Oh right, there were Crimson Armor units on this map. Six of them, I guess. Who knew?
Next time: Vandal Hearts continues to demonstrate that it doesn't know what a beach is.
Vandalier Ash vs. T.G. Cid: whoodwin
Also, if it's comparing which of the two would do better versus a group of opponents, then there's absolutely no contest.
Orlandu does come with Auto-Haste, so don't count him out just yet. Of course, if the Haste status existed in VH, Ash would be able to use it, but Orlandu never has to re-apply it.
More broken than the Calculator, though? Vandalier gives Calculator a run for its money, for sure, but I don't think it's a clear contest, since Calculator gets infinite range on every spell and doesn't have to worry about MP costs. The big advantage to Vandalier is that it could easily solo Worker 7. Good luck pulling that off with a Calculator.
This question has made me think about how Ash and crew would fare against Ramza and crew. I think in general FFT characters can be more broken than VH characters but VH characters would hit hard against the FFT lower HP and have more HP compared to the damage that FFT characters can do. Also, the FFT team would be outnumbered by the VH team but the FFTers do have more reliable* lockdown methods.
*Maybe. I'm not sure how the mechanics of the two different games would mesh together.
Heck, Item is all the FFT crew really needs. We haven't seen much death on JBear's side of the field, but I'm guessing there's no such thing as a stash of 99 Phoenix Downs. The lowly Chemist in FFT is already broken -- we don't need to break out the Chantage for this one.
There are several ways we can pit a relatively low-powered FFT unit against Vandalier Ash. If we assume Plasma Storm isn't reflectable, near-zero Faith will still stop it, so you'd only have to deal with Ash's melee attack and infinite regeneration. That calls for a Faith-independent lockdown solution, and what better than Mimic Daravon for that? Give our unit best compatibility with Ash and let one of the most derided skillsets in the game do its work. We'll still need to do damage without waking Ash, and with such a low Faith requirement, there's really only one woman for the job.
That's right: Rafa is our anti-Ash unit.
Reis would work too but is way less classy
We're Back!
Hello there, everyone, and welcome back to Let's Play Vandal Hearts! Just to remind everyone what's going on: Ash drew the holy sword of legend, Vandal Heart, and then underwent the final Trial of Toroah to become the holy warrior of legend, the Vandalier. Then he broke the game in half, almost single-handedly storming Forth Gareth and finally putting Kane out of our collective misery, wiping up the remaining forces of the Crimson Guard in the process.
We join our heroes on the march back to the imperial capital of Shumeria, back where this all began, to put a stop to Dolf and his ambitions.
Oh, and before we get started, here's a reminder of a quote from earlier in the game that I'm sure will be of no importance and that you should probably just ignore:
A "beach", apparently.
I think it was that large red person?
(I'm not sure why the game gives sprites for these lines, since I think the implication is that they're disembodied voices.)
Honestly, these scenes work better without the doofy Vandalier helmet, when you can see the anguish on Ash's face.
I mean, I'm pretty cool with that last one? That guy sucked.
Well this is embarrassing.
"No, really... I'm fine. It's nearly time for us to link up our forces with Clive."
Ash quickly changes the subject. I guess everyone is content to ignore the sudden unprompted shouting.
We should really find a scout or something. This just keeps happening.
Welcome to Cobalt Beach, the game's last filler battle. It only has a few of them, all told, so I'll forgive it. Also, it might well be the easiest battle in the game, even if you're not rocking a holy avatar of destruction.
There are 3 chests in plain sight, and a whole lot of boulders just begging to be rolled. Well, they can just keep on begging, because we're not touching them. Boulders don't give XP, after all, and I see a bunch of walking bags of XP on the other side of that hill.
Darius kicks off the festivities by one-shotting this bat. Believe it or not, the four bats on the periphery (now three) are the most difficult opponents in this fight by a fair margin.
Dolan smashes open the closest chest and prepares to get chewed on by a bat.
Ash could, of course, solo this battle with a couple of Plasma Waves, but the last thing that he needs is more XP, and we don't need his help. He picks a nice spot on the top of the hill to watch from as the rest of the squad files in behind him.
Plan "counter-attack the bat" has hit a bit of a snag, as Dolan has been paralyzed (you can see the yellow text hiding behind that big 32). This might be a concern if he weren't a living wall of metal.
These boulders are talking!
Sara jogs back to help Dolan, who wastes no time in paying this bat back a favour.
Zohar is ostensibly softening up the enemy ranks with a salamander here, but trust me when I tell you that they are plenty soft already. He's just snagging some XP for himself so that the physical fighters don't hog it all.
I have a daring plan in mind, so Huxley tags Amon with a Mystic Shield before he charges right into the heart of the enemy formation. He also kills a dude while he's there, because why not?
The archers try to pick off a couple more from atop the hill, but then Darius has to go an make a liar out of me by leaving this one clinging to life.
I am pretty sure that this daring plan is perfectly safe, especially with Amon under the effects of Mystic Shield and standing on a prairie space, but I'm still a bit nervous, so I end the turn by having Diego move up and waggle his rear in hopes of drawing a bit of heat away from Amon.
Here goes nothing!
Yeah, I think we're fine.
One of the enemy soldiers obligingly strikes at Diego, and it has a bit more heft to it, but is still of no real concern.
So yeah, Amon is apparently a one-man army now, and this fight might be just a tad under-tuned. That said, it's fun to just run roughshod over the enemy forces once in a while!
More honeyed words from Kane.
Dolan lives here now. Wave goodbye to the LP audience, Dolan!
There were some enemies here. Now there aren't.
Amon rushes ahead and collects this rad-sounding axe! Shame that it doesn't have a rad image to match! It looks... thoroughly mundane.
The enemy ranged units decide to make Diego their punching bag this time, since he's the most injured.
It kind of tickles.
Ash, I am increasingly convinced that you might not, in fact, be "fine".
You can still open a chest, though! Straight to the depot it goes!
I hope you didn't blink.
More money. Sure, why not?
Eleni finally says what everyone must be thinking.
This probably isn't good.
Ha, I like that last one. Good kid.
Um. This is probably also not good.
Hi there...
You eyes seem... greener and... more glowy than I remember
If you compare those two shots, you might notice that his shield is also pulsing with a dim light that comes and goes.
Listen Ash, I know that the Sorcerers haven't been pulling their weight as much lately, but running her through with your glowing magic sword seems like a an overreaction.
Yes, Mr. Lambert, everyone's a traitor.
Clive just strolls on up by himself. Was he just watching the rest of us fight from the sidelines?
Ash seems to have some helpful suggestions about what we can do. Let's just table that for the moment...
Okay, fine, we'll talk about it now. Yeesh.
This is some very good advice.
Very good advice that Clive completely fails to take.
It's not all bad news, though, as the sight of Clive bleeding out at his feet seems to have shocked Ash back to his senses.
Wait, is he blacking out or flashing back?
Just to remind everyone, since it's been quite a while, Arris the Sage was the fellow who was credited in the game's intro with leading the revolutionary army that took down the monarchy and established the republic of Ishtaria, after which he mysteriously vanished.
This feels somehow familiar. But who is this dashing fellow?
It's Clive! Who... apparently remembered a bit of this scene before he showed up somehow? Look, that's not important. What is important is that Clive's goatee has apparently been hiding a handsomely square jaw.
"Listen to me Clive! This is part of a plan to ensnare Arris the Sage!"
We are then treated to a frankly ridiculous barrage of sword sound effects, followed by an over-the-top scream. It sounds like foley of six people simultaneously dicing a dozen watermelons with dull cleavers. I love it. Check it out for yourself!
"They were just using me to sabotage the new government... After I discovered the truth, I tried to make an announcement. But the person that deceived me had already been killed in the war... I said nothing for fear of derailing the peace process... And so the truth has not been spoken until this day..."
Looks like we're getting a death bed confession. It's not clear from the screenshots, but Clive's pretty much full body heaving here, struggling for breath. It's honestly pretty upsetting to look at!
I guess that, uh, won't be an issue any longer.
Although Zohar thinks it might not be too late?
Huh. This genuinely surprised me on my first playthrough.
Um... he almost killed you too. I think he might have a point?
Oof, those eyes in that last shot, though. Eleni has no time for any of Ash's bullshit.
How about using concern for my squadmates?
(Seriously, though, we're proper fucked if Ash stays benched. Ignore me, Ash!)
Wait, what? What dying wish? Huh? The game has made no mention of this previously!
And I guess it's not going to now, because the conversation has moved on! I'm chalking this one up to a translation error either now or earlier, because no more mention is made of this supposed dying wish.
Then Ash plays the same ocarina solo that he played much earlier in the game. I made a gif this time!
He index fingers are like tiny metronomes.
And that's that! I guess we're to assume that Ash is no longer a risk to turn all demonic on us now that he's got his daddy issues sorted out. Let's hope so!
Speaking of daddy issues, if this game has a unifying theme, I think that might be it? So much of this game revolves around the conflicts that the various characters have with their fathers. First and most obviously is Ash, whose father died a traitor's death when he was a child, and who looked to Clive as a surrogate father. Then there's Eleni, who has no memory of her father (although we met her grandfather not long ago), but whose relationship with her adoptive father (General Magnus) drove much of the early game. Next is Diego, who was estranged from his merchant father, although that relationship looks to have been repaired somewhat after his father had second thoughts on killing all of us, so yay? And lest we forget, the main antagonists for much of this tale were a father and son pair, each of them jockeying to be the most awful.
Finally, well, there's at least one more prominent father-son revelation waiting in the wings before this story concludes...
We got a badass axe! I guess one reason to have at least one Dragoon around is so that we have someone to give it to!
This lets Dolan pull ahead of Clint a fair bit. In a world where God-King Ash didn't exist, that would be a pretty beefy AT score!
Well, we're finally here.
Next time:
Hello there everyone, and welcome back to Let's Play Vandal Hearts! When last we saw our heroes, they were on the march to the Imperial capital of Shumeria, to join up with the rebel army and hoping to put an end to the inexplicably apocalyptic ambitions of Dolf. To aid in that, Ash had recently acquired the legendary sword, Vandal Heart, and wielding it forced him to confront his inner demons, both figurative and literal, as he grappled with daddy issues. He was almost lost, but then was shocked back to reality when he ran his mentor and surrogate father, Clive, through with the sword. (He got better, though!) And, more importantly, Clive revealed to Ash the truth about his father, the man who had been branded a traitor but actually gave his life defending the man who gave birth to the Republic, Arris the Sage.
With a righteous heart finally free of doubt, Ash and his companions are finally about to set foot in the imperial capital and put and end to this crazy plan, this video game, and this Let's Play!
But... one little bit of house-keeping first.
I finally remembered to equip the sword that Kane dropped a couple of updates ago! It's a thoroughly mediocre upgrade, courtesy of a thoroughly mediocre human being. Now onwards to the capital!
Just like the last time we were here, the streets of Shumeria are crawling with Crimson Guard. But these guys in the purple are new...
Well, I don't approve of their public slaughter policy, but I do approve of their Crimson Guard killing policy...
One of the solider flees in our direction. Unlike every other soldier wearing that armour that's run at us with a sword, we don't attack this one.
"...holed himself up in the great temple 3 days ago. He said something... about a magic ceremony to destroy the rebel army... After that, powerful monsters appeared and nearly wiped us out! This country is finished!"
After giving his report, he continues running away without even waiting for us to respond. Always ready to kill the innocent, but also ready to flee at the first sign of actual trouble. The Crimson Guard, ladies and gentleman.
That sounds just bullshit enough to be plausible, Zohar!
Oh good, I've been looking forward to killing you. Incidentally, unlike his previous appearances, he didn't visible warp in or anything, so I guess he's just been patiently standing there this whole time?
"...to what heady heights a man may climb have he but the will and the power! Teacher, I'll not allow you to stop me from my dream!"
So, to summarize, Xeno is sort of person to break out unbearably pretentious dialogue at this juncture, and the sort of person who literally wants to watch the world burn just to see if someone can do it. So the very worst, in other words.
Two men enter, one man leaves.
Nah, we'll just be killing everything, like we always do.
Welcome back to Shumeria! That's quite a lot of enemies! I'd almost be concerned, if I wasn't driving around an avatar of destruction.
Two conspicuous manholes means two hidden treasures. We won't be using either item, but I'll be damned if I'm going to stop just short of collecting the final two hidden items in the game.
Lots of new nasties for this battle, as well as the Dark Mages that we all know and love. The Mega Guards are just the latest golem upgrade, and the M. Cannons are their ranged equivalent. I love the cracked surface on both portraits.
You've gotta love how "Bahamut"s are just a regular enemy. "Hey, we need another cool-sounding dragon name!"
Xeno has a couple of new spells at his disposal. Hopefully he'll oblige us by casting both so that I can show them off! (Spoilers: he doesn't. A real jerk, right to the last.)
Now, if you're doing this battle normally, you'll want to slowly advance, picking off the enemies a few at a time, being careful not to move too far and trigger too many at once.
We have a Vandalier. We're not going to be doing this battle normally.
Since Ash is about to rudely wake up the entire battlefield, which includes entirely too many mages, I have the squad flatten themselves along the back wall.
I think we all know how this goes at this point.
Xeno and the mages (there's a mage recoiling in pain behind that Bahamut in the second shot) can weather the sorcerous storm without too much difficulty.
The rest of the battlefield, and the Mega Guards in particular, have a great deal more difficulty.
I know, Sara! I'm excited too! It feels like it's been years!
Squad dad Dolan lays down some battlefield wisdom.
So that happened. You all have as much information as I do here. Is this about marriage? Sex? Going steady? Maybe Sara is going to let Amon borrow her kick-ass tonfa.
The entire enemy formation advanced as far as they were able, but no enemy formation exists that can advance fast enough to stop a Vandalier. This second blast crippled every non-caster on the battlefield, and killed the Mega Guards outright.
It turns out that the casters aren't resistant to arrows, though.
Darius isn't able to reach any of the mages, unfortunately, but he and Grog take out their frustrations on a couple of Bahamuts. This is entirely unnecessary since my Sorcerers are about to start clean-up, but I wanted to splash a bit of XP around (although it hardly matters at this point).
Eleni wipes the battlefield clean of the remaining opposition in a fiery tide. There's not even anything left for Zohar to blast.
So he just stands behind her. I have all of our casters advance, in hope of drawing spells from the enemy mages. Everyone else continues to cower behind, since a concentrated barrage of spells could still easily take out one of our melee combatants.
The enemy mages oblige and ping Zohar and Eleni for negligible damage.
This lone remaining ranged attacker tries to snipe Ash from the other side of the fountain, but he's having none of it and blocks the shot with his shield.
Speaking of blocks, this Bahamut annoyingly blocks Sara's otherwise deadly counter-attack after lightly cooking her.
After that, Xeno finally wades in and joins the fray with a cast of a new spell.
He just tosses a glowy ball that condenses.
It hits a large area, but is otherwise not much stronger than the Dark Mages' spells. That said, don't take Xeno lightly-- this would do a great deal of damage to most of my other units, and his single-target spell might well be capable of killing Dolan outright.
All sorts of battlefield confessions happening today. Don't you folks ever talk on the march?
A quick cast of Ultra Healing from Huxley is all it takes to complete erase the last enemy turn...
...and then we set about erasing the last enemies.
That cannon unit on the far side of the fountain is almost able to escape our wrath, but it's still in Salamander range, even though single-target attacks are not the most efficient use of the spell.
As a quick aside, it was at about this point that I noticed something that I'd never taken note of before: the chimneys have animated smoke rings rising out of them! You can see one to the left of this options menu at two different states as it rises. Delightful.
Oh, and there's still an evil warlock or something. Whatever. CHIMNEYS.
This is the last turn (only turn 4, for anyone keeping count), so it's time to go rooting through the sewers for phat loot before I end things. Sara throws another Gold Axe on the pile. I've never sold a single one of the game's items, by the way. We have overflowing coffers and a pile of unsold gold and rare ores.
Since Sara has nothing better to do, it occurs to me to show off a spell that I don't think we've seen. Mystic Energy boots a single character AT & DF for entirely too much MP.
It's purty to look at, though.
At the other manhole, Huxley digs up some robes that are identical to the ones that he's already wearing. Talk about bad mojo! rimshot
With that out of the way, it's time to end this. Darius quickly brings Xeno to within an inch of his life.
And then, because I think it's appropriate, we finish the fight with his teacher whacking him over the head with a stick.
It was a hell of a whack.
(Check out the rad broken-mask portrait.)
Xeno left his wand behind, which might be exciting if caster weapons in this game weren't all literally whacking sticks.
I am 100% tapped out of jokes to make about our money situation. We just have all of the money. All of it. I could never possibly spend it all, but the game keeps throwing more at us anyway.
Dolan looks genuinely despondent here. Just inconsolable over us killing some jerk warlock who was trying to bring about a literal apocalypse.
Grog knows what's up, and just hurriedly moves the conversation along.
Next time: The final battle! Please look forward to it!
Nah, I'm kidding. We're doing this shit right now! I've waited too long to put an end to this to put things on hold for another month! I've got a full head of steam and this Vandalier train ain't stopping for nothin'!
As you might expect, saying "Not yet" dumps you back to the world map for a last chance to visit the shops and what-not, but we're all ready to go now. Technically I've deprived you all of a shot of me equipping the Rune Wand, but it's a tiny incremental upgrade to one mage's physical attack strength, so you ain't missing nothing.
I never trusted that face. Not even once. Just look at him!
I think you just answered you own question, Ash.
I mean, that does sound pretty bad-ass...
Dun dun DUN.
I promised everyone one final twist, and one final daddy issue, and this is both!
I'm really going to miss those interoobanglipses.
"But he was used and thrown away like a lump of coal... His place in history was forgotten even as the people enjoyed the prosperity that was hard won with his blood! I vowed I would take revenge on those people who forgot him! It was then that I met Xeno and learned of the Flame of Judgement..."
So, in summary, Dolf is destroying everything that his father spent his life fighting for as a way to honour his memory. Seems like an evil mastermind might have given that one a bit more thought.
Dolf and Xeno: both huge assholes.
And both prone to pretentious turns of phrase.
You tell him, Ash!
"Though this world may be wicked, life itself is precious! Good and evil, love and hate. Each man contains the potential for both. You would exterminate mankind for their sins? I would fight the Gods themselves to save them!"
How to spot a villain 101: they say things like "sanctimonious whelp".
Spoiler: He can.
More than most fights, trying to end this one early by going straight after Dolf would be a very bad idea.
Welcome to the Great Temple, the site of our final battle! If you don't have a Vandalier, this fight can be pretty tough, as you're channeled up the middle through a long uphill slog as you're pelted with ranged attacks from all sides. Good thing that we have one!
Pfft, Dolf doesn't even have a weapon, or any attack magic. What's he going to do, hug us to death?
Everyone not named Ash fans out and flattens back. A couple are hunkering down behind torches to avoid ranged attacks.
Everyone named Ash nukes the entire map for ridiculous damage.
The enemy opens with a couple of long-range blasts at my Sorcerers.
I could have easily parked the rest of the squad out of range of everything, but I didn't want Ash to have all the fun. Besides, we've never seen these things attack!
First, holds out those weird glowing sticks horizontally.
Then it twirls them at me. It's hard to see the tiny number in that second shot, but it's 83, which is pretty beefy, and almost half of Clint's health bar.
His counter-attack reduces it to rubble.
I appreciate one last "nice" attack to close out the Let's Play.
Dolan seems somewhat less appreciative.
The Bahamuts file forward next to take their turn, and they're not yet weak enough to fall in a single blow. In fact, the second one blocks Dolan's counter-attack entirely.
It's nothing that the archers can't clean up, though.
Everything else files forward down the stairs, onto the killing floor. Let's clean this up, shall we?
We didn't even need Zohar's help. It's the start of turn 2, and the only enemies left alive are Dolf and a pair of dark mages.
Clint and Dolan move towards the centre, and Sara cozies up between them to unleash a Healing Wave.
We're not able to reach the enemy mages this turn, but I have the fliers advance on both flanks.
They each tag one of our sorcerers a second time, but there's nothing left to follow up on their efforts.
Even Dolf has thought better of this, turning tail and running back on to the dias.
Man, we really did a number on him, and we weren't even trying. This is just him healing collateral damage.
Diego and Amon clean up the mages to start turn 3, and now we're just down to Dolf.
Huxley drops an Ultra Healing down between the Sorcerers to get the full squad back to 100%, although it's hardly necessary.
Perfectly symmetrical formation is go!
I want to give my bank rank a chance to catch up, so I back up a bit and tighten the formation as Dolf advances down the stairs, still taking care to keep everything entirely symmetrical by class.
No, my symmetry! Dolf really is a monster.
This first exchange goes very much in our favour. Dolf ain't nothing.
This is the kind of damage that Dolf can do to someone without a legendary suit of armor. And just to remind everyone, he is currently bare-handed.
Still, he's already down to 81 HP, so Dolan is able to finish him off without giving him a chance to counter-attack again.
Oh dear.
This seems sub-optimal.
Well, Dolf isn't bare-handed anymore! Now he's got a bunch of holy armaments of his own!
Two avatars of destruction, squaring off. Who will emerge victorious?
This is the final form of the game's final boss, and Ash almost just one-shot it, and then blocked the counter-attack.
Guys, have I mentioned that the Vandalier is broken? No? Guys, the Vandalier is broken.
It's kind of cool that Dolf can materialize his golden sword and shield out of thin air, I guess.
Sara, bring us home.
Music to my ears.
(And, again, check out the bad-ass death portrait.)
Lots of money that we don't need for killing Dolf. In fact, we got paid for it twice; once for each form! Now that's value!
Are you sure? He still sounds alive to me. Better give him a few more stabs, just to be sure.
"Revenge for your father. I understand you better than you know... But after revenge is taken, nothing remains but a painful scar... Dolf, you can begin again. With you genius you could do much to help rebuild this country."
Ash. Ash, buddy, no.
"Help this country?! You still do not understand... This country was headed for annihilation anyway! I am merely accelerating and purifying the means of its destruction..."
See, Ash? This guy sucks.
One last giant ellipsis for the road. Never change, Vandal Hearts.
Come again? You lost, bud. Go out with dignity.
Could you... could you not, though?
This seems bad.
On the plus side, Dolf is dead!
Our current plan seems to be to stand around and look at it.
Zohar, the alternative is a literal apocalypse. Try to keep things in perspective.
With a scream, Ash goes plunging into the explosion.
Good question!
Oh dear.
It's at this point that Vandal Hearts' famous ending theme, Burning Sorrow by Jadranka Stojakovic, cuts in. It's pretty good! You should all give it a listen.
Back to democracy! Everything will be better forever!
We're treated to the character art from the instruction booklet drifting by at this point.
Last edited by JBear; 03-27-2018 at 10:14 AM.
Character epilogues! Most of these feature entirely unnecessary animation. This one slowly pans around Dolan.
The credits for the game are interspersed with the character stuff. It's a nice way to end things.
Now that Burning Sorrow is finished, the audio switches to a nice medley of all of the game's other music.
Man, I could have had a mounted archer?
Clint: Still boring.
I am so sad that Deigo ended up behind a desk. The camera is steady for this shot, but it has an animated moth slowly flying from right to left.
This apparently doubles-up as Darius' ending, since we don't hear any more about him.
Man, a lot of these folks looks pretty unhappy with where they ended up! Sara's animation is the bakery logo going out of focus and her face comes into focus. Gotta love those 4 identical loaves of bad CG bread.
Man, yes! Apparently these two were having all of the fun for everyone else! When I first saw this, I thought I was looking at a sequel hook, and I was excited. I still kind of am! I would play the shit out of that! Regrettably, none of the sequels ever returned to this game's characters.
Ah, so it's Eleni that's been narrating. She's a few years older now, and has let her hair grow out!
It sounds like she's just as bored as everyone else.
The sound of a certain ocarina song that we last heard a couple of updates ago quietly drifts in.
And... scene.
That's it! The rest is left up to our imaginations! That said, it's pretty easy to put together what happened here. When Ash sealed the flames and disappeared, the vortex that appeared was identical to the one that swallowed him up and threw him to the end of time earlier in the game. And just like last time, he evidently returned a few years after he left. Honestly, it feels like a bit of a missed opportunity that the party never encountered an older version of Ash when we were there previously. Like, they could easily have modified the image slightly and teased something with this cloaked fellow at the bar.
All we're left with is this weird bad CG image of a couple of suits of armour holding comically large swords and facing some kind of venerated piece of wall with a rune on it. None of that seems obviously significant to me, but let me know if I've missed something!
We do get one extra tiny bonus, though, for having done all of the optional content unlocking the Vandalier:
I'm a master!
So, the take away here is that no one does the bonus stuff in Vandal Hearts because they want to unlock the secret ending. Cute touch, I guess, but in most games of the era, the expectation would have been an unlockable bonus scene where you actually get to see Ash and Eleni's reunion or something. Oh well.
And that's it! It's over! Join me in the next post for some wrap-up thoughts.
|. . . , magicalal
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