Eve Selis to play in Buckingham
July 11th, 2009Described as an “electrifying” singer by Maverick Magazine, Eve Selis will perform alongside long-time guitarist and songwriting partner Marc Intravaia.
The duo will perform songs from the new release Angels and Eagles.
The concert will be held in the Old Town Hall in Buckingham, and doors open at 7pm.
Tickets are £16 on the door or £14 in advance, available from The Duke’s Music and the Old Gaol Tourist Information Centre in Buckingham.
Visit www.empty-rooms.com for on-line bookings and further details.
July 9, 2009 - News of bank scandals and financial improprieties might seem depressingly familiar of late in the real world, but the gaming world hasn’t quite seen anything quite like what happened to EVE Online recently. The sci-fi MMO prides itself on having as close to a real, working virtual economy as possible, with not only a supply and demand system but player-run trading networks, commodities prices, and even a stock exchange or two. It’s so sophisticated and complex that developer/publisher CCP has a full-time economist on staff just to keep an eye on the system. Yet because EVE is a virtual universe where players build interstellar corporate empires and war among the stars, it’s also a completely unregulated system. So while fortunes can be made, there’s also tremendous risk, as was shown last week when a scandal erupted at EBank, a player-run bank that deals only in ISKs, EVE’s virtual currency.
It began when EBank’s CEO stole about 200 billion ISKs of EBank’s holdings, helping to spark a major run on the bank as customers rushed to withdraw their deposits. Now, keep in mind, this is a fictional currency for a virtual online game where piracy and theft isn’t just common but a key part of the role-playing experience. So while it doesn’t appear that any laws were even broken, it highlights just how virtual economies can work like the real ones, especially in a game that has about 300,000 subscribers around the world.
The CEO, a player known as Ricdic, wasn’t banned for the theft, however. He was banned by CCP for what he did next: he reportedly took the stolen deposits and exchanged them with a third-party web site for approximately $6,100 in Australian dollars. That’s because he’s a 27-year old Australian named Richard who told the news service Reuters that he needed the money to pay for mounting medical expenses for his son. However, by taking CCP’s property (the fictional ISKs) and cashing them in for real money, he violated the game’s End User License Agreement. Many MMOs ban the trade of virtual goods and currency for real money because it has an unbalancing effect on the game. It also encourages gold farming, a practice where players from poorer countries play games in order to sell virtual items to players from wealthier countries. Gold farming is so pervasive that the Chinese government banned it just last month.
Bank scandals aren’t actually a new occurrence in EVE. Three years ago, a player named Cally organized the EVE Intergalactic Bank and then stole about 800 billion in ISKs from depositors. What’s interesting in EBank’s case is how it survived the theft and subsequent run on the bank.
EBank was founded about two years ago based on the fractional reserve banking model used by modern American financial institutions, according to Dave Carter, the chairman of EBank. Under that system, EBank takes deposits from players and then turns around and invests its holdings in the form of loans and capital, keeping a minimum amount of cash on hand for reserve. In a game where you might need billions of ISKs to finance the construction of a starship or to purchase a certain commodity for trade, EBank serves a valuable purpose, offering credit that greases the wheels of commerce. Like any real world bank, EBank charges an interest rate on loans and shares its profits with depositors in the form of interest payments.
The bank is structured with six directors, as well as a staff of about seven to eight people. The board members get a single vote on major decisions, but the staff members can participate in the discussion. Customers deposit ISKs into the bank’s corporate wallet, where two staff members (serving as tellers) distribute the ISKs between the directors for holding. That’s how Ricdic could walk away with 200 billion ISKs; that was his share of the banks holdings in his possession. Carter explained that the reason for this distribution was because the directors had an interesting “bus” strategy. “We said we have to assume that at any point, one of us could be hit by a bus,” he said. By distributing the holdings between them, the directors could ensure that the loss of one member (or a theft) wouldn’t cripple the bank.
Security alert in Mumbai on eve of train blasts anniversary
July 11th, 2009“Security measures were intensified Thursday at Churchgate, the Western Railway headquarters and Andheri,” a railway official told IANS on condition of anonymity.
Traffic on certain approach routes to Andheri and Churchgate was diverted and random checks, machine checks, frisking and checking of vehicles were being carried out by personnel of the Mumbai Police, Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP).
The network of suburban trains, encompassing services by the Central Railway, Western Railway and Harbour Line, is the lifeline of Mumbai and is used by over seven million commuters daily.
On July 11, 2006, seven powerful bombs ripped through suburban trains, leaving 209 people dead and over 700 injured.
The attack was carried out by the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). Detailed investigations also pointed at the involvement of the Indian Mujahideen (IM).
Pressure cookers with a 2.5 kg deadly concoction of RDX, ammonium citrate and other chemicals were placed in the first class men’s compartments of suburban trains of the Western Railway during the evening peak hours.
The blasts were triggered within 11 minutes at or near Matunga Road, Mahim, Bandra, Khar Road, Jogeshwari, Borivali and Bhayander suburban railway stations, catching commuters returning home from work.
Security alert in Mumbai on eve of train blasts anniversary
July 11th, 2009Security was beefed up at several key stations here Friday following intelligence alerts of a probable attack on the eve of the third anniversary of the 7/11 terror blasts.
‘Security measures were intensified Thursday at Churchgate, the Western Railway headquarters and Andheri,’ a railway official told IANS on condition of anonymity.
Traffic on certain approach routes to Andheri and Churchgate was diverted and random checks, machine checks, frisking and checking of vehicles were being carried out by personnel of the Mumbai Police, Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP).
The network of suburban trains, encompassing services by the Central Railway, Western Railway and Harbour Line, is the lifeline of Mumbai and is used by over seven million commuters daily.
On July 11, 2006, seven powerful bombs ripped through suburban trains, leaving 209 people dead and over 700 injured.
The attack was carried out by the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). Detailed investigations also pointed at the involvement of the Indian Mujahideen (IM).
Pressure cookers with a 2.5 kg deadly concoction of RDX, ammonium citrate and other chemicals were placed in the first class men’s compartments of suburban trains of the Western Railway during the evening peak hours.
The blasts were triggered within 11 minutes at or near Matunga Road, Mahim, Bandra, Khar Road, Jogeshwari, Borivali and Bhayander suburban railway stations, catching commuters returning home from work.
Council adds extra hour for celebrating New Year’s Eve
July 11th, 2009Restaurants and hotel bars within Manhattan Beach will get to stay open slightly later this New Year’s Eve holiday, but for some the extra time will end just as the new year is arriving.
City staff suggested that City Council approve a blanket 1 a.m. closing time on this particular holiday, which falls on a Thursday night this year, since the midnight hour is the point of celebration. At its July 7 meeting, the council instead decided to allow businesses to stay open until their regular weekend hour closing time, and for many restaurants that would mean a midnight closing on New Year’s Eve.
The holiday extended hour was the result of a letter sent by the Downtown Business and Professional Association to the City Council in February. In the letter, the association requested weekend hours for five different holidays, regardless of whether the holiday falls on a weeknight or a weekend night.
The holidays listed for requested extended hours included the Sunday before Memorial Day, Fourth of July, the Sunday before Labor Day, Halloween and New Year’s Eve.
At the July 7 meeting, council members initially wanted to extend hours for more than New Year’s Eve and discussed allowing later closing times for the Memorial Day and Labor Day Sundays, since most people have the Mondays off.
In light of recent discussion regarding a later hour closing request for the downtown Shade Hotel’s bar, terrace and rooftop deck and the fact that many neighboring residents are complaining of patron noise, council was reluctant to approve a blanket hour extension for all restaurants.
Council discussion also included making businesses that want to stay open later on other holidays such as Halloween or July 4 present their request individually, on a case-by-case basis. For a business to request an extension of closing hours, a $4,730 use permit amendment would have to be filed with the city.
As discussion continued, council was unsure if the majority of the public had the Labor Day and Memorial Day Mondays off from work. Ultimately the weekend hour extension was approved citywide only for New Year’s Eve. The Labor Day and Memorial Day holiday hour request will go before the Planning Commission in order to determine public sentiment about later hours on those days.
According to staff reports, some downtown restaurant weekend closing hours are as follows: Coco Noche, 11 p.m.; Fusion Sushi, midnight; Mangiamo, midnight; Octopus, midnight; Talia’s, midnight; the Shade Hotel’s Zinc Lounge, 11 p.m.
On eve of hearing, Obama discusses ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’
June 29th, 2009A day before Lt. Dan Choi of Tustin faces a hearing in which he may be thrown out of the military for being openly gay, President Barack Obama addressed the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy toward homosexuals. And while gay activists, including Choi, have been urging Obama to uphold his campaign promise to rescind the policy, it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen right away.
“I believe ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ doesn’t contribute to our national security,” Obama said today in this speech in recognition of gay pride month. “In fact, I believe preventing patriotic Americans from serving their country weakens our national security.
He said he is working with the Pentagon and Congress to bring an end to the policy and allow openly gay men and women to serve in the military. But he indicated that will take some time.
Click here to read about Choi and his hearing tomorrow.
EVE Online: Apocrypha
June 29th, 2009First introduced to Mac gamers in the fall of 2007, EVE Online is a massive multiplayer online (MMO) game created by Icelandic developer CCP Games. Famous for being inhospitable to new players, EVE Online evolved in 2009 with the release of Apocrypha, a free expansion that seeks to right past wrongs by creating a new player experience and expanding the scope of the game dramatically.
Commentary: Father’s Day eve is not quite what it’s cracked up to be
June 29th, 2009So, where exactly did I go wrong? It was Father’s Day Weekend, and with my two sons, the four children I inherited when I married Natalie and our seven grandchildren, I figured I’d better spend some time on Saturday cleaning out the spare bedroom to make room for the piles of presents I was about to receive.
Trouble was, late Saturday the weekend started to fall apart.
It was Father’s Day eve — OK, so maybe it’s not such a big deal around your house, but it is around ours … or at least it should be, don’t you think?
Yeah, well, Father’s Day eve is obviously a concept completely lost on my two sons, who were off doing their own things on Saturday night (and, yes, parties were involved — parties that didn’t involve me). And it was lost on my wife, too … very lost!
All I was hoping for was a relaxing Saturday evening. It had been a long, tiring last couple of weeks on the job scene, what with me burning the midnight oil while producing our annual graduation special section. And Natalie? Oh, she was wearing herself out, too — wine tasting with friends in Grass Valley, then catching the grandson’s baseball game and the pizza party to follow, and finally sharing dinner and a movie with a friend. Yeah, just grueling!
It was all set up. We’d have a date night on Saturday and go out, just the two of us. A relaxing dinner, a funny movie, a quiet evening, then …
POOF! It all went away in a phone call.
The singsong of her cell phone tone sounded, and the next thing I knew we were not only canceling our date night but we were having a Saturday night sleepover and dinner at home. And, to add insult to injury, I was going to have to cook!
“There’s been a change in plans,” Natalie told me on Saturday.
“Oh yeah?” I asked. “What, are the boys going to come over and barbecue dinner for me?”
“Not exactly,” she said.
“Oh, then your kids and all the grandkids are coming over to make dinner for us?”
“Close,” she answered. “Two of the grandkids are coming over, and we’re going to baby-sit while their parents go out to dinner and movie.”
“But what about our dinner?” I asked, somewhat pathetically.
“Oh, whatever you want to make will be fine with us,” she said with a certain joy in her voice.
Uh, what’s wrong with this picture?
“I guess you’ve forgotten,” I said. “Remember, it’s Father’s Day eve.”
“Father’s Day eve?” she said. “There’s no such thing as Father’s Day eve. It’s just a regular Saturday night.”
“Well, that’s obvious,” I said.
“Oh, quit feeling sorry for yourself,” she scolded. “You know that your boys are taking you to the Giants-A’s game on Tuesday, and you know that my kids will be good to you, too. So get over yourself!”
I suppose she’s right. Father’s Day eve is really no big deal, so I guess baby-sitting a couple of the grandkids won’t be so bad.
“Oh, did I mention that Riley’s going to come over, too?” she said, referring to her sister’s granddaughter.
Great. My dinner and a movie had suddenly turned from a steak and a baked potato and “The Hangover” to burgers and mac and cheese and “Aladdin.”
So much for Father’s Day Weekend.
Iraqis in festive mood on eve of U.S. troop exit
June 29th, 2009Reporting from Baghdad - An old man blared on a trumpet, policemen danced in the back of their pickup trucks and a singer from the days of Saddam Hussein trilled in a city park, all to celebrate the new era.
Monday night was a time for Iraqis to bask in their sovereignty as they counted down to today, the formal departure date of U.S. forces from their cities.
In the days ahead, Iraqis may still worry about the possibility of increased sectarian violence, the lackluster economy and a dearth of basic services. But on Monday night, they heeded Prime Minister Nouri Maliki’s declaration that June 30 will be remembered as a great day for Iraq, “a day of national sovereignty.”
Fireworks exploded over the city and several thousand people crowded into central Baghdad’s Zawra Park, ignoring a mild dust storm to say goodbye to more than six years of American forces patrolling their major cities.
Children of Eve makes out with the big prize
June 29th, 2009Newfoundland outfit Children of Eve beat out four other bands last week at the Toothy Moose to nab an opening slot at the July 18 KISS extravaganza.