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56th Annual DownBeat Critics Poll
July 15, 2008. Posted by Angelika Beener.Add new comment | Filed under: Jazz Alive
It's that time again. The DownBeat Critics Poll results are in (the August issue of DownBeat, that is). Though I am always torn when it comes to the idea of critics and their polls, I always end up looking forward to seeing who's who and what's what in the eyes of the critics and writers. This year had some very cool and surprising results. As the young folks say in my neighborhood..."I ain't mad!"
Some of the results that I was especially happy to see were Rising Star Soprano Saxophonist, which went to Marcus Strickland. This cat is definitely well-deserving in this category, though he could easily win that category for tenor as well. Which reminds me...I didn't see a Rising Star Tenor category. I can count on two hands some really killin' tenor players that could have been in that category, but that's another blog, I suppose. Anyway, kudos to Marcus, and good looks to the critics who know which end is up. I was also happy to see Eric Harland nab the Rising Star Drums category (though disappointed in not seeing Kendrick Scott on the list - that cat is just superb and his album is among one of my modern-day favorites), Gregoire Maret in the Miscellaneous Instrument category for harmonica (that cat is ridiculous). Esperanza Spaulding took the Rising Star Acoustic Bass category, which is really special. To see a woman win in a category that is traditionally very un-female makes it all the more inspiring. Lionel Loueke got his due for Rising Star Guitar, and one of my favorite artists Robert Glasper took the Rising Star Piano category. Definitely check out all of these artists, as they are truly ones to watch, and experience. It was very cool to see the critics mix it up a bit, and recognize all of the great emerging lions of this music. Nice work!
Jazz Tech: Tune In, Turn On
July 15, 2008. Posted by David Tallacksen.Add new comment | Filed under: Jazz Tech
Radio is a finnicky thing - while it may seem simple (turn it on and it just works!), radio waves are subject to many complex rules of physics. Any of you that may be trying to pick up WBGO in the basement of a steel or concrete building, or in the shadow of a tall building or in the valley of large hill, likely already know this. While we don't ask or expect that you go and build (as pictured above) a wire-mesh backet antenna, there are a couple things you can do to increase your chances of getting a great sounding signal through your radio.
To that effect, we're starting a series called Jazz Tech. We'll explore all things tech and how it can enrich your jazz-listening life. The first thing we'll cover is antennas - a relatively easy and inexpensive way to upgrade your radio. All the nitty-gritty details after the jump.
The Definitive Miles Davis - Ovation TV Premiere
July 14, 2008. Posted by Angelika Beener.Add new comment | Filed under: Jazz Alive
The other night I was flipping throught the digital TV guide, and I ran across the Ovation channel. They were premiering a 3-hour Miles Davis documentary. Needless to say, I was psyched. I mean, I love watching all of the older documentaries, but to see something brand new about jazz, Miles, or whatever really got me excited. I realized that I did not have Ovation (though I have enjoyed their programming on many other people's televisions, lol). But when I saw the rest of the line up for the night, I was moved to pick up my phone, call my cable provider and order the channel finally. I mean they were showing a John Coltrane profile, followed by a Monk profile, and at 1AM they were going to show Straight No Chaser. I mean, c'mon!
Anyway, the documentary was very cool. I mean, I will say that for 3 hours, they didn't really master the transitions of Miles' musical career that well, but there was some cool footage, especially of later years. It also delved quite a bit into his work as a visual artist. I was happy about that, because that's an era of Miles' life I was not as well-versed on.
It re-aired on Saturday, and I have a feeling they are going to be airing it quite a lot this month. Along with all of the other great jazz and non-jazz musical programming they are doing, I highly recommend giving this channel a once-over. You're definitely going to find something you like.


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South Korea Group Tours
Visit South Korea with its stunning beauty and vibrant culture on our week long South Korean Express guided group tour. Fully escorted by an expert English speaking South Korean tour guide, staying in comfortable hotels and with plenty of guided sightseeing, you are sure to have an enjoyable, fun and relaxing holiday to South Korea.
Our group tour to South Korea
Countries Visited:
Travelling on our group tour to South Korea
Our guided group tour in South Korea kicks off in the cosmopolitan capital city of Seoul, where you'll get to discover highlights and hidden gems before continuing on to Andong, Gyeongju and the infamous Demilitarised Zone. Get off the beaten track a bit and get a true feel for local life in South Korea on a guided group tour with us.

subset: commoncrawl


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Read the review here: http://www.cpfreviews.com/Flashlight-Care-Nyogel-Lubricants.php
50 gram tube - 50 grams is enough lube for at least several hundred uses, and represents a multi-year supply for most users.
We sell 2 different Greases from Nye Lubricants, Inc., NyoGel® 760G and NyoGel® 779ZC. In the past we have carried NyoGel® 759G, but we no longer carry it. NyoGel® 759G has been replaced by NyoGel® 760G. Nye Lubricants is in the process of phasing out NyoGel® 759G, and eventually it will not be available anywhere. NyoGel® 760G is an upgraded replacement. Compared to NyoGel® 759G, NyoGel® 760G is very similar, but with slightly higher thermal stability, a UV dye for inspection, and a copper passivator for enhanced corrosion prevention.
NyoGel® 760G is a silica thickened, medium viscosity, synthetic hydrocarbon grease for lubrication and protection of tin-lead electrical connectors. Benefits include good water resistance. By preventing environmental and fretting corrosion, it extends the life of electrical contacts. We recommend this grease for use on the threads of all aluminum-bodied flashlights. NyoGel® 760G is a relatively "thin" grease and rated for -40�C to 135�C temperature ranges. Note that NyoGel® 760G is not conductive, but it was designed for lubricating surfaces that are conductive.
NyoGel® 760G lubricant for surfaces of electrical contacts - EXCELLENT for SureFire® Flashlights. This is the lubricant that is recommended for all metal-bodied flashlights, including SureFire®, Fenix, StreamLight® and Maglight® Flashlights
NyoGel® 779ZC is silica thickened, light viscosity, synthetic hydrocarbon grease intended for mechanical components. It contains special additives for reducing wear of aluminum surfaces. NyoGel® 779ZC is a thicker grease that has a higher level of damping and water protection than NyoGel® 759G. It is rated for temperatures from -20�C to 125�C. It works well in the connection between the o-rings and the bezel and tailcap on the flashlights. It also works great on Nitrolon-bodied flashlights like the G2, G2Z and 8NX.


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Fired NCCU coach 'not guilty' in note incident
Fired N.C. Central football coach Henry Frazier III's play call designed to return him to his former job with back pay has gained ground.
Wake County judge Jennifer Knox Monday declared Frazier not guilty of violating a domestic violence protective order in place to govern the relationship between him and his ex-wife, Lanier Turner-Frazier.
Turner-Frazier in August took issue with Frazier over a handwritten communication about a financial matter. She discussed that written contact with Cary Police Department officer B.T. Ready, who generated the warrant that resulted in Frazier's Aug. 19 arrest.
After the arrest, NCCU athletics director Ingrid Wicker-McCree terminated Frazier, explaining that the issues between him and his ex-wife had become too much of a distraction for the university.
"It's unfortunate that North Carolina Central chose to violate their contractual obligations with Mr. Frazier," attorney Ralph Frasier said minutes after successfully representing the fired coach. "But now that we've been vindicated, North Carolina Central should be on notice that we expect to either be paid or hired."
NCCU officials stand by their decision to fire Frazier without any financial severance from the job that was paying him at least $225,000 a year, NCCU spokeswoman Ayana Hernandez said.
NCCU chancellor Debra Saunders-White rejected Frazier's Aug. 29 appeal of his firing, said Linda Kenney Baden, a New York-based attorney also representing Frazier.
The arrest warrant that cost Frazier his job actually wound up giving him a little running room.
The warrant said Frazier violated a June 28, 2012, protective order that was put in place by Wake County judge Michael Denning. But Knox, not Denning, was the one who signed off on that order. Denning authorized a renewed protective order that went into effect in July 2013.
In other words, the arrest warrant wasn't written right, Knox said.
Knox said that if the warrant had indicated that Frazier either violated the 2013 protective order issued by Denning or ran afoul of the original 2012 order that she authorized, then she would have found him guilty.
"But the warrant does not say that. It's incorrect, and so I'm going to find you not guilty," Knox told Frazier. "Good luck, sir."
Frazier's arrest this past August occurred because he sent handwritten notes to his ex-wife explaining that he'd paid $205 for a parking ticket that either she or her daughter generated in Washington, D.C., while driving a vehicle registered to him, Frasier said. Frazier wrote that he'd take $205 out of Turner-Frazier's alimony if he didn't get reimbursed.
Prior to the trial, Frasier argued that his client's correspondence was non-threatening, but Turner-Frazier's testimony drew attention to the tone of Frazier's communication when Wake County assistant district attorney Stacy Newton told her to read the correspondence.
"If I do not receive my hundred dollars on the next exchange, I will deduct it from September 2013's alimony, exclamation point," Turner-Frazier testified, reading her ex-husband's words.
Frasier underscored the trial's end result.
"We're certainly glad that Mr. Frazier has been exonerated in criminal court. I thought that this was a total abuse of the system," Frasier said. "He intends now to concentrate on restoring his good name, raising his minor children and appealing to the Board of NCCU to set right the wrong that has been foisted upon him by them."


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You'll be sure to love our Close to the Heart Custom 2 stone Initial Birthstone Ring! This .25 inch wide ring features 2 colorful birthstones for each family member, set in a bed of beautiful flowers to represent the "garden of love" that mom tends to everyday. The .925 sterling silver ring is engravable between the 2 stones to put a single initial of the family name or your mom's initial. The ring weighs a light 4 grams, and measures .25 inches wide at its widest part, and is formed to fit perfectly on either hand. This new design is also perfect as a couples ring for Valentines Day!
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The Convergence Partnership responds to the passage of the farm bill and programs to improve access to healthy food. The farm bill includes the authorization of $125 million for the national Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) that helps revitalize communities by bringing in new, vibrant healthy food retail and by creating and preserving quality jobs for local residents. To read the statement, click here.
The Winter 2014 edition of the National Civic Review features Judith Bell and Larry Cohen discussing the Convergence Partnership's approach to place-based environmental and policy change, using the power of collaboration to create a "field of fields." The article is part of the Review's Special Issue: Twenty-Five Years of Healthy Communities: Part 1. To read the article, click here.


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Open the latest version of Google Earth, switch to "Mars" and search for "Meliza". Click on the small robotic icon and you'll be able to chat with Meliza, a friendly relative of Eliza, one of the first chat bots. A message informs Earthlings that "Meliza is using an account on a different planet. There may be translation errors." The chat bot has some predefined text related to Mars and it can't answer to many questions, but it's always ready to rephrase your messages.
Here's Meliza's first message: "Greetings, Earthling! What do you think of Google Mars?Have you checked out Valles Marineris? It's like the Grand Canyon, but bigger. Mars is so much better than Earth!"
In other news, Google and NASA sponsor Singularity University. "In 2005, futurist Ray Kurzweil published The Singularity Is Near, a comfort-rattling forecast of a few decades hence when artificial intelligence will overtake human capability and an array of other huge leaps will fundamentally alter our lives. Now, Kurzweil is helping to launch a university rooted in the book's predictions. In June, Singularity University is scheduled to open with a faculty replete with scientific celebrities, and an initial class of 30 students at NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley."
{ Thanks, Tom. }
Workin' In A Cocktail Bar
2 hours ago


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First, don't be too concerned.
I was diagnosed as chronic this past pregnancy. Before the pregnancy my bp was 115/65, but it rose to 150-160/90 in the first trimester, lowered in the second and crept back up in the third.
Since delivery (Jan. 4) my bp has been at 135-138/85. Consistent and not rising, but still higher than my original bp. Doctor doesn't seem concerned at my last pp check up, and I don't have insurance so going back in unless it is a big deal is out of the question.
I have been trying to exercise a bit more and eat healthy to try to bring it down naturally. Any thoughts on it? Is it really not an issue I should be concerned with right now since it really isn't that high? What do you all think?
Eventually I want to try for one more but I want to be in my best possible shape.


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Clone Commander Wolffe
Clone Commander Wolffe (clone designation CC-3636) served under General Plo Koon in the Clone Wars, as commander of the tight-knit unit known as the Wolfpack. A seasoned and battered combatant, Wolffe has witnessed some of the worst the war has to offer. Early in the Clone Wars, he lost his entire command when Master Plo's flagship, Triumphant, was destroyed by the despicable General Grievous. Despite such tragedy, he fights on bravely, proudly brandishing his battle scars and instilling loyalty among his men.
- Male,
- Height: 1.83m ,
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Plo Koon
Level-headed and unflappably calm, Jedi Master Plo Koon is among the wisest in the Jedi Order. Deeply concerned for life of every form, Plo Koon is especially devoted to protecting the clones under his command. Master Plo shares a special bond with Ahsoka Tano for finding her as a baby.
Eeth Koth
Eeth Koth was a member of the Jedi High Council in the final years of the order. From within the polished towers of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, the Council governed the actions of the Jedi Knights. Koth was one of the 12 Jedi present when Qui-Gon Jinn presented Anakin Skywalker as the Chosen One to the Council. A determined warrior with a deep, spiritual connection to the Force, Koth resisted torture at the hands of General Grievous during the Clone Wars, and was even able to secretly communicate his location to the Jedi Council. Koth was saved from Separatist clutches by the daring efforts of his fellow Jedi.
A gargantuan heavy cruiser, the Malevolence is known for its immense ion cannons, which became a dire threat to the Republic fleet early in the Clone Wars. The cruiser's deadly two-step attack begins with knocking out the power systems of a target vessel with its primary weapon. Then the cruiser finishes off the defenseless spacecraft with blasts from its secondary laser cannons and turbolaser batteries.
C-3PO (See-Threepio)
C-3PO is a droid programmed for etiquette and protocol, built by the heroic Jedi Anakin Skywalker, and a constant companion to astromech R2-D2. Over the years, he was involved in some of the galaxy's most defining moments and thrilling battles -- and is fluent in over six million forms of communication.


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Warren has approved and Act 250 has issued a proposed permit for a micro-spirit distillery to be built in a renovated horse barn at Cold Springs Farm in Warren.
Cold Springs Farm is located on Cold Springs Farm Road, Warren. The Warren Development Review Board approved the project on September 17. Project applicants are John Egan III and Maura Connolly, of Boston, MA.
At the state level of review, Act 250 issued a proposed permit this month and is accepting comments on that proposed permit until January 2, 2013. The project application will be treated like a minor application unless Act 250 receives notice of a reason for a hearing.
The project was treated as an application seeking conditional use approval for a cottage industry in Warren when it came before the DRB. The craft distillery will produce between 200 and 300 cases (or 1,200 to 1,800 bottles) of spirits per year. The maximum that Egan/Connolly could bottle in the converted barn would be 1,000 cases or 6,000 bottles.
When the Egan/Connolly application was heard by the DRB, the applicants told the board that there are two horse barns on their property, one of which has been renovated and the other which is undergoing renovation. They told the board that they recently bought an additional 200 acres adjoining their farm and started thinking about growing apples.
According to the meeting minutes, Egan told the board that their distillery would be run by he and his wife and that, with state permits, they will be able to sell their product through the Vermont state liquor store system. The spirits under consideration are an apple brandy and maybe a maple-based rum or bourbon.
They are starting small, with a small still, and their byproducts are water and corn mash, which is sought after by farmers as pig feed. The DRB permit was approved unanimously by board members.


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Here is a short video I took of Dave tapping the maple tree. It goes a little wonky at first…but it's pretty interesting to see how fast the sap starts to flow!
For more info on our maple tree tapping and syrup/sugar making, you can see these previous posts:
- How we made our own spiles
- Tapping the tree and collecting sap
- Boiling the sap down to syrup and sugar
Enjoy the video!


text: Items 13 to 24 of 183 total View 12 / 24 / 48 Previous 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 ... 16 Next Great acro colors By Brian on 1/23/2015 Brian would recommend this product to a friend My sps tank has never looked better, ca mg and dkh levels are right where I want them as a mix. It mixes and dissolves very rapidly, and I have noticed no precipitates in the barrel. I am one of those guys that always has to have the best, and this is the best salt. Excellent By shawn on 1/13/2015 shawn would recommend this product to a friend Very happy..clears quickly..mix at tank temp. corals are healthy and vibrant. my trace elements stopped flexing By Nicky67 on 12/30/2014 Nicky67 would recommend this product to a friend i was having trouble with calcium magnesum and alkalinity until i started using this salt Stable Parameters By Vinny on 12/16/2014 Vinny would recommend this product to a friend I'm new to saltwater(about 6 months in) and started with Instant Ocean salt mix. I constantly had to monitor/test my parameters and dose multiple elements. On top of that, I was getting terrible algae outbreaks. My LFS recommended Red Sea Coral Pro Salt or Salinity Salt. I chose the Red Sea Coral Pro mix. I have a small tank(30 gal + 10 gal sump-about 6 gal of water in it) and perform 5 gal WCs every week(sometimes I will skimp and go 2 weeks before a WC). It took about 2 WCs before I REALLY noticed the results. All my parameters stabilized, the CYANO algae died/disappeared, GHA reduced. The only thing I have to dose now is magnesium and thats only if I go 2 weeks between WCs. I'm super satisfied with this salt mix. Unless something better comes along, this will be my lifetime salt mix. Good Salt...Follow Mix Instructions By Daniel on 12/12/2014 Daniel would recommend this product to a friend I've had a few people vouch for this salt, so I made a purchase. The first thing I noticed was that the bucket was broken. Literally split in half. The only saving grace was that the salt was bagged in the bucket. I still would have preferred to keep the bucket that came with it, rather than use one of my own, but this is probably more of a shipping issue. I've been using it for a little over a month now, and everything in the tank is happy. One thing I've noticed, and have read, is that you need to follow the instructions closely. Mix for 1 hour or so, bring it up to temp and do your water change. Don't mix too long. Great salt! By Nav on 12/9/2014 Nav would recommend this product to a friend This is so far the best and my favorite salt. Awesome coral growth, really no need supplements. Its my first time ordering here & based on other reviews I was afraid I might get a broken bucket (cos bad shipment handling) but was lucky to get it in perfect condition :) perfect mix every time By richard on 12/2/2014 richard would recommend this product to a friend This salt is amazing. Mixes quick and spec are as advertised. Great mix By Keith on 11/29/2014 Keith would recommend this product to a friend Great stuff I was using another salt brand That took forever to mix and my tank was always having issues this stuff now I just finished my first 55 gallon buck and I have noticed corals splitting like crazy regrowth and lots of growth in exisit inc corals. I just bought two more buckets and will continue to use this product in all my future tanks. Well worth the money and I don't normally write reviews. That's how awesome this stuff is. Great mix By Toula on 11/21/2014 Toula would recommend this product to a friend The only down fall was that when I opened my box the bucekt was broken on the bottom cutting into the bag of salt leaving salt everywhere in the box and the bucket (not happy). Being that I live in minnesota too the shipping was supurb overall! Other then that, this salt mix is GREAT! I'll recommend this to a friend but not the plastic bucket! great stuff By Joe on 11/21/2014 Joe would recommend this product to a friend I ordered this and it arrived supper fast! One thing that caught my eye was that the bucket it came in cracked and cut into the bag of the salt as well. Leaving salt everywhere in the bucket and in shipping box. I live in minnesota myself hence the fast shipping but i wouldnt think that the bucket would break that easily. Is there something we can do here? Other then that this product is great! I would reccomend this to every user out there. Doing it wrong for so long! By Adam on 11/18/2014 Adam would recommend this product to a friend I have been using the wrong salt mix for years and didn't even know it. I always thought i was getting a good product at a great price but it turns out that it was just cheap crap!!! I obtained a small bucket (55gal) in a kit i bought from BRS and figured i'd give it a try. I was amazed at first on how fast and clear it dissolved in my mixing bucket which was the first indicator it was far superior then what i have been using. After a few water changes using Red Sea, there was a noticeable difference with the corals as well. Every thing just seemed happier with better colors and polyp extension I haven't seen using the other cheaper brand. Will never use the cheap stuff ever again!!! Can't get any Better! By Randy on 10/23/2014 Randy would recommend this product to a friend What can I say, this is a great product. I set it up for my 80gal tank, mixed it up for a while and pumped it in. Everything came out perfect, no cloudiness. Love it and recommend it! Write Your Own Review You're reviewing: Red Sea Coral Pro Salt Mix *How do you rate this product? *Would you recommend this product to a friend? Yes No *Nickname *Summary of Your Review *Review Submit Review


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LPGA LOTTE Championship Second-round Notes and Interviews
Rolex Rankings No. 6 Suzann Pettersen battled a number of elements at Ko Olina Golf Club in Thursday's second round including some gusty winds and a little bit of rain to shoot a 69 and take a one-shot lead at 10-under-par through two rounds of the LPGA LOTTE Championship Presented by J Golf. Pettersen made four birdies and one bogey en route to taking the second-round lead, one shot ahead of defending champion Ai Miyazato, who tied for the low round of the day with a 68.


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It is important to learn from these instances of deconversion from Christianity, so that we can prevent it from happening to others, and ourselves. The one who doesn't learn from history (and biography) is doomed to repeat it. When a famous person ditches Christianity (or Catholicism in particular) in public and gives "reasons" for it, then Christians need to show how and why they are not valid reasons, and speak up for our faith that is being dragged through the mud on grossly unfair and unjust grounds.
There are serious lessons to be learned here: along the lines of having an informed, reasonable faith (complete with apologetic knowledge as necessary), and of yielding up our private judgment and personal inclinations to a God and a Church much higher than ourselves. Faith comes ultimately by God's grace and His grace alone: not our own semi-understandings. Christianity is not "blind faith"; it is a reasonable faith. But there is such a thing as allegiance and obedience to Christian authority, too.
When reason is separated from faith or (on a personal level) never was part of it, "faith" (or the unreasonable facsimile thereof) is empty and open to Satanic and cultural attack, and we are tossed to and fro by the winds and the waves: a cork on the ocean of our decadent, corrupt, increasingly secularist and hedonistic culture. Here is Anne Rice's own announcements, from her Facebook page:
For those who care, and I understand if you don't: Today I quit being a Christian. I'm out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being "Christian" or to being part of Christianity. It's simply impossible for me to "belong" to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten ...years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else. (7-28-10)
As I said below, I quit being a Christian. I'm out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of ...Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen. (7-28-10)
1) She came back to the Catholic faith in a sort of fideistic way, rather than reasoning it through and using her mind, and exercising a more balanced, reasoned faith. Without the rational backdrop and understanding of why she believed and returned, she was on a foundation of sand. This is why apologetics is important. If we don't know why we believe what we believe, then later on there may be no reason not to cease believing, since reason had nothing to do with it from the start. If there is no rational reason to believe something, then there can be an ostensibly rational reason to reject the same thing that had no conscious reason for being believed in the first place. Hence, her own fideistic, entirely subjective report of her return to Catholicism in 1996, after having broken with the Church "violently and totally" at age 18:
In the moment of surrender, I let go of all the theological or social questions which had kept me from [God] for countless years. I simply let them go. There was the sense, profound and wordless, that if He knew everything I did not have to know everything, and that, in seeking to know everything, I'd been, all of my life, missing the entire point. No social paradox, no historic disaster, no hideous record of injustice or misery should keep me from Him. No question of Scriptural integrity, no torment over the fate of this or that atheist or gay friend, no worry for those condemned and ostracized by my church or any other church should stand between me and Him. The reason? It was magnificently simple: He knew how or why everything happened; He knew the disposition of every single soul. He wasn't going to let anything happen by accident! Nobody was going to go to Hell by mistake.
(Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession, p. 183)
2) She obviously was a dissident all along, on many of the social / sexual issues (pro-abortion, homosexual "marriage", feminism, contraception, female priests). Like many libertarians and sexual liberals, then, she placed that allegiance higher than the Church, since she refused to accept and submit herself to Church teaching (which is part of the package and meaning of being a Catholic in the first place: we have an authoritative Church). There are millions like her out there. There is an old saying that "all heresy begins below the belt." She openly explains all this in her own words:
[citing the ELCA's decision to ordain noncelibate homosexuals] More good news in the story of rights for all gays worldwide. (7-26-10)3) She was a child of the sexual revolution: even being part of the Haight-Ashbury hippie scene in San Francisco. This affects one. So does years of being an atheist. When one thinks in a certain fashion for many years, it is very difficult to unlearn that and to be "deprogrammed." It takes a lot of repentance and grace. And so with a few difficult events or doubts, we can lose faith altogether:
Her views will not please all of the devout. Rice favors gay marriage. She believes the church position regarding birth control is a grievous error that is not supported by Scripture. She repudiates what she sees as intolerant, "sex-obsessed" church leaders [Dave: this coming from a former hippie and author of porn and erotica!?], and says she does not find support in the message of Jesus for their focus on sexual orientation or abortion. She argues for a more inclusive church.
"Think of how the church bells would ring and the pews would fill if women could become priests and priests could marry. It would be the great resurgence of the Catholic Church in this country," Rice said recently, . . .
"He doesn't say anything about abortion," Rice said. "He doesn't say anything about gays. I abhor abortion too. But to make Christianity rise and fall on these issues is a great distortion of Christ's message." . . .
As Rice immerses herself in Scripture, many of the things she finds there do not jibe with the dictates of the Vatican or conservative Christians. Like many modern scholars of the Koran, Rice is pointing to her religion's holy book itself to criticize what she views as its misuse to justify long-held cultural practices.
For example, she said, there is no biblical dictate forbidding women to use birth control.
"I think that's a mistaken notion," she said. "There's a lack of vision about how much better the world would be if women could control their reproductive rights. We have all these street children in underdeveloped countries. We have to bring these countries into the modern era. I think the church has been sex-obsessed too long." . . .
As a child, Rice said, "I felt the love of God. I wanted to be a priest. When I found out that being a girl meant I couldn't be, I was so disappointed. I didn't understand why." . . .
Rice also viewed church dictates on sin to be harsher to women, though "I have never taken misogyny personally," she added briskly. "Most people hate women, including women. There are reasons: Fear of women, of the power to give birth." . . .
. . . her studies of the Scripture have convinced her that many church dictates were created by mortals, not God. . . . She believes the Vatican's birth-control ban too is a patriarchal anachronism. "It was an obvious advantage for men for women to be passive with regards to procreation," she said. . . .
Rice believes that conservative Christian politicians are distorting Christ's message by politicizing such issues as abortion. While abortion is "tragic," Rice said, "Millions of women are having abortions. They have control of their reproductive powers, and they do not want to relinquish that control. Abortion is at the heart of that, because it's at the core of women having control of who they are. I think it's killing. But I think it's a woman's choice."
Gay marriage, she said, "is another classic example. It can only strengthen our society to have gay people in committed relationships rather than going to bars."
(Anne-Marie O'Connor, "Twists of Faith: Anne Rice's vision of Christianity is reflected in her new book," Los Angeles Times, 26 December 2005)
When bestselling novelist Anne Rice was a good Catholic girl growing up in New Orleans, she dreamed of becoming a leader of the church. Instead, she abandoned Catholicism at 18 and stopped believing in God. She joined the Haight-Ashbury hippie milieu and evolved into the bestselling author who elevated the sexually ambiguous vampire Lestat to cult status. She wrote pornography under one pen name and erotica under another. . . .
When Rice went away to Texas Woman's University in 1959, she found that the church's rigid doctrine was at odds with the growing complexities of her new life. "My background was so sheltered it didn't seem to sit with the modern world," Rice said. "I felt I had to deal with my faith and reconcile it with the world around me. My childhood was very sex-obsessed and repressed. I felt when I accepted a world without God, I accepted reality, and stopped believing in illusion." . . .
Instead, she became fascinated with the existentialists, reading Sartre and Camus. She met Stan Rice, a poet, artist and atheist, and they married in 1961.
Rice's husband, who was on his way to becoming an acclaimed poet, enrolled at San Francisco State University, where he would eventually chair the creative writing department. They moved to the Haight-Ashbury, but when their apartment filled with hippies, "I was the square. All around me people were taking acid. I had no intention of ever taking it."
(Anne-Marie O'Connor, "Twists of Faith: Anne Rice's vision of Christianity is reflected in her new book," Los Angeles Times, 26 December 2005)
4) She wants to be a Christian in some sense (or so it seems: she is sending mixed signals) but not part of Christianity. This is an insult to other Christians, as if they are not worthy enough to hang around anymore. It's typical American individualism and refusal to be part of a community; anti-institutionalism. But it is also the uncharitable "holier than thou" / we know better" schismatic, ultra-sectarian and rigorist attitude seen through history in groups like the Donatists and Montanists:
My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become. (7-29-10)
5) Note that it is not enough for her to cease being a Catholic. She is ditching any other form of communal, denominational Christianity, too. The examples of people expressing actual overt hatred or purported hatred that she cites are not Catholic ones (they are mostly Baptists). There are several liberal denominations where her liberal views would fit right in. But human nature seems to be given to extremes, so she ditches everything, throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The only good thing in this that I can see is that she is being honest and calling a spade a spade: she doesn't accept what the Catholic Church teaches, so she shouldn't be a Catholic, in that sense. She never was truly one in the first place, because she didn't accept the binding and obligatory nature of Catholic doctrines and dogmas:
"People are always going to misuse things. And some Christians are going to misuse Christianity. They are going to use Christianity to hit someone over the head because they frighten them or threaten them," she said. "We Christians have to get back to our roots as a people of love. Now we're associated with a religion of intolerance and hate. We have to come forward and speak about love."6) She cites some expressions of hatred towards homosexuals as a reason to cease being Christian, as if this is representative of one-hundredth of all Christians. Throw the baby out with the bathwater. This is clearly an irrational, emotional move. Her son (novelist Christopher Rice) is a homosexual activist. He has stated:
(Anne-Marie O'Connor, "Twists of Faith: Anne Rice's vision of Christianity is reflected in her new book," Los Angeles Times, 26 December 2005)
Since some of you mentioned the Westboro Baptist Church in comments below, I thought I'd publish this recent news story about them [describing how they picket soldiers' funerals and tell parents their children went to hell]. This is chilling. I wish I could say this is inexplicable. But it's not. That's the horror. Given the history of Christianity, this is not inexplicable at all. (7-27-10)
Since then, "people have come up to me to express their sympathies and condolences, because they assume it goes hand in hand with homophobia, and I'm gay," he said, with evident amusement. But "in Leviticus, Jesus himself didn't say anything about homosexuality." [Jesus in Leviticus? Hmmm] . . .That plays into this, too. It's a straw man:
"What people don't seem to understand is she explored the darker side of the spiritual realm because she thought there might be some truth there, not to hurt people. Even in her erotica, she says she went there to explore whether there was a spiritual dimension in the flesh. It's part of the same search."
(Anne-Marie O'Connor, "Twists of Faith: Anne Rice's vision of Christianity is reflected in her new book," Los Angeles Times, 26 December 2005)
- A) "Christians are the folks who hate homosexuals."
B) Hating homosexuals is wrong and I want no part of it.
C) Therefore, I have to cease being a Christian (or at least one in any institutional, communitarian sense).
But the false premise in #1 is the problem. Very few Christians of any stripe that I have ever met (and I've moved in many different Christian circles for 33 years) "hate" homosexuals or anyone else. So to use this as a pretext for abandoning Christianity is a cop-out. She is abandoning what she falsely thinks is Christianity / Catholicism:
The religious attacks on gays, to Rice, get to the heart of the flaws she sees in modern religion: the scapegoating of those deemed "sinners." Jerry Falwell's statement blaming gays, lesbians, abortion providers and feminists for the Sept. 11 attacks, she said, "was a dreadful thing to say. It's so crazy to say God will punish our enemies."
(Anne-Marie O'Connor, "Twists of Faith: Anne Rice's vision of Christianity is reflected in her new book," Los Angeles Times, 26 December 2005)
This shocking link [about some group that wants to execute homosexuals] was provided by a poster below. No wonder people despise us, Christians, and think we are an ignorant and violent lot. I don't blame them. This kind of thing makes me weep. Maybe commitment to Christ means not being a Christian. (7-27-10)
7) She rejects divisiveness and acrimony in the Christian community by being as divisive and acrimonious as she can: splitting altogether, publicly, with disgust, as if Catholicism and larger Christianity are all these caricatured things that she seems to think they are. She doesn't like divisive people and so she will divide from them. She dislikes intolerance, so she will be quite intolerant and dismissive and prejudiced towards some two billion Christians. This is the attitude of private judgment and sectarianism that is precisely opposed by the Catholic Church, and the very reason why we value doctrinal unity so much. It leads to communitarian unity as well when folks believe the same thing: just as the NT always envisioned the Church to be. But Anne Rice knows better, writing on 7-27-10:
Gandhi famously said: "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." When does a word (Christian) become unusable? When does it become so burdened with history and horror that it cannot be evoked without destructive controversy?
So her "reasoning" is: "Christians are terrible people. I'm much better than they are, so I need to separate institutionally from all of them, and no longer call myself by their name, so that I am not stained by their ignorance and hatred any longer, and can be an example of loving, truly Christian tolerance towards all people."
Makes a whole lot of sense, doesn't it?
Rice's comments since the initial announcement amply confirm what I have written above:
NPR Interview (article of 8-2-10)
And frankly, after doing it, I felt sane for the first time in a very long while.
This is something that had been going on really almost from the beginning of my conversion in 1998. From the beginning, there were signs that the public face of Catholicism and the public face of Christianity were things that I found very, very difficult to accept. . . . more and more social issues began to impinge on me . . .
I didn't anticipate at the beginning that the U.S. bishops were going to come out against same-sex marriage, that they were actually going to donate money to defeat the civil rights of homosexuals in the secular society. . . . When that broke in the news, I felt an intense pressure. And I am a person who grew up with the saying that all that is needed for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing, and I believe that statement.
From the beginning, I've had gay fans, and gay readers who felt that my works involved a sustained gay allegory. I didn't set out to do that, but that was what they perceived. So even when Christopher was a little baby, I had gay readers and gay friends and knew gay people, and lived in the Castro district of San Francisco, which was a gay neighborhood. And so my experience with gay people long preceded Christopher coming out of the closet and becoming a gay novelist.
Certainly I will never go back to being that atheist and that pessimist that I was. I live now in a world that I feel God created, and I feel I live in a world where God witnesses everything that happens. . . . That's a huge change from the atheist I was when I wrote the vampire novels.
I found God, but that doesn't mean that I have to be a supporting member of any organized religion.
You know, I don't really like disappointing all my Catholic friends. I don't really like disappointing all my Christian friends and contacts. I really don't like it. It's painful. But I did what I felt I had to do.
More from her Facebook page:
. . . my recent decision to quit Christianity for Christ. (8-4-10)
News Flash: JUDGE WALKER HAS RULED: PROPOSITION 8 -- THE BAN ON SAME SEX MARRIAGE in California IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL!!!! ---- Congratulations to gay people everywhere on this victory in your battle for civil rights!!!! There will be celebrations tonight in many places over this important victory for gay people. (8-4-10)
. . . my declaration about quitting Christianity for Christ. (8-4-10)
The world is talking vigorously about Judge Walker's ruling that struck down the California ban on same sex marriage as unconstitutional. I think his ruling may have greater historic impact than many now realize. (8-4-10)
. . . my recent decision to quit Christianity in the name of Christ. (8-5-10)
She did a video interview with Joy Behar on 8-4-10.
Interview with
I've been living with this now for 12 years, and I've come to the conclusion from my experience with organized religion that I have to leave, that I have to, in the name of Christ, step away from this. It's a matter of rejecting what I've discovered about the persecution of gays, the persecution and oppression of women and the actions of the churches on many different levels. I've also found that I can't find a basis in Scripture for a lot of the positions that churches and denominations take today, and I can't find any basis at all for an anointed, hierarchical priesthood. So all of this finally created a pressure in me, a kind of confusion, a toxic anger at times, and I felt I had to step aside. And that's what I've done.***
I feel much more morally comfortable walking away from organized religion. I respect that there are all kinds of denominations and all kinds of churches, but it's the entire controversy, the entire conversation that I need to walk away from right now. I respect completely people who want to find a church that's more in accord with what they can morally accept. But for me, walking away is the thing right now. In the name of Christ, in the name of God.
I think the basic ritual is simply prayer. It's talking to God, putting things in the hands of God, trusting that you're living in God's world and praying for God's guidance. And being absolutely faithful to the core principles of Jesus' teachings.
I'll very much miss going to Mass, and I'll very much miss Holy Communion, the Eucharist. But it's a communal meal…and I don't feel that I'm part of the community anymore, and I don't feel that I can go to a Catholic church and partake.
There was a last straw. But it's very important to emphasize that it was the sum total of a lot of things. There were some last straws that had to do with papal pronouncements, the pope going to Africa and declaring that condoms were not a good idea and would not help in the AIDS epidemic; the pope standing up in Portugal and saying that one of the most insidious evils faced by the world today is same-sex marriage. You know, we live in a world where genocide and human slavery are realities, and the pope chose to focus on same-sex marriage. That was a moment of, "What in the world am I doing connected to this religion?" But the real last straw, the very last straw, was the bishop of Phoenix, Ariz., Thomas Olmsted, coming out and publicly condemning a nun named Sister Margaret McBride for authorizing a life-saving abortion for a dying mother in a Phoenix hospital. What he said in essence was that she had excommunicated herself by authorizing the abortion, and I could write a book on why I think that was a ruthless and immoral decision.
But you know, again, when we talk about the last straw, we don't want to betray the whole spectrum of things that people have chosen to do in the name of organized religion in our time. There are deep issues with religions and the way they treat the very serious moral problems that people face today with reproductive questions, reproductive rights, questions of family planning, questions of marriage and divorce, questions of how you live a meaningful life in a world where almost every decision you make has some moral implication for somebody else. These are big issues. And the question of how much the decisions of people in organized religion are related to any deep-rooted theology of Jesus Christ, well, that's a real question. You understand my problem?


text:
It is always surprising to find out that prospective students think a career in computing involves sitting in front of a computer eight to ten hours a day. Nothing could be further from the truth! There are many creative, fun, and interesting jobs and careers in computing fields. Click on the links below to discover the many different types of jobs and careers available with a degree in CS or CIS; you'll be surprised!
According to CNN Money Magazine's report on the "best jobs in America," the No. 1 "Best Job in America" in 2006 was software engineering, ahead even of finance, medicine, real estate, and law. The number of software engineering jobs is expected to grow by 46% in the next ten years.
You can also find information about career possibilities at careers.com, the IEEE's careers site, the ACM Career Resource Centre, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, career-space.com, and many other sites. Or stop by the offices of Jim Buchan or Denton Olson in the Plaster Business building. Either of these professors will be happy to discuss career opportunities in this exciting field.


text:
Paul Benario
Paul's Interview
Business Management Information Systems
Overwhelmed is how I would describe myself when I was choosing a college. I was originally looking at all Big Ten schools, thinking that because I went to a large high school, I would want something much larger for college. So, I visited Bradley with a closed mind. After my visit to campus, I started noticing differences about Bradley. These differences weren't only about the academic programs offered here, but about the 'feel' of campus. Students were friendly, smiling, and happy to be here. Everyone was enthusiastic, warm, and welcoming about Bradley. Students were going to class and stopping to talk to other students. When the weather is nice I usually add some extra time on to my walk to class, accounting for the fact that I will most likely stop and talk to a few people on the quad during my walk. At many other schools I visited I felt like the students hurried to class and just looked straight ahead. Bradley just felt more like somewhere I wanted to be.
I was admitted directly to the business school at Bradley. At many of the other schools I considered I would have been admitted into general studies, applying to the business school only after I completed my sophomore year.
In contrast, during my sophomore year at Bradley I was applying for internships. As a Business Management Information Systems major I applied to large companies that had a sizeable IT department. I ended up interviewing and getting a summer internship with Kellogg Company.
Although the summer ended, my internship did not. I have continued to work for Kellogg 20 hours a week, while I am away at school. This is an opportunity I could have only dreamed of, being able to work my normal internship throughout the school year, and I don't even need to leave my room!
I have now been extended for an additional year as an intern and I am the project coordinator for the summer interns this upcoming summer. This means I'll be planning the first day orientation, an intern project, and an intern trip to headquarters in Michigan. My supervisors at Kellogg have acknowledged many of the experiences I've gained from my leadership experiences at Bradley.
I am currently Vice President of both my social fraternity, as well as Hillel, the Jewish organization on campus. I took my love for leadership to the next level by adding my Leadership Studies minor. Through my experiences in these organizations (as well as the many other organizations I have been involved with on campus) and my leadership classes I have been able to learn what it takes to be a better leader in the world beyond college.


text:
Film blocked in Italy during election campaign
ROME (AP) - Producers of a documentary that takes a sharply critical view of the political, economic and social trends in Italy in recent decades are protesting they are victims of censorship after the culture ministry blocked the film's Italian debut during the run-up to elections.
"Girlfriend in a Coma" is billed as a documentary on "the decline" of Italy written by Bill Emmott, former editor of the Economist, and Italian journalist Annalisa Piras.
The film was scheduled to be shown Feb. 13 at the MAXXI museum in Rome. The museum, supervised by the culture ministry, said with national elections Feb. 24-25 it is standard practice not to host events during the campaign that have any connection to politics.
The museum said it would be happy to host the showing after the vote.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


text:
|246 posts found
Originally posted by maplestone
What is the entertainment value of building a plastic model when you can buy the finished thing?
Flame on!
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Novice Member
Joined: 9/14/09
Originally posted by Banaghran
What if you want to play this interesting dungeon but the prerequiest is to kill 5000 rats with your sword or buy a poison in the cashshop for 5$ that can instantly kill 5000 rats.
I mean, what you really want to do is do the dungeon but not kill 5000 rats with your sword.
Anyway, I think we are getting offtopic.
Advanced Member
Joined: 1/14/04
Originally posted by LauraFrost
I cant see how death penalty or long travel time can add any joiment to any game. Other reasons are cousing games to be less fun to play than those two you mention.
Elite Member
Joined: 3/30/10
I don't Forum PVP. If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident.
For people who want convenience in an MMORPG, adding inconvenience is not likely to be seen as a positive.
Different day, same general concept: Players don't all want the same things in an MMORPG.
For myself, I was quite displeased when WoW removed the need to carry ammunition for my hunter. I felt it was an appropriate detail as part of gameplay. However, the masses cheered the change as removing an inconvenience. I see this as a clear illustration of how a developer will cater to the masses and disregard minority preferences.
I give up.
Advanced Member
Joined: 2/26/11
WOW!! You guys should give up MMOs. Its like drugs. You do it for years just to get the same high you got when you first started. And you never get the same high down the road.
Unless technology changes, there will still be the same shitty MMOs being released. Its all about money.
GO OUT AND GET LAID AND FORGET MMOs!
Made History
Joined: 7/11/11
Pink, it's like red but not quite.
Originally posted by Banaghran
Relax, no 'mine's bigger' required.
Yep, we had lots of rooms flagged +noteleport, as well as the more specific +noteleportin and +noteleportout. It honestly rarely equated to "more challenging", but I guess if you add up hundreds of rather insignifcant individual restrictions, you'll achieve enough cumulative "inconveniences" to justify some minor chest-thumping.
Largely reliant on the degree of latent sadism of your room painters, I suppose. :shrug: Games in the 80-90s really could be made "hard as hell" just by piling on enough cumulative frustrations--and coders weren't at all shy about doing it, either.
We love to stretch and tell these youngsters how easy they had it, my games were all uphill, both ways, through the snow, all the time.
I just hope not many of the youngsters buy it...because the truth is that it's largely exaggeration driven by nostalgia and the previously mentioned Iyamso hardc0re pose-and-flex dance.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
Novice Member
Joined: 12/10/08
Originally posted by Banaghran
Do not try and buy the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth. There is no spoon.
Novice Member
Joined: 12/10/08
Originally posted by apb2011
People keep telling me things like this, but it always turns out they weren't volunteering.
Novice Member
Joined: 6/24/06
I see absolutely no reason you cannot mix the old with the new and make a decent MMORPG.
Old most would like to see again...
- Open seamless world (or fairly close at least) .
- Quests that are quests (Deep stories and longer to complete with a decent reward you will use awhile). Epic Chain quests.
- Robust economy via meaningful crafting. (Crafted items better than world drops and better than some raid drops.
- Travel that allows exploration and gives the world a large feel to it.
New to innovate the above...
- Make the world more unique...with less copy and paste scenery and more unique landmarks. Hidden dungeons, random events.
- Chain quests taking you to several locations world-wide to complete with possible arching storylines or options for a varied result. Also helps with giving travel a point. Just quests with purpose, interesting stories, and that effect the world or player reputation.
- Crafting needs a real purpose, and needs to be relevant. I'm not saying crafted gear has to be the absolute best in-game. As some raiding that requires 25 players should be the best...but possibly making some crafted gear on par....so players can buy gear from players if they are not into Raiding...but those that choose to raid don't get the short end of the stick because others could buy better.
- Travel. World travel is a must. But that isn't to say I am against instant travel. Traveling that same path for the 1000th time can get boring. So I feel (personally) portals should be an option to certain locations (Major hubs). But limited and not overdone.
I see no reason such things as ships to take from one continent to another cannot be done. Why can there not be things to do at the port whiel awaiting a ship? Small PvP arenas, games players can play for coin, a small trader's post players can browse or haggle, a tavern for players to mingle.
Anyways, I feel so much can be done to take away the wait and same old issues players complain about...but so many developer's do so little to actually do so. Personally I feel it's because players settle for what they get, so the dev's feel little need to go that extra mile. If they keep paying, why bother?
Advanced Member
Joined: 12/21/07
Originally posted by Kyleran
Surveys? Player responds and complains?
And of course they cater to the largest audience. Is there a reason to cater to the smallest?
Personlly, i don't play a game to travel. Given that there are millions playing MMOs, i doubt many share this "lack of motive to log on".
Novice Member
Joined: 2/27/08
Originally posted by Goatgod76
Great ideas, but some problems. First off, when crafted items are better than anything you can get from a mob, it creates a grind roadblock, where someone will have to grind constantly to gather enough money to pay for the better items. There's really no fun in that. Secondly, while I have nothing against travel, and it might be exciting the first couple of times you go to a certain place, by the time you've been there 8-10x, you don't want to see the same old tired environment anymore, along with the same old tired random mobs. You just want to get there and have fun *NOW*, not trudge through things you've already seen over and over again.
Problems galore here. First, hidden dungeons never stay hidden for long, once they're found, they're mapped in detail on the wiki, the secrets last maybe until the end of the first day, then they're no longer hidden. I do like the idea of truly random dungeons that move once a day to a wholly new location, but again, if there's a pattern, it won't be long until someone works that out and it's up on the wiki. Secondly, we have the typical problem with the "you're a hero" nonsense, I have yet to play any of these games where I have ever felt like a hero, nor that anything I did made a demonstrable difference in the world. It just doesn't. Everything you do, everyone else has already done. So what? If you fail, the world doesn't end, if you succeed, the world doesn't improve. It just goes on. Crafting has no real purpose, in most games, every single smith makes the exact same sword from the exact same ingredients. You can't tell who made what because they're all the same. Perhaps the biggest problem is that most people just don't want to wait at all, they have limited time to play the game and they don't want to waste it screwing around waiting for a ship to arrive. I want to go where I need to go and do what I want to do. Wasting an hour wandering around in the wilderness to get to fun content is just not what I'm playing the game to do.
Sorry, it just doesn't work for the majority of MMO players.
Played: UO, EQ, WoW, DDO, SWG, AO, CoH, EvE, TR, AoC, GW, GA, Aion, Allods, lots more
Novice Member
Joined: 6/24/06
Originally posted by Cephus404
I said crafted items better than mob drops yes...but that doesn't mean they still won't be of use.
You have to figure in a game where crafted items are better than world mob drops they are going to be pricey. Face it..players are greedy. And again, if player made items are better than world mob drops...they will ask more for them, especially after they went through the trouble to collect the items to make it and then actually make the item. So not all players will be able to afford them right away or if even at all in some cases. So the mob drops will still be useful to players...and wouldn't be completely useless.
For travel, I stated it was open world, but also there would be need for some portals, mainly in major hubs...but these could be spaced out so you don't have to travel to any given point very far. Make them discoverable to use. Nothign saying there can't be classes that have the ability to port players either. Have several methods of travel...the ports, ships, maybe like in Vanguard and have rentable flying mounts you can fly anywhere but are on a limited timer for use.
Yes, I know that it would not take long for hidden areas to no longer be hidden...I am not nieve nough to think otherwise. I just didn't want to write a novel explaining EVERYTHING in great detail...as I am not pitchign this to actual dev's. But such "hidden" dungeons could be instanced. Every day, few hours...whenever decided on, they could (If possible) be changed out in pattern. or who's to say every patch or other patch a new passage couldn't be added inthe form of a collapsed wall, previously blocked path opening via apparent quake, etc.
Crafting could be more aesthetics than stats. If a photoshop style interface coudl be incorporated for crafters to have the ability to craft pieces, and then rearrange them as they wish for unique looks to go along with stats.
My problem with this... "Perhaps the biggest problem is that most people just don't want to wait at all, they have limited time to play the game and they don't want to waste it screwing around waiting for a ship to arrive. I want to go where I need to go and do what I want to do. Wasting an hour wandering around in the wilderness to get to fun content is just not what I'm playing the game to do."
Why are you playing MMORPG's then? Seriously...I am asking. I don't get those who can't make time for them, but want to play them. This is why there are console RPG's...you can save or pause when you wish and quit on a whim. Yet...everyone wants them to be now now now gimme gimme gimme this second, effectively rendering them...well, NOT MMORPG's.
And yeah yeah....I know a few who are going to say "MMORPG's aren't meant to be anything but fun games." Which yes, is true...as far as fun games. But they are a seperate genre, like it or not, from console gaming for the reason they were meant for longer term, more commitment fun. They started for P&P geeks...which MANY of which are still around. That doesn't mean they ALL have to be that form, but a few would be nice, and CAN be a slower pace and thrive if done right....despite what some here may think.
Hard Core Member
Joined: 1/09/08
The problems with going back to that style of MMORPG occur when you think about both generations that are currently playing the games and all the in between.
First there is an entire generation of gamers that played back when MMORPG's first came out, those people were already fans of pretty difficult games, and enjoyed progression towards items that can take a while to get. Usually used to having to map out things, or explore everything to find what they need. Quests had riddles or took a while to figure out what to do or where to go, pvp was looked down upon if it wasn't wanted by one of the players. Travel took a long period of time, getting from a point to your objective could take an hour if you were running on foot, or if you had enough hours put into the game you had a mount that could get you there a little bit faster, teleporting was unheard of.
Then you have the generation now, who came into the genre starting with WoW after burning crusade came out, or games similar to that where everything was convenient already. They are used to teleporting to destinations, easy to read maps with quests highlighted for them, quests consisting nearly always of killing certain mobs and collecting certain items, and focused mainly on end game things like dungeon running and raiding. Pvp for them is ganking and arena style pvp.
The problem with including anything from the older generation of MMORPG players games into newer games is that it sends the newer players into shock, they aren't used to having to run for an hour to get anywhere, so it isn't fun at all for them. They didn't grow up on games requiring them to explore to gain a sense of adventure, their adventure came from other means, flying around on a mount that goes 300% speed or teleporting into a new area or seeing that new dungeon finally. Older players can't see that as adventure because they don't see how anyone can have fun doing mindless endgame running, or doing yet another new raid. I think theres a market for both types of games, and only a couple games have tried to do both, one of which being Archeage. I started playing MMORPG games back when Lineage 2 came out, so around the time that they started sucking in the masses for WoW, and I remember back when I started having to run forever to get between towns and it honestly felt normal to me. But now if I tried to do that because the convenience was there it doesn't feel the same.
Originally posted by Quirhid
This argument is the exam same argument when people said "if you dislike instant-teleportation from polar opposite points of the world, then don't use that just walk!"... Do I even need to explain why this is retarded?
The difficulties in a world sets the pace of the game. It's the inter-connection between you, other players and the world. If your group were teleported in Castle Ravenloft in 1 second because they touched a blinking neon sign, it doesn't matter if you walk the path 10 minutes... because the actual distance to that dungeon is 1 second. That's it, that's the fact. Your friends, the community, everyone else can reach that point in one second it makes no sense for you to forcing yourself to take a longer route.
It's like saying "Run in circles around yourself for 10 minutes to make taking 3 steps in a city feels longer." Why would I want to do that?
Originally posted by maplestone
Lol I would volunteer *wink* :P
Originally posted by Icewhite
So we are once again at the point when someone divides the challenges into those he does not like and calls them grind, tedious, frustrating and inconvenient and those he likes and calls them interesting and challenging...
Is that the best you can do? Cannot the requirement to advance just one square with a pawn be considered "frustrating, latent sadism" ? The player just wants another queen at the opposite side of the board...
Flame on!
Originally posted by laokoko
Isnt that the underlying main problem? The dungeon being a significantly different experience from the killing the rats to the point it feels forced? Leveling vs endgame anyone?
Flame on!
Originally posted by Panther2103
This is a non-issue to the point of becoming a strawman.
There are more than enough youngsters slacking around in older games or getting bored with newer ones, and the bar is set rather low, 200k subs for a 50m project.
What you will not have is the initial 500k+ players, but you also dont always need 50m to produce it.
Flame on!
Originally posted by Banaghran
The guy is deluded and ignoring actual game mechanics that are NO LONGER AVAILABLE in the market and claiming that it's all "nostalgia" that's moot and I've listed plenty of game mechanics that I still want to see re-implemented. Sometimes I want to make a survey on who actually argues against what we're trying to say I bet you most of them are incapable of thinking outside the box because simply their only experience is being in the box. They are incapable of comprehending what we explain because they have no actual experience of doing something different that they can relate to.
Arguing is pointless with someone who doesn't grasp the concept, just ignore and move on I say. :)
Hard Core Member
Joined: 5/02/11
Imo the key is finding a middle ground. If a game is too difficult, it's going to have a small audience, because that appeals to a smaller group of people. Casual games appeal to many more players. However, if you look at the chat when recent games have launched you see a ton of complaints about the lack of challenge. TOR had a poll on its forums a bit before it launched and over half the players thought the game was too easy.
I think basically what we're seeing now is that the earlier titles were too difficult to use. From the interface, to the learning curve and harsh penalties. It turned off many players before they got to the fun parts. WoW really streamlined a lot of things and made gameplay much easier. And it struck gold. But since WoW most titles have followed suit, but continuned to make things even easier. To the point where now you rarely see a game that doesn't have arrows to every quest stage, or where you should ever die in the first 10 hours without being a bonehead. And now you have players revolting against that. Maybe it's time to find a happy medium somewhere in between.
So how can change to find that medium?
The linear quest hub approach worked great for WoW, and has been cloned by pretty much everyone. It's hard to argue that it wasn't a huge upgrade from mindless grinding of mobs for experience. But as games have continued to get easier it's to the point now where players just go through the motions. They don't care about the quest descriptions, all they care about is consuming all the quests in this hub and then walking 3 minutes up the road to the next one and doing all of those there. There is absolutely no challenge, no mystique and no feeling that you aren't doing the exact same thing as every other player. Imo quests should be challenging. They shouldn't be linear. The problem is that if your making quests your way to grind to maximum level, players will gravitate towards whatever quest is the best experience in the least amount of time. They won't do difficult quests early on. That's where I feel skills based games can excel, they remove that from the equation. But I think that level based games can also use more difficult quests and less linearity but they need to make it worth the players while.
I think death penalties could be made a bit more difficult. Not going back to the experience loss of earlier games, or perma death of some newer ones. But making it a little more troublesome would help provide more of a sense of accomplishment when something is done, and prevent as many zergs. People are less likely to charge brainlessly into death when it affects their gameplay.
I think there needs to be more of a focus on group oriented content. And I'm not just talking about GW2's events, which are a step in the right direction, but are in themselves a solo act for the most part. Real grouping and socializing should be encouraged, though not forced. Part of the fun of those early games was that you had to meet people to maximize your potential, and that led to many positive things. It's just not there now. How often do players group with people they don't know unless it's just to kill a quest mob and then disband? In GW2 your often playing with 20 other people, but how often do you even talk to each other? Auto-grouping systems, experience bonuses for grouping, shared quest rewards, are a few things that can be done here and will make a huge difference.
Instant travel is a touchy subject, because it has its place. I do feel like a travel home ability that has a long recharge and casting time is important in any game. But lately games have begun to go to extremes. In GW2 the instant teleports everywhere just help to make a very large world feel small. And if you get into open world PvP, teleportation is a real problem.
That's just a few examples. But finding a middle ground is the key imo.


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Interpretive Handbook
88887 :
Ashkenazi Jewish Mutation Analysis Panel Without Cystic Fibrosis (CF)
Clinical Information Discusses physiology, pathophysiology, and general clinical aspects, as they relate to a laboratory test
Certain genetic diseases are more common in individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage (Jewish individuals of Eastern European ancestry) compared to the non-Jewish population. The majority of these conditions are inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. This group of diseases includes Gaucher, Tay-Sachs, familial dysautonomia, Canavan, mucolipidosis IV, Niemann-Pick Type A and B, FANCC-related Fanconi anemia, and Bloom syndrome. While these conditions are observed outside of the Ashkenazi Jewish population, they occur at a lower frequency. It is estimated that an individual of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry has a 20% to 25% chance of being a carrier of 1 of these diseases.
Gaucher Disease:
Gaucher disease is a relatively rare lysosomal storage disorder resulting from a deficiency of acid beta-glucocerebrosidase. Mutations in the beta-glucocerebrosidase gene, GBA, cause the clinical manifestations of Gaucher disease. There are 3 major types of Gaucher disease: nonneuropathic (type 1), acute neuropathic (type 2), and subacute neuropathic (type 3). Type 1 accounts for over 95% of all cases of Gaucher disease and is the presentation commonly found among Ashkenazi Jewish patients. Type 1 disease does not involve nervous system dysfunction; patients display anemia, low blood platelet levels, massively enlarged livers and spleens, lung infiltration, and extensive skeletal disease. There is a broad spectrum of disease in type 1, with some patients exhibiting severe symptoms and others very mild disease. Types 2 and 3 are associated with neurological disease of variable onset and progression, though type 2 tends to be more severe. Eight common GBA mutations, including the N370S mutation most commonly found in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, are included in this test: delta55bp, V394L, N370S, IVS2+1G->A, 84G->GG, R496H, L444P, and D409H.
Tay-Sachs disease is caused by an absence of hexosaminidase (HexA) enzyme activity, which results in the accumulation of the sphingolipid GM2 ganglioside. Mutations in the HEXA gene cause the clinical manifestations of Tay-Sachs disease (TSD). The most common form of TSD becomes apparent in infancy when mild motor weakness is noted along with impaired visual acuity and the presence of a "startle response." Other manifestations of this condition include progressive neurodegeneration, seizures, and blindness, leading to total incapacitation and death. This panel tests for the 3 common mutations in the Ashkenazi Jewish population: 1278insTATC, G269S, and IVS12+1G->C. Also included in this assay are the mutations IVS9+1G->A and delta7.6kb mutations along with the R247W and R249W polymorphisms associated with pseudodeficiency.
Familial Dysautonomia:
Familial dysautonomia affects sensory, parasympathetic, and sympathetic neurons. Patients experience gastrointestinal dysfunction, pneumonia, vomiting episodes, altered sensitivity to pain and temperature, and cardiovascular problems. Progressive neuronal degeneration continues throughout the lifespan. Mutations in the IKBKAP gene cause the clinical manifestations of familial dysautonomia. Two mutations in the IKBKAP gene are common in the Ashkenazi Jewish population: IVS20(+6)T->C and R696P.
Canavan Disease:
Canavan disease is a severe leukodystrophy resulting from a deficiency of the enzyme aspartoacylase. Mutations in the ASPA gene cause the clinical manifestations of Canavan disease. The deficiency of aspartoacylase leads to spongy degeneration of the brain, and the disease is characterized by delayed development beginning at age 3 to 6 months, head lag, macrocephaly, and hypotonia. Death usually occurs in the first decade of life. Four ASPA mutations are included in this test: 433(-2)A->G, A305E, E285A, and Y231X.
Mucolipidosis IV:
Mucolipidosis IV is a lysosomal storage disease characterized by mental retardation, hypotonia, corneal clouding, and retinal degeneration. Mutations in the MCOLN1 gene are responsible for the clinical manifestations of mucolipidosis IV. Two mutations in the MCOLN1 gene account for the majority of mutations in the Ashkenazi Jewish population: IVS3(-2)A->G and delta6.4kb.
Niemann-Pick Disease Types A and B:
Niemann-Pick disease (types A and B) is a lysosomal storage disease caused by a deficiency of the enzyme acid sphingomyelinase. The clinical presentation of type A disease is characterized by jaundice, progressive loss of motor skills, feeding difficulties, learning disabilities, and hepatosplenomegaly. Death usually occurs by age 3. Type B disease is milder, though variable in its clinical presentation. Most individuals with type B do not have neurologic involvement and survive to adulthood. Mutations in the SMPD1 gene are known to cause Niemann-Pick disease types A and B. There are 3 common mutations causing Niemann-Pick type A in the Ashkenazi Jewish population: L302P, R496L, and fsP330. The deltaR608 mutation accounts for approximately 90% of the type B mutant alleles in individuals from the Maghreb region of North Africa and 100% of the mutation alleles in Gran Canaria Island.
Fanconi Anemia:
Fanconi anemia is an aplastic anemia that leads to bone marrow failure and myelodysplasia or acute myelogenous leukemia. Physical findings include short stature; upper limb, lower limb, and skeletal malformations; and abnormalities of the eyes and genitourinary tract. Mutations in several genes have been associated with Fanconi anemia, although 1 mutation, IVS4(+4)A->T, in the FANCC gene is common in the Ashkenazi Jewish population. A second mutation, 322delG, is over represented in FANCC patients of Northern European ancestry.
Bloom Syndrome:
Bloom syndrome is characterized by short stature, sun sensitivity, susceptibility to infections, and a predisposition to cancer. Mutations in the BLM gene lead to genetic instability (increased chromosomal breakage and sister chromatid exchange) and cause the clinical manifestations of Bloom syndrome. The protein encoded by the BLM gene is a helicase involved in maintaining DNA integrity. There is a common mutation in the Ashkenazi Jewish population: 2281delATCTGAinsTAGATTC (2281del6/ins7).
Because of the high sensitivity of carrier testing in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) recommends that carrier screening for cystic fibrosis, Canavan, Tay-Sachs, familial dysautonomia, Niemann-Pick type A, Fanconi anemia (FANCC), Bloom syndrome, mucolipidosis IV, and Gaucher disease be offered to individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. The mutation detection rates and carrier frequencies for the diseases included in this panel are listed below. Of note, testing for cystic fibrosis is not included in this panel. If testing for this disorder is desired, please see details and ordering information under CFPB / Cystic Fibrosis Mutation Analysis, 106-Mutation Panel.
Carrier Rate in the AJ Population
Mutation Detection Rate
Familial dysautonomia
Mucolipidosis IV
Niemann-Pick type A/B
FANCC-related Fanconi anemia
Bloom syndrome
*with biochemical testing
The Ashkenazi Jewish panel is useful for identifying carriers of these 8 conditions in an at-risk population. Because the diseases included in the panel are inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, the presence of a family history is not a prerequisite for testing consideration. The identification of disease-causing mutations allows for carrier testing of at-risk family members and prenatal diagnosis for pregnancies in which both parents are known carriers. Refer to Carrier Testing for Tay-Sachs Disease and Other GM2 Gangliosidosis Variants: Supplementing Traditional Biochemical Testing with Molecular Methods, Mayo Medical Laboratories Communique 2004 Jul;29(7) for more information regarding diagnostic strategy.
Of note, approximately 1 in 25 individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry are also carriers of CF. Therefore, the American College of Medical Genetics also recommends that carrier screening for CF be offered to individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry who are pregnant or considering pregnancy. Carrier screening for CF is available by ordering CFPB / Cystic Fibrosis Mutation Analysis, 106-Mutation Panel.
Useful For Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful
Carrier screening in individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry for Bloom syndrome, Canavan disease, FANCC-related Fanconi anemia, familial dysautonomia, Gaucher disease, mucolipidosis IV, Niemann-Pick disease types A and B, and Tay-Sachs disease
Interpretation Provides information to assist in interpretation of the test results
An interpretive report will be provided.
Cautions Discusses conditions that may cause diagnostic confusion, including improper specimen collection and handling, inappropriate test selection, and interfering substances
This assay will not detect all of the mutations that cause these 8 diseases. Therefore, the absence of a detectable mutation(s) does not rule out the possibility that an individual is a carrier of or affected with 1 or more of the listed diseases.
Test results should be interpreted in the context of clinical findings, family history, and other laboratory data. Errors in our interpretation of results may occur if information given is inaccurate or incomplete.
Rare polymorphisms exist that could lead to false-negative or false-positive results. If results obtained do not match the clinical findings, additional testing should be considered.
In rare cases, DNA alterations of undetermined significance may be identified.
A previous bone marrow transplant from an allogenic donor will interfere with testing. Call Mayo Medical Laboratories for instructions for testing patients who have received a bone marrow transplant.
Reference Values Describes reference intervals and additional information for interpretation of test results. May include intervals based on age and sex when appropriate. Intervals are Mayo-derived, unless otherwise designated. If an interpretive report is provided, the reference value field will state this.
An interpretive report will be provided.
Clinical References Provides recommendations for further in-depth reading of a clinical nature
Gross SJ, Pletcher BA, Monaghan KG: Carrier screening individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Genet Med 2008:10(1):54-56


text:
30" 2 x 4 Railing Planter
Customers Also Bought
Railing "Saddle Planter" for Porch, Deck, Balcony
- An easy way to add color to a railing
- Self-mounting — just slip over the railing, no screws, no brackets!
- Stable; planters stay put even in windy locations
- Fits a standard 2x4 railing
Dress up your deck and add color to your front porch with these convenient self-mounting planters. Thanks to a patented saddle groove, they slip right over deck railings without tools or fasteners, and they won't blow away or fall off. Choice of designer colors.
- Made of highly durable, UV-stabilized polypropylene
- 2 x 4 Planter holds 16 quarts of soil
- Fits standard 2 x 4 railing (actual width 3-1/2")
- 30" L x 11" W x 9-1/2" H
- Two drainage holes prevent waterlogging
Reviewed by 1 customer
- Holds alot
- Wide
Best Uses
- Trailing Plants
Our porch is in the shade and I wanted to have something hanging over the railing to dress up that area without planting directly in the dirt since we have our yard mowed by someone else and I feared they would get mowed over. It was very easy to plant my flowers and plants inside the container. Our railing is 3 1/2" and the planter was 4" wide so it doesn't fit tightly but so far it is working. I wish they would come up something in addition to make it a little snugger or some sort of support but I love it anyways
- Was this a gift?:
- No
There are no special shipping restrictions or charges associated with this item. For detailed information about our delivery methods and charges, click here.
We're proud of the fact that this item is shipped to you directly from our warehouse in Vermont, by one of our 250 employee-owners. In-stock items are packed with care and shipped within the next business day to ensure prompt delivery to your home and garden!


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Please go to our home page (www.preeclampsia.org) and click on the first announcement to access a survey that looks at emotional well being and pregnancy. You'll want to answer this for your FIRST pregnancy, assuming it was 1990 or later.
Most importantly, share the survey link with ANYBODY who had their first pregnancy after 1990, even if they did NOT have preeclampsia.
Thank you for your participation!


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COLUMBIA (AP) — A man wanted for killing his girlfriend's sister after the three of them got into a fight at a Columbia nightclub has turned himself in.
Richland County deputies said 30-year-old Jacobie "Kobi" Grace surrendered to officers in Marlboro County on Friday night and was taken back to Columbia.
Investigators said Grace shot and killed 27-year-old Tamara Lyles around 4 a.m. Friday. Lyles was his girlfriend's sister and authorities said the three were fighting just before the shooting.
Grace is charged with murder. He is at the Richland County jail and it wasn't known if he had a lawyer.
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Dear Scott: Where does fashion come from? Who decides what is going to be popular and what we are going to wear as far as clothes, hair and makeup?
I know that there are fashion shows, but I can't seem to be able to explain the concept of where a trend originates to my husband.
I have been telling him that he needs to buy some new clothes and get a new haircut. But he says there's nothing wrong with his the clothes that he has and that his hair is fine.
I think he looks out of date, but he claims he looks "timeless" and has "personal style." His shirts have big blousy sleeves, and his pants have pleats in the front with cuffs. His hair has been the same forever.
Maybe if you could help me explain who decides what is stylish, then he will understand that it's not just me nagging at him, and there is a reason to buy new clothes once in awhile.
Answer: Fashion and personal style are two different things. If a man shows up in a pirate shirt with ruffles down the front proclaiming personal style, there will be laughter in the room. The blousy shirt sleeves are a ruffle away from wrong.
The pleated pants are another giveaway. They've been gone for at least 10 years, but guys refuse to trade in their suits for newer models claiming that the pleats help them to hide a misfortunate belly. Pleats actually accentuate the issue.
Meryl Streep played the role of a sharp, business savvy, top executive of a major fashion magazine in the movie "The Devil Wears Prada."
She explains where fashion comes from to her unfashionable new assistant, played by Anne Hathaway, after the assistant laughed at the designers who were deciding over two belts that looked exactly the same to her. She said that it all looked like a pile of stuff.
"This … stuff'? Oh. OK. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select, I don't know, that lumpy blue sweater you're wearing for instance, because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue, it's not turquoise. It's not lapis. It's actually cerulean. And you're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent, wasn't it, who showed cerulean military jackets? And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it, uh, filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs, and it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff."
Now go buy your man some clothes for him.
Follow Scott Terwilliger Vital Image on Facebook or email email@example.com.
Notice about comments:
Aiken Standard is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point.
We do not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click the X that appears in the upper right corner when you hover over a comment. This will send the comment to Facebook for review. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full terms and conditions.


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Pumpkin Patch Lighted Gourds
Bring a bright smile to their face with this delightfully illuminated scarecrow gourd! Skillfully handcrafted in the USA, the one-of-a-kind, heirloom-quality gourd glows from inside with an electric amber light to quickly become the center of attention at every Halloween party, Thanksgiving gathering or fall festivity. Created at the family-owned Meadowbrooke Farms, this unique décor piece is offered in three different sizes, and you can be sure no two are the same.


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Western Region
Red Onion State Prison
Earl Barksdale, Chief Warden10800 H. Jack Rose Highway
P. O. Box 970
Pound, VA 24279
(276) 796-7510
Security Level-5-6-S
Assignment Criteria:
Security Level-S with appropriate segregation qualifier. All Sentences, Initial and Reclass. PROFILE: Recent disruptive, assaultive, severe behavior problems, predatory-type behavior, escape risk; requiring segregation. Must complete Progressive Housing Phase Program prior to transfer to less secure facility.
- Opened - August, 1998
- Average Daily Population (March 2009) - 799
- Special Populations - Cadre
- Special Programs – Cognitive (Thinking for a Change), in Progressive Housing
- DCE Vocational Program Custodial Maintenance, Academic Programs ABE, GED, FLP
- DOC Core Treatment Programs
Directions From Richmond:Take I-64 West to I-81 South. Take Exit 14 into Abingdon. Proceed through Abingdon to Route 19/58 North to Hansonville. At Hansonville turn left onto Alternate U.S. Route 58 West. Proceed on Alt. U.S. Route 58 through the towns of St. Paul and Coeburn to Norton. At Norton turn right onto U.S. Route 23 North. Proceed approximately thirteen (13) miles and turn right onto U.S. Route 23 Business to downtown Pound. Turn right onto State Route 83 in downtown Pound. Proceed on State Route 83 East toward Clintwood, approximately three and four tenths miles (3.4), then turn right onto State Route 361 South to facility.


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One way to help increase your stats is to put a GoTime.com badge onto your site, encouraging your customers to fan your venue.
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|Fan us
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