text:
Good food and company go a long way in making a wedding reception a memorable event. However, it takes a lot of time and planning to host an event of such importance. It does pay to have an expert on your team. A caterer will do wonders to such an occasion. They know what is needed and have the gifts to pull it off. The residents of Auckland are fortunate to have an experienced caterer to help them. The Southern Spit Roast & bbq Company are good at what they do. They have made a name for themselves making bbq menus and catering in Auckland. As a result it has enables them go beyond Auckland.
They have been doing this type of work for a number of years. They have the expertise to host such events. Their staff is highly qualified and they also have the equipment needed. They do make dreams come true. Check out their website. There are a number of brides who have posted their experience with this team. They are pleased that they contracted them to handle their wedding reception. They had good food and their guests were pleased with the services as well. They chose food from a wide variety of bbq menus catering in Auckland that was simply great. The team does their best and as a result they have received many referrals from happy clients. This has enabled them to provide their services to other parts of the country such as Waikato and the Northland region.
The entire staff works together as a team. They are able to handle a minimum of 40 people effectively. They cook, carve the spit roast on site, serve and clean up. They are a professional group and friendly. As a result they have received favorable reviews from brides, grooms and guests. Check out their website and see what they wrote. They work was impressive and as a result they have been hired months in advance by clients who were pleased with their services. Their bbq menus and catering in Auckland are popular. They have high standards and have changed the way catering is done in Auckland.
The spit roast is not the only well done service offered by this company. For large ceremonies the owner has come up with a pleasant surprise. He has thrown in a chauffeur driven black Chevy truck. The bridal party can also opt to use a V8 Mercedes Benz. This is quality service that certainly gets them more clients. Back to the food: clients get to select from a variety of hot vegetables, fresh salads, and salads. They also make sure that they prepare suitable foods for those guests with special dietary needs. The bbq menus catering in Auckland have brought this company fame. It does pay to have them handle your wedding reception. They have what it takes to make your event a successful one. Get in touch and sign up for their services.


text:
Plus Blog
February 24, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Geneticists are usually concerned with picking apart the individual genes that make up a genome, but now two biochemical engineers from the University of Wisconsin Madison have decided to re-assemble all the pieces and give them a good shake. They found that it's not just the genes themselves, but also the way in which they are organised within the genome, that determine the characteristics of an organism.
Labels: Health and medicine, Latest news
posted by Plus @ 12:02 PM
1 Comments:
February 24, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Life's an algorithm
It's not often that maths makes it into the mainstream media, and when it does, it's usually a very specific bit of maths — a statistical result or a certain application — that's being examined. An article published yesterday on the Guardian website makes a nice exception. It explores how maths underlies almost every aspect of modern life, from traffic lights to iTunes. Thank you, Guardian!
You can find out more about some of the topics mentioned in the article on Plus:
posted by Plus @ 11:45 AM
0 Comments:
February 20, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
We're doomed, say scientists
Sometimes a boring story can become a lot more interesting if you do some skilled number juggling. This is what seems to have happened in an article in The Daily Telegraph, which claims that 90% of us carry a gene which increases the risk of high blood pressure by 18%. And high blood pressure is of course linked to dreaded killers like stroke and heart disease.
In his Understanding Uncertainty blog David Spiegelhalter traces the story back to a paper in Nature Genetics. The authors of the paper investigate three gene variants that can occur in the human genome. Two of them are rare, only about 10% of the population carry them, while the third is present in 90% of the population. The authors show that the gene variants are associated to proteins called natriuretic peptides, which are linked to blood pressure (this is the main point of the paper, since such a genetic connection had never before been found). The two rarer gene variants, according to the paper, reduce the risk of high blood pressure by 15%. The phrase "18% increased risk of high blood pressure" appears nowhere in the paper. Rather it's the result of some creative accounting on the part of someone operating in the media chain which links the actual paper to the final article in The Daily Telegraph. Here's how it's done:
Say that the risk of high blood pressure for someone carrying the more common gene variant is x. Now the 15% decrease associated to the two less common variants takes this down to 0.85x. To get back to x, we need to add 0.15x, and this is exactly 17.647% of 0.85x — hence the claim of an 18% increase in risk.
The calculation is undoubtedly correct, but it puts a spin on the story. Rather than taking the common case as a base line and talking about the risk reduction associated to the less common cases, it does things the other way around. This is in stark contrast to the paper's authors own turn of phrase, which links the rarer variants to risk reduction, but says that the common variant "was not significantly associated with either systolic or diastolic blood pressure." It's a bit like noting that some people live to 110 and then complaining that most of us die prematurely. "This is a masterful piece of re-framing of the evidence," says Spiegelhalter on his blog. "Not exactly wrong, but definitely changing the story. Just like a change from 98% to 96% in a survival rate seems a lot more innocuous than a doubling of the mortality rate from 2% to 4%."
If you'd like to find out more about risk and uncertainty, visit the Understanding Uncertainty website, or read Spiegelhalter's column in Plus.
To find out more about simple number smoke screens, read the Plus article The tiger that isn't.
Labels: Health and medicine
posted by Plus @ 1:01 PM
0 Comments:
February 18, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
How many arms does a spiral galaxy have? Can you spot a galaxy with a "peanut" bulge? Or how about a galactic merger? You — yes, you — can answer these and other strange questions, along with other ordinary web users who, by working together, have proven to be just as good at galaxy-spotting as professional astronomers.
Find out how you can help classify the inhabitants of the Galaxy Zoo!
Labels: Latest news
posted by Plus @ 5:21 PM
0 Comments:
February 18, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Finally, recognition for string theory
Image from icanhascheezburger.com
Better than a celebrity endorsement, string theory now has a feline spokeskitten! (Thanks Oli for letting us know the good news!)
Why not educate your animal friends with these Plus articles:
posted by Plus @ 12:07 PM
0 Comments:
News from the world of maths: Zero is the number of yearning... review of Strange Attractors: Poems of love and mathematics
February 17, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Zero is the number of yearning... review of Strange Attractors: Poems of love and mathematics
Zero is a number
— from "Five Poems about Zero" by Eryk Salvaggio
It's not often I get misty-eyed reading a book about mathematics, but that was just what happened when I read this, and several other poems, in the poetry collection Strange Attractors: Poems of love and mathematics.
The idea of a love poem is not new, love has inspired poets for millennia. But the combination of maths and love poetry might seem an odd mix. Despite loving maths myself, I was a little skeptical when I picked up this book, and thought it would be a tongue-in-cheek selection of witty but humorous poems about love using mathematical language and imagery. There are some funny poems giving a mathematical take on love, (I particularly liked "Valentine" by Michael Stueben), but what pleasantly surprised me was the large number of poems that seem to be really exploring human emotions.
I had no idea there would be so many poems suitable for such a collection, or that it would span so many centuries and include so many diverse contributors. The excerpt from King Solomon's "Song of songs" (which is thought to have been written about 765 BC) and Bhaskaracharya's "Lilavati" (a twelfth century Indian mathematician), the "Square Poem in Honor of Elizabeth I" (written by Henry Lok in 1597), as well as contemporary poets from nearly every continent, give the collection significant cultural depth (helpful appendices give brief biographies of both the contributors, and the mathematicians mentioned). It's a nice thought that mathematics, as well as love, is a ubiquitous experience for all of humanity.
The book is divided into three sections: romantic love, love of family and life, and love of mathematics. In the first two sections it is surprising just how powerful mathematics can be as a metaphor for our emotions and experiences. Some poems very effectively use mathematical imagery, such as the image of tangential curves ("kissing curves") in Ann Calandro's poem "Where the Kissing Never Stops":
They strive to make each other
The shape of her soul is a square.
The collection features some of the most famous love poems, such as Elizabeth Barrett Browning's measuring of love in her sonnet: "How do I love thee, let me count the ways...". One of the most interesting poems using counting is "Who Counts, Counts" by Stephanie Strickland, where the shifting status of relationships, and the bond of motherhood, was conveyed very simply by counting and recounting the people in a relationship.
Some of the poems have a mathematical structure, one is even written in the form of a proof. In some poems mathematical concepts are used as metaphors, such as Robin Chapman's sad use of the non-associativity (f(x+y) not equally f(x) + f(y)) to describe a child's experience of divorce in "Nonlinear Function".
The final section, where poets (many mathematicians) write about their love of maths, also has many examples of strong expression, and strangely enough, many of these poems seem almost less mathematical than in the previous sections. It is nice to see the passion for the subject that so many mathematicians share expressed in this unusual and open-hearted way. I think one of the strengths of such a book is that not only can it show people who are looking for poems to express love, the beauty of the language of maths, but it also might help explain some of the deep emotions mathematicians feel for their subject. I also like the duality of combining maths and poetry: that as well as taking maths to poetry lovers, it will also expose mathematicians to poetry, and perhaps as the best artistic-scientific collaborations do, allow insight on both sides.
Book details
posted by Plus @ 11:36 AM
1 Comments:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
How do you like iTunes 11? [Poll]
So now that you've had a few days to dig into it, what do you think about iTunes 11? Is it the radical redesign you've been waiting for, or just a skin over the same old plumbing? Is the interface all cleaned up, or just confusing? Does iCloud integration make your life easier or simply more annoying?
Vote in the poll up top and let us know about any new features you really love, or hate, in the comments below!
Have something to say about this story? Leave a comment! Need help with something else? Ask in our forums!
Reader comments
How do you like iTunes 11? [Poll]
iTunes 11 will not allow podcasts to be placed in playlists with music... or, it will, but when synced to an iPod they don't show up. Do you know how to fix this?
Overall I like the new iTunes. My biggest issue is the new way to minimize to the small player only view and its lack of showing the current progress. I often used that mode for keeping track of the syncing process instead of completely minimizing to the dock or having the window open in the background.
I came here to say essentially the same thing as Vanti. iTunes 11 very much is "the best iTunes ever", yet with a qualifier: there's still a lot of room for improvement, as well as some oddities that I really hope get fixed. Namely, when navigating a TV show in expanded mode, the artwork/cover-art is not updated as you view different seasons.
There's also what must now be the infamous "what? podcast subscriptions are not synced???" Apple's ambiguous marketing copy fooled many of us into believing iTunes 11 would more than just sync podcast position. If sub sync works across iOS devices with the Podcast app, is it really too much to expect that iTunes be integrated into that process?
Oh, I almost forgot... redeeming iTunes gift cards with the camera? Awesome.
I really like most of the features but I regreted that Apple removed some abilities like cover flow but the new album view still okay for me. But I felt one feature where we can pause or ect while in small program preview in Windows - I hope Apple release another update to add option to enable it.
It is faster, I'll give it that. But the use of Smart Playlists is diminished. Playing a Smart Playlist used to work just like manual playlists, except that my listened-to songs would fall off until their "last played" date falls back into range. When I hit "randomize" it would re-order the displayed playlist. Now, when I hit "randomize", the song that currently plays jumps around the playlist. "Go To Current Song" does not always work.
What happened to Cover Flow?
Changing the playback volume from the Mini Player is now harder, it used to be RIGHT THERE on the player, now I have to click an unlabeled button first that pops open a menu, as opposed to another unlabeled button that opens another menu, and if I want to switch between them, just clicking on the other button does not work, it merely closes the current one, then I have to move the cursor off the player and back on to re-activate the hidden button.
Gone, too, is the "show all but show which type" of apps in the App list. v10 and older showed in one screen all of my apps separated by type (iPad only, iPhone/iTouch only, Universal) which makes it easier to see what apps I have when I want to find apps I no longer use and want to delete, or were comparing and want to get rid of the loser. And what is this "iPod Games" list, and why is mine empty when I have games in my collection, including ones for the smaller iPhone/iTouch screen?
EDIT: And searching for songs within the listing is now completely broken. Using the search box, it used to filter the view to show only matching items, which I consider ESSENTIAL when doing batch editing and you want to view only songs that match certain criteria. Now, it filters a "play next" window with no way of actually searching/filtering the list. Can I change my vote on this poll from "slight downgrade" to "train wreck?"
Once some of the things they've hidden from view have been found and turned back on, it's fine. Seems to crash less now. The only thing I miss is the way I could view my library of television episodes, with the cover-art and shows listed on the left and episodes for each of the shows on the right. That view is gone, now it's cover-art up top and you have to click on a show to see the episodes. Exact same with the 'Album' view, used to have it configured with cover-art on the left and tracks on the right, LOTS more clicking now to see your stuff.
My only gripe with it, is the same as 10.7: I have to reinstall iTunes each time I want to back up or sync my iDevices. I'm not sure why, and I've done all the available troubleshooting ideas (delete old backups, restart iMac and the iDevices, hard reboot iDevices, restored all iDevices to factory settings [which is never fun]), but I can only backup my iDevices on a fresh install of iTunes. Maybe someone here can give a suggestion...
after doing each of those things, it has just been easier to keep my download of iTunes 11 and just constantly reinstall it. It takes about 5-10 min. It's just annoying, really. AppleCare can only given me the caveman's "reboot. if no work, restore".
no artist grid view...will be using itunes 10 until they put the view options back in, including the option for DARK view.
The overall look is good and some of the new features are nice. Out of the box it was terrible, but after turning back on a few things I use such as the side bar and status bar, I'm not hating it as bad. It does load faster which is good.
Now the three things that are gone that really irk me:
Finding duplicates
Showing the cover when you choose a song (in song mode set as a list).
The ability to shuffle and save a playlist. It was very nice when you also use other 3rd party software that copies iTunes playlist such as Banshee in Linux and Google Play Music.
I love the new iTunes, but why is apple giving up on "cover flow"? The iPhone and iPod touch are the only survivors...we want cover flow back on iTunes and iPad! Am I right?
i only use list view. Once i got it back it was tolerable. But honestly there's nothing new that i'd ever use. Plus, i don't like that now i can't adjust the columns. I wish they'd left the cover art in the bottom corner so if it's missing i could easily add it. It was quicker for the first few days. now it's just as laggy on windows as before. Searching for stuff actually takes longer.
Bottom line it's pretty much no big deal. Apple isn't fixing what i find wrong or adding features i use. In fact it's removing a few. So for it's same shit different package.
Yes. List view was hard to find, difficult to control, and seems to be made for eight year-olds. Now I don't have anything against eight year-olds (except when they're discussing economics or voting) but can us adults just have our old, readily manupulable list of songs with features and view options that can be easily controlled?
It's one thing if you want to give people new options to streamline things, but why take away the old options and make things so childish. Honestly the entire population is being turned into blubbering children.
And don't feel bad, I see waaaaaaay too much software and training stuff out there that is just embarrassing. I guess the Apple devs have a lot of company at least, if not *good* company...
I have a really big music library and for me iTunes 11 is a train wreck into a bus full of nuns!
1. Search has been turned into "play next". Search doesn't seem to pull up whole albums or artists, just songs. And the search shows in a drop down like spotlight instead of pruning the playlist like before.
2. Display duplicates is total gone.
3. iTunes is MUCH slower with a large library.
iTunes 11 has clearly been optimized for casual users. They took away all the "power user" features that allow one to massage the metadata behind my songs.
I'll just have to wait for the Devs to figure out the terminal commands to turn features on again.
I agree with pstmd. train wreck. the search is harder to use and figure out.
Search works perfectly fine. Go to song list, type your search criteria, click the top "show in music" and it gives you your filtered song list exactly like before.
Show duplicates was always completely pointless anyway.
so much Kesha.
Anyhoo, the new iTunes is new dress for an already beautiful lady. Wasnt needed, but spices things up nicely.
1) Song locator CTRL-L has lost much of its functionality. 2) When in MUSIC and you do a search a) very slow to get results as new window now pops up instead of just limiting your view to the search results right in your main window and b) the search is not saved.. so if you move your focus to a different playlist and then return to MUSIC, your search is gone.
Its horrible. A massive step backwards. Its so clunky and unpredicable. It lost all my songs so ive got to reinstall all the albums again. its slow. you have to change settings to get it to look like itunes 10. i cant turn off auto-sync. when i back up and restore half the apps go missing, notes vanish and contacts disappear.
"Am I the only one who hates the new itunes?" on the apple community forum has had over 73k views.


text:
|117 posts found
Hard Core Member
Joined: 10/15/11
Doesn't matter what people "use" it for. Other game companies can only dream of the subscription income that wow generates.
Flavour of the month/year/whatever is always to knock the top dog out there - whatever the scenario, and the mmo world is no different.
The fact that any wow topic immediately generates a mass posting shows the continued level of interest in the game.
As for the game itself - wow is what it is. You know what you are going to get, so what's the point of whining when you do?
Login or Register to never see this panel
Elite Member
Joined: 8/14/03
I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar.
when you have 10 million subs you dont just change the base idea of the game, they HAD to stick to the old formula.
no matter how much you guys flame wow. it's still #1.
you dont need to like that to be the thruth, sorry to tell ya.
uh and rift is ages away, sorry ^^
"I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!"
Apprentice Member
Joined: 1/21/12
well said
Novice Member
Joined: 12/31/05
Blizzard's "fault" (not from a product/marketing point of view) is that it prefers to cater to new/younger/even more casual players.
Sorry, but if the +/- are in their (new/younger/even) favour money wise, that's what a company will do.
Simple as that.
Of course it went that way because of the population blast, Otherwise they would be forced to cater to the more "hard-core/mature" player base other "niche" games have to go by.
IMO, if another MMO exceeded let's say 5million players, maybe that would "sweeten" the suits and they would say : hey, how can we get the product to a moar larger audience, evil laugh etc.
Seems some say "we care about the mature players" because they can't have the other ones as well. But they would change, given the opportunity (e.g. LotrO making most of the experience soloable due to the influx of players after Ftp)
Novice Member
Joined: 4/14/11
I feel that 8.1 is fair. Personal feelings about pandas aside, Mists of Pandaria really is a solid expansion.
Advanced Member
Joined: 8/30/09
Basically a couple new things, but just a slight update.
Gee, the pay to play model is dieing? I wonder why..
Novice Member
Joined: 3/06/12
It's sad that Blizz has lost it's direction with the game. This new xpac barely even passes as a new coat of pain imo. Since leaving in Cata and making the transition to Rift I couldn't be happier and haven't looked back. I'm so glad I didn't consider getting MoP. The whole Asian oriented them including music and their stereotype culture references just seem out of place for a game called WARcraft.
It's funny to see people already speculating and wishing for their next xpac as this barely considered filler content. I guess the smart players have already left or very close to it and to to say there is nothing better out there is caused by living under a rock. Well if you truly get any length of enjoyment entertainment out of this tired and weathered game then all the power to you. I will keep my memories of when the game actually had a true sense of direction.
Happy gaming regardless what you play!
Spotlight Poster
Joined: 9/21/12
Originally posted by Azuri21
you are playing a game that needs content updates every 2 months to survive. That is filler content.
You are bashing a game for making an expansion designed to give people that play the game more of the same, yet you are playing a game who has an expansion coming out that is most definitely more of the same. WoW doesnt need to branch out to non or ex WoW players. Rift does.
Novice Member
Joined: 8/16/08
You've ruined your own lands, you'll not ruin mine!
This was the first expansion for WoW that did not show me anything that made me excited. Not the story, not the new class/race, nothing. Certainly not pokeman or farmville. I haven't bought it and after reading several reviews I likely will never play the game again. I'm looking for a different kind of playstyle in an MMO RPG now. Maybe this is why I have drifted between SWTOR (very WoW-like), TSW, and GW2 this past year. Nothing seems to have all the stuff I want anymore. :/
Novice Member
Joined: 8/03/09
Probably won't play it. WoW just hasn't been able to really hold my interest for a long time now. It just seems like more of the same grind, the story never really manages to engage me. A lot of the interesting things I liked about vanilla have been phased out over time, like specific class quests. Some of my favorite times in WoW was doing quests for the Shaman totems, or Druid forms, or Warlock's demons. Now you just buy them at the trainer.
So yeah, I wish they would innovate. And I know it's a pretty shallow reason to be turned off by MoP... But I, like many, never played the earlier Warcraft games, so I just look at MoP and see Kung Fu Panda and am not interested.
Novice Member
Joined: 2/17/08
Frog blast the vent core!
Bring back the pre-Cataclysm talent system, return old battlegrounds that take longer than five minutes, and give me an EQ AA style way of diverting XP to something else useful (1), if Blizzard ever want me to re-sub.
(1) So I can continue to customise my toon past max level, and most importantly - so I may slow leveling earlier on to enjoy more early zones without feeling I'm losing out by flat out stopping all XP (and having the hassle of manually doing so at an NPC every few levels, and being segregated into different BGs as a result - ugg!!!) to prevent outpacing content
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
Novice Member
Joined: 12/29/04
Vanilla - 9
BC - 8.5 plus .5 for start flying mount
Cata - 4 plus .5 for flying in Azeroth ,
MoP - 6
Advanced Member
Joined: 6/12/07
Burning crusade was still the best content expansion.
Hard Core Member
Joined: 4/19/08
Agree on both points. But otherwise I could not care less then i do for "innovation". I do care however for FUN games. What have destroyed many games because of silly players that always search for "innovation" to suit their needs. Not only, they are incredibly vocal, basing games over all forums, because of their own problems in life. Wondering how innovative are in their lives.
Novice Member
Joined: 9/20/12
Wish I had something positive to say =(
Originally posted by daltanious
That was pretty deep and profound man. * High fives*
Advanced Member
Joined: 9/11/03
I'm with you; MoP engendered zero excitement in me. Quite the opposite, the changes in the talent sysytem made it a "negative". Every other Xpack had what I considered to be positives (and they usually had negatives too, but they didn't outweight the positives for me). MoP has positives, but they don't outweight the negatives.
Someone posted that you should know what WoW is about by now, and know what to expect, implying that it's the same as it always was. That could only come from the mouth of someone who hasn't played the game; it's not the same now than it was 4 years ago, and certainly not the same as it was on release.
Here's an example, and I think it defines the difference in the game -
Back in the day, Warlocks and Paladins had special mounts for their class. Every other class bought their epic mounts, but if you wanted a Warlock mount for your Warlock character, or Paladin mount for your Paladin, you had to do a chain of quests. Some of it could be soloed, and some required a group - and, the group ones weren't easy unless you had 5 seasoned players with good gear. You qualified for an epic mount at level cap back then (60).
Today, you get your epic mount given to you when you reach level 40. No quests required, you just get it for reaching level 40,
Now, there are plenty of WoW players that like the new way better; they don't want to trouble themselves with doing all that work to get a mount. For many of us though, the game has become insipid, about as inspiring as a bowl of pablum. Flavorless. You might as well be allowed to create level capped characters after you reach level cap on any one of them, because leveling is so abysmally weak as to have become little more than a chore.
That didn't used to be the case; WoW had some differences between the classes as you leveled them up. Warriors had to do quests to learn their stances, Shaman had to do quests to learn their elemental powers (totems), Warlocks had to do quests to learn how to control each type of demon. Now these things are all given to you, and not only that, but the abilites that were at the end of the tree in The Burning Crusades or Wrath of the Lich King are just given to you at level 10. What was the most awesome Warlock minion, the one that the game required you to earn, and was the culmination of the Demonolgy tree, is now given to you at level 10 just by choosing "Demonologist" as your specialization.
I'm sorry, but I just don't think there should be a level 10 version of the FelGuard; it should be an awesome butt-kicker with a minimum level around 55, like it used to be.
I've lived with a lot of changes throught the 8 years since I first subscribed to WoW, and most of them, frankly, have just been changes for whatever sake the devs had in mind, and I thought were pretty pointless but didn't matter all that much to me. Some were good - heck, some were great! - but there's always been this trend to simplification that has been a strong reason for me to stop playing, and, with MoP, I think that reason has reached the breaking point for me.
I won't know for awhile if it has; one thing I do know, is that when I'm tired of a game I should take a break and go back only when I feel some excitement about playing it again, and maybe that will happen for me, but I haven't played it for a good 6 months and I feel little desire to check it out at this point. For the first time, I haven't bought even one copy of the Xpack, and the last 2 saw me buying 5 copies each. I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that there are enough like me that WoW sees a huge decline in subscriptions, that the WoW team really gets what so many of us have been saying.
If WoW doesn't see a huge decline in players then I guess the word to me is that it's no longer my kind of game and I just need to go elsewhere. The trouble is, there's not much elsewhere to go. Everquest II would defintiely have been a good choice in the past, and still may be, but I'm just so disappointed in the anti-RP player base that exists in Everquest now, and I don't think mixing F2P players with subscription players is ever a good thing. I expect that game to decline like WoW has. In fact, I think the whole MMORPG genre may have passed out of the time when it was my kind of game.
Maybe though, the MMOFPS (or "MMORPS" - Roleplaying Shooter, I'm thinking like Borderlands) will come along and I'll find that good.
Have played: Everquest, Asheron's Call, Horizons, Everquest2, World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, Warhammer, Age of Conan, Darkfall
Novice Member
Joined: 12/07/03
Quote :
Polish – 10
Blizzard never launches an unpolished product.
Guess Diablo 3 stayed off your radar.
Hard Core Member
Joined: 9/27/12
Why is it said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions? Is there a shortage of bad ones?
I dont get the innovation score. Sure I will agree MoP landscape is beautiful, though it had better be considering that the last three expansions (Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm) were all dark and destruction based. It is nice to see a change after all this time.
However there is this pokemon rip off idea which is rather pathetic considering that it is the first time in an expansion the Blizz has literally stolen an idea from another company that was a major event. I play WoW for the content, social aspect, and storyline, which have all been pretty good since inception. Minus the loss of Barrens chat and the new trollville, tradechat.
Now looking at the Talents.. trashed.. I have played WoW since 2004 and have to admit though at times i grumbled about the nerfs depending on which class I used this new talent system is a joke. There is no uniqueness between character classes anymore unless you count transmog and even then thats getting rather boring. Every character has the same skills, you get them automatically now, you dont even have to see the trainer.. yet the trainers remain. oops someone forgot to do a lil house keeping?
Cross Account Achievements.. An annoyance at best.... Sure its nice that I have all my mounts on my level one.. oh and look my pets and achievements also.. well some of the achievements... so umm why should i roll another character. This feature removes the encouragement for a veteran player to roll new toons. if I already have a few i can get all the reps/professions/dungeons/raids on those, why start a lowbie when i can solo the low level areas with ease on a 90?
Finished product? get real? Blizzard hasnt released a full expansion ever. Even TBC had late raids released. Wrath was rushed and the whole endgame raid system was missing from the expansion. Cataclysm was the same. lets release an expansion and let the players wait 8 months before releasing the end game raids.. oh and we'll call them patches cus were too damned lazy to fix the bugs so well cover it with content.. by the way that content release typically broke crap in other areas of the game so it rarely made it worth doing.
Oh and lets talk about end game content... Farming dailies folks... at least til patch 5.1.. yeah you heard it another content patch.. Im so glad I spent the 60 bucks for an incomplete game. now they release the content instead of doing the mainenance they should be doing.
BTW I believe the cinematics in STV, Burning Steppes and Searing Gorge are still broken Blizz.
Simply put Since Activision gained ahold of Blizzard the game has gone south, but that isnt really surprising since Kotick had already declared that the future of Computer Gaming was in Apps...
Played: UO, LotR, WoW, SWG, DDO, AoC, EVE, Warhammer, TF2, EQ2, SWTOR, TSW, CSS, KF, L4D, AoW, WoT
Playing: The Secret World until Citadel of Sorcery goes into Alpha testing.
Tired of: Linear quest games, dailies, and dumbed down games
Anticipating:Citadel of Sorcery
Novice Member
Joined: 1/13/07
Live to die another day
i think world of warcraft is the best mmo ever made and i have played them all. they all have a boredom factor but WOW keeps making it interesting with well thought out and planned expansions. I have played WOW from the first day and still love it. Yes you have to grind but all other MMO's just disquise it or out and out copy it...I will keep trying the new ones in hope that someday someone will make a better MMO than WOW.
Elite Member
Joined: 2/27/07
Originally posted by Flight
I feel sorry for the guy above, he never obviously never got to play SWG, AC1, DAoC, ....
Wow just was easy street compared to those others. Wow is just easy, it is not the best MMO ever......


text:
diseñar, modelar, presentar, analizar, producir...
- Enables accurate and convenient CAD data transfer from UNIGRAPHICS 3D to RHINOCEROS.
- Does NOT require a license of UNIGRAPHICS 3D.
- Converts Part and Assembly files : (*.PRT)
- Data can be filtered based on Entity Type, Visibility and Layer.
- Supports layer filter.
- Allows you to choose axis placement.
- Allows you to sew surfacic entities.
Francis CADIN, DATAKIT
+33 478 396 369


text:
Listen Live and Follow Game Stats against Medaille
- Release Date:
- October 25, 2011
- Contact:
- The Office of Sports Information
- (716) 649-7900 ext. 333
BUFFALO, NY – Tonight's men's and women's soccer games against Medaille College, played at All-High Stadium, will have Live Stats and audio for both games.
The men's game is set to begin at 6:15 pm. Medaille (8-0; 15-2-1) has locked up the first seed in the play-offs and will host the AMCC tournament.
The women's game will begin around 8:15 pm. The Medaille women (4-4; 6-10) locked up the sixth seed in the play-offs regardless of tonight's outcome.
Yahoomaps driving directions linked here
If you cannot make the trip to North Buffalo, please access the game information by linking to one of the links below:
Men's Soccer Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/medaille/msoc/
Women's Soccer Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/medaille/wsoc/
Audio Stream (both games): http://www.ustream.tv/channel/medaille-mavericks-men-s-soccer
Hilbert College, located in suburban Hamburg, N.Y., south of Buffalo, is a private four-year college founded in 1957 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition. With nearly 1,100 students, Hilbert is a dynamic Western New York college that offers career-focused majors, including one of the top criminal justice programs in the region, and more than 50 minors and concentrations. The college's engaging, student-centered campus community offers numerous leadership, internship, and service learning opportunities from which students launch successful careers while making positive changes in their communities. The Hilbert Blueprint promotes a well-rounded student experience over four years – starting with the Foundations Seminar in the freshman year, followed by Sophomore Service, Junior Symposium, and culminating with the Senior Capstone. Hilbert has expanded its academic offerings with the college's first graduate programs and new Accelerated Degree Programs geared to adult learners.
Upcoming Events
- First Year Student Orientation
- Aug 14, 2015
- Summer Session A2 Ends
- Aug 21, 2015
- First Year Student Orientation
- Aug 28, 2015


text:
Wind: 6 mph
When floodwaters rose five feet in just 40 minutes on the afternoon of Tropical Storm Irene, "I grabbed a toothbrush and an overnight bag and some dog food and left," Megan Schultz said.
Shultz, who runs a small wedding planning business, had been watching the water from Doctor's Brook rise from the garage apartment and office she rents from her parents at their house on Main Street in the center of Moretown.
Doctor's Brook is a small, seemingly unassuming stream that runs beside the Shultz residence before it meets up with the Mad River across the road. But on the day of the storm, the brook came up over its banks, nearly filling the bottom floors of the Schultz' house and the garage.
And then, "as quick as it came in, it was gone," Shultz said. But everything was destroyed. The inside of the house was like "the inside of a snow globe," Shultz said, explaining that it looked as if someone had picked it up and shaken it, ripping shelves off walls and flinging furniture across rooms.
Thankfully for the Shultzes—and for many whose homes were badly damaged due to flooding from Tropical Storm Irene—Moretown residents, friends and strangers started showing up the very next day to help clean up.
"My sister and I joked for years that it was going to take a village to clean out our parents' house," Shultz said, and in the end, it did. But in witnessing the way the community came together after the flood, Shultz has come to see the storm as "a really sick and twisted blessing in disguise," she said. "And we needed the renovation."
One year after the flood, the house and garage are still a work in progress, but Shultz and her family are happy to have some semblance of order. Now, "at least around here, you have to really look for the damage," Shultz said, explaining that she and her neighbors were able to bounce back relatively quickly from the storm, compared to some other towns that didn't have the same resources or community support.


text:
Vt. hospitals criticize open-meeting proposalBy DAVE GRAM
The Associated Press | April 11,2013MONTPELIER The Shumlin administration and a Vermont hospital group Wednesday opposed a bill that would apply the states open meetings law to hospitals.
Backers like the group Vermont Health Care For All say the state spends nearly $1 billion a year in public money on hospitals, so the public has an interest in their operations and should be able to attend hospital board meetings.
The groups Ethan Parke told the House Health Care Committee and Senate Health and Welfare Committee in a joint hearing that the public pays hospital bills directly through Medicaid coverage for low-income residents and through Medicare, the health insurance program for the elderly.
He said the public also pays indirectly though the private insurance plans offered to teachers, state and municipal employees.
Its about the money, the staggering amount of money that pours through our hospitals annually, Parke said.
The idea drew criticism from state health reform director Robin Lunge, Green Mountain Care Board chairwoman Anya Rader Wallack and Jill Olson of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.
Lunge and Olson said the state constitution requires open government meetings, but hospitals are private, nonprofit organizations.
The open meeting law sets a standard currently for government which says government cant operate in secret because it is an entity that is elected by the people, Lunge said. Hospitals are nonprofit institutions that have charitable missions and work on behalf of the people for the public good, but theyre still nonprofit institutions.
Wallack said the place for transparency is at her board, which is setting the course for Vermonts foray into a single-payer, Canada-style health care system scheduled to launch in 2017. The board was created by the Vermont Legislature and its meetings are open to the public.
If you have an open process for setting the rules of the game, that is just as important as having open meetings that nobodys going to go to, and probably more important, she said.
The comments came as the two committees took testimony on a range of issues connected with the health care system. Much of the discussion focused on a March 12 article in Time magazine about how the prices hospitals charge for services and goods frequently far exceed the costs to the institutions.
Olson argued that many of the seemingly irrational aspects of hospital charges are a result of government policy. Hospitals and other health care providers have argued for decades that they collect too little money for caring for Medicaid patients and the uninsured, and must shift those costs to people with private insurance.MORE IN Vermont NewsMONTPELIER Needy families with disabled adults will not see a reduction in the financial... Full StoryMONTPELIER Needy families with disabled adults will not see a reduction in the financial... Full StoryMONTPELIER Officials from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources are going to be holding a... Full Story
- Most Popular
- Most Emailed
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day 1739, 'Richard Palmer' identified in prison at York Castle as the notorious outlaw DICK TURPIN; IN 1836, Battle of the Alamo begins near San Antonio de Bexar, Texas; 1896, the Tootsie Roll invented by LEO HIRSCHFELD.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1472, Orkney, Shetland islands put up as collateral by Norway to Scotland in lieu of dowry for MARGARET OF DENMARK on her marriage with JAMES III, king of Scotland; 1962, JOHN GLENN first American to orbit Earth.
- TOMORROW'S HEADLINES TODAY: City mayoral candidates debate campaign issues; Hartford, Conn., woman still missing; Neal Goswami reports attempts to legislate suicide; local woman loses 100 pounds through TOPS program.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1878, JOHN TUNSTALL murdered near Lincoln, New Mexico, by the outlaw JESSE EVANS; in 1930, ELM FARM OLLIE first cow to fly in aircraft, first to be milked airborne; 1955, nuke test WASP; '79, snow in Sahara.
- TOMORROW'S HEADLINES TODAY: Rutland Herald News Editor Alan J. Keays and staff writer Gordon Dritschilo discuss stories planned for the February 18, 2015, edition of the newspaper: Winter budgets maxed, legal marijuana, Springfield bank job, USPS slowdown
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1249 AD, ANDRE of LONGJUMEAU is dispatched by LOUIS IX of France to meet the KHAGAN, ruler of the Mongol Empire; in 1804, during 1st Barbary War, STEPHEN DECATUR scuttles the pirate-held USS Philadelphia in Tripoli.


text:
The University of Miami began collegiate football competition in 1926. The Hurricanes have had some legendary coaches including Andy Gustafson, Howard Schnellenberger, Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson, Butch Davis, and Larry Coker. Under these incredible coaches, the Hurricanes won 5 national Championships - in 1983, 1897, 1989, 1991, and 2001, as well as 9 conference titles. Miami's most celebrated rivalries are with Florida and Florida State. The last quarter century has also shown the Hurricanes to be a springboard for a wealth of NFL talent: Vinny Testaverde, Warren Sapp, Santana Moss, Steve Walsh, and Bernie Kosar to name just a few. Score with TicketCity - the place to go for Miami Hurricanes football tickets.
The 2013 season saw the Hurricanes rattle off 7 wins to open the season, with Stephen Morris and Duke Johnson headlining a dangerous offense that was clicking on all cylinders. An injury to Johnson and a gauntlet of an ACC schedule made the going tough for the Canes as they finished out the season losing 4 of their final 6 games. The Canes will look to replace Morris with talented freshman Brad Kaaya who will orchestrate the offense behind a veteran offensive line and with Johnson in the backfield. But the key to Miami's success in 2014 will likely come on defense, where the Hurricanes have a veteran front 7, and a group of ball-hawks in the secondary. Miami opens the season with a rematch of last years Citrus Bowl, in Louisville's ACC debut. A week 4 matchup at Nebraska highlights the non-conference schedule and tough matchups against Florida State, and at Virginia Tech will likely put the Canes on the national stage.
Check out our Miami Hurricanes Season Preview History page for previews of previous Hurricanes seasons.
The Miami Hurricanes played their home games at the Miami Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida since 1932, but the program announced that starting in 2008 the team will play at Dolphin Stadium, now Sun Life Stadium. The move has been met with criticism, some claiming that the move from the Orange Bowl to Sun Life Stadium has already cursed the Miami Dolphins. It should be interesting to see how this storied program performs with a new coach, a new stadium, and rumors of curses flying. The Miami Hurricanes home bench is on the Sun Life Stadium sideline with sections 138-146. Sun Life Stadium parking information is covered in our Hurricanes event guide.
Florida State Seminoles, Florida Gators
If you've been a football fan over the last 20 years, you've watched some exciting FSU-Miami games. From "Wide Right" 1 & 2 to the 2004 Orange Bowl, we've seen some big games change the national championship landscape of the season on a single pass, run and even kick. The 2006 Seminoles-Hurricanes game is the most watched college football game in ESPN history.
It's not a regularly scheduled game anymore now that the schools are in different conferences, but this is an intense game any time it's played. Miami got big wins over the Gators in the 2001 Sugar Bowl and 2004 Peach Bowl, while the Gators finally broke through in 2008 to snap a 23-year drought. It's the oldest rivalry Miami has, and if you get a chance to see it, don't pass that up.
The Hurricanes are one of College Football's most legendary teams having rattled off 34 consecutive wins from 2000-2003. Another impressive streak of theirs included a four-year run, which saw them end the season in a BCS Bowl game including two National Championship appearances. In 2002 they knocked off Nebraska to win their first ever BCS National Championship. To make matters better, during their brief 12-year stint in the Big East Conference before moving to the ACC in 2004, Miami collected nine Big East Conference Championships. Scary. Ticketcity offers tickets to all college football bowl games and the ACC Championship Game.
There are numerous options in a city like Miami, but Monty's (on the water) is a great restaurant & bar to check out for a Hurricanes home game. Lincoln Road, in South Beach, is a great place to visit that is full of restaurant and shopping options.
The Hurricanes play at Sun Life Stadium, in Miami Gardens, which is located approximately 30 minutes from the University of Miami campus. Brickell, Florida is a nice area near the stadium that gets fans out of the hustle and bustle of South Beach. Key Biscayne is another option for fans who want to experience the beautiful beaches of South Florida.
Yes, since the Hurricanes play games at an off-campus stadium, alcohol is served at games. A beer will cost around $9.00; margaritas and mixed drinks are also available. Try a Land Shark Lager, the unofficial beer of South Florida.
Thanks for keeping us on our toes! We will get you an answer as soon as we can, in the meantime enjoy $15 off your next $150 order by clicking here.
The game was fantastic! I will use TicketCity again and tell my friends, that's a promise!Christal - Pflugerville, TX


text:
A man who fired a shotgun multiple times into the air and then left the scene in Wagener yesterday was detained on probate papers around 8 a.m. this morning by Aiken County Sheriff's Office deputies, police said.
He was taken to the Aiken Regional Medical Center for a mental health evaluation, according to Capt. Troy Elwell of the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.
The incident started around 2:30 p.m. Monday. It took place outside a home and several law enforcement agencies responded.
Officers thought the man, who had been described by a relative as suicidal, had entered the residence after firing the gun. But when they searched the home, he wasn't there. The Aiken County Bloodhound Tracking Team tried to find the man, but the search was called off at 6:15 p.m.
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.


text:
Admission Requirements
Steps to Enrollment:
- Request information packet by mail
- Schedule a personal advising session
- Attend an MBA Open House Apply Online (Free)
- Send in recommendation letters, transcripts, resume, and GMAT (unless waived) - email to firstname.lastname@example.com
- Once accepted, a Program Coordinator will contact you by phone.
Foreign students traveling to the U.S. on Student Visa's have additional requirements
Admissions Criteria
The central concern of the admission committee is selecting candidates who will be successful in the program. The admission committee does not use a rigid set of criteria to make this decision. The admission criteria that are considered include the following:
- Graduation from an accredited undergraduate college or university.
- A minimum of two years of relevant work experience in a professional or entry level managerial position.
- A minimum cumulative grade point average in undergraduate work of 3.0 out of a possible 4.0.
- A score of at least 500 on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). If the applicant has taken the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or has an earned master's degree or doctorate in any field from an accredited institution, that applicant is exempt from taking the GMAT.
The GMAT is waived for applicants with a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.4 or better. However, an advising session with an MBA director is required for all such applicants.
While you need not have majored in business to be admitted to BW's MBA program, you must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. When reviewing your application, we take many factors into consideration:
- Demonstrated professional attainment;
- Evidence of personal growth and accomplishment;
- Clear evidence of academic achievement; and
- Results of the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
To complete your portfolio for review by the admission committee, you should submit the following items at least one month before your program's registration date:
- Application form (free)
- A current resume;
- Two letters of recommendation from a supervisor or other business colleagues who can attest to your leadership ability;
- Official transcripts of previous academic work; and GMAT or GRE score.


text:
Prepare for your flights
View latest offers departing from
Loading ...
Fares quoted are subject to applicable taxes and other surcharges. Taxes and surcharges are subject to change.
* As reference only, the current fuel surcharges for tickets issued between now and 31 Jul 2015 are as follows:
flights between Hong Kong and Southwest Pacific, North America, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Indian Subcontinent – HKD227 per flight sector;
For all other regional flights not mentioned above – HKD51 per flight sector;
Special Promotions from
Hong Kong
Check out our latest offers for popular destinations, in addition to fanfares and other special online promotions.Special Promotions from Hong Kong
Look here also for student, working holiday and domestic helper fares.
Look here also for student, working holiday and domestic helper fares.
Life Well Travelled
We believe that travelling well is an important part of living well, and we call this Life Well Travelled.
Visit cathaypacific.com/lifewelltravelled
Visit cathaypacific.com/lifewelltravelled


text:
Thursday, June 6, 2013
The Antique Tractor Show, hosted by the Charleston Antique Tractor and Engine Society, hopes to attract record crowds by holding its first show at Cypress Gardens.
The event is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 8.
"Tractor shows are popular so we are thrilled to welcome this event," Cypress Gardens Manager Heather Graham said. "We hope to draw the regulars who follow and attend these types of shows, as well as attract some new faces who want to take advantage of being able to browse the free tractor exhibits while enjoying all of the excitement Cypress Gardens has to offer."
The show features well preserved, historic tractor models that worked Lowcountry land over a century ago. Highlights include Hit and Miss Engines, Flywheel Power and an exhibit featuring the largest diesel engine in South Carolina.
General admission includes access to the Antique Tractor Show and all Cypress Gardens park favorites, including the swamp boat ride, hiking trails, butterfly house, Heritage Room exhibit, reptile house and aquarium.
Call (843) 553-0515 or visit www.cypressgardens.info for more information.
The Gazette is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. 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. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not The Gazette.
If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. 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.
© 2015 The Gazette an Evening Post Industries company. All Rights Reserved.
Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Parental Consent Form.


text:
Ok, my hyperemesis sisters- you guys may get a kick out of this...
last night I was struck with what must be food poisoning or stomach flu- 'cause I was up all night throwing up. So what do I do? Grab the pepto? No. I grabbed my 'spare' pregnancy test to make sure I wasn't pregnant, because it was easier for me to believe that I was pregnant again (after seven months) rather than think that I could get the stomach flu! I guess because I've spent a lot more time being pregnant and throwing up than having the flu!! That's kind of funny when you think about it.
(and Dr. O'connell, probably the impetus for that rotten mood last night!![}:)])
DH Jack-30
Allie 5-13-98 (35 weeks-pre-e)
Baby Camille 4-17-03 (36 weeks- htn and oligo)


text:
Welcome to the Deer & Deer hunting forums jonney5buck , nice to meet you! Your more than welcome to post in the IL forum, or the general forum, you will get a better response to your posts there.ORIGINAL: jonny5buck
i live in west central illinois,i have hunted parks for a while,with some success,but was wondering if anyone else has run into the endless stream of idiot hunters i have.for instance,while hunting shabbona park 2 years ago i watched a guy w/bow walk the entire edge of a cut down cornfield at sunset,he ended up 5 yards from me!when i asked what was he thinking? he looked up 20ft in amazement! and walked away without saying a word. this is just one instant,one, i have had at least 20 run ins w/hunters in the parks walking around aimlessly with no idea what they are doing almost every park hunt.the most familiar was at silver springs park in yorkville ill., i had patterned a nice buck cutting across mid-day. i set up at 8;45am on aperfect elm tree 18ft up-14yds from his trail,1 hour later,a guy walking on the ground stops by a downed tree to my left about 25 yards away. i whistled &waved , im hunting here! he didnt move!hey buddy i cant move,i got 20ft of sticks &my portable locked on this tree.--nothing! hey guy what if a deer comes between you and me ,who gets the shot?? i never thought about that he replies. dont get me wrong i dont have a problem with hunting from the ground,but walking around a park aimlessly is interfering with other hunts PERIOD,--I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE ELSE HAS HAD THESE TYPE OF ENCOUNTERS WHILE HUNTING PUBLIC PARKS?
Return to Forum rules and help
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests


text:
Thursday, October 13, 2011
When I was a girl way back when (way back in the Dark Ages, as my sons love to remind me), homemade snacks, baked with care and attention, started their very short life in a box, can or plastic container. Cakes and brownies were fine powder smelling sweetly of chocolate or heady with vanilla, blended ever so lovingly with an egg * crack * whacked sharply against the edge of the mixing bowl, a splash of milk until a thick, luscious batter ribboned down into the largest baking pan we had. Pudding rich and creamy was born of the same exquisite dust, creating as if by magic the most velvety of desserts by the mere addition of milk. Cans popped open revealed swirls of sumptuous frosting and the scritch of a plastic lid being peeled back from a dense white tub exposed a flourish of luxurious, elegant whipped topping. Four basic ingredients, if you will, which, when combined, made for an abundance of wonderful, delicious desserts, treats prepared from the heart.
As we grew a bit older, still under the mysterious influence of the Powers That Be during that long ago age of the newfangled, Space Age era of gadget cooking, the fascination with all things packaged, we celebrated this new form of convenience cooking and dining by whipping up Tuna Noodle Casserole, a recipe learned in the Girl Scouts, with canned tuna and cream of mushroom soup and topped with crushed potato chips; lovely, shimmering jello molded into something so elegant, studded with jewels of canned fruit; after-school snacks made with melted marshmallows and our favorite cereals; fabulous, flavorful Surprise Burgers made delicious for our grade school selves with jarred spaghetti sauce and a slice of processed cheese in all of its day-glo glory! Ah, the food of the Sixties.
And the food of the Space Age Sixties morphed gently into the food of the dyn-o-mite, jumping Seventies. The variety of treats that could be whipped up in a matter of minutes or just a few more from the boxed and the bagged was beyond our wildest dreams and we loved it all. It was stuffed with chemicals and laden with high fructose corn syrup but what did we know or care? It was the height of a thoroughly modern food revolution, a time of convenience when our hours could be better spent playing outside, going to club meetings or doing homework. Our moms (or, well, my mom) loved the ease and my dad loved the rapidity and, quite simply, we loved the flavor. We had been tentatively stepping over the edge into from-scratch baking, trying out muffins, cookies and even candy that we had learned in Home Economics or youth group outings, but the boxed mixes turned out such perfect, tasty treats every time, why bother? And the grocery store shelves were groaning under a veritable cornucopia of fabulous, flavorful goodies that were just screaming to be bought, taken home and tasted. Our creativity and imagination knew no bounds with such an abundance of sweets and ready-to-eat-and-bake to choose from.
So maybe it is because I have grown up. My years of discovery and travel have turned on my curiosity in such a way that the pre-packaged have little charm for me anymore except as an occasional jaunt back into my childhood, a decadent little sinful eating in the privacy of my own bedroom. Or maybe my palate has evolved, becoming accustomed to French and Italian tastes so that foodstuffs like American candies, packaged cookies, flavored yogurts and even cake mixes taste cloyingly sweet with an odd chemical aftertaste. Or maybe having lived in Europe where for years there really was no pre-packaged, boxed or canned and all baking was either picked up at the corner bakery or homemade from scratch. But over the years as a gourmande, a wife, mother and friend who loves nothing better than offering a cake, cookies or a pie, sharing the love and spreading the smiles, I have discovered the joys and pleasure of homebaking with flour, butter, cream, eggs and bars of chocolate.
Yes, once in a while I'll buy a box of chocolate chip cookies (LU of course!) or chocolate-covered marshmallows if I am feeling rather decadent or need the comforting blanket of childhood memories, but would I ever use one or the other as the basis of a home-baked treat for my family? Or even a boxed cake mix? What is the point when whipping up something from scratch is so easy? If I have the time and the energy, I will create something spectacular, a baked good both time consuming and demanding patience. But no time on my hands? Sons begging for a sweet snack or breakfast tout de suite? There are so many easy, one-bowl favorites that take the same amount of time as boxed. And if I want a fun family activity, a day spent baking with my children (when they were small, of course)? Why assume that they will only eat something made with overly sweet children's cereal or candies from a plastic bag?
You see, I bring this all up because I am rather stunned and confused at the deluge of everything from Rice Krispie Treats made with every possible high sugar breakfast cereal on the market to my favorite dessert, the ambrosial, heavenly Italian Tiramisu made not with delicate ladyfingers but Twinkies, as just two examples, all over apparently highly-respected or at least much-talked-about, popular food blogs! Cakes made from boxed mixes and even canned frosting grace the posts of more than one Big Name food blog. Baked goods and after-school treats stuffed with Oreos and candy bars. Call me a food snob, if you will, but I don't get it. Haven't we moved on? Don't we in the food blogging world have the desire and the goal to achieve something healthier, tastier, slightly more elevated than what my own parents made 40 years ago when all of this was new and exciting? We have knowledge and information at our fingertips, we have time and all the necessary cooking utensils so why not use it all towards something a tad more noble?
As fun as the Rice Krispie treats of our childhood are, can't we have our children baking something healthier or at least something with real flour, sugar, eggs and milk? I remember bumping into a very good French friend of mine whose daughters I tutored in English at our local public library many years ago. I was browsing through the very large English language video collection, looking for more films to watch with my sons and she asked me to recommend one or two that she could play for her daughters to help with their English. I suggested a few of our favorites, all old black & white flicks, explaining to her that the old films had plainer, simpler language that was much easier to understand than recent cartoons – the kind her kids watched on tv – which were full of slang, confusing conversations and was much too speedy and fast paced for them to capture what was being said. She looked at me in horror exclaiming, "My girls won't watch old black & white movies!!" As so many parents are when it comes to food. Are so many moms and dads stuck in a time warp, longing to offer their children what they enjoyed as kids or are they simply hanging onto old traditions and wives tales, believing that their children will only eat the over-processed, overly sweet foods of our own youth before we knew any better? My lovely friend Lael wrote an article about baking French macarons from scratch with her daughters. Lora the Cake Duchess recently showed her children happily making cookies while my own sons started with one-bowl chocolate cake, chocolate chip banana bread and Tiramisu. No brainers, really, wouldn't you say?
So what the fascination with retro baking? Some may imagine that starting with a boxed cake mix is easier than starting from scratch. Or cheaper. Some may believe that children will only eat snack foods stuffed with candy corns and high fructose corn syrup or that Twinkies can replace ladyfingers for an exciting new taste sensation. Or maybe some think that baking from scratch is complicated, messy and time consuming. Or impossible. But this is simply not true, a series of myths that the food blogger must battle to break. I have several friends who had never baked a cake from scratch in their life yet made my one-bowl wonders with great success. Friends of my son began baking my brownies, quick breads and snack cakes while still in high school and all on their own and loved it all.
Now, don't get me wrong. I understand the dilemma so many of us working folk and/or parents often find ourselves in when in need of a quick dessert or in front of demanding, hyperactive kids in need of an afternoon activity or a treat. I understand the attractiveness of "quick and easy"; of having no time yet the desire to offer my family something homemade and from the heart, the "short on dollars and time" argument. Yes, I do. I also understand the joy and the fun of getting the children involved in a family fun project and interested in cooking. And I even get the whole "let's get the girlfriends over for movie night and a fun snack" bit. But, really? Rice Krispie treats? To be honest, there are so many fabulous, fast and easy recipes one can make to create a warm, wonderful homemade snack that is pure, delicious and sure to be loved by one and all.
And I have one for you! And in only four individual portions it is the perfect snack to whip up when you don't want or need leftover cakes or cookies hanging around. Apples and salted butter caramel sauce make this a luscious autumn snack or dessert and it is both simple and fast. And so much better than a Rice Krispie treat. In my own humble opinion.
Served with Salted Butter Caramel Sauce
These cakes are dense, moist and fragrant, filled with a wonderful, warm touch of cinnamon and the fruitiness of the apples. The perfect autumn snack and wonderful to serve on girls' night in front of a chick flick or as a family dessert or a snack with the kids. Easy and fast with all the satisfaction and goodness of homemade.
¼ cup (60 ml) water
2 – 3 Tbs granulated brown sugar
1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced
3 Tbs (45 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/3 cup (70 g) granulated white sugar
1 large egg
¾ cup (105 g) self-rising flour
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup (60 ml) milk
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter 4 individual molds, each able to hold about 2/3 cups (150-160 ml).
Place the water and brown sugar in a skillet and heat until the sugar is melted and the mixture begins to bubble or steam. Added the chopped or diced apple and cook, stirring, for 10 - 12 minutes and the apple is tender and beginning to caramelize. Divide the cooked apple into the four molds.
Cream the butter and sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl until blended and fluffy. Add the egg and continue beating until thick and pale. Blend in the milk and finally the self-rising flour and cinnamon. Beat until smooth. Divide the batter evenly between the four molds on top of the apples.
Place the molds on a baking sheet and bake for 20 – 25 minutes until the top is golden, the cake set and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, carefully lift or slide the molds off the baking sheet onto a cooling rack and allow to cool.
Carefully slide a sharp knife around each cake to loosen from the mold and invert onto a dessert place. Drizzle each cake with as little or as much Salted Butter Caramel Sauce as desired. Serve immediately.
43 comments:
- A Spoonful of Yumm said...
they look so cute & i love the topping
- October 13, 2011 at 4:34 AM
- girlichef said...
Oh yes, light-years better than a RCT! That caramel looks absolutely fantastic and I know it's just the "icing on the cake", if you will. Glorious dessert for any age :D
- October 13, 2011 at 4:52 AM
- Rosa's Yummy Yums said...
Those little upside-down cakes look marvelous! A real delight.
I think that I have never eaten any cake or cookies mixes... When I see the additives that are put in such mixes, I prefer to stay away from them. ;-P
- October 13, 2011 at 5:06 AM
- Lisa said...
I grew up on a lot of boxed mixes because my mother hated to cook/bake. Thankfully my grandmother's and friend's Mom's showed me how good 'real' food from scratch tastes. Now, when I taste a boxed cake/brownie/whatever mix, I taste chemicals - just a weird after taste. I can pick it out even when I don't know it's from a boxed mix when served a slice at a party or anywhere. Thing is..like you said, same amount of time to whip up a cake or dessert from scratch as a mix..just have to measure out flour and leavenings! What does that take..1 minute? LOVE your gorgeus apple cakes with the love of my sweet life, salted caramel (you know, the stuff I drink lol)! I think these will be part of my Thanksgiving dessert menu! Excellent post as always!
- October 13, 2011 at 5:13 AM
- WiseMóna said...
We grew up with a Mum that loves neither baking or cooking. But she always always baked. 2 loaves of bread a day and lots of cakes, pies, and biscuits/cookies. There was always something sweet in the house because she has a wicked sweet tooth and had a lot of hens and ducks that kept her in supply of eggs year round. We do not let our kids eat a lot of processed food - but yes, they have had homemade rice krispie treats! I love this upside down cake with that salted caramel Jamie. It looks and sounds like the perfect afternoon pick-me-up!
- October 13, 2011 at 6:08 AM
- Nelly Rodriguez said...
This is such the perfect treat! #applelove for sure!
- October 13, 2011 at 6:15 AM
- JavelinWarrior said...
This is a wonderfully written, beautifully told, ethically inspiring post - I thought perspectives like yours only existed in my lonely imagination, so I'm a bit giddy at discovering your passion to ditch the boxed, highly processed, preservative-laden cleverly marketed conveniences. I'm sitting in rapture - please continue :)
- October 13, 2011 at 6:18 AM
- Jamie said...
@JavelinWarrior : Wow, your comment blew me away and I thank you wholeheartedly! I think that there are so many things about the world of food blogging that need to be said and talked about but no one does. Fear of backlash? All I know is that I try and work hard and hold up certain values and it does upset me when really popular blogs serve up less-than-noble fare. Thanks again...and know that we are not alone.
- October 13, 2011 at 6:27 AM
- Nuts about food said...
I couldn't agree more Jamie. Even the prepackaged desserts require the cracking of eggs, the addition of liquid etc. I only once used Oreos in a cookie recipe, just out of pure curiosity and the excitement of finding Oreos here in Italy. The result? Good but too sweet for my taste.
- October 13, 2011 at 6:31 AM
- Jenn said...
I think those that have been looking back to finding our "culinary roots" so to speak are actually a rather small minority. In the end, sweet and easy/fast is still the most popular type of thing searched for on the internet. In a way my husband being gluten free has been great because it has forced us to embrace actually cooking in the kitchen, from scratch, with real ingredients. I think Michael Ruhlman said once that if we all made our own junkfood from scratch, we'd certainly make/eat less of it and be healthier for it :)
But at the same time, food products are part of the definition of American culture. People look on rice krispies treats with childhood nostalgia and fond memories as are so many dishes we associate with comfort foods - and it's funny I don't actually have a problem with recipes for variations on rice krispies treats - maybe because there's no other way to make it.
Twinkies in tiramisu however? I cannot get past such a bastardization when the real thing is so fantastic. I think that many don't believe they *can* cook, and so feel they *need* the shortcuts to pull off a dish. We as food bloggers need to be able to show our readers that yes, they too can cook - that it can be from scratch and not take a ton of money or time, and that it's really not that hard and tastes so much better!
I view several (not all) foodbloggers as the guiding beacon leading the movement to get people having fun in the kitchen again - Jamie, you are one of those inspiring people, and posts like this show your heart is in the right place :)
- October 13, 2011 at 7:10 AM
- Cristina, from Buenos Aires to Paris said...
I see my kids are not the only ones who think their mother belongs to the Dark Ages....Your mini-cake is just beautiful? and what you say is true..Nevertheless, when I go to Argentina, and my friends invite me for coffee with a "box cake" , I still feel so happy...It's the moment shared..a home-made cake would be better obviously..but then, maybe they would not invite me..."I make them nervous with my supposed baking skills" So, welcome box-cakes !!
- October 13, 2011 at 7:43 AM
- Cristina, from Buenos Aires to Paris said...
I see my kids are not the only ones who think their mother belongs to the Dark Ages....Your mini-cake is just beautiful !! and what you say is true..Nevertheless, when I go to Argentina, and my friends invite me for coffee with a "box cake" , I still feel so happy...It's the moment shared..a home-made cake would be better obviously..but then, maybe they would not invite me..."I make them nervous with my supposed baking skills" So, welcome box-cakes !!
- October 13, 2011 at 7:44 AM
- Jamie said...
@Cristina, From Buenos Aires to Paris: Oh don't get me wrong. I understand people relying on boxed mixes and I've been known to love a boxed brownie, but I'm talking about food blogs where in my humble opinion, this kind of "baking" just doesn't belong.
- October 13, 2011 at 7:52 AM
- Junia said...
love the idea of individual apple cakes! :D welcome to our #applelove bloghop!
- October 13, 2011 at 7:54 AM
- Aimée @ Food: Je t'Aimée said...
Another beautiful, thought-provoking post, Jamie. Thank you! I agree that food bloggers need to help spread the gospel of 'real food' and debunk myths of quick and easy pre-packaged foods. I've been on an incredible learning curve these past several blogging months and I've definitely come to realize this! The extra effort (at times a matter of a couple of minutes!) is completely worth it.
Love the idea of making dessert with no left-overs ;) They look delicious and perfect for this time of year!
- October 13, 2011 at 9:37 AM
- Nicole said...
My mother and grandmother for that matter were definitely "old school" as in very old school, in that everything was from scratch. Everything. I have followed their lead for the most part, and since I am a stay at home Mom, Roman is starting to become a master "stirrer" already, and quite adept I might add! He can even fill the muffin tins. All of the processed stuff is still the downfall of our youth. Well, one of them.
- October 13, 2011 at 10:23 AM
- Jenn @leftoverqueen said...
That caramel looks soooo good!
- October 13, 2011 at 11:13 AM
- Barbara | Creative Culinary said...
I can not lie...I've done box cake mixes (and frosting back when you actually started with butter and added the dry frosting ingredients) and I know that practice grew from what I knew growing up. I can't say I blame my mom...6 kids and I might resort to some 'modern' conveniences too. One of my grandmother's always made the best cakes and it took a light bulb moment for me in my twenties to realize why...she did them all from scratch!
I am dumbfounded too by the popularity of food blogs that push packaged goods as the way to make something but it is in keeping with our culture of making it fast and easy. I guess without that there would be no 'slow food' movement; that of getting back to the basics, knowing the source of your food, making our meals from scratch and knowing what we are truly feeding our families.
I have a recipe on my blog I have made for years that uses a box cake mix. I thought of revising it but was flooded with people liking that one alternative, yet I am again determined to do my own thing as this holiday approaches. Does it taste bad? Hardly. But I think that is the addition of the rum/butter sauce that surely masked any telltale 'box' signs...still I am encouraged to try again because that use simply does not fit my personal culinary point of view.
On top of the ideology I must not forget to comment on this perfect little cake. Apple and caramel? Like I said...perfect Jamie!
- October 13, 2011 at 11:32 AM
- Shulie said...
I think to each their own and I can completely understand why people use boxed. It is so easy, but the couple times I used that shortcut, I was appaled at the flavor and texture and everything about it. I guess it is an acquired taste. I always bake mine from scratch but with saying that I don't have a super sweet tooth and in fact all I care for is once in awhile a slice of a coffee cake like this one Jamie to go with my tea in the afternoons. Come to think of if I didn't bake anything apple for this holiday season, I better get going, better late than never, right?!
- October 13, 2011 at 11:49 AM
- Robin said...
Hi Jamie,
Well, there are movements in the US towards good, better, best home and restaurant cooking with local sourced healthy foods. Beyond those that love to create the next crazy deep fried twinky or pickle for shock value, there are those trying to encourage a better way feeding our families and ourselves.
Oct 24, 2011 is Food Day in the US!
Back to healthy basics and fun in the kitchen
- October 13, 2011 at 12:12 PM
- Nisrine said...
Beautiful. I love caramel with apples in a cake.
- October 13, 2011 at 12:51 PM
- Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...
It's funny, my mother loves the convenience of plastic and supermarkets. I'm sure plastic was a revolutionary item when it came about to be used in a household context and she's forever showing me her new purchase that is made of plastic :P
- October 14, 2011 at 2:46 AM
- Sunchowder said...
Perfect combination and what a lovely and thought-provoking post! I will be trying this one Jamie and thanks for posting this :)
- October 14, 2011 at 5:26 AM
- Sunchowder said...
Thought provoking post! Love the look of these cakes too Jamie, Our family lived in both worlds, both box and scratch so that I got to experience the differences. I adore vintage cookbooks and all things basic.
- October 14, 2011 at 5:27 AM
- Cake Duchess said...
Love this post and some points you are focusing on. We discussed this in NOLA, so you know how I feel about the whole topic. I was fortunate enough to be raised on home baked goodies. I luckily have the time to bake with my kids and for them. Box mixes are convenient for busy families. They are also convenient for people that have no baking knowledge but do want to make something at home instead of buying a ready made sweet. From what I see available in many stores, boxed mixes are probably a better alternative than an expensive, ready made sweet. Your dessert is gorgeous and I appreciate your shout out to moi;) grazie, bella. Xoxo
- October 14, 2011 at 8:34 AM
- Cupcake recipes said...
Hey, what a beautiful post. This dessert looks absolutely amazing. This looks delicious!
- October 14, 2011 at 9:24 AM
- Emma said...
Pre-packaged goodies were never really on my radar when I was younger. That said, I go mad crazy for Oreos and tend to eat ten to twelve of them whenever they're in my vicinity. Gross. ...but great.
I've been disappointed to see Martha Stewart's Everyday Food take the direction of pre-packaged foods in place of quickly made-from-scratch items. They have such a huge readership, and thus (in my mind) a huge responsibility towards connecting people with good, reliable recipes, etc. It's a bummer to see them take the easy way out on occasion.
- October 14, 2011 at 5:56 PM
- Sarah said...
Another thought provoking post. I was reading about this topic in a book called Near a thousand tables. Americans have been fixated with the modernity convenient foods to the detriment of their health and the loss of the bonding that occurs when cooking together. Like you, I don't have a qualm in indulging every once in awhile but I try not to support the junk food habit.
- October 15, 2011 at 9:46 AM
- Carolyn Jung said...
I'd rather have one of these than a Rice Krispies treat any day of the week. Way more special. ;)
- October 15, 2011 at 4:22 PM
- Baker Street said...
thanks for sharing this on our apple blog hop Jamie! xx
Love the way you've presented it. Looks absolutely scrumptious! :)
- October 16, 2011 at 1:01 AM
- SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...
I understand the need for some convenience foods for people who work full time and come home tired and hungry but, to me, there's nothing like creating something from scratch. These little cakes drooling with caramel sauce look delicious!
- October 16, 2011 at 9:06 AM
- Meeta K. Wolff said...
For me convenience food never meant coming out of a box. I admit I have done frozen pizza but never cake mixes. I guess I am too much of an experimentalist and a control freak int he kitchen to be bogged down by a boring box. What I really dislike is that I know of people who really have never tasted anything but boxed food and when the kids of those people come to visit and are given food / cake / treats / dessert that I have made from scratch using good ingredients ... at first they wrinkle up their noses because it does not taste "fake" enough for them. The are under the impression that what they have been eating is the real thing!
I do not have to go into the sugar shock treatment some of these crazy all-in-one-treats have. Our kids are already being pumped with so much sugar, preservatives and additives, that as a parent one cannot control (when they get older and begin eating at school cafeterias or out of the home more often)that it makes my tummy turn when these boxed and sugar treats are offered at other homes too. I notice that Soeren becomes very lethargic and moody - he is absolutely not used to eating these things so the reaction on him is highly noticeable. So when I see that these kind of things are actually being presented on mummy blogs as seriously good treats makes me rather mad!
Thanks for the post Jamie. Lovely cakes that has your perfect signature on it.
- October 17, 2011 at 5:30 AM
- Jamie said...
@Meeta K. Wolff: you have made some very good points! Those who have never looked beyond this kind of baking or snack! And we wonder why kids are hyperactive and then lethargic! Thanks so much for your valued and thoughtful insights, Meeta! xo
- October 17, 2011 at 6:07 AM
- Jill Colonna said...
Jamie, I loved your writing and couldn't agree more with you. Oh, the nostalgia of the 60s - I remember my parents discovering packaged curries and trying out their amazing new bacon surprise using Campbell's mushroom soup (and some of it continues since they're creatures of habit.)
I'm with you on the sweet packaged stuff. My children had their first oreo the other day since I'd seen so many of them on blogs and found them finally. Bof. I was even worried I posted something on FB saying they were just sweet and no flavour.
Much rather have the salted caramel dribbled on these delicious cakes. Sure, takes more time and thought but it sure trains the palette to far more taste, not to mention creativity.
- October 17, 2011 at 9:18 AM
- Lana said...
We still don't have cake mixes here in Serbia and mothers still bake from scratch (but I suspect that things are slowly going to change and I shudder). I have never eaten Rice Crispy Treats (they do not attract me enough to taste them - if I go for sweets, which I rarely do, I'll always reach for chocolate something, the darker, the better:)
And I have never developed taste for overly sweet sweets (if only I could convert my Southern-born husband:)
I could not pass by your caramel sauce if it were offered, even though it's not chocolate! It looks absolutely divine!
- October 17, 2011 at 1:18 PM
- Margaret Murphy Tripp said...
I had to chuckle reading this. There was plenty of Tang and Velveeta in my growing up days. Now, I bake from scratch more than anyone else I know (in my area, most people work A LOT), but I have to admit, I get a nostalgic craving for a RCT a couple times a year. Your cakes look lovely and the salted caramel puts it over the top. Nice post, thanks.
- October 17, 2011 at 3:03 PM
- SMITH BITES said...
oh dear Jamie . . . on. the. floor. laughing!!! we have talked about this until we're blue in the face and it's not from eating canned frosting - LOL! hit. the. nail. on. the. head. preach it sistah!!
- October 17, 2011 at 6:30 PM
- bunkycooks said...
You know I am with you on this one. I think it is so wrong that we continue to feed our kids this awful processed sweet stuff when there is such a terrible problem with obesity and the health problems resulting from it. It does not take that much more time to whip up a batch of cookies or brownies from scratch. Perhaps for some people, if less time was spent on Facebook or Twitter, it could be better spent in the kitchen. Just sayin'...
- October 18, 2011 at 5:14 AM
- Deeba PAB said...
Love these I do...nom nom nom. Bookmarked and also the salted butter caramel! Gosh, I'm HUNGRY!!! These are comforting and delightful sistah!
- October 21, 2011 at 9:14 AM
- Deeba PAB said...
While you were sleeping last night, I crept into your home {blog} and made these beauties, with the salted butter caramel too. Absolutely divine, and the caramel is indeed the icing on the cake. Hugs!
- October 24, 2011 at 4:34 AM
- chefncurt said...
That sounds awesome. I will do that for my restaurant one day. Great idea on a a dessert many like
- October 26, 2011 at 11:44 AM
- vanillalemonade.com said...
These look great! We have a huge affinity for upside down cakes.
- November 2, 2011 at 4:42 PM
- Quinn said...
oh my! this looks so divine! i love your blog!
- November 14, 2011 at 6:59 AM


text:
Initial screening appointments are done on a walk-in/drop-in basis. No scheduled appointment is necessary, and students are generally seen on a first-come, first-served basis with the exception of a crisis walk-in.
Walk-in hours are:
Monday - Friday: 10am - Noon & 1pm - 3pm
Office Hours are:
Monday - Friday: 8am - 5pm
Crisis/Emergency walk-ins are seen throughout our open office hours.
Please note: If you are unable to come in during walk-in hours, you may call 517-355-8270, and the initial interview can be conducted by phone.
Take a quick anonymous survey and tell us what you think of our services! Just Click Here!
The MSUCC is "Helping All Students Succeed" by empowering students to deal with life issues. We have licensed professional counselors that can help you deal with stress management, time management, personal relationships, anxiety, depression, personal loss, grief, eating disorder, substance abuse, addiction, career decisions, and much more! We can provide confidential services that will help put balance and wellness back into your life. Begin your walk with wellness today!
MSU Counseling Center is Green Certified! Be Spartan Green!
Did You Know?
"Repetition" is a key component of the "familiarization process."
All our services are strictly confidential.
If you have been diagnosed with a learning disability and/or ADHD, you may register with the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD; 353-9642).
Until you can speak to a counselor, go outside or go to the gym to exercise and release your tension.
Our counselors include licensed professionals, pre-doctoral psychology interns, and counselors working toward their master's degrees.
The more background knowledge you have, the easier it is for you to understand what you read.
Until you can speak to a counselor, share your feelings and thoughts with someone you are comfortable with and who cares for you.
Before every test, get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy meal.
Currently the Sexual Assault Program accepts applications for volunteering; contact the Advocacy Coordinator at 353-1669 if you are interested


text:
You are here
2. Four-Year Guarantee
Pledge to stay on track, and we promise that you will graduate in four years.
Students across most undergraduate programs will complete their bachelor's degrees in four years. This is a campus-wide commitment from the University. ONU guarantees that first-time freshmen, who enroll in a program designed to be completed in four years, will graduate in four years. If it takes longer (through no fault of their own), there will be no additional tuition cost for completing the degree.
To maintain eligibility, you must successfully complete a minimum of 30 credits per year (fall and spring). If you switch majors, the guarantee may hold if the new major can be completed during the guarantee period. Please note that the four-year graduation guarantee is not available to transfer students.
If you meet all the conditions of the four-year guarantee but are unable to graduate after eight semesters, ONU will offer one of the following alternatives:
- Allow the fulfillment of your degree requirements (and enable you to graduate in four years) by substituting different courses or an independent study assignment as determined by the department and the college offering your major.
- Allow you to delay a four-year graduation path, in which case ONU will waive the tuition and mandatory fees applicable for you to complete up to 16 semester credits within the next academic year.
Most of the University's degree programs are designed to be completed in eight semesters. Some degree programs may involve either higher credit hour requirements, a ninth semester for a required internship, or the passing of an external examination for licensing. If you choose one of these programs, you will not be eligible to participate in this guarantee.
Details and guidelines
If you are a first-time freshman, you will receive information about this program before Welcome Weekend so that you can explore the guarantee's details and guidelines. A copy of the guarantee's terms is available here.


text:
Find hotels & motels in Jackson using the list below. Search for cheap and discounted hotel and motel rates in or close to Jackson, MI for your personal leisure or group travel. We show the best Jackson Michigan hotel/motel rooms. Review the Jackson hotel list below to find the perfect lodging. We also have a map of the Jackson hotels. Need 5+ Rooms? Secure Jackson Group Hotel Rates
Jackson Hotels/Accommodations
Next 20 Jackson Hotels > [1 - 20 of 50]
Next: See My Jackson Hotels with Pricing >


text:
SUBSCRIBEWe will NOT sell your email address to anybody!
One year manufacturer's warranty on most items. Click for details
Orders received by 12 EST usually ship next business day. Click for details
Return any item in new condition for a refund or exchange. Click for details
Airgun or airsoft gun need fixing? Looking for peace of mind with our 10-for-$10 test or to save time with 20-for-$20 service? Our full service tech and repair shop can help! Click for details
Free ground shipping for orders over $150! Click for details
Shipping restrictions by location Click for details
|Sort by:
|Most Popular
Beeman Sharpshooter Corrugated Plastic Prairie Chuck Targets, 7.5", 3" Bullseye, 6ct
Add to Cart
Add to Compare
Add to Wishlist
|About this product
Starting at $6.95
5.0 (1 review)
From: Beeman
* Sharpshooter targets * 7.5" solid black corrugated plastic prairie chuck (6) * ...
CheckoutSubtotal (USD):
does not include shipping and tax


text:
Chad Hanson
Head Coach
Phone: (712) 722-6320
Chad Hanson was hired as Dordt College volleyball coach in December, 2010 and has a career 38-29 record at Dordt.
He coached for three seasons at the University of Georgia where he served as an assistant coach in 2008 and 2009 and the majority of the 2010 season. Hanson was named the interim head coach of the program in early November and guided the Bulldogs to a 4-3 record in the final weeks of the season. Georgia was 49-45 during Hanson's three seasons in Athens, Georgia.
Prior to his time at Georgia, Hanson served in a similar role at the University of Iowa. Hanson has coached AAU teams and his collegiate coaching stops also include volunteer time at the University of Idaho and Washington State University where he worked extensively with scout teams. From 2001-03 Hanson was the head coach at Colton High School (Washington).
Hanson played collegiately for two seasons at the University of California-Irvine before finishing his career at Washington State with the club team where his team finished as the Bronze Medalists at the NIRSA National Division I Championships.
Hanson earned a bachelor of science degree in athletic training from Washington State University in 2000, and he became a certified athletic trainer in 2001.


text:
Buy Tickets Mountainfilm 2012
Show From Series
Mountainfilm 2012
October 20, 2012 – October 22, 2012
For the third year, Telluride's Mountainfilm festival comes to New York, bringing with it the energy of the outdoors and the power of movies that matter, plus live appearances, conversations and special performances. Film programs are still being finalized, but will include those listed here. Check Filmlinc.com for updated program and schedule. Read more »


text:
Hawks Dominate Boards In Loss
- Release Date:
- February 15, 2012
- Contact:
- The Office of Sports Information
- (716) 649-7900 ext. 333
HAMBURG, NY – In an AMCC battle, the Hilbert College women's basketball team fell to Pitt-Bradford 56-41 on February 15. The Hawks (3-21, 2-15) played solid defense which kept the Panthers (10-14, 8-9) from getting into a rhythm, but were plagued by their own shooting woes, connecting on just 23.3% from the floor on the night.
The Hawks dominated the boards, pulling down 53 rebounds for the game, but committed 26 turnovers which Bradford took full advantage of. The Panther bench seemed deep, as 23 of their points came from the reserves and with Alicia Kimmel leading all scorers with 12 points.
For the Hawks, Julie Bossard led with nine points and six rebounds. Natalie Whitman led defensively with 10 rebounds.
In addition to Kimmel, the Panthers were also supported by Hollie Rapp's double-double performance of 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Hilbert will play in their final AMCC contest of the season this Saturday, February 18, when they host Penn State Altoona at 4pm.
Hilbert College, located in suburban Hamburg, N.Y., south of Buffalo, is a private four-year college founded in 1957 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition. With nearly 1,100 students, Hilbert is a dynamic Western New York college that offers career-focused majors, including one of the top criminal justice programs in the region, and more than 50 minors and concentrations. The college's engaging, student-centered campus community offers numerous leadership, internship, and service learning opportunities from which students launch successful careers while making positive changes in their communities. The Hilbert Blueprint promotes a well-rounded student experience over four years – starting with the Foundations Seminar in the freshman year, followed by Sophomore Service, Junior Symposium, and culminating with the Senior Capstone. Hilbert has expanded its academic offerings with the college's first graduate programs and new Accelerated Degree Programs geared to adult learners.
Upcoming Events
- First Year Student Orientation
- Aug 14, 2015
- Summer Session A2 Ends
- Aug 21, 2015
- First Year Student Orientation
- Aug 28, 2015


text:
I have a NIB Bersa 380 that I paid $325 for in may & test fired 3 rds through.
M53 stock & grips that were hand carved in Poland & never used,
$45 shipped.
Prexis M6SO kit with all parts needed to complete except some trigger group parts (Cetme or HK) & maybe a couple of small parts.
SPF shipped.
NOTE:The Suomi drums & adapter are not part of the kit.That picture is just to show the Stock & grips.
Make an OFFER!