PhilsCafe

Originally posted by: chicah And to whoever was writing the tunnels Hamas are making are solely to import weapons: you've misunderstood. Those tunnels mostly import stuff the population of Gaza needs, but of course weapons too, they're being occupied after all. If I had the opportunity, I would go there to dig tunnels. Because the tunnels are also a way to smuggle in food, drink, medicine - build it now. The tunnels are a lifeline, and saying they are wrong is the same as dooming the Palestinian people.quote> I don't think the primary purpose of those tunnels were to bring in food and medical supplies. They became a lifeline after Israel pretty much locked down the Gaza strip sure, but those tunnels also exist in other Palestinian areas and were meant for a different purpose (smuggling weapons), and still are used for that. And as I said, someone is making a load of money with them. And who pays for it? The Palestinians. Originally posted by: Wrightguy0 [...] BTW, how do you mistakea UN HQ for anything else, it would be one of the few lit buildings at night, and it has big blue flags during the day :\ something about that never sat right with me, when they shelled the un headquarters in gaza. (sorry about going off on that tangent just wanting to inspire thought)quote> Or the UN observation post on the Isreal-Lebanon border... that always bothered me too. It's no secret that Israel doesn't trust the UN however. They think they're treated unfairly because they "always get all the blame". Fact is though, Israel is a regular country and UN member and therefore has to respect international law. Hamas however isn't a country, they're not regular armed forces and therefore don't fall under that law. And it's part of UN's responsibility to point out infringements by its members. IMO, that problem could be solved if Palestininas would get their own country.

Thanks, that airport gave me a couple of ideas once I'll have to do one. I don't think it's too big for this area at all. Great job on the port too, looks very nifty. I hate the fact the we have to build the ports so close to the water surface, always leads to rather steep slopes towards coastal areas. But you did that nicely with the cement walls. - Phil

Wow that day-night-cycle mosaic is stunning! I'm almost speechless... I also like the suburb-ish look of Beaver. And the commercial development in your latest update is very nice too, pretty details there. *back to study mode* ugh...

Wow, that first pic is so stunning! Awesome details there! Actually, they all look beautiful. Love the snow...

I don't agree... toddlers can be smart. A lot of parents fail to see that... if parenting doesn't start there, they become bratty quickly. Even as toddlers.

The only thing that worries me is that I have finals during the games... and they therefore might distract me. I don't think the snow is gonna be a problem. Turin wasn't known for being a winter sports city. And it didn't hurt the emotions and tourism. I think Vancouver will do just fine!

Thanks a lot! @ nate1245: the paths are the SFBT park set from LEX (at sc4devotion.com). And the library is Open Books Library by Prepo. That one should be on the STEX.

Your custom lots once again add a lot to the realism. I like the large property you made for the mansions. They look simple, yet effective. And also the lot for the country club looks stunningly realistic. It's always great to come back here. Take care! - Phil

RESIDENCE HALLS The VTU residence halls are located on a hillside overlooking central campus and the sports and recreation center.

Replies: DCMetro34: Indeed... in fact, the real-life counterpart (UVM) apparently has stopped the football program. Which is a shame. But hockey is pretty big in Vermont, winter sports in general. Simbourgeois: I'm glad you like it. Maybe it's still kind of a long way to walk all the way down along the country roads, but hey, there's cars and buses . Thanks a lot! Victor Valdes: Hey Victor! Thank you so much my friend! It's cool to be back in business Take care! Mr. Beer: Don't worry, you didn't miss much I only started updating again recently, after a one-year-hiatus. Thanks a lot David! Take care! De Ja Vu: Thank you very much! I paid a lot of attention picking the 'right' buildings... I'm glad it worked. Jill Jacobs: It's a public uni, they name halls for exceptional achievements too. And the guy responsible just returned from a business trip to Carthage when he had to pick a name . That stadium has indeed a softball field... that's because the men's baseball team sucks . Thanks Jill! Oktoberfest: Thanks a lot! I didn't see the game... but I don't think I missed much. It wasn't a very good game from the Patriots. ComputerGuy890100: You're welcome! Thanks a lot for commenting! Schulmanator: Haha, thanks, Henry the Octopus . I'm glad you like it! I'm always afraid something I make could destroy the scenery. But so far, it didn't. Take care! JanYpe: Thanks a lot Jan! I love that library too much ... I can't show it enough, hehe. Zezug: Thanks! Coming from you, that means a lot I love doing small towns... actually I think that's the only category I don't completely suck in mightygoose: Thanks a lot! I'm not a big fan of too many effects in pictures myself - Of course there always are exceptions. So I try to keep them simple, yet effective. I'm glad you noticed. BlondeTwiggy: Thanks Twiggy! I had a feeling you'd like the library . What's a Twiggy library without a Blonde theatre, right? Hope you had a good start at uni! radiovolume: Thanks a lot! The Engineering building is GooberGen Library by SimGoober. I checked on the STEX and at devotion, but I couldn't find it anymore... don't know where it went. ecoba: Thank you very much, Ethan! It's great to hear that people remember Sterling, that's a great compliment. I never meant to abandon this. I also saw your comment over at devotion, thanks a lot! ky72x: Lol, yeah, that w2w isn't exactly the right building for that corner there. It's gone now... thanks a lot for you comment, Kyle! I really fell in love with JB's apartments in that setting. Hence the mosaic in this update. Take care! Kusajika Yachiru: Welcome to Sterling. And thank you very much! Larks2242: Larksy! Thanks a lot for commenting again. Yeah, Open Books Library is an amazing BAT. Cya! Okay, just a little something to post with the replies. Hope you like! Mosaic: RESIDENCE HALLS

Love the Downtown overview... nice development. I especially like the diagonal road.

Thanks, Dick That setting with the McDonald's etc. is amazing... looks like cut right out of RL. Very nice update again! - Phil

Cool census yeah, I think I remember season 2... the latter episodes at least. I'm looking forward to what you come up with next. - Phil

Cool! I made the top 10 again! Didn't expect that... All very worthy CJs up there, keep it up!

@ tomyzor: no problem! Not sure where I got it, it's the GooberGen library.... but it's not on the STEX so I suppose I got it from the LEX?! Hope that helped!

VERMONT UNIVERSITY Vermont University (VTU) is located in the University Heights neighbourhood of Sterling. It was chartered in 1791 as an agricultural college. It is now a public university, funded both by the State of Vermont and the City of Sterling. The original structures are still standing and today form Central Campus. To this day, VTU is still known for its agricultural research, but also established other strong branches. Central Campus with Jillian J. Jacobs hall accomodates study halls for the Colleges of Agriculture as well as Business Administration. Admissions also has its offices in the original buildings from 1791, which have been renovated though. Blonde Theatre is an outdoor theatre and an exclusive feature of the campus. For the winter plays, people from all over the state flock to the Blonde theatre. Of course, warm clothes are a life saver, because it's... um... Vermont The Twiggy Library of Arts was designed by the world-renowned architect Prepo. It is the center-piece of the College of Arts and Sciences as well as a landmark for the university as a whole. The College of Engineering is accomodated at the C. Zug Hall of Engineering. The nations leading research center for Agriculture and Life Sciences at the Bernhard Research Center. VTU Athletics offer a wide range of varsity sports. The John LeClair Center is the home of the Vermont Cougars hockey teams. But it also offers track and field, football, soccer, baseball and softball training facilities. Schulmanator Gymnasium, the home of the Basketball Cougars, among others. Opened in 2000, Millenium Field is a state-of-the-art facility for the Baseball and Softball Cougars. The girl's team is the more successful one of them.

INTRODUCTION As a preparation for this region, I made a map with the places I wanna create and their respective projected populations (calculated with realistic population densities). There are only two cities in the region, with Sterling being the primary city and Bosworth being the second one. As time goes by, the two cities will grow more and more together. The shaded grey areas are, where development seems possible. I've been playing the map for a while now, that's what the region looks like as of recently. I developed the region organically. Starting out with different towns, I didn't plan too much ahead and tried to go step by step. For example it didn't make sense to already plan out a rigth-of-way for the region highway. That's something which will come later on, as the region develops with more or less 'historic' accuracy . The first big regional development was the railway, now I'm slowly turning to state routes and U.S. routes, while the towns grow. I also go back to the 'older' towns every now and then. Timeline of events: 1500 Before the first Europeans settled the area, Native Americans from the Western Abenaki tribe inhabited the shores of Lake Champlain. 1609 French explorer Samuel de Champlain claimed the area on July 30, but it wasn't until 1666 that it became part of the New France colony. 1690 Dutch-British settlers established a stockade at Chimney Point and in 1696 a first settlement was established further north near today's Sterling. The trading posts served the New Hampshire colony. 1731 The French arrived Chimney Point and started with the construction of a fort and controled the border with Vermont. By that time the stockade near Sterling lied within French territory. Along with the military, French settlers entered Champlain County and established another settlement near today's Bosworth. 1759 When British troops managed to take the French fort at Chimney Point, the French retreated as far as Quebec. Pushing along northwards. the British destroyed military infrastructure along the way. The stockade near Sterling burnt down completely. 1760 On the ashes of the old trading post, British settlers founded another settlement, which they named Sterling. 1763 Vermont became British with the Treaty of Paris. 1777 Vermont became an independent Republic, only threatened by the Revolutionary War. It remained independent until 1791, when it joined the union as the 14th state. The independence from British rule resulted in considerable economic growth for Sterling. It became an important trading town close to the Quebec border. The opening of a university emphasized the importance of the aspiring town. 1823 Lake Champlain Canal was opened, creating a continuous waterway between New York and Montréal. The port of Sterling became an important trading point for lumber. By that time, Sterling was one of the largest towns in the U.S. 1831 When the population became too numerous for the town meeting, Sterling was incorporated into a city. 1849 Central Vermont Railway reached Sterling, connecting Champlain County to the state capital and other parts of New England. The lumber industry could bloom even more and also dairy produces became more and more important. 1865 Civil War affected the population of Champlain County. The men were mustered for the 2nd Vermont Infantry regiment, destined to fight against the Confederates. By the end of the war, the population dropped by about 40%.

That's terrible! I've seen photos and youtube movies from there... it's really really disturbing. Makes you feel so small and lost towards the forces of nature. Looks like international help is already on the way though...

Wonderful park! It fits in very well with the surroundings! I also like the suburban feel of the whole thing.

Good news page! Glad to see your creativity with headlines hasn't hit a wall yet . 'Twas a fun read... I even spotted some ST gossip, OMG! Rumor has it that she's even considering to change her name now! Oh, and looks like the owners of Phil's Cafe are up to something. Do they want to attract more female customers? Hmm... questions, questions... I'm definitely looking forward to your update... no rush though...

Pictures say more than a thousand words sometimes! Awesome update! I also realized that with 8bit vs.16bit greyscales. Terraformer is a lot more "sensitive" on contrasts... Keep it up! - Phil

Wow this looks cool. I love the green settings!

Once again, very realistic settings. I like the realistic curve of the highway and the railway. Great update! Take care! - Phil

Finally, the census ! Kewl! I like that view actually, something different for once. And it's astonishing how vanilla can look so realistic. - Phil

Now you're going into roadgeekery too interesting. Nice update!