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the-master-cylinder · 5 years ago

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SUMMARY Dr. Edward Pretorius is a scientist who has developed the Resonator, a machine which allows whoever is within range to see beyond normal perceptible reality. His assistant, Dr. Crawford Tillinghast, activates the machine and soon sees strange creatures in the air. When he is bitten by one of them, he urges Pretorius to turn off the machine. The crazed Pretorius refuses. Crawford panics and flees. When the police arrive, they find Pretorius decapitated. Crawford is subsequently arrested and accused of murder.

Crawford is committed to a psychiatric ward, where he is treated by Dr. Katherine McMichaels. After Crawford gives his account of Pretorius’ death, Katherine orders that Crawford undergo a CT scan, showing that Crawford’s pineal gland is enlarged and growing. Convinced of Crawford’s innocence, Katherine has him released to her custody, and plans on taking him back to Pretorius’ house and the Resonator. They are accompanied by Detective Bubba Brownlee, who investigated Pretorius’ death.

Upon returning to the house, Katherine and Crawford rebuild the Resonator. Crawford reactivates the machine which causes more creatures to appear along with a severely deformed Pretorius. His consciousness having taken control of the creature that devoured his brain, Pretorius tells the trio of a world beyond that is more pleasurable than normal reality. A panicking Crawford shuts off the Resonator, making Pretorius and the creatures vanish.

The next morning, Katherine insists that the Resonator could shed light on the victims of schizophrenia, as well as possible treatments and suggests that they turn the machine back on, but Bubba and Crawford disagree. While Bubba and Crawford are asleep, Katherine gets back up to feel the pleasure from the machine and turns it back on, bringing forth a worried Crawford and the now-almost unrecognizable and mutated Pretorius. Bubba enters the scene as Pretorius grabs Katherine, preparing to eat her mind and take her to the world of beyond. Crawford and Bubba go down into the basement to shut off the power, but encounter a giant worm like monster. Bubba succeeds in shutting off the power, rescuing Crawford and Katherine and sending Pretorius away.

When Bubba decides that they should leave the house, all of a sudden, Pretorius somehow returns and the Resonator turns back on, as all three of them run up into the attic to deactivate it. Katherine and Crawford are attacked by little beelike creatures, and as Bubba pushes them out of the way, he is devoured to the bone. Crawford fights off Pretorius and succeeds in freeing Katherine, but then his enlarged pineal gland pops out of his forehead. Katherine short circuits the machine by spraying it repeatedly with a fire extinguisher.

She then takes Crawford back to the hospital, where she is evaluated for insanity and schizophrenia, since her story was just like Crawford’s. As Katherine is being prepared for shock treatment by a sadistic staff member, Crawford has developed an overwhelming hunger for human brains and kills Katherine’s superior Dr. Bloch. Katherine escapes and drives back to the house with a bomb and a crazed Crawford following her.

Katherine puts the bomb on the Resonator and goes to leave when Crawford attacks her. As he is about to eat her brain, she bites off his pineal gland, reverting him to his senses. However, Crawford is pulled away and has his brain eaten by a completely deformed, mutated Pretorius. Before he can do the same to Katherine, Crawford’s consciousness begins to fight for control within Pretorius, the opposing consciousnesses tearing their shared body apart. Katherine finally escapes through the attic window just as the bomb explodes, killing both Pretorius and Crawford and destroying the resonator.

Landing outside, Katherine breaks her leg and the neighbors gather around her as she suffers a complete mental break, saying “It ATE him!” while bursting out in mad laughter.

Stuart Gordon Behind the Scenes From Beyond

DEVELOPMENT/PRE-PRODUCTION Stuart Gordon, whose 1985 debut Re-Animator, a modernized adaptation H.P. Lovecraft’s short story, was a landmark of excess that made an instant genre icon of its star, Jeffrey Combs. Seeking to duplicate its success. Gordon, alongside Re-Animator producer Brian Yuzna and screenwriter Dennis Paoli. again turned to the Dark Prince of Providence for a more ambitious follow-up feature. But when their plans for Dagon based on the Lovecraft story The Shadow Over Innsmouth – were shot down by Empire Pictures head honcho Charles Band, they turned to a much slighter, though no less strange, Lovecraft tale for their next feature: the 1920 short story From Beyond.

The script, co-written with playwright/screenwriters Dennis Paoli and William J. Norris, Gordon observed, “This was a much more difficult adaptation than RE-ANIMATOR because it was just the setup and we had to come up with the rest of the movie. Lovecraft’s story is only five pages long.”

“I would say Katherine in FROM BEYOND afforded me the greatest opportunity to play a wide range of emotions in the course of 90 minutes. I went from being a repressed Psychiatrist to a yearning, sexually charged and awakened woman to…being a hero! It was quite a journey and one where Jeffrey (Combs) and I almost reversed roles from what we played in RE-ANIMATOR.” – Barbara Crampton

Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness” inspired Gordon and his screenwriters conception for the film’s monster. Explained Gordon, “We came across a creature, the Shoggoth, which were the slaves of the Old Ones that once populated the earth. The Shoggoth is a kind of protoplasmic ball fifteen feet in diameter, which has the capacity to change itself into anything it needs to be. If they needed arms, they’d just grow arms. Somehow, they also gained intelligence.”

Observed Gordon of Lovecraft’s constantly-evolving Shoggoth, “One trouble with horror movies is that once you see the monster, the movie’s over. This idea allowed us to have the monster changing constantly-just when you think you’ve seen it as bad as it can get, it gets worse.”

After a tentative budget for the film had been fixed, Yuzna contacted New York-based writer Dennis Paoli to come up with a screenplay. That script was heavily revised by the producer and Gordon. Major changes were made in the design of the special effects. Comic strip artist Neal Adams was brought in to work on the storyboards. Adams eventually teamed up with Gordon on the task, eager to capture a unique look for the creatures. The script described them as both shapeless and erotic at the same time. Adams and Gordon worked very loose, without worrying about how the creatures would be made to work. They strove for a striking EC Comics look.

The production hired special effects coordinator Michael Muscal to determine whether effects could be filmed according to the storyboards. Muscal was joined by supervisors John Naulin and Tony Doublin, who worked with Gordon on some of the visual concepts. Gordon decided to avoid opticals as much as possible and create effects live on camera.

According to Shostrom, Dennis Paoli’s screenplay was open concerning how the creatures looked. “Stuart has an artistic background,” he adds, “so he was able to come up with some great storyboards showing what he wanted, like Mr. Bubble (the first-stage Pretorious transformation). He had seen some sketches I’d done for a film a few years back where a person had a large membranous sac attached to his neck, an idea which he liked. He did some illustrations that took it further. So, Stuart had much to do with the final image.”

SPECIAL EFFECTS John Naulin and Tony Doublin started designing the effects for FROM BEYOND. Based in California, Naulin supplied all makeup and mechanical effects. Tony Doublin took charge of the optical and mechanical effects. Naulin got the assignment of the graphic makeup effects. He also designed the pineal gland and the mechanical lamprey eels. John Buechler created the phase one Pretorious effects. Mark Shostrom was brought in for the later Pretorious transformations, known as “Mr. Bubble.” Pretorious, the central character of FROM BEYOND, gradually evolves into a protoplasmic, shapeless entity.

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In Buechler’s key transformation, Pretorious’ head gruesomely splits open and a pair of rotten hands shoot out to grab a terrified Barbara Crampton (dressed in black leather). The movements were entirely mechanical. A small replica of actor Ted Sorel’s torso was sculpted at Buechler’s lab in California, then sent over to Italy, as were most of the effects props.

“The first transformation was done with a bunch of appliances,” said Michael Deak, who assisted Buechler in Italy. “The muscles actually came off his face. Then we switched to a puppet for the split open scene. We had the help of Dave Kindlon and Rob Kurtzman (of Mark Shostrom’s crew), who were coordinating Pretorious arms. Bill (Butler) and I were pumping out a sort of gelatinous slimy stuff.”

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The MTSD crew additionally provided the S & M and splatter material, subsequently removed for the R-rated release: whipping, nipple spiking, tongue piercing, eyeball sucking, and brain eating. Of course, there were basic wounds-cuts, bruises, burns-but also Bubba Brownlee’s (Ken Foree) death scene when he gets eaten by insects. Greg Johnson, along with the rest of the crew, built Bubba’s lower body, while John Criswell sculpted the torso; Anthony and Therese Doublin created the tiny insects.

“Those “insects’ were really millions of polystyrene balls,” explains Doublin, “blown around by a huge fan. Actually, one of the crew kidded me that Stuart wanted tiny eyes painted on each ball. I said fine, get me 500 prisoners,” he laughs.

We also did what could be called the secondary creatures, the non Pretorious related stuff,” Naulin elaborates. “The giant lamprey eel, for example, that sucks off Jeffrey Combs’ hair. Also, the psuedojellyfish and wriggling snake-eels that are present when the Resonator is switched on.

“There was an interesting crossover since part of those effects are optical, created by using rod puppets in a tank of water, matted in to give them the necessary degree of fluidity of motion. Tony Doublin developed the water aspect. John Criswell and I built the snake-eels and jellyfish.

“We used different puppets on set for the biting sequences,” Naulin continues. “There were two of each: one fully mechanically and radio controlled, the other physically operated in part. Those were less sophisticated stunt versions.

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“We had a problem coming up with a design that would work with an optical that obviously would not be added until much later,” Naulin observes. “The eels used out of the tank were different because the mechanisms had to be covered up, made to look like innards. For the close-ups, one of the main elements used were latex condoms, which were thin and flexible yet translucent enough for the back-lighting to show through.”

Both FX supervisors consider From Beyond to be a good test of their skills, one they enjoyed. However, an aspect of Italy neither found pleasant was the sub-zero temperatures experienced during shooting as Rome was plunged into a rare, deep snowfall. This aside, Naulin and Doublin praise the Italian crew who provided their backup.

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Mark Shostrom luckily missed the bad weather, but remains frustrated that he could not supervise his creations on set due to his Evil Dead II responsibilities. In his place, he sent animatronics expert David Kindlon and makeup artist/technician Robert Kurtzman. “I was quite distraught that I couldn’t get over to Z monitor what went on,” confesses Shostrom. “But Robert is the best person I know to oversee that kind of situation. He’s an excellent artist. as is David Kindlon. With him troubleshooting the mechanics, I could sleep nights. I’m enormously pleased with the way it turned out on screen.”

Shostrom joined the production during its early inception. “I had lots of discussions with Stuart and showed him my sketches, which were quite surrealistic monsters. But it basically came down to having a design because we suddenly got a green light, so I sculpted a couple of maquetes, small sculptures for the final creature, and the Pretorious monster.

As for the final creature seen in From Beyond, Shostrom tried to go beyond his budget. As he puts it: “We were pretty ambitious there. I told them what it would take. Brian Yuzna said Empire couldn’t afford that. We tried anyway. I sculpted the maquete of the creature, trying to give it a look that was unusual, yet would fit within the story. Creating it really drained my budget, but the key thing was the animatronics designed and built by David Kindlon, who really bit off a lot to chew on that one. He had to make radio-controlled heads and arms all by himself, although his work was essential to the creature’s success.

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“The reason why we all went full steam ahead on this film,” he relates,”was simply because it was such a neat project. That, and the desire to create a really memorable monster, to make it better than it should have been on the given budget.”

The Pretorious creature emerged as the end result: big, complicated, difficult to manage due to its size. “We need several things we hadn’t obsessed with the machine. He shows her what it can do because he cares, but he’s a victim. He is then transformed, his whole life is changed, Crawford is a man who runs away every time there is danger. But he learns to stand his ground. It’s almost a moral message.”

From Beyond was a very difficult movie. I’m kind of schizo about it. It involved a lot of makeup. I counted it up once, it was 30 days in that hideous, bald-headed, dog-dick-out-of-my-forehead thing. I hated it. It was so uncomfortable. And yet on the flip side of that, it was shot out of Rome, Italy, and I got to spend a glorious eight weeks in one of the world’s greatest capitals. It was good. I feel like Charles Dickens: It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times. But I also felt like the role in From Beyond was so polar-opposite to what I had done in Re-Animator, where I played a strong, driving personality that pushed the action forward. Here, I was really—for all intents and purposes—being a victim. Someone standing there going, “No!” So I felt like some of the tools in my kit were being taken away from me. That was a bit frustrating, too. – Jeffrey Combs

From Beyond was shot in Italy with an Italian crew in order to save money. Gordon says that the film would have cost fifteen million dollars to make in the United States, whereas the foreign production enabled him to hold costs to approximately two and a half million dollars. It was shot on a soundstage called Dinocitta just outside Rome. Dinocitta was originally constructed by Dino DeLaurentiis, but was seized by the government for nonpayment of taxes, and then sold to Empire Studios. From Beyond was one of the first films shot at that venue during its period of ownership by Empire.

Dinocitta Studios are located to the south of Rome, a 50-minute drive from the city center. This industrial estate clashes with the surrounding lush countryside. It is here, in studio three-a huge concrete hangar the weird and wonderful reality of From Beyond is being created.

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The entire soundstage has been transformed into a large mansion, both interiors and exteriors. The set, created by Giovanni Natalucci and built at a cost of several thousand dollars, it is a large gothic style New England house.

This time around, Yuzna and Gordon have an eight week schedule in which to work their cinematic magic, twice the length they had for ReAnimator, and double the budget: the first Lovecraft adaptation cost $2 million to make; From Beyond’s budget is $4.5 million, primarily because of the enormous amount of special FX required. In this gothic picture, the action starts on page one of the screenplay and doesn’t let up until the explosive climax that promises to be truly stomach-turning.

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“This is a far more ambitious film than Re-Animator,” Yuzna explains. “But we’re under much less pressure because of the time we have. It’s taken an awful lot of organizing, but you’ll see the results on screen.’ Producer Yuzna has nothing but praise for the director. “Stuart has advanced in leaps and bounds-he’s getting terrific. He’s already brilliant as far as I’m concerned. A couple more pictures though, and he’s going to be tremendous. He’s one of the best directors I’ve ever come across who really works with actors. But, Stuart’s greatest gift is he knows how to tell a story. He does it the old way. The oral tradition; fairy tales stories where wild, crazy things happen. And people relate to that. It’s human storytelling.”

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CAST/CREW Directed by Stuart Gordon Produced by Brian Yuzna Screenplay by Dennis Paoli Story by Brian Yuzna Dennis Paoli Stuart Gordon

Based on “From Beyond” by H. P. Lovecraft

Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Crawford Tillinghast Barbara Crampton as Dr. Katherine McMichaels Ted Sorel as Dr. Edward Pretorius Ken Foree as Bubba Brownlee Carolyn Purdy-Gordon as Dr. Bloch Bunny Summers as Neighborhood Lady Bruce McGuire as Jordan Fields

Makeup Department Bruce Barlow … shop crew Giacinto Bretti … additional effects makeup: Italy Roberta Cozzo … assistant makeup artist Gilda De Guilmi … hair stylist (as Ida De Guilmi) Giancarlo Del Brocco … makeup designer Rita Innocenzi … hairdresser Mark Shostrom … special makeup effects Alfredo Tiberi … assistant makeup artist Bill Forsche … special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Neal Adams … conceptual artist

Special Effects by Bruce Barlow … fabrication crew: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries Gabriel Bartalos … fabrication crew: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries (as Gabe Bartalos) John Blake … effects technician: Mark Shostrom Studio (as John Blake Dutro) John Carl Buechler … special effects creatures and transformations designer and supervisor: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries (as John Buechler)

William Butler … location supervisor: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries / special effects makeup

John Criswell … assistant to Mr. Naulin: More Than Skin Deep Gino Crognale … modeler: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries Michael Deak … location supervisor: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries / on-set effects supervisor

Mitch Devane … modeler: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries (as Mitch De Vane) Joe Dolinich … fabrication crew: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries Anthony Doublin … physical and photographic effects supervisor: Doublin EFX Theresa Harding Doublin … production effects assistant (as Therese Harding Doublin)

Thomas Floutz … fabrication crew: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries (as Tom Floutz)

Greg Johnson … special effects makeup assistant: More Than Skin Deep Crit Killen … effects technician David Kindlon … animatronics: Mark Shostrom Studio Robert Kurtzman … effects technician: Mark Shostrom Studio Peter Mark … post-production effects assistant Ralph Miller III … animatronics: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries Michael Muscal … special effects coordinator

John Naulin … optical water tank creature creator: More Than Skin Deep / special effects makeup and creatures coordinator: More Than Skin Deep

Shayna Naulin … special effects makeup assistant: More Than Skin Deep Greg Nicotero … effects technician: Mark Shostrom Studio (as Gregory Nicotero) Salvatore Passanisi … special effects assistant: Italy Steve Patino … effects technician: Mark Shostrom Studio Gregor Punchatz … effects technician: Mark Shostrom Studio Mark Shostrom … pretorius creatures and body prosthetics designer and supervisor: Mark Shostrom Studio Aaron Sims … effects technician: Mark Shostrom Studio Giuseppe Tortora … special effects technician: Italy Gino Vagniluca … special effects technician: Italy John Vulich … fabrication crew: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries Drex Reed … special effects crew (uncredited)

Visual Effects by Linda Drake … optical compositor (as Linda Obalil) David Zen Mansley … designer and creator: resonator (as David ‘Zen’ Mansley) Mark Shostrom … Pretorious creature effects

CREDITS/REFERENCES/SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY film.avclub Cinefantastique v16n04 Cinefantastique v17n01 Fangoria#56 Fangoria#59 Fangoria#64

From Beyond (1986) Retrospective SUMMARY Dr. Edward Pretorius is a scientist who has developed the Resonator, a machine which allows whoever is within range to see beyond normal perceptible reality.

#80sFilms #80sHORROR #BAND

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operationrainfall · 5 years ago

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Title Enter & Exit the Gungeon Developer Dodge Roll, Singlecore Publisher Devolver Digital Release Date December 14th, 2017 (Enter); May 17th, 2020 (Exit) Genre Rogue-like, Bullet Hell, platformer Platform PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One Age Rating T for Teen (Enter); E10+ (Exit) Official Website

Thanks to the Binding of Isaac, I’ve developed a taste for two things – rogue games and twin-stick shooters. Which isn’t to say I love them all, but I’m much more receptive to well crafted, challenging entries in the genre now than I was before. Games like, for example, Enter the Gungeon. I really enjoyed it years ago when I demoed it, but was worried I had missed my chance to review it. After all, it came out for Switch back in 2017. And though I had purchased it digitally on a sale, I hadn’t gotten around to playing it years later. But thankfully, Devolver Digital and Dodge Roll had a silver bullet up their sleeves. When they recently announced that crazed sequel, Exit the Gungeon, was coming to Switch, I saw an opportunity. I could finally dust off my copy (figuratively speaking) of Enter the Gungeon and then play through Exit the Gungeon. And while I don’t typically review two games in one shot, there’s a first time for everything. The big question is, was my trip into the depths of the Gungeon worth the wait?

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First things first. Both Gungeon games aren’t big on plot. That’s not the same as saying there isn’t any, cause there is a motivating force behind both. In Enter, your goal is to find a mythical gun that can literally kill your past, rewriting your miserable history. The only thing between you and your goal is an ever shifting labyrinth of Gundead, deadly if comical looking foes. In Exit the Gungeon, your group of heroes has damaged the time stream by overusing that mystical gun. As a result, time and space are reacting in unpredictable ways, and the Gungeon itself is falling apart. Your goal is to escape before that happens. So there is definitely a narrative in both games, just enough to keep you invested. Both games also have tons of hilariously punny bosses, some examples being the Gatling Gull and Cannonbalrog, as well as fourth wall breaking humor. You can find a certain blue bomber’s Megahand in Enter the Gungeon, for example. Or you can murder cute little bubble spewing dragons. There’s tons and tons of little references like this to several classic series, and they all lend themselves to the overall zany tone of both Gungeon games. There’s also a ton of lore for each item, weapon and foe in the game’s Ammonomicon. Once I discovered that on the pause menu, I perused several entries and always came away entertained. But the real reason you’re gonna play either of the Gungeon games isn’t the plot – it’s the gameplay. And I can say that both definitely deliver.

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Let’s start with Enter the Gungeon. This was definitely the more challenging of the two games. It took me somewhere in the neighborhood of 31 hours to beat the game once. Granted, rogue games have a tendency to be challenging, especially if you get a bad roll of the dice, but that’s still pretty rough. Thankfully, I kept playing because I was enjoying myself. The basic formula is explore and fight your way through several interconnected rooms, find and beat the boss, travel to the next floor, rinse and repeat until you’ve beaten the final boss. Much like Binding of Isaac, truly beating the game requires more than those simple steps, and suffice to say I didn’t have time for that. Thankfully I was able to beat the High Dragun, so technically speaking I did beat the game for the purposes of this review.

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One thing I really liked about Enter was how much control you have over ever minute detail. You can manually reload each of your guns with Y, there’s a handy drop down menu that slows down time as you select your next weapon, and you can move and aim simultaneously with the joysticks. Guns are fired with the R trigger, and the L trigger does a handy dodge roll with temporary invincibility. Basic stuff, but it’s implemented really well here. When you lose, it’s generally cause you did something stupid like grab a cursed item or your reflexes just weren’t up to snuff. You’ll do well to hoard all the keys you can find, since each floor typically has multiple chests you can open up. These will either provide you a new gun or a new item, with passive or activated effects. Or if you’re unlucky, they’ll be a mimic in disguise, waiting to murder you.

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As you travel you’ll also come across a not so friendly shopkeep that sells wares, but don’t make the mistake of firing your guns in his store too often. While there’s only one shop at first, you’ll gradually find and free various prisoners that will populate the Gungeon in subsequent runs. Some will also show up in the HUB area, so it’s good to not always Quick Start a new game, taking you immediately into a new run without visiting the HUB. All of them will offer some service, if you have the cash and the need. Perhaps my favorite feature, though, are the maps. As you run about, the current floor is accurately displayed, and most rooms have teleporters. At any time outside of combat, you are free to bring up the map, select a teleport node and just instantly travel there. It really made the experience flow remarkably well.

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There’s a handful of characters you can pick from, and each has slight quirks that might make them more or less appealing to certain playstyles. These are the main possible characters in both games – Marine, Pilot, Hunter and Convict. They each have a primary weapon with unlimited ammo, and they all fire somewhat differently. Also, they have passive boosts, such as the Marine’s Military Training, which makes his shots fire more accurately and reduces charge time. And though it took me a while before I noticed, each character has a handy item they can choose to activate, generally with limited uses. The Pilot has his “Trusty Lockpick,” which sometimes lets him open chests without a key; meanwhile the Convict has access to Molotov Cocktails she can use to burn foes to a crisp. They all play somewhat differently, and those passive boosts can go a long way. There’s technically a fifth main character, the Cultist. The catch is she can only be used in co-op, which I was unable to try for this review. And if you’ve spent more time with the game than I have, you can also unlock some other playable characters. My favorite was definitely the Marine, since he starts with a layer of armor and his Military Training meant his Pistol was more useful than the other starting weapons. But none of them are horrible, they just force you to try different things to succeed.

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When you’re not picking up weapons and blasting holes in things, there’s a lot of other elements that spice up gameplay. You’ll find obstacles that can be used to your advantage, such as explosive barrels and chandeliers you can drop on enemy heads. There’s also less helpful features like buzz saws, jets of flame, freezing ice cubes and more. And lest I forget, holes. That last part normally wouldn’t merit mention, but after I died repeatedly from rolling into holes I didn’t realize were there, it started to become problematic. Which isn’t to say the gameplay is bad, far from it. But for whatever reason, the game likes to generate holes in already dark rooms, where they tend to blend in with the background. Maybe it’s a matter of shading, but it caused me more frustration than I expected. Thankfully, the rest of the Enter gameplay works wonders. It’s fun to dodge and weave, flip up tables to block bullets, roll through bullets and the like. Both Gungeon games definitely reward you for playing skillfully, especially Exit the Gungeon. And you’ll need to play well, since these games have some intense boss battles.

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Enter the Gungeon has a whole ton of bosses, and besides referencing things like Dungeons & Dragons, they all tend to be focused on gun and bullet puns. Which I was totally okay with, even if it was a bit silly. I mean in a game where even keys have bullets, you tend to either appreciate the goofiness or get turned off by it. The bosses are where the game shows off the bullet hell features, as even the most basic will flood the screen with interlocking patterns of nasty projectiles. Many of them also love to move around the arena, forcing you to evade and think on your feet. Even the easiest boss is more than capable of killing you if you’re not careful. Going into battle armed with a great gun or two definitely helps, but it’s not required. That said, I did appreciate how much breathing room you generally had to avoid projectiles in Enter the Gungeon. That’s definitely not the case in Exit, where the screen is much smaller and forced into a 2D perspective. Thankfully, overall the bosses in the sequel are a bit more forgiving, at least once you’ve learned to successfully dodge their attacks. I also loved how practically all the bosses in Exit the Gungeon are insane mashups of two or more bosses from the first game. As an example, there’s one called Medusilier Bomb Shell, which is the Gorgun from the first game in the hollowed out Fusilier mini boss’ shell, using weapons brandished by the final boss of that game. It’s really silly and rewarding if you’re familiar with the original adventure.

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Overall I really enjoyed my time with the first game, even if it could frustrate me on occasion. There’s a plethora of items to unlock that can increase your odds of success, such as one that makes it so flipping a table stuns all foes, or one that makes dodge rolls reload your guns. The hardest part of this game was the platforming, especially when you get a run that’s focused on murdering you. And for minor irritants, how about the fact that weapon combinations aren’t listed anywhere? You might get two weapons or items that work better together, providing enhanced effects, such as having the Bubble Blaster and Siren guns equipped, providing homing bubbles and massive bubble blasts. I was also annoyed that I couldn’t find anywhere that the game tracks which characters have beaten the game in Enter. And lastly, Enter the Gungeon can really cramp your hands, at least playing the Switch portably. Not that any of these complaints stopped me playing for very long. Plus, considering the game only costs $14.99, all my issues are pretty easy to overlook.

We’re not done yet! Turn to Page 2 to Exit the Gungeon! ->

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In many ways, Exit the Gungeon is the condensed, somehow crazier version of the first game. It’s different in a number of ways, but I felt it was the superior experience. Or I felt that way eventually. At first I was really frustrated by how hard the game seemed, and a lot of that had to do with the change in perspective. I mentioned how in Enter the Gungeon, you have a lot more room to roam about and avoid damage. That is entirely not the case here, where you’re usually trapped on a moving elevator or some other narrow vertical space, avoiding bullets and blasting foes to smithereens. Another reason I was initially not as hot on the sequel was how it handles dodge rolls.

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Enter the Gungeon quickly sold me on the utility of dodging bullets to survive. It was just intuitive and easy to grasp. Here though, you can dodge in many different directions. You can still dodge horizontally, but now you can also dodge upwards and downwards. That last one caused the most confusion, since dropping from one platform to another counts as dodging and makes you temporarily invincible. Eventually I got the hang of it, and learned to do smart things like jump up to dodge one bullet then dodge horizontally to avoid another. Keep in mind that when I say “one bullet,” I’m being conservative. Normally there’s a whole shooting range of bullets flying at your face at once, so you’ll need all the dodging you can handle.

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The other way that Exit the Gungeon most distinguishes itself is through Kaliber. The goddess of guns herself is helping you, kind of. See in this game you only have one gun at a time, period. But every few seconds, Kaliber will magically change which gun you’re using. If you play well and thus increase your combo level, it’s more likely that you’ll get rewarded with amazing weapons. Which is good, since you want those Mass Shotguns, not the Bubble Bobble guns. Even if you’re amazing, it’s still more than a little random, so get used to your weapon changing unexpectedly at the worst possible time. To make up for this, you can acquire passive upgrade items like in the first game, as well as grabbing floating temporary booster shots. These will grant you various upgrades for a limited amount of time, whereas the usual items last the entire run. Thankfully, a successful run in Exit the Gungeon will take you a half hour max, whereas the first game getting all the way through can take more than an hour. That’s a big part of why beating Exit only took me some 6 hours total.

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Exit really grew on me the longer I played. Once I got accustomed to things, I grew to really like the quirks. The controls were very intuitive here, since all you really need to do is aim to fire your gun, instead of aim, fire bullets and reload. I also utterly adored the bizarre bosses found in this game, most notably the weirder ones like the feline version of Dr. Robotnik and the Bullet King’s Chancellor, Toadstool! The entire thing felt much more streamlined, for better and for worse. Take Blanks for example. These are found in both games, and clear all bullets from the screen. In Enter, you had to press down on both joysticks simultaneously to activate a Blank, but in Exit you can do so with a single shoulder button press. But for every feature like that, there was stuff that felt out of balance. I liked the ease of gameplay and less hand cramping controls, but I also missed having a plethora of guns, bosses and foes. And if I complained about the platforming in the first game, it can be even rougher here. It’s very easy to fall off the sides of some areas, and you have much less maneuverability to avoid damage. But then again, you don’t have to worry about things like storing extra hearts for later use or weapon synergy combos. Plus, some weapons that were less effective in the first game are super powerful here, such as the powerful exploding banana. But then foes that barely bothered me, like the annoying Rubber Kin, are suddenly dangerous agents of death. And while I do like shorter runs, I wish I could save progress here and return later like I could in Enter. One of the more interesting aspects of this game is that once unlocked, bosses can seemingly appear in any area they want, with the exception of the final boss. That means you really need to master fighting all of them, since you never know when exactly they’ll show up.

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Like in the first game, you’ll find and rescue prisoners who can later aid you. But just as the Gungeon itself is in a chaotic state of flux, so are its inhabitants. A hilarious example is Manservantes and the King. In the first game, they would challenge you to beat a room a certain way, and then reward you for it. Here, the servant is now the boss, and the king has been mutated into a bloated crybaby. When you encounter them now, you play a twisted golfing mini game using the former king as your ball. Like I said, this game is somehow even more crazy, and I love that about it. Sure it still shares the same DNA as the first game, with multiple playable characters and bosses, but there’s interesting new ideas. Each character now has a more set in stone path to the final boss, and you can actually unlock and play that route as other characters. Also totally new is that you can customize your heroes with hats and costumes. Sure, they serve no practical purpose, but sometimes you just want to look snazzy. Just keep in mind, while in the first game beating bosses provides Hegemony Credits used to unlock useful items for subsequent runs, here you also need to use those Credits for hats and suits. At least if you’re a completionist.

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Both of the Gungeon games have tremendous art and musical direction. There’s a whole boatload of foes, and each is rendered with love and care. While none of them are anywhere near as demented as those I grew fond of in The Binding of Isaac, there’s still some delightfully dark humor here. I appreciated how so many foes are basically walking bullets holding gun or grenades that run to you and explode, and many others are totally unexpected and freaky, such as the giant hand that throws you back in time, or the terrifying bullet spewing Lead Maiden. The biggest difference aesthetically between the games is that the sprites in Exit the Gungeon are a bit more bombastic and larger than in Enter. That said, neither game is close to ugly, and there’s a lot of personality on display, from the faces of the Gundead to the dozens of crazed weapons you can use. While there’s plenty of basic weapons like shotguns and rifles, there’s also things like mailboxes, demonic tentacles, unicorn horns and much more. Musically, the first game can be a bit milder at times, but there’s also a good variety of tunes to distinguish different areas. I did slightly prefer the music of the second game, perhaps just cause it was less reserved.

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Though I had some minor problems with both games, none of it was a huge deal. Sure I got annoyed with platforming in both games, and sometimes the first game was more than a bit aggravating. Plus the load times can get long and there’s some occasional slowdown when a lot is happening on screen. And I really didn’t love how sometimes I got hit by enemies I couldn’t fully see on screen in Exit the Gungeon. But overall, the pros most decidedly outweighed the cons, especially since both games are so inexpensive, with Exit only costing $9.99.

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I’m ecstatic I finally found the time and presence of mind to play through both Gungeon games. While it’s true the first one is more jam packed with content, the second makes up for it by doing an amazing job of distilling the unique essence into a more palatable form. In all, I spent nearly 40 hours playing through both games combined, and enjoyed every crazed minute. Games like this are why I’ll always be a fan of Devolver Digital, and why I eagerly await what’s next from Dodge Roll and Singlecore. If you love crazy, hardcore rogue games with more than a bit of insanity thrown in, you can’t go wrong with either one. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to put in dozens more hours to fully complete both games!

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[easyreview cat1title=”Overall” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4.5″]

Author Purchased Copy of Enter the Gungeon. Publisher Provided Copy of Exit the Gungeon.

And many thanks to Brandon Rose for the awesome Featured Image!

REVIEW: Oprainfall Conquers the Gungeon Title Enter & Exit the Gungeon

#Bullet-Hell #Devolver Digital #Dodge Roll #Enter the Gungeon #Exit the Gungeon #Singlecore #Twin stick

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stacyalesi · 5 years ago

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Task Force Baum by James Shipman: A war story but not your average blood bath. The story is a true one based on a little known battle fought between American and German forces in the last few weeks of WWII. General George Patton orders an attack to free prisoners held in a POW camp. He does so for personal reasons with no military basis. The why is fascinating.

The Almanack by Martine Bailey: A novel that does a magnificent job bringing the reader into the past. Besides an interesting plot and well-told story, a picture is painted of London in the bygone time of the 1750s- dirty and disease-ridden. The title brings out a custom prevalent in those days of utilizing Almanacs to both write in and to follow forecasts made by them. Well written and fascinating as an era comes to life.

Beyond the Moon by Catherine Taylor: Listed as the first novel published by Taylor it certainly marks a comer. The plot involves the science fiction concept of time transference when a young lady is moved back in time to a period 100 years ago. She meets a soldier wounded in what was World War One and the two fall in love. The book is much more than the transference but also a wonderful love story.

The Russian by Ben Coes: Coes, who has given us many high adventure novels featuring Dewey Martin, has created a new protagonist in Rob Tacoma. He also moves the stages of operation from Islamic Terrorism to the Russian Mafia. Like action – Ben Coes is your man. We all need the all nighter to stimulate the imagination by meeting a hero.

The Bells of Hell by Michael Kurland: I obviously like action novels and continue with this description of a spy story set in New York City just prior to the U.S. entering WWII. The story involves a group of Nazis working to move the US into entering the war on the side of Germany and Japan. What is done to counteract this is laid to the prompt actions of several individuals.

Just Watch Me by Jeff Lindsay: The author made his literary reputation with the creation of Dexter, a serial killer who only killed serial killers. In this novel, he introduces a thief. Riley Wolfe features the same treatment as Dexter. He is a thief, and a master one at that, but first and foremost a picaresque rogue. In this, his first foray, Riley comes up with the challenge of stealing a diamond owned by Iran. One worth a fortune, and guarded by the Iranian government as well as it could be. The same novel provides the introduction of a policeman who is making his life’s work to catch and capture Riley. It should be another successful series by Jeff Lindsay.

Nothing Ventured by Jeffery Archer: And another very fine book by a noted author introducing a new character. William Warwick is the son of a very successful Defense Attorney with a thriving practice in London. His father would like nothing better than to have William finish university and enter his practice. No such luck. William in spite of all his family against the idea decides that he would rather be a detective and has wanted to do that since he was eight years of age. And of course, he does join Scotland Yard and does make it to detective. No problem looking for more William Warwick adventures in crime-fighting.

Best Books of 2019: Paul Lane Task Force Baum by James Shipman: A war story but not your average blood bath. The story is a true one based on a little known battle fought between American and German forces in the last few weeks of WWII.

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sharonelypearson · 6 years ago

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Two months ago I was in the midst of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with thirty others from the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. It has taken me that long to articulate in writing my reactions and feelings about the political climate regarding Israel and Palestine. I have already posted numerous reflections on the sites we visited, both spiritually and historically. But I have skirted around writing about the reality of the Palestinian people that I experienced; it was just below the surface in all my postings about Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Samaria, and Galilee.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, Israel is called to be a light to the nations. As a people chosen by God (technically, Abraham received this promise for all his descendants/offspring) to show the way back to right relationship to God, today’s Israel has fallen short of this covenant. Power and rule have a tendency to let leaders forget their responsibilities, which ultimately leads to division and corruption. As in Old Testament times, history continues to repeat itself. Recall the role of the prophets who kept calling God’s people back.

This past Sunday’s readings (10th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 15) spoke to me (with help from a great sermon which I will link here when it is posted) from Isaiah 5:1-7 and Luke 12:49-56. Israel continues to this day to grow (be) the wild (sour) grapes, while God gave all of us a beautiful vineyard to live in to grow sweet grapes – if we would only cease our divisions and love God as well as love our neighbor. God is angry. Jesus weeps. Yesterday and today.

The U.S. and Israel have a complicated relationship, which was exacerbated this past week with the on-again, off-again visits of two U.S. congress women desiring to visit family in the West Bank. You can read about it here (from NPR) as well as many other news sources. These two women know what it is like for the Palestinians (Muslim and Christian) to live in the occupied territories. I don’t believe most Americans really understand what is really happening in Israel, or how the U.S. government is upsetting the precarious balance. You have to see it to really understand.

For those who are not familiar with the history of Israel in modern times, here is a short video that gives a good overview with a summary of modern-day events that continue to impact the region today:

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I knew the political situation was complicated with Israeli control in disputed territories. I had heard about Palestinians throwing rocks at Israeli forces, walls being built, and settlements springing up. The settlements look like Co-op City if you’ve ever been to New York City – very permanent. And they are huge “suburbs”, located at the top of hills surrounding Palestinian villages below with access to highways that the villages do not have. It’s not hard to imagine their purpose – despite U.N. resolutions – to surround (and in the future be connected to one another?) small Palestinian towns. Meeting local people and experiencing the conditions in the West Bank, as well as traveling in and out of the State of Israel through check-points, changed me more than any of the biblical sites we visited. In sharing my pilgrimage stories with others, I came to realize that our ECCT pilgrimage was different from many other church-sponsored trips; we went beyond the holy sites and met the people: Jews, Christians, and Muslims – Arabs of the three Abrahamic faiths who call (and claim) Israel their home.

Security and Safety

It depends on who you might meet or talk to that makes you feel safe or secure in an occupied land. I should have realized things were not going to be “normal” on my Delta flight from JFK to Tel Aviv. We had to go through extra security at the gate before boarding the plane in New York: carry-on and backpacks through X-ray, water bottles (even just purchased) discarded, and personal scans (pat-downs for some in another room). As we approached Israeli airspace, we were told that all must remain seated for the duration of the flight (between 30-45 minutes). What other country demands this? Upon arrival, several fellow pilgrims were detained for three hours at Ben Gurion Airport. Welcome to Israel! (And they don’t make it easy for you to leave, either. That story’s even worse.) For many, being a “foreigner” in Israel means intimidation and humiliation. An August 17, 2019 op-ed from the Wall Street Journal describes this reality, which I also experienced when entering Israel from the United States as well as when we re-entered after visiting Petra (in Jordan) for a few days. And we didn’t have a deck of cards to idle away our hours of waiting.

Here’s what you don’t see or hear on the news. These occurrences aren’t in remote areas or terrorist neighborhoods. On one of our first mornings walking to the Old City we were held up on a sidewalk for a brief time, only to hear an explosion and learn that a “suspicious” package was blown up on the sidewalk ahead of us. Our Arab Palestinian Christian guide: “Not to worry. This happens all the time.”

Traveling by bus within Jerusalem and areas to and from the West Bank, Samaria, Galilee, and Jordan one can’t help but see the barbed wire, walls, fences, security check-points, and the proliferation of police/army (they looked the same) carrying automatic, assault rifles (the ones you see carried by those who commit mass-shootings in the U.S.). Our bus was boarded at check points several times by armed security with mirrors looking under the bus carriage while the luggage compartments were opened and examined. There is nothing as unsettling as watching a 20-something walk down the aisle of your bus to look at your passport while holding an AK-47. Armed Israelis escorting Jews (despite Israeli signage that Jews should not enter) around the Temple Mount (Al-Haram ash-Sharif) where the Dome of the Rock mosque is located. Israeli security is “in your face” at every turn.

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Bethlehem is surrounded by 25-feet walls of concrete with armed guards in towers (reminiscent of high security prisons in the U.S). Pilgrims go to visit the place of Jesus’ birth. Do they visit the surrounding neighborhood? Pictures tell it all.

Identity, Water, and Human Rights

On three evenings, different speakers came to share their perspectives with us and answer our questions. A Muslim professor from Hebrew University. Two Muslim young adults who are graduates of “Jerusalem Peacebuilders” (see more about this organization below). An Israeli professor (who was from the U.S. and had lived in a town next to mine it turns out). Our guides were Christians, living in Jerusalem with special status to travel freely. (License plates are color coded to determine who can leave any of the occupied territories. All of them spoke of their identity. “I am an Arab Palestinian Muslim.“ “I am an Arab Palestinian Christian.” I am an Israeli.” The similarities: most were Arabs who cared for their homeland; all were articulate; ethnicity and nationality came first when describing themselves. Differences: Israelis are free and have choices. Palestinians cannot have passports (with some exceptions); if they leave (for an education) outside Israel they give up the right to return if they are gone more than six years; they pay taxes but have no right to vote; they have no citizenship and are “without a country”; they must go through different check-points to travel and (for example) can only get mail at a post-office (which is not close to where they live and often beyond the check-points). The exceptions and hardships go on and on.

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But the one that stands out is water: you can tell where Palestinians live by the rooftops – they have water collectors to save what little rainwater there is; the Israeli government rations their water. Trash is everywhere – there is no waste collection, let alone recycling. Lands (and settlements) of Israelis are green in this desert land; Palestinian lands have difficulty growing crops. Remember that vineyard from the reading above in Isaiah? There is a reason why vineyards and grapes are important in the biblical stories. Wine was essential in this land in ancient times because the water was not safe to drink. In some ways, wine was life. Just as like today – water equals life. Without water, no matter where you are in the world, humans will not survive.

When visiting an Arab Palestinian Christian brewery, one of the owners (an American-educated woman) shared that sometimes she doesn’t take a shower for two weeks in order to save water for the business. How does one make beer or wine without water? Read more about Taybeh Brewery for their remarkable story and resilience.

The village of Taybeh (tie-bay), the only remaining Christian village in Israel, is 19 miles northeast of Jerusalem and 7.5 miles northeast of Ramallah. From its elevated site between biblical Samaria and Judea, it overlooks the desert wilderness, the Jordan Valley, Jericho and the Dead Sea. Living amidst Muslim villages, Israeli settlements, and military roadblocks, Taybeh’s inhabitants (numbering 1,300 in 2010) are intensely proud of their Christian heritage. While in the area we stopped for lunch where the Christian proprietor sold peace lamps.

As one who has travelled to the Holy Land, I believe it’s my responsibility to share my view, as I don’t believe we hear the real story, especially with the current administration’s lopsided stand toward Israel. I commend to you this article from Sojourners that speaks to the truth so many Holy Land pilgrims never experience. I am thankful that Qumri Pilgrimages allowed us to visit (by our request) more than just the holy sites.

With his permission, I share my husband John’s reflection that he wrote for the ECCT pilgrimage:

As we drive through the West Bank, viewing the litter and junked cars, I hear a constant buzz of conversation about things that could be done: a recycling program for all the single use plastic, sheet metal recovery, etc. Based on what I have seen, if I were a Palestinian I wouldn’t give any material effort to make things appear better. They are essentially prisoners in their own land. Israelis are taking over all the prime property in the occupied territories under the premise that God said that this was their place in the world. As I think about this I am reminded of lyrics from a song sung by Jackson Browne:

Walls and Doors Ever since the world existed There is one thing that is certain There are those that build walls And those who open doors. That’s how it’s always been And I know you know it There can be freedom only When nobody owns it.

I feel that the risk of other countries being perceived as anti-Semitic is being used very cleverly by the State of Israel. If we speak out against the injustices being done to Palestinians by Israel’s government, we would be against the Jewish faith and people. Can it be that the Holocaust suffering is being indirectly used as a political tool? I hope not…

Hope

Despite the despair felt in seeing the effects of the Israeli occupation, there were also glimpses of hope. The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem supports numerous programs, hospitals, and schools for Jews, Muslims, and Christians throughout Israel in the occupied territories. We visited the Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre in the West Bank and saw the ministry at work, serving children with disabilities in Palestine and training their parents to continue their education and training at home. A charitable, non-governmental, non-profit institution entrusted under the Anglican Episcopal church, their work is guided by the fundamental values expressed in the UN Conventions on the Rights of the Child and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. While there we also visited a small handicrafts workshop known as “The Sheltered Workshop” that serves people suffering from physical, mental, and cognitive disabilities from Jerusalem and its surroundings

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As mentioned above, one evening we met with two young adults who are alumni of Jerusalem Peacebuilders (JPB) Along with Executive Director and founder Nicholas Porter (an Episcopal priest from Vermont (formerly Connecticut), we heard about the work and mission of this organization. From their website description, “JPB is an interfaith, non-profit organization with a mission to create a better future for humanity across religions, cultures, and nationalities. Integral to that mission is the belief that the future of Jerusalem is the future of the world. To that end, JPB promotes transformational, person-to-person encounters among the peoples of Jerusalem, the United States, and the Holy Land.” In addition to programs offered in Jerusalem, there are active summer institutes in Connecticut, Vermont, and Texas.

Each of these organizations are living out the promise given to Abraham and his descendants and the mandate given by Jesus. They are in relationship with their neighbor – Jew, Muslim, Christian – and in relationship with God, each following their own faith tradition. It is possible to share one land and be a light to the world. It is possible to plant and harvest good grapes. But it takes a village to do so that welcomes all. No walls. No barbed wire. No check-points. Free flowing water and roads open to all.

Hope and peace will prevail in the Holy Land if we bring all faiths together to learn that we are all humans who worship the same God. We do have differences that run deep and are polarizing, but we have so much more in common. The future of our world may depend on it. A third intifada is just around the corner if all sides don’t begin to come to the table with an open mind. Hopefully, graduates of Jerusalem Peacebuilders will be among those called to new leadership in the governments of Israel as well as the Palestinian Authority and families who are raising special needs children recognized that all are God’s children.

The peace lamps from Taybeh.

Read more reflections from the Episcopal Church in Connecticut pilgrims in Part 1 and Part 2. Learn about the work of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and American Friends of of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.

Pilgrimage Reflections: Walls & Doors Two months ago I was in the midst of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with thirty others from the Episcopal Church in Connecticut.

#Holy Land #Israel #Israeli settlements #Jerusalem #Jerusalem Peacebuilders #Palestine #Palestinian Occupation #pilgrimage #Princess Basma Centre

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americanahighways · 6 years ago

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By Jeff Burger

Imagine a graph with two lines, one showing the rising net worth of Baby Boomers over the past half century, the other indicating how the size or price of music box sets has risen over the same period. The two lines, one suspects, would be rather parallel. Remember the days when a three-LP collection was a big deal? Now we have releases like Bob Dylan’s The 1966 Live Recordings(36 discs, a bargain at about $90) and Pink Floyd’s The Early Years(28 discs, plus assorted odds and ends, around $500), not to mention all the gigantic—and gigantically priced—anthologies that issue from Germany’s Bear Family label.

And then there are the recordings that have preserved material from the legendary 1969 Woodstock festival. First, a year after the concert, came what seemed at the time like a massive triple-album film soundtrack. A two-disc collection of tracks that hadn’t made it into the movie soon followed. The event’s 25th anniversary, in 1994, brought a four-CD package with lots more music while the 40th anniversary witnessed the release of The Woodstock Experience, a 10-CD box containing complete performances by five artists.

But that wasn’t the end of it. Now—for you hedge-fund managers out there—comes a 38-CD, 432-track set called Woodstock: Back to the Garden—The 50th Anniversary Archive. It will set you back $800, which is considerably more than the $21 (about $147, adjusted for inflation) that some people paid for tickets to the actual three-day event. (The festival was ultimately declared to be free, so many attendees paid nothing.)

The set is limited to 1,969 numbered copies (get it?), which are available directly from the Rhino label. Alternatively, you can opt for a new 10-CD $150 version, which unlike any earlier releases includes performances by every performer at the festival. There’s also a $150 five-disc vinyl set and a $35 three-CD edition.

Your interest level—not to mention the size of your wallet and how soon the big box sells out—will determine whether you buy any of these collections and, if so, which one. But the 38-CD edition is quite something. If the Woodstock festival has meaning for you and/or you care about the lion’s share of its performers, it is well worth considering, despite the eye-popping price tag. It gives you just about everything from the festival except the mud, the rain, and the traffic jams.

Virtually all the performances by all the artists featured in the concert are here in chronological order, plus lots of stage announcements. (I say “virtually,” because one Sha Na Na song is missing due to a tape gap and Jimi Hendrix’s estate asked that two of his numbers be cut for “aesthetic reasons.” Look for all three of these performances on the inevitable 100th anniversary edition.) Total playing time is almost 36 hours, and that includes nearly 20 hours (267 tracks) of previously unreleased material. Some of the acts here were not represented at all on earlier Woodstock releases; others that showed up only briefly on the earlier albums are allotted a full disc or even two.

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The set comes in a screen-printed wooden box along with a replica of the show program, 8×10 prints by rock photographer Henry Diltz, a Blu-ray copy of the movie about the festival, and assorted other goodies, including a leather guitar strap, a reproduction of an attendee’s handwritten diary, and a hardcover book that’s loaded with interesting details.(The Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart, the Moody Blues, and Iron Butterfly were all booked to perform but cancelled, for example; Melanie wasn’t scheduled but wound up playing, anyway.)

If you didn’t attend the festival, you probably associate it just with the music you saw in the film or perhaps with what you heard on one of the modestly sized earlier anthologies, which not only featured inferior audio but incorporated all sorts of fake sound effects, deceptive edits, and even performances that didn’t actually come from the Woodstock event. If so, you’re in for a treat—actually, lots of them. The music was arguably not as revelatory at the time as that at the earlier Monterey Pop Festival. But much of it is nevertheless excellent; and given how famous the Woodstock event is and the fact that it was virtually all preserved on tape, it’s amazing how much of that music has not been heard for half a century.

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There are far too many highlights to mention them all here, but Jefferson AIrplane’s nearly two-hour set—which includes a 22-minute version of “Wooden Ships” and a 16-minute take on “The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil”—is terrific. So are the performances by Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, the Who (performing much of the then recently released Tommy), and many others. And what a kick to hear full concerts by Tim Hardin (backed by two future members of the great jazz group Oregon) and the unjustly obscure Bert Sommer.

Not surprisingly in a collection this big, not everything is a gem. Country Joe, for example, delivers an engaging solo set but a later performance with the Fish mixes good stuff with a few bona fide bombs.

Listening to this box set, you’re continually reminded that Woodstock happened a full half century ago—and that a lot has changed since then. For one thing, so many of these performers are no longer with us: Sommer, Hardin, Hendrix, and Joplin are gone, for example, as are Richie Havens, Joe Cocker, Johnny Winter, Keef Hartley, three members of both the Band and Jefferson Airplane, and two members of both the Who and the Grateful Dead.

For another, well, just listen to the evocative stage announcements that are sprinkled throughout the first 37 discs and that fill much of the 38th. They conjure up a world that seems totally foreign today, not to mention a great deal of LSD use. The brown acid is “not specifically too good,” we’re told, while the flat blue acid is “poison…that’s deadly serious, man,” and takers of the green acid are advised to head straight for the hospital tent. On the other hand, the Jefferson Airplane’s Grace Slick announces from the stage that “we got a whole lot of orange and it was fine. Still is fine.”

Woodstock is remembered as the last big manifestation of the hippie dream before it started to fade with events like California’s Altamont concert, less that four months later. That’s understandable: there was a lot of positivity at Woodstock and a lot of music about peace and love; and half a million people really did get along for three days without any major disasters.

But it’s not just the announcements about bad acid here that hint at something less than total harmony and bliss. There are repeated (and apparently largely ignored) pleas for people to move away from areas where they are obscuring views for others or posing danger to themselves, for example. And there’s the time Yippie Abbie Hoffman jumps onstage in the middle of the Who’s set to proclaim, “I think this is a pile of shit while [White Panther Party leader] John Sinclair rots in prison!” Replies Pete Townshend: “Fuck off my fucking stage!”

The producers worked on assembling this collection since 2005, and the job wasn’t easy. As coproducer Andy Zax reports in the accompanying book: “Reconstructing the Woodstock audio has been a long series of challenges, the most time-consuming of which has been the seemingly basic job of figuring out where everything is. Eric Blackstead’s liner notes on the back cover of the original Woodstock soundtrack mention that the original set of Woodstock tapes consisted of 65 multitrack reels (the actual number was probably slightly higher), but that doesn’t include the additional 100 or so soundboard reels the crew recorded. There was never a single moment when all of those reels were assembled in one place. Some were removed before the festival had even ended. Still more tapes were sent to various labels, managers, and the artists themselves. Others just vanished.”

Once Zax and coproducer Steve Woodard located everything and put it in chronological order, they faced the additional large task of cleaning up the sound, which they did masterfully. Clearly, they treated the material as the valuable historical artifact that it is. One evidence of their attention to detail is in the liner notes, where they apologize for the sound quality of Melanie’s set (which isn’t really all that bad) and explain that while they’ve included all the festival’s live music, licensing difficulties prevented them from also featuring the recordings that were played over the sound system between sets. (They do name them, however, for the sake of any fanatics who’d like to replicate that experience at home.).

What is included is a ton of great music. And you won’t even need an umbrella to stay dry while you experience it.

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Jeff Burger’s website, byjeffburger.com, contains more than four decades’ worth of music reviews and commentary. His books include the recently published Dylan on Dylan: Interviews and Encounters as well as Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon, Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and Encounters, and Springsteen on Springsteen: Interviews, Speeches, and Encounters.

A Gargantuan Box Set Celebrates 1969’s Legendary Woodstock Festival @andyzax @rhino_records @byjeffburger #woodstock #woodstock50 @woodstockfest By Jeff Burger Imagine a graph with two lines, one showing the rising net worth of Baby Boomers over the past half century, the other indicating how the size or price of music box sets has risen over the same period.

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longislandweekly-blog · 6 years ago

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An eco-conscious vacation to San Francisco and Marin County

The iconic Golden Gate Bridge connects San Francisco to Marin County. (Photo by Kimberly Dijkstra)

San Francisco, the hilly city by the bay, has captured the hearts of many. Even Tony Bennett left his heart there among the cable cars and morning fog. Just beyond the bridge lies Marin County, a respite from city life with a charm and beauty all its own. Marin itself features in a song or two. The Bay Area has lots to offer as a vacation destination and is the perfect choice for the environmentally conscious.

San Franciscans prioritize sustainability in their daily lives and these practices extend into the hospitality industry. Many hotels boast eco-friendly practices, such as Hotel Spero, which is so committed to sustainability, it launched on Earth Day last year. The renovation took careful steps to pay homage to former owner Lizzie Glide, a well-known San Francisco philanthropist and activist.

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Guests receive a pencil embedded with forget-me-not seeds.

Hotel Spero strives to be Earth-friendly.

Hotel Spero, which is just steps from Union Square and located centrally to major attractions, invites guests to be a part of its mindfulness, philanthropy and environmental efforts, which ultimately makes your stay there more enjoyable. For example, the water filling station in the lobby helps minimize plastic bottle waste. The BeeKind products in every guestroom are made from all-natural ingredients, have recycled packaging and the company supports the Honey Bee Research Program at UC Davis. Guests will also find graphite pencils with forget-me-not seeds embedded that can be planted after the pencil is used.

Also, a discount is offered at Jasper’s Corner Tap & Kitchen, the hotel’s restaurant, if you turn down housekeeping service during the duration of your visit. And luggage racks in each room double as ‘giving racks,’ where you can leave spare clothing behind to be donated to the St. Anthony Foundation.

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Go Go Go

Lots of different things attract travelers to San Francisco. The Go Card (smartdestinations.com) offers admission to nearly all of them including bus tours, cruises, museums, historic monuments and family activities. The Aquarium of the Bay, located at historic Pier 39, is great for kids and pretty fun for adults as well. Home to more than 20,000 aquatic animals in 700,000 gallons of water, the aquarium works to protect and preserve the bay. It hosts shoreline cleanups and promotes green infrastructure projects. A walk through the aquarium, with all of the interactive opportunities it offers, is a walk through a living museum.

The Embarcardero, San Francisco’s pleasant bayside walkway, has a wide variety of restaurants, parks, attractions and piers to enjoy as you travel by foot or by bike. Stop at Pier 45 for a tour of the USS Pompanito, a World War II submarine that has been restored to its prime. An audio guide provides a glimpse of what life was like for sailors back in the day. More than 100,000 people visit the National Historic Landmark every year.

Across town in Golden Gate Park, one of this country’s great urban parks, the de Young Museum stands as an integral part of San Francisco’s art scene for the past century. The fine art museum has a Monet exhibition on display through May 27 and a Gauguin exhibition on through June 23. Its permanent collection includes paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, modern and contemporary art, and pieces by artists from all over the world and different time periods. One must-see piece is Salvador Dali’s Portrait of Dorothy Spreckels Munn (1942)—the surreal painting glows in an unearthly manner.

Alcatraz Island can only be reached by Alcatraz Cruises. (Photos by Kimberly Dijkstra)

Welcome to The Rock

Alcatraz Island, the former military fort and supermax prison, is known as The Rock due to its reputation for inhospitality. But you’d be surprised by how lush and inviting it truly is once you see it up close.

Alcatraz Cruises (www.alcatrazcruises.com) is the official cruise concessioner for the National Park Service, which operates the island. Tours depart every half hour from Pier 33 and it takes only about 12 minutes to cross the bay. Then you’re free to roam around and explore. Head up to the cellhouse and pick up an audio guide for first-hand accounts from former prisoners and guards. While walking the hallways and cellblocks of the prison, you’ll learn about the worst-of-the-worst convicts who were held there, as well as the well-known 1962 escape by Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin.

The cascading gardens are an unexpected highlight of Alcatraz Island.

The history of the island is fascinating and well worth spending an afternoon hearing about. The real treat however is the beautiful gardens that cover every slope and terrace. Maintained by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, National Park Service and Garden Conservancy since 2003, these ornamental beds breathe life into a seemingly lifeless landscape and attract a variety of seabirds.

Alcatraz Cruises has been using hybrid ferries for the past ten years. The Hornblower Hybrid is 40 percent more fuel efficient than standard passenger ferry vessels. In addition to many other energy efficient and sustainability practices, the cruise line recycles more than 70 percent of solid waste and provides recycling bins to passengers and the food available on board is primarily organic and purchased from local vendors.

To learn more about what San Francisco has to offer, visit sftravel.com.

Drake’s Bay (Photo by Dennis Anderson)

Over the Bridge

Once you’ve gotten your fill of the city, spend some time in Marin County and you will get a fuller experience of Northern California. Nature lovers, history enthusiasts and foodies will all love Marin, which has been at the forefront of the environmentalism movement for decades.

A stay in Olema is central to many points of interest in Marin. Bear Valley Cottage is a private guesthouse on the property of the former Bear Valley Inn that’s large enough for a family and cozy enough for a couple with access to a lovely backyard and an electric car charger. Owners Amanda and Ken extend warm hospitality to guests as if they are family and eager to share their love of the area. Amanda recommends an excursion to nearby Chimney Rock to see wildflowers or take in a gorgeous sunset over the ocean.

Play a game of giant Scrabble in the backyard at Bear Valley Cottage.

The cottage sees a lot of return guests, including those with environmental sensitivities. Amanda uses ‘clean’ cleaning products and stocks the cottage with EO soaps and lotions, a local brand that uses natural organic ingredients. She had a greywater system installed for laundry and uses sulfite-free laundry detergent that, when it runs out into the garden, doubles as plant food for the hydrangeas. And she’s so committed to sustainability, she also gives discounts for taking the bus, riding a bike and walking instead of driving a car.

Punto de los Reyes

Less than a mile down the road is Bear Valley Visitor Center, one of three visitor centers in Point Reyes National Seashore, a national park with beaches, rolling hills and meadows, forests, complex ecosystems and miles upon miles of hiking trails.

In the 1906 earthquake that destroyed much of San Francisco, the triangular peninsula of Point Reyes moved about 16 feet northwest up the California coast. In recent years, people have traveled from all over the world to see the famous fence that was split apart by the rupture. Bear Valley Visitor Center’s self-guided Earthquake Trail is dotted with historic photos and interpretive panels about the San Andreas Fault leading up to a replica of the original fence.

Follow the Chimney Rock trailhead to the ocean viewpoint known for its wildflowers. (Photo by Dennis Anderson)

A destination for about 400,000 a year, the visitor center itself is filled with educational exhibits that highlight the geological history of the peninsula, the human history, the variety of animal habitats that the Park Service protects and sustainability messages.

The Point Reyes Lighthouse is also a major draw for tourists, for its historical value and for whale-watching during the first half of the year. Originally constructed in 1870, the lighthouse is currently undergoing a complete restoration, hopefully to be complete this summer.

About three miles north, Point Reyes Station serves as the commercial center of the area, with downtown eateries, a grocery store and shops of local artisans. Station House Café offers up locally sourced organic breakfast, lunch and dinner. Menu highlights include oysters on the half shell, the farmstead cheese plate, flank steak salad and macaroni & cheese.

Osteria Stellina and Cowgirl Creamery are also essential dining stops and don’t miss the buffalo milk soft serve ice cream at Palace Market.

Find a little slice of paradise at Heidrun Meadery. (Photo by Kimberly Dijkstra)

Get No Kick From Champagne? Try Mead

Travelers interested in wine tasting experiences must book a tasting at Heidrun Meadery. The inviting tasting room welcomes visitors into the world of honey wine. Mead has a certain reputation for being the cloyingly sweet drink of choice for Vikings and Medieval townfolk, but Heidrun’s founder Gordon Hull is turning that stereotype on its head with his dry and delicate Champagne-style meads.

The picturesque grounds of the former dairy farm are home to wildflowers and the honeybees that pollinate them. Heidrun creates varietals from this honey, as well as honey obtained from migratory beekeepers. Since no syrups or additional flavors are added, the unique flavor of each bottle comes directly from flower pollen the honey was harvested from.

For a one-of-a-kind experience, go for a tasting at Heidrun Meadery.

“We’ve found that the chemical composition of honey is largely dependent on the source of the flower nectar from which it is derived, and most of them differ slightly,” Hull said. For example, a floral citrus flavor comes through the California Orange Blossom varietal while the Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Blossom can be characterized by the same richness of the macademia nut. Much eucalyptus can be found among Heidrun’s wildflowers, giving that varietal a distinct herbal taste.

Since there’s no aggressive farming involved and honey is a byproduct of pollination, Hull’s mead business actually has a positive impact on the environment. Bees have seen a steep decline in population over recent years and need all the help they can get these days.

Each sparkling wine varietal is tied to a different location, whether it be Point Reyes itself or nearby Sonoma Mountain or Nopa (a neighborhood in San Francisco). Every bottle becomes an intimate souvenir of that place to share and enjoy even after you’ve left.

With its natural splendor and ideal climate, Marin has so much to offer. Learn more at visitmarin.com.

For more about Marin County, see Point Reyes National Seashore Is A Bay Area Treasure and Planning A Green Vacation

The Bay Area is a perfect choice for an eco-friendly vacation. Enjoy all that San Francisco and Marin County have to offer, including green places to stay like Hotel Spero and Bear Valley Cottage, activities like the Aquarium of the Bay, USS Pompanito, de Young Museum, Alcatraz Island, Heidrun Meadery and Point Reyes National Seashore. An eco-conscious vacation to San Francisco and Marin County San Francisco, the hilly city by the bay, has captured the hearts of many.

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euromaidanpress · 5 years ago

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[box] What started as random gatherings in support of Opposition presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanovskaya, as well as the first demonstrations of Women in White, quickly evolved into a country-wide Belarusian protest against the obviously rigged elections of 9 August 2020. After days of brutal government repression with some 7,000 protestors detained and tortured, on 18 August, the Belarusian Opposition launched a Coordination Council for the Transfer of Power in Belarus. The council’s mandate is to coordinate a peaceful and orderly transfer of power from Alyaksander Lukashenka, the incumbent president, and to hold a new, free and fair presidential election at the earliest opportunity. About 70 members of the council are public opinion and professional leaders from various backgrounds. The council is expected to elect a seven-member presidium which will then elect a chairperson.

The official Coordination Council is underpinned by hundreds of small rallies, strikes and individual statements from people representing various professions. Their support is exceptionally diverse; including state enterprises, TV channels, governmental bodies, municipal councils and other public officials. Widespread support is the main prerequisite for the success of what might be termed a Belarusian revolution. Here are a few broad brushstrokes of this wide and diverse landscape. [/box]

First municipality challenges Lukashenka

Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanovskaya called on protesters to demand local authorities to support protests through public statements. Such a coordinated action could launch a devastating blow to Lukashenka’s regime. If the majority of local councils upheld the protesters, Lukashenka’s administrative support would be greatly undermined. On 19 August, protests were crowned by a first such success. After a mass rally in Grodno the previous evening, the city administration released a statement where it fulfilled protesters’ demands.

Mass demonstration in Grodno city center on 18 August evening:

https://twitter.com/AlexKokcharov/status/1295848699134959618

Specifically, the Grodno municipality created the Council of Public Accord with representatives both from local authorities and civil society. The city was to allow events in the central squares. And as long as notification of public events was received in advance, medical, technical and communication support would be provided. Protesters would be allowed airtime on Grodno local TV. Most importantly, fulfilling two key demands, the Department of Internal Affairs of the Grodno Regional Executive Committee issued a public apology, and citizens detained for participating in so-called “unauthorized mass events” were released.

Musicians, museum workers, and sportsmen

As often happens, preceding even the early gatherings of protestors are actions by other sectors of society which can go unnoticed. Prior to the mass demonstrations that were broadcast around the world, artists, writers, and musicians, and other cultural and intellectual elites, were already in motion. Theaters, museums, sports teams, and many other non-political communities were organizing their own small rallies. An interesting feature of the Belarusian uprising has been that many unique sectors of society held their own rally, in addition to participating in the larger rallies. Important to note is that the majority of cultural institutions in Belarus are state-owned, making any form of protest almost certain to result in job loss — at the very least — and certainly high-risk.

One of these early protests saw exactly that consequence. The troupe of the Minsk’s oldest and grandest Kupalauski theater took part in anti-government rallies. As a reprisal, theater director Paval Latushka was fired. The entire troupe then resigned in solidarity and carried out a vigorous outburst near the theater. They attracted hundreds of supporters who joined them.

Actors of Kupalauski theater recording the video. Source: charter97.org

Latushka has directed what is the nation’s most prominent theatre since 2019. Earlier he served in Lukashenka’s government as ambassador to Poland, France and Spain, and as communications director for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His protest amounted not only to that of a cultural manager but also to that of a politician.

“In the life of every person there comes a line that cannot be crossed, says Latushka. That moment came for me when I saw people coming out of prisons, talking about the violence against them. I became ashamed. I considered it my moral duty to express my position.”

The Kupalauski troupe released a video, demanding fair elections and calling for police to serve the people rather than a dictator.

Performers of the Kupalauski theater continue their demonstration on 20 August. This time wearing Belarusian national costumes. Source: tut.by

Belarusians come to the Kupalauski theater to support actors. Source: Naviny.by

Other protests by members of the arts included the Musicians of the Belarusian State Philharmony and Ryhor Shirma State Choir. Some 200 musicians gathered in the square in front of the Belarusian State Philharmony to support the protesters. The assembly turned into a full-fledged concert.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBFyWosE_og %5B/embedyt%5D%5Bembedyt%5D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBFyWosE_og %5B/embedyt%5D

The Ryhor Shirma State Choir performing the spiritual anthem of the Belarusians Magutny Bozha (Powerful God). Source: Tut.by

The staff of Belarusian museums also came together in protest, and to commemorate a tragic loss. During demonstrations on 15 August, Konstantin Shishmakov, director of the Military History Museum in Volkovysk disappeared. Later, his family learned that he refused to sign the falsified protocol of the election commission. He called his wife in late afternoon and said: “I will not work here anymore, I am going home.” But he never came home. On 18 August, he was found dead. While police claim he committed suicide, museum colleagues believe this to be a lie.

Employees of the National Art Museum of Belarus and the National Historical Museum also gathered to express solidarity – this time with all Belarusians who disappeared before and after the elections.

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Belarusian sports heroes did not stand aside during these events. They have pledged to refuse representation of Belarus, if Lukashenka’s government continues its repression of citizens. More than 200 sports celebrities, including Olympic medal winners and world or European champions signed an open letter demanding the authorities to recognize the 9 August elections as invalid and to release all detained protesters as well as all Belarusian political prisoners. One of the nation’s champion handball players Artem Korolek commented about the events:

“I didn’t expect that it would happen that way, because everyone associates Belarus with calmness and order. Moreover, it all began peacefully … For me, this is horror. I could not believe what was happening, such cruel indifference to people who had not smashed a single storefront, nothing was on fire, everything went quietly. And yet more, already before the elections, I was shocked how in daylight some strange car arrives, and some strange athletic guys without uniform start taking people away. I thought we were living in 2020, not the 90s.”

Artem Korolek during the handball game. Source: tut.by

State media

During the height of the protests, on 14 August, journalists of the state media presented an appeal to the Minister of Information.

“The fact that many of our colleagues in the state media are resigning is not fake, not political technology, not a paid PR campaign. This is a call of conscience and the impossibility to calmly look at the ongoing violence. Choosing our profession, and not a place of work, we thought that we should be objective conductors of sometimes polar opinions,” the appeal says.

However, the appeal had little impact on the official media policy. For example, state channel STV broadcast a crude anti-Tsikhanovskaya propaganda clip with her image imposed on scenes of war and destruction.

A number of employees of state-run Belteleradio company announced a strike. At first, only 55 out of 1,500 employees participated in the demonstration. Later their numbers grew. As a consequence, a majority of the protesters were either dismissed or resigned themselves. On 20 August, former employees of Belteleradio, who quit, decided to launch an alternative TV-channel.

Lukashenka’s regime, however, does not consider strikes as enough of a threat to change media policy. Sources have reported that at least six fired technical workers were replaced by workers from Russia. Incentives included generous salaries of some US$2,500 (much more than that of fired employees) and other social benefits.

Demonstration of the employees of state-run Belteleradio. Source: Naviny.by

Along with Belteleradio employees, other state media also announced strikes or presented their demands to Lukashenka.

For example, the staff of the state newspaper Zvezda demanded to stop censorship and threatened to start a strike. They also demanded the publication of objective, truthful, and varied content in the newspaper; as well as an end to harassment, pressure, moral and physical violence against journalists performing their professional duties. However, the government’s answer showed that Lukashenka intends to fight to the very end. Zvezda’s editor-in-chief Pavel Sukhorukov was dismissed, and the Ministry of Information officials conducted telephone “conversations” with deputy editors-in-chief.

Belarusian doctors stay close to protesters

Belarusian doctors expressed their solidarity with protesters from the outset of demonstrations. They demanded a stop to repression and to allow doctors access to detained people who required help — especially those who had been beaten or otherwise injured. Doctors sent an open appeal to the Minister of Health Vladimir Karanik. The appeal was signed by more than 300 medical workers:

We, like most of our colleagues, have to look with pain and disappointment at what is happening now in the healthcare system. Numerous patients come with bullet wounds of various localization, including penetrating wounds; including damage of internal organs; mine and explosive injuries, including those with brain damage, traumatic amputations of limbs, extensive defects. This is not a complete list of what doctors have to deal with at the moment.

Doctors protesting in a solidarity chain. Source: tut.by

From the first day of protests, Belarusian doctors stayed close to protesters, offering medical and psychological help. Psychologists have been willing to work with Belarusians who suffered mentally during the protests. Dentists have offered to fix broken teeth. Traumatologists have worked around the clock to examine wounds and help with treatment. A list of volunteer doctors and private clinics was prepared and is regularly updated so that protesters can obtain any required help.

Workers of factories – the main force of the Belarusian protest

Workers rally in Minsk. Source: tut.by

Industrial workers have been, without a doubt, the main drivers of the Belarusian protest. Their clout has been especially powerful when taking into account that the country’s industrialized economy would severely suffer under mass strikes. According to belzabastovka.org — the online outlet providing updates on the Belarusian strike — more than 100 state enterprises have announced strikes. And there are not “some 20 people,” as Lukashenka said, but thousands are refusing to work until their demands for free elections are fulfilled.

As stated on belzabastovka.org more than 100 Belarusian factories in key industrial centers announced strikes.

[box]Among these companies are pillars of the Belarusian economy — such as the Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) with 15,000 employees and BelarusKali (Potash Fertilizers) with 16,000. Like other protestors nationwide, these workers are also demanding Lukashenka’s resignation and new fair elections. They have strategically chosen companies which will lend a direct blow to the Belarus economy that is highly dependent on them.[/box]

Reportedly, workers who supported the strike are being fired. MAZ is cancelling the contracts of those who joined the strike committee. Some workers are being intimidated and threatened with criminal persecution. Many workers do not believe they will compensated or in any way supported.

Nonetheless, to assist those who were unlawfully dismissed due to their political stance, Belarusians have created a Solidarity Fund. The fund has already collected €1 million from the donations of rdinary people. Everyone who is unlawfully dismissed can receive €1,500 — equal to three average monthly salaries.

Another similar initiative run by a private foundation, the social program known as Kali Laska, is helping prepare the children of unlawfully dismissed workers for the upcoming school term, hiring school staff, purchasing textbooks, funding sports equipment, and so on.

Some staff members of Belarusian Government and Ambassadors also support protests

[box] Although not yet in mass numbers, employees of various governmental bodies are also protesting against police violence and, even more importantly, advocating for Lukashenka’s removal. Every single protest by governmental officials in Belarus is important and inspiring to regular citizens. The government is entirely controlled by the president and is the main pillar of his power. Any hesitation among state officials means a major setback for Lukashenka. [/box]

Igor Leshchenya, Belarusian ambassador to Slovakia, was among the first government officials to oppose Lukashenka. On 15 August he resigned and posted a stinging video supporting protestors.

“Hundreds of my compatriots felt that staff of law enforcement agencies have restored the traditions of the NKVD in full scale at the European-tolerant Belarus of the 21st century … I express my solidarity with those who participated in peaceful rallies so that their voices can be heard,” said Leshchenya.

On 17 August, two senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a rally in front of the ministerial building. The head of the Historical and Archival Department, Viacheslav Kazachenok, and Deputy Head of the Eurasian Integration Department, Elena Kopaneva, were photographed holding blank sheets of paper to demonstrate they are ready to resign. At the same time, they acknowledged that they are all statesmen,” emphasizing that Belarusian state is not exclusively Lukashenka’s.

“Stay with the people, please stop the genocide. Free people from prison, give them medical aid,” Kazachenok urged riot police. He also addressed the president directly: “Why not keep your word and leave with a suitcase under your arm? You were separated from the people long ago and hopelessly.”

Viacheslav Kazachenok and Elena Kopaneva protest near Belarusian Ministry of Foreign affairs. Source: tut.by

On 18 August, Belarusian Ambassador to Spain Pavel Pustovoi posted a statement on Facebook where he demanded a vote recount the vote and prosecution for those who beat protesters, as well as those who provoked violence.

Also on 18 August, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Belarusian Consul General Igor Bondarev and the Consul Vitaly Kniazev supported a joint address of Belarusian diaspora representatives that was point-blank directed at Lukashenka in which they demanded a stop to violence against peaceful protesters.

Ministry of Internal Affairs says it’s not a ‘regime’ but part of society

The Ministry of Internal Affairs that controls the police and is the key ministry for Lukashenka’s hold onto his dictatorial regime also released a statement on 18 August. Although not a statement of support for protesters, surprisingly it also expresses loyalty, and encourages all concerned to seek understanding between protesters and police rather than to condemn demonstrations. The statement begins: “Sharing concern about the future of the country and people, without condemning the aspirations of compatriots for positive and peaceful changes,” and was published by the press secretary of the ministry. The ministry seems to recognize its responsibility and wrongdoing for excessive violence of some police units, but at the same time emphasizes that the majority of police officers serve only to protect people and are not offenders.

“A misleading attitude is being formed: to be a law enforcement officer is a shame and bad, – reads the statement. All police officers are demonized without exception. [Some activists and politicians] expect from us a pathetic refusal from certificates, joining the columns of protesters …”

Most of the remaining police wear uniforms in order to serve society and the state. And people who call on ‘honest policemen’ to throw out this form do not give answers to simple and logical questions … If all the police quit, who will defend Belarusians who remain at home while the other part of them expresses their opinion on the streets? … We are not a ‘regime,’ we are a part of society! Right now, we are obliged to serve in our places as never before.’

Along with some police officers, a number of soldiers of the Belarusian army joined protests, undermining Lukashenka’s military support. In particular, 30 paratroopers — considered to be elite troops — participated in city rallies, wearing their uniform t-shirts. Several protesters met them with applause.

Paratroopers protesting in Minsk. Source: charter97.org

Paratroopers also came to the streets of Grodno. Source: RFE/RL

Despite the widespread support of protests, Lukashenka has no intention of resigning. He continues to organize rallies in his support, by mobilizing state workers, the army, and arms of the government. As far as the increasing support of protestors by NATO countries, Lukashenko claims they are interfering in Belarusian affairs and spurring revolution.

From ambassadors to sports heroes – Belarusian protests encompass all social groups What started as random gatherings in support of Opposition presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanovskaya, as well as the first demonstrations of Women in White, quickly evolved into a country-wide Belarusian protest against the obviously rigged elections of 9 August 2020.

#Belarus

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worldfootprints · 6 years ago

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Farfetched as it may seem, the tiny Malaysian mountain town of Kundasang is sometimes compared to the pastoral villages in the Alps. Situated in the northern part of the island of Borneo, Kundasang is nestled in a rugged landscape that has spectacular scenic vistas like in Switzerland, but it’s unlike anywhere I’ve been in Europe, or Southeast Asia for that matter.

Wooden Malay houses nestle between farms, plantations, and undulating hills, set against the backdrop of Mount Kinabalu’s jagged terrain. A floral wonderland of delicate pine trees stretches in every direction, as Friesian cows graze in the distance. The beckoning chants of the Islamic call for prayer mingle in the village air, which boasts a number of Catholic Churches as well. Farm field of cabbages, carrots, leeks and tomatoes surround the town.

Traveling to Kundasang by car means snaking through forested mountains for two hours from Kota Kinabalu, the capital of the Malaysian section of Borneo. Borneo, an Asian island, is politically divided with Brunei and Indonesia also claiming a portion of the island as their territory.

Courtesy of WikiMedia

A View of Mount Kinabalu

When I traveled there in December 2018, my friend and I stayed at a quaint guesthouse called Amazing Grace Lodge. Perched on top of a hill amid the clouds, the recently-built guesthouse overlooks the Kundasang valley, while Mount Kinabalu looms ahead. It’s run by Jerry, an architect by training from Kota Kinabalu, who has a small tour company on the side. There are few Western travelers in this part of Borneo and my friend and I were the only guests when we arrived making the lodge both peaceful and eerie.

From my window, I watched Mount Kinabalu each morning, as its granite peaks poked through wisps of mist. The mountain has a powerful presence, physically and culturally, even from afar. Steeped in myths and legends, it plays a pivotal role in the ancient pagan traditions of the local indigenous groups. ‘Kinabalu’ is derived from the Kadazan word, ‘Aki Nabalu,’ meaning ‘revered place of the dead.’ Many local people believe that this is where their ancestors’ souls reside before transcending to an afterlife. Each year, shamans from the Kadazan-Dusun tribe – the island’s native people – sacrifice chickens on the mountain as offerings to the spirits.

Given its proximity to the sacred mountain, Kundasang is a popular starting point for hikers embarking on their climbing adventure to the top, which unfolds over two days. Despite the dearth of foreigners, I had to forgo my Kinabalu trek, because trips are usually booked six months in advance. But wandering the picturesque village, it quickly became apparent that I wouldn’t be short of things to do and discover.

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Commemorating a Death March

One of the first places I stumbled upon was The Kundasang War Memorial in the town center. The region’s dark history makes it an intriguing spot for travelers interested in World War II. Kundasang lies in the district of Ranau, the final destination for the gut-wrenching 1942 death marches. After the fall of Singapore to the Japanese army, British, Indian and Australian troops were captured and shipped by Japanese soldiers to North Borneo to build an airfield. Thousands of men were ordered to trek a distance of 240 km from Sandakan to Ranau while carrying supplies, culminating in more than 2,500 deaths. The memorial commemorates these fallen prisoners of war with exquisite flower gardens: the wild plants from the region, the exotic blooms of Australia, and red roses reminiscent of England.

Miles away from the horrors of war, present-day Kundasang seems a haven of tolerance. Although, officially a secular country, Malaysia’s dominant religion is Islam. Yet, Christians and Muslims live peaceably alongside each other in this multi-cultural, multi-racial nation. Jerry, who is of Chinese descent, tells me that he was once an atheist – a “free-thinker,” as he calls it – until one day he realized how many miracles had transpired right before his eyes, including his mother’s recovery from a near-fatal illness. Now, he and his family are practicing Christians, with many Muslim friends and neighbors.

A Hike in a World Heritage Site

On our final day, Jerry dropped us off at Kinabalu National Park, a world heritage site set amongst the foothills of Mount Kinabulu. An hour’s drive from the Amazing Grace Lodge, the park is a melting pot of habitats, ranging from tropical lowlands to tropical montane to sub-alpine forests. Once inside, there’s plenty to see and do, including soaking in an open-air hot spring, known for its “healing” sulphuric waters, or channeling your inner Indiana Jones while crossing the jungle on a canopy walk made out of rope and wood planks.

We decided to venture to the top of the hiking trail within the park, where the photogenic Langanan Waterfall awaits like a glistening mirage. The path was narrow, yet, relatively easy to climb. We hopped over crooked logs and moss-covered rocks, pulling ourselves up by gnarled tree limbs at steeper parts. The vegetation grew more unusual as we ascended. The first waterfall we arrived at was Kipungit, where we bathed in the small stream as tiny fish nibbled at our feet. We mostly were alone, meeting only a handful of hikers along the way. Two hours of trekking later, heavy rain started to fall. We hadn’t yet reached the waterfall and the ground was becoming muddy and slippery, so, we decided to make our way back down.

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By the time we reached the carpark, dusk was settling around us and the last bus back to Kundasang had departed. A feeling of trepidation crept in as it dawned on me that besides us, the only people around were a Malaysian family getting into their car. Using our translation app, we asked them about transportation back to Kundasang and the middle-aged man and a grandmotherly lady wearing a headscarf gestured for us to join them and their two children. “Terima Kasih, thank you,” we repeated.

Kundasang turned out to be more than an idyllic town in the clouds suited to adventurers hoping to conquer Kinabalu. If ascending the highest peak in Borneo isn’t in the cards, there are myriad other reasons to explore this less-trodden part of Southeast Asia. Kundasang breathes its own rhythm, making it an ideal destination for jaded travelers seeking pockets of solitude and a deeper cultural experience. You’ll find unpretentious local eateries and market stalls laden with exotic fruits like durian, mata kucing, and purple mangosteen. You’ll marvel at untouched natural landscapes and hike through forests bursting with biodiversity. You’ll hear fascinating stories about Mount Kinabalu from locals and be impressed by their hospitality and kindness.

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Kundasang Sunday market. Photo: Ziba Redif

Kundasang fruit and vegetable market. Photo: Ziba Redif

There’s More to Kundasang, Borneo than Mount Kinabalu Farfetched as it may seem, the tiny Malaysian mountain town of Kundasang is sometimes compared to the pastoral villages in the Alps.

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yourhelpfulwendy · 6 years ago

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On Friday, October 12th, 2018, I had the opportunity to assist for the first time to a TEDx event and this time was in the city of Boca Raton in the Florida Atlantic University.

The x on TEDx means; independently organized TED events.

Because I live far I got late to the event and I missed two of the wonderful speakers they were there; Christina Nicholson, a former TV reporter and now the founder of her own business where she helps entrepreneurs reach out to thousands of customers. Also, I missed, Karthik Bala, a well-prepared entrepreneur with an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.

They didn’t let us inside the auditorium until the speaker finishes to not disturb.

Once I got in this impeccable auditorium, with comfortable seats, excellent sound system, and lighting, I sat in the first seat I found available and I started enjoying, what for me, will become a night to remember. Please check out the link below to learn more about this year’s speakers.

https://tedxbocaraton.com/speakers/

And now let me tell you a little bit of what some of the speakers talked about:

Bubli Dandiya Founder of Turtle River Montessori, dedicated educator of over 24 years.

She followed her cultural heritage. ” The world has changed drastically, but the classrooms are the sam

e”. At forty she decided to reinvent herself and become an entrepreneur creating a school. She believes that there are two kinds of people: You and Everyone else. When she opened the school, she had these visions: You are unique, Your value and You have an opinion, and they understand that you can fail. “Every child was born to be an innovator, Let’s encourage kids to do so”

Becky Woodbridge As she went through some unique moments in her life, she told us that words are how we build our belief system. You can change the interpretation of a word and use it for something positive instead of something negative. “We have the right to use our voice”

Geoff Haynes President of Ra Power Pro, a serial entrepreneur and product developer.

“Imagine if you could measure intuition?” He believes that we all have intuition and we can use this to produce new ideas.

Patricia R. Sigman, Esq 25 years practicing Employment Law, featured #1 “Best of the Bar” in Orlando’s Business Journal.

She told us that we need to be prepared to get fired in life and I was in shocked by this but then she explained that with good preparation, people that are fired can get back with their life. This happens to all, because of many reasons and you can not control that but you can control your preparations. She recommended having a copy of all your documents at home in case of getting fired.

After the Break, we got the privilege of listening to a wonderful percussion group; Stryke. It was amazing, fun, and so entertaining. I loved it.

Sree Koka Interim Chair of Restorative Dentistry at UCLA and a Clinical Professor in Advanced Prosthodontics at Loma Linda University.

His presentation was called: “Without Teeth” and he explained in how you can Renovate yourself in many ways. Value are our preferences, dreams, and aspirations. The cost to achieve these goals will be worth it, once your Values are set. It was amazing to see the transformation inside and out of one of his patients.

Dr. Lena Dobson President of ScandicNeuro Corp, dedicated to neuropsychology research on an international and domestic level.

Her phrase was: ” Poor information, leads to poor guidance”. As a doctor she was telling us all the stories of patients that without information can get lost in the medical field. She told us, how many of us go to Google to find out about a concern we have in our health, and unfortunately, this is not the best idea because sometimes, the information we get there, is the wrong one. “With good information, you will get good care”

Cece Espeut Professional photographer and advocate for civil rights restoration of former inmates.

Her way to Reinvented herself was outstanding, you should listen to her powerful speech. She told us that 4% of the people around us have been in prison and she was one of them. Then she decided to use her 4% chance opportunity to move forward and did not go to prison again. It felt amazing to listen to all her great experience and motivating stories on how she grew personally and professionally. Great Job, CECE!!!

John Racanelli CEO of the National Aquarium, over 25 years pursuing the mission to conserve the worlds aquatic treasures.

“Compassion makes you do it” this was what I took home from his beautiful story.

David Markert Leader, innovator, entrepreneur, engineer, and former instructor at TOPGUN.

An impressive speech filled with information on how technology has been reinvented.

Raichelle Aniceto MIT Space Telecommunications, Ph.D. Research on the development of optical communications systems is sponsored by Facebook Connectivity Lab.

An unbelievable lady, at a young age she has done so much and working to discover and create even more in the world of the internet. Here are some of the highlights of her presentation:

Internet could help countries to solve poverty

The huge challenge is a practical solution

It is almost impossible to get internet to these poor countries through cable.

Satellite in space is the solution: Free-space optical communication.

Laser Communication: this is an invisible light that will spread giving internet to this countries.

“It is a viable technology to connect the unconnected”

Roberto Rigobon Professor of Applied Economics at the Sloan School of Management, MIT.

Outstanding Presentation!!! Here are some of the highlights of his presentation:

As he said: “We measure probability bad”, we either underact or overact.

We need to take action and challenges. As we need to improve the measurements.

“Dare to dream carelessly !” When you find fulfillment in what you do, you succeed.

Kathryn Edmunds was this year’s host of the TEDx Boca Raton and her charisma and vibrant attitude made the whole crowd excited as we all enjoyed our evening.

I would like to Thank Mr. Erik Mintz, TEDx Boca Raton’s organizer who with his knowledge, network, and passion made this, a wonderful and successful event. I would also like to Thank all the Volunteers who worked so hard for long hours and days. You were all amazing, and I can’t wait to see you next year!

For more information about this event, please make sure to visit their website. https://tedxbocaraton.com/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpIXphBnrnQ/

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17883217321269553/

Sign up to my newsletters, I will keep you posted about events like this one, also you can follow me on social media and have the opportunity to participate in many of my giveaways, as you get all the information of what’s going on.Enjoy photos, happy moments, new findings, wonderful contests, discounts at big events and more. Check the link below:

https://linktr.ee/yourhelpfulfoodie

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El viernes 12 de octubre de 2018, tuve la oportunidad de asistir por primera vez a un evento TEDx y esta vez fue en la ciudad de Boca Raton en la Universidad Florida Atlantic.

La x en TEDx significa; Eventos TED organizados de forma independiente.

Como vivo lejos llegué tarde al evento y me perdi a dos de los maravillosos presentadores que estuvieron allí; Christina Nicholson, ex reportera de televisión y ahora fundadora de su propio negocio, donde ayuda a los empresarios a llegar a miles de clientes. También me perdi a Karthik Bala, un empresario bien preparado con un MBA del MIT Sloan School of Management.

No nos dejaron entrar al auditorio hasta que el orador terminara para no molestar. Una vez que entré en este impecable auditorio, con cómodos asientos, excelente sistema de sonido e iluminación, me senté en el primer puesto que encontré disponible y comencé a disfrutar, lo que para mí se convertirá en una noche para recordar.

Puedes chequear el siguiente enlace para obtener más información sobre los presentadores de este año.

https://tedxbocaraton.com/speakers/

Y ahora permítanme contarles un poco de lo que hablaron algunos de los oradores:

Bubli Dandiya

Fundadora de Turtle River Montessori, educadora dedicada de más de 24 años.

Ella siguió su herencia cultural. “El mundo ha cambiado drásticamente, pero las aulas son iguales”. A los cuarenta años decidió reinventarse y convertirse en empresaria creando una escuela. Ella cree que hay dos tipos de personas: Tú y Todos los demás. Cuando abrió la escuela, tuvo estas visiones: Eres único, tu valor y tu opinión, y ellos entienden que puedes fallar. “Todos los niños nacieron para ser innovadores. Animemos a los niños a que lo hagan”

Becky Woodbridge

Mientras atravesaba momentos dificiles en su vida, nos dijo que las palabras son la forma en que construimos nuestro sistema de creencias. Puede cambiar la interpretación de una palabra y usarla para algo positivo en lugar de algo negativo. “Tenemos derecho a usar nuestra voz”

Geoff Haynes

Presidente de Ra Power Pro.

Un emprendedor en serie y desarrollador de productos. “Imagina si pudieras medir la intuición?” Él cree que todos tenemos intuición y podemos usar esto para producir nuevas ideas.

Patricia R. Sigman,

Esq 25 años practicando la Ley de Empleo, fue la número 1 de “Best of the Bar” en el Business Journal de Orlando.

Ella nos dijo que debemos estar preparados para ser despedidos en la vida y esto me sorprendió, pero luego explicó que con una buena preparación, las personas despedidas pueden regresar con su vida normal. Esto les sucede a todos, por muchas razones y no lo puedes controlar, pero puedes controlar tus preparativos. Ella recomendó tener una copia de todos sus documentos en caso de ser despedidos.

Después de la pausa, tuvimos el privilegio de escuchar a un maravilloso grupo de percusión; Stryke. Fue increíble, divertido, y muy entretenido. Me encantó.

Sree Koka

Catedrático interino de odontología restauradora en UCLA y profesor clínico en Prostodoncia avanzada en la Universidad de Loma Linda.

Su presentación se llamó “Sin dientes” y él explicó cómo puedes renovarte de muchas maneras. El valor son nuestras preferencias, sueños y aspiraciones. El costo para alcanzar estos objetivos valdrá la pena, una vez que se establezcan tus valores.

Fue increíble ver la transformación dentro y fuera de uno de sus pacientes.

Dra. Lena Dobson

Presidente de ScandicNeuro Corp, dedicada a la investigación neuropsicológica a nivel internacional y nacional.

Su frase era: “La información deficiente, conduce a una orientación deficiente”. Como doctora, nos contaba todas las historias de pacientes que, sin información, pueden perderse en el campo médico. Ella nos dijo, aue cuántos de nosotros vamos a Google para averiguar sobre una preocupación que tenemos en nuestra salud, desafortunadamente, esta no es la mejor idea porque a veces, la información que obtenemos es incorrecta. “Con buena información, obtendrás buena atención”

Cece Espeut

Fotógrafa profesional y defensora de la restauración de los derechos civiles de ex reclusos.

Su camino a Reinventarse fue sobresaliente, debes escuchar su poderoso discurso. Ella nos dijo que el 4% de las personas que nos rodean han estado en prisión y ella era una de ellas. Luego decidió usar su oportunidad de 4% para avanzar y no ha regresado a la cárcel.

Se sintió increíble escuchar toda su gran experiencia e historias motivadoras sobre cómo creció personal y profesionalmente. Gran trabajo, CECE !!!

John Racanelli

CEO del National Aquarium, con más de 25 años de experiencia en la misión de conservar los tesoros acuáticos del mundo.

“La compasión te hace hacerlo” esto fue lo que me llevé a casa de su hermosa historia.

David Markert

Líder, innovador, empresario, ingeniero y ex instructor en TOPGUN.

Un impresionante discurso lleno de información sobre cómo se ha reinventado la tecnología.

Raichelle Aniceto

MIT Space Telecommunications, Ph.D. La investigación sobre el desarrollo de sistemas de comunicaciones ópticas está patrocinada por el laboratorio de conectividad de Facebook.

Una muchacha increíble, desde muy joven ha hecho mucho y ha trabajado para descubrir y crear aún más en el mundo de Internet. Éstos son algunos de los aspectos más destacados de su presentación:

Internet podría ayudar a los países a resolver la pobreza.

El gran reto es una solución práctica.

Es casi imposible llevar internet a estos países pobres a través del cable.

Satélite en el espacio es la solución: comunicación óptica en el espacio libre.

Comunicación láser: se trata de una luz invisible que se propagará dando internet a estos países.

“Es una tecnología viable para conectar lo desconectado”.

Roberto Rigobon

Profesor de Economía Aplicada en la Sloan School of Management, MIT.

Su presentación fue excepcional!

Éstos son algunos de los aspectos más importantess de lo compartido:

Como él dijo: “Medimos la probabilidad mal”, subestimamos o sobrestimamos.

Tenemos que tomar medidas y desafíos.

Tenemos que mejorar las medidas.

Cuando encuentras satisfacción en lo que haces, tienes éxito. “¡Atrévete a soñar despreocupadamente!”

Kathryn Edmunds fue la presentadora de este año del TEDx Boca Raton y su carisma y actitud vibrante hicieron que toda la multitud se emocionara mientras todos disfrutábamos nuestra noche.

Me gustaría agradecer al Sr. Erik Mintz, organizador de TEDx Boca Raton, quien con su conocimiento, sus conecciones y su pasión hicieron de este un evento maravilloso y exitoso.

También me gustaría agradecer a todos los voluntarios que trabajaron tan duro durante largas horas y días. Estuviron increíble, y no puedo esperar a verlos el año que viene!

Para obtener más información sobre este evento, asegúrese de visitar su sitio web.

https://tedxbocaraton.com

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpIXphBnrnQ/ https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17883217321269553/

Regístrate en mi website para recibir los boletines. Los mantendré informados sobre eventos como este, también puedes seguirme en las redes sociales y tener la oportunidad de participar en muchos de mis concursos, mientras obtienes toda la información de lo que está sucediendo. Disfruta de fotos, momentos felices, nuevos hallazgos, maravillosos concursos, descuentos en grandes eventos y mas. Chequea el siguiente enlace:

https://linktr.ee/yourhelpfulfoodie

TEDx Boca Raton 2018 Reinventing Yourself On Friday, October 12th, 2018, I had the opportunity to assist for the first time to a TEDx event and this time was in the city of Boca Raton in the Florida Atlantic University.

#bocaraton #fau #tedx #tedxbocaraton #tedxbocaraton2018

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isaiah4031kjv · 6 years ago

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In his novels The Trial and The Castle, Franz Kafka (1883-1924) portrays life as a dehumanizing existence that turns people into a sea of empty faces without identity or worth. Kafka said, “the conveyer belt of life carries you on, no one knows where. One is more of an object, a thing, than a living creative.”

Early in His ministry, Jesus went to a synagogue in Nazareth, stood up in front of the crowd, and read from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).

Then Christ sat down and declared, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (v. 21). Centuries earlier, the prophet Isaiah had proclaimed these words (Isaiah 61:1-2). Now Jesus announced that He was the fulfillment of that promise.

Notice who Jesus came to rescue – the poor, broken-hearted, captive, blind, and oppressed. He came for people dehumanized by sin and suffering, by brokenness and sorrow. He came for us! – Bill Crowder

For those who sin and those who suffer. For those who suffer because of sin. For those who sin to alleviate suffering. Lord, have mercy on us. – Robert Gelinas, The Mercy Prayer

No matter how impersonal the world may seem, Jesus loves each of us as if we were His only child.

January 31, Vol. 24, Our Daily Bread

He Came for You (Luke 4:18) In his novels The Trial and The Castle, Franz Kafka (1883-1924) portrays life as a dehumanizing existence that turns people into a sea of empty faces without identity or worth.

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frontstreet1 · 7 years ago

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TORNILLO, Texas — The Trump administration announced in June it would open a temporary shelter for up to 360 migrant children in this isolated corner of the Texas desert. Less than six months later, the facility has expanded into a detention camp holding thousands of teenagers — and it shows every sign of becoming more permanent.

By Tuesday, 2,324 largely Central American boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 17 were sleeping inside the highly guarded facility in rows of bunk beds in canvas tents, some of which once housed first responders to Hurricane Harvey. More than 1,300 teens have arrived since the end of October alone.

Rising from the cotton fields and dusty roads not far from the dark fence marking the border between the U.S. and Mexico, the camp has rows of beige tents and golf carts that ferry staffers carrying walkie-talkies. Teens with identical haircuts and wearing government-issued shirts and pants can be seen walking single file from tent to tent, flanked by staff at the front and back.

More people are detained in Tornillo’s tent city than in all but one of the nation’s 204 federal prisons, yet construction continues.

A temporary, emergency detention camp that opened in the Texas desert in June for an overflow of migrant children shows no signs of closing. There are now more than 2,300 teens being held inside the tent city, some have been there for months. (Nov. 27)

The camp’s population may grow even more if migrants in the caravans castigated by President Donald Trump enter the U.S. Federal officials have said they may fly teens from the caravans who arrive in San Diego directly to El Paso, then bus them to Tornillo, according to a nonprofit social service provider who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to publicly discuss the matter.

An Associated Press investigation has found that the camp’s rapid growth has created serious problems, including:

— None of the 2,100 staff are going through rigorous FBI fingerprint background checks, according to a government watchdog memo obtained exclusively by the AP. “Instead, Tornillo is using checks conducted by a private contractor that has access to less comprehensive data, thereby heightening the risk that an individual with a criminal history could have direct access to children,” the memo says.

— Costs appear to be soaring more than 50 percent higher than the government has disclosed. What began as an emergency, 30-day shelter has transformed into a vast tent city that could cost taxpayers more than $430 million.

— The government is allowing the nonprofit running the facility to sidestep mental health care requirements. Under federal policy, migrant youth shelters generally must have one mental health clinician for every 12 kids, but shelter officials have indicated that Tornillo can staff just one clinician for every 100 children, according to two immigration rights advocates who spoke with the AP.

— Federal plans to close Tornillo by New Years’ Eve will be nearly impossible to meet. There aren’t 2,300 extra beds in other facilities, and a contract obtained by AP shows the project could continue into 2020. Planned closures have already been extended three times since this summer.

The teens at Tornillo were not separated from their families at the border this summer, but they’re held there because federal immigration policies have resulted in the detention of a record 14,000 migrant children, filling shelter beds around the country to capacity. Almost all came on their own from Central America hoping to join family members in the United States.

Some children have been detained there since the tent camp opened in June. As the population inside the tall wire fences swells, and as some children stay there longer, the young detainees’ anguish has deepened.

“The few times they let me call my mom I would tell her that one day I would be free, but really I felt like I would be there for the rest of my life,” a 17-year-old from Honduras who was held at Tornillo earlier this year told AP. “I feel so bad for the kids who are still there. What if they have to spend Christmas there? They need a hug, and nobody is allowed to hug there.”

After his family passed extensive background checks, the teen was recently released to them, but said he still has nightmares he’s back inside. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal from immigration authorities.

Confining and caring for so many children is a challenge. By day, minders walk the teen detainees to their meals, showers and recreation on the arid plot of land guarded by multiple levels of security. At night the area around the camp, that’s grown from a few dozen to more than 150 tents, is secured and lit up by flood lights.

The nonprofit social service agency contracted to run Tornillo says it is proud of its work. It says it is operating the facility with the same precision and care used for shelters put up after natural disasters.

“We don’t have anything to hide. This is an exceptionally run operation,” said Krista Piferrer, a spokeswoman for BCFS Health and Human Services, a faith-based organization that runs Tornillo. “This isn’t our first rodeo.”

She said they have no guidance from the Trump administration regarding what will happen after Dec. 31.

A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Mark Weber, said no decisions have been made about whether Tornillo will close by year’s end as scheduled.

“Whatever it is we decide to do, in the very near future, we’ll do a public notice about that,” he said.

NO FINGERPRINTS

In June, as detention centers for migrant children overflowed, Scott Lloyd, director of HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement, signed a memo granting a waiver to staff up Tornillo without the required child abuse and neglect checks, which raise a red flag about any potential employee who has a record of hurting a child. There were two reasons for the waiver, according to the inspector general: first, there was pressure to move quickly to open the detention camp, and second, Lloyd’s agency assumed Tornillo staff had already undergone FBI fingerprint checks. They had not.

Help-wanted postings quickly popped up, seeking case managers for $15 an hour, youth care workers for $11.27 per hour. And many signed up, eager to work the 12-hour shifts in the hot sun to bring the extra money home.

Two days after Lloyd waived the safety checks, the tent city opened. Lloyd, under fire for his handling of the migrant crisis, was transferred out of the refugee resettlement branch and to a different division of HHS last week. Weber did not immediately respond to questions as to why the department waived background checks, and referred inquiries to the inspector general.

Three service providers who were brought on to work in the camp in recent months also told AP they were not fingerprinted, including one who started work there just two weeks ago.

Failing to properly check staffers’ backgrounds “can lead to potential abuse and neglect of these kids,” according to Dr. Colleen Kraft, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“We already know these settings are traumatizing for teenagers,” Kraft added.

Since the facility opened, BCFS has been checking job candidates’ national and local criminal histories and doing multi-state sex offender registry checks, Piferrer said.

“Those are pretty comprehensive,” she added. “Standing up the site, it’s no easy feat, but we know what right looks like.”

BCFS has filed more than 30 reports on “significant incidents” at Tornillo since June, some involving interactions between the children and staff, but none of a sexual nature, Pifferer said. Weber did not immediately respond to questions seeking comment Tuesday.

FBI fingerprint background checks can be completed in a few minutes and reveal much more information about job candidates than checks that simply run a person’s name against criminal history databases, said Jeffrey Harp, a retired FBI assistant special agent in charge.

“How do you know the person is who they say they are unless you do a fingerprint check? They can’t lie about their fingerprints, but they can lie about their name or take on someone else’s identity who has a crystal clean record,” Harp told AP. “More and more employers are finding out they have an employee who is problematic only after the fact, and that’s because their employment screening isn’t really comprehensive.”

‘NOBODY KNOWS’

More than 50 years of research show institutionalizing young people is traumatizing, with harmful impacts on their psyche and life trajectories, prompting policymakers to seek alternatives to locking up children, said Naomi Smoot, executive director of the nonprofit Coalition for Juvenile Justice.

“Hearing that more than 2,000 kids are in any kind of detention facility is alarming to me,” she said. “That’s not where kids should be around the holidays, in particular when they haven’t broken the law.”

Most of the children locked inside Tornillo are never charged with a crime; crossing illegally into the U.S. is a civil offense. By law, migrant children traveling alone into the U.S. must be sent to a government shelter where they stay until they can be united with relatives or other sponsors while awaiting immigration court hearings. Migrant children’s time in government custody has grown longer this year, in part due to the Trump administration’s new requirements for deep background checks on sponsors who agree to take in young immigrants.

Tornillo currently has 3,800 beds for the teens, with 1,400 of those on reserve.

Annunciation House director Ruben Garcia, whose El Paso nonprofit works with recent immigrants, said Tornillo is far more secretive than other government shelters, where he and his staff are routinely allowed inside. At Tornillo workers must sign non-disclosure agreements and visitors are rarely allowed.

“What’s happening inside? Nobody knows. They cannot speak about what they see,” he said. “We’ve been doing this work for 20 years and we’ve never seen anything like this.”

BCFS says the shelter at Tornillo has actually had more media, elected officials, advocacy organizations, child welfare experts and attorneys tour the site than any other ORR operation. The nonprofit said confidentiality agreements are standard, to protect the privacy and rights of clients and those served.

‘COUNTING THE DAYS’

In June, as migrant child detention centers overflowed, HHS announced it was opening a tent city at Tornillo, with the idea that most kids would only stay a few days. But within the week there was talk of making a detention camp 10 times as big.

Because the detention camp is on federal property — part of a large U.S. Customs and Border facility — it is not subject to state licensing requirements.

BCFS runs Tornillo as it operates evacuation centers for hurricanes: There’s food, first aid, activities and rows of bunk beds, but no normal-life activities for stressed-out teens, like formal school, therapy or unsupervised stretches.

Federal officials have said repeatedly that only children without special needs were being sent to Tornillo. But facility administrators recently acknowledged that the Tornillo detainees included children with serious mental health issues who needed to be transferred to facilities in El Paso in the coming days, according to a person with knowledge of the discussion, who spoke on a condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk publicly about them.

The inspector general said staffing ratios were “dangerously low” for a population that has experienced significant trauma.

“The disproportionately high number of children to clinicians is especially worrisome in light of the continued increase in the number of children and length of stay at Tornillo,” the memo said.

BCFS said the current ratio of clinicians to children is 1 to 50, and that each child sees a mental health specialist every day.

“When a child is found to have a mental health need that cannot be best provided for at Tornillo, a request is made to HHS to transfer the child to a more appropriate facility,” Piferrer said.

Dr. Ryan Matlow, a Stanford clinical psychologist whose work addresses the impact of early life stress, recently interviewed teens at Tornillo. He questions the facility’s capacity to identify kids with special mental health needs given the large number of children and their tendency to suppress emotional distress in order to cope.

“The kids are able to get by in there, but the more time they spend in these sorts of facilities, the greater the consequences, especially when it comes to their emotional and psychological well-being,” Matlow said. “It’s a dangerous and harmful system for kids to be caught in.”

Nonprofit Hope Border Institute advocacy director Camilo Perez-Bustillo and Kristen Torres, who heads the child welfare and immigration division of the nonprofit group First Focus, said they were concerned when Tornillo officials told them they could staff one mental-health clinician per 100 kids.

Perez-Bustillo, who served as a Spanish-language interpreter at the camp earlier this month, said most of the two dozen children he met showed signs of depression and anxiety over when, or whether, they would be released. About two-thirds are boys, and half of the teens are Guatemalan. There are no on-site interpreters for teens of indigenous origin who speak Spanish as a second language.

“They are all counting the days they are inside the way prisoners do,” Perez-Bustillo said. “Many of the kids have the sense of being suspended, and anxiousness about how much longer they will be held there.”

Dr. Elizabeth Carll, a teen and trauma specialist who heads the American Psychological Association’s Refugee Mental Health resource network, said institutionalizing so many teens in a geographically remote place makes it harder to recruit qualified clinicians.

“You have to find people who are licensed, who are experts in trauma, who speak Spanish and have worked with teens,” she said. “Where would you find all these qualified professionals?”

Making things worse, Carll said migrant youth are likely to have higher emotional needs after going through hardship, enduring the journey north and being held in detention. They would do better if placed with trained, bilingual foster families, she said.

One shy 16-year-old from Honduras held at Tornillo told an AP reporter as she awaited her immigration court hearing that she was worried that it was taking so long to reunite her with family in Pennsylvania.

“I’m getting tired of waiting because I’ve been there three months,” said the girl, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution by staffers who were monitoring her and other Tornillo detainees. “I’m trying to keep the faith that I will be liberated soon.”

$1,200 PER NIGHT

For each night each child spends at Tornillo, taxpayers spend up to $1,200 to pay care workers, cooks, cleaners, teachers and emergency services workers, according to information staff at two congressional offices said they were provided on a recent visit. That’s well above the $775 officials have publicly disclosed, and close to five times more than a typical youth migrant shelter. The most expensive hotel room in El Paso is about $200 a night.

BCFS did not dispute the cost, but said on average, actual costs are closer to $750 a day, which would bring current operations to more than $12 million a week.

The costs at Tornillo are so high because everything — water, sewage, food, staff and detainees — must be trucked in and out of the remote site. Every few hours, two teams fill up 2,000-gallon tanks of water from a hydrant outside the facility, then drive them back through the fences. Each day, 35,000 gallons of diesel are trucked in as well, to run massive generators that power air conditioners in blazing hot summers and heaters on frigid winter nights.

The teens can play soccer during closely watched recreation periods. They are given yarn to pass the time making brightly colored bracelets and scarves. There aren’t regular classes, but teens have textbooks and workbooks.

Piferrer said BCFS was not charging the government for the tents, fire trucks and ambulance on site.

“We are not going to charge for resources that we already own,” she said. “Everything that is being provided has been directed by the federal government to be provided.”

Scant details about how those funds are spent motivated New York-based software developer Josh Rubin to set up residence in an RV just outside the gates, where he keeps vigil on the vehicles going in and out. In recent weeks, he said, he has spotted new trends: construction trucks moving equipment in to build another tent, a vehicle carrying heaters, more buses with tinted windows taking children to immigration court.

Staffers are transported to the camp from motels near the El Paso airport, where the tour buses take pains to park on side roads, far from view. On a recent evening outside the Hawthorn Suites hotel, Tornillo workers filed off to bed in the darkness, many talking of feeling sick or exhausted.

Twice a day, the desolate stretch of highway outside Tornillo comes alive as more than a dozen tour buses pull up. Bells sound, lights flash. Workers walk in two by two, wearing khaki pants, neon jackets and backpacks, some wrapped in scarves against the cool desert air.

Many days, Rubin is there alone, holding up a sign saying “Free Them” at the entrance. Sometimes a train rumbles by, or cotton drifts in the wind. Black birds fly in geometric patterns in the sky above.

Protests began at Tornillo almost as soon as it opened. State and federal elected officials joined local activists and Hollywood stars deriding the Trump administration’s immigration policies. But public attention turned elsewhere, and now demonstrations are rare.

On a recent afternoon, a group of about 60 activists including rabbis from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and students from a local Catholic girls’ school assembled to pray for the teens’ release and sang a throaty version of “Let My People Go.”

After a Department of Homeland Security official blocked them, the group ventured through a fence onto a private dirt road behind the facility. A group of teen boys could be seen across marshland, and a hole in the wire fence had been visibly patched.

“You are not alone!” the activists cried out in Spanish to the youth being led between tents. Some of the teens waved back. One protester wiped away a tear as another banged on a plastic drum, calling out, “We love you! We miss you!”

Dalila Reynoso-Gonzalez, a program director for the Methodist immigration advocacy group Justice for our Neighbors of East Texas, said she was moved to demonstrate at Tornillo after helping an immigrant father reunite with his son held there. The boy told her stories of a stark and lonely place and spoke of isolation, fear, disorientation.

He still has a foil blanket issued to him when he first was taken into custody, she said.

“It’s really heavy on my heart,” said Reynoso-Gonzalez. “How did we get to this place, why do we have so many children out there?”

By GARANCE BURKE AND MARTHA MENDOZA – Nov 27. 2018 – 3:07 PM EDT

U.S. Waived FBI Checks On Staff At Growing Teen Migrant Camp TORNILLO, Texas — The Trump administration announced in June it would open a temporary shelter for up to 360 migrant children in this isolated corner of the Texas desert.

#2324 Central American #Boys & Girls #Teen Migrant Camp #Trump Administration

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stopsubstanceabuse1-blog · 7 years ago

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operationrainfall · 5 years ago

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Title The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics Developer BonusXP Publisher En Masse Entertainment Release Date February 4th, 2020 Genre Tactics, SRPG Platform PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One Age Rating E for Everyone 10+ – Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence Official Website

In some ways, it’s very surprising that I was the one that ended up reviewing The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics. After all, I am not super familiar with Henson’s original series, nor have I yet seen the new Netflix saga. What I am familiar with, however, are tactical RPGs, most notably the one that got me into the genre, Final Fantasy Tactics. After demoing The Dark Crystal: AoRT at PAX West, I immediately noticed the similarities between that game and FF Tactics. And I mean that as a compliment, not as a dig. It’s clear BonusXP took inspiration from that classic title, while still implementing their own unique style and features. The question then is this: even though I’m not a giant Dark Crystal fan, was I able to fully enjoy Age of Resistance Tactics?

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The story for The Dark Crystal: AoRT is told through well animated comic book cutscenes that expand as you watch, with new images and dialogue appearing every few seconds. I appreciated this technique, since it gave the game a storybook vibe, and even reminded me a bit of The Hobbit (the cartoon, not Jackson’s epic saga). You watch from the viewpoint of an omniscient entity called the Aughra, who can apparently see the past, present and future. There’s a celestial event called the Darkening that is making wild creatures act violently, and during this the Skeksis are implementing some sinister plans. It’s all pretty ambitious in scope, but in execution I found the story a bit hard to follow. Not because it was necessarily poorly written, mind you, but because so many disparate threads are woven together without one sole hero to focus on. By the time I beat AoRT, I had about 15 characters in my party, and each and every one had relevant stories that didn’t necessarily contribute significantly to the greater whole. As such, it was hard to always feel emotionally connected to the tale, though there were some highlights nevertheless, such as when one character returns as an avatar of mind controlling Arathim, or when the Aughra sacrifices herself to save some Gelflings. I really did enjoy moments that occurred, and my primary issues were the lack of overall story coherence and how fast the animated cutscenes moved. Sometimes they transitioned so quickly I lost details, which also made it hard to take screenshots at opportune times.

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Though the story left me somewhat perplexed, thankfully the combat was much tighter. You pick from a party of three to five for missions, and place them on the field of battle. Once placed, battle begins, and you go about achieving specific objectives. Often these involve defeating all your foes, but you’ll also need to sometimes move your party to a certain point on the map, hit levers, rescue prisoners, read sand glyphs and much more. There’s sufficient variety that I never got bored, though there are also some quirks of missions I found irritating. One map has something called Nurloc holes, from which giant worm creatures will continuously rise from until they’re stoppered by rocks or your teammates. There are others that involve rising tides which will instantly drown anybody unlucky enough to get caught underneath them. Or take the recurring boss the Chamberlain, who can just take over your teammates after he’s confused them. Another frustrating map had me fighting enslaved Podlings and a devious Skeksis scientist, who poisoned the ground and then suddenly upgraded himself when he was on the cusp of defeat, gaining a powerful chain lightning attack that almost wiped me out. These are only some of the more annoying examples, and besides these, I felt the missions were mostly fair for one reason: you have a wealth of customization options at your beck and call, and the combat itself is very intuitive.

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Each character in the game can learn from various jobs, and you can even equip skills from both primary and secondary jobs. Any job can be qualified as either, but there’s some provisos. Jobs are determined by the race of the character, and though most are Gelflings, there’s others like Podlings. Gelflings have complex and interwoven job trees, and you initially have several Tier One jobs you can pick from. By leveling up to a certain point, you can go for Tier Two jobs, and then by leveling up a couple of those, you’ll gain access to the coveted Tier Three jobs. I liked this approach, though there was one complication. You only gain experience for whichever job you currently have set as primary, meaning it can take forever to level up your jobs and learn all your skills. It also means you’ll be shuffling between primary and secondary jobs to get them fully leveled and changing equipment accordingly. Also, only characters you use in battle gain experience, and once you have more than five party members, that makes it quite easy for most of them to get left behind and under-leveled. Once I realized this, I figured out which team I wanted to focus on, and ignored everybody else. Which is a shame, since it meant I didn’t get to utilize all the special clan abilities. These are passive boosts, such as characters of one clan being immune to poison or another gaining more advantage from equipment. There’s some good diversity there, but given that the structure of the game forces you to only use a few of your party members, I didn’t find clan abilities to be all that relevant.

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That said, I did like the diversity of jobs that could be learned. You could go the more aggro route and make a Thief or Paladin, or go the arcane route and make a Mender or Bramble Sage. The Tier Three jobs are the most powerful, and have some devastating skills, though I found it curious none of these were a sufficiently tanky variety. Pretty much all three of the available Tier Three jobs were very physically fragile despite their strength, and could be taken down with a few solid hits. An example is the Grave Dancer class, which is able to inflict multiple statuses and gets some great passive skills, but can be wiped out if hit hard enough. This made me a fan of the races that didn’t have Tier Three jobs, such as Podlings. Instead of a branching job tree, they have a circular one, meaning you can only pick from a variety of Tier One jobs, though I admit that made leveling them up easier. By far my favorite of the Podlings was Hup, who you get early on. It’s hard not to love someone who screams huzzah and attacks foes with a wooden utensil, especially when he can become a monster summoner, able to call upon a friendly Nurloc to even the odds.

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Once you have learned skills by leveling up, you can select which ones to take into combat. You are allowed to pick three primary and two secondary skills, and can select them from a handy action wheel. I found this pretty intuitive, and was battling without any confusion. I especially liked how you could always restart your character’s turn, making it so I never made any tactical errors that I couldn’t turn back the clock on. What I liked less was you could only navigate the command wheel with the joystick, and not the directional buttons. This was odd, since you can use the directional buttons in other menus in The Dark Crystal: AoRT. It’s a minor quibble, but I still found it noteworthy. Another more serious issue relates to the skills I mentioned earlier. Yes you can take five into battle at any time, but here’s the catch: passive skills take up the same slot as active ones, meaning you’ll often only have a couple of abilities and several passive at times. I really found this to be a misstep, and wish passive skills were relegated to their own slot. I would have much preferred being able to have five active skills and one passive than this format. Part of the reason I feel this way is how many two-part skills the game uses. You’ll often have to afflict a foe with a certain status such as Marking them or Spicing them before you can use another skill against them the next turn. That means you’d have to use one of your active slots for the affliction skill and the others for special attacks. To be fair, you will eventually get some passive abilities that help, such as one that inflicts Mark just when dealing regular damage, but many of these take a long time and tons of effort to acquire. I don’t like harping about these issues, since I really did enjoy the combat the most in the game, but I also feel it’s necessary to illustrate the inconsistent nature of the game.

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I did find the combat streamlined and fun for the most part, other than some frustrating boss fights. I especially liked being able to move the camera around freely, spinning the focus and zooming when needed. Once the game introduces the Encounter missions, which are basically just free battles to grind for experience on, the whole experience got much better. The game does start slow, but it speeds up after that point. However, much like everything else, balance was a bit wonky in combat. I’d be leveled up and kicking ass one battle, then crushed on the next, even with higher tier jobs and equipment. This especially was the case in missions where I had to get to a certain point on the map, and more enemies would keep spawning after I defeated them. And the bosses I mentioned earlier, which are all Skeksis bastards, are all pains. The Chamberlain likes to confuse and bewitch your party members and empower his allies, the Hunter is ruthless and powerful, leaping about and slashing you to ribbons, and the others don’t get any easier. Worst of all, you never get the satisfaction of actually defeating the bosses fully til the very end of the game, since they always flee right before you’re able to take them out.

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Visually, The Dark Crystal: AoRT looks like an attractive PS2 game. It’s far from ugly, but it’s also not super easy to tell one character from another on maps, other than the blue halo for allies and red for foes. Frankly most creatures of the same species look almost identical on the map. That said, the menus were functional and organized, and I really did like the comic book cutscenes peppered throughout the game. Musically, the game isn’t bad, and has a quasi Middle Eastern vibe to it, sounding like most fights took place in a bazaar from Aladdin or something similar. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of diversity to the music, and it kind of got relegated to the background most of the time. Overall though, the aesthetic design of the game was minimalistic but inoffensive.

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I hate mentioning other quirks, but I also feel obligated to touch on issues I encountered. Thankfully none of these were bugs or glitches, but they were instead odd design choices. For one thing, it’s odd you cannot sell weapons, armor or trinkets, or even scrap them for parts. There’s also no disposable healing or attack items at all in the entire game. That means if you want to heal or revive someone, you can’t buy a Phoenix Down, and are entirely reliant on your magical healing. It’s also more than a bit awkward that some status effects don’t indicate their effect til they’re active, like Spiced for Cooks. Other statuses are entirely overpowered, such as Stun, which can be inflicted again and again, taking away all your turns in dire situations, yet Blind barely works, as 90 percent of the time blinded foes can not only hit you, but critical you. Also, despite liking the job system, I don’t feel there was enough differentiation between the jobs. And lastly, I really think the game would have been served better if there were only five or six total team members, letting you focus on leveling up one core group and not being forced to pick and choose which ones get experience.

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Despite my complaints, I really did enjoy playing The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics. As a fan of the genre, I found a lot to appreciate, despite my lack of familiarity with the source material. Though I can’t say this with certainty, since there’s no in-game timer, I estimate I spent about 22 hours playing through the game. Once you beat it, you unlock a New Game+, though I didn’t have enough time to test that out. Though it’s relatively linear, I felt I got my money’s worth for $19.99. If you’re a fan of tactics games, I’d say AoRT is worth the price of admission, even if I hope it gets some DLC to flesh things out and fix the quirks.

[easyreview cat1title=”Overall” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”3.5″]

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REVIEW: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics Title The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics

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