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Daniel Tack, Contributor
I cover interactive entertainment and technology.
The dragon's out of the bag – Sony Sony Online Entertainment's EverQuest Next Landmark is going to have combat. Actually, things go a good deal beyond that - EverQuest Next Next Landmark is a full-blown standalone MMORPG. We had a chance to chat with Director of Development Dave Georgeson about EverQuest Next Landmark and EverQuest Next.
Initially announced as "just" an exploration and creation/building title, EverQuest Next Landmark is confirmed to feature all the trappings of a major MMORPG. Weapons, item drops, monsters, and combat. It's even going to use the same emergent AI system that's being touted as one of the major innovations in EverQuest Next.
It's about the element of risk. There are passive threats in the world such as water and lava, but the combat system and associated monsters will likely draw other players – traditional MMORPG players – into the creative world of EverQuest Next Landmark.
"We've always intended to have combat in Landmark. We weren't announcing it because we weren't certain whether we could get it in right away… We've done some homework and determined we can get in it soon – maybe not right at launch, but pretty close afterwards," says Georgeson. "Landmark will have a wide range of combat experiences, and it's going to use the same emergent AI system found in EverQuest Next – but possibly not in the exact same way. As far as actual combat AI goes, it will be the same model."
How deep will the combat be? We're not looking at the simple hack-and-slash mechanics you'd expect to find in a game with a creation/building theme – They are the same style as the combat in EverQuest Next, and will include group encounters and experiences designed for more than one player.
"As far as you actually play in the game in combat, we want to embrace a bunch of different gameplay styles. If you want to be able to be ranged, you'll be able to. Spells and melee, you'll be able to. The same mechanisms that will be found in EverQuest Next… You'll be able to swap out different tools or weapons to mix and match character abilities."
So, how is this going to work exactly? With the focus on building, crafting, and creation, won't all these monsters get in the way? They're still working the details out, but players will have the option to choose what kind of gameplay they'd like to participate in.
"We're still debating exactly how we want to implement this, but one theory is that we'll have some continents that are non-combat oriented and some that are more risk oriented, or perhaps the rule that monsters won't wander onto people's claims," says Georgeson. "People that want to be able to build without monsters will be able to do that, and people that do want risk will be able to play with risk and get greater associated rewards."
So what does this mean? EverQuest Next Landmark is a full MMORPG experience. This may seem difficult to take in, considering that it's also sort of a precursor to another complete MMORPG, EverQuest Next. It boils down to two full MMORPGs with the same building blocks but different focal points. EverQuest Next Landmark will be deeply based in creative, building, and exploratory experiences whereas EverQuest Next itself will feature story driven aspects and progression. While these are completely dissimilar titles, they will share many of the same underlying systems.
"EverQuest Next is more of a focused narrative with story arcs and rallying calls, emergent AI pushing things around," says Georgeson. "Landmark is very much an exploration in creativity and making things that are cool to show off to other players, but a lot of the systems developed for EverQuest Next will be put into Landmark."
This has come up a lot – How will the integration work between games? What will you be able to take from one title to the next?
Players will be able to bring a Norrath approved parcel from EverQuest Next Landmark to EverQuest Next. There is some questing/tasking involved to get a plot of land and other details involved, but players will be able to bring elements in. Players will also be able to take their "Adventurer" class from EverQuest Next Landmark over to EverQuest Next.
"When you go to EverQuest Next from EverQuest Landmark you have access to all of your templates from EverQuest Next Landmark – But only the ones that follow the art direction of EverQuest Next can be used," says Georgeson. "Players will be able to use the same tools that we're using to create our worlds to do really crazy things within Landmark. I fully expect to be amazed."
"This is just the beginning," says Georgeson. "Imagine what will happen when we add PvP to EverQuest Next Landmark."
Related on Forbes:
I'm trying to wrap my head around why I'd even want to play EQN. Landmark sounds so much better. I can't remember ever playing an MMO for the story.
I dunno, we'll see. If they're free to play it can't hurt to give it a shot. I'm really looking forward to trying out some of the building aspects of Landmark.
I'm in the same boat. Landmark sounds like a blast. Not sure I'll have time for Next.
The story is in theory, emergent to some degree due to the AI. Not the first time we've seen that claimed (GW2 anyone?) but things like…the first thing that happens when the game launches is everyone gets a call to build the capitol city.
So we actually go there and do it. Then perhaps enemy ___ roams within range and builds a town to attack merchants or even builds forces for a siege, in which case players likely trash the place and scatter the threat…for now…
Etc. There's probably going to be a more coherent story, along with all the elements of unlocking the various classes, but methinks we'll be getting a very stripped down version of that system to test in Landmark.
This is really worrying me, I liked the Minecraft model of Landmark better and I hope they don't overdo the combat elements etc. They announced it as a building tool and it should stay that way tbh. or they might end up splitting the community in half by putting all the crafters and explorers in Landmark and taking away elements from EQ:N by just putting the raiders in there. Merge them to one game later on instead imo. :/
As a long time EQ2 and WoW-raider I have never seen creative play (building, decorating etc) as an opposite to the cooperative sport of raiding.
I'm more worried about that last pvp comment but only a little. Dave et al. have expressly and repeatedly said they weren't designing a game for griefers. But if there is a population split anywhere it's between pvp-ers and everyone else imo.
The EQ2 guild halls were always overly decorated imo and WoW really doesn't have anything that allows for player creativity in that aspect tbh. But yeah, the PvP comment is a bit worrying and I bet if they have decided to use Landmark as a semi-beta for EQ:N to test out their systems then that might also just anger the people who are looking forward to Landmark. I for one just wanted to give it a shot to explore the world and build a bit because they've said repeatedly that everything will be in EQ:N, but now if they're splitting it up to become two seperate MMO's I am starting to get conflicted because I don't want to have to log in to two different games to enjoy different aspects of technically the same game. :S
I really love the subtle work they may be doing here with landmark: Specifically in that once Landmark launches, they might have "Calls" for players to design a themed structure, or more conventional contests and other elements.
They take the best designs of the bunch and store them for use in EQN. Players get to have fun building stuff and even might get to see their work used in Next, while the devs get loads of content developed for them by the players!
I hope they have cross chat with EQN. I understand there wont be shared characters or inventory, etc, because its set on a different world(s), but since players are clearly going to be switching back and forth between the minecraft-eqse landmark and the RPG EQN it would make sense to share chat and guilds.
I think its smart to do this… Not only are they promoting EQN, but they are giving players the tools to make the world for EQN allowing them to make a more beautiful and large world than they could do alone. Games like PotBS which allowed players to design their own ships using traditional 3D building tools have already proved that players are competent enough to design a world even MORE beautiful than a limited, paid staff can do.


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Yanks Ink EnsbergBy
Here's something we wanted to see happen last year, but apparently was blocked by Joe Torre. The Yanks have signed Morgan Ensberg. No word on the nature of the deal — that is, whether it's a major or minor league deal. My guess is that it's a minor league one (saving the Yanks a roster spot), with an opt-out if he doesn't make the big league roster.
I would suppose that he's being brought in as competition for Shelley at first base. He's only played three games in his career off of third base — one at DH, one at first base, and one at shortstop. I'm not quite sure if he'd be a viable bench option. We'll see as Spring Training progresses, though.
Update: It's a minor league deal. Just thought of something else, too. Ensberg could be Giambi insurance. If he goes down in ST, Ensberg would have a seat on the bench. Not a bad fallback plan.
38 Comments»
Nice move. Low risk, high reward. A nice RH power threat for the 8 hole. Not bad.
as long as it's a minor league deal. i don't know why they keep getting more guys for 1st base.
how many do we need?
Cashman always talks about giving his manager "choices." He finally has a manager who has an open mind about using the players he brings in. Until someone emerges at 1B, I have no problem with bringing in players who may contribute.
it's a minor league deal:
look up his splits against lefties.
great pickup. no risk, good reward.
a betemit/ensburg platoon would probably be pretty productive at 1B.
I wonder if this has anything to do with Shelley's arm injury this off season?
good pick-up, with betemit, giambi, ensberg and in the not so distant future miranda, is it time to sell high on duncan???
I am disappointed this is not a spot saved for Doug Mientkiewicz, the guy has been a gamer for us!!!!
i can't tell if you are joking. i hope so.
Everytime the Yanks sign a 'first baseman' I remember Giambi accusing Torre of 'coddling' ARod. Pavano aside I can't remember a bigger waste of money than Giambi. Thank goodness this is his last year!
i'd rather have a dougie/shelley platoon. from everything i've read shelley is completely recovered from the blood clot
Why not Shelley, Ensberg, and Betemit? Ensberg could also play all over the infield. Still love his bat against lefties. I could also see him as a PH for Damon against a tough lefty.
Ensberg would have rotted on the bench with Torre. But he is the type of player Girardi will get the most out of.
only one of duncan, ensberg, lane will make the team imo
i have a feeling girardi will opt for gonzalez, green or woodward for the last bench spot for their ability to play the middle infield
assuming matsui is dh'ing with damon in left and betemit at first, my bench would be: duncan/ensberg, molina, giambi, gonzalez/woodward/green
that's a pretty good bench, actually.
The Yanks had fits with command and control lefties over the past few years, hopefully Ensberg will neutralize that some.
the Yankees had fits with just about any scrappy guys they've never faced last couple of years really lol
Doug can't hit anymore. 1b has been an offensive disaster for us lately.
We waste a valued spot there with scrubs. Ensberg, Duncan, Betemit should change that a little.
Maybe Miranda in season.
Will be great to have Duncan replace Abreu who stinks against leftys and Ensberg at first. I can see 7 right handed bats playing vs leftys so huge advantage for the Yankees in improving there 20/19 record from last year.
Abreu "stinks" against lefty's?
That's a tad strong there. Show me some stats to back that up.
Low risk/high reward signing. I think Girardi will be much more open-minded about using guys this year. I like that he can play multiple IF positions, but isn't Betemit better for defense? Ensberg's mobility has decreased (when he has played) since his shoulder injury, no?
I expect Girardi to be more open-minded with the arms Cash puts in the BP, too. Now that Mo is the only RP signed beyond 2008 (I'm not counting Igawa), I bet Girardi and Cash run a lot of arms through there until something sticks.
Abreu's ops last year against leftys was .678! Does anyone really think he will get better as he gets older? His walk rate in the AL is way down as well.
Abreu was the feared hitter in the Phily line up for awhile. He was the guy you pitched around so of course his walk rate is going to be better. Now in the yankees lineup do you want to throw strikes to abreu or A-rod? Of course you challange Abreu so his walks are going to go down. The man had one off year, he is 33 years old, he isn't exactly an old man yet.
I have been advocating the Yanks signing Ensberg for like 2-3 years now. I like what Cashman is doing. There arent any slam dunk options at first base available so he is grabbing as many solid options as possible and will let them fight it out. I think between Miranda, Shelley, Ensberg, Betemit, and Giambi we can find one productive first baseman
This is OT, but I just got this email from mlb.com that leads you to the following Monster.com link:
The Yanks are hiring a sports reporter, FWIW, how cool would that be? Actually, I'm sure not as cool as I imagine, but still, in case anybody is looking for a job
I must be losing the numbers here because if you signed Lane and Einsburg When you already have a versatile Duncan… ?
Betemite is our utility.
Matsui is going to have to share DH with Giambi (who they can't move and might be a very expensive Rubin Sierra)
I really wonder if Matsui is going somewhere – although I don't think he should. Or Duncan?
Giardi is going to have choices but… Jesus come on.
Are they trying to brand AAA Ball?
"When you already have a versatile Duncan… ?"
Because there's a good chance that Duncan is what he seemed to be before last year…a minor league journeyman with holes in his swing.
What's wrong with bringing options to compete? If Duncan outperforms them, great! If he doesn't, then we have a better option right there…one who's had success at the major league level.
Since when is 33 old in baseball?
Especially since Abreu is in a FA yr.
Abreu will be 34 in 40 days.
Yeah not really much risk with money just wondering what the thought process is? Choices are fine just questioning if there is something else going on.
What I meant was Duncan can play infield and outfield… obviously I don't expect him to be an all star but he's shown the ability to put some good at bats together. Gives the team of veterans a little life as well.
Duncan is a career minor leaguer, the idea that he should take at-bats away from a guy like Abreu is pure lunacy
If Abreu continues to put up a sub-.700 OPS against lefties and Duncan can do better, it's not lunacy. I say that as someone who sees Duncan as a AAAA player who has his uses.
I like the Ensberg pickup.
Lane and Ensberg aren't enough. Let's add Mike Sweeney too. He may be better than both of 'em.
We got a 1B, a DH, and room for one more no-defense hitter. Let Giambi-Duncan-Matsui-Lane-Ensberg-Sweeney-Miranda all battle it out for the spots. And don't forget that Matsui may start the year on the DL anyway…
Ensberg is intriguing. Excellent post All Star stats .865 OPS but season cut short again with injury. In 2006, the season was poor due to a shoulder injury that he played through.
Healthy, he will help.
So with Nick Johnson. If he's healthy, and all the above bomb out, trade a Marquez and a Karstens and get him back.
[...] Houston (.391 wOBA in 2003, .395 wOBA and a fourth place finish in the MVP voting in 2005), but he signed with the Yanks three years ago today after an ugly 2007 season (.318 wOBA) with the 'Stros and Padres. He [...]

subset: commoncrawl


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ToastMasters Club Membership
Emerging Leaders Toastmasters Club
The Emerging Leaders Toastmasters Club is not operating during the 2011-2012 school year. Other clubs in the Bloomington area are still operating.
By joining Toastmasters, you will have access to Toastmasters organizations world wide! In addition, you will receive a membership start up kit that provides you with manuals on leadership and communication instruction. You will be able to attend speaking conferences at low or even no cost to you, and you receive expert instruction from one of the best club coaches in the region!
Please click here to access complete information on cost for joining the Emerging Leaders Toastmasters Club.
Office of Mentoring Services and Leadership Development
A unit of the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs
Eigenmann Hall South Room 619
Bloomington, Indiana 47406-7511, Tell: 812.855.3540, Fax: 812. 812-856-0445
Last updated: February 5, 2011 | Comments: email@example.com


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Here's a picture of Jamie Campbell Bower playing with his balls while his nipples stick out.
It's a press shot from The Prisoner, but we can but dream eh?
Fresh from speaking to us in last months GT the little minx has just done a shoot for Vanity Fair. Remember us fondly Jamie (but don't remember us trying to fondle you – that never happened, alright?)
In case you managed to completely miss him playing a gay in the "re-imagining" of the 60s classic when it was on ITV (for shame!) then we've got five copies to give away on DVD. Or possibly Blu-ray. To be honest we were just looking at the picture. Check out the Competitions tab under 'interact' above for all the details if you want one, yeah?
The Prisoner is available on DVD and Blu-ray now
Is he thinking, is this a Ball. is at an Egg oh no it's my love toy. x


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I've been re-watching some Redskins-Cowboys games this past week, in preparation for Sunday. I thought I'd post a list of my favorites and the reasons why, and feel free to add to the list in the comments.
5. Redskins 41, Cowboys 14 (November 23, 1986)
The Cowboys had dominated the Redskins earlier that year, handing the Redskins what was one of their two losses to that point. Both teams were very much in the playoff hunt. The Redskins forced a turnover on the opening kickoff, and commenced a beatdown that would result in the biggest win for the Redskins in the series (until 2005), breaking a three-game losing streak in the series while they were at it. And it could have easily been much worse. The Redskins led 34-0 at the half, despite leaving 11 points on the field thanks to a dropped touchdown pass followed by a missed field goal and another TD called back for a penalty.
4. Redskins 13, Cowboys 7 (October 19, 1987)
The game was sloppy and generally terrible, but the Replacement Redskins beating a Cowboys' team that included Hall-of-Famers on both sides of the ball (including two defensive linemen). The Redskins also did so without the leading passer in the previous two weeks, Ed Rubbert, who was injured early in the game. Work-release drug offender Tony Robinson (who has been clean for a while, per the Washington Post article last year) threw two interceptions, but was still able to do enough for the Redskins to pull the upset and inspire a movie that should have been much better. The real star of the game was Lionel Vital, who ran for 136 yards.
3. Redskins 38, Cowboys 31 (November 22, 2012)
I surely don't need to say anything about this game. RGIII and the Redskins were simply dominant for large stretches, although the defense did let the Cowboys back into the game after a 28-3 halftime lead. Still, this was the best second quarter since Super Bowl XXII, and it was extremely special to win in Dallas on Thanksgiving
2. Redskins 33, Cowboys 31 (September 9, 1991)
This may have been one of the most entertaining games in the series, as well as a key victory in an early stretch that saw the Redskins dominant at home and a bit shaky on the road (tight victories over Dallas and Cincinnati, as well as a close escape at the Giants.) The Redskins never led until a Chip Lohmiller field goal in the 3rd quarter, but the Cowboys re-took the lead with a field goal of their own, and led 24-23 heading into the 4th. But the Redskins turned in a solid fourth quarter, and pulled ahead 33-24. A late Cowboys touchdown made the score even closer. Lohmiller was the star, connecting on all four field goal attempts, of 53, 52, 45, and 46 yards. His leg was the difference as the Redskins were outgained on the day but managed the victory.
1. Redskins 31, Cowboys 17 (NFC Championship, 1983)
The Redskins had lost six in a row in the series. Joe Gibbs had lost all three previous meetings. In the previous 5 meetings, the Redskins hadn't managed more than 10 points. The Cowboys were favored by 2 points, despite the game being in RFK. But once the Redskins took the lead in the first quarter on a pass from Theismann to Charlie Brown, they never looked back, knocking Danny White out of the game and intercepting Gary Hogeboom twice, the second returned by Daryl Grant for the clinching score.
How could I not have the Monday Night game in 2005 on here? It's probably the most fun 5 minutes watching games in this series, but when I think back on the game as a whole, it was pretty bad. Still, I'm tempted to take the replacement game off and put that one on. What are some of your favorites?


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On the final day of the rowing competition at Eton Dorney Lake, outside of Windsor, the British team celebrated atop the podium with three medals in the four final races.
The first race was the Women's Single Sculls and after a devastating fourth place in the semifinals for U.S. rower Gevvie Stone, 27, she came with oars a-blazing on Saturday. Stone finished her Final B race (places 7-12) almost nine seconds faster than the gold medal winner Miroslava Knapkova from the Czech Republic, with a time of 7:45:24. "I kept pushing myself, I was rowing pretty efficiently, I think. I'll have to ask my dad, who is my coach, what he thinks. But it felt great," Stone said in an interview. "You never know how many chances you're going to get to row on an Olympic course and I wanted to make this one a good one."
In the men's lightweight double sculls, the race started off with the 2008 Beijing winning Great Britain team of Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase having a broken seat about 100m into the race. Thus, all the boats had to stop and Purchase fixed the seat with a screwdriver. The race was then restarted with Great Britain in the front, however, the Denmark team squeaked out a win and a gold. The New Zealand team took bronze.
Then came the races where Great Britain reigned supreme. The women's lightweight double sculls and the men's four. The women's team (Sophie Hosking and Katherine Copeland) took the gold in the double sculls with a time of 7:09:30 over second place China and third place Greece.
This is a great accomplishment since the team has only raced for a year, and the win received quite a surprise reaction from the women. In a recent interview, Copeland remarked: "I can't believe this is real, that we just won. We just won the Olympics! I've been trying all week not to think about it because it's made me cry every time."
Prior to that the men's four raced and the British team of Alex Gregory, Tom James, Pete Reed, and Andrew Triggs Hodge (no relation) helped win another gold for their team by inching the Australian team by less than two seconds, and the U.S. (Rummel, Cole, Ochal, and Gault) team taking third. Leading from the start and holding strong to their lead, the Brits never slowed down to the Aussies, whom were never more than a boat length away. "In the race today, I was waiting for it to go all wrong," Triggs Hodge said. "We all sacrificed so much to achieve this huge honor. To sit here as an Olympic champion in front of a home crowd - I am humbled by this one."
Britain coach Juergen Groebler said it all when explaining the competition over the last eight days, "It's the best ever Olympics for rowing. I think we should be honest with ourselves - it is a big, big result." With nine total medals - four golds, two silvers, and three bronzes - the British team set a new record for rowing medals. The last record of eight medals was set in 1908, ironically, in London.
Suggested by Author:
2012 Olympic Rowing: Day 1 Review
2012 Olympic Rowing: Day 2 Review
2012 Olympic Rowing: Day 5 Review
2012 Summer Olympics Rowing Guide
Ashley Hodge was a member on the University of Minnesota: Twin Cities Women's Rowing Team. After three months on the freshman team, she participated the next three years on the varsity team. For the majority of her rowing career, Ashley sat in seat seven, behind the stroke.
- Sports & Recreation


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We will be having another Windows 8 Dev Camp on 10/9 at the Microsoft office in Edina. We still have some space available, so sign up here – http://aka.ms/Win8Camp.
The next day, there will be a Windows 8 Hackathon with three grand prize winners getting a Samsung Series 7 Slate and more! Register here – http://aka.ms/Win8Hackathon
Update: Just informed that this particular event will not have the Slates as giveaways. My bad for assuming we had the same format as in the past.
Headlines | Windows 8
I had a few requests for my keynote slides from the MDC. You can download here.
Windows 8 | Library
The Search contract is a way you can integrate the Windows 8 search experience into your game. Windows 8 provides a Search feature that is enabled via the Charm bar (shown at right). The Charm bar is activated by a user swiping from the right edge of the screen with a finger, or by either a mouse or keyboard action (mouse to the upper right corner of the screen or Windows+C ). From the Charm bar, the user can select the Search charm and enter the default Search experience.
The default Search experience allows users to search through their files, applications, and settings to find things they are interested in. More interesting, however, is that this Search experience can be extended in two unique ways.
First, if you look at the default Search pane, you will see a list of applications in the bottom half of the pane. The Search pane allows the user to send the search term they have typed into the search text box to another application by tapping on its tile. Windows 8 will launch the selected app and pass the search term to the application. It is up to the application to use the search term in a way that makes sense for the app. For a game, this could be looking up the term in a help file, finding a match with online players, or looking in saved games for a possible match.
The second way that Search can be extended is by integrating the search contract with an application while it is running. In this case, any search term entered would be immediately passed to your app. The Search panes is updated to show that the search term will be passed to your game and not to a more general search.
In a game scenario, it is most likely that the second option, "in game" searching, is the most applicable. There are a lot of potential uses for search. A few examples include searching help, looking up friends or "frenemies" to see who is playing online, finding units or game pieces on a board, and more. Fundamentally, all of these scenarios are handled the same. They only differ in how you will present the results to the player. Because "in game" searching is most common for games, let's start with an example of how to hook a game into Windows 8 Search.
In order to integrate with Search, it is important that you set up the Search Declaration in your game's package.appxmanifest file. Double-click on the file in Solution Explorer, and then click on the Declaration tab. In the Available Declarations dropdown, select the Search Declaration and click the Add button. See the picture at the right for what your package.appxmanifest should look like when you are finished.
We are now ready to add Search to our game. In most cases, you can configure search in the page that serves as the entry point into your game. If you are starting with one of the default Visual Studio templates, this will be default.html and its corresponding script file, default.js. Hooking into search in this manner will provide search handling through the lifetime of your application. You can, however, connect to search from individual pages instead of the main page if this makes sense for your game. Just remember, you will need handle the search events in each page you want search enabled.
In the Application activated event handler, you will want to add the following code:
var searchPane = Windows.ApplicationModel.Search.SearchPane.getForCurrentView();
searchPane.onquerysubmitted = function (eventObject) {
var query = eventObj.queryText;
// handle query as necessary
This is the minimum required to receive a query typed into the Search pane. What you do with the query is up to you. You could navigate to a page that lists online friends that match the query, or navigate to a help page and list matching topics. You could simply highlight game pieces that match the search on the currently viewed game board.
You can also provide suggestions to the user as they enter text into the search field. Handle the suggestionsrequested event and provide suggestion responses in the function handler:
Windows.ApplicationModel.Search.SearchPane.getForCurrentView().onsuggestionsrequested = function (eventObject) {
var queryText = eventObject.queryText, suggestionRequest = eventObject.request;
var query = queryText.toLowerCase();
var maxNumberOfSuggestions = 5;
for (var i = 0, len = suggestionList.length; i < len; i++) {
if (suggestionList[i].substr(0, query.length).toLowerCase() === query) {
if (suggestionRequest.searchSuggestionCollection.size === maxNumberOfSuggestions) {
You are only permitted to list a total of five suggestions. How you create suggestions and order them is up to you.
The suggestionsrequested event fires with every key stroke. If you are performing async operations as part of your suggestion lookup, you need to handle that appropriately. Below is some skeleton code that shows how to handle hitting a remote web service to lookup search suggestions. This could be hitting the cloud component of your game to compare the query to the names of online players, for example.
var queryText = eventObject.queryText,
language = eventObject.language,
suggestionRequest = eventObject.request;
var deferral = suggestionRequest.getDeferral();
if (xhrRequest && xhrRequest.cancel) {
xhrRequest = WinJS.xhr({ url: suggestionUri });
function (request) {
if (request.responseText) {
// process response
deferral.complete(); // Indicate we're done supplying suggestions.
function (error) {
There are a few things to point out. First, make sure you get a deferral from the request if you are going to be making async calls. This allows your handler to run async operations and still be able to notify the Search pane when you are finished. In addition, you should make sure you check that the async operation you started on the first key press is complete or cancelled before firing off another request on the second key press. You can see that we do that here by using a .done() on the xhrRequest, which returns undefined. If xhrRequest is not undefined, then we need to cancel that request. In our case, xhrRequest is defined outside the onsuggestionsrequested handler to ensure it "lives" between requests.
Using search is a great way to provide a consistent experience for your users. There are a lot of scenarios where search makes sense for a game, and you are only limited by your imagination on how to use it. You can find a great sample app that illustrates the techniques discussed here and more at http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/windowsapps/Search-app-contract-sample-118a92f5
HTML | WinJS | Windows 8
One of the great new features available to developers creating Windows Store games is the Share Contract. The Share Contract, or sharing, provides an easy way for you to share data from your game to other applications the user has on their system.
Why is sharing useful? Games are, by their nature, social. Perhaps you are starting to play a game of Ultimate Zombie Battles and you want to let your friends know you are playing so they can come join you. You may want to let the world know that you just achieved a personal high score on Find the Chicken. Or better yet, you just downloaded a new game and you think it is so cool, you want to let your friend and family know about it so they can play it too.
As a game developer, you want to enable all these scenarios. It provides a great Windows 8 gaming experience, differentiates your game from those that don't share, and it can create more awareness about your game. Ideally, you want to enable these scenarios because they are features your user wants and makes your game that much more enjoyable.
Let's start off by gaining a basic understanding of how sharing works and the steps required for an app to share data. Later, we will look at some specific scenarios, like those mentioned above, and how you would implement them in your game. Fundamentally, sharing is a very simple operation. A share operation consists of three parts: the source application that is sharing some data, the data to be transferred via the share broker, and the target application that will receive and process the data. The share broker is provided by Windows 8 and mediates the data exchange between the source and target apps. The picture to the right shows how this process works.
The code below shows how an application that is a share source would provide data to be shared.
var share = Windows.ApplicationModel.DataTransfer.DataTransferManager.getForCurrentView();
share.ondatarequested = function (e) {
// Title of Share Options
e.request.data.properties.title = "New High Score";
// Description of what is being shared
e.request.data.properties.description = "You Scored 1,000pts";
// Share plain text
e.request.data.setText("Bob's New High Score is 1,000pts in Zombie Battles");
You should always set the title and description properties. These properties provide context to the user when they are looking at the Share UI and give them confidence in what they are about to share. You can set a variety of different data types to share. In the example code, we are only sharing simple text data via the setText() function. You could however, share multiple data types in a single share request, and you are encouraged to do so.
In addition to sharing text, HTML, and images, there are a variety of other formats you can share, including custom data formats. The supported formatted are listed below:
By providing multiple data types, you expand the total number of target applications the user can share your application's data with, and you allow the target application to choose which data type it can use the best. For instance, if a target app can understand both text and HTML, it would likely prefer to use the HTML data format since it provides for more engaging way to display text.
When sharing a high score, we may want to provide something more engaging than a simple text string. You can craft a share request to use a variety of formats to provide a much nicer experience. In addition to text, you could provide HTML. This would allow the user to send the high score via email, share the high score image on a social network, etc. The variety of formats provides a richer experience for your users. Our share source example could be updated as shown:
1: var share = Windows.ApplicationModel.DataTransfer.DataTransferManager.getForCurrentView();
3: share.ondatarequested = function (e) {
5: e.request.data.properties.title = "New High Score";
6: e.request.data.properties.description = "You Scored 1,000pts";
7: e.request.data.setText("Bob set a New High Score of 1,000pts is Zombie Battles");
9: var HTMLstr = "Bob
New High Score
 is 1,000pts in Zombie Battles";
11: // Format HTML
12: e.request.data.setHTMLFormat(
13: Windows.ApplicationModel.DataTransfer.HTMLFormatHelper.createHTMLFormat(HTMLstr));
14: };
Notice, in the setHTMLFormat() function the need to call createHTMLFormat(). This prepares the HTML for use by the target application, and failure to call this on an HTML string will result in the target app not being able to display the transferred HTML.
Text and HTML are nice, but pictures are worth a thousand words. Sharing an image can add additional pizazz to your game's share operation. Imagine your game is based on the player advancing from one level of difficulty to another. You may want to have an image, or a badge, that can be shared to show the player's success. You have placed these badge images into your project just like any other asset so you can easily display them in an  tag on screen when congratulating your user. But how do you share an image that is part of your game's install package with another application?
There are two ways to approach this. The first is that you just want to share the image itself. The second is you want to take some HTML that is being displayed onscreen, including the badge image, and turn that into your share payload.
In the first scenario, all we need to do is acquire a stream to the image file and hand that stream to the share target application. Here is how you do that:
var deferral = e.request.getDeferral();
var imageUri = new Windows.Foundation.Uri('ms-appx:///images/highscore.png');
Windows.Storage.StorageFile.getFileFromApplicationUriAsync(imageUri).then(function (imageFile) {
var streamReference = Windows.Storage.Streams.RandomAccessStreamReference.createFromFile(imageFile);
request.data.properties.thumbnail = streamReference;
Going through this code, there are few things worth pointing out. First, since we will be performing an asynchronous call, it is a good idea to grab a deferral from the DataTranferManager request. This lets the DTM know that we are doing something that could take a while. In our case, we could probably skip this since we are making a relatively quick call to local assets, If you had a longer running process it is a good thing to do.
Next, notice how we craft the Uri to the local image. We prefix the file path with "ms-appx://", letting WinRT know that we are accessing a local resource. We turn that into an Uri, and then use the getFileFromApplicationUriAsync() call to obtain the file itself, which we then turn into a stream. Since we are passing an image, it is a good idea to a) set the thumbnail property for apps that would like to use a thumbnail, and pass the stream reference via setStorageItems(). We do this because some apps will want to deal with images files as streams instead of actual bitmaps, thus giving our use a wider range of applications they can share with and more flexibility for the target app when working with our share payload.
Now, let's handle sharing parts of our UX. You have crafted a nice "reward page" showing someone that they have achieved a new level, set a new high score, whatever. Inside that page is some HTML like the following:

Top Score of the Day

This example is admittedly simple, but it has all the elements we need to demonstrate the technique. The important thing to realize is that we are including an  that's src property is set to a local image file. We process the HTML for sharing like this:
var request = e.request;
var range = document.createRange();
var fragment = document.getElementById("HTMLFragment");
request.data = MSApp.createDataPackage(range);
request.data.properties.title = "Share Text Example";
request.data.properties.description = "Demo shows how to share text string";
var path = document.getElementById("fragmentImage").getAttribute("src");
var imageUri = new Windows.Foundation.Uri(path);
var streamReference = Windows.Storage.Streams.RandomAccessStreamReference.createFromUri(imageUri);
request.data.resourceMap[path] = streamReference;
Start by creating a range and selecting the HTML root element we want to send via our share operation. We convert that HTML into a fragment. There are img tags that need to have actual image files included in the payload so the fragment will render correctly. We grab the src Uri and create a stream reference that is passed as part of the resourceMap. The resource map will allow the target app to find the actual image and render it properly. In our example, there is a single image. If you have more than one image, you will need to find all the images in the fragment and repeat this process for each one.
You will need to decide how you want to expose the opportunity to share information to your player. Over time, users will become accustomed to sharing data by swiping from the right edge of the screen to invoke the Charm bar, by hovering the mouse in the top-right corner, or pressing Windows Key+C . At times, however, it may not be obvious in your game that there is content that can be shared, or perhaps you want to emphasize that a particular item can be shared.
You can invoke the Share UI at any time from within your application via:
To become a share target, the first thing you must do is declare that capability in your game's package.appxmanifest file. Double-clicking on that file in Solution Explorer will open an editor. Click on the Declarations tab and you will see the screen shown at the right.
In the Available Declaration drop-down, select Share Target and click the Add button. This is step one. You must now add, using the settings to the right of the Supported Declarations pane, the Data Formats or File Types that you can accept.
In our map editor scenario, you could either use a unique file extension for saved map files or define a custom data format. The file extension approach is easy to understand. You save a map in the map editor, perhaps using the ".map" extension. You then set the Share Target setting on your game to by adding a new Supported File Type entry and set the value to ".map". Now, from you game editor, you could simply share the saved ".map" file directly to the game, without the user having to launch the game and open the file. You game is still responsible for processing the ".map" file, but the user doesn't have to leave the map editor to get the data to your game.
We will look at the other scenario, of working with a custom data type. It shares the same approach as the file type example, so it we are killing two birds with one stone. Let's pretend we have a character editor that lets me build characters for the main game. In our character editor, we will share a custom data type and pass the character info as a JSON string. I won't cover that here since the techniques are similar to what we have already looked at. If you want to see an example of doing that, check out the Share Source sample application here.
In our main game, we start by adding a new Data Format setting. In the textbox, you will enter a unique URI for you custom data format. Let's set that to "http://mycoolgame.com/character". At the bottom of the Declarations tab, with Share Target selected as the Supported Declaration, you will see a text box called Start Page. Here, you can enter the name of the HTML page that will be opened when your game is selected at the target of a share operation. You should design this page to reflect your game's branding, colors, etc. Simply add a new page to the root of your project named 'target.html, style it as necessary, and then types its name in the Start Page text box.
The more interesting aspect is handling the share operation. In the script file for target.html, you will want to do two things. Start handling the WinJS.Application activated event as shown below:
WinJS.Application.onactivated = function(e) {
if (eventObject.detail.kind === Windows.ApplicationModel.Activation.ActivationKind.shareTarget) {
shareOperation = eventObject.detail.shareOperation;
WinJS.Application.queueEvent({ type: "shareready" });
There are two important things to note. First, we check to make sure that we are arriving at target.html via a shareTarget activation. Next, after we grab the data payload of the operation, we place an event on the Application queue. This is a user-defined event, not one provided by default. The reason we add a shareready event (or whatever you want to call it) to the queue is we want to return control to the system as soon as possible. By doing this, we can run our longer processes for parsing the data without slowing down the UI. Note, the variable shareoperation is defined elsewhere so that it is accessible to both the onactivated handler and the shareready handler.
In shareready, we can extract the data and update the UI on target.html as necessary.
function shareReady(eventArgs) {
document.getElementById("title").innerText = shareOperation.data.properties.title;
document.getElementById("description").innerText = shareOperation.data.properties.description;
if (shareOperation.data.contains(customFormatName)) {
shareOperation.data.getTextAsync(customFormatName).done(function (customFormatString) {
var customFormatObject = JSON.parse(customFormatString);
// Update rest of the UI
In our shareready handler, we update our UI immediately with the title and description provided in the share operation payload. We then look to see if it contains our custom data format. If so, we extract the custom data, which in this case has been passed to us as a JSON string. We can then continue on loading the character data into our game for future use. This might be saving it as a local data file, for example.
Sharing is a great way to extend the value of your game and to get some free publicity, as well. Players that enjoy your game will want to let others know of their accomplishments, and sharing allows you to leverage all of the great social media, email, and networking clients that the user will already have installed on their system. Sharing is easy to add, so make sure you do it, and take your Windows 8 game experience to the next level.
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Some Air Force players looked a tad different Wednesday.
It was evident when they took their helmets off after the team's practice at TCU, the first of four there in preparation for Monday's Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl.
A bunch of the Falcons – always clean shaven at the Air Force Academy – were sporting some facial hair.
Junior receiver Ty Paffett had the beginnings of a goatee, junior outside linebacker Hunter Altman looked like he'd put the razor down for a few days and senior quarterback Shaun Carney had a beard.
But not for long.
When asked after practice when he would have to shave his beard, Carney said: "About five minutes. I told (Air Force coach Troy Calhoun) it took me 23 years to grow it. But it's got to go."
On-field notes: Calhoun was pleased with Wednesday's session, which lasted about an hour and a half. Coaches were intense, demanding several times that players increase the pace of practice and getting after them for the inevitable sloppy mistakes they made after five days off. …
Senior guard Caleb Morris, who missed the Falcons' regular season finale with a knee injury, was playing with Air Force's first offensive line. Senior tailback Chad Smith, who severely tore his groin in the regular season finale, seemed to be running full speed.
Off-field notes: Air Force players left the locker room at TCU after practice on Wednesday pulling new rolling travel bags adorned with the Armed Forces Bowl logo. According to players, each also got a watch, a ball and a Slingbox, a product that gives them the capability of watching television on any computer or mobile device that has an Internet connection.
Players have been impressed by the treatment they have received at the bowl.
"It's been amazing," senior cornerback Garrett Rybak said. "This is just really cool to get treated like we're getting treated – I feel like I don't deserve it."
Paffett said Calhoun has not installed a curfew for players.
"No, he let us curfew ourselves," Paffett said. "We'll get to bed, though, I think we know what time we need to be back."


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A free Black History Month program, The Black Experience in Chicago's North Suburbs, was presented by the Northbrook Community Relations Commission on at the North Suburban YMCA last week.
This year marks both the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, and the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The evening took a close look at how life has changed for African-Americans living in Chicago's north suburbs with Rochelle Singer, Ed. D. charing the event for the Northbrook Community Relations Commission.
"Why does Northbrook celebrate Black History Month? Because this is our history – the history of all of us as U.S. citizens," Singer said. "Because we value each individual who lives in our community and our neighboring communities, and because we hope that the struggle for civil rights for all of our citizens will no longerbe a struggle; it will be a reality."
Panelist Nichole Farris, Assistant Principal at Waukegan School District 60, started off by talking about her journey growing up in Waukegan and progressing through the education system.
"I was never more aware that I was a little black girl in Waukegan than when I went to school," Farris said. "I would learn later on that even there, my intelligence and not my race defined me."
Farris said she feels hopeful that today's children look at others as all shades of color rather than trying to stereotype them by race. When her own daughter was younger she described other kids as "peach" or "tan."
Paul January, a teacher at Miguel Juarez Middle School in Waukegan, grew up as the son of a young, single mother. He credits his mother and grandmother for stressing education and looking at the bigger picture.
"Growing up on the North Shore I quickly learned to have two identities – one at home and one at school," January said. "Balancing both became a skill I needed to guarantee future success."
January and the other panelists talked about their need to use code-switching (speaking a different way at home from when they are in public).
North Suburban YMCA's Guest Services Manager Kandice Cooley grew up first in Evanston, but then moved to Skokie. In Evanston she felt average and not as aware of her color, but when she got to Skokie, people would ask her about her race a lot due to the lighter color of her skin.
"As I got older, there were fewer black people around," Cooley said. "It can be a double-edged sword having to be the only representative of your race."
The final panelist was Glenbrook North High School student Cameron Swanson. He echoed Cooley's sentiments since he first lived in Evanston where being bi-racial seemed normal. After he moved to Northbrook, he experienced some discomfort from being in the minority, especially while reading literature such as Black Boy and Huckleberry Finn in English class.
Northbrook's Community Relations Commission representative, Ron Montagne, asked the panel how they felt about the existence of prejudice today. Their answer was a cautious "It's still around, but getting better."
They concluded that we still have further to go to achieve Dr. King's famous dream that people be judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin.
Some suggestions from audience participants included: visit many different communities in the Chicago area with your family. Get out of the bubble and learn more about people who are different from you. And, everyone concluded that prejudice is learned at home rather than in the community these days, so be aware of your influence and be open-minded.
North Suburban YMCA Executive Director/CEO Howard Schultz concluded the event by thanking the participants and nvited everyone to attend the next Community Relations event "Taste of Asia," which will also be held at the North Subruban YMCA on May 5.


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The perfect reborn baby doll is hard to find. In order to look truly life like, each step of the reborning process must be conducted with calculated care and precision. Paradise artists and sculptors use high quality molds and paints when creating their dolls. The limbs are weighted to ensure that the doll will have a weight that is comparable to an actual infant. The hair and eyebrows of each Paradise reborn baby doll are painstakingly hand stitched strand-by-strand. The result of such patient and meticulous attention to detail are reborn babies that are stunningly lifelike and cuddly.
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The Rise of Donald Trump
by Charles Lemos, Fri Apr 15, 2011 at 06:10:18 PM EDT
I've tried to avoid writing about Donald Trump but that has become increasingly harder to do as his numbers climb in the polls, numbers matched perhaps only by the sheer madness of it all. With a new poll out today from Public Policy Polling (PPP) now showing the irascible tycoon with a nine point lead over his nearest would be rival, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Trump's rise in the polls is impossible to ignore.
Still in looking at the PPP poll, Trump's lead isn't what surprises me the most but more on that in a moment. Trump has a name recognition advantage over his rivals for one and the media-craven self-annointed maven has over the past few weeks benefitted from appearances on The View, the Today Show not mention just about every time slot on Fox News as well as from rather public feuds with Gail Collins of the New York Times and Juli Weiner of Vanity Fair.
Each of these episodes have, in turn, had a multiplier effect with each new outrageous statement being assiduously rebroadcast across every medium imaginable. Never one to shy from publicity, Donald Trump has basked in the glory of his own self-adulation reveling in every word uttered by admirers and detractors alike. There is no greater cause to Donald Trump than Donald Trump and in his mind there is no such thing as bad publicity even as he writes his own political obituary.
The question now is whether this rise in the polls will lead our narcissist-in-chief to put his money where his mouth is and actually run for commander-in-chief. Stay tuned. If he does run, Donald Trump will convert the Greek tragedy that is today's GOP Presidential field into a full blown Roman farce.
The PPP numbers in all their farcical proportions:
Only 38% of Republican primary voters say they're willing to support a candidate for President next year who firmly rejects the birther theory and those folks want Mitt Romney to be their nominee for President next year. With the other 62% of Republicans- 23% of whom say they are only willing to vote for a birther and 39% of whom are not sure- Donald Trump is cleaning up. And as a result Trump's ridden the controversy about Barack Obama's place of birth to the highest level of support we've found for anyone in our national GOP polling so far in 2011.
Trump's broken the perpetual gridlock we've found at the top of the Republican field, getting 26% to 17% for Mike Huckabee, 15% for Romney, 11% for Newt Gingrich, 8% for Sarah Palin, 5% for Ron Paul, and 4% for Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty.
The number that jumps out at me is that 23 percent of Republican primary voters are only willing to vote for a birther. That's just insane but it speaks to level of insanity that has beset the GOP. What began as a fringe theory pushed by avowed racists which certain elements in the GOP chose to countenance for their short-term political gain now threatens to drive the Republican party off a cliff causing long-term political damage.
That 23 percent number is not only bound to keep Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty up at night but also Karl Rove and Reince Priebus. It would be nice to think that this is only a GOP nightmare developing but frankly it doesn't serve the country to have a quarter of Republican voters to be so profoundly delusional.
Still, I've had the misfortune of actually listening through some of these interviews and it's not difficult to see why Trump appeals in these uncertain times. He's not much for subtlety or nuance. In a country that has always been looking for the next Teddy Roosevelt to charge up Capitol Hill and take no prisoners, Trump plays to the under-educated, over-zealous, often xenophobic hyper-nationalist crowd. He is unapologetically the voice of the America First crowd.
His economic creed is that of right-wing populist that plays on the fears of a working class that has seen their living standards decimated by globalization and free trade deals gone awry. On Libya, he's only interested in removing Qaddafi if we can grab their oil. On Iraq and Iran, he is just as blunt suggesting on his brand new "Mondays with Trump" segment of Fox & Friends that American soldiers will have died in vain if we leave Iraq and let Iran go and take the oil fields.
But his views on the geo-politics of oil are nothing compared to his views on trade. On the pending Korea FTA, Trump said in January that it was "a deal that only a moron could sign." On China, Trump is simply apoplectic. He has for years advocated slapping a 25 percent tariff on all Chinese goods but last November he began to advocate for a trade war with China because "we would save a lot of money." It's simple-minded solutions for a simple-minded electorate that unfortunately has been ill served by governing elites.
There is really no better sideshow in politics today, having all the makings of a train wreck in process but in that there is value. However much you want to not look, you can help but look. And for cable news program that thrive on the outrageous statements Donald Trump is pure manna from heaven. Take this segment on Fox News with Neil Cavuto expresses surprises how "frank" Donald Trump is.
It is that "frankness," a New York Post view of the world, that has Trump leading in the polls. Here are a few selected Donald Trump quotes:
"I hate what's happening to this country. I hate to see this country ripped off by every other smart nation — China, India, Mexico. You look at the jobs that are pouring into Mexico. We give them incentives to move people out of Iowa. Newton, Iowa, got destroyed by Mexico. They had incentives from this government and they built the plant in Mexico and it wiped out a town called Newton."
"I think the biggest threat is that our jobs are being stolen by other countries. We're not going to have any jobs here pretty soon."
"Somebody I know very well is buying an airplane and the airplane is being made in Brazil. The reason is he's getting a big tax credit. The plane's going to cost $3 million. He's getting a $1.2 million tax credit in the United States. So he's buying a plane made in Brazil, with Brazilian workers, because he's getting a tax credit in the United States. Is it insane?"
"We've spent $1.2 trillion – now that's what they report — in Iraq and yet we can't fix New Orleans. We can't fix our own cities. It's insane."
"We go to Afghanistan, we build a road, we build a highway. We build a school at the end of the highway. The school gets blown up, the road gets blown up, and we're starting all over again. Why aren't we building roads in Alabama? Why aren't we building roads in New Jersey coming into Manhattan? You come into Manhattan on roads that look like we're a Third World country.
"And you think they're going to have democracy [in Afghanistan]? I don't think so."
"We've totally defanged Iraq. As soon as we leave, Iran will come in and take over the oil of Iraq. And frankly, I think if somebody's going to take over the oil in Iraq, maybe it should be us.
"I would like to rebuild the United States. I go to Abu Dhabi, I go to Qatar and other places. You go to China and they have airports that are so unbelievable, that they are building with our money. China is rebuilding itself.
We are rebuilding China. Then you come into Kennedy International Airport and it's obsolete. It's a Third World airport. We have to rebuild ourself."
Nonetheless his courting of the Tea Party does have some inherent contradictions given their rather intransigent opposition to spending on infrastructure projects. Take, for example, the need for a proposed new bridge called the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) to unite Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michifan. The bridge is expected to run $1 billion and the Canadians have already offered to pay $550 million yet even the right wing governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, has had trouble getting the state of Michigan to sign off on the project.
The problem is that existing span, the Ambassador Bridge which is no longer sufficient to meet demand, is privately owned. Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun has launched a legal and financial counterattack that includes a massive television ad campaign to stop the DRIC bridge from being built out of fears the new crossing will steal away his business.
Moroun recently hired political insiders including Dick Morris and Herman Cain to recruit Tea Party supporters in the latest effort to upend the DRIC. This past Thursday, more than 500 Tea Party members protested outside the state capitol building in Lansing against high taxes and President Barack Obama and Snyder's plans to build the bridge. So it would seem that Donald Trump has his work cut out for him in persuading his target audience to back his infrastructure plans.
Tags: donald trump, GOP 2012 (all tags)


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The one piece of gear that differentiates whitetail from mule deer hunters is our boots.
Whitetail hunters can live an entire season in the same pair of boots, and often they're scent-containing, waterproof rubber boots. That just won't work for hunting mule deer in steep, open country or in the hot archery season or the frigid, snowy later season.
Call it the necrophiliac smack-down. In this insane video, which borrows videography from "The Blair Witch Project" and deadpan one-liners from any Chris Farley movie, an enraged 3x4 buck goes off on a freshly dead 5x5, goring it, repeatedly trying to get the dead buck on its feet, crashing its lifeless antlers, finally pushing the dead deer into a trash heap before leaving in a huff.
All I can say is that it appears the dead buck owed the live buck a significant amount of money. That's the best explanation for the intensity and relentless violence the Colorado buck shows to his former rival.
If you have never punctured a deer's stomach or perforated its intestines while field dressing it, then you haven't handled that many deer.
It happens. And it's never good when it does. Stomach contents spill onto meat, or fecal matter leaks inside the abdominal cavity. It's messy. It's stinky. It's bad.
There are all sorts of tools designed to minimize gut-puncture, and I've used most of them. Once. Standard gut hooks get clogged with hair or fat and are useless after a few incisions. Many gutting knives feature sharp points that easily puncture internal organs. And the best, surgically sharp knives useful for gutting aren't stout enough to split ribs or the pelvic bone.
We were down to the second-to-last day of the season and I was getting nervous, though not because time was short. A huge mule deer that had been seen previously was in the area and we were going to make a play on him.
Two other hunters had tried, and failed, to take him that season, mostly because he lived in such a challenging spot.
Trophy mule deer are the most desirable, and elusive, game in the West. In a landscape dotted with does and small bucks, mature mule deer are tough to come by and to see a buck that attains that nearly mythical threshold of 200 inches of antler is like encountering a unicorn.
Whereas bucks of that stature once inhabited a broad swath of the West they are now confined to smaller pockets of the land.
Mule deer hunting can be both slap-down simple and exasperatingly complicated, depending on the day and the deer. And the terrain.
But there are a few constants when it comes to hanging your tag on a trophy buck, and I tried to boil them down to their essence in this video.
If you've spent any time around deer in November, you've seen bucks exhibit a strange sneering expression. They'll strut up behind does, sniff their rumps or their urine, and then lift their noses in the air, curl their lips and...what?
I'm always surprised to hear mule deer described as "dumb," particularly with respect to their whitetail cousins. While whitetails enjoy a reputation for a nearly prescient level of wariness, mule deer have gotten the rap as the class-dunces of the deer world, at least in the eyes of some.
Having stalked a good number of mule deer the past couple days in mountains around Granby on the C Lazy U ranch and surrounding public lands, about the last thing I'd accuse these mule deer of is a lack of intelligence or a diminished sense of self preservation.
A few years back, former Outdoor Life hunting editor Jim Zumbo and I were talking about mule deer and their defenses. Jim said he felt mule deer, as a rule of thumb, have about a 600-yard comfort zone and that if you intrude within that range and aren't careful the deer will get edgy and start to spook. That pretty much squares with my experience and seems right to me.
In my last dispatch from mule deer country, I told you it was time to get aggressive, to storm the castle and push rut-minded bucks.
That's exactly what I did on Saturday. I knew at least three great bucks were feeding and pushing does in an alfalfa field, so instead of hanging well away from its margins, waiting for them to traipse out and bed down, as I had been doing all last week, I decided to hunt the very edge of the alfalfa.
I was working in to position well before shooting light with my buddy Mark, and we were nearly to the spot where we could see deer in the field and have an easy shot as they left the field.
Then we were pinned down by at least 20 does and their fawns and a few young bucks. I had to sit on a sidehill for two hours, my butt melting into the snow, as these deer took their time feeding and loitering on the edge of the field. Finally, one wary old doe took notice of our motionless forms on the hill, and she wasn't satisfied with simply wondering what we were.
As whitetail deer continue to elbow their way into portions of the West that was once the sole province of mule deer, many muley hunters lament that their preferred game is running out of habitat. They complain that crossbreeding between the two species is resulting in animals that resemble mule deer in body, but whose antlers are characterized by beams and tines rather than forks and mass.
Outdoorlife.com is part of the Field & Stream Network, a division of Bonnier Corporation.
Copyright © 2014 Bonnier Corp. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.


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I grew up loving haunted houses and mad science laboratories, so I'm not sure I can fully express out INTO the idea of vat-grown organs I really am. It's pretty much the most mad sciencey thing imaginable, short of actually creating a monster or sewing Ray Milland's head onto Rosey Grier's body. And on a realistic note, sure, we'd all like to grow our crops of spare guts to replace our failing organs. But when will it be possible? As Julie and I explore in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, the day is fast approaching.
With the aid of stem cells and organ scaffolding, we're now able to grow living tissue and organs outside the human body and transplant them into place. Just how does this work? What do an easy-bake oven and an inkjet printer have to do with it? How many teeth can you grow inside a mouse and why would you want to?
All this and more will be explored.
But what's that? You want to see the video we mention in which a man prints out a human heart? Here ya go:
So there you have it! You can find the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast on iTunes, Zune and the RSS feed. And don't forget the free HowStuffWorks App!
Skull still intact? Follow Stuff to Blow Your Mind on Twitter and Facebook.


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Mantle with 4 Stockings Table Top
Personalized Christmas Table Top Decoration
This is a table decoration with an easel back and NOT an ornament! Decorating your home for the holidays wouldn't be complete without this personalized family decoration. The glittered red stockings hang over the roaring fire in the fireplace surrounded by holiday accessories such as a rope of garland and topiary trees, both with red glittered berry accents. A sprig of mistletoe hangs from a red bow covered in glitter at the very top, hovering over a wreath tied with a red bow. A wonderful gift for a family of four that is on your holiday shopping list.
Dimensions: 7 3/4" x 6 1/4"
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The rent at Centro Condominiums Apartments ranges from $1,599 for a one bedroom to a $2,250 three bedroom. Apartments in this building are about 29% more expensive than the National City average.
Centro Condominiums Apartments is a 14 minute walk from the Blue Line at the 8th Street Station stop.
This apartment is in National City. Nearby parks include Kimball Park, kimball skate park and Las Palmas Park.
Centro Condominiums Apartments has a Walk Score of 85 out of 100. This location is Very Walkable so most errands can be accomplished on foot.
Nearby schools include South Region Community School, South Region Community Day Schools and Central Elementary School.
The closest grocery stores are Big Ben Market, Chan Dong Supermarket and Cozines Liquor Market & Deli.
Nearby coffee shops include Living Room Cafe and Bistro, Oriental Cafe and Lollicup National City. Nearby restaurants include Raspados Michoacan, Mc Dini's and Jack In the Box.
Centro Condominiums Apartments is near Kimball Park, Las Palmas Park and El Toyon Park.
At the forefront of a new vision for the future, the striking architectural design of Centro located in National City, CA combines the elegance of modern living with the simplicity of urban design. Centro is best experienced from within where the design optimizes natural light through expansive floor to ceiling windows in the living area and bedrooms. These beautiful apartments are designed with modern living in mind. Each apartment boasts private balconies or patios. The kitchen features stainless steel finishes; including dishwasher, frost free refrigerator, microwave and induction cook-top ranges paired with designer cabinetry and tile flooring and 24 Hour Maintenance. Bathrooms are a modern integrated approach on simplicity and style with the consumer in mind; featuring tiled showers and floors, designer sinks and fixtures. You will enjoy thoughtful design and magnificent obsession to detail in the generously appointed interiors and outstanding craftsmanship throughout. Centro's amenities compliment the contemporary, resort-style living experience. Relax on one of two sundecks, feel refreshed in the sparkling lap pool or join friends at the BBQ grilling area. Centro offers the complete package; professionally maintained and ideally suited for leisure, recreation or entertaining. Whether you are new to the natural splendor of Southern California, or you are a native of the area, you will surely be inspired by the effortless comfort and seductive beauty that await all who choose to call Centro home.


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Draft and Trade Talk Message Board
Stat Tracker or league Home page???
Stat Tracker shows I have 103 pts. and the league home page shows 105.. anyone know which one I should go by? Thanks!Sort: Newest | Oldest | Most Replied Expand all replies
The problem lies in 3 categories AVG, ERA, and WHIP. Stattracker just puts you in a tie if the first 3 numbers are the same but your league points are more accurate because they calculate those 3 cats out far enough to actually decide the right position in the standing for you in those cats.
Stat Tracker. Your league home page shows what you had at the beginning of today. Stat Tracker includes games today.
- 1 Reply to Shane
Thank you but I meant that as of this morning my home page said 105.. there have been no games yet today in baseball but stat tracker says 103


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Project - Hockey Peas Circle Journal
by Sunshine36616
posted 08/06/09 at 07:34 PM
Galleries: Scrapbooking
This is for Candace's Top 5 Hockey Memories.
These were my memories:
1. Seeing Martin Brodeur at the Prudential Center.
2. Meeting Johan "Moose" Hedberg.
3. Thrashers vs Devils on February 15, 2008.
4. Thrashers in the 2007 Play Offs
5. 2008 All Star Game in Atlanta.
I used Basic Grey in all of the LO's (Scarlett's Letter, Skate Shop, Granola, and Boxer)
My printer ran out of ink at the last minute so there are a few typos I had to fix by hand.
Copyright © 1999-2014 It's Like This LLC. Two Peas in a Bucket is a trademark of It's Like This LLC. All Rights Reserved.


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When: Sunday, December 11, 2011, 8 pm
Where: Kent Library, Quiet Reading Room, 3rd floor
Finals week is wild and crazy, and we'd like to help you take a break to re-energize and refocus so you can survive the week of cramming and testing. Hosted by the Squirrel Squirrel Yoga Club and Kent Library, we will be providing a 30 minute YOGA session to de-stress and motivate your mind! Meet us in the Quiet Reading Room on the 3rd floor of Kent Library and we will guide you through some necessary and rejuvenating YOGA! All are welcome and no special equipment is needed. Let's get downdog!Blogroll


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App Mountain Brewery taps into Boone
Sean Spiegelman seldom sees a craft beer he wouldn't want to
And rarely does he hear of a good cause he wouldn't want to embrace.
So here is Spiegelman's Shangri-La – the Appalachian Mountain Brewery, which just debuted out where Boone and Hodges creeks meet by the Boone Mall, in a refurbished 2,500-square-foot building that used to be a welding and metal fabrication shop.
After years of tortuous Boone political jujitsu, which included turning down previous attempts at a microbrewery inside the city limits before a unanimous council approved zoning 15 months ago, the taps are now flowing with Blonde Ambition, Switchback Amber and Black Gold Porter, among other crafted beers.
But, alas, there is no resting in his Shangri-La for Spiegelman, 36, up from South Florida with wife Stephanie several years ago and now raising two kids in Boone – and hosting a long line of new fans as co-owners of the eco-friendly tap room.
All for a good cause.
"First off," he said, barely able to get away from the row of taps as the crowds swelled on opening weekend, "I'm an avid craft beer drinker. And Boone is the perfect place for a craft brewery. The difference is making a difference in the community, as well."
His boast: To bring a few vital components other than just beer to the High Country.
"We're looking down the road to the potential of what we can become and what we can do to further affect the changes we would like to see – the brewery itself would be as sustainable as possible — complete with solar thermal brewing technology," he said. "The long-term desire is a net-zero brewery, completely self-sufficient with its own power."
And how's this for a good start – last Thursday, amid opening weekend hoopla, Spiegelman said AMB handed more than 800 pounds of spent grain to local farmers for cattle feed.
This "full-circle" brewing process, he said, "diverts the spent grain from the landfill to local farmers. In exchange, meat donated from the farms will be given directly to local food banks to continue the effort of giving back to the community."
Also, harvested rain water at the brewery will provide vegetables to the Hospitality House, which helps families in crisis, poverty and homeless situations in northwestern North Carolina rebuild their lives.
"We are closing the circle for good causes in our community," Spiegelman said.
What else at Shangri-La, where craft beers meet good causes …
Pints for Non-Profit: A percentage of the price from each pint of an App Mountain brew will go to local charities, on a rotating basis, Spiegelman promises.
Bike stations: Spiegelman also wants customers to be sustainable, too! To help facilitate this, the brewery plans covered bike stations and will offer incentives to those who walk or ride their bike.
Photovoltaic panels: On its web site, the brewery says its energy demands are offset by highly efficient solar panels. Its southwest-facing roof will have a 5kw array of PV panels. It notes that "these panels convert sunlight directly into electricity and feed immediately into the brewery."
Wetlands: There are plans to restore the riparian zone surrounding the brewery and transforming it into an educational wetlands. Planting native North Carolina plants, such as blueberry bushes and flame azaleas, will inhibit further erosion of the creek bank, Spiegelman said, as well as provide a healthy habitat for aquatic organisms in the creeks.
Two things not in future plans: tours or a restaurant.
"But," Spiegelman offered, pondering the possibilities, "we might have a food truck eventually."
For more information, visit http://www.appalachianmountainbrewery.com. For a taste, visit the brewery. To get there, follow N.C. 105 North into Boone. Turn right onto Wilson Road. At the next light, turn left onto Winkler's Creek Road. Finally, turn right onto Boone Creek Drive.


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Choose your car. Paint it, polish it, and personalize it. Build it up with new components, giant spoilers and reinforced fenders. Supercharge it. Fill it with nitrous. Take it to circuits in the back streets of Miami, San Francisco, LA and New York. You're at the back of the pack, grid position sixteen. Fifteen cars ahead of you, polished until they gleam. Your primary objective is to take first place. Your secondary objective? Run everyone else off the road. Crunch them into the barrier. Rip, shred and tear sheet metal from their frames, leaving burning engine blocks and melted tires in your wake. The last driver with four wheels wins. Then do it again& Online
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Mel's Diner: Ross Greenburg
May 11, 2007 4:57 AM
Who: Ross Greenburg, president, HBO Sports
When: Saturday, May 5, lunch
Where: Studio Café , MGM Grand hotel and casino, Las Vegas
Dined On: Apologies to my foodie friends, because the eats were truly beside the point of this lunch. We were fed by atmosphere, people!
Ray Stallone from HBO Sports communications department arranged for a great booth at the Studio Café overlooking the jam-packed MGM Grand casino floor just hours before the WBC Super Welterweight Championship fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather.
In the run up to HBO's exclusive live pay per view telecast of the bout, descending boxing fans and throngs of people celebrating Cinco de Mayo created 405 freeway-style pedestrian traffic jams throughout the MGM and the routes to it from other hotels.
Among the people in the MGM crowd was Lennox Lewis' mom Violet, who stopped by with a friend to exchange warm hellos with Ross.
The Dish: I got to meet Ross Greenburg on a big day at the end of a big week. Or maybe I should say a big six months, since the match up and the four-part behind-the-scenes HBO Sports reality show about the boxers, "24/7," started coming together in December.
I immediately got the sense he was savoring the magnitude of the day, which HBO and De La Hoya's promo machine Golden Boy Productions hyped as the one "The World Awaits."
In addition to all the week-of prep and decision-making, like bumping up the number of cameras from 18 to 20 (with one dedicated to celeb watching), he'd been busy talking to the press. The day before our lunch, I punched his name into the Factiva news search and up popped 55 articles for the previous week alone.
"I woke up at 4:30 this morning unable to sleep," he said.
Although he arrived in Las Vegas Thursday, and this was Saturday, he attributed the restlessness to a combination of adjusting from the East Coast to West Coast time zone and the sort of fight night jitters he generally only got when he was personally the producer of the telecast.
When I asked him what needed to happen for him to deem the event a success, he said everything was pretty much considered done.
Some 7,000 hours of footage for "24/7" was turned around in a matter of four months, making it practically real-time. The producers had to deal with vast challenges like keeping up with Mayweather's unusual training schedule. That sometimes meant going for a run at 1 a.m.
But it was worth it.
"24/7" clearly connected with people and raised the profile of the match and the sport, he said. On average, the first two weeks of the show averaged a cumulative 4.1 million viewers, according to HBO.
"From here, it's gravy," he said.
Well, mostly.
Ross admitted his dream was to find out when the PPV numbers come in that the fight has "blown the top off the record." (His wish came true.)
The fight itself was a hot ticket too. I overheard someone at the airport saying he was offered $25,000 for his $2,000 ticket. Ross said his brother knew of someone who paid $90,000 for four seats.
In fact, Ross, a 29-year veteran of HBO Sports, said the ticket requests he got were unprecedented and included many from the celeb ranks. He expected 200-ish real deal stars to attend.
Ross was scheduled to sit in the third row with HBO Chairman-CEO Chris Albrecht and fight fan and Time Warner Chairman and CEO Richard Parsons. Leonard DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire had seats a few rows behind them. Ross said he was "so proud" for Chris Albrecht and the rest of the network to "take ownership in an event like this. It's not that often HBO can take ownership in a Super Bowl-like event."
I was scheduled to attend the big bout and was nervous about it. Would somebody get really hurt? Would I feel guilty enjoying violence framed as a game, like I was watching Gladiators?
Ross assured me that the apparent world-class athleticism would impress me and that the feeling in the arena is remarkable, especially when the crowd roars as Oscar walks in.
"I'm an emotional guy—have you seen our documentaries?" Ross said with endearing self-deprecation.
(Yes, by the way. I'm a huge fan of the HBO Sports.)
"When people scream as De La Hoya enters, I wonder, God what that must feel like for him," Ross said. "There is nothing like the electricity of a prize fight."
He was right. A few hours after lunch I found myself physically feeling the hum of the full arena as the fans waited for the athletes to make their entrances. I've been to pro hockey games, NBA finals, NASCAR. The only sporting event that came close to this feeling of being part of a true American spectacle was a big game in University of Michigan's Big House, which holds exponentially more seats than the space I was in.
What I've never seen is such a clearly one-sided crowd. At least once during every round people began chanting "Oscar." When Mayweather was named the winner, I heard nothing but "Boooo!"
A lot of the press I read leading up to the event questioned whether boxing was dead or dying and whether this fight could save it. Considering the enthusiasm I witnessed that weekend and the $120 million in pay-per-view revenue the fight generated that night, I found that anthem kind of kooky.
Ross insisted the boxing-is-dead refrain is hogwash.
"I've done enough research on this sport through documentaries, all sorts of programs and I can tell you there have been certain times over a period of 100 years, usually when the heavyweight title is in question, when people say boxing is dying," he said, adding that there was a headline once that asked whether Joe Louis could save boxing.
It's not the glory days of the 1980s right now, but "I know this sport is not dying. It's not dead. It's here to stay on HBO," he told me. He also said he has a theory about all the boxing-is-dead buzz.
"A lot of fringe writers and journalists who do not cover our sport on a daily basis are now turning their attention to De La Hoya and Mayweather and perhaps rationalizing why they have not been writing about these people by saying it's a dying sport," he said.
Whether that's true or not, Ross has been taking steps to keep a spotlight on and grow the sport. For it to continue thriving, "the storytelling and drama of the fighters needs to come through."
HBO in the last couple years has been spending more time on interstitial vignettes about boxers and upping the amount of profiles during boxing telecasts. "24/7" of course also was part of an effort to draw people into the drama and personalities of the sport.
He's also committed to telling these stories in a truthful, artful way.
"We are documentarians at HBO Sports," he said, adding that before joining HBO he picked up a lot as a young P.A. at ABC Sports under the late Roone Arledge's tenure. He said he applies Roone's philosophies to everything HBO Sports does.
"You can't fool the American public," he said. "We need to deliver truth."
That's why he gives announcers freedom to speak their minds, he said.
He told me a story of how Jim Lampley, who announced Saturday's fight, says one of his fondest memories of doing a fight with Ross was the Lennox Lewis-Evander Holyfield fight in which Lewis appeared to win. It was deemed a draw.
"Before the crowd could start chanting I hit his IFB and said, 'Go for it,'" he said. Jim came up with a one minute diatribe that some consider a great part of boxing history.
Another moment in HBO boxing that will go down in history is the fact that the night of the De La Hoya-Mayweather fight ended on a sour note for Chris Albrecht. He got into an altercation outside the MGM that landed him in jail. He was forced to resign a few days later on May 9.
On the Books: Chuck LaBella, executive producer, Starz series "The Bronx Bunny"


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SOURCE MSA Security
NEW YORK, May 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- MSA Security (MSA), the industry leader and standard setter for private industry explosive detection canine services, is pleased to announce today our acquisition of Pacific Shield Protective Services, a veteran owned small business out of Monrovia, CA specializing in explosive detection canines. The purchase will allow MSA to expand our footprint on the West Coast and better serve the needs of our existing clients in the region.
Pacific Shield Protective Services has operations throughout the West Coast Region including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas, and currently services clients in the sports and entertainment, defense, and financial sectors.
"We were looking for a company with the same standards of excellence and reputation in the bomb dog industry, and Pacific Shield was well positioned to complement the existing MSA program," said Michael O'Neil, MSA President. "Our regional Explosive Detection Canine Centers of Excellence span the nation in New York, Connecticut, Boston, Chicago, Washington, DC, and now Southern CA."
Since its inception in 1987, MSA has been providing explosive detection teams to government and private entities. Today, MSA runs the largest, privately owned explosive detection canine program in the nation with over 200 full-time single handler, single purpose explosive detection canine teams on staff. Pacific Shield will integrate seamlessly into MSA's West Coast operations.
"I have a great deal of respect for MSA Security and look forward to the merging of our companies and providing new and existing clients with the outstanding service and resource management both organizations are known for," said William Hooker, Pacific Shield Chief Executive Officer and Chief Canine Trainer.
About MSA Security
Since 1987, MSA Security has served as an industry leader in high consequence threat protection and specialized training for corporate and government clients. The MSA team is comprised of security professionals with diverse backgrounds in law enforcement, elite military units, and the private sector working together to provide unparalleled explosive detection, consulting, training, and perimeter security services. MSA combines hands-on expertise with information and technology to minimize our clients' vulnerabilities to foreseeable threats. More information is available at www.msasecurity.net.
©2012 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved.


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The following information was provided by the Plainfield Symphony.
The Plainfield Symphony, New Jersey's oldest community symphony, continues to make history as it announces its 93rd subscription concert season.
Music Director Charles Prince has another groundbreaking season planned that features works of Elgar, Sibelius, Debussy, Berlioz, Arensky and Verdi.
This year also brings back very special Conductor Emeritus Sabin Pautza, featuring the works of Brahms and Rachmaninoff.
The season begins on Saturday October 13, with Sir Edward Elgar's haunting Cello Concerto in E with soloist Jameson Platte and Sibelius' harmonious Symphony No. 2. On November 17, "Saturday Fantastique" will feature soloist Brianna Tang, the Gold Prize winner from the Young Pianist Competition of New Jersey, performing Arensky's Fantasia Themes of Ryabinin, op48. The evening will include Berlioz's popular Symphonie Fantastique and Debussy's famous Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.
Our very own Conductor Emeritus Sabin Pautza, and soloist Christopher Johnson are welcomed back to Plainfield for our February 9th concert. Pautza's own composition Prometheus, Brahms powerful Symphony No.4 and Rachmaninoff's romantic Piano Cencerto No 2 will be performed.
Charles Prince returns for our season finale on April 27, 2013 and brings us Verdi Opera in Concert featuring highlights from Aida and La Traviata. Soloists to be determined.
Season tickets for the 2012-2013 concerts are now on sale and can be purchased on our website, www.plainfieldsymphony.org.
For a brochure, please call (908)561-5140. Concerts are held at the Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church located at 716 Watchung Avenue, Plainfield and begin at 7pm.