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Plus, Todd McFarlane Given Medallion of Appreciation by Army Special Service Group
Friday, August 29, 2008
Several months ago, our Web department gathered a heap of comics and action figures, and shipped them out to some friends in the U.S. Navy Seabees, stationed in Al Anbar province in Iraq.
As a security team that escorts convoys all over western Iraq, Britton Wingfield (SW1 1st class, vehicle commander), John Pierce (SW2 2nd class, gunner), Chris Cheek (HM2 Corpsman, Paramedic), Mike Raulston (CM2 2nd class, driver) and Adam Dueer (SW1 Assistant Convoy Commander) also work security for some of the construction projects taking place. Working mostly at night, they manage to catch some winks in the hot afternoon, and spend the rest of the night driving a Cougar armored vehicle (which doubles as the team's medical platform) with the convoy.
Knowing that these brave men were probably spending most of their time NOT playing with toys and reading comic books, we figured that they could probably use a much-needed geek-filled break.
Along with sending us back some shots of them posing with the Spawn & McFarlane goods, Britton had some time to answer a few questions.
Spawn.com: Any of you guys comic book readers on a normal basis?
Britton: "I have collected a lot of Jhonen Vasquez (JTHM, Squee), Roman Dirge (Lenore), and Pete Bagge (Hate) comics. Adam Dueer is a longtime Spawn fan and collects McFarlane figures, and has been a member of the online forum for several years."
Spawn.com: What are some of your favorite Image comic book titles and/or Spawn characters?
Britton: "My favorite is probably Crossing Midnight. I plan to read more of that when I get home. The Spawn Armageddon seemed to be the most popular Spawn series. The collections were best, since you get the entire story. Reading is a great escape from stress and boredom, and lots of the guys enjoy comics. I'll read anything that I can get my hands on, and really enjoyed most of the books."
Spawn.com: What are some things you're looking forward to when returning from your tour?
Britton: "Just living a normal life. Waking up with my wife. Going grocery shopping. Doing absolutely nothing, if that's what I feel like doing."
That's awesome. We're all real proud of you boys out here. Thanks for all of your hard work and dedication. Enjoy the care package and get home safe and soon!
TODD McFARLANE GIVEN MEDALLION OF APPRECIATION BY ARMY SPECIAL SERVICE GROUP
Recently, Todd McFarlane was honored to receive a "Sergeant's OIF" challenge coin from U.S. Army Sgt. Peter Sutherland prior to his redeployment in March 2008.
Generally in the Army, challenge coins are given on the spot to individuals to show appreciation for their efforts in any particular act. The custom began during WWI, and the coins are used throughout all the U.S. Armed Forces today.
What's the "challenge?" When in a bar, you present your coin to another U.S. Armed Forces personnel, and whoever has the lowest ranking coin has to buy the round. Everyone being challenged must immediately produce the coin for their organization and anyone unable to must buy a round of drinks for the challenger and everyone else who has their challenge coin. But, if everyone being challenged is able to produce their coin, the challenger must buy a round of drinks for the group.
"My brother Charles sent me a comic book signed by Todd as part of his Christmas present," says Sutherland. "Being 7,500 miles from home and spending Christmas without family and friends, the last thing I expected to receive was a personal drawing from Todd McFarlane. Bottom line is that he didn't have to do anything, but he did, and he did it for a soldier.
"Regardless of whether we ask for this war, a soldier is ready to fight and die for his country, and when a citizen takes a moment to shake their hand or show their appreciation, it means a lot and has a positive effect on their morale. Plus, he created Spawn, and SPAWN KICKS ASS!!!!
"Although these coins are common, I believe that the Sergeant's OIF coin is one to be cherished," continues Sutherland. "Sergeants in the U.S. Army are one of the only ranks that are directly involved in the daily routine and leadership of their soldiers. The lives of every soldier are dependant on the Sergeant's ability to train and lead his soldier's in battle. Also, this coin represents the OIF V, which will be known as the year that U.S. forces were able to eradicate the insurgency and allow the seeds of democracy to grow."
Todd was humbled by the gesture. "Our company tries to help the troops as much as possible, given what they do for our country every day," he says. "You never expect to get something back. We should be tipping our hats to them, not the other way around."
If you ever happen to run into Todd McFarlane in a bar, watch out -- you may be buying the next round.
>> NAVY SOLDIERS STATIONED IN IRAQ RECEIVE SPAWN COMICS & TOYS (2 photos)


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Hollywood Strip
by Shamron Moore
reviewed by Rian M.
Callie Lambert has just moved to Hollywood a few months ago and has been trying to land a job as an actress. In the meantime, she works as a waitress, goes on auditions and poses nude for sexy magazine spreads. She has two good friends to commiserate with – a gay stylist and another aspiring actress who appears to have a substance abuse problem. Callie just wants to be discovered, but she seems to be at a dead end, despite her gorgeous brunette good looks and talent… until she finally, through a combination of meeting the right people and performing a fantastic audition, lands a part on a risque horror movie. Continue reading Review: Hollywood Strip

subset: commoncrawl


text: Gin and Jenever are both spirits whose dominant flavouring is the juniper berry. The latter, Jenever, is much more like the grandfather of today's gins, which are considerably more refined. Jenever is a more rustic, almost whisky-like spirit, distilled from malt wine. It is much richer and maltier because of it. Gin, on the other hand, is essentially vodka with juniper and other botanicals used to flavour it.


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ORLANDO, Fla. — South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier has fond memories of the state of Florida.
At the University of Florida he arguably set the standard in a state that at the time also included coaches like Bobby Bowden.
After a brief NFL stint, Spurrier returned to the college ranks in 2005 with South Carolina and played his first game that year against a Sunshine State team, thumping a UCF program that was then not even a blip on college football's national stage.
Eight years later no one is surprised with what Spurrier has done with the No. 12 Gamecocks (2-1). But a 3-0 start and upset win over Penn State last week puts the Knights in position to garner some of that elusive national attention.
Spurrier recognizes the challenge and he isn't downplaying this road game. He expects to be a hostile environment for the Knights' first sellout since 2011.
"Oh yeah, they know scenario. They know the circumstances that we're in," Spurrier said. "They know it's going to be loud and it's an opportunity for South Carolina to take our football show on the road and see what we can do. Hopefully we can play very well. It's the opportunity that's out there for us."
UCF is just 1-24 all-time against ranked teams and 2-14 opposite Southeastern Conference opponents.
Gamecocks senior quarterback Connor Shaw is playing some of his best football. He's thrown six touchdowns without an interception so far and is also completing 65 percent of his passes. A win would be his 20th as a starter.
"Yeah, I do feel like I'm playing well, probably better than I have in the past," Shaw said. "I'm playing smart, I'm not forcing things, (and) I'm taking what the defense is giving me."
UCF's defense is giving just 12.7 points per game and Knights coach George O'Leary said slippage this week isn't an option against a Spurrier offense and quarterback that's clicking like that.
"You are who you are, as far as the game's concerned," O'Leary said. "You want to be at your best. And we're playing a very good football team. And we're gonna have to play that way to get some things done."
UCF's offensive line
The Knights didn't surrender a sack against Penn State despite being without starting tackle Torrian Wilson (knee). He's back this week.
Passing games
Bortles is the fifth-rated passer in the nation and South Carolina's defense hasn't been stingy in that department, ranked 58th nationally and surrendering 216 yards per game.
Ground attack
Both the Gamecocks and Knights have capable running backs. UCF's Storm Johnson has taken a lot of pressure of Bortles, averaging 101 yards per game to go along with six touchdowns.
South Carolina's Mike Davis is fourth in the SEC and 21st in the country averaging 113 yards per game, with three touchdowns.
Clowney's friends
It's no secret teams have been scheming to avoid defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, so he may need assistance from his teammates to help put pressure on Bortles. Gamecocks DT Kelcy Quarles is a candidate with two sacks this season.
Who will start fast?
South Carolina has jumped on opponents scoring 72 of its 92 points this season by halftime. UCF has been just as impressive out of the gate, scoring 69 of its 110 points in the first half.
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We do not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click the X that appears in the upper right corner when you hover over a comment. This will send the comment to Facebook for review. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full terms and conditions.


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Freshman Republican Rep. Tom Cotton of Arkansas answered questions for 40 minutes in a room full of conservatives at the National Review Institute summit in Washington on Friday. When he finished speaking there was boisterous applause, and one woman walked up to him after the speech and said, "You'll be president one day." Cotton shook her hand, gave an aw-shucks thank you and walked on to glad-hand with other conservatives. He's one of the party's rising stars and is already being talked about as a potential challenger to Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor in 2014.
Here are three political lessons learned after the wide-ranging discussion.
1. Get good candidates. Bad candidates make for poor election outcomes. That might seem obvious, but there's a definite narrative developing around the party's 2012 defeat that poor candidates contributed to the drubbing at the polls. To be certain, Cotton wasn't calling for the party to moderate, but he acknowledged that weak candidates weaken the party, and he talked in more straightforward political terms than some other Republicans who instead call for the party to "modernize, not moderate." His advice? "If you want to win an election it helps to nominate skillful candidates, and I don't think on that front necessarily it's ideology," Cotton said. He pointed to Sen. Ron Johnson, a former businessman as an ideal candidate and only hinted at losing candidates like Todd Akin of Missouri whose campaign failed after now-infamous comments on rape in his contest against Sen. Claire McCaskill.
2. Exploit foreign policy. Cotton argued voters care less about foreign policy than the economy and domestic policy because it affects them less, but the fact that Obama has deemphasized the war in Afghanistan and is focused on pulling the troops out means there's a political opportunity for the GOP. Cotton put it like this. "On the campaign, foreign policy is just very different than domestic policy. … People don't ask what do you think we should do about taxes? What do you think we should do about the 2nd Amendment? They ask, 'You're gonna protect our 2nd Amendment rights, aren't you? You're not gonna raise my taxes are you?' But they do ask those kinds of questions about Afghanistan and Iraq… We all experience the economy or domestic policy firsthand in our churches homes and rotary clubs. … So there's more opportunity for leadership, for persuasion on foreign policy."
3. If you can't pass your own conservative agenda, then frustrate the president. Make the case, Cotton suggested, that the "collective government" theme President Obama pursued in his inaugural address is a continuation of the era of big government. Cotton's betting that that message won't sell with the public. Here's what he called for. "What we need are political leaders who will clearly and always make the case for conservative reform, whether that means blocking the worst of the Obama agenda or passing our own reforms," he said.


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According to reports provided by the Aiken Department of Public Safety:
An employee of a store on Whiskey Road was detained on Thursday for breach of trust with fraudulent intent after she was caught on tape stealing money from cash registers multiple times.
A 61-year-old Aiken man reported on Thursday that someone had applied for two credit cards in his name.
An Aiken man reported that someone slashed a tire on his truck that was parked outside his home in The Corners.
An unknown woman entered a store on Whiskey Road on Saturday, placed two empty containers in a cart and then filled the containers with items. She then exited the store with the items without paying for them, loaded them into a vehicle and fled the scene.
A 37-year-old Williston man was detained for shoplifting on Sunday after he allegedly tried to take several cases of beer from a store on Whiskey Road without paying.
Officers responded to a call of shots fired on Laurens Street at about 10:45 p.m. on Sunday. They found 10 shell casings and spoke with individuals who had been outside, who said they heard gunshots and saw "sparks" coming from the direction in which the casings were discovered.
A vehicle break-in was reported on Laurens Street on Monday. A broken window was reported, but officers were not able to locate an owner of the vehicle.
Officers responded to a burglar alarm at a store on Richland Avenue on Monday. There, they found a glass door shattered and a cinderblock lying nearby inside the store.
According to reports provided by the Aiken County Sheriff's Office:
A burglary was reported at a home on Jeffcoat Drive in Wagener on Saturday. The owner reported a television, a computer and jewelry missing.
Additional burglaries were reported on Square Circle Road in Graniteville on Saturday and Swamp Road in Beech Island. The owners reported a gallon of milk and electronics missing.
Vehicles were reported stolen on Sunday from Cedar Road in Aiken and Quail Ridge Drive in Jackson.
Vehicle break-ins were reported on Graystone Drive in Beech Island and Green Acres Park Lane in Warrenville.
Notice about comments:
Aiken Standard is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point.
We do not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click the X that appears in the upper right corner when you hover over a comment. This will send the comment to Facebook for review. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full terms and conditions.


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Help keep the nursery organized with a touch of style by adding a basket from the Jungle Babies collection from NoJo. It has a chocolate brown finish with a liner primarily in butter yellow imprinted with the cute baby animal characters of the collection. The basket is lined in a cotton and polyester fabric and measures 14" by 10" and is 5" deep. It can conveniently keep tidy toiletries, toys, receiving blankets, or other nursery essentials.
The basket liner is machine washable in warm water in a gentle cycle, using only non-chlorine bleach when needed, and can be tumbled dried on a low setting.
Gift Wrap not available.


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William A. Ward was the artist of continuing 'Donald Duck' comics for the British Mickey Mouse Weekly in the late 1930s. Besides the dailies by Al Taliaferro and the early Italian comics, these stories are among the first comic appearances of the character. Ward gave Donald co-stars like the female Donna and the Scottish sailor Mac. His stories had strange and wildly imaginative settings like the Wild West, the Arabian Nights, 5000 fathoms under the sea, the moon and the planet Venus.
In the 1920s, Ward was an animator who worked on cartoons with the 'Bonzo' character.


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These playful plush creatures will keep baby entertained while on the go. Tug on the the ring and each wild animal plays world music melodies and nature sounds to delight and encourage the imagination. The signature Baby Einstein link clips your Melody Maker easily to any carrier, car seat, or stroller bar. It's one travel toy you won't want to leave home without.
Ages: Birth & up


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I'm a member of the sales department at Discount Ramps.Com. Although our duties are many, the most important is to offer technical advice and product recommendations. Our goal is to provide a product that will work safely for the application. We are successful many more times than not.
Helping individuals and families with wheelchair and mobility products is certainly most rewarding when we know individuals can come and go from their homes where they were unable to do so otherwise.
My primary concern is for the safety of the individuals and equipment, and I take a conservative approach to both. Nobody likes bad surprises such as items that do not work as intended and equipment being damage and people injured. You may not always like the answers you receive, but I provide the best advise that I can so that you are satisfied with your purchase.
Discount Ramps has an outstanding website and a very talented staff creating and maintaining our web pages. These pages provide far more information than most other websites, which makes my job easier as the answers to the vast majority of your phone calls are answered on the web page. When answers are not there, we find them for you and often have the information added to the page so those in the future will have access to those facts.
I enjoy seeking world peace, including any the use of force as is most often required, and a cure for cancer in my spare time. In addition, with the economy in the tank and NASA suffering budgetary cuts I'm exploring the privatization of NASA also. As you can well imagine, I'm quite busy in my "off" time. I'd love to write more but my watch is beeping. It is time for my meds and it is very important that I stay medicated. I'm compiling a portfolio of photos of all the people in my head but there appears be a population explosion so it may be a while. I'd hate to miss anyone as I'd never hear the end of it. Have a special day.
Tags: Discount Ramps, Meet the Team, Sales Department


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In order to pursue a Tax Incremental Funding mechanism to embark on a major economic development program, the City of North Augusta must have the approval of the Aiken County Board of Education and the Aiken County Council, School Board attorney Bill Burkhalter confirmed to School Board members earlier this week.
That issue has been debated by proponents and opponents alike in recent months. For its "Project Jackson," the City of North Augusta hopes the School Board and County Council will defer tax revenue on a piece of property in the City of North Augusta for a period of 15 years, with the City also maintaining that both entities could get far more in payments during that period and afterward.
The current snag for the City of North Augusta, however, is that the County Council rejected its own participation in Project Jackson in March. The School Board never voted at that time because North Augusta officials postponed a formal public hearing in order to reconfigure their proposal to the School Board and the Council.
The City of North Augusta recently presented a new plan to the School Board. The School Board currently has no timetable to vote on the plan. City officials have not heard another proposal at this point.
"I would hope that we do it sooner than later and get it behind us," Board member Tad Barber said on Friday. "I'd like to see us vote at the first meeting in July."
At a meeting two weeks ago, School Board members asked Burkhalter several questions related to the TIF – which, in conjunction with private development, would result in a new minor league baseball stadium, a hotel, a conference center, a parking garage and new housing opportunities.
In response to other questions, Burkhalter told School Board members that a City of North Augusta default in the future "would not affect us negatively," he said. "It's the City's responsibility for its financing program, and they would have to back it up."
Barber has been particularly interested in the tax revenue that the School Board could realize if the TIF goes forward. The School District's participation in the TIF only includes about 24 acres of a project that's well more than 400 acres.
Without the TIF, the District would get an estimated $32,728 each year, Burkhalter said. With the TIF, however, the school system could expect $242,000 annually through the 15-year duration of the TIF. City officials have suggested the district could get about four times that much afterward, based on anticipated development.
"I still want to make sure these numbers work," said Barber. "But it sounds like the District is in a position to gain a substantial amount of additional revenue, even during the 15-year TIF. That could go a long way toward some of our budget problems."
Notice about comments:
Aiken Standard is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point.
We do not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click the X that appears in the upper right corner when you hover over a comment. This will send the comment to Facebook for review. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full terms and conditions.


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Last call! Don't forget the annual piano workshop featuring Nancy Bachus, who will be presenting some of the… read moreJuly 29th
Stanton's Sheet Music is pleased to announce our 22nd annual Excellence in Choral Literature Clinic on Saturday August… read more
We've written before on the Stanton's blog about our knowledgeable staff. Now, we'd like to give you a chance to get… read moreAugust 1st
Welcome to the Go For $5 Program! It's an easy way for teens to enjoy terrific performances from Columbus arts organizations… read more
Stanton's has built a reputation as "The Sheet Music Specialists".
Can't attend one of our clinics? Visit Stanton's Virtual Workshop.
In just a few minutes you can have your favorite song printed and ready to play.
Online Service for Music Educators.
Title: Twinkle & Shine
Voicing/Format: Performance CD
Publisher: Hal Leonard Publishing Corp
Composer: Jacobson/Higgins
Catalog #: 09971727 Price: $14.99


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The Bachelorette
Kalon McMahon Introduces Girlfriend Lindzi Cox to His Mom! Exclusive (PHOTOS)
And they said it wouldn't last! While every other couple spawned from Bachelor Pad 3 has split, Kalon McMahon and Lindzi Cox are still going strong.
Well, in their own way. While they're hesitant to put a label on their status, it's clear they're spending plenty of time together. In fact, Kalon sent us these adorable, exclusive photos of them at the CAPS Celebrity PAWS gala in Kalon's Houston hometown. (Did we mention dogs are kind of close to Kalon's heart?) To help raise money, Kalon auctioned himself as a date on a helicopter ride which not one, but two lucky ladies paid for at the winning bid of $5000 apiece! Thanks to his help, the event raised $800,000.
"We had so much fun," Kalon tells Wetpaint Entertainment. "Lindzi loved Houston. After the gala, we spent the next day out at my mom's farm." That's right, folks. She met his mom! Sadly, however, Lindzi had to fly out just before Thanksgiving to spend Turkey Day with friends in Fresno, CA.
But there's always Christmas…and judging by how things are going, we'd say there's a good chance of mistletoe in their future.
Need your daily dose of The Bachelor? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. After all, you'd get our final rose.


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Nestle: Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, Spanish Version
Forest Reinhardt
Price: $6.93
Swiss food giant Nestle attempts to improve the performance of its suppliers of agricultural commodities to raise quality, lower costs, and contribute to sustainable development. Its initiatives focus first on coffee, cocoa, and milk. Nestle managers assert that the initiatives deliver both private benefits (better quality and reduced costs to the firm) and social benefits (higher incomes for farmers, better environmental quality in farming regions). Questions include the ways in which these programs create value for shareholders, the manner in which they should be marketed, and their efficacy in addressing social issues.
Learning objective:
To understand the rationales for profit-making firms to engage in social and environmental activism. Also, to understand relationships between private behavior and social outcomes. Finally, to understand relationships between market and nonmarket strategies.
Subjects Covered:
Barriers to entry; Business & government relations; Cause marketing; Cross functional management; Demographics; Developing countries; Environmental protection; Environmental sustainability; Execution; Food assistance; Global business; Global corporate cultures; Incubators; Land use; Social issues; Social responsibility; Strategy formulation; Supply chain management; Sustainability; Value creation
- Industry: Agribusiness
- Industry: Beverages
- Industry: Food
- Company Employee Count:1,000
- Company Revenue:$75 billion revenues
- Event Year Begin:2002
- Event Year End:2005
- Revision Date:
- May 26, 2005
- Publication Date:
- Dec 10, 2004
- Discipline:
- Social Enterprise
- Source:
- Harvard Business School
- Product #:
- 24p, Spanish Hardcopy Black & White
- Also Available in:


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Find the Ford F-150, Honda CR-V, Kia Forte, Mazda3 or Acura MDX That's Right for You at Triple J Auto Group
Proudly serving Tamuning, Santa Rita, Dededo, Yigo and Mangilao
There's something for everyone in our new Ford, Honda, Kia, Mazda and Acura dealership in Tamuning, from fuel-efficient to power-pumping, tech-savvy to entertaining. Whether it's the Ford F-150, Honda CR-V, Kia Forte, Mazda3 or Acura MDX you choose, you'll find something appealing, along with standout safety features, and more. Take a closer look at our entire inventory below, and don't hesitate to contact Triple J Auto Group with any questions regarding models, car financing or car service.
Triple J will take your trade-in paid off or not!
PLUS! We will assist you with financing through a local bank or military credit union.
Some conditions may apply. See dealer for details.


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PIERCE-ARROW: 1931 43 4-door 7-passenger sedan, my dad restored this, we inherited it 10 years ago, its been in our garage in Meadville, PA... More
PIERCE-ARROW: 1935 Yosemite National Park tour bus, all original, rough condition but extremely rare, call for details and price. 406-578-2000, MT.... More
PIERCE-ARROW: 1919 Model 38 dual valve 7-passenger touring, olive/black, artillery wheels, exceptional older restoration in excellent running and driving condition, trades welcome. 800-837-9902, CT;... More
PIERCE-ARROW: 1936 V12 7-passenger limo, 80% restored, asking $65,000. 708-288-2588, 708-387-9934, IL; [email]... More
2 - 1928 Pierce Arrow sedans; 1 black, running and driving, amateur restoration of a nice solid car. The second a dual side mounted sedan... More
1930 Pierce-Arrow Model B , 4 door, 5 pass, dual side mounts.... More
PIERCE-ARROW: 1934 Model 840-A sedan, 100% complete, sidemounts and luggage rack, good title, needs restoration, $10,900. 936-203-4247, TX.... More
Pierce-Arrow 1929 7-pass limo, restored 4 years ago, black, gray interior, chrome wire wheels, original luggage in trunk, $87,500 obo. 562-447-0363, CA.... More


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MYRTLE BEACH — Cool and wet weather combined to keep tourists away from the Grand Strand in April.
The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reports lodging occupancy and average daily rates were down from the same period a year ago. Tourism trackers were expecting a slight increase.
Taylor Damonte of Coastal Carolina University's Clay Brittain Jr. Center for Resort Tourism said weather plays more of a role during the spring and fall because there's more spur-of-the-moment travel.
"The temperature was down and precipitation was higher. During the spring and the fall of the year, there is a statistical relationship between the weather forecast and the occupancy, Damonte said "(Potential) visitors get up on Monday morning, look at the forecast and if it's a 100 percent chance of rain, they don't come."
Average lodging occupancy and rates for the six weeks from March 24 through May 4 were down significantly compared to the same six-week period in 2012. Hotel and condotel occupancy was down 8.5 percent, while average daily rates were off 3.6 percent. Vacation rental properties were down 5.8 percent, and rental rates fell 10 percent.
The upcoming weeks don't show much promise, bringing uncertainty into the summer tourism outlook and hinting that there might be more issues negatively influencing travel than just the weather. Reservations for vacation rental properties don't show improvement – comparing a week this year to the same week last year -- until mid-June, Damonte said.
"So I just don't know what the rest of the summer will bring at this point," he said. "We believe weather played a role this spring but there may be other macroeconomic factors and other consumer factors. So we will just have to wait and see."
Some properties still were able to stay about even in April compared to April 2012, but admit their numbers would have been better if the weather had cooperated. Bad weather tends to keep the last-minute bookers and weekend visitors away.
"Weather has definitely had a hindrance on business for sure," said Don Hovis with Springmaid Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach.
But not all the weekends were a bust. For example, the beach was busy during the St. Patrick's Day weekend in March, which featured the usual holiday celebrations as well as cheerleaders for a competition and more than 3,000 car enthusiasts for the Pee Dee Street Rodders 25th Anniversary Run to the Sun show.
Notice about comments:
Aiken Standard is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point.
We do not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click the X that appears in the upper right corner when you hover over a comment. This will send the comment to Facebook for review. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full terms and conditions.


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Chael Sonnen Would Fight Friend Daniel Cormier - FightLine.com
Chael Sonnen and Daniel Cormier are friends, but when there's UFC gold on the line that gets pushed to the side.
"I love Daniel Cormier as a person, competitor and friend," said Sonnen to Fight Hub TV. "I would love to see Daniel Cormier get his title shot and if that means it's against me, I'm not going to slow down a friend. I'm a true friend and I'll give him a shot."
Before a potential match-up between the two newest additions to the UFC light heavyweights division could happen, a few things need to take place first.


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The lights are on
Please bear with us as we have launched in beta so you may notice a bug or two. The best thing you can do is let us know right here in the Site Feedback Forum. Have a question or comment regarding the new site? This is your place.
Things look pretty messed up. What's going on?
Yeah, I edited this.
I'm not back! P.S. Blade still sucks. Also, Gamefreaks cannot compete with my love for Zelda!
Kill'em with kindness, it's a slow painful death.
Usage guidelines, Newcomer Cheat Sheet, Site Feedback.
I would normally make fun of you but I'm tired so I'll let it go.
Congrats! I don't think I'll be too far behind.
I am pretty close to silver, I am rank 9.
What happened? I went back to bronze. Why is Blade still Silver? I have higher stats.
You can't take back an achievement.
Silver is 3,000 points.
Blade has 1490, and he's silver. And I was silver this morning.
Heck, angelgamer is at level 9 and she's got 645 points. They be messing with us!
I'm confused by all of the rank-changing too. It seemed so clear when the site started, but now it's fluctuating randomly. What's the deal, guys?
Well, the point values to reach the upper ranks got changed a few days ago, I can't account for 45% of the points I have based on the point values of forum posts and blog comment posts, and now people have ranks that are higher than their current points level. I'm quite confused. I just asked about it in the Bug Thread in the Site Feedback group, so hopefully we'll get some answers before too long.
The short of it is, when we did an update early yesterday morning, there were some points that were accumulated that weren't earned and were even for things we weren't rewarding (like friends). We did not remove or change any ranks that may have gone up when we recalculated points, but once those were out of cache, the system adjusted ranks accordingly. I looked into Blade, and his is appropriately a level 8 user. As for angel, she may be higher because we had to give her moderator privileges and that may have affected her stats some.
It's all part of beta, we're trying to make this a fair, easy system that also encourages long-term commitment to our community (and justly rewards it).
Anything you have gained from this, we are not manually taking away. Some things may be taken away by the system, but that is unavoidable. If you benefited from this error, consider it a gift from us for being here during beta.
Read This First
I forgot to mention, there are also some hidden things to do around the site that will reward you with some points. They are hidden and secret for a reason, so I won't say any more, but that could also be contributing to your points being higher than you'd expect.
What? You didn't think we'd tell you EVERYTHING, did you?


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NBA Contest Winners Announced
Grand Prize: Trip for Two to All-star Game, Courtesy of Southwest Airlines
Friday, January 09, 2009
McFarlane Toys was proud to join Southwest Airlines and the NBA for a great contest. The grand prize includes a trip to the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix on Feb. 15, plus tickets to the game, airfare on Southwest Airlines, and two nights of hotel accommodations.
Winners have been chosen at random from more than 15,000 entries. Congratulations to grand prize winner, Sheila Lockhart of Orlando, Fla., who will be bringing a guest to the Valley of the Sun for some VIP treatment.
Second prize goes to Tom Tumbri of Cleveland, Ohio, who scores a one-of-kind basketball hand-signed by the entire NBA rookie class of 2007.
And finally, third prize winner Cassandra McDaniel of Brookville, Ind. will receive one entire series of McFarlane Toys NBA action figures, autographed by Todd McFarlane himself.
Thank you to everyone who entered, and to Southwest Airlines and the NBA. Watch for more awesome contests to come right here on McFarlane.com.


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Lockie A.
The Family Guide to Homeopathy
. Simon and Schuster; 1989.
Weil A.
Health and Healing
. Houghton Mifflin Company; 1995.
Gray B.
Homeopathy: Science or Myth
. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books; 2000:51-99.
Dantas F, Fisher P. A systematic review of homeopathic pathogenetic trials ("provings") published in the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1995. In: Ernst E, ed.
Homeopathy: A Critical Appraisal
. London: Butterworth Heinemann; 1998:69-97.
Fisher P, Dantas F. Homeopathic pathogenetic trials of Acidum malicum and Acidum ascorbicum.
Br Homeopath J
. 2001;90:118-125.
Linde K, Clausius N, Ramirez G, et al. Are the clinical effects of homeopathy placebo effects? A meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials.
. 1997;350:834-843.
Linde K, Scholz M, Ramirez G, et al. Impact of study quality on outcome in placebo-controlled trials of homeopathy.
J Clin Epidemiol
. 1999;52:631-636.
Ernst E, Pittler MH. Re-analysis of previous meta-analysis of clinical trials of homeopathy [letter].
J Clin Epidemiol
. 2000;53:1188.
Grabia S, Ernst E. Homeopathic aggravations: a systematic review of randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trials.
. 2003;92:92-98.
Anick DJ. High sensitivity 1H-NMR spectroscopy of homeopathic remedies made in water.
BMC Complement Altern Med
. 2004 Nov 1. [Epub ahead of print]
Brien S, Lewith G, Bryant T. Ultramolecular homeopathy has no observable clinical effects. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled proving trial of Belladonna 30C.
Br J Clin Pharmacol
. 2003;56:562-568.
Vickers AJ, van Haselen R, Heger M. Can homeopathically prepared mercury cause symptoms in healthy volunteers? A randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
J Altern Complement Med
. 2001;7:141-148.
Walach H, Jonas WB, Ives J, et al. Research on homeopathy: state of the art.
J Altern Complement Med
. 2005;11:813-829.
Witt CM, Bluth M, Hinderlich S, et al. Does Potentized HgCl(2) (Mercurius corrosivus) Affect the Activity of Diastase and alpha-Amylase?
J Altern Complement Med.
Ernst E. Is homeopathy a clinically valuable approach?
Trends Pharmacol Sci.
2005 Sept 12. [Epub ahead of print].
This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.
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Tagged: ceviche
Peruvian cuisine has crept up on the London restaurant scene with three recent openings in the past year; indeed, the whispered word on the lips of the online food brigade at the moment is that speciality from Peru – ceviche. The last time I had ceviche was a few years ago at The Ledbury; the dish was let down by its sharp citrus marinade and gelatinous texture. A huge disappointment for two star cooking. I'd been put off ever since. But being older and wiser, it was time to give ceviche another go. So of the three new Peruvian restaurants, we chose newest kid on the block, Lima, to tickle our South American tastebuds. And tickled they were. Continue reading


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This activity is free and has curriculum links appropriate for KS4 and post-16 pupils.
Pre-visit information and curriculum links PDF (620.9 KB)
Plunge your students into the historic debate surrounding Darwin's theory of evolution with the galleries as their stage. Students are introduced to the history of the debate during a lively tour. They are then divided into groups and use exhibits to prepare presentations representing the views of the debate's key characters.
Use the evolution pages below to support classroom learning before and after your Great Debate experience. These pages can also be used independently to reinforce understanding of how natural selection works.
Go to the events calendar to see forthcoming dates
Booking: book in advance by calling the NHM booking team on +44 (0)20 7942 5555.
Evolution can loosely be defined as genetic change over time, but there is much more to it than that.
Both fossils from long ago and organisms alive today provide evidence for evolution and help us to better understand how the process works.
Like many new ideas, the theory of evolution was not immediately accepted by everyone when it was proposed. Discover who was for and against the theory and why.
Book all school activities in advance on +44 (0)20 7942 5555. Lines are open Monday-Friday from 8.30-16.00 during term time and 10.00-13.00 in the holidays.


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Center for Learning with Technology
The Center for Learning with Technology is the discovery team for innovative and applicable technology resources that faculty can integrate into their courses to engage students. Here you will find resources that will assist you with helpful new practices for teaching and learning.
What can we do for you?
Goals and Mission
Our goal is to help you discover innovative and applicable technology resources that you can integrate into your instruction to more dynamically engage your students in the learning process.
The Center for Learning with Technology collaborates with faculty to promote instructional and learning excellence at Harding University using effective education and communication technologies.
The Center initiates a wide range of activities to enhance, promote, and invigorate teaching and learning by continually investigating and implementing teaching innovations using current technology.
The Center strives to:
- Keep abreast of current best teaching and learning practices
- Incorporate current teaching and learning best practices into Harding programs
- Undertake ongoing and focused professional development
- Gain peer recognition
- Be fully engaged in using technology to its potential
About Us
Campus-wide events
Below you will find all the Professional Development opportunities that we are currently offering to faculty, staff, and adjuncts.
October Training Opportunities
Department-Tailored Services: We can research and provide training that is custom-designed for your department's specific needs.
Personal Technology Assistance: If you would prefer direct, one-on-one assistance tailored to your individual needs, please contact us and we will come to you.
A/V Recording Lab
Our audio/visual recording lab provides a basic, yet functional facility designed to allow you to record lecture material in a quiet, controlled environment, free from the distraction of typical office activities. A popular use of the lab is to record voice-over presentations (Powerpoint) using Camtasia.
In addition, we offer post-production services, which include editing and exporting your recordings into any number of popular formats. For your convenience, we will also post your completed files to Canvas and/or iTunesU.
The Center serves the entire Harding faculty, staff, and students.
Meet our Staff
The Center is staffed primarily by Dr Connie Elrod and Carl Walker. Working alongside the staff at the Center are Keith Cronk, Paula Kirby, and Angela Sivia.
Connie Elrod, Ed.D.
Instructional Designer
HU Box 12264
Connie provides expertise in developing instructional materials and integrating technology into curriculum, as well as providing principles and applications of instructional design. She has dedicated 15 years to teaching in the k-12 classroom and 12 years at the collegiate level. In the last 11 years, Connie's academic focus has been on P-20 technology integration. Connie received her Ed.D. from the University of Memphis in Instruction and Curriculum Leadership with an emphasis in Instructional Design and Technology. Her doctoral research focused on the factors contributing to the use or non-use of computer technology in a technology-rich environment. Today, Connie enjoys working with faculty and staff as they discover effective and innovative technologies they can integrate into their courses to enrich student's academic success.
Training Details & Upcoming Dates
CLT Tutorials
The Center for Learning with Technology offers training videos and PDF tutorials on a variety of the following resources. Select this link to navigate to the CLT Tutorial page:
|Voice Thread
|Dr. Connie Shay
Web Conferencing Tools for Classroom
February 2nd-5th
|Ava Conley
Easy HTML to Modify Content Layout in Canvas
February 9th-12th
|Dr. Connie Shay
Flipped Classroom Tools
February 17th: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
|Dr. Lisa Ritchie
Canvas Grades
February 25: 3:00pm - 4:00pm
February 26: 12:00pm -1:00pm
|Angela Sivia
March 18th: 3:00pm - 4:00pm
March 19th: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
|Carl Walker
Quality Matters Rubric (Online Course Review)
March 23rd-26th
|Connie Shay
Google Tools
April 1st: 3:00pm - 4:00pm
April 2nd 12:00pm - 1:00pm
|Dr. Carl Walker
Social Media
In this workshop you will learn strategies for connecting with students educationally through social media tools. Come and learn how to setup social media accounts for your courses, including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
April 6th-9th
|Katie Ramirez
Effective Practices in Online Learning
April 13th: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
|Keith Cronk & Dr. Christopher Davis
Alternatives to PowerPoint
April 20th-23rd
|Panel (TBA)
Colloquium Series
The Center for Learning with Technology host a Colloquium Series during the spring term, each Colloquium series to provide an arena for discussion to focus on the presenters research, scholarship, and/or teaching pertaining to technology.
More on Colloquium Series
The Colloquium Series is a platform for Harding faculty to present their research, scholarship, or teaching approaches that are related to areas in technology and curriculum integration. Faculty share their unique approach to interesting and innovative approaches to facilitate student learning through the use of technology. Colloquia are are intended to be lively discussions rather than presentations and can be designed to help resolve problems, answer questions, or provide a stimulus for further investigation and application.
Colloquium Series Videos
|Dr. Marguerite Cronk
|Dr. Marguerite Cronk lectures on using a game enhanced point reward system to increase student engagement and participation in class discussion in the Bracket Library February 12th, 2013.
|Dr. Tim Westbrook
|Dr. Tim Westbrook lectures on distance education at the 2014 Harding University Colloquium series.
Faculty Technology Showcase
The Faculty Technology Showcase is a yearly fall event that provides the opportunity for Harding faculty to share and visit with colleagues about the new and innovative teaching technologies they use in their classrooms, that enhances teaching and improves student learning. The Showcase is in an informal interactive poster-session format allowing faculty to demonstrate and discuss their experiences using innovative methods and technology tools to impact teaching, learning and student success.
Faculty Spotlight
The Faculty Technology Showcase is a fall event hosted by the Center for Learning with Technology and is a great place to learn how faculty are integrating technology to enhance students' learning, both online and in face-to-face settings.


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Federal Work Study
The Work-Study Program supports the McKendree mission in three ways:
1. It provides part-time limited employment for students, helping reduce the financial barriers to higher education.
2. It provides a real life learning experience for students, encouraging them to be self-directed in the lifelong learning process.
3. It provides an effective support service to the college at a reasonable cost, contributing to the effective accomplishment of the goals of the college.
You must complete the following in order to be eligible to work on campus (Undergraduate Students Only-Lebanon Campus)
1. Job Application
a. Submit an online application
i. Log into WebAdvisor
ii. Select Work-Study Application under Financial Aid
2. Work Study Award
a. You must have either been awarded Federal or Institutional Work Study
b. You can check your financial aid award letter to determine this.
c. If you have any questions or concerns you can contact Financial Aid at ext. 6828
3. Tax Forms
a. You will need to complete the appropriate tax forms - visit the payroll office.
b. Be sure to bring the following:
i. Driver's license or state ID
ii. Social Security card or copy of birth certificate
NOTE: If you are an INTERNATIONAL student, you must have your social security card before
you start working.
Employment Checklist: Once hired, the Financial Aid Office will give you a checklist that must be completed before you can start work. This checklist will be given to your supervisor, authorizing you to work.
***Placement is not guaranteed - we have more applicants than available jobs. If you do not obtain a permanent position you can contact the Office of Financial Aid 618-537-6828 to be added to the temporary work list. From this list you may be contacted throughout the year with temporary work opportunities.***


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Mr. Jerry Vester Farrington, age 64, of Dobson, passed away on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 at Joan & Howard Woltz Hospice Home. He was born on February 13, 1948 in Baltimore County, Maryland to the late Wayne Minton Farrington and Grace Elizabeth Doss Farrington. Mr. Farrington was a truck driver and a member of Welcome Valley Baptist Church.
Mr. Farrington is survived by his loving wife, Patricia Keyes Farrington of the home; son, Scotty Vandevander and girlfriend Danyelle Bayliss of Bethel Park, PA; daughter, Rebecca Moore and husband Scott Moore of Cornelius, NC; granddaughter, Hannah Gonzales of Freedom, NY; brother, Ronald Farrington of Haysville, KS; and sister, Gloria Courtemanche of New Bern, NC.
Mr. Farrington was preceded in death by brothers, Dwight, Dean and Douglas Farrington; and sister, Charlene Williams.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, November 10, 2012 at 2 PM at Welcome Valley Baptist Church in Elkin, NC.
In lieu of sending flowers, memorials may be made to Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Care, 945 Zephyr Road, Dobson, NC 27017.
Cox-Needham Funeral Home of Pilot Mountain (www.coxneedham.com, www.facebook.com/coxneedham) is respectfully serving the Farrington family.


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I just wanted some advice about possibly bringing in some extra cash by looking after another baby a few days a week. The problem is if I have another infant to watch how will I spend enough time with my son? He is 11 weeks old and when I'm not working we pretty much spend every moment together doing one thing or another. Would another baby around ruin this for us?
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- Mar 2008
- 1326
Naomi- Leader API of Frederick MD
Mother to O (4yrs) and E (1.5)
Maybe an older child that needs less "hands on" attention. A 2 or 3 year old that would enjoy putting puzzles together, going to the library, feeding itself, walking and maybe even using the potty! Your hands could be open a lot if you had the baby in the carrier.
We started watching an infant when my son was 1 1/2 --at his house. That was nice because I didn't have to worry about the condition of my own home!
Do you have a lead on a child already?
A huge plus to having another little one in your home is how much your baby will love seeing another small person. When my nephew was a couple months old, my sister in law babysat my 4 year old daughter for a weekend. Not only did my daughter LOVE being the big helper, my SIL couldn't get over how much her son couldn't keep his eyes off my daughter. Babies love watching little faces. Maybe you could try it for a few days a week and see how it goes before committing to an every day kind of thing.
New Forum Member
- Mar 2008
- 1326
Naomi- Leader API of Frederick MD
Mother to O (4yrs) and E (1.5)
So what did you do? Are you babysitting?


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Vanderbilt Libraries provide in-depth research services. The libraries support teaching with our collections and by managing course reserves, loans of materials, and Blackboard. Subject liaisons assist with access to the breadth of research materials.
Use our online Ask Us service for assistance and support.
Subject Liaisons provide specialized and subject-specific support.
The Scholarly Communications team provides support to students and faculty members in areas such as authors' rights, data curation, and open access.
We welcome your purchase suggestions and your requests for faculty delivery. Faculty may authorize a surrogate borrower. Surrogate borrowers are eligible for faculty delivery.
See your campus library to place items on reserve.
FYWS, First Year Writing SeminarCopyright Clearance and creating ClassPaks


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Ann Tanch was far more than a friend with an infectious smile. She was also godmother to all three of Baba's children. As such she held an important place in the family and a name to match - Krstná (kres-na) or Godmother. She was at every holiday gathering, joining the family for every celebration and many, many other days.
I asked him how Baba and Krstná had met, wondering if it had been when Baba first arrived in 1913 or if her parents had been from the same village in Europe. The age difference would have been significant then, Krstná being 12 to Baba's 18. Daddy said no to both. My aunt told him they met later, around 1920 when Baba was living with her sister and brother-in-law near Spring Forest Street where Krstná lived.
One day, when Baba was visiting a Mrs. Koast, a woman she'd known in Prislop, she was struck by some especially lovely needlework and asked Mrs. Koast if she would teach Baba how to make the pattern. Mrs. Koast answered that she hadn't done it; her cousin Anna Tanch had. Baba asked for an introduction and Mrs. Koast waved her arm and said, "Just walk over. She lives one block behind you." So she did. Baba knocked on Ann Tanch's door, introduced herself and asked her to please teach her how to make the needlework Baba had so admired.
Forty years later they posed for the photograph.
Written for Jasia's 116th Carnival of Genealogy and Women's History Month.
Social Security Administration, "Social Security Death Index, Master File," database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 Mar 2012), entry for Anna Tanch, 1989, SS no. 070-03-7051.
1910 U.S. census, population schedule, Binghamton, Ward 1, enumeration district (ED) 0005, p. 97, dwelling 15, family 152, George Tancak; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.Ancestry.com : accessed 8 Mar 2012); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624, roll 925.
"Obituary George C. Tanch," Binghamton Press, 29 October 1915, Evening edition, p. 1?, col. 2; digital images, Old Fulton New York Post Cards (www.fultonhistory.com : accessed 6 Mar 2012).
1920 U.S. census, population schedule, Colesville, Broome, NY, enumeration district (ED) 69, p. 2A, family 29, Anna Tanch (indexed as Lauch); digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 Mar 2012); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T625, roll 1086.


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Topic: LIVE - Survival Sunday: Five clubs, 90 minutes, two relegation spots
Follow the final day action on Survival Sunday as it happens, here on www.Ontheminute.com.
Follow Ontheminute.com's final day coverage of the Premier League where five clubs will be looking to avoid relegation. Wigan, Blackpool and Birmingham all face tricky away fixtures while Wolves and Blackburn take on each other on a day dubbed 'Survival Sunday.'
Today, Spurs could also pip Liverpool to a Europa League place, while Manchester City will be looking to seal an automatic Champions League spot!!!
Get ready for a great day for football and join the chat here on the Ontheminute.com Football Forum!


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Academic Support Services
Xavier offers numerous support services to assist students in achieving their academic, career and personal development goals.
Academic Advising
All undergraduate students are assigned an academic advisor to provide assistance in developing educational plans and goals. Students with declared majors are advised by department chairs or designated faculty advisors in the departments. Undeclared students are assigned an academic advisor in the academic advising center, the Williams College of Business (undecided?business), or the center for adult and part-time students. Students meet with their advisors a minimum of twice a year.
Learning Assistance Center
The mission of Xavier's learning assistance center is threefold: ensuring students with disabilities can freely and actively participate in all facets of university life; providing and coordinating support services to maximize students' educational potential and develop their independence; and increasing the level of awareness among all members of the university community so that students with disabilities are able to perform at a level limited only by their abilities, not their disabilities.
Retention and Parent Outreach
The Office of Retention and Parent Outreach is the primary retention center at Xavier University. The staff offers a unique service as advocates for all undergraduate students. By providing an ombudsman who aids students in solving problems, Xavier demonstrates its care and concern for the individual. At the Office of Retention and Parent Outreach there is an emphasis on the freshman class and their social, personal and academic adjustment to college.
Writing Center
The James A. Glenn Writing Center provides assistance with all aspects of the writing process to all Xavier students, regardless of their level of ability or field of study. Undergraduate peer tutors, graduate tutors and the director serve as instructors. The center has a library of writing-related references and provides computers and printers for those who need a quiet place to write.
Math Tutoring
The math tutoring lab provides help for students in all undergraduate math courses. A faculty member, a graduate student and a few undergraduate math majors staff the lab. A tutor is available at all times the lab is open. Students also may use the lab as a study area. No appointments are necessary.
Language Resource Center
The Language Resource Center (LRC) aims to prepare students for a world where the knowledge of other languages and cultures is an increasingly useful tool. Through the promotion of learning other languages and cultures, we hope to provide a space where students are able to broaden their knowledge and world view in order for them to develop into responsible and sensible participants in the global community.


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Promo for Glee Season 4, Episode 8: Our In-Depth Analysis of "Thanksgiving" — Quinn and Santana Slap Fight! (VIDEO)
It's the one return we've been waiting for longer than any other. During November 29's Glee Season 4, Episode 8: "Thanksgiving," everyone's favorite Cheerio-turned-Yale freshman Quinn (Dianna Agron) makes her triumphant return!
She's not the only one, though. Almost all of the McKinley grads are back in Lima to celebrate Thanksgiving, and they're showing up to support the New Directions at Sectionals, too. We've seen the promo for the episode, and now we're breaking it down — second by second, frame by frame — in search of clues. Take a look at what we've discovered.
00:01 — Quinn is back!
Oh, Q. We missed you so much! She stands on the McKinley high school stage, smiling from ear to ear. "Home for the holidays... just like we promised."
00:02 — It's not just her. Everyone's back.
Mercedes (Amber Riley), Santana (Naya Rivera), and Mike (Harry Shum Jr.) stand in the auditorium smiling. Now all the grads rush together for a big group hug. Well, almost all of the grads. Where are Rachel (Lea Michele) and Kurt (Chris Colfer)?
00:04 — "Next Thursday, all the old gang returns to kick off the holidays in"
It looks like they're showing up to help support the New Directions as they face off against the Warblers at Sectionals. The New Ds are dressed in their black performance outfits. They join with all the grads for a big group huddle.
00:06 — "Oppa Gangnam Style!"
That's right. Glee is doing PSY's "Gangnam Style" for Sectionals this year. And Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) is singing the lead. Look, we love "Gangnam Style" as much as the next viral video junkie. But is that really their top competition piece for Sectionals?? Suddenly, we're a bit nervous about the New Directions chance at winning this year.
00:09 — "Everyone's coming home."
Um, except for Kurt and Rachel, you mean. Kurt is still very much standing in his loft in NYC. And he looks confused. "Apparently, we're having a party." Yes, you are Kurt. You're hosting Thanksgiving. And Sarah Jessica Parker is invited. And then you're all going to have a Kiki. (Oh, and did we mention that Brody (Dean Geyer) and Rachel are dancing together. Maybe these two will end up starting something, after all.)
00:11 — "It's the biggest event of the season."
Will (Matthew Morrison) and Emma (Jayma Mays) are making out in the audience! We're glad to see Will make the trip back from Washington to show his support, and we're even happier that his relationship with Emma no longer appears to be on the rocks. Sue (Jane Lynch), however, is not so ecstatic about the lovebirds' very noticeable PDA. She rolls her eyes. "Get a room."
00:13 — "Sectionals: There's gonna be surprises!"
Cut to the choir room. Brittany (Heather Morris), Quinn and Santana are singing a song together. It's the Unholy Trinity, reunited. We can't wait to hear their version of The Supremes' "Come See About Me."
00:15 — Mercedes and Unique are standing right next to each other.
And poor Britt is more than a little bit confused. "I knew it. Mercedes was cloned."
00:19 — "Down to the very..."
It appears that Rachel just confronted Brody about his recent sexytime with her dance teacher, Cassandra (Kate Hudson). He's not having anything of it. "Why do you care who I sleep with?"
Uh, because she's totally crushing on you, man. Duh.
00:21 — Quinn just slapped Santana!
And she slapped her hard! They're standing in the choir room, and Quinn just leans over and whacks her in the face. Santana's response is instant. She slaps Quinn right back! Guess Dianna Agron wasn't exaggerating when she said this Quinntana scene would feature "multiple slaps." But what are they so upset at each other about? From what we can gather, it has a little to do with Quinn's new friendship with Kitty (Becca Tobin)... and a little to do with her mystery new boyfriend, as well.
00:23 — "last... note!"
We're really not sure what to make of this performance of "Gangnam Style." And we don't think the returning grads know what to make of it either. Confetti flies through the air. Puck and Santana turn to each other from the audience with shocked looks on their faces.
Best of luck, New Directions. We hope that the Warbler's two Sectionals songs didn't turn out too well. Because we're really not convinced that this was a competition-level performance. Gulp.
Can't get enough Gleetastic goodness? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter!


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Custom banners and flags - Coast to Coast Flag Company helps you get the best discount on American made flags and pennants that meet your requirements for quality and budget. Check out our website and compare our prices.
Lifesize custom cutouts - Since 1992 BP COLOR GRAPHICS has been the leader in the Large Format Industry, for outstanding Quality and Customer service. It has been our mission to work harder to provide our customers with the highest quality, most effective products and services available in the Digital Imaging market.
Hand dryers - We integrate leading technology, convenient functionality and attractive design to give our customers an unparalleled experience with our Air Hand Dryers, Commercial Automatic Hand Dryers, Hot Air Hand Dryers, Restroom Hand Dryers, Warm Air Hand Dryers and World Hand Dryers.
Americas Beauty Show
Bronner Brothers Show
IBS New York Show
International Hair and Nail Show
ISSE Show
Premiere Show


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CRESTVIEW — As most downtown merchants can attest, there's one thing missing there after 5 p.m.: people.
However, if Crestview attracts a $30,000 Community Planning Technical Assistance Grant from the state Department of Economic Development, empty nighttime sidewalks might echo with downtown residents' footsteps.
The Crestview City Council at its Monday meeting unanimously approved submitting an application for the grant. The money would fund downtown rezoning, redrawing the city's comprehensive plan, and creating a mixed commercial and residential Future Land Use district.
Currently, downtown residential properties are limited to single-dwelling units for downtown commercial property owners or managers. Consequently, former residential units above most Main Street businesses remain vacant.
Meanwhile, downtown residential opportunities could benefit students and staff at Florida A&M University's pharmacy school, growth management consultant Jack Dorman said.
"It's our opinion — and this has been proven successfully — if you keep your first-level store fronts and businesses, but allow second- and third-floor residential uses, you then have a population base downtown that live there," Dorman said.
Downtown residents would drive demand for services such as dry cleaners, more restaurants, shopping and entertainment venues. The result could increase the city's tax base and provide more opportunities for all residents, Dorman said.
Any money the city spends on projects under the grant is reimbursable, he said. The city does not have to reimburse the state for the grant.
The city's proposal for a $30,000 Community Planning Technical Assistance Grant from the state Department of Economic Development involves these components:
• Create a zoning district and regulations tailored for downtown
• Create a Future Land Use category in the city's comprehensive plan to be imposed on the downtown district
• Prepare language to include a new vehicle and pedestrian circulation plan in the comprehensive plan.
The grant, if approved, expires May 31, 2014. Then, property owners can decide whether they want to put residential units in their buildings.
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.


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'Bitter' Volkmann plans to 'expose' the UFC - Mixed Martial Arts News
Jacob Volkman recently caught up with AboveAndBeyondMMA.com and declared he is bitter about the UFC, and plans to expose them to the fans.
Ed Kapp: How did your introduction to MMA evolve into what it is today?
Jakob Volkmann: Well, I didnt realize there was that much politics in martial arts, especially in the UFC. That was kind of frustrating. Its not who is the best; its more of a political kind of BS.
EK: What do you mean by that?
JV: Youve got to know the right person, have the right manager in there. And your style determines if you stay in, too. The guys that stand and bang are the ones who are still fighting for the UFC. The ones that take the fights to the ground and focus more on the technique on the ground, theyre not in there because apparently the fans dont like that. That really bothers me because the UFC made the interest of the sport more of a stand-up fight because thats what they put on the main card and thats what the fans saw. They started liking that more than the ground game. Thats what really bothers me.
EK: Why were you released?
JV: I was released after a loss against Bobby Green, which I shouldve never lost. It was kind of a fluke loss, going into the fight sick. I lost and then after that, they cut me. I was 6-2 at lightweight and they still cut me. That was back in February.
EK: Were you expecting to be released?
JV: No, no. I said in a few interviews that I did expect it, but I was just playing with the media. I had no idea.
EK: Are you at all bitter about how things worked out with the UFC?
JV: Very bitter. They always claim that they treat the fighters so well. Yeah, they treat the top five per cent of the fighters well the ones that are on the main card all the time. They dont treat the rest of them very well. The healthcare plan is horrible, with a $1,500 deductible per injury the catastrophic-injury insurance is not even really good insurance. Theres no retirement fund, theres no signing bonus. You start off at six-and-six, youre really not making too much money because youre self-employed, so youre paying the self-employment tax and youre paying the regular tax and income tax. So youre paying twice as much in tax. They claim theyre treating the fighters well, but theyre not, realistically.
EK: Do you feel thats a misconception among fans?
JV: Of course People always tell me, Youre rich youre on TV! Are you kidding me? I made $54,000 two years ago, paid $9,000 in taxes, so that leaves me with $45,000. This last year, I made $50,000 and paid $8,000 in taxes. That leaves me with $42,000 thats barely above poverty. I have three kids and a wife Im supporting.
EK: At the end of the day, what are you hoping to accomplish with the World Series of Fighting?
JV: Im trying to make the fans realize what the UFC is really like Im going to expose them as much as I can. But also my goal is to win in World Series and try to stay undefeated. Obviously its to win. The short-term goal is to win. The long-term goal is, as soon as they come out with that belt, Id like to get that belt.


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Eggleston Drives the Hawks
- Release Date:
- February 2, 2013
- Contact:
- The Office of Sports Information
- (716) 649-7900 ext. 333
HAMBURG, NY – Becky Bard's 20 points led the visiting Mount Aloysius Mounties (8-6) to a 70-46 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference victory over Hilbert College in women's basketball February 2. Freshman Lauren Eggleston's10 points and six rebounds led a balanced Hawk attack in defeat.
Aloysius took an early 11-2 lead before the Hawks cut the difference to six (18-12) by 8:00. Each team traded baskets the rest of the half with the Mounties hitting 3's while Hilbert scored from inside the arc. Hilbert out-rebounded the Mounties (30-23) with 11 offensive boards but Mount Aloysius made five 3-point shots and converted five of six shots at the charity stripe to take a 32-20 half time lead. Bard led all scorers with 14 points making five of her eight attempts. Jenah Labuski's six points and six rebounds led the Hawks who shot 25.8% from the floor.
Amber Grosch netted a lay up on the Hawks first possession in the second half cutting the difference to ten. The Mounties were active without the ball early in the second half scoring several times off give and go cuts. They produced a 15-4 run which stretched the difference to 21 points. Eggleston's hustle for loose balls, offensive rebounds and ball distribution gave the Hawks some life cutting the score to 14 points at 10:38. The Mounties finished the game hitting 3's or making shots from the charity stripe due to Hilbert fouls.
Teddi Burkett scored all her 11 points in the second 20-minute period as the visitor's other double-figure scorer. Labuski and Natalie Whitman each netted 8 points and Grosch and Sarah Lorusso produced six points for Hilbert.
Mount Aloysius, the AMCC league leader in free throw percentage, sank 21 of 23 attempts and finished with 7 shots behind the arc. In contrast, the Hawks were 9 for 25 at the foul line and made only one 3-point shot. Hilbert's hustle earned them the rebounding title as they secured 55 boards (21 offensive) to Mount Aloysius' 49.
Hilbert returns to action this week when they host Pitt-Bradford on Wednesday, February 6 with a 6pm tip.
Hilbert College, located in suburban Hamburg, N.Y., south of Buffalo, is a private four-year college founded in 1957 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition. With nearly 1,100 students, Hilbert is a dynamic Western New York college that offers career-focused majors, including one of the top criminal justice programs in the region, and more than 50 minors and concentrations. The college's engaging, student-centered campus community offers numerous leadership, internship, and service learning opportunities from which students launch successful careers while making positive changes in their communities. The Hilbert Blueprint promotes a well-rounded student experience over four years – starting with the Foundations Seminar in the freshman year, followed by Sophomore Service, Junior Symposium, and culminating with the Senior Capstone. Hilbert has expanded its academic offerings with the college's first graduate programs and new Accelerated Degree Programs geared to adult learners.
Upcoming Events
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Revenge Season 2 Casting Spoiler: Rescue Me's Sherri Saum Books "Juicy" Role!
Revenge's Hamptonites are often in need of saving, and former Rescue Me star Sherri Saum is perfect for the job.
While ABC has yet to release any intel about her mysterious character, the actress recently tweeted, "Oooh – just booked a juicy role on #Revenge on ABC. Hope I get some. Revenge that is."
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|296 posts found
Novice Member
Joined: 9/05/07
If only it were MORE singleplayer. I played SWTOR because of my love of KOTOR. I would kill for this MMO to let me take multiple companions with me to do group instances. Instead, it follows the same tired cliche of "Sure, you can solo to the end, then it's group up or give up."
If only one (ONE!) decent MMO would make group play truly optional. However, virtually every single one of them locks away all the best gear behind group only content.
One day soon some bright, innovative developers will find a way to make an MMO with a real group/solo option, instead of the forced grouping endgame that they all share. And those developers will reap mucho dollars for such a design.
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Elite Member
Joined: 2/17/07
NGE, LOTRO, STO, KOTOR, Lego Star Wars > NGE 2 (SWTOR). SWG>ALL. Above hopefully subject to change.
I tend to refer to SWTOR as a single player game with multiplayer options / co-op, but get lazy sometimes and just say single player game
Red Dead Redemption is not a MMO but you can play with many other people or play the game by yourself offline. I feel this is more of a MMO than SWTOR is, due to its vast lands, and you can hunt down creatures and harvest them, and then you can go online and play with loads of other people.
I started off playing SWTOR with a friend who I played most of other MMOs with, SWG, City of Heroes, Warhammer, Vanguard, Star Trek Online Champions Online etc
The thing that makes this more of a single player feel than other MMOs were the cutscenes. For split seconds, especially in class quests, I forgot I am playing with my friend, as the game shuts you out of the other players characters. I guess it is just that cutscenes in MMOs are new, and used to them in single player games. I never feel like this in other MMOs, I feel like part of the world playing with myt friend at ALL times, and other players around.
The other thing I notice with the custsenes is that whilst your in a cutsene you or zombified with a speech bubble over your head, as you take time out of what is actually going on around you to enjoy the story. If you go speak to a NPC with a quest, and they are sitting down, during the cut scene they stand up, then when it finishes they sit back down again, to resume the position of the main world that everybody sees, but whilst you are in that cutsene your and your group only see the NPC standing, everyone else still sees the NPC sitting, while you stand there like glued into the matrx! This to me loses the MM part of MMORPG.
I was at WOWs launch, but there was way more people running around questing, than there were in SWTOR, and apparently SWTOR had more players than WOW at launch. Also in other MMOs the worlds are not so heavily instanced, cutting down players further, which may be the reason
They do not seem to be adding much, and doing many events, like other MMOs, which keep the world vibrant and active / changing. Even now with announcement of Free 2 Play, there is not a lot of content coming, only stuff that they have been promising to be coming all year. All which is less than stuff you can get in one DLC on single player games (eg a Rockstar game DLCbut they have recently announced it has been too big and cutting down the size of future DLC and the price too). The store will probably just get playrrs to pay for the existing content, and get weapons, vehicles, clothes, pets, companions, tp save grinding in game credits for, or buy the speeder skill instead at level 5 instead of level up 20 and get it for free.
As for the space combat side, that is single player through and through, no multiplayer at all
SWTOR is no MMO, it is a single player game with multiplayer options with (rip off IMO) additional costs.
Novice Member
Joined: 8/12/07
Good read with some interesting points. Enjoy your Free to Play game. (Kinda reaks to create a pertective blog and then have them do that to you)
Novice Member
Joined: 12/02/07
I can see the points for saying it's a single player RPG, but.. After playing Funcom's Secret World, whew! Secret World is a true single player RPG. Forcing groups to split up to do single player instances, effing up cutscenes because you're grouped. At least SWTOR let you run missions and instances together.
Novice Member
Joined: 1/25/04
World of warcrarft was very soloable, even the elite boss's didn't take a group.
No MMO forces you to solo the whole levels, you can group with friends and guild members. With the introduction of WoW, that changed the whole system of grouping as they brought in Quests and made the game easy to play by yourself. You only needed a group was for the dungeons but otherwise nothing prevented you from making it to max level even Elite monsters were simple.
Star Wars followed the same path as WoW, 90% of the game reminded me of World of Warcraft to it's UI, Quests, soloability, Poor PvP layout, what really put Star Wars to the solo path was the Companion. The companion fit what the player was lacking, if they needed a tank they could have one, if they needed a healer *bam* they could have one.
Now I started MMO's with Meridian 59 and Ultima Online. Ultima Online was designed to be able to solo almost any monster except for the truly epic ones that did require people. You just had to avoid the PvPr's at times, or face them, there was no global chat either so that made the game on screen chatting truely the best.
Everquest will be in my eyes the best game setup practically forcing you to group to get anywhere in the game. With it's long XP needed to level and the hard hitting monsters, you could solo with the right class it could just take you awhile as you kited them around and hope not to run into another mob. With the monsters and xp you would want to group and this brought in social aspect that is really missing from the current generation of MMO's.
I don't mean general chat either, that is not a social talking area; that has been a chest beating, yelling match of people spouting nonsense and acting like they know what they're talking about.
Dark Age of Camelot I believe was the last game to offer true grouping as there were monsters you could solo to max, but also some places that another member was worth it to have along side you.
Bitter Vet™
Joined: 9/13/06
Fools find no pleasure in understanding, but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Originally posted by Zabat1
Not quite accurate for either game. While it's true there are single player instances in TSW, (they are few and far between btw) it also lets you complete some missions by assisting other players in the kills without even formally grouping with them. It has the standard group oriented dungeons as well.
SWTOR has its own version of the single player instance, there are a number of missions (few and far between I'll grant you) where only one player of a particular class may get credit for completing the mission. True, they don't force you to break up your group, but you still have rerun it a couple of times if there are other players of the same class.
But no doubt, both titles are cut from the same cloth and feel very much like single player experiences due to the heavy use of cut scenes (where you can stand idle for quite a bit of time listening to all the NPC's stories and what not) and this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does detract from a more traditional MMORPG experience where the players are more central to creating the actual story instead of reading about it.
In my day MMORPG's were so hard we fought our way through dungeons in the snow, uphill both ways.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 11/07/08
As another said, it's not whether the game supports grouping, but how it does so. Eg. How effectively. Like most things SWTOR, it does them poorly. We now have a group finder, but for most group content it doesn't facilitate grouping for quests and heroic quests. For all grouping, it doesn't upon conclusion put you back where you were when you exit the area, back to the planet you were in the location you were, as LOTRO does very well. Etc. etc.
As an MMO, TOR suffers endlessly and needlessly from design sacred cows that seriously impair game satisfaction and make it seem more the single player RPG.
Cases in point: Surname features are horribly restricted, taking players optionality away from family accounts, sibling accounts that would share names, or conversely forcing shared surnames among avatars that it should not force. I give a long list of surname situational failures in my TOR site Definitive Issues thread, search it.
Another case is GTN where their sacred cows forced us to twiddle our thumbs and stare at each other on stations as forced social and group hubs, and removed GTN's and other utilities from the planets, thereby restricting our opportunity and desire to engage in trade and other features as now too much trouble and too inconvenient... Another, like bothering to find a group for heroics without a group finder that spans planets, if it even addressed heroics at all.
Lame and broken. Our household went from 4 accounts to 1. That's the trend in subscriptions, I'm afraid. They need to address the definitive issues, and put aside the sacred cows and arrogance, and subscribe to more MMO fundamentals providing more flexibility, optionality for the myriad of an MMO's players diverse preferences.
Spotlight Poster
Joined: 2/27/09
[mod edit]
Are you team Azeroth, team Tyria, or team Jacob?
Apprentice Member
Joined: 8/02/08
I am not a hater, I call it like I see it.
[mod edit]
Waiting for:EQ-Next, ArcheAge (not so much anymore)
Novice Member
Joined: 6/24/07
Originally posted by superniceguy
-Cutscenes are interactive for the whole group, not just one person.
-The character's aren't zombified. They are rolling to for a chance to interact with the NPC as part of the story.
-Many MMOs, including The Secret World and GW2, have the player interact with the NPC. During the custcene other players will just see your character standing there in front of an NPC with a "busy signal" over your head. This aint new.
-Events? SWTOR has had a couple events. Have most MMOs had more? DDO? STO? Chamions Online? Tera? Age of Conan? Maybe I'm missing something.
-Space combat is a solo activity, just like buying pets from the cash shop is a solo activity in other MMOs. You can still take some of the rewards from space combat and bring them with your character to the rest of the game. The space combat isn't even a big part of the game. It's seriously a mini-game lol. Come on now... You could replace it with "Surfing the Cash Shop for Cool Pets" and no one would even notice.
-I still don't see the single-player aspect. Played many MMOs. In SWTOR did raiding, battleground pvp, outdoor zone group quests, instanced group quests, crafting on the stations and trade network. It never felt different than most of the past MMOs I've played. The only difference, it was a little more cinematic with no quest text. What are people doing in this MMO that makes them feel it's single player? Are you grouping? Are you doing PvP? Are you raiding? Are you using the trade network? Or is it just me? lol
Novice Member
Joined: 6/24/07
Originally posted by Kyleran
Does this apply to Guild Wars 2 also? The characters main storyline has a lot of cutscenes with standing and watching cinematics. For example only one player can get credit for that personal story, even though they are the same race and class. So it has to be run multiple times. Isn't that the same as SWTOR or TSW?
This "singleplayer rpg" thread is hilarious. When you actually compare MMOs to other MMOs there isn't much difference. You might as well call the whole MMO genre a "singleplayer rpg".
Novice Member
Joined: 11/15/11
To claim star wars is not multiplayer is ludicrous!!! I personally levelled 1 to 50 and into raiding doued with my wife!!!
It comes down to what you define as a solo game.. Skyrim.. that is solo.. there is NO other players to team up with NO multiplare content nada. There is no comparison... and frankly being able to level to max solo is possible but you miss all the additional content from flashpoints to heroic 4 and even some heroic 2 content gets completely left behind.
I played wow all the way from vanilla to cata and NOWHERE outside of instances and raids does IT force you to party up to complete 85 levels of levelling. You want to start bandying about the single player game tag you better back it up with non frivolous evidence!!
Novice Member
Joined: 6/12/12
I was going to post something meaningful. About hubris and hemorrhaging subs, but then I remembered. It's was just a really good single player game that had bad mechanics for multiplay and pvp tacked onto it...
Advanced Member
Joined: 6/22/05
For some reason I enjoyed grouping in this game more than any other game with the exceptions of Shadowbane (grouping was a must) and city of heroes. It was easy to find small groups which were needed from time to time and the social points made it a bit more enjoyable
Novice Member
Joined: 10/24/09
I tried enjoying this with a buddy that had never even played an MMO before and we could simply never really get on the same page.
Hard Core Member
Joined: 7/02/11
Originally posted by FlawSGI
No, TOR is not the first to recieve all this single player rhetoric. WoW got a lot of it in its day and even to some degree now, just less with all of its raiding content. Warhammer Online on its PvE aspect is considered a single player game as are most MMOs with their questing content. The fact of the matter is that these people aren't happy unless the grouping / interaction is forced rather than voluntary.