BBC NEWS | Europe | Croatian bees sniff out landmines

BBC NEWS Europe Croatian bees sniff out landmines: "A new technique to help find unexploded landmines using honey bees is being developed at Zagreb University in Croatia.
...

Other animals have been used before to detect explosives.
Gambian giant pouched rats are used in several African countries, including Mozambique, to find mines. Like the bees in Croatia, they are trained to associate the smell of TNT with food.
Dogs are also used to find landmines and to sniff out hidden explosives, for instance in airports. But unlike rats and bees, the weight of sniffer dogs means that they can be at risk of setting off the mines they are trying to detect. "

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | NZ cows produce own skimmed milk

BBC NEWS Science/Nature NZ cows produce own skimmed milk: "Experts at a biotechnology company in New Zealand have discovered that some cows have a gene giving them a natural ability to produce skimmed milk. "

Now Reader

I just realized I skipped a book! I just finished His Excellency: George Washington which an incredibly well done biography of the first US President. It cleared up a lot of questions I had about the Revolutionary War and dispelled many myths. A great read that I highly recommend.

I picked up Found Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation also by Joseph J. Ellis . Both these books I borrowed from a co-worker who got into a history kick. I'll probably be reading something about the War of 1812 next. Either that or the French Revolution (the big one).

BBC NEWS | Health | Magnets 'help regrow brain cells'

BBC NEWS Health Magnets 'help regrow brain cells': "Magnets may offer a way to boost mental performance, US research suggests.
Scientists in New York promoted the growth of new neurons in the brains of mice using a magnetic stimulus in the region associated with memory. "

BBC NEWS | Health | Firm makes 'healing super-water'

BBC NEWS Health Firm makes 'healing super-water': "US scientists have developed 'super-oxidised' water which they say speeds up wound healing."

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Captive shark had 'virgin birth'

BBC NEWS Science/Nature Captive shark had 'virgin birth': "Female hammerhead sharks can reproduce without having sex, scientists confirm.
The evidence comes from a shark at Henry Doorly Zoo in Nebraska which gave birth to a pup in 2001 despite having had no contact with a male.
Genetic tests by a team from Belfast, Nebraska and Florida prove conclusively the young animal possessed no paternal DNA, Biology Letters journal reports. "

Tournament Results

Results from the tourney (my first):

1st round vs. High Elves a draw - I was 19 points short of a marginal victory, but we only played 3 rounds because my opponent and I came in late and had a shortened time to play. I think I could have easily crushed him in the next two rounds. Oh well. Them's the breaks.

2nd round vs. Dwarves a crushing victory for the Empire!!! He did a charge on one on my 'nilla knight units and they held unexpectedly on a difficult leadership test!!! That allowed me to outflank with my larger units of knights and wipe out his toughest 30-dwarf block and just sweep through his exposed flank. My Outriders mauled a 2nd of his 30-dwarf blocks and his flying machine thingy while my other 10-man knight unit and a 'nilla group in support did a flanking sweep on the opposite flank to remove his gunners and artillery and attack his infantry from the rear. My first win ever and on my first full game ever too!!!

3rd round vs. Greenskins with 2 giants and 4 chariots and 3 30-orc infantry blocks. Crushing defeat. :-( After some bad manoeuvering on my part while led to one of the giants outflanking my 10-man knight bock and some bad rally rolls, it was pretty much over. There was a 400 point difference in scores, but I took out about 600 points between my cannons and outriders.

I have to say I'm very happy with the way my Outriders have been performing 18 shots between 6 of them is just over whelming. My cannons did their fair share of work too. While I did like that opponents taking on my 'nilla knights didn't have any stanards to earn from them and a loss of one of them only gave them 123 points, one change I would make is to take an additional 10-man knight block instead of the 2 I had now. In this size battle the 3rd large knight block would have really helped.

If you need interpretation of some of these terms, drop a comment and I'll explain.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Chinese writing '8,000 years old'

BBC NEWS Asia-Pacific Chinese writing '8,000 years old': "Chinese archaeologists studying ancient rock carvings say they have evidence that modern Chinese script is thousands of years older than previously thought.
State media say researchers identified more than 2,000 pictorial symbols dating back 8,000 years, on cliff faces in the north-west of the country.
They say many of these symbols bear a strong resemblance to later forms of ancient Chinese characters.
Scholars had thought Chinese symbols came into use about 4,500 years ago. "

Revised 2,250 point Army

I posted my previous army list on an Warhammer Empire forum (www.warhammer-empire.com) and I got a lot of useful comments. I made some changes that required me to move some things around.

I also went to another gaming store in the area and picked up a couple of models and about a dozen knights so I can actually field the army I want without having to resort to substituting models for units they are not.

I essentially have a very strong army list at the moment and I think I will stop acquiring more at this point. I will shift my focus to actual painting and decorating the models. I'm looking forward to getting that done.

Here's the new mounted army list with the changes I made:

Lord Choice:
Templar Grand Master 235 pts
(with Laurels of Victory +55 (improves your combat resolution stats), Holy Relic +45 (an improved chance to escape damage if hit))

Characters:
Warrior Priest 135 pts
(with the Armor of Meteroric Iron +25 (magical armor with improved stats) warhorse +10, Sword of Battle +15 (1 extra attack per turn))

Battle Standard Bearer 157 pts
(Banner of Sigismund +60 (makes the unit Stubborn and will not flee from combat); full plate armor +8; Barded Warhorse +14)

Battle Wizard 115 pts
(with two Dispel Scrolls +50)

Special choices:
Knights of the Inner Circle X10 models 320 pts
(with Full Command and Steel Standard +20 pts (additional charge range))

Outriders x6 models 150 pts
(with Full Command)

2X Great Cannon 200 pts

Core units:

Knightly Orders X10 models 366 pts
(with Full Command and Banner of the Demonslayer +50 pts(makes the unit cause fear when it charges))

Knightly Orders X5 models 123 pts
(with Musician only)

Knightly Orders X5 models 123 pts
(with Musician only)

Knightly Orders X5 models 123 pts
(with Musician only)

Knightly Orders X5 models 123 pts
(with Musician only)

Knightly Orders X5 models 115 pts
(with no Command)

So while I took the wizard off a horse, and made my two hardest hitting units a bit smaller and entirely removed the third largest unit, I added several independent units that would be better able to support the two that are left. Each of the two largest units will have two supporting units. the fifth unit will be in reserve and to help defend the cannon in the rear.

I also increased my Outriders by another unit and took away the sniper ability from my Champion in exchange for for shots per turn. The substitution of the Warrior Priest for the Captain actually makes for a stonger army as he makes any unit he is attached to Hate the enemy which has many benefits in combat. He is also somewhat of a magic user and will help boster my defense against enemy magic.

The Second Coming

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
-- William Butler Yeats, January 1919

BBC NEWS | Health | Gene find triggers baldness hope

BBC NEWS Health Gene find triggers baldness hope: "Hair loss in humans might not be irreversible, suggest scientists who have helped create new hair cells on the skin of mice.
It was thought hair follicles, once damaged, could never be replaced.
But a University of Pennsylvania, US, team, writing in the journal Nature, says hair growth can actually be encouraged using a single gene. "

BBC NEWS | Americas | Illinois baby obtains gun permit

BBC NEWS Americas Illinois baby obtains gun permit: "Bubba Ludwig may only be 10 months old, but he has already successfully obtained a gun licence in the US state of Illinois. "

Dark Matter Takes a Solo

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2007/515/3?rss=1
"Astronomers have spotted a ring of elusive dark matter devoid of stars, galaxies, and gas. The discovery gives astrophysicists more evidence to counter skeptics who doubt the existence of dark matter. Most astronomers and astrophysicists believe that some form of mysterious dark matter holds galaxies and clusters of galaxies together. However, dark matter interacts with ordinary matter so weakly that it hasn't yet been directly detected. A few researchers argue that dark matter doesn't exist and galaxies hang together because gravity behaves differently than generally believed over vast distances.
These so-called modified gravity theories suffered a blow last year when astronomers spotted a collision between two galaxy clusters in the Bullet Cluster (ScienceNOW, 21 August 2006). The smash-up stripped the gas from the clusters, leaving a large blob of ordinary gas glowing between two clumps of galaxies. From its brightness, the researchers could tell the gas contained more matter than the galaxies. Yet researchers could tell that gravity was stronger near the galaxies by the way it distorted the images of more-distant galaxies. That paradox can be explained easily if the galaxies are embedded in two enormous globs of dark matter that supply the light-bending gravity. Many researchers say the formation can't be explained by modified gravity theories.
Now, a team led by Myungkook Jee of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, has spotted an even more convincing case. Using the Hubble Space Telescope, the team spotted another collision of clusters, this one some 5 billion light years away. Whereas Earth-bound observers see the collision in the Bullet Cluster from the side, the Hubble sees the new collision along the line of movement, as if standing on a train track watching two locomotives crash head-on. This perspective allowed the team to observe a ring of distortions around the central cluster, suggesting that the collision splattered out a circle of dark matter almost empty of ordinary matter, as they report in a paper to be published in the Astrophysical Journal. "It's the first time that dark matter has been detected in its own structure," Jee says.
If the new observation holds up, it will close a final loophole in the Bullet Cluster analysis, says Douglas Clowe, an astronomer at Ohio University in Athens. That earlier observation could be explained if a weird force existed that pulled only on matter in galaxies, and not between the atoms in the gas. If so, that force, instead of gravity from dark matter, could be bending the light passing through clumps of galaxies. But the ring of distortions in the new cluster contains no galaxies, Clowe says, so such a force cannot explain the observed distortions. Clowe also notes, however, that Jee and colleagues had to "dig down into the noise" to extract the image. "It's certainly very suggestive that something is going on, but I don't think that the data they've presented in the paper is conclusive.""

The End of the Milky Way

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2007/515/1?rss=1

"Someday our little corner of the universe will have a ringside seat for one of the biggest events in the cosmos. Two billion years from now, the Milky Way and Andromeda, our closest neighboring galaxy, will begin to fuse into one giant football-shaped galaxy. The gigantic merger will relocate our solar system and thereby change forever the appearance of the constellations, although it's unlikely that any Earthly life will be greatly disturbed."

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Spielberg 'to make Tintin movie'

BBC NEWS Entertainment Spielberg 'to make Tintin movie': "Steven Spielberg and The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson are to bring Tintin to the big screen, according to industry reports."

BBC NEWS | Technology | Free tool offers 'easy' coding

BBC NEWS Technology Free tool offers 'easy' coding: "A free programming tool that allows anyone to create their own animated stories, video games and interactive artworks has been developed.
Primarily aimed at children, Scratch does not require prior knowledge of complex computer languages.
Instead, it uses a simple graphical interface that allows programs to be assembled like building blocks."

Bye Bye Azeroth :-(

With the demise of the hard drive on my secondary laptop, my primary laptop limited to about an hour of uptime before I have to shut down and recharge it for four hours, my desktop not even close to be able to play it, and getting a new computer not in the cards for at least this year, I'm going to have to put my World of Warcrafting on hold for a while. I am going to let my subscription lapse at the end of the month. :-( Oh well. At least I have Warhammer to occupy me until I can restart again.

Die, Hollywood!

Sinfest: The Webcomic To End all Webcomics

2,250 point Mounted Army

Apparently there is a Warhammer tournament next weekend which I hope to play at. The gaming store that the guys who introduced me to the game frequent went out of business and is reopening under new management and with a new name (it used to be called Ground Zero Games - it was named so before 9/11 so its a bit unfortunate - but the new name is Phoenix Games which has a much better connotation all around). The place used to be a dump before but hopefully it will be better run this time around. In any case the tournament is for armies of around 2,250 points which give me more room to play with. I thought this would be a great opportunity to experiment with an mounted army of some sort so I developed a list as follows:

Lord Choice:
Templar Grand Master 235 pts
(with Laurels of Victory +55 (improves your combat resolution stats), Holy Relic +45 (an improved chance to escape damage if hit))

Characters:
Captain of the Empire 128 pts
(with Dragon Bow +25; lance +4; full plate armor +8; shield +2; Barded warhorse +14)

Battle Standard Bearer 157 pts
(Banner of Sigismund +60; full plate armor +8; Barded Warhorse +14)

Battle Wizard 125 pts
(with two Dispel Scrolls +50 and a warhorse +10)

Special choices:
Knights of the Inner Circle X12 models 372 pts
(with Full Command and Steel Standard +20 pts)

Outriders x5 models 144 pts
(with Full Command and the champion equipped with a Hockland Long Rifle +10)

2X Great Cannon 200 pts
(Yes, yes, I know the cannons aren't mounted, but Cannons go BOOM!)

Core units:
Knightly Orders X12 models 366 pts
(with Full Command and Banner of the Demonslayer +50 pts)

Knightly Orders X12 models 326 pts
(with Full Command and Banner of the Duty +10 pts)

Knightly Orders X6 models 162 pts(with Musician and Champion - no standard)


This army is much more mobile and much faster than my first list. The addition of the Cannon make it a scarier prospect to face down. A mostly mounted army with no infantry will be a bit more difficult to coordinate to make sure the knights are not outflanked but it will scare the bejezuz out my opponents.

Roll Call

So I finally got around to taking pictures of some of the units I put together. Here they are for your perusal.



This is a block of 30 Swordsmen. Each of them are equipped with shield. The unit also includes a Champion (who has better stats than the others - essentially a Commander type who's more skilled than the rest), a Musician who helps rally them if they flee, a Standard Bearer who carries the unit flag which aids in combat resolution (the standard may be confer other bonuses if a Magical Standard is selected). The combination of Champion, Musician, and Standard Bearer is called Full Command.





























You will note that the bases of each model in this set have sand on them which I added to decorate later. You can see from the models that don't have this "flock" how much better it looks.























This is a Wizard model. There are Eight different Lores of Magic that a Wizard can specialize in. This particular Wizard is modelled to follow the Lore of Fire, but in game you can choose which Lore to follow.



























This is a unit of Huntsmen. These guys are not on a base because they qualify as "skirmishers" and don't have to line up in ranks and files.

































Here's a block of 15 Knights with Full Command.







































This is a unit of 5 Outriders. They are light cavalry with repeater rifles - relatively long range armor piercing rifles. They can lay down devastating firepower but are weakly armored and cannot move and fire on the same turn. The Champion is equipped with a Hockland Long Rifle which is basically a sniper rife with extended range. There is a Musican but no Standard Bearer for this unit.

























Empire Pistolliers are also light cavalry. They are equipped with a brace of pistols that have a far shorter range than the Outriders but they can move and shoot in the same turn. There is a Musican and a Champion but no Standard Bearer for this unit.
























Here is a mounted General. The general has a higher leadership value than other units, is more skilled in combat and is generally more survivable than other units.

Here's a detachment of 10 Halberdiers. There is no Command group with this unit as it is attached to the Swordsmen shown earlier. The Empire is unique in Warhammer in that many of its infantry units are allowed to have up to two detachments that function alongside the parent unit. In my case, the Swordsmen with Full Command is my parent unit and this unit is one of its detachments. The detachment is allowed to act and react when anything happens to the parent unit even if this action or reaction would typically be out of turn. Basically the superior training and drilling that Soldiers of the Empire go through allow for such coordination of movement. Halberds are heavier weapons that allow for stronger attacks.

These Handgunners are the other detachment for my Swordsmen. Handguns are relatively long rang armor piercing weapons. I included the Full Command although I won't be able to in a battle because it looks cool. The Handgunner champion is called a Marksman and in this case I equipped him with a Hockland Long Rifle that has a longer range than the Handguns of typical units.

The Great Cannons of the Empire were, according to the lore, a gift from the dwarfs that inhabit the Empire lands. The Empire engineers have improved them to increase their range and effectiveness. A Cannon has a full crew of three units.

The remaining shots are various pictures of Generals that are mounted and on foot. These figures could also be used to represent Captains that are a step down from Generals but still significantly better than the average unit. All characters (Generals, Captains, Wizards, and others) may be attached to units and confer benefits to them.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Nasa unveils Hubble's successor

BBC NEWS Americas Nasa unveils Hubble's successor: "The US space agency Nasa has unveiled a model of a space telescope that scientists say will be able to see to the farthest reaches of the Universe.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is intended to replace the ageing Hubble telescope."

BBC NEWS | Americas | Vultures pick off human body farm

BBC NEWS Americas Vultures pick off human body farm: "Plans by a US university to build a human 'body farm' have been set back amid fears of vultures flocking towards the whiff of decomposing corpses. ...
said Mark Hendricks, a university spokesman.
"It's a controversial project, there's no doubt about it." "

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Scientists compile 'book of life'

BBC NEWS Science/Nature Scientists compile 'book of life': "Long-snouted aardvarks will rub shoulders with skunk-like zorillas in an ambitious plan to provide a virtual snapshot of life on Earth.
The Encyclopedia of Life project aims to detail all 1.8 million known plant and animal species in a net archive.
Individual species pages will include photographs, video, sound and maps, collected and written by experts. "

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Star dies in monstrous explosion

BBC NEWS Science/Nature Star dies in monstrous explosion: "A massive star about 150 times the size of the Sun exploded in what could be a long-sought new type of supernova, Nasa scientists have said. "

On Wisdom

Baby Boomers - Aging - Wisdow - Middle Age - Medicine and Health - New York Times: " “We are doomed to die; let us spend”"

Fantasy and Reality do mix...

The Wisdom Scorecard - New Middle Ages - New York Times


N: http://www.nytimes.com/ref/magazine/20070430_WISDOM.html
pop wisdom quiz!they don't seem to have dex or int or char
Me: lol
N: *grin*
Me: how did you do?
I got a 4.4
I have relatively high wisdom
N: 4.3
you are .1 more wise than me!
Me: That's because have my Tie of Wisdom on which gives me a 1% proc of +1 wisdom on all wisdom saves
N *giggle*
Me: otherwise you would totally be more wise than me

CGSociety - Blizzard's Warcraft - The Night Elf

Can you belive this is a CGI created image?

CGSociety - Blizzard's Warcraft - The Night Elf

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | The stars' strangest merchandise

BBC NEWS Entertainment The stars' strangest merchandise

There are some pretty amusing things listed. I think the KISS refrigerator/coffin wins hands down. ""I love livin', but this makes the alternative look pretty damn good," singer Gene Simmons said. "

BBC NEWS | Business | Foster's hops on green bandwagon

BBC NEWS Business Foster's hops on green bandwagon: "Australian brewer Foster's has teamed up with scientists to create the world's first 'beer battery'.
The technology - using bacteria which consume sugar to generate power from brewery waste water - was unveiled at the University of Queensland.
...
As bacteria consume water-soluble waste from the plant such as starch, alcohol and sugar, the battery will produce clean water and electricity.
"Brewery waste water is a particularly good source because it is very biodegradable... and is highly concentrated, which does help in improving the performance of the cell," said the university's waste water expert, Professor Jorg Keller.
According to estimates, the brewery battery should produce two kilowatts of power - enough to power a household.
"It's not going to make an enormous amount of power - it's primarily a waste water treatment that has the added benefit of creating electricity," Prof Keller added. "

BBC NEWS | Americas | US prison sees keys sold online

BBC NEWS Americas US prison sees keys sold online: "A prison in the US state of Iowa has changed its locks after a set of keys was sold online for $12.
The state spent $6,000 on refurbishing the Anamosa State Penitentiary after keys that belonged to a guard who retired in the 70s were auctioned. "

First Blood

I had my first Warhammer battle last night. I played against someone who hadn't played in several years so this was his first foray into the current edition of Warhammer. He fielded a force of Lizardmen against my Empire army. We played two rounds (out of 6) before everyone had to leave to go watch Spiderman 3 (I didn't join them) so we called it quits and called the game a draw. It was somewhat anti-climactic but I got a lot out of playing the game and seeing the mechanics in action. I've already made changes to my list based on what happened.

The list I had was for a 2,000 point army. For clarification: battles are fought between armies of comparable points. Each unit that is available to an army costs a certain number of points. Certain units can be enhanced by purchasing upgraded for extra points. Some units get bonuses for forming ranks of certain sizes. Each faction has different characteristics based on racial ability (dwarfs, humans, undead, lizardmen, elves, each have different skills), type of unit (infantry, cavalry, flying units, war machines like cannons, mortars, etc), rank (depending on the size of the army you can add certain numbers of units that are characters with special abilities such as for Empire, you could add the Emperor as a seperate unit, a General, wizards, the leader of an Order of Knights, etc.). The list I created was as follows:

Lord Choice (limit 1 for a 2,000 point army):
Templar Grand Master 235 pts (this unit is supposed to be the head or an Order of Knights and has great leadership skills and abilities)
(with Sword of Sigismund +45 (an improved attack), Holy Relic +45 (an improved chance to escape damage if hit))

Characters(up to 4 total including the Lord choice):
Captain of the Empire 114 pts
(with Sword of Righteous Steel +30; handgun +10; full plate +8; shield +2; Barded warhorse +14)

Battle Standard Bearer 138 pts (one unit in an army can be the BSB which confers on him the ability allow fleeing troops to rally and also allows the purchase of a magical banner that add furtehr benefits to the army or the unit the BSB is attached to)
(with Griphon Standard +55 (this is a magical banner that allows the unit to count its ranks twice in combat resolution - in effect the unit would appear more powerful than it really is); full plate +8)

Battle Wizard 115 pts (just a low level wizard to counter enemy spell casters. This guy won't do much offensively)
(with two Dispel Scrolls +50)

Special choices: (up to 4 units having special abilities may be fielded)

Knights of the Inner Circle X10 models 320 pts (an improved Knighly Order - these guys are stonger than your basic Knights)
(with Full Command and Steel Standard +20 pts) (Full command means the unit has a Champoion who has slightly better stats than a normal model in the unit, a Musician that helps rally fleeing troops, and a standard bearer that confers some other bonus to the unit)

Pistoliers x5 models 114 pts (light cavalry with short ranged armor piercing pistols)
(with Full Command and the outrider champion equipped with a repeater pistol +10) (the repeater pistol adds an extra attack to my champion)

2X Great Cannon 200 pts (Cannons go BOOM!)


Core units: (at least 3 of your units must be Core units)

Swordsmen X 25 models 175 pts (The Empire is uniquie in its ability to have certain kids of infanty units have detachments that can function in close support and can act when otherwise they could not normally do so.)
(Parent unit - Full Command)
Detachments:
Halberdiers X10 models 50 pts
Handgunners X 10 models 80 pts

Knightly Orders X10 models 320 pts
(with Full Command and Banner of the Demonslayer +50 pts)

Knightly Orders X5 models 139 pts
(with Musician and Champion - no standard)


So there it was. The game begins with each side deplying units one after the other. I had a strategy going in to try to heavily load one side of my force and swing up and try to crush his flank. I was taken by surprise by the lay out of the field and how my opponent squished all his units together. I ended up fielding my army in a ragged line that really didn't lend itself to my original plan. it turned to be more of an assault on three fronts which did not bode well for me. On the plus side, my knights were superior to all of his front line troops and in every one on one encounter I would easily win, I spread myself too thin and allowed my Knights of the Inner Circle to be outflanked in the last round. My Pistolliers also didn't do as well as I hoped due to their short range and low armor saves. I also found out a limitation to magical weapons that I wasn't aware of. In the end this was a great learning experience.

I've made a couple of changes to my list. I swapped out my Pistolliers with Outriders which are also light cavalry with ranged weapons, but the Outriders have a significantly longer range but cannot move and shoot at the same turn without incurring a penalty - a tradeoff, but one I think I can live with - we'll see how that works out. I also swapped out the magical weapons on my Characters for more useful items. I had to lower the numbers in my infantry unit to get within the 2,000 point limit as well.

I think I learned other things as well. If I have a plan I should stick with it for a lot longer than I did this time. I think a pincher move could have worked, but I didn't do that - it ended up being a weak frontal attack instead. An even stronger option would have been a single strong flank attack as I originally hoped but I didn't set up my units to do it that way.

Rafting

Rafting in Japan.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Snowflakes promise faster chips

BBC NEWS Technology Snowflakes promise faster chips: "Chips could run faster and be more energy efficient thanks to a process from IBM that copies nature's creation of seashells and snowflakes.
The process, called airgap, enables trillions of microscopic vacuum holes to be placed between the copper wire in chips to act as an insulator.
It solves the problem of electrical energy leaking between wires, which creates unwanted heat.
IBM says the chips will run 35% faster and consume 15% less energy. "

BBC NEWS | Health | Brain pulses stimulate deep sleep

BBC NEWS Health Brain pulses stimulate deep sleep: "A good night's sleep may be as simple as flipping a switch, say scientists.
By sending magnetic pulses through the skulls of sleeping volunteers, US researchers were able to stimulate the slow brain waves seen in deep sleep.
Such a machine-generated 'power nap' could one day be an insomnia treatment, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study suggests.
However, it is unclear whether electronically assisted sleep confers the same benefits as natural sleep. "

BBC NEWS | South Asia | The Boeing 737 stuck in city road

BBC NEWS South Asia The Boeing 737 stuck in city road: "Residents of the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay) are wondering how long it will take to remove a disused Boeing 737 that has been abandoned in a busy road.
The decommissioned aircraft was being driven through the city at the weekend when the driver got lost and then abandoned the plane. "

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Power station harnesses Sun's rays

BBC NEWS Science/Nature Power station harnesses Sun's rays: "It is Europe's first commercially operating power station using the Sun's energy this way and at the moment its operator, Solucar, proudly claims that it generates 11 Megawatts (MW) of electricity without emitting a single puff of greenhouse gas. This current figure is enough to power about 8,000 homes.
But ultimately, the entire plant should generate as much power as is used by the 600,000 people of Seville.
It works by focusing the reflected rays on one location, turning water into steam and then blasting it into turbines to generate power. "

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Space telescope spots new planet

BBC NEWS Science/Nature Space telescope spots new planet: "The French-led Corot mission has spied its first planet - a very hot world bigger than Jupiter - passing in front of a far-off star.
The spacecraft was launched on 27 December last year and is the first to hunt for Earth-like planets from space.
Corot scientists said to find a planet so early on 'significantly exceeded pre-launch expectations'. "

BBC NEWS | Africa | Sudan's famous goat 'wife' dies

BBC NEWS Africa Sudan's famous goat 'wife' dies: "The best-known goat in Sudan has died months after being 'married' to a man in the South Sudan capital, Juba, the BBC has learned.
After the marriage, Rose had a male kid - but "not a human one" - Mr Rhodes said, hastily.
The "husband", Charles Tombe, said he was drunk at the time but has since refused to comment on the issue. The kid is owned by Mr Tombe. "

BBC NEWS | Programmes | From Our Own Correspondent | Putting Jamestown into context

BBC NEWS Programmes From Our Own Correspondent Putting Jamestown into context: "The Queen has arrived in the US to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia - although many Americans will still tell you it was in Plymouth, Massachusetts - 13 years later.
...
Nineteenth century historians had little respect for the settlers whom they described as lazy and incompetent. In short, Jamestown was a fiasco.
Virginia was also on the wrong side in the civil war. Sitting on top of Jamestown fort are the remains of a confederate gun emplacement.
'Historians in the 19th century were looking for a more noble beginning and opted for The Pilgrim Fathers,' Beverly Straube explained.
'They landed in Plymouth in 1620. They had their women and children, and were determined to forge a new life with religious freedom in a new England.'
That read much better than the story of the commercially driven Virginia company with its slaves and tobacco in the background, and reports of violence and cannibalism.
With the history of settlement re-versioned, the Thanksgiving holiday became associated with the ideals of the Pilgrim Fathers and although nothing remains to be seen of Plymouth's original settlement today most Americans will tell you that Plymouth is where it all began.
Remarkable archaeological discoveries have put Jamestown back on the map and all we need now, says Beverly Straub is another holiday straight after Thanksgiving called Jamestown day. "

The Incredible Shrinking Sea Ice -- Parks 2007 (502): 2 -- ScienceNOW

The Incredible Shrinking Sea Ice -- Parks 2007 (502): 2 -- ScienceNOW: "With its wreath of sea ice shrinking ever smaller over the last half-century, the Arctic has served as global warming's canary in the coal mine. By 2050 to 2100, according to climate model predictions, Arctic summers will be ice-free for the first time in about a million years. But new research reveals the ice has been vanishing about 3 times faster than the models have predicted, shifting the inevitable meltdown about 30 years ahead of schedule."

FOXNews.com - Natural Viagra: Brazilian Spider Bite Causes Hours-Long Erection - Science News | Current Articles

FOXNews.com - Natural Viagra: Brazilian Spider Bite Causes Hours-Long Erection - Science News Current Articles: " A Brazilian spider delivers more than a painful bite that sends most victims to the hospital.
Its venom stimulates an hours-long erection. Now scientists have figured out the chemical that seems to be responsible for the penis boost."

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Spacecraft returns Jupiter images

BBC NEWS Science/Nature Spacecraft returns Jupiter images: "Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft has returned stunning views of the Jupiter system captured during a recent flyby.
They include huge volcanic eruptions on the surface of the Io moon, as well as the first close-up look at a burgeoning red storm in Jupiter's atmosphere. "

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Manchester | Maggots help cure MRSA patients

BBC NEWS UK England Manchester Maggots help cure MRSA patients: "Maggots are being used to help successfully treat MRSA patients in record time, according to a new study by the University of Manchester.
Researchers used green bottle fly larvae to treat 13 diabetics whose foot ulcers were contaminated with MRSA
...
Maggots have been used since the Napoleonic Wars, - they eat the dead tissue and bacteria, leaving the healthy tissue to heal. "

Order of the Fallen Star

So I've got most of my Warhammer army put together. I'm waiting on another set of 20 knights to be able to field a fully mounted army. I should start painting soon but before I do I will post before and after pics of the army and the individual units.

Rather than go along with the standard color schemes for the various factions and city states available in the game, I created a new Knightly Order for my army based on the history of the game. While this is not required, doing so allows me to pick a color scheme for the army that would make it look distinct from others that follow the standard schemes.

My army is part of the Order of the Fallen Star that was created after the events that transpired around the destruction of the city of Mordheim. The creators of Warhammer based a game module around it and a description of which can be found in Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordheim

Here's the fluff for it. I took a lot of the intro language from a couple of sites I found, but I think it works:

"In the last year of the second Millennium, five hundred years before the rule of the most benevolent Emperor Karl Franz, there fell a time unlike any other. Just as they had before the birth of Divine Sigmar, the wings of fire in the sky again heralded the coming of great things; the coming of Plague, the coming of War, the coming of Pestilence and Hunger. Though its unholy name is now stricken from the records of the Great Library at Altdorf, and its ruins razed by Magnus the Savior of the Empire, I would tell you the tale of the cursed city, brought low by the wrath of gods.

I would tell you the tale of Mordheim City of the Damned."

Mordheim, was once a great city capital of the Empire's most northern realm, Ostermark, and often referred to as the 'brightest star of the North' in its heyday.

The Empire was a place torn: it had been in civil war for years - there was no Emperor sitting on the throne, and various powers were vying for control. In the Imperial year 1999, a great comet was sighted in the sky - a twin tailed comet, the sign of Sigmar. Astronomers predicted that it would fall in the city of Mordheim, where his convent of Sisters stood. It was believed that it would herald the return of Sigmar, which he would restore the land to its former glory and usher in a new golden age. Everybody traveled to Mordheim, filling the city well beyond its capacity.

Such were the times that lawlessness soon grew out of hand. The citizens of Mordheim quickly degenerated to moral debauchery, giving themselves over to their own worldly temptations, living in an increasing state of anarchy. As time drew closer to the comet’s arrival, more and more people made the journey to Mordheim, and the situation became worse. As people gave in to acts of depravity, demons walked the streets like men, the seeds of Chaos and corruption long since having claimed the souls of the pitiful thousands who now called Mordheim their own.

The comet fell on New Years Eve, but it was not to be the coming of Sigmar as predicted. As the new year arrived and city was crammed and the prancing throng was at its zenith, the comet impacted upon the city instantly killing those who had gathered around it. Sigmar had judged Mordheim lacking and all over the Empire the land shook! Only the Temple of Sigmar's Rock, home to the Sisterhood of Sigmar, who had locked themselves away weeks before the comets arrival, remained unblemished.

Word got out that Sigmar had passed his judgment, that he had smote those who he deemed unworthy. The place of Mordheim became a place of fear and paranoia. Soon after, word spread of a mysterious stone that lay scattered about the city, known as Wyrdstone, which had all manner of reputed qualities. It was discovered that factions would pay incredible amounts for this precious stone, whatever their motivation. So warbands began traveling to Mordheim, now dubbed The City of the Damned, hoping to find this precious stone and make their quick fortunes…

Scholars from the Great Library travelled to Mordheim to learn all they could of the Wyrdstones and the fallen star. As a precaution and for their protection a small band of mounted and foot soldiers from Altdorf were dispatched to accompany them. Their journey was perilous and the group encountered many an enemy warband on similar errands but those encounters were mere skirmishes in comparison to what awaited them at Mordheim. The group learned to rely on each other and quickly learned the value of each man to the whole.

After the Great War against Chaos, Magnus the Pious razed the remaining ruins, and had the name of Mordheim deleted in every history record available. But not all records were made available. The knights, scholars, and soldiers of Altdorf that returned from Mordheim did not forget their journey. As a reminder of the comet that destroyed the brightest star of the north, they established the Order of the Fallen Star. The Order stands to defend against a return to the chaos that they witnessed at the City of the Damned. Rumor has it that the scholars returned with a fragment of a Wyrdstone and that it is housed somewhere within the Order's Chapter House but this has not been confirmed.

Since their founding, the Order has stood to protect Altdorf and the Empire wherever Chaos threatens. The Order is unusual in that, in deference to its roots, scholars and wizards have always been attached to the Order (some speculate that this is so that they can study the aforementioned Wyrdstone). Also in deference to its roots when the founders of the Order quickly saw the value of every soldier in every role supporting the whole, the Order's footsoldiers are also held held in high esteem within the ranks of the Order and regularly drill and train alongside mounted soldiers making them an essential element of the Order. This allows the Order of the Fallen Star to be able to field an effective varied fighting force out of its own ranks without help from other Orders. The benefits of having such a force have not gone unnoticed within the Empire and the Order is well equipped and outfitted.

The colors of the Order incorporates the red and blue of Altdorf with the yellow and orange of the comet.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Washington diary: Land of ideas

Great commentary - read this article.

BBC NEWS Americas Washington diary: Land of ideas: "I am happy to report to you that the Oxford Union, in its infinite wisdom, has allowed America to continue existing.
After a raucous debate in front of a packed house, the motion - 'this House regrets the Founding of America' - was overwhelmingly squashed.
...
Yes, there were terrible mistakes - the gross hypocrisy of slavery, segregation and McCarthyism, to name a few. But America found and keeps finding the solutions to its mistakes. It is a giant, rolling social experiment in constant pursuit of self-correction. As Bill Clinton once said: "There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America."
...
The US is a nation built not on ethnicity, not on religion, not even on history but on an idea.
...
The reality of America may be vexing, frustrating, infuriating and puzzling but its promise is no less real and, given the right voice, should be no less inspiring.
Guantanamo Bay, the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and yes, so many aspects of the war in Iraq, were big mistakes. But these are aspects of current foreign policy, not part of the nation's DNA. They are lamented as much inside the US as outside. And that too speaks for America!
To quote the Harvard political scientist Samuel Huntington: "America is not a lie; it is a disappointment." But what is worse than being disappointed? It is not even to know what you're missing.
"

Sinfest:Muse