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|53 posts found
Advanced Member
Joined: 7/07/10
As you all know, I have a love/hate relationship towards WoW.
However, I have played almost every MMORPG released since 1998, and was playing WoW at initial release.
After all these years, I can tell you that the major reason WoW is still the King of the Hill is due to the following.
Because WoW came out way before all of the existing MMOs except EQ1, many many players over the years have developed characters and in some cases several characters all the way from level 1 to level 90. There is a huge time investment. Thus, even though players like myself, who really wish a ground breaking MMO would come out, all the new MMO's always are in some way shape or form a WoW clone to one degree or another.
This causes several things to happen:
1) Long time WoW players experience nothing new or different in a significant way to cause them to give up WoW for the new MMORPG. Although, these WoW players usually do not renew their subscription with WoW while playing the new MMO, most veteran WoW players do not usually renew at more than a month to 3 months anyway, as there is just not enough for a well versed level 90 to do except run the same raids over and over again grinding for gear, same for PvP. Despite that, they see the new MMO as nothing different. Thus, the new MMO is abandoned after a month or 2 as same old same old and no reason to abandon or play your level 90 WoW toons less.
2) The subscription for WoW becomes a plus for Blizzard....for not only is there a time investment, but a money investment for WoW players. For WoW Players are loathe to abandon the WoW investment of time and money for any MMO that does not blow them away. In teh end, the new MMO makes money off initial release, a month or 2 of sub time, and if F2P maybe some cash shop purchase profit, but in the end its not much. Also, the fact that if you decide to play WoW along with another MMO, that WoW sub hangs over your head...and if you do not play WoW enough during the same time you are trying out other MMOs, you kind of...feel guilty? Your money spent and not being used?
3) The power of the WoW clone defeats all new MMO's to some degree. I call this the "Fonzie Factor"...Back in the mid 1970's a sitcom came out that broke the sitcom genre, it was called "Happy Days" and was loosely based on a great movie that had come out previously called 'American Graffiti". Well, there was a character named 'Fonzie" that started out as a cameo character and not a main character, i.e. did not appear in every episode. The combination of his flair andthe fact that he was not in every episode created fans to eagerly anticipate his next appearence. Unfortunately, as with everything on network TV, the producers recognizing Fonzies popularity made him a regular character, then increased the number of time he would appear in each episode, then increased the amount of time he was in each episode, then making entire episodes revolve around him, and eventually, the whole series revolved around him. By then, fans were "Fonzie Saturated" and the series failed. THIS, is what developers and producers of MMOs do every single time they release a new MMO...they clone WoW over and over again, to the point where we are WoW saturated...just like Fonzie. The BEST example of this is "Wild Star".....as despite even to myself as being new and unique...its still the same old same old WoW formula.
In conclusion, there really is no reason for the large WoW player base to leave WoW 100% for another MMO, or moreover even share WoW time with another MMO. As long as game studios continue to base their MMO designs on WoW to some degree or another, they just dig their own holes. Where is the imagination? Where is the creativity or ingenuity?
I can easily see in some cases where great Devs come up with non WoW clones, only to have some high mucky mucky poo poo their ideas because "WoW is the mose successful MMO, they obviously are doing whats right, therefore we must do the same, and of course do it better, which will make players come to our game and make us king of the hill"....
Please Devs and Prods...stop the madness!
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Novice Member
Joined: 3/21/09
There's ultimately one answer to all of this: timing.
WoW was released at the PERFECT time. A time where MMOs were most definitely not the most populated gaming genre, but it was steadily gaining traction. WoW really helped catapult MMOs into the mainstream. This causes most peoples perception of an MMO to be like WoW: trinity grouping, dungeons n raids, pvp, an endgame, leveling, talent trees, etc..
The point I'm getting across is WoW has all the principles of what an MMO should be, in that theres a community of players that interact with each other while playing the games content. As a result, any MMO that comes trying to be a traditional MMO (by this I mean games like Guild Wars 2, Rift, EQ1/2, etc) looks like a WoW clone, and it is really unfair because they are simply making a traditional mmo experience...but because WoW skyrocketed the mmo genre, everything will be compared to it. It's the same way with other aspects of entertainment, like music. A band may not actually be that great (Beatles, yes hate me) but because they hit the market at the right time with the right material, it can be extremely successful and become a "trend setter".
Just my theory. WoW didn't do anything spectacular (yes its a good game, but its just as good as many other games out there), they just had fantastic business strategy.
Novice Member
Joined: 6/16/04
WoW's engine and combat fluidity is still top notch comparatively to any MMO released in the last decade. You hit an action, you guarantee that the animation will fire off immediately and the animation team did a fantastic job with animation duration timing as well. WoW, if not the first, really solidified the developer community with allowing UI addons and created a sub-market for open source developers.
You can't say that Blizzard "didn't do anything spectacular" because that would be a wholly disingenuous statement.
Novice Member
Joined: 3/02/07
Generally speaking, I agree with everything the OP says. However, the time investment isn't everything...
I've played Eve Online since 2004 and I've probably spent about £2,000 on the franchise - if you include Eve Online subscriptions, fanfest expenses, and payments for DUST. Nevertheless, I have recently unsubscribed from Eve Online because CCP have walked away from their original vision for Eve Online and there are other upcoming games that will fill that demand much better.
So I think WoW has been fortunate in that they have not had any serious competition up until now. I predict that Oculus Rift could change all that with time, but we'll have to wait until publishing houses have the courage to try something new!
Hard Core Member
Joined: 9/23/08
1) You say that people leave other games because it is same ole, same ole but you are also implying they go back to same ole, same ole WoW... That does not compute.
2) I would like to see some retention data...otherwise your assumptions is water based.
3) Yet, WoW is losing a lot of subs every year...and suprisingly the WoW clones are doing well. Again, your assumptions do not compute.
Novice Member
Joined: 6/16/04
Originally posted by Mors.Magne
Just to expand on this with my own feelings, it always feels as though there are 2-3 monoliths in every 'generation™' of gaming. Currently, when you look at MMORPGs, you immediately think of WoW or GW series as those monoliths of this generation. When you look at MMOFPSs you immediately think of the CoD of BF series FPS games. Additionally, when you look at MMOGs you come up with LoL, DotA or WoT.
Previous 'generations' of those might be games like Asherons Call, Doom/Wolfenstien and the like. I kind of think we are coming to the end of this generation's games and technologies like ORift will push us into that next generation where new monoliths of the gaming industries will make their mark and probably have threads like this discussing such things.
In 5 years, we might all be lol'ing at some new space sime saying how its, "just another WC clone". It's just the way business and the business cycle is.
Bitter Vet™
Joined: 9/13/06
Fools find no pleasure in understanding, but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Well, outside of disagreeing with one comment OP made, "Because WoW came out way before all of the existing MMOs except EQ1", (just not true, many MMOs out today pre-date WOW) but won't quibble since the rest of the points are quite relevant and well taken.
It's hard to leave WOW, especially when the playing experience of the next game offers so little difference, and usually not up to the same level of quality or player base size.
One reason I'm enjoying ArcheAge now is not because of its standard fare quests, run of the mill as always, but for the other elements the game provides that really are quite difference from standard theme park games, at least when put together in the way they are.
In fact, I'd probably enjoy AA even more if it had greater deviation from the theme park norm, because I'm looking for something different.
Failing to find that, I frequently return to EVE because it's a old friend, consistent, different, and harsh, something I prefer in my gaming.
Arrogant, Condescending, Dismissive, Elitist, "Meany", you speak as if these are bad things?
Hard Core Member
Joined: 9/27/12
Originally posted by Mors.Magne
WoW still doesn't have any serious competition, let's be real here.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 5/06/14
I still, to this day, believe that WoW is the best MMO on the market.
Many of today's modern MMOs have these great features but they all have huge flaws as well. WoW has no major flaws.
When I sit down to play WoW I feel like I am getting a 'B+' level experience from start to finish. There's never a moment in WoW where this disappointment overcomes you.
Meanwhile games like Guild Wars 2 and TESO seem to be bi-polar. There's really nothing that compares to an awesome 50v50 battle in GW2 that comes down to the last few players and everyone is desperately trying to stay alive while simultaneously finishing off their opponents. Those peaks are great, but there's also moments when your sitting in a tower massively outnumbered by your enemy who's pelting you with ACs and tearing down the doors you've spent the last 6 hours building up with no resistance because your server wasn't blessed enough to get Asian players.
For some people those moments of great jubilation may be worth the moments of extreme frustration but to me their not. I would rather have a consistently good experience when I sit down to play and WoW (and to a lesser degree, Rift) are the only MMOs I've played that can deliver on that premise all the time.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 9/28/05
I do agree with most of your points. But those point are just valid for WoW player/fans, and in most cases for clones of WoW.. though almost all AAA MMOs after WoW are in that category(using the term "clone" loosely).
But there is still a lot of potential MMO players either never played WoW any lengthy time, or played MMOs up to now not at all.. and for those your arguements don't hold.. but as the history has shown, that non of the following game was attrative enough to collect all of those non WoW MMO players, or aquire enough non MMO players to be of any relevance.
Because after all.. WoW was not that successful because of the MMO players of that time, it was successful of all the Warcraft, Diablo players starting with WoW their first MMO and other newcomer to the MMO market. No other MMO did something like that up to now, although Bioware(with SWTOR) and Bethesda/Zenimax(with ESO) tried it, but ultimately failed to draw in enough newcomer to be in any way relevant.(though the story from ESO isn't told up to now.. but it don't look like it).
Apprentice Member
Joined: 9/28/05
Originally posted by Ludwik
Well.. that is really highly subjective.. it is for sure the most successful MMO on the market. And i would argue that it is the most polished(best movement/controlling, less bugs, for your average computer, newcomer friendly), but by far not the MMO with the best gameplay or feature set.. though again, that is subjective.
Features/gameplay is rather one dimensional after all:
- Quest/Hubs with 0815 Quest Design
- Dungeon Instances/Raiding
- PvP Arena/Battleground
- basic crafting
- character abilities(tactical varity of abilities, and class varity of uniqueness) is anything than phenomenal. Solid is the best to charactize it.
That is not really a lot to do, nor that much different what others offered or offer. On the other side not a lot of MMOs do offer more.
At least for me personally it was not appealing enough to play it longer than a few month(7 to be precise).. and never tried it again. On the other side i was looking for a different gameplay experience anyway. (coming from UO/DAoC/SB)
Elite Member
Joined: 10/06/09
Originally posted by pit101
Sure, being "first in" is always a good thing, especially when a genre explodes. While it's advantageous, though, it's not everything. By this same measure, Everquest should still have millions of subscribers (which they don't).
I think there are a couple other contributing factors. One is polish. End-to-end, WoW just oozes polish. Secondly, things are just fun. Let's be honest, grinding in MMOs is pretty much the norm. MMOs are time sinks. The big difference is that most games make you feel like you're being punished. WoW strikes a great balance between grind and progression. I will generally play a game through, but it's very difficult to get me to stick around. Other times, I might not even make it past level 20. It just seems like the user experience isn't there. As soon as I feel like I'm going off to work instead of playing a game, I'm out! I think that this is amplified for F2P games. At the first sign of something being horrid, you can just toss in the towel and say "screw it!"
So two extremely subjective things! Great! Anyone wanting to put some sort of metric on polish and user experience is more than welcome.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 1/13/04
WOW wasn't even close to being one of the first MMOs. There were plenty of MMOs out when it released in late 2004. Here is a list of major MMOs that were around when it released, and this isn't even the entire list, just the most popular ones. Almost all of these MMOs are still around to this day.
1996 – Meridian 59
1997 – Ultima Online
1998 – Lineage
1999 – Everquest, Asheron's Call
2001 - Runescape, DAOC, Anarchy Online
2002 – Final Fantasy XI, Asheron's Call 2
2003 – Shadowbane, Eve Online, SWG, Lineage 2, Horizons
2004 – Everquest 2, City of Heroes
Currently Playing: GW2
Previously Played: UO, DAOC, Shadowbane, AC2, SWG, Horizons, COX, WOW, EQ2, LOTRO, AOC, WAR, Vanguard, Rift, SWTOR, ESO.
Hard Core Member
Joined: 7/15/13
Originally posted by GolbezTheLion
I agree
Every mmo to come out post Wow is just chasing the money. I don't think the genre is going to change anytime soon. If you want to find a different mmo you need to play one that came out before Wow did period. GW2 was probably the last mmo to try to be a little different. It not having a sub. is what makes it still popular and Wow players have a sub.free second mmo they can play when they need a break from Wow. I think that is the reason those 2 game are on top. If GW2 had a sub.it would be different.
Staff Writer
Joined: 10/24/12
An interesting aside: I have been away from WoW for about two years now, after playing it since early beta. Recently I got an invite to the WoD beta, so I re-installed WoW and created a level 90 Paladin to check out this new content.
I logged out after ten minutes, I couldn't get past how slow and dull the combat seemed, after playing some of the newer more action-y games.
I guess my time with WoW is well and truly done.
Elite Member
Joined: 12/21/07
Originally posted by turinmacleod
Yeh ... I still play Marvel Heroes (because it has ARPG type combat) and STO (because space ship combat is different), but for fantasy games?
No MMO has combat anywhere close to as much fun as D3 for me. So why bother?
Advanced Member
Joined: 5/07/09
WoW is king of the hill as far as subs for a few reasons.
it was most peoples first MMO and people allways have a soft spot for their first MMO so they allways return from time to time or never leave.
plus its such a dumbed down game any idiot can think he is a hero saving the world one kill quest at a time, not to mention it runs on computers that are 20 years old so pretty much anybody can play the game.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 3/16/14
Well since I no longer play WoW, I could care less where it stacks in the heap. A game not played is a game not played.
Advanced Member
Joined: 10/24/04
Originally posted by sevitoth
Thank you. The reason why wow is king of the hill is because there are millions of ignorant blizztard fanboys on this planet who have no idea what they are talking about...
Spotlight Poster
Joined: 11/10/06
Originally posted by Apraxis
Not much different from what other MMOs offered. Excuse me but WOW was the first MMO to use what you refer to as quest hubs with tons of quests and quest based levelling/ THis is a FACT. Please don't give previous MMO as examples as they all had like a 100 quests tops and focused on mob farming.
When WoW came out, it's quest design was praised super highly because it was a breadth of fresh air in a sea of boring korean style grindfests aka EQ style. Grinding mobs for ages while your brain goes into meltdown wasn't overly exciting.
Anyways it's all those MMOs after WoW that they copied every single thing WoW redesigned from other MMOs especially quest based levelling.
I am pretty sure there are too many EQ people who are just biased because EQ was there first MMO and they prefer mob grinding. Yet they can't see that they are acting in the exact same was as fanboys whose first MMO was WoW. They just can't let go of the stuff they found in their first MMO.
Originally posted by sevitoth
City of Heroes was shut down. OOh, snap!
Mission in life: Vanquish all MMORPG.com trolls - especially TESO, WOW and GW2 trolls.


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VIEWS: 18 PAGES: 24 POSTED ON: 5/18/2010 Public Domain
Hartlepool NDC project appraisal form 1. Project information for the selected option Project name: Children"s emotional well-being project Ref. no: Location / address of project: Lynnfield and Stranton Primary schools (school term time) and various locations outside of school terms. Both schools have sufficient accommodation for the additional staff proposed. Length of project: The service will be delivered for 2 calendar years, though spend will be over a slightly longer period because of staff recruitment costs. Organisations responsible for running the project: Lynnfield and Stranton schools in partnership with the local voluntary organisation Hartbeat (a Hartlepool branch of the national children"s charity Barnardos). Project officers/job titles: Joy Lowe & Judith Thomas (Head teachers); Lisa Graham (manager of Hartbeat) Other parties involved and their role in the project: The Local Authority"s Children"s Services Dept. (various personnel supporting emotional well being) have developed the project and the Dept."s Primary Behaviour Officer (Barbara Towler) will deliver some group work. The NDC Children"s Activities project (Debby Bee) will be a close partner, working with some of the children being helped by this project. Brief description of project: The project will work with children displaying signs of emotional difficulties at school. It will take account of the needs of the child, the family in which the child receives care and the community/neighbourhood in which the family lives. Trying to make a difference in a child"s life might mean working with him/her individually, with their family/carers or with other agencies and resources able to provide support, or all three. This will take place through: Providing flexible mentoring within the school setting – as and when needed by the children; 1 Providing access to counselling/therapeutic activities wherever available, including within school or from external agencies – in cases where mentoring is insufficient to address children"s problems; Supporting the families/carers of the children by offering practical help and ensuring that they are connected with other relevant services; Working with the parents/carers of the children to improve their confidence and skills in ways that will support their parenting role. Each of the two primary schools will have: A full time Family Support worker, and 30 hours Teaching Assistant time for mentoring distressed pupils. Total NDC cost: £177,580 Total project cost: £177,580 2. Project purpose and benefits The need for the project: In 1999 the Office of National Statistics estimated that 10% of children suffer from mental health problems severe enough to require professional help, with certain vulnerable groups being particularly affected. The 1999 Department of Health report "Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation" asserted that children in the poorest households are three times more likely to suffer mental ill health than children in the better off households. Given what we know about the relative disadvantage of NDC households the rate of mental ill health amongst children living in the NDC area is likely to be somewhat higher than 10%. The number of NDC children aged 5-11 years (2005 figures) is somewhere between 825 (LEA data – number on school rolls) and 855 (PCT data – number registered with GPs). On the above estimates, this suggests that at very least 80 or so children are sufficiently mentally ill as to require professional help, and quite probably 120 or more. Many more will be below the "mental illness" threshold – a relatively arbitrary measurement anyway – yet be experiencing levels of distress that will be impeding learning. About half of all NDC children attend Lynnfield and Stranton schools (386 in 2003). The need for developing " emotional intelligence " in young people was identified in the original NDC delivery plan in recognition of its importance to help raise confidence, expectations and aspirations and its role in educational attainment. During the original development of the NDC 2 Health Strategy, the mapping/gap analysis exercise highlighted the need for a project which promoted the mental health of children. Particular areas of work included building capacity in existing services and encouraging joint working between agencies and sectors. Experience of local Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) provision indicates that many children and families accessing services would have benefited from earlier intervention, thereby preventing the need for more intensive support. Data from the Hartlepool area shows that access to CAMHS is increasing year on year. A disproportionate amount of children who access the service are from disadvantaged wards including the NDC area. Certain groups of children, and those living in certain conditions, are at greater risk of developing mental health problems – as referred to above. Factors known to be associated with children"s vulnerability to the development of mental health problems include: Socio-economic disadvantage Living with one natural parent Parental Mental Illness Main breadwinner unemployed Homeless or Temporary accommodation Learning Disability School Difficulties Chronic Illness Looked After Child Criminality Families living in certain geographical locations, such as the New Deal for Communities Area, with higher than average concentrations of risk, such as poor housing and family poverty, will be particularly at risk if there are also poor parental relationships, family violence, or the child has particular characteristics or special needs. If early intervention packages were available within the community, children at risk of developing mental health problems could be identified and offered services before the problems become entrenched and significantly affect their well-being. It is recommended that programmes should work in partnership with parents, offering practical support and help, and engage in "active listening". Short- term therapeutic interventions should be offered for those families displaying early problems, to encourage parents to develop other social supports and to be able to refer those parents or children who require it onto more specialist provision. A high level of mental ill health in children suggested by the statistical data is confirmed by the head teachers of the two NDC Primary schools, who report significant numbers of children regularly attending school in significant states of emotional distress – including anger, anxiety, fear, low mood and trauma. In such states of emotional arousal learning is 3 practically impossible, with the best efforts of teaching and ancillary staff being directed at calming them down such that an emotional equilibrium is restored and a measure of learning and equable interaction with peers become possible. This distracts teaching staff from their primary purpose and places additional pressure on time available to unaffected children. The Social Inclusion Assistant at each school – originally employed to increase school attendance – have increasingly become involved in supporting and caring for families as it has become plain that attendance issues are only the tip of an iceberg of family problems. The work of the Belle Vue Centre, BEST and the ACORN therapeutic team have or are doing related work in the field of emotional well being. Case studies demonstrating the particular circumstances of emotional distress amongst children include: Child A, who lives with a younger sibling and their mother. The father of the children lives at a different address. There are always pressures with the relationship between the parents. There have been several changes of address due to having to move because of threats, broken windows, burglary, broken down doors and damage to their car. There was a time when the family feared for their home and their safety if they left the house. The family are not eligible for consideration for Local Authority housing because of previous non payment of rent and an eviction order. Child A has some significant special educational needs that have not been helped by the extended periods of non-attendance at school. The child presents as a young person who needs care, guidance and support throughout the school day. The child is very guarded and always thinks or expects other children to hurt or blame them for what appears to be any incident that may occur. The school provides a support system for the child to ensure they can access education and remain supported emotionally and socially. Child B – The second child of four boys living with mother and her current partner. There are four young boys in the house, two of them babies, and home life is quite disorganised and noisy. He is a quiet child who enjoys doing his own thing and likes to be organised. He is very withdrawn and will not engage in conversation. When he does speak it is in abrupt tense bursts. He appears to be embarrassed by attention from adults, either good or bad. However, he finds managing his behaviour increasingly difficult and has outbursts of extreme violence when he lashes out at anybody in his vicinity. He has 4 kicked, bitten and hit pupils but more often members of staff on numerous occasions and has had to be physically restrained. He finds it difficult when things do not run as he was expecting. Some of the serious incidents at school appear to be the result of the child thinking things are not fair. The child"s outbursts are so violent it is frightening for other children and adults. When he was younger he always needed to sleep after an outburst. On one occasion an outburst occurred during an educational visit. The teacher had to call school and home for assistance. He has been referred to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Serice), the Children"s Fund and his mother has accessed the services of ACORN Parents" Advice Service Child C – This boy is the youngest of four children and lives in a single parent family. He has extremes of behaviour in school. He is very manipulative and has always managed to push his mother to the limit. He is now six and even before starting school he has often refused to go home with mum. He shouts kicks and swears at her. Other parents have often intervened and tried to persuade him to go with mum. He can work and play with others but he often isolates himself and growls at other children if they try to go near to him. He has tantrums in school and often refuses to cooperate. He will crawl away from adults to hide under tables or chairs. He regularly disrupts other children"s learning by shouting out. His mother has been seeking help from ACORN Parents" Advice Service and MIND. She has told her son he will have to go and live with his dad as she can"t cope with him. School have suggested an Educational Psychologists assessment which she has not yet agreed to. He has been referred to the Children"s Fund. Shortly after Christmas mum was admitted to the adult mental health ward at Hartlepool Hospital. He has not seen his mother since then. The children are being cared for by an uncle and his girlfriend. Child D lives with their mother and father and four other siblings. The family have had several places to live, usually short term lets and are waiting to qualify for Local Authority housing. The child lives in a home surrounded by older and younger siblings all with an entitlement that their needs are met. All the children face challenging circumstances to come to terms with…no heating, no gas, no electricity, apparent lack of soap and water, lack of clean or appropriate clothing. It appears that Child D is the one child in the home who is struggling to cope socially and emotionally and the child"s needs are not being met. The child presents as not appropriately dressed for the weather conditions. This sometimes includes worn out shoes and what appears to 5 be soiled clothes. There have been many occasions when it is uncomfortable for the class to work in an environment smelling of urine. The child is provided with breakfast, reminded to wash, so that they appear clean. It is at this time that the child is ready for their education Usually the child needs to talk about what has happened at home and why the could not find any clean clothes, why they did not have breakfast and why they could not do their homework or find their book bag. The emotional well being of this child must be the priority for the school to meet their needs. The school ensures – usually daily – that a member of staff is made available to ensure this priority is met. The family have been offered support from Social Care but are unwilling to engage with Social Workers. Despite the challenging circumstances Child D does live with their siblings, and they at least have each other and both of their parents. Child D always looks tired, always appears worried and very rarely smiles. The child has transferred between three schools within one year and has missed four months education. Prior to starting at this school they had refused to attend the previous school – refusal supported by the mother. At present the family circumstances appear to be more optimistic – no broken windows recently and apparently less fear of violence. Child D is now attending school regularly and there has been positive contact with the child"s mum to focus on meeting the Special Educational Needs of the child. As can be seen from the above, the home lives of children suffering distress are often chaotic and disorganised. Hence the importance of intervening in home as well as with children within school – see below. Parents can be inconsistent, tired and depressed themselves. In all cases, children"s emotional – and sometimes physical – needs are not being adequately met at home – though not to the extent that they warrant being taken into care. The school is left to do the best they can to meet such needs, to do their best to try to help them learn and to minimise the impact their behaviour might have on other children. Project description and purpose: The project works from the starting point that interventions with children displaying signs of emotional difficulties at school need to take account of the child, the family in which the child receives care and the community/neighbourhood in which the family lives. Trying to make a difference in a child"s life might mean working with him/her individually, with their family/carers or with other agencies and resources able to provide support; or all three. 6 The emotional needs of distressed children at the two NDC Primary schools will – as referred to above – be addressed by: Providing flexible mentoring/befriending within the school setting – as and when needed by the children; Supporting the families/carers of the children by offering practical help and ensuring that they are connected with other relevant services; Providing access to counselling/therapeutic activities wherever available, including within school or from external agencies – in cases where mentoring is insufficient to address children"s problems; Working in groups with the parents/carers of the children to improve their confidence and skills in ways that will support their parenting role. 1. Mentoring/befriending This will be delivered by funding a full time classroom assistant in each school, thereby permitting existing classroom assistants who have received mentoring training to be released to work one to one with relevant children. There will also be scope for volunteer mentors, through the existing Hartbeat mentoring scheme. Additional training will be provided to classroom assistants to develop their mental health awareness. Mentoring will serve those children needing understanding, befriending, attention and someone to listen to them. Mentors would need to be on hand throughout the school day to work with children as and when necessary. It is particularly common, for example, at the start of the school day for certain children to need calming down before they are able to settle down to school activities. Judgement will need to be exercised as to the significance of what was being shared, and how to proceed given, say, child protection disclosures. See the document attached as an appendix for guidelines within the school for use of mentors. 2. Therapeutic services Referrals to services such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), ACORN Therapeutic Service, the Educational Psychology Team or the Behaviour and Education Support Team (BEST) would still be made as appropriate. Family Support Workers will be trained in the Family Links "Nurturing Programme" which provides exercises for and with both children and parents to enable the learning of such skills. 7 3. Family support Through the employment (by the voluntary organisation Hartbeat) of a dedicated Family Support Worker (FSW) at each school, children and families experiencing emotional distress will have a dedicated person to assist them address the problems with which they are struggling. The role of the FSW is set out in the job description and person specification attached as appendices – and include ensuring that families connect to relevant services, for which purpose the local authority"s directory will be helpful. See the attached extract from the job description for a detailed breakdown of the post"s responsibilities. Hartlepool Borough Council"s forthcoming directory of services will assist with family support. 4. Improve parents' skills and confidence Parents groups will reinforce effective parenting and teach new understanding where necessary. The FSW and SIA will be particularly well placed to recruit to and facilitate such groups. They will learn group-work skills initially by working alongside the LA"s Primary Behaviour Officer (Barbara Towler). A further goal will be to develop a pastoral-style team based approach within each school, dedicated to care of children and their families, to include the existing Social Inclusion Assistant (SIA), the proposed Family Support Worker (FSW) and the school-based mentors, including any volunteers. The recently introduced SEAL material (see above) will act as a significant underpinning of the project"s work. Who will benefit from the project? It is anticipated that all children, parents and carers of children between the ages of 5 and 11 attending Lynnfield and Stranton Primary Schools will directly benefit from the project if they need. Children from BME groups attend both schools – particularly Lynnfield – and they and their families will have equal access to these services. As part of the worker"s induction they will be introduced to staff at the Salaam Centre, ensuring a link with community language speakers is established should it become necessary – though schools have extensive experience of relating to BME families. All Hartlepool schools are subject to access audits through the local authority"s Access Officer"s programme of work. 8 Outputs List outputs in the section below if simple to describe and date. Alternatively if more complex use table 2 at the end. Output Date Jobs created 4 full time – by September 2006 Number of children receiving mentoring 58 Number of children attending group-work sessions 96 Number of families supported 56 Number of families supported of BME origin 6 Number of parents/carers attending group-work sessions 96 Long-term impact on the NDC neighbourhood Delivery Plan outcome How project will help achieve it 1 Improvement of residents Extra services to parents and perceptions of their health children through school and community settings; 2 Reduce the in number of The project will provide those experiencing stress, intervention and support which anxiety and depression. will aim to break the cycle of mental distress; 3 Increase the proportion of The services will support children achieving level 4 children to handle emotional key stage 2 events more constructively – thereby increasing their chances of successful academic achievement; 4 Reduce the number of Work conducted with children incidents of anti-social should contribute to the behaviour development of positive behaviour both inside and outside of school. 9 Learning from other projects Amongst the work that has informed the project development process are: Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust and the Children"s Fund are currently running a scheme in Stockton on Tees called the "Inch Project" as part of NRF programme. The aim of the project is to improve present and future social inclusion of children aged 5-14 years (key stage 1-3) by addressing risk and resilience factors for child mental health at the different levels of child, family and community. The project consists of a small multi-disciplinary team including health, education and social services. The range of services and interventions offered include accessible community based drop-ins; early identification of issues; support, advice and information for parents and carers of children; by supporting services in meeting the needs of children and help families and referrers access specialised services; and training for a wide range of service providers to encourage joint working. Early indications suggest that this comprehensive, integrated approach is supportive of the project outcomes and delivering effective services to children and families. Here in Hartlepool, there has been some successful emotional literacy work conducted by Belle Vue Community, Sports and Youth Centre Ltd (now incorporated into the work of the BEST) and the Children"s Fund with children aged between 5-12 years of age. This approach was originally developed in Newhaven Connecticut in the United States and demonstrated that the curricular inclusion of emotional literacy in lower schools improved educational attainment, lowered instances of anti-social and criminal behaviour and improved health among young people. The activities are child-centred and include artwork, drama, visualisation and puppetry. The main theme running through the project is early intervention and prevention. Emotional literacy group work offers children a unique opportunity that values and works with their experiences. The long-term functional composition is to provide children with tools they need to relate to others, make informed choices, resolve conflicts, cope with stress and adjust to change. Emotional literacy work is not reserved for those who experience severe distress and this is precisely why it fits into a preventative framework. The Belle Vue pilot project involved nine groups of between six and eight children of similar ages between five and twelve years of age has been carried out in 2003 in three primary schools. Children, play workers, teachers and parents have all reported improvements in behaviour, self- confidence and communication and other skills. Teachers have also reported another benefit: that participating children have become less disruptive in class and consequently benefits have accrued to non- participants. 10 The National DfES funded Behaviour Improvement Programme (BIP) has been running in Hartlepool since September 2003. BIP was established to improve pupil behaviour and attendance and to lower levels of exclusions. The Behaviour and Education Support Team is one part of BIP and works to ensure that children and young people are happy and can fulfil their potential. BEST offers whole class work, emotional literacy group work and individual therapeutic work. We offer early intervention and prevention work to children and young people demonstrating early signs of emotional difficulty. Referrals are made by the Lead Behaviour Professionals in secondary schools and Head Teachers in primary schools. 3. Community involvement How have local residents been involved in developing the project? The importance of developing initiatives, which promote emotional intelligence in young people was detailed in the original NDC delivery plan, which was subject to an intensive process of community scrutiny. The need for work which addressed the mental health needs of children was also raised during work that took place to develop the NDC Health Strategy and action plan, to which community representatives contributed. Project development groups have also included resident representation. How will local people be involved in the running of the project? NDC resident Steering Group members will be invited to join the project steering group, which will be formed to oversee the project"s evolution and meet termly or so. Membership will include: Resident Steering Group member/s Head teachers Hartbeat manager NDC project officer NDC Children"s activities Co-ordinator School governors will be informed of the project"s progress and impact through the normal channel of the Head Teacher"s report to meetings of each school"s Governing Body. How will you ensure all groups know about the project and will be able to benefit from it? Through availability of the service within school and through collaborative working relationships with all related projects – see linkages below. 11 4. Linkages How does this project link in with other projects in the area? Below is not an exhaustive list of project and agency linkage but reflects the scope of the project partnership working. Children's Participation worker & Children's Activities project The children"s participation worker – also employed by Hartbeat – could contribute to developing activities in the community that would support children"s mental health. Social Inclusion Project – Lynnfield and Stranton Primary Schools This project will link closely with the aims of social inclusion and equipping children to deal with events outside and inside of school life. Mental Health Support network – Hartlepool MIND Evidence suggests that children of depressed parents are more likely to become depressed themselves. Hartlepool MIND will work with the project to support and identify parents with children and, with parental consent, refer the child to the project. Sure Start Central – Belle Vue Oxford Road area extension The Sure Start Central team work closely with both primary schools. The team will refer parents and children to the project"s services. Stranton and Lynnfield Community Learning Centres The Centres will link with the projects activities through providing an access point for various services, as well as a base for group-work. Parent and Family Support – PATCH The project will form useful links with PATCH through enhancing level of support to families. Salaam Resource Centre Workers at the Salaam centre could refer parents who may benefit from the project"s activities. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, particularly the prevention of deliberate self-harm work and the early identification of emotional difficulty task group. ACORN Therapeutic team. Providing individual therapeutic work for children in order to assist and support their emotional well-being. Also offering consultation to professionals in relation to the emotional well- being of children. 12 The Educational Psychology Team work directly with children and their carers and /or in consultation with school staff and other involved agencies to promote positive change for young people. They are interested in all areas of child development including social and emotional well-being and the impact this can have on learning. The two schools already work with the psychology team and the team would be able to provide consultation for staff working within the project and accept "referrals" for individual work with particular children involved in the project. BEST, as above. National Healthy Schools Programme and Plan, incorporating a whole section on children"s emotional health and well-being. National Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme. Materials providing a whole school approach to emotional literacy including assemblies, whole class work and group work materials. Primary Care Trust Health Development Mental Health Action Plan which feeds into the local public health strategy. Are there links to other regional or local strategies or particular market conditions which will affect the project? If so what are they? The project will contribute to the delivery of universal community provision and tier one service as detailed in the Tees-wide Multi-Agency CAMHS Strategy, the prevention focus of the Green Paper "Every Child Matters" and the Children"s National Service Framework. It will also contribute to the Public Service Agreement target, which aims to " improve the life outcomes of adults and children with mental health problems through year on year improvement in access to CAMHS and reduce the mortality rate from suicide and undetermined injury by at least 20% by 2010". The aims of the project support Hartlepool"s Community Strategy by aiming to improve the health and emotional development of all children, young people and their families. In terms of the NDC Improving Health Strategy the project supports the "families, mothers and children" objective of the Government"s strategy "Tackling Health Inequalities: A Programme for Action". 13 The principles of the projects activities are in line with Hartlepool"s "Vision for Care" through prevention, joined up, holistic services and services being provided as close to home as possible. The project will also contribute to meeting certain of the Government"s inspection criteria for children"s and young people"s mental health. Key judgements to be made by the Government inspectorate (Ofsted) on services commissioned/provided by Hartlepool Children"s Services Department in relation to children"s mental health are that: Children and young people have access to an appropriate range of support if they feel troubled; Staff working with children and young people are advised and supported in identifying possible mental health problems and in making appropriate referrals; Children and young people with mental health problems and their families have access to integrated assessment, treatment and support services; Mental health services provide non-stigmatising assessment and treatment for young people with mental health problems and disorders; Mental health services work closely with services for young offenders and for children and young people involved in substance abuse. Partners involved, nature of their involvement and track record in running similar projects successfully. Project sponsors: Lynnfield and Stranton Primary Schools – extensive experience of delivering NDC projects Hartbeat (Barnardos) – deliver the NDC Children"s Participation project Contributors: LA Children"s Services Department - Behaviour Support Officer for Primary Schools NDC Children"s Activities project – project co-ordinator Project development: NDC Steering Group representative/s CAMHS representative LA Behaviour Education Support Team manager LA Children"s Services Department - Behaviour Support Officer for Primary Schools LA Educational Psychology Service Hartbeat Lynnfield and Stranton Primary Schools 14 Hartlepool Mind Proposed project steering group – see community involvement section above. 5. Cost / value for money Breakdown of cost by funder and timescale: See table attached. Breakdown of cost by public agency N/A – however, the schools will not be charging for accommodation as there will be no effective additional costs associated with additional staff working from the school. So this is a small "in kind" contribution. Has this project received any earlier funding through the Flexible Development Fund (FDF)? No Breakdown of cost by use of funds: See funding table attached. Why is NDC funding needed? To demonstrate, through the success of the project, that this presents a model of good practice that can then be used as evidence for further funding to continue this and develop other projects. How does this project represent good value for money? By using resources in which NDC has already invested – the Learning Centres; by building on existing staff resources – the trained classroom assistants already working in school; and by working with a project with a good track record of developing and managing an NDC project – Hartbeat – which, by virtue of its status as a voluntary organisation, has the potential to access external funding. 6. Risk Risks to project delivery and ways in which the project will manage these risks Nature of risk Likelihood Potential impact of How the risk will be of risk risk managed/resolved Difficulties in Low Delays in starting Salary levels to be recruiting and the project comparable with similar retaining key projects in the region staff Failure to achieve outputs Staff training budget included Well-publicised recruitment campaign. 15 Lower than Very low Failure to achieve Regular monitoring to expected identified outputs identify problem early involvement in the project by Increase awareness of children school staff Fewer than Medium Reduction in Possible ivolvement of anticipated mentoring hours Hartbeat"s volunteer volunteers to mentors assist with mentoring Lower than Medium/ Failure to achieve Regular monitoring to expected High identified outputs identify problem early involvement in the project by Reassess publicity and parents recruitment Staff are sick, Low Failure to achieve A degree of cover from long term outputs project sponsor Risks of loss of benefit to the area The model of delivery for this project follows that of the "Social Inclusion" and "Key Stage 2/3 Transition" NDC projects – at which the schools with the greatest proportion of NDC pupils attend. Inevitably there will, therefore, be some project beneficiaries living outside the NDC area – but the majority will be residents. Data on beneficiaries will be collected so that any unexpected disparity of benefit can easily be tracked and addressed if necessary. 7. Milestones and monitoring Milestone Date Advertise posts July 2006 Recruitment process July/August 2006 Staff take up posts September 2006 First parents group January 2007 How will the project be monitored and managed? The project monitored through the submission of Quarterly Monitoring Returns to the NDC programme. A multi-agency project management group that is reflective of the partnerships involved will be formed to steer the development of implementation of the project. An NDC resident Steering Group member will be part of any recruitment processes, including short listing and interview, and the project management group once operational. The Governing Body at both Stranton and Lynnfield schools will receive regular reports on the project"s activities. 16 8. Evaluation How and when will you evaluate the success of the project and how will this link into the wider evaluation of the NDC programme in the area? The NDC evaluation team will commence project evaluation after about 12 months. How will residents be involved in the evaluation? Some beneficiaries will be interviewed. Have the evaluation costs been included in the overall project costs? N/A How will lessons learnt from the evaluation be passed on? Through dissemination of the evaluation report. 9. The future What will happen when the NDC funding finishes? How will the benefits of the project be continued? The aim of this project is to demonstrate the impact – personally, socially and educationally – of working with emotionally distressed children at an early stage. Throughout the life of the project the LA and the schools will be seeking to ensure that best practice is preserved wherever possible. If the project works as well as is anticipated the school will be doing whatever they can to continue this work – just as the impact of the Social Inclusion Assistants has been noted and similar posts at non-NDC schools funded through the LA, it is hoped that there may be a similar outcome with this project. Four factors give cause for optimism that this may be achieved: First, with services for children up to 11 being reorganised into "Children"s Centres" there will be greater opportunity than has been the case hitherto to demonstrate locally the successes of this project, and to seek continuation funding through local, Children"s Centre-based commissioning. Secondly, there is considerable support for this model of working – addressing the most needy and difficult to teach children – at a senior level within the LA"s Children"s Services department. Thirdly, the project assists the schools meet several Government "quality standard" frameworks, including: National Healthy Schools Status (emotional well being component) Children"s National Service Framework (mental health component) Every Child Matters (emotional health outcome) 17 Fourthly, the fact that the project sponsor of the Family Support Worker is a voluntary organisation opens up possibilities of securing external funding to continue the work. How will any assets provided through the project be used when the NDC funding finishes? Who will be responsible for their safekeeping and maintenance or disposal? There will not be assets. 10. Options Why is the preferred option better than doing nothing? The outreach work of the NDC Social Inclusion Assistant project has revealed the extent of the need now being addressed by this project. Without the work described here children"s and families" levels of distress will remain at levels at which learning and other normal social and emotional functioning continues to be impaired. Alternative option: Original children's mental health project considered in 2004/5 – "Promoting children's mental health" Brief description of option Delivery by two CAMHS mental health nurses of: a programme of emotional resilience-building group-work sessions to each year 3 or year 4 child at Stranton and Lynnfield over a three year period; parent drop-in sessions at each school; group-work sessions for parents; fast track assessment by the CAMHS service Plus, interested staff from local voluntary organisations spending periods of time working with the CAMHS nurses on the project and receiving experience of CAMHS as an organisation together with related training. Benefits of this option compared with the preferred one: Very close tie in to a specialist mental health agency. Specialist management support and supervision Total estimated cost of option: The last estimated cost of the project before this option was abandoned was £265K – more than the amount available in the Action Plan and even this amount not enabling more than a small degree of voluntary sector involvement. Total estimated NDC cost of option: £265K Value for money compared with preferred option: The preferred option offers much better value for money. 18 Risks of option compared with preferred option: Recruitment of qualified mental health nurses. Retention of these nurses towards the end of the funding period, as it was felt to be unlikely that continuation funding at the same level would be available. Why rejected? On the following grounds: value for money low likelihood of continuation funding at the same level lack of focus on community based family support work Alternative option: Management of the Family Support Workers by the LA within the schools. The following were given consideration as pros and cons regarding voluntary organisation personnel working in school as part of school staff team: Brief description of option Identical to the preferred option except the Family Support Workers (FSW"s) employed by the council (Children"s Services) Benefits of this option compared with the preferred one: Simple management structure within the school, accountable to the Head teacher. Total estimated cost of option: Slightly more expensive owing to higher overhads. Value for money compared with preferred option: The preferred option offers better value for money because of lower overheads and more working hours from the FSW"s. Risks of option compared with preferred option: Lower likelihood of continuation funding at the same level. Why rejected? Because the preferred option: Potentially brings the other resources of the voluntary organisation to the school – these might be personnel, expertise, information, training – depending on the quality of the partnership between the voluntary organisation and the school; Provides opportunities for external funding – there may be interest from funders for such an imaginative collaboration; Is cheaper & provides better value for money; Provides greater flexibility in work pattern of voluntary organisation employee (i.e. outside of school hours and school terms); Could provide parents with opportunities with the voluntary organisation – either as volunteers or beneficiaries of additional services; 19 Clearly differentiates role of FSW from Social Inclusion Assistant (though they will work very closely together); The arguments for FSW"s being employed within the voluntary sector are felt to outweigh those against. However, in order to ensure that management accountability is clear, a protocol is being prepared to make clear how the relationship between the schools and Hartbeat will work – similar to that used between parties to the FAST team to address the same issue . 20 11. Recommendations Recommendation of appraiser: Reasons(s) for recommendation: Name of appraiser(s): Signature(s): Date: 12. Decision NDC Partnership decision: Signature: Date: Signature: Date: 21 13. Project sponsor acceptance of grant offer I confirm I accept the offer of grant, to deliver the project in accordance with the details set out in this appraisal document. Project Sponsor Name : Signature: Date: 22 Appendix: Extract from Family Support Worker job description "JOB DESCRIPTION For the purposes of this post you will be employed and managed by Barnardos Hartbeat but during term time will be primarily based within Stranton / Lynnfield Schools. You will support the work of the social inclusion assistant, the Headteacher and other colleagues both inside and outside of school to specifically work with children who are suffering emotional distress and their families. You will undertake group work and one-to-one work with children to improve emotional resilience and support the development of social and other skills. You will ensure children"s needs are met through close liaison with families. You will also meet the needs of parents and families by offering a listening ear and advice and guidance on parenting, for example assisting parents with developing routines and maintaining boundaries. You will work with parents in groups to assist the development of parenting skills. You will undertake baseline assessments with families which will also plan to work on the issues parents and school are identifying as challenges. You will also act as an advocate for parents at times and will provide some support of a pragmatic nature. You will be required to build close positive relationships with a range of statutory and voluntary organisations and may be working to support children in a range of settings other than school, particularly outside of term time. OBJECTIVE Stranton and Lynnfield schools want to ensure the needs of all pupils are met, to enable children to enjoy and achieve, stay safe and make a positive contribution. This project aims to support those children and their families who are experiencing disadvantage or difficulty. This will involve undertaking work with children in school to increase their emotional resilience and coping strategies, and supporting them inside and outside the school environment. This will also involve providing support to parents through a range of interventions, including group work. You will work to ensure they are able to access and influence services, to ensure their needs are met, and that they make positive use of their leisure time. This is a new post of an innovative nature and other role requirements will grow according to needs identified, so you will need to be prepared to be creative and to develop the role. You will be managed directly by Barnardos Hartbeat but through the working protocol developed between Barnardos Hartbeat, Lynnfield and Stranton schools and New Deal for Communities you need to be willing to work towards the objectives of all of these organisations. The protocol outlines supervision and appraisal processes, specific line management responsibilities and various organisational procedures, including child protection and health and safety. 23 REQUIREMENTS You will work individually and in groups with children to ensure their needs are met. You will also work with families and will co-facilitate parent groups in conjunction with other colleagues. You will work cooperatively with a range of other organisations to ensure to ensure the needs of children are met. You will contribute to the wider work of the school and the wider work of Hartbeat. You will be able to developmentally contribute to the shaping of this project as it is a new project. You will be able to work to the procedures of the school and Hartbeat as outlined in the protocol. You will need to be able to rapidly build a rapport with, listen to, engage and communicate well with children, families and other professionals. You will become fully conversant with the aims, objectives, philosophy and expected outputs of this project. You will need to be willing to contribute to develop further the skills and knowledge you have in relation to working in groups, creating change, emotional resilience, parenting interventions and positive mental health. You will be required to ensure health and safety procedures are followed at all times. You need to be prepared to work flexible hours including some evenings and weekends. You will undertake any other appropriate duties as specified by the Children"s Services Manager." 24
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was born in Iraq in 1952. He studied Arabic Literature at Baghdad University. He left Iraq in 1976 to live in Poland, where, on a government scholarship, he earned a Masters Degree in Polish Literature and a PhD in Drama. He now teaches at Warsaw University. He has published seven collections of poems, five of them translated into Polish. A selection of his poetry was translated into English as Questions and their Retinue by Khaled Mattawa and published by the University of Arkansas Press. His last collection, Faradees wa Aya'el, was published by Al Mada, Damascus, 1998.
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Walmart.com's 'Made in the USA' claims lead to fireworks
An advertising watchdog's report found dozens of claims that it says were false and deceptive. Wal-Mart blames suppliers.
Walmart.com's 'Made in the USA' claims lead to fireworks
An advertising watchdog's report found dozens of claims that it says were false and deceptive. Wal-Mart blames suppliers.
Amazon launches full retail and marketplace offerings in Mexico
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Are you speaking their language?
The text message turned 20 yesterday, and, to celebrate, Experian Marketing Services released a survey of 1,485 U.S. smartphone owners on the ubiquitous, 160-character messages.
The most interesting finding is that 48% of smartphone owners ages 18 to 24 and 47% ages 25-34 say that a conversation via text message is just as meaningful as a telephone call. 37% ages 35-44, 28% ages 45-54 and 15% age 55 and older give text messages the same weight as voice calls.
I text far more than I talk, and you can count me among the 28% of those ages 45-54 who give texts equal heft. These days I rarely use my iPhone to make or receive a call. I communicate via text. It's just simpler and to the point. And it gives the recipient leeway as to when they can reply. If they have their hands full at the moment and can't take a call, they can reply to my text message when they get a minute. Plus, texts allow me to communicate thoughts when they strike me, a thought that perhaps doesn't add up to enough time to merit a phone call. Phone calls interrupt, text messages come and go as you please.
It strikes me that if half of smartphone owners ages 18 to 34 say texts are as meaningful as phone calls and you as a retailer have a good number of customers in this demographic, you should be reaching out to them by text message. You should have a box on the checkout page asking for a customer's mobile number while clearly explaining they will receive special sale notifications and exclusive deals if they sign up for text messages. And you should clearly indicate approximately how many times a week they will receive a text message. You can do the same thing with a box on the home page, though I think it probably will be more effective on the checkout page where people are accustomed to entering personal information. But text-happy younger folk will likely respond to a good text offer anywhere.
Here are some more nuggets from the Experian survey:
Text messages have become part of the fabric of everyday life in the 21st century, especially for younger consumers. There are many vendors out there that work with retailers to create smart text message marketing programs. Unless your customer base skews senior, you should be thinking about how you can put text messages to work in a meaningful way to help sell in this increasingly mobile world.
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Have not read all of it, but it has to be good, as she's funnier than her daughter. LOLPublished 9 months ago by Heidi Peltzer
Funny incites into the world of the Griffins, a laugh a page, quick read, buy it today! Thanks Maggie and Kathy!Published 13 months ago by Deipnosophist
This book is hilarious, with comments from her daughter Kathy Griffin every few pages. They are so funny and make a great team.Published on June 18, 2013 by September
This was given to me as a gift. As an Irish Catholic mother and grandmother, I loved Maggie's story; it was interesting and could easily stand on its own. Read morePublished on January 30, 2013 by Amazon Customer
The mother--daughter typical "bitching" lives on!! A lot of what you read here seems like : "Damn! the same thing happened to me! " I love it!!Published on January 6, 2013 by TK
Whether you are a Maggie Griffin fan or not, you will enjoy reading this book. Her wit is wonderful, and it comes through on every page.Published on December 25, 2012 by Maxisback
There is no way not to love this book. Maggie is touching and funny throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!Published on April 8, 2011 by Jess
I love watching Maggie on TV but this book was such a snooze. I had to make myself finish it.Published on April 1, 2011 by CH2002
I loved this book, especially since its by Kathy Griffins mother who i think is so funny on kathy griffins show! Enjoyed this book from beginning to end! Definitely a keeper! Read morePublished on November 1, 2010 by arist55


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Add dynamic effects to your video from HD Webcams.Windows Version 6.0 ... Added: 04/09/15Total Downloads5,929,334Last Week9,133
Find and download Android apps and games.Android Version 6.5.6 ... Added: 06/08/15Total Downloads1,186,277Last Week4,260
Protect your Android against the latest viruses, malwares, system vulnerabilities and privacy leaks.Android Version 3.2.4 ... Added: 06/15/15Total Downloads59,119Last Week608
Receive local weather information and alerts from The Weather Channel on your desktop.Windows Version 7.59.99 ... Added: 11/21/13Total Downloads79,113Last Week311
Unify your Google, Skype, Yahoo, MSN, AIM, Jabber, Facebook, SMS, & phone.Windows Version 2.6.6 ... Added: 12/21/11Total Downloads128,768Last Week167
Watch more than 1000 TV channels from all over the world.Windows Version 2.9.0 ... Added: 12/15/14Total Downloads13,021Last Week152
LIVE FREE! PLAY FREE! From the creators of The Sims 3 series of best-selling mobile games comes a COMPLETE Sims experience that you can play for...iOS Version 5.14.1 ... Added: 06/24/15Total Downloads14,989Last Week128
Know the right hair style for you.Windows Version 1 ... Added: 06/07/07Total Downloads123,038Last Week84
Find out just how many calories you need to consume in a day.Windows Version 1.0 ... Added: 05/01/13Total Downloads9,393Last Week67
Watch and record online TV channels.Windows Version 6.9 ... Added: 07/16/14Total Downloads74,103Last Week66
Manage all calls and SMS you are unable or unwilling to take.Mobile Version 1.02 ... Added: 10/04/10Total Downloads32,745Last Week46
Update this popular house life simulation game.Mac Version 1.1.5 ... Added: 09/06/01Total Downloads64,437Last Week45
Race in an open world environment.Windows Version ... Added: 11/15/13Total Downloads5,641Last Week29
Access your Mac or PC anywhere, including your iPad, iPhone or Android device.Windows Version 8.3 ... Added: 10/06/11Total Downloads1,161,072Last Week26
The Fitbit App helps you log food and activities wherever you are and track progress towards your goals. With the Food Goal feature, you can set a...iOS Version 1 ... Added: 10/18/11Total Downloads1,483Last Week17
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Stay connected with the changing weather conditions across the globe.Windows Version ... Added: 10/29/12Total Downloads2,122Last Week17
The newly redesigned WeatherBug app offers real-time, neighborhood-level weather forecasts from our own weather network (the largest in the world)....iOS Version 4.0 ... Added: 04/12/15Total Downloads1,134Last Week16
LIVE FREE! PLAY FREE! From the creators of The Sims 3 series of best-selling mobile games comes a COMPLETE Sims experience that you can play for...iOS Version 5.14.1 ... Added: 06/24/15Total Downloads1,279Last Week14
Record body measurements and calculate body fat percentage, store pictures as you lose weight.Windows Version 6.4 ... Added: 02/01/09Total Downloads5,854Last Week13
Copy and share your documents using your digital camera or camera phone.Webware Version ... Added: 09/10/07Total Downloads2,484Last Week12
Turn your Android, iOS, Symbian phones into wireless cameras and watch it from remote! A zero-cost solution to explore a convenient life! Other...Android Version 1.0.1 ( ... Added: 06/20/12Total Downloads5,093Last Week12
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Bluetooth speaker
Bluetooth phone speaker changes colour got a memorycard slot on got built in radio and charger good condition loun for its size
Bluetooth phone speaker changes colour got a memorycard slot on got built in radio and charger good condition loun for its size
Fusion sub and amp in good condition all work as should 70 ono collection only text or call me on 07763494973
JVC mini system, radio , cassette, cd twin speakers. Used condition but clean and in working order
This 1960's stereogram cabinet is in good condition. Works but requires attention. COLLECTION ONLY .
Alba mini speaker for use with ipods and monile phones. In good working order. £3 ono
hi i got for salle tibo audio t1410 amplifier its a brand new just need a power cable
Pure one classic dab radio. Mains or battery with mp3/ aux in and head phone out Used but in good condition. £ 25
Mini discs about fifty. Mixed bag of tunes but can be wiped to use again. £ 20 or make me an offer.
Key Features: Wirelessly stream audio to the speaker from any Bluetooth-equipped deviceA C8 passive radiator generates impressive bass for its sizeRugged design, splash resistant,and built for the outdoorsBuilt-in Li-ion battery provides up to 6-hou
JL Audio twin car speaker FOR SALE !! 10w x v2-4 single 40HM comes with a JVC car cd player Very good deal !
Southern comfort Am,Fm radio and cassette player jukebox, lights up, good working order
ihome studio docking and charging speakers ip3, very good codition like new,with remote in original box.
JVC HEADPHONES long cable,want £3 no offers collection from LONGSDALE STREET STOKE, thanks for looking
Lg party speaker 330w Bluetooth USB port x2 Music port Strobe light / bass light Can be fitted to a tripod Radio This speaker is very loud with really good quality sound. It's in mint condition with remote and booklets. Can be seen working on
Sony dvd hifi good working order and great sound SORRY NO REMOTE
Hi selling a Onkyo Digital Surround System, nearly new this is great piece of equipment selling as had new.
Four sale eleletrick guitar ampfir n absolute beginners dvd with lead £50 call or text 07548619508 thanks
4-zone mixer, for general multi-room PA applications. Features: 4 zones with routing facility of all input channels as desired 3 inputs microphone/line via comb. jacks 2 inputs line stereo via RCA jacks Each input channel with gain control,
Brand new car tape for sale does not play cds only plays usb,micro ad cards,mp3 & wma,bluetooth,input,output brand new boxed never used Contact 07828452568
Next Base to for in car or truck it got dvb and TV receiver used one
GPS system out of BMW all in good working order going cheap as it just sitting around maybe some 1 in need of 1
Pure classic DAB radio. Mains operated or battery Preset stations with connectivity aux for mp3. Few tiny scratches but nothing too bad can be seen working.
American ninco rc car 4 wheel drive really fast great working order will controller and adapter for plug great condition great for fun or racing.
Stereo for sale, sony with 3 disc trays, works brilliant with no problems. Black and silver in colour
Hi there, selling this kenwood hi-if. Starting from top I have a turntable, twin cassette player and recorder, amplifier , graphic equaliser, and a CD player. They are all separate all in working order comes with all the leads can be seen working. Th


text: My Husband and I stayed 2 nights at the Rockford Inn B&B in Dobson, NC in May 2015. It was exactly what we needed before returning home to Pittsburgh from a week's vacation in the Smoky Mountains. The owners, Hannah and Doug, couldn't have ben more gracious and welcoming. The B&B was built in the mid 1800's and has been... More


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Welcome to WSIAC
Mission Statement
To preserve and promote our rich Irish cultural heritage in song, dance, literature, sports, and traditions. To provide a forum for the enrichment of our family and the enhancement of our friendships.
(last update 04/2015)
Ceili & Social Dance Lessons
Adult Ceili and Social dances of Ireland lessons.
Taste of Ireland & Scotland Tour
August 13, 2015 – August 24, 2015
To download the flyer and registration form, click here.
Bicycles Needed
The Telephone Pioneer's Recyclist Program takes in bicycles of any size (however 20" bikes are especially needed) they repair, paint and renovates them. The team then uses these refurbished bikes as rewards for children by giving them a chance to win a bike if they do well in school and meet the standards set for attendance, grades and citizenship. The program also provide the opportunity for students to receive hands on instructions on how to maintain their bicycles from the team.
Friday Entertainment - JuLY 3
Jack Hogue & Gerry McCabe (Sing-a-long)
Annual Picnic - JuLY 5
Annual Picnic featuring music by The New Barleycorn
Friday Entertainment - JuLY 10
Canyon Wind
Friday Entertainment - JuLY 17
Lloyd Blevins & Ramblin' Mountain
Friday Entertainment - JuLY 24
No Live Music
Friday Entertainment - JuLY 31
Karaoke Rich
Friday Entertainment - AUGUST 7
Shifty Drifters
Steak Roast - AUGUST 23
Steak Roast - August 23rd, Featuring The New Barleycorn
3rd Annual Irish Bluegrass Country Festival - August 30
Mark your Calendar Now!
Sunday, August 30th, 2015
3rd Annual Irish Bluegrass, Country Festival
The roots of bluegrass, country music was brought to American by immigrants from Ireland, Scotland and England. Ben Clingain was from Ireland, he was lead singer for Bald Paul's Irish Blues Band and Ben brought bluegrass and country music to our Friday nights entertainment. He did all the bookings for Friday nights and he had a dream for a Bluegrass Festival at the club. Two years ago we made Ben's dream a reality and dedicate our 1st Irish Bluegrass Festival to BEN CLINGAIN. It was a great success and we are continuing with the 3nd Irish Bluegrass, Country Festival dedicated to Ben. Anyone who would like to work on the committee please call Ann @ 440-238-4295 or Helen @ 216-251-4075. WE DO NEED HELP.


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Click here to print the obituary below
Marilyn ADKINSON
ADKINSON, MarilynAge 79, passed away on March 10, 2011. She is preceded in death by two sons, Richard and David Adkinson. Survived by husband of 60 years, Richard F. Adkinson; grandson, David (April) Adkinson and granddaughter, Amy (John) Roberts; brother-in-law, Sidney Adkinson and three great-grandchildren, Bailee, Bryson and Annabelle Adkinson. Marilyn was totally involved as a church musician and teacher, lived life with a graceful and loving spirit. Funeral services will be on Monday, March 14 at 12 p.m., with visitation Sunday from 2-5 p.m. and Monday from 10 a.m. until service time at Forest Lawn.
Funeral Home
Forest Lawn Funeral Home Goodlettsville | Goodlettsville Cemetery
1150 South Dickerson Road
Goodlettsville, TN 37072
(615) 859-5279
Published in The Tennessean from Mar. 12 to Mar. 13, 2011


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38 Extraordinary Tales of Love, Loyalty, and Life with Dogs
By Rebecca Ascher-Walsh
(National Geographic Society, Hardcover, 9781426211584, 160pp.)
Publication Date: October 1, 2013
List Price: $14.95*
* Individual store prices may vary.
Shop Local
Enter your zip code below to find indies closest to you.
"Unlikely Friendships" meets "Marley and Me." In this heartwarming gift book, author Rebecca Ascher-Walsh presents a collection of inspiring dog stories and touching photos--dogs who comfort veterans, dogs who learn to surf, dogs who detect cancer, and dogs who save the day: Each one is devoted. These 38 uplifting dog stories showcase the most amazing dog rescues, accomplishments, and abilities that fascinate us and touch our hearts.


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It's not too bad. I'll just have to get used to it.
It's not too bad. I'll just have to get used to it.
I navigate either from new posts or settings and subscribed threads, so I don't notice any difference.
Good night everyone. Let's try this again tomorrow. What do you say?
good late evening room.
common interest section. im curious what is up with that?
I did not notice any changes either. Although after the comments, I went and checked it out. Looks pretty O.K. To me.
Last full day of my vacation. Not sure what we might do today. We have a late morning flight home tomorrow.
Not feeling great, so with a chance and went home early. Wish I could sleep in tomorrow but have stuff that must get done.
Is anybody home?
I am here. No Dodger game tonight so I am home.
Hwo did your day go Barb?
Barry is that because you help broadcast those guys?
hi room.
We went to the beach today. It was really a nice relaxing day. I printed out our boarding passes for our flight tomorrow. It was a great vacation. Not perfect, but definitely nice in many ways.
That's great to hear about your day Barbaraann. :)


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|Propecia and HIV
May 28, 2012
I have been using Propecia for some time and it severely affected my sex drive. This has become even worse since I became Positive one year ago, though I am not on ART, and seems to be stable. What could the cause of this be? Would natural supplements help or should I see a doctor for this?
| Response from Mr. Vergel
The FDA sent a warning on this a while ago: Propecia and Proscar Cause Sexual Dysfunction, the FDA says
Have your doctor check your free and total testosterone to see if you need replacement.
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Top 10 ultraportable laptops
With screen sizes under 14 inches and weight under 4 pounds, ultraportable laptops strike an appealing balance between portability and performance
The prices on these systems stretch from under $500 to $2,500, which tells you there are plenty of choices here. The common denominator is small size and light weight. Otherwise, the usual tradeoffs apply. Be on the alert for lousy ergonomics, poor build quality, short battery life, and mediocre multimedia. If you're willing to spend, you can have a beefy little machine with plenty of RAM, discrete graphics, gaming power, and decent battery life. For users who want it all, the Lenovo ThinkPad X220 and Sony Vaio SB Series are the first places to look.
[ Read Bill Snyder's Tech's Bottom Line blog for what the key business trends mean to you. | Keep up on hardware news with InfoWorld's Technology: Hardware newsletter. ]
Sony VAIO SB Series (VPCSB1BGX)
Asus U31JG
Asus U31JG Review, by Alex Wawro April 12, 2011
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Peggy's test video
Siri gets smarter. Apple Watch gets much more useful. And is Apple Music poised to kill other streaming...
Sponsored by Nuage Networks
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Sponsor Article
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One FCC commissioner appears to think that we don't, but perhaps he doesn't understand the question
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Developer demand for Ruby and Rails remain high, but the specific ways both language and framework...


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In reality it sounded like someone on Valium wrote a description of themself. So here we go again with more honesty and some sarcasm.
I'm here because I enjoy meeting people. I want to hear the unique stories about yourself. How you got here and where you are headed. If we seem to jam well together I want to take you to a fantastic dinner, share cocktails, and swap more stories. If we meet up it will most likely involve food. Because I love it. A lot. If you don't we won't get along well. Also cocktails. And dive bars. Everything in moderation.
Am I looking for something serious? No. I don't want to put that kind of pressure on anyone. That being said I'm not trying to seduce you into my bed for one night and never talk to you again. Give some of us guys more credit. Let's talk. Maybe date. See where things go. I think a serious relationship will happen when two people realize they only want to see one person anymore. And hopefully it's mutual.