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gaming · 4 years

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Indie Game Spotlight: Röki

We’re back with another Indie Game Spotlight! Inspired by Scandinavian folklore and described as an explore-o-puzzle, Röki is an adventure game that takes the shape of a dark contemporary fairy tale underpinned with deep narrative, satisfying puzzles, and atmospheric exploration. We join Tove on a fantastical journey to save her family into a hidden and long-forgotten world of lost folklore filled with strange locations and even stranger characters.

We spoke with Alex Kanaris-Sotiriou, one of the founders of Polygon Treehouse (a fairly new indie studio from Cambridge, UK). Alex is responsible for the character and monster art and animation in the game. Read on!

What was the main inspiration for the game?

We were inspired by the classic point-and-click games we loved so much growing up but wanted to update and re-imagine the genre for today’s players. Röki is not ‘point-and-click,’ but instead, you take direct control of Tove with the gamepad and explore the world directly in 3D. We feel this makes the game feel more immediate and responsive, as well as enabling the player to form a stronger attachment to Tove. Basically, we wanted to make our take on a modern adventure game that is frustration-free and that all players can enjoy.

For the setting/themes for the game, we had a few different ideas for floating around that we were both quite excited about. However, once we stumbled upon Scandinavian folklore the rest quickly faded into the background! We're not really talking about the Norse gods, more the creepy creatures lurking in the lakes, caves, and forests. They felt so strange, grisly and fun that we fell in love and set off creating our own world inspired by those tales.

Also, we really like the idea of running around in the snow, so that clinched the deal!

What does Röki mean, and how does it relate to the game?

Like the movie Jaws, our game is named after the monster! However, when you encounter monsters in the game, it’s about understanding and helping them, rather than harming them. As a child, Tove looks past the monstrous appearances and sees the humanity underneath. She has to solve the riddles of the forest to fix what’s troubling them, even if they’re not very friendly, to begin with. We like the idea of exploring shades of grey with our characters, rather than binary ‘good’ and ‘evil.’ On a personal level, it’s nice to make a non-violent game with an undercurrent of kindness.

Röki himself is a fascinating, almost tragic character—but you’ll have to play the game to find out more!

What are some aspects of Nordic folklore that players can expect to spot in the game?

Many aspects of our wintry world draw upon Scandinavian folklore. The monsters are very much our own reimaginings of those tales, with a few of our own creations added into the mix.

We undertook reference trips and took about a gazillion photos to feed our work and make sure there was a strong sense of place. That way, not just the forest feels right, but also the cabins, abandoned churches, and shrines feel cohesive within the game world.

We try to make sure each ‘ingredient’ contributes to the world. For example, the voice acting in the game is all done by Norwegian actors, so you get subtle inflections and accents from the region. We have a fair few Scandinavian friends who’ve had eyeballs on the game from an early stage, and the reaction from showcasing the game over there has been amazing. We think we’ve managed to create something that is very much our own but has that flavor running through most aspects of the game.

If you suddenly found yourself in your game, do you think you would survive?

Ha, I’m not sure I have Tove’s resourcefulness, but I do get on well with pretty much everyone. Hopefully, a grumpy troll would take pity on me, and we’d go drink tea in their cozy cave until the snowstorms passed.

Either that or I’d be gobbled up in seconds, not sure!

If you’re ready to befriend some monsters, Röki is coming to Nintendo Switch and PC in 2020—or you can wishlist on Steam here.

#Roki #Polygon Treehouse #Indie Game Spotlight #Indie Game

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sciencenewsforstudents · 5 years

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Dogs are some of our best friends. That’s especially true after a disaster, such as an earthquake. When buildings collapse, search-and-rescue dogs help find people trapped beneath the rubble. Dogs’ amazing noses can pick up the scent of survivors. Now scientists have developed an electronic tool that does the same thing. It’s taking scent detection to a whole new level — or, should we say, to extremely low levels.

Sensors in the new device are made of a material that detects a certain chemical. When that target chemical contacts the sensor, a reaction occurs. This creates an electrical signal. CREDIT: S. Pratsinis/Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

The new device is a sort of electronic nose. Much like the canine version, this e-nose can detect chemical signs of life. Such scents include those due to acetone (AA-sih-tohn), ammonia (Uh-MOHN-yuh), isoprene (EYE-soh-preen), water vapor and carbon dioxide. People exhale tiny amounts of these or release them from their skin.

Researchers in Europe developed a device that can detect extremely low levels of these compounds. The tool includes three sensors the group designed, and two more that they bought. When certain chemicals touch materials on the sensors, a reaction occurs. This reaction produces an electrical signal. When occurring together, even tiny amounts of these compounds could point to some survivor below the rubble.

The research team described its findings March 30, 2018 in the journal Analytical Chemistry.

The e-nose knows

This isn’t the first time engineers have developed such a device. Earlier models, however, have been bulky and expensive. They could not detect low levels of target compounds either.

The new sensors are inexpensive and small enough to fit inside a handheld device. A drone might even fly them over a disaster site.

The device can detect incredibly faint traces of more than one compound at the same time. “Being able to do this, in such a small device, is the critical discovery,” says Sotiris Pratsinis. He’s a chemical engineer with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. Pratsinis helped create the gadget.

His team tested it in chambers with people inside. Those chambers were like the small spaces in rubble where people might be trapped. Chemicals given off by the volunteers built up inside the chambers. The new device detected those compounds at incredibly low levels.

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Scientists have been developing electronic noses that are capable of detecting many different odors — even those associated with disease. Watch this video to find out how they work. CREDIT: Universitat Rovira i Virgili/YouTube

#science #scied #sciblr #disaster relief #chemistry #technology #nose #e-nose

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lsiaal · 4 years

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Ardita Bazelli: LSIA, an Open Stage for Many People to Present Their Skills and Talents

Over the last ten years, Ardita Bazelli has been teaching at the LSIA Korca branch, where she helps young students learn English. Portrayed as an asset for LSIA, Bazelli has become one with the mission of this school: "Offering a bright future to the students all around the world. We do not only teach students a language, through our teaching, but we also instill in each student the virtue of tolerance and good understanding."

In this exclusive interview, Bazelli walks through her career showcasing the role of LSIA on it as well as her objectives to offer to the students an effective teaching performance by instilling in them the feeling of being confident in using the language and gain autonomy.

All her efforts go around a model. "I have considered myself lucky to have been taught by the best teacher in the world- she is Mrs. Merita Sotiri. As a teacher, she could make her students love this language," Bazelli said, adding "This was due to her deep knowledge and passion for the English language."

How would you describe your professional life and what is the impact of LSIA on it?

In a simple phrase, I would describe my professional life as a multifaceted teaching journey. Why multifaceted? Currently, I am teaching English in one of the most prestigious college schools in Albania, Preca college. It is a school, the dimensions of which, motivate and support you to grow more professionally.

Previously, I was an English teacher in ‘’Agimi ‘’ primary school in Maliqi town, a school with the inherited desire to educate generations with bright futures. Leading young students in various national and international projects and school debates in the English language, winning various awards equipped them with life skills ready to embrace the global citizen.

Also, teaching in high school and the university has given me the possibility to understand the outlook of an older student towards the study of the English language. An outlook that has encouraged me to search, study, apply various teaching methods and techniques, and to adapt them into teaching.

Simultaneously, for the last ten years, I have been part of the LSIA and I consider this fact as a positive opportunity in my professional growth. Teaching various age groups, using the latest methods, working with cooperative and supportive colleagues has equipped me with qualities of a leader, supporter, the ability to develop relationships with colleagues and students, a dedicated teacher in a continuous search to transmit knowledge to my students.

What does it mean for you to be part of LSIA and what is your objective as a teacher?

Being part of LSIA means being part of a teaching and learning space and environment where the mission of an English teacher makes sense. LSIA is a school where the possibilities it offers, to both teachers on one side and the students on the other side, are numerous.

The continuous professional developments, equal opportunities for all are some of the main elements that distinguish LSIA. I find myself lucky to have been appreciated for the modest contribution I have offered to the school which aims at the establishment of relationships between teachers and students based on mutual pursuit of education, peace, and prosperity – features that add value to LSIA.

Regarding the objectives, I would say that they are related to the school on one side and the students on the other side.

My objective as a teacher is to contribute, not only to the preservation of the objectives the school has set but even in the progress of the school which is working on a wider dimension. Offering my expertise in the teaching field, gained from my experience in the classroom environment and the seminars, webinars, and other sources of information, I aim to give my contribution by generating various helpful sources of materials for English students and teachers.

The objective I have regarding the students is to offer them an effective teaching performance by instilling in them the feeling of being confident in using the language and gain autonomy. Engaging students in activities that require critical thinking, creativity, and self–expression would lead to successful outcome-English speakers.

How does it feel to engage in teaching youngsters the English language? How do you motivate them? How would you help a student struggling to keep up with the material?

As I mentioned above, I could work with various age groups and understand to a certain extent the psychology of learning a foreign language. Teaching young children requires a careful selection of materials taking into consideration that they do not have the right information regarding grammatical structures, they feel tired easily, they lose interest if they are not offered what they like. Here my role as a teacher is to be creative, avoid putting pressure on them, make the students active through games, and making it fun-this is what they like.

Motivation is crucial in teaching. If we have a group of motivated learners things are easier ‘’you teach, they learn’’. What I try to do is a good planning of activities, I also use words of praise and I try to include a variety of activities to keep the child engaged and motivated.

There are students, on the other side, that struggle to keep up with the material causing frustration to them.

So my role as a teacher firstly is to support them. Giving support to struggling students would lead students to the idea that they are not alone and things will be better.

Revise what we have learned through examples inviting students to use certain structures to present their own experience and use the language naturally.

The material is presented, although in different contexts, progressively so the students face it time after time and there is no space for feeling worried. So I start with the brainstorming of how much material they know and say “Remember what we have said about…..’’ or showing some realia and ask students a question to respond about what we are going to discuss and this way I diagnose their level of knowledge and present materials to suit their level.

Pair work, group work, roleplaying are some ways to make the students learn from each other and even on their own. Interaction is very important.

Who was one of your favorite teachers in the past? Why? What about students?

This is a question I am proud to answer. I have considered myself lucky to have been taught by the best teacher in the world- she is Mrs. Merita Sotiri.

As a teacher, she could make her students love this language. This was due to her deep knowledge and passion for the English language.

I follow her model when it comes to preparation and organization skills because she would choose activities to make us get involved with the subject practicing all skills by involving the proper techniques to grab everything perfectly.

During her English classes, we would find ourselves as actors in the role of a doctor advising patients, traffic warden giving directions, journalists to master the art of questioning, critics debating on various issues, etc. Naturally, our English improved day by day.

We thought that we competed with each other during these classes but we reached a conclusion we competed with ourselves. And yes, we are good professionals today thanks to her strong work ethic. She believed in us, she had high expectations for all of us and she was always strong support for us.

When it comes to my students, I try to follow the example of my respectful teacher. And to be honest the outcome is impressive. During my ten years here in LSIA, I have worked with various generations of students and their results are to be proud of. I am unable to mention all their names being careful not to forget one. All I can say is that they are still grateful to and cooperative with LSIA school.

What is LSIA doing well that makes you excited about working there?

The mission of LSIA itself. Offering a bright future to students all around the world. We do not only teach students a language, through our teaching, but we also instill in each student the virtue of tolerance and good understanding.

Now, being accessible to people through online teaching means to make our mission being heard and noticed. I would appreciate the fact that we will be in the service of the Albanian community teaching their children our beautiful language.

LSIA is a school that consists of an international team where experiences and best examples are provided offering a good service to all.

Our school is an open stage that offers possibilities to a lot of people to present their skills and talents.

It is all this impressive atmosphere that pushes you not to give up, but to motivate you to leave an unforgettable print in the life of a person.

Being part of LSIA is to be proud of.

Thank you.

#Ardita_Bazelli #English #knowledge #LSIA #students #teacher

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patricksilvrrozartistry · 7 years

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Current Music Obsessions: September 1 - 15, 2017

Once again, I got a long list this time. I've just been discovering loads of cool stuff lately and can't help it! Anyways, here are the honorable mentions.

Fragarak (India) - In Rumination II - Reflections Gorgon - Everlasting Flame of Olypus Rage of Romance - A Winter's Sail A War Within - Where the Lines are Drawn Adore Delano - Whole 9 Yards Fleshkiller - Warfare Lacrimosa - Nach dem Sturm Tearless - Deathwish Arch Enemy - The Eagle Flies Alone Starkill - No Savior Black Cult - The Witches Dance Anubis Gate - The Combat Candiria - Mereya Thou - eyehatethou Cher - Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves Vulture Industries - Something Vile Noisy Toyz - Trail of Tears Ne Obliviscaris - Urn (part 1): And Within the Void We Are Breathless Septicflesh - Portrait of a Headless Man Bloody Mary - Somebody to Love Aborted - Bathos

And the real obsessions are as follows.

1) One Fate - Cup of Glory

I discovered these guys shortly after discovering Beyon-D-Lusion. This is the project to follow them and has a similar vibe, but doesn't have as much of a "gothic" vibe to it. It definitely leans more closer to alternative metal and I really like it. Has great flow and is great to chill to.

2) Samael - Red Planet

I decided to give these guys a listen because, well, this song popped up and I decided to give it a listen. So glad I did. This song is so epic. I love songs that have a sci-fi vibe to their lyrics. It has a pretty interesting vibe to it and I dig it a lot. Definitely will check out more from them.

3) Of Origins - A False Monument

This track is a bit of a ball buster. I really want to check out more from them, because this is such an epic song. It doesn't hold back at all and I love that it has a bit of a math metal feel to it.

4) A Sound of Thunder - Udoroth

I finally did it you guys. I finally listened to their most famous song. It's famous for a reason. It's so fun, a bit cheesy and is such a great song to jam out to. The video is really cool and further conveys the slight cheesiness of the song even more. Love these guys so much.

5) Phantom Elite - Wasteland

This is Marina la Torraca's project outside of Exit Eden and is their second song they've released so far. I've known of them for quite some time since they DM'd me their first song, Siren's Call, on IG and I've been really into them and wanting more since then. Marina sounds so different in this band than with ExE, so keep that in mind. Such a cool power metal band and I can't wait for their debut album to be released.

6) Marmozets - Play

I discovered these guys not too long ago and this is their latest single. It is so much fun and very much in your face. If you're a fan of punk/pop-punk, definitely give this track a listen. It's so great to just jam out to and have a great time.

7) Esben and the Witch - No Dog

I've only heard another song from them and so far I'm really liking them. This song has a bit of a sludgy vibe to it, but is still a bit more doom/post metal than sludge. Their singer has such a haunting voice that just entrances you.

8) The Fallacy - Release Me

I discovered these guys not too long ago and I haven't heard a bad song from them and I think this is my favorite I've heard from them so far. The song is so lovely and I absolutely love the video. The metal scene needs to show its love and support for the LGBT community more often and I'm so glad to see these guys do it. If you're looking for a new gothic metal band to check out, here you go.

9) Penny Dreadful Soundtrack - I Was Never Going to Go to Africa

I finally finished Penny Dreadful at the beginning of the month and that series finale ripped my heart out from my toenails. Such a heartbreaking ending to such a beautiful show. The soundtrack had some pretty good songs like Secret Room and Let it End, but this one has to be my favorite. It always played during those super emotional moments and I can't help but relive the last moments of the show whenever I hear it. So beautiful.

10) Cindergarden - Lunar Phases

I think I discovered this song through Facebook and I wasn't sure how I was gonna feel about it. It has a bit of new wave/synthpop kind of vibe to it, but meshed in with some ambient/experimental music and is so cool and lovely. Really great song to chill to.

11) Clouds - The Wind Carried Your Soul feat. Ana Carolina (Mourning Sun)

This is one of the songs off their new EP, Destin, and it's so lovely. I absolutely love Mourning Sun, so when I found out that Carolina was featured on this song, I instantly fell in love with it. They have such a haunting atmosphere that really pushes the emotional vibe of their music, and I think this is the most raw song that I've heard from them so far.

12) Shiny Toy Guns - Ghost Town

I randomly thought about these guys a while back because I was thinking of another band that I discovered around the same time as them and then discovered this song. It's so fun and easy to jam out to. The video is kinda cheesy, but it's that good gooey cheese on a fine ass pizza.

13) Unleash the Archers - Awakening

This song is so cool and different compared to the stuff I've heard from them in the past. It starts out sounding a bit like an 80's film, but then turns into an epic power metal track. I've said this once and I'll say it again, Apex is how their last album should've sounded. Can't wait to finally listen to it.

14) Amaranthe - Maximize

I'm not gonna lie, Maximalism isn't my favorite album from them, but this is definitely one of my favorites off it. It's just so fun and has a really great flow. Elize looks absolutely STUNNING in this video. I LOVE the red glitter and her legs never fail to be amazing.

15) Muna - Everything

I can't remember how I exactly came across this song, but I am in love with it. It's so beautiful and heartfelt. There's something about it that is just so lovely and intoxicating. I really need to check out more from them, because this song is everything.

16) Kesha - Boogie Feet feat. Eagles of Death Metal

This is definitely one of my favorites off Rainbow and probably one of my favorites by her in general. I LOVE the psychedelic rock vibe and just the overall campiness of the song. It's just so fun and innocent and can't get enough of it.

17) Septicflesh - Dark Art

These guys really know how to make an aggressive song into a beautiful masterpiece. That is exactly what this song is. It starts out with a haunting piano bit, then gets aggressive, then slows down and Sotiris comes in a sings so beautifully. Such an amazing track. Probably their most beautiful track since Oceans of Grey.

Faceless Queen

This song is so freaking epic. The orchestrations are insane and the riffs are so good. I love the intense atmosphere and the imagery they use when describing the Faceless Queen. It really paints a creepy yet beautiful picture in your head as to how she looks. This is probably my favorite song off the new album, closely followed by Dark Art.

Such a wide range of different kinds of sounds, themes and vibes this time. Hope you all have fun jamming out to these!

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frankgreece101-blog · 6 years

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15 Greek Fiction Book Summaries

“The Odyssey”

So begins Robert Fagles' magnificent translation of the Odyssey, which Jasper Griffin in The New York Times Review of Books hails as "a distinguished achievement." If the Iliad is the world's greatest war epic, then the Odyssey is literature's grandest evocation of everyman's journey though life. Odysseus' reliance on his wit and wiliness for survival in his encounters with divine and natural forces, during his ten-year voyage home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, is at once a timeless human story and an individual test of moral endurance. (Goodreads)

“The Iliad”

The Iliad is one of the two great epics of Homer, and is typically described as one of the greatest war stories of all time, but to say the Iliad is a war story does not begin to describe the emotional sweep of its action and characters: Achilles, Helen, Hector, and other heroes of Greek myth and history in the tenth and final year of the Greek siege of Troy. (Goodreads)

“Zorba the Greek”

A stunning new translation of the classic book—and basis for the beloved Oscar-winning film—brings the clarity and beauty of Kazantzakis’s language and story alive. First published in 1946, Zorba the Greek, is, on one hand, the story of a Greek working man named Zorba, a passionate lover of life, the unnamed narrator who he accompanies to Crete to work in a lignite mine, and the men and women of the town where they settle. On the other hand it is the story of God and man, The Devil and the Saints; the struggle of men to find their souls and purpose in life and it is about love, courage and faith. (BarnesandNoble)

“The Last Temptation of Christ”

The internationally renowned novel about the life and death of Jesus Christ. Hailed as a masterpiece by critics worldwide, The Last Temptation of Christ is a monumental reinterpretation of the Gospels that brilliantly fleshes out Christ’s Passion. This literary rendering of the life of Jesus Christ has courted controversy since its publication by depicting a Christ far more human than the one seen in the Bible. He is a figure who is gloriously divine but earthy and human, a man like any other—subject to fear, doubt, and pain. (BarnesandNoble)

“Deadline in Athens: An Inspector Costas Haritos Mystery”

When an Albanian husband and wife are found dead in their home, Inspector Costas Haritos, a veteran junta-trained homicide detective on the Athens police force, is called to what seems at first to be an open-and-shut case. For the Greek police, two dead Albanians are hardly a matter of concern. But when Albania's celebrity television news reporter Janna Karayoryi insists that the case was closed too early, Haritos becomes unnerved. He doesn't exactly like the ambitious young journalist, but could she be right in thinking the murder has something to do with babies? Before Haritos can find out, Janna is suddenly murdered, moments before she is to go on the air with a startling newsbreak. Did her mysterious report have something to do with the murdered Albanians? Who wanted her silenced, and why? Caught between a bumbling junior officer and higher-ups all too easily influenced by news executives determined to protect their own, Costas Haritos sets out to get to the bottom of the matter-and ends up neck deep in a dark form of capitalism that has emerged in Albania after the dictatorship. (BarnesandNoble)

“Hotel Living”

Recalling both the excess of The Wolf of Wall Street, and the drifting narrator of A Single Man, Ioannis Pappos’s debut novel is a portrait of privilege, aspiration, and international finance during the wayward course of the American economy between 9/11 and the 2008 Financial collapse, and is filled with surprisingly tender observations about identity, loneliness, and human connection. (BarnesandNoble)

“The Murderess”

The Murderess is a bone-chilling tale of crime and punishment with the dark beauty of a backwoods ballad. Set on the dirt-poor Aegean island of Skiathos, it is the story of Hadoula, an old woman living on the margins of society and at the outer limits of respectability. Hadoula knows about herbs and their hidden properties, and women come to her when they need help. She knows women’s secrets and she knows the misery of their lives, and as the book begins, she is trying to stop her new-born granddaughter from crying so that her daughter can at last get a little sleep. She rocks the baby and rocks her and then the terrible truth hits her: there’s nothing worse than being born a woman, and there’s something that she, Hadoula, can do about that. (BarnesandNoble)

“Eroticon”

A very amusing (and imperturbably retrograde) imitation of the classical oriental love manual, from a celebrated contemporary Greek novelist (A Report of a Murder, 1995, not reviewed) whose casual sexism is obviously calculated to elicit strong reaction. Its straightforward categorization of the "five types of women" available for seduction will surely offend; then again, where else are you likely to learn how "the spotted eels of the South Seas" laboriously copulate? Advice on sexual strategies and positions is helpfully interspersed throughout by an ingenuous narrator whose grave and reverend, and studiously circumlocutious, lewdness nostalgically evokes the worlds, and words, of Rabelais and Boccaccio. Urbane, provocative, and highly (as well as lowly) entertaining. (BarnesandNoble)

“The Few Things I Know About Glafkos Thrassakis: A Novel”

A brilliant work of the imagination as well as a meditation on writing itself, the story follows a biographer’s investigation into the life and works of a famous, yet highly mysterious, deceased Greek author named Glafkos Thrassakis. At the crossroads where magical realism and political fiction meet, Vassilis Vassilikos’s buoyant literary imagination flourishes beyond the confines of conventional narrative structures. (BarnesandNoble)

“The Dedalus Book of Modern Greek Fantasy”

The latest volume in the Dedalus European fantasy series, this anthology of short stories includes a wide range of texts covering the period from the birth of the modern Greek State in the early nineteenth century until today. The richness and diversity of the stories reflects the long tradition of fantasy in ancient and medieval Greek literature, ranging from Homer to Lucian and from the medieval romances to the popular folk song. (BarnesandNoble)

“Greek Passion”

Like his The Last Temptation of Christ, literary master Nikos Kazantzakis’s The Greek Passion is a daring exploration of the pitfalls of a religion as it is practiced by its all-too-human followers. The tiny Greek village of Lycovrisi is planning its annual Passion play when its customary tranquility is ruptured by the arrival of a group of starved refugees from a village destroyed by the Turks. The refugees, led by a righteous priest named Father Fotis, beg for assistance from the villagers of Lycovrisi, but are turned away by the domineering village elders, who each have their particular reasons for refusing to help. As tensions grow among the villagers of Lycovrisi, their elders, and the outsiders, each person in turn will be forced to reckon with his sins and seek his own path to salvation. (BarnesandNoble)

“Zigzag through the Bitter-Orange Trees”

Winner of the Greek State Prize for Literature, and the Book Critics' Award. Zigzag through the Bitter-Orange Trees was first published in Greece, where it was acclaimed as "the best novel of the decade." It weaves together the stories of four disparate young people in modern Greece: Lia, dying in the hospital from a mysterious virus; her brother Sid, the disaffected wanderer, her only remaining connection to the outside world; Lia's nurse Sotiris, an unstable blend of cowardice and desire; and the twelve-year-old rebel Nina, who dreams to break away from the humdrum life around her. Their four unforgettable voices mingle in a poignant black comedy of isolation and yearning, illusion and vengeance and the hunger for connection. With disarming power, Sotiropoulos portrays the conflicted world of the young-passionate and cynical, beautiful and grotesque. (BarnesandNoble)

“Bar Flaubert”

A journey full of love, denial and danger, where fiction is not that distant from reality. The answers will be found at Bar Flaubert. One man's quest to discover and understand the driving force behind an aspiring novelist who's written words seem to echo his innermost thoughts. Both a search for identity and an intriguing family saga, this tale follows the journey-filled with love, denial, and danger-undertaken by a young man who tries to discover why a novel by an aspiring writer seems to echo his own innermost thoughts. In Barcelona, Berlin, and Florence, he traces his Greek family's many connections and at last uncovers a mysterious ancestor who links together the strands of his investigation. Readers are taken on a journey where fiction is not that distant from reality. (BarnesandNoble)

“The Maze: A Novel”

In the summer of 1922, the Greek army is in retreat from Asia Minor, leaving behind one lost brigade, wandering in the Anatolian desert under a seemingly inexpiable curse. There is the doomed army commander addicted to morphine; the chaplain who induces the commander to strike a bargain with God; the hooker with a heart of gold whom he wants to redeem; a foreign correspondent who can't file stories; a deserter lost and found, and a prize stallion bolted. A debut novel of ambition and charm, The Maze marks the emergence of a stunning young talent whom The New York Times has called "downright miraculous." (BarnesandNoble)

“Saint Francis”

Like The Last Temptation of Christ, Saint Francis is a fictionalized biography of a widely venerated Christian figure: Francis of Assisi, whose renunciation of his young man’s life of leisure and founding of a religious order dedicated to living in poverty and sharing the Gospels with all living things profoundly influence the ways in which Christians the world over worship and give service to their god even today. Recounted in Nikos Kazantzakis’s striking prose through the eyes of the saint’s brother, Leo, the life of Saint Francis shines in these pages as a heroic example of inspirational leadership and boundless love for God and all His creatures. (BarnesandNoble)

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ethelbertpaul444-blog · 6 years

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Can we fix it? The repair cafes waging war on throwaway culture

When fixing items is actively discouraged by manufacturers, recycling becomes a political act, say Repair Cafe volunteers

A vacuum cleaner, a hair straightener, a laptop, Christmas lights, an e-reader, a blender, a kettle, two bags, a pair of jeans, a remote-control helicopter, a spoon, a dining-room chair, a lamp and hair clippers. All broken.

It sounds like a pile of things that youd stick in boxes and take to the tip. In fact, its a list of things mended in a single afternoon by British volunteers determined to get people to stop throwing stuff away.

This is the Reading Repair Cafe, part of a burgeoning international network aimed at confronting a world of stuff, of white goods littering dumps in west Africa and trash swilling through the oceans in huge gyres.

The hair clippers belong to William, who does not want to give his surname but cheerfully describes himself as mechanically incompetent. He has owned them for 25 years, but 10 years ago they stopped working and they have been sitting unused in his cupboard ever since.

Quick guide

What is the Upside?

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News doesn’t always have to be bad indeed, the relentless focus on confrontation, disaster, antagonism and blame risks convincing the public that the world is hopeless and there is nothing we can do.

This series is an antidote, an attempt to show that there is plenty of hope, as our journalists scour the planet looking for pioneers, trailblazers, best practice, unsung heroes, ideas that work, ideas that might and innovations whose time might have come.

Readers can follow up with our Further Reading guides and can also recommend other projects, people and progress that we should report on by contacting us at [email protected]

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He sits down at the table of Colin Haycock, an IT professional who volunteers at the repair cafe, which has been running monthly for about four years and is a place where people can bring all manner of household items to be fixed for free. In less than five minutes, Haycock has unscrewed and removed the blades, cleaned out some gunk from inside the machine, oiled the blades, and screwed it all back together. The clippers purr happily.

William looks sheepish; Haycock looks pleased. I wish they were all that simple, he says.

Today, the repairers will divert 24kg of waste from going to landfill and save 284kg of CO2. Some items cant be fixed on the spot notably a hunting horn split in two, which requires soldering with a blow torch but very little needs to be thrown away.

Gabrielle Stanley, who used to run a clothing alterations business, says she was drawn to volunteering at the repair cafe to combat the throwaway culture she sees. You go into certain stores… – she throws a dark look – how they can sell clothes for that price, when I couldnt even buy the fabric for that much? And then you hear about things that happen [in the factories] in the far east.

Sophie Unwin, the co-founder of the Remakery in Brixton and the founder of Edinburgh Remakery has been inundated with inquiries about setting up similar enterprises abroad. Photograph: Katherine Anne Rose for the Observer

An estimated 300,000 tonnes of clothing was sent to landfill in the UK in 2016 and a report from Wrap puts the average lifespan for a piece of clothing in the UK at 3.3 years.

Globally, the amount of e-waste generated is expected to hit 50m tonnes by the end of 2018. This is partly driven by consumers eagerness for new products, but there are also concerns about built-in obsolescence, in which manufacturers design products to break down after a certain amount of time and are often difficult or expensive to fix. In December, Apple admitted to slowing older models of phones, though it claimed it did this for operational not obsolescence reasons.

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Repair cafe volunteer Stuart Ward says that when fixing items is actively discouraged by manufacturers, repair becomes a political act. He is vehement about the right to repair, a movement opposed to the practices of companies like the machinery company John Deere, which, under copyright laws, doesnt allow people to fix their own equipment or take them to independent repairers.

You own your equipment, youre allowed to take a screwdriver to it and play with it, he says. Its something fundamental.

Teaching people how to fix their own gear is at the heart of the Edinburgh Remakery, a store on the main street of Leith that is part repair shop, part secondhand store, part repair education centre.

We do the repair in front of a customer, not out in the back, not hidden, says Sotiris Katsimbas, the lead IT technician at the Remakery. To do this, Katsimbas and his team conduct one-to-one IT repair appointments for a small fee, as do their colleagues who specialise in sewing and furniture repairs.

Its a matter of confidence. Its not magic. Someone put it together, someone can take it apart, you only need a Phillips screwdriver and some knowledge, says Katsimbas as he shows Daniel Turner how to open up his laptop so he can clean out the fluff and dust that is causing the machine to overheat.

Since it opened in 2012, the Remakery has diverted 205 tonnes of waste that would have ended up in landfill. But the Remakery is unique in that, unlike much of the repair movement, which is volunteer-led, it is a viable business, employing 11 staff and 10 freelancers. Last year the shop had an income of 236,000 30% from grants, 70% generated through sales of furniture and electronics, workshops and repair appointments.

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