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Community Living
Woman struggling daily
March 14, 2012 | 07:47 AM
We are very happy to announce we have successfully matched the Fox Charities $25,000 Matching Grant, for a total of $50,000 to help our fellow creations in desperate need. Thank you to everyone who so generously donated to this matching grant. Thank you to the providers of this grant for their heartfelt dedication to helping the poverty stricken through The
Time Is Now
To Help. We are very grateful for the many blessings you enable us to provide for the poverty stricken. Sal has been extremely busy offering assistance to those in need to provide auto assistance, housing, utilities, food, toiletries, and much more. Next week we will provide a breakdown of where every penny was spent. Thank you again for making the Fox Charities $25,000 Matching Grant a success.
Dear W.C.,
I am living in pain and embarrassment. I cannot go anywhere without the stares of strangers. I have several conditions that have caused my deformity. I had skin cancer that necessitated the removal of part of my nose. But the worst thing I suffer from is the loss of my leg. I developed an infection that traveled up my leg and they had to amputate. I live in constant pain and cannot even get comfortable to rest at night. I really need to use a wheelchair to go anywhere, including the many doctor visits, but it is so hard by myself. I have not been to a dentist or eye doctor in years. I can no longer read and can barely write this letter due to my poor vision. I do not have dental or eye insurance so I do without. I have had to turn to loans at 426 percent interest. My disability does not even begin to cover my many medical expenses. Is there any way you could help me?
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Dear Readers,
This letter was very moving and I could feel the woman's desperation. There are so many who do not count their blessings. I knew this visit would have me counting mine. I have found being healthy to be one of the greatest blessings and treasurers in life. There are so many of our fellow creations struggling with disabilities and illnesses that I never knew existed. The next time you drive by blocks of houses and apartment buildings, pray for those that are suffering but not seen. This woman was in great need of our compassion and assistance.
I called the woman, even though I knew she would be home. The way she expressed her embarrassment over her appearance, her difficulty in managing a wheelchair, and her poor vision all told me she did not get out much. I wondered how she obtained food. I prayed for the obvious burden she carried with her every day of her life.
The woman answered the phone and when I asked if it would be alright for me to visit, she began to cry and told me, "I am not presentable and never will be." I reassured her I was used to disabilities and her appearance was not a concern for me, her well being was my concern. She eventually agreed but told me she had sold most of her belongings to pay bills.
I arrived to find a small apartment almost completely empty of furniture. The woman was sitting in an old wheelchair that did not even have proper padding or fit her frame correctly. I knew the discomfort of sitting in that chair had to be adding to her pain level. I noticed the way she looked away with shame and embarrassment. I felt her loneliness and despair.
I shook her hand in greeting and told her things were going to get better for her now that The
Time Is Now
To Help was there to help. She still looked scared and alone. This time I got down on one knee and asked her look me in the eyes. I repeated that I was there to help. I told her hundreds of supporters of The
Time Is Now
To Help want to help her. I saw her face change and tears fill her eyes. She admitted I was the first person to look her in the eyes in a long, long time. After we discussed her many medical problems and medical bills we went over setting up a budget. It would be impossible for her to get by with the astronomical payments she was making on her three loans.
My dear friends these are not ordinary loans but are loans of the same type our federal justice system made illegal decades ago. Decades ago organized crime would make loans at high interest rates, the slang for these loans were "juice loans." To force collection people would be physically and mentally terrorized to the point of financial ruin. Somehow these loans have come back, especially now during this recession, preying on the most vulnerable Americans; the elderly, handicapped, all those suffering in the desperate pains of poverty. Most of these victims are the elderly and the handicapped.
Those that give these extremely high interest loans have politicians protecting them, even to the point of passing several laws. Three years ago I received over fifteen requests about an 82 year old widow who had one f these loans at 89 percent. The loans I was looking at, with the woman needing our help, had interest of 426 percent. I am told, one of the laws put in place to compliment the torment of our elderly and disabled fellow Americans allows the loan makers to take/garnish their meager monthly income.
Ever since the recession began, I have received over 1,000 complaints regarding these loans preying on the helpless. I am told they try talking to their senator or state representative but there is a common complaint by hundreds of people, "There are a few senators who support the owners of these loans and any attempts to change things falls on deaf ears."
I have been told complaints are going to the US Attorney's office and beyond. Even our president passed a law to put ceilings on credit card interest. These loans are more than twelve times that ceiling. Some of these moral, social injustice loans charge 800 percent to 900 percent to those who do not have, squeezing every penny they can get, causing homelessness, hunger and extreme pains of poverty.
I have three areas of terrible by-products of poverty. With thousands of complaints over the years: 1. Alcoholics beating elderly, children and adults in their own circle of family and friends; 2. The beating and raping of women and children; and 3. these despicable loans have joined the terrible treatment of our American poor.
The loans do not have to be for a large sum of money, usually $500 to $1,500. The perpetual payments, never end due to the extreme interest rates and fees that keep compounding. The loan lenders go to any length to keep them from paying them off to $0. They even tell the often bewildered poverty stricken fellow Americans, "Do not pay the loan off, it will improve your credit if you keep a balance open." These are poor people that will never obtain better credit by paying exorbitant interest fees. Our American government has created over 50 million poverty stricken that barely eat every day, including the working poor that earn such low wages they go from day to day to barely survive. Add to that a loan with a devastating 400 percent to 900 percent interest rate and now they no longer eat because their already meager earnings are legally taken by the loan lender.
I have been telling people who know these terrible loans and know victims for years why tell me tell law enforcement. They tell me, "The laws protect the loan sharks. We need people in politics representing the American people who are at our level who understand our problems not only these abusive, life threatening laws, causing joblessness, inflation of everything not just gas, the ripping apart of the American dream, the demeaning of working groups who educate, police, manufacture in the US...we do not need people representing us who have millions of dollars for campaigns all while we pay their wages and provide them great health insurance and no worries. We shoulder and have all the problems while we the American people suffer. Also, there are millions of Americans who are not suffering but have a heart, a love for our fellow Americans who have fallen on hard times, WC we come to you because no on is listening, America is getting into trouble all while our politicians fight and ignore us."
My dear readers, I am sorry for such a long letter but I have kept all the above from all the letters I receive bottled up inside and after helping the poor, handicapped woman who needed a pair of glasses for two years since hers broke, but could not buy glasses to see due to the loans taking her last penny, every month for years. Also living with little food due to the loans taking her last penny, the pain and psychological suffering I found her in due to these terrible loans, given by heartless greedy people, was total torment.
Together we paid off her menial loans at an outrageous 400% and 426% interest, we bought her new glasses, we provided her with a wheel chair, we restored her life with dignity, a balanced budget, giving her, her monthly checks back, we cared and shared this handicapped woman back to life. She cried in disbelief over our overwhelming assistance to help put her life back together.
Thirty-seven states have passed some sort of protection years ago. Wisconsin government needs to act now. The following are just a few lines from the volumes of letters and calls I receive.
"Wisconsin and Illinois allow these social injustice loans to exist. Why? When other states passed laws and big fines."
"Iowa has very strict laws protecting their American citizens. Why not Wisconsin? Do our law makers think less of our people?"
"Arkansas passes laws of protection in 2001. Why not Wisconsin law makers? Yes, there are some attempts to pass a bill but the % rates on that bill are still much higher than other state laws that were passed decade ago."
"WC I have been informed by the US Justice Department the lag is due to: To put an end to these loan companies nationwide by setting a federal example of the loan makers, their government supporters. By charging them with the federal crime of the RICO Act. Also there is a movement to spring a class action suit to shed great light on all those that are involved, the politicians and their strong bribing, lobbying will finally be put in their place. Any political representative not voting to pass strong laws now to protect the innocent, need to be sent to jail."
God bless all of you for helping. Please call, write, email your state senators and representatives. Tell them to put a cap on all these terrible loans of a 10 percent maximum annual interest rate and remove the threats that take/garnish these peoples meager monthly checks. Tell them to pass laws to stop the social injustices of predator loans now.
Our many fellow Americans in need are thankful for your generosity, Caring and Sharing. Together we make a big difference in the lives of many. God Bless all of you for making all our good works possible.
Health & Happiness, God Bless Everyone, W.C./Sal
Please Help: Make checks payable to: The
Time Is Now
to Help, P.O. Box 70, Pell Lake, WI 53157. The
Time Is Now
to Help is a federally recognized 501(c)3 charitable organization licensed in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois. You will receive a tax deductible, itemized thank you receipt showing exactly what every penny of your donation provided for the poverty stricken.
A Very Special Thank You: Turner Broadcasting System, Bill & Lois McEssy/McDonald's, Fox Charities, Kunes' Country Auto Group, Greater Milwaukee Foundation Shapiro Family Fund, Clarence & Marilyn Schawk Family Foundation, Paul Ziegler & the Ziegler Charitable Foundation, Petco Foundation, Lake Geneva Petco, Interstate Insurance, Kagan Publishing, Fair Oaks Foundation, Russo Drywall, GFWC-Womens Club of East Troy, Our Redeemer Lutheran Ladies Aid, St. Patrick's Congregation, Marvin Hersko & Audrey Wunderlin-Hersko, Dick & Jean Honeyager, Martin O'Brien, David Klapstein, Margarie Egger, Lisa Urban, Dan Mehring, Lillian Rudolf, Thomas & Sandra Beinert, Carolyn May Essel, John & Violet Hotzfeld, Robert Dooley, Jerrold Myers, John & Lisa Gomoll, Phyllis Timons, Elaine Kunde, Charles & Nancy Castelein, Victoria Wertz, Bonnie Cowans, Sidney Johnson, Michael & Sally Anne Chier, Patricia Jankowski, Pauline Leseberg, Joan Ritter, Michael Burke, Amy Desrosier, Sandy Chang, Vinay Gidla, Cameron & Cindy Cagle, Connie Cagle, W.C. Family Resource Center/Food Pantry volunteers, and all the God loving volunteers of all our caring food pantries, ALL of you who support The
Time Is Now
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donation box in your business, please call (262) 249-7000.
Memorials: Richard & Elizabeth Czaja in memory of Thomas J. Leahy. Nancy Odom in memory of Harvey Peck. Slumberland Furniture in memory of Bob Kuhn. Audrey Wunderlin-Hersko in memory of Don Wunderlin. Marvin Hersko in memory of Barbara Hersko.
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Feb. 28, 2012 By Brienne Doan
By Brienne Doan
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State men's and women's track and field teams open the outdoor season on Saturday, March 3. at the Cal Quad Opener meet in the Edwards Stadium in Berkeley, Calif.
The 2012 Cal Quad Opener features the host school California, Stanford, Fresno State and San Francisco. The meet begins with field events at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday with the women's Hammer Throw. This is the third straight year that the Bulldogs open the outdoor season in Berkeley.
Freshman Paracholski Shatters School Record The University of Washington Indoor Open was a huge success for the distance team as freshman Meagan Paracholski shattered a new school record in the indoor 1000-meters, finishing with a time of 2:54.96. The old record was 3:12.72 set in 1987 by Magda Saravia- Williams.
Bulldogs Wrap Up Indoor WAC Championships The Fresno State women's indoor track and field team finished up the Indoor Western Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday Feb. 25 in Nampa, Idaho. Meagan McKee won the shot put on her sixth throw moving herself from third place to first on Saturday capturing her first WAC title of the weekend. Mckee continues to be a leader for the Bulldogs as she set another personal record for herself throwing for 15.73-meters. Mckee clinched her second Indoor WAC Championship title, winning the weight throw on Friday with a toss of 19:10-meters.
"We Are Your Team!" -For all the up to date information on the Fresno State track and field team log on to gobulldogs.com. You can always stay connected with Fresno State Athletics on Facebook and Twitter.
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"Autumn Haiku is the last of the five books in the seasonal Haiku series. It stems from a profound appreciation of and closeness to nature and is often referred to by the Japanese as "wabi-sabi" or recognition that beauty can be found informally, even in the depths of poverty". It is also inspired by another Japanese term "furabo" which indicates "a person who roams about, unattached, carried like a slender piece of cloth fluttering in the wind."
Dianne Cacchioni lives and works in Vancouver, Canada. Dianne is a graduate of the University of British Columbia with a B.A. in Fine Arts as well as a graduate of the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Visual Arts majoring Photography. In the last twenty years her work has explored the world of photography, both historically and conceptually as well as alternative techniques, including painting with photographic emulsions and hand-making large sheets of paper. After studying with Zen brush master Ari Tomita, (student of Japan's National Treasure Shiryu Morita,) for the last ten years she has been exhibiting and selling her brush paintings. Her Haiku series of the seasons and other books represent this collaboration of camera and brush.
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MACHU PICCHU Published May 31, 2011
peru Published May 30, 2011
Zihuatanejo Published May 10, 2011
Ecuador Published May 08, 2011
amazon napo river ecuador Published May 07, 2011
HUNTED POETICS Published May 27, 2009
Summer Haiku Published May 27, 2009
Water Seeing Water Published January 01, 2009


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I wanted to look ahead a bit to 2012, specifically holiday 2012. The current gen consoles will be another year older in what has already been an extended cycle. It will be the first holiday for Wii U, but I don't think Wii U can be counted on to deliver strong numbers in its first holiday. And last but not least, the overall software release schedule would look to have very difficult comps against holiday 2011. Would you expect this to in general depress multiples on the video game stocks? Even those with expected stellar 2012 earnings such as Take-Two? How about the retailers such as Gamestop and Game Group? Assuming that the retailers and successful publishers experience share price appreciation on good holiday 2011 results, when do you think the market could begin pricing in lower holiday 2012 expectations? Early 2012, middle 2012, or late 2012?
Wow, that's really hard to say. I can't categorically disagree with you but on the other hand you're going to have a larger install base of consoles which will (still I think) not be seen as legacy system, lots of Wii owners could be trading up to a Wii U and the release schedule may well be as strong as this year, particularly if we get GTAV or something like that.
I think your scenario is as likely as mine.
As to the market, then if the last part of 2011 is as strong as I suspect then I think the market and analysts will be falling over themselves to predict that the video game industry has bounced back and will be looking forward to continued growth. Particularly if the sales tracking organisations start to include "digital" in their numbers.
I honestly think it is too far out to predict but if you put a gun to my head then I'd say that, if you are right and 2012 shapes up to be lukewarm, then this time next year may be the time to sell what will have become an over-valued sector.
Thanks, I agree it is too early to know but I wanted to start thinking about possible scenarios and trading strategies. Q1 of calendar 2012 seems like it should be solid with some notable new releases such as Bioshock Infinite and Mass Effect 3, along with the continued sell-through of the Q4 2011 blockbusters. April through August we don't know the full release schedule yet, but the year over year comps should not be that strenuous. September 2012 on we will start to lap the difficult year over year comps, so it would make sense that around that time (or a couple months in advance) is when the market would start to worry about year over year slowdowns, if indeed the holiday 2012 schedule turns out to be considerably weaker than holiday 2011's.
Reports, analysis, thoughts on video game stocks & more
The Spike TV VGAs were this past weekend. The show has become a bit of a showcase for big reveals for upcoming games. I can't say that the reveals this year did anything to improve my expectations for 2012's line-up. There still could be lots of games that publishers are holding back on revealing though.
Reports, analysis, thoughts on video game stocks & more
My conviction is growing that 2012 will be disappointing. On the hardware side I think PS Vita will flop. I think Wii U will disappoint. On the software side I expect most of the big first half releases to disappoint and I expect the holiday lineup to be weaker than this past holiday's. As I've said in various other threads, I think the major Q1 titles from the publicly listed publishers we follow most closely (so Kingdoms of Amalur, Syndicate, SSX, Grand Slam Tennis, FIFA Street from EA; Darkness II, Spec-Ops the Line from TTWO; Prototype 2 from ATVI, UFC Undisputed 3 from THQI) could all disappoint. I think even Max Payne 3 could disappoint, and Mass Effect 3 could just meet expectations but not be a breakout hit. I don't see much from other publishers either. Looking towards year end, I think Call of Duty may be flat to slightly down year over year, from EA it will be a MoH year which I think will be down significantly from BF3, there will be no Elder Scrolls game. Just overall, there were so many '3's this year (Gears of War 3, Uncharted 3, MW3, BF3, SR3), which I think are often the high point for a series in a console cycle, that I just don't see 2012 comping favorably.
Sure 2012 will see some big titles - Diablo III, Starcraft II HotS, Bioshock Infinite, Halo 4. But I don't think that will be enough. If GTA V releases in 2012 that might change my mind, but I am still expecting GTA V to be released in March 2013.
Reports, analysis, thoughts on video game stocks & more
New AAA releases in 2012 are seeing disappointing sales so far. Things seem to be playing out pretty much as I expected. Kingdoms of Amalur managed to sell just so-so. The Darkness II, Grand Slam Tennis, UFC Undisputed 3, Syndicate have all flopped. SSX and FIFA Street will be next. I think Mass Effect 3 will sell around 1 million units (NPD) in March and drop off quickly from there, and will overall be considered a disappointment. Prototype 2 will flop. I think Max Payne 3 and Ghost Recon Future Soldier will sell worse than Mass Effect 3 and so again be considered disappointments. Then it will be another drought for a few months until the holiday releases start to arrive and underperform 2011's holiday slate. On the hardware side I think Vita has already flopped and Wii U will, too. I don't know what most analysts are expecting for overall industry sales (hardware and accessories and software) in 2012, but I am beginning to think that down 20% year-over-year, despite the launches of the PS Vita and Wii U, is not that unreasonable a starting point.
Sales of triple-A video games have reached an all-time low.
The UK games retail market is 25 per cent down compared with last year. And publishers are aghast by the performances of major sequels.
One prominent analyst told MCV that sales are "half of what they should be". According to retail sources, this year's major new games are selling between 10,000 to 48,000 during their first week on sale. By comparison, in the same period last year the big brands were shifting between 35,000 to 80,000 units.
One publisher who has seen its latest triple-A struggle told MCV: "We are trying to understand it, but everything is selling well below what it should. It is an absolute nightmare. I'm not making half the money back I'm spending on marketing."
Another added: "Nobody is looking at Chart-Track's numbers so far this year and thinking 'cool'."
Even the chart toppers are performing below expectations and failing to match their predecessors. UFC 3 by THQ is this week's No.1, but it hasn't equalled the figures of its forebears. In fact, the original UFC outsold this year's title 3:1 during the same period.
"There are some stock shortages at retail, but I don't think that's what's causing these figures," added one UK boss of a Japanese publisher. "The big games of last year are available cheaply. But also consumers don't want to spend money, and we as an industry are not giving them any reason to change their minds. I will be watching Mass Effect 3 and Syndicate very closely."
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Silent Hill: Downpour, Resident Evil: Racoon City, Ninja Gaiden 3 aren't exactly impressing either on Metacritic or Amazon best seller lists. The Japanese publishers have been on the decline for awhile, but still this would seem to represent new lows for these franchises.
Disappointment from these games can't bode well for March NPD. Sure Mass Effect 3 did well. But what else was there? I guess SSX did moderately well. But last March had Pokemon Black/White (2.4 million sold), Homefront (500k), along with Dragon Age II, Crysis II, Lego Star Wars III and Fight Night Champion.
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SEGA results, Best Buy (entertainment division) results... just more data points pointing to the disappointing 2012 so far. That's why it is hard for me to be excited about any publisher with a large packaged goods business right now and the only stock I am long is Gameloft. The US markets have been doing very well overall also. I worry the video game publishers could suffer another leg down in share prices if the overall markets correct which it seems like it is due for.
Reports, analysis, thoughts on video game stocks & more
Once again Sammy is the undisputed Pachislot market leader (169000 Hokuto No Ken machine installations). Monster Hunter (Rodeo, 65% Sammy and 35% Fields subsidiary) could be another mega hit.
And they are building a new factory in Saitama for Slot and Pachinko machines as well as a new distribution center.
So maybe Sega Sammy is just becoming more and more a pure gambling business over time. Having US$ 2.5 bn or so in cash and marketable securities means they can withstand a much harsher environment.
As you know, I have been wary of Max Payne 3 and Ghost Recon for awhile but I was not expecting UK sales to be down year over year as much as they have been the last two weeks. I mean, 40% declines for weeks seeing the launches of Max Payne 3 and Ghost Recon Future Soldier and at least partial retail sales from Diablo III. Really? Is it time to declare this generation dead? I mean, really really dead to the point where even Borderlands 2, Assassin's Creed 3, Halo 4, Call of Duty Black Ops 2, FIFA 13, Bioshock Infinite and GTA V are going to suffer disappointing sales?
Reports, analysis, thoughts on video game stocks & more
Here's the thread in case I read it wrong
It will be very interesting to see NPD data because there is definitely a UK specific factor at play here (the collapse of GAME) but I don't know how big a factor that really is. NPD (next Thursday) will help to see whether the UK is skewed negatively or if.....it's time to declare this generation dead!
Hi Chaps
I don't normally post but as I'm no longer in the business as such but am an interested observer I feel like I am able to now.
It also seems to have been a really lacklustre E3 this year - I know it's primarily a trade show but it has to be one of the least exciting ones for years. The Wii-U seems to have excited no one in particular and aside from Ubisoft who came out of it fairly well it's all looking very lacklustre. I would guess the NPD data is also going to show pretty bad news too.
It does make you wonder about the fate of the remaining few large European studios and how they can make financial sense at present with long development cycles and big teams hitting weak sales figures.
Hi db
I'm actually away this week so haven't been able to go through all the E3 stuff as much as I'd like to but I'm slightly unclear why everybody is so disappointed with E3. I'm not saying it was super-exciting but wasn't it pretty much in line with how E3 has become? You seldom get any major, major announcements any more and it seems more like a showcase for the things that we already know about (or suspect).
So, while I agree that E3 was a bit dull, I just think that's how it always is.
However, having said that, it really just confirmed what we already know - there's nothing on the horizon that is going to give the video game industry a shot in the arm. Wii U looked okay but without (or until) any killer apps it's unlikely to repeat the success of the Wii. The gamepad controller is still just an interesting concept until somebody makes a "must have" game for it then it's just an interesting piece of technoloy.
NPD for May is likely to be bad but it will be interesting to see whether the UK picture (which shows that Max Payne 3 and Ghost Recon didn't make any difference to the huge year on year decline) is repeated in the US.
As you say, it could be that we are entering a very dark place.
Very nice to hear from you - are you going to break cover or remain db1965?
I went to a talk by Peter Molyneux a few years back when he suggested that the number of consumers for hardcore games has never really changed significantly since Dungeon Keeper etc (this was a Kinnect launch thing) which is why Microsoft etc were so desperate to chase the mass market consumer that was on the Wii at the time (and now they are more likely to be on free to play aps etc).
Now the tech of AAA games has become so similar you are losing some of the factors that made a game feel special because of its technical features (when things like 'physics' used to be a USP) and instead it's more about the story & the action - but in consequence many of the big games are becoming so similar with graphic violence (which was always there but previously we could claim it was cartoon-ey) and dreadful quick-time events (QTE).
As the article suggests (and I agree with) this means so many mores games are becoming clones of each other as very similar dumb action movies aimed at 14 to 16 year old boys.
Obviously some of these do sell (Gears of War, COD etc) but it seems to be becoming a smaller pool of titles doing decent numbers.
Also if the economics of AAA aren't working now for publishers how can they possibly improve with next gen expectations – even if the team sizes (in developers) don't grow immensely the cost of creating the assets for the game is inevitably going to spiral too?
With the video game industry apparently in free-fall then it's only natural to try and diagnose the problem. My personal view is that the exciting new stuff of recent years which drives growth has been in areas which, to put it bluntly, don't make any money. Or, at least, not much. Almost everything since the wii has been stuff that doesn't monetize (sorry, awful expression) as well as triple A blockbusters do.
I know there's a lot of research but very little hard data and some thiink that social/mobile/f2p and so on are big revenue drivers but personally I don't agree. Fundamentally it's very easy now to spend a lot of time gaming for very little money and I think that's a big factor in the decline in the traditional video game industry.
The other big issue is that since the wii there's been no new gameplay ideas that have really driven the industry. I think that came through in spades at E3 and in q4 of last year. That should have been the shock to the system that saw huge amounts of innovation at E3 but either it came too quickly or the industry has its head in the sand about what the general public think about "big franchise n". The gaming public is quite clearly a bit bored of the current franchises and also the current gameplay ideas. It's obvious from the sales data. That's a huge problem for the big publishers and not one that many seem to really be addressing.
Ditto the platform holders. Perhaps the next gen will have some exciting new gameplay ideas but the wii u hasn't exactly broken any moulds.
So, I think e3 was simply a factor of publishers running for cover and just reverting to what they thought was safe. It was safe, but it wasn't the answer.
Interesting chart showing the varying fortunes this year of UK and Japan. Japan in 2012 has actually had a bit of a rebound whereas the UK has dropped off a bit of a cliff which ended up with 2012 (so far) only about half of 2008.
The UK has certainly been affected by GAME's collapse and it will be interesting to see numbers for the US to see if it mirrors the UK or Japan.
As we say goodbye to 2012 I thought I would sahres this chart from one of Nintendo's presentations (they are excellent sources of video game industry data) which I wanted to keep somewhere since it does a pretty good job of showing the different tastes of different territories when it comes to consoles.
2012, a picture is worth a thousand words...
We now have a top 20 for the UK for 2012 with the Holiday releases (Hitman Absolution and Far Cry 3) doing surprisingly well compared to the earlier offerings like Mass Effect 3, Borderlands 2 and Max Payne 3.
Here it is:
1. Call of Duty: Black Ops II - Activision
2. FIFA 13 - Electronic Arts
3. Assassin's Creed III - Ubisoft
4. Halo 4 - Microsoft
5. Hitman Absolution - Square Enix
6. Just Dance 4 - Ubisoft
7. Far Cry 3 - Ubisoft
8. FIFA 12 - Electronic Arts
9. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Bethesda
10. Borderlands 2 - 2K Games
11. Mass Effect 3 - Electronic Arts
12. LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes - Warner Bros
13. Need for Speed: Most Wanted - Electronic Arts
14. FIFA Street - Electronic Arts
15. Mario & Sonic: London 2012 Olympic Games
16. Skylanders Giants - Activision
17. Battlefield 3 - Electronic Arts
18. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Activision
19. Max Payne 3 - Rockstar
20. Sleeping Dogs - Square Enix
Contrasting with 2011 top ten:
1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
2. Fifa 12
3. Battlefield 3
4. Zumba Fitness
5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
6. Just Dance 3
7. Assassin's Creed: Revelations
8. LA Noire
9. Saints Row: The Third
10. Batman: Arkham City
NPD top 10 for all of 2012:
1. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
2. Madden NFL 13
3. Halo 4
4. Assassin's Creed III
5. Just Dance 4
7. Borderlands 2
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
9. Lego Batman 2
10. FIFA Soccer 13
I think last year Amazon released an official list of their top selling video games for the year, but here is Amazon's real-time 2012 best seller list. Amazon lists each sku separately though so it is not directly comparable to the NPD list. I kind of took the average rankings of all available skus into account to arrive at what I thought was a realistic top 10 ranking across skus so it could be compared to the NPD list:
1. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
2. Halo 4
3. Assassin's Creed III
4. Just Dance 4
5. Madden 13
6. Borderlands 2
7. Diablo III
8. Just Dance 3
9. Mass Effect 3
Not too bad. The major differences were NBA2K13, CoD MW3 and Lego Batman 2 on the NPD list whereas Amazon had Diablo III, Just Dance 3, and Mass Effect 3 instead. And Amazon's official list, if they release one, may show differently.
Reports, analysis, thoughts on video game stocks & more
Metacritic released its annual top publisher list.
EA was crowned the top major publisher with a 75.2 metascore average. TTWO was the top mid-size publisher, and top publisher overall, with an 83.1 metascore average (Telltale games had an 83.9 metascore average, but TTWO had 3 "great" titles compared to Telltale's 1, which increased TTWO's overall weighting).
Reports, analysis, thoughts on video game stocks & more
Interesting analysis from metacritic but I don't think splitting it into two separately ranked groups based on number of titles is valid. In particular, Take Two is only in the mid-size publisher category because the purposely decided to release fewer higher quality titles as a key part of their strategy. Their strategy has paid off brilliantly and I feel metacritic have snatched away their achievement by the spurious categorisation. I also have some reservations about Telltale games being in the mix given that their line-up is the episodic Walking Dead and that's just about it.
It doesn't really matter but if metacritic want to try and give out some useful analysis then they need to be a bit more rigorous in their approach.


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Dec 8, 2010 11:54 AM
Truth be told, the fifty sheets on the Douchebag Citation Notepad ($5) aren't even enough to get us through a morning commute, let alone an entire week. This isn't rude ladies, it's modern day etiquette - simply hand the douchebag in question a little citation; you might be telling him something he's unaware of. Hey, it's better than tweeting about it and at least it's followed by an option for: "But you're "MY" "SOMEBODY'S" Douchebag."
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text: We are planning on staying at Port Orleans for our trip next year. We loved CBR last time we wen't but we want to try different resorts each trip. I was all set on Riverside but then some friends of ours just got back from DW and they stayed at French Quarter and said they like it better than Riverside. SO, after researching them both a little more I thought maybe we would just stay at Coronado, but then I noticed it was a couple thousand dollars more (anyone no why that is when they are all moderate resorts?), so I'm back to the French Quarter or Riverside decision. Help me out here.


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King Abdullah chairs Cabinet session
March 14, 2011
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz began the Cabinet session held at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh today by thanking Allah Almighty for bestowing upon Saudi Arabia the blessings of security, stability, a close relationship between the people and leadership, and foreign relations based on mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs. The King emphasized the Kingdom's adherence to Islam and its commitment to maintaining the security, stability and integrity of Saudi society.
Then, King Abdullah briefed the Cabinet on his consultations over the past week with foreign officials, including telephone calls he received from Spanish King Juan Carlos and Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.
The Cabinet reviewed a number of reports on regional and international developments, renewing the Kingdom's stances on these issues. The ministers emphasized the statement issued by the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) during its 118th session, which stressed that GCC member states categorically reject any foreign interference in their affairs and will stand against anyone who attempts to inflame sectarian strife or to threaten national security and interests.
The Cabinet also expressed the Kingdom's condolences and sympathies to the Emperor and people of Japan over the earthquake that struck their country, causing large numbers of deaths, casualties and missing people.
Turning to domestic issues, the Cabinet noted the scientific, cultural and economic activities held in the Kingdom during the past few days, including the opening of the 6th GCC Municipal Work Conference; the awarding of the 33rd King Faisal International Prize; the activities of the First Saudi Forum on Downstream Petrochemical and Mineral Industrial; and the convening of the Symposium on the Role of Arab Universities in Promoting Islamic Moderation among Arab Youth.
Addressing its agenda items, the Cabinet approved organizational arrangements for water plants; approved amending Article (13) of the Regulation of Members and Staff of the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution to fall in tandem with Article (44) of the Judicial Law; approved the Kingdom's accession to the amendment (Protocol) to the International Convention on the simplification and harmonization of Customs Procedures (Kyoto Convention), the text of the Convention (Attachment 1), the General Annex (Attachment 2) and the Special Annex (A); authorized the Governor of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) to sign a draft memorandum of understanding in the field of technical and vocational training between the TVTC and the Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland; and approved a memorandum of understanding in the field of Peaceful Uses of Outer Space between the King Abdulaziz City for Sciences and Technology (KACST) and the Indian Space Research Organization.


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Glycemic Foundation is an easy to mix drink with a delightful chocolate or vanilla flavor that helps the body maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
Glycemic Foundation contains a unique blend of ingredients including flaxseed flour, guar gum and Oryzatein, a healthy brown rice protein that help support healthy blood sugar levels. Glycemic Foundation is an easy to mix drink with a delightful chocolate or vanilla flavor that helps the body maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
Why These Natural Ingredients?
Lipoic Acid
Lipoic acid is one of the most beneficial nutrients for those seeking to achieve optimal range blood sugars. Lipoic Acid has antioxidant activity that maintains microcirculation and has been used successfully for over 30 years in Germany.
Vanadyl Sulfate
Functioning much like chromium, research has revealed that vanadyl sulfate acts to help cells activate transport proteins for glucose uptake. Scientific quantities of vanadyl sulfate have shown significant benefits for individuals in controlled studies. In some people, these benefits were sustained for as long as 2 weeks after discontinuation of vanadyl sulfate.
Chromium facilitates the uptake of glucose into cells, working naturally with the body's own insulin. Most multivitamins provide 200 mcg of chromium, but additional chromium may be needed for those wanting to maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
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Sleepy Hollow Showtimes and Tickets
Read Movie Reviews about Sleepy Hollow Write a Movie Review for Sleepy Hollow
Dvd Release Date: 2000-05-23
Genre: Horror, Romance
Rating: R
Duration: 1hr 50min
A retelling of Washington Irving's 18th Century classic "Legend of Sleepy Hollow," with a few Tim Burton twists. Ichabod Crane is an investigator assigned to the case of the series of beheadings in the New York City area, which the locals claim are the work of the spectral Headless Horseman.... which Crane doesn't believe for a moment. But it seems he'll soon discover the truth... and heads will roll.
Cast and Crew
- Starring
Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Christopher Walken, Michael Gambon, Martin Landau, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gough, Casper Van Dien, Christopher Lee, Richard Griffiths, Jeffrey Jones, Alun Armstrong, Steven Waddington, Orlando Seale, Jamie Foreman, Tony Maudsley, Claire Skinner, Lisa Marie, Ian McDiarmid, Robert Sella, Michael Feast, Marc Pickering, Kelley Costigan
- Directed by Tim Burton
- Produced by Scott Rudin, Adam Schroeder
- Written by Washington Irving, Andrew Kevin Walker, Kevin Yagher
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'Dancing with the Stars' who fired longtime bandleader Harold Wheeler earlier this week has announced his replacement. Ray Chew will be taking over as the musical director for season 18 according to a Feb. 7 post on USA Today.
Chew's band will consist of a new group of singers and musicians that can handle the demanding musical needs of the dance competition show, including classics from the past ranging to today's pop hits.
Conrad Green, executive director of "Dancing with the Stars" says Chew is among "the most versatile and dynamic musicians working today. It promises to be a spectacular season."
You might not know it but if you watched the 65th Annual Emm Awards, you have already sampled his work. Othere appearances include "American Idol," "It's Showtime at the Apollo" and the Democratic National Convention.
Chew will begin as musical director for "Dancing with the Stars when season 18 kicks off on Monday, March 17. He replaces Harold Wheeler who was with the show for the first 17 seasons.
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©TheresaLeschmann. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced without prior permissions from the author. Partial reposting is permitted with a link back to the original article.


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Comments on Casa Lapostolle offers good, inexpensive wines TypePad 2008-10-08T21:21:48Z Miami Herald http://miamiherald.typepad.com/wine_beneath_the_palms/ tag:typepad.com,2003:http://miamiherald.typepad.com/wine_beneath_the_palms/2008/10/casa-lapostolle/comments/atom.xml/ Enrique Soto commented on 'Casa Lapostolle offers good, inexpensive wines' tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d83451b26169e2010535804bac970b 2008-10-14T12:30:12Z 2008-10-14T12:30:12Z Enrique Soto Dear Mr. Tasker. In reference to the grapes being French. The president of Chile is Michelle Bachelet of French ancestry,...
Dear Mr. Tasker.
 In reference to the grapes being French.

The president of Chile is Michelle Bachelet of French ancestry, but Chilean 100%.

Those grapes emigrated from France to Chile many
 generations ago(before phylloxera)and all their
 offspring have been born in Chile.

I would say they are Chilean grapes of French descent.
 Best regards: Enrique Soto


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A National Reach
Over the past several years The Mind Trust has become one of the nation's leading city-focused education reform organizations. We are eager to share our lessons learned with reformers in other cities, but we also still have lots to learn ourselves. That's why in 2010 we recruited several peer organizations from other cities to join a new network that we founded called the Cities for Education Entrepreneurship Trust (CEE-Trust), know as Education Cities.
Education Cities is a growing national network of 31 city-focused foundations, non-profits, and mayors' offices that work together to promote education innovation and reform. Acting as a convener, collaborator, and consultant, Education Cities helps cities across the country establish strong conditions for education reform.
Convening: We gather the full Education Cities network annually and lead smaller working groups on topics like supporting the launch of excellent charter schools; developing innovative school models; and reforming school governance. Through our various gatherings, we share lessons learned, foster communication, document best practices, and help cities improve their efforts to drive the education reform agenda forward.
Collaborating: We help members explore new reform strategies, develop and execute collaborative projects, and partner with education innovators looking for opportunities to expand their programs.
Consulting: We provide consulting services to city-focused groups that are interested in developing education-reform strategies informed by lessons learned through Education Cities' work with our members.
To learn more about Education Cities please visit www.education-cities.org.
A new report from Education Cities identifies four city-based strategies to grow great schools. Read it here.


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Kabuki Theater - is a classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.
Today is the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy. This marked the beginning of the final chapter in WWII. The German Army had been slowly retreating up to that time, as it had throughout the entire time that America had become involved in the war, but that retreat was greatly accelerated after the Normandy Landing. June 6, 1944 really began the phase of the war that signaled the impending end of a maniacal paper hanging demagogue and his crazed mob bereft of humanity bent upon delusional dreams of world domination. WWII, the pinnacle of America's greatest generation, also represented an unquestionable feeling that America was victorious in war. But it wasn't just the military conquest that led to that feeling, it was also the unified and unquestioned belief that we had defeated evil, and prevented evil from flourishing on this Earth.
Now, to be sure, there have been substantial minor disagreements in the manner in which Presidents Roosevelt and Truman acquitted themselves in terms of prosecuting that war. Roosevelt was criticized for not doing anything at all to stop the German effort to inflict genocide upon not only its Jewish Population, but upon all Blacks, Homosexuals, Gypsies, and anyone else not of pure Aryan descent. The general consensus of those observing Truman at Potsdam believed that Josef Stalin left with the impression that our American President was truly a dolt, and this view has been bolstered by Stalin actually verbalizing this belief. Some people feel as though Roosevelt's actions before the war were designed to get American public opinion behind our involvement for economic considerations, and that he saw our involvement in war as the only way in which to finally end our 12 year old depression.
No matter what anyone felt about the side issues however, we as a nation were unanimous in our belief that our President had America's interests foremost in mind, and that we, along with he, were committed to defeat of an evil enemy, and that not only was our very own national security at stake, but that the well being of the world as a whole also hinged upon our success in defeating this evil. This was not the last time our nation was victorious in war, but it was the last time our nation's mission in that victory was supported by an overwhelming majority of our citizens. Often times the dissension has been represented by denigration of those serving in uniform, and that is truly a shame. Putting that aside for the moment however, part of that national consensus comes from the top. Not all of it to be sure, but Presidents are able to help sway national attitudes. Mostly, that has been accomplished by their own commitment to their beliefs, and how steadfastly they've appeared to hold those values.
President Roosevelt was not seen as a ditherer, not somebody with a decision making disorder. His commitment to follow through and insure the success of the troops he'd committed to war was never questioned. There was not so much of a hand wringing discussion and national wailing over collateral considerations. Yes the bombing of Dresden was pointed out as a bad thing once word reached the States about what happened, but nobody had their head called for, nobody declared our President to be a war criminal. The nation as a whole realized that war is not a surgical endeavor. The nation as a whole understood that mistakes are made, and that often times, decisions made in the heat of battle are not always in line with decisions that would have been made through the perfection of hindsight.
Before however, you get the idea to blame today's populace for the constant second guessing that now follows our commanders in the field, stop and consider some differences. During WWII, news reports coming from the front lines of battle were only seen sporadically, often times as the filler played before movies. They were sanitized for family viewing, and edited to only show the positives of the events taking place. Technology, for better or worse, has changed that. There will be no going back. Pictures of battle are shown in real time, and any sanitizing that once happened is a thing of the past. I have heard many of my fellow compatriots complain that Americans in General do not have the stomach any more for the tough battles, and my answer is that we've never really had that stomach to begin with.
We'll use a famous battle from the Civil War as an example of this. General Lew Wallace was initially hailed as a hero for helping to turn the tide at The Battle of Shiloh. But, after a couple of months, news of the sheer carnage at that particular battle began to creep North. After three months time, Wallace took that short walk from pent house to out house in terms of public opinion. Once news of how many were killed and injured at Shiloh found its way into the public purview, General Grant had removed Wallace from field command, placed him in an Administrative position, and publicly blamed him for the horror. Wallace would go on to take command during one more battle of the Civil War, a battle in which he actually saved Washington D.C. from being overrun, and many credit him for actually saving the war for the North with that effort. Even with that bit of brilliance however, he was still heralded as the reason for the debacle at Shiloh, and spent the remainder of his live trying to clear his name of that stain. His Novel, "Ben Hur," was actually a tale of his personal struggle for redemption. Make no mistake about it though, it was public opinion that fomented Grant's decision that someone be blamed and hung out to dry for Shiloh. That bears repeating. It was public opinion during the civil war that fomented Grant's decision that someone be blamed for and subsequently hung out to dry for Shiloh.
What President Roosevelt, for all of his many faults understood, was that it is the fate of Americans that Americans actually care about. He knew that if he sent Americans into battle, he had to send them in with a clearly defined victory in mind, and that the rules of conduct should reflect first and foremost, seeing their safe return as the preeminent issue when discussing rules of engagement. He was perhaps the last American President to fully understand this concept in such a clear manner, and most certainly was the last to use it as the template for his decision making. Before the partisans among you get into a full lather, I can give you specific examples for every single man who followed Roosevelt into office, including Dwight Eisenhower.
Now, I don't want you to think that all Presidents are created equal, or that each is the same as all others before or since. Clearly, some have better records than others in terms of how their relationships with the military might be concerned. Both Bushes were pretty much hands off type of guys in terms of allowing the military to carry out their political will. Bill Clinton's suicidal rules of engagement caused terrible problems for our men in uniform in Somalia, Bosnia, and even on our own military bases here in this country. With all of that however, no matter how you arrange the parameters of measure, one man, or man child if you will, stands head and shoulders above all others as the worst.
Today, I saw a speech delivered by Barack Obama from the beaches of Normandy. Like every single other Obama Speech in which he pontificates upon historical events, it struck me how completely he seems to screw up any cogent historical perspective. Today, professor Obama instructed his history class that the invasion of Normandy was not the heroic action taken by allied forces to thwart the tyranny of a mad man hell bent on world domination. He pronounced it to be the terrible consequence when diplomacy fails, and the world finds itself embroiled in war. He stated at the Brandenburg gates that the Berlin Wall fell because people on both sides of the wall decided that they wanted to live together in peace and harmony and desired to end the hostilities of the Cold War. Lost in that rambling restructuring of history of course was the tiny fact that the Soviet Union collapsed under its own massive weight due to the failure of the exact economic system Obama seeks to inflict upon the rest of us, or any reference to the efforts of Ronald Reagan to see to it that the Soviet threat was met, and indeed defeated, and how those efforts hastened the inevitable end that the Soviet Empire faced. This is the same man who, while campaigning for President, (those of you who only watch the alphabet media probably never heard him utter these words, as that fine group of benighted watch dogs have always seen their, "investigative duties," as a duty to edit away any gaffes he makes,) stated that, "our military would never again achieve a victory in the traditional terms that most Americans would identify as a conventional victory."
That statement while telling, is also dangerous. Worse than that, it is nothing short of a disaster for our nation that a man who could utter such nonsense would be made the Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces. It's disastrous for our National Security, and even worse for those wearing our uniform, who are tasked with carrying out his orders. their lives are of minimal importance to him. It told us in plain language that when he committed troops to battle, he would never have an objective of victory in mind, but only some sort of political optic, in which victory and defeat would remain subjective, and open to nuanced interpretation. If you wished to destroy the moral of a military, that would be the best way to go about it.
What is of importance to President Obama is his worldview being inflicted upon the citizenry of this nation, and the political optics of how he perceives others to view him, personally. That world view is that America's wealth and might are the results of chicanery on the part of America's government. The Soviet Union collapse was due to America somehow stealing the Russian resources, and not due to the ravages caused by top down government control and the hardships inflicted by a command economy. The perception of how others view him of course is the reason for the Kabuki theater. That perception is the driving force behind every thing this man does.
Every time we see this President, every move is scripted, and every scene in which any other person appears, their moves are scripted. For six years now, we have seen his entire term in office as nothing more than a series of spiked footballs, and not one single actual decision made for the sake of a necessary piece of business receiving its due. He dithered on the eventual troop surge in Afghanistan for 8 full months, endlessly worrying about how it would make him look, and finally committed to half what his commanders in the field were telling him they needed. His concern was how to placate his peacenik base, while at the same time keeping hold of his gravitas in light of the statement that Afghanistan was the necessary war, and Iraq the bad war. What was never considered however, was the safety of the troops in Afghanistan, or any success that should be sought there, nor even any definition of what success would mean. The only thing that mattered of course, how Barack Obama would be viewed, and how could we lose in Afghanistan commensurate with what America deserves.
I'm going to assign an exercise to you now. Can you think of one thing this President has done, any speech he's given, or any decision he's made that has not fit within this theatrical template? It's all been lights, smoke, mirrors, and the freakishly over the top make up of Kabuki Theater, with out a single break.
Much has been said over this past week about the Bergdahl repatriation. The Obama Administration and its more fervent supporters have said so many moronic things that it literally would be impossible to swat them all away. One thing stands clear however, and that is that President Obama's noon time presser was staged entirely as another of those Kabuki football spikes. The farcical nature of the entire event, from his procession to the podium with his arm inappropriately around the waste of Mrs. Bergdahl while her husband followed, to the way in which he declared the repatriation and allowed time for a gratuitous fan reaction from the gathered press, ending with the even more inappropriate hugs and kisses of Mrs. Bergdahl at the conclusion, were all designed with nothing beyond optics in mind.
Many have pointed to the not leaving anyone behind sentiment. The trouble of course is that we haven't left yet. Yes the war is, "winding down," but only as far as our own efforts are concerned. It is a unilateral winding down of hostilities. The enemy combatants that we've just returned to battle will doubtless rejoin the fight, and take to the task of killing Americans, those who make up the fodder of Barack's optics. Elections have consequences, and President Obama is certainly proof of that.
Views: 405
America is enduring the closets thing to a dictator in our country's history. Question is will enough Americans demand Congress do something to put the brakes on this guys unconstitutional actions. I don't feel very confident any action will be taken.
John, I can't add a single word to what you have said. You're spot on.
Linda, about leaving some one behind in Benghazi. Obama DIDN'T.
He received them when the plane landed. Of corse they were in flag
draped coffins. Real nice photo opp.
John!!! Excellent article. I read it three times. Excellent points of view. I agree
with them What causes a president to make all these wrong dicisions in such
short momnents he spends in the W.H. Desperation of some one running out
of time. Or could it be or it could it be someone who longer can relax with a
drag but now needs a snort. Every photo of him shows his nose all out of kilter.
Only in America could a string puppet like Obama win an election, and then fools elected him twice! They now have what they voted for. Why are they not satisfied? My guess is, the money is about gone, and communism is not all the fun they thought it may be.
The background information on Gen. Wallace was new to me, and interesting.
I appreciate that you took the time to put your take on the current situation with Bergdahl into a broader historical context, in the interest of perspective and fairness. A nice bookend to Darwin Rockatansky's take on this and the "outing" of the station chief.
I may understand the motives, but I'm still baffled by the near-unanimous defamation of the Tea Party. Your writing certainly couldn't be characterized as that of an paranoid, ignorant hick!!!
Keep up the good work.
Not leaving anyone behind? WHAT ABOUT BENGHAZI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Out of all the tempting offerings in the new Wonka candies, these were the ones I was most excited about. I was so happy to see that I was given these in the box of free samples, I immediately started to squeal with glee. To prove that I'm not totally crazy, when I showed these to my boyfriend and explained what they were, he too went giddy. Yes, I'm really that excited about a candy.
So what are these new Fruit Jellies? Well, in essence, they're little squares of fruit pate. Yeah, you heard me, it's that stuff I love so much. These Wonka versions are just as tasty and cute as the kinda I've had before. These look like colorful little sugar cubes. They're made up of brightly colored jelly and coated with granular sugar. They're sooo pretty, and I had a fun time arranging them for the photo.
Apple: These are dark pink in color, like the center of a ruby red grapefruit. The flavor is very floral and juicy. It has notes of apples, and it reminds me of a sweeter apple juice.
Goji: I'm not sure what a real goji berry tastes like, as I've only had it mixed into chocolate or other confections, so it's hard to individualize the flavor. This is very succulent, with notes of pineapple and passionfruit. Really delicious and awesome.
Immediately tart and juicy like a real grapefruit. Halfway through the flavor, some sweetness shows through, and it's really lovely. A great representation of the flavor.
I cannot gush about these enough. They're amazing. I love them. I'm so happy to have an affordable version of fruit pate in my candy aisle. I will buy these as I know I can't get enough of them. You have to give these a try.
Rating: Hoard
Links Wonka Website
This is the time I get jealous again just because Wonke is not and won't be available in Germany.
Nestlé told me that all Wonka products do not fit into the German candy range…argh.Posted by Matthew on 04/22 at 06:42 AM
Firstly, the site renovation looks AWESOME!
I am going to have to go looking for these. I love fruity, chewy candy.Posted by Judy / IslandBroad on 04/22 at 07:27 PM


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Jul 22, 2010 10:56 AM
While Transformers director Michael Bay may have conflicted feelings for Megan Fox, there's still one admirer that steadfastly loves her -- the camera. At the 2010 VH1 Do Something! Awards on July 19, she was dressed to play up to the camera in her gorgeous Azzedine Alaia dress. Megan's exact dress isn't available online, but a similar Alaia dress can be found at Brown's at a price that is a little too rich for our blood. But that's not stopping us from sighing and drooling over all the gorgeous Alaia designs in the Brown's shop!
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Nature's Splendor is a photographic journey featuring the art of:
Kristin L. Cunningham
Mary F. Cunningham
Sam R. Cunningham
Photographs in the "coffee-table" style book were taken at various locations in California, Georgia, Hawai'i, New Mexico, South Carolina, England and Italy. Each photograph is accompanied by a quote because as William Albert Allard once said, "Words and pictures can work together to communicate more powerfully than either alone."
Take a photographic journey through the beauty of nature. Get your own copy of Nature's Splendor and display it where your guests can thumb through it's beauty in your home.
Sam and Mary Cunningham, originally from Elberton, Georgia, relocated to Columbus in 1999. Travel enthusiasts, they are also avid photographers and have published three books - New Mexico Splendor, Nature's Splendor, and The Grandeur of Alaska.
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The Grandeur of Alaska Published October 17, 2010
New Mexico Splendor Published November 02, 2008


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Top 11 Books to Ease Back-to-School Jitters
Whether your child has already started school or if the first day is still a few weeks away, there's no better time to check out some of our favorite books to ease back-to-school jitters!
Sometimes, just reading about another person's nervousness, anxiety, or stress is enough to put a child at ease during this new and exciting time. And though there are dozens and dozens of books about starting a new school year, sometimes it's worth checking out a few new titles!
Here our top 11 books to ease back-to-school jitters:
D.W.'s Guide to Preschool by Marc Brown
Arthur's sassy sister, D.W., tells readers everything they need to know about preschool!
First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg and illustrated by Judy Love
A book that will help youngsters realize that they are not alone in their first-day anxiety, children will appreciate Sarah's nervousness about starting a new school.
Will I Have a Friend? by Miriam Cohen and illustrated by Lillian Hoban
Little Jim shares all of the worries he feels about his first day of kindergarten.
Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! by Nancy L. Carlson
Henry is excited—and a little worried--for kindergarten, but he never dreamed of how much fun he'd have!
The New Bear at School by Carrie Weston and illustrated by Tim Warnes
Whether a child is starting a new school or embarking on a new school year, he or she will appreciate Bear's nervousness and anxiety.
First Day (Appleville Elementary, Book #1) by Nancy Krulik and illustrated by Burnice Lum
It's the first day of first grade, and only some of the kids are excited.
Little Cliff's First Day of School by Clifton Taulbert and illustrated by E. B. Lewis
Little Cliff seems to be the only one who isn't excited to start first grade, until he arrives at school and sees all of his friends.
Herbie Jones Sails Into Second Grade (Herbie Jones series) by Suzie Kline and illustrated by Sami Sweeten
Herbie Jones has two big surprises on the first day of second grade: a new friend and a new teacher, Mr. Burger.
Third Grade Angels by Jerry Spinelli and illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell
George just enters third grade and wonders how the year will go, if like the rhyme says: third graders are supposed to be "angels."
Who's Afraid of Fourth Grade? (Katie Kazoo Swicharoo series) by Katie Kazoo and illustrated by Janie Smith
Fourth grade is a lot different than Katie expects, and when the magic wind appears and switches Katie into two of her friends, she learns some important life lessons.
Jack on the Tracks: Four Seasons of Fifth Grade by Jack Gantos
Readers will appreciate the ups and downs of Jack Henry's crazy fifth grade school year.
These are just some books to ease those first-day jitters, but don't forget to check out some classics if your children are especially nervous, like The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, or any of our back-to-school picks!
What is your family's favorite book to ease first-day jitters? Let us know!
Share your thoughts on the Scholastic Parents Facebook page, or find Amy on Twitter, @teachmama, and let's continue the conversation!
Read all posts by Amy Mascott.


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Submitted by Kris Thompson on
Photo Credit: Eszter Horanyi
On a race weekend that overlapped with 24-Hours of Moab and the opening of Wolf Creek Ski Resort, many collegiate riders were faced with hard decisions. With the lack of a downhill at the collegiate race hosted by Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, many gravity riders chose to take a pass on the weekend. Those in attendance were treated to a fast and flat short track, a world-class dual slalom and a technical cross country that challenged the skills of all levels of riders.
Showing up in force again was the CU women's endurance team, fielding Katie Sodergren, Claire Bensard, and a newly upgraded Ashlee Wilson. They were paired up against the ever-strong Fort Lewis women's team consisting of Lauren Catlin, Sarah Sturm, and Anne Cheeney. With team wins in the conference and at National Championships often resting on the performance of the women, all eyes have been watching the Women's A races intently all season.
In the ST on Saturday morning, Catlin of FLC put on an impressive display of power by riding away from the rest of the field from the start on the relatively flat course. Sodergren and Jill Behlen of Wyoming chased with Sodergren crossing the line in second. Bensard (CU) finished just behind Sturm (FLC) in 5th and 4th, respectivey.
In the XC the following day, tables were turned for the top two women. Catlin and Sodergren stayed glued on each other's wheel for 3 of the 4 laps and spectators began to expect a sprint finish. Finally, on the final lap, Sodergren was able to open up a small gap and grow it by riding some of the rock features that most of the other women were forced to dismount for. Sturm finished ahead of Bensard in 3rd and 4th.
Photo Credit: Eszter Horanyi
On the gravity side, Ashlee Wilson (CU) won the Women's B contest showing she's an all-arounder to watch in the future. FLC's Brittany Clawson won the Woman's A race by being the only woman to be able to jump the many step-ups and step-downs on the course. Bensard (CU) finished 3rd adding to the conference tally of points for CU.
After a season of intense racing, with only one conference race left, two power-house women's teams remain head-to-head and who will emerge ahead come Nationals is any ones guess.


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Nov 19, 2012 8:21 AM
Fresh is known for their to-die-for Brown Sugar scrub, but we've had to forego its scrumptious scent on the mornings we accidentally oversleep (read: every single one) because going through with the full luxurious treatment requires a similarly luxurious time commitment. So imagine our delight upon discovering our favorite shower buddy's time-sensitive little sibling, the Brown Sugar Bath & Shower Gel ($19), which leaves us smelling good enough to eat faster than you can douse a loofah. Hallelujah!
If you've got a product or service that you'd like to promote on Outblush, click here to find out about our advertising opportunities.
Outblush is a blog for girls who love to shop. Our staff digs up the best clothes, home stuff, beauty items, and more. New items are posted every day — bookmark us and check out:


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Mark Alan Royals
Position: P
Height: 6-5 Weight: 225 lbs.
Born: June 22, 1965 in Hampton, VA
High School: Mathews
College: Chowan, Appalachian St. (school history)
Weighted Career AV (100-95-...): 22 (4446th overall since 1950)
Sponsor this page for $5 and help Pro-Football-Reference.com provide this service. Your message will replace this ad.
Output includes all games from 1920 to 2015.


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On this day...
by Kate Smith
Beckham fired England to victory at the SoL.
2003 – England beat Turkey 2-0 in a Euro 2004 qualifying game at the Stadium of Light.
1988 – Marco Gabbiadini scored to ensure a SAFC victory over Grimsby town.
1904 - Scottish goalkeeper Ted Doig played his 457th and final game for Sunderland. This record has only been surpassed by Len Ashurst and Jimmy Montgomery


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Written by AZoM
This unique feature, along with 100 times better linearity and 8 times better pull range than quartz VCXOs, improves performance and enables simpler, more reliable systems. The SiT3907 is fully programmable to accelerate development. Samples are shipped in 48 hours and production quantities are available with three weeks lead time. The SiT3907 DCXO is targeted at telecom, networking, video, audio and embedded applications.
"SiTime's innovative MEMS technology and analog expertise is leading the revolution in the timing industry," said Piyush Sevalia, executive vice president of marketing at SiTime. "For decades, the quartz industry has offered VCXOs with no new features. Our customers requested an all-digital control interface that simplified their design and improved performance. We listened, and used our semiconductor expertise to quickly deliver this new feature. This is a great example of how SiTime is changing the game in the timing industry."
The SiT3907 DCXO offers many new features and benefits that are not available from quartz VCXOs. They are listed below.
Source: http://www.sitime.com/
Do you have a review, update or anything you would like to add to this news story?
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Cannabis has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Yet it's still a controversial topic in the U.S. Under federal law, only FDA approved medications can be prescribed; marijuana is not one of them. Still medical marijuana is now legal in 20 states, plus our nation's capital. So is marijuana really medicine?
Gretta used to suffer with seizures, having up to three a day as a child.
"It's scary because anything could happen to you," Gretta said.
She took prescription medication, but it had nasty side effects like liver spots, severe headaches, and bleeding gums.
"I could eat a piece of bread and my gums would start bleeding," Gretta told Ivanhoe.
Then, three years ago she lost her insurance and turned to marijuana.
"I have not had a seizure since," Gretta said.
She also hasn't had any side effects. The account interests Dr. Eduardo Locatelli. He's had 20 epilepsy patients tell him they've used cannabis this year, even though it's illegal where he practices.
"I can tell you it's not making the epilepsy patients worse, but I need to answer the other question, does it make it better?" Eduardo R. Locatelli, MD, MPH, Director of the Neuroscience Institute, Director of the Epilepsy Program at Holy Cross Hospital, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, told Ivanhoe.
Dr. Shirley Zelikovsky believes it may. She sees patients with terminal illnesses and chronic pain.
"They've told me that it just makes them feel better, and it reduces the need to take the other medications," Shirley Zelikovsky, MD, Family Medicine Physician, Bethesda Health City in Boynton Beach, Florida, told Ivanhoe.
It is something Richard Corso is worried about. His back pain is so severe he's on hospice level pain pills.
"If you make a mistake with that, you don't get another chance. You die," Corso told Ivanhoe.
The CDC has no reports of marijuana-induced deaths, but every 19 minutes someone dies of a prescription overdose.
"You can't overdose on marijuana, but you can on the other drugs," Dr. Zelikovsky said.
And get this; recent studies show opioid drugs used to relieve pain in cancer patients may stimulate the growth and spread of tumors.
However, experts from the UK say that the cannabis plant has been used to treat everything from cancer and glaucoma to Crohn's disease and multiple sclerosis.
Even so, a consultant for the Drug Free America Foundation Dr. David Gross says smoking the drug is not the answer.
"My concern is there's going to be no control whatsoever on the use of the marijuana on the way it is now," David A Gross, MD, DLFAPA, Special Advisor to Drug Free America Foundation, Editor in Chief of the Journal of Drug Policy and Practice, told Ivanhoe.
Possible side effects could include impaired memory, anxiety, lung damage, and weakening of the immune system.
"What happens is you have the psychedelic, psychoactive effects on top of all of the toxins, which include things like benzene, toluene, and xylene. They are all carcinogenic agents," Dr. Gross said.
Still he does see value in scientists isolating the "cannabinoids" to do more studies on the health impacts and standardizing the dosage.
"I look forward to that, but I look forward to doing that the right way," Dr. Gross explained.
As for Richard, he would like to try it as long as it takes his pain away.
There are over 480 natural components found within the cannabis plant, of which 66 are classified as "cannabinoids."
Advocates in Florida are fighting to legalize a strain, known as Charlotte's Web, which is high in a non-hallucinogenic compound in cannabis. They say it can reduce and even eliminate seizures in children and is already available in Colorado.
For additional research on this article, click here.
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Fish Camp's Tenaya Lodge will pay $195,000 and furnish other relief to settle a federal charge of sexual harassment and retaliation filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
In a prepared statement released Nov. 7, the federal agency said that in 2010, a Tenaya female employee filed the charge of discrimination alleging that a male supervisor made sexual comments and referenced an image of a sexual nature. The female employee further alleged that upon reporting the sexual harassment, the male supervisor retaliated against her by issuing written discipline and treating her differently.
Following an EEOC investigation, the director of EEOC's Fresno office determined that there was reasonable cause to believe that the female employee was sexually harassed due to her gender (female) and that she was subjected to retaliation for reporting the harassment, a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
The commission also found reasonable cause to believe additional female employees were also sexually harassed due to gender. Tenaya Lodge denied the allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the company did not admit to liability while agreeing to settle the matter.
A spokesperson for EEOC said the harassment was not physical but was of a verbal and pictorial nature (a sexual image).
Following the commission's determination, the EEOC entered into a one-year conciliation agreement with Tenaya Lodge and the female employee in question.
The agreement effectively settles the case administratively, thereby avoiding litigation. The agreement provides for $100,000 in monetary relief for the female employee who filed the charge. An additional $95,000 is designated as a fund for multiple female claimants who also encountered sexual harassment and/or retaliation while working at Tenaya Lodge.
Aside from the monetary relief, Tenaya Lodge will provide equal employment opportunity training for all current employees and, for all new hires in English and Spanish, along with additional training for managerial and human resources staff on how to deal with discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
Tenaya Lodge also agreed to post a notice about the settlement, to report future instances of discrimination to the EEOC and to publicize the recent settlement.
"Workers have the right to report sexual harassment or other forms discrimination on the job without negative repercussions," said Melissa Barrios, director of the EEOC's Fresno office. "We commend Tenaya Lodge for working with the commission to resolve this matter and for agreeing to implement measures to protect their employees from harassment, discrimination and retaliation."
Tenaya is owned and operated by Delaware North Company & Resorts, the company that operates Yosemite hotels and restaurants and other guest service operations in other parts of the country.
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at eeoc.gov.


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Golf ball diver bitten by alligators twice in 8 years
A man contracted to dive for golf balls on one course ended up in the hospital after being bitten on the arm and hand by an alligator.
The alligator was 10 feet long and dragged out of a lake on the second hole of the Bonaventure Country Club in Weston, Fla. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission believes it's the same gator.
"I'm in a lot of pain. It definitely hurts," bite victim Steven Martinez said.
It sunk its teeth into the left arm and hand of 51-year-old Martinez as he performed his job diving for golf balls at the bottom of the lake. Martinez was able to shake off the alligator.
"I just got bit, and I got out of the water as soon as possible," Martinez said.
He drove himself to the pro shop. 911 was called, but Martinez was surprisingly calm.
"He seemed like everything was okay, other than he'd just been bit by an alligator," club manager Randy Weber said.
"He was very calm, and it's not really something that you hear of super often, you know," Trent Hampel, a witness, said.
It isn't the first time Martinez has been attacked. In 2006 while diving for golf balls in Boynton beach, he was bitten on the same arm.
The gator in the most recent attack was taken away by trappers.
Martinez knows he's lucky to have escaped seriously injury twice, but what he won't give up is doing the job he loves.
"Being at the wrong place at the wrong time ... I just hope it doesn't happen again. It's a rare occasion. I've been diving for years," Martinez said.


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I've seen that systems running on top of Hurd start to become available (namely Arch Hurd) and I was wondering how a user, anyhow advance s/he can be, can see a difference?
Linux and BSD should be pretty much the same, because both of them are monolithic kernel, so the only difference should be their syscall API.
NB: when I write Linux, I don't mean GNU/Linux, as I guess that the GNU environment should eventually be the same in both systems
EDIT: deleted the statement about BSD, I don't know anything about this system and that's not the point of my question :$
EDIT 2: Let's try another approach: I have a good knowledge of GNU/Linux. What would be different with GNU/Hurd? for instance,
- module certainly can't exist with a micro-kernel, what's the equivalent? how does a video card driver looks like ?
- if the Hurd kernel (Mach) delegates core-tasks to user-space processes, which are they?
- who is in charge of these core tasks ? (an equivalent of super-
(side-question: does this question belongs to stackoverflow?)


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Tax Volunteers Needed
Rappahannock United Way (RUW) is seeking volunteers for the 2014 Tax Season. Prior experience is not required; volunteers are trained by Rappahannock United Way and certified by the IRS. There are even jobs for those not particularly interested in preparing taxes – tax site greeters. Your participation, either as a tax preparer or a greeter, plays a significant role in the success of RUW's tax program.
RUW prepares federal and state tax returns for individuals and families making less than $52,000 a year, for FREE. Last year, RUW volunteers completed 1,261 tax returns putting over $1.7 million back into our community and saving an estimated $215,000 in tax preparation fees. This service is managed by RUW staff, but operated entirely by volunteers. Volunteers are a vital part of the Tax Program and entire community. Sign up today to join a growing number of volunteers who make a significant financial impact in our community.
Below is a brief explanation of the volunteer positions available:
Greeters: Greeters with RUW's Tax Program are the first people that the tax clients meet when they arrive at our tax sites. A Greeter is responsible for welcoming clients, ensuring clients have proper documentation, maintaining the waiting area including the waiting list, and assisting the Site Coordinator with setting up the tax site. Greeters must be comfortable working with people and quickly scanning documents for income verification.
Tax Preparers: Tax Preparers with RUW's tax program are the people who work directly with the clients to file both state and federal tax returns. A Tax Preparer is responsible for performing client interviews, completing accurate tax returns and distributing client surveys. Preparers may be asked to assist Tax Site Coordinator with set-up and/or take-down of the site, and to review other Preparers' work prior to filing. Tax Preparers must be comfortable working with people, reviewing tax documents for information, and using computerized tax software to complete tax returns.
Go directly to the Volunteer Center Website to respond to this volunteer opportunity. If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, but still not sure if it's right for you, please join the RUW for a Meet and Greet on December 11, 2013, from 4:00 – 6:30 pm. Come learn more about our Tax Program! Food and drinks provided.
Published on Thursday, December 5, 2013


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May 10, 2005
LOS ANGELES -UCLA, which has provided live broadcasts for three of the first four NCAA Women's Water Polo Championships, will expand its broadcasting for the first eight-team championship this Friday through Sunday, May 13-15 at the University of Michigan.
The plan is to broadcast two of the quarterfinals on Friday; both winner's bracket semifinals on Saturday and the championship match on Sunday (provided UCLA is in the finals). All matches can be accessed at www.uclabruins.com or at NCAASports.com on the water polo page.
Michael Sondheimer will be doing the play-by-play of his fourth NCAA Women's Water Polo Championships. His color analyst will be former UCLA All-American and international player Catherine von Schwarz. The matches will be broadcast commercial free for internet listeners through CollegeSports.Com.
Friday, May 13
12 noon PST--Redlands-USC
3 pm PST---Wagner-UCLA
Saturday, May 14
1:30 pm PST---UCLA-Wagner winner vs. Hawaii-Loyola winner
3:00 pm PST---Redlands-USC winner vs. Stanford-Michigan winner
Sunday, May 15
1:30 pm PST---NCAA Championship Match


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Score +3
Thread DetailsLast Edited by joerocket November 15, 2012 at 02:41 PM
I stumbled upon a link for 25 dollars off when you spend 100 dollars on costco.com. So, I went to costco.com to see what i would potentially want. volia, there was the beautiful safe being featured. The bighorn 24 gun safe. Looked at the reviews for it, and it was overwhelmingly good.
This is not the first time they put this safe on sale for 569.99. But you can also use the amex facebook sync feature to get an additional 25 bucks off it.
I finally pulled the trigger, and thought I might share with the community.
a couple of more days of this sale if you guys get on it!
link to the safe:
link to the deal for amex sync 25 dollars off 100 dollar purchase.
35 Comments
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This price range of safe will not keep out determined thieves that know what they are after and are prepared to work on the safe, but it will keep smash and grab burglars and kids away from your toys.
The warrantee is very good. I was strongly considering this safe recently, but not having a back up key in case the electronic lock failed was a deal breaker for me.
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Just an FYI.
Thanks for posting OP!
There's a fair amount of YouTube videos showing safes being opened in 10 mins or less.
Either way, it's much better than nothing.
And, thanks for posting. We know not everyone can afford $$$$.$$ for a safe.
The Big Horn safes tend to be tremendous values in their price ranges. For the most part, you generally 1 or 2 more of these sets of criteria: price, more fire protection (either 10 minutes longer or higher temperature), heavier weight, thicker steel, more live bolts, thicker live bolts, or nicer keypad than other safes in their price ranges. All a trade off of course depending on your needs. I think 75 dollars also got you a 10 year warranty of the lock... I think this is a bargain... can't image what it would cost to retrofit/replace a keypad in 8 years if it hypothetically broke.
Regarding this or Winchester. Friend has a Winchester 24 gun safe for 500 from a local Costco and compared to Big Horn, the exterior quality of the Winchester is nicer, with higher fire protection, thicker bolts, heavier weight with more bolts. Link showing it is below. Personally I think that that safe is a nicer safe, but it was purchased about a year ago, re-appears locally occasionally. As it was local, you had to pick it up, 500 lbs is a PITA to move around. Might be willing to deal with the tradeoff to just get free delivery.
Most Costcos in Northern California won't carry more than 1 of any safes to display at any given time, but being California, I can see that the volume might not just be there.
Now regarding safes...
Remember, that the stated storage amount is like 24 rifles if everything are with iron sights and everything is a thin Ruger 10/22. I real life, it's at least more than 1/3 but at least a little less than half the stated capacity for long guns. Guns with pistol grips and optics really eat up space.
Regarding safes opened in 10 minutes, most videos require leverage to enter the safe. Placed strategically, against a wall, bolted down it'll take longer. My guess is that you won't find many people entering safes nearly as fast. If you are worried, thicker steel, longer/thicker live bolts, and probably a more expensive safe is recommended.
The drivers call you the day before to arrange delivery. This is supposed to be curbside delivery and I tipped 20 bucks because he moved it where I wanted it to be. The guy used a pallet jack to get mine where I wanted it to be... I asked politely and he didn't request a tip, but I bet the curbside is an expectation setter so people don't think that the delivery guy will take it up 3 flights of stairs etc. Remember to take the box off the safe before it gets into the house as it's hard to find another 6 feet of clearance above the safe in a house.
and the real point... is that if you have guns. you should lock it up. yes, they can get in if they keep at it. but the alternative of not locking up guns just seems a bit selfish. for the price of half a gun, you can buy a safe. and secure them from kids, as well as petty crooks doing a little b&e. please lock up your guys if you can afford it. if you can afford another firearms, you can afford a safe first.
Purpose of these is provide storage and keep children out.
I want one, just not sure where to put it. Have a kid on the way, and need to lock things up. Only place to put it will be on the second floor. 400 pounds with a dolly up the stairs?


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Baby Name Poll Results
Ursula Paige vs. Iva Nicole vs. Ophelia oh-feel-yuh Renae
cant agree also like Lila or Gayla
The Top Baby Name is...
|Ursula Paige Scott
|22% (2 votes)
|Iva Nicole Scott
|44% (4 votes)
|Ophelia oh-feel-yuh Renae Scott
|33% (3 votes)
i like your other options better
posted by guest :: 2007-03-22 17:29:08 | report
I vote Lila for sure!!
Lila Paige
Lila Nicole
Lila Renae
Lila Paige
Lila Nicole
Lila Renae
posted by guest :: 2007-03-22 18:10:04 | report
I like Lila Nicole.
posted by guest :: 2007-03-22 19:29:08 | report
Post a Comment:Please keep your comments positive and helpful.
Even if you don't like the names. Thanks!
For all baby name poll questions, complaints, or improvements
contact email@example.com.


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The blue social bookmark and publication sharing system.
Log in with your username.
I've lost my password.
Log in with your OpenID-Provider.
Kazuhisa Seta, Liang Cui, Mitsuru Ikeda, and Noriyuki Matsuda. ITS, volume 7315 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, page 683-684. Springer, (2012)
BibSonomy is offered by the KDE group of the University of Kassel, the DMIR group of the University of Würzburg, and the L3S Research Center, Germany.


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Subaru has issued a recall of more than 660,000 cans and SUVs after finding that rust (especially that caused by salt used to melt snow and ice on roads during winter can develop on brake lines causing fluid to leak after splashing on to them through a gap in the fuel protector tank.
Affected vehicles include 2005-2009 Legacys and Outbacks, as well as 2008-2014 Imprenza qnd 2009-2013 Forresters sold or registered in the following states: Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, West Virginia, Washington DC, and Wisconsin. This is the second time any of the vehicles have been recalled in these area for the same problem. In fact, more than 274,000 Outbacks and Legacys were recalled for rust related problems in March 2013.
According to the company, dealers will inspect and replace any damaged lines, as well as apply anticorrosion wax. In the meantime. the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that additional areas on the vehicles need to be rustproofed as well. Although no accidents or injuries have been reported for this issue, "Subaru is taking the action as a precaution," stated Michael McHale, a representative for the automaker.
Last year Subaru also recalled 2014 Legacy 3.6R and Outback 3.6R, as well as 2013 Tribeca vehicles produced June12-28, 2013 equipped with 5-speed automatic transmissions because of a problem involving the parking rod, becoming loose and preventing the vehicles from being shifted out of the "park" position preventing them from being driven or moved. In other cases, the detached rods caused the parking mechanism to fail to engage, allowing the vehicles to roll and increasing the danger for collisions.
For more information, consumers can contact Subaru America at 1-800-782-2783. You can also call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at 888 327-4236.