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Hi everybody,
Anyone in or near Kinsale? My wife is taking an international assignment just outside of Kinsale and I'm planning to get serious about brewing while I'm there (getting ready to stock up on my all grain equipment right now).
Just browsing online it seems like there are only a few home brew supply shops in Ireland. I'd love to hear back from anyone who knows the best place to get supplies and where I should go looking for brew clubs, competitions, etc.
I use the home brew company shop. Decent selection of products and E5 courier delivery anywhere in Ireland. http://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/
You can find out more info on the Irish home/craft brew scene here http://www.beoir.org/
In Cork city there is a home brew club that meets up on several Saturdays during the year for brew days in the Franciscan well brewpub http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Br...17079661653903
and they are having a home brew expo on June 23rd https://www.facebook.com/events/268943436537180/ with samples of beer brewed by club members and the home brew company on site with supplies for sale.
Also, if you haven't done so yet, pop into Cork city and visit the Franciscan well, the bierhaus, and the abbots ale house. The abbots ale house also has an extensive off-licence and recently received a keg of spelt saison (limited edition brew from trouble brewing http://www.troublebrewing.ie/)
Thanks a lot for the suggestions, Taffman.
I'm nearly ready for my first batch and I'll definitely be checking out thehomebrewcompany.
I just joined beoir.org. It looks like a perfect place to seek out help out for some of the minor problems that have been holding me up.
Disappointed that I missed the home brew expo at Franciscan Well but I'll keep an eye out for upcoming events. It's a very cool brew pub, I'm glad it close to me.


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But it doesn't have to be.
Continue Shopping.
Categories Supplements EFA, Omega 3 6 9 ( EPA DHA ) Krill Oil
Categories Health Topics Women's Health Women's Formulas Menopause Formulas
Categories Health Topics Premenstrual Syndrome Premenstrual Formulas
Dr. Mercola, Krill Oil, for Women, 90 Licaps Capsules
- Shipping Weight: 0.24 lbs (0.11kg)
- Product Code: MCL-01028
- UPC Code: 813006010283
- Package Quantity: 90 Licaps Capsules
- Dimensions: 2.3 x 2.3 x 3.9 in, 0.2 lbs (0.09kg)
- Expiration Date: May 2016
Rainbow Light, Gummy Vitamin C Slices, Tangy Orange Flavor, 90 Gummies
Priced together: $35.64 Priced separately: $37.64
Product Overview
- Premium Supplements
- 100% Pure Antarctic
- 100% Certified Organic EPO
- Enhanced with Evening Primrose Oil
- Omega-3 Bonded to Phospholipids
- Dietary Supplement
Krill Oil for Women was formulated to meet a woman's needs. This special combination offers excellent support for your heart and your healthy immune system. The addition of evening primrose oil also supports your skin and joint comfort, and may provide support for normal menstrual or menopausal discomfort. You are special. Take extra special care of yourself with Krill Oil for women, created especially for you.
Be strong. Be independent. But above all, be healthy.
Dr. Mercola has been providing quality products since 2001.
Suggested Use
3 Gelatin Licaps capsules daily with the first meal.
Other Ingredients
Fish gelatin capsule.
This product contains shellfish (krill).
If you are allergic to shellfish, have a blood coagulation condition, or are taking anticoagulants such as Warfarin (Coumadin), do not use.
Do not use if safety seal is broken.
Store in a cool, dry place with lid tightly closed.
|Supplement Facts
|Serving Size: 3 Licaps capsules
|Servings Per Container: 30
|Amount per Serving
|Calories from Fat
|Total Fat
|1.5 g
|Pure Krill Oil
|1,000 mg
|400 mg
|Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA)
|100 mg
|Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)
|55 mg
|Omega-6 fatty acids
|approx. 20 mg
|Organic Evening Primrose Oil (EPO)**
|500 mg
|Gamma linolenic acid
|45 mg
|Astaxanthin (as astaxanthin esters)
|1 mg
|†Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
*Daily Value not established
** NOP organic certified by: ECOCERT SA, F-32600

subset: commoncrawl


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This blog is not intended to air my political opinions, so I won't get into the merits or not of the current bailout legislation being prepared for senate vote. I am however, a technology executive that would like to see America continue to lead the world in the tech arena. As such, this recent Newsweek article caught my eye.
Daniel Lyons, the author postulates that unless we boost government spending on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), countries like China and India will eclipse the US (so did Tom Friedman in his book The World is Flat). Companies like Apple, HP, Cisco and others will end up like Ford, Chrysler and GM.
While an extreme argument, this made me think that perhaps we are fighting to protect things that shouldn't be protected at the expense of things that require focused attention to develop our future.
As the US doesn't actually have this bailout money, we will be financing this spending with debt. One of my personal mantras on debt is – if it's an investment – something that is going to grow over time – that's a good use of debt. If it's to pay for consumables – well, that's a foolish use of debt.
As we look at the line items of the bailout, it seems to me that while we need to protect jobs, and bolster the economy, it would make sense to actually invest some of the nearly $1 trillion dollars in our future – so that we can see a return on the investment and be able to pay the debt as we profit from the investment. I'd like to see further tax credits for R&D, government funds available for basic research, and a re-vamping of the curriculum of our schools toward the future. This will also require funding for teachers qualified to teach these subjects. In 2008, according to the TAG Education Collaborative, the Georgia Department of Education certified over 4,000 teachers to teach grades K-12. Of those, only 8 were certified chemistry instructors and 3 received their certification in physics. So, perhaps we need to use some of the bailout money for a buildout. And not of roads and highways, but of our educational system, our technology infrastructure and our incentives for basic R&D.
That seems to be what the competition is doing.


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5:30pm to 9:00pm
5:30pm to 10:00pm
5:00PM to 9:00PM
*Open 2 hours before the show
Happy Hour:
click to enlarge
Mark Hummel & The Blues Survivors Revue
April 18, 2013
Thursday, April 18
7:30pm $24
Mark Hummel - harp/ vocal
Little Charlie Baty - guitar
Bob Welsh - guitar/ keys
Doug James - sax
RW Grigsby - bass
Bowen Brown- drums
LITTLE CHARLIE BATY-is the former leader and masterful guitarist from Alligator Records recording act"Little Charlie & the Nightcats". Charlie and the Nightcats have recorded 12 albums on Alligator and have been one of the West Coast's most successful blues acts, touring the globe for over 25 years. They've played every major Festival you can think of and every blues joint from Maine to Spain.
Guitar World declares, "Baty's straight blues playing is eye-popping...he stretches solos to the breaking point, skittering on the edge, where one wrong note will bring the whole thing crashing down." "Little Charlie Baty plays as much guitar as Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy put together," raves The Village Voice. "He is one of the swiftest, most fluent guitarists working in any genre".
MARK HUMMEL'S been steadily on the road since 1984 and released 17 albums and CDs since starting out. His latest is a Little Walter Tribute called REMEMBERING LITTLE WALTER on Blind Pig Records w/Charlie Musselwhite,Billy Boy Arnold, Sugar Ray & James Harman. Hummel has recorded for Flying Fish,Tone Cool and ElectroFi Record(his current) labels since the early 90s. Mark's been nominated for three years in a row for Best Harmonica by the BMA Awards. Hummel's has been performing and producing the BLUES HARMONICA BLOWOUTS in CA. since 1991 and has performed with these multi artists events with the top players in the genre all across the planet.
"Mark Hummel came of age in the early 70s, at the height of rock and roll,like many of his peers went and bought a harmonica and hasn't stopped playing since. A specialist in West Coast Blues he's a seasoned showman who knows more than a thing or two about how to please an audience." says THE NEW YORKER
RW Grigsby(bass) & Bowen Brown(drums) are an awesome rhythm section, who have powerfully but subtly propelled many FAMOUS RECORDING ARTISTS. Between the two of them they've toured & recorded with Carlene Carter,John Lee Hooker,Indigo Swing,Stompy Jones,Mike Morgan & The Crawl, Gary Primich, Ponty Bone & the Sqeezetones,Earl King, Kim Wilson & James Cotton, to name a few.
On 4/18 only at Yoshi's will be guests; Doug James-sax Boss & ex -Roomful Of Blues & ex-Duke Robillard bandmate, currently in Jimmy Vaughn's Tilt A Whirl Band. James is one of the best old school bari & tenor men out there.
Bob Welsh-guitar & keys-Currently with Elvin Bishop's band, formally with Charlie Musselwhite,Hummel, John Nemeth,Rusty Zinn & Nick Moss's bands. Bob's a world class musician no matter what the setting!


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Chez Jean-Pierre in Palm Beach: A Few Questions for Chef Chef Jean-Pierre Leverrier
Categories: Chef Chat
|Chef Jean-Pierre
Well, it gets even better. Conley has invited a handful of star chefs to collaborate on the menu, as well: Lindsay Autry, Top Chef Texas contestant; Paula DaSilva of 1500 Degrees, Miami Beach; Jean-Pierre Leverrier of Chez Jean-Pierre, Palm Beach; and Ken Vedrinski of Trattoria Lucca, Charleston, SC. With all of that star power, we figured we would drop in on one of our local chefs to have a chat. We chat and play fill in the blanks with Chef Jean-Pierre after the jump.
See Also:
- Chef Angelo Elia Versus Chef Jean-Pierre at the Fourth-Annual Cook-Off
In Palm Beach, White-Tablecloth Dining Will Never Die
- Chef Clay Conley of Imoto in Palm Beach: A Q&A About His Favorite Restaurants and Least Favorite Customers
Clean Plate Charlie: First thing first, why did you decide to participant in Conley's Share Our Strength?
Leverrier: Clay approached me and I thought it was a great cause, so I chose to participate. I would love to be able to do more but, between working the hours I work at the restaurant and spending time with my four grandchildren, I do not have the time.
______ and ______ distinguish northern French from the rest of the country.
Sauces, Dairy Products
I miss ______ most about Normandy.
The variety of seafood available.
My favorite dish is______.
Any curry dish.
My favorite wine is______.
The three ingredients I would not want to live without are ______, _______, and _______.
Shallots, lobster stock, mushrooms.
American diners are different from French diners in _______ way.
American diners are more open-minded.
My favorite place to eat when I am not working is ______.
At home with my family.
The Share Our Strength dinner at Buccan will take place Sunday, October 28, at 7 p.m. Cocktails will begin at 6 pm. Tickets are going for $200 per person. And, if you have the cash, there are also opportunities to host tables. To make a reservation call 312-805-3515 or visit ce.strength.org.
Follow @ CleanPlateBPB
Location Info
Sponsor Content


text: [Nous sommes désolés, mais cette page n'est pas disponible en français.]1 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup sifted icing sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 2 1/4 cups flour 1 cup ground almonds 60 whole maraschino cherries, patted dry granulated sugar Cream butter, icing sugar and vanilla together thoroughly, add flour and mix well. Stir in almonds. Flatten a small amount of dough in your hands. Place a cherry in centre and wrap dough around to cover cherry completely. Shape into smooth ball. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 325 F 10-15 minutes or until light golden. Roll balls in sugar while warm. Yield 5 dozen cookies. Note: For nut blossoms, wrap dough around filberts or pecans instead of cherries and bake as directed. Submitted by Mrs. John (Mary) Gauthier, Stanhope.


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People are asking me what's going on, is the Mercury retrograde not over yet, why am I feeling so irritable/jumpy/vibrational...?
The fact is, although Mercury went direct on the 20th, we've been living with a tense T-square of planetary energies with Mercury (mind/communication), Jupiter (expansion/beliefs) and Mars (life force/vitality/impulse/anger) together ... and squaring Pluto (transformation/power) and Uranus (revolution/awakening). There's been power, strong emotion and intense shifting nervous system energy to navigate.
The Mercury/Jupiter/Mars trio, traveling as a pack, all in the emotional water sign of Cancer, has also been in a grand trine or flow, with Saturn in Scorpio (bottom line: restructuring power in our lives) and Neptune in Pisces (transcendence/bliss/loss). I've written a bit about the potential of this trine and the way it aligns with Pluto. We can harness this energy to manifest grounded results if we are in alignment with purpose. And if we're not in alignment, well, it may be that some of our malformed structures will be dissolving, particularly if we were triggered for change with the eclipses in May and have been resisting said change.
Share a free sample Self-Empowerment Guide. How did the planets shape you? Discover the shocking details with our Self-Empowerment Guide!
Now tomorrow we also will experience a grand trine in earth: As the Moon moves into Taurus, it will trine Pluto in Capricorn and Venus in Virgo. As we know, the Pluto in Capricorn is a long term influence indicating the transformation of all major structures in the world. In our individual lives it asks us to deepen personal power, delve into shadow psychological material and transform ourselves. Venus represents our capacity to relate and in Virgo wishes to relate with skill and service. Moon in Taurus is only for a couple of days and serves as a trigger. The lunar mood fuels a need for pleasurable security and groundedness. Almost every planet is between 5 and 10 degrees with the nodes at 13 degrees. If you have planets in these degrees you will feel particularly affected.
The two grand trines together form a Star of David, a geometric form of alignment. It's as if we get a chance to feel everything all at once in a particular kind of cosmic harmony, a Rubik's cube solved if even for a day.
Every day is a great day to meditate, visualize, manifest ... but this day is particular auspicious. Here on the west coast 2:30 pm is about perfect, but any time from the morning throughout the day carries the power of this alignment.
With the dual sign of Gemini Rising, Susan Kelly is quite comfortable wearing two chapeaus: stylish writer and astrologer! For close to two decades, she has commented on trends in fashion, beauty and home décor. Her past fashion and beauty... read more
Sunday's universal hullabaloo may have you perplexed as this new workweek begins. Uranian lightning bolts are still... read more »
Your Next Chapter! Saturn's entrance into Sagittarius on December 23 initiates an important new journey that will... read more »


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Feb 3
Congressman Bill Owens (NY-23) praised a move this week by the Department of Labor to re-propose the portion of its regulation on child labor in agriculture that reinterprets the "parental exemption." In December, Congressman Owens wrote to Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis urging the department to drop changes to the "parental exemption" that would prevent children from working on their family farm.
"I'm pleased the Department of Labor heard our concerns and decided to reevaluate this portion of the rule. Addressing this issue is critical to ensuring young people can carry on the tradition of family farming that is integral to the economy in my district and across the country," Owens said.
The "parental exemption" allows children of any age who are employed by their parent to work on their family farm. Congress created the exemption in 1966 when it expanded protections for children employed in agriculture and prohibited their employment in jobs the Department of Labor declared particularly hazardous for children under the age of 16 to perform.
The original proposed rule would have prevented children from working on a family farm that is only partially owned by their parents. Until the re-proposed rule is final, the Department will apply prior regulations with broader language used before the proposed rule that include parents who are partial owners of an agricultural operation. The Department of Labor expects to propose a new "parental exemption" rule this summer.
"The decision to re-propose this portion of the rule indicates a willingness by DOL to listen to farmers in this instance," added Owens. "This announcement and the additional opportunity for comment are a reasonable approach to keeping farm kids safe while ensuring they continue to have the opportunity to learn the value of farm work."
Owens wrote to the Department after hearing the concern from a young constituent at a town hall in New York's 23rd Congressional District. This is the latest in a series of ideas from New Yorkers that Owens has taken to Washington and implemented.
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Just in......
Season done. See you in 2011 if there is football. Kinda saw this coming.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
Haha, that's pretty funny.
This is a joke, right?
Get your Cyclone Android clock widget from the Android market here.
Or the Amazon App Store here
I can almost see the Vikes' season crashing and burning from my window...
Ummm...where are you pulling this from?
Now Childress can be shown the door right behind him.
Originally Posted by edr247
Ummm...where are you pulling this from?
NFL.com - Official Site of the National Football League
Randy Moss waived by Vikings - CBSSports.com
Since we are an elite team now, let's go get that One Cyclone Moment.
Make this one for the ages!
Originally Posted by edr247
Ummm...where are you pulling this from?
On the front page of NFL.com - Official Site of the National Football League
You have to be ******* kidding me? He tells the truth one time and you drop him? WoW.
Originally Posted by IcSyU
Now Childress can be shown the door right behind him.
This +1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000
Kind of want the Bears to get him, but not really. I don't know, I'm torn.
Maybe the Bengals can pick him up.
Er, the Jets may need him.
Maybe Carolina.
Even Brady may need him back.
Let my Fred's Posse Ride: Georges, Naz, Hogue, Bryce, Nader, Monte, Matt, and McKay.
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Community days
Ever wanted to help raise awareness of retinoblastoma but didn't know how?
There are many ways of spreading the word, including holding a 'community day'. This could take the shape of an organised event, such as a stand at a school fete, car boot sale or village carnival or you could even set up a stand in your local shopping centre. The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust can provide you with banners, posters and leaflets to help you on the day.
Chris and Sarah Shaw arranged for a stand in their local shopping centre, handing out leaflets and chatting to parents about the signs and symptoms of the disease - not only did they do a fantastic job raising awareness amongst shoppers but their face painting skills helped to net CHECT more than £700 in donations too!


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Stander great loss for SA - IFPComment on this story
Johannesburg - The death of cyclist Burry Stander, who was struck by a vehicle in KwaZulu Natal, is a loss for South Africa, the Inkatha Freedom Party said on Friday.
"Stander leaves behind a legacy that not only he and his family can be proud of but that the entire South Africa holds in deep admiration," said IFP sport and recreation spokesman Mkhuleko Hlengwa in a statement.
"His cycling credentials, from South Africa to Beijing to London, speak for themselves."
South African mountainbike ace Stander died in a crash on Thursday.
He was returning from a training rid in Shelly Beach on the KZN South Coast when he was hit by a vehicle, according to Cycling SA.
Police were investigating the killing.
Stander narrowly missed out on a medal at the London Olympics.
Four years earlier, at the Beijing Games, he had proved his ability when he finished 15th in the cross country event at the age of 20.
The following season he rose to prominence on the global stage when he won the Under-23 title in the Mountainbike World Cup series.
In 2011, Stander became the first South African to win the Cape Epic stage race in the Western Cape, with Swiss partner Christoph Sauser, and the pair defended their title in 2012.
"The loss of such a young life that had so much potential ahead of him is very sad. We salute Burry for having represented South Africa on the world stage on some many occasions," Hlengwa said. - Sapa
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Detroit mayor announces 'next steps' for city's cash crisis
Updated On: Nov 21 2012 05:39:33 PM EST
In a press conference on Wednesday Detroit Mayor Dave Bing addressed the cash crisis in the city.
The mayor said the city has failed to meet the first milestone in the agreement with the State.
With the second milestone looming the mayor says his administration will take steps needed to offset the anticipated $30 million cash shortfall.
To compensate for the deficit the mayor says the city will implement unpaid furloughs and other cost saving actions as of Jan 1st.
"Again, these actions are necessary to keep the city from falling into further financial distress," Bing said. "Most importantly, I want our citizens to know that public safety will not be jeopardized"
The mayor said revenue-generating departments will not be impacted by the cost-cutting measures.
The city is still deciding the number of employees to see furloughs.
"We will not run out of money," said city CFO Jack Martin. "Bankruptcy is not an option."
Detroit City Council members on Tuesday took no action on a contract required by Michigan for the city to get cash needed to pay its bills.
The Council voted 8-1 to delay a decision on the deal that would pay the Miller Canfield law firm $300,000 to advise Bing on financial matters.
Bing says the delay means the state won't release $10 million in bond money and that "it will be more difficult for the city to maintain its liquidity" until Detroit collects property taxes in January.
"The state has made it very clear that if the city of Detroit did not meet all three milestones as outlined in our agreement, money from the city's escrow account would not be forthcoming," Bing said in a statement. "The Council's rejection of the Miller Canfield contract means the city will not receive the first $10 million scheduled for release today. As a result, it will be more difficult for the city to maintain its liquidity until the receipt of property tax revenues beginning in January. Today's vote is one more example of how City Council has stalled our efforts to bring financial stability to the city of Detroit."
City Council President Charles Pugh took offense to the mayor's comments.
"For (Bing) to suggest that we are an obstruction as Council really pisses me the hell off," Pugh said. "If the mayor was concerned about getting this $10 million then he should never have tied it to the Miller Canfield contract."
The contract is one of several milestones tied to the city's financial overhaul plan.
The views expressed below are not those of Click On Detroit, WDIV, or its affiliated companies. By clicking on "Post," you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Service and your comment is in compliance with such terms. Readers, please help keep this discussion respectful and on topic by flagging comments that are offensive or inappropriate (hover over the commenter's name and you'll see the flag option appear on right side of that line). And remember, respect goes both ways: Tolerance of others' opinions is important in a free discourse. If you're easily offended by strong opinions, you might skip reading comments entirely.


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MoneyGram International Adds Innovative Leader
MoneyGram International, (NASDAQ: MGI), a leading global money transfer company, today announced that W. Alexander Hoffmann has been appointed to the company's executive leadership team as senior vice president, global product management and emerging channels.
"MoneyGram is committed to continually enhancing its focus on innovation," said Pamela H. Patsley, MoneyGram's chairman and chief executive officer. "Alex has an impressive history of creating, developing and growing new products and services. He is an accomplished, hands-on strategist with vast global experience, and a veteran leader in the financial services sector. I am pleased that Alex has joined our leadership team."
In his new role, Hoffmann will lead MoneyGram's global product portfolio, emerging channels and MoneyGram Online. Hoffmann was previously head of consumer growth for Europe, Middle East and Africa at PayPal. He has 20 years of experience in payments and cards, online services and technology, and a strong track record of building new products from concept to launch.
Prior to his position at PayPal, Hoffmann spent 12 years at McKinsey & Company in Brussels, Belgium, and Palo Alto, California, working with clients in the payments and telecommunications industries. Hoffmann will be based at the company's headquarters in Dallas, Texas.About MoneyGram MoneyGram, a leading money transfer company, enables consumers who are not fully served by traditional financial institutions to meet their financial needs. MoneyGram offers bill payment services in the United States and Canada and money transfer services worldwide through a global network of more than 321,000 agent locations – including retailers, international post offices and financial institutions – in 198 countries and territories. To learn more about money transfer or bill payment at an agent location or online, please visit moneygram.com or connect with us on Facebook.
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December 23 2014 Latest news:
Monday, December 3, 2012
A 17-year-old boy from Belton has been charged with four offences after being stopped by police in Gorleston.
Police on patrol saw a moped with no rear lights and spoke to the rider when it stopped at a service station in Beccles Road last Friday.
A strong smell of cannabis became apparent and officers seized a quantity of the drug and a lock knife.
The teenager was arrested and taken into custody where he was interviewed by officers.
He was subsequently charged with four offences – driving with no licence, using a vehicle in a condition likely to cause danger of injury, possession of a knife blade or sharp pointed article in a public place and possession of cannabis.
He is due to appear at Great Yarmouth Youth Court on Thursday, December 20.
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max temp: 12°C
min temp: 6°C


text:
- Africa – safaris & wildlife
- Asia – orient & spice
- Europe – cultural & activity
- Middle East – desert & dead sea
- Americas – lost cities, new worlds
Adventure destinations
Ideal Destinations
We have many perfect destinations for your adventure travel, whatever your needs
Family Holidays
Featured private group holidays
Private Groups
Fancy one of our fantastic adventures but only want to travel with people you know? Do it your way as a private group. We make private group trips for everyone, from big families to scouts and cadets.
Holiday Types
- Activity Holidays – all action adventure
- Cultural Tours – lost cities & local life
- Wildlife Holidays – global wildlife encounters
- Trekking Holidays – peaks & summits
- Astronomy Tours – eclipses & stargazing
- Charity Holidays - do something amazing
- School Trips - exciting school trips abroad
- Northern Lights Tours - aurora borealis
- Private Groups - Create your own group
Feature adventure holidays
Solo Traveller
We've developed a range of dedicated solo holidays & solo travel packages; exclusively for people booking on their own. Around 40% of all our passengers are solo travellers.
Tunisian Voyager
Transport - Minibus, camel, on foot.
Accommodation - Hotels (5nts), camp (1nt), rustic troglodyte cave hotel (1nt).
Meals - 7 breakfasts & 2 dinners.
We often have multiple itineraries so please check to see which itinerary is suitable for you, by selecting the relevant tab.
Fly To Tunisia
After your international flight, you transfer to your first night's accommodation in the city of Sousse and check in.
Hotel Medina (AA) - 2 nights
Sousse; old town medina
Sousse wears many hats as it is a commercial port, tourist beach resort and an old fortified medina. It is this last element that interests us most and you'll spend the morning exploring the narrow twisting alleyways of the old town. Stalls selling everything from spices to trinkets spill out onto the streets; the variety is amazing and really gives a flavour for North Africa. After your orientation tour you'll be free to investigate further on your own around the town itself. You may choose to visit the Ribat, a 9th century stronghold built to defend the coast against Christians, although many of the elements used in its construction are older and there are antique columns either side of the main door. There is also the Grand Mosque – which also looks much like a fort – and an archaeological museum housed in the 11th century kasbah, the highest point in Sousse. With beaches nearby you could also opt to spend some time relaxing in the sun. (B)
Matmata; via El Djem
Today's agenda contains what is arguably Tunisia's greatest highlight – the Amphitheatre of El Djem (63km/1hr). The tiny town of El Djem - little more than a village really - stands at the centre of an extensive plain covered with olive trees. Somewhat incongruously for such a small place, it's the site of an enormous amphitheatre – the third largest in the Roman world (after the Colosseum in Rome and Capua near Naples), and the largest Roman monument in North Africa. After Emperor Hadrian fostered the planting of olive trees, the town became such an important centre of olive oil production that its population reached 30,000. Quite who took the decision to construct such a huge building remains unknown, but it was never completed. It was obviously a massive undertaking as the nearest quarries are around 30kms away, and although the stone is relatively soft and so easy to cut, it still had to be transported to the site! The amphitheatre remains incredibly intact and you can climb up several storeys for a great overall view. You can even explore the tunnels under the arena itself where the animals and gladiators would have waited before being released into the bright sun to fight for their lives. It is not difficult to imagine what it was like when the Romans enjoyed the spectacle here or the atmosphere as swords clashed.
You then leave the desert behind as you drive on into the lunar-like hills to Matmata (243km/3hrs). The Roman historian Herodotus first wrote about its underground houses in the 4th century BC, when he described the Berbers who lived here as troglodytes (cave dwellers). Homes have been excavated out of the softish yellow rock of the rounded hillsides – some are still inhabited although the number is dwindling. The main advantage of living in this kind of dwelling is that it provides a relatively constant environment (much like a wine cellar) in an area which suffers wide extremes of temperature and so it feels warm in winter and cool in summer. There's not much to the village, and little in the way of agriculture - due to the almost complete absence of water - the principal reason why most people emigrate from here to work in the north. Cinema enthusiasts will immediately recognise the location of Luke Skywalker's home as featured in Star Wars. Tonight it's easy to imagine how it might have been to live here as you stay in a troglodyte hotel – this means suffering a few privations in exchange for an interesting experience. Waking up in the morning to the sound of the Muezzin calling the faithful to morning prayers and realising that you are in a cave is truly unique.
Hotel Marhala Cave (AA) - 1 night (BD)
Douz to Desert Camp
The journey continues on to Douz. On the way you visit a troglodyte house. At Douz you spend some time exploring the souks, then after lunch you visit the Sahara Museum. Later on in the afternoon you'll leave your motorised transport behind, trading it in for camels – the ships of the desert. Despite their unfriendly reputation, these loveable beasts are great fun. The area is covered in rolling sand dunes and you'll head off for a camel trek (roughly an hour) to the camp. There's nothing quite like the rhythmic motion of a camel to make you feel like Beau Geste or a true explorer (anyone who prefers can walk!). At the end of the day the sight of the sun setting makes a splendid conclusion to a fun day. Tonight you dine on traditional fare under the clear, starry skies of the desert and sleep in Bedouin-style tents.
Desert Camp (A) - 1 night (BD)
Tozeur; Chott el Djerid salt flats
This morning you follow the tarmac road across the barren Chott el Djerid, a wide expanse of salt flat. It was in this area that some of the filming for the original Star Wars movie took place and there is certainly the feel that this is another planet. The southern edge of the Chott comes up against the sand dunes of the Sahara Desert.
Cutting much further inland, you head to the fringes of the desert and arrive at the green oasis of Tozeur. The sleepy capital of the Djerid (which means 'palm' in Arabic) region has a traditional feel that is further enhanced by the sight of women dressed in all-enveloping black wraps. You'll be able to visit the old town where the facades of its mud houses are decorated with geometric brickwork - the bricks are all made locally by hand. Due to its remoteness, Tozeur is an introspective sort of place - all life revolves around its palmeraie, a broad swathe of date palms in whose shade market gardens produce citrus fruits, pomegranates and vegetables. Everything depends on an intricate system of irrigation - first established in the 13th century - that ensures an equal distribution of this precious resource. Improved modern techniques mean that water can now be brought from deeper inside the earth's crust, so the area under cultivation has expanded in recent years.
Hotel Residence El Oued (AAA) - 2 nights - Swimming Pool (B)
Tozeur; Red Lizard train & Oases
Today you drive out of Tozeur into the nearby Metlaoui Mountains, which rise abruptly out of the plain close to the border with Algeria. You head to Metlaoui town for the Red Lizard train excursion (tickets included) through spectacular scenery. It is an old wooden train given by the French protectorate to the Bey of Tunis (former king of Tunisia). The Red Lizard train runs through the spectacular Selja river canyons. You then visit the palm filled oases surrounding the town, plus the oases at Nefta - an old town and oasis in a valley filled with thousands of palms.
According to a local myth, Nefta was founded by a Kostel, grandson of Noah. After the Flood, he went to Nefta to settle when he discovered that this was the first place on earth were water boiled. No surprise then that Nefta is an important religious town, both in people' minds and with its many holy buildings.
The oasis is made up of 300,000 date palms, where 70,000 are deglets, date palms of supreme quality. Water comes from 150 springs, and the setting is picturesque with all the narrow roads running through the groves, and is a perfect place for seeking refuge from the sun, if you make your visit during the summer. You then transfer back to Tozeur to overnight.
Should the Red Lizard Train not be operational, it will be replaced by an exciting 4x4 excursion through the same spectacular scenery, as we drive past canyons, oasis and waterfalls. (B)
Sousse; via Kairouan & Monastir
Today contains the longest journey, as you travel back to Sousse. Heading first to Monastir, you drive via Kairouan (292km/3hrs) where you stop for lunch and to briefly explore. Established in the 7th century when the Arabs first arrived, Kairouan is now one of Islam's most holy cities. It became so important that seven visits to this tiny place equal one visit to Mecca. Once you have finished wandering through the souks and the hauntingly beautiful but crumbling houses, you get back in the bus and continue on to Sousse where you will have time to spend the remainder of your holiday relaxing on the beach, or doing some last minute shopping in the souks before your flight tomorrow.
Hotel Medina (AA) - 1 night (B)
Fly home
Trip ends today, clients travelling on our group flights will transfer to the airport for the return flight home. (B)
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Thank you for the holiday of a lifetime! It is the first holiday I've been on where our children were in tears leaving. They're still talking about their time in the cave hotel and desert camp a month later.
Georgina Collicut, Mum


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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - View original article
|Final Fantasy X
Virtuos (HD Remaster)[1]
|JP Square
NA Square EA
AU SCE Australia
INT Square Enix (HD Remaster)
|Yoshinori Kitase
|Yoshinori Kitase
|Yusuke Naora
|Kazushige Nojima
Daisuke Watanabe
Motomu Toriyama
|Nobuo Uematsu
Masashi Hamauzu
Junya Nakano
|Final Fantasy
|PlayStation 2
PlayStation 3 (HD)
PlayStation Vita (HD)
|Release date(s)
Blu-ray Disc (PS3)
PlayStation Vita card (Vita)
|Final Fantasy X
Virtuos (HD Remaster)[1]
|JP Square
NA Square EA
AU SCE Australia
INT Square Enix (HD Remaster)
|Yoshinori Kitase
|Yoshinori Kitase
|Yusuke Naora
|Kazushige Nojima
Daisuke Watanabe
Motomu Toriyama
|Nobuo Uematsu
Masashi Hamauzu
Junya Nakano
|Final Fantasy
|PlayStation 2
PlayStation 3 (HD)
PlayStation Vita (HD)
|Release date(s)
Blu-ray Disc (PS3)
PlayStation Vita card (Vita)
Final Fantasy X (ファイナルファンタジーX Fainaru Fantajī Ten ) is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) as the tenth entry in the Final Fantasy series. Originally released in 2001 for Sony's PlayStation 2, the game was re-released as a high-definition port for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2013.[5][6][7] The game marks the Final Fantasy series transition from entirely pre-rendered backdrops to fully three-dimensional areas, and is also the first in the series to feature voice acting. Final Fantasy X replaces the Active Time Battle (ATB) system with the "Conditional Turn-Based Battle" (CTB) system, and uses a new leveling system called the "Sphere Grid".
Set in the fantasy world of Spira, the game's story revolves around a group of adventurers and their quest to defeat a rampaging monster known as Sin. The player character is Tidus, a blitzball star who finds himself in Spira after his home city of Zanarkand is destroyed by Sin. Shortly after arriving to Spira, Tidus joins the summoner Yuna on her pilgrimage to destroy Sin.
Development of Final Fantasy X began in 1999, with a budget of more than US$32.3 million and a team of more than 100 people. The game was the first in the main series not entirely scored by Nobuo Uematsu; Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano were signed as Uematsu's fellow composers. Final Fantasy X was both a critical and commercial success, selling over 6.6 million units worldwide. On March 3, 2003, it was followed by Final Fantasy X-2, making it the first Final Fantasy game to have a direct game sequel.
Like previous games in the series, Final Fantasy X is presented in a third-person perspective, with players directly navigating the main character, Tidus, around the world to interact with objects and people. Unlike previous games, however, the world and town maps have been fully integrated, with terrain outside of cities rendered to scale. When an enemy is encountered, the environment switches to a turn-based battle area where characters and enemies await their turn to attack.[8]
The gameplay of Final Fantasy X differs from that of previous Final Fantasy games in its lack of a top-down perspective world map. Earlier games featured a miniature representation of the expansive areas between towns and other distinct locations, used for long-distance traveling. In Final Fantasy X, almost all the locations are essentially continuous and never fade out to a world map. Regional connections are mostly linear, forming a single path through the game's locations, though an airship becomes available late in the game, giving the player the ability to navigate Spira faster. Like previous games in the series, Final Fantasy X features numerous minigames, most notably the fictional underwater sport "blitzball".[9]
Final Fantasy X introduces the Conditional Turn-Based Battle system in place of the series' traditional Active Time Battle system, first used in Final Fantasy IV. Whereas the ATB concept features real-time elements, the CTB system is a turn-based format that pauses the battle during each of the player's turns. Thus, the CTB design allows the player to select an action without time pressure. A graphical timeline along the upper-right side of the screen details who will be receiving turns next, and how various actions taken will affect the subsequent order of turns. The player can control up to three characters in battle, though a swapping system allows the player to replace them with a character outside the active party at any time. "Limit Breaks", highly-damaging special attacks, reappear in Final Fantasy X as "Overdrives". In this new incarnation of the feature, most of the techniques are interactive, requiring button inputs to increase their effectiveness.[10] While initially the Overdrives can be used when the character receives a significant amount of damage, the player is able to modify the requirements to unlock them.[11]
Final Fantasy X introduces an overhaul of the summoning system employed in previous games of the series. Whereas in previous titles a summoned creature would arrive, perform one action, and then depart, the "Aeons" of Final Fantasy X arrive and entirely replace the battle party, fighting in their place until either the aeon wins the battle, is defeated itself, or is dismissed by the player. Aeons have their own statistics, commands, special attacks, spells, and Overdrives. The player acquires five aeons over the course of the game, but three additional aeons can be obtained by completing various side-quests.[10]
As with previous titles in the series, players have the opportunity to develop and improve their characters by defeating enemies and acquiring items, though the traditional experience point system is replaced by a new system called the "Sphere Grid". Instead of characters gaining pre-determined statistic bonuses for their attributes after leveling up, each character gains "Sphere Levels" after collecting enough Ability Points (AP). Sphere Levels allow players to move around the Sphere Grid, a predetermined grid of interconnected nodes consisting of various statistic and ability bonuses. "Spheres" are applied to these nodes, unlocking its function for the selected character.[12]
The Sphere Grid system also allows players to fully customize characters in contrast to their intended battle roles, such as turning the White Mage-roled Yuna into a physical powerhouse and the swordsman Auron into a healer. The International and PAL versions of the game include an optional "Expert" version of the Sphere Grid; in these versions, all of the characters start in the middle of the grid and may follow whichever path the player chooses. As a trade-off, the Expert grid has fewer nodes in total, thus decreasing the total statistic upgrades available during the game.[13]v
Final Fantasy X is set in the fictional world of Spira, consisting of one large landmass divided into three subcontinents, surrounded by small tropical islands. It features diverse climates, ranging from the tropical Besaid and Kilika islands, to the temperate Mi'ihen region, to the frigid Macalania and Mt. Gagazet areas. Although predominantly populated by humans, Spira features a variety of races. Among them are the Al Bhed, a technologically-advanced but disenfranchised sub-group of humans with distinctive green eyes and unique language.[14][15] The Guado are less human in appearance, with elongated fingers and other arboreal features. Still less human are the lion-like Ronso and the frog-like Hypello. A subset of Spira's sentient races are the "unsent", the strong-willed spirits of the dead that remain in corporeal form. In Spira, the dead who are not sent to the Farplane by a summoner come to envy the living and transform into "fiends", the monsters that are encountered throughout the game;[16] however, unsent with strong attachments to the world of the living may retain their human form. Other fauna in Spira, aside from those drawn from real animals, such as cats, dogs, birds, and butterflies, include the gigantic, amphibious shoopufs (which are similar to elephants); and the emu-like chocobo, which appears in most Final Fantasy games. Spira is very different from the mainly European-style worlds found in previous Final Fantasy games, being much more closely modeled on Southeast Asia, most notably with respect to vegetation, topography, architecture, and names.[17]
There are seven main playable characters in Final Fantasy X, starting with Tidus, a cheerful young teenager and a star blitzball player from Zanarkand, who seeks a way home after an encounter with Sin transported him to Spira.[14] To do so, he joins Yuna, a summoner on a journey to obtain the Final Aeon and defeat the enormous whale-like "Sin".[18] Journeying with them are: Kimahri Ronso, a young warrior of the Ronso tribe who watched over Yuna during her childhood;[19] Wakka, a blitzball player whose younger brother was killed by Sin;[20][21] and Lulu, a stoic black mage close to Yuna and Wakka.[18] During the journey, they are joined by Auron, a former warrior monk, who worked with both Tidus' and Yuna's fathers to defeat Sin 10 years prior;[22] and Rikku, Yuna's cousin, a perky Al Bhed girl and the first friendly person Tidus meets upon arriving in Spira.[14]
The story begins in medias res (late in the story), with the main protagonist, Tidus, waiting with his allies outside the ruins of an ancient city. Tidus narrates the events that led to the present, spanning most of the game's storyline.[23] It begins in Tidus's home city, the high-tech metropolis of Zanarkand, where he is a renowned star of the underwater sport blitzball.[24] During a blitzball tournament, the city is attacked by an immense creature which Auron, a man not originally from Zanarkand, calls "Sin".[25] Sin destroys Zanarkand, taking Tidus and Auron to the world of Spira.[14]
Upon arriving in Spira, Tidus is rescued by Al Bhed salvagers in the area. Upon asking him where he is from, one of them, Rikku, tells him that Sin destroyed Zanarkand 1,000 years ago.[26] After Sin attacks again, Tidus is separated from the divers and drifts to the tropical island of Besaid, where he meets Wakka, captain of the local blitzball team.[20] Wakka introduces Tidus to Yuna, a young summoner about to go on a pilgrimage to obtain the Final Aeon and defeat Sin;[18][27] and her guardians, Lulu and Kimahri. Meanwhile, Tidus joins to help Wakka in the upcoming blitzball tournament to find a way back home.[18][28][29] The party travels across Spira to gather aeons, defending against attacks by Sin and its "offspring"—fiends called Sinspawn.[30] After the tournament, they are joined by Auron, who convinces Tidus to become Yuna's guardian.[31] He reveals to Tidus that Yuna's father, Lord Braska; Tidus's father, Jecht; and himself made the same pilgrimage to defeat Sin ten years ago.[22] Tidus thought his father had died at sea ten years earlier.[32] Following another attack from Sin, they are joined by Rikku, later revealed to be Yuna's cousin.[33]
When the party arrives in the city of Guadosalam, the leader of the Guado, Seymour Guado, proposes to Yuna, saying that it will ease Spira's sorrow.[34] At Macalania Temple, the group sees a message from Seymour's father Jyscal, who declares he was killed by his son, who now aims to destroy Spira.[35] The group reunites with Yuna to engage Seymour in battle, killing him;[36] soon afterward, Sin attacks, separating Yuna from the others.[37] While searching for her on Bikanel Island, the homeland of the Al Bhed where they had surfaced,[37] Tidus has an emotional breakdown when he learn that summoners die after summoning the Final Aeon, leading to his desire to find a way to defeat Sin while keeping Yuna alive.[38][39] The group finds Yuna in Bevelle, where she is being forced to marry the unsent Seymour.[40][41] They crash the wedding and escape with Yuna.[42] The group is captured at the Bevelle temple, and are ordered to stand trial.[43] After escaping from their sentence, the group heads towards the ruins of Zanarkand, seen in the introduction of the game.[23][27][44]
On the way there, Tidus learns that he, Jecht, and the Zanarkand they hail from are summoned entities akin to aeons based on the original Zanarkand and its people.[45] Long ago, the original Zanarkand battled Bevelle in a machina war, in which the former was defeated.[46] Zanarkand's survivors became "fayth" so that they could use their memories of Zanarkand to create a new city in their image, removed from the reality of Spira.[46][47] One thousand years after its creation, the fayth have become exhausted from "dreaming" their Zanarkand, but are unable to stop due to Sin's influence.[45][48]
Once they reach Zanarkand, Yunalesca—the first summoner to defeat Sin and has been unsent ever since[49]—tells the group that the Final Aeon is created from the fayth of one close to the summoner. After defeating Sin, the Final Aeon kills the summoner and transforms into a new Sin, which has caused its cycle of rebirth to continue.[50] Yuna decides against using the Final Aeon, due to the futile sacrifices it carries and the fact that Sin would still be reborn.[51] Disappointed by their resolution, Yunalesca tries to kill Tidus' group, but she is defeated and vanishes, ending hope of ever attaining the Final Aeon.[52] After the fight, the group learns that Yu Yevon, a summoner who lost his humanity and mind, is behind Sin's cycle of rebirth.[48] This leads the group to infiltrate Sin's body to battle Seymour and Jecht's imprisoned spirits.[53][54] With Sin's hosts defeated, Tidus' group battles and defeats Yu Yevon.[55] Sin's cycle of rebirth ends, and the spirits of Spira's fayth are freed from their imprisonment. Auron, revealed to be unsent, goes to the Farplane, having died years ago after confronting Yunalesca.[56][57] Just then, Dream Zanarkand and Tidus disappear, now that the freed fayth stopped the summoning.[58] Afterward, in a speech to the citizens of Spira, Yuna resolves to help rebuild their world now that it is free of Sin.[59]
In a post-credits scene, Tidus is seen swimming towards the ocean surface, and the screen fades to white.
(This scene is explored further in Final Fantasy X-2, where Yuna investigates Tidus' possible survival.[60])
Final Fantasy X's development began in 1999, costing approximately ¥4 billion (approximately US$32.3 million)[61] with a crew of over 100 people, most of whom worked on previous games in the series. Executive producer Hironobu Sakaguchi has stated that although he had concerns about the transition from 2D to 3D backgrounds, the voice acting, and the transition to real-time story-telling, the success of the Final Fantasy series can be attributed to constantly challenging the development team to try new things.[17] Producer Yoshinori Kitase was also the chief director of Final Fantasy X, while the direction of events, maps and battles was split up between Motomu Toriyama, Takayoshi Nakazato and Toshiro Tsuchida, respectively.[62][63][64][65] The development of the script for the game took three to four months, with the same amount of time dedicated to the voice recording afterwards.[66] Kazushige Nojima collaborated with Daisuke Watanabe, Toriyama and Kitase on writing the scenario for Final Fantasy X.[64][66] Nojima was particularly concerned with establishing a connection in the relationship between player and main character. Thus, he penned the story such that the player's progress through the world and growing knowledge about it is reflected in Tidus' own understanding and narration.[67]
The game was initially going to feature online elements, offered through Square's PlayOnline service. The features, however, were dropped during production, and online gaming would not become part of the Final Fantasy series until Final Fantasy XI.[68][69] Map director Nakazato wanted to implement a world map concept with a more realistic approach than that of the traditional Final Fantasy game, in line with the realism of the game's 3D backgrounds, as opposed to pre-rendered backgrounds.[70] As a player of the games in the Final Fantasy series, battle director Tsuchida wanted to recreate elements he found interesting or entertaining, which eventually led to the removal of the Active Time Battle system, and instead, incorporated the strategy-focused Conditional Turn-Based Battle system.[71] Originally, Final Fantasy X was going to feature wandering enemies visible on the field map, seamless transitions into battles, and the option for players to move around the landscape during enemy encounters.[72] Battle art director Shintaro Takai has explained that it was his intention that battles in Final Fantasy X come across as a natural part of the story and not an independent element.[71] However, due to hardware limitations, this idea was not used. Instead, a compromise was made, whereby some transitions from the field map to the battle map were made relatively seamless with the implementation of a motion blur effect that would happen at the end of an event scene.[67] The desire for seamless transitions also led to the implementation of the new summoning system seen in the game.[71] Kitase has explained that the purpose behind the Sphere Grid is to give players an interactive means of increasing their characters' attributes, such that they will be able to observe the development of those attributes firsthand.[73]
Character designer Tetsuya Nomura has identified the South Pacific, Thailand and Japan as major influences on the cultural and geographic design of Spira, particularly concerning the geographic location of the southern Besaid and Kilika islands. He has also said that Spira deviates from the worlds of past Final Fantasy games in the level of detail incorporated, something he has expressed to have made a conscious effort to maintain during the design process.[74] Kitase felt that if the setting went back to a medieval European fantasy, it would not seem to help the development team advance. While he was thinking of different world environments, Nojima suggested a fantasy world that incorporated Asian elements.[17] Sub-character chief designer Fumi Nakashima's focus was to ensure that characters from different regions and cultures bore distinctive characteristics in their clothing styles, so that they could be quickly and easily identified as members of their respective sub-groups. For example, she has said that the masks and goggles of the Al Bhed give the group a "strange and eccentric" appearance, while the attire of the Ronso lend to them being able to easily engage in battle.[17]
Final Fantasy X features innovations in the rendering of characters' facial expressions, achieved through motion capture and skeletal animation technology.[67][74] This technology allowed animators to create realistic lip movements, which were then programmed to match the speech of the game's voice actors. Nojima has revealed that the inclusion of voice acting enabled him to express emotion more powerfully than before, and he was therefore able to keep the storyline simple. He also said that the presence of voice actors led him to make various changes to the script, in order to match the voice actors' personalities with the characters they were portraying.[75] The inclusion of voice, however, led to difficulties. With the game's cutscenes already programmed around the Japanese voice work, the English localization team faced the difficulty of establishing English-oriented dialogue and the obstacle of incorporating this modified wording with the rhythm and timing of the characters' lip movements. Localization specialist Alexander O. Smith described the process of fitting natural-sounding English speech into the game as "something akin to writing four or five movies' worth of dialogue entirely in haiku form [and] of course the actors had to act, and act well, within those restraints."[72]
Final Fantasy X marks the first time regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu has had any assistance in composing the score for a game in the main series. His fellow composers for Final Fantasy X were Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano.[76] They were chosen for the soundtrack based on their ability to create music that was different from Uematsu's style while still being able to work together.[77] PlayOnline.com first revealed that the game's theme song was completed in November 2000. As Square still had not revealed who would sing the song, GameSpot personally asked Uematsu, who jokingly answered "It's going to be Rod Stewart."[78]
The game features three songs with vocalized elements, including the J-pop ballad "Suteki da ne", which translates to "Isn't it Wonderful?". The lyrics were written by Kazushige Nojima, and the instrumentals were composed by Uematsu. The song is performed by Japanese folk singer Rikki, whom the music team contacted while searching for a singer whose music reflected an Okinawan atmosphere.[79] "Suteki da ne" is also sung in Japanese in the English version of Final Fantasy X. Like "Eyes on Me" from Final Fantasy VIII and "Melodies of Life" from Final Fantasy IX, an orchestrated version of "Suteki da ne" is used as part of the ending theme. The other songs with lyrics are the heavy metal opening theme, "Otherworld", sung in English by Bill Muir; and "Hymn of the Fayth", a recurring piece sung using Japanese syllabary.[80]
The original soundtrack spanned 91 tracks on four discs. It was first released in Japan on August 1, 2001, by DigiCube, and was re-released on May 10, 2004, by Square Enix.[80] In 2002, Tokyopop released a version of Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack in North America entitled Final Fantasy X Official Soundtrack, which contained 17 tracks from the original album on a single disc.[81] Other related CDs include feel/Go dream: Yuna & Tidus which, released in Japan by DigiCube on October 11, 2001, featured tracks based on Tidus' and Yuna's characters.[82] Piano Collections Final Fantasy X, another collection of music from the game,[83] and Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection, a compilations of exclusive character dialogues and songs were both in Japan in 2002.[84]
The Black Mages, a band led by Nobuo Uematsu that arranges music from Final Fantasy video games into a rock music style, have arranged three pieces from Final Fantasy X. These are "Fight With Seymour" from their self-titled album, published in 2003,[85] and "Otherworld" and "The Skies Above", both of which can be found on the album The Skies Above, published in 2004.[86] Uematsu continues to perform certain pieces in his Dear Friends: Music from Final Fantasy concert series.[87] The music of Final Fantasy X has also appeared in various official concerts and live albums, such as 20020220 Music from Final Fantasy, a live recording of an orchestra performing music from the series including several pieces from the game.[88] Additionally, "Swing de Chocobo" was performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra for the Distant Worlds – Music from Final Fantasy concert tour,[89] while "Zanarkand" was performed by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in the Tour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy concert series.[90] Independent but officially licensed releases of Final Fantasy X music have been composed by such groups as Project Majestic Mix, which focuses on arranging video game music.[91] Selections also appear on Japanese remix albums, called dojin music, and on English remixing websites.[92]
The Japanese version of Final Fantasy X included an additional disc entitled "The Other Side of Final Fantasy", which featured interviews, storyboards, and trailers for Blue Wing Blitz, Kingdom Hearts, and Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, as well as the first footage of Final Fantasy XI.[93] An international version of the game was released in Japan as Final Fantasy X International in January 2002, and in PAL regions under its original title. It features content not available in the original NTSC releases, including battles with "Dark" versions of the game's aeons and an airship fight with the superboss "Penance".[13] The Japanese release of Final Fantasy X International also includes "Eternal Calm", a 14-minute video clip bridging the story of Final Fantasy X with that of its sequel, Final Fantasy X-2.[94] The video clip was included in a bonus DVD for Unlimited Saga Collector's Edition under the name Eternal Calm, Final Fantasy X-2: Prologue. It was first released in Europe on October 31, 2003, and featured English voice-overs.[95]
The international and PAL versions include a bonus DVD called Beyond Final Fantasy, a disc including interviews with the game's developers, and two of the game's English voice actors, James Arnold Taylor (Tidus) and Hedy Burress (Yuna). Also included are trailers for Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts, a concept and promotional art gallery for the game, and a music video of "Suteki da ne" performed by Rikki.[96] In 2005, a compilation featuring Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 was released in Japan as Final Fantasy X/X-2 Ultimate Box.[97]
Square also produced various types of merchandise[98] and several books, including The Art of Final Fantasy X and three Ultimania guides, a series of artbooks/strategy guides published by DigiCube in Japan. They feature original artwork from Final Fantasy X, offer gameplay walkthroughs, expand upon many aspects of the game's storyline and feature several interviews with the game's designers. There are three books in the series: Final Fantasy X Scenario Ultimania, Final Fantasy X Battle Ultimania, and Final Fantasy X Ultimania Ω.[99] On December 18, 2012 the game will be re-released as part of the Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Ultimate Box release.[100]
On September 13, 2011, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy X would be re-released in high-definition for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, in celebration of the game's 10 year anniversary.[5] In January 2012, production of the game had started. Producer Yoshinori Kitase will once again be involved in the production of the game, wishing to work on its quality.[101] On February 18, 2013 the first footage of the PlayStation Vita version of Final Fantasy X HD was released, showing off HD models of Tidus, Yuna, Bahamut and Yojimbo.[6] On 19 March, it was confirmed that the PS3 version of the game would also include its sequel X-2, and that it will also be remastered in HD. The two HD remastered games for the PS3 will be released under the title Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD Remaster on a single Blu-ray disc game,[102] and will be sold separately on game cartridges on Vita in Japan and sold together in North America as a set, with FFX being on a cartridge and FFX-2 being included as a download voucher.[7] Downloadable versions will be available for both systems. Square Enix launched an official website for the two HD remastered titles in March 2013.[103] The games are set to contain all the content found in the International version, including Last Mission.[4] On November 18th, 2013, Sakura Minamida--Senior Product Manager at Square Enix--announced a March 2014 release date for the U.S. and European versions (March 18th, 2014 and March 21st, 2014, respectively).[104]
Famitsu reported that Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD sold approximately 339,000 copies on the PlayStation 3 and Vita within the first week of release in Japan, outselling Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII which sold 277,000 units on all platforms during its debut week.[105] On 26 December 2013, it was confirmed that development of the HD remaster had been outsourced to Shanghai-based developer Virtuos.[1]
Final Fantasy X received critical acclaim by the media, and enjoyed high sales figures. Square expected the game to sell at least two million copies worldwide owing to the reduced PlayStation 2's fanbase, making it smaller than the last three released titles.[118] However, within four days of its release in Japan, the game had sold over 1.4 million copies in pre-orders, which set a record for the fastest-selling console RPG.[119][120] These figures exceeded the performances of Final Fantasy VII and IX in a comparable period,[121] and Final Fantasy X became the first PlayStation 2 game to reach two million and four million sold copies.[122][123] In October 2007, the game was listed as the 8th best-selling game for the PlayStation 2.[124] The game has sold 6.6 million copies as of January 2004.[125]
Japanese and Western critics have generally given Final Fantasy X high review scores. The Japanese video game magazine Famitsu and Famitsu PS2 awarded the game a near-perfect 39/40 score,[126] and readers of the former magazine voted it the best game of all time in early 2006.[127] Another Japanese gaming magazine, The Play Station, gave the game a score of 29/30. Famitsu, Famitsu PS2, and The Play Station expressed particularly favorable responses toward the game's storyline, graphics, and movies.[126] The game maintains a 91% approval rating on GameRankings and 92 out of 100 on Metacritic.[115][116] Producer Shinji Hashimoto stated that the overall reception to the game was "excellent", having received praise and awards from the media.[66]
IGN's David Smith offered praise for the voice actors and the innovations in gameplay, particularly with the revised battle and summon systems, the option to change party members during battle, and the character development and inventory management systems. They also felt that the game's graphics had improved on its predecessors in every way possible, and that the game as a whole was "the best-looking game of the series [and] arguably the best-playing as well".[76] Greg Kasavin of GameSpot praised the game's storyline, calling it surprisingly complex, its ending satisfying, and its avoidance of role-playing game clichés commendable with Tidus viewed as an appealing protagonist. He also lauded the music, feeling it was "diverse and well suited to the various scenes in the game".[113] Similarly, GamePro described its character building system and battle system as "two of the best innovations in the series".[110] The visuals of the game were commended by GameSpy's Raymond Padilla, who referred to them as "top-notch", as well as giving praise to the character models, backgrounds, cutscenes, and animations.[114] The voice casting was praised by Game Revolution who noted most of them were "above average" and called the music "rich".[111]
Edge rated the game considerably lower, criticizing many aspects of the game for being tedious and uninnovative and describing the dialogue as "nauseating", particularly panning Tidus.[106] Andrew Reiner of Game Informer criticized the game's linearity and that players were no longer able to travel the world by chocobo or control the airship.[112] Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell noted that the game's puzzle segments were "depressing" and "superfluous", and that although the Sphere Grid was "a nice touch", it took up too much of the game.[8] The linearity of the game was positively commented on by GamePro who stated that a player would not be required to participate in side-quests or the mini-game to reach the game's conclusion, finding some of them unappealing.[110] Game Revolution complained that cutscenes could not be skipped, some even being too long.[111]
Final Fantasy X received the Best Game Award from the Japan Game Awards for 2001–2002.[117] In GameSpot's "Best and Worst Awards" from 2001, it came seventh in the category "Top 10 Video Games of the Year".[128] Final Fantasy X came in fifth on IGN's "Top 25 PS2 Games of All Time" list in 2007 and sixth in "The Top 10 Best Looking PS2 Games of All Time".[129][130] In a similar list by GameSpy, the game took the 21st place.[131] 1UP.com listed its revelation during the ending as the third-biggest video game spoiler, while IGN ranked the ending as the fifth best pre-rendered cutscene.[132][133] In a Reader's Choice made in 2006 by IGN, it ranked as the 60th-best video game.[134] It was also named one of the 20 essential Japanese role-playing games by Gamasutra.[135] It also placed 43rd in Game Informer's list of "The Top 200 Games of All Time".[136] In 2004, Final Fantasy X was listed as one of the best games by GameFAQs,[137] while in November 2005 it was voted as the 12th "Best Game Ever".[138] In a general overview of the series, both GamesRadar and IGN listed Final Fantasy X as the fourth best game.[139][140] At the sixth annual Interactive Achievement Awards in 2003, it was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Animation" and "Console Role-Playing Game of the Year".[141] At the end of 2007, it was named the ninth best-selling RPGs by the Guinness World Records.[120] Readers from GameFaqs also voted it as Game of the Year during 2001.[142] In 2008, readers of Dengeki magazine voted it the second best game ever made.[143] It was voted first place in Famitsu's and Dengeki's polls of most tear-inducing games of all time.[144][145] Both Tidus and Yuna have been popular characters in games in general due to their personalities and their romantic relationship.[146][147][148]
Due to its commercial and critical success, Square Enix released a direct sequel to Final Fantasy X in 2003, titled Final Fantasy X-2.[94] The sequel is set two years after the conclusion of Final Fantasy X, establishing new conflicts and dilemmas and resolving loose ends left by the original game. Although the sequel did not sell as well as the original, 3.96 million units versus 6.6 million units, it can still be considered a commercial success. As a result of the title's popularity, Yoshinori Kitase and Kazushige Nojima decided to establish a plot-related connection between Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy VII, another well-received Final Fantasy game.[149] In 2013, after the release of the HD Remaster, Nojima stated that he would like to see a second sequel to X, and if there were demand for it, it could happen.[150]
The advancements in portraying realistic emotions achieved with Final Fantasy X through voice-overs and detailed facial expressions have since become a staple of the series, with Final Fantasy X-2 and other subsequent titles (such as Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy XII, XIII and its sequels, and XV) also featuring this development. Traversing real-time 3D environments instead of an overworld map has also become a standard of the series, as demonstrated in Final Fantasy XI, XII, XIII and its sequels, XIV and XV. Final Fantasy X can be considered a pioneer in 3-D RPG maps.[151]
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Final Fantasy X.
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Pros: work with AA type, sucks out all the eletricity from battery, VERY bright (in comparison with other AA-type flashlights). Proce is lower than any flashlight at local stores (Europe). Cons: dont have glass breaking corona, rubber tip of switch can be fluorescent. Flashlight almost ultimate! Thats ... Read more
Extremely good quality at an excellent price. Very good value flashlight. Very bright for it's size and type of batteries. Very good color, more on the green hue side than white. But I prefer this over the "cool" blue hue of other LEDs. Button is forward clicky and works perfectly. Had this ... Read more
Well made thing! Very bright for just one AA battery. High density of light beam. Deep reflector. Looks perfectly. It works with rather discharged battery. It will be better, if flow of light is distributed evenly on the light spot. I bought it for home. Five months later i bought another one and put ... Read more
Very well made, quality, very bright for 1AA Big, only high power, price, only works with 1 type of battery Very well made torch, it is very bright for 1AA, I have lots of torches from DX and I still consider this to be bright. It could really do with a lower power mode, even if you do not intend to ... Read more
Very bright for 1XAA. Easy to find batteries. Not throw or flood but something between. If head is removed then it can be a very nice flood light. Forward click button. Water resistant. Unique gray color. Wrist strap included. After some months light started flickering. This problem is resolved by removing ... Read more
This thing is rad!!! The optics make it so the throw and the flood are useful without adjusting the bezel. Great throw and flood at the same time. Find a setting and leave it there. Awesome light. I will be ordering more very soon. This one is going into my sons stocking for xmas. None so far. Could ... Read more
For my normal application, brightness is very good for its size and design. Very easy to use and maintain. Built quality is brilliant and it feels good in the hand even while screwing and unscrewing the reflector as well as the tail cap. Can easily be turned into a flood light when the reflector head ... Read more
-build quality is the best for a AA flashlight. -very deep reflector. -very far throw for a AA flashlight the best i have. ever seen. -good heat sinking. -very thick glass lens. -the led for this is a p4 witch is a little outdated but its still a nice bright white color. -the reflector mine came with ... Read more
+ good machining + big Reflector + good heat sink for an AA light + thick glass lens + waterproof - switch burnt after direct drive attempts - can't tail stand My changes: xp-g R4 neutral white and a 4x 1735 Driver for a 1,4A. Runtime on a 14500 (flames) is 49min till protection kicks in. Same Lumen ... Read more
I've never seen such a bright light thrown from such a tiny torchlight in my life! And it works from just one AA. The beam reaches up to a few hundred metres away! The beam is also very even. LED color temp is perfect. Build quality feels very solid. Never seen any cons yet... Not something you'd want ... Read more


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VACS Index Information and VACS Calculator
Last Updated May 28th, 2014
Summary of Evidence Support
The VACS Index
Frequently Asked Questions and
Summary of Evidence as of May, 2014
What is the VACS Index?
The Veterans Aging Cohort Study Index (VACS Index) creates a score by summing pre-assigned points for age, routinely monitored indicators of HIV disease (CD4 count and HIV-1 RNA), and general indicators of organ system injury including hemoglobin, platelets, aspartate and alanine transaminase (AST and ALT), creatinine, and viral hepatitis C infection (HCV) (Table 1)1. This score is specifically weighted to indicate increasing risk of all-cause mortality with increasing score. The score can be used to estimate risk of all-cause mortality using a conversion factor2. A calculator, summary of validation work to date, and a clinical interpretation of VACS Index scores can be found at http://vacs.med.yale.edu.
What does the VACS Index Do?
The VACS Index predicts all cause and cause specific mortality and other outcomes in those living with HIV infection and mortality among those without HIV infection. It responds to important changes in risk related to treatment and health behaviors. It improves upon the accuracy of provider assessment (clinical judgment) of mortality risk. Specific evidence is bulleted below.
- It predicts mortality among those in treatment with HIV infection: The Index was developed in veteran patients1 and its reproducible accuracy has been validated in other patient populations in North America and Europe1,2. It discriminates risk of mortality more effectively than an index restricted to CD4 count, HIV-1 RNA and age (Restricted Index) especially among those with undetectable HIV-1 RNA and those 50 or more years of age1,2. The accuracy of the Index for predicting mortality among HIV infected individuals in treatment meets or exceeds the accuracy reported for indices currently used in clinical practice3-5. Further, its accuracy is independent of length of antiretroviral treatment and is robust among important patient subgroups including women, people of color, those with HCV coinfection, and those over 50 years of age1,2. It is s also highly predictive of mortality among young active duty military relatively free of comorbid disease6 and among those initiating salvage antiretroviral therapy after becoming resistant to at least two classes of antiretroviral therapy7.
- It predicts mortality among uninfected individuals: If you assume that those without HIV infection have no HIV-1 RNA (i.e. 0 points) and a CD4 cell count above 500 cells/mm3 (i.e., 0 points), the VACS Index also predicts mortality among those without HIV infection. This has been demonstrated for 30-day mortality from MICU admission8 and for long term (median of 5 years) mortality9.
- It predicts 30 day mortality, length of stay, and readmissions after bacterial pneumonia among HIV infected and uninfected older (50+ years) veterans (Barakat, IDSA 2013). This paper is currently under review.
- It is associated with frailty: frailty is defined as decreased ability to recover from additional injury10. It is associated with increased risk for a number of adverse outcomes including mortality, hospitalization, geriatric syndromes (falls, fragility fractures, and cognitive decline) and is strongly associated with chronic inflammation. The VACS Index is correlated with markers of chronic inflammation, microbial translocation, and hypercoagulability (IL-6, soluble CD14, D-dimer)11 with measures of functional performance9 and sarcopenia12, and with multiple measures of neuro cognitive performance13. The VACS Index predicts morbidity including hospitalization, medical intensive care unit admission14, and fragility fractures15. It is also associated with autonomic neuropathy16. It is likely an excellent measure of physiologic frailty. (A paper comparing the predictive accuracy of the VACS Index to that of the Frailty Related Phenotype for hospitalization and mortality is currently under review). Of note, the approach to frailty employed by the VACS Index is more attuned to the Rockwood conceptualization17 of frailty as accumulation of deficits than that of Fried18 which describes a clinical syndrome.
- It responds to important changes in health and health behaviors: VACS Index scores change in response to antiretroviral initiation19 and interruption6, and discriminate among levels of ART adherence19. VACS Index scores differ by level of smoking, alcohol consumption and hypertension20,21. When levels of alcohol consumption change among HIV infected subjects, the index score also changes. Similarly, when HIV infected subjects in treatment for substance abuse have positive urine toxicology screens, their scores are higher than when the same subjects have negative toxicology screens. (Papers reporting responsiveness of the VACS Index to changes in alcohol and substance use are in preparation).
- It is accurate in a wide range of patient population: VACS Index is strongly predictive of all-cause mortality in a wide range of HIV infected populations including those first initiating ART22, after the first year of ART1,2, among highly treatment experienced patients and among young military recruits6. It predicts well among men and women, older and younger subjects, those with and without HCV co infection, and those with and without HIV-1 viral suppression1,2,7.
- Itpredicts cause specific mortality: VACS Index predicts both HIV and non HIV associated mortality better than an index restricted to CD4 count, HIV-1 RNA, and age1. It predicts cardiovascular mortality as accurately as it predicts all cause mortality23.
- It improves accuracy of provider assessment of risk among HIV+/- individuals: Despite the fact that providers have results of the routine clinical biomarkers included in the VACS Index available at the time of assessment, provider assessments do not accurately incorporate the implications of these tests for risk of mortality among those with or without HIV infection. For both veterans with and without HIV infection, provider assessments of severity of illness ("How sick is this patient?") and risk of 10 year mortality were substantially less accurate than estimates based upon the VACS Index and were considerably improved when combined with the VACS Index24. Thus, the VACS Index adds important insight to provider assessment of severity of illness and risk of mortality.
How modifiable is the VACS Index?
Over the course of the first 12 months of ART, CD4 and HIV-1 RNA change dramatically, but so does level of hemoglobin, FIB 4, and, to a lesser extent, eGFR. Similarly, values differ by level of adherence to ART, by smoking, by alcohol, by HCV status, by number of non ARV medications, and by physical function. As mentioned above under responsiveness to changes in health and health behaviors, VACS Index scores rise during negative health behaviors (alcohol and substance use) and fall when these behaviors are diminished or extinguished. It is likely that successful interventions in any or all of these domains would alter the VACS Index Score. (A paper summarizing how VACS Index scores change over the first 12 months of ART using data from NA-ACCORD and ART-CC combined is currently under review.)
Why is this useful?
Potential applications of the VACS Index include research and clinical care.
Research applications include risk adjustment, risk stratification and as an intermediate outcome. For example, observational studies frequently struggle with issues around confounding by indication when studying post marketing treatment effects. The VACS Index could be used as a powerful adjustment either directly or as part of a propensity score. Randomized trials often need to insure that the arms of the trial are equally at risk for the observed outcome (i.e., that the randomization worked), the VACS Index offers a means of making this determination taking into account a number of important predictors of major clinical outcomes). Conversely, randomization could be stratified by VACS Index score. Finally, change in VACS Index score could be used as a response measure for a number of diverse interventions, thereby allowing assessment of their comparative effectiveness.
The index may also be useful in motivating behavior change and prioritizing treatment. While the index does not include all potentially important targets for intervention (smoking, CVD risk factors, alcohol intake, ART adherence, etc.), it responds to differences in these factors and therefore reflects their effects. We are currently developing an extension of the VACS Index Calculator ap (http://vacs.med.yale.edu) that would support the use of the index to motivate health behavior change.
Are others starting to use the VACS Index?
As of May 2014, the VACS Index Risk Calculator (link above) has been accessed >70,000 times since March of 2013 and most of these represent repeated use. Fenway Healthcare System is exploring using the VACS Index to identify patients for intensive case management. The San Francisco General Hospital HIV clinic has incorporated the VACS Index scoring into its electronic medical record and is using it in patient management. Two NIH funded alcohol intervention trials are underway which include the VACS Index as an outcome. The AIDS Clinical Trials Group has begun to use the VACS Index in randomized trials (Abstract P-J1 537 Mortality Among HIV+ Participants Randomized ot Omit NRTIs vs. Add NRTIs in OPTIONS (ACTG A5241) CROI 2014). A group in Italy (FBCommunication) is developing an Italian language ap for the VACS Index for use in Italy.
Reference List
- Tate JP, Justice AC, Hughes MD et al. An internationally generalizable risk index for mortality after one year of antiretroviral therapy. AIDS 2013;27(4):563-572.
- Justice AC, Modur SP, Tate JP et al. Predictive accuracy of the Veterans Aging Cohort Study index for mortality with HIV infection: a North American cross cohort analysis. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2013;62(2):149-163.
- Vasan RS. Biomarkers of cardiovascular disease: molecular basis and practical considerations. Circulation 2006;113(19):2335-2362.
- D'Agostino RB, Sr., Grundy S, Sullivan LM, Wilson P. Validation of the Framingham coronary heart disease prediction scores: results of a multiple ethnic groups investigation. JAMA 2001;286(2):180-187.
- Yourman LC, Lee SJ, Schonberg MA, Widera EW, Smith AK. Prognostic indices for older adults: a systematic review. JAMA 2012;307(2):182-192.
- Bebu I, Tate J, Rimland D et al. The VACS Index Predicts Mortality in a Young, Healthy HIV Population Starting Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2014;65(2):226-230.
- Brown ST, Tate JP, Kyriakides TC et al. The VACS index accurately predicts mortality and treatment response among multi-drug resistant HIV infected patients participating in the options in management with antiretrovirals (OPTIMA) study. PLoS One 2014;9(3):e92606.
- Akgun KM, Tate JP, Pisani M et al. Medical ICU admission diagnoses and outcomes in human immunodeficiency virus-infected and virus-uninfected veterans in the combination antiretroviral era. Crit Care Med 2013;41(6):1458-1467.
- Erlandson KM, Allshouse AA, Jankowski C et al. Comparison of functional status instruments in HIV-infected adults on effective antiretroviral therapy. HIV Clin Trials 2012;13(6):324-334.
- Walston J, Hadley EC, Ferrucci L et al. Research agenda for frailty in older adults: toward a better understanding of physiology and etiology: summary from the American Geriatrics Society/National Institute on Aging Research Conference on Frailty in Older Adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 2006;54(6):991-1001.
- Justice AC, Freiberg MS, Tracy R et al. Does an index composed of clinical data reflect effects of inflammation, coagulation, and monocyte activation on mortality among those aging with HIV? Clin Infect Dis 2012;54(7):984-994.
- Oursler KK, Tate JP, Gill TM et al. Association of the veterans aging cohort study index with exercise capacity in HIV-infected adults. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2013;29(9):1218-1223.
- Marquine MJ, Umlauf A, Rooney AS et al. The Veterans Aging Cohort Study Index is Associated With Concurrent Risk for Neurocognitive Impairment. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2014;65(2):190-197.
- Akgun KM, Gordon K, Pisani M et al. Risk factors for hospitalization and medical intensive care unit (MICU) admission among HIV infected Veterans. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2013;62(1):52-59.
- Womack JA, Goulet JL, Gibert C et al. Physiologic frailty and fragility fracture in HIV-infected male veterans. Clin Infect Dis 2013;56(10):1498-1504.
- Robinson-Papp J, Sharma SK. Autonomic neuropathy in HIV is unrecognized and associated with medical morbidity. AIDS Patient Care STDS 2013;27(10):539-543.
- Rockwood K, Bergman H. FRAILTY: A Report from the 3(rd) Joint Workshop of IAGG/WHO/SFGG, Athens, January 2012. Can Geriatr J 2012;15(2):31-36.
- Fried LP, Ferrucci L, Darer J, Williamson JD, Anderson G. Untangling the concepts of disability, frailty, and comorbidity: implications for improved targeting and care. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2004;59(3):255-263.
- Tate JP, Justice AC, for the VACS Project Team. Change in a prognostic index for survival in HIV infection after one year on cART by level of adherence. 48th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Disease Society of America Vancouver, British Columbia. 10-21-2010. Ref Type: Abstract
- Do Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease Improve VACS Index Prediction of All Cause Mortality? 16th International Workshop on HIV Observational Databases (IWHOD); 12 Mar 29; 2012.
- Bryant K, McGinnis KA, Tate JP, Fiellin D, Justice A. The VACS Index Score Varies By Alcohol Level In Those With HIV. 2013 Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA) Annual Conference . 2013. Ref Type: Abstract
- Justice AC, McGinnis KA, Skanderson M et al. Towards a combined prognostic index for survival in HIV infection: the role of 'non-HIV' biomarkers. HIV Med 2009;11(2):143-151.
- Justice AC, Tate JP, Freiberg MS, Rodriguez-Barradas MC, Tracy R. Reply to Chow et al. Clin Infect Dis 2012.
- Justice A, Tate JP, Brown ST et al. Can the Veterans Aging Cohort Study Index Improve Clinical Judgement for Both HIV Infected and Uninfected Veterans? Society of General Medicine (SGIM) 36th Annual Meeting . 2013. Ref Type: Abstract


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Cup of Russia, League C 2012
The Cup of Russia, League C, a class A tournament, played from 06-07-2012 to 08-07-2012 in Sankt-Peterburg, Russia, was won by Nikita Khabazov 2d, second came Alexej Nakidkin 1d and third was Sergej Uspenskij 1d.
Result table.
placed by Newsbot at 22:09 Sun 15 July 2012
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