Category Archives: Golden Rule

A recent petition, organized by Faithful America and signed by 21,000 people, accused the bishops of weaponizing the Eucharist, and ina letterthe group thanked the more than 60 bishops who opposed the USCCB vote.Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who is archbishop of Washington, was one of them. So the president is in no danger of being turned away at a D.C. altar.

Its not a new debate, though John F. Kennedy, the first Catholic president, had to prove with words and actions that he would not let faith dictate his politics. Another famous Catholic politician,Mario Cuomo,had much to say on the subject, as he did on most everything.

In 1984, at the University of Notre Dame, no less, Cuomo, who died in 2015, said: Better than any law or rule or threat of punishment would be the moving strength of our own good example, demonstrating our lack of hypocrisy, proving the beauty and worth of our instruction.We must work to find ways to avoid abortions without otherwise violating our faith. We should provide funds and opportunity for young women to bring their child to term, knowing both of them will be taken care of if that is necessary; we should teach our young men better than we do now their responsibilities in creating and caring for human life.

That would satisfy few today. As places of worship have reopened post-pandemic, the political divide in America has followed worshippers through the doors.

Would now be the time to act on other items on Pope Francis agenda climate change, migrants, poverty, racial justice and how to ease the grief of those who lost someone or something in this harrowing year?

More:

Following the 'Golden Rule' is proving a political impossibility - Roll Call

[co-authors: Emma Wheeler, and Alex Xiao]

A bankruptcy court in North Carolina recently joined a growing number of courts allowing debtors and trustees to avoid prepetition transactions using the IRSs lookback period of ten years, rather than the applicable state statute of limitations period.1 In In re Zagaroli, the Western District of North Carolina bankruptcy court found that a trustee could step into the shoes of the IRS for the purposes of avoiding a transfer under section 544(b), therefore utilizing the longer reach-back period available to the IRS. No. 18-50508, 2020 Bankr. LEXIS 3111 (Bankr. W.D.N.C., Nov. 3, 2020). In this post, we discuss not only the Zagaroli case, but also the relevant arguments surrounding the split among courts on this issue.

The Debtor, Peter Lawrence Zagaroli, filed a chapter 7 bankruptcy petition in May 2018. Approximately seven years prior, the Debtor allegedly transferred several pieces of real property to his parents for no consideration. The trustee sought to avoid these transfers, which occurred while Mr. Zagaroli was insolvent, pursuant to section 544(b) of the bankruptcy code.

Section 544(b), also known as the golden creditor rule, allows a trustee to step into the shoes of any unsecured creditor to avoid any transfer the creditor could avoid under applicable law. Most states have adopted a uniform voidable transactions act that provides a statute of limitations for avoiding transfers. Under applicable North Carolina law, the statute of limitations is four years.

In this case, the trustee sought to use the IRS, which held an unsecured claim, as its golden creditor in an attempt to invoke the Internal Revenue Code as applicable law. The Internal Revenue Code, under section 26 U.S.C. 6502, provides a ten-year period for collecting a tax.

The court, using a plain language reading of 544(b), held that the trustee could step into the shoes of the IRS to avoid the transfers under the Internal Revenue Code. The court agreed with the majority view that applicable law should be broadly construed to encompass the Internal Revenue Code, which the IRS could have used to recover outside of bankruptcy.

In so holding, the court rejected the transferees arguments that 544(b) does not grant the trustee the power to bring actions that are grounded in tax evasion claims that are only available to the United States outside of the bankruptcy arena and that a trustee should not be able to take advantage of the immunity of the United States from the state statutes of limitation. The court found these arguments unpersuasive, noting that the transferees position would leave both the trustee and the IRS without recourse to avoid transfers it would otherwise be entitled to avoid outside of bankruptcy.

The holding of In re Zagaroli is hardly a surprise since a majority of bankruptcy courts ruling on this issue has reached the same conclusion. However, given that no circuit court has yet to address the issue, further discussion is warranted on whether the debtor or trustee can use the IRS as the golden creditor and what arguments parties have made in court so far.

The common law tradition has historically granted a longer statute of limitations to sovereign than private actors. An ancient doctrine known as nullum tempus occurrit regi, or no time runs against the king, was recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Summerlin, where the Court held that the United States is not bound by state statutes of limitations or subject to the defense of laches in enforcing its rights. 310 U.S. 414, 416 (1940). The modern rationale behind this rule, as articulated by the Ninth Circuit, is that public rights, revenues, and property should not be forfeited due to the negligence of public officials. S.E.C. v. Rind, 991 F.2d 1486, 1491 (9th Cir. 1993). This historic principle is the foundation that allows the Internal Revenue Service to preempt state law statute of limitations and be bound only by the Internal Revenue Codes statute of limitations.

The issue then, in the 544(b) context, becomes whether the trustee can utilize the IRSs preemption power to gain a longer claw back period. Absent a decision from the circuit level, the most notable bankruptcy court decision disapproving of the IRS as the golden creditor is In re Vaughan. 498 B.R. 297 (Bankr. D.N.M. 2013). The Vaughan court denied a trustees request to avoid an alleged fraudulent transfer that happened beyond the states 5-year statute of limitations but within that of the IRS, an unsecured creditor in the case.

The Vaughan courts holding relied on two arguments. First, the nullum tempus doctrine does not apply because the bankruptcy trustee is not sovereign and its actions do not protect the public interest. Second, because the IRS holds unsecured claims in a substantial portion of bankruptcy cases, allowing the trustee to step into the shoes of the IRS would practically render the state statutes of limitations moot. Id. at 305. The Vaughan court found that Congress could not have intended this policy consequence.

A number of courts have since addressed and rejected these two arguments. See e.g., In re Gaither, 595 B.R. 201 (Bankr. D.S.C. 2018), In re Kipnis, 555 B.R. 877 (Bankr. S.D. Fla. 2016), and Hillen v. City of Many Trees (In re CVAH, Inc), 570 B.R. 816 (Bankr. D. Idaho 2017). The Kaiser court, for example, rejected the Vaughan courts nullum tempus analysis by pointing out that 544(b) has always provided a derivative right to the trustee. Ebner v. Kaiser (In re Kaiser), 525 B.R. 697, 713 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 2014). For these courts, first, it is not material whether the trustee is sovereign, because trustees only exercise the rights on behalf of the IRS, who may rightfully preempt state law pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code. Similarly, a majority of courts have dismissed the Vaughan courts second, policy-oriented argument granting the IRS golden creditor status by citing the unambiguous plain language of 544(b), as in Zagaroli.

Another argument against using the IRS as the golden creditor is that the practice could potentially lead to an unlimited claw back period. See In re CVAH, Inc., 570 B.R. at 838. The 10-year statute of limitations constraining the IRS only starts to run after the taxpayer files a tax return. Because the taxpayer could theoretically delay filing the tax return for an unlimited period, the IRS and the trustee could avoid transactions for an unlimited reach-back period.

Courts have also dismissed this concern. The CVAH court noted that timeliness is only one element of a constructive fraudulent transfer claim. Id. at 838. Practically, the burden to prove the claim likely would become more onerous for the trustee the further back in time the transfer occurred from the bankruptcy petition date.

Although no circuit court has addressed the golden creditor rule with regard to the IRS, the Western District of North Carolina bankruptcy court joins an increasing number of bankruptcy courts in holding that applicable law under 544(b) includes the Internal Revenue Code and its 10-year statute of limitations.

It is also worth noting that when clawing back transactions in the shoes of the IRS, the trustee or the debtor can recover more than the amount that was owed to the IRS. At least one court found that the trustee could use the IRS as the golden creditor even where the IRSs claims were paid in full after the commencement of the bankruptcy case. See In re Greater Se. Cmty. Hosp. Corp. I, 365 B.R. at 301. Therefore, in cases where the IRS holds an unsecured claim, the majority courts application of the golden creditor rule significantly increases the statute of limitations period that a debtor or transferee must analyze for clawing back transactions into the bankruptcy estate. Parties that engage in transactions with distressed companies or companies that become distressed will be exposed to a much wider window of potentially avoidable transactions. Since the IRS is so frequently a creditor in bankruptcy cases, decisions allowing a debtor or trustee to use the IRS as a golden creditor threaten to greatly expand the universe of transactions susceptible to avoidance. It remains to be seen, however, whether any circuit court will take up this issue or contradict the majority rule of the bankruptcy courts.

1 See, e.g., Vieira v. Gaither (In re Gaither), 595 B.R. 201 (Bankr. D.S.C. 2018); Mukamal v. Citibank (In re Kipnis), 555 B.R. 877 (Bankr. S.D. Fla. 2016); Ebner v. Kaiser (In re Kaiser), 525 B.R. 697 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 2014); Alberts v. HCA Inc. (In re Greater Se. Cmty. Hosp. Corp. I), 365 B.R. 293 (Bankr. D.D.C. 2006); Shearer v. Tepsic (In re Emergency Monitoring Technologies, Inc.), 347 B.R. 17 (Bankr. W.D. Pa. 2006); Osherow v. Porras (In re Porras), 312 B.R. 81 (Bankr. W.D. Tex. 2004).

Continue reading here:

No Time Runs against the King (IRS): The Golden Creditor Rule and its Discontents - JD Supra

What exactly is a resume?

So, basically a resume is a one or two pager professional as well as career document that outlines the complete work history, the complete volunteership, the complete as well as detailed internship experience, a complete series of skills a person posses, as well as the educational background that is required in the most of the job applications by the employer.

As per the experts as well as authentic sources, a resume is seen as an opportunity to build a potential as well as successful career of a person. Moreover, a resume is also considered a chance to show off all of the great experience as well as the skills of a person to a potential employer. Moreover, a resume is also considered a great chance to make a structured outline of all of your skills as well as capabilities in one single point place.

So, basically a resume should be self communicative, which means a resume should be something that is self explanatory and need not to be explained. Moreover, a person should try to include as best information as possible to get the particular job the person is looking as well as applying for. The resume of the person should also be concise as well as precise in nature. Moreover, a resume should be no longer than one or two page maximum as well as a resume should not include any kind of the wordy language in the format. A golden rule for resume is to be detailed but along being with brief.

A resume should be very easy to read and understand, which means it should be made like a resume can be scanned over a glance. Always avoid including unnecessary things as well as always make things easy to understand as well as find. Always mention the most important as well as necessary things in starting as well as the work down from there. Always keep the font size as well as font or we can say writing font same throughout the resume so that it can look good. However, the name of the person as well as the proper contact info should always be mentioned at the top of the resume only.

1. Proofreading every thing very much thoroughly is one of the major Do points for a successful as well as professional resume.

2. The resume should be grammatically correct as well as full-proof is one of the major Do points for a successful as well as professional resume.

3. Getting professional advice to make a resume is one of the major Do points for a successful as well as professional resume.

4. Seek advice for the resume is one of the major Do points for a successful as well as professional resume.

1. Do not include unnecessary information is one of the major Dont points for a successful as well as professional resume.

2. Do not include unnecessary references in the resume is one of the major Dont points for a successful as well as professional resume.

3. Do not include unnecessary skills in the resume like internet surfing and all is one of the major Dont points for a successful as well as professional resume.

To see an example of the resume you can visit link resume-example.com.

1. Contact Info is one of the major sections that are to be included there in the successful as well as professional resume.

All the perfect as well as professional resumes must include the contact information like phone number, email address, proper name, linkedin address, etc. so that the employer can connect with the person and get in touch with them. However, the email address mentioned in the resume should look professional and does not include the crazy names in the email address.

2. Objective is one of the major sections that are to be included there in the successful as well as professional resume.

As per the industry experts the objective should be short as well as concise, along with it the objective must be customized as per the specific organization as well as position.

3. Work Experience is one of the major sections that are to be included there in the successful as well as professional resume.

All the relevant jobs must be listed in the resume, aloing with all the internships, as well as all the volunteer experience wherever the person have worked.

4. Education is one of the major sections that are to be included there in the successful as well as professional resume.

Education in the resume should include all the degrees that a person have earned as well as that are in the process of earning along with the proper names as well as their levels. Moreover, education in the resume should compulsorily mention the names of the majors as well as minors.

5. Skills is one of the major sections that are to be included there in the successful as well as professional resume.

Skills to be mentioned in the resume like Computer software proficiency like the skills of Microsoft Excel, Adobe Photoshop, different types of the Languages, computer languages, skills, hardware knowledge for a computer science or all types of certification.

6. Honors and Awards is one of the major sections that are to be included there in the successful as well as professional resume.

Read the original:

Tips to make a perfect and successful Resume - Onrec

Casino is gambling

Online Casinos are considered gambling because random events determine their results. These events can be a roulette wheel turning, or dice roll. You have no control over luck, so you basically cannot control winning or losing. Learning the rules and tips can affect your chances of winning certain games, but the outcome is ultimately unpredictable. Understanding this fact is very important because it is an essential aspect of making casino games one of the riskiest forms of gambling. Win or lose mainly depends on luck.

Winning in the casino can be difficult. The online casinos have a mathematical advantage in every game they offer, and this advantage will always make it harder for you to win as a player. However, the casino will not win every time. For any bet, the mathematical advantage they have will ensure that they generate long-term profits. Everything depends on the laws of probability. This fact is another reason why it is easy to lose money when casino gambling. In the blackjack game, the house always has an advantage of around 0.5% if you use basic blackjack strategy.

Even if the casino mostly wins, it is unfair to say that every game you play will lose. You are always more likely to fail than win, but you need to remember that casino games are games of chance, so the outcome is unpredictable. Although this is bad for you because you have no control over the games outcome, it also gives you a chance to win. Casino games are unpredictable, and sometimes the results are in your favor, no. The casino may have a mathematical advantage, but as mentioned earlier, this does not mean that it will win all bets. Its odds advantage is only really effective in the long run.

By far, luck is the most crucial factor that determines whether you win or lose every time you play a game in a casino, but it is not the only factor. You may not be able to take any measures to overcome the house advantage, but you can take some steps to minimize the size of the benefit. In some games, the house has only a slight advantage, so you can continue to play these longer, and have a better chance of winning. There are also some games where you can directly affect the size of the edges by playing math correctly. By learning the correct strategies for games such as blackjack, you can minimize the house advantage.

If you have determined that casino games are suitable for you, then you should follow some rules. We have listed the rules that we believe are the most important of what should and should not be done. We strongly recommend that you take the time to read them and do your best to follow them after you start playing the game.

Play at safe New Zealand online casinos, it is a must to only play at trusted casinos.

It is the golden rule of casino gambling or any other form of gambling. You need to have a fixed amount you are willing to lose, and you need to limit yourself to only that amount.

The rules of most casino games are usually very simple or fairly straightforward, but some games require slightly more complicated rules to follow. Whether the rules are simple or not, it is essential to understand them before playing any game entirely. First of all, winning casino games is very difficult, and it becomes even more difficult if you dont know how to play the game correctly.

No matter what someone wants to tell you, no betting system can help you beat the casino. No matter what you do, the bookmaker advantage will always exist. Use them wisely but understand that they dont improve your overall chances of winning. A system like the Martingale system, in which you double your bet every time you lose, but many gamblers have tried it, but to no avail. It can be very dangerous and can lead to the rapid loss of large amounts of funds.

See the original post:

New Zealand Online Casinos: Is It Worth A Try? - Big Easy Magazine

JoAnn (Peters) McCoy is a lifelong resident of Washington. As a kid, she worked on entering art in every category at the Town & Country Fair fine arts building and was voted Most Creative at St. Francis Borgia Regional High School.

A year after graduating from Borgia, she began her career with Mary Kay. She has earned several company cars and in 1996 became sales director. Her more rewarding career was in the family sign business, Jim Peters Signs, which lasted over 35 years . She served as president for almost 20 years before retiring.

Presently, McCoy is enjoying the Mary Kay business and operating the Room For Art Gallery in downtown Washington, which features more than 30 area artists. She wed her husband, Andy McCoy, in 2006. He is a professional drag race car builder and driver, and she enjoys watching him race.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an artist and a cowgirl. I always wanted a horse, but my parents wouldnt let me until I was 12.

What would you rather be doing right now? Seeing the spectacular Grand Canyon.

Shh! Dont tell anyone that it was me dressed in armor as the St. Francis Borgia Knight riding my horse when a touchdown was scored.

Other than your wedding day and/or the birth of your children, what was your proudest moment? Seeing my husband drive the 1957 car he built, drag race at an NHRA event and going 245 mph in a quarter-mile in 6.2 seconds.

It really stinks when people smoke and use foul language.

What word in the dictionary would your face be next to? Entrepreneur.

I always laugh My husband calls me out when a strange foreign accent flows out like Im from another country.

Invite any three people, living or dead, to dinner. Who are they? What would you serve? Jesus, James and Peter. Ill serve carryout. Since I dont cook, my three choices are frozen, microwave and takeout.

At the end of a really long day at work, I like to eat popcorn.

People who knew me in high school thought I was a good parade float-builder.

My most unforgettable brush with greatness was reaching the top 2 percent of Mary Kay as an independent sales director.

I would drop all my plans tonight if I had the chance to go on a nature trail walk or bike ride.

If someone gave me a million dollars, there is still no way I would keep it all myself. Its so important to share blessings.

America should be more concerned about being united.

Im OK if theres ever a national shortage of alcohol.

When Im in a bookstore, I always go to this section first: Bookmarks, like what I have at Room For Art Gallery.

What is the most useful piece of advice you have ever received? Keep your life in balance. Faith first, family second, career third.

When Im cruising down the road, Im likely listening to Christian music or Katrina and the Waves Walking on Sunshine.

I always get sentimental when good deeds are done unexpectedly.

The older I get, the more I realize time is so precious, so I try to cram in all I can in my half days. I like doing something productive 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

If I had one do-over I would have kept my hugger orange 1969 Camaro.

My favorite item of clothing is an artful top, plus clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

If Ive learned anything at all The golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

What do you wish Washington or Franklin County had to offer? A Honey Baked Ham store.

Who is your personal hero or mentor? My parents, Jim and Betty Peters.

A historical figure Id like to meet is: Abraham Lincoln.

In my opinion there is no more beautiful place on Earth than the beach.

Ill watch the movie anytime it is on television: Titanic.

Whats your superpower? Staying positive, uplifting encouragement.

If you could know the absolute and total truth to one question, what question would you ask? How long will I live here on Earth?

More here:

This is Your Neighbor: JoAnn McCoy | Opinion | emissourian.com - The Missourian

Big Sky agent Charlotte Durham discusses three helpful strategies that guide her approach and gives insight into why each is important in building your client relationships and by extension, your business.

Its a golden rule of luxury real estate: big success is built on small, personalized touches. High-end clients already expect top-notch servicebut we can still surprise them by going above and beyond in thoughtful, genuine ways. Little gifts and gestures take minimal time and effort, but they make a truly meaningful impact for buyers and sellers and show that were authentically invested in them.

This has been critical to my real estate practice here in Montana. Not only is it essential for ensuring long-term relationships with clients, but it helps establish rapport from day one. People dont care about what you know until they know you care.

So what kinds of small investments make the biggest difference? Ill discuss three helpful strategies that guide my approach, and give insight into why each is important in building your client relationshipsand by extension, your business.

Big Sky Sothebys International Realty

Luxury buyers and sellers respond best to tokens that are tailored to their lifestyle, family, passions, and preferences. But how can you gather this information?

Every time I speak with a clientstarting from our earliest touchpointsI try to ask conversational, strategic questions, and listen actively to understand their unique wants and needs. What do they like about this location? What are their favorite restaurants, shops, and excursions? Do they have a favorite hobbyor even a favorite candy? Nothing should escape your notice, because when you surprise clients with something they mentioned in passing, it can be even more meaningful.

Gestures dont have to be monetary, or even material. If my clients talk about an area theyd like to explore, an event theyd like to attend, or a recreational activity theyd like to try, I take note. Ive gone fly-fishing with buyers beforebecause sometimes the best gift you can give someone is an experience.

I also take stock of how I can cater to my clients personal preferences while working as their agent. Do they want to be updated regularly, or would they rather not hear from me until theres a major development? Whats their favorite mode of communication? These are things I try to ascertain as soon as possible.

I check in with my active clients once a week at bare minimum, but Im usually in contact more than that, depending on the communication preferred. After that, my team and I have a structured system around notes, gifts, and check-ins, where we concentrate on milestones such as birthdays and house anniversaries.

We track these dates in our CRM and calendar tools, and hold monthly meetings to plan for them. This gives us plenty of time to think of bespoke ways to celebrate and commemorate. We also send highly personalized gifts to clients when they send us a referral.

The benefits of these touchpoints cant be overstated. On a personal level, its rewarding to be able to foster deeper friendships with the people I help. On a professional level, my goal is to create a relationship-based business and not be constantly chasing new leads. Investing in my existing clients is less time-consuming in the long run, and I love creating these relationshipsit gives so much meaning to what I do.

Big Sky Sothebys International Realty

Nurturing long-term relationships and showing appreciation is important, but its during the actual buying and selling process that our clients count on us the most. The stakes are high, and so is the pressure. On top of that, this is a time of major transition, and clients may be selling their homes because a difficult circumstance has befallen them or their loved ones.

Im mindful of the challenges my clients are facing, and I find ways to help beyond being a good advisor and advocate. One of my favorite approaches is to assist with moving and staging costs. These services arent cheap, yet in the grand scheme of things, covering a bill is a small gestureand for the client, it feels monumental. Theyll never forget the generosity you showed when they were going through a stressful time.

It doesnt matter how many clients you have, or how big your team is. Small investments will build your business, because when people have a truly great experience, their natural response is to tell others about it. Take really good care of the clients you have now, because the domino effect is truly amazing.

Charlotte Durham

With just over a decades worth of luxury deals in the real estate industry, Charlotte Durham has taken the Montana real estate market by storm. Charlotte is a 5th-generation Montanan who started her real estate career in 2011 and joined the ownership team at Big Sky Sothebys International Realty in 2020. Her listings have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, LA Times, Mansion Global and many more. Charlotte is very active in her community and believes that by giving back to her home shes investing in its future. Charlotte and her husband Casey, along with their daughter, Camilla, live in Bozeman, Montana.

Read the original:

The small investments that can solidify a client relationship - Inman

A couple of hundred years ago, the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham dreamt up an enormously unpleasant method of using architecture to stamp out anti-social behaviour. Bentham called for prison cells to be built around shielded watchtowers, or "panopticons", from which guards could monitor prisoners unobserved. He argued that the pressure of living under steady scrutiny, rather than punishments in themselves, would slowly mould each prisoner into a model citizen. Best of all, Bentham suggested, there doesn't have to actually be a guard in the panopticon for the panopticon to 'work'. After all, the suspicion of being spied on is often more daunting than the certainty.

There's a panopticon of sorts in The Forgotten City, Dear Villagers' swish Roman reimagining of the award-winning Skyrim mod from 2017a clifftop temple at the far end of the map, its huge doors tightly sealed, its patron god an enigma, its portico offering hazy views of terracotta villas, market squares and streets lined with anguished golden statues. The temple is the apparent source of "the Golden Rule", a city-wide holy mandate whereby if one person sins, everybody will perish by ghastly magical means.

The trouble is, nobody in The Forgotten Citywhich is functionally a prison in that nobody's discovered the exitcan agree on the definition of a sin. The baseline seems to be murder, but what about telling a lie that gets somebody killed? Is charging a ridiculous price for a vital remedy a sin, and by extension, is theft OK if it's to save somebody's life? How about worshipping the 'wrong' god, or having the 'wrong' sexual orientation? Everybody you meet in the gamefrom closet Christians to household slavesis preoccupied with these questions, and awash with anxiety about the actions of other characters with different beliefs or value systems. And looming above it all, that temple, a suffocating sentinel that, far from nurturing a spirit of goodwill, has everybody teetering on the brink of civil war.

The Forgotten City feels, at times, like a playable rebuttal of Bentham and of systematic snooping in general, shaded by more recent study of the psychological and social impact of perpetual surveillance. But it's primarily a whodunnit, or rather a whogonnadoit. You play a bewildered tourist from the present day, sent into the city's ruins by a strange woman after waking by the river Tiber. Having tumbled through a wormhole to Roman times, you're brought before the local magistrate and asked to track down somebody he suspects is planning to breach the peace. Fortunately, you're insulated against disaster by a time-loop ritual that's cast whenever everything goes to hell, returning you to the start of the day. This grants you leeway to test the Golden Rule's limits and divine its purpose, while chasing down and cross-examining the City's 20-odd residents.

As with The Sexy Brutale and other cycling detect 'em ups, the core thrill here is rewinding the clock until all the pieces fall into place. Every failure to solve the mystery fills out your journal with fresh lines of enquiry and additional waypoints. There's a handful of tools, including a flashlight and a (forgivably implausible) Ancient Roman zipline handle for speedier back-tracking. Depending on your choices, you can also expect a brief burst of wonky action-platforming later on. But progress hinges mostly on unlocking new conversation options by gossiping to people about their neighbours, or simply watching the chain of events unfold.

The game is no looker, and the build I played was uneven on my 8GB i7 laptop, with frequent chugging on Epic settings and minute-plus loading breaks. You can definitely still see the fan project lurking beneath the gilt. But the city is enjoyable to stumble through nonetheless, with its flickering red interiors, stacks of amphorae and curious second population of golden effigies, some of which whisper to you as you pass.

The core thrill here is rewinding the clock until all the pieces fall into place

Exploring the world soon gives way to more purposeful jabs at the underlying clockwork, with multiple endings dangling in the balance. There's an election in progress, and one of the challengers has declared that the Golden Rule is just a scam to keep the populace in check. You might want to drum up a little support for the incumbent ruler, whose daughter has, incidentally, gone missing. But hang on, what's all this about an armed man in the bathhouse? And what of the physician who has barricaded herself in the palace?

The subplots and dialogue writing aren't that spellbinding next to, say, Paradise Killer, but it's a nice little collection of personalities, spiced up by nerdy period humour such as the local priestess telling you off for just walking up and talking to her, rather than observing the proper ceremonies. (Less successfully, there's a running gag about Karen memes.)

Beyond the story it weaves, The Forgotten City is quietly fascinating in that it gets you thinking about how videogames represent surveillance versus how they operate as surveillance mechanisms themselves. Videogames, you could argue, are inherently nosy. As simulations organised around the player, they track and monitor you from all angles, whether they're harvesting data for publishers, scaling up the difficulty in response to a run of victories, or just trying to put together a seriously granular results screen.

The Forgotten City doesn't actually make all that visible to the player, of courseit's no fourth-wall breaker, or at least, not so far. But it does centre it for analysis. Witnessing the deranging effects of continual surveillance on its cast, meanwhile, leaves me wondering not just what kinds of information videogames have on us, but how the mere awareness that they're watching might shape our behaviour. Perhaps whatever resides in that temple on the cliff will help me fill in the picture, assuming there's anybody in there at all.

See the original post:

The Forgotten City is a quietly horrifying story about sin and surveillance - PC Gamer

A Grande Prairie RCMP cruiser (Erica Fisher, MyGrandePrairieNow.com)

A recent influx of reports of in-person transaction scams in the Peace Country has the RCMP urging the public to keep their wits about them when it comes to potentially fraudulent behaviour.

The Western Alberta RCMP says theyve heard reports of residents being asked for money to help buy gasoline or food, typically in exchange for jewellery or other goods. Victims later discover the items they receive are either not worth much, or completely fake.

Corporal Deanna Fontaine says scams like this arent anything new, with a similar scam taking place in Calgary as recently as April. She adds the proximity of the scam artist, and how convincing they can be, makes the act tough to spot.

It feeds on peoples goodwill, and the notion that these persons are victims, and might need assistance of some kind, however, its later discovered its really just a scam, she says.

Fontaine says the golden rule to follow when it comes to any suspicious activity is if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Go with your gut instinct, and choose to not continue with that interaction, she says.

You could redirect someone to services in the community, whether it be food from the food bank, or other services, rather than giving something yourself.

Anyone who feels they have been the victim of this, or any other scam, is urged to contact their local police, or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

View post:

RCMP warns the public over exchange scams, distraction thefts - My Grande Prairie Now

Bobby Rose, owner, operator, proprietor and head mechanic of a Phillips 66 gas station and two-bay car repair shop on the corner of 3rd Avenue and N Street in Salt Lake City, operated these past 34 years on one business philosophy:

Do unto others as you would like to have done unto your mother.

His entire business plan rested on that one corollary of the golden rule. It wasnt something he learned from a corporate coach or motivational seminar or read in a book. It was purely instinctual on his part. He dreamed it up himself.

He always joked that the two things people complain most about are haircuts and car mechanics, explained Bobbys wife, Sherrie. So he had this idea to do for everybody like hed want his mother to be treated if she was stuck on the road, if it was her car that broke down.

Grid View

Howd that work out?

Youd have gotten a pretty good idea if youd driven past Bobbys gas station in the early evening two weeks ago. There were so many people on the corner of 3rd and N youd have thought they were giving away free gas.

But this was no giveaway. This was the entire neighborhood coming by to throw Bobby the mother of all retirement parties.

The news leaked out earlier this year what Bobby had in mind: At 66, hed decided it was time to hang up his coveralls.

Part of it was because of a health scare last August that required heart surgery. Part of it was he was more than sure hed done enough oil changes to last a lifetime. The clincher was when he found a buyer ready and willing to pay market value for the property the gas station sits on, aka Bobby and Sherries 401K.

So that was that. The new owner, with aims on rezoning the corner for residential, gave Bobby until the end of May to close down the mechanic bays and until the end of June to shut off the gas pumps.

Immediately, phones started ringing all along 3rd Avenue. The first reaction was Dang!

What would they do without Bobby?

He wasnt just a mechanic. He was their mechanic.

Everyone had their Bobby stories. They were all different and all the same.

He knew everyones name. He was as honest as the day is long. He didnt gouge. Didnt try to sell you something you didnt need. He made house calls to deliver gas, to fix flat tires. Hed give you his opinion on what cars to buy. He allowed people to charge gas and repairs. If an older person pulled up hed run out and pump their gas. When neighborhood kids wanted to work on their cars, hed loan them his tools. If they wanted to learn, hed let them watch. He always kept half of each days appointments open for his regular customers in case they had an emergency. If someone wasnt happy, he didnt charge them.

For 34 years, ever since he bought the station in the summer of 1987, he ran his station like that.

Soon enough, the idea emerged from the neighborhood in mourning that if Bobby had the gall to leave them, he deserved a proper send-off. Holly Webster called Jesselie Anderson and they started an email chain that just kept ballooning. No one was in charge and everyone was in charge.

The first plan was to have some water and soft drinks and hang a We Love Bobby banner from the canopy. Then someone pitched in to bring in the Silver Moon Taqueria food truck to provide free tacos. Then a band called High Nowhere, including some former 3rd Avenue residents and of course Bobby fans agreed to provide the entertainment. A professional photographer, Kent Miles, volunteered to take photos of Bobby and display them for the party. Someone else ordered a huge cake in the shape of the 3rd Avenue Car Clinic set on top of a chocolate automobile tire.

We didnt ask one person to do one thing, said Jesselie Anderson. It was all so spontaneous, so grassroots.

When they called Bobby and told him the party was planned for 5-7 p.m. on May 29, he admits his first impulse was to run.

I thought Id just not be here one day, he said when asked about his own retirement plan.

Instead, he found himself embraced by the neighborhood hed embraced for 34 years.

When the throng of well-wishers was at its fullest, Bobbys son Dallin a replica of his father who has worked right alongside him the past decade stood up to address the crowd.

Thank you for being my dads friend all these years, he said. Well miss every one of you.

Bobby then took the mic and managed to say Thank you ... before he teared up and couldnt go on.

The turnout and the outpouring, he confessed, was almost too much to take.

I think Ive just been a normal person. The only thing I did that was maybe different is I treated everyone like my friend; like theyd like to be treated or how Id want my mom to be treated.

Its overwhelming, all these people coming and saying nice things about you, he said as he surveyed the crowd. This is like going to your own funeral and youre not dead.

See the original post:

Salt Lake mechanic learns just how much hes loved in this neighborhood - Deseret News

James Phillips

Eyeglasses are a thing for me. Most people recognize me by the thick, black frames, kind of like Clark Kent. That fits because I am a newspaperman, and I can have a big enough ego to think Im Superman some days.

Despite my fondness of the thick, black frames, I have picked up a few more pairs of frames in the last several months. I have a glow-in-the-dark pair, a pair of woodgrain glasses and a prescription set of aviator shades with mirrored lenses. My glasses that get the most comments in public lately are rainbow frames with the phrase Love Wins etched into the side of the frames.

Im wearing the rainbow frames every day in June as my own personal celebration of Pride.

Some of you probably slammed the brakes after that last sentence. Why is this straight, married guy with five kids celebrating Pride?

Pride isnt just for people in the LGBTQ+ community. Pride is a celebration of individuality, and Im afraid that is a trait that is so often looked down upon, especially in the Bible Belt. We were all created as unique beings, but we try so hard to simply fit into the herd. By we, I mean some of you guys, because I typically stand out as quite different.

Being straight at Pride is 100 percent ok. Our family fits in at a Pride event just as much as anyone, because no one has to pretend they are something theyre not.

A little history about Pride is that it is held in June to commemorate the Stonewall riots in New York in 1969. Google that for more information. In recent years, Pride events have popped up in most major cities, including nearby areas such as Birmingham and Huntsville. Some friends of mine started a Pride event in Starkville, Miss., a couple of years ago.

My first ever interaction with a Pride event was back in 1999. It was our honeymoon, and we showed up at Disney World on the final day of Pride Week. For a kid from Empire, Ala., who was just fine with people being who they wanted to be, but had limited personal interaction with LGBTQ+ people at the time, it was interesting to say the least.

By happenstance, my next Pride event was when I found myself in the middle of New Orleans Pride in June 2014. My wife and I were eating at a restaurant in the French Quarter when I saw the biggest rainbow streamer that you could ever imagine floating down the street. I had to check out what was happening, so I went outside, and it was a massive parade. I hurried back in and told the waiter to just bring the food when it was ready but we were going outside to watch the parade. The people in the parade were so happy. They were themselves, and there was no judgment from anyone. It was a fun time, and we caught an incredible number of beads.

I mentioned that big rainbow going down the street in New Orleans. Many people in our area can get bent out of shape by the fact that gay and lesbian people use a rainbow flag as their symbol. The colors of the flag reflect the diversity of LGBTQ+ people. It isnt a group of people trying to steal the rainbow from God. It is a group of people trying to show we can all be who we created to be and live in harmony.

My support for the LGBTQ+ community is something Ive been outspoken about for years. Our family has friends on every part of that communitys wide spectrum. I would do anything for my friends, so taking a stand that might be unpopular in our area is something I consider to be a small sign of my allegiance and advocacy.

While I have said Pride is an event for everyone, it is a celebration started and still mainly focused on the fight for equal rights for people of all walks of life, but specifically the LGBTQ+ community. If you go to a Pride event, do not forget that. You may see some things that you consider crazy or unusual, but just go with it and have fun.

Promote Respect, Inclusion and Dignity for Everone is PRIDE. How can we not support that idea? All of us want basic human rights. Being respectful, inclusive and showing dignity to everyone seems like a pretty easy way to grant those rights. It also sounds an awful lot like the Golden Rule that all our grandparents tried to teach us.

Happy Pride!

__

James Phillips is editor and publisher of the Daily Mountain Eagle. He is not LGBTQ+, but he has dressed in drag several times, mostly charitable events, and it is not a pretty sight. Phillips may be contacted at 205-221-2840 or james.phillips@mountaineagle.com.

Read more:

Pride is a celebration for all - Daily Mountain Eagle