text:
Multiple governmental boards in Davidson County recite prayers during meetings, but most don't seem to appeal to a certain religion.
Multiple governmental boards in Davidson County recite prayers during meetings, but most don't seem to appeal to a certain religion.
Things are different to the southwest, where Christian prayers used by Rowan County commissioners didn't sit well with three citizens named in a complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union earlier this month.
The ACLU's complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Charlotte, demands the Rowan County Board of Commissioners stop the "unconstitutional" invocations that allegedly routinely call on Jesus Christ and refer to other sectarian beliefs.
The Rowan commissioners responded to the lawsuit by opening a meeting in Christian prayer Monday and voting to seek legal defense against the lawsuit.
At least three governmental boards in Davidson County routinely open meetings with an invocation, the Davidson County Board of Commissioners, Lexington City Council and Midway Town Council.
Davidson County Commissioner Billy Joe Kepley, who has served on the board since 1990, said prayers are general.
"We don't give an alter call or sing hymns," Kepley said. "It's not church, and nobody is invited into the Christian religion."
Kepley said he's not aware of any citizens being uncomfortable or upset with the invocations while he's been a part of the board. In fact, it's the contrary, he said.
"I've gotten personal letters and letters from different consultants that said that they appreciated the prayers," Kepley said.
Last year, Forsyth County lost a case when the ACLU challenged that board's use of sectarian prayers to open meetings. The decision not only halted sectarian prayer at county board meetings, but also prompted Winston-Salem officials to change its city policy on invocations.
Lexington City Council members have a rotating schedule for delivering invocations. While it's every council person's personal choice to say what he or she feels, most say a prayer, said Lexington Mayor Newell Clark.
"Most of our prayers invoke the Almighty and God, but most of the prayers are general in that sense," Clark said, adding that the city's legal department has done much research on the issue.
Clark said many citizens have complimented the city on its consistent use of invocations to start meetings.
The citizens named in the complaint filed against Rowan County say they want their government to be open and welcoming to people of all beliefs. They say they feel unwelcome and excluded when they start with invocations specific to one religion.
The ACLU argues that the recent decision in Forsyth County made it clear that boards must use prayers that do not indicate a preference for one faith.
Midway Mayor Norman Wilkes said he directs town council members to speak as they wish to start each meeting. Most decide to use Christian prayers, he said.
"I feel like at our meetings, our councilmen are at liberty to say what they want to say," Wilkes said, adding that the city has used the same protocol since being incorporated in 2006. "We've never had anyone at our meetings say anything about it."
Denton has never held invocations during meetings, said mayor Scott Morris.
In Thomasville, the recognized mayor tempore for each month has a choice whether to start the meeting in prayer, a moment of silence or neither. However, any invocation always takes place before the meeting is gaveled to order, said Thomasville Mayor Joe Bennett.
"We have had some folks in the city, who had some concern about prayer at a meeting of the nature of city council," Bennett said. "So, having dealt with it the way it is now — prior to — we haven't had anyone to come forward."
Davidson County Schools and Lexington City Schools do not have invocations at board meetings; however, both boards hold moments of silence occasionally.
Earlier this month, legal counsel with Americans United for Separation of Church and State sent a letter to the Stokes County Board of Education, asking school officials to remove prayer from meetings.
Nash Dunn can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 227, or at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Black Friday brings out crowds for bargainsBy TIM BUCKLAND and BILL SMITH
New Hampshire Union Leader
November 22. 2012 10:56PM
MANCHESTER - Computer point-of-sale terminals flashed to life Thursday night, and the annual shopping frenzy known as Black Friday was under way.
The Walmart chain was the first to start selling selected merchandise at steeply discounted prices in the retail industry's annual frenetic effort to get as much cash out of consumers' pockets as early as possible during the holiday season.
The chain was open despite the Thanksgiving holiday, but the first Black Friday-priced items were not available for purchase until 8 p.m.
Early birds waited patiently for their place at more than a dozen check-out stations set aside to accept Black Friday sales.
"We've been doing this for years," said Dawn Proulx of Bedford, among the first in a line of some 150 carriages queued up shortly before sales terminals opened. "It's our yearly tradition."
Higher-end retailers were waiting until Friday actually began before opening the doors.
The Best Buy chain's store at the Mall of New Hampshire had a line that snaked around the building as the clock counted down. For the second year in a row, Lindsey Thibeault of Manchester stood second in line as shoppers began lining up outside.
"It's my lot in life to be Number 2," she said before unbundling a Thanksgiving dinner she brought for herself and her daughter, Gianna, 11, who waited with her mother, also for the second year in a row.
Thibeault said she wanted to be first, but when she arrived at the store at 6 a.m. Thursday, she saw Chuck Handy of Derry already there. Handy made camp nine hours earlier, at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
"No, not at all," Handy said when asked whether he would consider switching spots.
Best Buy, which opened at midnight Thursday, enticed shoppers with a "Door Buster" deal on a 40-inch Toshiba high-definition television on sale for $179, a fraction of the everyday cost of $419, according to bestbuy.com.
That television is what drew Thibeault and the two customers behind her, Michelle Nichols of Litchfield and Sang Din of Manchester.
"It's fun and stressful," said Nichols, who was passing the time by crocheting a U.S. flag blanket. "I just want to make sure I get the TV, and I'm not waiting (a lot of) hours for nothing."
Handy, though, said he wasn't interested in the television.
"I'm going to get a computer on sale," he said. "Mine crashed."
Best Buy was not the only major retailer that had customers lining up by afternoon. Shoppers began lining up at Sears by late afternoon.
In addition to Walmart's 8 p.m. kickoff, Toys 'R' Us opened at 8 p.m. Thursday.
But most stores opened at midnight or later this morning.
A year ago, Toys 'R' Us opened first, at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving, with Walmart opening at 10 p.m. and most other stores opening at midnight. Two years ago, the earliest openings were at 4 a.m. on Black Friday.
At Toys 'R' Us, people queued up a few hours before opening to be among the first in the store were looking to buy Lego building sets.
Lauren Antonelli of Auburn said she couldn't resist the 40 percent off deals on the popular toys.
"They're for my 7-year-old son," Antonelli said. "But I'm sure my husband will be using them, too."
Customers at Walmart lined up for Black Friday deals that included iPads for $399 that came with a $75 Walmart gift card, as well as a 40-inch Emerson high-definition television for $198 and an LG Blu-ray player for $38.
A game plan was as important an early start for shoppers hustling to buy limited supplies of some items.
Proulx said she arrived with a five-person team that commandeered three carriages and took their places near the front of the line waiting for the 8 p.m. checkout time.
"We each get a big thing, and then get in line with our carriage," Proulx said. "Then the others go through the aisles for the little things and bring them to us."
Tony Monteiro of Atkinson and Elaine Jones of Merrimac, Mass., said they have grudgingly accepted the earlier hours that have pressed the unofficial first day of Christmas shopping back into Thanksgiving Day.
"We don't really like it, but it's our tradition," Proulx said. "You have to keep going."
Not everyone caught the shopping frenzy, however.
One grandmotherly woman appeared confused after trekking through the crowded parking lot to encounter the barriers and yellow tape that directed Black Friday shoppers.
"I'm just here for a bag of flour," she said. "This is crazy."
- - - - - - - -
Tim Buckland may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Bill Smith may be reached at email@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Throughout the year, the Office of Admissions receives
notices of scholarships that are offered through external
organizations. Information about the scholarship awards
that are currently available is listed below. Award
notices are listed in the order in which they were received.
You may also find information on other outside scholarship
awards on the Internet. The following sites are useful
for finding scholarship and financial aid information:
NEW! McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd. 2010 Diversity In Patent Law Fellowship
Application Deadline: January 15, 2010
Each year, McAndrews offers a $5,000 fellowship and a paid summer clerkship to a qualified first-year law student at an ABA-accredited law school who has a diverse background, possesses a degree in science or engineering, and is committed to pursuing a career in patent law in Chicago.� Applications for the 2010 fellowship will be accepted from December 1, 2009, through January�15, 2010.��As a summer associate, the Diversity Fellow will gain experience in a wide range of intellectual property law and will be eligible to receive an offer to return for a second summer.� To facilitate the Diversity Fellow�s professional growth and learning, a member of the McAndrews Diversity Committee will serve as a mentor and resource.
The link to our website is www.mcandrews-ip.com,�which�provides further details about this�opportunity.
The �South Suburban Bar Association's, Henry A. Gentile Memorial Scholarship
Application Deadline: November 6, 2009
The South Suburban Bar Association has a $1,500 scholarship available to students who meet the criteria set by the South Suburban Bar Association. To apply, students must meet the following criteria: attending an accredited local law school; be a resident of the South Suburbs of Cook County and must have a present interest to practice law in the South Suburbs; and demonstrated financial need. Students interested in applying must submit a brief resume and a cover letter (200 word maximum) indicating why they want to practice on the Southside. The committee may conduct interviews of applicants or alternatively, may in its discretion, recommend a candidate to the Board of the South Suburban Bar Association. In order to receive the scholarship award, the student must attend the South Suburban Association Installation Dinner Dance to be held December 4, 2009. Cover letters and resumes must be forwarded directly to South Suburban Bar Association Scholarship Committee, attn: Daniel D. Hinich, 17926 S. Halsted St., Suite 3S. Homewood, IL 60430.
For a complete list of the awards that have been posted
in the 2009-10 Record, click
here. Although the application deadlines for these awards
have already passed, this information can aid you in planning
for next year by assisting you in determining the time of
year that certain awards are typically offered. You
may also access a complete list of the 2008-09 scholarship
notices by clicking here.
If you have been awarded a Chicago-Kent scholarship for
the 2009-10 academic year, please refer to the Scholarship
Policies from the current Student Handbook for important
information concerning your award. Please direct any
questions about your scholarship to the Office
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text:
The experience in those two towns was totally different.
"The ability to do things is much easier because you haven't got to go through so many different departments," said Brake of dealing with a small town like Massey Drive.
"You're dealing directly with council there."
But now, Brake says he's willing to give Corner Brook another chance.
Monday night, Corner Brook city council started the process to open up more land for residential housing developments in two areas of the city — one off St. Mark's Avenue and another south of Pratt Street.
The city will carry out a public consultation regarding amending its Municipal Plan Development Regulations to change the land use designation and zoning for those areas.
The proposal for St. Mark's Avenue is to change the land use designation from community service and open space to residential with a residential medium density zoning. There is a potential in that area to develop seven new building lots.
In the Pratt Street area, the proposed amendments involve changing the land use designation from rural to residential with residential medium density zoning. The change would allow for continued residential development in the area.
While he said it's too early to talk about some of his interests, Brake confirmed he's interested in seeing development in the
St. Mark's Avenue area proceed.
Brake has developed in the St. Mark's Avenue area in the past, and owns land there.
"It's part and parcel of the seven lots they're talking about," he said Tuesday.
From what he's seen, there doesn't seem to be any challenges to opening it up.
"It all looks very good. The services are on both sides of the existing street."
Brake said applications he's made on developments with the past council "didn't get anywhere," but the difference with the existing council has been "unbelievable."
"I don't know what the difference is, but they're certainly making a difference," he said.
He said the new council's mindset seems to look at whether things are possible, and staff are doing work ahead of meetings and are prepared.
"It's really, really inviting. I feel very good about developing inside the city," said Brake. "It's very early and I don't know how it's going to roll out, but it looks good so far."
Mayor Charles Pender said the city is pleased Brake is looking at Corner Brook as a place to do business.
He said during the past four years the new council has heard the frustrations of businesses and developers over red tape and regulations and it's prepared to work to change that.
"I can't speak for the previous council. All I can tell you is this council is open for business," Pender said Tuesday.
"Anything that we can do within the guidelines of rules and regulations, we will do."
He said council is pushing to open up land and pushing for development in the city.
He said the rezoning in St. Mark's Avenue and Pratt Street areas is all about being ready should a developer decide to move forward.
Pender also said the city is working on "a multitude" of different areas with potential for development.
This includes a new subdivision in the Wheeler's Road area, where Pender expects work will begin this year with road construction and service installation. The proposed mosaic style of development will see a combination of home types built in the area, from executive to duplex and apartment-type buildings.
The city is also working on an extension of Boone's Road.


text:
Getting married is a memorable milestone full of possibility. It's the start of a couple's journey as they build their life together. But, it's going to take more than a memory of a fun wedding to get to 25 years and beyond. Inspired by the Obama's recent anniversary celebrations, here are nine real-life couples who share what it takes to build a love that lasts.
Celebrate the imperfections
"Accept that it is not always going to be perfect. It is a journey together through good and bad times. Learn how to compromise. Life throws curveballs and it's important to work through them together. These curveballs bring you closer together as you learn to love even harder because you're doing all of this together. Big adventures are fun (like a trip to Italy) but don't forget, the little things (like picking flowers for your home) are too." Grace Guerrero and Jim Zwit married 30 years.
Learn to laugh
"Humor is key! Don't take yourself or your spouse too seriously. It's a choice to be light or annoyed. Be silly together and laugh like little kids goofing around. Look for the humor, even in the dark times." Carol and John Tingwall, celebrating 41 years in December
Fight fair
"There will be fights. When this happens, use all your self control to not do something life changing (like walking out). Once done, some things can never be taken back. Sometimes you need to walk away literally and figuratively." Vicki H. Buzard married 40 years in January
Be patient.
"Patience is key. Think before speaking." Alejandra Moran married 25 years.
Share interests
"Participate in each other interests. We make deals with each other. We say "I'll go along with you on this, but then you have to go along with me on that." We frequently venture outside of our comfort zone, expand our interests and have more shared experiences. We are both surprised by the joy we get out of activities we previously said we had no interest in doing. Now at 72, we are very different than the 19-year-olds that started this journey. By doing so much together, it's helped us grow closer together." Josie Hamilton, married 53 years.
Forgiveness is key
"We bring out the best in each other, however, we also know that there are times when we bring out the worst in each other, too. As a result, forgiveness is an important component. Love and forgiveness always prevail." Andrea and Guy Banicki, married 43 years.
Look for a life partner
"Pick the person who is a good companion and cares about making the marriage succeed. The relationship has to be really, really important to both people and they need to devote time to building and strengthening the relationship." Sheila Urman, married 49 years.
Accept each other as you are
"Appreciate your spouse and accept them the way they are. Neither person is perfect. Be prepared to accept your differences and make the best of." Marisel A. Hernandez, married 32 years
Love hard
"The most important thing is love, because love never ends." Grasilda and Paul Petkus, married 33 years.
Style Me Pretty Contributor - Ximena N. Larkin is a writer and publicist. She lives in Chicago with her husband and dog. For more visit: ximenalarkin.com.


text:
When Renee Arevalo purchased a small plot of land just off the main road to Shushifindi several years ago, it seemed like a great opportunity. A rectangular block of freshly plowed dirt off the well-traveled route toward one of Ecuador's oldest oilfields, the sizable lot looked like the perfect spot to build a small house for his family that would double as a tire repair shop. But then the rains came. The hard, driving rains of Ecuador's Amazon basin have made this rainforest region one of the most ecologically spectacular places on the planet. But at Arevalo's new home, the rains brought only a foul smell, sort of like a gas station. Then Arevalo noticed that the puddles of water that blotched his dirt yard had thick, multicolored swirls on top. When he poked a wooden stick a few feet down, thick black sludge bubbled to the surface.
Arevalo has a wide, square face that looks permanently creased from worry. He's lived here with his family for five years now, he told me when I met him outside his home recently. They drink from a nearby well. But the family is always sick, he said. His children have constant stomachaches. And recently, his mother-in-law died of liver cancer. I asked him what he thought was the cause. "Of course it's from the oil," he said. A bony white cow curled up in the mud flicked away the circling flies with his tail. "But what can I do? Who can I complain to?"
Arevalo is just one of thousands of Ecuadorians left angry in the wake of decades of oil exploration that began in the 1960s and continues, albeit in a more modern form, today. He's also part of a growing force of poor and indigenous people across the country, from the peaks of the Andes to the lowlands of the Oriente, who have grown suspicious of Ecuador's government. Famous for its backroom dealings with oil companies and international financial institutions, the national leadership is widely seen as having enriched the elite at the expense of more than half the population, which struggles to get by on less than a dollar a day. In fact, among the indigenous, poverty is far worse–87 percent, according to the World Bank. And since 2000, when the country adopted the American dollar as its official currency to curb runaway inflation, that dollar has bought them a lot less than it used to.
The combination of the sorts of economic reforms pressed by the United States, World Bank and IMF in the 1990s and the failure of the region's tremendous oil and gas wealth to benefit the poor and indigenous have led to a broad backlash against globalization across much of Latin America–illustrated by the rise of Hugo Chávez in Venezuela, the fall of Bolivian President Carlos Mesa in June and the elections of a range of leftists, from "Lula" in Brazil to Néstor Kirchner in Argentina, who've vowed to reject the old Washington Consensus and do more for the poor. (Whether they've delivered on those promises is debatable.) And the developed world's addiction to oil has fueled oil companies' aggressive push into the most remote parts of the world, which until recently were largely undisturbed by Western-style modernization.
The resulting clash of interests and cultures reached a breaking point in Ecuador this past spring, when thousands of protesters crammed the capital demanding the resignation of President Lucio Gutiérrez. Although elected with the backing of the leading indigenous party, Gutiérrez lost indigenous support soon after meeting with George W. Bush and IMF officials, when he abandoned much of his pro-poor rhetoric and vowed to expand oil production–even if it meant using the military to do it. His attempts to consolidate power and shut out the opposition by, for example, sacking the Supreme Court and stacking it with his supporters finally led to his downfall.


text:
By SUE RYAN
News staff writer
December 27, 2006
Two of Hood River County's fire departments have received grants for training through the efforts of Rep. Greg Walden.
"I'm always pleased to see responsible federal investments being made for public services in our communities," Walden said.
The Parkdale Rural Fire Protection District received a $19,413 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Dec. 20, which it will use to develop new training programs and acquire curriculum resources. Those materials will help Parkdale firefighters and integrate with training efforts by bordering districts and departments.
Parkdale Fire Chief Mike McCafferty said the grant helps his department with developing more realistic training programs based on actual situations.
"The grant will help the department considerably to make advancements, particularly since our training budget is otherwise just $5,000," he said.
In November, the Hood River Fire Department received a $26,514 grant through the same program of the Department of Homeland Security. Hood River will use its funds to help the department develop training and fitness programs. Assistant Chief Devon Wells said the money assists Hood River on keeping programs current for firefighters' fitness.
"Cardiovascular problems are the leading causes of fatality among firefighters," Wells said. "This grant-funded program enables the department to promote each firefighter's health and have an immeasurable impact on safety."
The federal program that funds the grants is designed to help both local firefighters and emergency response personnel with their needs, including training and other resources such as equipment or vehicles.
Both McCafferty and Wells said Walden's support of their program over the years has been helpful to the fire departments.
"I really appreciate all of Congressman Walden's longstanding support," McCafferty said. "It has made a big difference to our efforts."
Walden wrote in April 2006 to the DHS headquarters in support of both applications.
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Two boys riding a bicycle were struck by a car in Highland on Monday, suffering major injuries.
San Bernardino County sheriff's officials said the 9 and 6-year-old boys may have been riding together on a single bicycle when a man in a Chevy Impala struck them in the 25900 block of Ninth Street at 5:15 p.m. The boys were not wearing helmets.
Paramedics took them to Loma Linda University Medical Center for treatment.
Officials say they were listed in stable condition.
Reach Melissa via email or call her at 909-386-3878.
Get the latest crime and public safety news on Twitter @IECrime.


text:
If there's one man who has done a few festivals in his time it is Liam Gallagher. Mind you he probably hasn't done too much queuing for the toilets of chomping on vom burgers, but we will give him the benefit of the doubt as his label, Pretty Green, has just unveiled a series of festival jackets.
The most eye catching of the range of this little orange (apparently this year's colour number say people in the know). Partially inspired by the maritime thing – that is going on here – it is made from lightweight nylon and has colour panels and full front zip closure. There's also a hood to fend off the inevitable rain.
There are also plenty of pockets for you to keep your essentials in and it has elasticated cuffs and an adjustable waist.
Yours for £85. It is also available in blue and black and khaki and blue.
If that's a bit pricey then Primark has some really good cheapies.


text:
M Residential Pty Ltd
Street address: 252 Mill Point Road South Perth WA 6151
Mailing address: PO Box 8042 South Perth WA 6151
Laura and the rest of the M Residential staff are not only professional and friendly but also relate to us with so much empathy and understanding. I am a newbie in the world of property and don't know anything about the subject, and they have been very patient and helpful. They are real and sincere and we don't feel like they are there just because it's their job. It really goes above and beyond good service. Mr J. Tay, VICTORIA PARK
Hi Wendy, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you in the professional manner in which you have handled this most unfortunate situation at Westbury Road. If it had not been for your thorough maintenance report I would not have been any the wiser as to the state of the lounge room ceiling and the end result could have been catastrophic. Your superiors should be so proud of you, also they should be proud of you in the way that you conduct yourself in writing a very detailed report and also the way you communicate with the client. Keep up the good work Wendy, I am delighted with you looking after my property. Ms J. DiBlasi
Laura, I agree - the photos are spectacular!!! Please pass on my sincere thanks to Annette - she is a magician!! Your wording is perfect - no alterations necessary. The video equally impressive. You've blown me away with modern technology, no wonder your properties are quickly leased. Thank you so much. D. Fisher
That's great Laura, many thanks for managing an efficient and successful transition. Dr. P. Mercieca
Awesome! Thank you so much for your help Laura. It is so nice to have peace of mind knowing that my property is well looked after! J. Metzke
Laura, your evaluation of our situation and preparation of the proposal is the best service with tenancy renewal I've seen in over 10 years of managing investment property, thank you very much, really appreciated. B. Quarrill
Laura just managed to get $30 more each week...when I was being 'nervous nelly' thinking the tenant may move on! It gives me huge peace of mind...you guys know the market and tenant best. Melissa
Having owned my investment property for over 10 years I had bad experiences with many agents through trial and error. M Residential has been managing my property for over 7 years and have completely changed my view of real estate agents. They are thorough, professional and always looking after my property as if it were their own. They have made owning an investment property easy and after moving interstate 6 years ago have been even more thorough to ease my mind whilst being away. Can't recommend them highly enough! Seriously you guys have been great - thanks for all your help over the years. H. Potger
Hi Laura, Your team has really impressed me with the prompt responses, follow ups and wonderful service. It's a nice and refreshing experience that makes you guys stand out from the others and my clients notice that too. Great job guys and please keep it up! Ms Lam - Aussie Orientaion Services
When we renewed our lease we requested to have an air conditioning unit and antenna installed, which - thanks to Laura - was organised within a month. She responded to our email queries quickly and organised everything on our behalf with minimal hassle. We really appriciate Laura's help - it's by far the best experience we've had with a Property Manager. Ms Allen & Mr Czerwiec, COMO
Friendly, helpful, courteous, professional. A. & S. Blnd, ST JAMES


text:
Hello, Friend!
Hello, Friend!
A pure B2B market place for suppliers, component manufacturers and OEMs to meet clients and partners from the CE / HA industry
For Trade Visitors Only / 4 days
IFA Global Markets for trade visitors only, runs concurrently to IFA. With no public visitors, a straight B2B business environment created by the same team and organizer that made IFA the leading global CE / HA retail exhibition worldwide.
IFA Global Markets will provide buyers, distributors and other trade visitors a central market place.
Exclusive access for trade visitors and experts only
IFA Global Markets is for trade visitors and experts only. Your IFA trade visitor ticket grants you free entry.


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|September 30, 2012, 11:06 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: October 21, 2008
Posts: 557
Need to lighten revolver trigger pull
Today I bought the Mrs a SW M&P 340 in .357 mag (1 7/8") with the Crimson Trace grips and tritium front sight. She loves it except for the stiff trigger pull. Any way to lighten it up at home or do I need a smithy?? Sorry for such a newb question but I'm not exactly a wheel gunner.
|September 30, 2012, 11:48 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 15,051
You can buy weaker springs at very low cost.
The gun might even fire with them. I have one J series Smith that is reliable with reduced springs and one that demands full strength.
A GOOD gunsmith will smooth and fit the working parts to reduce friction and minimize mechanical losses so he can put in proportionately softer springs without compromising ignition reliability.
|October 1, 2012, 04:27 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: October 2, 2007
Posts: 640
brm, 10/1/12
I have a number of SW revolvers (642, 686+,329) and also was unhappy with the stock trigger pull. Since I live 3500 miles from the nearest gunsmith I needed to figure out how to do the work myself. Since I do a fair bit of semiauto pistol-smithing I had most of the tools on hand. I ordered both Jerry Kuhnhausen's book "The SW Revolver, a Shop Manual" and an American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) DVD on function, assembly and disassembly of SW revolvers (which was pretty good except Bob Dunlap, the gunsmith, is a pretty good sedative and will put you to sleep if you watch more than 20 minutes at a time). I did all three of my pistols and all function and shoot well with a smoother, lighter trigger pull.
As Jim mentioned above it is probably simpler to get a good gunsmith to do the work. He already has the knowledge and tools to do the job right.
best wishes- oldandslow
|October 1, 2012, 08:04 AM
Junior member
Join Date: February 2, 2008
Posts: 3,150
If the gun is to be used for self defense take it to a pistolsmith who does revolver work. Just lightening the springs is not what you want to do on a gun that HAS to work. Most smiths will offer two types of trigger jobs on revolvers - a "duty" tune where the action is smoothed and lightened just a little and a competition tune where they will take it down as light as possible (but it may not fire with any brand of ammo.) You want a "duty" tune. And maybe buy your wife a hand strengthening device.
|October 1, 2012, 09:47 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: October 28, 2006
Location: South Central Michigan...near Ohio, Indiana.
Posts: 5,266
If you have to ask, you should not do it yourself. There are too many things that can be messed up. For instance, incorrect removal of the side plate can mar the gun. Screw heads can be damaged, etc.
|October 1, 2012, 12:36 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: October 19, 2008
Posts: 635
I normally change my stock springs on all my revolvers. The J-frame is a bit tricky, as the smaller the revolver the stronger the springs have to be for consistent ignition. In addition, the J-frame mainspring is a little bit harder to remove than the K/N frames' mainsprings.
However, it is not difficult to change out the mainspring, and not too difficult to change the rebound spring (there is a tool that makes it very easy). I would suggest changing the mainspring from 8.5# (standard J-frame) to 8#, and the rebound spring from 14# to 12#.
Then, take it out and shoot 100 rounds of your self defense ammunition in double action. If you have any light strikes, reinstall the original mainspring. If you have trouble with the trigger reset, replace the 12# rebound spring with a 13# spring (or 14# if necessary). It can get expensive to test, but you need to be confident in the ammunition your wife is carrying.
I would not suggest doing more than that without some serious study on the matter. It is a job for a gunsmith, but there are references available and help videos on the web that can walk you though the simpler stuff. Just be prepared to spend a lot of money fixing it if you screw up.
I have done some work on my own smiths, and have never screwed anything up that wasn't fixable. I have one revolver, a model 625, that will not reliably ignite any ammunition other than ammo with federal primers. Federal primers are the softest around. However, I rarely use it for anything but range work, and, when I use it for home defense, it has federal 185 grain hollow points loaded in them, and I've never had a light strike with them.
On the other end of the spectrum, I have a model 15 that I sometimes carry, but is usually my car gun. I've replaced the springs with wilson combat springs, and did some minor polishing, and it will shoot anything I put in it, even if the trigger isn't as smooth and light as the 625.
|October 2, 2012, 04:43 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: September 28, 2008
Posts: 10,447
How she grips the revolver has a lot to do with the perceived weight of the trigger pull.
The higher on the grip she holds it, the easier it will be to pull the trigger.
The web of her hand should completely cover and be slightly higher than the upper most part of the grip panels.
And crossing her thumbs behind the hammer and pushing forward helps, too.
Just don't use that technique with an auto loading pistol.
Probably the most important part is locking the wrists, and maintaining the grip through out the trigger pull and follow through, eliminating wobble and lost motion.
Try to find Jerry Miculek's online videos on the revolver grip.
Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez:
"Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent."
|October 2, 2012, 04:57 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: March 23, 2008
Location: South Florida
Posts: 2,123
If it's going to be used for defense, take it to a gunsmith.
It's not worth the risk to save a few bucks.
US Navy Veteran
|October 2, 2012, 06:13 PM
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Join Date: October 19, 2008
Posts: 635
|October 2, 2012, 08:56 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,384
Here is the problem. In order to fire a primer, the firing pin needs a certain amount of momentum, which is velocity x mass. The hammer on a J frame revolver already has low mass (compared to say, the hammer on an SAA Colt), so it needs velocity to fire reliably. That comes from the spring. If you weaken the spring too much, the gun may not fire or may fire under ideal conditions but fail if cold or dirty. I don't say not to reduce the spring tension, but agree that testing is absolutely necessary and building muscle strength is also a good idea.
Jim K
|October 2, 2012, 09:40 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: June 15, 2011
Location: Lopez Island, WA
Posts: 269
Back in the day when we were all carrying wheel guns for duty this came up a lot. Changing springs or backing off the main spring tension is a big no no... especially if you are "depending" on the gun.
We settled on careful and and complete polishing of the inside frame and all the "moving parts" so that we had "mirror like" bearing surfaces. You'd be amazed at how smooth and light "feeling" you can get a J/K/L/N frame...while maintaining stock spring weight.
Suggest a good smith or armorer who has done it before...come to think of it might not be that many of us left.
|October 3, 2012, 12:45 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: May 31, 2007
Location: NC
Posts: 2,535
All else equal, a lighter hammer picks up speed and delivers more power. One can therefore reduce spring tension a bit without losing reliability with a lighter hammer. But...as mentioned, power from a lighter hammer is more easily robbed if the action isn't true and smooth.
At any rate, the main issue with J-frames isn't the weight of the hammer (bobbed or not), but less leverage: Springs are stiffer to deliver sufficient oompf from a shorter hammer, and the smaller trigger has less mechanical advantage available to retract the hammer. It's a double whammy that makes for a stiff pull.
To the OP, there are numerous spring kits for the J-frame, but Apex Tactical's generally get very good reviews, and they do offer a J-frame kit. I'd also suggest a gunsmith to smooth the action.
|October 3, 2012, 01:57 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: November 17, 2009
Location: IN
Posts: 2,585
For a SD revolver, unless your wife has a physical impairment, do not mess with the springs - 'smith or no 'smith.
Get some snap caps and have her dry fire until the cows come home. It'll smooth out the action (if it even needs smoothing out) and it will increase her strength. Also have her strengthen her hands/fingers with a stress-ball.
"You haven't lived until you've died." - various
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|October 5, 2012, 11:04 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: October 28, 2006
Location: South Central Michigan...near Ohio, Indiana.
Posts: 5,266
If you decide to lighten the trigger pull yourself, I have a few suggestions.
Remove the side plate and remove the mainspring, hammer, trigger return slide, and the trigger. Remove all the oil/lubricant from the parts and the inside of the frame. Coat the inside of the frame and the parts with blue layout dye. Reassemble the gun and dry fire about twenty-five times.
Disassemble the gun again, remove the parts and look for any areas that have had the layout dye rubbed off. A small area of rubbing may indicate a burr (such as just behind the trigger pivot where the cylinder stop plug is upset into the frame).
If there is a large area rubbed, under the trigger or the hammer, it can mean that they are not perpendicular to the pivots (crooked that is; a frequent condition in modern S&W's) and will need trigger or hammer shims to keep them from rubbing the frame.
Note that these conditions can increase the required trigger return spring pressure, which is a factor in the felt trigger pull weight. Also, note that lightening the trigger return spring does not affect the primer strike at all; it only affects trigger reset.
Polish the inside of the trigger return slide when you have the spring out.
I have found that if a 12 lb. trigger spring does not reset reliably, there is some drag somewhere that is causing it. I suggest buying at least two return springs (12, 13 lb.), and working with the gun until it resets reliably with the 12 lb. spring. The return spring affects the feel of the double action pull as much as the main spring.
If you change the main spring, polish the mainspring strut as long as you have the spring off.
By the way, rubbing alcohol will remove the layout dye.
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Virginia Tech would like to be one of the 16 teams hosting an NCAA regional, and the Hokies are making an excellent case for it.
Poquoson's Chad Pinder knocked in the winning run with a sacrifice fly to center in the seventh inning as the 21st-ranked Hokies (38-19) clinched a berth in Sunday's Atlantic Coast Conference tournament final, completing a 3-0 run through pool play with a 3-2 victory over Georgia Tech in Durham, N.C.
It will be Tech's first appearance in a conference championship game since the Atlantic 10 tournament in 2000. The Hokies will face North Carolina or N.C. State, who play each other Saturday night.
It was a day of mixed emotions, plenty of offense and little defense for William and Mary in the double-elimination Colonial Athletic Association baseball tournament in Harrisonburg. The Tribe (36-21) went 1-1 for the day and will play an elimination game at 1 p.m. against Northeastern.
After squandering a big lead in a game that was suspended Thursday night because of rain, produced a four-run rally in the bottom of the ninth to overcome James Madison 20-19.
But in its next game, the Tribe's usually excellent pitching staff against struggled as W&M fell to Towson 20-13. That win put the Tigers (28-28) in control of the tournament, needing just one win in their last two games to claim the championship and an automatic NCAA tournament berth.
The sixth-seeded Dukes, who trailed 12-3 with W&M batting in the bottom of the third inning when play was stopped Wednesday night, led 19-16 on their home field with two out and nobody on base in the bottom of the ninth.
But Derek Lowe singled, Ryan Brown hit an RBI double, Willie Shaw walked and Michael Katz was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ryan Lindemuth hit a tying two-run single through the left side, and Ryan Hissey hit the winning single up the middle.
Thirteen batters were hit by pitches, and there were 45 hits -- 22 by the Tribe. Eleven pitchers were used -- five by the Tribe. The victory was beyond unusual for W&M, which has relied on excellent pitching throughout the year.
JMU got back in the game by scoring six runs in the fourth inning off J.T. Castner, who failed to record an out. Even Brett Koehler, one of W&M's top pitchers all year, gave up six runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Jonathan Sarty had five RBI for W&M, Hissey had four hits and Shaw scored four runs.
For JMU, Johnny Bladel, Ty McFarland and Cole McInturff all had four hits. Bladel drove in five runs and scored four, while McFarland scored three and drove in four.
Soon afterward, JMU was eliminated with an 11-7 loss to Northeastern.
Against Towson, life got no better for W&M's pitching. Jason Inghram, one of the few W&M pitchers who didn't work against JMU, yielded 11 earned runs and 13 hits in 3 2/3 innings. Castner gave up four runs in a third of an inning.
W&M led 4-2 before yielding six runs in the bottom of the third. The Tribe cut it to 13-11 before Towson scored four runs in the sixth.
Against the Tigers, Lindemuth was 4-for-5 with a homer, three runs and six RBI. Towson's Brendan Butler was 3-for-5 with a homer, three runs and six RBI. ...
In the night's last game, top seed UNC Wilmington was ousted with a 5-4 loss to Northeastern. Pete Castoldi's single to right field lifted the Huskies to their second walk-off victory of the tournament.
Hampton won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's top prize for women's all-sports excellence for the 12th year in a row, and Norfolk State took top men's honors for the ninth consecutive year.
Hampton (100.5 points) won its 12th straight Mary McLeod Bethune Women's All-Sports Award.
The Spartans' men tallied 82.8 points to win their 10th Talmadge Layman Hill Award overall. Bethune-Cookman was second with 68 points.
USA South:
Christopher Newport women's lacrosse standout Stephanie Green was named the 2013 USA South Woman of the Year, bestowed upon the student-athlete who best exemplifies collegiate achievement in service, leadership, athletics, and academics.
A two-time all-conference defender, she helped guide the squad to four consecutive USA South regular-season and tournament championships.The Pasadena, Md., native graduated Summa Cum Laude and compiled a 3.92 grade-point average while majoring in neuroscience. She was named the Christopher Newport Female Student-Athlete of the Year for the 2010-11 academic year. She is also a member of four honor societies.
Green has been involved in service and leadership projects throughout her tenure at CNU. In that time, she founded AdaptLax, which is an organization designed to provide athletic opportunities to individuals with disabilities, specifically in lacrosse. She even received a Ferguson Fellowship Grant to help kick off the program.
Men's tennis:
Virginia's Jarmere Jenkins, the tournament's third seed, edged Southern California's Ray Sarmiento 7-6, 2-6, 6-4 to reach the NCAA singles quarterfinals in Urbana, Ill.
Jenkins, who has won three matches in singles since being named the outstanding player in U.Va.'s run to its first team championship, faces Texas' Soren Hess-Olesen on Saturday.
Jenkins and teammate Mac Stysingler got to the doubles quarterfinals, outlasting Mississippi State's Malte Stropp and Jordan Angus 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. The Cavaliers next will face Bob van Overbeek and Stephane Piro of Florida in the quarterfinals.
Women's tennis:
In the NCAA round of 16, William and Mary's Maria Belaya and Jeltje Loomans lost 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 to Nebraska's Patricia Veresova and Mary Weatherholt, the No. 3 seeds.
The defeat left Belaya and Loomans, who led the Tribe to the CAA team crown, one victory short of All-America status.
Track and field:
Norfolk State senior Keith Nkrumah and junior James Taylor advanced through the first round of the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Greensboro, N.C.
Nkrumah won his heat in the 110-meter hurdles in 13.83 seconds, making him the No. 6 qualifier out of 24 who advanced to Saturday's national quarterfinal round. Athletes must place in the top 12 of the quarterfinals to advance to Eugene, Ore., the site of the outdoor nationals next month.
Taylor was second in his heat of the 200 meters in 20.92. He is the No. 11 qualifier in the field of 24.
Taylor, Nkrumah, Damian Smith and Kenneth Smith will also compete in the 4x100 relay Saturday. The women's 4x100 relay of Torie Cunningham, Brittney McCants, Qua'Nesha Wallace and Champagne Bell will also run Saturday, while freshman Kiara Howell will participate in the shot put. ...
Thomas Porter became the first U.Va. athlete to qualify for the NCAA Championships next month in Oregon.
Porter finished seventh in the men's 10,000 meters in 30 minutes, 0.23 of a second.
Division III:
At the Division III championships in LaCrosse, Wis., Christopher Newport's Enuma Ezenwa placed 21st in the heptathlon with 4,199 points, the third-highest total in CNU history.


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2660 Woodley Road, NW Washington, DC 20008 Phone: (202) 328-2000 Additional Details
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If you are interested in sharing a hotel room or a ride to the conference, please go to http://www.aapt.org/Events/rslinfo.cfm for detailed information.
Participants are responsible for their parking charges.
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NH oil firms step in to help Fred Fuller customersBy MICHAEL COUSINEAU and KATHRYN MARCHOCKI
New Hampshire Union Leader
January 08. 2014 10:33PM
New Hampshire home heating oil dealers are not running into supply problems and are helping frustrated Fred Fuller Oil & Propane Co. customers fill their tanks, according to the head of a statewide industry organization.
"There is not a supply shortage," said Robert Sculley, executive director of the Oil Heat Council of New Hampshire. "This is not an industry-wide problem in New Hampshire and New England. This is a company-specific problem."
The head of the state's Consumer Protection Bureau on Wednesday agreed that supply appears to be abundant in New Hampshire and no other dealers are having issues meeting demand.
"This does seem to be confined to a delivery problem with Fred Fuller Oil," Senior Assistant Attorney General James T. Boffetti explained.
Fred Fuller Oil, one of the state's largest heating fuel delivery companies with main offices in Hudson, got backlogged on deliveries last week at a time when the region plunged into arctic cold snap, Boffetti said. Fuller promised to be caught up with all deliveries by week's end, Boffetti said.
Sprague Oil of Newington and company owner Fred Fuller told state officials Wednesday that the oil company has been buying "significant" daily amounts of home heating oil, totally about 500,000 gallons since Monday, Boffetti said. Fuller's trucks also have been delivering oil late into the night to get through the backlog of customers, Boffetti said.
"I do not have any indication that he is in serious financial trouble," Boffetti added.
"I haven't audited his books. I don't know if he has a cash flow problem or not...He has yet to provide me with proof of his pre-buy liabilities and his futures contracts," Boffetti said.
But Boffetti noted that the vast majority of Fred Fuller customers who have gone without oil are those who either pay as they go or are on a budget plan. Just a small fraction of those affectd have pre-buy contracts, he said.
A company-wide failure in Fuller's telephone system should be fixed by today, Boffetti said. The breakdown in the telephone system have made is impossible for customers to place orders for oil since last week. This prompted Gov. Maggie Hassan to set up a hotline at 6 p.m. Tuesday specifically for Fred Fuller customers in imminent danger of running out of oil.
Nearly 650 consumers flooded the hotline with calls by 2 p.m. Wednesday, the governor's spokesman said. The vast majority had less than 1/8 of a tank of oil left — the rest had less than a quarter of a tank of oil or run out of oil completely, spokesman Marc Goldberg wrote in a statement. The hotline number is 227-0002.
State officials staffing the hotline first make sure consumers are safe then work with Fred Fuller to get drivers and technicians out to customers, Goldberg said.
"The health and safety of individuals who are running dangerously low on heating oil due to delivery issues with Fred Fuller Oil Co. remains Gov. Hassan's primary concern," Goldberg wrote. He said the hotline will remain open until "we are confident that response times are sufficient to ensure the health and safety of customers."
Goldberg said the situation "highlights the need for strengthened consumer protections for heating oil customers, especially those on pre-buy (contracts)."
Meanwhile, other dealers are pitching in to help those needing oil, Sculley said.
Mary Olsen, officer manager at Shattuck Oil Co., said the Pepperell, Mass., company has added 40 to 50 Fred Fuller customers from New Hampshire since last Thursday, including filling an elderly Nashua woman's tank Tuesday.
"We just delivered to an 80-year-old woman who hasn't had heat for two days," Olsen said. "She was a Fuller customer. She had no oil."
Sculley said there are about 200 oil dealers in New Hampshire and Fred Fuller serves tens of thousands of Granite State customers. "If he's not the biggest, he's one of the biggest," Sculley said.
Matthew Ciardelli, co-owner of Ciardelli Fuel Company in Milford, said his staff has been fielding several hundred calls a day from Fred Fuller Oil customers since Friday.
"We've helped out several hundred customers who aren't our regular customers," Ciardelli said, adding that his staff has worked up to 14-hour days to meet the additional demand.
On Friday night when temperatures plunged well below freezing, Ciardelli said neighbors of a 98-year-old Amherst woman dropped in his office worried the woman would run out of oil because they were unable to contact Fred Fuller Oil, her regular company.
"She was 98. She could barely use the phone. Her neighbors stopped by our office," he said. Ciardelli said he took a truck home and delivered oil to the woman as well as his neighbor, another Fuller customer who was on empty.
Ciardelli said his company was able to offer a helping hand because — anticipating the cold streak coming into the region — they got caught up on deliveries to all their customers by last week.
About 58 percent of New Hampshire homes use oil for heating, according to Meredith Hatfield, director of the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning.
She said the state's hotline set up to handle the Fred Fuller situation "is both triaging people in an emergency situation" and talking to people who want to file complaints with the state's Consumer Protection Bureau.


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OMAK Three Omak Stampede Board members have been elected to the organization's honorary board.
The board of directors agreed Oct. 28 to move Jim Hensarling, Millie Gann and Connie Thomas to the honorary, or emeritus, board. All three requested the change.
Hensarling is a former board president, Gann has been royalty director and Thomas was ticket director this year and is the group's former treasurer.
All three plan to stay involved with Stampede.
Hensarling was president for four years – 2004 through 2008 — then took a hiatus. He became president again in 2011 and served another year. George Dunckel preceded and succeeded him both times.
During 2011-12, Hensarling presided over the board when controversy over part-time worker Charles Miles Binger's pay led to a rift in the Stampede board, Jackie Richter and Karmen Beeman's resignations, and Shauna Beeman being voted off the board.
Office Manager Sarah Grooms resigned, but later came back.
Richter, Shauna Beeman and Grooms are sisters; Karmen Beeman is their mother.
The state Department of Labor and Industries later fined Stampede $500 for failing to report the wages of Binger and two other part-time workers correctly and for reporting some in the wrong category.
On Monday, the board also re-elected Cindy Berg to a director position. She was the only director up for re-election this year.
Executive board members are scheduled for election Nov. 25. All of the officers said they plan to seek re-election.
Officers are Dunckel, president; Leon Hoover, first vice president; Dan Salkawske, second vice president; Berg, secretary, and Mike Ables, treasurer.
In other business:
• Gann introduced Tiffany Mannikko, who will be Stampede queen in 2014. She will be crowned during the group's annual banquet.
• The banquet is planned for Nov. 16 at the Omak Elks Lodge, 110 S. Ash St. A social hour is at 5 p.m., with dinner at 6 p.m.
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GREENSBORO, N.C. – Head coach Brenda Frese of the Maryland women's basketball team was voted ACC Coach of the Year by the league's head coaches and junior Alyssa Thomas was named ACC Player of the Year by the Blue Ribbon Panel for the second straight season Thursday. Frese's honor is her first by the conference in her 11 seasons at Maryland. Thomas is the first in school history to be named Player of the Year twice.
Frese, the 2002 Associated Press National Coach of the Year, led the Terrapins to the No. 2 seed in this weekend's ACC Tournament and a record of 23-6 overall and 14-4 in ACC play, despite key season-ending injuries to the Terps' starting guards Brene Moseley and Laurin Mincy, as well as center Essence Townsend in the fall. As the season wore on, the Terrapins lost freshman Tierney Pfirman to a dislocated knee cap and played a stretch with seven available players.
"I've never had a player respond to challenges and have a year like Alyssa Thomas," Frese said. "She's willing to give every ounce of herself and do whatever her team needs. When adversity struck our team, she was a leader and always was the first person to step up and do more."
Thomas, a 6-2 forward, has played every position on the floor for the Terrapins and led the league in rebounding with 10.4 per contest. She was second in assists (5.2) and third in scoring (17.7). In the 18 conference games, she led all players in scoring (19.7), rebounding (11.0) and assists (5.3). She notched an ACC-high 17 double-doubles this year, 12 in conference play.
"This year has been a really interesting road for us, but I think as a team, we've taken it all on and never made an excuse," Thomas said. "To be voted this honor again is really special because there a lot of really good players in our league. I just work hard every day to make my team better and be the best I can."
Thomas is the fourth Terrapin to earn ACC Player of the Year honors and third under Frese. Kristi Toliver earned the award in 2009 and Crystal Langhorne did in 2008. Last year, she was the first underclassman in school history to earn the league's top individual honor and just the second in conference history.
"Alyssa Thomas is the most powerful player in the country and the best player in the ACC back to back years," television analyst Debbie Antonelli said. "One of the best shot-makers and finishers in the country added play-making to her skill set which makes her more dangerous to defend and her teammates more productive and efficient. When she is motoring down the middle of the floor with the ball, there is no one better at making decisions or playing the game with balance and power."
Frese has now been named Coach of the Year in every conference she's coached. She was named Big Ten Coach of the Year while at Minnesota in 2002 and Mid-American Coach of the Year in 2000 while at Ball State.
"There's a tremendous group of coaches in the ACC and to be honored by them is incredible," Frese said. "I'm really flattered. This is an individual award, but it's really about every person in our program. I specifically want to thank my staff for their tireless work ethic behind the scenes. Between them and our players, I'm fortunate to be surrounded by great people who make what we do a lot of fun. I couldn't be prouder of how we've fought to get better each and every day, no matter the circumstance."
Frese and her staff of associate head coach Tina Langley, Marlin Chinn and David Adkins, restructured the team's practice time, cutting their practice time on the floor to just twice a week at 75 minutes each session.
"Coach Frese continues to validate her system and success by finding ways to win through adversity without excuse," television analyst Debbie Antonelli said. "It is the true sign of a teacher and definition of a coach who finds ways to put her players in positions to succeed for the good of the team. Maryland finished second in the ACC replacing so many players from last year. They had a great year in the league. Congratulations to Coach Frese and her staff for being recognized by their peers."
Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie was named ACC Coach of the Year by the Blue Ribbon Panel, which is comprised of media members and representatives from each school, as well as some national media members. Duke's Chelsea Gray was voted ACC Player of the Year by the league's head coaches.
Rookies Malina Howard and Chloe Pavlech were named to the All-ACC Freshman Teams Tuesday. Senior Tianna Hawkins and Thomas were voted to the All-ACC First Team Monday.
The 10th-ranked Maryland women's basketball team will play seventh-seeded Georgia Tech or 10th-seeded Wake Forest Friday at 6 p.m. in Greensboro, N.C. The game will be shown on RSN and specific television channels will be released this week.
Maryland earned a first round bye for the eighth time under Frese. The Yellow Jackets (14-15, 7-11) and the Demon Deacons (12-18, 5-13) will play Thursday at 6 p.m., with the winner advancing to take on the Terrapins. Maryland's 14 conference wins are a school record.
Maryland is 49-25 (.662) all-time in the ACC Tournament and is 14-8 (.636) under Frese. The Terrapins are 13-6 all-time as the No. 2 seed (.684). Maryland won the program's 10th ACC title last year as the No. 3 seed with a 68-65 win over fourth-seeded Georgia Tech. ACC Tournament MVP Alyssa Thomas scored 29 points in the championship game to lift the Terps.
For game times and the latest on the ACC Tournament, log on to http://www.theacc.com/championships/acc-womens-basketball-tournament.html. All rounds will be televised.
A printable bracket can be found at http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/md/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/2012-13/misc_non_event/2013ACCTournamentBracket.pdf.


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OADES firstname.lastname@example.com_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-10-24 published
OADES, Marion Louise (née LARGE)
Peacefully at the Ottawa Hospital General Campus on October 22, 2007. Beloved wife and best friend of Robert William OADES. Cherished mother of Susan HAZELL- OADES, Jennifer OADES (Brendan REYNOLDS) and Valerie GAMACHE (Guy). Special Nana to Jon and Robert HAZELL, Emma and Adam TROTTIER and Caitlin, Jean-René, Guy-Robert and Nicolas GAMACHE. Dear sister of Bill LARGE (Linda) of Luton, England. Born in Royton, England in 1935, the girl in blue (Luton Girls Choir) married the man in red (Irish Guards Band) in 1953 and started a wonderful life in Canada that same year. While in Toronto (1953-1969), Marion sang with the Palmer Singers and St. Clement's Anglican Church Choir. Marion was an avid volunteer in her community for her entire life, serving the Girl Guides of Canada, the National Arts Centre Orchestra Association, St. Matthias Church, The Ottawa Regional Cancer Clinic and was co-founder with her husband, Bob, of the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour. Marion's many Friends will miss her on the golf course, at the bridge table, at the book club and at her dinner table where she loved to entertain. Marion's compassion and laughter will be greatly missed by every life she touched. Enormous thanks and appreciation to the entire oncology team at the Ottawa Regional Cancer clinic, but especially to Dr. Stan GERTLER and Candace QUINN for their excellent care over the last 13 years. Special thanks also to Doctor HRADECKY, Doctor Louise COULOMBE, Doctor John SEELY, nurses Debbie and Kelly, and the Rev. Joan RIDING. A memorial service will be held at St. Matthias Anglican Church, 555 Parkdale Avenue, Ottawa on Saturday, October 27th at 11 a.m. Reception to follow in the church hall. In lieu of flowers, donations to either the Ottawa Regional Cancer Clinic or the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation-Ontario Chapter would be appreciated.
Condolences, tributes or donations may be made at www.tubmanfuneralhomes.com
O... Names OA... Names OAD... Names Welcome Home
OADES - All Categories in OGSPI


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48″ x 24″
Also available as Giclee Print:
Purchasing Original Paintings
Interested in one of my paintings? Let me know which painting you have in mind. Paintings can be picked up, or we can arrange shipping. If you are here on Saltspring Island, I can bring it to you to see how it looks in your space.
Selections of my work are available as giclee prints. They are museum quality, printed with archival inks on archival matte paper. Each print is signed, matted to fit standard sized frames and comes with a certificate of authenticity. See the them in my online shop:
I can create a unique painting designed specifically for you. Inquiries are welcome. We can discuss size, color palette, subject and price. Here are some examples of commissioned works I have done:
"Mother Tree"
"Driftwood Sound"
About the Canvas
I build my own stretcher-frames, and stretch the canvas. The paintings are 1.5″ deep, with the outside edges preserved as clean raw canvas. This method of preparation allows for a frameless presentation.


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With Valentine's Day on the horizon you may be looking for ways to gussy up your desserts and add a special finishing touch. These free-form chocolate garnishes allow a personalized message to be added to any dessert. They are ridiculously easy to make and lots of fun too.
Simply melt chocolate, add it to a piping bag or baggie with the tip cut off and pipe away. Hearts, flowers, names, xoxo's, hugs and kisses, special messages – whatever your creative, little heart desires to say! Now you can say it with chocolate! What could be sweeter? Eating your own words has never been so delicious!
1. Rough chop a chocolate bar* into pieces. Melt over a double boiler or using the microwave 'melt chocolate' setting. Stir or whisk until smooth. Allow chocolate to cool slightly. If its real hot it will pipe out too fast, it should be lukewarm to the touch.
2. Meanwhile line a sheet pan or a large cutting board with parchment or wax paper.
3. Fill a piping bag fitted with a small writing tip or a plastic baggie halfway, knot the top and cut a very small corner off the bag. A squeeze bottle with a small tip will also work.
4. Pipe free form shapes onto the parchment paper. Allow to set until firm in a cool place.
5. Peel shapes carefully from parchment and adorn your desserts. Store unused shapes in a cool, dry place, between pieces of parchment/wax paper.
I don't recommend putting them in the refrigerator because chocolate bloom or white spots may develop over the chocolate.
*Chocolate chips are ok to use, but not my preference, if you find the chocolate too thick or it won't harden, mix in a teaspoon or more of shortening until you get the consistency you like. This will also help it set up. Dark chocolate ones work the best.
|A sneak peek at my next post!
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Gravity and Slave tie at awards
Sandra Bullock's space drama Gravity and historical epic 12 Years A Slave tied for the top honour at the Producers Guild of America awards.
The two movies - directed by Alfonso Cuaron and Steve McQueen respectively - both won the feature film gong.
For the past six years, every film chosen by the guild for its top honour has gone on to win the best picture prize at the Academy Awards.
While an Oscar tie is unlikely, the rare split keeps the Academy Awards race wide open in one of the tightest three-way battles in years. David O Russell's con caper American Hustle is also still very much in the running after big showings at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Other trophies presented night at the guild's 25th annual awards ceremony in Beverly Hills, California included Frozen for animated feature and We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks for documentary film.
Behind The Candelabra won for television movie or miniseries, Breaking Bad won for TV drama series and Modern Family took home the prize for TV comedy series.


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Force Unleashed 2 Is Too Much
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While I am of the opinion that people who think George Lucas 'hates his fans' and 'RUINED Star Wars' are joyless wankers, I did get what Yahtzee was saying about disconnect from the story. Disregarding any actual canon related to it, the Star Destroyer scene from TFU was bad because it was badly written and was a classic case of Gameplay and Story Segregation (ooh, TV Tropes reference, how awesome am I?)
This is absolutely true, and why the big action films aren't as endearing or endeared to people's hearts like older movies. I still remember wincing when watching Bruce Willis pulling glass out of his foot in Die Hard. It barely registered when he shot himself through a bullet hole he already had in Die Hard 4.0.
Things don't have to be realistic but they have be empathic. We need to "feel" some of what's going on in the game or up on the screen. Moving to bigger and bolder is all well and good but as Yahztee says if it goes beyond the mind's ability to empathise, it's wasted energy.
Another game that did multiple endings well was Alpha Protocol. I doubt many people saw more than one but I saw at least 4. None of them are good or bad, just different. Some had twists, others left you in the dark, but none of them broke continuity.
And if people hadn't noticed George Lucas lucked out. If you used the style of editing or script from Star Wars in any other context you would see how atrociious it is. He hit the magic formula once, hired a few brilliant people who made it something special and then he just wandered into the desert of his own imagination.
Ug. Just wow.
Couldn't agree more with this EP. I was surprised he never referenced DBZ, which, to my mind, really defines this particular problem. When sequences are so contrived, and actors are so impossibly lucky/strong, intelligent members of the audience just tune it all out. Spectacle only exists alongside the appropriately mundane. When everyone and everything is completely over-the-top, nothing matters.
I'm reminded of the many ingenious twists of a Metal Gear Solid game. When you've lost the trust of your audience in the first half hour, no future twists serve any real purpose. It's just masturbation.
Edit: read through the entire thread, and it's sad to see people missing the point so hard. It's not about objective realism with respect to our actual world. It's about adhering to the rules of the game or movie world as implied or defined by the author. If there's no internal logic, the action has no weight or merit. It's random bullshit for the sake of random bullshit - like Family Guy.
Dark Forces 2 was jedi Knight 1. But I agree it would be nice to have a mercinary style game set in the star wars universe.
On the subject of too awesome I'm reminded of one halloween when myself and a group of friends were watching the Thing. We'd barely batted an eyelid at the at the gory monstrous deaths all through the film. Then came one seen where they were taking blood samples to see who was human and who was a Thing. There was a close up shot of a scalpel running across a persons thumb and everyone in the room visibly cringed.
Lets face it, we've all had a paper cut on our thumb so we know how bad it feels but do we know what it feels like to be torn to pieces by a big alien monster thing?
Ahh Dark Forces, good memories. How awesome would it be if you had a new 'Dark Forces' style game, with no jedi powers, and no 'I'm-not-a-jedi-but-I'll-still-have-random-superpowers' either, where occasionally you have to take out Jedi as bosses. Either by outsmarting them (ala Atton Rand's list in KotOR 2 of the various ways he successfully killed Jedi when working as a non-jedi, hence undetectable, assassin), or by some truly badass fighting. Would be nice to see the tables turned on the player for the first time in a decade or so, and have the poor PC have to take out the Jedi/Sith lord.
Ohh, Carpenter's The Thing. Great film. Truly a great film. Superb exercise in how to do a film where the 'monster' isn't particularly powerful, could easily be killed if identified, but fear itself slowly causes everyone to crack and leave vulnerabilities in their plans (note how most of the characters in the film get killed by OTHER characters, or deliberately trapped by other characters to be killed, rather than killed by the 'thing's own machinations?).
Heck, even the 'hero' takes out one or two innocent characters.
Jedi Knight 1 did the good/bad ending well in my opinion. Though of course it was simplistic execution in retrospect, but both endings were satisfying enough.
Anyone remembers Darth Nihilius from Kotor 2?
That guy was said to be a able to destroy planets. This guy was practically a deathstar on legs with serious roid abuse related problems.
That's why I don't see much sense in the Starkiller is overpowered argument. He is not the worst example. Yet Yahtzee is right how this could evolve in such a way.
I absolutely agree with this. It's a problem of popular media resorting to 'populism'.
While I have absolutely no problem with popular media and I'm really not an elitist who only plays the 'most original and complex games out there' or some such, I hate it when populism enters the fray.
It's the kind of thing you see with TFU: you have the force and people kind of liked it. Why? Because it showed how guys in the films used some mysterious and all-encompassing power that no one really understood.
So a couple of games were made on that concept and then you have TFU and the makers probably kind of though: ok the force lightning and the force pushing things around is liked by people; lets just throw a shitload of effects on it and make everything bigger and better.
But they forgot that what made the force awesome in the (first) films, was that while some could use it, it really wasn't an every day thing and that reconfirmed that mystery: it wasn't easy to use it.
That's what populism is: using a popular concept while losing all the volume, all the actual content of that concept.
Contrary to the makers ideas, people get tired of all this OP crap sooner or later. It's like a children's game: remember when you played with action figures? These were usually fun until they were 'able' to defeat every bad guy in the book within the blink of an eye, then it was usually time to move on to the next set of heroes.
I have long since regarded TFU as part of it's own seperate continuity.
This is one of those times that simple is better
Yeah Nihilius in KOTOR 2 was underwhelming i mean the fight with Sion was way more interesting in that physical might was never able to kill him, that you needed to psych him out was an interesting twist.
the thing to remember about lucas, his "great success" was the first 3 movies. Back then he was a nobody and he had a good director assigned that severely modified the scripts to be less stupid. (the original scripts by lucas were retarded)... then he got big and famous and got full creative control to do whatever he wanted... guess where that got us?
I agree in principle with the idea that the stunt in Indy 4 broke from the established reality of the medium. Because Indy is an adventure story (heroic / mystic stuff happens), rather than a fantasy (stuff happens by magic), its pretty clear to see an issue with an unrealistic stunt.
But can the same be said for FU2, the force (which is basically magic), doesn't need to fit into our reality, because its magic.
Star Killer can be the mutts nutts when it comes to the force, thats fine - but where I do see the disconnect is the fact that Vader and Sideous are both rubbish compared to Star Killer - but thats the problem doing prequels, you always end up jumping the shark because you can - which I believe is the point that is being made.
In short, all things made later - seem more advanced than things made in the past - even if they are set before events that occurred. (Star Trek has similar problems)
But didn't Yahtzee make the point that the Colossi "feel" real, shaking the ground and pawing sleepily at the player clinging onto them?
Personally I thought that Crystal Skull's most "real" scene, and in fact the only genuinely affecting one in the movie, involved two elderly professors talking in a classroom. (Of course, it didn't hurt that the professors in question were played by Harrison Ford and Jim Broadbent.) The characters spent most of the movie dashing from place to place, but it was the moments when they stopped running about and took time with each other that really resonated for me. That's not a good quality for an action / adventure-themed movie to have.
The most amusing part this week was the side rant about Indiana Jones. The escapes orchestrated by a clairvoyant lunatic were the best parts!
If I may go on a tangent, I still believe that SW:tFU, as well as Galen by extension, would probably be better accepted if it wasn't tied to the Rise of the Empire; like, if it was set long after the Legacy era or something. That way, instead of trying to shoehorn characters from the original saga into the storyline/gameplay, it instead only has to make indirect references, like how you can easily refer to Yoda by saying something like:
"One's power in the force is not measured solely by the appearance of the individual. There once lived a great Jedi master, the smallest thing you ever saw... he could as easily control the world around him as any other."
You know, something like that. Pardon me if I sound like a lobotomized retard for even trying to defend SW:tFU (of which you can kiss my ass since I actually enjoy the games and am eagerly waiting for more DLC to drop), but I think the one saving grace the series needed was to not set between episodes 3 and 4. Hell, I have a video on YouTube where me and a friend are playing a nice little game of SCIV (you know, that featured very choice Star Wars characters), and everyone freaked out at the fact that Galen was even created and might be as powerful if not more so than Darth Vader; I've since disallowed comments because people wouldn't stop being fucking morons about it (feel free to ask for specifics).
I'm starting to ramble, so I'm gonna stop here and get back to achievement grinding.
Addendum: And for the record, Galen didn't so much pull the Star Destroyer out of the sky as he just redirected its trajectory.
I said in a way I agree with you and you're still going on. You're making arguments with an imaginary person. You sure showed me you weren't mad at what I said.
In Shadow of The Colossus you weren't an overpowered Jedi with 2 lightsabers. You're just a dude. It's ridiculous how Starkiller is overpowered. Even a monster 100 times bigger than him can be easily defeated. And then you're supposed to feel tension when you fight stormtroopers afterwards?
This is how Final Fantasy XIII was turned into a train-wreck. Square-Enix concentrated SO much on making every battle an EPIC CLASH OF SUPER-MEGA EPICNESS. Yeah they look really great, but they last FOREVER!!! Playing the game, it feels like everything else (the characters, the plot, linear level design) are after thoughts only there to move you from one overly-cinematic fight scene to the next.
Here's a little tip for game designers: when you make every encounter "special" in the exact same way, special will eventually lose its luster and become the new Average.
I agree with what Yahtzee says...im actually more scared of monsters in Minecraft then i am of monsters such as giants or ogres or whatever you want to call those gigantic things that they put in everywhere.
Minecraft makes you Vulnerable and makes the monsters plausibly strong. it makes afraid to go out at night. enough said.
"Design by committee".
That's a more generalized version of the precise answer: "Design by Marketing"
The Force Unleashed (1 and 2) is about marketing a power trip to children. So few games specifically demonstrate what their goal is than this one (ESRB ratings be damned).
If you go into any deeper territory, you encounter two problems:
This is the exact manner in which the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy was written, and it's the manner in which most games are made today.
The industry will not change unless faced with inevitable collapse. American TV is facing a similar crisis, culminating in the relatively recent Writer's Strike.
2 big things with Nilhus, explaining why you cannot compare him as a contradiction to normal starwars power. Starkiller is a Sith/Jedi - a straight up user of the force. Nilhus, Sion, Kreia and the PC are NOT. They are something....else....as explained in the game.
Nihlus, and almost all the main antagonists and protagonists in KoTOR2 are accidents - not truly Jedis. Nihlus is unsustainable - he is a force vampire, that must keep feeding and feeding or wither away and die. He is neither a true jedi nor sith - just something horrible created by the monstrosity the PC did at Malachor 5.
Similarly for Darth Sion. He is seemingly invulnerable, but also a side-effect, a monstrosity of limited lifespan created by the monstrosity of Malachor 5.
And, of course, (made far more obvious with the restoration patch) so is the PC. He NEVER got his force powers back. He is a hole in the force, which went unnoticed when he was in exile in the outer planes. When he returned he started sucking the force out of the lifeforce of the planets he was on. Then due to his nature, he started gathering force sensitives to him without even realising it, both light and dark, and wielding unexplained influence over them. As is revealed later, he is draining them, whether he wants to or not. He's neither a sith nor a Jedi - the Jedi SUCCEEDED in cutting him off from the force after what he did at Malachor 5. He's become a hole in the force, draining all around him, which is why he is so powereful. You can't measure him, or Nilhus, or Sion, by ordinary Jedi or Sith rules because they aren't Jedi or Sith. They are something far more horrible - so horrible that the remaining Jedi Masters risk their lives to try to kill the protagonist even if he is complete light side, as he is just too dangerous, draining all around him even if he doesn't want to.
And Kreia? She's an odd one, and the hardest to explain. She's the only one I'm aware of who has truly managed to walk the neutral path between Sith and Jedi. At different stages (there's a walkthrough on the web that traces this brilliantly, as it's hard to follow in the game, as so much crucial info is shown momentarily, or put in hints at near-opposite ends of the game, or requires you to combine info you can only get from ultra high or ultra low rep with some characters. But she is only pretending to be Sith when she kills the Jedi masters and kidnaps your companions later. Just like she pretended to be kind-of-Jedi earlier. She is neither, and she knows what you are. She realises - correctly - that the universe will be doomed to repeat these wars, destroying itself time and time again as the Jedi and Sith fight for power. Moreover, she points out the troubling feature of the Star Wars universe - both Jedi and Sith are determinist philosophies, while any Jedi or Sith exist the rest of the galaxy has no free will.
So she hopes that Nihlus - the force vampire - can destroy all the big centres of Jedi, while the PC - the force black hole - can destroy all the Sith, and that when they meet the force black hole will kill the force vampire of starvation. And that once these creations of Malachor 5 - these things that THINK they are jedi or sith, but are really neither - once they kill every single remaining jedi and sith in the galaxy, and the PC (the force black hole) kills Sion and Nihlus, then Kreia can kill him and then herself, freeing the galaxy from eternal cycles of war, and giving it free will away from the Jedi/Sith cycle.
Of course, things don't go that way. The PC not only gathers force sensitives - he trains them. And as Kreia recognises they will form the future Jedi - the council that we see in the Star Wars 1-3 movies - something more warlike and ready to act than the council we see in KoTOR 1. Nonetheless, Kreia's last words: the PC, whatever he is, is not a Jedi, nor a Sith, and that gives her hope.
You're missing the point.
He's saying that the barrage of awesome-o means that nothing actually stands out. You need to take it down to 5 for 10 to be impressive.
Large amounts of Shadow of the Colossus are spent wandering around on a horse not doing anything.
I dont think the Lucas had Realism in mind when they designed her Chewie...
Don't! HE'LL GET IDEAS.
And I miss Dark Forces/Jedi Knight.
On the subject of good and bad endings though, who else thought the dark-side ending to Jedi Academy was far more interesting?
I'm still waiting for Jedi Knight 5: The Hunt for Jaden, where a beleagured Kyle Katarn gets back on his proverbial bike and hunts down the murderous shit that was his apprentice.
i do not consider either force unleashed games a part of the starwars universe, its all derivative, lowest common denominator shit custom built for the new gen of gamers who dont know any better
Okay, so I just spoiled myself for a lot of KOTOR 2, but since I've already seen the (lackluster) ending I don't really care.
But from what you've described that's totally ripped off from Dune, with the Golden Path. Muad'dib didn't merely SEE the future, but by seeing it he actually CREATED it, thus robbing every living thing in the universe of free will or choice. It took 10,000 Idaho clones (oh look, clones! There they are again!) and a rebellion which Leto II aided in overthrowing himself, to break free of this prison.
I suspect that vader probably threw the fight. Fett does follow at the end and the dark apprentice doesn't get involved. in fairness, the clone wins partially due to dumb luck in the novelization.
I've always been bothered by this, definitely more than most people, and probably to an extent I can admit is unreasonable.
This is why I've never been able to get into Lovecraft. He has uncanny skill at writing, but at the end of the day the subject matter is the kind of thing 'that kid' no one hung out with in elementary school drew in his notebook when he should have been learning long division. I just can't take the supposedly hair-raising events of the books seriously while the threat is essentially a betentacled level-5 super-saiyan.
Give me a story where the stakes are as comparatively 'low' as the safety of someone's family or just getting through the day with something to eat, or even look forward to, and I'm hooked. Making something like that work takes talent, or at least more work, and watching a talented or dedicated artist at work is nearly always worthwhile.
one thing that's scary? The novelization used to promote the game is less wanked. The clone wins due to dumb luck (juno accidentally grazes vader, and the clone focuses his lightning into the small breach in vader's armour.) Though vader's taunts and the final line he gives are quite badass. it show's he's over wifey's death, and that he really has grown into the mold of sith.
There's a lot of inconsistency in Ben's ramblings. For example, one of his favourite games (Silent Hill 2) has multiple endings and which ending you get depends on amazingly stupid things like for example listening to the entire speech while running down the last hallway. Ben complains about a lack of depth in games yet never plays strategies and hardly ever plays P&C adventure games, while his rambling about the plot of Braid was simply stupid (because you don't get it doesn't mean it's not there). There are many things I've simply forgotten but he does tend to shoot himself in the leg often. Ben is like that, he's more of a comedian than a true critic as he's totally unable to actually review a game or stick to a single topic and a review of say Silent Hill would be least about the actual game. I still watch all of his "reviews" and occasionally laugh and enjoy myself.
Hell yeah! A good Star Wars shooter would be welcome. Republic Commando tried to do that, but was bogged down with very linear gameplay (hallways and only hallways, were the form of transport) and repetitive combat sequences, whereas Dark Forces had nonlinear levels with linear objectives (run around a destroyed town until you can find the red key), and there weren't 4 enemy types. Republic Commando also tried too hard to make some Halo-esque multiplayer mode.
(I already said this in "Zero Punctuation: Portal 2" But since my quotes mostly comes from this page, I'm C&P it here too)
To Ben Croshaw:
You don't care what I have to say about graphics, but, damn it, I'm going to try.
There is so many problems with you, Mr. Croshaw, but I'm just going to start with this one:
It seems you are trying to tell everyone that graphics in games will never get any better, and movie CGI can almost never be as good as the real thing, so it's pointless to even try. What an awful thing to tell people! We didn't get here by throwing up our hands and saying "too hard! we give up!" Technology *NEVER* works like that! You just want to go back to the "good OLD days".
And what the Hell is it with you calling it "pixels"? You sound like an old man who reviews movies then a gamer. Why didn't you call it CGI, or graphics, or polygons , like most of us do?
Let me get to the point: You say games are now "limited only by the director's imagination". That is complete nonsense! If that was true in anyway, then please show me this game, with no canned-animation or scripted sequence:
--In this photorealistic game, the Player is on top of a mountain looking down on a huge city. In the city, the Player sees 100,000 Cyborg Demon Ninjas, rampaging through the city, killing everyone in sight. On top of that, there is Giant Robots and motherships destroying all the buildings. The city itself can be dynamically destroyed; better then anything seen in both Red Faction or Minecraft (See the movie 2012). This photorealistic game is also a Open World game with real rooms in all the buildings, meaning, if I wanted to, I can hide in a fridge from all those CDNs in a apartment....--
Do you know any 360 or PS3 games like that? No, you don't. The only thing near to that, is Red Faction: Guerrilla, and even then, you can only destroy something that has 2 floors and 5 rooms. It's not like you can destroy something the size of Black Mesa or anything. In fact, some games can't even have more then 5 bad guys on the ground, because of bad programming, and or the way the game engine works. They get around it by using tricks, but I can always tell when they are using those tricks. And here's a big secret: programing gets much easier when computers are a lot more powerful. I'm a programmer, so I know what I'm talking about.
So please stop talking as if we hit the holy motherland, because we can barely have a photorealistic human in a room, much less an army of photorealistic humans destroying a city in a non scripted way.
For anyone thinks this can't happen in the next 5 to 10 years, think again:
Physic tech demo:
real-time ray tracing and path tracing:
real-time in-game graphics:
I'll end this by saying, I know my words will fall on deaf ears, and if Mr. Croshaw ever sees this, he is just going to make fun of my bad grammer, and all my stupid links. Well, sorry for wanting to go to the future, but I can't live forever, and I can think of a million fun things in games, that you just can't do in this seventh generation of consoles. Sure, we have Portal and Mindcraft, but do you really want to wait 20 years on the seventh generation, hoping someone is going to make a super game to come-out, while playing Gears Of War 12, or Modern Warfare 7? Because even Ubisoft said they don't want to make anything new until the next-gen comes a calling:
And Mr. Croshaw? If you really want to try new and weird games, why don't you try all the Wii games you never played? Or all the games that came out in the 90s? Or all the indie games? Or the great iphone games? Or all the mods? Why do you *always* have to talk about the most popular games? Why not review Star Control 2? Why not? It's sad you openly lie to try to move the gaming industry your way. You say you want weirder games, but you only seem to enjoy shooters, and sometimes RPGs.
( P.S. You, Mr. Croshaw, give gamers everywhere a bad name.)
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Watch The Mistress Online Free - The Mistress is an approaching love story dilemma from Star Cinema within the guide of Olivia Lamasan featuring Bea Alonzo, John Lloyd Cruz, Ronaldo Valdez and Hilda Koronel. The Mistress which happens to be scheduled for the September 12, 2012 national theatrical launch recombines John Lloyd Cruz along with Bea Alonzo inside a complicated love history. We should take a look if The Mistress is similar to any drama that we have witnessed just before.
In special event of 10th anniversary of John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo as being a love company, they are leading charged of Star Cinema's newest grow movie presenting, The Mistress that will start in Philippines cinemas this September 12, 2012. An additional work of art by Olivia Lamasan. A courageous and also stunning Bea Alonzo will amaze us in The Mistress collection as her gathering film with primary combination of John Lloyd Cruz. With respect to Bea, The Mistress is certainly one huge party of a several years of her get together with John Lloyd.
If you want to watch The Mistress full movie, you can stream it online via Graboid. You can download the installer below.
As i initially noticed that they are planning to get a film, I find myself so thrilled, certainly one of my preferred film is One More Chance, they represent Popoy as well as Basha correspondingly and it was a really huge strike I consider the majority of us saw it a number of instances or so. John Lloyd and Bea have this in-equivalent hormones on monitor that even their co-celebrities realized that this tandem have something definitely unique inside them. They may be similarly specialized when considering their art as well as they happen to be operating with each other for a several years now.
The Mistress is going to be Bea Alonzo's most bold factor currently, participating in the concept purpose as the mistress known as Sari in whose benefactor Rico (played by Ronaldo Valdez) was too much mature. Bea and also Ronaldo should have romantic scenarios in the film. In accordance with Bea, when she got the screenplay, she sit along with her loved ones and discussed regarding how she's going to manage the stated part. Mr. Ronaldo Valdez even offered her some suggestions about how she will experience comfortable operating with him considering they utilized to perform as Parent and Child within their telenovela entitled "Betty La Fea". He seemed to be pushed with the benefactor part considering that he utilized to perform as a "dad" but on this occasion, he has the benefit of a relatives and Sari to start with. However, Ronaldo recognized Bea for becoming really expert on her art. In accordance with him, Bea is actually an extremely amusing and formidable lady, she's going to move a good way.
Participating as Ronaldo Valdez's spouse is honor-succeeding celebrity Hilda Koronel whilst John Lloyd Cruz is going to be Sari's escort known as JD. Hilda Koronel stated that she was assured to perform the film for the reason that she truly sensed it has an extremely excellent narrative. The film also grew to become the best way for her to hook up with persons whom she has labored with in the previous times. Although she is currently considered as a frequent celebrity, Koronel confessed that she even now seems anxious when she works in top of the video camera. So when The Mistress approaches its launching date, Koronel guaranteed the audiences that they will not be frustrated with the film's narration, particularly with the conflict moments.
The Mistress is among the most-anticipated film this season, a rudimentary love tale which discusses mistrust, confidence, suffering, desire and real love. It is actually regarding the low number of common desire among Sari Alfonso (Bea Alonzo) along with JD Torres (John Lloyd) as their paths surpassed abruptly, and as their love develops at the inappropriate time.