![]() ![]() Economic integration turned out to be strictly downstream, while many German businesses got burned by corruption and organized crime political reform remained elusive. What the Germans called their “modernization partnership” with Moscow made for excellent business for a while but in every other way, it proved to be a failure. The Kremlin, for its part, saw Germany as a friend, a partner, and as a strategic bridgehead into Europe - not least because it was importing roughly a third of its oil and gas from Russia. And they believed - in an attempt to reconfigure West Germany’s Cold War Ostpolitik for a united Germany in the middle of Europe - that NATO and the European Union could and should be encompassed in a pan-European security architecture that included Russia. Ultimately, German policymakers hoped, this would transform not only these countries’ economies but also their political systems. That this horrific conflict is taking place in the region that was part of the “Bloodlands” (the term coined by Yale historian Timothy Snyder), where Hitler and (to a lesser degree) Stalin murdered tens of millions of people is lost on few of my fellow citizens.įor much of the three decades after German reunification in 1990, Berlin saw Moscow (as well as Beijing) as a reliable strategic partner in a two-way bargain: Germany would import cheap energy, and export good governance in much the way that Eastern Europe had been transformed through entry into NATO and the EU. The war in Ukraine, which touches on almost every one of Germany’s bilateral, regional, and global interests, only accentuates its exposure. It is now finding itself excruciatingly vulnerable in an early 21st century characterized by great power competition and an increasing weaponization of interdependence by allies and adversaries alike. Germany is a case study - perhaps the case study - of a Western middle power which made a strategic bet on a full embrace of interdependence and globalization in the late 20th century: it outsourced its security to the U.S., its export-led growth to China, and its energy needs to Russia. I am also not an energy industry expert I hope the value added I can bring to this hearing is my ability to contextualize energy policy within the larger issues of transatlantic, European, and German politics and policy. I want to emphasize here that I am not and have never been a government representative I speak in my individual capacity as an analyst of German and European politics.
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This chart also shows your rising sign/ascendant- which is the zodiac sign that was rising in the east at the moment you were born and dictates the start of your astrological wheel. What is a Rising Sign and what does it mean? If you want to generate your astrology birth chart click here. The components of it will appear different depending on your a) place of birth, b) time of birth and c) date of birth. Within the wheel of the chart, you will find zodiac signs, houses, planets, and aspects between those planets.Įach of you has your own wonderfully unique, and special chart. Ta-Da! The featured picture above displays what a natal chart typically looks like. Welcome to the beginner’s guide on how to read an astrology birth chart. Be patient and go at your own pace to fully take in these teachings. ![]() The longer you study it the more the stars unfold themselves to you. Remember, astrology is a lifelong journey. This will give you the groundwork needed to build upon your future astrology lessons. These six sections are the most important concepts to understand when starting out learning how to read astrology birth chart. I’m going to break down the basics of the natal chart for you into the most digestible information I can provide. I like to think of it as a “snapshot” of the sky at the exact moment you were born that captures what houses and zodiac signs the planets were in. That’s how in-depth you can study the layers of this chart that make up the “map to your soul.” What is an astrology birth chart?Ī birth chart (or natal chart) is a “map of the sky” that is calculated concerning the place, time, and date of your birth. There was so much to unpack at that moment and to be honest, I will be unpacking it for the rest of my life. What the HELL are all these symbols, lines, and terms…and what do they mean?! I remember the first time I saw my astrology chart I thought it was the craziest thing I had ever seen. Its phenomenal rise to an international reputation of the highest standing in turn throws light on the global success of the great Swiss watchmaking tradition. Founded in the Swiss city of Geneva in 1755 by the gifted craftsman and businessman Jean-Marc Vacheron, Vacheron Constantin is the oldest watch manufacturer in the world with an uninterrupted history. ![]() This sumptuous book brings to life the rich past and the landmark creations of one of the world’s great watchmakers. Treasures of Vacheron Constantin: A Legacy of Watchmaking since 1755 This book is an essential acquisition for both casual fans and long-time connoisseurs of the brand. Each watch is accompanied by a complete list of technical specifications. Featured inside are several of the most popular examples from three of the company’s outstanding watch families: the uncomplicated but cherished Calatrava collection, the groundbreaking sports line Nautilus, and the cross-generational Gondolo family. This illustrated book couples the most exclusive and beautiful timepieces the Genevan brand has ever manufactured with informative history and alluring photographs. In the 160 years since the pair founded Patek Philippe, the line has remained, without a doubt, one of the most traditional and noble watch manufacturers in the world. Nicholas Foulkes traces the Patek Philippe history from founder Antoine Norbert de Patek’s early life in Poland as a young cavalry officer Ī young rebel named Antoni Norbert Patek de Prawdzic fled war-torn Poland in 1832 and embarked upon a career path that led him to watchmaker Jean-Adrien Philippe, inventor of the revolutionary built-in crown winding mechanism. Notable customers of the storied Swiss watchmaker include Queen Victoria, and her great-great-granddaughter HM Queen Elizabeth II.ĭrawing exclusively on interviews with the company’s owners and with staff and watchmakers past and present, as well as on hitherto unseen documents from the company’s archives, Patek Philippe: The Authorized Biography, celebrates the history of a unique company. A cult among collectors, Patek Philippe and its timepieces have been treasured by kings and princes, rock stars, and sportsmen. Among them, the most valuable watch ever made: the famous 1933 pocket watch known as the “Graves” supercomplication, which sold at auction in 2014 for US$23,934,00. Synopsis by Amazon, affiliate link Available hereįounded in Geneva in 1839, and to this day a family-owned company, Patek Philippe makes what are widely regarded as the world’s finest mechanical watches. From the beginning, the sponsorship of statesmen, movie stars, and athletes has driven its success, but Rolex has since expanded to include more than just the rich and famous. ![]() Get the latest reports and performance tests results on Rolex items: rugged or elegant classic or contemporary. Browse the images and devour the historical and technical details of some of Rolex’s most reliable models: the Submariner, on which divers depend to get them safely back to the surface the Cosmograph and Yachtmaster that auto-racers and boat captains trust for their precision and durability. Explore the ingenious innovations in technology and marketing behind the prestigious company’s swift success. This book traces the manufacturer’s development from the 1920s, when it began its steady rise to unprecedented international appeal, to the present. The brand with the crown is recognised world-wide as an invaluable sports implement and luxury product. Synopsis by Amazon, affiliate link AVAILABLE HERE ![]() This classic handbook still remains indispensable to generations of watchmakers and repairers, and also provides a fascinating insight to the enthusiast and watch-collector who, until its publication, had often been able only to admire the superb craftsmanship of a fine watch without understanding how it works. As Daniels is particularly interested in the development of the escapement – many are described in this book, several of his own design – the reader is encouraged to explore this aspect of watchmaking in even greater detail. The text is easy to follow and care has been taken to avoid complicated technical descriptions. Here, the making of the precision timekeeper is described step by step and illustrated at each stage with line drawings and brief explanatory captions. As a supreme master of his art, George Daniels‘ advice is constantly sought by both students and watch repairers, his understanding of the problems that can beset the would-be watchmaker, especially in an age of mass production, and his expert knowledge of the history of watchmaking being second to none. Twenty-eight years after its first publication, the best-selling “Watchmaking” continues to inspire and encourage the art of watchmaking, especially among new generations of enthusiasts. ![]() The Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander left Tuesday night’s game with the Brewers in Milwaukee after dealing with a cut on the index finger of his pitching hand in his one inning of work.ĭodgers manager Dave Roberts said it’s too early to tell if the 30-year-old Syndergaard will be headed to the injured list Noah Syndergaard’s rough season just got rougher. MLB villain torched by fans over atrocious strike calls: ‘An embarrassment’ĭodgers star opts for AirBNB over haunted Milwaukee hotel Los Angeles Dodgers cancel plans to honor ‘queer and trans nuns’ after uproar … The Dodgers recalled Bruihl and placed RHP Caleb Ferguson on the paternity list.Ĭlayton Kershaw (5-2, 2.53) pitches for the Dodgers and Wade Miley (3-1, 2.31) starts for the Brewers as this three-game series concludes with a Wednesday matchup of left-handers.Dodgers fan knocked out cold in crazy postgame brawl He was limited to a designated hitter role Monday due to an illness. Martinez (lower back tightness) is expected to return Friday for the start of a home series with San Diego. The Brewers optioned LHP Bennett Sousa to Triple-A Nashville.ĭodgers: DH J.D. The hand issue had put him on the injured list. “Chris is playing some really good baseball.”īrewers: RHP Gus Varland was activated from the injured list, over three weeks after a line drive from San Diego’s Manny Machado went off his pitching hand before striking him on the chin and left forearm. “It was like that was 2018 revisited,” Roberts said. Taylor also robbed Yelich of a hit in the fifth inning of that 2018 game to preserve the Dodgers’ 2-1 lead in a 6-1 win. Taylor followed that up by making a diving catch of a Christian Yelich liner in the third. ![]() With two on and nobody out in the first inning, Taylor caught a Willy Adames drive in front of the left-field wall. Los Angeles also got quality defense from Chris Taylor, whose outstanding play in left field brought back memories of the Dodgers’ 2018 NL Championship Series Game 7 victory over the Brewers in this stadium. Vargas added a two-run drive off Bryse Wilson in the sixth. Smith hit a solo shot off Lauer in the third. The Brewers’ only runs came in the seventh, when Rowdy Tellez and Victor Caratini homered off Shelby Miller.Īfter the Brewers put two runners against Brusdar Graterol in the ninth, Evan Phillips came out of the bullpen and retired Tyrone Taylor on a grounder for his sixth save in as many chances.īetts sent Lauer’s second pitch of the night over the wall in left-center for his 39th leadoff homer, putting the Dodgers ahead for good. Phil Bickford, Justin Bruihl (1-0), Yency Almonte and Victor González combined to allow one hit over five innings of shutout relief as the Dodgers built a 6-0 lead. “He’s had it and put stuff on it to keep it at bay. “I think we’ll know more in the next couple of days,” Roberts said. “We tried to do what we could to make it serviceable but it just got to the point where it was probably going to just continue to open up.”ĭodgers manager Dave Roberts said there's a chance Syndergaard could end up on the injured list. “I went to use the restroom before the game and looked own and my hand was bleeding pretty good,” Syndergaard said. Syndergaard lasted only one inning because of a cut on the index finger of the 30-year-old right-hander's pitching hand. The news wasn't all good for the Dodgers. ![]() “I kind of felt like towards the end of my outing I was starting to kind of find it a little bit, but obviously, too little, too late,” Lauer said. The unearned run was due to Lauer’s own errant pickoff attempt. Lauer allowed four runs – three earned – in 3 2/3 innings. He wasn't nearly as successful this time. The only active pitcher who has made at least 10 starts against the Dodgers with a better ERA is San Diego’s Yu Darvish (2.36). Lauer had gone 7-1 with a 2.37 ERA in 11 previous starts against the Dodgers. ![]() Ichi-F: A Worker’s Graphic Memoir of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (Kodansha Comics) Art by Gabriel Rodriguez.Īn eerie haunted house series full of twists and turns that was recently adapted for Netflix.įind out how to start reading Locke & Key in this handy guide.ġ4. This is the brilliantly crafted story of Murdock’s fall and eventual rise. Kingpin discover’s Daredevil’s identity and does everything in his power to ruin Matt Murdock’s life. There’s a lot of fantastic cartooning going on here. Art by Sean Phillips.Ī pulpy crime comic set in the gritty underbelly of post-WWII Hollywood that focuses on an alcoholic screenwriter who investigates the murder of an up-and-coming actress.Ī series that is equally fun as it is heartbreaking that’s all about a prison for giant monsters. It has this really cool ball-point pen style that oozes with great detail. Art by Raul the Third.Ī really fun space adventure that is inspired by car culture. The God Butcher/God Bomb made it on to the list of Thor comics you should read so you know it’s good. If you love big storytelling and action then you’ll totally dig this. This is an epic Thor story told over three different timeline with incredible art. A must for any fans if the Big G.įind out about all of IDW’s Godzilla comics in this monster guide.Ĩ. Moby Dick meets Godzilla in a 50 year tale about obsession. ![]() Godzilla: The Half Century War (IDW Publishing) While investigating a crime it becomes personal as the secret part of her life collides with her job.ħ. Rowan Black is a police detective who happens to also a be witch. Also a great place to start if you’ve never read The Flash before. Visually fantastic and experiments with the Flash’s speed in interesting ways. The first story as part of the New 52 series. Ito takes all of the elements he uses to craft excellent horror comics and flips them for these autobiographical comics about living with cats.Ĭreated by Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul. Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu (Kodansha Comics) Allred’s art is vibrant, colourful, and expressive.Ĥ. If you’re a fan of Doctor Who then you’ll love these fun adventures in outer space. Not a single panel is wasted in this stunning 4-part story.įind out more about this story in an essay that argues why Year One is the definitive Batman origin story. Art by David Mazzucchelli.Īn excellent telling of Batman’s origins and early days as a crime fighter. This mashup turns Archie comics into a teen survival horror, drawn in the classic style. Art by Fernando Ruiz.īefore the craziness of Riverdale this was this. Support these local businesses so they can make it through this tough time.Īrchie Vs Predator cover by Fernando Ruiz.ġ. You can find out which stores are still open and what services they are offering on the Comics Industry Collective website. ![]() Most of these are offering a range of services to get comics to you in a safe way including mail order, home delivery, curbside pick-up and more. I have listed them all below for your browsing please, along with additional resources so you can find out more about them.Īlthough, before you dive in to the recommendations, it’s worth noting that while some stores have been forced to shut, there are many that are still open. The result was an eclectic mix of classics, recent releases, hidden gems, and idiosyncratic picks from a wide range of genres. With this realisation, I took to Twitter to give out more than 80 reading recommendations of older material that you can find at open comic book stores. But these stores still stock HEAPS of older material and as a result there is a lot of stuff that you can still get your hands on to read. They rely on the income of new comics and graphic novels each week. Diamond Distributors has temporarily shut down and as a result there is no new product making its way into comic book stores.Īs I mentioned in this call to arms, that’s not an ideal for comic book stores. The only problem is due to the current global situation is that there are no new comics to read. It’s the perfect opportunity to read comics and graphic novels. With most of the world being told that they should only be leaving their home for essential activities, most people have a lot of free time on their hands. ![]() Do you have to resize the plot manually, the ="equal scales" option on the plot format didn't make any difference. When I tried to plot a circle using your function although it plotted it =appeared as an ellipse. There is a point D on the circle that lies opposite to point A. There are line segments that connect point A to points B and C, creating segment A B and segment A C. The actual values are:- for the circle centre point xo=0.yo=0 radius =r=151.5 Segment O B and segment O C are both radii of the circle. This would then help me for any =similar problems I might have in the future. I would be very grateful if you could lay out the steps to achieve the =answers using your plotting functions. In microstation to draw a curve, I would simply select the Place Arc command and while choosing the tangent snap or tangent point snap I could draw a curve tangent between any two elements either with a whole number radius or with a decimal radius that started or ended at a particular point. I have your Mathcad plotting functions which I find amazing but I am =still trying to get my head around them all, and besides I am still =can't pass the first stage above of deriving the two tangent point =coordinates. ![]() plot the circle,the circular arc between the two tangent =points,the two lines and the line that bisects the two tangent lines. When the circles are equal in size, the line joining their centres lies parallel with the external common tangent and the relevant 'radius' is perpendicular to one end. It can be shown that the 'junction' where the two arcs meet lies somewhere on a certain circle, and you can choose where. This actually leaves one degree of freedom unfixed, and there are several different ways to fix this. find the coordinates of the point where the two lines intersect =andĬ. A biarc curve is usually constructed from two points and two tangent vectors. This formula tells us the shortest distance between a point (, ) and a line + + 0. ![]() find the coordinates of the two tangent points where the lines =touch the circle.ī. The =coordinates of the other end points of the two lines I don't have but I =do know that these two lines are tangents to the circle.Ī. I have also the coordinates of one of the end points =of two lines, (x1,y1) for line 1, and (x2,y2) for line 2. If the solution circle is externally tangent to all three given circles, the distances between the center of the solution circle and the centers of the given circles equal d1 r1 + rs, d2 r2 + rs and d3 r3 + rs, respectively. I have a problem where I have the centre coordinates (xo,yo) of a circle =and its radius,r. They are slightly different, so let's see them in detail. You can read a file line by line with these two methods. To do this, you need to call the close() method, like this: Readline() vs. ![]() ❗️ Important: You need to close a file after the task has been completed to free the resources associated to the file. The value returned is limited to this number of bytes: Nor In this case, the entire file was printed because we did not specify a maximum number of bytes, but we can do this as well. You can use the type() function to confirm that the value returned by f.read() is a string: print(type(f.read())) Here we have an example: f = open("data/names.txt") The first method that you need to learn about is read(), which returns the entire content of the file as a string. Methods to Read a Fileįor us to be able to work file objects, we need to have a way to "interact" with them in our program and that is exactly what methods do. Now let's see how you can access the content of a file through a file object. ![]() False otherwise.įor example: f = open("data/names.txt", "a") This is basically telling us that a file object is an object that lets us work and interact with existing files in our Python program. File ObjectsĪccording to the Python Documentation, a file object is: An object exposing a file-oriented API (with methods such as read() or write()) to an underlying resource. I know you might be asking: what type of value is returned by open()? For example: names_file = open("data/names.txt", "r") We are simply assigning the value returned to a variable. Now that you know more about the arguments that the open() function takes, let's see how you can open a file and store it in a variable to use it in your program. For example, if you only need to read the content of a file, it can be dangerous to allow your program to modify it unexpectedly, which could potentially introduce bugs. Think about it - allowing a program to do more than necessary can problematic. It really makes sense for Python to grant only certain permissions based what you are planning to do with the file, right? Why should Python allow your program to do more than necessary? This is basically why modes exist. □ Tip: The default modes are read ( "r") and text ( "t"), which means "open for reading text" ( "rt"), so you don't need to specify them in open() if you want to use them because they are assigned by default. For example: "wb" means writing in binary mode. To use text or binary mode, you would need to add these characters to the main mode. That single character basically tells Python what you are planning to do with the file in your program. The second parameter of the open() function is the mode, a string with one character. txt that follow the dot in names.txt is the "extension" of the file, or its type. Notice that we are writing data/ first (the name of the folder followed by a /) and then names.txt (the name of the file with the extension). In this example, this would be the path: open("data/names.txt") Then we need to use a specific path to tell the function that the file is within another folder. This can be used when the file that you are trying to open is in the same directory or folder as the Python script, like this:īut if the file is within a nested folder, like this: The names.txt file is in the "data" folder We usually use a relative path, which indicates where the file is located relative to the location of the script (Python file) that is calling the open() function.įor example, the path in this function call: open("names.txt") # The relative path is "names.txt" The first parameter of the open() function is file, the absolute or relative path to the file that you are trying to work with. To learn more about them, please read this article in the documentation. There are six additional optional arguments. □ Tip: These are the two most commonly used arguments to call this function. One of the most important functions that you will need to use as you work with files in Python is open(), a built-in function that opens a file and allows your program to use it and work with it. Let's begin! ✨ □ Working with Files: Basic Syntax ![]() ![]()
![]() In additional to Upheaval’s nine-piece soul band, which regularly headlined inmate concerts (referred to as “banquets”), there were also blues trios, jazz quartets, Latin ensembles, rock bands, and country & western groups. The wide variety of ethnicities and heritages represented at the WCI was reflected in the diversity of sounds. They painted the walls of the music facility with psychedelic colors and patterns, chords, and portraits of jazz greats, transforming it into the most inviting part of the entire prison. They sound like something.” Increased demand for the course meant that prisoners were soon required to take musical aptitude tests, and if they passed, they would have to wait for a spot to open. Their competence ranged from crude ability to those who, in Bultman’s estimation, could “compete with the best professionals.” His pride is palpable in a 1974 interview her gave to the Madison-based Capital Times, “These guys are good. ![]() The members of Upheaval took this requirement a step further, demanding that all band members be able to play at least one instrument, vocalists included.Įventually, Bultman was managing 100 students a day, and outsourcing some of the teaching to the more accomplished inmates while he helped others rehearse. Given his academic background, he was not especially interested in wasting time defusing aggression or babysitting idle minds he wanted to teach composition and arrangement because he knew that inmates who sought studio work on the outside would need to be musically literate. Through a combination of insurance money collected after the fire and some reshuffling of taxpayer dollars, the WCI built a new music facility with numerous soundproofed practice rooms and a variety of quality instruments, including a Fender Rhodes piano and a Gibson ES-335 guitar.īultman required prisoners to write about what they’d learned from his music theory class if they wished to remain in his course and have access to instruments. The prison had lacked a music director for nearly a year, and Bultman’s predecessor reportedly had a fairly narrow preference for marching band music. Back then, the music options available to inmates were dismal-a fire in January 1971 had reduced resources and space to a corner of the gymnasium. In his memoir, Crowbar Tech, he recalls that he saw an advertisement for the position in the local paper and figured if he wasn’t cut out for it he could always return to the classroom. Bultman left his teaching job at a nearby high school in Oshkosh to become director of the WCI’s music program in June of 1973. The common denominator behind Upheaval was Dave Bultman, although if asked, he would likely downplay his contribution. Their origins have never been documented until now. The musicians who composed, performed, and recorded it 50 years ago called themselves “Upheaval,” and they were all inmates at the Waupun Correctional Institution (WCI) in Wisconsin, a maximum-security facility then known as the Wisconsin State Prison. It is said that only 25 copies of this percussive masterpiece were ever pressed. Only a very select few will know that it is also the title of one of the most sought-after 45s in existence-a five-and-a-half-minute horn-laden soul epic. To most people, the words “Paradise Lost” will conjure repressed memories of 10th grade English and compulsory subjection to literary poetry. ![]() Gmelins Handbuch der anorganischen Chemie (8.(1964) The Radiochemistry of Radium, Subcommittee on Radiochemistry, National Academy of Sciences "Carcinoma of the Trachea Treated by Radon Seed Implantation". Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft (A and B Series). "Löslichkeits-Bestimmungen einiger Radiumsalze". Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie. "Revision des Atomgewichtes des Radiums". One dose (50 kBq/kg) in an adult is about 60 nanograms this amount is 1/1000 the weight of an eyelash (75 micrograms). Radium-223 chloride is one of the most potent ((antineoplastic drugs)) known. Bayer received FDA approval for this drug to treat prostate cancer osteoblastic bone metastases in May 2013. Radium-223 dichloride ( USP, radium chloride Ra 223), tradename Xofigo (formerly Alpharadin), is an alpha-emitting radiopharmaceutical. It was also used in medicine to produce radon gas which in turn was used as a brachytheraputic cancer treatment. The large quantities of material involved (to extract a gram of pure radium metal, about 7 tonnes of pitchblende is required) favour this less costly (but less efficient) method over those based on radium bromide or radium chromate (used for the later stages of the separation). Radium chloride is still used for the initial stages of the separation of radium from barium during the extraction of radium from pitchblende. Ĭontrary to diamagnetic barium chloride, radium chloride is weakly paramagnetic with a magnetic susceptibility of 1.05 ×10 6. Gaseous RaCl 2 shows strong absorptions in the visible spectrum at 676.3 nm and 649.8 nm (red): the dissociation energy of the radium–chlorine bond is estimated as 2.9 eV, and its length as 292 pm. Radium chloride is only sparingly soluble in azeotropic hydrochloric acid and virtually insoluble in concentrated hydrochloric acid. This property is used in the first stages of the separation of radium from barium by fractional crystallization. It is less soluble in water than other alkaline earth metal chlorides – at 25 ☌ its solubility is 245 g/L whereas that of barium chloride is 307 g/L, and the difference is even larger in hydrochloric acid solutions. Its color gradually changes to yellow with aging, whereas contamination by barium may impart a rose tint. Radium chloride is a colorless salt with a blue-green luminescence, especially when heated. It can produced by treating radium carbonate with hydrochloric acid. Radium chloride can also be prepared by heating radium bromide in a flow of dry hydrogen chloride gas. If the presence of other anions is suspected, the dehydration may be effectuated by fusion under hydrogen chloride. The dihydrate is dehydrated by heating to 100 ☌ in air for one hour followed by 5.5 hours at 520 ☌ under argon. Radium chloride crystallises from aqueous solution as the dihydrate. ![]() The first preparation of radium metal was by the electrolysis of a solution of this salt using a mercury cathode. Marie Curie and André-Louis Debierne used it in their original separation of radium from barium. ![]() It was the first radium compound isolated in a pure state. It is a radium salt of hydrogen chloride. 56.Radium chloride is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ra Cl 2. Atovmyan, Summaries of Papers Presented at the First All-Union Conference on Inorganic Crystal Chemistry, Nauka, Zvenigorod (1977), p. Tarnopol'skii, Rentgen-75, An Automated System of Programs for Determining the Structure of Crystals, Institute of Chemical Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Chernogolovka (1975).Ī. ![]() If you’d rather not get up close and personal, you can always utilise the environment to set up traps – and the opportunities are plentiful. It’s worth noting that the animation doesn’t leave you open to attack, even when you're surrounded, so you can really go to town and enjoy the show. You’ll be chopping off kneecaps, punching holes in faces and slicing heads off all over the shop once you master the timing. Pull it off successfully and they’re primed and ready for a savage takedown which rewards you with a fantastically gory finishing animation. The saving grace is the blocking and counter mechanics that leaves foes stunned if you time it right. You can get easily overwhelmed with a trickle of zombies turning into a tide if you’re not careful. The combat can feel cumbersome at times, but that’s just par for the course with the direction developer Dambuster has gone down. There’s a wide range of enemy types and they all have a recommended method of engagement for the most efficient dispatch possible. It’s not just a hack, mash, and slash-athon either, although that’s still as gratifyingly visceral and deliciously entertaining as you could wish for. But between the looting and killing, you’ll have a steady stream of funds and supplies coming in, allowing for unfettered workbench sessions cooking up weapons of mass zombie destruction. Cash is just as important if you want to repair weapons, or trade at vendors. Scraps and materials are plentiful, especially if you take the time to have a proper root around. Waxing satiricalīut no one else seems to be taking it that seriously – including an incredibly ballsy or incredibly stupid influencer you’ll end up doing an impromptu content collab with – so pillaging blood-spattered luxury digs is a guilt-free endeavour. You’ll be battling your way through the streets, breaking into lavish pads for side quests and main missions alike, and looting the spoils of…well, a devastating tragedy. ![]() The hillside is bristling with movie stars and influencers alike, meaning it’s up to you to wrangle them up and get them to safety. It’s true that privilege is reserved for the citizens of Beverly Hills and the rich and famous taking refuge in their Hollywood mansions. This is the end of the world done right going out in a blaze of glory with sex, drugs, and the soundtrack of your choice. Dead Island 2’s set pieces are equally blood-soaked and brutal, but the inflatable pool floats, drained bottles of booze, and general signs of apocalypse-appropriate debauchery make it different. The parkour zombie series Dying Light does this fantastically, setting up harrowing scenes amidst the ruin and rubble of decimated cities. ![]() it’s as bright and bawdy as ever.Įnvironmental story-telling does a lot of the heavy-lifting as tends to be the case with the genre. While Dead Island 2 takes the action to L.A. I loved Dead Island and the Riptide expansionįor what they were – an unbridled gore fest to wade through with friends, that swapped out the gritty backdrops of your typical zombocalypse for a tropical paradise. Admittedly, it was very much of its time would we have another Duke Nukem Forever situation on our hands? MirrorGaming is streaming a Dead Island 2 playthrough on YouTube before the game is released. Dead Island hit the sweet spot with the extensive crafting, four-player co-op, tongue-in-cheek tone, and sun-drenched setting. Of course, not all zombie games are created equal, with Capcom’s Dead Rising falling flat for me despite the robust and frankly ludicrous weapon crafting system. You couldn’t swing a dismembered arm without hitting a shambling corpse of course there are games that made zombies their bread and butter before the undead fad – Resident Evil being chief among them. I’m a sucker for zombie games, movies and books, so I was in my element 10 years ago. The follow-up to 2011’s Dead Island was first announced in 2014 and for fans of the series, it’s been a long time coming but was it worth the wait? Undoubtedly. Dead Island 2 has been languishing in development hell for a little over a decade, passing through the hands of three different studios before landing in Dambusters’ lap. |