text:
Save criticism for Rafael, not Luiz
Sir Alex Ferguson accused David Luiz of 'rolling about like a dying swan' in Chelsea's win at Manchester United on Saturday, suggesting his reaction to Rafael's retaliatory kick 'convinced' Howard Webb to brandish the red card.
He may well be right. Sian Massey was seen mouthing 'yellow card please' to Webb following the incident, and there is every chance the referee would have taken his assistant's advice had Luiz not remained on the ground in apparent agony.
It is a form of gamesmanship that upsets a lot of people in this country, myself included. Oscar waving an imaginary card also got onlookers hot under the collar, not least Ryan Giggs.
However, although play acting is something that ought to be punished more often, there should be no sympathy whatsoever for Rafael. He kicked out at Luiz with the ball long gone simply because Manchester United were losing and he could not shake his fellow Brazilian off the ball.
Contrary to Ferguson's claims, Luiz did not 'quite clearly elbow Rafael twice', he merely used his body strength, legitimately, to shield the ball. It was excellent defending.
Furthermore, his smile after being kicked that has caused so much fuss was clearly in response to something said to him by a supporter in the crowd.
But, no matter what anyone's verdict of Luiz's actions are, it does not excuse Rafael's retaliation.
There is no excuse for kicking out at an opponent with the ball gone and, even if you believe a yellow card would have been a fairer punishment, there's no denying Rafael has only himself to blame for the three-game suspension he will now serve.
It was stupid, it was petulant and it was indefensible, yet criticism since the game, from Ferguson and most other onlookers, has been focused on the player that was kicked. It's quite bizarre.
Grappling complaints cost Anichebe a goal
Football fans and commentators in this country seem to be constantly confused. Referees, for example, are asked to be consistent yet show common sense - it is impossible to do both - while the reaction to the Rafael incident proves many are torn on whether violent conduct or simulation is a bigger crime, perhaps depending on the teams and players involved.
The pushing and shoving that goes on in penalty areas is something else that few people seem able to make their minds up on.
When it goes unpunished there are extremely vociferous complaints from those that insist it is not part of the game - yet many of the same people cry foul when goals are ruled out for the very offence.
I pointed this out earlier in the season. A lot of people tried to justify Marouane Fellaini's headbutt on Ryan Shawcross because of the holding in the box he was subjected to - judging also by the reaction to the Rafael incident, it seems like retaliation is deemed acceptable by many - yet there were complaints after Everton's very next game when they had a goal disallowed for Victor Anichebe's holding of West Ham goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.
The same player was involved in another controversial incident in Sunday's Merseyside derby.
Already warned once by referee Michael Oliver for pushing Jose Enrique, Anichebe was penalised for further pushing once the corner had been taken. Predictably, there have been plenty of complaints.
The goal should have stood in my opinion, but then I have always remained consistent in my belief that the majority of penalty-area jostling is part of the game.
Those that insist it is not cannot have it both ways. Anichebe undoubtedly did push Enrique once the corner had been taken so, to the people who are anti any sort of physical contact, there should be no argument against the referee's decision.
Again, which players and teams are involved in these incidents seems to play a part in how they are judged afterwards.
The bottom line is this: pushing, pulling and holding are tricks that defenders and attackers are equally adept at, and only in exceptional circumstances in which a player has clearly been prevented from getting to a ball does action need to be taken.
Unfortunately it is the constant complaining about every slight push and pull this season that has led to perfectly legitimate goals like Everton's being ruled out.
Gerrard lucky to escape punishment
Steven Gerrard was picked up quite clearly on television calling the referee some rather choice words on Sunday, yet he escaped punishment.
Anichebe, however, was booked for dissent after complaining about his disallowed goal.
There is much sympathy shown towards referees about the way they are spoken to and often surrounded by footballers, yet they do not do themselves any favours by allowing certain players to get away with more than others.
The bigger teams in the Premier League, in my opinion, are the worst in the league when it comes to haranguing referees, yet they seem to be punished far less for such offences.
Do the likes of Michael Oliver want to keep on the good side of superstars like Gerrard? It certainly seems that way.
If referees want to be shown respect, they need to punish dissent from all players.
We are currently experiencing problems with our Your Say boards. So why not join Mark for a live chat on the homepage between 2-4pm to discuss his latest Monday Moan blog? In the meantime, you can find him on Twitter @Homzy.


text:
Sunday, October 13, 2013 - Sunday, October 20, 2013
3:00 pm
This event occurs every week on the following day(s): Sunday
Cost: General - $22, Seniors (60+) and Full Time Students - $19
Sponsored by: 2nd Star Productions
Come see "Little Shop of Horrors, the story of a down and out skid row floral assistant who becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon, "Audrey II" grows into an ill-tempered, R&B-singing carnivore who offers him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite, but at what cost? This family favorite is a perfect part of your Halloween preparations and celebrations!
Event Contact Info:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
One of the main concerns people have about web applications is security. If I store my documents online, can anyone have access to them without my explicit approval? Can I store personal information securely?
Google Docs promises to protect the privacy and security of your content: "Rest assured that your documents and spreadsheets will remain private unless you publish them to the Web or invite collaborators and/or viewers. Once you're logged in, you can grant access to whomever you'd like. Until then, your documents and spreadsheets are private."
But Ralf Scharnetzki found that things are not that bright. Each image included in a document has its own public address, even if the document is private. What's more, if you delete the document and remove it from "recycle bin", the image is still available.
So Google Docs treats images as independent entities, separate from the documents. In fact, the documents from Google Docs are just HTML files that reference external images. In most word processing file formats, the images are a part of the document and can't be accessed if the document is password-protected.
Ralf raises an interesting problem: "How can we talk about privacy on the Web if we can NEVER be sure that our private content (like mails, draft mails, documents) will be ever finally deleted from any of the services out there today?" Of course deleting a document and all of its backups takes time, but it would be nice to know if it does happen.
July 30, 2007
Google Documents Can't Be Deleted Entirely
This blog is not affiliated with Google.


text:
HS PLAYOFFS: Who's in, who's out and when will they play
The N.C. High School Athletic Association on Saturday announced its brackets for the state 1-A/2-A/3-A/4-A boys' basketball tournaments which begin Monday night.
No. 1 seeds went to the Chapel Hill (3-A) and Granville Central (1-A) girls and to the Orange (3-A) boys.
The regionals include 32-team brackets in East and West 2-A/3-A/4-A and 16-team brackets in East, Mideast, Midwest and West 1-A. The brackets were released Saturday evening after several revisions as submitted records were corrected.
Seeds were based on a maximum 22-game record, and broken down by winning percentage. Many teams played more than 22 games, some fewer. The 22-game mark was arrived at by dropping non-conference wins or losses to get down to the 22-game limit. Conference losses could not be excluded.
Northern High School, which finished 24-2 and 9-1 while winning the PAC-6 4-A regular-season and tournament titles, shared an identical East Region best 21-1 22-game mark with Wilmington New Hanover (in reality 23-2, 11-0), but New Hanover apparently got the No. 1 seed based on its 11-0 conference record. New Hanover did not complete its 12th conference game and had to keep a non-conference loss in its 22-game mark to make up for it.
Northern coach Ronnie Russell said Saturday that he wasn't sure exactly what the tiebreaker was that gave New Hanover the No. 1 seed and that he'd been expecting to receive that seeding.
With the No. 2 seed, Northern is assured of playing at home — as long as it wins — in the second round Wednesday, the third round Friday and the fourth round Tuesday, March 4.
Northern, the East's No. 2 4-A seed, will host No. 31 Holly Springs (10-12) at 7 p.m. Monday. Times for Monday games were set by the NCHSAA. If only one game is being played at a site, it begins at 7 p.m. If both a boys' and girls' game are played at the same site, the girls' game will start at 6:30 and the boys' game at 8 p.m.
Also from the PAC-6, No. 19 Hillside (14-8) will play at No. 14 Greenville Rose and No. 12 Jordan (16-6) will host No. 21 Raleigh Leesville Road.
Also from the PAC-6, Riverside and Roxboro Person got in as wild card picks. Riverside is the No. 26 seed and will play at No. 7 Apex while No. 29 Person will play at No. 4 Raleigh Millbrook.
Despite an upset loss to Southern in the Big Eight 3-A Conference Tournament Friday night, regular-season champ Orange (20-2) got the No. 1 seed in the 3-A East Region and will host No. 32 South Brunswick.
No. 13 Southern and No. 16 Chapel Hill will also host home games Monday, Chapel Hill playing after its top-seeded, undefeated girls' program completes its own first-round home game.
The 2-A East will feature No. 22 Carrboro and No. 31 N.C. Science & Math, both opening on the road.
Three 1-A entries — No. 4 Voyager Academy, No. 6 Kestrel Heights and No. 8 Granville Central — from the area will host opening round boys' games Monday as well.
In the girls' bracket, Chapel Hill (22-0) was an obvious No. 1 seed in the 3-A East Regional and will host No. 32 Topsail Monday. Three other Big Eight area teams also made the field, including No. 29 Southern as a wild card. Southern, No. 17 Cedar Ridge and No. 22 Northwood will all open on the road Monday.
In the 4-A field, PAC-6 Tournament and regular-season champion Hillside (18-4) is the top area seed at No. 5. Hillside will host Wilmington Hoggard and No. 15 Jordan (15-7) will host No. 18 Knightdale Monday.
No. 19 Riverside and No. 31 wild card Northern will open on the road.
In 2-A, No. 24 Carrboro and No. 27 Durham School of the Arts will open on the road.
Four 1-A girls' teams made the field, including No. 1 Granville Central (19-0) and No. 12 Kestrel Heights in the Mideast and No. 15 Voyager Academy and No. 16 Roxboro Community School in the Midwest.
Only Granville Central will host a 1-A opener as No. 16 North Edgecombe comes to Stem Monday night in the opener of a doubleheader with the boys in the nightcap.
Girls' 1st Round Seedings/Matchups
4-A East Regional
No. 28 Wilmington Hoggard (13-9) at No. 5 Hillside (18-4)
No. 18 Knightdale (17-5) at No. 15 Jordan (15-7)
No. 19 Riverside (16-6) at No. 14 Greenville Conley (16-6)
No. 31 Northern (10-11) at No. 2 Southeast Raleigh (21-1)
3-A East Regional
No. 32 Topsail (6-15) at No. 1 Chapel Hill (22-0)
No. 17 Cedar Ridge (14-8) at No. 16 Swansboro (15-6)
No. 22 Northwood (16-6) at No. 11 Fayetteville Terry Sanford (17-5)
No. 29 Southern (10-12) at No. 4 Cameron Union Pines (20-2)
2-A East Regional
No. 24 Carrboro (6-16) at No. 9 Red Springs (12-10)
No. 27 Durham School of the Arts (11-9) at No. 6 Kinston (18-2)
1-A Mideast Regional
No. 16 North Edgecombe (8-13) at No. 1 Granville Central (19-0)
No. 12 Kestrel Heights (13-9) at No. 5 Wallace-Rose Hill (6-15)
1-A Midwest Regional
No. 15 Voyager Academy (9-13) at No. 2 Kernersville Bishop McGuinness (20-2)
No. 16 Roxboro Community (9-13) at No. 2 Albemarle (20-2)
Boys' 1st Round Seedings/Matchups
4-A East Regional
No. 21 Raleigh Leesville Road (13-9) at No. 12 Jordan (16-6)
No. 19 Hillside (14-8) at No. 14 Greenville Rose (14-6)
No. 29 Roxboro Person (12-10) at No. 4 Raleigh Millbrook (20-2)
No. 26 Riverside (12-10) at No. 7 Apex (17-5)
No. 31 Holly Springs (10-12) at No. 2 Northern (21-1)
3-A East Regional
No. 17 Western Guilford (15-7) at No. 16 Chapel Hill (17-5)
No. 20 Southern Nash (10-12) at No. 13 Southern (13-9)
No. 31 South Brunswick (4-18) at No. 1 Orange (20-2)
2-A East Regional
No. 22 Carrboro (14-8) at No. 11 Warrenton Warren Co. (18-4)
No. 31 N.C. Science & Math (11-11) at No. 2 Bunn (20-2)
1-A East Regional
Seed, team, 22-game record
No. 9 Warsaw James Kenan (14-6) at No. 8 Granville Central (18-4)
No. 13 Wallace-Rose Hill (10-12) at No. 4 Voyager Academy (14-8)
No. 11 Raleigh Charter (11-11) at No. 6 Kestrel Heights (14-7)
1-A Midwest Regional
No. 9 Roxboro Community (16-6) at No. 8 Kernersville Bishop McGuinness (18-4)


text:
Sonoma, Cal. (June 23, 2013) – Despite never running a single lap at the 1.99-mile 11-turn road course, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fought his way to a 27th-place finish in Sunday's Toyota/Save-mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, earning the Sunoco rookie of the race award.
"Road courses aren't my specialty," Stenhouse said. "Our main goal was to stay on the track and bring our car home in one piece and we did that. The guys gave me a strong Ford but I struggled on some of the turns. We have a lot of notes that we can come back with. It was a successful day for us."
The two-time Nationwide champion qualified in the 37th-position for the first road course race of the 2013 season after getting off course during his qualifying lap.
With light rain during the first half of the race, the Sprint Cup rookie contender slowly maneuvered up through the field breaking into the top-30 by lap 30 of the 110-lap race. Pit-stop strategy boosted the rookie up into the 16th- position by lap 33.
Stenhouse patiently worked his way up through the field and took the checkered flag in the 27th-position maintaining the 19th position in the Sprint Cup point standings.
Next up for Stenhouse and the No. 17 team is the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday, June 29. Race coverage begins at 7:30p.m. EST on TNT. Coverage can also be heard on PRN and SIRIUS radio channel 90.


text:
People with melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer, now have more hope for survival and more treatment choices than ever before. Doctors keep finding new treatments for melanoma and ways to help people with melanoma lead better lives. We are continually learning more about melanoma and its prevention, detection, and treatment.
What Is Skin Cancer?
There are three types of skin cancer:
Basal cell carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma
The most serious skin cancer is melanoma. Melanoma is a much less common form of skin cancer than either basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma. It is estimated that about half of all Americans will develop some form of skin cancer at least once in their lifetimes. This section deals with melanoma; see non-melanoma skin cancer for information on basal or squamous cell carcinoma.
What Is Melanoma?
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that starts in skin cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes are what give skin its color.
Anatomy of the Skin
The skin is the largest organ of the body. Skin protects us from heat, sunlight, injury, and infection. It also stores water and fat, and produces vitamin D. The skin has three layers:
The outer layer, called the epidermis;
The middle layer, called the dermis; and
The inner layer, called the subcutis (the subcutaneous layer in the picture above).
The epidermis is made of flat cells called squamous cells. Round basal cells are under the squamous cells. The lower part of the epidermis also has pigment-producing cells called melanocytes, which darken the skin in response to sun exposure.
The dermis has blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, hair follicles, and glands. Some of these glands make sweat, which helps keep the body cool. Other glands make sebum. Sebum helps keep the skin from getting dry. Sweat and sebum reach the skin's surface through tiny openings called pores.
The subcutis and the lowest part of the dermis form a network of collagen and fat cells. This layer conserves heat and helps protect the body's organs from injury.
Normal and Abnormal Moles
Sometimes groups of melanocytes make moles, or nevi. Most people have between 10 and 40 moles on their bodies. These moles are usually pink, tan, or brown. They can be flat or raised, and are usually round or oval. Most moles are on the chest or the upper part of the body.
Moles don't usually grow or change very much. Many times, moles fade in older people. Most moles are benign, or noncancerous, and do not lead to cancer. Some abnormal moles, called dysplastic nevi, pose an increased risk of melanoma and must be examined periodically by a doctor.
Cutaneous Melanoma
Melanoma is the most serious kind of skin cancer. It is believed to begin when normal melanocytes become cancerous. When cancer cells are on the skin, the cancer is called cutaneous melanoma. Most of what we know about melanoma (its behavior, staging, and treatment) refers to cutaneous melanoma.
Melanoma can occur anywhere on the skin. Men usually get it on the part of the body between the shoulders and the hips called the trunk. They may also get it on their head or neck. Women usually get it on their arms and lower legs. Sometimes, melanoma may occur even on areas of the skin that never are exposed to sunlight. It may even occur in the eye or in the nose and sinuses.
If left untreated, melanoma can spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver, lungs, or brain. If melanoma spreads to the liver, for example, the cancer cells in the new tumor are still melanoma cells. The disease is then called metastatic melanoma, not liver cancer.


text:
Carpathia by Matt Forbeck
"Carpathia is a dangerous collision of rich historical drama and epic horror.
Beautifully written, completely disturbing… and highly recommended."
Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author
of Extinction Machine and Ghost Road Blues
"Pierces the reader's imagination like fangs into a neck –
or indeed like an iceberg into a hull."
James Lovegrove, Financial Times
It's Titanic meets 30 Days of Night.
When the desperate survivors of the Titanic were rescued from the icy waters of the North Atlantic by the passenger steamship Carpathia, they thought their problems were over.
But something was sleeping in the darkest recesses of the rescue ship. Something old. Something hungry.
The lucky ones wished they'd gone down with the ship.
File Under: Fantasy
[ Bump In The Night | Unthinkable | Rescue Remedy | 1912 Overture ]
Cover Art: Nick Castle, Castle Design
(click the cover for a larger image)
Book Info:
UK Print
Date: 1st March 2012
Format: Medium (B-Format) Paperback
North American Print
Date: 28th February 2012
Format: Small (Mass-Market) Paperback
Date: 28th February 2012
Format: Epub & Mobi
Other Angry Robot Books by This Author:
1. Amortals (UK: Nov 2010 | US: Jan 2011)
2. Vegas Knights (UK: Mar 2011 | US: Apr 2011)
Buying Info:
UK Print & Ebook
Amazon.co.uk | Book Depository | Waterstones | WHSmith
North American Print & Ebook
Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | BarnesandNoble.com | IndieBound.org
Global DRM-Free Epub Ebook
Robot Trading Company
Author Info:
Matt Forbeck: www.forbeck.com | @mforbeck on Twitter
Discuss and Share:
Discuss and Review Carpathia at Goodreads.com
Read an Extract:
Read, download, share and embed via Issuu.com
Praise and Reviews:
"Hell comes to the high seas as James Cameron's Titanic crashes full-force into the iceberg that is Bram Stoker's Dracula. Forbeck sinks his fangs into one helluva horror story, robbing from real history to set up an epic showdown between man and vampire (and between vampire and vampire) on the RMS Carpathia."
– Chuck Wendig, author of Blackbirds and The Blue Blazes
"Forbeck effortlessly blends history and horror, the Titanic and vampires, along with adventure and romance, in a fast-paced, chilling novel that moves like a bat out of hell."
– Aaron Rosenberg, author of No Small Bills
"What happens when Bram Stoker hits James Cameron with an iceberg? Carpathia tears a bloody hole in the side of the Titanic legend. It plunges you into the icy waters of horror and holds you under for 300 breathless pages. Chilling!"
– Ken Hite, author of Cthulhu 101
"In Carpathia, Matt Forbeck has taken a why-didn't-I-think-of-that concept and woven it into horror gold! If you like your vampires scary, your plots compelling, and your prose solid, you've got to pick up this book."
– Jeffrey J Mariotte, author of Dark Vengeance and Cold Black Hearts
"King of the Night meets king of the world and it's no contest – Carpathia takes vampires back from the sparkly boyfriends and turns them into fascinating, terrifying monsters again. Forbeck spins a thrilling yarn against the backdrop of one of the 20th century's greatest disasters and makes the iceberg that sunk the Titanic the least scary thing in the North Atlantic that night."
– Richard Dansky, author of Firefly Rain
"Yes, Matt Forbeck went there. He took those poor souls that survived the Titanic's sinking and decided to make their lives a little more terrifying. He mixed history with horror, and probably did it with a sly grin on his face as he typed up Carpathia. Very dark. Seriously twisted. I enjoyed every bit of it."
– James Floyd Kelly Wired.com's Geek Dad blog
"This is a beautifully constructed horror novel with the tension ratcheting up inexorably as night falls on the Atlantic."
– David Marshall, Sacramento / San Francisco Book Review
"Old Skool Vampires! crateloads of 'em! And not a floppy-haired sparkly teen vamp in sight. It reads as a fast paced, action packed tribute to Dracula, and it's no end of fun. Pure crucifix-wielding, stake plunging goodness. With icebergs. Brilliant!"
– Fantasy Nibbles
"…an absolutely amazing read, I rate Carpathia a solid 9/10″
– The Founding Fields
"Mr. Forbeck wonderfully paces his scenes fast and furiously, and builds the plot tension right up to the very end."
– Wesley Chu, Famous Monsters of Filmland
"… reads like a 1920s pulp adventure and can easily be devoured in one sitting … This novel is a hoot and tremendous fun. Definitely worth checking out!"
– Theresa Darwin's Terror-Tree
"…intelligent, well-written and enjoyable fiction that doesn't take itself too seriously without descending into farce. Carpathia is definitely a novel to watch out for."
– Libris Leonis
"Carpathia is a stripped-down thrill ride as humans and vampires are set on a collision course thanks to the accident of an iceberg. It's well worth picking up."
– Opinionator
"These are not the angst-ridden, pedophilic vampires of Twilight fame who glitter in sunlight. These are, if you'll pardon the expression, the real deal."
– Keith West, Adventures Fantastic
"This is a rapidly moving thriller, with plenty of twists and turns along the way, and is one of the most entertaining horror stories I've read in a good long while."
– Ed Fortune, Starburst Magazine
"It's not a relentless disaster orgy of fangs, blood, and people leaping to their deaths or drowning in icy water. It's much more civilised, yet during the quieter passages I was on tenterhooks just as much as I was when the stakes came out."
– Ros Jackson, Warpcore SF
"Carpathia has a couple of gory bits, but mostly it's a study in creepy suspense that delivers a lot of old-fashioned chills. I really enjoyed this book's Edwardian horror shtick."
– The Salted Peanut
"Fans enticed by the premise behind Pride & Prejudice & Zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter can take solace in the wickedly gleeful Carpathia."
– Benni's Book Biters


text:
"Using clues obtained from a YouTube video and a simple four-word Google search engine query, a criminal can find step-by-step instructions for how to hack into and take control of thousands of ATMs scattered around the United States. (...)
In the operator manual freely available on the Web site of a Canadian reseller, a section titled Programming provides the specific key sequence that will pop up a screen on the ATM that asks for the master password. It then lists three default passwords—master, service and operator—that could be used to hijack and possibly rig a machine."
And because most people are lazy, many ATMs still have the default passwords, which are freely available. A quote from the manual of an ATM:
"The default Master password is 123456 and the default Administrative password is 987654. To enter Management Functions as the Administrative user, enter 987654 and press ENTER (OK)."
The article concludes that "the episode underscores how easy it is to use the power of search engines to find sensitive security information. In the past, Google queries have been used to find security flaws in Web-facing applications, default passwords in Oracle databases and even live malware samples seeded on forums and other malicious sites." That's true, but you should also think that publicly available information is... available to public, so anyone can use it. Google and other search engines can only make this process easier, but the fault is not theirs.


text:
|95 posts found
Elite Member
Joined: 5/14/07
I believe in life before death... So dont forget to enjoy it while you still can.
I think GW2s story mode hit the nail on the head for me, just the right amount of story, and not being forced to do them. Tough at lvl 80 i really miss more story parts.
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
Login or Register to never see this panel
Apprentice Member
Joined: 8/02/08
I am not a hater, I call it like I see it.
[mod edit]
[mod edit]
Edit: Flip flopping runs rampant these days, even myself is guilty of it, most recently was XIV for me. I knew better, I broke my own cardnial sins, I knew the word potential is a term for a fast sinking ship yet i convinced myself maybe its real. Long story short if your using the potential excuse your already done. I got burnt, if I would have just listened to my normal pesimistic self it never would have happened.
Waiting for:EQ-Next, ArcheAge (not so much anymore)
Advanced Member
Joined: 5/17/12
I wish developers would treat single player games and mmo's as complete diffrent genres. I used to play mmo's so i could meet peaple and play with. If i wanted to play a single player mmo id stick one of my one of my old copies of FF's in my playstation.
IMO Peaple who want to Solo RPG's should just play regular rpg games, and leave the MMO's for peaple who want to play online together.
Novice Member
Joined: 7/25/12
Originally posted by Raserei
Define meaningful as you see it. Is it not meaningful at end game to group with with other plays to do a hard mode or raid? You may or may not like the treadmill or gear grind that some people do but it holds meaning to the subset of players that do enjoy doing it.
You can also go both ways in defning it as forced if you think the whole point of playing is to get all the gear. I don't think it is as I am not overly concerned with most games raid gear, so to me it's not forced grouping though it is meaningful if I enjoy the guild I'm in and just feel like spending X hours helping everyone get them there phat lewtz.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 11/30/11
Originally posted by toddze
This simply is being unfair to Pokket. She long ago said these things about replayability related to story in TOR. There is no waffling except, and she admits this, that she enjoyed the story greatly the first run through, and then not quite as much in consecutive play throughs. She also admits to still being a fan of the game which is distinct from fangirl/fanboy.
Personally, I'd prefer more context oriented storytelling in addition to the great class storytelling in TOR. In other words, get rid of those damn side quest cut scenes!
Apprentice Member
Joined: 3/09/05
First a minor correction to someone earlier on: Bioware had the LucasArts SW license, and EA bought them after SWTOR was in production. So EA couldn't have gotten some other MMO company to do the game -- it was already years into production.
Then, speculation. What I infer happened then, is that EA looked at what was in the works and said, "OMG, you are trying to do something ORIGINAL in the MMO genre? Not on our dime!" They made Bioware scrap whatever endgame plans they had, rework the legacy system, and de-empahsize story (yes *deemphasize it*) over their original plans in order to bring SWTOR more in line with a standard market MMO.
As a result, we got neither fish nor fowl, and the game really didn't have a good endgame (Pokket, I think you are nuts, the PVP and endgame currently are the least attractive part of the game and I am a fangrrl).
I think that the game could have appealed to a great many people who are the Skyrim/DA/... players, bringing them into the MMO environment and a style of play different from the ravening piranha 1337 squads that dominate most games. Still could if Bioware actually played to the strengths of the game, instead of trying to compete with every other game on the market on the standard turf.
More analysis on my G+ under "KOTOR with Friends" https://plus.google.com/101371184407256956306/posts/P6yZqcn2YC7
Novice Member
Joined: 10/04/07
Repeating content inevitably becomes boring. Don't blame quests
The 2 games I enjoyed the most in last few years were Rift and LoTRO. Both games had quests and cinematic sequences that made the game a lot more enjoyable.
In both games I leveled 4 toons to max level. I loved the journey the first 2 times. It felt like I was exploring a new world and the quests and cinematic sequences enhanced that feeling. The second time through I often discover content I missed the first time exploring those areas. The fact that I enjoyed playing the game from start to finish twice is a credit to both games.
The 3rd and 4th time is usually a grind and becomes a race to reach max level as quickly as possible. In retrospect, leveling 4 toons to max level to master all crafts is a crazy reason to keep playing a game.
I have played games that had no or few quests and they felt like boring grind fests. If you are not into pvp, what would you use instead of quests/missions that would give hours of entertainment?
Rift has shown, with rift invasion events and events triggered by encounters, that their are many different ways to implement a quest / mission system.
Just because someone is not into doing group dungeons or raids, does not mean they cannot contribute to their guild or other social activities.
There is an obvious saving in development costs if a game appeals to wider customer base: solo players, group players and raids. How to implement this without disenfranchising part of the player base is the challenge.
Novice Member
Joined: 12/24/05
the 2 top story questing areas of WoW were the space-goat starter zone and the deathknight starter zone. it would be hard to determine which one was better for me. but i enjoyed both thoroughly.
upon finishing space-goat island i announced to my friends that *this* was the way a starter zone should be made. the quests and the story blended seamlessly.
the deathknight zone was not the same experience. it was heavier on the story side and you could feel it. but in the end the story itself was worth telling and if you could suspend disbelief just long enough you could see yourself as a part of this conflict.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
Hard Core Member
Joined: 12/09/08
MMORPGs are no longer about the mass multi-user
I've been complaining about SPORPGs (Single-Player online RPG) on my blog for over a year now. Glad to see MMORPG.com (well, Pokket) is finally picking up the ball as well ;)
AsRock 990FX Extreme3
Hard Core Member
Joined: 10/12/04
Make worlds not stories
Good write, cant hurt to repeat the truth.
A mmorpg should not focus on 200 hours of storyline followed by dull gameplay concepts consisting of farming points/badges/gear/fame or whatever as timezink. A good mmorpg should focus on concepts of adventure within a world that allows for freedom (freedom not anarchy); where the limitations that a game must have is not in your face all the time, such as tier dividing, designated areas for certain levels etc etc.
Story should be used if it has meaning, and not driving a game.. err a mmorpg. Gameplay and world first, story second.
"I am my connectome" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA7GwKXfJB0
Novice Member
Joined: 11/24/12
The idea of integrating a story with an MMO will only work well, if the MMO players have a chance to interact seemlessly with the story as it emerges. The epic plot should be the weather of the MMO, the breeze of i'll will and rising power, that entices the players to leave the sandbox and quest for good, evil or themselves...to weather or tame the approaching storm. The power of the fantasy novel series, the discovery of the unknown, the fastidous immersive quality of a twisting plot that can be seized and changed by the players!
To do that you have to throw out the shilling and profit mantras that have enclosed the creativity of game company and the assignment of capital.
The players of the MMO must be the center of the story, in that areana, single player and multiplayer distinction become irrelvevant.
Imagine your your favorite Fantasy series, the ideas of which have seeded the fantasy genre, now tear down the walls segmenting the creative jaunt. Imagine playing in the MMO of lord of rings as the series was writ and your play your quest had a quantitavive effect on the next book in the seires and ultimatly the ultimate conclusion of the series?
How? Our movement is growing and we will launch two weeks. This is our first humble attempt at Dynasty of the Magi...come find your power and give us some hardcore feedback. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/823846998/dynasty-of-the-magi-mmo-and-ebook-in-one?ref=live
Author/CEO Poetcode
Novice Member
Joined: 12/17/07
Celebrated pariah of MMORPG.com
Originally posted by GarvanWolfe
This is why I am paying attention to that Defiance game from Trion.. I am wondering if the game will have any effect on the episodes of the show or will it end up being like the Walking Dead and just a reflection of the events happening in the show..
Personally I would prefer to see them include certain huge events that happen in the game world on the show, so it really feels like the players are having an actual effect of the lore of the world.. That would be great!
Apprentice Member
Joined: 6/11/08
I think with my heart and move with my head.-Kongos
The idea is that events in the show will be referenced in the game, and will trigger events in the game. The results of the events in the game will make it back into the show.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Novice Member
Joined: 12/10/08
My main problem with "story" is that the writers are only ones getting to really getting to play, I'm just following in their footsteps.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 11/28/12
I absolutely agree with lizardbones on this. Everyone I know bought the game for the story. And yet, I can't think of another MMO that puts so many quests in your leveling path that require you to group with other players. It was a terrible design decision, and I don't know what they were thinking. Leave the group content to just Flashpoints and Warzones for leveling, take out most of the terrible non-class quests, and put all of the other questing group content at level 50. Might have saved them enough time to address bugs and glitches.
Although, I honestly believe that SWTOR gets unfairly criticized for the bugs. Look at WoW. You still have issues with the shardhorn rhinos in sholazar basin not being where they're supposed to be, and the expansion came out over 4 years ago.
Advanced Member
Joined: 1/31/11
Boy, Pokket, I was all ready to lambaste you for commenting that story is overdone in many MMOs, but then I read the remainder of the article, and you bring up some absolutely excellent points, many of which I've been thinking about since I killed my WoW account in 2007.
"While, arguably, most games need this... it still begs the question: could these resources be better spent elsewhere? Perhaps adding more intricate crafting, more rewards for exploration, adding more PvE/PvP elements, or perhaps just making the game fun enough with attrition low enough that filler quests aren't really needed."
I think there needs to be a proper balance of what's put into the game, between graphics, system, story, PvE, PvP, RvR, and general content -music, tasks (don't call them quests, they're not quests), and monsters (don't call them mobs, a mob is a large group of people or bad guys)-, and other elements I can't think of off the top of my head.
Now, for my part, story is extraordinarily important in a game -read EXTRAORDINARILY- because I've been a tabletop gamer for 29 years, and GamesMaster for over 19. Story is what I do, and story is what I want to experience, and since I'm usually the go-to guy to be the GM for any group I play in, I want to play, too, so MMOs are about the only way I can do that. Now, having just played the free demo, to level 10, for Diablo 3 I can tell you that they did story right. I seldom, because of my age, stay up past 11:45 any more on any night, and yet I was up until 1:30 this morning finishing to level 10, because the game is very addictive. Likewise with Oblivion and Fallout 3, which I typically hold up as the standards for role-playing the right way.
For my part, it sounds like SWTOR did NOT get it right due to the cut-scenes and the overabundance of dialogue, and I already knew WoW 'questing' sucked because of well over two years of playing it, myself. Yet one more reason I won't be playing a game I thought was going to be out of the box and off the hook.
Now, unfortunately, here's the problem... as far as I can tell: Theme Park.
Developers try to put together these level-limited areas that have multiple tasks and, perhaps, even a storyline to complete, in order to make life as easy on themselves as possible. Unfortunately, to get from area 1-10 to area 11-15, you have to complete all of the 10th level tasks and, perhaps, some of the preperatory level 15 tasks, and then you can think of surviving in that next area. Developers need to have a hybrid sandbox/theme park approach, meaning that the world needs to be open, monsters and bad guys scale according to your character or group within a certain range of them (a few dozen 'yards', for example) with modifications for sneaks, brutes, champions, and chiefs -so higher level monsters, challenging ones, can exist in an area, but not level 55 when you're a level 11-, while at the same time you can run into adventures through exploration, you can have NPCs seek your character/group out to enlist their aid, etc. Once enlisted, your characters do the 'ride', or the tasks leading to completion of the adventure or campaign, and that's the theme park portion, and then they return to exploring the world, traveling to their heart's content.
Now, do we need so many cut-scenes, so much dialog, or a crap-ton of reading? For the smaller tasks, reading, for moderately sized tasks, a vocal introduction activated while the characters are approaching the climax of the adventure, and for huge-goal adventures or campaigns, a beginning cut-scene, maybe some 'semi-spoiler' scenes interlaced where necessary, and a completion video. Anything more excessive than those is asking for trouble.
All of that being said, this is why I can't wait for ESO. Zenimax/Bethesda KNOW how to tell a great story, though even they could learn a couple of things from your article and the attached comments.
Novice Member
Joined: 6/15/12
It is a shame that no one game has been able to find an effective balance of mmo and single player. I make characters in mmos to reflect me and most of these storylines never relect my opinion. Due to this, i lose a connection with my character and generally quit the game.
Novice Member
Joined: 11/24/12
Originally posted by lizardbones The idea is that events in the show will be referenced in the game, and will trigger events in the game. The results of the events in the game will make it back into the show.
Warning I work for a company that is doing exactly what you are saying....heck I own it! lol
EXACTLY right izardbones! That immersive experiance of living the adventure has been my desire.and its exciting..so I launched a company to do it! That is exactly what we have done with Dynasty of the Magi... a truly interactive MMO linked to a novel series where the results of the MMO are crafted in the book then seed the Next MMO. Then came the marketing models and accompnaingy suits....We tried for several years to get publishers to launch the idea...but the models are segmented not for player experiance, but ancillary revenue flow...The current thought is that a company would rather have two seperate revenue streams, the book, the show, the movie, the game, each a stepping stone for revenue stream We lose money in linking them to the player but gain in MMO experiance! We would love for hard core MMO's to check us out.... We launch in two weeks and aim to grow the lore with the gamers!! Be the story...write the lore!
Check us out....
Advanced Member
Joined: 1/28/04
Side note: any toad that responds "1st" to anything should be violently removed from the internet.
Good mini article and there could be a lot more said as this is something that I've been talking about with friends lately.
SWTOR definitely went overboard and could've done with about 1/3 or 1/2 as much VO/cutscenes. It's well done but you just don't need 5-10 minutes of that for what is essentially a kill 10 rats quest. A lot of that game was weak at release and is still weak and considering the money spent on it, a better balance of resource allocation would've been a really good idea. For one, they should've made their own engine because the piece of shit they used can't be optimized, runs like crap, and looks 10 years old already.
The main thing to me, having played MMORPGs since EQLive released, is this.
What makes MMORPGs special is the social, and especially the grouping elements. There are endless piles of single player games or single player games with multiplayer components of various types, but only MMORPGs give you that rich and deep grouping experience.
So to me, the emphasis on solo is a bad thing that hurts the genre and hurts games. It makes too much of MMORPGs feel like a single player experience and causes players to play like it's a single player game, where they level up (too quickly these days but that's another story) and are done. A small number do endgame if there's any they like and many either move on or start doing "replay" via alts. Grouping while leveling is entierly optional and the group content you are offered while leveling is tiny compared to the overload of single player content.
I think solo should be available, there most of MMORPGs should be about grouping since that is what is unique and special about MMORPGs. People who just want to solo should...wait for it...it's shocking...JUST PLAY SINGLE PLAYER GAMES. Basic logic. Use that thing called a brain.
So why has MMORGP gameplay shifted so much towards solo. Simple. Money. It costs a lot of money to make MMORPGs and devs want lots of players, so they've hybridized the genre to appeal to a wider audience.
In doing so, they've diluted the genre and what ultimately happens is that the "real" game, the core of the MMORPG, ends up being underdeveloped because they spend so much time catering to the soloists. Soloists play thru the single player portion of the game (leveling) then go away, while the real players who want to play for years end up having not so much to do because not enough group content is made.
You see this time and time again with new MMORPGs. Maybe companies should wonder why they have a huge initial rush when they release their MMO and then the numbers fall dramatically after a few months. It's because most of your soloists get done leveling and then either suck at grouping, don't want to group, don't want to guild, don't want to group, and bail. So you're left with your real fans, who end up having a handful of dungeons, 1-2 raids, and a little smidge of world content to keep them busy for years? Except that doesn't keep them busy for years and some of them stick it out, and some of them move on due to frustration.
Wouldn't it be better to design MMORPGs around what makes them unique and amazing - the grouping, and enable some solo to fill the gaps instead? You might have fewer useless soloists buying the game initially, but your core players, the ones who stick for years, would have a reason to stick for years. Develop the game around group content and grouping and fill it with way more group content so those players don't get bored a month after maxing the level cap.
In most MMORPGs the bulk of the content is leveling content. I love to level and to level alts but many do not. Tons of time and money is spent on content that for many is one and done or that they get thru then blast on future alts. Endgame is what most players (who will play for years) are concerned with but most MMORPGs ship with a miniscule amount of endgame content.
So devs are faced with the immediate problem of needing to crank out more and more endgame content to keep players around. Wouldn't it maybe make more sense to invest more in scaling group content that could be appealing whlie leveling and at endgame and to put more into endgame content up front to keep players busy for longer after they hit the level cap in the first few weeks of the game (since speed leveling seems to be the thing now and any serious player can hit cap in less than a month in any game).
I think ANet had some of this sort of in mind for GW2 but they kind of missed the mark in many ways - good intent though. They got the scaling right but there's no real incentive to do most content and IMO the game has other problems related to ideas that sounded good in theory.
Maybe I'm wierd. I see MMORPGs as the ultimate multiplayer games and I prefer to group over soling in them. I duo a lot, group a lot, and the people I run with love to group and do instances. Most of us get sleepy from soloing. I own a ton of games, most of which are single player - I have tons of outlets for single player gaming. But quality MMORPGs are so rare that I'd really love to see them focus on what makes them unique and special - the grouping - and screw people who want to solo exclusively in MMORPGs.
Premium MMORPGs do not feature built-in cheating via cash for gold pay 2 win. PLAY to win or don't play.
I beg you all pardon, as in my case the only MMOs i knew in the past were those asian, which I always hated as I never could see a reason to keep up playing them. I like playing RPG on a table and I never agreed 100% that any videogame title considered RPG is a true RPG. But then I accepted the fact that a videogame RPG is a genre with loads of story in which you can take some decisions that will count in the end.
When I read MMORPG, I need at least a good story, I really appreciate loads of cutscenes and the story being told as I advance. You can call it as a solo experience. But if you take away the story and all the cutscenes the articles is complaining about, is this still a RPG genre? Perhaps you may be talking about MMO, but not a RPG. I don't see how a game without story can be a RPG?
There's one thing though I may agree, which is the fact that I'd like to see our overall effort counting in order to change the whole world for once. And, this is a question too as is this the point you're complaining the companies don't develop nowadays? What should be like a game that encourage people to gather and play in groups without those annoying LF lobby spammings?
I'm sorry for sounding possibly like the noobest of all, but perhaps I haven't had so far a true MMO experience.


text:
|116 posts found
Novice Member
Joined: 10/05/03
Gaming should be about fun, not gender equality.
Originally posted by Eir_S
Yes you have missed it and it was in early days of UO, Asheron's Call PvP server and Shadowbane and so on. Basically it is about fighting over something that matters. Be it your guilds town, which took you days if not weeks to build, valuable NPC spawn points, NPC merchants etc etc
Fighting other players just for the hell of it ---> FPS/MOBA games.
Login or Register to never see this panel
Apprentice Member
Joined: 12/14/07
Originally posted by Yamota
God forbid MMO's have some diversity that caters to different audiences....how DARE they!!!
Novice Member
Joined: 8/07/11
GW2 socialist.
Originally posted by Yamota
Or MMORPG's, apparently.
Joined: 3/03/12
Originally posted by Eir_S
The newer ones.
The Elder Scrolls Online
Novice Member
Joined: 8/07/11
GW2 socialist.
So the newer ones are "pointless" because some people like different "points". Thanks for clearing that up.
Hard Core Member
Joined: 10/01/07
I now have over 320+ hrs in the game across 6 toon most above lvl 30 and one in his 60s but today I spent most of it doing sPvP and was having a blast I dont like PvP in most games but GW1 and GA and a few other shooters like CS:GO which is great but not like this was they change the teams up your with to fighting them to having some from each side to all kinds of mixture. One match it was me mesmer and 3 other mesmer the rst thiefs the other side had a really good mix and we where even through the whole match till they took out our keep leader. I also love in PvE I can enjoy any area in the game still even with my lvl 60 I still like to go back to lower lvl zones to help out my friends and guildies.
This game for sure is not for every one but it is for me and thoughs I play with and we play almost every day for 1 to 6 hrs depending on days. I have kids and still find myself play this with both of them at different times they both love it and only one is a gamer mwife even likes the game when she plays which is about once a week. I even got her to try sPvP today she had a blast and she was cussing up a storm when we got matched against each other but she got me a few times hehe. So to the op its not hard to get bored of games and it sounds like you like quick play through games more of a console type to me but hey gamers game on what they like i hope you find some games you like soon.
Novice Member
Joined: 4/07/04
Last night I hit the 410 hour mark of play since the game went live. I've cut my hours back a bit to a healthier balance with RL, but I'm still loving the game. I admittedly have overdone game play during the first 43 days. Someone with a much more modest play schedule might take 6 months to a year to reach the same amount of time played.
If I were to get bored now and need a break, the game would still have provided more entertainment hours than any MMO I've played since WoW, by a wide margin. Funny thing is, I'm not bored. At all. I still have more things I want to do each day than I have time to do them in.
It seems that the large majority of GW2 players are really enjoying playing the game and if you do enjoy playing this game, there is more here to keep you entertained over the long term than in almost any at launch MMO in the history of the genre.
There are always people that provide the exception and dislike or get bored of something that the majority love and find engaging. We all know that. I want to say with absolute clarity, though, that there is no lack of world space, content or any other flaws here that hamper or prevent people who do enjoy playing this game from finding enough game here to supply hundreds of hours, or much more, of enjoyable game play.
I say this because in addition to the person who may actually have found themselves bored with the game, there are also a lot of people who will say anything to detract from a game they've decided to dislike, even if they have to misrepresent their own experiences, or lack there of, in an attempt to paint the game with a negative brush. Almost every criticism has been debunked by the over al community of players who are playing and enjoying the game, so now "I see bots" and "I'm bored" posts have become the latest trumpet call of the detractors, almost always accompanied by "first hand stories" that to people who are playing the game are clear hyper exaggeration, if not outright fabrications.
Some people get bored more easily than others. Some people who actually play and enjoy this game may have reached some personal threshold of boredom, no matter how great the game is. People will take breaks to play something else. Many will likely return, cycling in and out of active play over the months and years ahead. We all know this will happen with any MMO. However, for people to imply that this game lacks something in content or design that limits the play time potential for this game is just absurd. The game clearly offers the most content and play time potential of any MMO since WoW and may even offer more extended playability than WoW did at launch.
GW2 offers exponentially more content and playtime potential than any other MMO released in the last five years. Between beta and live I now have logged over 560 hours with this game and still going strong. Before GW2, I had given up on finding a modern MMO that would offer me more than the 40-80 hours I had come to find myself feeling lucky to get from other titles. At the end of Beta, I predicted I'd get at least 1,000 hours from the live game between launch and the first expansion. I've seen nothing since to change my mind and I have a feeling I will get well over 1,000 hours from the game during year one. I can not stress how happy I am to have found a modern MMO that actually offers all the ingredients needed to provide a long term, enjoyable game experience.
What's most shocking to me is that even in MMOs of the past I have absolutely loved, I have always "hit the wall" numerous times, where I've needed a break before hopping back in. Sometimes I'd need a day, a week or even a month to decompress before heading back in. I think I hit the first wall with WoW around the 100 hour mark. With GW2, I haven't hit the wall yet. That's something I would not have predicted. When I do hit a wall with the game, which I certainly have to expect, I love that with no subscriptio fee, I can take what ever break I need and then hop right back in with out having to worry about maintaining a sub fee or cancelling and renewing a sub.
This is, finally, an MMO for the long haul, proving that the genre can still offer long term game play, even if this attribute has somehow become the exception, rather than the rule of contemporary MMO launches. The game also shows the potential that dynamic content has to offer the genre and, yes, dynamic content can be done better. Hopefully there will be a new crop of MMOs in a few years that will leverage all the lessons to be learned from what makes GW2 great and will push the genre even further forward. In the mean time, I have GW2, an MMO that, shocker, I can actually imagine playing for years, rathers than months or weeks, or days!
Want to know more about GW2 and why there is so much buzz? Start here: Guild Wars 2 Mass Info for the Uninitiated
Novice Member
Joined: 7/25/03
The Sandbox Foundation does not exist!
the game is designed to allow you to take breaks from it.
theres no pressure to keep payin...err playing...
Advanced Member
Joined: 9/18/10
I played a full month of gw2, i hit 80 and all i do now is wvw when i login even if iam very bad geared i still got ton of fun,
iam playing both wow and gw2 because i got friend in both. so i pay for 1 game and the other is free, when iam got bored with 1 i go in the other,
i suggest people to try play more then just 1 game, its seem that mmo player only focus on 1 game (MMO) and nothing else,
i play WoW,gw2,bf3 arma 2 LoL and minecraft
iam rarely bored,
Novice Member
Joined: 1/30/11
Originally posted by Eir_S
No. They're just not immersive. Which GW2 never seemed to be aiming for. They were going for the e-sport scene like LoL has for their SPvP. Sadly it's nowhere near that yet though. And WvW is just like a mini-game of Planetside, which I loved.
So yes, people looking for that immersion and not just the player versus player expeirence in this kind of setting will probably get bored. Take away the personal story quests and just have the world with you doing dynamic events. Imagine some of the forum post you'd be seeing then, "What's teh point of this game!?" It's still PvE right? Isn't that the point of player versus environment? Not usually in an RPG. An RPG usually aims for immersion. Yet the PvP here is like two seperate games, nothing really carries over. It's like it's in a whole different world...wait... lol
Hard Core Member
Joined: 9/27/12
Originally posted by Ramadar
Disneyland Online eh?
Care to elaborate? or is that the best you could come up with?
Novice Member
Joined: 4/29/12
seem like people and OP are done with MMORPG or MMO casual players, so the best suggestion is move along to offline games or buy console games please.
Hard Core Member
Joined: 9/03/08
Originally posted by Dihoru
I was going to post that if you want meaningful PvP try Lineage 2. Like Eve the pvp does have meaning. There are games out there with real pvp that means something but you will not get it with these simplistic themeparks.
I think maybe the OP is lieing . I've been playing for 2 or 3 hours a day for a week . I've been gathering materials to make money along the way . I'm now at level 29 .
Or maybe his version of casaul play and mine are totally different .Maybe what hes saying is that hes spent a week game time to get to level 80 as in 168 hours .
I dont doubt you can get to 80 in week but on intensive play to do it casually isn't possible .
Novice Member
Joined: 7/11/08
I mean I don't see what the point would be for me to lie about getting to level 80. I've got over 90 hours play time, it's really not hard to hit max level. Between events, dungeons, crafting which got me from 61-68 in as little as an hour... It wasn't hard at all. Plus I 100% completed at least 6-7 maps. You get exp for everything you do, and as a hundred blade/signet warrior it REALLY wasn't hard at all to burn through events, mobs, and personal story missions by myself.
You're free to look up my character if you'd like, Ridrith Mavewyn on Tarnished Coast. I don't know if you can actually do that or not, but go for it. Not sure if there's an armory or not.
Novice Member
Joined: 8/21/07
You probably hear this alot oh well... If you are so bored and you have to broadcast it wouldnt you have better use of your time if you played something else? Just a suggestion :S
Originally posted by Aerowyn
Special circumstances which are of nobody's business made it so that I was able to play a lot, and so did I. First time since WoW that I played a video game so much, GW2 really "grabbed" me.
It's over now though - back to normal pace, and back to work =P
Apprentice Member
Joined: 9/24/12
Originally posted by Ginaz
ROFL! GW2 calling a sandbox is the most hilarious thing I´ve read in this thread so far. The most themeparkish MMO ever, people really should check the definitions before posting...
Novice Member
Joined: 2/24/12
Originally posted by Yakamomoto
I know reading and grasping what someone actually says are hard. No where did he say GW2 is a sandbox. What he IS saying is that what people call endgame now a days wasn't part of sandboxes and still isn't as far as I know, before themeparks introduced them. Meaning GW2 is similar in that respect.
You just take any opportunity to hate on GW2 though. Let it go already.
Novice Member
Joined: 8/29/12
Originally posted by Ridrith
I felt the same way. Got bored leveling my Asura Rogue (mid 50s), got bored of the generic landscapes, got bored of instancing even the resources, got bored of the terrible guild system, got bored of the meaningless pvp, got pretty much bored of everything.
GW2 is to me the biggest fail of all MMOs I played. However, a good friend of mine is still loving the game. Currently leveling her third toon to 80. Actually, she even does some roleplaying too. Dunno why she doesn't RP in games like UO or LotRO.
However, I lost my appetite for MMOs nearly entirely, but a few days ago I got into World of Tanks, and although it is kind of Pay 2 Win, and although I normally do not play games like CoD, BF3 or CS, I am loving it! So perhaps, try something entirely new.


text:
NEW YORK - - Opponents of New York City's limit on the size of sugary drinks are raising questions of racial fairness alongside other complaints as the novel restriction faces a court test.
The NAACP's New York state branch and the Hispanic Federation have joined beverage makers and sellers in trying to stop the rule from taking effect March 12. A hearing is set today.
Critics call the regulation inconsistent and undemocratic. The minority advocacy groups say the soda rule will unduly harm minority businesses and "freedom of choice in low-income communities."
City officials and health experts say it's a pioneering and proper move to fight obesity.
The city Board of Health approved the measure in September. It bars restaurants and many other eateries from selling high-sugar drinks in containers bigger than 16 ounces.
To comment, the following rules must be followed:
Comments may be monitored for inappropriate content, but the station is under no legal obligation to do so.
If you believe a comment violates the above rules, please use the Flagging Tool to alert a Moderator.
Flagging does not guarantee removal.
Multiple violations may result in account suspension.
Decisions to suspend or unsuspend accounts are made by Station Moderators.
Questions may be sent to firstname.lastname@example.com. Please provide detailed information.


text:
May 9, 2012 (WAMPUM, Pa.) - Fresh off a great start to his 2012 World Karting Association (WKA) Manufacturer's Cup program, Texan Mason Chelootz would make the trip to the Pittsburgh Race Complex for the third race of the six round series. A threat for victories every time he hits the track, the Top Kart pilot proved once again to be one of the drivers to beat as he took home a quartet of victories and added a podium to finish all five classes in the top three.
"It was a great weekend in Pennsylvania," expressed Chelootz after his five podiums. "I really like the track and the competition is high in WKA. With three events remaining, I am starting to focus more on the points at each and every event but will do my best each weekend to win."
Competing in three separate divisions on Saturday, Chelootz would utilize three separate engine combinations aboard his Tony Loniewski and John Wiegand prepared Top Karts. Competing in the Parilla Leopard Only, TaG 1 and Komet Heavy classes, the multi-time race winner went on to score a pair of victories and a third place result.
Sweeping the Komet Heavy class, Chelootz claimed the pole position, heat race win and main event victory as he dominated the class. Winning by a substantial margin over the rest of his rivals, Chelootz showed why he is the favorite to take the title.
Sweeping a class at the WKA Manufacturer's Cup is hard in any class on any race weekend. Following his Komet Heavy efforts, Chelootz repeated his dominating performance in the TaG division by completing the hat trick. With a blistering lap in qualifying to take the pole position by nearly six tenths of a second, Chelootz went on to claim another prefinal win and main event victory, his second of the day.
Chelootz added, "The TaG kart was really working well this weekend and the power was awesome. I felt like I could put the kart anywhere on the track and be fast."
With two victories on the day, Chelootz was out to add a third to his resume in the Parilla Leopard Only division. Having to come from somewhere other than the front row, the Top Kart pilot would claim the fifth quickest lap time in the morning qualifying session and held station through the prefinal to score a fifth place result. Working with his tuners to perfect his ride for the main event, Chelootz drove forward to take the third position when the checkered flag flew.
With a successful Saturday complete, it was back to the track on Sunday for the Komet Lite and TaG 2 divisions, as Chelootz would look to keep his podium streak alive. Missing the pole positions by the slightest of margins in both classes, Chelootz would claim the second quickest lap and start both prefinals from outside row two.
Looking to secure heat race wins and pole positions for the main events, Chelootz went on to run second in the Komet Lite class. Falling back to third on the start of the main event, the talented Texan made quick work of the top two drivers as he took the point by the time the trio had made it to corner four. Never looking back, Chelootz went on to score his third victory of the weekend and a commanding lead in the overall points battle.
Also seeing action in the TaG 2 division, Chelootz would turn his second place prefinal starting position into a disappointing fifth place result. Determined to rebound in the main event, Chelootz steered his Top Kart through the top five to take command of the race and score his fourth win on the weekend.
Mason would like to thank Grand Products, Top Kart, Hytorc of Texas, Comet Kart Sales, P1 Engines and his tuners Tony Loniewski and John Wiegand, as well as his parents for all their hard work and continued support.
For up-to-date news, results, photos and information on Mason Chelootz, visit him online at www.MasonChelootz.com.


text:
The gargantuan opening of the annual gun buck season is upon us (Nov. 19). It's the largest single sporting event of the Mountain State calendar. And what a traditionally rich one it is at that. Though whittled away by both new and old hunting implements from stick, compound and crossbows to in-line and scope mounted muzzleloaders; it's the rifle or "gun" season that still rules the roost in the all-time annals of West Virginia deer hunting. That being said, it's also high time to let the tales begin!
And we did say tales not tails, as in the flagging white ones on the south side of the north bound quarry and namesake white-tailed deer that most hunters are quite familiar with, particularly me. We're talking about the story type tales that go hand-in-glove with such long standing events. Some may be true, some false, some garnished and others so strange they might actually be false as well. What better time to delve into them however than the joyous week of deer hunting and Thanksgiving, one and the same in these parts.
And it's especially joyous this year with the debates and elections thankfully over and the fiscal cliff far enough down the road that it doesn't even merit mentioning at camp. The Banner then as merely a matter of public service is providing a sample tale or two that might be plied on the young, the middle aged, the old, the new, gullible or any other camp member worthy of such abuse at this time of year.
In other words, any hunter that takes up arms in the quest of deer shall not be safe from the wrath of another hunter's distribution of practical jokes, tall tales or other such deer season shenanigans. This is the part where you might politely interject, "Have you ever heard the one about the headless deer?" Better yet, follow up quickly before anyone answers with this one. "If one encounters a headless deer, is it legal game."
With deer seasons specifically for antlered or antlerless animals, how does one go about handling the ones without their head? After all, haven't you seen the headless versions as road kill along the highways and byways out there? You don't have to mention the fact that these deer had their heads prior to being struck by a vehicle. With a test for living deer unavailable, WVDNR staff removes the heads in the post-mortem for brain tissue samples to be tested for chronic wasting disease.
Or better yet, to garnish the headless situation with yet another follow up comment, you might point out that some of these deer had met the guillotine, a French-style head lopping for their unruly behavior, surviving just long enough to be mercifully finished off by a moving vehicle. If none of this meets the truth test, I swear, you might consider moving on to the subject of mountain lions.
With recent confirmations of mountain lions by the various DNR's of Michigan, New England and now Illinois just a couple weeks back, who's to say they're not here. And who's to say you didn't see what you thought you saw and all that. It's that time of year for seeing stuff, to tell those tales, some old, some new just to see what kind of a post-election response you might get. After all you've been out there hunting haven't you?
Yep, it sounds like deer season 2013 is upon us. Let the story telling roll and have a good one! PS Bob Fala's new book Ramblin' Outdoors features historic outdoor accounts and photos from the Banner files and elsewhere. It is available at the Banner Office or on-line at Woodland Press.


text:
You are here
Camp GEMS
Camp GEMS - Girls in Engineering, Math and Science
Camp GEMS is an engineering, mathematics and science, residential camp designed to develop interest, excitement and self-confidence in young women entering the 7th or 8th grade in the fall 2013. The camp is held on the campus of Ohio Northern University for up to 72 young women. It features hands-on activities in math, science and engineering. A class ratio of 12 students per teacher is emphasized to encourage maximum interaction and instruction. The camp is designed for the all-around student, not just those who excel academically. There are also many all-camp activities such as scavenger hunts, swimming, volleyball, tennis and crafts.
Instruction is provided by ONU faculty members and counselors are ONU female college students majoring in engineering, pharmacy, math or science.
For more information, contact Laurie Laird at 419-772-2421 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Mobile Products Support
Sobinka, Russia
Welcome to the WeatherBug Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and product support page for the WeatherBug family of mobile weather products. If you have a product question or issue that is not addressed here, you may want to visit the WeatherBug Forum to search related topics for posted feedback and discussion threads from users and WeatherBug representatives. Otherwise, please fill out a Support Request Form.
WeatherBug Featured Products
Weather News
Other Top Weather Headlines
California Crews Hold Ground Against Blaze That Jumped Line
California fire officials say a wildfire burning east of Lower Lake has grown to more than 4 and half square miles in a few…More >
'Blue' Moon To Illuminate The Sky Friday
Friday's full moon will be the second full moon of July, a fairly unusual phenomenon that has come to be known as 'a blue…More >
Weekend Weather Preview
Weekend Preview Many spots see relief from the oppressive heat and humidity, but poor Floridians continue to see…More >
Featured Cameras
Stay Safe & Informed
Get severe weather alerts and your live local temperature when you're not on the web. Includes one-click access to additional severe weather information on WeatherBug.com. Learn More


text: Check out the electronic book and music resources available to you with your Library Card! Check out the eBOOK Quick Start Guide for additional help downloading eBooks. Visit the eBCCLS collection of downloadable ebooks from Overdrive. This catalog currently ONLY offers eBooks. You must be a resident of West Caldwell or a Courtesy Card holder to use this catalog. Visit Digital Library NJ for downloadable audio books and additional eBook titles from Overdrive. Access to these materials by patrons of BCCLS member libraries will end on February 28, 2013. We recommend placing future holds on ebooks in eBCCLS Overdrive since holds in DigitalLibraryNJ will not be transferred after access ends. Pay card members MUST use this catalog for eBOOKS. Get streaming acces to thousands of musical tracks including, classical, folk, jazz, and world music. You must have a BCCLS Library Card to use this catalog. Get streaming audiobook service provides streaming access to classic fiction and non-fiction works. You must have a BCCLS Library Card to use this catalog. Printer-Friendly Page


text:
March 21 designated to raise awareness of Down syndromeWritten by Brigitta Burks | News Editor | firstname.lastname@example.com
Kaiden Rogers does a great elephant impression, loves pizza and tossing the ball outside. His favorite movie is "The Wizard of Oz" and he's quick to smile. He is like many 5-year-olds, except that he has Down syndrome.
His mother, Sherri Rogers, has been president of the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Toledo (DSAGT) for three years. One way to honor March 21, Worldwide Down Syndrome Day, and individuals like her son, is to "just take a step back and look at people as individuals. Remember that they're all human beings and everybody deserves the same things that everybody else does," Sherri said.
Sherri and husband Justin Rogers didn't know Kaiden had Down syndrome during her pregnancy.
"Right at delivery, they said they thought he had Down syndrome," she remembered. Shortly after Kaiden's birth, Sherri became secretary of DSAGT before moving up to president.
Having Kaiden has changed her perspective in many ways.
"The reality of it is it opened my eyes to be a lot more open-minded, accepting, noticing people for who they are, not their diagnosis. It definitely made me a lot more compassionate for the special needs community. I mean, I was not an advocate for anything before," she said.
Sherri also works for the United Way Family Information Network with special needs families.
In her position with DSAGT, Sherri oversees several events, organizes advocacy efforts and provides information and support to families. The group serves about 430 families in the Northwest Ohio area, a bit smaller than groups in Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland, but Rogers has high hopes.
"Even in the past five years I've been involved with the Down Syndrome Association, we've grown so much and added so many new things. We're not quite with the rest of them, but we're working toward it," Sherri said.
DSAGT also organizes a spring golf outing and the Buddy Walk in October to raise awareness and funds.
The Rogerses haven't had many issues with the Toledo community's acceptance of their son.
"For the most part, everybody's very accepting of him. He has a great personality," Sherri said.
What Kaiden gets noticed for most is his shock of red hair.
"Everybody always talks about his red hair. When people see him, they're like, 'Oh my gosh, look at that little redhead,'" Sherri said with a laugh. The 5-year-old begins kindergarten this fall. To donate to DSAGT or learn more, visit www.dsagt.org.
March is also Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. The month kicked off with self-advocates from across the state, including about 20 people from Lucas County, traveling to the Ohio Statehouse Atrium on March 1. Ohio Public Images, an information and advocacy group out of Toledo, along with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities sponsored the kickoff celebration.
"Each year, the statewide kickoff event reinforces the fact that once we focus on the abilities of all citizens, we all benefit. By welcoming people with disabilities as equal community partners in the workforce, as well as in our schools and neighborhoods, our communities will be stronger," said Lon Mitchell, executive director of Ohio Public Images.
According to REM Ohio, a group that provides services and support to those with developmental disabilities, getting to know someone with special needs is a good way to celebrate the month. "The best way to get to know somebody [with special needs] is like getting to know anybody in the community. They have hopes and dreams just like you and me," said Jim Oliver, director of REM Ohio's Toledo location.
Toledoans can also attend several events put on by various groups throughout the month:
- Barbara McKenzie, who has a daughter with a developmental disability, is also the author of "Reflections of Erin: The Importance of Belonging, Relationships, and Learning with Each Other." She was slated to host a free presentation at 11 a.m. March 16 at the Sanctuary of First United Methodist Church, 1526 E. Wooster St., Bowling Green.
- Hope United Methodist Church will present a "Round and Square Dance" at 7 p.m. March 24. All proceeds will benefit Sunshine, a nonprofit offering support services to those with developmental disabilities. Tickets will be available at the door and cost $10 for adults and $6 for children. For more information, call Lindsay Graham at (419) 392-6868.
- A workshop "Customized Employment for Persons with Developmental Disabilities" is 6:30 p.m. March 28 at the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities Family First Zone, 1155 Larc Lane. This presentation is free, but registration is required with the Autism Society of Northwest Ohio. Visit support.autism-society.org to learn more.
Tags: Barbara McKenzie, developmental disabilities, Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, Down Syndrome, Down Syndrome Association of Greater Toledo, Jim Oliver, Lon Mitchell, REM Ohio, Sherri Rogers, Sunshine, Worldwide Down Syndrome Day


text:
All original OEM car parts
Good collection of car parts
Full warranty on all car parts
Free shipping on all orders above $50
Toll free support on calling 1-800-565-5021
If you are looking for Infiniti G37 car parts then you can find them in good quality at Car Parts Warehouse. We have a full line of car parts for your Infiniti G37 in our online catalog. You can find a wide range of car parts, truck parts at very much low price. If you are in need of genuine aftermarket car parts for your Infiniti G37, all you need to do is to place the order for the parts you were looking for. You can be assured of the quality of all our Infiniti G37 parts as all the parts are tested to meet the industry standards. We have parts for all brand and for both domestic and imported vehicles.
We take pride in ourselves for our excellent customer service. We stand behind our car parts and we guarantee you good quality car parts. We do not indulge in selling any junkyard parts. All the parts we sell are OEM replacement and are available to you at wholesale prices. We sell only parts that come with warranty unless it is mentioned specifically in the website. We never compromise quality of the car parts for the cost of the car parts. We have made the shopping experience of our valuable customers as a trouble-free process. The simple three-step process will help you in finding the right Infiniti G37 parts.
All you need to do is to select the right year, model and make of the vehicle. On doing so you can find the right part to place an order. On placing an order, we ensure that you receive the Infiniti G37 parts on time. We have got warehouses at different parts of the country and will ship the parts from your nearest location. All the purchase above US $50 can enjoy free shipping. You rely on us for good customer support. We have got experienced support and sales experts to assist you in the process of buying. You can very well contact us in our toll free number or write to us. For any kind of technical help you can speak to our car parts experts on calling our toll free number 1-800-565-5021.
Part Search
Contact Us
Site Map
Copyright 2015 Car Parts Warehouse.com All Rights Reserved.


text:
Narrow your search
Electrification transforms the 2015 Kia Soul EV, already one of the automaker's best cars, into an excellent first entry into the small EV market and rockets it to the head of its class.
There's a lot of anticipation around the little Chevrolet electric car that was unveiled earlier this year. In Detroit this week, we got important updates on its progress.
Quant's oddball nanoFuelCell technology has most of us scratching our heads, but its grand zero-emissions range claim has our interest piqued.
Brian Cooley ranks the top five best selling electric vehicles in the U.S. for 2014.
Chevrolet's lower-cost, battery-powered electric car will definitely go into production, eventually giving EV fans a new choice.
The Honda Fit EV shows range similar to that of other compact electric cars on the market and drives well enough, but ultimately feels like a retrofit project car rather than a fully realized futuristic production vehicle.
Kia electrifies the Soul compact with a positive eco-charge.
The Soul is the rock star of its class -- can Kia bring its winning ways to the EV? Brian Cooley gets behind the wheel and checks the tech.
Like other electric cars, the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV offers limited usage scenarios due to its range, but its drivetrain is ultraefficient and surprisingly powerful.
The G-Dock and G-Drive introduce a new level of flexibility in external storage, and performance is fast.


text:
Whatever your budget or need, there's a tutoring option for you.
Find Top-Rated Clarksville Tutors
Angie's List helps you hire the best - and avoid the rest!
Tutors to Avoid
Top Rated Tutors
Prevent buyer's remorse with us
- Over 3 million people trust Angie's List to help make the right choice
- Be informed to avoid costly mistakes
- Shop with us to ensure a fair price
- Our complaint resolution team will help if a project goes bad
Over 192 reviews for
Clarksville Tutors from people just like you.
Over 2 million people trust Angie's List.
- Your Membership Includes:
- Instant access to top rated businesses covering 700+ services
- Our Complaint Resolution Team to help when a project goes bad
- On-the-go access to our iPhone, Android, & iPad apps
Access to trusted reviews, the best Tutors and exclusive discounts!
Real Member ReviewsMemberships allow Angie's List to certify that all reviews are real reviews from real members—no fake, bogus, or anonymous reviews here!
DealsAngie's List is a Community that you'll use time after time. Research who to hire, learn tips and tricks, and consult with your neighbors
Instant Community AccessMembers can choose from tons of deals and discounts for projects they need to do, like 30% off exterior home painting!
Complaint ResolutionIf a project goes badly, Angie's List has a complaint resolution team standing by to help you.
Local Articles in Clarksville
Returning to school requires a lot of planning and adjustment. Help your hearing impaired child succeed with these tips to keep them safe and well-cared for.
Our highly rated experts tell parents what they should consider before hiring a tutor for their child this summer. And no, "tutor" doesn't mean "babysitter."
A tutor may be the right answer for a child who is struggling with school work. Make sure the person you hire is qualified, of good character and has a schedule that suits you and your family's needs.
Tutoring reviews in Clarksville
He designs the tutoring sessions around the student and he individualizes instruction. He is timely and knowledgeable. It was a great investment!
I highly recommend his services!"
Tutors in Clarksville, IN
College Prep Genius
Cornerstone Prep LLC
Creative Writing Studio
Education Services for Success
Elite Athlete Baseball
Huntington Learning Center
Kotey Tutoring
Lake Forest Living
Major Choices
Mobile Tutors
Ruby Research
Simpson Sales Academy
Straight Line Tutoring, LLC
TalkPower Inc
The Right Way to Write
WyzAnt Tutoring
Join Angie's List to get the best local reviews in Clarksville.
- Instant access to reviews for 700+ services
- Exclusive service discounts - up to 70 percent off!
- Top-notch support from our live call center


text:
My first two pics are from our family (just us) Surprise Birthday Party for Maggie on Wednesday. She turned 4. I just cannot stand the idea of her getting any older!!
Join in the fun:
I LOVE that you have a Maggie, I have a Maggie! She will be 3 in exactly 20 days! I too cannot stand the idea of her getting any older. She is my baby! What a cute birthday party!
Kindergarten Kidlets
Maggie is the BEST name! (of course, I have a Jack and Emma, too! lol) Happy early Bday to your Maggie!!Delete
That birthday party is too adorable. Love it all!ReplyDelete
Happy birthday to Maggie! Where did you get the stuffed Pete? I need one.
My Second Sense
I have a small one and also a large one...both off of Amazon. The large one is available at times and then unavailable. It is weird!Delete
Happy Birthday to your beautiful baby! Keep her away from "Mr. Fleet Week" in you class! Have a great weekend!ReplyDelete
For sure! Thank you!!Delete
Happy 4th birthday to your daughter. Mine will be 6 in June! What? I just had her....right? It goes way too quick!
Live Love Laugh and Teach!
What an adorable FOUR year old!! Happy Birthday to Maggie! Those cupcakes look pretty tasty!
Angela :)
Hippo Hooray for Second Grade!
Love the banner hanging in your classroom! Cute!
Happy Birthday to your daughter.
The First Grade Princess
How sweet your daughter is:) I find random drawings like that all the time, too funny:)
Surfin' Through Second
Sponge bob!! I love that guy! Happy birthday to your little miss!!
Kerri B
Teacher Bits and bobs
That 'Ahoy Ladies' tee was ADORABLE! :) Your little Maggie is too cute too! :) Thanks for sharing your week with all of us! :)
I'm Tamara from Mrs. Russell's Room
I found you through the Five for Friday linky! :)
Nice to meetcha'! ;)
Wow! Maggie is precious and her party looks like a blast :) Thanks for sharing these sweet moments.
The Brown-Bag Teacher
Happy Birthday Maggie. Loved your random pics.ReplyDelete
The 4 year old in me still loves Minnie Mouse too... such a cute, classic party theme. And your daughter is totes adorbs!
My oldest turns four this May and I will likely cry. I LOVE your Pete The Cat!ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
Oh my gosh Jennifer! Stop with the cuteness! I LOVE this post...especially your sweet Maggie and those bunnies!
The Moffatt Girls


text:
Culbreath: Soccer hatersWritten by Matt 'Shaggy' Culbreath | | firstname.lastname@example.com
"When you get to talking like this, you sound panicked."
-Detective Rust Cohle, True Detective
We're through the group stages of the World Cup, and it's been pretty damn exciting. Last-second finishes, groups undecided until the last game, and, oh yeah, someone bit a guy. All in all, I can't wait until the knockout rounds begin. And the TV ratings have been pretty good too.
So, of course, the more coverage it gets, the more the haters have come out. A cursory search of social media will find plenty of people complaining about ties, or making cracks about orange slices, or any number of xenophobic jokes about other countries. The more hype it gets, the more they scream.
And to the haters, I ask: what exactly is it you're afraid of?
I'm not going to sit here and claim that soccer is right around the corner and is set to explode in this country. It isn't. It's just not a part of our culture. And there's a very simple explanation as to why: in most of these countries, the sport of choice among the poorest children is soccer. In ours, the underprivileged play basketball instead. The cost of getting into both games is next to nothing, you can play with as few or as many people as you'd like, and there's no shortage of playing surfaces for either. Soccer can be played in an alley, and there are plenty of basketball hoops in public parks in urban areas.
So, are you afraid that it's going to take over from your favorite sports? Because it's not. In fact, I would go so far as to say that you can like more than one sport. In fact, they air at different times! I've been watching World Cup games for the past two weeks, and still watching baseball in the evenings! It can be done!
Are you afraid that it's some conspiracy? That it's a worldwide effort to eat away at the moral fiber of the country by making us watch 22 people on a field kick a ball for two hours? Hell, I can appreciate the fact that it's just two-hours, and not a three-hour grind with commercial breaks every five minutes. I'd say the NFL could take a hint. Decrease the number of breaks, charge more for the spots. Less is more, after all.
I mean … is it all the foreign people? Because it's a big, wide world out there, and y'all need to come to terms with it.
Soccer being on TV for a month isn't going to ruin America. Or baseball. Or the NFL. It's just another thing. You can ignore it pretty easily if you really don't like it. But ripping on people who do enjoy watching it, even if it's only every four years, is childish. I don't like watching "The Big Bang Theory," but I don't berate people who do. You're allowed to ignore it. Please do.
Matt "Shaggy" Culbrath is sports director at Newsradio 1370 WSPD.
Tags: Baseball, Big Bang Theory, FIFA, haters, Matt Culbreath, NFL, Shaggy Culbreath, soccer, True Detective, World Cup, xenophobia, xenophobic jokes


text:
Quick Links
Shop All Jewelry
BRC10083 In Stock Absolutely No Delay on Personalization!
This stainless steel oval id cuff bracelet is similar to our best selling stainless steel cuff bracelet but has a bit more style. This sleek smooth stainless steel ID bracelet is 5mm wide at the most narrow part of the cuff and is 13mm wide across the widest point of the id area. This stylish bracelet is ideal for everyday wear and is sure to become a staple in your wardrobe.
Eve's Addiction.com wants you to be a happy customer. We want you to be completely satisfied with the sterling silver jewelry that you receive from us, as we only sell high quality silver and cubic zirconia cz jewelry. We do understand that you may not like your purchase for some reason.
You may return or exchange your jewelry within 60 days of purchase if you are not satisfied with it. The jewelry must be returned in its original condition for a refund or exchange. Engraved, personalized, photo, monogram, name and initial, chocolate and clearance items are not returnable or exchangeable.


text:
Quick Links
Shop All Jewelry
RGZ10674 In Stock
If you like the shimmer of diamond cz stones, but don't like the bling, then you will enjoy wearing this Pave CZ Teardrop ring. A simple sterling silver band wraped around your finger, displaying a sparkling teardrop of mutliple 1mm round brilliant cz stones. Weighing only 3.8 grams, this pave cz ring is very comfortable to wear and is a versatile accessory for any outfit. Made with .925 sterling silver, the rhodium finish will keep this glamorous ring from tarnishing. Match it with the pave cz sterling silver teardrop pendant for an excellent gift set for someone special.
Eve's Addiction.com wants you to be a happy customer. We want you to be completely satisfied with the sterling silver jewelry that you receive from us, as we only sell high quality silver and cubic zirconia cz jewelry. We do understand that you may not like your purchase for some reason.
You may return or exchange your jewelry within 60 days of purchase if you are not satisfied with it. The jewelry must be returned in its original condition for a refund or exchange. Engraved, personalized, photo, monogram, name and initial, chocolate and clearance items are not returnable or exchangeable.


text:
and the chance to learn and grow together.
The interest forum communities you have indicated you are interested in are listed to the left under "Enter your Communities". Please feel free to explore other communities by joining them below.
© National Association for the Education of Young Children - Promoting excellence in early childhood education 1313 L St. NW, Suite 500, Washington, D.C. 20005 | (202)232-8777 | (800)424-2460 | email@example.com


text: Notebooks & Ultrabooks Reset Reset Select Product Advanced Search 0 Thin & Light Thin & Light Advanced ASUS design and engineering create extra-stylish and ultra-thin artistic notebooks measuring under 1" in profile to deliver a balance of advanced and powerful features, premium materials, artistic designs, and the greatest freedom of mobility. 13.3" ASUS ZENBOOK UX303LN Ultrabook™ with discrete graphics and premium design 11.6" ASUS Transformer Book T200TA Mobility without compromise 10.1" ASUS Transformer Book T100TA 2-in-1 ultraportable laptop with 10" tablet Multimedia Multimedia Superb audio visual performance through high-grade panels, exclusive SonicMaster sound, plus the latest processor and graphics technology. 15.6" N55SL Incredible in Sound Gaming Gaming Relentless power for true gamers, packs desktop performance into aggressive yet highly ergonomic notebooks tailor-made for enthusiasts 17.3" ASUS ROG G750JX The future is in your hands – Experience the powerful 17" gaming laptop 17.3" ASUS ROG G751JM Experience power from within Everyday Computing Everyday Computing New technology meets a wide range of exclusive usability features, a diverse color choice, and always-great affordability for everyone. 11.6" ASUS EeeBook X205TA Easy to Learn, Work and Play. 15.6" X555LA Encircling Beauty and Performance 11.6" X200CA Adding vibrancy to everyday computing Chromebook Chromebook 13.3" ASUS Chromebook C300 Ultraportable for superior mobility with battery life for all day computing


text:
Results 1 to 10 of 11
- Join Date
- May 2011
- Location
- West Coast
- Posts
- 23,444
Posted On:
7/10/2006 9:51pm
Style: Being a total psychopath--
I guess this will do.
there are no nationally renowned san shou schools in dallas.
there are only 5 or so top notch san shou programs in the u.s., one of them is in texas, houston kickboxing, but that doesnt do you much good in dallas. there probably are some tranditional cma programs that happen to have san shou programs, which is a sign that the gym may be decent as far as traditional is concerned. but a focused internationally competitive sanda program is a whole other animal of sorts, and that is what i would recommend for your friend if he's really interested in sanshou/sanda.
if he wants to find a decent fighting school w/in cma, have him go to the tai chi legacy event in dallas next week, one of the events is lei tai san shou (should be a mix of mostly local b & c level fighters, none of the top sanda teams are going to that as far as i know... so it won't be the best example of san shou), have him meet and talk to various coaches and fighters there, they could probably point him in the right direction to find some local san shou.
Registered Member
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
- Posts
- 301
Posted On:
7/18/2006 5:56am
Style: Alien Cosmic Chi Quan--
Mr Jones, link you posted, did that person learn from Adam Hsu?
I used to live in Dallas (moving to Cali). Not very many good schools for actually applying CMA. I don't even participate in tournaments or any of that, waste of time. Since I practice IMA, it is not important every little fine detail, but rather if alignment, body mechanics, and intent is right (thats all I care about anyways). I then find a very lose and adaptable way of applying the core of what I learn. Lots of McDojo's and waste of time around here.
I wonder who the author of website learned MizongQuan (lost track) from.


text:
Young Adult MinistryAre you between the ages of 18 and 30? If so, the Young Adult Ministry of the ELCA offers inspiration, opportunities and resources for young adults like you and for people who facilitate young adult ministry in their communities of faith. We are a church that belongs to Christ. There is a place for you here.
Today's young adults are a part of the Millennial Generation, those born between 1982 and 1995. In the most generous accounting of this generation, millennials are said to number about 80 million, which makes them the largest generation in American history. According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and their 2010 report, "Millennials: A Portrait of a Generation," approximately one-third of those who are unaffiliated with a community of faith are under age 30.
The ELCA is expanding its vision of what it means to be church and what it means to engage a population of young adults who are seeking authentic community and opportunities to serve their neighbors.
Young Adult Ministry works to support and connect young adults and those who work with them. We focus our ministry in addressing the following four questions as they relate to young adults:
Form Faith – Whose am I?
Young Adult Ministry in the ELCA exists to help young adults come face-to-face with the one in whose image they have been formed and articulate faith in the triune God.
Uncover Identity – Who am I?
Young Adult Ministry in the ELCA exists to help young adults claim who they are and discover their unique gifts and passions that have been endowed upon them by God.
Discern Vocation – Why am I?
Young Adult Ministry in the ELCA exists to help young adults live out their callings or vocations in ways that help our neighbors and share the love of Christ with them.
Develop leaders – How am I?
Young Adult Ministry in the ELCA exists to help young adults grow as servant leaders who use the model of accompaniment as they engage in acts of service, justice and peace in the world.
Click here to explore ministries with and for young adults.
Get connected!
For more information about the ELCA's Young Adult Ministry, please email.
Twitter: @ELCAYoungAdults
Facebook: ELCA Young Adults
Instagram: @ELCAYoungAdults