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Re-Masters - Next-Gen Backwards Compatibility?
Posted on Monday, March 30 2015 @ 13:07:45 PST
This member blog post was promoted to the GameRevolution homepage.I am a PS3 owner and someday hope to be a PS4 owner, yet I am not at all dissatisfied with my choice to delay purchase, solely based on the current PS4 library. When I transitioned from a Playstation 1 to a Playstation 2, I was pleasantly surprised that I could for the most part rid myself of my PS1 and while the PS2 library came into its own I was able to occupy my time with gems from my PS1 days. I didn't care as much about the launch lineup because my library was bolstered by my PS1 games, some of which I had not yet completed. I was an early purchaser of a PS2 for this particular reason.
When I transitioned from PS2 to PS3, things were a bit shakier in that I was being offered full backwards compatibility at a premium price or shortly thereafter "limited backwards compatibility". I associated this limitation to the upgrade from CDs to Blu-ray but also costs. I didn't purchase a PS3 until probably 2 years after its release for this reason. It, also as a byproduct, made me focus more on launch lineup. I wasn't sure which of my favorite games would work and which wouldn't. The interesting part was that although Sony started to limit the quantity of games I could play on their console, nothing was done to address the fact that when you launch a new system it takes time to develop a solid library. Accordingly, many individuals who would transition immediately if they could take their library and just have to upgrade their console delayed their purchase to see exactly how many of their previous games they would be able to play and also determine if a game had yet been released for the new console that warranted their purchase.
The PS4 said to hell with it! It seemed like the lack of backwards compatibility was attributed to "costs" I think. I still don't really understand why PS3 Blu-ray disc cannot be made to function on a PS4 but for whatever reason (*cough* Money *cough*) they decided to remove the ability all together. This led to an interesting phenomenon, the influx of Re-masters. Let's take a look at the impact of this course of action:
Example 1. I am an early adopter of the PS2 because I have a large PS1 library to get me through the 1st year or two while developers learn how to create some really great games for a new console. *If a crappy new game came out for PS2 in the first two years I didn't purchase it because I could play great PS1 games. I had no motivation to purchase a new but low quality game because my base library was so large even if dated. This means no "new" money invested other than the console purchase until I decided a PS2 game was worth my purchase.
**Having access to so many games from my PS1 library also made me more critical of the quality of initial PS2 games. Why buy a pretty but crappy game (The Bouncer) when I could just play FFVII until something worthwhile came out? Great for me as a consumer but the lack of new funding being injected into the PS2 "business" was not so good for Sony.
Example 2. I didn't want to pay a premium for a new PS3 upon release for full backwards compatibility because the price was too steep for me, but I assumed that the functionality would not be removed in future iterations of the same product. I was wrong. *Once the price dropped to a point where it was deemed reasonable by my standard I was disappointed to learn that the functionality had been restricted to accommodate the cost reduction. I understood the relationship between the cost reduction and removal of certain hardware in favor of software emulation, but just didn't like where this trend was going.
Example 3. November of 2013 comes around and the PS4 is released sans any form of backwards compatibility. I have a solid PS3 library with a quality backlog. I had no interest in being an early adopter of this system. It was priced right but with the removal of any form of backwards compatibility I was wondering what are early adopters going to play in the first couple of years as the library develops... Ahhhh…in comes the age of the "Remaster" As PC gamers upgrade their rigs for the next super-demanding game, they have a fundamental one up on console gamers – lack of concern for backwards compatibility. As they upgrade elements of their PC at times taking significantly greater graphical leaps than consoles for numerous reasons they still have access to most if not all of their old games.
Consoles are a different beast all together in that if some form of backwards compatibility, cloud, emulation, hardware, etc… isn't included at release you still have the gap between system release and when that "system selling" game comes out. Which has led to complaints like, my PS4/Xbox One is just collecting dust for the first year or two, simply by virtue of the library being so limited.
When we look at the fact that even in the latest stages of the PS3 and 360 years, many gamers have backlogs of great games they may have purchased, rented, or borrowed and not yet played. It becomes apparent that launch lineups of 30, 40, or even 100 different games is not going to satiate and meet the varying demands of the gaming community. The focus then is to appease large segments of the community with your line-up understanding that unless you permit access to their old games that are tried and true you are not going to be able to migrate as great a portion of the community from PS3 to PS4.
We talk about "system selling" games, but with the expansion of the gaming industry into the casual forums and older age group, I don't even know what a "system seller" looks like anymore just because of how diverse the gaming community has become. To address this issue we now see remaster, after remaster, after remaster…
The interesting part of this situation to me is that this strategy was planned years ago in the PS3 era. GR recently posted an article regarding EB Games Australia offering pre-orders for Nintendo's "NX". You are literally paying for "nothing". However, it points to an important fact. Console developers strategize years in advance on how to rollout their products yet as consumers we complain/live in the moment. Backwards compatibility was removed from this generation of consoles – this doesn't mean if the market shifts to demand it again it won't be implemented in the next gen but gamers have to look at the long term strategy of what they actually want.
I honestly believe we are going to see a lot more remasters in the coming months to years of this current gen because the model has been tested and thus far well received (financially). Motivation to discontinue the practice appears to be lacking. Once again though, gamers as a group can be a catalyst for changing this practice.
Consider the Xbox One always on DRM fiasco..."Ohh, so you guys really don't like that – my bad, nevermind". We live and we learn, but for me I would much rather pay the extra $200 per console next console generation for backwards compatibility hardware than put up with another rollout like this generation. How many remasters does it take to offset this cost? Far fewer than have been and will be released this year alone.
Remasters of games released in the last two years seems like a money grab. Do you remember those "Game of the Year" editions with all DLC – why keep that model if folks are willing to pay for remasters that may only offer some of the DLC included ("select DLC" sounds nicer)? If this trend has been rubbing you the wrong way, now may be the time to not only be vocal but also to be frugal in your purchases of these types. The Last of Us, Tomb Raider, and Batman were all great games in their own right yet the remasters/definitive editions were/are not worth a double purchase in my opinion, particularly having purchased and completed the originals. However, remasters have been and continue to be purchased and this is indicated by the initial offering price remaining stable well after release of these titles. The TLoU remaster for PS4 is still $49.99 on PSN and I paid $59.99 for my original PS3 version.
[The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of GameRevolution, but we believe it's worthy of being featured on our site. This article, posted on March 26, 2015, has been very lightly edited for grammar and style. You can find more Vox Pop articles here. ~Ed. Nick Tan]
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The perils of the Hype Train…
Posted on Monday, March 9 2015 @ 16:54:14 PST
This member blog post was promoted to the GameRevolution homepage.
The recent release of Evolve and The Order 1886 really got me to thinking about the disparity between the perspective of sales-driven publishers and the quality-driven purchases of consumers. The "Hype Train" is nothing new, but the way it is utilized has been creating far more controversy in recent years. The costs allocated to development and marketing of AAA titles has steadily increased as profits continue to rise from the more successful franchises and IPs. As this still relatively young market enters its adolescence the growing pains are felt around the gaming community as a whole.
Prior to the release of Evolve, a controversy stemmed from the numerous suites of DLC being offered a la carte prior to the game even releasing. Some of the gaming community perceived it as a bit of a rip-off in that it was essentially piece-mealing a full title in order to maximize profit. This isn't new… The interesting part was that in this case the Take-Two Interactive, CEO Strauss Zelnick was cited in the media as stating:
"Yeah. You're right, Mike. There was some controversy start-up by an online post," … "And I guess, controversy, generally speaking, is a good thing. People can argue about the business model. I think we're delivering a fantastic title that's well versed with consumers who will pay for it. And all signs are extraordinarily positive."
I see absolutely nothing wrong with his statement but one could perceive it as him saying, "money talks". You have this loud communal voice with no teeth behind it. It's the equivalent of threatening to beat a grown man with a spaghetti noodle – no matter how assertive you are, chance are the guy is going to look at you like an idiot.
The base game sans DLC received pretty good scores upon release with a primary issue of contention being a bit of repetitiveness. Lots of hype, a dash of controversy, and a pretty solid game lead to a quick shift in the community's ire from Evolve to our next example, The Order 1886. Note: feel free to checkout PSN or Xbox Live to see exactly how much DLC was removed based on the controversy. I can currently pay $59.99 for the PS4 base game but I could also purchase 11 different skin packs between $4.99 -$6.99, a season pass for $24.99, and let's not forget what has yet to be released. Mr. Zelnick I think you were right.
The Order 1886 had a different issue in the weeks leading up to release: "short and pretty syndrome". In this case we had a game hyped as a 2014 PS4 Christmas blockbuster. They even delayed the game to 2015 with the following quote cited from Eurogamer:
"Speaking at a pre-E3 Sony event in Santa Monica, Ready at Dawn Chief Ru Weerasuriya tells Eurogamer the decision was made so the developer could try to make sure the entire game was at a high-quality level, rather than just certain sections."
The Order: 1886 released to very mixed reviews, with GR giving it a 2 of 5 stars. But it should be noted across the board that most review sites including GR commended The Order 1886 for its graphics… it was just the rest of it. The GR review had a very long comment section but a comment that stuck out to me came from the commenter "Nicholas Thompson":
"This review is WAY to harsh and I'd even go as far as to say inaccurate. I'd give it a 3.5 or a 4. I understand that the cinematic and QTE approach over gameplay is a huge flaw but that shouldn't make it a bad game because the production value is amazing, I personally think the shooting mechanics look fun, and above all else it's playable.
I mean if the graphics and cinematic were not good then what would you give it? A 1? So a boring game with bland presentation is the worst kind of game despite it being playable? This is probably the worst review I've seen on the website."
What struck me in this commenter's post was "and above all else, it's playable". Have we really set the bar that low? Consumers pre-order games, season passes, DLC, special editions, etc… but do you really think the expectations of gamers is that at a minimum I am paying $59.99 in advance for a game that is at least "playable"…WTF? I can understand the statement based on recent releases like AC Unity, but it is still disheartening to think a reviewer should give points/credit for a game being "functional". I don't shop for food with the expectation that this restaurant should get a better rating because the food is "edible". You are a restaurant...your food should be edible...as a baseline.
Even with the mixed reviews, GR later in the week posted the UK sales chart lineup and the game appeared to be well received coming in at #1 last week. Was this due to hype or quality? I think we will find out in the coming weeks as we see how long it stays on the list.
So what does this say about hype, ire, and change? Regardless of community ire, hype alone can drive initial sales. If the quality of the product stands up to the community upon release then the ire subsides and sales increase. If the quality (this includes duration as a metric) is inconsistent with the community expectation upon release, it is reasonable to assume that the train that brought you to the top of the charts will be departing shortly.
Hypothetically, as a publisher/developer it would behoove me to get that hype train rolling full steam ahead for the mere fact that at a minimum I will recoup some costs and at best I would have exceeded both consumer expectation and sales projections. As a consumer, it seems to me if you don't want to end up seeing the "short & pretties" and the a la carte DLC model which provides DLC in an aggregate cost that not only exceeds the base price of the game, but is released in tandem more frequently, then you may want to take a step back from the hype train. The pre-order bonuses are oftentimes an exclusive skin, mission, weapon, etc… but is that "digital" item really worth the actual currency you pay for it? Particularly if the game ends up woefully underperforming based on your individual opinion once it is actually released.
It would be nice to get an extra gun, but if the damn game is only 4 hours long, how much use am I going to get out of it? I like additional skins but how does changing the skin on my monster offset the perceived repetitiveness of the core gaming mechanics? These questions don't become relevant until you actual have a chance to play the game.
If I pay $60 for DLC at release, do I still have to buy the base game at full price? What if I spent a $100 on DLC alone, then do I still have to buy the base game? As consumers we can incentivize changes in the business structure but as a whole we have to stop positively rewarding companies for **** we don't like. Just saying.
(Edit: 2/27/15. Incorporated above
"I can understand the statement based on recent releases like AC Unity but it is still disheartening to think a reviewer should give points/credit for a game being "functional". I don't shop for food with the expectation that this restaurant should get a better rating because the food is "edible". You are a restaurant...your food should be edible...as a baseline.")
[The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of GameRevolution, but we believe it's worthy of being featured on our site. This article, posted on February 26, 2015, has been lightly edited for grammar and style. You can find more Vox Pop articles here. ~Ed. Nick Tan]
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You are not the character. A look at This War of Mine.
Posted on Monday, December 1 2014 @ 16:47:16 PST
This member blog post was promoted to the GameRevolution homepage.
I have been very excited in anticipation of the release of This War of Mine since the GR preview in June of 2014. The idea of being a regular person trying to survive in a war torn place and a focus on the "experience" vs "action" had me just about sold. Gil followed up with the review of the game in November…5-star rating. I knew at this point I would purchase the game but the question now was when? Is it worth a full price purchase or a steam sale?
To answer my final question, I had to watch some "Let's Play" and after watching the first 12 days over about 1.5hrs no sale was necessary…yet Steam was having the "Exploration Sale" so I still got my first Steam game at a discount (note: this is also my first PC game purchase since like 2004). After watching an hour and half of gameplay, it still truly did not do justice to what I was about to experience.
This write-up is based on about 15 hours of gameplay and 32 days in (game days). The first thing that should be noted is that I don't think I actually killed anyone for what seemed like the first 10 hours but that was a really good thing. I didn't feel the need to kill anyone as the locations available to scavenge on this playthrough had relatively low danger levels if any. What grabbed my attention was the fact that regardless of how insignificant I deemed my actions during the night to be, it still had an impact on the group of survivors I was to manage. In that sense it didn't feel like anything was missing for having not had to kill an NPC for that long of a time.
The impact of "stealing" was the primary concern in the early hours. You didn't have to kill someone directly to have a negative impact on the psyche of your group. On one instance I went to a location with a father and son, but so as not to spoil anything I won't say the in game location. One of them was ill and the other was trading and providing guard during the night. I traded with the individual and then began to search the area for supplies the "first" night. I found some supplies that I didn't have to "steal" and made my way back home without incident.
Upon my return, the group commented on how it was a "shame" I didn't have medical supplies to trade in order to help the sick person last night. I spent the day prepping my base to revisit the location the next night. This time I needed food… I approached the individual and traded some medicine for some food, but this time I also brought a crowbar to explore a bit more of this not so hostile spot. I found that I could go around to the back of the location, break into a door and steal a ton of food and supplies right from under these two…so I did…no one dead no harm?
As I ran away from the location alerting the two that someone had just robbed them but not quick enough for them to see it was me. I thought sweet, I got a bunch of needed supplies and still didn't have to resort to violence. I got back to base and everyone was talking about how I left a sick person and another individuals who were not violent with very little if enough for them to survive. This led to everyone being "sad" the earliest tier before leading to "depression".
All I could think of was that in Elder Scrolls when I steal and don't get caught the loot is mine with very little negative impact if any…until I am caught. This was very different…being caught wasn't the point. You knew what you were doing was wrong and accordingly it had an impact on your mental state. The emphasis on the ramification of your actions even when they are deemed as innocuous by most gaming tropes was quite refreshing. I had to remind myself that you are not the character…don't play the game like a "game". Just because you "can" do something and get away with it doesn't mean that an individual in this real world situation would act accordingly.
It should be noted before I move on to discuss my set of murders in the game that I focused on the impact of "theft" for the first half of my playtime and "theft" can also indirectly lead to death thereby leading to depression. Needless to say, the theft that led to the death of a couple of NPCs and thereby the depression of one of my best scavenging character was a key factor in my experience with "killing".
When I started to explore the option to kill in order to scavenge more… things became a bit more complicated. The first location I visited where I needed to resort to "extreme" measures with my knife was in a hotel with ruthless thugs. If I am going to kill an NPC it might as well be some bad guys….amiright? I hid in the shadows and took down the first guy…that was a pretty cool knifing animation I though and ran away before the guy with the shotgun could get to the site of the crime. Whoo.
Some of my group wasn't really impacted by the act so the next few nights I took it upon myself to pick off the remaining thugs to secure the supplies in the area. After the second or third night my guy was "depressed". Once again I am tasked with the question of how the "character" would deal with killing bad guys not ME. Alright…we have gotten through depression before…a little music, some rest, a few days good deal. I just needed to not do anything too egregious for the next few days while scavenging and I should be set…
When selecting a location to raid at night you are given a brief description as to whether there are armed forces and they may or may not tell you whether the inhabitants are hostile. I went to another location while depressed and was able to steal some much needed supplies without any violence (I knew my depression would not be reduced the next day due to the theft) but I had to steal the supplies or one of my group was going to bleed to death from wounds incurred guarding our base. I also noticed a whole section of the location that I couldn't access because an NPC had taken an overwatch position and wasn't moving (at least for the amount of time I was willing to wait). I left without incident with a few more supplies but the other section looked like a gold mine. Going to have to get my hands dirty, I thought...
The next night I returned. My character was still depressed so I didn't want to kill anyone, instead I was going to make a run for the other side of the building. I ran, the NPC took a shot but missed and I made it to the other side. I thought everything was okay and began scavenging. After a little while, the crazy NPC ran over and tried to attack me at which point I stabbed the **** out of her. Now in my experience with games, when you are attacked while not being hostile the response is usually well, "they were asking for it" so you are not penalized. To be honest I thought that was the case as nothing changed immediately after the event. I continued to load up on supplies and when the other 2 NPCs saw me they ran so I avoided them and headed back to base.
Wouldn't you know, as soon as I walked in the the door my character was mentally "broken" (I think this is the tier just before suicide) from the act. I had to really stop and collect myself because I thought I just lost one of my best characters for defending himself. I was literally pissed and thinking, "WTF, I ran to get access to stuff I didn't have to steal and only killed the NPC when no options seemed to remain" now I am going to lose my best character. I didn't want to kill anymore NPCs…This experience has just been so damn different. I found out later that the NPC that I killed was protecting 2 other non-violent NPCs but I didn't realize that as I didn't eavesdrop on their conversation long enough to learn this (listening is another important action in this game).
Time and time again, This War of Mine asked me to not focus on what I was doing as much as the long term implications of my actions. We often times compare games to "art" and I believe this title truly captures that. While writing about just the two incidents above I marveled at the stories the game itself provides the user. The randomness of the supplies and locations available at any given time leads the player to respond uniquely based on the needs of the group.
In similar games it is not uncommon for me to play for a few hours and then restart…this is not that type of game. You will lose characters…you should lose characters - this is War. I was reminded of the Walking Dead when I lost my first character. It occurred to one of my characters over the course of like a week in game due to my inability to secure bandages for his wounds, Pavle you will be missed. I have played The Sims and created sims without any home just to see how they end up dying from lack of resources but that is nothing like going out for 7 consecutive nights in hopes of finding bandages only to simply not be able to acquire them and then watch a character deteriorate from slightly wounded to bleeding to death regardless of your efforts.
When I started to decide whether to restart, what made me think of The Walking Dead was the idea that you will lose people but trying to rebuild the resources currently available to the group is much worse than letting a single character go even if their loss is surprisingly palpable for a game. Few games have had such little action and yet engaged me to this end. If you are getting a bit desensitized to digital war from the likes of Call of Duty and Battlefield then you should really give this little gem a spin. I read several comparisons to Spec Ops: The Line but would argue that after having played both you have more control over exactly how dark war can get in this War of Mine. Spec Ops has great set pieces to make you question on a deeper level certain aspects of war but whether you choose to let an NPC drag a woman away after eluding to rape, attacking and killing the hostile character, or simply running in and punching and running from the better armed character to possibly give the girl a chance to run is all left in the players hands in This War of Mine.
[The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of GameRevolution, but we believe it's worthy of being featured on our site. This article, posted on December 1st, has been lightly edited for grammar and style. You can find more Vox Pop articles here. ~ Ed. Nick Tan]
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How do you know when to switch? Last-Current-Next Gen
Posted on Monday, November 10 2014 @ 12:59:20 PST
I have been playing Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag and cannot emphasize enough how fun that game is. In discussions with my friends, I called it the "San Andreas" of the series and vehemently hope that they make another entry off th... read more...
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Ninja Storm Revolution: Initial Thoughts (Not a Review)
Posted on Friday, September 19 2014 @ 17:37:24 PST
Background: I own and have completed every entry in the Ninja Storm series, so there is inherent bias but luckily this isn't a review. These are just my thoughts on a fun series I chose to pick up after my Dragon Ball Z Budokai ... read more...
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A Letter to the Big "N"
Posted on Friday, September 12 2014 @ 12:02:24 PST
I have and will continue to have a place in my heart for Nintendo. In fact, my first console was a Super Nintendo. The video game market has changed drastically since the early '90s and it seems like what once was platinum is more... read more...
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The Microsoft 180: Business as Usual
Posted on Tuesday, July 1 2014 @ 11:58:22 PST
When Microsoft announced its new "Kinect-less" Xbox One offering, the debate over the "Microsoft 180" was reignited. As I read the comments for and against this business move, I couldn't help but feel that a grea... read more...
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So much more than war...
Posted on Friday, April 18 2014 @ 16:56:36 PST
The recent blog, Peace in the Era of Call of Duty really made me think about war games that dig deeper than simply a kill streak reward. The first game that came to mind was Spec-Ops: The Line and although I haven't played ... read more...
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A Day Without Booth Babes! But why?
Posted on Wednesday, March 19 2014 @ 11:31:18 PST
I felt compelled to write this one up after reading a recent write-up by Daniel Bischoff requesting the support of the GR community in banning booth babes. Before I begin to address some of the points made by Daniel, I think it worthwhile to expound ... read more...
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The Great Compromise: Final Fantasy VII
Posted on Friday, March 7 2014 @ 08:42:06 PST
[Yep, I flipped the image... see what I did there? Ed. Nick]
I was not originally a fan of FFVII; in fact, I remember looking at the commercials in the '90s and finally purchasing the game only to realize the commercials only show... read more...
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Monsters University-branded Flavorz by Crunch Pak (Photo: Business Wire)
- Marvel and Crunch Pak (Booth #403) team up for healthy snacking, with Marvel's The Avengers and Spider-Man featured on custom designed packages of fresh sliced apples, shipping in spring 2014.
- Monsters University-branded Flavorz by Crunch Pak (Booth #403) are apples infused with blue raspberry flavor for a shockingly refreshing taste. Disney Foodles offer delicious combinations of fruits, vegetables and other sides like dips, raisins, crackers or cheese in a fun, Mickey-shaped tray or Disney Princess carriage tray. Both are available at select grocers nationwide.
- Disney-branded mangos by Freska (Booth #441) will launch beginning spring 2014. Four varieties of Mexican mangos including Tommy Atkins, Kents, Keitts and Ataulfos with packaging featuring a variety of Disney characters will be available at select grocers nationwide.
- Disney Berry Quick Fresh Blueberry Snacks by Naturipe (Booth #1647) are pre-portioned, single-serve packs perfect for on-the-go snacks and lunches or a wholesome addition to everyday favorites such as oatmeal, yogurt, parfaits, cereals, salads and desserts. Packs feature classic Disney characters including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy.
- Disney-branded stone fruit and table grapes from SGS make healthy eating fun! The Disney peaches, plums and nectarines are yummy and nutritious, and Mickey Mouse- and-Donald Duck-themed clams of red and green grapes are an instant go-to snack.
- Disney-branded bagged apples and cherries by Chelan Fresh (Booth #4157) are enough for the entire family to share and come in colorful packaging with information to educate children on how to live a healthier lifestyle.
- Disney-branded grapes by Dayka & Hackett are a tasty anytime treat with fun packaging featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and more.

subset: commoncrawl


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- Manufacturer: Char-Broil
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Is this the correct lid for smoker box bottom Model # 12201595-03-21 ?
Yes. This the correct firebox lid for this smoker firebox bottom.
Date published: 2015-03-25
Is this the lid for fire box bottom Model # 1767079 for Smokey Joe grill?
No. The correct firebox lid for your offset smoker is model # 1767070. It is available on the Char-Broil website.
Date published: 2014-10-27


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Lauren J. Finnegan
Look it's Lauren J. Finnegan she is the e-vile one!
E-vile one! Supper is ready.
E-vile one! Supper is ready.
by AlJoshto February 18, 2004
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Opens Today: Bruxie (P.S. It's National Waffle Day)
Add this to today's agenda: Drive to Bruxie and order the smoked salmon lox and dill cream cheese waffle sandwich (pictured). You need to do this not because it's Bruxie's opening day (true), or because it's National Waffle Day (also true), but because you will walk away a...
March 25 2014, 12:30 PM
Breakfast Meets Lunch
I firmly believe a panini press can turn a mediocre sandwich into something sublime. But at Wafflich, a four-month-old spot in Berkeley, owner Benny Kaplan and his crew up the ante by grilling the lunch staple on waffle irons. The eatery's feel is Napoleon Dynamite–esque, with '80s tunes, an...
October 24 2012, 11:56 AM


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Results 1 to 15 of 19
AZ - Horrific abuse of a foster child.
This is absolutely horrifying to me, enough so that I'm going to try to pull together the rest of the links on it. These poor kids, any and all that crossed this woman's path.
Tammy Renea Andrews, 39, of Safford turned herself into authorities and was arrested Wednesday on charges of child abuse, unlawful imprisonment and aggravated assault. A felony warrant for her arrest was issued by Justice of the Peace District 1 Judge Gary Griffith.
According to a press release from the Safford Police Department, officers were dispatched to residence in Safford on Feb. 11 in regard to a report of a 10-year-old boy being stabbed in the hand by his foster mother.
I am not comfortable typing the descriptions of the rest of the abuse. I will let those with the guts click the link. Believe me when i say that stabbing him in the hand was one of the "nicer" things she did to this child. This may be the most sadistic woman I have ever had the pleasure of not meeting.
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She has such a smug look on her face in that link. People like this give good foster homes and parents a bad name. How can anyone cause further abuse to children when they've already been through so much?
Here's hoping foster monster receives more than a slap on the wrist. She should be ashamed of herself for treating any human being this way.
Prayers to the little fella. I hope he's able to overcome all he's been through.
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I was in the foster care system and in one of the homes, i was confined in my bedroom from the time i got home from school, until the time i left home for school the next day. Some of these homes do not need to be foster homes!Be Kind to yourself, you are worth it!
02-27-2010, 02:17 AM #4Registered User
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This poor child. That was horrific to read and I can't imagine this little boy enduring so much continuous abuse. He has a long road of recovery ahead of him. Where do kids go that have no family and have been failed by the state to protect them? Another foster home?
I wish we could deliver the death penalty for child abuse like this.
Heartbreaking. That poor child. Reading his descriptions of the things she did to him, I (hopefully) thought, "No way...that's too cruel... surely he's exaggerating..." But the scars and evidence in the home proved him to be telling the horrible truth.
: Fry the witch.
Last edited by Muffet; 02-27-2010 at 02:19 AM.
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02-27-2010, 02:42 AM #6Registered User
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It's not often that I think we get to see the face of evil which the child sees. This time I think we do. The woman has no remorse. She brings shame on all who call ourselves foster parents. There's a lot of things wrong with this story.
Arizona is known to rate relatively highly on marks for following through with visitations of kids in care. This sort of abuse cannot be hidden. Notice how the little guy was so forthcoming with information--how he pointed out weapons of torture? I cannot understand how a worker could have been going into this home on a monthly basis and not seen this. How about doctor's visits, dentist's visits, therapy? All these components are set in place not only to serve the child but also to assure safety.
Also, home schooling is almost always disallowed in foster care for this very reason. DHS wants greater oversight on the children, more adult eyes. The only thing I can come up with is that this might have been a relative foster placement, called kinship care. Occasionally those placements will receive less oversight. Remember our abuser in Indiana a while back who'd impregnated his adopted daughter who was a blood relative--twice? No oversight.
So, evil pure and simple. This child's blood in on this woman's hands. But who was supposed to be supervising this child in placement?
02-27-2010, 02:46 AM #7Registered User
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02-27-2010, 02:56 AM #8Registered User
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Sounds like this woman was well known in the community. I think it must have been a relative placement:
".......She was once my daughters basketball coach and she always told me about how mean she was. How did all this go undetected by Child Protective Services? Don't they check on these kids?" Posted by Wow 2/26
This is a deplorable act that no child should have to endure. With a respected educated father, eh and a brother in the probation department who both have worked with many of our youth it seems they may not have seen any signs of this going on.The child had left a situation before where his own mother was not going to be ale to care for him.Unfortunately this will be almost impossible for the child to overcome.We should all take a closer look at our own and make sure your loved ones are not in need of intervention." Posted by Quicktek 2/26
02-27-2010, 03:14 AM #9Registered User
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Looks like her husband is the wrestling and track coach at the local high school:
A snip from a comment last week:
"The Andrews family coaching tradition continues. I can only hope to approach the success they have experienced in my own career."
Last edited by Missizzy; 02-27-2010 at 03:18 AM.
02-27-2010, 03:20 AM #10Registered User
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On a disgusting note, the husband of the abuser goes by the name "BB". It's even printed in the school roster. Might be a coincidence but that's awfully unsettling.
02-27-2010, 03:35 AM #11Registered User
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Hold on. This gets confusing. There's two men, Jr. and Sr. It looks like Tammy lives with Sr.--maybe her Dad. The coach, Jr., could be her brother. Someone else, please look and tell me what you think.
FWIW, it sounds like the family has a long involvement in sports and someone works in probation. I wonder if the reason the boy's mother couldn't be taking care of him is because she's in prison? Lots of possibilities. But with so many working in sports and LE, how could they not see this?
Her MS page is still up.
02-27-2010, 03:40 AM #12Registered User
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The comments section under the article are pretty much telling the story. Sounds like this might not be the first child she's hurt. My Lord.
02-27-2010, 11:55 AM #13Registered User
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I agree. Naturally, she had her mandatory "she's a great mom" support, but the other comments reveal a nasty mean woman that, IMHO, took in this child to 1) make money, 2) had a taste for abuse, 3) enjoyed the perception she was a decent person by being a foster parent, and 4) felt she would get away with the abuse because of her family's reputation and connections.
I wonder how many foster homes provide a truly caring and comforting environment to children in need? I know there are many, but I worry the majority are nothing but money making opportunities for people with no real desire to help children. Like Ladybass having to go to her room when she came home from school -- out of sight out of mind. Minimal care for the same price as good care. In this case, horrific abuse and she was being paid to do so. Did a social worker ever check on this child to see how he was doing? When he was the only child in the home to be home schooled, did anyone wonder why? Considering how much money states pay to provide a home and to manage a foster child's care, these children should not be suffering from abuse or neglect.
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I grew up in the foster care system, off and on. I had some good ones and some bad ones, none were ever this bad. What this woman did is the absolte pinnacle of what is feared about the foster care system. She sullied the name of the good fosters that I have met. My friend K is a foster mom, has been for about 13 years. I forwarded the link to her, and she called me in tears. We both agree that a lot of times, foster kids end up ignored and they are treated differently from other kids in the home...but not with a blatant disregard for their very life. (It doesn't happen at her house, but it does happen.)
But there is a big difference between that and this. It's bad enough to know that you aren't included in things, that you aren't actually loved...but to have someone hurt you over and over again for no other reason than that your parents were crappy in their role, there are no words for that.
Evil might apply. It's close.
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I like how after he related the ordeal to police and the monster was arrested, he was placed in the care of CPS...weren't they supposed to be protecting him in the first place? Who monitors the foster care placements?
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Last Sunday my wife and I stopped by the cemetery to spend a few quiet moments with my Dad
seeing it was Father's Day.
It was a sun-shiny day with puffy white clouds dotting an iridescent indigo sky and a gentle breeze that easily moved the American flag marking my father's eternal place in the world.
We watered the royal purple petunias that my sister got for the grave and sat for a spell.
Cemetery silence is like no other.
It traps me in my own thoughts as I 'talk' to Dad while trying to figure out just what the hell is going on in my life.
Like he will just pop out of nowhere and answer me.
In a perfect world, as I always say.
I can't remember the last Father's Day that I spent with the man when he was of sane mind.
That bothered me last Sunday, a bit more than usual.
Maybe my daily commute to Boston and endless hours on the merry-go-round/cheese wheel that we call life has sucked the remembering marrow out of too many bones in my body.
I told him, "I'm tired, Dad. And I miss you. And I want to be 10 years old again," as the thoughts of oiling my old Rawlings baseball glove for the ultimate game of 'Catch' rolled around my head.
It was total vindication of the good old days that sat heavy in my heart.
Every visit to see my Mom and Dad is sentimental in some way.
Maybe it's how I'm wired, I don't know.
I kissed my palm and touched the names of both Walter and Virginia, all that's physically left of them.
I wanted to just drive by the old neighborhood for shits and giggles and made my way towards my old house.
I turned down Harvard Street driving past all the old neighbors; the Gilbert's, the Masterson's, the Pelletier's, the Pinard's and on and on.
The fields I once played on were totally overgrown with brush and trees and sadly no sign of my once significant presence.
We came back up Harvard Street and I looked at the house I'd grown up in.
There was no one home and there were pastel yellow signs taped on the front and back door that said, "NO TRESPASSING!"
I pulled my SUV into the driveway and Pamela and I got out to survey the multiple broken windows and damage.
The place that was once my 'home' was devastated.
Mold was eating its way throughout the entire exterior.
It was raped of its innocence and simple beauty.
It was a crime scene of epic proportions.
I was crying inside as I peered into the windows of rooms that held so many good memories for me now destroyed by people that just didn't give a shit; holes in walls, carpets that looked a million years old and covered with dirt and soot.
It was disgusting.
The animals living here were lower than assholes.
If they were standing right in front of me I would say that to their hairy faces.
I was angry and sadder than I had been when I sold the house.
What would make someone do this to a place called home?
I was speechless.
What really hurt was that the window in what used to be my bedroom was shattered, she-doo-bee-doop, shattered, shattered.
I wish I had a great 'tie it all up in a bow' ending for this story but I don't.
My old house is very sad.
And I can't blame her.
It makes me even sadder because there's nothing that I can do.
If my arms were big enough, I would have given her a hug.
But it's too late for that.
The damage is already done.
And I'll remain shattered . . .


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When visiting schools in our community of Fort Richmond, I have always been so impressed by the hard-working staff that I meet.
It's no secret that teachers dedicate hours to their students in and out of the classroom; whether it be coaching school teams, supervising lunch clubs, volunteering for school events, prepping the next lesson, marking assignments, and so much more.
Their hard work doesn't always get the recognition it deserves.
That's why I was delighted to learn that Sheena Braun, principal of Ryerson Elementary School, has been named one of Canada's Outstanding Principals by The Learning Partnership.
This award is given to principals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership within their schools and community. Award winners are invited to a special gala to celebrate innovative educators, and are enrolled in a five-day executive leadership training program at the Rotman School of Management in Toronto.
Sheena has all the qualities of an outstanding principal. The Learning Partnership has commended her on delivering initiatives which have raised academic bars and closed gaps. She is a kind and nurturing educator, who is constantly looking for ways to improve opportunities for her students.
She is an inspiring role model to the young teachers she hires and is dedicated to providing them with the best employment experience possible. She has established strong partnerships within the Manitoba education community and even stronger relationships with Ryerson School parents. She has also created strong partnerships within the larger community, networking with community members and local agencies. Since arriving at Ryerson in 2008 Sheena has worked tirelessly to create an atmosphere within the school that is safe, respectful, inclusive and welcoming for everyone.
She has definitely succeeded.
Thank you, Sheena, for your leadership and immeasurable contributions to Fort Richmond families. You are truly outstanding!
If you'd like to get in touch with Kerri you may call her at 204-475-9433 or email her at email@example.com


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Category Archives: Developers
Join Kate Development!
The Wheel of Time turns… meaning that the Kate Project has quite along history by now. The Kate Project was started back in December 2000, so it's almost 10 years old. Development sometimes continues with a fast pace; and at other times there is almost no progress for weeks. But all in all, looking back at those 10 years, we can proudly tell you that the project is very much alive. Let's take a look at the traffic of our mailing list:
The traffic itself does not say much about the development. It probably tells us that there are quite a lot of people using Kate and reporting wishes and bugs. This is a good thing The commit statistics for Kate, KWrite and the KTextEditor interfaces look like this:
Before 2000, Kate did not exist yet. Instead, so these commits come from the KWrite days. The commit rate is quite constant according to this statistic. In fact, there usually are always several developers working on Kate. Some only for a short period to implement single features or fix some bugs, and some long-term contributors. A very nice trend is given by the fact that the core team of Kate grew from about 4 to 7 developers over the last two years. So the Kate Project is very healthy – nice! And of course we are happy for every single contribution. So if you want to get involved in Kate development, join us!
MovingRanges moving on ;)
As with any new code, during adoption bottlenecks show up.
For example the rendering of text lines with many ranges inside was quiet slow. This is now partly addressed by Milian Wolff, thanks a lot.
An other bottleneck was the assumption, that it is fast enough to hash the ranges just by their block and iterate over all of them to search the ranges matching a specific line. This does scale well enough for KatePart itself, but KDevelop creates multi-thousand ranges for small documents. To improve this, an internal special mapping was implemented by David Nolden for ranges which don't span more than one line. For them an efficient line => range mapping is easy and not to costly.
If both changes are tested a bit more, they can be backported in time for KDE 4.5, which will allow a good usability of KatePart for KDevelop once again after the rewrite, given other bugs are fixed.
KDE 4.5: SmartRange => MovingRange
Dominik already blogged about the issues we have in KatePart with the current SmartRange/SmartCursor/Smart* interfaces that were designed during the early KDE 4.0 release.
Given that large amounts of the internal implementation are exposed to the outside in the interfaces, there was no feasible way to fix the issues with them. The problem with the not thread-safe behaviour could have been prevented by just stating the plain fact that multi-threaded access to the ranges doesn't work, even thought there is a mutex in the interface exposed which should be locked to gain this safety. Still the real problems of the unchangable bad implemenation and design choices would have remained.
Given the fact, that the SmartInterface is an additional interface for a KTextEditor component and no component is required to implement it, we went the way to create a new redesigned additional interface, the MovingInterface.
In short: it is a stripped down version of the SmartInterface, which tries to avoid to expose any implementation details and is focused on provide the features actually used by other applications like KDevelop and have them working correct instead of providing just a mass of features, which doesn't work at all in all corner cases.
For KDE 4.5, to not just break all applications which rely on the SmartInterface be implemented in KatePart, both interfaces will be implemented there.
As the SmartRange stuff somehow slipped into the CodeCompletionModelControllerInterface, we will provide a new version of this interface, too, version 3, subsuming 1 + 2, but without SmartRanges inside.
For KDE 4.6, KatePart won't implement any longer the SmartInterface nor the old CodeCompletionModelControllerInterface(2), but:
- MovingInterface
- CodeCompletionModelControllerInterface3
If your application relies on any of these two interfaces to be implemented (or will be crippled without them), you should switch over to the new interfaces and require KDE 4.5, as soon as it is released.
That way the applications will just keep working with KDE 4.5 and higher.
KDevelop already is on the way to do so, hope others might follow (the interfaces are not widely used it seems, that at least means not that much applications are hit, KDevelop and Kile are for sure the major ones).
I can understand that this change might not be really liked by any project using the interfaces, but the plain facts are:
- the code doesn't work
- it is not maintained
- nobody still around really understands it
- the BC of the interfaces disallows to fix the design flaws without a new interface
There will be more information for about the new stuff in the future, but thought it is a good idea to remember people outside of the Kate development about the changes, before KDE 4.5 releases (which still will provide a KatePart implementing the old interfaces).


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Lasting Laser Therapy of Port Wine Stains
I went to the Vascular Birthmarks Foundations website for the first time yesterday to see if I could find any information about port wine stains on extremities and why they should be treated as well as facial port wine stains.
I was horrified when I read the information posted on Port Wine Stains, and what to expect with laser therapy. The beginning of the third paragraph was just as bad. :(
Port wine stains are congenital vascular malformations of capillary-sized blood vessels. Once these are destroyed with laser therapy, they never return.
I work for a prominent pediatric physician who spends 3/4 of his time running a birthmark clinic in Colorado treating children with port wine stains and also spends time with the Sturge-Weber Foundation. I have worked with this clinic for four years now and I have never heard any of this information. After reading the article, I brought it to his attention, and he laughed stating they can put "anything" on the internet.
Laser therapy to remove a port wine stain is not temporary, and the patient does not have to have maintenance therapy for their entire life!
The pediatric physician I work for has had many, many and many more successful treatments of children with port wine stains, and has never had a patient come back for maintenance therapy. I do his scheduling and I have never had an older laser patient call for a "maintenance" appointment.
We also have docs that do laser therapy to adults with port wine stains, and I have never had one call back stating their port wine stain has returned. It may take a little longer to treat adults due to their stains being bigger and usually thicker than those on children, but once they have disappeared, they are gone for life never to return!
I have seen amazing things working here, and am grateful to be able to be a part of helping patients with such a disfiguring problem permanently! It bothers me to see such misinformation! :(
Re:Lasting Laser Therapy of Port Wine Stains
Hi purplecolor, my name is Henry Bartenbach (hank).
The doctor you are talking about his name would not happen to be Dr. Joseph Morelli? If it is, I have had laser treatment from him. He is the only doctor that I know of that has a dermatolagy and works with SWF. That might change because I am going to the International conference in July in Denver. Morelli was the first dermatolagist I saw. I was five years old, and had laser treatment from him for about five or six years. Then a dermatologist in Nebraska got a laser and then I went there until I moved to Nevada. I have been doing laser treatment now for about 14 years. Have you ever heard of a 1064um Coolglide laser? I just had a treatment this weekend and I was just wondering what your opinion on this laser is. This is my fourth laser I have used.
Could you shed some light on this subject for me?
Talk to you soon.
Hank B
Re:Lasting Laser Therapy of Port Wine Stains
Dear Hank,
Yes, it is the famous Dr. Joseph Morelli. And yes he remembers you very well.
As far as the 1064um Coolglide, don't know much about this laser except it has to be a Yag laser.
I had laser re-surfacing done about 6 weeks ago (for sun damage) with an Erbium/Yag and boy, did it hurt! Nothing like the pulsed dye laser! We now have a Candela laser that has a tube that blows cool air out on the surface that is being lasered and the kids like it much better!
Dr. Morelli told me to let you know he'll see you in July!
Re:Lasting Laser Therapy of Port Wine Stains
Hi purplecolor,
This is Hank, So is the pulse dye laser a V-Beam, or C-Beam? I have had both in the past and none what this coolglide has done. When I had the treatment it litterly indented my skin. When I was at Morelli's office I was useing the arcgone laser. This coolglide is my fourth laser now, and it kind of resembles the arcgone laser but did not hurt near as bad. The coolglide did not hurt as bad as either dye lasers. It was really weird because when I had the zaps there was no light and no sound. From what you have said about the yag laser I do not think it is that kind. This is a brand new machine, I had the treatment at the University of San Franscico. That dermatology has fourteen different lasers and this is just one type they have.
Yes I will be looking forward to seeing Morelli in July. I am trying to figure out how to make the reservations online but I have been having problems figureing it out.
Well I hope to talk to you soon.
Hank B
Re:Lasting Laser Therapy of Port Wine Stains
Hey Purplecolor, it is Hank again.
I just got an email from a friend that was doing some research and you where right it is a Yag laser. It is an ND: Yag laser. So what does Yag mean anyways?
It still did not hurt near as bad as the arcgone laser that I had when I first started. I do not know if it hurts more then the dye lasers because I got a local when I had the laser done. My friend told me that is new yag laser is still considered a experimental in the treatment of hemangiomas. It also has a chance of scaring, but with the H's that I have I would perfer the scaring then the H. So know that we know it is a Yag laser what can you tell me about them.
Talk to you soon.
Hank B
Re:Lasting Laser Therapy of Port Wine Stains
Hi Purple,
It sounds like you are speaking of Dr. Morelli.
The fact of the matter is that it is rare to have full eradication of the lesion and very false to tell patients otherwise. Many patients have deeper components of their lesion that laser simply cannot reach with current technology. If thjs doctor is saying that patients NEVER return, possibly it is b/c they move or he has convinced them it is not necessary to return. The rule of thumb at least with those I consider leading specialist dealing with pws is that you will normally see some return of color within a certain number of years with the average being 3-5 years. As soon as one sees it pink up, they should return for a maintenance treatment. There really is not absolutes when it comes to pws and its treatment because they are so individual. So many factor affect laser results such as age, skin color, size and depth of the vessels involved, laser, parameters, cooling method and the experience of the doctor.
The fact of the matter is that anything that is resistant or not the laser was not able to reach continues to progress with time. Therefore, it is the hope of those with children or have a pws that technology will improve to help with better results and find a way to either restor nerve function or fully eradicate the darn thing.
If this doctor laughed at what was written on this site, then he is very misinformed himself and should read true data from more prominent vascular anomalies specialist that are on the same SWS advisory board as he is.
My daughter has been seen by three leading specialist in the field of vascular anomalies and treated by two of them, one in Texas and the other in New York City.
Her photo is displayed on the front page of this site. As you can see, she had good results. The entire pws faded 98% after just 3 treatment, but it was all still there. There was no difference in its size.
Unfortunately just 3 months after that photo was taken her pws began to darken and we are once again having to seek treatments. That blows your peds docs theory that treatment is permanent!!! It is not in the majority of cases. It might be months, 1year, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years or more, but it will most likely begin to rear its ugly head as what remains progresses!
If he wants data, have him join the birthmarks.com email support group and he will find that his claims are very untrue. Too many folks who get little to no results and do have to go in for maintenance treatment.
Re:Lasting Laser Therapy of Port Wine Stains
Does any of these treatments work on CVM? Capilliry Vascular malformation? I was told that there would never be any luck for me because there isn a treatment for my birthmark. I don't understand, my birthmark is close to the first layer of skin, that is why it is so purple, why would it be so hard to remove? Is it because it on my whole leg and they are to lazy to do the whole thing? geez, sometimes this is discouraging.
Re:Lasting Laser Therapy of Port Wine Stains
capillary vascular malformation is the medical term for port-wine stain which is the layman term.
laser treatment of the limbs is complicated and depends on the extent of the vessels involved.
Re:Lasting Laser Therapy of Port Wine Stains
I have a newborn with PWS on her cheek and neck. I am very confused after reading the entries on this site. Is treatment permanent or will my daughter have to have treament her whole life? I would love to believe what you say but the other stories are so conflicting that I don't know what to believe. Her birthmark is about the shade of pinkness on the newborn's left cheek that is shown as an example of PWS. Should we expect this to get darker or could it remain the same. The mark is many shades lighter than the one shown on the baby's right temple. Her two week check-up is coming up so we haven't discussed this with the pediatrition yet. However the doctor who delivered her confirmed it was in fact PWS. Can you help direct us?
thank you,
Re:Lasting Laser Therapy of Port Wine Stains
Hi Willa, my name is hank, I know you where asking purplecolor, but I can help.
If you go to the right side of this page and under resources click on find a physician, then find your state or one close to you and then find a dermatologist in that area. Depending on your daughters PWS will tell you how long she will have to have treatment. Everybody is different with there own form of PWS.
From what you have described with your daughters shade of PWS does sound like it will take much for the removal of the mark. Laser treatment is very safe and does not scare depending on the machine used. I have been doing treatment for fourteen years and one of the lasers I have used that does not hurt every much is the V-Beam Pulse Dye Laser. It is safe for infants and does not swell or scare. If you would like to talk more just message me back I we can talk.
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The chipmaker's latest diversity report shows some gains in its goal to increase diversity, though its ranks of underrepresented minorities hasn't changed much.
Despite minor improvements, the tech giant's US workforce remains overwhelmingly white and male.
Plus, Ubisoft confirms people who were in the closed beta will get to play 24 hours early.
In an online essay, the former Reddit CEO says more women and minorities are speaking publicly about discrimination in tech.
It's been a year since Apple Pay launched in the US, yet mobile payment systems have not taken off in a big way with consumers. With Samsung Pay and Android Pay also on the market, CNET.com's Lexy Savvides looks at what you should consider when using mobile payments.
Is it better to drive or be driven? Or, can you have your cake and eat it too?
But like most tech companies, Apple has a workforce that continues to be overwhelmingly male- and white-dominated, according to a new diversity report issued by the company.
Intel says that it's on pace to hit its diversity hiring goals for 2015 and continues to peg 2020 as the year it hopes to reach full representation in its workforce for women and minorities.
The e-commerce giant has been behind Apple and Google in the app store race, though it's taken steps to improve its offering and those are starting to pay off.
Finally, we get a new iPod Touch and iPod refresh. Apple TV looks to be on track for a fall release. Plus, we put Apple's claim that 99 percent of iPhone users "love" their iPhones to the test.


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Mark Santistevan, Governor MOU 21
Mark D. Santistevan was elected to the EAA Board of Governors in February of 2012 as Governor for MOU 21/Technical Unit.
Governor Santistevan brings a wealth of experience to the EAA Board of Governors stemming from twenty-three years working for the City of Los Angeles as well as a participating member of the EAA in good standing. Since he began his service to EAA Membership in November of 2010 as a Union Steward in the Bureau of Engineering San Pedro survey field office, he has dedicated his himself to advocating for the rights of EAA members.
Governor Santistevan is not only dedicated to protecting and improving the rights and benefits of EAA members; Governor Santistevan continues to work at returning Integrity, Transparency, and Accountability to EAA's Board of Governors and to your Union.
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350 S. Figueroa Street Suite 600
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Phone: 1.213.620.6920
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- Conjugates of D-Lys 6-LHRH and Disorazol Z retained strong binding to the LHRH receptor and showed potent inhibition of tubulin polymerization. Cellular cytotoxicity of the conjugates was in the low nanomolar EC 50 range. Increased cytotoxicity in cells over-expressing the LHRH receptor, support receptor targeting as a mechanism of action;
- AEZS-125 and AEZS-138 have been identified as the most promising candidates;
- The LHRH receptor-dependent efficacies of Disorazol Z - D-Lys 6-LHRH conjugates in vitro and in mouse xenograft models that were presented, support the principle of tumor targeting by the LHRH receptor as already employed by the drug candidate AEZS-108, which is currently in a Phase 3 study in endometrial cancer and in Phase 2 studies in triple-negative breast cancer, bladder cancer and prostate cancer.
Aeterna Zentaris Presents Encouraging Updated Data On Its LHRH Receptor-Targeted Disorazol Z Cytotoxic Conjugates At AACR Meeting
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Take the Tour
Get Involved! #ThreehouseStyleWe have kept busy this semester by hosting a variety of events, including: Welcome Back Block Party, Bonfire Party, Fall Retreat, First Year Group, Halloween/Hallowinni Night, Random Acts of Kindness, Ingathering, LGBTQA* Conversations, a Lock-In, volunteering at the... read more
News and Events
Threehouse Events
Threehouse hosts various events where students gather for entertainment and community building such as Panini Night, Game Night, and Community Meals.read more
VolunteeringCedar Falls Food Bank Food Bank Pancake Breakfast... read more
Threehouse Alumni Newsletter—Winter 2014
Get a sneak peek at the 2014 Alumni Newsletter that just got sent to the presses! This issue features: A Message from Pastor Dave, pictures from this year, and much more!read more
What is Threehouse?


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VFXWorld Magazine
Origin Digital Studios Launches
Origin Digital Studios opens in Burbank as new collective of veteran visual effects artists, producers and supervisors.
Box Office Report: 'Apes' On Top; 'Planes' Soars to No. 3
Fox's 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' remains at number one in its second weekend, bringing in $36 million for a domestic total of $139 million; Disney's animated family feature 'Planes: Fire & Rescue' comes in third with an $18 million debut.
'Ted' Creator Seth MacFarlane Sued for Copyright Infringement
Seth MacFarlane, Universal Pictures and Media Rights Capital have been sued for alleged copyright infringement for their hit comedy 'Ted.'
Mark Romanek to Direct 'The Shining' Prequel
'Never Let Me Go' director is in talks to helm Warner Bros.' 'Overlook Hotel,' a prequel to the Stanley Kubrick classic 'The Shining.'
Academy Elects 5 Newcomers to 2014–15 Board of Governors
First-time governors are Kate Amend, Documentary Branch; Daniel R. Fellman, Executives Branch; Albert Berger, Producers Branch; Bob Rogers, Short Films and Feature Animation Branch; and Mark Mangini, Sound Branch.
Ben Whishaw Replaces Colin Firth as Voice of 'Paddington'
'Skyfall' star Ben Whishaw steps in to replace Colin Firth as the voice of Paddington Bear in the Weinstein Company's family film 'Paddington.'
MAXON Announces 'WinC4D' Competition, Web Site
Themed challenges for users of Adobe After Effects CC and Cinema 4D Lite; winners to receive Cinema 4D Broadcast.
See What 'Futurama' Would Look Like in CG
Microsoft to Shutter Xbox Entertainment Studios
Microsoft to discontinue development of original series for its Xbox gaming platform and will close Xbox Entertainment Studios in the coming months.
RealD Experiences Executive Team Exodus
Stereoscopic technology specialist RealD sees a trio of exec departures: COO and general counsel Craig Gatarz and senior VPs Rick Heineman and Jed Harmsen.
Netflix, Disney Expand Streaming Pact to Canada
Netflix and The Walt Disney Studios announce a new multi-year licensing agreement that will make Netflix the exclusive Canadian subscription television service for first-run Disney live-action and animated feature films.
Marvel Announces New Thor, Captain America
Marvel Entertainment reveals that it will be replacing the comic book incarnation of 'Thor' with a new, female version; Sam Wilson, formerly the superhero known as The Falcon, will be taking over the role of 'Captain America.'
MPC Swings into Action with 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Previs
MPC's previs supervisor Duane Floch discusses three different POVs and lots of apes used to create the Colony Attack scene in Matt Reeves' hit sequel.
Shotgun Software Passes Bishop Fox Security Audit
Cloud-based production tracking, review, and asset management software for film, TV and games passes a full penetration test by global security auditing firm Bishop Fox.
Jerry Rees Tapped to Helm 'The Marvel Experience'
VFX vendors Rhythm & Hues and Prana Animation Studios join visualization studio The Third Floor to help create an innovative, traveling attraction that affords guests the opportunity to actively participate with dozens of Marvel Entertainment's iconic Super Heroes.
Disney's 'The Jungle Book' Casts Newcomer Neel Sethi as Mowgli
Ten-year-old Neel Sethi set to play the part of Mowgli in Disney's live-action/animation hybrid film 'The Jungle Book.'
Geomerics to Bring Real-Time Rendering from Games to Features
Graphics technology developer wins backing from the U.K.'s Technology Strategy Board (TSB) to bring its real-time graphics rendering techniques from the gaming world to the big screen.
Power Rangers' Movie Recruits 'X-Men' Writers
The upcoming Power Rangers movie from Lionsgate and rights holder Saban Brands will be scripted by 'X-Men: First Class' writers Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz; Roberto Orci boards the project as executive producer.
Paramount Television Signs First-Look Deal With Robert Zemeckis
Paramount Television inks a first-look deal with Oscar-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis; first project will be a drama series inspired by Nicholson Baker's bestselling novel 'The Fermata.'
Big Block Recognized for Epic 'Cosmos' Show Open
Colorist Randy Starnes Joins ArsenalFX
SIGGRAPH 2014 Unveils Production Session Lineup
SIGGRAPH 2014 will offer presentations on more than 15 of the biggest current and upcoming studio productions, including 'X-Men: Days of Future Past,' 'Gravity,' 'How to Train Your Dragon 2' and 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.'
Box Office Report: 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Rules with $73M Debut
Even with box office revenue down from last year, the debut of 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' pushes Fox to become the first major Hollywood studio to cross the $1 billion mark in 2014 domestic ticket sales.
MASTERSFX Launches Digital Makeup Division
Award-winning character effects company unveils its dMFX (Digital MakeUp) Division in conjunction with Season Four of the hit Amblin Television/TNT series, 'Falling Skies.'


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North Cornwall seascapes captures my work photographing the north Cornwall coastline from Polzeath through to Crackington Haven. I live close to Trebarwith Strand so there are many pictures from there alongwith Port Isaac, Boscastle, Tintagel , Polzeath and Tregardock Beach
I am a Professional Photographer based in Cornwall, I started my career as a Landscape Photographer taking advantage of the fantastic scenary that Cornwall has to offer. I am a Wedding Photographer and I like to combine your special day with some beautiful landscapes if possible as a backdrop. I also offer natural light Portrait Photography on location at one of Cornwalls beauty spots there are plenty to choose from, and Pet Photography. I have a large format printer and can print photos onto canvas and photographic paper up to 60" x 40". I also do photo restoration and scanning I have a commercial side to my business and offer product photography at my studio in Delabole and location shoots at your business
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Mr & MrsConnor-Latus Published December 10, 2015
Mr and Mrs Clark Published November 15, 2015
Our Wedding Published November 02, 2015
Andy and Zoe's Wedding 6th June 2015 Published September 20, 2015
Our Cornish Wedding Published September 02, 2015
Our Wedding Day 11th April 2015 Published August 27, 2015
Gemma and Reece 16th May 2015 Published July 26, 2015
Nicole and Nick Published July 17, 2015


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Drink between: 2012 - 2015 (Add My Dates)
3,138 Tasting Notes
1 Tasting Note
14,628 Tasting Notes
Interestingly enough this was listed as a Roussanne on the wine menu. We drank it right after the Antica Terra Phantasi and I gotta say it just didn't live up. Came across as thin and much less interesting. More of a tart flavor to it. Holding off on scoring as I think it might just have been the two wines didn't work together.
Very dry, which gives the pineapple and orange notes a bit of a bitter finish, but in an enjoyable way. Rich and full bodied.
Popped and poured. Fragrant nose with pineapple and other fresh tropical notes. Big fruit with a nice lingering finish and supple mouthfeel. My wife described it as buttery but I'm not sure of that. I'd call it more creamy. Bottom line is Mr. Pippig does not disappoint. I'm continually impressed by his wines and have found them to age gracefully.
decent, but the finish was a bit odd.
Sanguis Dinner with Mattias Pippig (Cowboy Ciao): 95% Chardonnay, 4% Rousanne, and 1% Viognier. Golden color. Tropical fruit nose with some popcorn oak notes. Tastes of apple, melon, and cinnamon. Large vanilla oak backbone needs some more time to better integrate. Medium to full bodied. Nice freshness and acidity. Rich fruit forward finish with some good depth of fruit.


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Top Definition
A Battyholepuncher is a faggot type male that shoves his erect penis in another males batty willing or not!
Soupeh you Battyholepuncher!! Take your cock out of Ding's Batty!
by Tom January 02, 2005
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The Bungalows a nine new single family development built by Fieldstone in Encinitas are located on Requeza Street. The Bungalows are about a mile and a half to Moonlight Beach. The new homes will range from approximately 1,710 to 2,220 square feet and offer three architectural styles with three to four Bedrooms, gourmet kitchens, and Energy Efficient Features
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|DOUBLE-BACK JACK, LLC Patent applications
|Patent application number
|METHOD OF PLAYING A VARIATION OF BLACKJACK (21) - The present invention is a variation of playing Black jack. The primary difference relative to traditional Black jack is, if a player busts, he can buy back into the game and receive one card only (just like a double-down) with that card value being subtracted from the player's total. If the new value is 22 or more, the player loses both bets. If the new value is 21 or less, the player waits for the dealer to finish all other hands and regular blackjack rules apply. A win for the player wins the second bet and pushes the original bet. A loss for the player loses both bets. Preferably, bets are paid 1:1 to winning players and player's 21 are paid immediately at the accordance of obtaining 21.