2013년 12월 31일 화요일

Trip report for Mera Peak (Nepal) led by Chris Horobin November 2013


Trip report for Mera Peak (Nepal) led by Chris Horobin November 2013




Photo: Mera Peak summit in November 2013As discussed in our Trip Report for Kanchenjunga to Makalu GHT trek I led in October, the weather was very unstable in Nepal in early
Autumn with a lot of precipitation and snow at higher altitudes. Luckily by the
time our Mera Peak group arrived to Nepal in November, the weather had settled with high
pressure system over the Himalaya resulting in sunny days as one would normally
expect at this time of year. However this group had the added challenge of large amounts of snow and very low temperatures throughout the trip.
For our November 2013
expedition to Mera Peak, we had a full group of fourteen people and as usual this was an international
mix with people coming from UK, Australia, Canada, USA and Italy. The leader
Chris Horobin had been to Mera Peak on three previous expeditions and therefore
is very familiar with the route on this mountain. This is the second time Chris
has worked for The Mountain Company; in August 2012 he led a successful trek to K2 BaseCamp Gondogoro La in Pakistan. Our sirdar for this expedition was
Domi Sherpa who had been with me on our 2012 Mera Peak Expedition. Our
regular cook, Saila Tamang, was in charge of the kitchen and his team would no
doubt provide a range of tasty meals to
the group throughout the expedition.After the flight to Lukla airport on November 4th, the group
started their trek into Mera Peak Base Camp following the longer trail rather
than taking the short cut option over the Zatra La pass (4,700m). We have never
organised this expedition by going over Zatra La direct from Lukla as this is
simply too risky in terms of lack of acclimatisation. Also when approached from
Lukla side this pass is quite steep and holds its snow ice for longer due
to its northerly aspect, therefore in practice many groups are unable to cross
the Zatra La as planned.

Instead for The Mountain Companys Mera Peak itinerary we take ten days to walk to Base Camp
following the long trail through Pangom village and past Panch Pokhari holy
lakes. Not only is this a beautiful walk through a less travelled region of
Nepal, butalso involves long days with
significant ascent and descent. This trek into Base Camp will improve everyones fitness level before
arriving to Mera Peak (as well as of course helping the acclimatisation
process) and thereby increasing their chances of summit success.On arriving to the camp at Tagnag (4,400m) there was still snow on the slopes only 200m above the village. This was leftover from the heavy snowfalls experienced in October. In the past I have led six expeditions to Mera Peak and have never
seen snow this low in altitude as the snowline is usually near the glacier on
the way to Mera La. Throughout this trip I gather it was very cold with much lower temperatures than normal at this time of year.

Our Mera Peak itinerary has two nights at
Tagnag to help the acclimatisation process and on the extra day Chris organised
a training day to show the group how to use fixed ropes. At Mera Peak Base Camp (Khare) Chris and Domi held another training day, this time for winter skills to show the group how to use crampons and
ice axes practicing on the snow slopes nearby. This training is essential for people who have
joined this expedition with no prior mountaineering experience and also a good
refresher for those who already have learnt these technical skills from past expeditions.On November 15th the group headed up to Mera La (5,300m) and
due to the low snowline this was far more challenging than usual, especially walking along the ridge to access the glacier. Once onto the glacier
it is a flat walk around to Mera La before descending to the camp on east side
of this pass. On the next day the group continued up the glacier to High Camp
(5,800m). This section of the mountain is exposed to the wind and I gather was
a very cold day for everyone. The view from High Camp is superb as one
can see Makalu and Kanchenjunga to the east, Everest and Lhotse to the north and Cho Oyu to the north west. The mountain vista from High Camp and above is no doubt one of the most impressive viewpoints in
the Himalaya.The summit day on Mera Peak starts early and this year the group
left High Camp at 2am. It is always a cold few hours as everyone is walking in the
dark and by the far the best way of staying warm is to keep moving. The roped groups made good progress and summited Mera Peak between
9am and 10am. I gather it was a clear and sunny day although very cold with strong wind. After enjoying the views from the top it is a quick descent to
High Camp for hot juice and noodle soup before continuing down to Base Camp.
This year the group arrived down at Khare between 3pm and 4pm after a long but
incredibly satisfying day. Well done and congratulations to the summitters!It takes a further three days to walk out from Base Camp to
Lukla for the flight back to Kathmandu. On the third day one crosses Zatra La
pass and as mentioned the descent on Lukla side is steep and can be icey. Our
Sherpa crew went ahead that morning to fix some rope to safeguard the descent
for the group and porters. In summary, this year there is no doubt that the conditions were very tough on
Mera Peak with a low snowline making the trail up and down to Mera La
far more challenging than normal. The temperatures were cold throughout the expedition and in particular when accounting for the wind chill factor on the mountain. Therefore
it is essential that you bring clothes and equipment that can cope with these low temperatures. I heard from Chris that the estimated wind chill factor on summit day was down to -35 Degrees Celsius.

Mera Peak is not a technical climbing expedition however it is a tough objective for anyone. Right from the start there are long walking days with significant ascent and descent. Once
onto the mountain you are walking at high altitude where any physically exertion
is always really hard work. For many people who have already completed the classic circuit treks in Nepal there is no doubt that Mera Peak is significantly more difficult. For that reason we have given Mera Peak our highest trip grade of "Challenging/ Mountaineering": to view all of our grading definitions.
We have received some great feedback from the group and have
copied two of the testimonials below:“Absolutely awesome trip! No complaints whatsoever. Great
group! Chris was a fantastic leader and I would go on another trip with him in
a heartbeat. Very experienced leader with a fantastic attitude. Domi Sherpa was
extremely competent. Our safety and comfort was always his top priority. One of
the nicest persons I have ever met! The kitchen crew did a fantastic job of
keeping us very well fed and the food was great. All the other support staff
were very friendly and fulfilled their duties to a very high standard. Thanks
for organising a great trip!” Patrick“This was a fantastic trip and experience which I will
neverforget and has inspired me to get in to climbing in the nearfuture.
Chris was an excellent leader who is highly experienced and has a great
attitudewho was firm but very fair when it was needed. I would nothesitate
to use him again for a similar or more technical trek /climb.” AnthonyI would like to thank Chris and Domi who did a good job leading this group and of course the rest of our amazing Nepali trek crew. I would also like to thank Choire, Chris's son, who helped out during the mountaineering training days as well as volunteering to escort one of the group back down early on summit day, sacrificing his own summit in the process.For a more detailed description of this Mera Peak Expedition please
take a look at Chris Horobins blogThe Mountain Company is planning to organise Mera Peak Expedition in April and November 2014, please get in touch soon if you would
like to join one of these groups.Roland Hunterwww.themountaincompany.co.uk


Soros-Funded Catholic Group Denounces Rush Limbaugh's Disagreement with Pope


Soros-Funded Catholic Group Denounces Rush Limbaugh's Disagreement with Pope


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Denounces Rush Limbaugh's Disagreement with Popeby Dr. Susan Berry 29 Nov 2013,
5:16 PM PDThttp://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/11/28/Spokesman-For-Liberal-Catholic-Group-Denounces-Rush-Limbaugh-s-Comments-About-Pope-Francis-Rebuke-Of-Capitalism
A spokesman for the liberal
organization Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good (CACG) has posted on the
groups website a denunciation of what he states were “incendiary remarks about
Pope Francis” by conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh on Wednesday.Limbaugh said that Pope Francis
was wrong in his apostolic exhortation released this week in which he appears
to blame capitalism for the reason why people are poor in the world.CACGs Christopher Jolly Hale
wrote on Wednesday:Catholics of all political stripes
are disturbed by Rush Limbaugh's incendiary comments this afternoon about Pope
Francis. To call the Holy Father a proponent of "pure marxism" is
both mean spirited and naive. Francis's critique of unrestrained capitalism is
in line with the Church's social teaching. His particular criticism of
"trickle down economics" strengthens what Church authorities have
said for decades: any economic system which deprives the poor of their dignity
has no place within a just society.Contrary to what Mr. Limbaugh
suggests, the Catholic Church isn't built on money, but on the firm foundation
of Jesus Christ.We call on Mr. Limbaugh to
apologize and retract his remarks. We urge other Church organizations and
leaders--both ordained and lay--to also condemn Mr. Limbaugh's comments.We proudly stand with Pope Francis
as he provides prophetic leadership for the Catholic Church and the entire world.Following the release of the
popes exhortation, entitled Evangelii Gaudium, Hale wrote:Pope Francis's words have given
new vigor to what the Church has been saying for decades: 'trickle down
economics' and other economic agendas which work against the poor and promote
inequality have no place in a just society. Pope Francis's words should have
particular resonance here in the United States as we enter into next
month's budget negotiations. The pope makes it clear that these budgetary
decisions should above all else benefit the poorest of Americans.We make Pope Francis's words our
own: "I beg the Lord gives us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed
by the state of society, the people and the lives of the poor!"In 2009, Accuracy in Media (AIM)
reported that CACG had received $200,000 in funding from George Soros's Open Society Institute.A leader of another Soros-funded
Catholic organization, Faith in Public Life (FPL), a group that was founded with
the help of John Podestas Center for American Progress, also praised Pope
Francis view of the “tyranny” of trickle-down economics.John Gehring, Catholic Outreach
Coordinator of FPL, praised Pope Francis for his “headline-grabbing comments
that Catholicism must not be known exclusively for obsession with a few
hot-button issues.”About the popes exhortation,
Gehring wrote:In many ways, this is traditional
Catholic teaching about economic justice that builds on the foundations laid in
the first social encyclical about capital and labor released in 1891 by Pope
Leo XIII. But to contemporary American ears accustomed to hearing full-throated
Catholic arguments only when it comes to abortion and same sex marriage, this
unequivocal economic critique of unfettered markets packs a punch.Directing his comments at
Republicans Speaker John Boehner and Rep. Paul Ryan, Gehring said that while
they “slash billions from nutrition programs and are daily communicants in the
church of free-market fundamentalism, Pope Francis rejects trickle-down
economics as a moral and practical failure.”Catholic ChurchFrancis E. George
is a cardinal for the Roman Catholic
Church, and a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.Note: Commercial Club of Chicago,
Members Directory http://commercialclubchicago.org/members/e.html
Please note: This link for the
members of the Commercial Club of Chicago can no longer be found.R.
Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP. Michelle
Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin
LLP. Barack
Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin
LLP. Newton
N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago. Cyrus F. Freidheim
Jr. is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank), and the Human Rights Watch.George
Soros is the chairman for the Foundation
to Promote Open Society, the founder chairman for the Open Society Foundations, and was a
benefactor for the Human Rights Watch.Open
Society Foundations was a funder for the Human Rights Watch, and the Atlantic
Council of the United States
(think tank).Saban
Center for Middle East Policy was a policy center at the Brookings Institution (think tank).Haim
Saban is a benefactor for the Saban
Center for Middle East Policy, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and
a friend of Barry M. Meyer.Barry
M. Meyer is a friend of Haim Saban,
and a director at the Human Rights Watch.John J.
Studzinski is a director at the Human
Rights Watch, a director at the Atlantic
Council of the United States
(think tank), and a papal knighthood
knight.papal knighthood
is an honor conferred by pope from the Roman
Catholic Church.Benedict
XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) is the
pope emeritus at the Roman Catholic
Church, and was the pope for the Roman
Catholic Church.Was Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) A Nazi? Why Join
the Hitler Youth?By Austin Clinehttp://atheism.about.com/od/benedictxvi/i/RatzingerNazi.htm
The question of Joseph
Ratzingers involvement with Nazi Germany and the Hitler Youth is important:
there is reason to think that Ratzinger has been less than fully candid about
his past.


Only now does it occur to me ... PIRANHA 3DD


Only now does it occur to me ... PIRANHA 3DD


Only now does it occur to me... that Gary Busey and Clu Gulager have ever fused together their particular demented aesthetics and artistic manias in the form of something as accessible as a "film scene."


Yes, the opening scene of PIRANHA 3DD (directed by Clu's son, John) affords us such an opportunity, as two hapless backwater folk (Busey and Gulager) wade into ominous marshland to examine a flatulent, piranha-infested cow-corpse. Needless to say, they don't last for long, but Clu (still wonderful, at 84 years-young) gets to growl out some "God damns" and "What the hells"


and Busey gets to (improvise?) some peculiar dialogue:


so it certainly maintains a kind of integrity.

(And for those of you new to the Gulager "scene," I advise checking out my review of THE KILLERS, which spells it out more thoughtfully.)

Anyway, the incredible mixture of the two volatile substances that are Busey and Gulager had me wondering if this was the first time it had ever happened. Some IMDb-ing revealed that in 1991, they both appeared in MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN COWBOYS, a rodeo drama which co-stars Scott Glenn, Kate Capshaw, Ben Johnson, and Clarence Williams III, among others. While I've been unable to discern whether or not Busey and Gulager shared any scenes together, I have been able to discern that it is a film that must be seen!


Littlejohn Risk Assessment Failure


Littlejohn Risk Assessment Failure

Todays
missive from the Daily Mails
tedious and unfunny churnalist Richard Littlejohn contains many of the usual
tried and tested elements: gay bashing (“not
my idea of a night out”), New Labour bashing, BBC bashing, victimhood
deployment, and implying that “Auguste”
Balls is somehow to blame for some or all of these. But one Dicky Windbag
favourite is missing. And thats risk assessments.
Risk assessment, Guv? It's all elf'n'safety and com-pen-say-shun, innit?!?Does Littlejohn actually go on about risk assessments much?
You jest. Consider his rant
from last June about Bacton Cricket Club: “Howzat! This daft ban simply isnt
cricket”. Dick knew who the villains were: “Although this is superficially an elfnsafety scandal, scratch the
surface and there is usually an intransigent insurance company armed with a
gruesome risk assessment”.July brought an
incident at Ipswich station resulting in dozens of cancelled trains. Dicky
boy was on the case: “No doubt there was
a safety officer on the scene doing a risk assessment”. Then an
off-duty cop saved a drowning woman in Croatia: “If hed done the same while on duty in Croydon, hed have been
disciplined for failing to carry out a proper risk assessment and not waiting
for a team with water training”.Last month, Littlejohn was on the case of a
parent who had sued West Sussex Council after her son was injured in a
playground incident: “Her lawyers alleged
that the school had not carried out a proper risk assessment”, he observed,
before adding “This column has made a
good living monstering the elfnsafety and com-pen-say-shun culture”. No
shit, Sherlock.Dicky Windbag just loves his risk assessment meme. Less
than a fortnight ago, in another of those not-at-all-side-splittingly-funny
“spoofs” he indulges in to supposedly
lighten the mood, his 007 told that “Q
has been told by the risk assessment boys that its now illegal to supply guns
disguised as pens and amphibious cars which fire rockets”. Not so fast
Meester Bond, theres a risk assessment to do. Heh, heh, heh.So why no mention of this trusty stand-by today? Perhaps
this is not unconnected with
the news that “Impenetrable M5 smog
caused by fireworks display led to huge crash which killed seven people after
organisers did not carry out proper risk assessments, court is told”. Yes,
the prime suspect for the pile-up near Taunton following a nearby firework
display in November 2011 is risk assessment.The organiser of that display stands accused of botching his
risk assessment. As a result of the smog drifting on to the M5, 51 people were injured
and seven died: there can have been fewer worse crashes on the UKs motorway
network. And I know about the court case because I read it in the Daily Mail. Thats the same paper that
carries Littlejohns rants. The ones that ridicule risk assessments.Right now, Id assess the risk of Dick looking like a Dick
to be in the “high” category.


Heraclea replay with Phalanx (alienstar) and rules overview


Heraclea replay with Phalanx (alienstar) and rules overview


Introduction
I am replaying Heraclea with different ancient
rulesets on a 2'x2' table looking for a fast play set (under one
hour). This is game 15. I downloaded Phalanx (the alienstar version) quite a few years ago. When I came around to playtesting fast play ancients on a small table they came to mind as they are designed to play on a small board. However, they are were not high on the list as there were so many others I was keen to play. I am finally getting around to them and I am interested to see if they produce a good game.

Alienstar Phalanx rules, army lists and QRS are available free for download at the alienstar phalanx homepage.

This replay is a bit
detailed to show how the rule mechanisms work, and if these are rules
you may like.

Rules Overview
Summary
Designed for a fast game with 12 bases per side. Troop types DBA-like but with 5 morale classes. Heavy units must deploy in one main battle line. System is IGO-YGO with each sides action based on activation points with differing costs for actions you wish to perform. Groups can be activated as well as single units. Movement is a bit slower than many other rules. Combat is base to base and is resolved by looking up combat values for each side based on troop type and morale type. 1 die is rolled for combat and the results looked up on a table based on the difference in combat values to determine the result for both sides. The result may be a retreat, double retreat or a rout. Optionally retreats results may build up over multiple turns and count towards a break. Shooting is resolved similar to combat with most missile units having a range of one to two base widths.

Bases, scale etc
Phalanx is a 24 page A5 format colour rulebook, version 3 being available in 2002. It is designed for figures from 6mm to 25mm. It does this by detailing 3 different figure scale ranges with 3 optional base sizes for each. The default for 15mm is 8cm wide bases on a 4'x4' (Option 2) but also provided for is 4cm bases. All measurements are in base sizes.
Each base is referred to in the rules as a vignette. There are 12 vignettes to each army.

Troop classes
Troops types are similar to DBA with different names with a few additions such as Light Warband (equivalent to DBM Wb(F)) and Light Infantry Spears (equivalent to DBM Ax(S)). There is a DBM/DBA to Phalanx troop conversion table in the rules and an expanded one in the army lists.

Troops are further classified into Regular or Informal.

Lastly troops are classed into one of 5 integrity (similar to morale in other rules) classes, where Class V is the best and Class III is average.

The acronyms are not the normal ones used in other rules but not hard to remember.

One base is designated the base with the General. It is used as the centre for command distances and if the General's base is broken, the army has lost. A Generals' base infers no melee advantage.

Deployment
The table defines the number of terrain tiles. A 4'x4' table has 16 12" tiles. Terrain is placed by rolled an d8 for each terrain tiles: 1-4 none; 5 or more various types. Add+2 if the terrain tile is on an edge. Some terrain incurs a combat penalty on some troop types and most terrain slows movement of most troop types. After this both players roll a d6 with the winner chooses their table edge and also has the option to remove or swap up to two terrain pieces. Players take turns deploying one base at a time (this rule is actually in the game tern sequence). Players then roll another d6 each with the winner has the first move

All bases are deployed within 25% of the table size from the rear edge (e.g. 4' table it is 12 inches). All bases must also be deployed in a single line called the Main Battle Line. The distance between bases on this line can be no more than 3 base widths. If a base can be deployed to the rear of a unit for a combat advantage, it does so at deployment but this is permanent for the entire game (only some heavy infantry and heavy cavalry can be supported, and only by normal light infantry and skirmishers). Light units such as skirmishers are not restricted to the battle line and may be deployed anywhere in the deployment zone.

Importantly for movement later, any battle line base that is deployed in flank sectors (25% in from the side edges) is classed as on the Wing. There is a movement penalty for units to move from the wing to the centre and vice versa.

Game turn sequence
A game turn is two player turns.

Each player turn is:Activate a base of a group of bases
Move the activated bases; charging units declare a target that may evade and shoot if allowed to do so.
Unactivated bases act on their own initiative
Activated bases may shoot, target may then return fire
Melee.
Command and Control
Each army has a default of 8 Activation points. At the start of each turn a d6 is rolled to modifier this number up or down by a maximum of 2. Each base or group of regular bases costs 1 AP to activate, informal bases/groups are 2AP. Groups are bases side by side only. Additional APs are required for some circumstances such as distance from the general, crossing from flank zone to centre or vice versa, Class of the base. Activated bases can move and shoot (note unactivated bases do not shoot).

More importantly, activated bases will do what you want them to do. Bases that are not activated roll 1d6 to see what they actually do. This ranges from charging the enemy, shoot, retreat, advance, do nothing and doing what the player wishes. There are some modifiers based on class and regular/informal.

Movement
Movement is a bit slower than other rules - light cavalry move 2 base widths while heavy infantry move 1. Turning allowance varies from 180 degrees for light cavalry and skirmishers to 45 degrees for heavy infantry. It does not state when turning occurs and infers only one turn per player turn. Bad going reduces the movement rate for most troop types.

Shooting
Acvtivated bases may shoot and may shoot at bases that have just moved into melee with them. Skirmishers and light cavalry shoot all round while all other shoot directly ahead. Heavy bows shoot 2 base widths, the rest 1. To shoot, roll 1 die and add some modifiers (there are 4 to choose from). Heavy bows have more chance of a better result. Results range from halt, retreat, retreat twice to broken if mounted. Broken units are removed from play. If able to, the target may then shoot back.

Melee
Melee is one base against an opposing base. Lining up bases is up optional for the player but a base can still only melee against one base. The melee process consists of the following steps that look imposing but that is only because I describe them in detail. In reality it consists of two table lookups, a few modifiers to apply and a die roll:
a) On a table, cross reference your troop type against integrity class (I to V) and whether opposing foot or mounted. The result is the base combat factor ranging from 1 to 9.
b) Apply some modifiers (there are 8 in total) such as 1/2 combat factor if contacted in flank, -1 for each Retreat result, -1 if overlapped on flank (there are some restrictions on this), -2 if you are fighting a particular troops type you are disadvantaged against (there is a table for this, an exmape si Heavy mounted bow gets -2 fighting against any mounted or scythed chariots)
c) Each player does a) and b). The player who turn it is subtracts their combat value from the opposing value. This is the result combat factor (may be negative).
d) Roll 1d6 and cross reference against the result combat factor. There are two results - one to apply to your base and one to apply to the opposing base. Results are symmetric. By that I mean the result for a -2 resulting combat factor column on your unit and the opposing is identical to if the other player was meleeing and was looking at the +2 column.

Results are either stand, retreat or break (remove from play). Some types of informal units must followup if they can.

Victory
When a 1/3 of the bases of the main battle line are broken or the general is broken, that side has lost.

Optional rules
there are some optional rules around one key base per army, recovering from retreat results (to reduce combat modifiers), artillery, field defences and main battle line detachments that can move further than 3 vignettes from the main battle line.

Army Lists
A separate army list book lists 191 armies from 3400BC to 500AD. Each army is 12 bases with some variations possible.

My changes
For 40mm wide bases, the recommendation for 12 bases is a 4'x4' table with 12" terrain tiles. I will be using 2'x2'. I will also not be using 12 bases and aligning to my battle deployment.

I will use the optional rule to allow battleline units on the flank to
move more than 3 basewidths away else, otherwise the Agema and elephant cannot dash
down their flank.

TroopsRomans4Leves: VLI, Class II, IF4Hastati/Principes: HIN, Class III, RA 2 Triarii: HIS, Class IV, RA (one with General)1 Light Infantry: LIN, Class II, IF2 Heavy Cavalry: HSC, Class III, RA1 Light Cavalry: LSC, Class IIII, RA
Epirot1 Hypaspist: HIP, Class IV, RA3 Pikemen: HIP, Class III, RA1 Hoplite: HIS, Class III, RA1 Light Infantry: LIN, Class II, IF
2 Skirmishers: VLI, Class II, IF1 Agema: HCC, Class III, RA (General)1 Light cavalry: LSC, Class IIII, RA
1 elephant: IND, Class III, IF

VLI = Very Light Infantry
HIN = Heavy Infantry
HIS = Heavy Infantry Spears
HIP = Heavy Infantry Pikes
LIN = Light Infantry
HSC = Heavy Skirmish Cavalry
HCC = Heavy Charging Cavalry
LSC = Light Skirmish Cavalry
IND = Indian elephant
Class is similar to morale in other rules - I is bad, III is average, V is fantastic.
RA = regular; IF = Informal (i.e. irregular)

Deployment
Similar to other games following my standard deployment


Deployment - Epirots on left, Romans on the rightTurn 1

I will give the Romans the first player turn as per other replays.

The first interesting thing that hits me is that I am not going to have enough activation points (8 each side) to activate everyone and also the Light Infantry and Cavalry on the flank. If I don't activate them, you need to roll randomly to see what they do. It will be interesting to see what happens on that flank as all the other games it has been a standoff the entire time. Note I cannot link (group) the light infantry and the light cavalry as one is regular and one is informal. Links cannot contain a mix of Regular and Informal. The Epirots will have it worse as the general is on one flank and so the distance from the general modifier will hit hard.

Roman
Roman activation roll sees no change the the number of activation points (8). Romans move the Leves forwards (3AP (2AP for IF and 1AP for Class II), Hastati/Principes (1AP) and wheel the Triarii (1AP) and light infantry is in range of the general (1AP if greater than 4 base widths) so will hold them. Roll for what the light cavalry do - charge enemy directly ahead, so they move forwards.

Movement rates are quite small. It is all in base widths (in this instance 4cm). Leves move 6cm, Heavy infantry 4cm and the Light cavalry is managing 8cm!

Epirot
Epirot activation roll sees no change to activation points(8). Epirot move the Agema (1AP) the elephant (2AP), Skirmishers (4AP - 2AP for informal, 1 AP for distance, 1AP for class II) and Pike group (1AP).
Light infantry roll for own initiative and act like unit on right (pikes) so advance. Light cavalry charge.


End of turn 1 - moving slowly towards each other.
Turn 2
Romans
Only 7 APs.
Leves and Legionaries advance, Triarii continues turning. light infantry advance and the Light Cavalry initiative roll sees it charge an enemy within 3' or do nothing is no enemy. So does nothing.

Leves shoot for no effect (a 6 is needed to score a retreat; a 4-5 will cause a halt). Epirot skirmishers may return fire and 1 Leves gets a Halt result so cannot move next turn.

Epirot
Epirot get 6AP. Agema, elephant, pikes move. Light Infantry rolls for move and advance. Light Cavalry rolls for move and does nothing. Skirmishers were activated so shoot (need to activate to be able to shoot). Halts another Leves. Retun fire sees one Epirot skirmshers cannot move next turn.


End of turn 2 - bit of Skirimishers exchanging fire. Bit blurry - sorry.Turn 3
Romans
10AP! Activate everything except the Leves. One Leves charges forward and shoots (for no effect), the other retreats (the 2 centre ones cannot move this turn as they were halted last turn) but is blocked by friends so routs.

Epirot
8AP. Move the elephant up close to the Agema. Agema does not move (elephants move 4cm, Agema move 6cm) Skirmisher moves into combat (one one can move into combat - the other is halted by shooting last turn). Common in some rules is that skirmishers fire at each other for ages with no result and so the main battlelines are waiting to clash but the skirmishers are in the way. I am going to speed up the skirmisher battle by meleeing with them.
Charged Leves fire back for no effect.
Light infantry does nothing as does the light cavalry.

Epirot Skirmisher Vs Leves:
Skirmisher has combat value 1, -1 for the Leves having a support unit on flank = 0.
Leves has combat value of 1.
Modified combat value is attacker CV minus defender CV = -1, single die roll is 6. The result gives an outcome for attacker and defender. Skirmishers stand, Leves repulsed (retreat 1 full move) but cannot as blocked by friends less than 1/2 move distance behind so break (rout).


End of turn 3 - a bit more combat in the centre.
Turn 4
Romans
10AP.
2 Legionaries move to melee skirmishers that shoot back and cause a halt (which does nothing as in melee).
Leves move into melee with other skirmisher (that shoots for no effect).
Last Leves shoots also for no effect.
The Light infantry and cavalry both roll for own initiative and retreat 2 full turns.


A shot of the battleline and skirmishers.Legionary Vs Skirmisher:
Legionarie is CV 3, no modifiers.
Skimsher is CV 1, -1 for overlapped unit = 0
Modified CV is 3, die roll of 1 sees the Legionary stand, Skirmisher repulsed that becomes a break as no room to retreat.

Leves Vs Skirmisher:
Both are CV 1 so modified CV of 0. Die roll of 5 see Leves stand, Epirot skirmishers repsulsed that is a break as no room to retreat.


The end result of the Roman melee. Another blurry one.
Epirot
8AP.
Agema move full distance (need to get to Roman Cavalry before Triarii can assist; the Agema will have to do the combat without the elephant to assist). Pikes advance to contact Leves who do nothing with return shooting (note have +1 to die roll for HIP target, but -1 as target ended move in contact).
Light infantry and light cavalry on own initiative do nothing.

Pike Vs Leves (1):
Pikes have CV 7 (oops - just noticed the high CV of pikes - this is going to cause the Romans a lot of trouble soon methinks).
Leves is CV 1, -1 for overlapped unit = 0.
Modified CV = 7, roll is 6. Leves break.

Pikes Vs Leves (2):
Same modified CV as above of 7, roll is 3, Leves break.


End of turn 4 - the skirmishers have gone.
Turn 5
Romans
9 AP. Get the Legionaries into a line. Move the Triarii close to the oncoming Agema. Have enough AP to move the Light Infantry forwards, and the light cavalry roll for own initative and do nothing.

Epirot
8AP. Agema moves but is 1cm from the Roman Heavy Cavalry! Elephant moves, Pikes are in two groups and are greater than 16cm from general so it is 2AP each to move them into contact with the Legionaries. Light units on the flank on their own initative do nothing.

Hypaspists Vs Legionaries:
Hypaspists are on CV 8 (Class usually increases combat value by 1; normally pikes are 7 as Class III, but Hypaspists are class IV)
Legionary is CV5.
Modified combat value is 3 (anything over 3 is on the 3 or more table, so modified CV of 3 is bad). Legionaries break.

Pikes Vs Legionaries (1):
Pikes are CV 7, Legionaries 5 so modified value of 2. Legionaries break. A 5 or 6 does this, a 3 and 4 was repulse and a 1-2 was stand; so a bit unlucky to lose two legionary units.

Pikes Vs Legionaries (2):
Pikes are CV 7, Legionaries 5 so
modified value of 2. Legionaries break (another 5 rolled!)

Pikes Vs Legionaries (3):
Pikes are CV 7, Legionaries 5 -1 for overlap (the Hoplites) so
modified value of 3. Legionaries break (the third 5 rolled!)

Legionary battleline is completely wiped out for no damage to the Pikes. Rough.

At this stage, the game should be over as a third of the main battleline units are destroyed (all the non-light units in this case are the Roman main battleline). But I will do a turn with the Triarii and Agema to see how cavalry combat works.



End of official game.

Turn 6 (bonus and one flank only)
Romans
Triarii move to inbetween the Elephant and the roman heavy cavalry.

Epirot
Agema charge the Heavy cavalry, Elephants wheel slightly towards the Triarii.

Agema are CV 5 -1 for overlap = 4. Generals add nothing in melee.
Romans are CV 3.
Modified combat value of 1. The die roll sees the Agema repulsed - moves back one turn without changing facing.


Combat of the left flank Yes, that is an Indian elephant. I forgot to replace it (I used it in the last replay).

Turn 7 (just the elephant)
The Elephant charge into the Triarii.

Elephant CV is 4 -1 for overlap = 3
Triarii is CV 7.
Modified combat value of 4. Elephants replused. They did not roll a 5 like all the Legionaries did!.


Elephant retreats from the Triarii.
Verdict
Well, that was a fast combat - one turn and the entire Roman battleline disappears. There was some unlikely die rolling from the Romans, and really only one or two should have gone and the rest retreated. Regardless, it was only ever a one sided fight in the centre. Possibly increase their class to IV (later lists have them at this class) increasing their combat value by 1, but they would still be at a disadvantage. The Triarii would have been better going in with the Legionaries as their combat value is the same as that of the opposing pikes. But not very historical. The rules are simple and are fun - it would be more fun if I was playing with more balanced armies! The slow movement rate was fine - I thought it would annoy me as units are moving at half the speed I am used to. The slower movement rate does mean you really need to focus on where your troops go - as they move to slow, and combat is very fast it is hard to move them elsewhere - once committed, they are committed. I did like that feeling. I would need a few more plays to decide if I really liked them but so far I see nothing wrong about them and would play with them again.


DLady-yet another good quarter!


DLady-yet another good quarter!



Result Update

For QE30/9/2013, DLady's net profit increased by 22% q-o-q or 32% y-o-y
to RM42 million while its revenue increased by 6% q-o-q or 17% y-o-y to
RM264 million. The improved in top-line and bottom-line was contributed by higher sales of
powder and liquid products. The q-o-q increase in revenue was "mainly contributed by higher sales of powder and liquid products" while increased net profit was "mainly due to the higher revenue and lower operating expenses during the quarter".



Table: DLady's last 8 quarterly results



Chart 1: DLady's last 22 quarterly results

Valuation

DLady (closed at RM47.00 yesterday) is now trading at a PE of 22 times
(based on last 4 quarters' EPS of 218 sen). With the earning growth rate of 18%, DLady's PEG ratio is at 1.2
times. As such, Dlady is deemed fully valued. However, its dividend yield is fairly attractive at 5.5%, making this a good income stock.

Technical Outlook

DLady is now moving in sideways, with upside resistance at the horizontal line at RM48.40-48.50.



Chart 2: DLady's weekly chart as at Nov 26, 2013 (Source: Quickcharts)

Conclusion

Based on good financial performance attractive dividend yield, DLady may be a good income stock. However, its upside potential may be limited as it is already trading at a demanding PE multiple.

Note:
In
addition to the disclaimer in the preamble to my blog, I hereby confirm
that I do not have any relevant interest in, or any interest in
the acquisition or disposal of, DLady.



Bedtime aspirin could cut morning heart attack risk


Bedtime aspirin could cut morning heart attack risk



The best time to take an aspirin to reduce the risk of suffering a
heart attack when you wake up is at night prior to going to sleep,
according to researchers involved in a new study.

Low-dose aspirin tablets are taken daily by millions of Brits who are
high-risk of heart disease or other heart events as aspirin is
effective at thinning the blood; meaning it is less likely to form a
deadly clot.
A trial comprising of 290 heart patients
found that it was more effective to take a 100mg aspirin tablet prior to
going to bed instead of first thing in the morning.
The 290 participants were told to take the low-dose aspirin each
morning for a duration of three months, followed by three months of
taking the tablet at bedtime. Each person was monitored after each block
of three months for their blood pressure and platelet levels.
Blood pressure did not seem to change according to what time the
aspirin was taken, but the painkiller did manage to reduce platelet
activity (a risk factor for heart attack).
Platelets are small, irregular-shaped cells that are present in the
blood and form clots to prevent bleeding; for example stopping the blood
flow from a wound.
However, platelet activity is usually at its highest during the
morning which means you have a much bigger chance of having a heart
attack either shortly prior to or shortly after waking up in the
morning.
Previous studies have shown heart attacks are more common, in
addition to more severe, at between 6am and midday, with up to 20% more
damage to hearts during these hours.
Annually in the UK there are an estimated 103,000 people who suffer a
heart attack and around 1.3 million live in the UK currently after
having previously experienced one.
As previous studies have shown aspirin can reduce the risk by 10 per
cent, many people who suffer with a heart attack are often advised to
take a daily low-dose tablet.
Aspirin makes it more difficult for platelets to join together to
form clots, as discovered in the findings by researchers at the Leiden
University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, demonstrating that taking
an aspirin before bedtime may help to reduce this peak period for
platelet activity.
If taken before bedtime, the researchers found that aspirin could help to bring down platelet levels by up to 22 units.
Lead researcher Dr Tobias Bonten, of Leiden University Medical Centre
in the Netherlands, said: “This simple intervention – switching aspirin
intake from morning to bedtime – could be beneficial for the millions
of patients with heart disease who take aspirin on a daily basis.”
Some British health experts stress you should not purely act on the basis on this study however.
Maureen Talbot, from the British Heart Foundation, said: “We know
aspirin can be vital in reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Research into the best time to take a daily dose of aspirin is an
interesting idea, but we would need to see much larger and longer
studies before a change in practice can be recommended. For now, keep
taking your daily aspirin as recommended by your doctor. If you have any
concerns about your medication, talk it through with your GP.”