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Author Archives: Corelin
Armada Unleashed Part 1: WHAT'S IN THE BOX MAN?
Fantasy Flight Games has finally released Star Wars Armada. The game that lets you put Star Destroyers against Rebel Cruisers (This summer, because those are in Wave 2, and Wave 1 isn't even out yet).
Fantasy Flight Games does brilliant, fun, well designed games. The rules are clean, the models are attractive, the systems they are built on are balanced and well thought out. Star Wars Armada is more of the same, and at the same time is STILL a unique, and different game from X-Wing.
Anyway let's talk about the box. The box is big, heavy and loaded. Containing 10 squadrons of fighters (3 ships in each, 6 TIE-ln squadrons and 4 X-Wing squadrons) a CR90 Corvette, A Nebulon B Frigate, and a Victory class Star Destroyer. None of these are front line starships for any of the combatants, but they each have their own unique role. The models are a bit of a mixed bag. At one end you have the Star Destroyer which is an impressive slab, well shaded and attractive, with lots of detail, and the CR90 which is one of THE iconic ships of the franchise, looking sleek and potent. At the other end the fighters look more like ordinary game tokens and the Frigate's paint job is… amateurish. There's a good chance it's getting re done. None of them are necessarily bad but the fighters and frigate are disappointing, even though they are more than serviceable for gameplay.
The rest of the box is a cornucopia of goodies. A movement tool that looks like it might have started off in the dentists office, enough counters to play any four games I ever played growing up, objectives, ship data cards, damage cards, upgrades, identification cards, and of course the obligatory Range Ruler and Fantasy Flight Proprietary Dice Set.
The ONLY thing I don't like is the dice set. Look Fantasy Flight, I get it. You can sell dice and make a mint. I own your app already, I'm good. JEBUS am I getting tired of each and every game having a new dice set. I love the games, but man learning to read new dice every time is annoying.
The rest is very high quality thick cardboard, good cardstock and the parts that require assembly (shield counters, speed counters and command counters) fit together fast and intuitively.
I haven't played a game yet, but you can tell at a glance that it will run longer than X-Wing. Tournaments double the time of a game in the current rules, and I expect things will be frantic in that time frame. I would expect casual games to take 2-3 times as long, especially with the amount of pre-measuring that is allowed. My first impression is this is a fantastic game if you are interested in this scale of combat, and in battles that require development and strategy. Currently it loses a point for some of the models being a bit less than expected, and for the proprietary dice.
Raid Warning: On Radar
So right now my Hard Drive is a bit crowded. I'm going to talk about the major MMOs that I at least have installed, why I have them, and why you should consider them (if you should)
Get 'em While They Last
These are games that I don't think will last very long for whatever reason. These may or may not be bad games, but they are endangered for one reason or another.
Lord of the Rings Online
Where to start. Look. LotRO will be on my computer until they shut down the servers. I love the game, I love the community, and I loved many of the devs who have worked at Turbine over the years. But this game is heavily threatened on multiple fronts. First off they are going to lose their license. Right now I don't think there is anyone as pissed off as Christopher Tolkien is with the licensing structure of his Tolkien estate. So there's that. The player base continues to erode away under the winds of lackluster patches, no endgame content, buggy systems and overall disappointment. I'll make the march into Mordor with all the rest, probably through Cirith Ungol, but if this game is going 2 years from now I'll be surprised and if it's going 4 years from now I'll be stunned.
I would recommend playing though. You can see SO much detail and love for the world, and visit SO many famous locales that even if you are only a casual Tolkien fan you owe it to yourself to try it out for a couple months.
Star Wars The Old Republic
SWTOR has followed the development strategy of "Two steps forward, two steps back" ever since launch. It's a good game, it's a fun game and the stories should be played through by any fan of the Star Wars expanded universe. That being said the mouse is going to want a mint to extend the license and Bioware probably won't see the value in doing that based on the money they are making. There's still plenty of players out there but if the mouse takes his cheese and goes away there won't be a game, just more disappointed Star Wars fans.
This is another "Log in while it lasts" game. Do you really want to miss the chance to force-choke people or steal an Imperial prototype out from under the nose of a Sith Lord? I didn't think so.
Planetside 2
Who makes this now? Daybreak? Who is that? Oh. Does anyone work for them? Ouch. This one will last longer than the rest but… Don't invest a lot of time into it.
Notice how there's a lot of big IPs involved? Yeah this thing has been a massive disappointment. I just patched it and while that was downloading I lost interest in actually playing.
I Should Log in More
World of tanks
WoT is offering a lot of bonuses right now so I actually am logging in every day. I should probably play more though. This is just a fun game to drop in and pew pew. If you like it and especially if you have people to play with it's worth the time.
League of Legends
This is another game that I can log into for 20 minutes, play a game or two, or drop 6 hours on in a binge. It's a fun game if you invest the time into it but my GOD is the community shit.
Chugging Along
World of Warcraft
Not logging in a whole lot. The games in a great place, and it'll be in a great place without me. The problem with this run through isn't that the game isn't fun. It is. The problem is that you can do everything you want to do pretty fast and just don't feel like you have to do a lot more unless you put in the time on alts.
The Secret World
Every time there's a story I get excited, patch, and try to remember my login. This game has SO much potential but whenever I play it feels janky and like there's no plan for most of the fights. The story is fun, even better than SWTOR in a lot of ways but the gameplay feels poor by comparison.
Star Trek Online
Another one of those "It's worth logging in to take the tour" games, STO sets the bar low and revels in fan service, acceptable, if mediocre-to-average gameplay and capitalizing on a community that wants to make the game MUCH better with its robust fleet and foundry systems. It would be nice to see more developer driven content, and there is some neat stuff on the horizon. I spend a fair amount of time in the Alpha quadrant these days, albeit not as much as I probably should.
EvE Online
Unsubbed right now, maybe even for good, although I doubt it. I just don't ever feel like I've done anything when I log out.
The Time Sink
Final Fantasy XIV
FFXIV has become the time sink that EvE would be if I could get anything done these days. I always have made progress in something and now that I've set some goals for myself I'm actually enjoying working through all the stuff I want to get done. The game is a blast to play, visually stunning, the score is fantastic and the sound effects… the score is stunning! The community is great with far more helpful people than dickheads even if the dickheads retain the ability to be incredibly annoying from time to time.
So that's what's on my menu right now. How about you guys?
What do Hannibal, and Robert E. Lee have in common?
They lost.
They were also very unlikely to ever win.
Hannibal and Lee won famous, shattering victories. They won seminal battles and frequently dictated the course of entire campaigns if not wars with impunity for extended periods of time. They dominated the battlefield, imposing their will on the enemy. Yet they lost.
There were operational reasons they lost, Hannibal had no ability to breach the walls of Rome, or to besiege it. Lee never had the resources to force a major decision. But that wasn't the extent of it.
They didn't have the ability to string victories together to break the will of the enemy to fight like Scipio Africanus, or Grant and to carry through on their battlefield victories to conclude their wars.
Hannibal entered Italy and proceeded to destroy every army the Romans could scrape together time after time. To the point where the Romans more or less sat behind their walls and ignored the armies as much as possible. Hannibal could win all the battles he wanted but he couldn't break Rome's will.
Lee won victories just as devastating but he lacked the capability to string these victories together. On occasion he simply left the field and failed to seek a final decision, settling for driving back the Federal armies, but he never could turn A victory into victory for his "country".
The US has won nearly every battle in the Vietnam War, and in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet at the end of our contribution to the Vietnam war the North Vietnamese overran the south at about the same speed as they could drive through it. Iraq is as stable as a 3 year old doing cocaine and it's an open question whether the current regime in Afghanistan could hold a PTA meeting let alone the determined Taliban offensive that is in the offing. We are a great nation for winning battles but we have forgotten that you have to win the war. We assume that if you score enough points time will run out and you can dump the gatorade and go hit the showers.
To win you have to set your goal and work backwards. Hannibal knew he had to take Rome but once his siege train was lost in the Alps he never reconstructed it (and it might not have done any good against Rome's walls) and Rome is a rather hard city to besiege. Lee never could make the assault on Washington DC or destroy a Federal Army enough to let him inflict serious damage on the North to force a decision, instead scoring victories then letting the Union lick its wounds until the next time. America hasn't set a goal since wrapping up the show on the U.S.S. Missouri and since then we have spent a lot of time accomplishing very little.
"But Corelin" I hear you ask "This is a gaming blog. Why are we talking about this stuff?"
Because it's my damn blog! GET OFF MY LAWN.
And because it's important in gaming. Sun Tzu famously said "Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win." I realize quoting him is a bit pompous. You may have read my blog before, it happens. Hannibal, Lee, and every US General since Ike put down his stars has forgotten this lesson. They go into battles prepared to win but not wars.
EvE Online has seen this as well. When I was in CoW our "Planning" was lucky to get 20 people with the right ships/fights in anything like the area we were fighting in. The Russians on the other hand were famous for getting the ever living snot knocked out of them for months then suddenly winning the whole damn war. Goons take meticulous planning to the level of any modern organization to turn their cavalcade of clumsy cohorts into a well-oiled machine. Admittedly a steampunky, lurching, "who knows what that bit" does machine but it gets the job done.
When you are getting into a game you need to set goals, and you need to at least be able to figure out how to reach them. FF XIV has lots to do and it's very easy to get overwhelmed by choices. EvE has an even bigger menu and higher bars to leap to get there. Minecraft is a mind boggling game with nearly infinite possibilities (your world is about the size of Neptune) where you can get lost for days until you realize what you want to do, or just give up.
On the tabletop you are given objectives. You know what you have to do to win you just have to do it. And keep your opponent from doing it. The same rules apply though. Just because you have an objective doesn't mean you are past step one. You have to define the objective in a way that your force can accomplish it, and hope they can. You have to plan what you will do to overcome your opponents moves and then you have to execute.
Have a plan. Stick to it. And let me know if you want me to write a post on how Lee was a terrible General.
I Level Capped my Money Making Job! Now I'm poor.
So my miner hit 50! Always a good time in FF XIV. Now I have access to high level crafting mats. I can efficiently farm crystals and in-demand materials to buff my wallet. AND I'M OVER A MILLION GIL POORER AND MIGHT PAY MORE THAN 4 MILLION TO MAX IT OUT.
Yeah. I'm POOR. I mean incredibly poor. I'm nowhere NEAR first to market of course, and I can't gather the absolute top end gear. I'm making money at an acceptable rate, I could probably clear a couple hundred thousand on a work night and I don't doubt I could clear a million on a GOOD weekend binge. Between the ventures I can complete and the unspoiled nodes as well as crystal grinding or finding key materials to farm I am quite sure I can make a lot of money out there but WOW is it pricey.
Right now we are a month or so out from the 2.55 or whatever patch which will probably be the last content patch before Heavesward. Heavensward will render all my gear useless and require me to start over. That being said it's not the worst money grind I've ever had and it's certainly a different sort of engagement in gameplay style.
Money isn't a huge deal in FF XIV. There's not a lot of things you need to buy and it seems like accumulating it to buy vanity gear or to fill in key pieces (or help level an alt) is the big priority. I will keep grinding money and try to figure out the best ways and places to spend it when the expansion drops but it will be interesting to see how fast I can make money and how worthwhile it is to upgrade gear I will be dropping in three months or less.
For the Love of the Game: Final Fantasy
So I've played Final Fantasy for a long time. My parents bought me the first one for the NES so long ago they might even have still been married. I was only barely old enough to understand 90% of what was going on and much of the game was simply beyond me. I bought and read the guides, I played the game and eventually beat it. As young as I was this was an incredible accomplishment. Keeping the focus to grind away, figuring out the game systems enough to actually beat the various levels, cutting through thousands of enemies and finally solving the "clues" in the game to bring down Chaos. I still love this game and have re-purchased it several times. The characters are bland, with no lines and no personality as the party is highly variable, and the NPCs are scarcely more developed but the game was fun, with interesting puzzles and challenges and I still love it.
FF XIV Callback: This is the toughest one. A four fiends dungeon might be fun. Warmech Primal fight could be a truly epic battle. Unfortunately by modern standards this game is kind of thin.
The next game I got to play "originally" was FF IV on the SNES. This game was a horse of a different color for sure. The story was far more advanced, with characters who came and went as the story demanded, who had personalities and abilities and motivations that differed from each other. This game included some of the great characters, with Kain, Cecil, Palom, Porom and Tellah all being amazing, the ubiquitous Cid had one of his better appearances and while the ladies weren't up to their later qualities they were at least interesting characters. This is another game that was very easy to enjoy and that I thoroughly relished beating and playing over again.
FF XIV Callback: This game also should have the next iteration of the Crystal Tower in the Tower of Zot. Seriously squenix. MAKE THIS HAPPEN. And yes I know Demon Wall was already in FF XIV. TOWER OF ZOOOOOOOT!
Final Fantasy VI was the next to grace our chores and it's my favorite of the series. Goodness what a game. Terra and Locke share a spotlight that has a lot of work to do to cover the best overall cast of any FF game. The real star of the game, though, is Kefka, the kind of guy that gives nihilism a bad name. Kefka takes this game from being a top tier game in a great series to being the defining game in the series. From his appearance to his theme to his mad laugh, Kefka came to personify everything you hated in a villain. Oh and he treated you with such utter contempt. WOW did he piss me off. One of the longest games for me to beat but OHHHHHH so satisfying.
FF XIV Callback: The part of this I'd love to see in XIV would have to be the Phantom Train. Yes I know WoW JUST did a train dungeon. Fuck it. Let's show these folks how it's done.
Final Fantasy VII is my third favorite. Yes it fell that low. It's NOT a bad game at all. It's a great game and it added a lot without betraying the core of Final Fantasy. Cloud is a great hero who stands tall even when his world comes apart at the seams. The rest of the party is a lot of fun, my problem is with Sephiroth. The giant emo bastard just pisses me off the wrong way. It's like he wants your approval at the same time as he's stabbing Aeris in the back. He's not a villain, he's a bully. He just rubbed me the wrong way and the lack of an awesome hero combined with a villain who didn't do it for me knocks the game down even though the gameplay, the graphics, the cast, and the story were fantastic.
FF XIV Callback: We just got the gold saucer, maybe not what I'd have picked but certainly a worthy callback for this game.
Final Fantasy VIII was my first real disappointment in the series. From Cloud, who manned up after finding out terrible terrible things about his own life, to Squall who had his greatness handed to him and WHINES about it like a little baby. Yeah he eventually gets his shit together but it finally happens in the most lazy, grudging, and painful way possible. Finishing this game was a godsend. There were good sequences and some of the changes were interesting but my GOD Squall was a whiny bastard. I've never rooted for the villains as much as I did in this game.
FF XIV Callback: You know what,I'm good stopping at triple triad. I'm sure there's some dungeon, some event that I missed but… fuckit I'm good calling it a day.
Final Fantasy IX was a breath of fresh air. It was old school final fantasy, it was young, energetic, filled with laughter and brilliance. It also features the absolute best and bravest hero in the series. Vivi is the MAN. Faced with a lifespan better measured in months than years, racism and hostility, and a rain of bad news sufficient to make Noah look for lumber; he tightens his belt, steps up to the plate and does what needs doing. Zidane is great, Garnet is good, Freya is good, the whole party is fun but Vivi makes the game. There's no comparison between him and Cloud or Squall or even Cecil. He's on another level and quickly becomes a beloved character. The gameplay is classic ATB, the summons are fun, and the atmosphere is fantastic. It easily earns it's spot as the 2nd best game in the series.
FF XIV Callback: This one kind of screams for Hildibrand. I mean they could do something with the Lifa tree, but Hildibrand seems like he'd like "I want to be your canary".
Final Fantasy X is a really interesting game. There's a lot to be said positive and negative. It's a tearjerker for sure, and Tidus is an interesting hero. He might be the only guy in the world who whines MORE than Squall… but Squall is a volunteer special forces soldier whereas Tidus is a sports superstar who finds himself in the middle of the most awful war he could imagine. And then things get worse. The difference is Tidus mans up fast and Squall is still whining. This game had a brilliant cast of people who interacted like you would imagine real people would in these situations, villains you love to hate, a story that drives you to binge-play like mad and and ending that just yanks the rug out from under you.
FF XIV Callback: Can we make it so I can kill Seymour Guado a lot? I mean like a lot. I mean like low level dungeon trash? FINE but Anima HAS to be a Primal fight. And I want to kill Seymour.
FF XII is next. I'm not doing the MMOs. Ugh. What a bland game. You give up a ton of control and eventually figure out the best way to play the battles is to come up with a good script and walk away. Then you do the same for the rest of the game. The story is interesting but not urgent, the characters are bland and I just couldn't make myself finish it.
FF XIV Callback: Honestly I don't know. There's a lot I still don't know about this game.
FF XIII I did manage to finish. The tutorial on how to do the credits was a nice touch, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. This game suffered by alternating between leading you by the hand and murdering you with bosses whose abilities had suddenly escalated by an order of magnitude. It's a weird game with a lot of systems I liked but I couldn't get attached to the characters and the voice acting was just painful to listen to. It really really was.
FF XIV Callback: I loved the huge flying fal'Cie. Running raids through one of these (active or fallen) could be one hell of a lot of fun.
The Curse of a Good Community
So FF XIV, LotRO and EvE all have one problem in common. They have great communities. I'm not kidding. They all have great communities. And that's a problem at times.
Tonight I was running the monotonous drudgery that is Dzemael Darkhold. I'm not sure whether it's the worst dungeon in FF XIV (Cutter's Cry is close and some people hate Aurum Vale just as much) but it's not a fun dungeon. I was helping a FC mate through it, and he had only run it once so we were going to clear things thoroughly and rather deliberately. I wasn't going to race through and I wasn't going to skip lots of things. We got a DPS and a healer through Duty Finder and off we went. And immediately the complaints began. Now I'll take complaints from a healer. It friggin sucks to have your queue be this dungeon, and to have a group wanting a full clear. Then our DPS started bitching. About everything. I invited him to keep talking if he wanted to wait for another 45 minute DPS queue.
By the end I was heated. I was upset at the way I and my EXTREMELY new friend had been treated by these guys. They were rude, inconsiderate, and constantly pushing for bigger pulls and faster clears even though the healer was going OOM as soon as I pulled more than one group at a time. They kvetched like my grandmother when I forget to call (which… I need to do) and were all over the place hitting targets and pulling extra mobs. It was a fiasco. The bosses went down easily, which is a bit of a surprise in DD.
What made it that much more painful is that this game has a great community. 99% of the time you'd get supportive people giving advice, then hearing what your intentions are, and why you are doing it this way, working with you instead of against you. We had one of our DPS sitting out a fight because he didn't think we should bother with side rooms.
EvE has people who will shit up the game sometimes, and some of that is to be expected in a game, but others will take things too far. Out of game threats, homophobic slurs, asshattery that frankly demeans the community and the insulter far more than the insultee. And yes I'm making new words here. You don't like it make you own blog.
LotRO has people that will use any excuse, bug or other opportunity to harass the large RP community, and finding people for raids can be… ugh. Also the line between casuals and elitists is SO thick it's a lethal weapon. You can get whomped by it because someone thinks your legendaries are crap. I've only run into it once or twice but MY GOD is it awful.
And all of these things are made worse because the communities in these games are SO GOOD. The podcasts, blogs, news sites, vlogs, forums…. everything. It's so good! There's so much content generated by the community and it all helps a lot. Even divisive people add a ton through both what they generate and the spin off comments and hate that adds even more entertainment. It all adds up to a situation that when you get genuinely toxic people, people who have no interest in helping others meet their goals, who just want to do their thing or who actively seek to destroy other people's experience.
Ok rant over. This weekend I'll talk about getting our new guy geared up once he hits 50 on Dragoon. That's right folks. Dead Dragoon jokes incoming!
Making Legendary Legendary
So two of my favorite games are FF XIV and LotRO. They have something in common and it's something I love and hate about the games. That thing is the legendary / relic weapons. These are weapons that can grow with you (theoretically). These are really iconic systems in both games, and there's been a lot of words spilled over both systems but hey, I'm all about beating dead horses so grab a club and let's get to it!
Legendary weapons are unlocked through a level 50 quest that everyone runs at 45. The initial weapon lasts you until about .01 seconds after you turn 51. The weapon you ground so long to get will then be broken up for spare parts. No kidding. Imagine if Bilbo had gotten Sting, then picked up St1ng and Stung or whatever and realized it was .3% better and said SEE YA WEAPON OF LEGEND, broken it into pieces and used a couple of those pieces on the new weapon. Then the rest of the fragments get melted down into more fragments. This is the most EvE like part of the game with level 100 weapon development often involved hours of planning with spreadsheets, tons of bag space, more hours of grinding, and lots of money (real or in-game) and a lot of luck. You can spend a lot of time working on a first age weapon only to get totally hosed by it having only 3 base major legacies. 4 is considered good (or useable) and you can buy one extra for each weapon. I've seen one with a base 5 and everyone has HEARD of someone who got 6 majors but I've never seen it on any weapon you would want to use (and it's diminishing returns anyway by that point) but anytime you spend hours and hours raiding or dozens/hundreds more grinding to get items to make a first age only to get screwed by an RNG mechanic…. Fuck that. The system doesn't feel very legendary and without a lot of planning and work you can go down a road that requires you to redo a lot of the planning on the weapons. There's also more grinding to upgrade the legacies to make them cheaper to level up so you can level up more legacies and if this doesn't make much sense… well… that's why I say it doesn't feel legendary. It's a great concept with meh planning and poor implementation leading to a real mess.
Ohhhh Relic Weapons. First you grind. Then you grind A LOT more. Then you grind some more. Then there's some building of your weapon. Which involves a metric ton of grinding. Then you grind some more. Then you give up and find a group to run final coil and get a better weapon anyway. Let me talk a bit about the grind. Just to get the base (ilvl 80) weapon you need to: Get a broken weapon. Buy/Make and then upgrade/pay someone to upgrade another weapon. Fight a Chimera (one of the more annoying bosses for melee/tanks). Run Amdapor Keep, which used to be a real pain in the neck and is now very fun due to how much damage a group can have. Kill 24 beastmen with a poor version of the weapon you want, kill a Hydra, which is an annoying boss for EVERYBODY. Kill Ifrit (cake). Kill Garuda (pie a la mode). Kill Titan (fuck fuckity fuck fuck this can be a nightmare). Buy some oil (hope you have some soldiery handy) and finally COLLECT YOUR WEAPON. That's step one. The next step involves grinding soldiery (can be done in an evening) to upgrade to the ilvl 90.
Ok. You're done with the easy part. Now you have to farm Fates to get Atma. Fates are open world events and Atma are random drops. Supposedly around 15% but at one point they were as low as 2%. This can easily eat a whole weekend just to upgrade one weapon and you will find that, for the item level it has very low stats. There's a reason for that. Its power hasn't been unlocked yet! You need to grind more soldiery tokens to get books, then do what the books say to unlock the power. This can take a week or so now, but it could take forever back in the day when there was a weekly cap on soldiery that was less than what you needed to get a book.
Done yet? Nope. Time to grind more Fates, and while you are at it there's now two levels of RNG hell. First you need Alexandrite to drop, then you use the alexandrite to meld specific stats into a weapon to increase secondary stats that you choose. Great! I get to pick my upgrade path! Only Alexandrites aren't a guaranteed drop and the melds can fail meaning I need even more of them. Grind-fucking-tastic.
Then you need Light. Light isn't nearly as random and while it will be another grindtastic hell to get it all done, at least the RNG gods can't shit all over you for hours on end.
Not done yet though. Now for the Zodiac Brave step. 400k gil (Which I actually have now, miracle of miracles) 80k grand company seals (you should actually have this by now if you've been paying attention) 6400 MORE soldiery tomestones. Which you won't have. Drop from 15 dungeons, which frankly should get you a lot of the way to that 6400 soldiery, crafted mats (hint they ain't cheap) desythesized mats (even less cheap) and some gathered mats, which are cheapish all things told. Oh and some random other mats that you probably have sitting in your bags anyway.
Now for the kicker. You can get alternate weapons that will be just fine. One of them is frankly an upgrade to my way of looking at things, dropping a useless stat for a useful one. Some of the weapons are truly phenomenal (there's one for every class) some are a bit meh. They do look amazing and will hopefully lead to better things later on but for now I'm underwhelmed. I completed step 3 today, and will start gathering books this week. I'm looking at about two weeks of this (!) to get my weapon better than the one I already have, and even then I've got one stat I just don't want on it, then on to alexandrite. I don't feel like I'm working on something legendary, I feel like a hamster on a wheel. A heavily randomized and slow wheel.
Fine Fine Fine What do you Want?
Well that's the real trick. I love how LotRO gives you access to the system early. I would love to find a 1st Age Weapon in Moria and bring it with me all the way. I want it to really level up with me as I move along. Especially because the Moria weapons look GREAT. I would open them up even earlier. Most games have a point where the leveling process drops off a cliff. I mean really really harsh. For WoW it's the 30s and 40s and LotRO this is around 25. FF XIV has it in the 30s. You know what would spice this up? Starting on your legendary weapon. It's one thing to have a grindfest at endgame when it's grinds on top of grinds, but if you spread it out over levels upon levels, well, it's not so bad. You can have it undergo a marked increase in power as you reforge it. Especially in a system like FF XIV where each class only uses one weapon type. In a game like WoW or LotRO you might have to invent some deus ex machina stuff to get around people wanting to switch to a different weapon or different type of weapon (1h vs. 2h for example).
So start it earlier, spread out the grind. Now I want control. Primary stats only please. Let me chase down questlines for secondary stats, let me infuse it with power from the blood of my enemies, let me quench it in the nameless depths below the deepest caverns, or temper it in the heat of the hottest volcano. Let the weapon become part of the characters story. Make it an Excalibur, a Sting, an Anduril, an Icingdeath, a Durandal, something of power and mystery. Something that gains the traits the wielder and creator wants, not some arbitrary set.
I want it to feel legendary. The best results should take time, but more importantly, skill. Want the highest, most powerful version? Be ready for challenging content, raid tier and solo content that is demanding and puts you through trials to earn the right to carry the greatest weapon, not just get carried by friends, but mastering your class, playing at a high level and earning the best rewards. Doing normalized content, where the challenge scales with your level and gear so you can't just overpower it. I want to walk into town with my glowing blade of light and have people KNOW they are dealing with someone who knows what he's about.
FF could start the quest with the Ifrit trial, granting you a weapon from the otherwise dropless fight. It starts with mediocre stats but as you progress you infuse it with more power, with optional quests to grant you more and more stats and slots for secondary stats. Unlocking the last stats and the highest upgrades should take truly legendary levels of skill, but it shouldn't require endlessly doing a low return on time invested task.
The Elegance of Final Fantasy
So Final Fantasy XIV has come to take a BIG part of my gaming time again. This game just cannot be shaken from the rotation. I'm going to make a list of things I love.
- The slower Global Cooldown. I do sometimes feel like I don't have anything to do, there are times when it causes things to lag, but if you manage to lineup some cooldowns off the global cooldown you feel like a rock star, and it gives you a LOT of time to enjoy the battle environment, animations, music, everything.
- The visceral thrill that is Final Fantasy's music and graphics. This game is stunningly beautiful and the music is amazing. Primal fights especially feature thematic music with a very "primal" theme. From the drums-pounding relentless beat of Titan to the melodic, paced Ramuh theme these songs add so much flavor to a rich game. The graphics are, if anything, better. The cities are huge and often inconvenient, but beautifully done and you feel like you're exploring them. The world is even more so, not as sprawling as that of Everquest or FF XIs MASSIVE planets, but large and wide in a way that forces you to really dig into the world, the lack of flying mounts helps as well.
- The game design has a lot of thought going into it and it shows. I don't agree with all the decisions. One day I will build an aetheryte plaza in Vesper Bay. However the integration of the games many dungeons, FATEs and sidequests makes the game a smooth ride once you get used to the system.
- The game teaches you to play. I may get the wife into this in a couple months. From the tutorials to the guildhests this game will spoon feed you lessons. Sometimes it's patronizing, until you get into a group in a dungeon and think "wow… these guys should play the guildhests,"
- The community. Look I love EvE Online and it STILL has the best community out there. While simultaneously having the most dangerous community out there. But MAN these guys are usually fantastically accepting, willing to deal with the wipefests and help each other out through thick and thin. Sure there's been some parties where people freak out, but not like I've dealt with in WoW or ANYTHING like the trailer park shit I've dealt with in EvE. Do they reach the same heights of brilliance as the best of EvE or WoW? No. But I'll take the calm tyvm.
- A relentless focus on PvE. Look I like PvP. When I want it I can log into WoT, LoL, and ruin someones evening. They do that aspect well. Squenix doesn't try to mix bubble gum into salsa, SWTOR has been wrecked by trying to balance the two, even WoW with resources that are practically limitless, can't do it perfectly. FF XIV gives us a tacked on sort of PvP that I have a hard time remembering exists.
- Interesting classes. I know some people don't find a ton of variety and I think I see what they are point, but it boils things down to such an abstract that we're all pressing 1-= with modifiers for different skillbars. Summoners, Black Mages and Bards have WILDLY different playstyles and roles that go way deeper than "ranged DPS" White Mages and Scholars are very different, as are Paladins and Warriors. The melee DPS is the one place I see some blending, but even then the utility difference between Monks, Dragoons and Ninjas makes a huge difference. Each class has its own style, and its own partisans.
- Story. There's a lot of story. It goes on and on. It's classic Final Fantasy stuff chock full of JRPG drama and adds a lot to the experience.
Which is not to say the game is perfect. There's things that do hurt it and make for sizeable humps in the road.
- Uninspiring Mechanics. Look some of these bosses just aren't interesting. As a tank I more or less have to grab the boss, turn him, and keep him from AOEing the group and that's about it for maybe 4/5 bosses. That's not to say there aren't individual challenges and/or cooldown rotations, but you could fall asleep as a tank at times and that takes doing.
- Crutches and Crutch Removal. Every AOE has a marker on the group. ALMOST. You get used to dodging out of them then that ONE boss comes up and WHAMMO everyone is eating boots to the head. No Bueno.
- Grindfests. You don't even want to know. Look up some guides on relic weapons. Wow. I haven't even really tried it.
- Story. Yeah it's here too. First they give you what amounts to a cell phone. Which you mostly use by nodding your head to whatever is said because you're a Final Fantasy Hero. Then every mission requires you to go back to the same start point anyway. Usually in Vesper Bay requiring a wasted 2-3 minutes of travel time. It also stifles a good bit of player creativity. It's hard to blog about the story when it's THAT cut and dry. Not that that will slow me down.
- Lag. My god the lag. It's ridiculous and I know I'm not the only one to have screamed in frustration when Titan knocks me a mile off the platform WELL after I got clear of the landslide. Grumble grumble.
Look this is a really really good game. I'm not going to say it's a great game. It's fanboyish as hell. If you love Final Fantasy you owe it to yourself to play it because it is CHOCK FULL of callbacks to earlier games. From the enemies, to the music, the the bosses, to the allies there's endless references to the enemies we've hated, the allies we've loved, the allies we've hated and the enemies we've loved. Chocobos are in, Biggs, Wedge and Cid are together as they should be, Malboros have bad breath, and you DO… NOT… FUCK… WITH… TONBERRIES. Seriously.
Sea Change
Two huge items in gaming news this week. The first is that Massively is gone. This is surprising at first look but now that I've had time to think about it there really isn't much to be surprised about. Basically there's a lot of problems with Massively
- Groupon School of Journalism: Look I have a lot of respect for anyone who makes a living doing something creative. I consider writing my biggest strength on the creativity side and let's face it, I'm ok. I can capture a phrase, I can communicate but I'm not the next Kurt Vonnegut, Mark Twain or even Doctrine Man!. All that being said… the writing quality at Massively was all over the place. Even article to article by the same writer you never knew if you were getting a carefully crafted piece or a hack job taken straight from the game in questions website.
- Poor Editorial Direction: Not covering news on events in game, especially when you are writing about… say… EvE Online, is like writing about fashion in the halls of Congress but not about ANYTHING else. You are missing the point even if the suits are nice. Neutering your coverage or having other writers step in who don't know the game/community/meta to cover breaking events means you look awful, especially when the community itself can provide capable coverage (as EvE bloggers do)
- Formatting: Look at the website. It's functional. It works. There's a lot of whitespace. It's painfully white, and just… dull.
- The Media Itself: For all the success Massively had, it was a written word format site in a media meta dominated by podcasts, streams, vlogs, tweets, and with more formats all the time… written articles just don't grab the key demographics. AOL may have killed something that was successful while it was still successful but the writing for this format (including blogs like this) is on the wall.
Now I feel awful for the people that worked there. From what they've been posting the experience has been awful with uncertainty, rumors, and apathy rampant from their corporate masters. Now these people have to scrabble for work and I hope they find it. I've enjoyed the page for all the criticism I've leveled at it and I wish them all a swift, safe landing with bosses who understand things better and who give them the creative direction, freedom, and inspiration they will need to succeed.
Then there's the SOE fiasco. WOW. This is… I can't… I don't… Ok I wouldn't trade places with John Smedley for anything right now. I follow him on Twitter, along with about 73 thousand other people. He's a brilliant social media, guy, but man there's no way to spin this. I don't think the investors will be doing much with any of the IPs outside of Planetside 2, Everquest, and… well… let's count ourselves lucky if those come out. The company will be sold for parts and soon, and I suspect that Smed himself is actively looking for a "new challenge" to take on that doesn't involve shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic.
New Year, New Thoughts
Ok It's a new year I should probably talk a bit about what my plans are and how they affect the blog. First off I just can't play EvE anymore. It doesn't attract me, it isn't fun, and I don't have time for it. Hanging out for 30 minutes to wait for a fleet that takes 2 hours to engage to lose my ship in the first moments because I'm way up in the alphabet just sucks. Unfortunately this rather trashes the central trunk of my blog as EvE Online is by far the easiest game out there to write about. But if I wanted easy I'd play WoW so let's see what I am playing.
Well, actually…. WoW
The game is in a great place at the moment. The devs have done a good job of distilling the game down to the essence of what they want it to be, finding engaging things for you to do, and letting you do them. They've made everything from leveling to raiding accessible and other than how flat and dull PvP feels for me everything just works. I'm working on alts right now and have my 100 arms warrior just cleaving the hell out of things.
Revan is an interesting subject for an expansion and I hope they do him justice. I've heard some dark things and the early part of the story is frankly bizzare. My Sith Jugg is a Dark Lord of the Sith and one of the most powerful beings in the Empire and you are afraid of him because… you think he's a pirate? WTF. I hope the writing gets better. Gameplay wise I'm happy with it. I feel more powerful, the tuning was well done and I hope to see more developments like that.
Awwww yeah. Nothing says fun like little painted men. I've got some plans for this year, including hopefully a journeyman league run in the summer. Currently paging through the Cryx book for one off games and trying to assemble Terminus. Seriously PP models that big need to be plastic.
Star Wars Armada
It's on. It's on and popping. Pre-ordered and drooling over it. Cannot wait.
LotRO and EvE and STO
These are the back benchers right now. LotRO just had an awful producer letter that neuters my desire to play it, EvE is too much time-sink for too little boom-boom and STO will get some play time but… it needs some oomph. I think they are starting something good with the BOFF revamp but I want to see better and more innovative content. And better writing. Watching the entire crew of a Scimitar pour energy fire into a guy wearing a T-shirt was painful. Like, Shatner-esque
The Blog
So what to write about. WoW is probably the only game with more digital ink spilled than EvE and I don't feel I have anything to add. I'll certainly opine on things that happen in the game if they climb onto my radar, SWTOR has some possibilities, and of course there will be pictures of miniatures as they get assembled and painted. General gaming news certainly has some possibilities and obviously snarking about everything will probably be part of it but… we'll see.


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The research reported in this article was conducted as part of the Multi-Site University Study of Identity and Culture (MUSIC). All MUSIC collaborators are gratefully acknowledged.
Research Article
Relationships Among Identity, Perceived Discrimination, and Depressive Symptoms in Eight Ethnic-Generational Groups
Article first published online: 2 NOV 2012
DOI: 10.1002/jclp.21936
© 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Journal of Clinical Psychology
Volume 69, Issue 4, pages 397–414, April 2013
Additional Information
How to Cite
Donovan, R. A., Huynh, Q.-L., Park, I. J. K., Kim, S. Y., Lee, R. M. and Robertson, E. (2013), Relationships Among Identity, Perceived Discrimination, and Depressive Symptoms in Eight Ethnic-Generational Groups. J. Clin. Psychol., 69: 397–414. doi: 10.1002/jclp.21936
Publication History
- Issue published online: 21 MAR 2013
- Article first published online: 2 NOV 2012
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
- perceived discrimination;
- ethnic identity;
- personal identity;
- depression;
- ethnic minorities;
- generation
Examine whether personal identity confusion and ethnic identity, respectively, moderate and/or mediate the relationship between perceived discrimination (PD) and depressive symptoms (DS) in eight ethnic-generational groups.
The sample consisted of 9665 students (73% women; mean age 20.31) from 30 colleges and universities from around the United States. Cross-sectional data were gathered through a confidential online survey.
Across groups, PD and ethnic identity levels varied, while identity confusion levels were mostly similar. Neither identity confusion nor ethnic identity moderated the PD-DS relationship for any groups. However, identity confusion was a partial mediator for immigrant and nonimmigrant Hispanic/Latino(a) and White/European American participants. Identity confusion also suppressed the PD-DS relationship for Black/African American participants.
Results highlight the need for additional research on identity confusion's role in the PD-distress link and the importance of addressing ethnicity and generation status when examining the effects of PD on college students' mental health.

subset: commoncrawl


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Photos by Scott Petersen
Following an appearance at WrestleMania last weekend, UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has no plans for future appearances on the WWE stage.
A welterweight match between Brandon Thatch and John Howard
The final stop of the UFC 189 World Tour,
Gunnar Nelson will look to rebound from the first
guillard is getting all gansta about it. this is going to be a great fight


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A new, state of the art facility is in the works for a local veterinary practice, with plans to open in late spring.
The Shelby Veterinary Clinic will soon relocate to property located on Freedom's Way in the new Heritage Park.
The clinic at its current location on Shelbyville Road near the intersection of U.S. 60, was established in 1970. Two of the three vets that work at the clinic, Rocky Oliver and Melissa Mitchell, are the current owners.
The staff of The Sentinel-News on Jan. 23 was awarded four first-place awards during the annual Kentucky Press Association event in Louisville.
The staff was awarded the top prize in Best Editorial Page and Best Editorial, staff writer Ashley Wilkins earned first place for best General News Photo and Editor Todd Martin earned first place for best Front Page Design.
The judges had high praise for the paper's Editorial content.
It's only been six months since the ribbon cutting, but patrons of The Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass could be shopping at several more new stores next holiday season,
Officials with the shopping center have confirmed that plans for an expansion are underway at the 365,000-square-foot retail center off Exit 28 in Simpsonville.
Gina Slechta, Vice President of Marketing for Horizon Group Properties said the expansion is planned for the grassy section in the parking area on the north side of the center near Nike and between the center and I-64.
Shelby County's industrial growth in 2014 has been well documented, but now the rest of the state can take notice.
The county ranked third in the state with $140 million in new industrial developments announced in 2014 and $69 million in dollars committed to expanding existing industrial developments.
Shelby County Industrial and Development Foundation President Bobby Hudson said these major investments are a blessing to the community.
Thinking about what will happen to your loved ones after you are gone may not be a pleasant scenario, but it's something everyone should consider because no one lives forever.
However, an upcoming two-part workshop can help alleviate some of the stress and worry about planning for the end of life, organizers say.
A hot topic returns to city hall Thursday as the Shelbyville City Council will again discuss the rezoning request for property located on the corner of Breighton Circle and Brunerstown Road during its 7 p.m. meeting at 315 Washington Street.
In November, representatives from Roberts & Smith 2, LLC presented development plans to the Triple S Planning Commission requesting a zone change from six-acres of property from General Interchange (X-2) to Multi-family Residential (R-4) in order to build 216 A-property apartments.
A longtime company, J. Sutherland CPA on the 1000 block of Washington Street, is under new ownership.
Roberts CPA Group purchased the company after the death of Joe Sutherland in July.
Sutherland, a Shelbyville native, had been a certified public account since 1967 when he joined the firm of Andrew Johns as partner. In 1982, the firm became J. Sutherland CPA, and he maintained it until his death at age 74.
Kevin Roberts, the new owner of the business, said the firm would continue in the same capacity that it always has.
It's been just five months since the opening of The Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass, and development surrounding the 50-acre site in Simpsonville is already booming.
Earlier this month Bob Evans held their grand opening and more interested developers are buzzing around the Buck Creek and Veechdale roads intersection, as rumors of incoming hotels and restaurants have been floating in the air for months.
The temperature might be blistering cold in Kentucky this week, but things heated up in Simpsonville Wednesday when Will's Grill officially opened for business.
Halfway through the day, owner Will Hawkins said business was already booming.
"We fed about 96 people that came into the store but we probably put out 150 orders," he said.
The take-out BBQ restaurant had a successful grand opening day, despite a few hiccups with the payment system.
Copyright © 2015
The Sentinel-News is your source for local news, sports, events and information in Shelby County and Shelbyville, KY, and the surrounding area.


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Power system operators are responsible for configuring and operating power systems that require specialty training. They are in charge of monitoring and moving different equipment in a plant setting, and they must follow all safety procedures to prevent on-the-job accidents. One of the operator's main functions include operating power systems according to established guidelines for operation. They are also responsible for dealing with power systems maintenance, repair, and escalating operational issues as needed. In addition, power system operators are in charge of restoring power systems after electricity failure, performing high-voltage operations, and directing protective device procedures.Read More...
Power system operators need to be familiar with federal power regulations, as well as basic computer software to measure and communicate power outages as required. They must be able to work in a fast-paced environment and be able to multitask on a variety of projects at a time. These individuals need to excellent problem solving skills to find innovative solutions during emergency situations and have strong interpersonal skills to interact with vendors and utilities representatives to maintain the stability of the power grid.
A relevant degree from a vocational or technical school is generally needed for this position, and relevant experience is typically required or preferred. Industry certifications may be beneficial. Power system operators must be organized and follow established reliability standards. They must work well on their own, as well as in a team setting, and be able to complete assignments within deadline.
Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.
For Power System Operators, more experience in the field does not usually mean bigger paychecks. The median compensation for relatively untried workers is $73K; in the five-to-10 year group, it's higher at around $81K. People with 10 to 20 years of experience make an average of about $91K in this role. Individuals who have achieved more than 20 years of experience don't seem to earn much more than people who have 10 to 20 years under their belts; the more senior group reports an average income of $97K.
|Extremely satisfied
Rated 5 out of 5
based on 43 votes.
5 %
95 %
|Medical: 97%
|Dental: 91%
|Vision: 78%
|None: 2%


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MWC 2015: Cyanogen announces Qualcomm partnership and company rebranding
Cyanogen made a couple of announcements at MWC today. One is a partnership to reach more people with Cyanogen OS and the other focuses on the company's look.
Matthew Miller provides you with news, commentary and in-depth reviews of the latest in mobile phones sporting iOS, Android, and Windows.
Matthew Miller started using a mobile devices in 1997 and has been writing news, reviews, and opinion pieces ever since. He is a co-host with GigaOM's Kevin Tofel on the MobileTechRoundup podcast and an author of three Wiley Companion series books. Matthew started using mobile devices with a US Robotics Pilot 1000 and has owned over 200 different devices running Palm, Linux, Symbian, Newton, BlackBerry, iOS, Android, webOS, Windows Mobile, and Windows Phone operating systems. His current collection includes a Nokia Lumia 1520, Apple iPhone 6 Plus, BlackBerry Passport, Sony Xperia Z3, Microsoft Surface Pro 3, and many more, along with tons of accessories and classic devices like the Apple Newton MessagePad 2100 and Sony CLIE UX50. Matthew can be found on various discussion forums under the user name of "palmsolo".
Cyanogen made a couple of announcements at MWC today. One is a partnership to reach more people with Cyanogen OS and the other focuses on the company's look.
HTC made the right move by moving the UltraPixel camera to the front and adding in a more standard camera to the back. Software isn't yet final, but initial results are encouraging.
Matthew spent over 24 hours using the new HTC One M9 and it exceeds the emotional appeal of the M7. HTC improved where it needed to and the One M9 is sure to be a popular phone.
HTC's metal One series stands out from the crowd and with the new dual-tone finish HTC continues to improve the design.
Matthew thought T-Mobile's free international text and data offer was too good to be true. He was wrong and won't leave home without his T-Mobile SIM.
It's encouraging to see secure browsing and messaging lead in mobile application enterprise growth. The iPhone 6 is preferred over the iPhone 6 Plus, at a rate of about 3 to 1.
Android manufacturers and fans tend to focus on the specs and denigrate devices that don't have the latest and greatest. HTC's upcoming device may have a 1080p display, for the third year in a row.
Apple's iPhone 6 Plus provides enough power to get heavy users through a day, but sometimes when you are on the road you need more capacity. That's where Mophie comes in with the Juice Pack.
Samsung is rolling out its Android Lollipop update for existing Galaxy S5 owners. The update integrates Material Design with Samsung TouchWiz and things look great.
In one week all the details of the new Samsung Galaxy smartphone will be revealed in Spain. T-Mobile gave us the best glimpse so far and the design looks enticing.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge are the best designed Samsung smartphones and the Galaxy Alpha has the same metal edges.
BlackBerry started rolling out its latest software to existing devices like the Z10, Z30, Q10, and more.
Visa will begin rolling out a new geo-location service, powered by Finsphere, in April. Your smartphone and financial institution will work together to improve your card purchasing experiences.
After five months use, the iPhone 6 Plus remains Matthew's choice for every core function -- phone calls, quick control access and notifications. Well, maybe not every function.
A reported quarter to third of smartphone owners carry their phones without a case. The new Zeos screen protector extends over the curved edges to provide full and complete protection.


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Articles in NASCAR - Sprint Cup Series
Rain has forced cancelation of Saturday's qualifying for the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
The drivers will line up for Sunday's race based on points. That means Jimmie Johnson will be on the pole and Mark Martin will be next to him.
In the second row will be Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart.
By Jonathan Ingram | Senior Writer
Talladega, Ala. – When eight additional feet of fencing greeted fans at the Talladega Superspeedway on Halloween weekend, it was a reminder of one of the truly scariest moments in the track's long history of danger.
The fence in front of the main grandstand was extended to 22 feet high after an [...]
Chances are looking better and better that four weeks from now, Jimmie Johnson will become the first-ever driver to win four straight Sprint Cup championships.
He already has 46 race victories and he is, debatably, the most feared driver in the most important racing series in North America.
So what's up with the relative lack of [...]
By Jim Pedley | Managing Editor
Matt Kenseth will be taking one for the team this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway and from the sound of it, he is mildly happy to do so. Very mildly.
Kenseth will be one of two Roush Fenway Racing Sprint Cup drivers who will have the Ford FR9 engine under his hood. [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
Talladega Superspeedway president Rick Humphrey is, in my opinion, an all-around good guy worthy of the support of both fans and the media. But I hope the Creek medicine man he got to restore balance to his race track turns out to be a quack. Even if the strange occurrences [...]
By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
The last time David Poole sat in a press box was at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this year. There, the assembled group of reporters sat behind laptop computers and wrote about a race finish that saw Carl Edwards' car fly into the catch fence, with strewn parts injuring seven, including one [...]
Let's see what's in the Morning Memo:
Yep, finally saw some of that mysterious debris which NASCAR officials seem so fond of throwing yellow flags at. It was laying there on the track surface near the start/finish line at Martinsville last weekend and aren't you conspiracy freaks feeling a bit shamed about your wild theories [...]
Richard Petty Motorsports' transition to the Ford camp for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season will begin this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
Elliott Sadler's No. 19 Stanley Tools entry will be re-bodied as a Ford Fusion for Sunday's AMP Energy 500. Sadler will return to his No. 19 Dodge Charger for the final three races [...]
Joe Gibbs Racing released a statement today announcing that Dave Rogers will replace Steve Addington as crew chief for the Sprint Cup Series No. 18 Toyota starting with the Nov. 8 race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Addington, who has served as crew chief for the No. 18 team the previous five seasons, will be reassigned to [...]
Start with the concept that Talladega Superspeedway is one scary place to drive a race car.
Lives are on the line with 3,400-pound stock cars racing in huge freight train-like packs at speeds close to 200 mph lap after lap after lap on the 2.66-mile, high-banked oval.
Then stir in the eerie history of the place, including [...]


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A racy thriller that also addresses the plight of women in India.
Crime today is getting more diabolical than ever, especially the ones perpetrated against women. The agony of the brutal gang rape and subsequent death of the paramedical student in New Delhi still haunts our collective conscience, while the country continues to reel under sexual assaults every day.
Kishwar Desai thus makes it a point to reference last December's savagery in her latest crime thriller, Sea of Innocence.
The book is the third in Desai's Simran Singh series, after Witness the Night and Origins of Love, both of which were widely acclaimed for storytelling that packaged such incendiary issues as female foeticide, surrogacy and adoption as credible thrillers.
Sea of Innocence follows Simran, a feisty social worker and crime investigator, to the sands of North Goa, where the ostensibly innocuous beaches mask drug traffic and the scant value for the carriers' lives.
Simran's peaceful holiday with her daughter turns sinister when she receives disturbing video messages from her friend Amarjit of the Delhi police.
The blurred recording of a young British teenager, Liza Kay, being groped during an orgy, even as she's unaware of being forced upon and the subsequent video of her gang rape and possible murder on the beach leaves Simran shaken, more so because the incident has not made the news.
Amarjit needs her to probe deeper, but every 'lead' is more confusing than helpful. Using all her tact, she gets talking to people, only to realise she's going in circles. Liza's sister Marian is desperately searching of her as well. That almost everyone on the beach including the masseurs, shack owners and attendants, and casino hands in Panaji maintain a code of silence doesn't help either.
Simran sure has her task cut out, not least in taking the likely witnesses into confidence as she deals with a steady provision of surprises at every turn. She's investigating a case where nothing is what it seems.
Sea of Innocence, despite a racy plot, offers enough food for thought about the state of atrocities against women in this part of the world. Desai expectedly reminds us about the sensational Scarlett Keeling rape and murder. Simran, as an investigator, has her heart in the right place, and gives abundant benefit of doubt to seemingly dubious characters.
There are several instances where our lady appears to have missed a cue that a reader doesn't fail to catch, but that's natural evolution of instincts, maternal at the core and rattled by extreme heinousness.
Narrated in first person, Sea of Innocence is a commentary on political muscle and greed on the placid shores of a holiday destination, that is both expository and critical.
Moral depravity and corruption is a clear and present danger that can ensnare anyone today, and the book makes the reader envisage the present threat to women through a lucid and free flowing narrative.
The plot is fairly credible, the twists are there in good measure, the setting is as real as can get, the characters are very believable, and there's a hint of romance, which is not unwelcome in a book that is redolently sombrous.


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Mushrooms... duh.
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This profile was last updated on 11/5/14 and contains information from public web pages and contributions from the ZoomInfo community.
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Photo by Brian Cooper
Welcome to the Louth U3A site
Welcome to the Louth U3A.
We meet together on the 2nd Tuesday in the month at 2 pm in the Methodist Church, Nichol Hill, Louth, LN11 9NQ. The next monthly meeting will be:
14 April - The Fossdyke - a watery tale of mystery & intrigue by Ian Morgan
Louth U3A email: firstname.lastname@example.com
See Membership and General Information page for essential information about Louth U3A.
- There are changes to the location, day and cost of some Pilates classes from April 2015. Please see the group page for more details.
- Minutes of the 2015 AGM now available to read. See the Committee page.
- The new 2015 Wanderers programme now available. See Groups page for details.
- 28 May - coach trip to Hull to see the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in concert at the City Hall playing a varied repertoire. £30 pp. See Trips page for more details.
- 9 April - coach trip around Lincolnshire building on March's talk, £10pp. See Trips page for details.
- New term begins for the Art Appreciation group. See Group Page for early dates and venues.
- Summer School 2015 information now available. Book and pay direct on the national U3A website. See "News" page on this site for more information.


text: Although this is called a B&B, it felt more like you were renting someone's spare room. You enter through the back door and are lead to a room steps away from this back door; upstairs is where Karien lives - you shout if you need her. Karien is very attentive and sweet. The place felt homey, an abundance of pillows,... More


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America's top ally in East Asia is bulking up its military, picking fights with its neighbors, and showing a blithe disregard for democracy.
Regions / Asia & Pacific
In films like American Sniper and The Interview, Americans are the heroes and "furriners" are the targets: an undifferentiated group of people so alien that they're practically subhuman.
The complex federal project of the EU has proven fragile in the absence of a strong external threat.
Before Obama's State of the Union address falls out of the news cycle, here are the foreign policy tidbits you need to remember.
The Canadian Pembina Pipeline Corporation hopes to build a propane export facility in Portland that would export 37,000 barrels a day to Asia.
We're better off having the limits of free speech tested by artists — including obnoxious ones — than having its limits imposed by political rulers.
Cheap oil is bankrupting the financial rationale for building the Keystone XL.
The developed world has pledged $9.5 billion to help fight climate change. But it's going to take hundreds of billions more.
Together and individually, Kailash Satyarthi and Senator Tom Harkin — from opposite ends of the earth — have helped immeasurably to combat the worst forms of child labor.
South Korean activists are using balloons to send political and religious propaganda across the DMZ. They're also endangering Koreans on both sides of the border.


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Wild Ginger Inn Hotel & Hostel
No availability found through our partners. Please contact the business directly or check some of our recommended alternatives.
- Continental Breakfast
- Free High-Speed Internet
- Free parking
Photos of Wild Ginger Inn Hotel & Hostel
Travelers also recommend:
TripAdvisor Reviews Wild Ginger Inn Hotel & Hostel Hilo
Travel Blogs from Hilo
Week 1 - Mountains, Waterfalls, and Trees: Oh my!
Aloha! Week one has come to a close, but it feels as if I've been here for at least a month. That's because we have managed to experience and explore so many things and places in such a short time. Our first day was by far the longest and most jam packed. We traveled all over the Big Island in order to get a taste for as much of our new home as possible. We started the day by stopping at one of the many lava flows. We proceeded to have our first class ...
Zurück in die Zukunft / Back to the future
... berichtete) Nach dem Konzert luden Lisa und ihre Freundin mich in ein Nobelrestaurant ein (die Freundin hatte anscheinend noch einen Gutschein) – mit Steak, angebratenem Ziegenk�se, Thunfischfilet und Schokotarte. Ein reinster Gaumenschmaus, vor allem nach meiner Pasta-Di�t. Und zum kr�nenden Abschluss konnte ich die Nacht auch noch umsonst in einem richtigen Bett schlafen. Ein Traum! Wie gesagt, der Empfang war einfach nur gro�artig ...
Yard tour, Dinner & Volcano
Today was kind of a catch up day. We hung out in the morning, catching up on our blog and doing laundry. Around 10:00am, Bill and Pam took us and the four dogs on a tour of their property. It's three acres of lush rainforest, so we saw lots of greenery. Bill says his main challenge is to keep the rainforest at bay. The forest acts as if it is trying to reclaim its territory. The previous owner ...
Hawaiian Cruise-Hilo, Hawai'i
... and allocated our life jacket and head sets. As we walked out onto the Tarmac to board they said we couldn't take our go pro pole for safety reasons. buggar, but they gave me a wrist strap to wear and I lived with that. Andrew gave me control of the go pro, he wanted to use his camera so we were completely geared up and ready to go. The lady strapped us in and quite literally, there are no doors and you are right at the door. We were in the back, the other couple from ...
Volcano National Park
... part is one unique place. In the park we experienced an area of large steam vents spewing very hot steam out of the ground which created very humid conditions and fogging up our eye glasses. The park experiences VOG (volcanic fog). We were able to walk on the lava rock covered areas in the park while seeing the different colors of lava rock and various shapes... everything from smooth pure black lava rock to jagged reddish brown rock ...


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824 West 5th Street
Third Ward, Charlotte, 28202
Commute to Downtown Charlotte
Most errands can be accomplished on foot.
Flat as a pancake, good bike lanes.
Score Details
824 West 5th Street has a Walk Score of 71 out of 100. This location is Very Walkable so most errands can be accomplished on foot.
This location is in the Third Ward neighborhood in Charlotte. Nearby parks include Frazier Park, Fourth Ward Park and 9th Street Park.
Nearby schools include Irwin Avenue Open Elementary School, Walter G Byers Elementary School and Bruns Avenue Elementary School.
The closest grocery stores are Harris Teeter, Avenue Market and Timmys Business.
Nearby coffee shops include Starbucks, TK CAFE (525) and Dunkin' Donuts. Nearby restaurants include Chick-fil-A, Orchard's Restaurant at Doubletree Hotel and Subway.
824 West 5th Street is near Fourth Ward Park, Romare Bearden Park and Duke Energy Headquarters.
There are good bike lanes and the terrain is flat as a pancake. 824 West 5th Street is bikeable, there is some bike infrastructure. Bike sharing is available from Charlott B-cycle.
Explore how far you can travel by car, bus, bike and foot from 824 West 5th Street.
View all Third Ward apartments on a map.
Popular apartment searches include pool, fitness and hardwood floor.
Find a Charlotte real estate agent who knows walkable neighborhoods. Links will open on our partner site Redfin.com.
824 West 5th Street is in the Third Ward neighborhood. Third Ward is the 7th most walkable neighborhood in Charlotte with a neighborhood Walk Score of 65.
Moving to Charlotte from another city? View our moving to Charlotte guide.


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Book your room at 1st Choice Inn Rawlins
1 Queen Smoking Room, Pet FriendlyMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Standard Room, 1 Queen Bed, Non SmokingMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Standard Room, 1 Queen Bed, SmokingMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds, Non SmokingMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children, 1 infant)
Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds, SmokingMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children, 3 infants)
Hotel in Rawlins with free breakfast and 24-hour front desk
Located in the heart of Rawlins, this hotel is within 2 mi (3 km) of Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum, Carbon County Museum, and Rochelle Ranch Golf Course.
Hotel Features
Coffee/tea in the lobby, dry cleaning, and a 24-hour front desk are available at this hotel. Free continental breakfast, free WiFi in public areas, and free self parking are also provided. Additionally, express check-out, multilingual staff, and RV/bus/truck parking are onsite.
Room Amenities
Rooms provide conveniences like refrigerators and microwaves, plus free WiFi and LCD TVs with cable channels. Guests will also find coffee makers, free local calls, and phones.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
A complimentary breakfast is offered each morning. High-speed wireless Internet access is complimentary. This Rawlins hotel also offers multilingual staff, coffee/tea in the lobby, and dry cleaning/laundry services. Onsite self parking is complimentary. The property may provide extended parking privileges to guests after check-out (surcharge).
- 24-hour front desk
- Number of floors - 2
- Breakfast service
- Coffee/tea in lobby
- Free breakfast
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Express check-out
- Free WiFi
- Multilingual staff
- RV, bus, truck parking
- Luggage storage
- Free self parking
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
Family Friendly Amenities
- Free Wi-Fi
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Refrigerator
- Microwave
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Free self parking, RV, bus, truck parking
Room Amenities
- Climate control
- Air conditioning
- Phone
- Free local calls
- Refrigerator
- Coffee/tea maker
- Microwave
- Daily housekeeping
- Free toiletries
- Hair dryer (on request)
- Iron/ironing board (on request)
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Cribs/infant beds available
- Cable TV service
- Free WiFi
- Dial-up Internet access (surcharge)
- Blackout drapes/curtains
Where to Eat
A complimentary continental breakfast is served each morning between 6 AM and 10 AM.
Nearby Things to Do
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Cross-country skiing nearby
- Hiking/biking trails nearby
- Mountain biking nearby
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 2 PM
Check-in time ends at 2 AM
Minimum check-in age is 18
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
Pets allowed, Only dogs are allowed, Maximum number of pets per room 3, Pet maximum weight in lb is 40
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation.
No elevators
- Pet fee: USD 10.00 per pet, per day
- Pet deposit: USD 50.00 per stay
- Rollaway bed fee: USD 10.00 per night
We should mention
A resort fee is included in the total price displayed. Children 16 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding. This property allows pets in specific rooms only (surcharges apply and can be found in the Fees section). Guests can request one of these rooms by contacting the property directly, using the contact information on the booking confirmation.


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Unheated enclosed porch flooring?
I'm looking for a proper flooring material for an unheated enclosed porch in Chicago climate. Will Cumaru tongue and grove decking be appropriate?
Does anyone use tongue and grove douglas fir anymore which was the traditional product used in this application? I'm reading that douglas fir is not a good product to use anymore because it is not old growth wood.
I prefer a wood floor, even if I have to paint it as it is more tradition, softer and warmer than other flooring.
There are painted interior wooded steps in this porch. Porcelain tile would be too difficult to make work from a depth perspective, by the time you figure installing cement board underneath. Also, with tile, I can attempt to stabilize the floor from movement, but I think the stairs would be near impossible.
I prefer not to use vinyl. I also would not mind linoleum, but I understand that it is hard to find someone with the knowhow to install it and there is also some question on the more environmentally friendly glues that don't hold up to extreme temperature ranges.
Carpet is definitely out because it won't hold up to dirt traffic in this heavily used mud room.
Please help me find something I can use. Thanks
It's smart to think about climate when considering wood flooring. Cumaru comes from a tropical climate, obviously quite different from the climate of your home in Chicago.
Doug fir is still made tongue and groove, the most popular width being 3 1/8". It is still suitable and used across the country for porch flooring. What's great about it is it's overall stability, meaning it adjusts well to varying conditions. If you buy vertical grain (VG) Doug fir, it is near to the quality of old growth wood.
Thanks for the suggestions. It's good to know the specifics with Douglas fir. I'm also looking into mahogany, but my concern is that it may be fine for a screen-porch but may not be suitable for an enclose application. The brochure I picked up for mahogany says that it needs adequate ventilation. Nowhere in the brochure does it say that mahogany cannot be used indoors. If there is anyone out there that knows if mahogany can be used in my application, please let me know.


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"Back to the Start" benefits the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation
The film, by film-maker Johnny Kelly, depicts the life of a farmer as he slowly turns his family farm into an industrial animal factory before seeing the errors of his ways and opting for a more sustainable future. Both the film and the soundtrack were commissioned by Chipotle to emphasize the importance of developing a sustainable food system.
Pig Roast: Thanks!
Thanks to everyone that came to the pig roast today! The potluck dishes were varied and delicious and the weather was perfect. Also, thanks to everyone that participated in the raffle to benefit Farm Flood Relief. Congratulations to Anne Hill – the lucky winner of a Hogwash Farm Sausage Sampler.
Nancy & Dave
Hogwash Farm Is Moving!!
They say that the only constant is change, and Hogwash has some change in its future. While we have enjoyed our time on Kerwin Hill, we are excited about our upcoming move to a different farm in Norwich. We will be relocating to Goodrich Four Corners Road and Union Village Road (land formerly farmed by Suzanne Lupien).
There are wonderful fields for the cattle and sheep to graze and some neglected fields for the pigs to renovate. Since our flocks and herds need to fit the new landscape we will be increasing our flock of Jacob sheep and reducing the numbers of our breeding pigs. Our goal is to have more time to focus on good grazing practices while tuning up general farm operations. We will still endeavor to produce a high quality product that is sustainably raised. The transition should be smooth since we are only moving a few miles away. We will start moving animals to the new spot in the coming weeks with the goal to be moved in by October.
We are certainly going to miss our Union Village neighborhood, but we are looking forward to being part of the Root District community. The Root District Creamery became a local hub for the community during Suzanne's tenure and we are hoping the same will be true when Hogwash has settled in. We value and need the support of the community to keep the farm active and vibrant.
The farm has been part of Norwich history for some time. The original barn dates back to 1786 –making the homestead one of the oldest in Norwich. We will do our best to respect the history while gearing it up to a working farm again.
The September pick up will be the last CSA pick up at Kerwin Hill. The fall quarter will start with the new farm location – I'll make sure to highlight the venue change in next months newsletter. We will be having our Pig Roast September 11th on Kerwin Hill so everyone can come and enjoy the farm and the animals before the big move. We hope to see everyone there! Nancy & Dave
Fresh Turkey Apology (Sept 2011)
A most sincere apology to all who purchased turkeys from Hogwash Farm last week.
We tried a new poultry processor for the turkeys we sold last week (the only USDA inspected facility in VT) that I to my surprise did not include the typical neck, heart & liver in the cavity. So sorry for all who were disappointed by that omission. I will certainly make it up to all who were upset by the lack of the stock making extras. Please let me know if there were any other issues so I can follow up with the processing facility. Otherwise, I hope the turkeys were delicious in every other way. Thanks!
July CSA Pickup
Hi Everyone,
July pick up is this Thursday, July 7th from 3-6pm at the farm. This is the first pick up for lots of people so I've included directions below. Attached is the July newsletter. See you Thursday and have a great July 4th. Thanks!
Directions from Norwich: Straight past Dan & Whit's on Union Village Rd. about 6 miles. At stop sign turn left into Rte. 132. Take next left onto Kerwin Hill Rd. We are the 2nd house on the left.
Hogwash Farm at Hanover Farmers' Market!
Come visit Hogwash Farm at the Hanover Farmers' Market, opening for the Summer 2011 season Wednesday, June 1st, 3:00-6:00pm on the Dartmouth Green.
Free parking on Wheelock and up College Street. We will be grilling our famous Norwich raised pork keilbasa and grass-fed hamburgers!
Nancy and Dave
Summer 2011 CSA Pickup Reminder!
Happy Summer!
During the summer, CSA share pick ups will be the first Friday of each month – starting this Friday (June 3rd). We will be at the Lebanon Farmers' Market on Thursday afternoons through September.
UPDATE (05 July 2011): Starting on July 7th, CSA pickups will once again be on the first Thursday of the month.
Pick-up will be at the farm from 3-6pm this Friday, June 3rd. Sorry for such short notice and let us know if anyone has a conflict, we'll sort it out.
Attached is the June newsletter. See you this Friday. Thanks!
Nancy & Dave
Note: The CSA Summer quarter begins in July, with the first pick-up being Friday, 7 July.


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Feb 7
Winter Jam Returns! Details to follow but save the date for what is always one of the best nights of our year!
Sep 18
Scott's Birthday --a great party :)
Jun 14
Join us for a great Summer Saturday night at the "Talkhouse" where a good time is always going on!
May 10
White Collar Crime and Hot Lava get together to give you a headstart on the Summer!!!
Oct 3
Label: independent
Bio: A long-standing fixture on the New York scene, WCC is a guitar-driven band dedicated to the song. Each of the members are musicians with challenging day jobs which brings a certain intelligence to the music which flows down a road of stories told much in the spirit of The Counting Crows, Springs...See Full Bio
White Collar Crime (NYC) has a show on 02/07/2015 at 07:00 PM @ DROM in New York, NY http://www.reverbnation.com/q/5k5jk7 #concert