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(based on 11 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
5 Stars
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of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Best Uses
Most Liked Positive Review
Makes assesment of skills FUN!
My 5 year old really enjoys learning and so he was really into this set! The cards included lessons to reinforce learning the alphabet, letter sounds, long and short vowel sounds, blending of...Read complete review
My 5 year old really enjoys learning and so he was really into this set! The cards included lessons to reinforce learning the alphabet, letter sounds, long and short vowel sounds, blending of sounds, digraphs, and more in an interactive and fun game format! Each card features a lesson such as find which pictures begin with the sound made of s and n blended together. Then the pictures each have a black "hot dot" below it that the child can use the Ace talking pen on to see if they selected correctly or incorrectly. Incorrect answers gently encourage your child to try again without making them discourage! It was great to have my son review and practice lessons he'd already mastered as he learned how the Hot Dots system works. Then, he was ready to move on to recognizing the difference between long and short vowels and blended sounds and it was great to be able to work with him on those concepts in a fun and easy way!Disclosure: I received this set for free to review on my website, A Mom's Take. Opinions are my own.
Most Liked Negative Review
Good for review but NOT for teaching reading
So I have a closet full of Hot Dots & Hot Dots Jr cards and pens. They make wonderful car toys and fun review for concepts learned. This particular set -- Hot...Read complete review
So I have a closet full of Hot Dots & Hot Dots Jr cards and pens. They make wonderful car toys and fun review for concepts learned. This particular set -- Hot Dots Jr - Phonics Fun -- for some reason is not one of my favorites. This is a great all inclusive kit because it comes with the pen, but it doesn't come with batteries. It comes with 5 sets of double sided cards to help your child learn some (VERY) basic phonics. The sets are letter sounds, short vowels, long vowels, blends & digraphs, and basic reading. I think the reason I disliked this kit is because it included a 24-page book with teaching tips and extra activities and you cannot teach reading with such a limited and simple kit. I've taught 2 kids to read so far and this is missing so many skills necessary for reading (not the least of which is that they don't teach all the letter sounds) that they idea you could teach a child to read WELL with it, is nonsense. If you want to teach a child to read, use Logic of English's Foundations A-D.It IS a good product for basic review and the kids do enjoy doing the cards, though I'm not sure my blossoming reader or my 2 year old understand why they are correct when they play on their own. I do wish the cards were bound in books or even on a ring so that they stayed together better. I have done that with several of my other sets. As usual, the cards for Hot Dots Jr are full color and sturdy enough for what they are. The pens are fairly easy to use and even the two year old quickly figured out that you need to put the dog pen on the dot straight up and down.
Reviewed by 11 customers
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Definitely FUN!
By Rosie0622
from Chicago IL
About Me Education Oriented, Parent Of Two Or More Children, Stay At Home Parent
Comments about Learning Resources Hot Dots® Jr. Phonics Fun:
I love educational Insights toys! I love the Lesson Guide that comes along, very helpful by giving you tips and activities you can do with your little one, my daughter is now 5 so I found this to be a little easy for her, it gives her a refresher of what she's been learning in school and I use it as a tool for reading, we've had a lot of fun and I plan to continue using this for the summer months.The pen is definitely a plus because it talks and they get to check their work. Down fall it doesn't come in a box where you can store all the cards, guide and pen, I have other hot dot jr activities and they came in a nice carrying case which makes for easy travel and less mess for mom.
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
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By Happy Little Homemaker
from Great White North
Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Makes learning to read fun
By MrsCinRB
from Los Angeles, CA
About Me Stay At Home Parent
I wish learning was this fun when I was a kid! My 4 year old loves this and caught on really fast how to use the pen. She loves the sounds the doggy pen makes and this really makes her think.
A Great Way To Learn And Review!
By TrojanMommy
from California
About Me Education Oriented, Parent Of Two Or More Children, Working Parent
This is such a fun way for my 6 year old to learn and review! This set comes with 80 sturdy cards that are double-sided. There a variety of different lessons to go through, such as letter sounds, vowels, and blends.The activity format/goal changes every 4-8 pages, so there is plenty of variety. Every time my son started to get comfortable, the cards switched it up - and that's a good thing! This is great because as soon as my son started getting tired, the topic changed, and he was ready for more!This set also comes with Ace - The Talking, Teaching Dog - which is a "pen" that the kids touch to the correct answer. Ace gives immediate feedback after each answer: with his eyes, his words, and his sounds. After getting three correct answers in a row, Ace vibrates and gets really excited - and my son loves it, every single time! I thought that my son would get less excited about this over time, but it hasn't happened yet!We will continue to use this set for reviewing and maybe for fun quiz games/competitions. I highly recommend it for grades PreK-1st.
Images shared by TrojanMommy
Perfect way to make learning fun for an almost 5 year old
By Beth
from Livingston, NJ
About Me Education Oriented, Parent Of Two Or More Children
We are so tired of workbooks and I do not want to give the kids constant screen time. This product is wonderful because it feels like they are using a tech tool but they are working on fine motor skills via holding the pen and are learning how to read! The cards are brightly colored with fun images displayed. The talking pen is so supportive and I see a smile each time my son gets an answer right. This particular kit is great because it comes with a lesson guide so you are not just piling up cards for your child to use you can guide their activity and learning.
cool, educational product
By Mom of Two
from Austin, TX
About Me Parent Of Two Or More Children
Hot dots sets are fun for both my almost 4 and almost 6 year old. They both find the pen engaging and fun to use. This particular set suited my almost 4 year old best as he is still learning how to sound out words. He was so eager to try this set that we went through the whole thing in two sittings. It was also exciting to discover that another hot dots pen we have from another set also worked on these phonics cards. However, the cute dog pen was his favorite. This set comes with an excellent lesson guide for parents to teach their child phonics rules and to provide guided practice when using the cards. (However, the set is pretty self explanatory if a parent does not have time to go through the lesson guide.) Then, the hot dots pen does a great job of providing support as the kid works independently. The cards were fun to go through and I know my child was actively learning phonics. However, I noticed that the way the cards were set up, especially the "Let's Read" section, that he just memorized the correct answers on the cards as opposed to actually being able to sound out the words and/or read the sentences printed on the cards when doing them again on his own. I also wish this set came with an organizer for the cards. However, I would still recommend this product. I received this product in exchange for an honest review.
Fun learning tool.
By AnnaD
from Indianapolis, IN
About Me Parent Of Two Or More Children, Stay At Home Parent
My kids (ages 3.5 and 6.5) both enjoy using this. The preschooler doesn't understand any but the easiest set of cards (beginning letters of words) but it will be a great teaching tool as he goes farther into school. He loves playing with the pen and picking all the answers though! The older one has fun using it as well. It definitely requires parent help and interaction for kids who can't read yet.
Fun for Preschoolers!
By Lauren
from Winfield, IL
My preschooler (newly turned 4) loved playing with this. He was a little intimidated at first but then once he realized he was familiar with the letters he went whizzing through it. He enjoys sitting down and working through the flash cards testing his knowledge. It's nice to see he want to play something educational.
Great way to reinforce Phonics Learning
By Lea H.
from Waverly, Iowa
About Me First Time Parent
We love the Hot Dots Jr. Phonics Fun! Ace the talking dog is a big hit with our 4 year old son. He is just starting to learn his letter sounds and this is a perfect activity for us to sit an go through as reinforcement. The only down side was he thought that Ace was a reader like another toy he has and he tried to "read" the words with it. Ace is designed to let him know if he has made a correct selection. It only took a few times for him to get the hang of it.
Images shared by Lea H.
Ace is helping our little guy learn
(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)
My Hot Shots Love Hot Dots!
By Tina the Teacher
from MA
About Me Educator
I am a first grade teacher and my students love these! They are very easy to use and help the students to become independent learners. I like them so much that I plan to get more sets of cards.


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Here's how RW members rated this race in the past (3 votes).
In short: Picturesque friendly event that's well organised and a good warm-up for the London TriathlonIn full: I did this Duathlon as a warm up for the London Triathlon. There was a celebrity start from Jon Tickle and a warm welcome from the Swallowfield villagers. As Duathletes start the run with the 10K runners, the streets are lined with people clapping and cheering giving a lovely atmosphere. Then you head out into narrow lanes with scenic views, before returning to the village to head out on the bike course, which is mostly flat and feels pretty fast. The run finishes with your name being announced, a nice touch for a small event like this, and you get a weighty medal at the end of it all. I found it a great way to spend a September Sunday morning.Date of review: September 22, 2012
In short: Great event and well organised!In full: I did this event the week after the London duathlon and it was perfect! I was amazed it was first time they have put this on as the organisation, check in, marshalling and signposting was feast rate! Nothing to fault and only being 30mins from home I hope they put more on! Only slight thing that could be noted was some of the marshals on the last few K of last run could be a bit more supportive! I know they are there probably working for free, but when you are busting a gut and they are stood there anyway, a little clap or word of encouragement really does help- 80% were great tho- thanks again!!Date of review: September 19, 2012
In short: Really enjoyed the race. Capped at 36 entrants as the first time they have done it but could easliy up the limit. I am trying to get into doing triathlons and as not a swimmer a great way to begin.Date of review: September 18, 2012
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subset: commoncrawl


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Firearm Description
Additional Information
|Gun Type
|Mfgr Website
|Matte Black Hard Chrome Exterior Finish
|12 Gauge
Customer Reviews
|Sort by:
7 Item(s)
Awesome! Review by Alec
Quality Price Value
I have about 100 rounds through my cz 712 field model. I havent had any issues. I like the gun alot, most people ask me what gun im shooting and are surprised i shoot so well with the 712. (Posted on 5/2/14)Pros: Shoots everything I feed, Accurate, Simple Design, Easy to maintain, Easy to shoot well, Nice Recoil, Ergonomical, Lightweight, Fits very nicely in my hand, Reliable, Easy to Use
Excellent shotgun Review by Dave Esch
Quality Price Value
My CZ 712 Utility has been an excellent shotgun for many uses. It has been reliable with all different loads, and shoots to point of aim with whatever I stuff it full of. I bought mine with the adjustable stock and Nordic 5 round mag extension...without realizing the mag extension was longer than the barrel. :) Oops. It's a wee bit long for inside the home, but since we eliminated magazine size restrictions in Arizona, it makes a delightful bunny buster. I feel confident taking it into the field or the hallway, depending where it's needed. (Posted on 4/13/14)Pros: Shoots everything I feed, Accurate, High capacity, Simple Design, Easy to maintain, Easy to shoot well, Nice Recoil, Ergonomical, Reliable, Easy to Use
Cons: Bulky
Would you recommend this product to a friend? Definitely yes
Brand new gun had to be returned Review by Joe word
Price Value Quality
the gun had 60 rounds shot through it and the ejector pin fell out had it repaired and 60 shots later it did it again. Don't have any thing bad to say about CZ and there rifle's but if this is all they can do with there shotgun's then they probably should just build rifle's (Posted on 9/3/13)Pros: Accurate, Simple Design, Nice Recoil, Lightweight
Would you recommend this product to a friend? Never!
shipped with defective ejectors Review by ed dent
Price Value Quality
the ejectors are too long wont hold shells aginst bolt face, wont eject enything. poor quality control.. brand new gun has to be returned. cz has really gone down hill. (Posted on 3/16/13)Pros: Lightweight
Would you recommend this product to a friend? Never!
Bang, bang, bang for the buck! Review by Christopher Boehne
Price Value Quality
I've never been one who could afford the nicest toys like a Beretta, Benneli, Franchi, or even some models of Browning, Winchester, or my beloved Remington. I grew up with the 870/express mag, and graduated in my adult years to a Remington 11-87(and has been my choice for 3 years). When a great friend of mine purchased this shotgun, I was optimistic at best...then I fired it. One word, wow. Througout several hunting trips, I fired this weapon at dove, duck, goose, as well as rabbit and quail. This shotgun cycles better, faster, smoother, than my 11-87. The "feel" is wonderfull, and takes no time at all to adjust to. The recoil seems to be identical to my beloved remmington. His model came with the adjustable stock, and if you have a young 10 year old shooter such as my battle buddy, this is a great option to have as it "customizes" the shotgun to make the shooter feel more welcome to blasting off a slury down range. Being a Remington man at heart, I still want to wait and see how well this weapon holds up over time. I hope that it does, and I here to say that if this shotgun keeps performing as well as it did this year for my battle buddy, even through a long duck season, I'll be picking one up for sure! (Posted on 4/28/12)Pros: Shoots everything I feed, Accurate, Easy to shoot well, Nice Recoil, Lightweight, Fits very nicely in my hand, Reliable
Would you recommend this product to a friend? Definitely yes
Superb gun, shoot exactly where you want! Review by David Martinez
Quality Price Value
The fit and finish caught my eye while shopping for an auto loader for my wife. Price got me to grab this gun a couple boxes of clays and several different loads. We shot Federal, Winchester, and Remington 71/2 and 8 shot loads you buy at Walmart in the 100 box. Regular quality stuff and never a miss feed. Got to the field, made sure everything was tight and assembled correctly started throwing and shooting. My wife never shot a gun before and smoked 8 out of 10 thrown. I have to admit that I shot it better than my Benelli!!!! Several hundred rounds later of different manufacture and shot size never had a mis-feed. I then brought a limit of dove home for dinner. All I can say is WOW this gun has bang for the buck and I am suprised more people dont shoot it. I think the price point scares most people away. I would buy another one in a heartbeat. (Posted on 9/10/11)Pros: Shoots everything I feed, Accurate, Simple Design, Easy to shoot well, Nice Recoil, Lightweight, Fits very nicely in my hand, Reliable, Easy to Use
Would you recommend this product to a friend? Definitely yes
very good Review by sam gegin
Quality Price Value
this is the utility model it sure is light and handy. good defensive gun. And would double in any hunting situation. (Posted on 3/13/11)Pros: Accurate, Simple Design, Lightweight, Fits very nicely in my hand, Reliable
Would you recommend this product to a friend? Likely
7 Item(s)


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0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
It seems like most "farmer's markets" nowadays are just a different venue to sell the same produce you buy at the grocery store. There may be the occasional item or two that is actually local and fresh, but the vast majority is not in most cases.
The farmers markets in the Chicago area seem to be local (Midwest) growers and producers of their actual items. It somewhat depends on how you define local (does a farmer bringing his crop from Wisconsin to Chicago for sale count as local?). While I haven't actually done background checks on each farmer, the ones I have talked to are definitely lugging their crops to market for selling. Are you finding that your quality of meats/veggies at farmers market no better than most grocery stores in TX?
I love it Derrick, the idea is great I was actually thinking about doing something like that on the larger farmers market. But my wife would have actually killed me after that Best of luck to you.


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Hi, Booth:
I think it would help if you could attempt to describe what problem you
are trying to solve, or what you are trying to accomplish. In other
words, what are your goals or objectives.
Mark S. Waterbury
On 9/2/2012 8:38 PM, Booth Martin wrote:
This seems simple enough yet I am stumbling all over the school yard
with it.
This has to do with event-based actions versus waiting for the Enter key
to be pressed or for a timer to run out..
This is a fairly simplistic case, but it should serve to demonstrate the
problem I am trying to solve.
Lets say a desktop gadget displays the local temperature. When the
temperature changes, the gadget changes the display. As I understand
it, this is accomplished by a "listener" that "listens" for a
temperature change event from the mother ship. It is not a timer that
periodically checks to see what the temperature is. When the listener
hears that the temperature has changed, it alerts the desktop gadget and
my desktop display shows the new temperature. As I said, this is a
simplistic case.
So, in midrange world, how do I mimic the behavior of a listener and of
This may not be well presented. For that I apologize. Of course, if I
understood the issue better I probably would also know the answer,
right? ;) If you have questions, please ask. That may help me
explain my issue better.


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RI Seminar Series
VASC Seminar Series
FRC Seminar Series
VASC Seminar Schedule
RI Seminar Video Playlist
RI Seminars Fall 2008
RI Seminars 2007-2008
Maps can store and convey many valuable attributes, though in some domains the challenges posed by the environmental conditions can preclude the possibility to generate accurate maps. Visually guided robots offer avenues to generate new and desirable types of maps that are not possible to create otherwise.
Rivers with significant canopy cover cannot be mapped from satellite; the sensory data must be collected from beneath the tree line. This talk presents a low flying Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV) mounted with cameras combined with self-supervised scene segmentation and de-biased visual odometry algorithms designed to plot the width and course of riverine environments.
In vineyards and orchards, maps of expected harvest yield are highly sought after by growers. Conventionally, measurements would be manually taken with sparse sampling that leads to inaccurate and incomplete yield forecasts. A ground robot with cameras and texture-classification algorithms can segment fruit among the tree's leaves and branches to capture the state of a grower's yield with high-resolution and accuracy.
Results from the talk highlight that robots with visual sensing and novel algorithms can add value to industries in environments that traditionally were too difficult to map.
Additional Information
Host: Internal
Stephen Nuske is a project scientist in the Field Robotics Center at Carnegie Mellon University. He originally joined CMU as a PostDoc in 2008 after completing his PhD at the University of Queensland and the Commonwealth Science and Industry Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia.


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NASCAR Racing Experience Father's Day Ride Package
About this item
An Utimate thrill ride for any NASCAR fan!
Ride shot gun in a real NASCAR race car for 3 laps speeds up to 175 mph with NASCAR Racing Experience's professional racing instructor driving! NASCAR Father's Day Racing Experience - Drive Package also available, item # 598901
Give Dad the ride of his life! This is the ultimate thrill ride for any NASCAR fan.
Experience 3 laps of pure heart-pounding speed from the passenger seat of a real NASCAR race car. Sit back and hold on tight as you ride shotgun in a real NASCAR race car that's actually been race driven by a NASCAR driver on a superspeedway! You're in good hands with one of the NASCAR Racing Experience's professional racing instructors driving with top speeds reaching up to a breath taking 175mph
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Auto Club Speedway Fontana CA
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Darlington Raceway SC
Chicagoland Speedway
Kentucky Motor Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway
Homestead Miami Speedway
Myrtle Beach Speedway
Phoenix International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Gift Cards are good for 2 years. Must be redeemed for a reservation. Reservations are required.
Member can view the current schedule on line at www.NascarRacingExperience.com or call a customer crew member at 877-RACE-LAP (722-3527) to inquire about dates and times available.
- A popular entertainment venue for race fans: NASCAR Racing Experience offers authentic and entertaining racing opportunities for everyday people
- Gift Cards are good for 2 years: Must be redeemed for a reservation
- Reservations are required
- Member can view the current schedule on line at www.NascarRacingExperience.com or call a customer crew member at 877-RACE-LAP (722-3527) to inquire about dates and times available
- Passengers must be at least 5 ft. tall and 100 lbs.
- Under 18 must have parental consent
Assembled Country
Component Country


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The Grotesquely Innocent: The Art of Mark Ryden
Trees, Blood…Abraham Lincoln; Mark Ryden certainly as a breadth of subjects (although Lincoln is quite a popular subject lately, from humble vampire-hunter beginnings to Daniel Day Lewis). Mark Ryden is known for his quirky, surrealist art full of doll-like figures, beautiful color, and Victorian-style framing. Art is Ryden's life, his brother Keyth Ryden is an artist also as is his wife, Marion Peck. The native Oregonian studied illustration at the Art Center College of Design.
His first solo show was "The Meat Show" in Pasadena, CA in 1998. The LA Times writes "Many artists have followers. Mark Ryden has disciples" (1), this is due to the response Ryden's bizarre work has (and I mean bizarre in the best sense of the word here!). People seemingly love Ryden for his whimsical surrealism or call his work crass and lowbrow. I have long had the personal belief that Lady Gaga's infamous meat dress owes Ryden a thank you and a commission.
My favorite show is "Blood". I love the deep red coloring and the innocent, gothic dolls reminiscent of the creepy toys wealthy children played with in the Victorian era. His website explains "Blood" as "miniature paintings of sorrow and fear" (2). Indeed.
His continual use of children as his central figures has sparked outrage among some. The children are often nude, wearing meat, or covered in blood. I do not think, however, that Ryden means to be vulgar in using children. He often portrays them in idyllic scenes with only the hint of the grotesque and tragic on the horizon. His paintings are often simplistic and literal. I encourage viewers to go beyond the simple explanations of the paintings and dive into the pools of meat or blood to find their own interpretations.
(1) Finkel, Jori. "Mark Ryden might just be the pied piper of painting (and no child is safe)". Los Angeles Times, April 30,2010.Online. Available: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/04/mark-ryden-just-might-be-the-pied-piper-of-painting-and-no-child-is-safe-1.html.
(2) http://www.markryden.com/paintings/index.html


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How To Encourage Grouping In World Of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a fantastic game, no doubt about it, but I've always had one major bugbear with it – grouping sucks. OK, let me qualify that statement – grouping sucks at lower levels. Seriously, for a Massively Multiplayer world it's a pretty unsociable game until you get into the higher tiers. Ironically enough, it's got nothing to do with lack of players either because I see hundreds of people running around from levels 1-60 every day.
I love socialising in MMORPGs. Sure, maybe I don't want to just sit around a campfire and swamp stories – I need direction and a point – but I want to experience teamwork and commradary. If you contrast WoW's grouping with games like EQ2, you'll see that these others place much more emphasis on the group experience.
World of Warcraft's major issues are that it rewards soloing questing too much and grouping too little and also that the player base as a whole is just genuinely less mature and sociable (I know it's a cliché but, lets face it, it's true, it's the nature of the game). We can't do much about the second point (and would we even want to?) but we can certainly address the first.
Ogrebears had an absolutely fantastic idea for encouraging grouping in WoW, so great I had to write this article about it. He proposed the elegant idea of simply introducing social achievements such as grouping with new people and doing different things with them. I think this is a wonderful idea. Players love achievements so lets give them a carrot to get out of their stubborn ways and try grouping with new people. It honestly inspires me to run a campaign called 'Embrace PUGs Today' (-> a light bulb just went off over my head).
There's definitely other things Blizzard could do to improve grouping and socialising but social achievements would be a start.
Oddly enough, whilst writing this article I've started to have the nervous thought that everyone is going to come back and comment on this and say that the grouping experience in WoW is tremendous and the social experience couldn't be better thus rendering me with the sole thought that I can't get any groups because I'm an asshole…
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According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, impending free agent Tim Lincecum is looking to secure a one or two-year contract as opposed to a longer deal while he rebuilds his value.
According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, Jose Bautista will be guaranteed $18 million in his new one-year deal with the Blue Jays.
Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports that the Tigers have been "in touch" with free agent outfielders Peter Bourjos and Gregor Blanco.
Jake Diekman will have surgery on January 25 to help alleviate ulcerative colitis and is expected to miss at least half of the season.
Rangers signed RHP Dillon Gee to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.
Rangers signed OF Josh Hamilton to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.
Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports that Wil Myers' contract extension with the Padres is for six years with an option for a seventh year and is worth $83 million.
According to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Phillies have signed outfielder Michael Saunders to a one-year, $9 million contract with an $11 million club option for 2018.
Royals signed LHP Danny Duffy to a five-year, $65 million contract extension.
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the Astros have "remained in contact with the Athletics on Sonny Gray."
Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said Sunday that the club has considered a contract extension for Yadier Molina.
According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Dodgers view Ian Kinsler as a possible fallback option if the team is unable to acquire Brian Dozier.


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by Anton Shilov
NVIDIA Corp.'s chief architect David Kirk said in an interview that the company would make a graphics processor with unified pixel and vertex processing engines – an approach backed by Microsoft Corp. and ATI Technologies, but denounced by NVIDIA earlier – in future. The executive said that from manufacturing standpoint such a chip would be easier to make, but harder to design.
"We will do a unified architecture in hardware when it makes sense. When it's possible to make the hardware work faster unified, then of course we will. It will be easier to build in the future, but for the meantime, there's plenty of mileage left in this architecture," David Kirk said in an interview with Bit-tech.net web-site.
Late last year ATI and NVIDIA revealed their standpoints on the so-called unified shader processing engines within a graphics chip. ATI said that such an approach was very efficient and would allow to dynamically allocate resources of a chip. The company has developed a graphics processor for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console, which actually has unified shader processors. NVIDIA late last year said that unified shader processor was not really efficient for both vertex and pixel processing compared to specifically optimized pipes.
Microsoft pushes unified shader language for pixel and vertex shaders in its next-generation Xbox 360 game console ad well as graphics API of Windows Longhorn – Windows Graphics Foundation 2.0. As a result of that graphics hardware designers should deliver their chips with unified shader engines at some point in future in order to more efficiently support the new API. But at this point NVIDIA thinks the approach is not something required tremendously in short-term future, which may be a feasible, as Longhorn is not expected to be launched earlier than in mid-2006.
"It's far harder to design a unified processor - it has to do, by design, twice as much. Another word for 'unified' is 'shared', and another word for 'shared' is 'competing'. It's a challenge to create a chip that does load balancing and performance prediction. It's extremely important, especially in a console architecture, for the performance to be predicable. With all that balancing, it's difficult to make the performance predictable," Mr. Kirk said.


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"As a teacher of literature, I'm sometimes questioned about its relevance. It's one of those subjects that makes students ask, 'Why do I need to know this?'" Susan Lassiter, MC associate professor of English, says. "I believe that literature is relevant because it teaches us empathy. As a young reader, I loved a variety of books and identified with many characters – Jo in Little Women, Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice. Those characters and how they react to adversity, injustice, and relationships become a part of our conscious and subconscious.
"Literature gives readers the opportunity to see how others have dealt with the crushing pain and the ultimate joy of life," Lassiter continues. "That's why we reach for the Bible to know we aren't the first to hurt or feel abandoned, or for the Nancy Drew book to know we need to begin to figure our way out of trouble. When I teach literature, I try to make it relevant to situations students might experience in their own lives."
Students and colleagues who meet Susan Lassiter for the first time are struck by her lively, outgoing personality, quick wit, and ready smile. Listening as Lassiter chats about her favorite books and authors and recalls adventures from her previous career in high fashion, it's hard to imagine that her own biography would include tragic loss and a life-threatening illness. But taking her cue from the characters in her well-worn book collection, in times of trial, Susan Lassiter has always looked to the chapter ahead.
After earning her bachelor's degree in English, confirmed bookworm Susan Lassiter applied for a position with McRae's Department Stores as an assistant buyer in the retail chain's book department. But like the novels Lassiter enjoyed most, the interview took an unexpected twist.
"I had always loved fashion, and I went to the interview dressed the way I imagined the people I saw in Vogue magazine might dress," Lassiter recalls with a laugh. "I must have made an impression, because instead of putting me in the book department, they hired me to be the assistant to the special events director, planning fashion shows."
Lassiter was soon promoted to fashion coordinator, a position that found her styling McRae's advertisements, catalogs, and TV commercials. Five years later, she became a corporate buyer, traveling to New York City several times a year to meet with the world's premier fashion designers."
I remember walking down Seventh Avenue on my way to meet with Calvin Klein or Oscar de la Renta, and thinking to myself, 'How did I get here?'" Lassiter says. "I had read books about models and the fashion industry as a little girl, but I never dreamed I would have my own career in that world. It was a very exciting time."
Lassiter worked for McRae's for a decade while also juggling a busy home life that included her husband, Larry, and their young son, John. While she loved the fast-paced world of high fashion, the travel required meant spending several weeks at a time away from her family. When she and her husband began discussing having another child, Lassiter realized the time had come to change careers. In 1985, she left McRae's and returned to graduate school at MC with plans to earn her master's degree in English and become a teacher.
Lassiter's passion for literature had never waned. She enjoyed the challenge of returning to school and the freedom to spend more time with four-year-old John. While she was studying and teaching as a graduate assistant, Lassiter and her husband learned they were expecting a baby girl. Their life together seemed headed for a storybook ending.
The story changed with a knock on the door on a cold night in December of 1986. Lassiteranswered to find the police waiting with devastating news. Her 33-year-old husband had been killed in a car accident. Numb with grief and shock, Lassiter found comfortin her friends and family, her faith, and in the literature she had always loved.
"My favorite poem by Emily Dickinson, whose work I read all through school and went back to after Larry died, describes the process of dealing with grief: This is the hour of lead /Remembered if outlived/As freezing persons recollect the snow/ First chill, then stupor, then the letting go," Lassiter says. "The realization that some of us don't outlive our grief was so evident in some of the people who came to comfort me – their pain was so overwhelming, they could not see the joy in their lives. I was not going to be one of those people. The line I kept remembering was 'then the letting go.' My grief was at times overwhelming, but I was not going to let my children grow up thinking life ends when it doesn't turn out as you planned. I had to let go of my dreams of the past and work on new ones with them.
"Three weeks after Larry Lassiter's death, his daughter, Emily, was born on what would have been the Lassiters' wedding anniversary. A few weeks later, Susan Lassiter returned to the classroom. She continued to teach as a graduate assistant, earning her master's degree in 1989. When a fulltime teaching position opened at MC that same year, Lassiter accepted it, and was eventually promoted to her current position as assistant professor of English.
In 1992, Lassiter married Jim Temple, a fellow member of Epworth Methodist Church who had fallen in love not only with Susan, but also with John and Emily Lassiter. But just when it seemed they would live happily ever after, the family was thrown another twist. In 1997, Lassiter was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy. Once again, Lassiter's comfort came in the support of her family, her faith, and in the pages of her favorite books."
Books taught me that grief is not reserved for a loss of a loved one," Lassiter says. "Humans grieve over the loss of love, the loss of dreams, the loss of dignity, and untold other reasons. The way we deal with loss comes from all the pieces that make us who we are. I was determined and positive because I never knew any other way to be."
More than a decade later, Lassiter is fully recovered and celebrating her twenty-sixth year as an instructor at MC. Over the course of her career, she has become one of the university's most well-loved and popular professors. Most of her students are unaware of the tragedies she has overcome in years past, but they do sense in Susan Lassiter an empathetic quality that makes her not only an outstanding teacher, but also a trusted friend and inspirational role model.
"Professor Lassiter is simply the best teacher I have ever had, not just at MC, but at any school I have ever attended," says MC junior Danielle Ashley. "She is extremely intelligent, but she teaches in a way that surpasses the academic level. She makes literature come to life and relates it to real life. In her class, I've learned about relationships, life, death, communication, and so much more. Realizing how much I've learned about life and literature from her, I've even considered becoming a professor myself. To say I'm blessed to have her as a teacher is an understatement. Because of Professor Lassiter, I'm a better person."
Far more important than teaching her students how to interpret passages from poems or write a research paper, Lassiter has helped her students find the same empathy, the same connection, and the same comfort in literature that she herself has discovered."
I had a student who really struggled to get through one of my sophomore literature classes. Six years later, he showed up at my office door, and told me he was coming back to school to take more English courses. I asked him why." Lassiterpauses, her eyes filling with tears. "He said, 'I've been in the military, fighting in the Middle East. When it was dark and I was lonely and scared, I could hear your voice, reading those poems. That was what got me through.'"
As Professor Susan Lassiter well knows, literature doesn't get any more relevant than that.


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About the Author: Matthew J. Owens serves as a public affairs specialist in the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP).
Each year, the U.S. Department of State releases the Trafficking in Persons Report, which provides a global diagnosis of the global effort to combat human trafficking.
This year, the report, which included rankings and narratives on 177 countries including the United States, was nearly 400 pages long. These pages hold the stories of victims, recommendations for governments, and a clear path forward toward partnership to lift people out of all forms of modern slavery.
On Thursday, September 30, Ambassador Luis CdeBaca traveled to Capitol Hill to update Congress on how the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons -- and the State Department at large -- is working to turn words into action. Click here to read Ambassador CdeBaca's testimony.
Ambassador CdeBaca joined several key partners in the anti-trafficking movement in testifying before the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, including David Abramowitz of Humanity United, Dr. Aruna Uprety of the Rural Health Education Services, Neha Misra of the AFL-CIO's Solidarity Center; and Dr. Beryl D'Souza of the India Dalit Freedom Network. In addition, Ambassador Mark Lagon of Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service testified, thereby signifying the continued commitment from one U.S. administration to the next to combat trafficking in persons.
Utilizing the expertise of diplomats worldwide and partnering with nongovernmental organizations by funding anti-trafficking projects, such as shelters and public awareness campaigns, the Office is working hard to tackle all forms of modern slavery -- be they sexual or labor trafficking.
Learn more about human trafficking at www.state.gov/g/tip. Follow the G/TIP Office on Facebook and Twitter.


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You are searching for
Welding Businesses for Sale in Ashfield, New South Wales 2131
Sydney NSW - Sydney CBD
$549,000 OR Equity Share Available.
Highly Profitable | Niche Business | Opportunity for Partnership |
Owner's Revenue circa $360k p.a. Well established business, trading for over 13 years. Current Owner cannot continue to control the business by himself, at i...
Matt Boswell


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This will be a short post today â Iâm in the middle of taxes.
I canât stand tax time!
Not a big shock. Most people equate doing taxes with getting a root canal.
This is the first year my husband and I are filing jointly. It will also be the first time he will be filing online (Iâve been using that method for years, it makes life so much easier).
We have all the needed paperwork â so I canât imagine it will take longer than an hour or two â it is just the idea of it. Taxes. The word even sounds painful.
At least the government can make it enjoyable: OK, I owe X amount. Iâd like to put it all toward keeping arts education in public schools.
Or for everyone who turns in their taxes on time, you get tickets to the movies or a Starbucks card.
My idea: Since everything money wise is connected by our Social Security numbers, I donât understand why the IRS and the Social Security Administration canât get their spreadsheets and link them together. That way, they would know what everyoneâs taxes were.
I suggest the government do what the cruise ships do: At the end of your trip you get a statement, and if you donât agree with it, you can go to the purserâs desk. If you donât agree with what you owe â or what the government owes you â go can submit your taxes, otherwise, you donât have to.
Some people might find this a bit too âbig brother.â
Apparently, some people also have fun at the dentist.
View our privacy policy and terms of service.


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Clinical Experience Guarantee & Placement Priority Rules
Clinical Experience Guarantee
Washington University School of Law guarantees every interested J.D. student at least one law clinic or externship experience during his or her second or third year of law school.
Placement Priority Rules
3L students have first priority. Although we cannot necessarily meet all student choices of law clinic or externship, our application review process seeks to accommodate those selections.
* Where there are special circumstances, the Associate Dean for Clinical Education may grant an exception to the priority rules.
Out of Town Externships
These include the following externships: Congressional & Administrative Law Externship (DC), New York Regulatory & Business Externship (NY), Patent Law Externships, Corporate Judicial Externship (DE) and International Externships.
AY 16-17 Out-of-Town Externship Informational Session Handout [View PDF] | Informational Meeting [View Video ] (password protected)
Register Online for the Out of Town Externships
St. Louis Based Clinics/Externships
These include the following clinics/externships: Appellate, Children and Family Advocacy, Criminal Justice, Civil Rights, Community Justice & Mediation, Government Lawyering, Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property, Interdisciplinary Environmental, Lawyering Practice Externship, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, Judicial Clerkship Externship and Prosecution Clinic.
Click here for more information and registration forms.
Click here to register for St. Louis based Clinics/Externships.
Summer Experiential Opportunities
Click here for more information and registration forms.


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Nickname: "EJ"
Height: 5-6
Weight: 99
Birthplace: Bakersfield, Calif.
High School: Bakersfield H.S. (Bakersfield, Calif.)
Year of Graduation: 2013
Coach: Master Francis Esposo
Dojang: Han's Taekwondo Academy (Bakersfield, Calif.)
Other Sports Played in High School: basketball
Hobbies: dancing, basketball and hanging out with friends
Family: his father, Joe Gallegos, competed in boxing and kick boxing from age 4-18...his uncle, Rod Tolentino, studied Shotokan Karate and earned his black belt in 1994...his uncle, Manny Marcos, also studied Shotokan Karate from 1991-93...his uncle, Joshua Gardner, competed in MMA from 2001-08 in King of the Cage, Gladiator Challenge, PFC and Total Combat.
Favorite Foods: pasta and In-N-Out double double cheeseburger
Pre-Competition Meal: pasta the night before competition, and banana and Gatorade the day of competition
Favorite Athlete: Kobe Bryant
Favorite Movie: "Step Brothers"
Favorite Music: rap and hip hop
Favorite Country Visited for Competition: Canada
Did You Know?: Ethan took piano lessons from age 9-11 but didn't show much interest, so he started taekwondo at the age of 12 as a birthday present from his grandfather, Roger Tolentino. He also played basketball from 2nd grade through freshman year in high school. When he was 9 a Bakersfield basketball traveling team (ages 10-12) wanted Ethan to play point guard for the team but his mother didn't approve because he was too young to travel.
Quotable Ethan Gallegos: "First, I want to thank God and ALL my coaches - Tony Phounsavath, Pete O'Rear, David Holguin and Matt Estioko - for helping me to train and work harder, Master Francis Esposo for all the guidance and believing in me when at times I just want to give up. I want to thank Grand Master Choon H. Han, my training/sparring partners Kristian Prounsavath and Joey Stieger for always getting me prepared for all the tournaments, my grandparents Roger and Isabel Tolentino for getting me started in taekwondo and their support, Dr. Oriente Esposo for all his support, the Han's Taekwondo athletes and parent, my little 4-year-old baby brother Emree, my mom Vangie and my dad Joe for ALL the LOVE and support they have always given me."
2012 World Junior Championships (Jr. Fin -45kg): Round of 64
-lost to Seyed Abbas Sadeghi Tabari (IRI), 18-1, in Round of 64
2012 U.S. Open (Jr. Fly): GOLD
-def. Fabian Amundsen (NOR), 11-0, in round of 32
-def. Leonel Avila (USA), 8-0, in round of 16
-def. Santiago Nino Perez (MEX), 3-1, in quarterfinals
-def. Ethan Vargas (USA), 9-0, in semifinals
-def. Austin Campbell (USA), 9-3, in finals
2012 Junior World Championships Team Member (Jr. Fin)
2012 Junior World Championships Open Team Trials (Jr. Fin): 1st
2011 Jr. Pan Am Championships (Jr. Fin): SILVER
(competed in place of injured Jr. National Team member Brandon Pitak)
-def. Rommel Quintanilla Huancas (PER), 11-3, in quarterfinals
-def. Pablo De Las Vega (CHI), 7-6, in semifinals
-lost to Brandon Plaza (MEX), 19-4, in finals
2011 Junior National Team Trials (Jr. Fin): 2nd
2011 USAT Junior Olympics (Jr. Fin): SILVER
2011 California State Championships (Jr. Fin): BRONZE
2011 USAT National Qualifier (Jr. Fly): SILVER
2010 Las Vegas Open (Jr. Fly): SILVER
2010 USAT Junior Olympics (Jr. Fin/Fly): GOLD
2010 California State Championships (Jr. Fin): GOLD
2010 USAT National Qualifier (Jr. Fin/Fly): BRONZE
2009 USAT Junior Olympics: GOLD
2009 California State Championships: GOLD
2008 USAT Junior Olympics: GOLD
2008 California State Championships: GOLD
last updated 5/7/12


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Number of Required Coins
: 121
Current Finest Possible Set Rating
: 53.126
View Set Composition
( Shop )
In 1950 Milford H. Bolender published The United States Silver Dollars from 1794 to 1803, a reference book based on his own specialized collection of Bust dollars. He described and illustrated each variety known to him at the time and assigned (B) numbers to each coin. The book was extensively revised by noted collector, Jules Reiver, in 1988. A second reference book, Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia, Vol. One, authored in 1993 by Q. David Bowers and Mark Borckardt corrected and updated the Bolender book. Each known variety was assigned a (BB) number.
This set requires coins which have been assigned both B and BB numbers through the PCGS Variety Attribution Service. Completion of this set would constitute a monumental achievement for the advanced collector.
Notes: Silver plugs can be used in this set and receive 2 bonus points.


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Postal Service responds to oil country concerns
Post offices in northwest North Dakota will be receiving extra attention from the U.S. Postal Service to address the impact of the oil boom on mail delivery.
The U.S. Postal Service announced Thursday that in response to unprecedented population growth in parts of western North Dakota and eastern Montana, it will "take steps to ensure that staffing, transportation, facilities and equipment are adequate to establish and maintain excellent service to customers."
Senior level managers will be temporarily assigned to the area to evaluate local post office operations and determine the needs of customers. Another manager will assist property developers and postmasters in establishing mail delivery and working with address databases.
Postal customers in parts of the oil patch have been complaining about long lines at post offices, delayed mail and returned mail. Their frustrations peaked in December when the volume of holiday mail aggravated problems even further. Williston, Watford City, Ray and Tioga have been among the most affected communities.
"Growth in the oil patch area has pushed the demand for postal services to the point where we have, in some cases, failed to meet our customers' expectations," Roy Reynolds, Dakotas district manager for the Postal Service, said in a news release. "Over the next few weeks, we will be laying a foundation for positive change."
Information on the number of managers and where they will be headquartered wasn't available Thursday, although the personnel are expected to start the work almost immediately. They will be working with post offices associated with the 588 and 587 zip codes in northwestern North Dakota as well as oil-impacted post offices in eastern Montana.
The U.S. Postal Service also continues to recruit and train additional staff.
"We're hiring now," Reynolds said. "The Postal Service is a great place to work. We need to be creative in getting that word out."
Current job openings listed online at (about.usps.com) include new postings for a substitute rural carrier and a transitional city carrier in Minot. "Transitional carrier" describes a temporary, long-term position.
The openings include a clerk and substitute rural carrier in Watford City; a city mail carrier, mail processing clerk and substitute rural mail carrier in Williston; a mail processing clerk in Stanley; and a substitute rural mail carrier in New Town.
Postmaster relief positions are available in Ray, Roseglen, Fortuna, Zahl and Cartwright. These relief positions often are part-time and aid small post offices with one-person staffs.
Kim Steffan, city auditor in Ray, said she hears the complaints, including two on Thursday morning, from residents who are frustrated with the local post office and its restricted window hours. Lately, residents have been concerned about returned mail from the local post office, which has been staffed by temporary workers until a vacancy can be filled. Steffan said the city has had mail returned as undeliverable even though the recipients have lived at those city addresses for many years.
So actions by the U.S. Postal Service to look into fixing the problems is good news, she said.
"It's a wonderful thing," she said. "That will be great."
Peni Peterson, city auditor in Watford City, agreed that the Postal Service announcement is good news.
"It has been needed, and I think once they are here, they will realize maybe the struggles and the frustrations we are having," she said. "A lot of the frustrations that we have are accurate, and I think they will be able to see that first-hand."
Peterson said she hopes that once the Postal Service realizes the load that its existing employees labor under at the Watford City post office that it will both hire more help and raise wages to better compete for and compensate workers.


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Funding a system in need of repair
Ronald Reagan once said, "The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much." Keeping this in mind, it is vitally important that we thoroughly examine the system that has been funding school districts in Iowa: Allowable Growth. Should we be spending additional money on a system that is admittedly in need of repair?
If we are committed to rebuilding our education system back to the top-tier status it should be, we need to focus on getting to the root of the problems before we decide to dedicate even more money to it. I think all parties can agree that Iowa's education system falls short in some areas and everyone at the table is committed to fixing those problems. However, all this needs to be done in a fiscally responsible way.
To keep perspective on this issue, 0 percent allowable growth would provide about $3,960,500,000 aid for schools. Of that, $2,655,300,000 is state income and sales tax dollars which is an increase of $1,600,000 from FY13 estimates and about $1,360,700,000 in local property taxes, which is an increase of $49,900,000 from FY13. With that in mind, Senate Democrats released their proposal to set allowable growth at 4 percent. That would provide about $4,083,800,000 total aid to schools with $2,788,700,000 from state income and sales tax dollars, which is an increase of $134,900,000 and about $1,353,200,000 in local property taxes, which is an increase of $42,400,000 from FY13.
Their proposal would continue the practice of taking away local control from districts, demanding they meet state directives instead. These directives are part of the system that needs an overhaul. We want the best for our children and can provide that to them in the form of education if we take a step back and focus on raising student achievement levels.
While 4.0 percent allowable growth in Fiscal Year 2014 may not seem like too much to ask for, it is important to remember that the number compounds. Does it seem reasonable to provide additional revenue to maintain the status quo? For three consecutive years under Democrat control in the Legislature and under Governor Culver, schools suffered over $450 million in underfunding after being promised increases. Overpromising and under delivering hurts school districts and we need to push for responsible budgeting.
Allowable Growth negotiations are a process and as the education reform pieces start to fall into place, Iowans can rest assured that we will find solutions to things like raising student achievement levels, and enabling students to compete in a global marketplace, while remaining fiscally responsible.
As always, I want to hear from you. My senate number is (515) 281-3371 and my home number is (515) 432-7327 or write me at: State Capitol, Des Moines, IA 50319 or at my home address: 1313 Quill Avenue, Boone, IA 50036 or email me at email@example.com.


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After trying a lot a sauces with a lot of herbs and spices I surprised myself when I made the best sauce I ever tasted with just garlic powder, oregano and red pepper flakes. The simple sauce provided the perfect contrast to the cheese and the other ingredients. I guess that it's more effective to use "primary colors".
If someone's running a pizza restaurant and has to come here to ask about a sauce recipe, I'd be buying my pizza elsewhere!
I need help what is the best brand of cans and the recipe to make 12 cans (6 lb 11 oz each ) pizza sauce for restaurant Thank you


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The Most Fashionable Rooms of the Week
Over at Julianne Moore's place, real life reigns: tricycle in the entrance hall, vacuum cleaner roaring, her baby being coddled in the kitchen. And when the star from Far From Heaven and The Hours sets down a drink on the George Nakashima coffee table, brace yourself. She doesn't use a coaster. "Nakashima wanted people to really live with his pieces," says the award-winning redhead, radiant in blue jeans and a sweatshirt. "When I bought this table, I had an oil-and-wax finish put on it. But after a couple of months I sent it back and said, 'Oh go ahead and polyurethane it.' "
Actress Julianne Moore with her daughter, Liv, and architect Oliver Freundlich in the living room of the Manhattan duplex Moore shares with Freundlich's brother, Bart.
That disarming mix of high style and down-home practicality defines not only Moore but also the loft where she and writer-director Bart Freundlich live with their children, Caleb, five, and Liv, ten months. There's no movie-star glamour here, nothing to indicate that Moore is one of the best-dressed, best-known, and most admired women in Hollywood.
The living room is furnished with vintage sectional sofas by Vladimir Kagan. A Nakashima coffee table, a leather armchair from Furniture Co., and drift-wood table lamps; the rug is by Odegard. New York Skyline from the Bridge, a Nan Goldin photograph, hangs above the fireplace
The Most Fashionable Rooms of the Week


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Beautiful romantic curly drawn back hairstyle
This updo hairstyle looks gorgeous. The long hair is taken off the back and shoulders and placed into this romantic style. The hair is pulled back at the forehead and brushed back at the sides. At the back, the hair has all been gathered together and curled. A designer hair clip finishes off the look.For this haircut, the hair is long.This hair colour is a dark blonde.
Passion Beauty Upstyles & Weddings Volume 11 Photograph Courtesy of Passion Beauty Salon: Trilogy Salon & Day Spa, Newark, DE Hairstylist: Jessica McCleary Haircolorist: Jessica McCleary Makeup: Maple Soukup Photographer: Tom Carson


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A few years back I went through a stretch where I was spending way too much money on baseball cards for some reason. It didn't last long. My favorite set was the Turkey Red from Topps that they put out from 2005-2007. Loved the look of those cards.
I just found out that Topps released a 2013 set. You could only buy it online at Topp's website. Limited run with a 100 card base set priced at $20 for a box that consisted of one pack with 10 cards and an Auto. Fuckin' Topps ruins everything. Now it's sold out and selling for twice that on eBay.
The only Indian I saw at a quick glance was Asdrubal.
Anyway, here's a custom Turkey Red I whipped up back then with my superior photoshop skills:


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quote ArtirticoMy apologies, I didn't mean to imply any type of superiority or anything. As for my job I make around 40-42,000 US a year ($17.15 an hour at 48 hours a week) so I do alright for being 22. My dad had a saying before he passed that hard work is good for the soul though definitely not good for the body lol. You must learn to balance work with play to truly have a fulfilling life. So my good cheer usually comes from being glad I'm alive and I have a nice cold beer waiting for me at the end of the day. Usually Guinness. (especially after being deployed but I wont bore you with war stories of Afghanistan). And I've noticed the people, around me at least, that work even into old age tend to live significantly longer. Like they have a purpose and death can wait til they are done. Thats why you see rich people who barely scratch 60-70, and then you get 80-100 year old, whiskey drinking, hard nosed, A-holes. Sorry don't mean to get preachy but moral is you can be dissatisfied with life but Why not enjoy it while you can right?I've not found much opportunity to just sit and read recently either.
quote ArtirticoHey man don't read it on my account, reading should be fun before mandatory.I reckon I'll go for it somewhen, as soon as the 'reading schedule' eases somewhat haha
quote ArtirticoAh yes, its been awhile since I read them through, and I haven't read the most recent one so a great many details allude me. Plus I read it when I was younger and I'm sure my perspective at the time made me overlook things unintentionally that I would catch now.As such, I'm still on the first Game of Thrones book, but enjoying it - I'm finding the writing style more fluid than Goodkind, so think it's one I could read straight if I had the time. The general tone of the book also reads more like a fairly light historic novel (so far at least) with the element of Fantasy on the side, as opposed to the flat-out Fantasy of Wizards First Rule so I guess I feel more 'at home' reading it The constant shifting of character perspectives has made it a bit tricky to pick up on just who the heck a few of the people are, but that aside it's going well thus far; will have to see how the storyline develops to make further judgement. Jon and Arya are epic though
quote ArtirticoHmm never heard, I looked it up and it seems like one of those sappy types to me. So not in my relative interest, though I occasionally pick up such things. Obviously I prefer things of the more fantastical nature or scientific nature, though I adore history too.'Something Like Winter'
quote ArtirticoA shame you don't like Borderlands, it actually functions quite like KoA in terms of equipment drops its just an FPS instead of a 3rd person. Aww man I have all those games for ps2 still, I remember the good ole days playing that and Jak and Daxter too. love those guys.Borderlands is definitely not for me haha, but it looks to be pretty solid for the type of game it is I'm currently revisiting Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time
quote SpartanNinjaI could see him taking that stance on prophecy yes. It wasn't the worst iteration of it that I've come across in general, what with it being fairly open for interpretation and it ultimately resolving in quite an out and about way (though still not particularly unexpected admittedly), but yes it looks to be something of a re-curring theme then. Still, seeing how different people react to it all can very much add to character.I believe Richard hates it with such a passion for he believes it to be a farce.
quote ArtirticoHey guy its been awhile. Glad to hear from you.so though I'd 'report back'
quote ArtirticoWizard's First Rule is a little rough indeed. I hate Prophecy too and its been awhile since I read the series let alone the first one I believe Richard hates it with such a passion for he believes it to be a farce. As for whether or not it is fake or not I choose to believe it is not true. Throughout the series Terry goes into ever increasing detail about it and why it can and can't work from various characters. The first book does do a bit of shuffling around with characters, but nearly everyone comes back at some point or another in the series. For instance the mud people play a significant role in the next story and in a much later book. Yes the characters are what makes this story appealing to me at least. One complaint heard around the world (and from me too) is that he repeats himself quite a bit throughout his books. And I mean that in a literal way.Pretty good overall, though for the most part I wasn't 'completely hooked' - I'll go through a book in a day or two (or maybe a couple more considering the size of this one) if I get into that state where it simply cannot be put down, but whilst I quite enjoyed it, it didn't get to that point, so it did take me a while...
Prophecy is something I hate, and it shows up in far too many Fantasy books, so that was a dislike. The plot was very clever in places, but I also found that it sometimes became too 'co-incidental'; characters conveniently moving in and out of the main storyline for it to progress and such, so it was a little hard to believe in places.
Great characters overall though, that I feel I got to understand. In a broad sense, it reminded me of 'The Belgariad' (David Eddings), only quite a bit more in depth with certain darker aspects...
quote ArtirticoShe plays a rather significant role on his how Richard's psyche evolves and his compassion for Mord-Sith in general afterward. I personally enjoyed the recruit army in the next one. Overwhelming odds and they barely overcome by using guerillla tactics. and its not deus ex machina all the bad guys are suddenly gone after killing the big bad. There are men fighting for the formal way of things. and a lot of them. yada yada. If you pick it up cool if not sad but also cool.around Denna - WHAT A CHARACTER. Haven't ever read anything quite like her; oddly fascinating and I became somewhat worryingly attached...
Agreed entirely that that section left me pretty fatigued (in a good way) and aside from a book called 'Chase in Shadow' (Amy Lane), neither had I read any previously that made me feel so strongly that way.
quote ArtirticoThats a pretty good series too, Its ridiculously overhyped but one of the few that can at least partially live up to that hype. Its also pretty dark, like castrations and torture and rape but its got a fair bit of intrigue. To compare where Wizard's first rule was physical, Game of Thrones is mental. But do keep in mind they are completely different stories but thats the motif. Relative to my interests is how their work has decade long Summer and Winters, which is important to the plot but also important to guy like me who finds stuff like that fascinating, similar to how Dragon Age takes place in the southern hemisphere on their world and as such the bitter cold north is actually south.I've already got a load of others lined up for now (starting with Game of Thrones), so for now it shall have to wait.
quote SpartanNinjaSoooo, going back a loooong way here, but I recently found out that as a staff member, I can reserve books from anywhere in the county for free - the only Goodkind book we had in the place I work at was a recent one, BUT I was able to pick up the first in the Sword of Truth series by ordering it in, so though I'd 'report back'quote ArtirticoJust a word of warning on Terry Goodkind stuff, it can have some pretty horrific descriptions. And it is fairly depressing but it always ends relatively well. Lets just say the battles are hard fought at best in those novels. I never read something that made me physically and mentally fatigued before lol. In a good way though.I'll have to check if the library has the Goodkind stuff
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text: On this day … 19th May 1862 … Christina Boyle and Joseph Booth Espley married in Prestbury, Cheshire. Joseph is my wife's great grand uncle. 1923 … Harry Dawson was born in Yorkshire to parents Joseph Dawson and Alice Hurtley. He is my dad's brother and my uncle. Share this:TwitterFacebookEmailLike this:Like Loading... Related


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Creamy Pistachio Pops
- One 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 4 Earl Grey tea bags
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Handful finely chopped pistachios, plus extra for garnish
DirectionsWatch how to make this recipe.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the evaporated milk to a simmer until small bubbles form around the circumference of the pot. Meanwhile, snip the tops of the tea bags and add to the evaporated milk. Whisk in the cardamom. Once the milk is simmering, turn the heat off, cover and let sit and steep for 30 minutes.
Strain the evaporated milk into a large bowl. Whisk in the condensed milk, heavy cream and pistachios. Pour the mixture into ice pop molds, small bowls or a large bowl. Cover the bowls with a piece of plastic wrap to avoid freezer burn and the formation of a "skin." Pop them into the freezer and freeze overnight.
When you're ready to serve, run the ice pop mold under hot water to loosen it. You can do the same thing for the smaller bowls if you'd like to serve it as a little kulfi half dome. Garnish with more nuts if you like and serve.
Recipe courtesy of Aarti Sequeira, 2010
Cooking Tips
More Recipes and Ideas
Peppered Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Recipe courtesy of Sandra Lee
Grand Marnier Chocolate Truffles With Pistachios
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen


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Artist Nickolay Lamm, who shocked the world with his computer renditions of a doll modeled on an actual teenage woman, has decided to bring his creation to life by raising $95,000 through CrowdtiltOpen, a crowdfunding tool, to sell the "Lammily" doll, which carries the tagline "Average is beautiful"+ READ ARTICLE
While we might admire Barbie's career aspirations, the dolls famously unrealistic body proportions (which would force a real woman to walk on all fours… with half a liver) leave a lot to be desired. So artist Nickolay Lamm gained a lot of attention last summer when he showed the world what Barbie would look like if she had the CDC measurements of an average 19-year-old woman's body.
"A lot of people asked where they could buy normal Barbie," Lamm told TIME. "But no one could buy it because it didn't exist."
So rather than just waiting for some other toy company to bring a Barbie with realistic proportions to life, he decided to do it himself. Wednesday, Lamm launched his own CrowdtiltOpen crowd funding project to raise $95,000 to begin production on a doll that has a real woman's proportions. The line is called Lammily and its tagline is: "Average is beautiful."
The doll has brown hair by default and comes with minimal makeup:
She also promotes a healthy lifestyle:
And advanced design allows the doll to move her wrists, knees, elbows, and feet:
That means she can wear sneakers and sensible heels:
Here she is from another angle:
In a recent interview with Fast Company, Barbie lead designer Kim Culmone vigorously defended the dolls ridiculous measurements, arguing not only that it wasn't responsible for instilling negative body images in young girls but also that it was necessary to get clothes on and off the doll's body with ease. "I've heard that argument before but I find it odd," Lamm said. "There are female action figures who are full bodied, and clothes fit fine."
And Lamm is putting his money where his mouth is with this new line of dolls. Former Vice President of manufacturing at Mattel Robert Rambeau is even helping Lamm find high quality manufacturers to get the doll done right. (And since Barbie sales have been dwindling, the folks currently at Mattel might want to take note.)
This has been a good year for positive influence dolls. In fact, while the commercial breaks of the 2014 Super Bowl shied away from highly sexualized portrayals of women (even GoDaddy deviated from the norm), the 111.5 million viewers at home did see an ad for GoldieBlox, which makes construction and engineering-based toys for girls. GoldieBlox, too, started with a Kickstarter.


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NYPA To Begin Removal Of Docks And Buoys Along The St. Lawrence River Beginning October 24
Jill Chamberlain-Winters
(315) 764-6841
October 14, 2011
MASSENA—Starting on Monday, Oct. 24, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) will begin removing docks and buoys along the St. Lawrence River in the vicinity of its St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project. The process is expected to take approximately two weeks, but the timeframe will be dependent on river and weather conditions.
Docks and buoys will be removed from the following locations:
In the Town and Village of Waddington:
• Howard Park docks
• Whitaker Park docks
• Old Milk Factory buoys
In the Town of Massena:
• Massena Intake docks
• Hawkins Point dock & buoy
• South Channel buoy
NYPA removes its docks and buoys each fall to ensure the safety of the public and to the workers performing the removal, as well as to avert damage to boats, docks and buoys during winter's sub-freezing temperatures. NYPA officials will notify the public when the docks and buoys are to be reinstalled next spring.
About NYPA:
■ The New York Power Authority uses no tax money or state credit. It finances its operations through the sale of bonds and revenues earned in large part through sales of electricity. ■ NYPA is a leader in promoting energy efficiency, new energy technologies and electric transportation initiatives. ■ It is the nation's largest state public power organization, with 17 generating facilities in various parts of New York State and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. ■ Approximately 80 percent of the electricity it produces is clean renewable hydropower. Its lower-cost power production and electricity purchases support hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout the state. ■For more information, www.nypa.gov.


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Pertex 20d 100% Nylon R/S 1.03oz/yd
The Atom's ultra light design and high quality down have given it cult status among alpinists as a bivvy bag on extreme climbs. A great bag for warm-weather nights on casual summer road trips, the full update — with changes like curved baffles that reduce shifting down and a fold-down second zipper for ventilation — makes this bag even more comfortable than before.
- Fold-Down Second Zipper Provides added Ventilation, Easy Access. Anti-Snag Slider reduces Snagging
- Anatomically Designed Footbox with Wrap-Around Construction increases Warmth
- Smooth-Curved Baffles Reduce Down Shifting. Nautilus Multi-Baffle Hood limits heat loss
- Filled and Finished in Rohnert Park, California
- Certified 800+ Fill Power Goose Down
- Ultralight Pertex Microlight 20d 100% Nylon Ripstop DWR 1.03 oz/sqyd
- Sewn-Through Baffles
- EN Tested
- Full Length Locking YKK Two Way Zipper with Zip-Guard Slider
- Down Defender to Improve Water-Resistance in Wet Conditions
- Internal Stash Pocket
- Snagless Insulated Draft Tube
- Two Way Zipper Sliders
- Hood Draw Cord
- Zipper Garage
- Stretch Tricot Baffles
- Two Hang Loops
- Stuff and Storage Sack Included
Main Materials
Pertex 20d 100% Nylon R/S 1.03oz/yd
Lining Material
30d 100% Nylon DWR 1.09 oz/yd
Insulation Material
800+ Fill Power Goose Down
Fill Weight
8.6oz (245g)
Bag Loft
Bag Temperature F
Bag Temperature C
EN Rating
Comfort: 44.1°F / 6.7°C | Lower Limit: 35.4°F / 1.9°C | Extreme: 8.4°F / -13.1°C
Interior Length
81in (206cm)
Bag Dimensions (Shoulder x Hip x Foot)
61in (154.9cm) x 56in (142.2cm) x 39in (99.1cm)
Bag Zipper position
1lbs 4.7oz (589g)
Style Number


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Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: The Urge to Merge
NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Investors are still fighting the tape, Jim Cramer told "Mad Money" viewers Tuesday, but that's not stopping just about every sector from housing and health care to retail and the rails from rallying and rallying big.
Perhaps more interesting than the market rally is what's going on behind the scenes, he said -- the urge to merge has kicked into high gear.
Cramer said while stocks are up big from their 2008 lows, they are still far cheaper than they were in 2007, which is making them more and more attractive to companies looking to grow on the cheap.
He said news that OfficeMax (OMX) and Office Depot (ODP) are looking to merge shouldn't come as a surprise, as that's exactly what's needed to compete with Staples (SPLS) and Costco (COST) .
Then there's Heinz (HNZ) , a company that's been increasing earnings and expanding internationally for years. Yet, the analysts remained negative on the stock, said Cramer, which makes it no surprise that Warren Buffett became interested in buying the company.
Dell (DELL) is no different, said Cramer, nor is Virgin Media (VMED) , or Copano Energy (CPNO) or Acme Packet (APKT) . In all of these cases, companies and their CEOs are betting big that weakness in the present will grow into big profits in the future.
Confidence has returned to the markets, Cramer concluded, so rather than fighting the tide, why not jump in and join them?
Off the Charts
In the "Off The Charts" segment, Cramer went head to head with colleague Tim Collins over the chart of SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) to see if the precious metal should remain in your portfolio after what has been a difficult few months for gold.
According to Collins, the nearly five-year bullish trend for gold ended in October, when the rally lost its mojo. He noted that investors continue with their "buy the dips" strategy, but since October, every dip has only yielded another leg lower. Gold could see a 3% to 4% bounce in the short term, said Collins, but he would not be a buying of that rally.
The weekly chart of the SPDR Gold Shares also confirmed this analysis because Collins noted a failed cup-and-handle formation, which is a bearish indicator. Collins felt GLD would remain rangebound between $150 and $175 a share, giving investors no reason to be long or short the commodity.
Cramer said while he continues to think gold should remain a part of every portfolio, he agreed with Collins that there's no reason to add to a position, and it makes sense to remain cautious on gold. He said the SPDR Gold Shares ETF has held up far better than any of the gold mining stocks, which is why he continues to recommend that ETF over any other gold investment.


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This particular TPHK seemed pretty temperamental... I had taken it to work but never got a good brew out of it there (but was guessing with amounts) -- brewed in both a kyuusu and a gaiwan (got slightly better results out of the gaiwan).
I brought it home and got great results from a gaiwan.
But... now that I think about it, I used up the last of my TPHK on the shibo try, and there was a lot of broken leaf in there that I did not clean out... so it may have been that. And unfortunately... that also means I can't try again!
Although, as I said, this TPHK was a really tough customer for some reason. I don't think I've any other tea that I bombed out that much on...


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Stocks Slip From Highs in Thin Trading
NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Major U.S. stock averages slipped Monday as investors took some profits after recent strong gains in equities and watched for headlines from a meeting of eurozone finance ministers and developments on the "sequestration" talks in Washington.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 22 points, or 0.16%, at 13,971. The blue-chip index began the session up 6.5% this year.
Breadth finished negative, with losers overshadowing winners 16 to 13. The biggest laggards in the Dow were Home Depot (HD) , UnitedHealth(UNH) , Boeing(BA) and IBM(IBM) .
Bank of America (BAC) , Pfizer(PFE) and Microsoft(MSFT) were among the Dow components that were trading higher.
The S&P 500 lost about 1 point to 1,517. The index has risen for each of past six weeks.
The Nasdaq was lower by 2 points to 3,192, but still near a 12-year high of 3,200.
Sector action was mixed in the broader market, as basic materials, energy, capital goods and health care shares lost ground. The transportation, consumer-cyclical utilities and technology sectors edged higher.
John Burke, financial adviser at Burke Financial Strategies, said he sees long-term benefits in having the sequestration deadline kick in at the beginning of March.
"The biggest concern we have here is that the government is
The Fed, he noted, is supposed to be focusing on monetary policy only. "It never had to worry about the unemployment rate before ... they're printing money to try to keep this economy afloat, and now Japan's doing the same thing, so we have to start currency wars. These are things that have never been done before."
"We're worried that about the long-term consequences ... certainly it would be better if they could reduce the budget deficit."
On the eurozone finance ministers meeting taking place in Brussels, Burke said he hopes the officials will seriously discuss long-term solutions for the region's economic problems that they have so far avoided through "little solutions," including jobs growth in southern Europe.
Market volumes totaled a mere 2.6 billion shares on the New York Stock Exchange and 1.54 billion on the Nasdaq on the heels of a snowstorm that hit the Northeast over the weekend and as Asian markets remained closed for public holidays.
Decliners outweighed advancers by a ratio of 1.2-to-1 on the Big Board and incrementally on the Nasdaq.
Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. on Sunday debated higher taxes as part of a proposal to avert $85 billion in automatic spending cuts, the so-called sequestration, that kicks in March 1.
Euro-area finance ministers are meeting Monday and Tuesday in Brussels to talk about potential aid for Cyprus, an update on how Greece is faring with its second rescue program, and proposals for direct bank bailouts by the region's permanent bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism.


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20 Games Like Summon Night()
You are a Fatebinder, the judge and executioner of Kyros' law, acting under the watchful eye of the Overlords Archon of Justice, Tunon the Adjudicator. Your words shape the lives of thousands. Will you use that power to bring justice and inspire loyalty? Or will you bring fear and cruelty to the beaten people of the Tiers?
79 / 10073.95
Fae Tactics
Endlessfluff Games is working on a Turn-based Tactics/Strategy RPG.
The game is set in the same world as one of their earlier games Legend of Fae, a match 3 RPG style game.
Earthlock: Festival of Magic
An original turn-based role-playing game set in a world of machines and magic, a world that stopped spinning thousands of years ago.
Rich, non-linear story
Turn-based combat (No Active Time Battle)
Combat pairs (Allows more variations to your battle team)
Grow your own ammunition (Organic crafting)
Build and improve your home base
Environmental Puzzles
Gorgeous overworld with a retro feel
No random encounters (Monsters visible at all times)
Play as Male or Female protagonist (You can switch at any time)
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate takes you back to the Forgotten Realms® campaign setting on a visually dazzling roleplaying adventure, one that brings to life grand tradition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons® game through cutting edge are and technology. Immerse yourself in the balance of your actions, dark prophecies, test your resolve, and heroic dreams can be fulfilled at last.
90 / 100634.5
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a single- and multiplayer top-down, party-based role-playing game with pen & paper RPG-like levels of freedom.It features turn-based combat, a strong focus on systematic gameplay and a well-grounded narrative.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Divinity: Original Sin, winner of over 150 Game of the Year awards and nominations.
Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights (NWN) is a third-person role-playing video game and is set in the fantasy world of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, with the game mechanics based on the Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition rules. The game engine was designed around an internet-based model for running a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG), which would allow end users to host game servers. The intent was to create a potentially infinite massively multiplayer game framework. This game was named after the original Neverwinter Nights online game; the first ever graphical massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), which operated from 1991 to 1997 on AOL.
86 / 100504.3
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher: Wild Hunt is a story-driven, next-generation open world role-playing game set in a visually stunning fantasy universe full of meaningful choices and impactful consequences. In The Witcher you play as the professional monster hunter, Geralt of Rivia, tasked with finding a child of prophecy in a vast open world rich with merchant cities, viking pirate islands, dangerous mountain passes, and forgotten caverns to explore.
98 / 1005114.9
The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited
The Elder Scrolls Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game that was announced in May 2012. Developed by the team at ZeniMax Online Studios, The Elder Scrolls Online merges the unmatched exploration of rich worlds that the franchise is known for with the scale and social aspects of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game.
An entirely new chapter of Elder Scrolls history will be revealed in this ambitious world, set a millennium before the events of Skyrim as the Daedric prince, Molag Bal, tries to pull all of Tamriel into his demonic realm.
71 / 100413.55
77 / 100163.85
Kingdom Hearts II
Kingdom Hearts II is an action role-playing game, and the primary entry to the series since the 2002 Disney Interactive and Square collaboration; Kingdom Hearts.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy wake from their slumber and prepare for the journey ahead. They must face Organization XIII, protect the Keyblade's power, and resume their search for the special people they have lost.
The game's setting is a collection of various levels (referred to in-game as "worlds") that the player progresses through. As in the first game, it II allows the player to travel to locales from various Disney works, along with original worlds specifically created for the series.
92 / 100474.6
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is an upcoming Japanese role-playing game and the fourth game based on the Sword Art Online light novel franchise.
Guild Wars 2
88 / 100674.4
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a compilation that brings the popular Kingdom Hearts [Dream Drop Distance] to the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system platform remastered in high definition.
Originally released in 2012, Kingdom Hearts [Dream Drop Distance] HD is a full-HD remastered version of Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance]. Series protagonists Sora and Riku take on the Mark of Mastery exam in preparation for coming threats. The signature action of the Kingdom Hearts series has evolved, allowing players to experience faster-paced battles and exploration at a blistering pace.
Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy XV is an upcoming action role-playing video game being developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is the fifteenth main installment in the Final Fantasy series, and forms part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries, which also includes Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Type-0.
Originally a spin-off titled Final Fantasy Versus XIII exclusive to the PlayStation 3, it is a heavy departure from previous games, providing a darker atmosphere that focuses on more realistic human characters than previous entries. The game features an open-world environment and action-based battle system similar to the Kingdom Hearts series and Type-0, incorporating the ability to switch weapons and other elements such as vehicle travel and camping.
80 / 100134.0
Illusion of Gaia
Journey into the dark side of an ancient civilization.
Radiating an ominous light in its path, the Chaos Comet threatens the existence of the planet. Battles erupt and a tentative peace is returned to the lands. Danger lurks as the Chaos Comet orbits and dreadful beasts lie awaiting.
In the Age of Exploration a boy named Will is born. Tragedy strikes during an expedition to the Tower of Babel separating Will from his father. Telekinetic forces awaken as Will returns to South Cape. Armed with his transformation abilities of two great warriors, Will must save the planet.
Gaia, Will's guiding spirit bestows magical powers and advice along his journey. With the help of his friends Will must battle relentless enemies and solve the puzzles of the ancient ruins. Patience and knowledge are essential to reunite this father and son.
78 / 100103.9
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows Of Amn
Every World has conflict. Good and evil. Friend and foe. Safety and danger. In Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, you'll find yourself between these factions. This epic sequel to the Roleplaying Game of the Year will immerse you in a world of intrigue, adventure and fierce combat where your ability to discern the difference between these sides - with the assistance of steel and spell - determines your fate. Set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, Baldur's Gate II is the most stunning Advanced Dungeons and Dragons game to date.
91 / 1001164.55
Riders of Icarus
Take the battle to the sky with fantastical flying mount combat unlike anything you've seen before in Riders of Icarus, the new unprecedented action-adventure MMORPG experience that lets you ride and fight on the back of the realm's most dangerous winged beasts… dragons.
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is a co-op Action RPG that immerses you and your friends in a brutal new chapter in the War of the Ring. Snowblind Studios is in the unique position of drawing inspiration from both the literary and film rights to world of Middle-earth, allowing players to bloody their axes on a wide range of deadly enemies and traverse both established and never-before-seen locations. The result is a journey that is both epic and intimate, familiar yet unexpected.
70 / 100213.5
Granblue Fantasy
Granblue Fantasy is a Japanese role-playing video game. The game plays as a traditional Japanese role-playing video game with turn-based battles. The game also contains summons and a class system that alters the main character's move-set and growth. Characters gain levels and abilities by accruing experience; summons and weapons equipped also confer characters with bonuses on attack power and HP. The characters themselves are gained either via quests (the main story quests or special event quests) or by using in-game currency to receive random crystal fragments, which may contain special weapons that add specific characters to the party. Characters, summons, and weapons are ranked (from best to worst) as SSR, SR, R, or N; each is also of type wind, water, fire, earth, light, or darkness. Voice actors provide voices for all of the characters in battle, and for much of the main and event storylines.