#Expedition 33 survival guide

[haplogamingchef]

Unlock Unlimited Healing and Mana in Clair Obscur Expedition 33

Introduction

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 introduces players to a rich and immersive world where survival hinges on efficient resource management. Whether you’re navigating intense battles or progressing through demanding quests, healing potions and soul gems remain essential for sustaining your journey. This guide explores a powerful in-game duplication glitch that allows players to acquire an unlimited supply of potions and soul gems. This method not only enhances combat readiness but also saves time and in-game currency. Designed for both new and experienced players, this comprehensive walkthrough covers every step to master the glitch and streamline your inventory.

Understanding the Duplication Glitch in Clair Obscur

In Clair Obscur Expedition 33, a well-known item duplication glitch allows players to multiply stackable items such as potions and soul gems. The process relies on storing large quantities of items in conjunction with an interactive chest or container and executing precise button inputs. When done correctly, the glitch replicates the selected item according to the size of the stack used in the process, such as arrows or other stackable gear.

To begin, players must first obtain a high number of stackable items. Arrows are commonly used due to their availability and affordability. The larger the stack, the more duplicated items you’ll receive. For instance, using a stack of 150 arrows will result in 150 duplicates of your target item. Acquiring a substantial quantity of arrows can be done easily at most vendors, particularly in central locations like the Imperial City Market District.

Preparing for Duplication: Key Items to Acquire First

Before initiating the duplication process, gather all necessary resources. Visit merchants or guild shops to purchase your desired potions—typically strong healing potions, cure disease, and cure poison potions are the most useful. Additionally, securing high-tier soul gems like grand soul gems is essential for recharging enchanted weapons such as the Umbra Sword.

It’s also advisable to buy repair hammers and lockpicks if you plan to duplicate those as well. Ensure you own or have access to a personal space with a chest or storage container. This setup allows for safe storage and continuous duplication of large inventories without over-encumbering your character. A house in Anvil, for example, offers a practical solution if you've completed the associated quest and unlocked the property.

Executing the Duplication Glitch: Step-by-Step Process

Once your resources are ready and you have access to a container, open your inventory and move the target item—such as a potion or soul gem—into the chest. Next, highlight the stackable item you’re using for duplication, typically arrows. Simultaneously press the designated buttons to transfer the item while switching inventory views (e.g., pressing RB and A together on a controller). If done correctly, the chest interface will switch, and a "how many" prompt will appear on-screen.

At this point, rapidly press the confirmation button (such as A) to trigger the duplication. When you return to your inventory, you’ll see that the item has been duplicated in a quantity equal to your arrow stack. For example, if you used 177 arrows, you’ll now have 177 copies of the item you placed. To streamline your workflow, store all excess duplicates in your container before repeating the process. This not only prevents encumbrance but also helps organize your resources efficiently.

Optimizing Your Inventory and Storage System

Managing a large inventory of duplicated items requires an effective storage system. Use in-game containers, such as chests or drawers, to separate and categorize duplicated goods. For example, one drawer could store potions, another could hold soul gems, and a third could contain repair tools. This organization ensures quick access and prevents confusion during high-intensity combat or gear maintenance.

Moreover, while the glitch can be repeated indefinitely, it’s recommended to maintain a core supply and only duplicate more when your stock begins to run low. This keeps your character’s inventory manageable and prevents unnecessary clutter. With proper planning, you’ll always have healing potions and charged weapons ready, eliminating the need to return to shops or gather ingredients.

Why Focus on Healing Potions and Soul Gems?

Healing potions are among the most essential items in Clair Obscur Expedition 33, especially during prolonged battles or when exploring dangerous territories. With the duplication glitch, you can stock hundreds of these life-saving items, allowing you to sustain combat performance without frequent trips to vendors. Strong healing potions, in particular, offer substantial recovery benefits and are ideal for extended missions or boss fights.

Similarly, soul gems—especially grand soul gems—are invaluable for players using enchanted weapons. These gems are required to recharge magic-infused gear such as the powerful Umbra Sword. Instead of constantly seeking out new gems or spending gold, duplicated soul gems provide a reliable solution for maintaining weapon durability and effectiveness, ensuring your character remains combat-ready at all times.

Expanding the Glitch: More Than Just Potions

The scope of this duplication glitch extends beyond just healing items and soul gems. Players have successfully used it to clone repair hammers, lockpicks, and even ingredients or food items. This makes the glitch not only useful for survival but also for crafting and upgrading gear. With unlimited repair hammers, maintaining high-tier weapons and armor becomes effortless, preserving both time and resources.

Moreover, duplicated lockpicks grant easy access to locked chests and doors throughout the game. This opens up new opportunities for looting and exploring hidden areas. As a result, mastering the duplication method empowers players to engage with the full scope of the game’s mechanics without resource limitations, offering both convenience and strategic advantage.

Practical Application: Storing and Managing Your Duplicated Inventory

Once you’ve built a sizable supply of duplicated items, it’s crucial to manage storage efficiently. A permanent residence, like the house in Anvil, becomes especially valuable for this. Inside, you can designate specific containers for different item types, such as a drawer for potions and a chest for soul gems. This method keeps your inventory organized and ensures quick retrieval when you need specific supplies.

It’s also smart to keep a small portion of key items—such as 30 to 50 healing potions or a few soul gems—on your character at all times. This allows you to stay prepared for spontaneous encounters or emergencies during exploration. Since inventory weight is a factor in gameplay, balancing what you carry versus what you store is essential for maximizing mobility and readiness.

Using Duplicated Soul Gems to Power Enchanted Weapons

One of the most practical uses for duplicated grand soul gems is maintaining enchanted weapons. Powerful items like the Umbra Sword rely on soul energy to function at full capacity. Each time you use the weapon in combat, it drains charge. Duplicated soul gems enable you to restore this charge multiple times without relying on rare or expensive materials.

To recharge your weapon, simply select the soul gem from your inventory and apply it to the desired equipment. For example, a single grand soul gem can restore significant charge to the Umbra, keeping it fully operational during extensive combat. This method not only enhances combat effectiveness but also extends the lifespan of your rarest gear without added cost or effort.

Tips for Maintaining Efficiency With the Glitch

To get the most out of the duplication glitch, maintain a consistent routine. Start by duplicating only one of each item per cycle and store it back in your container to avoid accidental deletion or misplacement. Always verify that the duplication prompt appears correctly before spamming the confirmation button. If the interface does not switch properly, restart the process to avoid wasted inputs.

In addition, regularly cycle through your stored inventory to manage space. Duplicated items can quickly overflow storage if not monitored. Consider keeping only the most frequently used items—such as potions and soul gems—in rotation, while stashing or selling less essential duplicates. This not only keeps your storage clean but also provides a method for earning in-game currency if needed.

Staying Ahead: What to Expect and Final Considerations

Exploiting the duplication glitch offers a powerful advantage in Clair Obscur Expedition 33, but it’s wise to stay informed about potential patches. Developers may release updates that remove or fix exploits, which could limit access to this glitch in future versions. Players who wish to benefit from it should act quickly and stock up while the method remains viable.

Ultimately, this glitch transforms gameplay by offering a near-endless supply of critical resources. Whether you're preparing for an epic boss battle, managing enchanted gear, or simply optimizing your inventory for efficiency, mastering this system empowers you to play smarter and more effectively. With your essentials always within reach, you’ll be fully equipped to explore the world of Clair Obscur without limits.

Conclusion

Mastering the item duplication glitch in Clair Obscur Expedition 33 provides a strategic advantage for any player seeking efficiency and preparedness. From unlimited healing potions to ever-ready soul gems for weapon recharging, this technique streamlines gameplay by eliminating resource scarcity. With proper setup and inventory management, you can reduce downtime, save in-game currency, and focus on progression and combat mastery.

Take full advantage of this method while it's still available. Set up your storage system, duplicate high-value items in bulk, and maintain optimal readiness for all scenarios. As the game evolves, this guide ensures you're equipped to navigate challenges with confidence and efficiency.

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[maximuswolf]

Game of the year 2025? The Alters?

Game of the year 2025? The Alters? So we are almost ending halfway thru the year and wanted to share my thoughts on GOTY so far for me. 2025 has been a rocky place and with people giving up on gaming due to some releases flop so far, I wanted to share my personal contender. The Alters : truly this game is that sayings that one should never judge a book by it's cover!!! The box art of the game didn't really pull me in (and i'm sure for a lot of gamers it's the same thing) But the game is what makes a great game, a truly masterpiece to escape reality. Weirdly enough it works, i'm so invested into the story that I want to continue, sure it's a bit of RPG with survival but the overall experience is quite refreshing and something we have never seen. Best of all your decision matters and can have consequences, no turning back which increases it's replay ability. No game has kept me this engaged since RDR2 and that is saying a lot, i'm not saying others games have been bad, but I feel like the alters will be one of the games that will be forever a classic. For me it deserve GOTY because it put any triple AAA game to shame right now.Of course this year we've had great games such as Kingdom Come deliverance 2, Expedition 33, Doom the dark ages and the re-release of oblivion (but I don't count re-release as new game), but beside Expedition 33, the other ones provide something that already exist in the current market of gaming, of course we will have to see the rest of the years releases, but so far out of the 5 the winner has to be The Alters. If you haven't tried the game or even heard about it. Do yourself a favor a gamer and go experience it. don't look up for guides or anything, just experience the game like the good old days, there isn't a right or wrong way to play it, you decide how the story is being played by your decisions. Submitted June 18, 2025 at 08:35PM by No-Needleworker4796 https://ift.tt/wu6bYPd via /r/gaming

[gamunity]

[:ar]مسودة تلقائية[:en]Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Ultimate Beginner’s Guide[:]

[:en] Welcome to the ultimate beginner’s guide for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a breathtaking turn-based RPG with real-time combat mechanics. Whether you’re just starting or looking to refine your strategies, this Expedition 33 Beginner’s Guide covers combat, exploration, character builds, and essential tips to help you survive and thrive in this dark yet beautiful world. 1. Understanding the…

[nordleuchten]

24 Days of La Fayette: December 1st - Edmund Brice

Edmund Brice was on of La Fayette’s earliest aide-de-camps but not among the most famous ones. He is however one of the men that we still have the Acts of Embarkation of. In France at the time there were strict laws regarding religion. Huguenots (who, in very simple terms, were not Catholic) were prohibited from leaving the country. To enforce this law, every French person who wanted to leave France had to attest their Catholicism. Edmund Brice was one of La Fayette’s fellow travellers on La Victoire and therefor had to go through the same process. These Acts contain a lot of mistakes, sometimes because the clerk misspelled or misinterpreted information and sometimes because members of the expedition made misleading statements on purpose to obscure their identity. One of this may be the reasons why Edmund Brice’s name is written as “Leonard Price” on his Act of Embarkation.

Archives départementales de la Gironde, Histoire maritime (1640-1889), Certificats de catholicité (1713-1787), 1777-1784 (07/29/2022).

Brice was a native of Annapolis, Maryland and the French papers tell us, that he was of average height for a man at the time (Moyenne taille). His hair colour was recorded as a dark blond (cheveux chatains). There is a small portraiture that survived of Brice.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 1, December 7, 1776–March 30, 1778, Cornell University Press, 1977, p. 50.

His age on March 21, 1777, the date of his Embarkation, is noted as 22 but that is wrong as well. Brice was born in 1751 (therefore being 26, not 22) and died in 1784 at the age of 33.

Brice had travelled to Europe to study art and painting and there he met La Fayette. In a letter from March 16, 1777 to John Hancock, Silas Deane wrote about Brice in the following terms:

I send you for your entertainment, by Mr. Brice, a young gentleman of Maryland, whom I think deserving your notice, as a worthy sensible young man, the London papers, in which you will perceive the character I have the honor of bearing in England, and that I have fled, &c. &c., which causes diversion here.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 1, December 7, 1776–March 30, 1778, Cornell University Press, 1977, p. 33-34.

Brice left Paris on March 18 for Bordeaux where he arrived in time to embark onboard La Victoire on March 21. Given that he was American and was fluent in England, it is quite easy to imagine that La Fayette enjoyed his company during the crossing of the Atlantic. He wrote on April 19, 1777 in a letter to William Carmichael:

Thank you very much for having given me Mr. Brice. I like him very much, and he is popular with everyone. We shall always be together, as you seem to have desired.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 1, December 7, 1776–March 30, 1778, Cornell University Press, 1977, p. 50.

After landing off the coast of Charleston, Brice was among the six officers that travelled with La Fayette and the Baron de Kalb to Charleston and from there to Philadelphia. While travelling, Brice functioned as a guide, although he was not familiar the area.

The Marquis's aide-de-camp took it upon himself to serve as our guide, even though he had no knowledge of that part of the country.

Memoirs of the Chevalier Dubuysson in Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 1, December 7, 1776–March 30, 1778, Cornell University Press, 1977, p. 73-87.

In Philadelphia, La Fayette applied through John Hancock to George Washington to make Edmund Brice and three other man his aide-de-camps. These permissions were in the end granted although Washington was at first not that happy. Brice was commissioned a Major in 1777 and in October 1778 he was made a brevet lieutenant colonel by the Continental Congress. His promotion was noted in a letter from Henry Laurens to George Washington from October 30, 1778:

“To George Washington from Henry Laurens, 30 October 1778,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 17, 15 September–31 October 1778, ed. Philander D. Chase. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2008, pp. 647–649.] (07/29/2022)

On October 16, 1778 La Fayette had written Congress to praise the actions of a soldier under his command and to ask Congress for promotions for his aide-de-camps. The letter was read in Congress on October 27, 1778 and resolutions were passed. The soldier that had distinguished himself (and had lost an arm in action) was awarded a livelong pension of 30 Dollar per month. Congress granted La Fayette’s American aide-de-camps, Brice and Neville, a promotion but not his French aide-de-camps. That in turn promoted La Fayette to write another letter on behalf of his French aide-de-camps to Congress on October 27, 1778.

Brice worked closely with La Fayette and often functioned as a liaison-officer between La Fayette and the Board of War or the Continental Congress (and in that aspect especially Henry Laurens). There are many instances where La Fayette writes that a certain letter will be or was delivered by Brice. Brice also once delivered a considerable number of congressional pamphlets from York Town to Washington’s headquarters. During the Battle of Gloucester, Brice’s horse was wounded. It also seems as if Brice was quite good when it came to decipher difficult handwritings. Henry Laurens wrote to La Fayette on March 6, 1778:

I cannot, even with Mr. Brice's aid, decypher the name coupled with that of Monsr. "Failly."

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 1, December 7, 1776–March 30, 1778, Cornell University Press, 1977, p. 336-338.

Brice had stayed some time with Laurens after delivering some papers to him and left on March 6, 1778. Brice also managed financial affairs, at one point affirming the receipt of 6000 Dollar in the name of the Marquis de La Fayette. At one point he also bought an enslaved man for La Fayette for the price of 180 Pounds on August 4, 1777.

It seems as if Brice quitted his post as La Fayette’s aide-de-camp after receiving his new commission on October 27, 1778.

Edmund Brice was the youngest child of his family. His older brother James Brice served in the War as well. He was first a Captain in the city militia and later a Lieutenant in the county militia. His services would earn him the honorary title of Colonel later on. I believe that Edmund married Harriet Woodward (born in 1762 and died in 1840) and they had a son, James Edmund Brice, together. Harriet remarried Alexander Murray after Brice’s death. The Brice’s were a very prominent family in Maryland at the time and it is sometimes difficult, especially with regard to biographical information, to know witch “Mr Brice” is talked about.

[januaryisnotanartist]

The Misadventures of Lao Gao - Ultimate Note

Several weeks ago @wuxian-vs-wangji​ was watching Ultimate Note and had a “hey, isn’t that guy the one from the earlier episodes... isn’t he dead?” moment. The character in question was Lao Gao, and at the time everyone involved in the conversation of “was he dead tho?” was too lazy or didn’t care enough to go check.

Today, while I was taking screen shots of A-Ning I thought “while I’m in the right series, I’ll see if I can figure out where Lao Gao fell through the plot hole.”

So: Lao Gao starts off driving our boys Wu Xie and Xiao Hua through the desert, during the sandstorm he runs off to chase his copy of Lost Tomb through the sands and is lost.

We catch his trail when the regrouped part of the expedition reaches Tamutuo/Devil City’s outskirts where Wu Xie finds a man buried in the sand. They manage to revive the man who confirms Lao Gao and the rest of the survivors who got swept away by the winds and somehow made it to the stony spires have all wandered further in.

A-Ning and Wu Xie take part of the group into the spires to look for their missing members and find Lao Gao, still alive though unconscious, along with at least one other inside the boat of the Devil’s Child.

A-Ning and Wu Xie manage to drag the injured members out of the boat and summon a doctor who confirms the injured will be fine.

The following day during the Shibie attack, the doctor flees with another member of the group who carries Lao Gao on his back. 

Next time we see Lao Gao (circa ep 32/33?) he is alive and has returned to working for Hendry Cox, aka Qiu dickhead De Kao. (a terrible life choice really.)

We can only conclude that Lao Gao’s small party managed to evade the Shibie long enough to escape back to civilisation, much like the local guide and his grandmother who also fled the scene and survived.

This report was brought to you by The No-one-was-asking Detective Agency.

[alittlepieceofwarcraft]

Night Elf: A Character Guide

This isn’t to try and tell you what to do and what not to do; this is for people who want more lore accurate characters and don’t know where to start.

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History

Evolution (Year -15,000): Night elves are descended from a tribe of dark trolls encountering the Well of Eternity 15,000 years ago. Those who remained near the Well began to evolve into taller, near immortal beings that resembled what we now know as night elves. Several other races originate from night elves directly: Highborne began as an upper class of night elves that served their then-queen Azshara. After The Sundering, Year -10,000, arcane magic was outlawed in night elf culture and those high elves who refused to give up the practice were exiled and went on to establish Silvermoon City (finishing construction in Year -6,800). This in turn went on to form the Blood elves following Arthas’ invasion of the city (Year 20), and eventually continued on to form Void elves (Blood elves exiled for delving into the Void). Nightborne are Highborne who splintered off and left the conflict during the War of the Ancients. Naga and satyr even are descended from night elves, the former originating from the surviving Azshara loyalists of The Sundering.

It’s A Kind of Magic (Year - 13,500): Night elves begin to study and use arcane magic to build cities, create artifacts and reshape the land. Some resist the urge to use it. Some begin to revel in the use refer to themselves as “Highborne”. 

The Sundering (Year -10,000): The War of the Ancients was an important series of battles against the Burning Legion wherein their previous queen Azshara attempted to summon Sargeras into Azeroth. This resulted in the single continent on the planet being split into four separate ones that we know of today. The Lunar Festival begins to celebrate the defeat of the Legion and at some point around here, Nordrassil is created.

Changes in Government (Year -9,400): Tyrande Whisperwind positions the Sisterhood of Elune as the head of both government and military, the Sentinels are formed and Malfurion Stormrage begins training other druids.

War of the Satyr (Year -9, 300): Armies of Satyrs, past night elves turned demonic, begin attacking night elf civilisations. Ralaar Fangfire and Belysra Starbreeze utilise the Pack Form to combat the threat, creating the first worgen. They are imprisoned in the Emerald Dream by Malfurion when they prove to be unpredictable and dangerous. 

Exile of the Highborne (Year -7, 300): Since the Sundering, arcane magic was outlawed, fearing another. Although the punishment was death, it became clear that far too many of their people were still practising and unable to face executing so many of their own, they are exiled.

Here Kitty, Kitty (Year -4,000): Tyrande saves the frostsaber queen, Shy-Rotam, and her kin become allies of the night elves.

Isolation (Year -10,000 - Year 20): Night elves were largely unknown outside Kalimdor until the Third War due to their isolationist nature. Medivh mentions knowing the history of The Sundering by the kaldorei in The Last Guardian (First War), but he doesn’t know what they are called today, meaning the term night elf wasn’t heard of then.

Out of the Woods (Year 20): Orcs sent to Kalimdor begin raiding the forest resources and killing Cenarius, causing hostilities with the night elf natives. Immediately after, the Scourge begin to attack. Tyrande awakens Malfurion from the Emerald Dream. Archimonde attempts to attack Nordrassil, but is defeated by the night elves and aid from Thrall’s new Horde and Lady Jaina Proudmoore’s forces. The night elves sacrifice Nordrassil as well as their immortality to save Azeroth. Fandral Staghelm wanted to create another World Tree that would restore the night elves' immortality but Malfurion warned against this but he suddenly fell into a coma and his soul was lost within the Emerald Dream, and Fandral forged ahead with his plans unopposed, becoming the new leader of the druids. This new tree was Teldrassil and the night elves founded Darnassus. However, this tree was corrupted and the dragon aspects refused to bless it.

Let’s Make This Legal (Year 27): Teldrassil’s corruption worsened and it’s discovered that Xavius, an ancient Highborne noble and the first satyr, was responsible, and that Staghelm was part of it and that he induced Malfurion’s coma. With the aid of other druids and the Green dragonflight, the nightmare was defeated. Ysera and Alexstrasza blessed Teldrassil, restoring nature's bond with the night elves. Tyrande and Malfurion are formerly married, concreting the night elven government as a co-leadership.

Welcome Home (Year 28): Mordent Evenshade sought an audience with Tyrande they combine resources, skills and numbers to prepare the wider night elven race for the challenges and Tyrande accepts and night elves are permitted to learn the ways of arcane magic.After an outbreak spread the worgen curse in Gilneas, the Shattering also destroyed the reefs which protected this human kingdom from naval attacks and the Forsaken take advantage of this and invade. The night elves intervened and helped the worgen in acquiring the Scythe of Elune so they could to understand and deal with their transformation. They welcomed the worgen into Teldrassil, allowing several female worgen warriors to join the Sentinel army and bringing Worgen druids into the Cenarion Circle.The Shatterspear tribe joined the Horde assaulted northern Darkshore, though the night elves were able to fend off the attack. Two  Horde offensives were launched against Ashenvale and both were stopped. However their assault on the new settlements of the Bilgewater Cartel in Azshara was held off,and a massive Horde-constructed bomb destroyed Thal'darah Grove in the Stonetalon Mountains. The biggest contribution for the night elveswas at Mount Hyjal, where Ragnaros invaded to try and destroy Nordrassil and the Cenarion Circle. The Shadow Wardens and the Green Dragonflight united against him, forming the Guardians of Hyjal. They were successful in fighting off the initial fire elemental invasion, resurrecting several of the Ancient Guardians. Aided by Fandral Staghelm and his newly formed Druids of the Flame even managed to infiltrate the Firelands, killing Ragnaros and many of his lieutenants, including Staghelm, as well as constructing the Sentinel Tree to keep watch over the area.

I Wanna Live Forever (Year 30): To restore the immortality of the Night elves, Lorekeeper Vaeldrin looked for the Pools of Youth, created by an ancient civilization that predated Queen Azshara. He opened a portal to the Krasarang Wilds. Tyrande had a vision sent a group Sentinels, led by Vaeldrin's daughter, Lyalia, However, the target of the spell had been warded using lost Mogu magic, imprisoning the expedition in a magic bubble that slowly drained their life. An Alliance adventurer freed them with the help of Kang Bramblestaff, and the freed expedition constructed a base camp to search for the pools. It turned out that the pools do not grant their immortality freely. Instead, they are used to transfer life energies from one person to another. Lyalia is captured and killed. Vaeldrin, using some of the water from the pools, used his own life energy to save her. The night elves also helped the Pandaren fight off the Dojani mogu and aiding in the defense of Stoneplow.Later on, being one of the largest forces the night elves gained a strong presence at the Shrine of Seven Stars. A powerful artifact called the  [Divine Bell] was discovered. and he night elves moved it to their capital for study and safekeeping. The city was infiltrated and the bell was stolen by the Horde. During the Siege of Orgrimmar, Tyrande had mustered an army of her people in Ashenvale and began a slow march towards Orgrimmar. She and her Sentinels then distracted Garrosh's Kor'kron, allowing Alliance forces and Darkspear rebels to invade the city.

A Very Bad Dream (Year 32): The Emerald Nightmare is revealed to be still active, its source being located at the tainted World Tree, Shaladrassil in Val'sharah Xavius re-established his ties to the Burning Legion and attempts to use the Nightmare to corrupt the world, however, his true loyalties remain with the Old Gods. He captures Malfurion and taunts Tyrande away, distracting her so he can corrupt Ysera. He succeeds and the adventurer along with the elves are forced to slay her. Xavius is killed and the Emerald Nightmare begins to dissipate and the Emerald Dream is restored. Later, the prime naaru, Xe'ra, sent her [Light’s Heart] to transmit an urgent message to the defenders of Azeroth that reveals she believes Illidan was a foretold champion to save the world and adventurers sought to revive him. He aided the Armies of Legionfall in Tomb of Sargeras and Kil'jaeden is killed. Illidan had forced their hands into immediately landing the army into an invasion of the Legion’s homeworld, Argus, as he had left a rift from Azeroth to Argus open. He is present  Argus Campaign and ventures into Antorus to free the Pantheon and Argus’s world-soul from the Burning Legion’s grasp. The Pantheon was eventually freed and the Vindicaar’s champions slew Argus the Unmaker, the dark titan created from Argus’s world-soul. Sargeras was imprisoned in the Seat of the Pantheon, Illidan serving as his jailor.

Vengeance is Best Served Dark (Year 33): Sylvanas Windrunner invades the night elven lands of Darkshore and burns down Teldrassil during the War of the Thorns. Tyrande, Maiev, Sira Moonwarden and Shandris Feathermoon approached King Anduin Wrynn to ask for aid in retaking their lands. However, due to their campaigns in Zandalar, Arathi, and Kul Tiras, Alliance forced were too far spread and he had to refuse. Tyrande went ahead to retake Darkshore herself. Along with an adventurer, the three other elves follow her and find her ship at Zoram Strand, which contained a book about the ancient ritual of the Night Warrior, a dangerous feat. She however succeeds and they track down  Nathanos Blightcaller and the Val'kyr attempting to raise Delaryn Summermoon. While Tyrande manages to kill one Val’kyr, Sira is killed during the battle and both her and Delaryn are raised in undeath. Sira walked away from the battlefiled, now calling herself a Dark Ranger. Delaryn is made a Dark ranger captain. Sira opposes Maiev during the Darkshore Warfront.

Physical traits

Life expectancy: Prior to the destruction of Nordrassil, the world tree granted immortality to the night elves. It’s unclear as to whether elves born after this event continue to age as mortal races do.

Height: Night elves tend to grow to around 7 feet (7 for females, 7.5 for males).

Eye colours: Night elves most commonly have silver eyes, but historically those born with amber eyes are prophesied to be powerful.

Abilities: All night elves possess the ability to Shadowmeld and stealth even in mid-combat. This is believed to have been gifted to them by their moon Goddess, Elune.

Cosmetics: Female night elves bare facial markings around their eyes that represent an aspect of their skills or personality. It is believed that is is part of a rite of passage ritual. Those without markings are highly unusual and this means that they are either too young to have undergone the rite, or are of Highborne descent.

Personality traits

Tree huggers: Night elves are raised in a culture of respecting nature and earth, their society is heavily ingrained with a reverence for the all forms of life. You’d be hard pressed to find an night elf that doesn’t care for nature. Littering, hunting for sport, torturing prisoners, or otherwise desecrating natural land/life wouldn’t be characteristic of a night elf.

Other races: Due to their isolation being broken by orcs taking from the forest, night elves tend to be wary of other races. This can range from outright prejudice to mild caution. With their bonds now strong with the Alliance, the latter reaction to others is more likely. They have a unique bond with the draenei as they landed close to Darkshore which is night elf territory, and were the first other humanoid race the draenei encountered on Azeroth. A draenei ambassador has been known to stand to the right to the leaders in Darnassus and draenei have been entrusted in caring for specific outposts and sites of night elf importance.

Other creatures: Night elves are known to have a great fondness for two animals in particular: nightsabers and owls. Nightsabers serve as mounts for them and owls as sentries. It is therefore unlikely for them to hunt these creatures for food.

Culture 

Language: Night elves speak mostly in their native tongue, Darnassian, but also know Furbolg and Thalassian (language of the high elves, blood elves, void elves). They learned Common to better communicate with their human counterparts. It could be considered reasonable to assume that due to a common origin, they also have knowledge of Nazja (the language of the Naga). However, night elves are known to be offended by comparisons between their tongue and that of their disgraced Thalassian-speaking and aquatic cousins because of ideological differences.

Government: Night elves are one of the few races that have a co-leadership. Tyrande is the most prominent leader alongside her mate Malfurion. Prior the The Sundering, the Sisterhood of Elune, a sect of priests, held the most power. 

 Military: The most central form of defence for civilian areas are the Sentinels, an elite guard of mostly female warriors that have strong ties to the Sisterhood, established approximately in Year -9,400. Tyrande served as the General of the Sentinels until she appointed her second-in-command Shandris Feathermoon to lead them after the Third War. The Watchers, a law-enforcement acting body, originated within night elf society and performed as jailors for night elf prisoners, members volunteering from the Sisterhood of Elune. They were created when Maiev Shadowsong put herself forward to guard Illidan Stormrage after he attempted to create a second Well of Eternity following The Sundering. The highest rank of the Watchers is Warden, employed as jailors, assassins and bounty hunters.

Religion: The Moon Goddess Elune is central to the night elf culture. It would be extremely hard to find a night elf that doesn’t believe or respect the goddess. The Sisterhood of Elune, currently led by Tyrande as their High Priestess, is the oldest night elf order known to Azeroth. Alike the Sentinels, although men are welcome, most members are female. Night elves consider Elune to be a single entity in a world of many rather than their own interpretation of a single god or powerful figure; when Velen commented on the similarities between Elune and the naaru, Tyrande requested that he not make such claims when in Darnassus or in the presence in the Sisterhood of Elune. 

Druidism: Malfurion is the first of the mortal druids, trained around Year -10,000 by Cenarius. After the creation of Nordrassil, Dragon Aspect Ysera bound the druids to her and her realm of the Emerald Dream. The Cenarion Circle was eventually formed as a governing force of the druids. Druids work in four specialisations: Balance, Feral, Restoration and Guardian: all obtaining their powers from within the earth. Along with the tauren, night elves have a special connection with the craft.

Traditions

It is common practice to take a fang from a deceased nightsaber mount in remembrance for it.

Night elf children are given an owl on their first birthday.

[edilsonsswedishlitblog]

Five Interesting None Fiction books

1.  A History of the Swedish People: Volume 1: From Prehistory to the Renaissance by Paul Britten Austin

“Beginning in prehistoric times and culminating with the Dacke rebellion of 1542, renowned novelist Vilhelm Moberg's two-volume popular history of the Swedish people approaches its subject from the viewpoint of the common people, documenting peasants' lives as well as those of the royal families. In this first volume Moberg examines Viking raids, the coming of Christianity, and the Folkungs royal dynasty, whose tyrannical reign lasted from 1250 to the 1360s. He vividly describes the arrival of the Black Death from a ship that docked carrying only dead passengers, and he recounts the reign of Queen Margareta who founded the Kalmar Union, comprising all of Scandinavia. In every chapter, Moberg faithfully imparts how history affected "the whole people" of Sweden.” (Amazon.com)

2.  The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson

“In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning, dö meaning “death” and städning meaning “cleaning.”....Her radical and joyous method for putting things in order helps families broach sensitive conversations, and makes the process uplifting rather than overwhelming.

Margareta suggests which possessions you can easily get rid of and which you might want to keep (photographs, love letters, a few of your children’s art projects).... Margareta introduces an element of fun to a potentially daunting task. Along the way readers get a glimpse into her life in Sweden, and also become more comfortable with the idea of letting go.” (Amazon.com)

3.  Vasa: A Swedish Warship by Hocker M. Frederick.

“Vasa was the most modern warship imaginable in 1628. Her ability for fast and aggressive sailing, the multiple gun deck and the heavy, custom-made guns were innovations. She was meant to be a key asset for Sweden in a bid for power in Northern Europe. But as with most brilliant innovations there are also failures, and the ship sank on her maiden voyage, a spectacular, costly and embarrassing fiasco. This book contains new information about the ship and the people who built and sailed it. And then there's the story of the discovery of the wreck and its challenging and exciting recovery. The dramatic story-telling is backed up by ground-breaking research, as Fred Hocker unfolds new facts that have now been brought to light. The 17th-century was an era of visual symbols. Photographs and historical reconstructions have been made especially for this book. Important themes are shown on double-page spreads and there is a fold-out guide to Vasa's rich ornamentation - a powerful symbolic reference to the glory of the Swedish king.” (Amazon.com)

4. Fishing in Utopia: Sweden & The Future That Disappeared by Andrew Brown

“Andrew Brown lived in Sweden as a child in the 1960s. Ten years later, he returned: he married a Swedish woman and worked in a timber mill, raising his small son, first of all in a housing estate on the edge of Gothenberg, and then in a makeshift chalet in the forest. This book tells his story and woven into it is the landscape of Sweden.” (goodreads.com)

5. The Expedition: Solving the Mystery of a Polar Tragedy by Bea Uusma

“11 July, 1897. Three men set out in a hydrogen balloon bound for the North Pole. They never return. Two days into their journey they make a crash landing then disappear into a white nightmare.

33 years later. The men's bodies are found, perfectly preserved under the snow and ice. They had enough food, clothing and ammunition to survive. Why did they die?

 66 years later. Bea Uusma is at a party. Bored, she pulls a books off the shelf. It is about the expedition. For the next fifteen years, Bea will think of nothing else... 

Can she solve the mystery of The Expedition?” (Scribd.com)

[ramajmedia]

25 Best Movies on Hulu Right Now (September 2019) | ScreenRant

Hulu has a lot of great movies - here are the 25 best films on the streaming service. In an age of options, less feels like more. While Netflix has an ever-expanding library, Hulu offers a more focused collection of great movies. Because volume isn’t the objective, Hulu succeeds in curating a batch of excellent films.

There are the iconic classics like The Matrix and Seven, the arthouse darlings like Sorry to Bother You and Let the Right One In, and the pure entertainment gems like The Fifth Element and Shrek. Hulu keeps it simple, and offers something for everybody. Here are the 25 best movies that you can watch on Hulu right now.

Related: The 25 Best Films on Netflix Right Now

Before we start, first a disclaimer. modern streaming libraries are like carousels, always moving and always changing. The films in this list are available on Hulu at the time of writing. We’ll be updating this top 25 list frequently, so keep an eye out for Hulu’s latest and greatest offerings. Also, the list isn't ranked from worst to best, so a lower number is not meant to denote higher quality. It's just a list of 25 great movies.

Last updated: September 5, 2019

25 Detroit

While it slipped through awards season without much hype, Detroit remains one of 2017’s best films. Rotten Tomatoes awarded it an 84% for its “gut-wrenching dramatization of a tragic chapter” in American history. Director Kathryn Bigelow tackles the 1967 incident in Motor City with aplomb, deftly guiding a sprawling cast (led by John Boyega and Will Poulter) through a maze of tension, bigotry, and survival. Detroit streams exclusively on Hulu.

24 The Fifth Element

One of the most unique sci-fi films of its decade, director Luc Besson's 1997 hit The Fifth Element served to launch the career of future Resident Evil franchise lead Milla Jovovich into the stratosphere, and is now on Hulu. Bruce Willis stars as Korben Dallas, a 23rd century cab driver who ends up unwillingly thrust into a quest to save the Earth when Leeloo (Jovovich) jumps off into a building into his flying vehicle. The two are opposed by Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman), a brash villain working on behalf of a great cosmic evil.

23 Seven

One of the most respected crime thrillers of the 1990s, Seven has style to spare, and was one of the films to first establish David Fincher as a director be reckoned with. Seven stars Brad Pitt as brash young detective David Mills, who partners up with soon to retire detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) in order to try and catch a serial killer who bases his murders on the seven deadly sins. Hauling in over $300 million at the box office on a $33 million budget, Seven was both a critical and commercial smash, and deserves to be revisited on Hulu.

Read More: 15 Awesome Facts You Didn't Know About Seven

22 The Matrix

One of the biggest pop culture phenomenons of its time, 1999's The Matrix put sibling directors The Wachowskis on the map. The Matrix's quite brilliant premise is that the world and everyone in it is in fact a computer simulation powered by the very humans that dwell there, after a catastrophic war between mankind and machines. One day, Thomas Anderson aka Neo (Keanu Reeves), a mild-mannered computer programmer by day and hacker by night, is woken up to the sad reality of his situation by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), leaders of a human resistance effort seeking to expose The Matrix to the public. Sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions are also available on Hulu.

21 Basic Instinct

While 1992's Basic Instinct is most remembered for a particularly scandalous scene involving Sharon Stone, the movie as a whole is quite the enthralling neo-noir suspense thriller. Directed by Paul Verhoeven, Basic Instinct stars Michael Douglas as detective Nick Curran, who makes the mistake of becoming romantically involved with murder suspect Catherine Tramell (Stone). Well, depending on one's definition of romance. One of the biggest hits of the 1990s, Basic Instinct made over $350 million, and is a Hulu pick definitely aimed at adults.

20 Lethal Weapon

Directed by 1980s mainstay Richard Donner, 1987's Lethal Weapon still stands as one of the quintessential examples of how to do a "buddy cop" action movie right. Mel Gibson stars as Martin Riggs, a suicidal sergeant with a short fuse and nothing to lose. Riggs gets partnered up with by the book lawman Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), leading to a slowly blossoming friendship, and one of film's most beloved duos. Lethal Weapon would spawn three successful sequels, and a TV reboot that aired on FOX. All are currently available on Hulu too.

Read More: Where Are They Now? The Cast Of Lethal Weapon

19 An American Werewolf in London

There are many iconic movies about vampires, ghosts, witches, and demons, but unfortunately, the werewolf tends to come up short in that department, starring in more stinkers than hits. Arguably the best werewolf movie of all time is 1981's An American Werewolf in London, directed by John Landis, and now on Hulu. Boasting amazing practical creature effects that hold up today, the film tells the story of David Kessler (David Naughton), an American backpacking in Europe that ends up surviving a werewolf attack that kills his best friend. Unfortunately, it's not too long before David realizes he's now cursed to kill during the full moon.

18 Ocean's Eleven

While director Steven Soderbergh might be better known for his award-worthy dramas, sometimes he stops being quite so serious, and creates the laid back chill of 2001's Ocean's Eleven. A critical and commercial ($450 million worldwide) hit, Ocean's Eleven manages to be both a thrilling heist caper and an amusing bit of ensemble fun, perfect for Hulu subscribers. Said ensemble boasts some huge names, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and Bernie Mac.

17 Hellraiser

Any dedicated horror fan has surely had their soul torn apart multiple times by Hellraiser's Pinhead (Doug Bradley) by this point. Director Clive Barker (adapting his own novella) crafted one of the most enduring tales of terror to come out of the 1980s, spawning one of the longest-running horror franchises out there as well. Hellraiser may only have a 68% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but it's a certified classic of the genre, and needs to be watched by anyone who enjoys a good fright flick. Direct sequel Hellbound: Hellraiser II is also part of Hulu's roster.

Read More: The Real Life Inspirations Behind 11 Horror Movie Icons

16 Frank

To some, Michael Fassbender is a young Magneto. To others, he’s a two-time Academy Award nominee. To a select few, he’s the gonzo pop musician and eponymous hero in Frank, the offbeat artist who became more famous for his oversized paper-mâché mask than his music. Directed by Lenny Abrahamson (Room), Frank earned a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score and remains a cult classic to adventurous Hulu viewers looking for a changeup in their visual diet.

15 Annihilation

One of Screen Rant's favorite movies of 2018, Annihilation is a visionary sci-fi film written and directed by Alex Garland, who previously made his directing debut with the equally arresting Ex Machina. Natalie Portman stars as Lena, one of the only survivors of an expedition into a realm called "The Shimmer," which serves as home to places and creatures beyond anything known to the natural world. Sporting an 89% RT score, Annihilation just arrived on Hulu, and also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Isaac.

14 Training Day

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Training Day features Denzel Washington in arguably his greatest role, alongside an equally game performance by Ethan Hawke. Washingston stars as Alonzo Harris, a highly decorated but also highly corrupt narcotics officer, tasked with showing new recruit Jake Hoyt (Hawke) the ropes. Alonzo is a villain through and through, but damn is he fun to watch at work. Surprisingly, Training Day only holds a 72% on RT, despite earning Washington an Oscar and Hawke an Oscar nomination. Regardless of the lower rating, Training Day is still one of the best films on Hulu.

Read More: Ethan Hawke is (Sort Of) Right About Superhero Movies

13 Spaceballs

Made back in the days when director Mel Brooks could seemingly do no wrong, Spaceballs is a hilarious parody of the original Star Wars trilogy. While it wasn't quite a critical hit, Spaceballs has earned itself a gigantic cult following in the decades since its release, and features terrific comedic performances from greats like Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Joan Rivers, and even Brooks himself as the wise sage called Yogurt. Stream it on Hulu and get ready to laugh.

12 A Quiet Place

While John Krasinski might always be best known for playing Jim on iconic sitcom The Office, 2018's acclaimed sci-fi/horror film A Quiet Place demonstrated that he has just as much talent behind the camera. Directed, co-written by, and starring Krasinski, A Quiet Place centers on a family living in the aftermath of an apocalyptic alien invasion. The invading creatures are deadly, and hunt by sound, meaning that the Abbott clan has to spend most of their life in silence. Unfortunately, things eventually go wrong, and the monsters come calling. Krasinkski's real-life wife Emily Blunt co-stars in this prime Hulu pick.

11 Unbreakable

While 2019's theatrical arrival of director M. Night Shyamalan's latest film Glass didn't exactly set the world on fire, that doesn't diminish the greatness of its predecessors, the first being 2000's Unbreakable, recently added to Hulu. After surviving a deadly train crash without a scratch, mild-mannered security guard and family man David Dunn (Bruce Willis) comes to discover that he possesses powers beyond normal men, and that he's destined for greatness as a superhero. Guiding him down this path is Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), a mysterious man with secrets of his own.

Read More: M. Night Shyamalan's Films Ranked From Absolute Worst To Best (Including Glass)

10 Punch-Drunk Love

The fourth feature to be directed by perennial critical darling Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002's Punch-Drunk Love offered a showcase for comedy icon Adam Sandler's then-unknown dramatic chops as Barry Egan, a desperately lonely man with severe rage issues. Sadly, said chops have only been glimpsed a few times since, with Sandler mostly content to stick to his usual wheelhouse of slapstick comedies like Grown Ups. Still fans of Sandler the actor will always have this critically acclaimed film to remember him by, and stream on Hulu.

9 Airplane

Continually considered one of the funniest films in history, 1980 spoof comedy Airplane throws joke after joke at the audience with reckless abandon, and while all of them don't necessarily hit for everyone, most of them likely will. Granted, Airplane does contain some material likely to be viewed as a bit problematic by current standards, but when seen through the lens of when it was made, it's clear these jokes weren't intended to be malicious. Airplane might be best known for taking Leslie Nielsen, then primarily a dramatic actor, and turning him into a comedic force to be reckoned with. Anyone who hasn't experienced Airplane needs to take this flight while it's on Hulu.

8 Shutter Island

Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring his modern muse Leonardo DiCaprio, 2010's Shutter Island centers on U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, who's sent to investigate a mysterious disappearance at a mental hospital on the titular island. Unfortunately for Teddy, nothing is what it seems, and the mystery threatens to swallow him whole. The star-studded cast also includes Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, and Michelle Williams. Those looking for a thriller designed to keep them guessing should definitely stream Shutter Island on Hulu.

Read More: 10 Amazing Martin Scorsese Movies Everyone Forgets About

7 Shrek

The film that put Dreamworks Animation on the map, 2001's Shrek stars Mike Myers as the titular ogre, a creature gruff on the outside but caring on the inside. Despite not wanting to do anything but hang out in his swamp, Shrek is compelled to go on a quest to rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) by the villainous Lord Farquad (John Lithgow). By his side is Donkey (Eddie Murphy), a fast-talking animal who can't help annoying Shrek with his constant chatter. Shrek spawned a franchise of three sequels and multiple specials, and is worth checking out on Hulu.

6 Rosemary's Baby

Although director Roman Polanski is quite rightfully disgraced nowadays for being a convicted rapist, but that doesn't mean his classic films are suddenly any less great. One of the best is 1968's Rosemary's Baby, a deservedly revered entry into the horror canon. Mia Farrow stars as the titular character, a young woman who sees her life get more and more unraveled after she and her husband move into a mysterious New York City apartment building. Before long, she begins to suspect that every single person in her orbit might be involved in a demonic conspiracy. Those who haven't seen it owe it to themselves to meet Rosemary's Baby on Hulu.

5 Vice

A biopic about former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney was always going to be a controversial, divisive prospect, especially one directed by Adam McKay with a sharp satirical edge. In the end, 2018's Vice ended up earning mostly praise from critics, and multiple Oscar nominations, including one for Christian Bale's eerily accurate performance as Cheney. Bale famously put on lots of weight for the role, and is almost unrecognizable at a glance. Vice's all-star cast also includes Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, and more. Vice is worth a stream on Hulu, especially during these current politically-charged times.

Read More: Christian Bale’s 10 Greatest Roles, Ranked

4 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

The Star Trek multimedia franchise has so far produced 13 feature films, but arguably the most iconic of those came early on, with 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, now on Hulu. For better or worse, The Wrath of Khan changed gears from the metaphysical, exploratory adventure that was Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and did its best to turn Star Trek into more of a space action vehicle. Thankfully, it succeeded with most, and William Shatner's Captain Kirk yelling KHAN! at Ricardo Montalban's titular villain has become the stuff of legend.

3 Sorry to Bother You

One of the most uniquely creative movies of 2018, director Boots Riley's debut is a thought-provoking look at American race relations, framed through a dystopian comedic lens. Sorry to Bother You stars Lakeith Stanfield as Cassius "Cash" Green, who gets a job as a telemarketer, only to discover that putting on his "white voice" is what gets the money rolling in. Sorry to Bother You is a film not really suited to being summed up in a paragraph, but its 93% Rotten Tomatoes score kind of speaks for itself. Check it out on Hulu.

2 Heathers

A darker than dark comedy, Heathers was written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann, and sports a huge cult following, which is sure to only get bigger via Hulu. Winona Ryder stars as Veronica Sawyer, a high school student who runs afoul of former friends the Heathers, a trio of rich, popular girls that rule teen society with an iron fist. After being wronged by them, Veronica makes the mistake of teaming up with outcast bad boy J.D. (Christian Slater) in order to get revenge. Sadly, J.D.'s idea of revenge is straight up murdering his enemies.

1 Let the Right One In

Released in a decade where vampire cinema was dominated by the sparkly Twilight, director Tomas Alfredson's Swedish hit Let the Right One In was exactly what the classic creature needed to remind audiences that despite their affliction, vampire movies don't have to suck. Lina Leandersson stars as Eli, an ageless vampire with the appearance of a child, and Kare Hedebrant plays Oskar, the bullied young boy she enters into an unexpectedly sweet relationship with. The film was later adapted stateside by Matt Reeves, with Chloe Grace Moretz in the Eli role. That version is sadly not available via Hulu.

Next: 10 Best Shows You Didn’t Know Were On Hulu

source https://screenrant.com/hulu-best-movies/

[keremulusoy]

Kirkçeşme Water Distribution Network, One Of Mimar Sinan’s Works, Is A Unique Engineering Wonder And The Largest Civilization Project Of The Ottoman State In The 16th Century.

The level reached by the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century was the main agenda that attracted the attention of world states. İstanbul, the imperial capital, became the most important center of world politics in this century. The metropolis of İstanbul, where, in every respect, a rich and prosperous society lives, became an attractive world city for all kinds of people.

Rolling up his sleeves with the construction of Haseki Complex, Sinan started the era of large complexes in the capital. Later, symbolic collective constructions, such as Mihrimah Sultan Complex, Şehzade Complex and Süleymaniye Complex were built in Üsküdar. In this period when living in İstanbul became attractive, the demand for decorative arts increased as well as architecture. With the opening of new business areas, the greatest artists from all over the world began to flock to İstanbul. Thus, great craftsmen, who were performing arts which complemented the profession of architecture, such as first class ceramists, calligraphers, muralists, and sculptors, carpenters, blacksmiths and lead manufacturers were the highest income earners in the İstanbul market.

Sinan built range complexes between cities and developed both transportation and trade networks. Travel and trade routes increased to the Balkan cities through the main route of Gebze-Edirne and the transportation arteries were enriched. In İstanbul, which has become a major center of consumption, taverns, bazaars and covered bazaars have added vitality to the city trade. The fact that Hayreddin Barbarossa became the chief admiral (commander of the naval forces) enabled the Mediterranean to be under the control of the Ottoman Empire. Thus, the Ottoman Empire had a large share in the Mediterranean Sea, which had been considered the richest basin of maritime trade in the old world before the discovery of the America. Accordingly, the market between the East and the West moved to İstanbul.

Reconstruction Works With The Increasing Population Of Payitaht (Capital City) The fact that the large and rich trade network was under the control of the Ottoman Empire brought great prosperity and vitality to the country. Thanks to these developments, the settlement areas around the complexes were expanded in order to meet the needs of the increasing population of the Ottoman capital, and consequently commercial structures increased. After the opening of the Süleymaniye Complex, the number of people providing the maintenance works of the mosque and religious services, the teachers and students working in madrasahs, in the schools such as darüşşifa and darülhad, employees and stuff in the imaret was around 750 in total. Here, two meals were served to the employees each day from the imaret, and two hundred free hot meals were distributed to 2500 people each day.

It is important to remember that Sinan was a great engineer beyond his architectural genius. In any case, at the basis of his success in the field of architecture was the multi-faceted engineering knowledge. Sinan’s interest in engineering was understood from his childhood interest in this field and especially from his success in his youth since his admission to the Guild of Janissaries. His ability was evident during his military expeditions. Thus, the three galleys by Lake Van and the bridge he built over the Prut River within 10 days not only uncovered Sinan’s engineering talent, but also revealed his future and made him the Chief Royal Architect of the Empire.

The Greatest Engineering Success Of Mimar Sinan Sinan’s work in which he demonstrates his engineering talent does not consist of only those works. His greatest engineering achievements are his works in the field of aqua architecture. The arches he built for the waterways and the bridges he built in different parts of the empire are the works that document Sinan’s engineering career. It is important to note that all of Sinan’s engineering works have survived to the present day. Considered an engineering wonder of Sinan, the Kırkçeşme Waterway is a major project built in the 16th century. The construction of the work resulted from the excessive increase in water prices and the population living in İstanbul. As it is known, the city population, which was around 40 thousand in İstanbul during the period of Mehmet the Conqueror, increased by 4 times in the 16th century and approached 160 thousand. Due to rapid population growth, water shortage became unbearable. It is even known that the price of one jug of water in this period increased up to 15 coins.

Story Of The Constructıon Of The Kırıkçeşme Waterway Sinan the Architect has given extensive insights into the story of the construction of the Kırkçeşme Waterway: “One day, when Sultan Süleyman Khan walks through the deserted countryside of Kağıthane in İstanbul, he happens to pass pleasant greenery and a nice grass-plot. The Sultan can not help to looking at the fresh water flowing here. When they come to the Imperial Palace, they gathered the prominent leaders of the reign and ordered to investigate and examine in which the river, which has led the city to develop and grow in the past and which gives the city refreshment.”

The Sultan appointed Sinan the Architect to investigate whether it was possible to bring water to İstanbul. Sinan expressed his ideas confidently when meeting with the sultan. In the manuscript of Tezkiretü’l-Bünyan, which contains the memoirs of Sinan, in the presence of Süleyman the Magnificent he said: “My blissful Sultan, I have special expertise in the construction of waterways,” and showed that he was assertive in this regard. Sinan, who was commissioned by Süleyman the Magnificent, started the construction of the Kırkçeşme water conveyance line in 1554. While the construction of the Süleymaniye Complex was continuing, Sinan started this large project and completed the Kırkçeşme project in 1563 with a feverish work.

The fresh water collected in the Belgrade Forest was brought to İstanbul with a thousandth slope with belts, without external energy and the use of fuel. This system, which is a successful and qualified example of the ecological architecture implemented by Sinan, has a total of 33 aqueducts, mainly the arches of Mağlova, Güzelce, Uzun, Eğri, Paşa and Ayvad. According to the Foundation Book, many fountains, baths, mosques and fountains reaching 580 were supplied from the city network and the Kırkçeşme water conveyance line. Kırkçeşme water plant includes important elements. There are many pools where water is collected, but the biggest one is Forebay. This large pool in Kemerburgaz is rounded and cylindrical. The size and depth of Forebay is as much as Galata Tower as Sinan said. Forebay has survived to the present day and is still working as a system. The water collected here is mostly used in agriculture. The most prominent parts of the Kırkçeşme facility are the arches built. These arches, which are viaducts to cross streams and valleys, are bridges that allow the passage of water. These arches, which also means bridge, are of great value as architectural monuments. Among them, the so-called Mağlova Arch is a distinguished example in terms of both engineering and architecture.

This arch, which is located in Kemerburgaz, İstanbul, has two floors and four big holes on each floor. It also has many small holes. Its height is 36 meters and its length is 258 meters. It was demolished twice because of the flood and rebuilt. The openings of the large holes are 13.45 meters at the top row and 16.75 meters at the bottom. One of Sinan’s most successful works, the arch, which has an original plastic, is one of the most perfect and rare examples of its kind.

Other examples of Kırkçeşme are the Güzelce (or Gözlüce) Arch in İstanbul Cebeciköy, the Kovukkemer, also known as Kırıkkemer or Eğrikemer in İstanbul Kemerburgaz, and Uzunkemer in Kemerburgaz. Sinan, the greatest symbol of our culture and art history, attracts attention with its engineering identity as well as architecture. In his entrance to his foundation, “the eye of elite engineers, the ornament of the founders, the master of the masters of the time, the head of the wise men of the time, the Occlidis  of the period and era, the architect of the empire and the teacher of the righteousness” was written for him.  It is not an exaggeration to refer to him as “sage of architects” in the tombstone, that is, “the white-bearded architect”.

çiftehavuz

selimiye mosque

the long aqueduct

maglova aqueduct

buyukcekmece bridge

Eyyubî (16th century), who tells this with the expression of a poet, praises Sinan to the skies and glorifies the great master from the mouth of Suleyman the Magnificent in his work “Menakıb-ı Sultan Süleyman” consisting of 1495 couplets.  Describing the water shortage in İstanbul and the reasons for the construction of Kırkçeşme in an epic language, the poet Eyyubi says that Sinan, who he describes as the philosopher of the time and the sharp sword of building works, is the guide of all the masters, and that the mountains and deserts are incapable of stand in front of him. He states that the words of Sinan, who ruled also the depths of the earth, are more valuable than the expensive pearls, that Allah granted him many miracles and placed other things on his chest, and honors him saying “If Aristotle had seen Sinan, he would have been his sincere disciple”.

Sinan, who is a great architect and engineer raised by the Ottoman culture and art environment, is a universal value that has achieved outstanding success and left a permanent mark in history. This great master, who brought numerous aesthetical values in our history of civilization, made physical contributions to the Ottoman cities, especially İstanbul. In fact, the Kırkçeşme facility, which is a water conveyance line connected to İstanbul, is the largest civilization project of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century.

NOTES

Works Of Mimar Sinan In Istanbul During the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, a center of attraction created by a strong social state brought about the construction of new buildings for new service areas in İstanbul. During this period, new mosques, masjids and madrasahs were built by the Sinan the Architect in historical peninsula, Eyup Sultan, which is outside the walls and in Üsküdar on the Anatolian side. Sinan built over thirty baths in the same neighborhoods. This gives an idea about Sinan’s feverish work in İstanbul to meet the needs of the growing population.

The Greatest Architectural Design Selimiye Mosque Selimiye Mosque is undoubtedly the greatest architectural design of Mimar Sinan, which carried him to the top in his professional life. In order to achieve this success, there was his deep engineering knowledge as well as architectural ability. Sinan, who gave a universal message in architecture with this work, showed the power to have his name written in the history of world architecture in gold letters.

An Architectural Wonder: Kirkçeşme Water System The length of this water conveyance line is 55 kilometers. Kırkçeşme, unique in the world and considered an engineering wonder, has been working as a water system for more than 450 years. This facility, which has technical excellence, includes Forebay, many settling tanks, irrigation areas, galleries, aqueducts and water jumps which are also important architectural monuments, additions, dividers, chimneys, grids, city network, water levels and many fountains.

Süleymaniye Waterway Network Sinan also built waterways for the fountains in the foundations of the people who made him built them, such as the sultan and dynasty members or statesmen. The most important of these was the water supplied from the Halkalı region and transported to the Süleymaniye Complex at a distance of more than 30 kilometers by Sinan. The Süleymaniye Waterway facility, which also houses the Bozdoğan (Valens) aqueduct from the late Roman period, was put into service in 1557.

Tombstone Epitaph Of Mimar Sinan Mustafa Sai Çelebi wrote the epitaph engraved on the tombstone of Sinan, who also came forward with his urbanism. In this poem, two important engineering works of Sinan are praised. One of them is the Kırkçeşme water conveyance line and the other is the Büyükçekmece Bridge, which consists of four parts. The relevant verse of the poem is given below:

He tried hard to build waterways ordered by the sultan

He was the one who poured aqua vitae like Hızır

He built a high arch on the Büyükçekmece Bridge

That hang like the Milky Way in the sky

By: Suphi Saatçi *This article was published in the September-October issue of Marmara Life. 

The Greatest Cıvılızatıon Project Of Sınan And The Ottoman Kirkçeşme Water Distribution Network, One Of Mimar Sinan’s Works, Is A Unique Engineering Wonder And The Largest Civilization Project Of The Ottoman State In The 16th Century.

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Expedition 33 Beginner Guide: Everything to Know Before You Start

Expedition 33 Game Mechanics Breakdown: A Clair Obscur Guide

Introduction

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG that stands apart with its original concept, rhythmic combat mechanics, and immersive world-building. Developed by the newly formed Sandfall Interactive, this game is poised to make a bold mark in the genre, combining strategic gameplay with an emotionally charged storyline. Whether you're new to RPGs or a seasoned player looking for something fresh, this guide will equip you with essential knowledge and tactical insights to get the most out of your journey. From understanding the core mechanics to optimizing your party and making impactful choices, this walkthrough is designed to help you confidently navigate your first playthrough of Expedition 33.

1. Understanding the Core Narrative of Expedition 33

At the heart of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lies a unique and thought-provoking premise. Each year, a mysterious figure known as the Paintress awakens and inscribes a new number on a sacred monolith. This number dictates the age at which individuals will mysteriously perish. In response, a group of those marked by that age sets out on a perilous expedition to confront the Paintress and break the cycle of annual death. In this installment, you join Expedition 33, composed entirely of individuals aged 33. Their mission is urgent and personal: prevent the cycle from descending to age 32 and spare future generations from an early fate.

This narrative framework is more than a backdrop—it's a central force shaping character motivations, world-building, and gameplay progression. Unlike many RPGs where the plot serves primarily as a vehicle for action, Expedition 33 weaves its themes of mortality, resistance, and legacy into every element of gameplay. As a result, understanding and engaging with the story isn’t optional—it’s vital to fully appreciating the game’s emotional and strategic depth.

2. Turn-Based Combat Meets Real-Time Precision

While Expedition 33 is rooted in traditional turn-based RPG mechanics, it introduces real-time elements that add depth and interactivity to each encounter. During your turn, executing attacks requires timed inputs—similar to rhythm games. Perfect timing results in enhanced damage, while missed prompts reduce effectiveness. This approach encourages active engagement in every move, turning even standard attacks into skill-based challenges.

Defense also demands attention. When enemies attack, players can choose to either dodge or parry. Dodging offers a wider timing window and helps you avoid incoming damage, but parrying—while harder to execute—enables powerful counterattacks if performed correctly. Mastering both offensive and defensive timing is crucial, especially during high-stakes battles. The rhythm-based dynamics make combat feel fast-paced and immersive, blending strategy with reflex-driven gameplay in a way that’s rare in turn-based systems.

3. Exploration Pays Off: Go Beyond the Main Path

While the main storyline offers a strong narrative, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 rewards those who venture off the beaten path. Optional content is abundant, including hidden storylines, side missions, character interactions, and rare gear. The game’s design encourages exploration through its layered environments and subtle cues, making detours both engaging and beneficial to gameplay progression.

Although it’s estimated to take about 60 hours to achieve 100% completion, a more focused playthrough centered on the main quest can significantly cut that time. Still, exploring the world not only enhances your understanding of the lore but can also unlock critical advantages in combat. Special items, skill-enhancing gear, and lore insights often await those who invest time in uncovering every corner of the game. For players who value immersion, exploration is essential—not optional.

4. The Break Bar Mechanic: Mastering Combat Flow

A key element in Expedition 33's combat system is the "Break Bar"—a tactical feature that adds another layer of strategy to battles. As you deal damage to enemies, their break bar fills. Once full, you can use specific abilities to break the bar, which temporarily stuns the enemy, rendering them unable to act on their next turn. This mechanic allows you to control the tempo of combat, opening windows to unleash high-damage combos or avoid devastating enemy attacks.

What makes the break bar system especially strategic is the ability to target enemy weak points. Using the game’s aim-based mechanics, you can focus your attacks on vulnerable spots to fill the break bar faster and trigger bonus effects. On higher difficulty settings, timing your damage to align with critical enemy actions—such as interrupting a major skill or avoiding overlapping enemy phases—becomes a key skill. Understanding how and when to trigger breaks can be the difference between a narrow victory and a crushing defeat.

5. Meaningful Player Choices and Narrative Impact

Unlike many RPGs where dialogue options often feel superficial, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 aims to make your decisions genuinely consequential. Throughout the game, players are faced with moral choices, character-driven decisions, and tactical dilemmas that can significantly alter the progression of the story and your relationships with other expeditioners. These aren't just cosmetic branches; they can lead to different outcomes, affecting the availability of certain quests, alliances, and even the fate of characters.

Because of this, it’s recommended to approach each decision thoughtfully. Choices can influence how your party evolves, what story paths unlock, and which characters stand by you in critical moments. This design encourages multiple playthroughs and provides a sense of agency rarely seen in modern RPGs. If you value narrative depth and story customization, Expedition 33 offers a framework that rewards careful decision-making.

6. Unique Combat Styles for Every Playable Character

Each member of Expedition 33 brings a distinct combat identity to the battlefield. Characters are not locked into fixed roles, but they start with unique mechanics that define their strategic value. For example, Gustav builds an "Overcharge" meter by dealing damage or parrying. Once charged, it powers up his skills, making him a versatile high-damage unit. Lon, on the other hand, applies “elemental stains” through casting, which she can then expend for boosted spells or status effects.

Mel introduces a stance-based system, letting her switch between offensive, defensive, and conditional modes that change her behavior mid-combat. Each stance alters how she gains resources or mitigates damage, offering dynamic options that reward adaptability. These core mechanics ensure that characters feel genuinely different from one another, and understanding their strengths is essential for building a balanced team.

7. Customization and Flexibility in Character Builds

What makes Expedition 33 particularly engaging is its commitment to player freedom through deep customization systems. Each character features a unique skill tree that can be tailored to your preferred combat style. Whether you want to build a glass cannon, a support healer, or a frontline tank, the system allows flexibility without compromising each character's thematic identity. This enables players to maintain their favorite characters in the party without sacrificing tactical diversity.

Gear customization further enhances this flexibility. Equipment affects stats, abilities, and even combat mechanics, offering additional avenues to optimize performance. Combined with the skill tree, this system supports both experimentation and specialization. Players can tweak builds to handle specific bosses, counter enemy types, or complement the rest of their team. The ability to mix and match roles ensures that no character is ever obsolete, promoting long-term investment in the entire cast.

8. Meet the Main Expeditioners

The core cast of Expedition 33 includes a diverse and narratively rich lineup. Each character not only plays differently in combat but also brings a unique perspective to the story. Gustav, a 33-year-old engineer, is the moral backbone of the group, motivated by a desire to protect the city’s future. Lon, also 33, is driven by intellectual curiosity and a need to uncover the truth behind the Paintress. Myel, only 16, approaches the expedition with youthful enthusiasm and a longing for adventure, offering a lighter contrast to the others’ grim resolve.

Seiel, a former farmer turned teacher, brings philosophical depth and emotional resilience to the party. Lastly, Monaco, a mysterious creature of unknown age and origin, embraces combat as a spiritual practice. These characters aren't just functional; they are thoughtfully developed, contributing to the game’s themes of mortality, purpose, and legacy. Their personal arcs intertwine with the central narrative, providing additional layers of engagement beyond the mechanics.

9. Embrace the Immersion: Audio, Atmosphere, and Storytelling

One of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's standout features is its immersive worldbuilding. The game leverages a compelling audiovisual experience to deepen your connection to the story. From sweeping orchestral scores to ambient sound design, the soundtrack is meticulously crafted to enhance emotional beats and heighten tension during battles. Players are encouraged to experience the game with high-quality sound for the full effect—headphones are highly recommended.

Storytelling is delivered through a combination of in-engine cinematics, environmental cues, and voiced dialogues. The presence of well-known voice actors adds authenticity to character interactions, making dialogue sequences engaging rather than skippable. If you typically skip cutscenes, this is a title where slowing down and paying attention will enhance your gameplay and narrative understanding. Fully immersing yourself in the atmosphere will turn your playthrough from just another RPG session into a memorable journey.

10. A Fresh Studio with Big Ambitions

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 marks the debut release from Sandfall Interactive, a new studio composed of experienced developers—many of whom are former Ubisoft team members. Despite being a first title, the game exudes polish and ambition rarely seen from unproven studios. The developers aim to revive the golden era of turn-based RPGs by combining modern design principles with classic gameplay depth, reminiscent of titles like Persona 3 and Final Fantasy VIII.

What sets this studio apart is its willingness to take creative risks. From its narrative concept to its hybrid combat system, Expedition 33 signals a shift away from formulaic AAA game design. This isn’t just another nostalgic throwback—it’s a reimagining of what turn-based RPGs can look and feel like in today’s gaming landscape. With strong early impressions and a clear design vision, Sandfall Interactive has positioned itself as a serious new player in the genre.

Conclusion: Prepare for a Turn-Based Journey Like No Other

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 delivers a refreshing take on the turn-based RPG formula, blending traditional mechanics with rhythmic gameplay, deep narrative arcs, and immersive world design. Whether you're here for the strategic combat, the character-driven story, or the beautifully crafted environments, this game offers something substantial for every kind of player.

As a new IP from a fresh studio, its ambition is matched by its polish. With a thoughtful approach to gameplay depth, narrative stakes, and character customization, Expedition 33 sets a high bar for modern RPGs. Use this guide as your starting point to navigate its challenges and uncover its many layers. Whether you're aiming to master its combat system or lose yourself in its lore, there’s a fulfilling adventure waiting ahead.

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Can industrial farming be a force for good?

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/can-industrial-farming-be-a-force-for-good/

Can industrial farming be a force for good?

Big Ag to the rescue. (The Voorhes/)

Large-scale farming has a well-earned rep as America’s top eco-villain. But what if the industry could change to be more sustainable? Unthinkable? Turns out, shifting to accommodate our planet is the entire history of agriculture in the United States. Below, how industrial agriculture transformed in the face of environmental disaster in the 1930s—and how it can change to accommodate Earth’s uncertain future.

Look to agriculture’s past…

An essay by Ted Genoways

Amid the faded photographs and yellowed clippings in the attic box that holds the sum record of my ancestors, one item stands out. It’s a short article from The Wichita Weekly Eagle, boldly headlined: “Sam Genoway’s Farm Tractor.” Sam, a distant cousin of mine, was apparently so happy to see his name in the paper that he didn’t bother to make sure the writer got the spelling correct. But the story wasn’t really about him anyway. As the title would suggest, the focus was Sam’s tractor. “People have found out how many different kinds of work he can do,” his wife, Carrie Mae, told the reporter, “and they come from miles around.”

It was May 1917. America had declared war on Germany, and President Woodrow Wilson classified wheat, what Sam grew, as a “material of war.” The Department of Agriculture made the grain’s production a national priority, and Henry Ford announced he would mass-produce tractors in time for harvest. That season, Sam and his Caterpillar 45 plowed hundreds of acres. “I don’t expect this to last such a great while,” Carrie Mae said, “as the people who hire him soon decide they need a tractor of their own.”

She was exactly right. The number of tractors on U.S. farms went from about 50,000 at the start of 1917 to nearly a million by the end of the 1920s. With the additional horsepower and savings in man-hours, tens of millions of rocky acres became fresh farmland. Farmers ripped up trees and brush, pulled out boulders, dug irrigation canals, and built miles of new roads. Most important, tractors broke up dense topsoil to yield wide furrows and soft seedbeds. American farming surged.

But when European grain producers reentered the global market, U.S. agriculture found itself perilously overproductive. Crop prices fell to record lows, and people who had bought tractors and equipment struggled to keep up with the interest on their debts. Farmers abandoned or fallowed 33 million acres of newly opened ground just as the drought of the 1930s arrived. Unprotected and unplanted, topsoil dried up and blew away, forming “black blizzards.” From the Texas Panhandle to southern Nebraska, from the foothills of the Colorado Rockies to the rolling prairie near Garden Plain, Kansas, where Sam lived, tens of thousands of families lost their farms in what came to be known as the Dust Bowl.

When Franklin D. Roosevelt entered the White House in 1933, he appointed Henry A. Wallace as Secretary of Agriculture to tackle the problem. Historians often argue that Wallace, founder of Pioneer Hi-Bred Corn Company, pulled farms out of the Dust Bowl with corn that resists drought. But FDR went much further. To reduce dust storms and soil loss, he paid foresters to plant more than 200 million trees around fields. He signed the Soil Conservation Act, establishing subsidies for landowners to restore native plant life. What really rescued agriculture was policy that protected resources and rewarded those who revised wasteful practices.

That clipping about Sam’s tractor reminds us that American ingenuity has solved countless crises, but it has created many as well. Our history, like how the Dust Bowl formed in part thanks to technology outpacing stewardship, should guide our decision-making. Large-scale conventional agriculture, or what we often call “Big Ag,” can make massive investments in research to improve yields and reduce its impact on Earth’s resources. Present-day farmers have access to more data, more research, and more support than any previous generation. But without considering the unintended consequences of getting bigger and growing more, we risk creating the next generation’s problems.

Examples of this go well beyond the Dust Bowl. New irrigation systems helped farmers survive the next drought in the 1950s, but it also depleted aquifers. Genetically modified seeds made it possible to plant more crops on fewer acres, but it also led to declining soil health and food with lower nutrient value. Feedlots and enormous hog and chicken barns, often referred to as “concentrated animal-feeding operations,” expedited meat production and freed up farmland, but they’ve also driven the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and contaminated communities’ drinking water. Now, as engineers move toward self-­triggered irrigation, self-driving combine harvesters, and animal confinements with self-feeding systems, there’s a great opportunity to improve ­profits—but also the risk that production will once again pose unforeseen threats to precious natural resources.

Sam, bolstered by federal policy, weathered a decade of hardship and privation. Stories like his are a reminder that Americans can chart a better course through trying times ahead, but only if we learn from past mistakes. Big Ag is a powerful force. We must ensure it is a positive one, for farmers and for the uncertain future of our planet.

…to fix its future.

Practical solutions to industrial agriculture’s biggest problems, by Nick Stockton.

Water

Overconsumption, pollution, climate change, and the increasing demands of a swelling population are drying out key agricultural regions like California, the Mediterranean, and Central America.

Mind the overspray. (Richard Ellis / Alamy stock photo/)

Problem: Regular droughts

Solution: Early-rising plants

Since the 1940s, farmers from Texas to South Dakota have relied on the Ogallala aquifer during sporadic dry spells. Now parts of the reserve are getting dangerously low. Agriculture giants Monsanto, Syngenta, and DuPont have engineered plants ­capable of muscling through drought, but those seeds cost more, and farmers don’t always get the yield they need to justify the price. The problem is these dry-spell survivors often can’t turn off their drought mode fast enough once the weather shifts. The longer it takes for the crops to reopen the pores in their leaves, which close to prevent precious fluid from evaporating­, the less likely they are to take advantage of ­growth-​­boosting moisture. But some plants, like an alfalfa relative biologist Roger Deal at Emory University studies, boast genetic material that helps them become fully functional mere hours after rainfall. Future plants modified with this type of super­power won’t be dinner anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t someday end up on your plate. Research into the genomic goods that help plants “remember” to go in and out of drought-​​­survival mode could help en­gineers design seeds that make faster transitions, thus increasing yield and making them smarter purchases for farmers.

problem: H₂O overuse

Solution: Probes to test the waters

You can’t ask vegetables or grains when they’re thirsty, but you might be able to decipher how many drinks your soil’s serving up. Beginning in 2013, a group of Kansas farmers took on a five-year challenge to reduce their ground­water consumption by 20 percent. By stabbing electronic probes into their combined 170 fields, the experimental growers were able to check on the moisture content of their soils and turn on the sprinklers only when the terra firma was truly too dry to sustain their crops. In the end, the thirst-​by-​proxy method paid dividends: Water-­watchers grew 98 percent of the corn yield their neighbors did, but used 23 percent less liquid. That’s good news for both our water stores and our farmers: Easing up on the pumps helped probe-users end the season with 4 percent more cash.

Soil

The U.N. estimates intensive agriculture has seriously degraded one-third of Earth’s ­productive land—and continues to ruin about 24 billion tons of dirt each year. With ­innovative soil supplements, our food system can tread more lightly.

Big agriculture. (The Voorhes/)

Problem: Fertilizer fallout

Solution: Basalt of the earth

Industrial fertilizers help us grow lots of food for humans and livestock. A 2015 study from the University of California at Berkeley showed that conventional yields were, on average, 20 percent higher than those of organic farming. On the flip side, relying on these chemical boosters degrades soil quality and food’s nutrient content. ­Organic field dressing is better but works slowly. Maybe there’s a third way: rocks. Basalt’s got what plants crave, like calcium, iron, and magnesium. Adding broken bits of the volcanic stone to the soil also sucks up carbon and helps with moisture re­tention. Sound like snake oil? California’s Strategic Growth Council, a committee that directs grant dollars toward sustainability projects, doesn’t think so. In 2018, it spent $4.7 million to test basalt fertilization on acreage across the state. One of the biggest challenges is pulverizing the material to just the right size: Big chunks don’t break down quickly enough, and small grains cost too much to make.

Problem: CO₂ emissions

Solution: Coral reefs on land

Agriculture expels roughly 15 percent of the world’s annual greenhouse gases; even tilling soil releases troublesome amounts of CO₂. “Cutting down on emissions is fine, but it’s too late to rely on simply reducing fossil fuel use,” says Mark Rasmussen, director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State. Rasmussen’s proposal is coral-like carbon capture, which means essentially growing “reefs” underground. At sea, these ecosystems consist of the exoskeletons of tiny marine creatures, which harvest carbon dioxide from the ocean to build their shells. Rasmussen’s team wants to leverage soil’s naturally occurring microbes, which can process carbon dioxide in the same way. Researchers would seed these ­microbes in the soil, where they’d turn emissions into calcium. The faux reefs could even sit under nonarable land, sucking up atmospheric CO₂ without the risk of denting any farm equipment.

Problem: toxic runoff

Solution: Helpful germs

The Gulf of Mexico has a corn problem: Growers across middle America fertilize crops with gobs of synthetic nitrogen. The runoff drains into the Mississippi River, which eventually flushes into the Gulf, hundreds of miles away. Here, ­nitrogen-​­hungry algae bloom into massive “dead zones” that suffocate other marine life. Mexico might have a corn solution: Plant biologists from the University of California at Davis and the University of Wisconsin at Madison found several wild strains of Mexican corn that produce their own nitrogen. The plants form above-​ground roots that secrete a gel containing symbiotic bacteria. These microbes convert atmospheric nitrogen into necessary nutrients. The scientists have cultivated the self-​­nourishing varietal in both Wisconsin and California, observing similar results. They are currently investigating whether we can engineer high-​yield commercial corn with similar talents, thereby reducing America’s need to fertilize its No. 1 agricultural product.

Animals

Americans get nearly two-thirds of their protein from meat, milk, and eggs, but raising billions of beings creates a feast of unsavory problems. Algebra and algae are here to help.

A menu tweak could quell cows’ methane burps. (Daniel Acker / Bloomberg via Getty Images/)

Problem: Poop lagoons

Solution: The other brown energy

It’s common for livestock farmers to dump animal feces into open-air “lagoons,” a practice that’s especially dangerous when heavy rains overfill these pools, adding dung to the flood waters. During 2018’s Hurricane Florence, for example, manure from dozens of North Carolina hog operations spilled out of such basins. Even without the help of natural disasters, lagoons can leak or overflow into local water supplies. Good thing poop ponds aren’t our only option. Large ­bacteria-​­filled tanks known as anaerobic digesters can transform waste into methane gas. Agriculturalists can then convert the fumes into electricity they can either sell back to the grid or use to power their operations. In 2018, the EPA’s AgStar Financial Services cut more than 4 million tons of greenhouse-gas emissions by offering cheaper micro­digesters to smaller farms. That reduction was the work of just 248 digester projects, a tiny fragment of the country’s more than 2 million farms.

Problem: Destroyed soil

Solution: Moo math

Many cattle ranchers pack their land with as many cows as it can hold. This is a losing strategy. Crowds graze so quickly that pastures can’t regrow their best grasses. This exposes bare soil to the elements, causing it to lose nutrients and volume. Overstocked areas also worsen the landscape’s overall ecology by leaving little room for other plants and animals. The answer might be as simple as determining exactly how many cows can graze on a piece of land without doing damage. Texas A&M; ­University researcher Monte Rouquette raises cattle on experimental plots, calculating how rainfall, soil composition, and other factors impact a landscape’s ability to support a number of livestock. He also catalogs biodiversity and how herd numbers impact the quality and quantity of the meat. While his models are specific to East Texas (his home, and home to millions of cows), his algebraic approach could work elsewhere, and he shares his models with the USDA.

Problem: Cows’ greenhouse gases Solution: Kelp help

When cows eat, they burp. A lot. In fact, for all the talk of farts, bovine belching is responsible for around 70 percent of cattle methane issuance. What’s more, the combined burps of Earth’s ­billion-​head herd constitute roughly 14.5 percent of the planet’s total ­greenhouse-​gas emissions in a given year. ­University of California at ­Davis animal scientist ­Ermias ­Kebreab and his team found that mixing red macro­algae into their dairy cows’ feed resulted in a 60 percent drop in ­methane-​loaded…​emissions. The desiccated seaweed addition seems to inhibit enzymes produced by gut microbes in the mammals’ first of four stomachs, and at least one of these enzymes appears to be instrumental in the formation of methane. At first the ruminants ate slightly less of the fishy feed compared with their usual supper, but a smidge of molasses to cover up the unfamiliar smell helped ease them into their new ­better-​burp diets.

Problem: Invincible bugs

Solution: Keep the uber-sects apart

Farmers of decades past could lose entire seasons of crops to insects like rootworms, whiteflies, and aphids, but early ­solutions brought their own problems, like the ­pesticide-​driven decimation of our bee populace. Researchers have explored other options, including modifying crops so they can help kill pests, but that backfired too. These engineered plants never slay all their targets because some invaders carry inborn resistance to the bug-harming proteins. Once the modified crop culls the rest of the swarm, those unpoisonable leftovers have only each other to make babies with. Presto: a new generation of better, badder ­creepy-­­crawlers. Researchers at the University of Arizona have gotten around this by planting unmodified seeds in genetically altered fields, which lets some nonresistant bugs survive and mix their susceptible DNA with their tougher buddies’. This method is labor intensive, though, so the Ari­zona group teamed up with some scientists in China to try crossbreeding. They bred altered cotton with an unmodified version, ­resulting in a variety that spawns a 75-25 mix of resistant to nonresistant plants.

Problem: chemical fertilizers

Solution: In living clover

Soil already contains lots of nitrogen, but it’s missing the few molecules that let plants turn it into nutrients. Many cattle ranchers spray pastures with waterway-polluting chemical fertilizers to ensure their herd has plenty of tall, lush grass to eat throughout the season. That’s good for the cows but damaging for our soil and marine life. Clover could provide a spray alternative. The roots of this cover crop house symbiotic bacteria that convert nitrogen into the chemically “fixed” variety plants can use. Researchers at Texas A&M; University figured out a way to put clover to work for their grasses: They seeded fields with the legume in late fall, before the grass sprouted. The cattle then noshed on the trefoil and pooped fixed nitrogen, helping the following season’s grass flourish. Not only did this method reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers, it also extended the grazing season as animals munched on the yummy new greenery.

This article was originally published in the Summer 2019 Make It Last issue of Popular Science.

Written By Ted Genoways, Nick Stockton

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Cultist Simulator, Day 3

Continued from Day 2

12:26 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Got my complaints about Cultist Simulator's user experience, but I'll say this: it hasn't crashed once in 25 hours of play.

12:57 PM - 3 Jun 2018

RIP Elridge. The Lanterns will guide you beyond the Mansus.

Elridge, skilled in the Edge aspect, had seen us past countless enemies on expeditions, and captured or dispatched at least half a dozen Hunters who imperiled us. But this time he never returned, and the Hunter remains.

1:08 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Oh no, we're fucked. After Elridge failed, I sent Victor after the Weary Detective too.

Victor has not returned.

Fuck.

1:16 PM - 3 Jun 2018

I am hiring Professional Muscle now to deal with this tenacious Hunter. I ought never to have risked my Disciples on such mundane errands.

I have learnt this harsh lesson now, but too late.

1:37 PM - 3 Jun 2018

And now the Professional Muscle also has failed to return! Has the Weary Detective defeated him too, or merely bribed him? Does it matter?

I, too, am Weary: of this Hunter and his seeming imperviousness. But I have no more earthly forces to send after him.

And so I shall have to use Unearthly force.

I have summoned a demon of Edge and Winter. This detective will not survive. Of this I am certain.

3:05 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Did the demon seek to twist my words and subvert my commands? The detective still lives. But captured, now. I shall leave him sweltering in my dungeons.

3:07 PM - 3 Jun 2018

While one weary detective lies shuddering and forgotten in a blind cell, another has arisen to trouble us.

What ardour drives these fellows? Why do they recklessly ignore the fate of their forebears? With a sigh, I send my demon out on the errand again.

This one did not survive. My demon returned grinning, matched by the rictus of the detective's corpse.

3:33 PM - 3 Jun 2018

I have rearranged my cards so I can see what Lore I am missing, and what Lore I can upgrade or subvert. And also to align the many Tools and Ingredients I have with the Lore of the same Aspect.

And only now do I realise that they are colour-coded by their Aspects.

Another thing I've learned recently: send demons away on expeditions, they're really good at dealing with obstacles 😅

3:44 PM - 3 Jun 2018

But not quite good enough.

O my arch-demon of Edge and Winter! O slayer of Hunters and devourer of shins! O ice-cold eyes and frozen heart! You have vanished in the forest, and gone wherever lost demons go.

3:58 PM - 3 Jun 2018

And what became of the detective I imprisoned? I woke one night whelmed in exotic cravings. An urgent need to speak with the prisoner. All through the night we talked: debating, reasoning, arguing. When dawn came my mind was once more at rest—and the prisoner no more to be seen.

4:06 PM - 3 Jun 2018

And the second demon I sent on the expedition? It also failed to return. These vertiginous blundering diaboli are as useless as my feeble craving disciples. If they had not already perished, I would vent my wrath upon them now!

The funniest thing about that is I only sent them on the expedition because it was there, and because I could. I didn't have any need compelling me to. 😂

4:10 PM - 3 Jun 2018

I have now learnt a fifth dead language: Phrygian. Three books written in it are awaiting translation.

Meanwhile I dream through the Stag's Door in search of powerful Influences; and continue my slow and painful exegesis of the lesser Lores in search of the key to the next door.

4:43 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Another weary detective is dogging my steps, somehow tirelessly. I hired a hulking fellow to go bother him, but without much hope of success.

Yet the fellow returned, bearing a body.

4:45 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Now I begin a newly-learned rite: I am calling on the Cartographer of Scars to animate the thing into shambling half-life. Perhaps it will be useful for odd jobs around the house.

4:53 PM - 3 Jun 2018

The rite failed. The corpse arose, but could not be controlled. Not allowing myself to panic, I used my intellect to banish it.

The rite was a failure, but nothing of value was lost. Perhaps my next attempt will succeed better.

5:09 PM - 3 Jun 2018

I tried to summon another Maid-in-the-Mirror to take on dangerous tasks. The ritual wavered; I continued the invocation more passionately, but to no avail. The creature is loose. It seeks something mortal to devour. I may have only seconds left.

5:13 PM - 3 Jun 2018

I am spared! It whispered past me, fluttering through the air in search of sustenance. Of all the disciples it could have taken in its jaws, it has chosen the most powerful, who was deepest initiated into our mysteries. It has taken Cat Caro, my Seer, and is devouring her.

I shall have to get the health and safety inspectors in to see if there's a better way of containing these demons. I can't afford to lose disciples like this: what would become of my cult without followers?

(This is actually a very significant loss: there are very few followers who are able to be promoted to Seer. Cat Caro was one; another perished in an expedition before I had discovered the ceremonies to uplift Seers. There is one more: my last Seer. I hope he lives.

5:21 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Wait, what is this? The demon has been entrammelled again, and banished. And Cat Caro lives! What occulted power does she wield?

And here I was thinking "Seer" was not much more than a ceremonial title.

6:12 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Grinding, grinding, grinding.

Upgrading and subverting lore to try to find the one I need.

Passing the time by summoning more demons and hiring more thugs, and sending them on expeditions.

It's all quite tedious.

Who'd have thought being a cult leader would be so unglamorous?

6:22 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Have I said much about the writing in Cultist Simulator? It's rich and intense, even though it's not drenched in words as Sunless Sea was. Not a full buffet, but a platter of delectable treats.

6:48 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Cultist Simulator protip: if you ever feel stuck and don't know what to do next, do the ritual to summon one of these:

It won't actually give you any clues, but maybe the summoning will go wrong and you'll end up with a different problem to distract you 😈

7:36 PM - 3 Jun 2018

I have uncovered a new source of vitality that had hitherto been hidden. It's of uncertain reliability and takes a somnolent quantity of time to pursue, but may be of value if utilised on top of the usual fresh air and exercise.

At around the same time, I chanced upon a marvelous, delicate technique that can preserve a little vitality far beyond its normal duration!

Using all these things in concert, I have succeeded in increasing my health to a robust five. I fancy I can increase it at will in future.

Even more vital than that, I have—after long and arduous research and cross-referencing—discovered the entrance to the Spider Door. I wonder what biquadrupedal revelations are preserved beyond it?

9:23 PM - 3 Jun 2018

I have found my way from the Spider Door to the Peacock's Door. "The Peacock's Door does not open, exactly." What, exactly does it do?

I am afraid to find out.

9:47 PM - 3 Jun 2018

I've encountered a bug in Cultist Simulator about five times: if autosave happens to kick in while a window is being opened or closed (it was Talk this time, but happened with many), then the game stops responding to mouse clicks. Have to save then reload to fix.

In more detail: when the bug happens, the window (if it was opening) disappears. And the game doesn't stop responding to mouse clicks entirely: it just thinks every mouse click is for info on something in the window, so just shows an info window.

So I can't click on any cards, or pan around the desk, or anything like that.

The HUD still works, so I can save & quit. Then when I reload the game, it loads with the window in question visible, and everything's back to normal.

9:56 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Anyway, bugs aside…

I've got a pretty strong team for this expedition, although it seems they forgot to bring matches.

10:07 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Odd. My hireling and my demons came back from that expedition with their timers rounded up to the nearest minute: two of them were back to their full 180s timers, one at 120s, and one (that had been close to expiry) at 60s.

10:20 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Oh no. I'm fucked, aren't I?

10:30 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Maybe… maybe not? "I Am Seeing Things" finishes collecting the third Fascination in 3.6s. Meanwhile my desperate dreams of Reason have led me into nightmares, which will deliver a Dread in 6s. Will that be what I need?

And right this instant the Moth principle has served up a Restlessness for old unhappy far-off things: which in another 60s will decay into Dread too.

Maybe, just maybe, I can survive the Visions? I am about to unpause and find out.

10:33 PM - 3 Jun 2018

In 1.9 seconds my Dream will end, delivering the Dread I need just in time. I'm not dead yet, thank the Hours.

I will still need to find at least one more dread. Time for more reasonable dreams—and hope they don't end in Fascination. It was one such not very long ago that supplied the second Fascination for those visions, in fact! 😱

10:41 PM - 3 Jun 2018

The crisis is over, but the danger is not yet abated.

Even as I dream, I continue my translations from Fucine (the sixth dead language I learned, the language of witches) as my minions pursue their expedition in The Rending Mountains (three thousand mile—or was it years?—away).

I guess I should count myself lucky that this was the first time my Visions had encompassed three Fascinations.

And even more lucky that the Moth principle turned up (I'm not sure where from) with that Restlessness while the Visions were rising, and that my Dreams rolled the Dread I needed.

All in all, that's the closest I've come to death in about 35 hours of play (yes, this is still my first game of Cultist Simulator).

From what others have told me of their games, death usually comes much more often, and much sooner.

10:59 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Well, I'm still trying to get more Dread, and meanwhile another Fascination has turned up. So I'm back to two! 😢

11:01 PM - 3 Jun 2018

And another Moth has flown by, delivering another Restlessness. There is something more than chance at work here, I am sure of it.

11:06 PM - 3 Jun 2018

While I was working on the Visions crisis, yet another Hunter turned up on my tail. I ignored him for a while, since my minions were busy and I had more important things to worry about.

But he's still there now, and I was about to send a nasty demon after him—but first I looked up other ways to get Dread [yes, 35 hours in I'm okay with looking up the odd tip], and turns out—I'd even done this earlier in the game but forgotten!—that talking to a Hunter about Winter lore has a chance to terrify them. And doing so will always produce Dread. Bingo!

11:14 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Oh dear. I was so caught up with the Visions, that I failed to pay attention to my Affliction getting worse. It has now matured into Decrepitude, decreasing my health.

Fortunately I know of a ritual that can help here…

11:15 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Haha, my latest dream of Reason has also descended into a nightmare which will produce Dread. I'm going to have too much of it 😅

At least the odd Dread is easy enough for an artist to deal with.

Right, that's enough talking specifics of the game. Back to vagaries!

11:34 PM - 3 Jun 2018

So I managed to dispel those Visions, but more have arisen. And the rite to defeat my decrepitude is feeding them.

Whoops.

Maybe that excess of Despair I have is also lucky! 😂

11:35 PM - 3 Jun 2018

Oh wait…

These new Visions are of a different sort. Something I've never encountered before. Something I don't begin to understand.

1:03 AM - 4 Jun 2018

I have passed the Peacock's Door. I have seen the Worm Museum and the Red Church. I have learnt a sixth dead language, although perhaps one that does not die: "Before gods arose from blood, before ever ape stood upright, this was the language heard in the House of the Sun."

1:10 AM - 4 Jun 2018

The slowest and painfullest grind in Cultist Simulator is the Lore upgrade. Six 30-second stages, three of which demand a perishable resource—Erudition or Glimmering—or Reason. If you can't meet the demands of each stage as it arises, you usually fail and must start over.

It's definitely easier to obtain Lore from books, if you can find them, and if you can read them. But high level Lore is rare even from books.

And it's never been clear to me which Lore I'm actually going to need: so I'm trying to get the highest level of each. Perhaps overkill.

2:43 AM - 4 Jun 2018

Whoa whoa whoa! I have just discovered that you can PREDICT when things like Despair and Visions are coming up in the next minute.

Click on the Time tile and the next thing due is shown on the right hand side! My mind is blown.

And it only took me 40 hours of playing to notice!

5:12 AM - 4 Jun 2018

I just summoned my first Percussigant, and its description made me laugh aloud.

I'm not telling you what it was: you're going to have the joy of discovering it for yourself. 😄

5:22 AM - 4 Jun 2018

I've hit another huge plateau. For I-don't-know-how-long I've been pretty stuck. I've passed the time with expeditions and upgrading Lore as much as I can, but I'm not making forward progress towards anything.

I want to try to find the Tricuspid Gate, but haven't a clue how to get there. The Peacock Door doesn't seem to lead there, cause the only cards I can use with the Peacock Door just take me to the Mansus.

There's two other hints of something I'm missing: I have discovered just one book in yet another dead language, but no idea where to learn how to translate it.

And I found a Gold Spintria, but have no possible use for it. Oh, except as a mediocre ritual ingredient I guess.

I can't believe this is still going on in Day 4

[swipestream]

Science Fiction New Release Roundup: 9 December 2017

This week’s roundup of the newest titles in science fiction features a murder mystery on a generations ship, captured space princesses, a reformed thug battling aliens in the back alleys of a dying world, and the return to publication of the eighth volume of the classic anthology There Will Be War.

*     *     *      *      *

The Black Flag (Crimson Worlds Successors #3) – Jay Allan

The Triumvirate. Three clones of Gavin Stark who survived their evil master’s destruction. Now they have cheated death again, downloading their minds into an alien intelligence, a relic of the First Imperium. For three decades they have worked, silently, diligently, preparing their forces for the day that would launch the final assault.

Erik Cain, the legendary hero of the Marines Corps, the man who killed the real Stark. For years he was a prisoner of the triumvirate’s minions, held in brutal captivity on a dark world. Now he is free, battered by his long nightmare but never bowed, ready for the final struggle.

Darius Cain, Erik’s son, dread warrior and commander of the feared Black Eagles, the greatest of the mercenary Companies. Darius and his forces freed Erik Cain, and together with his father and his long-estranged twin brother, he is ready to rally the free forces of human space.

From the barren ruins of shattered Earth to the farthest reaches of human habitation in the galaxy, the final battle has begun. The Cains and their comrades are outnumbered, but the blood of warriors flows in their veins, and they will never stop, no matter what the cost…not until the battle is won.

*     *     *      *      *

Capital Starship (Ixan Legacy #1) – Scott Bartlett

The Galaxy’s Doomed Without Him

The Ixa smashed the galaxy to bits before they were defeated. Captain Husher has sounded the alarm in the decades since: the Ixa’s creators will return to finish the job.

But unlike Husher, the galactic government didn’t battle the Ixa, and the politicians have convinced themselves that maintaining peace means limiting the ability to wage war.

Now, the enemy has returned, with high-tech weapons that prove they haven’t limited their own combat capabilities in the slightest. If Captain Husher and his beleaguered supercarrier crew can’t manage to stop the invaders, they will happily devour the galaxy whole.

*     *     *      *      *

Forgotten (The Forgotten #1) – M.R. Forbes

Sheriff Hayden Duke was born on the Pilgrim, and he expects to die on the Pilgrim, like his father, and his father before him.

That’s the way things are on a generation starship centuries from home. He’s never questioned it. Never thought about it. And why bother? Access points to the ship’s controls are sealed, the systems that guide her automated and out of reach. It isn’t perfect, but he has all he needs to be content.

Until a malfunction forces his Engineer wife to the edge of the habitable zone to inspect the damage.

Until she contacts him, breathless and terrified, to tell him she found a body, and it doesn’t belong to anyone on board.

Until he arrives at the scene and discovers both his wife and the body are gone.

The only clue? A bloody handprint beneath a hatch that hasn’t opened in hundreds of years.

Until now.

*     *     *      *      *

Grey Cat Blues – J. D. Cowan

Siege on the Shadow Planet!

Ex-punk Two Tone is left for dead and his friend is taken. His assailants: men of mud from some place darker than Hell!

The inscrutable Sarpedon has slithered from the depths to rule a planet that has long abandoned hope for a better tomorrow. With no one to stop his spree of violence, it is only a matter of time before Two Tone’s world is overrun.

Old friends and a mysterious beauty gather by his side, but are they enough? Is it too late for this dying world? If all cats are grey in the dark, will anyone see the panther stalking its prey? Two Tone will find the answers the best way he knows how—through his fists!

Grey Cat Blues tells the tale of a distant planet at humanity’s end. In this place, a man must choose between love and hate. And where his choice leads him might not be where he expects . .

*     *     *      *      *

A Looming Shadow (Galaxy Ascendant #2) – Yakov Merkin

The war is over, but true peace remains elusive.

It’s been six months since the High Lord’s destruction at the Battle of Dorandor, and the Galactic Alliance is at peace—nominally, at least. While the Tyrannodons have become members of the Alliance, and their wartime allies readmitted, the anger and resentment against them has only somewhat subsided, despite efforts by High Executor Darkclaw to make his people into a true part of the Alliance.

First Scion Dalcon Oresh, hailed as the hero of the war, is focused on tracking down the fallen Scions, led by his former mentor, who have not been seen in some time—along with a number of Tyrannodons who remain loyal to the destroyed High Lord.

When Dalcon finally locates his quarry, he, as well as Darkclaw and Grand Admiral Nayasar, who had been looking forward to peacetime for an opportunity to start a family, are drawn into the hunt. More troublesome, the world to which they tracked the fallen Scions lies outside of Alliance space, in the territory of the mysterious Revittan Empire—who consider any intrusion into their space an act of war.

While Dalcon, Darkclaw, and Nayasar struggle to track down their enemies in a situation that they increasingly realize they had not properly prepared for, trouble is brewing outside, and their direct subordinates, Executor Keeneye and Admiral Felivas, have to make decisions that could threaten the hard-won peace that they have only recently managed to achieve.

*     *     *      *      *

The Recognition Rejection (Recognition #2) – Henry Vogel

After beating almost insurmountable odds, Jeanine has laid claim to her birthright: the largest duchy in the Star Kingdom. As Jeanine’s sworn enemy, Princess Olivia, distances the royal family from direct confrontation with the new Duchess, a new enemy arises. When Jeanine and Olivia are both kidnapped, their husbands — Drake and Prince William — must bury the hatchet and work together to rescue the women they love.

The Recognition Rejection continues the star-spanning saga of royalty and revenge that began in Vogel’s award-nominated novel, The Recognition Run, with the same flair for exciting story-telling fans of Vogel’s previous best-selling space operas have come to know and love.

*     *     *      *      *

Star Warrior – Isaac Hooke

In a galaxy where the fabric of reality can be bent and shaped by a privileged few, and almost any skill desired is a mere injection away, one young man is thrust into the fight of his life.

Tane, a hydroponics farmer with some mad cereal crop gene-splicing skills, decides to get chipped. The operation gives him full control over his autonomic nervous and endocrine systems, plus the ability to install custom memories.

All seems well until a couple of days later aliens come knocking at his door. And they aren’t the friendly type.

Soon Tane finds himself on a frenzied flight across the galaxy with a woman who can warp the very fabric of spacetime, her bodyguard–who’d just as soon kill Tane than protect him–and a starship that calls him snarky pet names. He’s on the run not simply from the aliens but the whole damn human space navy.

He only wished he knew why.

*     *     *      *      *

Terra Nova (Terra Nova Chronicles #1) – Richard Fox and Josh Hayes

Terra Nova. The promised world is humanity’s new home, safe from the threats of a dangerous galaxy, where veterans of a long war could live in peace. The promise was a lie.

Chief Katherine “Kit” Carson, of the elite Pathfinder Corps, joins the mission as a last-minute replacement, hoping to put a spotty past behind her and build a new life on a brave new world.

The expedition arrives on Terra Nova, expecting to join the first wave of colonists, instead they find abandoned cities and are soon faced with a new, terrifying enemy humanity has never encountered before.

For the colony to survive, Carson must unravel the mystery of her new home and learn the fate of the first mission to settle the planet…

*     *     *      *      *

There Will Be War Volume VIII – Edited by Jerry Pournelle and John F. Carr

Created by the bestselling SF novelist Jerry Pournelle, THERE WILL BE WAR is a landmark science fiction anthology series that combines top-notch military science fiction with factual essays by various generals and military experts on everything from High Frontier and the Strategic Defense Initiative to the aftermath of the Vietnam War. It features some of the greatest military science fiction ever published, such Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Game” in Volume I and Joel Rosenberg’s “Cincinnatus” in Volume II. Many science fiction greats were featured in the original nine-volume series, which ran from 1982 to 1990, including Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Gordon Dickson, Poul Anderson, John Brunner, Gregory Benford, Robert Silverberg, Harry Turtledove, and Ben Bova.

33 years later, Castalia House has teamed up with Dr. Pournelle to make this classic science fiction series available to the public again. THERE WILL BE WAR is a treasure trove of science fiction and history that will educate and amaze new readers while reminding old ones how much the world has changed over the last three decades. Most of the stories, like war itself, remain entirely relevant today.

THERE WILL BE WAR Volume VIII is edited by Jerry Pournelle and John F. Carr, and features 21 stories, articles, and poems. Of particular note are “Surviving Armageddon” by Jerry Pournelle, the brilliantly inventive “Dinosaurs” by Geoffrey A. Landis, “As It Was In the Beginning” by Edward P. Hughes, and the haunting “Through Road No Whither” by Greg Bear.

*     *     *      *      *

Who Takes No Risk (The Frontiers Saga: Rogue Castes #7) – Ryk Brown

Old allies go dark… New worlds join the fight… A rescue from an enemy held world… A lone operative with a dangerous plan…

The Karuzari finally have the support of an industrialized system, but they need time to build their forces. Unfortunately, time is the one thing they may not have.

Captain Scott now faces a difficult decision: To risk it all on a single roll-of-the-dice, or to turn his back on an old friend, and a plan that could buy them the time they so desperately need?

Science Fiction New Release Roundup: 9 December 2017 published first on http://ift.tt/2zdiasi

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JBL's Flip 4 Portable Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker is the next generation in the award-winning Flip series. This compact speaker is powered by a 3000mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery that offers 12 hours of continuous high-quality audio playtime. Sporting durable waterproof fabric materials that are available in several variant colors Flip 4 is the all-purpose all-weather companion that takes the party everywhere. It also features a built-in noise- and echo-cancelling speakerphone for crystal-clear conference calls and JBL Connect+ technology that can wirelessly link more than 100 JBL Connect+-enabled speakers together to amplify the listening experience. With a simple button press you can activate and talk to Siri or Google Now from your Flip 4.

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Void Elf: A Character Guide

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Evolution (Year -13,500): The void elves, or ren’dorei (”children of the void”), originate from blood elves, a race of elf that come from the Highborne, or high elves. These elves in turn are descended from night elves (first reported in Year -13,500). Even further back, these night elves are products of Dark trolls being exposed to Well of Eternity, these trolls in turn descending from Zandalari trolls. The high elf queen Azshara attempted to summon Sargeras through the Well of Eternity in Year -10,000, resulting in the single continent splitting into the four we know today, known as the Sundering. After this, the night elves forbade any use of arcane magic, fearing a second Sundering. Most of those who refused to cease this were high elves, thus leading to their banishment night elven lands. After the Scourge invasion of Quel’Thalas (Year -20), the high elves chose to take the name “blood elf” to honour the dead. From the blood elves come an assortment of sub-races: Wretched are blood elves who have been overcome by magical addiction, Felblood are those corrupted by The Burning Legion, San’layn are blood elves risen in Northrend to serve the Scourge, and lastly came a faction of their people who delved into the Void, known as Void elves, but were subsequently banished for their actions 

Exile (Year -7,300): Many high elves refused to give up their use of arcane magic, seeing it as their birthright. They were then banished from night elven lands, guided by Dath'Remar Sunstrider. Their kingdom of Quel’Thalas is founded.

Exile ends: (Year -6,800): The construction of Silvermoon City is completed. Somewhere between the exile and this year, a font of power, The Sunwell, is created from a vial of stolen Well of Eternity water.

Joining the Alliance (Year 3): following the First War, the high elves ally themselves with the newly formed Alliance of Lordaeron.

Into Outland (Year 8): Alleria Windrunner accompanies an Alliance expedition to Outland and is later trapped on that side of the portal with her husband Turalyon. During their time, they find themselves on a part of the world close to Twisting Nether that was beginning to merge with the destructing world. They were found by Lothraxion, a former member of the Burning Legion who had joined the Army of the Light. They began training with the army under the guidance of the naaru Xe'ra upon the dimensional ship, the Xenedar wherein time moved differently for them than on Azeroth. During a raid on a Legion prison, she was attacked and infected with the void, learning of the Locus-Walker, a mysterious being who was a powerful master of the Void through its visions. She saw its potential in using it against the Legion, but Xe’ra rejected this notion. 

The fall of Quel’Thalas (Year 20): during the Third War, a Scourge invasion headed by newly-made death knight Arthas Menethil assaults the city to use the Sunwell tor resurrect Kel’thuzad. Anasterian Sunstrider, great-grandson to Dath’Remar, and Ranger-General Sylvanas Windrunner are most notably among those to fall, the latter to be raised as a banshee. The high elves who survived rename themselves blood elves in honour of the deceased and are led by their Prince Kael’thas, son of Anasterian.

Leaving the Alliance (Year 22): in the hopes of finding a new source of power after the loss of the Sunwell, the Blood elves align themselves with Illidan Stormrage and the naga and venture into Outland.

The fall of Kael’thas: (Year 26): by this year, the Outland blood elves have captured the old naaru fortress, Tempest Keep, and send naaru M’uru back to Quel’Thalas. They would later use his spark to reignite the Sunwell. With the aid of Sylvanas, now freed from the undead Scourge, Azerothian blood elves are accepted into the Horde. Kael’thas allies himself with The Burning Legion and is killed in Tempest Keep. After himself being resurrected, Kael’thas retreats to Silvermoon to try and summon Kil’jaeden into Azeroth. He is defeated finally and Lor'themar Theron becomes regent-lord of Silvermoon. After the Sunwell is finally restored, some blood elves were adamant to prevent such a catastrophe and sought to harness other powers to protect the people of Silvermoon. Magister Umbric was a magister who decided to delve into study of the Void much to the disapproval of Grand Magister, Rommath. When their activities were discovered, Umbric and those practising Void magic were exiled. He led his group away from Eversong Woods and into the Ghostlands and there they uncovered the research of necromancer Dar'Khan Drathir that noted how he had tried to enter the void world to seize an object of power, but failed. However, Umbric managed to use the past work to succeed and open a way to Telogrus Rift.

A Dang Long Time (Year 28): While 20 years had passed on Azeroth, 500 had passed for Alleria. During a battle with the Legion on the remains of Outland, she called upon the Void rather than the Light and was captured by the Legion on Niskara with the Locus-Walker as a cell mate. Alleria used his teachings to kill the inquisitor torturing them and Locus-Walker opened a Void rift to escape. He told her the Void was her destiny and agreed to tutor her in its ways. She later received a vision of Turalyon being attacked and went to his aid, using the Void. Xe’ra demanded that Alleria renounce the Void and when she would not, she had her imprisoned.

Sister Searching (Year 32): Years of searching for Alleria led her younger sister Vereesa Windrunner to her prison cell in Niskara. Alleria’s bow Thas'dorah, Legacy of the Windrunners is recovered, yet Alleria is nowhere to be found, leading her sister to conclude that she managed to escape. During the Argus campaign, the Xenedar is later shot down while Alleria is still imprisoned under Xe’ra’s orders, allowing her to break free and aid in the execution of Aggonar. She and Turalyon are reunited with their son Arator and Vereesa is forced to reveal to Alleria the fate of their sister Sylvanas Windrunner and her current position as Warchief.  Velen and Turalyon discovered that the Crest of Knowledge, a piece of the Crown of the Triumvirate, was inside the Seat of the Triumvirate on Mac'Aree and Alleria scouted the area before more go in. She uncovered that the naaru L'ura had become a beacon calling the Shadowguard after entering her Void state. She and an adventurer run into Locus-Walker again and wished to test her lessons. After slaying void revenant Nhal'athoth, he takes its heart for her to consume. Within the Seat itself, a battle between adventurers and Alleria and L’ura ensues, leading to Alleria absorbing her essence and fully transforming into a Void state. 

An Unwelcome Guest (Year 33): King Anduin Wrynn sends emissaries out to various locations in order to recruit new races into The Alliance. Alleria is insistent on attempting to bring the blood elves back into the Horde and takes a pilgrimage to Silvermoon. Upon arrival, she discovers First Arcanist Thalyssra of the nightborne is already taking a tour of Silvermoon hosted by Lor’themar now its regent-lord. He refuses the offer, although allows her to see the Sunwell as she was a hero of the city in the past. However, as she was close enough to the Sunwell, void energies began to corrupt it and void beasts came forward, including one named Aruun the Darkener. She managed to close her rift, but Rommath believed she was a saboteur and demanded to have her imprisoned. Lor’themar instead exiled her from the city, viewing her as a danger to its people. She managed to track down Umbric with an adventurer by finding his writings and they reached Telogrus Rift. There, he showed her their efforts to unlock the power from an item, but this spawned Nether-Prince Durzaan into their plane and he had to be put down. Thankful for her help, Umbric pledged his and the void elves’ loyalty to the Alliance.

Physical traits

Life expectancy: Void elves can be assumed to have the same life expectancy as their blood elf counterparts which can be for thousands of years without ageing.

Height: void elves are shorter than other elf races with females being 5-5.5 foot on average and males being around 6.

Eye colour: They can have eyes ranging from colours of white, blue or purple.

Cosmetics: Some void elves have hair that changes colour due to their void energies.

Personality traits

Did Someone Say Something?: Void elves sacrifice much for their powers, including hearing whispers of the void in their mind. While some can control the voices, others may be slightly more paranoid and suspicious based on what they tell them. Some may even be driven mad if they cannot stop hearing them.

Uncertain Loyalties: Void elves are the only race to have switched faction twice, and Umbric has stated that they never felt love for the Horde but only served to protect Silvermoon. This may call into question moral dilemmas when having to attack blood elves or in the even of a Silvermoon invasion, a void elf may have to think twice before attacking.

Other races: They may find a kind of kinship with night elves due to their shared kinship, particularly night elven demon hunters who too were rejected from their society for delving into powers their people didn’t approve of. It’s not secret that because of their exile they’d hold a bitter grudge against blood elves but also may still feel a bond or nostalgia towards them because of their love of Silvermoon.

Other creatures: They ride Starcursed Voidstriders.

Culture

Languages: Void elves speak Thalassian and Common although due to Thalassian deriving from Darnassian they may also be able to understand that even if it’s on a basic level. They speak in what we would consider to be a thick British accent.

Government: They are led by Umbric and Alleria.

Military: All of their forces are pledged to the Alliance.

Religion: Void elves don’t have a specified religion, merely channelling the void rather than worshipping it. Some may hold the view that the Shadow cannot exist without the Light and vice versa, therefore justify continuing the old practice of worshipping the Light.

[jet39moores]

75 Fun (and Incredible) Gap Year Ideas for High School Students

You’re on the verge of graduating high school and beginning to think about the future, but what if you want to see a bit of the world before being tied down to a college degree program?

That’s where a gap year comes in!

A gap year is an increasingly popular way for students and young adults to take several months to grow and develop through experiences. Whether you stick close to home and commit to a local volunteer effort or you pack a backpack to travel across Europe, a gap year is unique for every person.

There are countless opportunities to create a meaningful gap year that gets you on the right track to your future, and we’ve put together the following list of 75 of our favorite experiences for you to explore:

Adventure

1. Explore the Beauty of Alaska: Spend your summer adventuring in the heart of Alaska! From trekking glaciers to kayaking in the Prince William Sound, you’re guaranteed to have the experience of a lifetime.

2. Become an African Safari Guide: Get a first-hand look at the natural wonders and fascinating animals of the African continent! Over 55 days you will study a variety of topics in Victoria Falls to train for certification as a Level 1 Field Guide.

3. Plan a Cross-Country Road Trip: There is an entire world to see right in the U.S.A., and a gap year is the perfect time to travel across the country and explore the diversity of our nation.

4. Hike the Appalachian Trail: If you want to explore the east coast by foot, there’s no better choice than hiking this beautiful trail that extend from Maine down to Georgia.

5. Sail Into the Adventure of a Lifetime: If the open seas are calling to you, spend your gap year on a voyage with Tall Ships Adventures! Learn what it takes to run a vessel, develop valuable skills, and make new friends on this exciting expedition.

6. Swim in a Sea of Pink: Lake Retba in Senegal is one of the most fascinating bodies of water on the planet, and a trip to its shores will allow you to float along on its bright pink salt waters.

7. Ride a Dune Buggy through Dubai: See the Arabian desert sands in a unique way by blazing a trail in a dune buggy adventure.

8. Spend a Night in One of the World’s Craziest Hotels: From palaces made of ice to sleeping in a sewage pipe in Austria, you can take your traveling experience to the next level with these out-of-the-box options.

9. Get Your Kicks on Route 66: See America the way it was meant to be by cruising your motorcycle down all 2,448 miles of The Mother Road.

10. Trek Your Way through Central America: Take an unforgettable trip through several Central American cities! From exploring ancient ruins and rainforests to climbing volcanos, you will be hard-pressed to find another expedition with this much adventure.

11. Climb Mt. Everest: Climbing the world’s tallest mountain is at the top of the bucket list for most adventurers, and a gap year is the perfect time to cross it off your list.

12. Stand on the Great Wall of China: As one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, a hike along this stunning structure is the best way to get a panoramic view of China’s incredible landscape.

13. Venture into Wilds of the West: Discover the beauty of America’s backcountry and learn vital skills for survival and conservation within the terrain of Colorado, Utah, and Patagonia.

Educational

14. Research in the Galapagos Islands: The Darwin Foundation is an ideal starting point for those interested in scientific research surrounding the natural world and humanity’s impact on vulnerable ecosystems.

15. Take College to a New Country: What if you could travel the world and work on experiential college curriculum? LeapYear is an innovative program that gives you the chance to adventure around the globe while learning valuable skills to advance your future degree.

16. Become a Leader by Experiencing the World: Within the structure of an academic semester, you will be guided on an overseas adventure that gives you unique insight into community, service, and culture.

17. Spend a Semester in Washington, D.C.: This unique program gives you the chance to have real-world internship experiences and take two college classes while being immersed in the thriving D.C. area.

18. Learn About Culture Through Field-Based Experiences: By immersing yourself in a new culture, you will learn to identify solutions to critical global issues while improve communities alongside local experts.

19. Study Whales and Dolphins in Italy: Explore the unique beauty of Italy while performing research on various whales and dolphins native to the Mediterranean.

20. Experience the World of Art: See humanity’s greatest accomplishments in art, architecture, and sculpture by traveling through Italy with top art mentors.

21. Help Protect the Reefs in Belize: Work with researchers to monitor coral reefs and contribute to efforts that combat the unsustainable spread of the lionfish in the waters of Belize.

22. Build a Sustainable Future for Senegal’s Children: Use entrepreneurial skills to teach street children how to develop a business plan and make their way out of the cycle of poverty.

23. Learn from Teachers in a Global Setting: If you are taking a gap year while enrolled in a teaching degree program, this experience gives you the chance to work alongside educators in private schools abroad.

Skill Building

24. Take the Ultimate Skill-Building Challenge: Travel to 10 countries and learn 100 real-world skills that cover everything from scuba diving to entrepreneurship and Thai massage.

25. Learn to Survive in the Wild: Take on an outdoor expedition that ranges from dog sledding to mountaineering, and learn essential tools for survival along the way!

26. Combine Leadership with Outdoor Survival: Journey to the world’s most beautiful places and learn vital survival and leadership skills through field- and classroom-based courses.

27. Channel the Spirit of Julia Child: There’s nothing like French cuisine, and you can learn the intricate skills needed to master this art by taking on-site classes at Le Cordon Bleu’s Paris or US locations.

28. Train to be a Master DJ: The island of Ibiza is a global hub of musical talent, and their international training center is the ideal place to escape and master the art of live electronic production.

29. Learn Kung Fu from the Masters: If you’ve always wanted to perfect the ancient art of Kung Fu, head to Pai, Thailand! At the Nam Yang Kung Fu Retreat, you will spend time learning skills and wisdom from experts in Chinese martial arts.

30. Build Your Photography Skills through Traveling: Work alongside a National Geographic photographer and receive intensive photography instruction by spending a week at a workshop.

31. Care for Elephants in Thailand: Learn the skills of banana ball making and caring for rescued Asian elephants at this premier wildlife protection center.

32. Become a Ranch Hand: Step back into the Old West on a working ranch in the Rocky Mountains where you’ll bond with a horse, ride through the scenic landscapes, and work around the farm to help keep it up and running.

Culture

33. Immerse Yourself in the Himalayas: India and Nepal are fascinating countries, and over the course of this 90 day program you will have the chance to dive into the culture, religion, and ancient history of the area.

34. Foster a Cross-Cultural Community: Spend three months in Asia, Africa, or Latin America to work and live side-by-side with locals and develop a deeper cultural understanding and world perspective.

35. Hunt for Dragons: Choose to travel through the heart of India, China, Africa, and more by immersing yourself in the language, culture, and the magical mythology of each region.

36. Master the Chinese Language: Take a trip to the Mandarin Capital in Hangzhou, China to gather with students from around the world that want to learn the Chinese language through an immersion experience.

37. Volunteer on a Native American Reservation: Get a first-hand look at Native American culture by living and working with the Blackfeet Community in Montana.

38. Hop a Train through Europe: With one Eurail pass, you can travel through 28 European countries and take your time exploring the diversity of culture, language, and adventure along the way.

39. Hear the Music of Mozart in Salzburg: Explore Mozart’s birthplace and see this fascinating city in a new way by enjoying concerts, scenic tours, and more.

40. Learn from Indigenous Cultures in the Amazon: The goal of this expedition is to help local Amerindian communities set up a sustainable, eco-friendly infrastructure within the jungles of Guyana.

Personal Growth

41. Discover Your Life’s Purpose: Work with an experienced mentor to take a journey into self-exploration! Throughout the program, you will discover the tools you need to live a life of purpose, passion, and adventure.

42. Foster Your Community Spirit: This experience takes place on a 250-acre campus in New Hampshire where you will live, work, and commune with nature through skill-building and community development.

43. Practice Yoga in Paradise: If you love the art of yoga, there’s nothing better than practicing your craft on the pristine beaches of the Bahamas, and the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat is your ticket to inner peace and tranquility.

44. Take a Spiritual Journey Though India: India is one of the global centers for spiritual seekers, and a pilgrimage through the country’s sacred sites is a life-changing way to connect with your divinity.

45. Learn Buddhism in Nepal: Disconnect from the outside world and travel inward by learning and living amongst Nepal’s spiritual teachers in a Buddhist monastery.

46. Relax in a Bali Luxury Spa: Beauty and serenity will surround you when you take time out of your gap year to enjoy the relaxation and mystery of Bali.

Athletic and Sports

47. Tackle a Mountain: For athletes with a passion for mountain sports, there’s no better way to train, learn new skills, and push yourself to your greatest potential.

48. Coach Rugby Abroad: Help students learn the sport of rugby and take part in a variety of volunteering opportunities in countries around the world.

49. Become a Global Ninja: Take your martial arts training to the next level by coaching in Africa! Whatever art you have mastered, you’ll have the chance to teach others and learn new skills while inspiring young people in Ghana.

50. Play Hockey in Australia: Join up with a local hockey club Down Under, and help lead them to victory through a Mini Season hockey program!

51. Plan a Worldwide Sports Tour: All around the world major sporting events are taking place, so why not center your gap year adventure around hitting some of the top destinations?

52. Jump Out of a Plane in New Zealand: Skydiving is a thrill in itself, but you can take your experience to the next level by flying above the stunning landscapes of New Zealand.

53. Challenge Yourself through Cycling: Whether you want a weekend of training or a challenging mountain trek, there are countless international biking adventures waiting for you during your gap year travels.

54. Become a Surf Instructor in Australia: The Mojosurf Academy offers a three month surf instructor course that teaches you all the skills you need to hang ten with the best of the best!

55. Climb a Glacier in Iceland: Iceland lives up to its name in this adventurous expedition where you will spend days hiking, trekking, and climbing some of the world’s most pristine glaciers.

56. Make a Difference through Sports in South Africa: By teaching young South African children sporting skills, you can help them build healthy habits, gain confidence, and explore their passions.

57. Dog Sled through Canada: Take a month out of your gap year to spend time volunteering at a husky ranch in Canada! You’ll work with the dogs, take guided trips, and learn about roughing it in the great outdoors.

58. Get Fit on the Beach: If you love fitness and spending days at the ocean, this one is for you! Spend 10 days on an epic Bali adventure filled with excursions, health workshops, and exciting night-life.

59. Get an Adrenaline Overload in Mexico: Extreme sport enthusiasts can’t beat the experience of this gap year adventure! From sky diving to zip lines, you’ll get to see the best of the Riviera while getting your fill of thrills.

Volunteer Work

60. Make a Difference around the World: Over the course of nine months, you will travel to India, Guatemala, and Costa Rica to serve local communities and gain a broader understanding of world culture.

61. Support Social and Environmental Causes: With a focus on giving back to the world through volunteerism, you can choose from 245 different programs that focus on global social issues and environmental conservation.

62. Learn about Marine Conservation: From professional dive training to international marine conservation internships, this program gives you the chance to develop valuable skills and make a difference for marine life in exotic locations around the world.

63. Make an Impact for Mexican Youth: Team up with United Planet and spend up to a year living in Mexico and volunteering for community projects that support street children, orphans, and underprivileged youth.

64. Volunteer with African Orphans: Make a difference for one of Africa’s most vulnerable populations—the orphan children of Kenya. During your time there you will support the efforts of local orphanages while gaining valuable work and life experience.

65. Give Back to American Communities: Civic responsibility is a core American value, and through the support of AmeriCorps, you can work with local communities around the country to address their most pressing needs.

66. Walk With Pumas in Bolivia: If you love animals, the CIWY in Bolivia is the place to be. By volunteering with the rescued wildlife of this center, you will work with beautiful exotic species that include big cats, monkeys, and birds.

67. Build Homes in Malawi: Through Habitat for Humanity, you can change the life of a family in Malawi by providing the man-power needed to build safe, comfortable homes.

68. Renovate Temples in Sri Lanka: Learn about unique Sri Lankan construction methods and help local villagers rebuild and restore ancient temples to their former glory.

69. Help Rebuild Nepal: After being hit with a devastating earthquake in 2015, Nepal is still in need of volunteers to help them rebuild. Take part in this global humanitarian effort to make a difference for thousands of families.

Work Experience

70. Help the Youth of Peru: Travel to the beautiful city of Cusco and immerse yourself in the culture and language of the region by working with disadvantaged youth.

71. Work as an Au Pair: If you love children and travel, becoming an au pair gives you the best of both worlds! You will gain valuable work experience by living with a host family and immersing yourself in a new culture.

72. Teach English in a Foreign Country: Teach English in another country and learn valuable cultural and leadership skills in the process! This is ideal for teachers that wish to earn certification as English teachers abroad.

73. Try Your Hand at Farming: If you believe in a sustainable, global community, this is the opportunity for you! Join together with likeminded people to support the organic movement by working on organic farms around the world.

74. Support Women through Midwifery: Projects Abroad offers an exciting experience for those interested in Midwifery to take part in global internships. Not only will you help bring life into the local communities, you will learn valuable work and cultural skills along the way.

75. Study Journalism in Africa: Work with Internews—a non-profit organization that covers vital issues around the world and supports the voices of those who are often left unheard.

Education is essential in the modern world, but learning can take place in many places besides the classroom! Embarking on a gap year journey gives you the tools you need to learn about who you are and get a greater understanding of the diverse world that we live in. Wherever your future takes you, a gap year will give you an experience that lasts a lifetime.

The post 75 Fun (and Incredible) Gap Year Ideas for High School Students appeared first on My College Guide.

from My College Guide http://mycollegeguide.org/blog/2017/03/75-gap-year-ideas-high-school-students/