text:
Blue Dress
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Men's White Shirt for Dress Blue Uniformsku: 500300As low as $49.95 Member: $45.00Quickview
MCA&F Members, please log in to receive your member discount.
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text:
IP network multipathing (IPMP) provides physical interface failure detection and transparent network access failover for a system with multiple interfaces on the same IP link. In addition to fault tolerance, IPMP also provides load spreading of packets for systems with multiple interfaces.
The data-link configuration is done in the global zone. First, multiple data-link interfaces are assigned to a zone using zonecfg. The multiple data-link interfaces must be attached to the same IP subnet. IPMP can then be configured from within the exclusive-IP zone by the zone administrator. Multiple IPMP groups can be assigned to a given exclusive-IP zone, but those IPMP groups cannot be shared with other zones.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Radio Script "Be Food Safe - Chill" :60 Radio (UPBEAT MUSIC UNDER) CHORUS: Clean! Separate! Cook! Chill! ANNOUNCER: Do you know how to keep food safe at home? The easy lessons of "Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill" will help you protect your family and be food safe! Let's talk about how to chill. First-keep the fridge at 40 degrees or below to keep bacteria from growing. Use an appliance thermometer to be sure things are cool. Then-chill leftovers and takeout foods within 2 hours, and divide food into shallow containers for fast cooling. And-always thaw meat, poultry, and seafood in the fridge, not on the counter, and never overstuff the fridge. Food safety risks at home are common. The USDA is your partner in being food safe. CHORUS: Clean! Separate! Cook! Chill! ANNOUNCER: For more information on all four food safety lessons, visit befoodsafe.gov or call 1-888-MPHotline. (MUSIC OUT)


text:
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — The collapse of the bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox triggered shock, outrage, and some I-told-you-sos among users of the digital currency Tuesday as well as renewed calls for regulation.
Response from U.S. authorities stopped short of condemnation, however. Instead, they attributed Mt. Gox's meltdown, which helped send prices on other exchanges to a three-month low, to a symptom of a young industry.
"As any industry matures, it will face growing pains and there will be individuals who believe they can use the fog of uncertainty to cover up their follies," said Sen. Tom Carper, head of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, in a statement. Still, he said the Mt. Gox news is "unacceptable" and called on U.S. policy makers to provide a clear set of regulations for bitcoin.
Late Tuesday, however, The Wall Street Journal reported that federal prosecutors based in New York had served Mt. Gox with a subpoena earlier this month. The report, citing an unnamed person familiar with the matter, said the subpoena included an order for Mt. Gox to preserve certain documents.
Benjamin Lawsky, New York state's superintendent of financial services, told CNBC he doesn't think the Mt. Gox scandal will harm bitcoin in the long term. "It may be a significant bump in the road for the development of bitcoin and virtual currencies, but I don't think it means they're going away or it's any kind of death knell," he told CNBC.
Their statements followed pages of online comments by Mt. Gox users, many of whom were now looking at the possibility that any bitcoin value stored at the exchange was worthless.
Mt. Gox, one of the oldest virtual trading venues and once the largest, told users Tuesday that all trading in the virtual currency on its exchange had been halted. It gave no information about why its website had been wiped clean of information and all transactions had stopped. "A decision was taken to close all transactions for the time being in order to protect the site and our users," Mt. Gox said in a short statement, its first update to users after trading had been halted for several hours.
Tuesday's complete trading halt on Mt. Gox was the latest in a series of halts and delays that have plagued the exchange in the past year, along with spotty customer service and a lack of available information for users. Financial authorities in Japan, where Mt. Gox has its physical headquarters, have said that there is nothing they can do for users with bitcoin tied up at Mt. Gox.
Read WSJ: Japan's authorities decline to step in on bitcoin
That knowledge has been a bitter pill for bitcoin's early adopters, particularly those who rode the surge in bitcoin prices from about $13 early last year to over $1,000 at the end of the year. Mt. Gox was once the hallmark bitcoin exchange and it continued to attract attention even as it gave up market share. But a new wave of bitcoin entrepreneurs, some of whose firms have attracted funding from high-profile investors, have been quick to dismiss Mt. Gox as a bad actor and emphasize that bitcoin itself remains viable.
"This tragic violation of the trust of users of Mt. Gox was the result of one company's actions and does not reflect the resilience or value of bitcoin and the digital currency industry," said chief executives of six other bitcoin exchanges and businesses, in a joint statement issued late Monday after Mt. Gox trading appeared to have been halted.
'I'm over Mt. Gox'
The statement from Tokyo-based Mt. Gox did little to comfort investors with holdings there. Jonathan Waller, 30, told MarketWatch he had more than 200 bitcoins in Mt. Gox, worth more than $27,000 on a price quoted on Mt. Gox 16 hours ago.
"My feeling is [that] they're never coming back," said Waller, who is a games developer based in Tokyo and has been involved in the bitcoin space for about three years.
"I'm over Mt. Gox right now. They can promise unicorns...I'm going to ignore them," he said.
Bitcoin is open-source software code that has been billed as a virtual currency and payments platform. Unlike the dollar or yen, it isn't created by a central bank; bitcoins are created through a process called mining that pits computers against each other in a race to solve cryptographic problems. The process also verifies transactions on the bitcoin network. Unlike the banking system, it isn't overseen by regulators.
It has caught the attention of several big-name investors, including Marc Andreessen, a venture capitalist who has said bitcoin offers a huge opportunity in the industry of global remittances, and Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, who may be best known for their battle with Mark Zuckerberg over who came up with the idea for what became Facebook. But bitcoin also has caught the attention of law enforcement. Last month, the Justice Department announced the arrest of well-known bitcoin entrepreneur Charlie Shrem on charges that included conspiring to commit money laundering.
The end of bitcoin's Wild West
Bitcoin prices dropped Tuesday across several exchanges in the wake of the Mt. Gox scandal, underscoring the exchange's weight even as many bitcoin players have denounced the exchange. The CoinDesk bitcoin price index fell to $515.13 in recent trade from $545.32 on Monday. The last price on Mt. Gox was $135, according to bitcoincharts.com. The CoinDesk bitcoin price index has fallen about 40% this month.
"It's the end of the Wild West for bitcoin," said Alex Daley, chief technology investment strategist for Casey Research. "It's the end of this idea that we're all going to trade bitcoins, we're all going to own bitcoins," he said, adding that "I don't think bitcoin is going anywhere." Daley said he had mined bitcoin but stopped when it became really competitive. He still owns a small amount.
Troubles for Mt. Gox kicked up earlier in the month when it suspended bitcoin withdrawals due to an issue in the way its software was written that could allow for duplicate transactions. The issue wasn't just limited to the Mt. Gox; bitcoin exchanges Bitstamp and BTC-e discovered similar issues when they were hit by hackers. Read more: There's a major lack of understanding at major exchanges about how bitcoins are sent.
"The moral of the story [is] don't keep your bitcoins in an exchange," said Waller.
Monday saw the surprise resignation of Mt. Gox executives from the Bitcoin Foundation, prompting the firm's bitcoins to trade at a sharp discount to the currency's rates at other bitcoin dealers.
Media reports also alluded to a document circulating in the bitcoin world that said hackers had stolen 744,000 bitcoins, worth around $350 million at current prices, from Mt. Gox in a theft that allegedly had gone on for years. MarketWatch has not seen the document, nor can it verify its authenticity. But if the reports are accurate, the theft would represent about 6% of the 12.4 million bitcoins in circulation.
The emergence of any recourse for investors so far is an open question at best. Japan's banking watchdog, the Financial Services Agency, told the Wall Street Journal it did not have authority to oversee bitcoin exchanges.
The drama surrounding Mt. Gox on Tuesday also led some to speculate the company might be up for sale, owing to the appearance of something unusual in its source code.
On Reddit, a social-news website, people claimed to have lost thousands of bitcoins and others reported getting out just in time. (MarketWatch can't verify the stories or identities of the Reddit users.)
One user, who goes by the mtreme handle, reportedly invested his life savings of $357,000 in bitcoin via Mt. Gox, to build his son's education fund. Many talked about desperate and futile attempts to get their bitcoins out when they started realizing something might be wrong. These elicited sympathy but also plenty of "what were you thinking," type comments from the Reddit crowd.
Read the Reddit string "Gox horror story thread — how much did you lose?".
More MarketWatch news:
Mt. Gox's hidden note hints at hopes for acquisition amid tales of bitcoin losses
Regulator sounds alarm on bitcoin
You're invited to...Bitcoin: Boom and Bust
The rise of bitcoin has triggered a lively debate over the risks and rewards of virtual currencies. If you're interested in bitcoin, and will be in New York on Tuesday, March 4, you're invited to join us for an evening of cocktails and conversation on the topic. MarketWatch Senior Columnist Robert Powell will moderate a panel discussion with guests Todd Harrison, founder and CEO of Minyanville Media; Mark T. Williams, a banking and risk management expert and a professor at the Boston University School of Management; and Barry Silbert, founder and CEO of SecondMarket and founder of Bitcoin Investment Trust. This MarketWatch Investing Insights event is free, but space is limited. For more information or to RSVP, email email@example.com by Friday, Feb. 28.


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Anxious · Guilty · Sad · Overwhelmed · Despairing · Needy
What I'm feeling today.
Imagine what I'd be like if I hadn't done yoga 3 times this week!
I took Ruby to one of my favorite off-the-beaten-path parks today. This is what we walked along and stared at for about an hour. {Well, I stared; Ruby roamed restlessly at the end of the leash and wouldn't lay down.}


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The moment you decide that you deserve better is the moment that you know better—and already in this moment, you are better off.
The fool wears chains to the tune of gold—grounded in insecurity, weighted by vanity, and convinced they are better off decorated than liberated.
As if the limits of mortality were not damning enough, the fool boasts of his own.
If a fool looks for dirt in the cleanest of waters, he is sure to succeed—if only in finding his reflection.
The fool dismisses a dozen opportunities before asking for a second chance.
Regret is the currency of the fool and the agency of the wise.
Waking up is hard to do, but it's the only way to welcome in a new day.
What is the difference between mail and email? a LETTER


text: You are here: Home News & Advice Centre Advice Centre Welcome to our News and Advice Centre where you will find our latest reports, blogs and guides on topical, employment-related issues. Whether you are an employer, an HR professional or a people manager – or an employee, job seeker or student – we hope that you will find something new, interesting or thought-provoking to take away with you. Search For All For Candidates For Employers Read our Report We recently conducted two surveys to better understand the HR impact of Covid-19. Read our report to gain an insight into the major issues that 550 HR decision-makers and job-seekers told us they are grappling with. Read our Report Top blogs Three Ways to Promote Wellbeing Remotely Employee Engagement Tips That Work Recruiting in Uncertain Times New Partnership to Deliver Redundancy Support Services How to let unsuccessful interview candidates down gently Get in touch Contact us to suggest a blog or a topic. Get in touch First name * Last name Email * Message Latest guides Whether you're expanding your team and looking to hire, or you're after guidance regarding your own career path, our expert guides have you covered. Browse below for help and advice on all aspects of the Recruitment process, with new content being added each week. A-Z to finding your dream job Find out everything you need to know for a successful job search, from how to navigate application forms to ensuring you bring a little zest to your interviews. 2020: The year of an ever-changing workplace This guide explores what job seekers should expect from forward-thinking organisations as we move into the New Year. Read more for practical tips which can help you to make the most of your next career move. A guide to common recruitment challenges and the most effective strategies to overcome them How do we overcome the recruitment challenges of 2019? Following our recent report 'From Brexit to Talent Shortages: A report on the challenges facing recruiters in 2019', this guide discusses the strategies to overcome them. All resources Filter by Category Blog Eleanor's Blog Guest Blog Kate's Blog News Useful Guides Showing posts tagged 'Oxford'. Marketers to play an increasingly important role in business strategy 30.07.2020 Blog Which industries have been hardest hit and how are they weathering the storm? 13.05.2020 Blog How are businesses being affected in Oxfordshire (and globally?) 13.05.2020 Blog, News A guide to job hunting in Oxford 29.08.2019 Kate's Blog Why being a recruiter makes me happy 22.08.2019 Kate's Blog The advantages of working in Oxford – why this city has much to offer Candidates 27.06.2019 Kate's Blog Pagination Go to page 1Go to page 2Go to page 3Go to page 4Go to page 5Go to Next page Benefit from the insight of our 20 years of experience Click the option below that's right for you and receive the best Recruitment or Careers hints and tips in your inbox each month. Newsletter signup I'm an I'm an EmployerI'm a Candidate First name Last name Email Sign up We promise to only use your information so that we can provide you with valuable news, industry trends, hints and tips and will never pass your information to other organisations. For more information visit our Privacy Policy.


text:
At Bob's Watches, your trust is very important to us. We believe that buying a pre-owned Rolex watch online should be simple, honest, and straightforward. To that end, we guarantee that every Rolex watch on our site is 100% authentic, comprised entirely of Rolex parts. Our mission is to be the leading trusted online source for selling and buying authentic pre-owned Rolex watches. We stand behind this authenticity guarantee with a full money back refund on any watch not found to be completely genuine.
"One of the Largest Watch Trading Sites"
For over 150 years, Omega watches has been one of the world's premier watch manufacturers. Le Generale Watch Co. (the precursor to Omega) was founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland in 1848 by Louis Brandt. Although it started as a small workshop selling precision pocket watches, the company grew substantially when Brandt's sons took over the business in 1894, and began selling watches under the Omega name. By 1903, the company was producing 240,000 watches annually, and had moved its headquarters to Biel/Bienne, Switzerland.
Omega has a long list of accomplishments. In 1918 the United States Army chose Omega as its official watch, and in 1932, Omega became the official timekeeping device of the Olympic Games. In 1962, Wally Schirra wore an Omega Speedmaster CK2998 during his first spaceflight, and in 1969, a Speedmaster became the first watch to reach the moon, as it was the chronograph of choice for NASA pilots during the Apollo 11 mission.
By the 1970's, Omega was the number one watch producer in Switzerland; however sales suffered during the 1980's due to the growing quartz watch market. Omega regained its footing during the 1990's, doubling its marketing efforts, and landing many celebrity endorsements. Over the past couple decades, Omega watches have appeared on the wrists of Pierce Brosnan, John F. Kennedy Jr., George Clooney, Stephen Colbert, Michael Phelps, and many more.
While Omega has many iconic lines of watches including the Seamaster, the Speedmaster, the Constellation, and the De Ville, the Seamaster is Omega's longest-running line of watches, dating all the way back to 1948.
OMEGA has maintained its reputation as one of the best and most well-known watches in the world by doing what it has done for over 150 years. Some of Omega's most famous models include:
• Constellation
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The Speedmaster is Omega's most famous watch family because it was the first watch to make it to the moon. Nicknamed the "Moonwatch," the Speedmaster was worn by an astronaut on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. It also has the distinction of being the company's longest-produced watch, beginning in 1957. The Speedmaster is one of only a few watches qualified by NASA for spaceflight, and is the only watch qualified for Extra-vehicular activity, or EVA. This means any activity done by an astronaut or cosmonaut outside a spacecraft and beyond Earth's atmosphere.
When James Bond switched from Rolex to Omega in 1995, the watch chosen was an Omega Seamaster Professional 300m. The 300m Seamaster remained Bond's watch for just over a decade, until it was exchanged for a Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m Co-Axial chronometer for the 2006 film, Casino Royal. The spy's watch changes again for the most recent James Bond movie, Spectre. In it, Bond can be seen wearing both an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra and a limited edition Seamaster 300 throughout the movie.
While the Seamaster gets the most time on the silver screen, it is Omega's Speedmaster that gets the most attention from collectors. First introduced in 1957, and nicknamed the "Moonwatch" for its role during the Apollo 11 mission, the Speedmaster is the only watch qualified by NASA for use outside of a spacecraft and beyond Earth's atmosphere. Several vintage references of Speedmaster, such as the 105.002 or certain renditions of the 2998, can command prices well into the tens of thousands – and even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Since the 1930s, Omega's classic design has not changed much, only its innovation. The company prides itself on maintaining a timeless and classic look, with a very circular watch face and dark leather straps. If you are looking for a classic, precise and reliable timepiece, Omega watches are certainly worth your time.
If you are looking for a high-quality, classic timepiece, Omega watches are a fantastic option and certainly worth your time. Click here to browse our selection of the best inventory of new and used Omega watches for sale.


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[Kohtao hotels]
中 文
日 本
Save Bungalows
25/2 Moo 2, Mae Haad
Koh Tao, Suratthani 84360
Koh Tao, Mae Haad
Hotel category:
Traveler ratings
Summary of 39 reviews :
Room :
Facilities :
Service :
Location :
Save Bungalows is located across the street from the beach just south of the Mae Haad piers. The bungalows are set in quite tropical gardens a few steps away from beautiful Mae Haad Beach. The bungalows are set in quite tropical gardens a few steps away from beautiful Mae Haad Beach. We are a family run business and can offer all of these services. Save Bungalows is a small typical bungalow complex close to Mae Haad Beach, offering travelers great value for money and a traditional Koh Tao bungalow experience. Available with fan or air-con. While it is conveniently close to the pier, Save is far enough away that guests don't have to deal with too much traffic, foot or otherwise.
Hotel summary
Rates & Reservation
Pictures & Facilities
Travel reviews
Other hotels nearby
Travel reviews for Save Bungalows
Date of stay:
Jul 13, 2017
Accommodation and facilities:
basic accommodation-but excellent local value- perfect location for beach & sunbathing- quieter than Sari beach-2 minutes from ferry,shops, restaurants, dive centre- used before- will use again
Reservation service:
excellent- reliable & convenient- used many times-i have trusted this site for years-prefer to use it than go on spec.
Jul 17, 2017
written by:
Date of stay:
Jan 05, 2017
Accommodation and facilities:
close to ferry pier, basic cheap room, next to beach suitable for kids, a few footsteps from lots shops, food, dive groups. Quieter than Saree Beach (walk there or get taxi)
Reservation service:
excellent-used it often-never a problem
Jan 09, 2017
written by:
Dianne Wilkinson
Date of stay:
Jul 07, 2016
Accommodation and facilities:
cheap & cheerful - excellent value for money-room cleaning only if asked for- quiet bungalow by sandy beach-next to ferry terminals- exc for kids & snorkeling-food/chemist/laundry/shopping/ scuba 2min on foot-stayed before will stay again
Reservation service:
excellent-used many times
Jul 10, 2016
written by:
Date of stay:
Jun 23, 2016
Accommodation and facilities:
Budget bungalow with quiet and peaceful. Location is near Songserm boat express and easy to find restaurant. There is Wifi available in the room.
Reservation service:
Jul 01, 2016
written by:
Petchrung Sukpong
Date of stay:
Jan 04, 2016
Accommodation and facilities:
Allzu grosse Ansprüche sollte man nicht haben,aber alles nötige ist vorhanden und funktioniert auch.Leider wird alles nicht mehr benötigte einfach hinter/neben den Bungalows No.1&2 entsorgt,sodass sich dort eine bereits beachtliche Müllhalde gebildet hat.Schade um die ansonsten recht nette Anlage!
Reservation service:
Alles bestens,gerne wieder..!
Feb 24, 2016
written by:
grossen theodor
Date of stay:
Jan 03, 2016
Accommodation and facilities:
Very good location in a quiet place in a beautiful garden. The downside of this neighdorhood is roosters screaming every morning at 4 a.m. Bungalows look pretty good from the outside. The interior does not match the exterior. It is very basic to say the least. And the bed is really awful.
Reservation service:
Jan 12, 2016
written by:
Andrei Taradeev
Date of stay:
Dec 28, 2015
Accommodation and facilities:
Génial .2 eme fois que j y vais . La j y suis resté 10 jours nous étions à 7 et avons loué 3 chambres a 500 baths.Le top. Personnel vraiment adorable .
Reservation service:
Dec 31, 2015
written by:
Date of stay:
Dec 27, 2015
Accommodation and facilities:
Génial comme à chaque fois que nous venons. Cela fait 2 fois que nous venons à save bungalow . Un accueil merveilleux , demandez n importe quoi on vous le trouve. Nous sommes venus avec 2 enfants et tout s est bien passé.chambres spacieuses et propres à 200 mètres de l embarcadère .
Reservation service:
Réservation facile
Dec 30, 2015
written by:
Date of stay:
Aug 15, 2015
Accommodation and facilities:
The bungalows are on mae haad with a few steps away from a beautiful beach. I walked to Sairee beach and was pretty happy I did not stay in that area. If you dont like party and lots of people but still have a budget this is a very good option.
Reservation service:
Aug 18, 2015
written by:
Floor Schulpen
Date of stay:
Jul 21, 2015
Accommodation and facilities:
Awesome location, very friendly staff. They help with everything you need, but are not too pushy. The bungalows are basic but so is the price and only 1 minute away from Mae Haad Beach. Check out the Dolphin Lounge for delicious Thai Food just a few steps towards the pier. You will meet a lot of interesting people at Save Bungalows, as many backpackers choose to stay here.
Reservation service:
Everything fine
Jul 24, 2015
written by:
Mariya Chernyavska
Date of stay:
Mar 12, 2015
Accommodation and facilities:
Брали самый дешевый вариант из предложенных отелем. По виду очень ничего, симпатично. Хорошая веранда. Тихое место. Недалеко пляж, русский дайвцентр. Но ничего не сказано на сайте об ОТСУТСТВИИ ГОРЯЧЕЙ ВОДЫ. Это очень огорчило. Постель ни разу за 2 недели не меняли ,не убирались.(может надо об этом просить дополнительно?). Итого: Отель вполне неплох для непритязательных туристов, согласных жить без горячей воды. P.S. При поселении берется залог за ключ 500 бат. Потом возвращают.
Reservation service:
Apr 02, 2015
written by:
Zolkina Olga
Date of stay:
Feb 26, 2015
Accommodation and facilities:
The wood bungalow is very good. Nice location, nice staff, quiet area. We come back here 5 years ago.
Reservation service:
Mar 02, 2015
written by:
Beata Szabadkaine Beni
THB ฿ Thailand
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Example, for a child 7 years old, enter: 7
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Save Bungalows...
All boat to Koh Tao arrive in Mae Haad. Save shop and Bungalows are conveniently located just 2 mins walk from the piers and the town.
:: Room 4 - 12 Fan / Room 3 Fan, TV ::
:: Room S - 3, S - 4 Fan, TV. ::
:: Room 20 - 24 Fan ::
:: Room 25 - 27 Fan ::
:: Room S - 1, S - 2 Fan ::
:: Room 14 - 15, AC, TV ::
:: Room 1 - 2, 18 - 19, AC ::
:: Room 16 - 17 Family Room, AC, TV ::
The bungalows are set in quite tropical gardens a few steps away from beautiful Mae Haad Beach. We are a family run business and can offer all of these services.
Daily and monthly accommodation
for all budgets (24 hr. electric)
Mini mart and bookshop
Travel service and bikes for rent
Safety deposit box
Water sports
Boat trips around Koh Tao with snorkeling,
fishing and shark watching
goto top
[Kohtao hotels]
[Save Bungalows ]
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text:
Apparently there has been some doubt expressed online that the body we see breaking the headboard in the trailer belongs to Robert Pattinson. There were claims that a body double was in use.
Gossip Cop got on the case and has this to report:
"Gossip Cop looked into the story and was told by a production source that it was 100 percent Pattinson in the sex scene with Kristen Stewart.
Additionally, a rep for Summit tells us, "A body double was NOT used."
So, in short, everything is the real deal. Feel free to continue your ogling 🙂


text:
10 Tech T-Shirts You Can't Live Without
10 Tech T-Shirts You Can't Live Without
If you're going to talk the tech talk, you better walk the tech walk — or at least dress like it, anyway.
There are tons of clever tees tailor-made to be geek chic. Some are video game-themed, others are for the code-savvy. There's even one to decipher which genre of geek suits you best.
We've rounded up 10 tech-themed t-shirts for the nerd in all of us. Which shirt will you be rocking? Let us know in the comments.


text:
Create Video Lectures —Quick & Easy
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text:
I like this place because a high hand pays out immediately no waiting on a ⏰ to see if you get beat on your high hand. So unlike Derby Lane or the Hard Rock. Dealers, Wait Staff, Management, and Floor people are great
One-Eyed Jacks @ Sarasota Kennel Club
- Minimum Age:
- 18
- Poker Tables:
- 35 Tables
- Hours:
- Mon and Tues: 10am- 12am Wednesday: 10am-2am Thursday: 10am-12am Fri-Sat 10am- 4am Sunday Noon - Midnight
- One-Eyed Jacks @ Sarasota Kennel Club
Announcements from One-Eyed Jacks @ Sarasota Kennel Club
December 2020 Promotions
Recent One-Eyed Jacks Reviews
The new tournament policy involves people who call in for a tournament. Their seat is reserved even when they are not... Read More
I agreed to meet a buddy for the Wed night no rake tourney couple days ago, the first time I'd returned here to play... Read More
I like this place because a high hand pays out immediately no waiting on a ⏰ to see if you get beat on your high... Read More
SKC parking lot had a private investigator taking pictures of all vehicle license plate who was hired by an attorney... Read More
Okay cardroom a lot of rake in tournaments sometimes up to 50% of the buyin on some tournaments thats way too much... Read More
Usually gets between 160-210 players. Starts @ 6:30. Rebuys/Late Reg until 7:40. Ends around 1:30. Plenty of chips... Read More
I have played a dozen dog track poker rooms (east cost even) I live an hour from skc but have played there on and off... Read More
I wouldn't go anywhere else. Love this place. I've gone to other places but this is the only place that the employees... Read More
Just a little heads up it's a normal locals room with rules that best be know before you play. Dealers have been... Read More
Should have different snacks maybe just pretzels and nuts or popcorn. Hot cocoa should be free... Read More
Has very nice promotions, friendly staff and one of the cleanest poker rooms I have seen. Favorite things is... Read More
The room is spacious and fairly well laid out. Bathrooms are a bit dirty. Food is average. Cocktails are reasonable.... Read More
i'm a younger guy who's mainly been playing the saturday deep stack from about february-july religiously. i see these... Read More
Just your real true poker room feel. Friendly staff. Table min max is great. Wish there was better promotions but... Read More
I hear this place has a bad reputation, but it was worth the extra drive for me. Even had a 4 color deck at the... Read More
All in is won by shorter stack and dealer does not count down the stacks. She shoves everything to shorter stack. One... Read More
America's Poker Tournament was poorly run! The 6 handed event started at 5 pm and a percentage chop was agreed to... Read More
How about a weekly ladies only tournament? Why cant I eat at my seat? Its truly a PITA to eat while playing a... Read More
Fun environment. Locals are friendly and most of the dealers are great. My personal favorites are Panda, Drew, Marcos... Read More
Never had an issue with management or dealers. Only complaint is no big games, they used to regularly have Plo, now I... Read More


text:
As residents of the only Minneapolis ward that crosses the Mississippi River, many of us feel a lifelong connection to and responsibility for the health of the river and its future. And, while the river and its shoreline is a matter of special interest to us, it is also a topic of importance to our entire city.
Many of us are united in support of the RiverFirst initiative being led by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Parks Foundation that is pursuing ambitious redevelopment projects.
The Mississippi is one of the great rivers of the world and is rightly referred to as "America's 4th coast." It was an important economic and spiritual nexus for the Dakota people's centuries before the first European settlers put down roots on both sides of St. Anthony Falls. Sawmills and then flour mills sprouted around the Falls, attracted by the abundant power of the rushing waters and by what was, until the 1960s, the upper navigable point along the Mississippi.
Our City's river was a work place, a place that offered little in the way of attraction or accommodation for recreation, housing or leisure.
When the saw mills and the flourmills ceased humming industrial properties went silent and eventually fell into decay or were torn down and left as isolated, unattractive and unlovable vacant lots. The river was waiting for the right combination of leaders, vision and resources.
We now have a new generation of leadership with a vision of the future of our riverfront that is bold, and dramatic. RiverFirst – led by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board with many stakeholders, including leadership from our city, has emerged as the best way to deal with a landscape and a waterway that is a complexity of overlapping city, state, and federal jurisdictions.
Indeed, so complex are the issues surrounding the Mississippi Riverfront that only a coalition of government agencies, private developers, neighbors, public policy activists and citizens have the necessary bandwidth and the multi-dimensional perspective to untangle the knots of jurisdictions, interests, goals and challenges.
Progress is not easy or inevitable. Many members of the RiverFirst coalition are pushing for restoring Hall's Island. It is not easy to look at an industrial site immediately north of the Plymouth Bridge and realize that it once was Hall's island, paved over and connected to the mainland.
Returning habitat at Hall's Island to a natural state is not a project for the faint of heart or for those who lack vision. The issues are complex, the work is painstaking and lengthy and the impacts on other uses of the river must be carefully considered. Indeed, both the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have raised legitimate concerns. The issues are currently being discussed through the RiverFirst forum.
These issues are not just local ones; they affect interstate commerce, downstream communities and even migratory routes. Today, the Minneapolis Upper river area is a "missing link" that effectively breaks the habitat/flyway chain of many migratory birds such as waterfowl, gulls, egrets, loons, pelicans, cormorants, terns, coots, grebes, herons and other species. Indeed, our largely armored shoreline and the paucity of island habitat in the area has been described as an ecological "desert" and a "ditch." That is proposed to change in the RiverFirst Plan.
I encourage everyone to join with us in the Third Ward and throughout the City to get involved and to make your views known. A good starting point is riverfirst.com where you can learn more about the RiverFirst initiative and its 20-year vision to redefine our relationship with the "Great American River" that has long been the inspiration, the lifeblood and the lifeline of its neighbors. Our Riverfront is the front porch to our city!
Diane Hofstede
Minneapolis Council Member, 3rd Ward


text: Leo P. Kadanoff is a theoretical physicist and applied mathematician who has contributed widely to research in the properties of matter, the development of urban areas, statistical models of physical systems, and the development of chaos in simple mechanical and fluid systems. His best-known contribution was in the development of the concepts of "scale invariance" and "universality" as they are applied to phase transitions. More recently, he has been involved in the understanding of singularities in fluid flow.


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After a prolonged and unprecedented period of stock market calm, investors are looking for someone or something to blame for the recent sharp drop in equities and Tuesday's volatile swings.
The immediate cause of the stock market plunge was a jobs report on Friday that showed stronger wage growth in January, suggesting that a long period of wage stagnation may finally be coming to an end. This could be a sign of increasing inflation, which would result in higher interest rates as investors demand higher returns on bonds.
But plenty of blame is getting pinned on the GOP tax overhaul, too. CNN Money asked, "Are Trump's tax cuts backfiring on Wall Street?" And Yahoo Finance warned that "The Trump tax cuts are looking hollow right now."
Andrew Ross Sorkin of The New York Times says that investors are worried that the tax cuts, along with other stimulative factors, will work too well: "The reason for the market's downward turn isn't that investors believe his stimulus measures, like tax cuts and deregulation, are failing, or might fail. It is quite the opposite: Investors believe his policies to stoke growth are going to work so well that they will overheat the economy, and force the Federal Reserve to try to slow things down by raising interest rates faster than expected."
Joseph Carson, the former director of economic research at AllianceBernstein, wrote at Bloomberg Tuesday that two policy experiments are at risk of colliding right now: Accommodative monetary policy in the form of very low interest rates is coming to an end just as significant fiscal stimulus from the tax cuts begins. The likely result, Carson writes, is "higher official and market interest rates, increased volatility in the financial markets, and downward pressure on financial asset prices."
House Ways and Means Committee Chair Kevin Brady (R-TX) told reporters Monday that the sell-off in stocks was actually the sign of a healthier economy, due in part to the tax cuts. "It reinforces that tax reform is growing this economy. So, wages are increasing, which they haven't for more than a decade — that's a good thing. And so that is a part of the inflation, and then the second concern from Wall Street appears to be the Fed normalizing its interest rate — something that everyone has said is long overdue and a signal of a stronger economy, one that one can assimilate those interest rate increases."


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Viet Nam will join regional countries to help raise the role of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in the process of building a peaceful, stable, co-operative and prosperous ASEAN Community.
National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung made the statement at the first plenary session of the 32nd General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-32) in Phnom Penh yesterday.
He stressed that the Vietnamese National Assembly delegation agreed with the AIPA-32 theme "The role of AIPA in building a prosperous ASEAN Community", saying that ASEAN had seen remarkable changes towards a common community in 2015 as well as promoted dialogue, co-operation and connectivity for regional peace, stability and development.
|Delegates to AIPA-32 pose for a group photo
Besides advantages, ASEAN was facing a lot of challenges, including the on-schedule completion of the road map to build the ASEAN Community and the effective settlement of emerging challenges, he said.
Hung said in this important period, AIPA should actively boost dialogue, strengthen trust and promote solidarity and consensus in solving disputes peacefully as well as speed up the effective implementation of co-operative mechanisms and tools in the region.
"AIPA should support ASEAN in expanding and deepening ties with its partners to create a favourable environment for building the community, boosting regional connectivity and narrowing the development gap," he said.
Hung also emphasised the necessity for close co-ordination between AIPA and ASEAN in consolidating and strengthening the central role of ASEAN in the evolving regional architecture for the common goal of peace, stability and development as well as in effectively dealing with arising challenges.
Hung congratulated Myanmar on its official membership to AIPA, which he said marked a strong and important development of AIPA with the participation of 10 ASEAN countries.
In his opening speech, Heng Samrin, president of the Cambodian National Assembly and President of AIPA, said Cambodia would try its best to turn the AIPA 32 General Assembly into a milestone of the AIPA process, creating favourable conditions for exchange of information and viewpoints and promoting integration.
He said that Cambodia wished to build the inter-parliamentary organisation of peace, to provide a mechanism for settlement of disputes in the region and strengthen trust among ASEAN nations.
Heng Samrin proposed to set up a supervision committee with representatives from ASEAN parliaments and have an AIPA parliamentary group for providing consultancy and conduct regular examinations of the implementation of AIPA agreements.
He expressed his belief that AIPA-32 would be an ideal opportunity for participating delegations to contribute initiatives towards effective co-operation to bring member countries closer in coping with common challenges.
Cambodian Senate President Chea Sim affirmed that AIPA-32 provided an opportunity to promote the role of the regional inter-parliamentary organisation in building a prosperous community. Through its agenda, ASEAN parliaments would discuss and work out measures to cope with problems of maintaining peace, stability and development in the region and the world.
Chea Sim expressed his wish that AIPA-32 would build a co-operative mechanism to prevent terrorism, transnational crime, drug crime and other violent actions.
AIPA-32 began on Sunday and will end on Saturday in Cambodia, with participation of the heads of all parliaments of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and observers from Australia, Canada, China, the European Parliament, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russia and the United States.


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WWHG." 'Offer refused.' Refused! REFUSED! I knew it!" Reich shouted. "All right, D'Courtney. If you won't let it be merger, then I'll make it murder."
Title: The Demolished Man
Author: Alfred Bester
Year: 1953
Rating: 3/5 stars
I'm happy to say I'm all caught up on essential Bester. Last year I had the pleasure of reading The Stars My Destination, and now I've finished the other of Bester's two novels of great renown, The Demolished Man. Personally, I enjoyed Stars a good deal more and consider it the superior of the two books. However, as Bester's first published novel and the winner of the very first Hugo award, The Demolished Man is certainly worthy in its own right. Like Stars, it presents a tale of personal obsession and vengeance set against the backdrop of an evolving humanity that has acquired an astounding new ability — in this case, telepathy.
Perhaps part of the reason I liked the other book more was that Gully Foyle is a much more sympathetic character than Ben Reich. Although both of them pursue their quests with little regard for the laws of society, at least Foyle, one may feel, was somewhat justified in his actions; he was wronged in some way. Reich, on the other hand, comes across as simply an arrogant, greedy, super-rich bully throwing his power around to get what he wants. It is interesting, though, that these two preeminent works of SF both involve such "bad boys." Bester seems to have a rather high opinion of these rebels:
But it [capital punishment] doesn't make sense. If a man's got the talent and guts to buck society, he's obviously above average. You want to hold on to him. You straighten him out and turn him into a plus value. Why throw him away? Do that enough and all you've got left is the sheep.
Actually that short quote offers a lot worth thinking about: rebellion and individual initiative versus social conformity, as well as punishment versus rehabilitation. Speaking of punishment, Bester had me wondering throughout the novel just what "demolition" was — sinister name, that. Surely I can't be the only reader who expected it to be some sort of matter annihilator that criminals were thrown into, or some such? Bester certainly built up my "apprehension" with that.
One of the more interesting aspects of the book, of course, is its portrayal of what society might look like with a sizable percentage of telepaths among the population. Bester's Espers number in the tens of thousands, if I recall correctly, and have become entrenched in all major areas of life: business, medicine, entertainment, government, the judicial system, and so on. This would no doubt have far-reaching effects on the world, not the least of which is that deception and crime of all varieties would be much more difficult to get away with (much to Reich's chagrin). Telepathic ability is mostly presented in a positive light here, as a potential force for good and for humanity's improvement. However, there is also the possibility for exploitation, and the existence of telepathy doesn't magically erase all of mankind's characteristic flaws. The police Esper Powell reflects on this (angrily) during his dealings with the entertainer and brothel owner, Chooka Frood:
It was anger for the relentless force of evolution that insisted on endowing man with increased powers without removing the vestigial vices that prevented him from using them.
I really enjoyed the battle of wits between Reich and Powell, with Powell trying everything he can think of to prove Reich's guilt, and Reich doing everything in his power to foil him. The book flies along at a relentless, breakneck pace, true to form for Bester. I can't say that every part of the story works for me, or that it's my favorite from this author, but it is classic Bester, no doubt about that, and worthy of attention.


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See what it's like to be stabbed repeatedly by Ninja Gaiden star Ryu Hayabusa in this, the first teaser video for Team Ninja's next project, Ninja Gaiden III.
The third Ninja Gaiden game, according to its creators "will take fans on an epic journey as they discover a side of their hero that has never been revealed." Team Ninja teases that with an near-unmasking of Ryu at the end of this clip that's sure to taunt fans of the series' brand of demon and ninja-slicing action.
Ninja Gaiden III is also planned to "introduce this franchise to a broader audience while at the same time retaining the legendary challenge that has drawn hardcore gamers to the series for years." And even though Tecmo Koei is starting the teasing the week of GDC, expect to see much more of the game at E3 2011, where a playable demo will be present.
The next Ninja Gaiden is currently planned for a 2012 release.


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*Ever wondered what's in a redesign?* At the start of 2016, we decided to give a facelift to our brand, to modernise it for the next 10 years or so. W...
yechte is a digital consultancy that helps you rethink
how to compete & operate.
Participer sur notre flux social.


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Cook the Book: Pan Sauce for Roasted Chicken
Yesterday we shared a recipe for Michael Ruhlman's dead simple and totally fantastic Perfect Roast Chicken from his latest technique-based cookbook, Ruhlman's Twenty. We alluded to a particularly wonderful Pan Sauce for Roasted Chicken and today we're sharing that recipe with you.
Ruhlman's Perfect Roast Chicken needs at least 15 minutes to rest before carving so that all of those great juices don't bleed out onto the cutting board. And it's in those 15 minutes that this pan sauce is made.
The sauce comes in two variations, rustic and refined, both of which are equally tasty. Both recipes begin with the onions and carrots that the chicken was roasted in to make sure all of that flavor isn't wasted. Once they're sautéed and softened, the pan is deglazed with white wine and the fond (the little crispity bits) is scraped up and incorporated into the sauce.
If you're going the rustic route, your sauce is done here, but if you prefer a more refined sauce, read on.
The refined version calls for the addition of butter softened shallots, a selection of herbs including parsley, tarragon, and chives, and a kick of acid from either mustard or lemon.
No matter which version of the sauce you chose, this is the ideal accompaniment for Ruhlman's chicken. It's full flavored and meaty, but delicate enough to let the pure roasty flavor of the chicken shine through. And like any great sauce, this is one that calls for plenty of crusty bread, since there will invariably be a pool of sauce left on your plate just waiting to be sopped up.
As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Ruhlman's Twenty to give away this week.
Adapted from Ruhlman's Twenty by Michael Ruhlman. Copyright © 2011. Published by Chronicle Books. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved
- Yield:about 3/4 cup
- Active time: 15 minutes
- Total time:15 minutes
- Rated:
- Rustic Sauce
- 1/2 Spanish onion, thinly sliced
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- Refined Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh chives
- Squeeze of lemon (optional)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (optional)
For the Rustic Sauce: Put the pan in which you have just roasted a chicken over high heat and cook any remaining skin for 1 minute or so. The juices will cook down and stick to the bottom of the pan. Pour off all but 1 or 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat if you wish. Add the onion and carrot and stir with a flat-edged spoon to coat the vegetables with the fat. Cook until the onion is translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up the caramelized bits. Cook all the wine off (the fat will begin to crackle). Continue to cook until the onion and carrot are caramelized, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 cup hot water, deglaze the pan again, and let the water cook down completely. When the crackling begins, stir the onion and carrot until they become nicely caramelized. Add another 1 cup hot water and cook until reduced by about two-thirds.
For the Refined Sauce: While the wine and water are cooking down, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, adding the shallot as the butter melts. Cook the shallot gently until translucent. Remove the pan from the heat. Strain the sauce into the saucepan with the shallots and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the remaining butter and swirl it in the pan until completely incorporated into the sauce. Stir in the herbs. (While the sauce is reducing, separate the legs from the chicken. You can add any juices accumulated on the carving board to the pan sauce.)
Add the lemon juice or mustard, if you wish. Arrange the chicken on plates. Holding back the solids in the pan, pour the sauce over the chicken, or spoon the sauce over the chicken.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Maintaining our leadership in research and technology is crucial to America's success. But if we want to win the future - if we want innovation to produce jobs in America and not overseas - then we also have to win the race to educate our kids. [Ok, I agree. But are we going to do it?]
Think about it. [Now you're just going to far. Asking me to think. That takes work.] Over the next ten years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education that goes beyond a high school degree. [That's because colleges are turning into the new high school on a number of levels: education and maturity to name two]And yet, as many as a quarter of our students aren't even finishing high school. The quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations [That is becuase facebook and Youtube are funner.]. America has fallen to 9th in the proportion of young people with a college degree. And so the question is whether all of us - as citizens, and as parents - are willing to do what's necessary to give every child a chance to succeed.[You mean people are going to have to work to become better? It might be challenging. WOW! What a novel idea. Work hard and positive result will follow]
That responsibility begins not in our classrooms, but in our homes and communities [Duh, but who is going to take responsibility? If we take H. Clinton's aprroach it is the whole town; so, let us just pass the buck to others. Mom, Dad, don't be the primary educators of your children, don't help them with their homework. Just let the schools do it.]. It's family that first instills the love of learning in a child. Only parents can make sure the TV is turned off and homework gets done. [This assumes that parents are being parents to their children. Every year I give the same talk to my students' parents, and every years half the parents do not listen. Apparently parents know more about the life of teens than a person who is surrounded by many hundred teens for 8-12 hours a day. The talk basically goes: you are the parent. It is your job to raise your child. You are not your child's friend. YOU are the PARENT. So stop letting your child do what they want and start telling them how it it going to be. This also means that the parent has to turn of the TV as well, set the example and help the child do their homework.] We need to teach our kids that it's not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair; that success is not a function of fame or PR, but of hard work and discipline. [Well, pay scientists and teachers millions of dollar. Put the scientis on TV. Heaven knows they will likely be better role models for our kids than the football players. In fact, lets hold a scientist and teacher draft. First years teachers and first round pick gets 10 million a year. Then lets see how the education system changes in this country.]
Our schools share this responsibility. When a child walks into a classroom, it should be a place of high expectations and high performance [Assuming the teachers are being supported by the parents, and the parents are holding the student to the same standard--sure. However, much of America has developed a sense of entitlement in the area of education and believe that their child deserves a good grade just for being physically present in the school.]. But too many schools don't meet this test. [How many, can you be more specific?] That's why instead of just pouring money into a system that's not working, we launched a competition called Race to the Top. [To the top of what? This isn't the same race that JFK called for. Give us a tangible goal! JFK gave us the moon. Obama gives us the unspecific 'TOP']To all fifty states, we said, "If you show us the most innovative plans to improve teacher quality and student achievement, we'll show you the money."[How about you start paying a decent salary and maybe good teachers might want to become teachers. I remember being offered 24,000 to teach at a school in Louisiana after graduating from my undergrad. Upon graduating from grad school I was offered 28,000 at another school.]
Race to the Top is the most meaningful reform of our public schools in a generation. For less than one percent of what we spend on education each year, it has led over 40 states to raise their standards for teaching and learning. These standards were developed, not by Washington, but by Republican and Democratic governors throughout the country. [Why aren't they developed by educators? I'm not setting the standards of care for my doctor. I'm not setting the standards for the government or for the plumber who plumbs. I don't get to set the standards for the banking industry. Then why does the government, a bunch of politicians get to set the standards for my job as an educator. Do they know if they are setting the standards high enough?]]And Race to the Top should be the approach we follow this year as we replace No Child Left Behind with a law that is more flexible and focused on what's best for our kids.
You see, we know what's possible for our children when reform isn't just a top-down mandate, but the work of local teachers and principals; school boards and communities. [I wasn't consulted.]
Take a school like Bruce Randolph in Denver. Three years ago, it was rated one of the worst schools in Colorado; located on turf between two rival gangs. But last May, 97% [Nice percentage, but this dooes not tell us how many actually graduated.] of the seniors received their diploma. Most will be the first in their family to go to college [What kind of college? Barber College? Notre Dame? College of hard knocks. This sounds great, but is it?]. And after the first year of the school's transformation, the principal who made it possible wiped away tears when a student said "Thank you, Mrs. Waters, for showing... that we are smart and we can make it."[This is why people teach, but isolated incident. Happens to few teachers.]
Let's also remember that after parents, the biggest impact on a child's success comes from the man or woman at the front of the classroom[Then tell parents to start trusting the teacher. Teachers aren't out to fail children.] . In South Korea, teachers are known as "nation builders." Here in America, it's time we treated the people who educate our children with the same level of respect. We want to reward good teachers and stop making excuses for bad ones. [Define good teacher. Define bad teacher.] And over the next ten years, with so many Baby Boomers retiring from our classrooms, we want to prepare 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.[What about English? What about music?]
In fact, to every young person listening tonight who's contemplating their career choice: If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation; if you want to make a difference in the life of a child - become a teacher. Your country needs you.[Goodwill only goes so far. Why should a young person who is looking at a career when they can find another job which involves less work and more money than teaching become a teacher? What is the incentive to choose a teaching career over another career? Warm fuzzy feeling and good will doesn't pay the rent.]
Of course, the education race doesn't end with a high school diploma. To compete, higher education must be within reach of every American [since when? Why does the plumber need a college degree? I'm not suggesting education is not needed, but why college if a person wants to pursue a trade?] That's why we've ended the unwarranted taxpayer subsidies that went to banks, and used the savings to make college affordable for millions of students. And this year, I ask Congress to go further, and make permanent our tuition tax credit - worth $10,000 for four years of college.
Because people need to be able to train for new jobs and careers in today's fast-changing economy, we are also revitalizing America's community colleges. Last month, I saw the promise of these schools at Forsyth Tech in North Carolina. Many of the students there used to work in the surrounding factories that have since left town. One mother of two, a woman named Kathy Proctor, had worked in the furniture industry since she was 18 years old. And she told me she's earning her degree in biotechnology now, at 55 years old, not just because the furniture jobs are gone, but because she wants to inspire her children to pursue their dreams too. As Kathy said, "I hope it tells them to never give up."[Inspiring story: isolated incident]
If we take these steps - if we raise expectations for every child, and give them the best possible chance at an education, from the day they're born until the last job they take - we will reach the goal I set two years ago: by the end of the decade, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. [Since when is it about having college graduates. If that is all it is about then I'll start my own college and sell degrees for $100 a pop. What I'm saying is that I know many people who wasted their college education and have a degree.]
One last point about education. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of students excelling in our schools who are not American citizens. Some are the children of undocumented workers, who had nothing to do with the actions of their parents. They grew up as Americans and pledge allegiance to our flag, and yet live every day with the threat of deportation. Others come here from abroad to study in our colleges and universities. But as soon as they obtain advanced degrees, we send them back home to compete against us. It makes no sense.
[Obama, become a high school teacher for a few years and see how difficult it is. Sure you make is sound easy, but the fix is not going to be easy. When people realize it isn't easy and that it will take sacrifice and hard work, how many are going to quit because of they feel as if they have been lied to?]


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Unique Marine Striper boats for sale
Contact Address
93160 Overseas HighwayTavernier Key, FL 33070
Contact Phone(866) 271-5895
Boat Brands
Unique Marine is your South Florida boat dealer for New & Used boats, delivering boats worldwide and directly servicing the Caribbean, Bahamas, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Key Largo, Tavernier, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine Key & Key West (Florida Keys). We specialize in center console fishing boats and the ever so popular dual consoles, also featuring a great selection of pontoon boats, catamarans, deck boats, bow riders, cuddy cabins and walkarounds. Unique Marine has a wide variety of Belzona, Hurricane Boats, Robalo, Sea Fox Boats & Sweetwater Pontoons. We also carry a huge selection of power catamarans including: Carolina Cat, Glacier Bay and World Cat. Along with these manufacturers comes an expectation of the highest customer satisfaction.
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- Who We Are
- Sermons
- What We Do
- Calendar
- Worship
- For Visitors
- Resources
- Weddings
- Pay Online
- Contact Us
- Reviews
Tuesday Group Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25
The Tuesday Group knits and crochets hats and scarfs for the Seaman's Church Institute. Knitting groups around the country connect with SCI in weekly knitting meetings at churches and at knitting-sponsored events.
Our knitted and crocheted gifts go to International mariners through SCI working "at sea". Thousands of gifts also go to mariners working on inland waterways in the United States.
The Tuesday Group welcomes all on Tuesdays from 10:00am -1:00pm in the Powell Room. Come join the Tuesday Group for conversation and lunch.
Contact: Lorita Jackson or Angela Borns


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Do you use chapsticks? Nope.
What is your birthstone color? Blue, I'm a March baby :)
Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive through? It depends if we're running late or not.What's your favorite number? One!
Do you have a dog? Yes, a shih-tzu named Keisuke.
Have you met anyone famous? Yeah.
Any plans today? Just to blog and finish tasks. One more to go!
Ever gone to college? Yup!
Last song listened to? A Disney song together with Baby Dot.
Can you say the alphabet backwards? Nope, never tried.
Do you have a maid service clean your house? Yes in QC, no in Malabon.
Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? A pair of Keds but have been wearing my Havs now...Are you jealous of anyone? Now? Nope, no reason to be.
Is anyone jealous of you? No idea.
Do you love someone? Of course!
Do any of your friends have children? Most of them.
What do you usually do during the day? Sleep. Cook. Eat. Babad in the net!
Do you hate anyone that you know right now? Yes (even if hate is such a strong word), someone very close to use swindled my mom.
Do you use the word 'hello' daily? Nope.
Do you like cats? Not exactly.


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If I could choose which skin to buy instead of a random one, I would actually spend money on it. This would end well for both of us, me with the skin I want and you with money. And aren't both of those reasons why you made these skins?
Thanks for listening to our comments.
I have played this game since week one and this is the first real time I felt like its all about the money and not about us as customers. I know mounts are cool but I would not pay over a hundred dollars for them all and certainly not for a chance and just a chance to get one that I like. Seems really horrid from the customers point of view. You are dangling something in front of us that we just cant spend on a chance. I have the money and I would feel horrid if I spent it on something like this. I will not be buying them unless you do something to fix this situation. But that is just me, i am sure others would love to spend money on them. Just wanted to share my two cents. I know everyone worked really hard on this path of fire and it was fantastic but this seems like a money grab from higher ups who do not have to deal with customer issues. Maybe remind them of who pays their bills.
I just hope this scam of rng purchases stop asap in gw2 and anet. the reason i play and support and promote gw2 to everyone i know is cause anet used to be fair and was respectful of all the customers, poor and rich. now i'm a guy on the poor side of things, i would GLADLY pay up for a full round of mount skins like one i like for each mount.
(cause that is all i can afford, sorry anet). your lootbox style prevents me from that and leads me to not buy any and not support this. So instead of 400 times 4 dollars comming in you get none. Probably other ppl wont mind that but i'm just pointing out that there are more ppl playing your game than JUST money whales.Sure you are one of the few out there letting us do ingame gold to gems but that's not special either since gems prices are out of control. At this point i will just vote with my wallet and hope for the best.
@Sarge shot Grif.6450 said:
@Loosifah.4738 said:
What do you have against mount skins?
It's not the skins, it's the method by which they're sold. They're making them random so we buy more to get the skin we want (like loot boxes). This is the kind of kitten that's gonna push me away from this game to go find another.
Could not have put this much better myself.
I used to tout gw2 as the best example of b2p done right. Now it is simply on track to be another cheap f2p.
Whatever happened to mike O'Brien claiming that b2p was totally viable, and sub's aren't needed. He sure wasn't assuming gambling slot machine gaming practices when he made that comment! How the mighty have fallen.
So angry at Anet right now.... Don't buy any of those random skins, people. Tell them you hate this business practice!
I have spent so much money on this game since PoF pre-release. Now I feel like I have Anet screaming in my ear: YOU HAVE NOT SPENT ENOUGH- NOT BY A LONG SHOT!
The will to play this game has been draining away from me since yesterday. I feel pretty disgusted by this move, the gamble mount skins + a skin (not a mount, a skin) for 2000 gems. I'm with others who have suggested those who invested in pre-release PoF, esp. those who bought premium packs, should have gotten one/some mount skins (like w/ the glider skin & HoT). IMO, mount skins should be treated like glider skins, with similar pricing, with perhaps some premium skins commanding a slightly higher price. Not 2000 gems, lol.
I have not gotten the Griffon mount, and perhaps I never will. What about players in that boat? How is it right those players should be forced to pull from the griffon skin pool of the gamble mounts? This whole thing feels like a big fat mess. This just doesn't feel like something the Anet I thought I knew would pull.
There's nothing I can say that hasn't been said, but I disagree with the RNG 100%. No point expressing why- every possible reason's been outlined ten times over.
For now, just gonna help this petition get a little more love, because it very well may help in getting a proper 'answer' to Anet's mount adopt feedback.
Yeah, it seems like they implemented this stable system in perhaps the worst way possible. I've been happy to buy things from the gem store whenever I had a little extra cash and some time to invest in the game. If I'm about to start a new character to test out a profession? Might as well buy them an outfit that looks nice. If I want to avoid some of the hassle managing my salvage kits? A salvage-o-matic is a great item to fill an account-bound inventory slot with. I buy plenty of stuff that looks nice or offers a decent convenience when I know what I'm getting.
The recent uproar around RNG systems in games is difficult to avoid at this point. Whoever suggested the stable system had to know they would be ruffling some feathers. The most annoying thing is that you can't even pick what mount type you get a skin for; don't have a griffon but get a griffon skin out of your RNG roll? Too bad! Offering mount skins just like outfits would be fine. We're all used to that. Have some cool reskins at a lower price point and then sell some of the really fancy stuff for a bit more.
I'd like to think ANet cares about fixing this mess, but I honestly don't know what they could do after they've already shot themselves in the foot. If they individually price each skin in the gem store, people who have already bought into the lootbox system will be upset. Unless they were offered refunds, I guess, but there's no way in hell ANet would do that. All I know is that I definitely won't be buying into these adoption licenses, and I'm kinda sour on the thought of buying gems in general now. I guess that depends on what they do. Whatever their plan is, their only hope for keeping goodwill is to make some changes fast.
I think it got lost in the chaos but even Dulfy spoke out on this.
That says a lot. Yet Anet remains silent aside from Gaile, who I feel bad for as she tries to deal with the backlash. Given how big this is someone that was a part of this decision should step up and make a statement instead of letting the community coordinator flounder. It isn't fair to the GW2 community and it isn't fair to Gaile to expect her to handle this when it most certainly had nothing to do with her.
The lack of response is making a bad thing look even worse IMO. I'm starting to get the impression it has been filed under, "People will stop talking about it soon enough. Let it go."
Then again maybe this was an attempt to get free publicity through negative social media chatter. Get more people talking about the product even though what people say is bad. It will get people that never knew it existed to look at it. It worked for some games and products.
I love all the new mount skins. I hate how the Gem Store is stealing content from the game. These mount skins belong as rewards earned in the game, NOT as something walled off behind a paywall.
For the item itself - I absolutely love it, and I've bought 20 for myself, and 1 for a friend. For the most part, I love all the skins - there's a good variety of them for all sorts of tastes - Subdued, natural ones, a few jokes (Jerboa and Shiba), and then the nice sparkles. Being a skritt-brained whale, I bought them all because I want them all. But I can see how others find it predatory, because it's impossible to buy just the one you want, if you only want one. And, the price attached to them change the thrill of "EEE! IT'S CUTE!" of getting a random pet to "I Just wasted X money trying to get what I want, and can't", which really hurts the item.
However, I have two big issues. First off - These contracts need to be pirated and scattered throughout the desert, as a possible reward for Bounties, Map Completion, Treasure Hunting, Event Completion, and other rewards for actually playing the game.
Selling a lot of skins in a bundle is fine, and mount skins are a great cosmetic to offer with good potential for monetization, but COME ON, Anet. There's no need for this kind of pointless randomisation! If the skins are good, players will buy them. Sell the flashier ones for a higher price if you must, and the pallete swaps for less, but the method chosen here is just insulting and clearly designed to prey on people with addictive personalities.
I'm going to say this.
I think there's just a bit too much overreaction going on. I've read comments everything from 'This has ruined my gambling addiction avoidance for 5 years' to 'This game should be labeled A for Adult now for the gambling influence'. I'm aware these are fringe cases, but I can't help but feel like many folks are really, really taking this too far with their reactions. I personally didn't mind the price or even RNG, sure it would be nice if skins were released that required in-game work to gain, or if skins cost a flat amount on the gemstore.
The thing is, none of us can pass judgement on if this was the only answer to allowing Arenanet to make a profit or not. I'm not going to underestimate anyone here, I'm willing to gander that at one point Arenanet saw that putting 30 skins on the Gemstore for flat costs would be a huge negative in their gains. This could have been the only option for these skins. Or perhaps you guys are correct, that Arenanet is simply going more predatory.
Imho, for a company that still has one of the most flexible and customer friendly 'in-game stores' across all the MMOs, I'm willing to give them more credit given all the advantages they've given us so far. And while I can understand frustrations, I'm a little bit disappointed in the community right now than Arenanet.
Thoughts on the issue? If so why?
I also encourage everyone to read this reddit post, as big names such as Dulfy give their thoughts on some of the glaring issues facing GW2:
Additional Question: Is the gemstore ruining our sense of reward?
How sad that Anet now resorts to gambling.... just sad!
Aside from the obvious initial backlash, I think the most damning thing of all is that this stinks of desperation. We just had a big content expansion recently, so ANet should be riding high and convincing the existing playerbase that the game is still going strong. Instead, they cave to the "Year of the Lootbox" mentality that hit everybody else earlier in 2017, which just makes me worry that the game is doing so poorly they have to stoop to such a low level just to be profitable.
Any RNG in microtransactions is predatory and unethical.
Over the course of the last few years, ANET has consistently been restricting visual customization available in the base game and expansions, by locking more and more of that content behind paywalls. These paywalls have increased in price, and the products sold have decreased in actual offering.
For the mount-passes specifically, there are 3 reasons why I find them unacceptable:
1) They are yet another RNG gambling mechanism that preys on people with inhibition and spending problems (serious mental issues) to keep spending money until they get the skins they want. In short: ANET is specifically targeting sick people to take advantage of them.
2) The visual customization offered by these skins dwarfs anything available in-game at the moment for mounts. The base skins have 1 dye channel each, and while not as pot-ugly as the base glider was, create an unmistakably generic, bland look for the typical player. This serves to highlight the disparity between them and players that pay more money, making "normal" players feel like 2nd-class citizens. While this disparity is acceptable in open-world content for F2P players and people who have bought expansions, it is utterly unacceptable that such additional flaunting of wealth, and not achievement or dedication via legendary equipment (for example), exists between mutual paying players.
3) The base price for mount skins is ridiculously high already. Over the last few years we have seen more and more customization be locked behind the gemstore paywall. The amount of items offered in packages has gone down - whereas complete armor sets used to be sold for 400 gems, we now have incomplete sets being sold for triple the price. Gliders furthermore underlined this issue - and were much more drastic in terms of its tiering (addressed in the point above), being insidious in driving players towards spending. Mount skins further cement this, with a preimplanted demand for visual customization due to low default availability and their incredibly high price-point underlining the increasingly exploitative nature of the business model ANET chooses to employ.
I am speaking as someone who has spent over $1k on this game.
I have spent my last cent.
No more gathering tools. No more convenience consumables like repair canisters and revive orbs. No more "premium" character customization. No more rename contracts. No more bag slot unlocks. Not more gold-for-gems. No more outfits. No more gliders. No more armor skins. No more expansions. No more minis. No more dye packs. No more intruments. No more weapon skins. No more home instance nodes. No more area passes. No more Home Portal Stones. No more shared inventory slots. No more.
I will not buy any more things to support this game.
It is clear that whatever good-natured people there are at ANET, their executive staff is driven by pure, unfiltered greed.
Whatever claims at "customer friendly pricing" ANET may have had in the past have died with this exposure of their incredibly evil exploitation scheme.
Black Lion Chests were already pushing it for me - but the historic lack of BLC exclusive items, and general worthlessness of them being widely acknowledged by the playerbase were enough for me to turn an inner blind eye towards them. No longer.
I am done.
Atrocious missteps in class design had already put me on the edge. The disregard for feasible class builds across game modes was a significant turn-off, resulting in me playing less and less as of late.
I'm think I'm done for good now. I enjoyed my time with the game, and liked the experiences I shared with others in it. And I will miss the game Guild Wars 2 was.
But I would rather see it die now, before it becomes even worse.
It should've just been a "Buy and pick your skin" deal. But if you had even just made 5 different chests one for each mount I could've gotten over it.. But this... NO!
I don't get why I've spent $3000 on another game, but 25x less on Guild Wars 2. Why does ArenaNet seldom put anything sought-after on the Gem Store? I have the money, but what's on the Gem Store has generally been super undesirable.
While I don't like the look of ANY of the mount skins, here are my thoughts:
Alternatively, this will never happen, but ArenaNet could add duplicates and allow players to unbind unlocked skins to sell them on the trading post. Players always prefer when you can sell the old item to replace it with a new item, because you'll essentially never use the old one again. Guild Wars 2 has a lot of collection stuff, but people do prefer the trading in Dota 2 to the cosmetics in League of Legends.
Look, the reason people were OK with the dye packs and the Black Lion Chest was because you could get the items found in the boxes in game elsewhere - they weren't restricted to the loot boxes. If you wanted to blow some cash to speed things up, then fine. I've talked GW2 up to all my friends for ages specifically because of how the game was monitized; if you wanted a specific cosmetic, you could buy it in the store directly. No borderline illegal gambling BS aimed at a game that children play, and no banking on the few people with terrible money management or those actually with the cash to burn. I've played GW2 off and on since launch, and played the original GW before that, and this ridiculously expensive gambling box goes against everything that made the GW games worth playing. Stop it. If you couldn't tell, public opinion is RAPIDLY turning against the loot box mechanic. Yes, it will likely take a few years before financial impacts will be really felt by the publishers of games incorporating aggressive loot boxes, but you really don't want to be on the wrong side of this fight in the long run. For Pete's sake, just make them 400 gems a pop in the store and the controversy will go away.
"You Either Die A Hero, Or You Live Long Enough To See Yourself Become The Villain"
Anet has lived too long.
Disagreement =/= "negativity"
Criticism =/= "hate"
@Nocturn.8904 said:
Aside from the obvious initial backlash, I think the most damning thing of all is that this stinks of desperation. We just had a big content expansion recently, so ANet should be riding high and convincing the existing playerbase that the game is still going strong. Instead, they cave to the "Year of the Lootbox" mentality that hit everybody else earlier in 2017, which just makes me worry that the game is doing so poorly they have to stoop to such a low level just to be profitable.
I doubt there is a "being profitable" problem here. But the sales may have been lower than expected and it may be a (IMHO) really bad decision to compensate for that to the shareholders. Sadly I think that sullying the trust with you customers is the worst way to try to solve a problem as it bites the hand that gives you food in the long term.
Well, they now have two days of feedback on this. I'd say that if we don't hear something on day 3 (tomorrow, Thursday the 9th), then nothing's going to be done.
The longer they wait, the more of a hassle it will be to deal with the purchases already made, and the less damage to their reputation and good will they'll be able to prevent. So, tomorrow or nothing.
Lip synching is just mime karaoke.
@ConnerPlays.2310 said:
I'm going to come out and say "Good Job on the mount skins, Anet"
I mean that, not in a sarcastic way, but sincerely .
You guys could have just as easily jumbled the skins into the BLTC and just be done with it, but no, it's a separate purchase that guarantees a skin you don't already have, yes, it ultimately means you have to pay $120 for all the skins. But why would you need all those skins?
That's entirely the point though? I don't want all 30 skins, I just want 5. One for each mount that would give me more dye channels. I want the plain versions of each of them - the celestial griffon would be wasted on me as I don't like it a bit. Same with the husky jackal. I just want dye channels. Why would I need those skins if I'm never gong to use them? Because that's the only way to get them as of right now, that's why. And that's entirely the problem.
You dun goof Anet. You dun goof.
Also, as someone who takes great pleasure from beautiful and unique GUIs, I'm extremely disappointed that ArenaNet made a brand new interface with animations for this stable thing, but they can't be bothered to make proper menus for gizmos like the portal tome, or unique UIs for interactive puzzles in the open world or instances (like in RuneScape). I don't think making a new animated interface for this will noticeably increase profits, and reusing the Black Lion Chest interface would have worked. Don't waste the dev time of Duncan Kay & al. by making them work on ridiculous marketing additions. This isn't being entitled or nitpicky, I just find it really unprofessional compared to the interface design in MMOs from 15 years ago.
It's strange when I would actually pay real money for a new modal window than any mount skin.
I would have purchased a few skins, but I'm not spending up to $100 to get them. Instead I will pay 0. If you pay real money, you should get exactly what you want. Encouraging people to gamble with real money is irresponsible and disgusting imo.
Myself and I'm sure many others put money into this game as often as we can to support it, well I did but if this is the direction anet is going I more than likely won't be doing so in the future. Gambling is a serious problem and should not be used in a game, its a dirty trick anet and you know it.
Black lion keys are one thing and should also be revised ( unique back items/weapons should be available to be purchased with claim tickets, drop keys to 50-70 gems and I'm sure you'll have a lot more players using them ) but 30 'skins' for mounts costing more than the entire game? common meow you're having a laugh.
Simple fix in my eyes, make the less desired skins 300-500 gems and the more desired 600-800 gems, refund people who have already purchased them all and let them do what they want with the refunded gems.
On a side note, Serious question, does anet need to have a license to have real currency available to be used for gambling? Or is it not classed as gambling technically because there is always goods ( typically very very very lame goods ) received for the transaction?
Anet isn't forcing anyone to buy the skins they don,t give any bonus stats, u can even earn the gold in game to buy the gems for skins. If anet only put 4 mount skins especially glowy ones in black lion chest I highly doubt anyone will be raging over the mount skins. But i do get the point with 400 gems there is a chance that u can get 1 type of mount skins over and over, I spent 800 gems and got 2 wolf skins. Why not implement a selection window when opening the box giving option to pick from wolf, rabbit, raptor, griffin, skimmer skins you wanna try your luck in.
I am used to buying a load of cosmetics and account upgrades every time I return to this game, but this time the mount adoption tickets just do not feel worth it. Considering that I got the whole Spooky Mount Pack for 1600 gems, I was expecting each subsequent mount skin to cost 400 to 800 gems, but first off charging 2000 gems for the Reforged Warhound skin - that is ludicrous. I don't think I have seen a single Reforged Warhound so far and I feel that's rightly so. As for the Adoption Licenses, I like the theme that we're adopting our mounts and that's really all I like about it. The problem is that we have the value proposition of mounts being 400 gems from the Spooky Pack but on average getting the mount we want from the adoption package is more like 1200 gems on average. That's triple the value proposition we started with.
I think the overwhelming negativity on this subject in both the forums and the main cities map chats definitely warrant a change in the way mount skins are monetized. Every time the word "mount" even gets brought up in map chat and chat just explodes with negativity from the majority and a defensive few who'd bought the 9600 package get scrutinized as being impulsive and "sad". If the pricing is so expensive that people are being criticized for even buying into it, then there are problems. There's a problem with the community that does that but there's also a problem with the pricing.
Further comparing this to other games, consider Brawlhalla:
Perhaps ArenaNet's logic is that a mount unlock is account-wide and should be absurdly expensive. But for those that spent 90% of their time on one character, that doesn't matter.
Just wish these mount come as a content reward. One special map with Gem price tag on it and then let you grind away those mount skins on new content in Elona. Putting them behind gemstore mean that peeps gonna have to farm like mad on the old and Tried content like silverwaste , AB till they are bored and get burn out.
fwiw, every time a new one of these is released, there is always a bunch of people who buy them all (US$43+)
While I love the mounts and the skins, I don't understand why these new skins are only being sold in a randomized lootbox manner. For a game that focuses so heavily on player customizability-- dying armor, buying and dying outfits, buying and dying /gliders/-- it makes no sense for players not to be given their choice in selecting something as beautiful and wonderful as mount skins for themselves. It makes even /less/ sense for the one single mount skin you can buy in the store-- the warforged jackal-- to cost the exact same amount as the bundle of /5 Halloween/ mounts skins or of even the entire Path of Fire expansion itself! I love Guild Wars 2, but please, this really is in dire need of fixing. I vote relock the skins for now, refund any gems spent on the adoption contracts, and then let people choose exactly /which/ mounts they wish to buy. It would make the players a lot happier and you would still make plenty of money for just selling the mount skins directly rather than making it random chance where players could very likely end up only with skins that they don't like. Even if the skins cost slightly more as a result-- say the same amount as a glider or an outfit-- I think a lot of people would still prefer that option to what is currently happening. Also, that jackal skin seriously needs to get a price cut. 2000 gems for a skin is obscene.
also why don't you get a deal on gems for buying more at once? seems like it's the only company that does this
@Cronos.6532 said:
Further comparing this to other games, consider Brawlhalla:
Are you honestly comparing the cash shop of a triple-A MMORPG to that of an indy steam brawler? The dev and art costs are orders of magnitude in difference. If you want to make a valid point you need to compare apples to apples. That would be WoW, TERA, FFXIV, SWTOR, Aion, BDO, etc. Go check out those cash shop prices and let us know what you find.
Perhaps ArenaNet's logic is that a mount unlock is account-wide and should be absurdly expensive. But for those that spent 90% of their time on one character, that doesn't matter.
Gliders are also account wide. As well as outfits and weapon/armor skins, but most of them cost 400-800 jems for exact thing you want. Perhaps Anet's logic was that if Shadow of War and CoD got away with lootboxes, they also will.
Isn't Guild Wars 2 suppose to be innovating in every aspect of it's game?! Well you need to start innovating a better system to sell these skins, because this rng method is not gonna cut it! And 2000 gems for one skin??? Why was THAT not included in the deluxe edition of the PoF xpac?
You're going down the wrong path, and you're gonna catch fire. Greed destroys games, I've seen it happen, and it would be a shame if it happened to one of the best MMO's out there.
I was torn between not often and almost never.
I assumed the OP meant rewarding in terms of drops and the like and so my vote specifically refers to such.
I find the gameplay to be rewarding in the sense that it is enjoyable and allows for player to skill to influence character performance, but drops and similar rewards are lackluster at best.
@Zin Dau.1749 said:
Let's be objective.
Not all systems with randomness, uncertainty, and risks are gambling.
As soon as real world money is involved, yes, they are.
There are ZERO mount skins able to earned via gameplay. Z E R O.
These RNG lootboxes are a kick in the face. You can't even choose which mount the lootbox unlocks a skin for. I've seen people unlock skins for mounts they don't even have, like the griffon or jackal. You do not have enough goodwill with players, nor enough players in the game, to even remotely get away with this.
The glider skins were kinda fine because, hey, you actually know you're gonna get what you want because 99% of them weren't in a RNG lootbox or BLC. It's still ridiculous that there's only, what, 2 glider skins available to earn via gameplay? But I digress.
RNG lootboxes filled with as many trash skins passed off as recolors as "good" skins to get people to buy more just to get one "good" skin is ridiculous. Especially when zero mount skins were available at launch and you probably had these 30 mount skins ready, and you were just waiting to release them in RNG lootboxes.
But sure, Anet, keep depending on whales to keep your game afloat. We'll see how Mo's request to promote to the game via "word of mouth" works out.
The mount skins are great - I love that we can personalize our mounts a little more. HOWEVER, I am not happy with the price point. I don't mind spending 400 gems on a skin of my choice, but I think it's ridiculous to buy a lottery ticket for that price, in the hopes that maybe you might just get one you want/like. The contracts are ridiculous; I'd rather put food on the table. I think you should make that 400 gem purchase to be able to choose one you want ... not some random skin you may be disappointed in. Please reconsider how you sell these. I'd love to support you, but I want to have my choice of what I get for that money.
Another note is that other games almost never make you pay real money for colour/texture variations. You can dye the mounts, sure, but changing the pattern or adding more channels is not a paid upgrade. Model changes only, please.
I say "most of the time", because there are times I get frustrated and have to take a break, whether it be from people or monotony.
"How so big the sea hills how so deep the blue beneath.
Hail from the main and comest thou home."
Նոտ ենուղ պատիենծե
Persona 4 MC: boldly sits on the girl's side and flirts with the guys
Will work for pets and hugs!
Sheep r gud 4 eets
@nezroy.8492 said:
@Cronos.6532 said:
Further comparing this to other games, consider Brawlhalla:
Are you honestly comparing the cash shop of a triple-A MMORPG to that of an indy steam brawler? The dev and art costs are orders of magnitude in difference. If you want to make a valid point you need to compare apples to apples. That would be WoW, TERA, FFXIV, SWTOR, Aion, BDO, etc. Go check out those cash shop prices and let us know what you find.
Perhaps the cost of one skin in Guild Wars 2 should be more than that of a 2D game. But the delivery could be the same. Less skins in one box. Don't want to gamble? Buy the skin you want directly for 40% more. It doesn't matter what it costs. Nonetheless, we both know that the development time on these 31 new mounts is not proportionate to their price. If only a hundred people bought them, they're still instantly profitable. What matters is what makes ArenaNet the most profits, and as someone with a wallet I am not interested in these.
I did already cite that Blizzard prices online store mounts for WoW at $25 just like ArenaNet does, I checked those, don't worry. ArenaNet doesn't want my money, but those guys want my money even less. Those ones have subscription fees and extreme P2W though.
fwiw I have not dropped money on WoW but I have on all other Blizzard games
This is awful.
Selling these gambling lootboxes is unethical. I am just disappointed that GW 2 is taking this direction, but I also see hope that game developers would see this as a mistake and learn from it. One of the good old golden rules of GW 2 was that developers are allowed to make mistakes and learn from those.
@LeDevil.5374 said:
Anet isn't forcing anyone to buy the skins they don,t give any bonus stats, u can even earn the gold in game to buy the gems for skins. If anet only put 4 mount skins especially glowy ones in black lion chest I highly doubt anyone will be raging over the mount skins. But i do get the point with 400 gems there is a chance that u can get 1 type of mount skins over and over, I spent 800 gems and got 2 wolf skins. Why not implement a selection window when opening the box giving option to pick from wolf, rabbit, raptor, griffin, skimmer skins you wanna try your luck in.
It would cost nearly 3000 gold to unlock all the skins (aka making sure you get the one you want) and the fact people with no desire/ability to complete the huge griffon collection can still get the 6 Griffon skins. I personally love the Griffon but I never bothered to get the jackal until it was the last thing left to do but I could still have gotten a Jackal skin. I am appalled at ANET for going from direct-sale into loot box. WORST OF ALL the mount skins are NOT TRADEABLE. At least most of the exclusive Black Lion Chest items aren't Account Bound. If they at least made the Mount skins able to be put on the auction house it wouldn't be quite so igregious because then we could atleast focus our efforts towards the specific skin we want.
@Cronos.6532 said:
Further comparing this to other games, consider Brawlhalla:
- Free game
- Has rotating themed chests of skins
- No duplicates
- Skins cannot be traded or refunded
- Approximately US$3 in gems to open a chest
- No gold to gems exchange.
- The chance of getting the exact skin you want is 1/18 to 1/20
- You can get the skin you want on the gem store for a cost of about 40% more. (gem cost depends on how much you buy at once)
- The exception to this is the 2 or 3 skins that are exclusive to the chest.
- The incentive to buy the chest is that you pay less gems but may not get the skin you want. You might get one of the chest-exclusive skins, though.
No duplicates
5$ to open a chest
Gold to gem conversion
I think it's pretty fair if compare to that pile of f2p trash you mentioned.
I've spent my fair share of real money on gems to get what I wanted, but I can't see myself buying a 400 gem lottery ticket. I'd love to have some of these, but I'm not going to gamble I'll get what I want only to be disappointed. And I'm certainly not spending $120 to guarantee I do. I think you need to rethink your pricing strategy. I would think you'll sell a lot more if you drop the price and/or make it so that you can choose what you want.
I am thinking it's gonna be hard to convince Anet of the horrors of RNG when a huge number of you have demonstrated a compulsive need to try and beat it over the period of the last holiday. Thousands of ToT bags? Even at 3s each sale prices that is adding up to a pretty big amount of gold just from lost sale opportunity and time. The bags were being purchased in big amounts as well.
People have proven to Anet over 2 games that they will spend an insane amount of effort, gold and time on an RNG roll. I'm not surprised they decided to cash in on the knowledge.
Centuries ago, I saved Tyria. I've since realized that it is, in Arthur's words, "a silly place".
Gameplay is fun and I do enjoy the world which is a reward on it's self. But when it comes to actual rewards ... it sucks.
play this game since launch, and I am starting to think that my account is bugged xD never get any good stuff (exotics, precusors, ... ) while I see people with barely 2-3 achievement points getting every item on the other side of the rainbow :P .... Yes I am bit jealous but also annoyed as I do not get how RNG can be this bad.