![]() ![]() is indeed a country where investors can file to have the tax reduced to 15%, according to Article 10 of the tax treaty between France and the United States regarding direct taxes. ![]() ![]() The dividend withholding tax rate is reduced to 15% in most cases though." According to the France Embassy in the United States website, the U.S. Total's website explains France's withholding tax clearly to shareholders: "a 30% tax is withheld at source from your dividends, but it can be reduced if there is a tax agreement between France and your country of residence. In many comments section on this website, there have been spirited debates over what the withholding tax entails for investors in the US and to what extent it is avoidable. To some, the withholding tax is reason to forgo an investment in Total altogether, despite the company's track record of raising or maintaining the dividend for 30 straight years. Adding to the allure of the dividend are the facts that the company's worst days seem to be in the past and that Total's downstream unit gave the company the power to continue to pay its dividend throughout oil's wild ride lower the past couple of years.Īcting on these facts alone would be to miss a crucial feature of Total's dividend: the French withholding tax. Given the company's recently announced impressive quarter, in which Total earned $2.8 billion in Net Income, many are quick to turn to the company's 6.41% dividend yield and salivate over the opportunity. due to the infamous withholding tax on dividends, an analysis comparing its dividend yield to the company's competitors reveals that the company offers a robust dividend at a fair price, even after accounting for the withholding tax. Although many in the financial community have strayed from Total S.A. Oil prices regaining the $50/Bbl mark and France electing Emmanuel Macron, widely seen as a Pro-Europe and Pro-Business centrist, also helped contribute to Total's strong recent stock price performance.īefore investors become dazzled by Total's high dividend yield and recent profit surge, an understanding of the French withholding tax that the company's dividends are subjected to must be obtained. (TOT) surged higher after the company reported a better than expected profit last quarter, reflecting increasingly favorable investor sentiment (a fellow contributor even laid out a strong case for this sentiment). ![]()
0 Comments
![]() ![]() ![]() A lifting version.Ī ST40 powered rollercoaster. Previously operated at Walton Pier.Ī Matterhorn (ride). Purchased from UK Showman Edward Furborough.Ī flipper/Super Bowl ride. On Friday the park was sold to a family from Barry Island in South Wales.Īn Orbiter ride. In 2008 it became the home of Sooty, Sweep and Soo, when Richard Cadell bought the rights from HIT Entertainment. The American-themed venue replaced Bert's bar and Chicks Roost with a venue with a capacity of approximately 700 people. In 2000 one of the biggest projects that the resort took on since it had first opened its doors began, and this was the RJ's Entertainment complex which was a one million investment in the resort. The greyhound track closed on 12 March 1984 and to improve the look of the park a significant landscaping project was undertaken across both Brean Leisure Park and Unity Farm (presently known as Holiday Resort Unity).įurther facilities were added during the 1990s including a river type ride at the Swimming Pool complex (presently known as Brean Splash) and also the addition of two Ten-Pin Bowling lanes at Unity Farm (Holiday Resort Unity) in 1994. The complex also included an Amusement arcade and Fast Food outlets. ![]() In 1980 the complex known today as the 'Tavern' was opened and was previously known as the 'Farmers Tavern' providing a venue for evening family entertainment, functions and weddings. The course hosted a number of pro and celebrity amateur tournaments as well as becoming a members club and a facility for holiday guests. The 8 hole golf course was expanded so that it could host 18 holes and Brean Golf Club was created. īrean Leisure Park as a whole was now attracting a lot of visitors from South Wales, Bristol and Birmingham and in the late 1970s the House family bought out all of the other directors so that they could concentrate on developing leisure and holiday facilities. ![]() The racing was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body the National Greyhound Racing Club) and was known as a flapping track, which was the nickname given to independent tracks. Throughout the years additional recreational activities were created which included a swimming pool, donkey derby's and open air markets.Ī greyhound racing track was opened on 3 July 1975. However, during the 1950s and 1960s caravan and camping became a bigger part of Unity Farm (presently known as Holiday Resort Unity) and slowly the number of cows, pigs and sheep decreased.ĭuring the 1970s and the 1980s the beginnings of Brean Leisure Park were created along with the Mid Somerset Golf Centre which included Target Golf, driving range, pitch and putt and also an 8-hole golf course was opened alongside the other features. In 1948 planning permission was granted to change the use of some of the farm land to caravans and camping and 20 acres was converted prior for this use. The way Holiday Resort Unity is at present age started from this very stage and it wasn't long before many groups of people including the local Boy's Brigade Troops were coming to Brean to venture and have holidays. They later supplied the local area with milk that was bottled on the farm.Īs far back as 1946 camping was a popular past time and Fry's Chocolate Factory from Bristol pitched large tents on three fields on Unity Farm for a two-week period during the summer so therefore their employees could have a holiday by the seaside such as local areas being Brean, Berrow and Burnham-on-sea. In 1946 Albert and Marie House bought Unity Farm, and for the next 30 years operated it primarily as a dairy farm with a herd of 140 cows. In 1997 there was location filming for Rosie and Jim of the characters riding a Merry-go-Round. And an episode of CBBC TV series The Sparticle Mystery was filmed of the titled of the episode The FunFair. An episode of BBC TV series Casualty was also filmed there in 2007 and again 2013. Sky filmed an episode of Brainiac: Science Abuse entitled "Funfair Physics" at the park. Open from March to November every year, the leisure park has also been a concert venue for artists such as DJ Casper, Peter Andre, Jason Donovan and The Wurzels. The park covers an area of 200 acres (80.9 ha). The South West's Leading Family Destination!īrean Leisure Park is an amusement park in the coastal resort of Brean, near Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, England. Brean Leisure Park Previously known as Holiday Resort Unity ![]() ![]() ![]() Luke Rules is the first in a series of Luke Wilde adventures. The husband-and-wife team’s latest book is Luke Rules, the adventures and misadventures of Luke Wilde, former Marine Corps sniper turned wily and often contrary private investigator who likes to play by his own rules. Notes 'A Thomas Dunne book.' Subject headings Aircraft accidents-Canada. It is the story of how pilot Bob Pearson guided the powerless jet, with its full crew and 61 passengers, to safety. Hoffer, 76, of Bowling Green passed away Thursday, Jsurrounded by his family. Title Freefall / William Hoffer and Marilyn Mona Hoffer. It was produced into a motion picture starring William Devane, Shelley Hack and Mariette Hartley. When Captain Bob Pearsons twin-engine Boeing 767 failed due to insufficient fuel supply, the craft was gliding westbound over Red Lake at 41,000 feet. William and Marilyn’s Freefall is the nail-biting thriller recounting. The couples’ Freefall is the nail-biting thriller recounting the near-tragedy of Air Canada Flight 174 that ran out of fuel at 41,000 feet. William Hoffer has been spinning out international best-sellers for more than 20 years. The book became a stunningly successful international phenomenon, and was produced into a motion picture starring Sally Field and Alfred Molina. ![]() William and Marilyn worked with Betty Mahmoody to write Not Without My Daughter, the story of Betty and her daughter’s desperate and dangerous escape from Iran. Freefall Hoffer, William Hoffer, Marilyn Mona 3.94 avg rating (102 ratings by Goodreads) Hardcover ISBN 10: 0312029195ISBN 13: 9780312029197 Publisher: St Martins Pr, 1989 This specific ISBN edition is currently not available. Freefall by William Hoffer, Marilyn Hoffer, 1989, Simon & Schuster edition, in English. by William Hoffer and Marilyn Hoffer 0 Ratings 1 Want to read 0 Currently reading 0 Have read Overview View 4 Editions Details Reviews Lists Related Books Publish Date 1989 Publisher St. William collaborated with Billy Hayes to chronicle the exciting escape from a Turkish prison in Midnight Express, which was later produced into an Academy Award-winning motion picture starring Brad Davis, John Hurt and Randy Quaid. Novem History Edit An edition of Freefall (1989) Freefall 1st ed. William and Marilyn Hoffer are a husband-and-wife team who have been spinning out international best-sellers for more than 20 years. ![]() ![]() ![]() The spatial distribution, which brings an entire wall alive with sound, contributes greatly to the sense of realism. It had all the room-filling potency of the best acoustic-suspension systems, combined with the tautness and clarity of a full-range electrostatic speaker. Its low-bass response was difficult to credit to such a compact system. This impression was confirmed by its tone-burst response, which was uniformly excellent across the frequency spectrum. Its clarity and definition when reproducing complex orchestral passages were, in the writer’s opinion, unsurpassed by any other speaker he has heard. The Bose 901 had an utterly clean, transparent, and effortless sound. Because of its unconventional mode of operation, I rather doubted that any frequency-response measurements I could make would account for the remarkable realism of its sound. "I am convinced that it ranks with a handful of the finest home speaker systems of all time. ![]() The output signal is of approximately the same level as the input signal."Īnd this to say about the system as a whole: We measured its distortion at less than 0.13 percent for any output under 3 volts, which is greater than would be required with any amplifier we know of. He had this to say about the Bose equalizer: "The active equalizer introduces no perceptible distortion. Julian Hirsch, an objectivist audiophile, emphasized measured performance of audio gear from the earliest days of this hobby, and loved the Bose 901 Today, the Absolute Sound offers 6 recommended digital interconnects $1000 and higher. The Absolute Sound was founded after Harry Pearson was unhappy with the sound quality of the Bose 901's he purchased. It's likely that the Bose 901's spatial performance, in a well configured environment, is also enhancing the perceived sound quality despite the frequency response irregularities. Science has shown us that listening in stereo can make it harder to hear differences between speakers (as compared to mono). In a way, it sounds like a Magnepan without a true ribbon with less transparency and much more bass. When compared to a traditional audiophile system, I would describe the Bose as a third spatial presentations beyond headphones or dynamic speakers. When appropriately compared to a lifestyle speaker peer, I can confidently state that I prefer the 901's sound presentation over a Sonos speaker or Devialet Phantom. For all the harassment that Bose received from audiophiles, especially in the era of the Acoustimass 5, the actual in-room sound quality of the Bose 901 can best described with a simple "Wow." Maybe it was because my expectations were so low going into my listening tests, or I've simply lost my audiophile credibility card or suffer from early dementia, but I thoroughly enjoyed the in-room experience from the 901. I recently tried a Series VI in my own home and came around incredibly impressed with the audio. In Erin's measurements, he noted that the equalizer added an extreme level of distortion. The Bose 901 Series V has been measured on the Klippel NFS. ![]() ![]() ![]() Create budget headersĪfter opening Excel, include your budget's column names. How to create a budget in Excel manuallyįollow these steps if you prefer to prepare a budget from a blank document: 1. There are often explanations for budget headers, which can suggest what type of data to enter in each column. Many have formulas that enable you to calculate total spending and costs per period. ![]() Gardening and landscaping budget: enables you to plan landscape and budgeting needs by including the budgeted amount for plans, flowers, and treesĬompleting this step may vary depending on the template you select. Website budget: helps you manage your website development expenses over three yearsĬhannel marketing: offers direction on what to spend on marketing channel activities General ledger with budget: enables you to create a company's expense account and record monthly expenses Wheel budget: focuses on the visual representations of a budget's expensesīusiness expense budget: calculates line items per year and aids financial management in small- and medium-sized businesses Household budget: shows estimated and actual costs for individual items and automatically calculates the differenceĮvent budget: outlines expenses, including costs for the venue, refreshments, and entertainment Here are the most common ones available:įamily budget: helps you track monthly income, expenses, and cash flow and present the information visually Microsoft Excel has various budget templates to suit your specific situation. Check that you have a reliable internet connection to complete this step. Search for "Budgets" by typing it in the bar. You can expect to see a bar on the new interface. Depending on the software version you have, you may see an option to click on the "New from template" tab in a drop-down menu or "New tab." Clicking either tab changes the computer application's interface. The "File" tab is on the top ribbon in Excel. If you prefer to use a template, you can follow these steps to prepare a budget in Excel: 1. How to create a budget in Excel using templates ![]() Regardless of the option you choose, consider:ĭetermining the period your budget covers In comparison, you can use a template if you want a framework that saves time. Manually creating budgets can offer more flexibility to change its structure and elements. You may create a budget manually or using a template. It's also the preferred choice in business environments because of its financial features and math functions. The creation process may be convenient in Excel because the software program has a simple interface. Whether to track payroll, rent, utility, or insurance, preparing a budget can offer you direction on what products or services to purchase. Learning how to create a budget in Excel is important because it can aid financial decision-making. Why learn how to create a budget in Excel? In this article, we explain why learning how to create a budget in Excel is valuable, outline the steps for creating budgets using templates, discuss manually preparing a budget, review helpful tips, and cover answers to common questions. Learning the process of creating a budget in Excel can influence your activities at work or in your personal life. While you may use various computer applications to prepare one, Microsoft Excel is a popular option because of its unique functionalities. Q: HELP! What if I use a different currency other than USD? A: The spreadsheet is currently available in dollar, pound, and euro.Creating a budget can help you plan your expenses and income over a period. PLUS, I’ve built this spreadsheet to support my 3BB method (you’ll see what I mean once you purchase)! If you want to be a little more hands-on with your finances and think spreadsheets may be your jam- by all means, go ahead and purchase! You won’t hurt my feelings, promise. Q: Wait… I’ve read that you use a different budgeting method, so shouldn’t I try that instead? A: Although I teach my 3 bucket budget method in my Back to Basics course, I also know that personal finance is just that- PERSONAL. Q: Do I really have to budget every single purchase I make? A: Not necessarily! This budget is built in a way where you can apply your own method to it- meaning you can be as detailed or as broad as you would like with your categories. If you have any lingering spreadsheet questions, shoot an email to Is this compatible with Microsoft Excel? A: It is 100% compatible! Just make sure you download the excel file and not the Google Sheets one. YAY ENGLISH ACCENTSSSSSS!! There are also instructional comments placed throughout the document, so you’ll be a pro at using it in no time. FAQs Q: But what if I’m not spreadsheet savvy!? A: You’ll receive a video tutorial narrated by Tori herself plus a special guest, our very own and VERY British SEO specialist, Jack, who will walk you through the entire product. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() One that includes everyone in their family and it can be argued that that ripple effect is felt most acutely by their spouse and children. ![]() When servicemen and women join the military, it creates a ripple effect. Military Spouses Use Theater to tell Their Story In a genre known for strong leads, high stakes, political drama, and tense interpersonal relationships – how does MP stand out from the crowd? What real world event sparked The Handler series? And how does he mine his near-decade long service in the Navy for characters, plot, and true-to-life war games?įind out this and more by joining Shaun (a professed geek of the thriller genre) as we dig into what makes John and Meredith tick and what techniques MP uses to overcome writers block. John and Meredith find themselves caught in the middle between Mossad, the CIA, and an Iranian hit squad! and Iran have reached a crisis point, the American Administration is determined to move ahead, but there are several stumbling blocks, not the least of which is the Iranian intelligence operative the CIA has hidden away in one of its safe houses. When nuclear negotiations between the U.S. A divorced couple forced to work together in the world of espionage. His new book DEAD DROP, released last week and continues the story of CIA case officers John and Meredith Dale. MP Woodward is a former Naval Intelligence Officer and now a critically acclaimed author of The Handler Series. ![]() #veteransstories #veteranshistory #veteranshistoryproject #veteranstravel #veteranstrips #veteranshistoricaltours #veteransoralhistory #militaryretirees #armyretirees #navyretirees #warstories #airforce #vietnamwar #veteraninterviewįormer Navy Intelligence Officer, MP Woodward, talks about his Espionage Drama Series The Handler and Dead Drop #podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: You listen in any time with this live link: The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: Between them they have 55 years of combined service in the armed forces and have committed themselves to serving veterans by helping them find gainful employment.ĭon’t wait – register for a workshop today! Joining The Scuttlebutt to talk about OBTT are veterans Pam Langley and Marlene Ciesielski. The Workshops cover everything from developing your resume to nurturing interview skills and negotiating a salary. You can mix and match workshops to meet your employment goals and attend workshops at your own pace. These workshops are offered to you at no cost based on your service. The ten, two-hour workshops are in-person, virtual and built to fit your schedule. The Off-Base Transition Training (OBTT) pilot program is an opportunity earned through service for veterans, veterans currently serving in the National Guard and Reserve, and their spouses to take control of their career through workshops to help meet their employment goals. OBTT – Off-Base Transition Training offers free workshops for Vets, Guard, Reservists, and Spouses to find employment ![]() ![]() The Fest was in "dire financial straits," read the missive, adding that a "massive fund drive" was on in an attempt to rescue the sputtering expo from its final doom. in the episode entitled "The Radical Truth", which aired on March 31, 2021."Save the Austin Jazz Festival" shrieked a fax from the DiverseArts Production Group that appeared at the Chronicle a few weeks back, prompting concerns that the always strapped-for-cash local Jazz & Arts Festival, beginning on Monday, was festooned with last-minute problems. Both are Chicago based bands.įireside is featured in several scenes of the 2018 film Widows.įireside was seen in NBC's Chicago P.D. The Fireside Bowl is the topic of the Allister song "Somewhere on Fullerton" and is also mentioned in a song by The Methadones called "Suddenly Cool". įireside can be seen in an episode of Fox TV show The Chicago Code entitled " Hog Butcher", which aired on Feb 14, 2011.įireside plays host to a scene in NBC's Chicago Fire in the episode entitled "Headlong Toward Disaster", which aired on February 15, 2015. The bowling scenes from the 2006 film The Break-Up, featuring Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston, were filmed at the Fireside. Maple? / Somehow the singer showed Fireside exactly how I feel." The song appears on the Alkaline Trio's self-titled album, and includes the line "Remember last April when we saw U.S. In 2000, The Fireside earned a mention in the song "Goodbye Forever" by Chicago-based band, the Alkaline Trio. In the film it was used as the headquarters of Boothe's character Det. Several external scenes from the 1992 film Rapid Fire, featuring Brandon Lee and Powers Boothe prominently show the Fireside. In 2010 the Fireside Bowl started hosting live music again. Since then Fireside has retaken its status as Logan Square's neighborhood bowling alley. It restated as a bowling alley without ever closing in the fall of 2004. In the Summer of 2004 renovations were made to update things such as automatic scoring, new lanes and equipment and upgrades to the building and its amenities. Then in 2003 the City of Chicago dropped the eminent domain suit and it was decided by the owners and family, with talks to the alderman concerning it continued status that if Fireside was to continue over the long term it needed to get back to its roots of bowling. As time went on and the neighborhood changed neighbors became increasingly more vocal about the live music acts. ![]() For the next several years the cloud of eminent domain hung over Fireside, but it continued to host shows promoted by Brian Peterson and Dave Eaves. Gradually, more and more shows were held there until 1999 when the City of Chicago wanted to expand the nearby Haas Park. However, music was now the primary focus. There was still bowling on a few nights, in particular the Bucktown Bowling & Drinking League made up of several nearby taverns Bob Inn, Mickey's, Harp & Shamrock and The web took to the lanes every Monday night as they had been doing for many years. While the bowling lanes were used less and less, music was filling in on more nights. The neighborhood was getting rough and business slowed so Fireside began to showcase live music on a part-time basis in 1994. ![]() As the neighborhood changed and Fireside fell into disrepair Lapinski handed the establishment to his son Jim. From 1971 until 1990 Lapinski operated it as a thriving bowling alley. Lapinski and McGuire operated it together until 1971 when Lapinski bought out McGuire. The Fireside Bowl was owned and operated by Hank Sophie until 1966 when Rich Lapinski and Alec "Mac" McGuire bought the bowling alley from an ailing Hank Sophie. In 1956 it was expanded and AMF automatic pinspotters were installed and the remodeled Fireside was expanded by four lanes bringing the total to 16. It started as a twelve lane pin boy bowling alley and thrived throughout the 40s and 50s. In the summer of 1941 renovations began and the owner Hank Sophie converted it into a bowling alley, cashing-in on the bowling craze that began in mid-20th century America. The building was an ice factory in its early days. ![]() ![]() ![]() There are tons of e-bikes just like how there are many different wine brands out there and it can be confusing and overwhelming to figure out which e-bike is going to be best for you. ![]() It is like the wine spectator score if you're familiar with it. ![]() The seven key attributes that we built into our Tower Score 100-point Scale are the following: We are trying to create a database for customers to figure out which e-bike would probably be best for them even without riding the e-bike. It can be confusing to figure out if an e-bike's going to match your needs or how it is going to perform when there is no retail shop where you can test an e-bike out before you buy it. Tons of e-bikes nowadays are all direct to consumers. Instead of doing research and comparing each particular attribute, we condense everything into a single figure so that e-bike purchasers may have a better idea of how it will perform. We take all of these factors and combine them into a single-point total.Īt the end of the day, the consumer can easily compare and figure out which e-bike is best for them. Each attribute can score between a one and a ten, with one as the lowest and 10 as the highest, and then we normalize that score to get a 100-point scale. It scores our e-bikes on seven key attributes, utilizing a 100-point scale. Mainly, that is what our Tower Score does. We create a database, provide important information in the industry, and give insights into each e-bike that comes through our shop. Sometimes we see certain e-bikes come in more often than not, and some we see very seldomly. And what we do here is we make our e-bike mechanics score and offer their insights on certain attributes of every single electric e-bike that comes in. We see hundreds of e-bikes come into our shop every week. I am the CEO of the Tower E-bike Repair Shop here in San Diego. The RadMini Step-Thru 2 scored a 60 on our 100-point Tower Score, which makes it a very good e-bike.īut before we get into the score, I wanted to introduce myself. The mini model has some pros and cons, and we can get into that later in the review. The RadMini Step-Thru 2 is their miniature folding e-bike meaning it can fold all the way down into a Bach shape which has become quite a trend within the e-bike industry. And they do have plenty of e-bike models, each made for a different purpose. They are quite notorious for spending a lot of money on ads and customer acquisition. If you have been shopping around for e-bikes, you've undoubtedly seen them. Rad Power E-bikes is a massive name in the e-bike industry. Today we are going to be reviewing and rating the RadMini Step-Thru 2 from Rad Power E-bikes. This ebike scored a 60 on our Tower ebike score giving it a very good ebike rating.ĭISCLAIMER - Rad Power Bikes and Rad Mini 2 are trademarks of Rad Power Bikes, and use of that trademark in this review does not indicate that the reviewer is claiming any interest in the mark or any affiliation with or sponsorship or endorsement by Rad Power Bikes. The Rad Mini 2 that we are focusing on today is going to be the step through model. The Mini series features fat tire bikes with a folding middle console for ease of storing and transportation. The Rad Mini 2 is Rad Power Bikes second installment of the Rad Mini series. ![]() ![]() ![]() Its flexibility, power and ease of use have led to the popularity of the tool. Nmap has gained widespread popularity and have reached thousands of people. Standard service detection: nmap -sV x.x.x.x Scan 100 most common ports: nmap -F x.x.x.x Scan a range of ports: nmap -p 1-100 x.x.x.x Scan targets from a text file: nmap -iL iplist.txt\ The complete summary of Nmap options can be obtained by running the command without passing any arguments.īasic usages of Nmap are discussed below: ![]() The Nmap output comprises of a list of scanned targets, with supplemental information on each depending on the options used. The Nmap command comes with lots of options that can make the utility more robust. The source code is available for free and the same can be used to make modifications. Nmap is not economically targeted and it aims at providing administrators an advanced tool for their networks. Nmap package comes with a GUI called zenmap. It provides both command line and graphical (GUI) versions that can be chosen upon your preferences. Using scrips functionalities of Nmap can be extended to enable more advanced detection. ![]() * It finds out the operating system of target host. * It investigates network services on target systems and determines application name and version details. * It finds out open ports on target hosts. * It identifies hosts on a network and lists the hosts that respond to TCP/ICMP requests. Nmap is not just limited to gathering information it can be used as a vulnerability detector also. Now it has emerged as a cross platform utility available in Windows, Solaris and BSD variants. Initially written by Gordon Lyon, it was started as a utility just for Linux. It sends specially crafted packets to the target systems and analyses responses from these systems to gather the required information. It uses raw IP packets in different ways to carry out security scans and identify details like what type of hosts are available on a network, the services that are offered on the system, the operating system and the types of firewalls used in the system etc., apart from a wide variety of other characteristics. Also it can be used in ethical hacking to find out loopholes and vulnerabilities in the system. If the thought of working at the command-line scares you (presumably not if youre reading this review), then you may want a much simpler tool, or at least check out Zenmap GUI. By using Nmap, attackers can easily determine what ports are open on a system. Nmap is a powerful command-line tool and has many options that require some reading of documentation to get the best out of (although generally straightforward). The free and open source tool can be used for security scanning, network discovery and network exploration. These are paid tools, which are based on FOSS (Free and Open Source Software). A plethora of security tools are available in the market for network administrators to make use of. In an unsecured scenario, security tools are inevitable to safeguard your system. ![]() ![]() Story Mode allows for the narrative to shine, and while combat is really fun in Divinity: Original Sin II, I was more than happy progressing through the story without having to reload before more difficult encounters or have a lack of gear or levels barring my progress. Story Mode allows players to defeat encounters with little difficulty - some fights do still pose something of a challenge, but standard encounters progressed fairly smoothly in comparison to Classic Mode. While I found Classic Mode's level of challenge to still be fairly enjoyable, it was minor frustrations like these that pushed me to give the Story Mode a fair shake. I sometimes found myself just living with the consequences of a fight gone horribly awry because I didn’t want to sit through a loading screen for a third or fourth time. Reloading before encounters will be vital in some situations if you’re not well prepared, but this can also be mildly frustrating at times as the game's loading times aren’t exactly the fastest, at least on PlayStation 4. I’d also suggest saving at every encounter if you choose to play Classic Mode if you’re unfamiliar with Divinity or similar isometric RPGs such as the Pillars of Eternity or Baldur’s Gate franchises. This difficulty presents a hard but fair level of challenge and players will need to be resourceful to stay ahead in encounters. ![]() For this review, I played both the Story and Classic difficulties to get a feel for the key differences between the two.Ĭlassic Mode is just as its name suggests, it is the standard difficulty, and for those that have played Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition, they’ll find it comparable to the standard difficulty of that game as well. Additionally, selecting Tactician Mode allows for a branching path of two additional difficulty settings as well. These difficulties include Explorer Mode, Classic Mode, Tactician Mode, and the new frustration-free Story Mode. Divinity: Original Sin II has a handful of different difficulties for players to choose from in order to tailor their experience to their liking. ![]() |