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24 IRS workers in TN accused of theft
First it was the families of dead people and state employees. Now, authorities say Internal Revenue Service employees in Tennessee were stealing unemployment and other benefits while fully employed.
On Thursday, 13 of those employees were indicted on federal charges that they lied to get unemployment, food stamps, welfare and housing vouchers. An additional 11 have been indicted on state charges of theft greater than $1,000.
In all, authorities say the workers improperly received more than $250,000 in government benefits. >>>
The indictments come just weeks after a state audit found more than $73 million in overpayments were made by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development over the past several years. That audit turned up 24 active state employees who received more than $126,000 in unemployment benefits and seven dead people who were paid out $12,387. The state said the majority of those cases involved fraud. >>>
"Both current and former employees, they were just bilking money from the government, from the state and the federal government — housing, unemployment, food stamps, welfare, all of that," she said. "You would expect better from an IRS agent. We all expect better from all of our government employees."
My, oh my.


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Steakhouse Strip Steaks with Chimichurri Recipe
Chilies and lime juice give this version of chimichurri sauce a zesty Southwest flair that's dynamite with cumin-rubbed steaks. You've got to try the thick herb sauce with salmon, too! —Gilda Lester, Millsboro, Delaware
Featured In: 77 Tropical Recipes for a Taste-cation Anytime
VERIFIED BY Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Popular Videos
- 4 boneless beef top loin steaks (8 ounces each)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- 2-1/2 cups chopped green onions
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 cup packed fresh parsley sprigs
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons canned chopped green chilies
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- 1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- Lime wedges
- Brush steaks with oil. Combine the cumin, salt and pepper. Rub over steaks; set aside.
- In a large skillet, saute onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons oil until tender. Cool slightly.
- In a food processor, combine the onion mixture, herbs, chilies, salt and pepper; cover and process until finely chopped. Add broth and lime juice. While processing, gradually add remaining oil in a steady stream.
- Grill steaks, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 145°; medium, 160°; well-done, 170°). Serve with chimichurri and lime wedges. Yield: 4 servings.
Editor's Note: Top loin steak may be labeled as strip steak, Kansas City steak, New York strip steak, ambassador steak or boneless club steak in your region.
Originally published as Steakhouse Strip Steaks with Chimichurri in Simple & Delicious August/September 2012, p37
Reviews forSteakhouse Strip Steaks with Chimichurri
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subset: commoncrawl


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by Ed Myers
Hello All,
As you should be aware, we have a wonderful website at GKK.com. It was constructed and is maintained by Greg Dodge (Marketing Director) and Eric Naujock (Webmaster). Over the next few newsletters I would like to share with you some of the current and future activities.
The GKK database and E-mail registration are current activities targeted for this year. With this we will need the school leaders and your help. Mr. Dwight Scales (National) and myself (international) will be contacting the school leaders in the very near future. The East Coast Schools (i.e., Maine. NY, PA ) with the assistance of Mr. Allen Zaklad have already provided us with their completed GKK Email List Registration Forms. We are now focusing on the mid-west , west coast and the international clubs.
The following is a description by Mr. Dodge of the two projects. Please read on.
GKK Database Project
This project will create a GKK Database which will allow GKK Administrators and School Leaders to input, manage, and access school, student, and GKK membership information (i.e., school and student contact directory, enrollment dates, student promotions, school fees, GKK dues, payment of GKK dues, etc.).
This project will make it easier for the GKK and it's School Leaders to manage the massive amount of physical documents and information generated on our schools and their members; make it easier to search information on members, submit annual dues, provide school leaders and GKK administrators with a tool that allows them to manage our organizational and individual schools records and information.
For security reasons we will support various access levels (i.e., GKK Administrators - Full Access; School Leaders - Individual School Access, etc.)
The project will be done using MySQL (free) and PHP (free) so that we can put the database on a server (Web-based).
GKK E-Mail List Registration Project
This project will allow the GKK to build and manage an e-mail database (list ) of all of our members worldwide. It will allow the GKK organization to more easily communicate with all of its members worldwide. This project will also allow the GKK to significantly lower the cost of communicating with its members. The information gathered on these forms will also help us in building the GKK Database. The forms should be re-submitted for students whose information has changed, and for new students as they join our programs.


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Tag: Transgaming Studios »
E3 TransGaming Studios Hands-On: KULA BLOX
Have you ever had one of those dreams where you were in a free fall, with nothing to stop your infinite drop into nothingness? Well in our last game of E3 2011, we got the chance to relive just that experience, except we were blocks, roughly shaped as savannah creatures. That's right, I said SAVANNAH CREATURES! TransGaming Studios were proud to show off their newest creation, KULA BLOX, and believe me when I say that it is far more fun then you could ever imagine from my lackluster description.
Players are put in control of a rapidly descending beast and burdened with the task of avoiding collisions with creatures that are a larger block size then themselves. Animals that are smaller than you, however, are supposed to become a snack for your ever growing critter. The more of these prey gobbled up, the larger your block becomes, allowing you to stalk even larger creatures.
Adding another level to the complexity, players get to choose their plummeting predatory avatar of choice, each of which has their own unique powers and abilities. At launch there will even be a store available where you can purchase even more powers and upgrades to make your character the "King of the Animal Kingdom."
Even from the limited time I was able to spend with the KULA BLOX, it was apparent that it will have a widespread appeal amongst the hardcore and casual alike. Where the gameplay will get you hooked, but the leaderboards and built-in trash talking system that integrates with twitter will keep you coming back time and time again. You can expect to see the game hit the App Store sometime in the next couple of months. Until then, however, feast your eyes on these screenshots to satiate your hunger for jungle meat. Enjoy the hunt!


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For the QB not throwing his way argument. In his 2nd year they were throwing his way. I still doubled his picks
Pretty funny that this guy would go right at Revis saying he's better, citing his interceptions?
I never seen a man before run his mouth so much like girl. This dude just steady putting my name in his mouth to get notoriety @rsherman_25
@Revis24 don't need ya name... Ur name will be irrelevant once u step back on the field bruh. Get ya picks up!
My boy @JohnGeiger_ got more followers then @rsherman_25. Sit down young pup & wait your turn.
@Revis24 one season u will get 8 picks.... But it won't happen anytime soon... I did it in my 2nd season... So u have something to chase
So I have 8 picks 3 ff and a sack. My season stats looking like Revis career stats
For the QB not throwing his way argument. In his 2nd year they were throwing his way. I still doubled his picks
Who is Sherman?
More smack talk, good lord, just what we need.........
Maybe Sherm is upset that Seattle lost Idzik.
I want neither of these clowns on my team.
Revis is showing cracks in his character now.
lol, Sherman is an idiot. One good season and he thinks he's better than Revis. Someone needs to show him that playoff game against Atlanta where his ass got burnt like a *****.
Movethechains said this in another thread and I agree. The kid can play and he has a sense of humor. Revis can play but he's not strong in the humor department.HTML Code:He might be the coming of the anti-Revis
Gotta say Sherman is winning this Twitter battle right now.
Good ol off season entertainment.
Regardless of what's going on here, Revis needs to shut up. Right now he has a lot to prove to his potential suitors.
I love this kid!!! I don't see anything wrong with him and Revis doing a little back and forth. They're competitors and it's nice to see someone call him out.
That's like you saying your better then Deion Sanders & since he's not playing no more he's irrelevant for what he's done. @rsherman_25
Hey everyone @rsherman_25 wants to be a lockdown corner. He wants to be in the talks of a lockdown corner. So follow him so he can become 1!
This dude just interrupted my NBA 2k game cause he has dreams to be a lockdown corner!!! HAHA #keepdreaming
Sherman's pretty good, he might be on Cromartie's level. He's not in the same galaxy as Revis.
Hey, smart move by Sherman. Best way to get to be in the same conversation with the King is to have him respond to you.
First time in his career that he has some real adversity and he is showing cracks. Revis was UNFLAPPABLE in years past. Barely heard a peep out of him. Now he is bruising like a peach. I think Revis is doubting himself. He has clearly become insecure.
Hopefully Idzik can move him quickly before he hurts his stock even more with these dumbass Twitter battles. Guy wants elite QB $$$. You think Brady, Brees, Manning, or Rodgers would ever Twitter battle?
Last edited by DDNYjets; 02-20-2013 at 06:19 PM.
i want to keep revis.
On a separate note, I totally agree with Revis's Deion comment. I joked on Twitter that Sherman had a better 2012 than Revis and Primetime COMBINED, and I got a hundred responses from NFL fans pointing out that Revis missed most of the season and Sanders is retired. And then they called me retarded lol.


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Kjartan Sveinsson & Olof Arnalds + poets R. Currie and Penelope Thomas
Only some brief music but interesting none the less. Composed in honor of Roni Horn by poet Anne Carson, this performance of sung and spoken word features a mix of voice and harmonium. Icelandic musicians Olof Arnalds and Kjartan Sveinsson of Sigur Ros, join Carson and poets R. Currie and Penelope Thomas for this special program.
~With much gratitude to Nathan. x
[MF] Download


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Wesleyan Challenge Participates in Debt Forum
You are here
Posted on November 7, 2012
Kansas Wesleyan University and the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum partnered today to present a National Issues Forum to the students in the Wesleyan Challenge. The presentation and workshop was designed to offer students a voice in solving the National Debt Crisis. According to the NIF website, "The National Issues Forums (NIF) is a nonpartisan, nationwide network of forums for the consideration of public policy issues. It is rooted in the simple notion that people need to come together to reason and talk - to deliberate about common problems. Indeed, democracy requires an ongoing, deliberative public dialogue." (www.nifi.org)
Today's session with the Challenge students will consist of tables of students and their Challenge team faculty as well as a trained moderator who led the students through a series of three options for solving the Debt crisis. Answers and comments were recorded and shared with the entire group during the last portion of the session. Each forum was submitted for review and inclusion in a national report at the end of the year.
Monte Shadwick, Wesleyan Challenge faculty member, was thrilled at the students' willingness to be involved.
"It was great to hear their thoughts and see them become engaged in a conversation about such an important topic," he said.
The Wesleyan Challenge is a dynamic and interactive learning experience designed to engage the student in a variety of lessons and activities that promote social interaction in and out of the classroom. Students engage in large group and small seminar-based activities. The course provides the students with the opportunity to learn and apply skills which help ensure their academic success; learn about the history and traditions of Kansas Wesleyan University; and establish important relationships between the students and KWU faculty, staff, and administration. The course is for all KWU freshmen.


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Tottenham midfielder Tom Huddlestone angry after Wigan defeat
Tottenham midfielder Tom Huddlestone has admitted the players were furious following their shock home defeat by Wigan.
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo
Last Updated: 07/11/12 4:24pm
Spurs missed the chance to cement their top-four bid after slumping to a 1-0 defeat by Wigan on Saturday.
Huddlestone acknowledged Tottenham's display was disappointing and that the players were angry at dropping three crucial points.
"The lads were angry in there [dressing room]. We've seen teams drop points and we could have cemented fourth," Huddlestone told the club's official website.
"At home, we fancy ourselves against anybody, we have for a while, but to create so few chances was very disappointing.
"Wigan made it difficult for us. We just didn't turn up. They defended well but equally, we've got to work harder to create options.
"Normally at home we'll create three or four chances and stick one or two away, but I don't think we created a half-decent effort on goal."


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Power outages reported
First Electric Cooperative has reported that 582 people in Saline County near Shannon Hills are out of power. Six residents are out of power in Cleburne County and 17 residents have reported power outages in Pulaski County, according to First Electric Cooperative's website.
About 11,150 Entergy customers are out of power, according to their website. Pope County has the most customers affected.
Benton Utilities has not received any reported outages at this time.


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US memorychip maker Micron Technology Inc is seeking Taiwanese partners to supply solid-state drive (SSD) controller chips to cope with the company's expansion in NAND memorychips next year, an executive said yesterday.
Currently, Micron is collaborating with Marvell Technology Group Ltd of the US for supply of controller chips. Micron expects to have some Taiwanese suppliers next year as it is broadening its product portfolio of NAND flash memory chips, Kevin Kilbuck, director of marketing, NAND Solutions, told a media briefing in Taipei.
Micron is expanding its controller business after entering the SSD market one year ago, Kilbuck said.
SSD is a data storage device that uses NAND-based flash memory to store data.
SSD is used in ultra-thin mobile devices, replacing conventional hard disc drives.
Kilbuck said he would meet some controller suppliers during his trip to Taiwan. He declined to reveal the names of those companies.
Phison Electronics Corp (群聯) and Solid State System Co (鑫創) are two of the nation's major SSD controller chipmakers.
Next year, Micron is expected to grow its NAND flash memory output by at least 60 -percent from this year by ramping up a new plant in Singapore and by migrating to next-generation 20-nanometer technology, Kilbuck said.
Micron is ramping up its Singapore plant, which will produce an estimated 60,000 12-inch wafers a month, he said. The chipmaker operates two other factories in Utah and Virginia.
In response to media queries whether Micron would follow Samsung Electronics Co's steps in building a NAND flash memorychip factory in China, Kilbuck said Micron was ramping up the Singapore factory and could double the factory's monthly capacity to 120,000 wafers, if it decided to invest more capital.
Demand for NAND flash memory chips is expected to grow more than 60 percent next year because of the fast uptake of smartphones, tablets and data storage devices, meaning that supply and demand will almost be balanced, he said.
Micron is also in discussions with ultrabook computer makers to supply SSD products, Kilbuck said.
Taiwanese PC companies, including Acer Inc (宏碁) and Asustek Computer Inc (華碩), are among the most aggressive ultrabook computer promoters in the world, given their long-term partnership with Intel Corp.
Micron is scheduled to offer its SSD product, dubbed mSATA, sometime next year.


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A man in Washington, Pa., was at home when a burglar broke in. The Observer-Reporter newspaper says the thief pulled a knife. So the homeowner pulled out a ceramic coffee mug and smacked him on the head.
Man Fends Off Bugler With Coffee Mug
By editor • Feb 27, 2012


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Modified Mustangs & FordsFeatured Vehicles
1968 Ford Mustang Fastback - Investment Property
With the stock market looking shaky, this Mustang enthusiast opted for a different kind of investment property
Like many vintage Mustang enthusiasts, Mark Campbell of Frederick, Maryland, started with a classic. His first Mustang was a '67 coupe that he purchased for a mere $400. At one point, the Mustang was rear-ended, and the insurance company gave Mark $350 plus the car; Mark banged out the dents and drove it for a few more years before he eventually sold it for $250. Like many vintage Mustang enthusiasts, Mark also got out of the car hobby for a while, preferring to focus on work and family obligations. And like many enthusiasts, it was the 2000 remake of Gone in Sixty Seconds that got Mark excited about cars again. He had always liked the vintage Shelby Mustangs, and seeing one similar to that being driven purposefully on the big screen provided him with the necessary inspiration to get back into the hobby.
This time around, Mark wanted a fastback. He looked at a lot online, but wanted to find one local. Eventually, he found a suitable '68 fastback through a friend of a friend. It was a rusty example--selling for $2,000--but it was relatively intact considering its age. Mark planned to do the Eleanor conversion from the start, so there would be a lot of customization from the get-go. The restomod aspect was appealing to Mark since it still holds its value, yet provides the newer features of a late-model car. With a lot of repair work needed before the project could be turned into a restomod, Mark did his research and formulated a buildsheet with a particular budget number. Not wanting to go cheap on the parts, Mark purchased the right parts when funds provided for such expenditures. "My enthusiasm ran high and I was excited to see this project going, thinking it would only take about a year or so to complete."
To get the project rolling, Mark enlisted the help of his brother, James Campbell, who is a little more mechanically inclined than Mark. They wanted to restore it together from the ground up, and the duo managed to get the suspension installed, but eventually, scheduling proved difficult for the pair to work on it. As Mark also stated, "Time and money are precious commodities." So he decided to find a builder that specialized in restomods to complete the build. "By happenstance, I read an article in the local paper about a shop nearby that did restomod Corvettes," Mark recalls. "After talking with them and seeing what they did in person, I contracted with them to complete what was needed from a body standpoint." The shop in question is His Place Automotive in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and after the staff replaced a myriad of body parts, massaged the body and Mustangs Unlimited Eleanor body kit into one car, it also mini-tubbed the Mustang to fit the very wide 315-series tires Mark planned to use. After eight months of bodywork, Mark brought the primered chassis home until the next phase of the build could commence.
Paying for quality bodywork had taken its toll on Mark's project fund, and the Mustang sat for another 20 months while Mark outlined what he would do to it next. After a while, Mark's wife, Kimberly, encouraged him to finish or sell it. So, with renewed enthusiasm and a break in the budget--their son, Tyler, had just finished private schooling--Mark had the necessary funding to begin the next phase. That phase began with the drivetrain. Originally gunning for a full-tilt 427, Mark contacted Pro-Formance Unlimited of Freehold, New Jersey, which assembled a potent 425hp 347 stroker engine. Steve Lejda of Pro-Formance dressed the engine out with all of the necessary accessories and after three months, delivered it to His Place Automotive where Bill Kuhn and staff set to installing the powerplant, along with the Tremec five-speed manual transmission and 3.73-geared, 9-inch rearend.
For the exterior colors, Mark's first choice was shiny black with flat black stripes, but that later changed to black with Pepper Grey stripes (the reverse of the movie car). Red with white stripes and blue with white stripes were also tossed around, as Mark and Bill Kuhn thought about going with a more traditional look. In the end, Wimbledon White with dark blue striping won out, though a modified Super Snake stripe would be used on the top side. With that decision made, the His Place staff set about making sure the drivetrain fit perfectly before tearing the car down for the long and arduous task of completing the final gapping of the panels and applying the paint.
"The final assembly seemed like it took forever," Mark recalls. That being said, the result was certainly worth the wait. Mark tells us that gas fill-ups often take half an hour or more, as he usually gets a lot of folks stopping to talk about the car. Though Mark's father has long since passed, his mantra of "Do it right, or don't do it at all," has stuck with Mark throughout the build. Following that, Mark redirected funding from his 401k, which was losing money, to fund the build. "At least I can see and touch my investment this way," Mark notes. This is one investment, however, that won't sit in the bank. The dividends pay by the mile.
The Details
Mark Campbell's '68 Mustang Fastback
- 302-based 347ci small-block built by Pro-Formance Unlimited (Freehold, NJ)
- Factory Ford iron block
- 4.030-inch bore
- 3.400-inch stroke
- Eagle cast steel crankshaft
- Eagle I-beam connecting rods
- Speed-Pro pistons
- Procomp aluminum cylinder heads, 2.02-inch intake/1.60-inch exhaust valves
- SSR 1.6:1 roller rocker arms
- Comp Cams hydraulic roller camshaft
- Mass-Flo multiport electronic fuel injection
- March Performance-style Track serpentine beltdrive
- Tremec TKO-600 five-speed manual
- Spec clutch
- Ram flywheel
- Ford 9-inch
- 3.73 gears
- Hedman ceramic-coated headers
- JBA Eleanor-style 2-1/2-inch side-exit exhaust JBA 50-2651
- Front: TCP tubular upper and lower control arms with coilover shocks, TCP-FCOC-FD
- Rear: TCP pushrod suspension system, TCP-RPSS-FD
- Front: Wilwood disc, 12-inch rotors, four-piston calipers
- Rear: Wilwood disc, 12-inch rotors, four-piston calipers
- Front: Billet Specialties SLG45, 17x9
- Rear: Billet Specialties SLG45, 17x11
- Front: BFGoodrich g-Force TA KD, P245/40ZR17
- Rear: BFGoodrich g-Force TA KD, P315/35ZR17
- Custom upholstery by Robert Jewell of Main Street Upholstery (Thurmont, MD), O-Car radio for iPhone, JBL front and rear speakers, Carroll Shelby signature instruments, Keisler shifter, Pro-Car bucket seats
- Complete Eleanor-style body kit conversion from Mustangs Unlimited, Wimbledon White with dark blue stripes in basecoat/clearcoat by His Place Automotive


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Chevron (NYSE:CVX) announced its Q4 2012 financial results on February 1, posting solid growth in net earnings and allaying investor concerns after a disastrous Q3 2012 performance. Chevron had an eventful Q3 2012 with several accidents and disasters that marked an impact on the company' production. Net earnings fell by 33% compared to the same quarter in 2011. Things were back to normal, however, in the last three months of the fiscal year as a revival in upstream production and a marked improvement in downstream margins helped boost net profit by 41% over Q4 2011.
The company's earnings also received a huge billion-dollar boost on an Australian asset exchange. Chevron's general operational revival would have made a much bigger impact had the global prices for oil and oil products been as strong as last year's. Continuing with the trend seen through 2012, however, energy demand remained weak, particularly in the United States, offsetting much of the production gains realized in the last quarter.
Upstream Earnings Rise By 20% Driven By One-Time Asset Exchange, While Lower Prices Offset Production Growth
Chevron's upstream earnings for Q4 2012 stood at around $6.8 billion compared to $5.7 billion a year ago – mostly a result of a $1.4 billion gain on an asset exchange in Australia. The company's upstream production improved marginally – worldwide net oil-equivalent production was 2.67 million barrels per day in Q4 2012, up from 2.64 million barrels per day in Q4 2011. Weaker pricing for oils and natural gas liquids (NGLs), however, limited the company's ability to turn the volume gains into net profit.
The flagging demand for energy was the most pronounced in the US, where Chevron realized average sales prices of just $91 per barrel on crude oil and NGLs in Q4 2012, down from $101 a year ago. As a result despite a 2% increase in production in the region, net earnings from upstream activities in the US were down by 15%.
The international operations also showed marginal gains in production – upstream volumes in Q4 2012 stood at 1.99 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, an increase of just under 1%. Pricing however was much stronger in the international arena with Chevron realizing a sales price of $100 per barrel on oils and NGLs compared with $101 a year earlier. With natural gas prices also rising by nearly 7% internationally, the company's net earnings increased by more than 30% in Q4 2012 to reach $5.4 billion.
Downstream Margins Recover, Boost Profits
Following a quarter of surprisingly low refining margins in Q3 2012, Chevron's downstream margins were finally up in Q4 2012, leading to higher profits despite a decline in demand. In the U.S., the company saw slower volume sales of key products such as gasoline, gas oil and kerosene. Despite this, the company's downstream operations in the U.S. posted earnings of $331 million, up from a loss of about $200 million in Q4 2011. Earnings from international downstream operations meanwhile increased by more than four-fold over Q4 2011, finishing just below the $600 million mark.
Outlook Remains Strong For Chevron
Keeping Chevron's Q4 results in mind, we believe investors should now have ample reason to believe in the company's ability to keep raising its overall output levels in the near future, particularly in upstream operations. Chevron gained exploration acreage in five new countries over 2012 and also made significant acreage expansion in the U.S. Its focus on non-conventional gas and oil is also drawing it deeper into Canadian borders as the company announced the acquisition of a 50 percent operated interest in a western Canada LNG project.
Assuming that the global economic environment, which played spoilsport over the entire fiscal year by keeping prices low, begins to improve gradually over the next few years, we should once again see a resurgence in energy prices, boosting Chevron's top-line.
The bottom line is that Chevron's investors should look forward to stronger performances from the company in the next few years.
We currently have a Trefis price estimate of $119 for Chevron, which we will revise soon based on the latest results.
Disclosure: No positions


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"A THRILLING RIDE. Spectacular scenery of fjords and craggy, snow-capped peaks proves as beautiful to look at as it is deadly." Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter.
The Wave, a drama directed by Roar Uthaug, was one of three films shortlisted by Norway to be submitted for Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards.
104 minutes; Norwegian with English subtitles


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CHARLESTON, S.C.. -- A member of the men's soccer team has made headlines as a top defender at a professional combine. Terrance Cosby, a senior defender from Jefferson City, Mo., participated at the United Soccer League's men's player combine where he helped his team to two shutouts Saturday.
Cosby hopes to be selected by a United Soccer League team in the first or second round of its upcoming draft.
Read more about the player combine.


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City Creek Canyon is a public park located just north of downtown Salt Lake City. Memory Grove Park, located at the entrance to the canyon, was dedicated in 1924 as a memorial for America's soldiers and contains several monuments in addition to a reception facility used for events. On August 11, 1999 a tornado passed through Memory Grove Park resulting in the destruction of over 400 old trees. No monuments were damaged.
The creek continues another 14+ miles to its head, north of the city. The canyon serves as a watershed resource for the city, a wildlife preserve, and a recreational area for cyclers, hikers, and pedestrians.
In particularly cold winters, the slow flowing creek may freeze entirely. Here, the winter fog of the valley below is not evident, though it does color the afternoon light a warm gold.
Salt Lake City Utah, cradle in between the Wasatch and the Oquirrh Mountains, Home of the 2002 winter Olympics and the Greatest Snow on earth. The Salt Lake Metro Area stretches between Bountiful and Bluffdale Utah


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Difference between revisions of "Janet B. Matsen:Closed Lab Questions"
From OpenWetWare
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=== What is the different between phosphate buffer & PBS (phosphate buffered sailine)? ===
=== What is the different between phosphate buffer & PBS (phosphate buffered sailine)? ===
* Phosphate buffered saline has MUCH lower concentration of phospate buffer. It is mostly salt.
* Phosphate buffered saline has MUCH lower concentration of phospate buffer. It is mostly salt.
Revision as of 13:19, 29 May 2013
Back to Janet
I define "closed" as "not bothering me incessantly." One can always learn more but we have to stop at a point otherwise we would never move forward with our research!
If you have any input/corrections/references please drop me a line.
I'm sorry for the low quality pictures. I have a very old phone, and those pics were decently high tech in its day!
- 1 Lab Basics:
- 2 Culture Media
- 3 Colony PCR
- 4 Primers/Oligos
- 5 Cloning
- 6 Transformations
- 7 Gene Expression & Plasmids
- 8 BioBricks
- 9 Buffers
- 9.1 How do method developer chose between sodium and potassium phospahte buffers in an assay? 5/2013
- 9.2 What is the different between phosphate buffer & PBS (phosphate buffered sailine)?
- 9.3 How stable is HEPES?
- 9.4 How do I decide the spacing between a promoter and ribosome binding site? A ribosome binding site & the start codon?
- 10 Miscellaneous
Lab Basics:
Why do we disinfect with 70% EtOH? Isn't 100% more potent?
- A: I have read that you don't want to denature the proteins that allow substances like water and ethanol into the cell. If you do, the EtOH can't get into the cytosol. By using 70%, you denature some of the transporter proteins but leave enough to allow more to enter the cell. Also, 70% is cheaper than 100%!
- I still use 100% for everything.
- 70% is still concentrated enough to be very flamable!
How does colony size vary with colony density?
- As the number of colonies per unit area increases, nutrient diffusion becomes limiting. New molecular biologists are sometimes worried that variation in colony sizes on a plate indicates contamination, but it can be caused by tight packing.
Culture Media
Wow.. these 2 batches of TB media are very different in color... did I mess up?
- A:Maybe, but not necessarily. Different batches of yeast and tryptone can have very different compositions. This is one of the purposes of defined media.
Why do we grow E. coli on glycerol, not glucose?
- Amanda Smith found:
- "Glycerol play the part of a cheap carbon-energy source for E.coli.
- Ecoli grown on glycerol excretes less acetate compared to e coli grown on glucose. (due to changes in the biochemical pathways and slower absorption rate of glycerol). Acetate is bad because it limits the growth of e coli. This is due primarily by methionine synthesis inhibition, which in turn disrupts protein synthesis and alters protein expression (A horror story if you are expressing proteins). Acetate also acidifies the media which also cause other changes in E coli physiology (such as reduced growth rate, altered K/Na ion and amino acid anions concentration. Which also has effects on protein synthesis)"
- "Glycerol play the part of a cheap carbon-energy source for E.coli.
Colony PCR
The gel is dark where I loaded it -- what does this mean?
- A: It probably means you overloaded the PCR with too many cells.
What causes an overloaded colony PCR reaction to fail?
- A: Thermostable polymerases require magnesium (link). It has been suggested that because DNA chealates magnesium, overloading a colony PCR may inhibit the polymerase. (11/2012)
- I'd love to test that by titrating in extra Mg in a series of overloaded colony PCRs. It is also possible there is a crowding effect or unfavorable interactions with the cell lysate and the polymerase.
Should I pay extra to further purify large bp oligos?
- Usually no. The sequencing companies just want your money. Do sequence your creations to confirm that you made what you expected and remember you can always screen a new colony if the first one looks bad.
My primers are yellow!
- Don't worry -- this is normal! Moreover, it is extra visible when you order a lot of a primer (large synthesis scale) because there is more of it to see.
How do I decide whether to gel purify after digestions (before ligations)
- The BioBrick/Ginkgo manual doesn't instruct you to. Besty always does.
- Um... I don't do much restriction enzyme cloning at this point... Gibson rules! 7/2012
Is it ok to re-use electroporation cuvettes after they arc and turn black?
- Electroporation cuvettes are aluminum. The "black stuff" that appears after arcing is aluminum oxide. Though this usually appears low in the cuvette away from the pocket that holds the cells, it correlates to oxidation & non-uniformity in the metal that does contact the cells. This non-uniformity makes arcing more likely when you electroporate a future sample. You will notice that re-used cuvettes are more likely to arc, and that ones with visible oxidation are even more likely to arc.
- To reduce arcing, reduce the resistance (ohms) setting. Though you do need some current to flow through the cells for electroporation, reduced current leads to less arcing. I set my minimum to 200 ohms & maximum to 500 ohms 2012/07/31.
- To avoid arcing completely, use chemically competent cells instead. Though it is more work to prepare the special growth media, you will save time/money/DNA reletive to electroporation.
- added 7/31/2012
How does the density of electrocompetent cells affect transformation efficiency?
- It matters a LOT! The undiluted samples (dilution factor = 0) were harvested ad mid-exponential phase and resuspended in 1/500ths of the culture volume. Details of my experiment are here.
What is the ballpark efficiency of electroporation?
- In the experiment described just above, I calculated that for 0.1 ng of plasmid, the maximum efficiency was 5*10-6. I haven't looked up literature values to see how this compares to published statistics. This statistic makes Gibson cloning seem even more amazing. Even if you get only a few colonies, there were likely many orders of magnitudes more viable plasmids in the transformation product than that!
Gene Expression & Plasmids
Is a two plasmid system where the two plasmids have different antibiotic resistance genes but the same origin of replication stable?
- A collaborator implied use of a different antibiotic is sufficient. However, I suppose this could lead to unpredictability in the number of each plasmid. For example, suppose the copy origin they share yields 100 plasmid copies. It could be that 10 copies of the antibiotic A & 90 copies of the antibiotic B plasmids is equally favorable as 90 copies of the antibiotic A plasmid & 10 of the antibiotic B plasmid. Presuming the two plasmids encode different proteins, the relative ratios of the expression levels would be drastically important.
- If allowed to compete in a flask, the burden of each plasmid will affect the distribution of the plasmids.
- added 7/16/2012 after talking to BioRad customer service
The parts in the registry have sequence that don't include the prefix & suffix... do they come with it?
- Yes, they come with a prefix/suffix. You can find which BioBrick method a part is compatable with under the part's "Assembly Compatibility" listing. Most are RFC 10 (http://partsregistry.org/partsdb/scars.cgi), the standard format.
How do method developer chose between sodium and potassium phospahte buffers in an assay? 5/2013
- Facts:
- The pKas for sodium and potassium phosphate salts are the same.
- The buffering capacities are the same.
- Potential issues:
- Na or K interferance with an enzyme
- It is possible one will interfere more than the other.
- Solubility
- Sometimes Na precipitates when K wouldn't & vice versa
- Na or K interferance with an enzyme
- Michael Konopka's words: "What assays are you trying to measure? As for the buffering capacity, that really shouldn't matter since the pertinent components for the buffer (mono- and di-basic phosphate) are the same. The issue is if the potassium or sodium ion will form a precipitate which you don't want around if mixing with other solutions (or do want). A classic example is potassium will precipitate SDS while sodium is soluble. That's why in minipreps one adds potassium acetate/acetic acid after using SDS/NaOH to lyse the cells/dissolve lipids & proteins. The proteins, lipids, and chromosomal DNA is then trapped in the precipitate (plasmid DNA still in solution)."
What is the different between phosphate buffer & PBS (phosphate buffered sailine)?
- Phosphate buffered saline has MUCH lower concentration of phospate buffer. It is mostly salt.
How stable is HEPES?
- Not stable. Make it the day you use it.
How do I decide the spacing between a promoter and ribosome binding site? A ribosome binding site & the start codon?
- Recall that a promoter starts making a transcript at the +1 site, no matter the sequence, and that the promoter is only for transcription and the RBS is only for translation. The -10 and -35 locations in the promoter that are significant for binding are numbered relative to this +1 site. You can have any arbitrary sequence before the RBS, and people often include operators for genetic regulation. Or, you can put the ribosome binding site next. This is more standard. The ribosome binding site needs to be correctly spaced from the start codon, and you have to look at the individual RBS to determine it. For some, a BioBrick scar is the perfect distance between the end of the RBS and the start codon; this is useful for making an expression vector like UW's 2010 iGEM vectors.
Is it "media" or "medium"?
I have recently switched to using "medium" when describing a single type of solid or liquid growth substance.


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The Declaration of Independence "In Our Own Words"
The Declaration of Independence is one of America's most famous and often-quoted documents. With these carefully-chosen words, the delegates declared the colonies free and independent of Britain, pledging their lives and honor to the cause of American independence. And, lest anyone wonder why this action was taken, the Declaration includes a long list of reasons why the split from the Crown was necessary.
This lesson is best used after a unit covering the colonies' reasons for declaring independence. In this lesson, students will translate the Declaration of Independence into modern language. They will consider how the Declaration is still being used today and will discuss the relevance of the document on modern life.
- First paragraph of the Declaration of Independence (for projection)
- Divided Declaration of Independence
- Dictionaries (one for each group)
- Large sheets of paper (one for each group)
- Markers
Download Lesson Materials (PDF)
- Ask the class to recall why the Declaration of Independence was written. What was its original purpose? What do students remember about how the Declaration was written? Briefly review the key facts with the class. If desired, ask if students know any phrases from the Declaration from memorysome may know "all men are created equal" or "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
- Tell the class that the Declaration of Independence has been meaningful to Americans ever since it was written. For instance, Lincoln referred to it in his Gettysburg Address as an example of how important it was to keep the union together. The women at the Seneca Falls convention used the language of the Declaration to declare the rights of women. Various abolitionists used the principles in the Declaration as examples of why the practice of slavery was wrong.
- Indicate to the students that they will be rewording sections of the Declaration into modern language. This should not be a word-for-word translationinstead, each sentence or paragraph should be rewritten in a way that is easy for students to understand. Display the overhead transparency of the first paragraph of the Declaration. Select a student to read the text.
- Reword the paragraph on the transparency with the class.
- Divide the class into six groups.
- Give each group a section of the declaration, a dictionary, a large sheet of paper, and a marker.
- Each group should reword their section into modern, everyday language. They should find their rewording becomes shorter than the original, but it should retain the same meaning. Circulate between the groups to explain and assist as needed.
- Have each groups read their translations to the class in order.
- Discuss with the class how the Declaration can still be used today. Is it still relevant to our idea of being American?
Lesson Extensions
- There were three men who did not sign the Declaration: Robert R. Livington of New York, John Dickinson of Pennsylvania, and Thomas Willing of Pennsylvania. Students may be surprised to discover that although these three men did not sign the Declaration, they were not loyalists. Assign a third of the class to each man. Ask students to discover why each man chose not to sign the Declaration and what happened to him after the Declaration was signed.
- Have students research why Jefferson was chosen to write the Declaration (you may wish to have them read the feature article "We Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident"). Students should then write letters to Jefferson explaining why he should write the Declaration of Independence.
This lesson was written by Gloria Moeller, El Cajon, CA, and Shawn Cunlisk, Vancouver, WA, with contributing editor Claire Gould.


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goldfish need music too. this one's taste is ultra-refined. only the best for the fattest fish around. read the blog. we'll drag you through concerts, websites, new music reviews and the same stuff you read everywhere else. except here, we're ruled by a creature whose memory is three seconds long. it's a tough swim.
contact the fish
save to del.icio.us
- Daytrotter & Cold War Kids
- NEMO Boston Music Festival
- fresh as it gets: Annuals
- As Tall As Lions: new mp3
- Square Root of Margaret
- Men, Women & Children
- Van She: EP
- Snow Patrol @ the Pavilion, 8.15
- new music: The New Tragedies
- Outkast - Idlewild
archives05.2006 / 06.2006 / 07.2006 / 08.2006 / 09.2006 / 10.2006 / 11.2006 / 12.2006 / 01.2007 / 02.2007 / 03.2007 / 07.2007 / 08.2007 /
Monday, August 21, 2006
we never talk about this part. lately i have been living life. it's a different pace than anything else, isn't it? behind a computer everything is at the speed of a billion conversations, millions of people flashing pictures and noises and words - and we are all merely pixels on a screen, nothing more than indiscriminate fillers of a cosmic void. now take a step back, i recommend it. remember that the music was not consuming you whole. remember that you are you, flesh and blood, sitting in one physical plane, surrounded by other things that are just as three-dimensional and probably just as stationary. is someone in your vicinity to breathe your same air? reconsider your relationship to that individual on practical terms. get the perspective of your dog, or if you're me, your goldfish. ...he or she is just a human. everything happens one second at a time, whether you're ready for it or not - whether your seconds are the speed of a billion conversations or not. the clock ticks no slower or faster for you. this is actually living - this is sand in the toes, coffee in the mug, wind through the window, and - well. you know. whatever. it's life.
this speed of life is different when you have this music blog. suddenly the hunger isn't burning as brightly or as deeply in the chest as it had been. suddenly there's more than opening packages of promos, checking email, catching the right notes at the right time to say: "ah, now this deserves a post." deserves a what? deserves your time. it doesn't warrant those same inconsequential pixels on the screen that smack of transient importance and very momentary satisfaction. i do not mean, of course, popular staying power; that has often meant nothing to me in the face of good music. possibly one of my favorite bands of all time are Trashcan Sinatras, out of Scotland, who had a few singles in the early nineties alternative scene, but is otherwise unknown and continues to make incredible music. what does that mean, though? nothing. regardless of noble intent, there are posts i make without looking back, artists i touch upon that do not get their fair time. there are certain artists whose names breathe current pitchfork or blogger success (Viva Voce, Ratatat, Junior Boys, Midlake) - but i have yet to post on them. why? because no one can do it all. because i realize that if i'd had this blog in 2004, i probably would have had to post on Neutral Milk Hotel and The Arcade Fire regularly, even though - yes! i'll admit it! - i've never liked them.
we work so hard to convey our opinions as honestly as we possibly can. but without a certain audience, without that hunger burning - time still ticks the same way: we are still just pawns in the game. the music will always be bigger than the bloggers. and if some day, by some catastrophe, we reverse that order... i know we will have failed.
Long time reader, first time poster. I justed wanted to say that this post was a really great read, and that you post about a lot of great bands on the site.Post a Comment
Keep up the good work!
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NOTE: as much as toaster loves free music, he'd like to encourage you to buy the cds of the artists you enjoy. he'd also like to remind you that any music hosted by or linked to from this page is property of its respective owners, so if that's you and you'd like it to not be here, just let us know.
READ ME: if files are not working properly upon opening or saving [ex: unknown file type], make sure that there is a .mp3 at the end of the filename, and all will be well.
also: all files posted will only remain available for two to three weeks. if you find something in an old post that you'd really like to hear, tell us.
be our god damn myspace friend. damn it.
boston loyalty
love for these blogs
magazine style (no fins required to flip pages)
buy stuff, look around, find things...


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Deception, white lies and bribery were used to ensure the winners at this year's Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce awards banquet were in attendance at this past Saturday night's gala held at Navarro's Family Community Center.
For example, this year's Outstanding Senior Citizen Award winner thought she was at the banquet in support of one of her grandchildren. Turns out her family tricked her in to getting her to the banquet. Pat Barr is known as a woman of service, said Greg Smith, the evening's emcee. Reading the notices from the nomination form, which sealed her selection as the 2005 award winner, Smith said, "She believes the best about people and always has time to listen."
In addition to a career as a waitress, secretary and volunteer, the mother and grandmother is also active in the Outlook Grange. She always helps with such community events as the annual Senior Citizens Thanksgiving dinner, Hershey Track and Field meets and Special Olympics events. Barr is always giving rides to her neighbors and shut-ins, said Smith.
Outstanding Educator of the Year Joanne Kilian took her turn on stage to announce her plans to again seek election as a Sunnyside School Board Director.
Kilian, who currently is the chairman of the Sunnyside School Board, has seen the enrollment in the district go from 3,599 in 1983, when she was first elected to the board, to 5,671 students, as of February 2005.
Kilian said she thought she'd step down as a school board member, but was inspired to continue serving after reading how old such men as former President Ronald Reagan were when they did great things.
"Men like him were all in their 70s when they sought election. I think I have a few good years yet ahead of me," she said. "I'm ready to go again."
Taking home the Outstanding New Business Award was Amanda Blount, owner of Amanda's Lingerie Closet in downtown Sunnyside. The young businesswoman opened her specialty shop in April 2004 and has seen steady growth in her clientele. She has even developed a web site for her store and plans to expand her business to be certified by Fantasy Tanning, a new spray application tanning method.
In addition to lingerie, Blount's shop has expanded to also carry a line of swimwear in the short year since she opened her doors.
The enterprising Lizeth Chiprez was named this year's Outstanding Youth by the Chamber nomination board.
"She exemplifies the qualities that they look for in our young leaders in our community," said Smith.
Chiprez not only carries a full academic load at Sunnyside High School, where she is a senior, she has developed a program to assist fellow students needing tutoring to handle their SAT exams.
Chiprez said she is currently training other students to carry on the program once she graduates in June.
Long-time community supporters and business people in the community, Dick and Maxine Van de Graaf, were honored as this year's Outstanding Business People.
The couple owns and operates Van de Graaf Ranches located south of Sunnyside, a family business which has consistently been rated by the Washington CEO magazine as one of the top 100 privately owned companies in Washington state.
The couple, who have made Sunnyside their home since 1959, are both avid supporters of Sunnyside, donating time and money to such community projects as the Lower Valley Pathway, Ben Snipes Cabin Park and the Ren Farrell statue.
Mrs. Van de Graaf has served on the Sunnyside Community Hospital board and he served on the Sunnyside School Board and is a past president of the Yakima County Cattlemen, Washington State Cattle Feeders Association and even served on the Washington State Beef Commission.
Sunnyside Port Engineer Bob Farrell was named the Outstanding Public Employee this past Saturday night.
Farrell has dedicated himself to assuring environmentally friendly and economical operation of the industrial wastewater treatment facility he oversees, said Smith.
As the Port has continued to expand its services to industrial users, Farrell has been a leader working with the Department of Ecology, and more recently with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop the Port's wetlands habitat, which is designed to benefit both wildlife and the future growth of industries in the Lower Valley.
Abarrotes Casa Mia, owned by Audel Estrada, was selected as the Chamber's Outstanding Community Beautification project.
Estrada, who owns Audel's Music and Audel's Fashions in Sunnyside, began remodeling what was just a little corner store at the corner of North First Street and Warehouse Avenue nearly a year ago. Being a workaholic, he wasn't present at Saturday's awards ceremony, so his friend Rosa Garcia accepted the award for him.
Dr. Greg Norell of Spavinaw Dental in Sunnyside was named the Chamber's 2005 Outstanding Healthcare Person of the Year.
Norell opened his dental practice in Sunnyside in 2002, and has devoted his time to the Hispanic community. Norell is a contracted dentist and community partner with EPIC and the Washington State Migrant Council. He has also worked with the Washington State Dental Foundation to establish the Cavity Free Kids program in pre-schools. In addition, he operates a mobile clinic that travels from Mattawa to Hermiston, Ore. to visit Headstart sites, schools and childcare centers.
Sunnyside Planning Commission Chairman and the chair for the Sunnyside Lighted Farm Implement Parade, Jim Warren, was named the Chamber's Outstanding Volunteer of the Year.
Warren, who is also a businessman, not only volunteers his time for the winter parade and is on the city planning commission, he is involved in the Community Accountability Board, Yakima County Conference of Governments and is active with the Sunnyside Fourth of July Soap Box Derby.
Dairymen Bill and Sid Wavrin were honored as the Chamber's Outstanding Agri-Business Persons.
The brothers moved to the area in the 1990s, when Bill opened Veterinarians Outlet in Sunnyside and Sid operates the family-owned dairy, Sunny Dene Ranch in Mabton. It was on their dairy the nation's first Mad Cow incident was identified in December 2003.
They dealt with the matter with complete and confident composure, said Smith. "They strongly believe that the solidarity of support from this community as seen by the press, the public and the government helped to shade the outcome of the event in a favorable one for them and for the food animal industry," he said.
"This community was the reason we got up each day during that time. We got a lot of support and we thank you for that," said Sid Wavrin.
The Chamber awards ceremony ended with the announcement that long-time Chamber secretary Rhoda Giffen will be retiring from her position to move to West Richland.
"It has been a pleasure to work with you, the community and the chamber," said Giffen.
More than 175 people attended the banquet, which also serves as the Chamber's major fund-raiser of the year. The annual silent and dessert auctions netted the Chamber nearly $5,000.
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Funkladelic (and Parliament, George Clinton under his own name, etc.) are all great! Have you checked out Funkadelic's "I'll Bet You"?
WFMU hell yeah...I probably listen to them more than any other radio station, even though you can't usually dance to it.
Their programs aren't all like this. On weekends they go into some marvelous, and deep, specialty programming and stuff. They even have a show which plays only stuff recorded before 1925 or so.


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Learning international experience in the field of multi-party electionsOct 14, 2013
In the framework of 2013 Annual Work Plan of the Project "Enhancing Electoral System and Processes in Turkmenistan" signed between the Central Election Commission of Turkmenistan and the Representative Office of the United Nations Development Programme in Turkmenistan, a series of trainings are conducted with participation of International Consultants. These trainings are aimed at institutional development and capacity building of the staff of the Central Election Commission of Turkmenistan. The first training on administration of multi-party elections was conducted in August 2013 with participation of international consultant Ms. Renata Lapti.
Another main activity in the framework of the annual work plan was a training for electoral contestants conducted according to the BRIDGE methodology on 24-26 September 2013 with participation of International Consultants Mr. Giorgi Sharabidze and Natia Kashakashvili. The representatives from the Central Election Commission of Turkmenistan, members of the regional election administrations, political parties and non-governmental organizations attended the training.
The training was conducted in interactive manner, during which the participants discussed the presentations, devoted to international experience and national practices on preparation and conducting of parliamentary elections with participation of political parties. The training participants increased their awareness and technical skills in the field of international standards on conducting multi-party elections and enhancing the organizational structure of electoral bodies on the basis of the BRIDGE methodology.
The international consultants met with the Head of Central Election Commission (CEC) and discussed the development of the CEC staff's capacity in implementation of the recently adopted Election Code and enhancing the election process to integrate a wide range of stakeholders and groups as well as issues of increasing awareness among public at large. The sides mentioned the important role of UNDP Turkmenistan in rendering technical assistance in implementation of main provisions of the legislation of Turkmenistan on elections and political parties.
"The training helped better understand the international experience in preparation and conducting of multi-party parliamentary elections. The presented methodology and organizational approaches discussed during the training can be applied by political parties in nominating candidates, agitation, and increasing public awareness in electoral processes of elections campaign", notes Mr. Didar Gurbanniyazov, representative from Balkan Velayat Election Commission.
UNDP Deputy Resident Representative
Ms. Cao Lin
E-mail: email@example.com


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Keowee Key South Carolina Real Estate
Located in north western South Carolina in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Keowee Key offers outstanding real estate, waterfront homes and lots, golf, tennis and much more, for vacation, relocation and retirement.
Lake Keowee is a spectacular blue water lake with over 18,000 acres and 300 miles of shoreline. It is fed by fresh water mountain streams. Boating, sailing, water skiing, and fishing can all be enjoyed on the lake.
The Lake Keowee area of South Carolina has a mild four season climate which allows for outdoor activities to be enjoyed year round.


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0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Shush! I dont need to know all that.
QuoteShush! I dont need to know all that."Then why did you ask me?" My guess is that she wants a short, non-technical answer, something between the her vague description, and the detailed report that the tech person would prefer.
She asked, What is it? I started to tell her and she said, Shush! IT can just figure it out.
How about a little boundary setting? "Don't shush me. If you don't want an answer, don't ask a question."
Personally, I think "Good luck with your problem, then" and walking away is an excellent response.
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Student or Learner
I Would like to know what is the difference between for long time and for a long time?
Thank you!
for long time is incorrect English (but a common mistake by foreign speakers)
for a long time is correct English.
If it was spoken, it's possible that the speaker spoke very quickly, making the 'a' difficult to hear.
Hope that helps.


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London Beats New York as Gold Bar No.1
Learn about gold bullion coins (and costs)
Sam Williams is reading Economics at the University of Durham. He is currently working at BullionVault as a research assistant.
Please Note: All articles published here are to inform your thinking, not lead it. Only you can decide the best place for your money, and any decision you make will put your money at risk. Information or data included here may have already been overtaken by events – and must be verified elsewhere – should you choose to act on it. Please review our Terms & Conditions for accessing Gold News, RSS links are shown there.


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Championship preview
With Cardiff not playing until Tuesday, Watford and Crystal Palace will be looking to close the gap on the leaders.
Last Updated: 19/03/13 8:52am
With Cardiff City not playing until Tuesday, Watford and Crystal Palace will be looking to close the gap on the leaders in the weekend's busy Championship programme.
Watford, the Championship's form team and new holders of an automatic promotion place, host Blackpool, who are still looking to register their first win under Paul Ince and sit five points outside the relegation zone.
One side whose new manager does now have a victory is Dean Saunders, whose Wolves side now travel to the City Ground to face an in-form Nottingham Forest side looking to win their fifth Championship game in a row and keep a fourth clean sheet on the bounce.
Fourth-placed Crystal Palace are unbeaten in 17 home games, and will be looking to extend this against a Leeds United side with just one win in 14 away games.
The side directly above Neil Warnock's side are Bolton, and Dougie Freedman has his team in great form. They will be hoping to win five consecutive league games for the first time in over six years when they host Brighton at the Reebok Stadium, with the visitors themselves unbeaten in six.
Birmingham City continue to stutter under Lee Clark and sit just five points outside the drop zone after playing a game more than other relegation-threatened sides. They host a Derby side who are without a win in seven games.
One side on the slide are Middlesbrough, who failed to build on their victory over Cardiff last weekend by losing to strugglers Huddersfield Town. Tony Mowbray's men are given the chance to make amends when they make the long trip to Bristol City, who remain bottom of the division and have conceded more goals than any other side.
Whilst Leicester City's automatic promotion bid has taken a hit of late they still remain in the play-off picture, and will hope to rebound from recent poor results with a home victory over Sheffield Wednesday, who have lost two games on the spin.
Another side struggling of late are Charlton Athletic, and the Addicks travel to Huddersfield Town. Both sides have identical records this season, separated by Huddersfield's poor goal difference, the worst in the Championship.
Two of the bottom six sides meet at London Road, where Ipswich Town will hope to retain a full complement of players during their match against Peterborough United. The Tractor Boys were reduced to nine men during a midweek defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Monday night's game sees Hull City, knocked out of the automatic positions in midweek after defeat to Crystal Palace, visit Burnley, who were denied victory on Tuesday by a late Tomasz Cywka goal for Barnsley.


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2012 Ford Fiesta Values
Select a 2012 Ford Fiesta trim level
2012 model year changes
Following its U.S. introduction in 2011, the Ford Fiesta continues mostly unchanged for 2012. Updates include the addition of several new packages, including a Premium Sport Appearance Package, which looks much like the Euro-spec Fiesta RS with blackout trim, spoiler, 16-inch wheels and 4.25 final drive gears in place of the standard 4.07 when equipped with a manual transmission. Several Premium interior packages are also available on the SEL and SES trims this year, featuring 2-tone color schemes like Oxford White/black and Race Red/black.
Competitive comparison
Perky performance; segment-leading fuel economy; advanced PowerShift transmission; wide range of options and accessories; stylish interior; low base prices
Special features for 2012
The Fiesta offers a host of connectivity and tech features that aren't typically available in this budget-priced small-car class. Its 40-mpg EPA highway rating is also the best in its class, while the 6-speed PowerShift transmission is one of the most advanced of those in any small car. Other features, including push-button start, aren't typically offered in its price class, while a wide range of potential customization and appearance options appeal to younger shoppers who want to express an individual style.
The 2012 Ford Fiesta is a FWD sub-compact car available in sedan and 5-door hatchback trim levels. Both trims are powered by the same 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine that produces 120 hp and 112 lb-t of torque. The engine can be paired with either a standard 5-speed manual or optional 6-speed automatic transmission. Fuel mileage falls within an EPA estimated range of 28 mpg city and 38 mpg highway, depending on transmission selection. For improved fuel economy Ford offers a Superior Fuel Economy (or SFE) package that equips the Fiesta with aerodynamic features that minimize air resistance. Features include dynamic handling, tuned suspension, Ford SYNC®, push-button start, satellite radio, ambient lighting, heated seats, power moonroof, capless fuel filler, and leather seats. Safety is comprised of seven standard airbags, safety cage made of Boron Steel, tire pressure monitoring system, integrated blind-spot mirrors, electronic stability control, and anti-lock braking. The Fiesta is backed by a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty.


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The sweltering heat beats down on the players. For the 12 teams at Dakota Ridge High School's annual 7-on-7 football tournament July 11 it was another day in the dog days of summer. It was also another chance for those teams, such as Columbine, to work on team building with the regular season a mere six weeks away.
"We're just working hard. That's what we came out to do. Work hard, run routes, do all the things you're supposed to and win," Columbine senior Zack Smith said.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Columbine Courier, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
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MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Freshman Kessler Matheson (Martinez, Ga.) of the Georgia College soccer team (1-1) was chosen Bobcat Athlete of the Week for the Week ending Sept. 5. This marks the first such honor for Matheson and Bobcat soccer this season.
Matheson's first career goal proved the game winner against Southern Indiana University Sunday, as the Bobcats took down the Screaming Eagles 1-0. Matheson took a pass from Brittaney Borror (Evans, Ga.) and beat the goalkeeper one-on-one for the goal with just over 10 minutes left in the second half.
The Bobcats are back in action Friday, Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m., hosting the Bobcat Shootout. Tusculum College battles Nova Southeastern University at 5 p.m., with the Bobcats squaring off against Wingate University immediately following.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at www.twitter.com/BobcatSports and www.facebook.com/gcbobcats for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCBobcats.com for more information, and to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GC Athletics Hall of Fame.


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Room assignment will be posted here, officially released by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).
Last December 2011 NLE board exam, there are total of 67,095 examiners nationwide, but only 22,760 who successfully passed the examination given by the Board of Nursing in the cities of Manila, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Dagupan, Davao, Iloilo, La Union, Legazpi, Lucena, Nueva Ecija, Pagadian, Pampanga, Tacloban, Tuguegarao and Zamboanga.
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Springfield-area teens volunteer throughout the community, but receiving a service hour requirement can still be daunting.
Volunteer hours are often required for school or service organizations, and while some students worry about fitting the necessary number of hours in, others say performing activities that suit their interests makes volunteering easy � and worthwhile.
Teens often start volunteering through Key Club or for National Honor Society. In addition, some area schools, including Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, mandate students help in the community.
Membership in National Honor Society is based in part on community service. Before becoming a member, students must complete at least 20 service hours with three different organizations or groups. Other schools offer different service clubs. Franklin Middle School hosts a Beta Club, which is similar to National Honor Society. Membership is based on teacher recommendations and honor roll status. Beta Club is a national service and volunteering organization.
�We promote service and giving back. We encourage our students to start at an early age in giving back, along with maintaining high academic standards,� said Amy Mariotti, an adult sponsor for Beta Club.
The Franklin students in Beta Club sponsored a canned food drive, something the group�s been doing for more than 20 years. Students donated more than 4,000 cans to Contact Ministries and Grace Lutheran Church.
The club encouraged all Franklin students to get involved and Beta Club purchased Jimmy John�s for the advisory class that brought in the most food.
Seventh-grader Ross Lochbaum said he wanted �to help the charities that we are donating to and for the people who really need it in the community.�
Another seventh-grader, Zoe Barnhart, said she hopes to help with other Beta Club projects because she joined the organization with the goal of serving the community.
�It makes me really, really happy because we are helping other people who are not as fortunate as I am,� said Elly Messina, also in seventh grade.
High school students also give back
At the high school level, students involved in Key Club and National Honor Society say their participation has made them better people.
�NHS is a great program that has helped me become a better citizen,� said Williamsville High School senior Jonathan Miller, a member of National Honor Society. �It has helped me branch out and meet new people of different backgrounds and taught me how to interact with different people.�
Williamsville High students also hosted a canned food drive.
It�s a good feeling to know your hard work has paid off, said Kirsten Parr, a sophomore at Williamsville.
�Being in NHS opens doors to new opportunities,� Kirsten said. �Getting involved in the community is always great, and volunteering gives us a chance to make a difference.�
�It requires dedication to maintain good grades and to actively participate in the community,� she said.
Ways to get involved
Teens say the most difficult part can be finding the specific organization they want to volunteer with. First, consider volunteering with a friend, especially if you�re shy.
Look for activities at a church. Consider assisting with summer camps or tutoring programs.
The Voice�s 2013 Top Teen finalists helped with a range of organizations that need student volunteers to thrive.
Kelly Johnston graduated from Sacred Heart-Griffin High in 2013. She won Voice�s Top Teen Award for her volunteer work. In addition to helping her family care for foster children, Kelly volunteered at the Camelot Care Center, the Capital Elite All-Stars Sunshine squad for children with special needs, with the Springfield Jaycees and with Crime Stoppers.
Top Teen finalists Mitch Baker and Alec Beeve, both Rochester High School graduates, helped with the Compass After-School Program. North Mac High graduate Kenadi Fuller organized a fundraiser for To Write Love on Her Arms, which strives to help people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury or suicide. Another finalist found her niche helping with many organizations. By February of her junior year, Hayley Reed had far surpassed the number of required Sacred Heart yearly service hours � 20. She�d completed about 173 hours already. She worked with her school�s Student Ambassador program, Vacation Bible School and Operation Snowball, among other organizations.
Taryn Ramirez is a sophomore at Williamsville High School. Voice Editor Alissa Groeninger contributed to this article.


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Truth & Beauty: A Friendship (Paperback)
Ann Patchett and the late Lucy Grealy met in college in 1981, and, after enrolling in the Iowa Writers' Workshop, began a friendship that would be as defining to both of their lives as their work. In Grealy's critically acclaimed memoir, Autobiography of a Face, she wrote about losing part of her jaw to childhood cancer, years of chemotherapy and radiation, and endless reconstructive surgeries. In Truth & Beauty, the story isn't Lucy's life or Ann's life, but the parts of their lives they shared. This is a portrait of unwavering commitment that spans twenty years, from the long winters of the Midwest, to surgical wards, to book parties in New York. Through love, fame, drugs, and despair, this is what it means to be part of two lives that are intertwined . . . and what happens when one is left behind.
This is a tender, brutal book about loving the person we cannot save. It is about loyalty, and being lifted up by the sheer effervescence of someone who knew how to live life to the fullest.
Praise For…
"Unforgettable...carefully rendered and breathtaking."
"An inspired duet...riveting."
"...lyrical, lovely...Patchett has preserved her friend's talent in this book, and provided more evidence of her own."
"{a} loving, clear-sighted portrayal.."
"A contemporary story of friendship and the writing life at once intense, honest, and heartbreaking. Highly recommended."


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Coleslaw Chicken Wraps Recipe
4.5 3 4
This portable recipe is perfect for outdoor dining in the summertime. We like the fun, fresh spin on regular coleslaw using pineapple and toasted almonds. —Barb Agnew, Mahnomen, Minnesota
Recommended: 20 Slider Recipes
VERIFIED BY Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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- 1 bottle (16 ounces) reduced-fat poppy seed salad dressing, divided
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 can (20 ounces) unsweetened pineapple tidbits, drained
- 1 package (14 ounces) coleslaw mix
- 1 medium sweet red pepper, finely chopped
- 8 whole wheat tortillas (8 inches)
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- Place 1 cup dressing in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Drain and discard marinade. Moisten a paper towel with cooking oil; using long-handled tongs, lightly coat the grill rack.
- Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 170°. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the pineapple, coleslaw mix, red pepper and remaining dressing; toss to coat. Divide among tortillas; top with chicken and sprinkle with almonds. Roll up tightly; secure with toothpicks. Yield: 8 servings.
Originally published as Coleslaw Chicken Wraps in Healthy Cooking June/July 2012, p55
Reviews forColeslaw Chicken Wraps
My Review
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Any changes to your rating or review will appear where you originally posted your review
Average Rating
Reviewed Jul. 28, 2012
"Loved it - refreshing for a hot summer night."
Reviewed Jun. 21, 2012
"It needed something to spice it up. I can't figure out what that something might be. If crunchy with a hint of sweetness is your kind of thing, this could be for you."
Reviewed May. 20, 2012
"I was a bit uncertain about pineapple in my coleslaw, but it turned out perfect. Great summer grilling recipe that isn't the same old burgers or bbq."


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Or in nintendo and sega's case they usually start with the casual side and then throw in absurd cheap shots. If I go back and play the classic SMB games I feel like it's my fault when I die most of the time. NSMB on the DS was just universally a problem of bad controls (handling), shitty clipping, and even worse true cheap shots of things appearing inside you. The only modern game I've played that's bigger on memorization encouraging cheap shots is Sonic Rush.
Sonic Rush isn't remotely as bad as Sonic Advance 3 which will happily have those Sonic run sequences end in a deathtrap that you get 1 second to spot and dodge.
I think you need to play Rush again, it likes to take those run sequences and stick a booster right in front of an instant-kill trap primed so you die instantly if you don't dodge it (and usually the boost), they also like to keep throwing enemies in the middle of spring chains and other sequences where you're vulnerable.
I really didn't have trouble with that, all the boost roads ended in regular walls for me unless I interfered with jumps at the wrong time.
I have to disagree, NSMB was dead on awesome. The DS Version of Mario Kart on the other hand, well, I just can't get over the "socialist weapons" that punish you for doing well.
I agree with you on that one!
regarding NSMBW however....
one thing for sure - by most reports - it's bloody hard!
>>I just can't get over the "socialist weapons" that punish you for doing well.
Heh, in our group we call them the Socialism Bullet and Socialism Shell, too. =)
The common name for those here is a string of expletives.
I dunno, those things are what makes Mario Kart Mario Kart. It can be irritating, yes, but it also lends an element of unpredictability and hilarity.
On the other hand, playing that game gives me nasty hand cramps, because of the way I have to hold the DS.
Back in the day of the classic SNES version, and even the GBA version (I didn't play the 64 or GCN version enough to say much about those) there were weapons, but you had to use a little skill to utilize them. If you were in first there was always someone aiming a brown shell at you (and on the SNES version I was a damned good shot with a green shell), there was the star to contend with, mushroom burst, and the only unskilled weapon in the game, the lightning bolt. Unlike the modern lightning bolt ALL pla
The N64 version, though, was basically like the versions today are, although the communist shell was less deadly, and could pretty easily go off the track in its search for the first-place player.
The 'Cube version made the communist shell absolutely deadly (although you could dodge it by dropping back to second place once you heard the shell launch), and is almost exactly like MK DS in terms of weapons. I think the only new one they added on the DS was the ink blot, which was pretty easy to cope with, so I
I've never actually played it online, only way I've played the DS version is solo. I've actually played the GBA version linked, I made it a point to get my daughter, my nephew, and an ex girlfriends kids Gameboy Micros, I got the link cables, and the SP to Micro adapter. The ex girlfriend especially liked it since she has two boys, they link up all the time (nothing bitter, we still get along).
It occurred to me I had Double Dash on standby and I never actually played it. I just played it for a few hours.
That was awesome, I love it. The DS tried to emulate it in so many ways, and fell so short of the mark.
That's why the SNES version is still my favourite. Non-race battle mode and no BS item wrangling.
I wouldn't mind the new games so much if they just weighted best items to players in low positions but they give people in the back the entire god damned world and if you're in front you get bananas.
Have you ever played "The New Super Mario Brothers" for the DS? As far as I'm concerned that was gap bridging done right. It had all the good things that made classic Super Mario Brothers right, simplistic game play, 2D side scroller, didn't over use the touch screen, but it had a lot of newer system touches with the graphics and some of the power ups. It was very win-win. Even my friends who stopped playing video games a decade ago, or will ONLY play classic games (yes, I have these types of friends) w
I remember once leaving my NES on for a week straight trying to get to the end of the original super mario bros when I was a kid without using any warps, good times.
I'm glad however that the wii one is getting a multiplayer, and I look forward to the level designs, I may actually have to buy a wii now instead of just fixing them for friends!
To this day I haven't beaten the original Super Mario Brothers. See, my parents were actually involved back then also, only the TV was in the living room and leaving the NES on for a week was unacceptable. My parents would actually play the game, but they called warp zones cheating, so I never actually beat it. I would occasionally get to work 7 and call it quits, even if I had lives left.
I should make that one of my goals. I set goals to play and beat the original Zelda as a kid (I didn't have that one
I never beat the original Metroid. Right now I am playing through Metroid Prime 1 & 2 before starting 3 and I wonder if I should get the 2D versions into that mix. I'm a lot better with the controller now than I was back then. (Although my reflexes at age 35 may be a bit slower, I realize now there's more to it than that.)
Having a physical AV switch on your TV instead of using the automatic one that came with the NES was a godsend. Leaving the thing on for days at a time without interfering with Mom and
No so much that, if they saw the red light on, it was getting turned off. Also, to this day my dad has it in his head the A/V inputs from my Nintendo were what caused our LXI TV to need service all the time. (hint, that started well before I ever plugged anything in with those cables)
haha that reminds me of a media PC I had hooked to my 55" samsung crt bigscreen... the convergence boards in the TV blew every single year to the day in october, and the 2nd time around the tv repair guy blamed it on the media pc.... Still covered under our extended warranty though (One of the only extended warranties I will buy, as for a bigscreen tv they make sense) but as a result of that idiot I had to take my media PC off of it, and sure enough, one year later the convergence board still blew out sans
I would highly recommend Metroid: Zero Mission for the DS if you have one. It's an expanded remake of the original Metroid that plays like a dream. It's very much on par with Super Metriod in my opinion, and the gameplay is a little faster.
If you're a purist and want to beat the original original, that's on the cartridge too, though you may have to unlock it.
I would highly recommend Metroid: Zero Mission for the DS if you have one
Its on the GBA not the DS.
Aah! Good call. I didn't pick it up until after I had a DS, hence the confusion.
As someone who played the crap out of the original Metroid, I have to say that Zero Mission, while quite good, is nothing like the classic version. It borrows certain screen layouts and the overall progression (weapons, bosses), but I feel they completely ruined the exploration aspect and made it too linear.
Part of the fun of the first Metroid was to get stuck and look around for shortcuts and secret passageways, or clever ways to get around tough spots. People would spend hours trying to freeze bugs in j
I'm jealous--I never managed to beat Dragon Warrior no matter how many times I tried. I think I always started getting impatient at about the time I could handle Stone Golems, so I'd venture further and get killed by Wyverns all the time.
Man, I forgot how much that pissed me off.
See, that was my first RPG, I got up to the end, but I didn't beat it. I wanted to keep leveling my character and I didn't know if I could or not if I beat it, so I was holding off on beating it. I even "saw" the guy at the end, but I wouldn't actually fight him. Then I accidentally erased my game and didn't beat it until 14 years later or so.
The first time my brother and I beat SMB (we usually played together) was actually, more or less, an accident. We inadvertently discovered the "unlimited lives" cheat/bug in the game (which is much, much easier to trigger in SMB3) in (IIRC) the level 8 castle on my last life, and were able to beat Koopa as a result.
We didn't learn about the 2nd warp until years later, actually, so we had to beat the harder levels every time. Man, what hours spent...
These days, I'm still playing SMB and SMB3 with my eldest s
Not sure there is a solid one. There are multiple factors at work, which interact with each other and all have gray areas. Time commitment often comes up, but some people play Bejeweled for absurdly compulsive amounts of time per week. Time commitment per session might be one, though perhaps perceived time commitment per session is a better one. Some might just be cultural factors--- "hardcore games" tend to have all sorts of non-gameplay related markers like fantasy or shooter themes that mark them as targ
Rule #1 of the office: You do not talk about Bejeweled Blitz.
Rule #2 of the office: You DO NOT talk about Bejeweled Blitz.
Rule #3 of the office: If you beat my score, all work will stop until I beat yours again.
The free-for-all mode has kind of a similar feel to something like Mario Kart where you just happen to have four people over and you want to sit down and play a quick match in your favorite level.
Honest question: how often does this happen for other people that you have three other people over and you say "Hey, let's play mario kart" and they say "sure?" One of the 3 people for me is invariably my wife who has made it clear she doesn't enjoy playing videogames even "casual" games in a group. (Before anyone starts suggesting "a game she's sure to like," realize I've probably made attempts to get her interested in games already). Even when she's not, I don't see that happening, most people who I have over don't come over to play videogames. Same with my friends who have wiis, when I'm at their house with other people, I don't find myself playing mario kart or smash bros or guitar hero.
Who are these groups of people that nintendo is still making games for? And next console generation, can we establish before hand which consoles are going to have libraries that are mostly group games and which consoles have more games that you can play online or by yourself? I got a wii early. I think Muramasa, demon blade is the only game I've played on it this year.
You need better friends.
You've never been to university have you?
Who are these groups of people that nintendo is still making games for?
Nintendo is still making games? I haven't heard of anything since
To be honest its your own damn fault if you figured the Wii was going to be anything else. It was very clearly marketed towards non individual non traditional games.
The message I got was that they were going to try something more community oriented, on some level. They were still billing it as a "game console." I assumed it would mean that the console was more friendly to online play than the gamecube, which had no online capabilities worth mentioning. There was -nothing- obvious to let one know that the console would turn out how it did.
And who the hell takes marketing to mean anything anyway? The PS3 was "marketed" as the next ubiquitous media player, to claim al
The answer: East Asia
Who have we always been at war with?
Honest question: how often does this happen for other people that you have three other people over and you say "Hey, let's play mario kart" and they say "sure?" One of the 3 people for me is invariably my wife who has made it clear she doesn't enjoy playing videogames even "casual" games in a group
It happens pretty often for those in which one of those 3 people is not a wife. You've either become really disconnected from your younger years or video games just wasn't part of what you and your friends used to do in your childhood if you seriously think this very common situation is so odd.
And next console generation, can we establish before hand which consoles are going to have libraries that are mostly group games and which consoles have more games that you can play online or by yourself? I got a wii early. I think Muramasa, demon blade is the only game I've played on it this year.
If there was any console in which it was blatantly obvious about what type of games were going to be on the system, it was the Wii. It was dubbed the party/casual game system from the get-go and if you even looked i
Honest question: how often does this happen for other people that you have three other people over and you say "Hey, let's play mario kart" and they say "sure?"
For me, it's every time I go visit my family. Mario Kart's actually more second-tier though - Ravin Rabbids, Wii Play, and Wii Sports are the faves for group play. Super Monkey Ball and Chicken Shoot also see moderate use. Oddly enough, the one game I picked up specifically for group/family play - Mario Party 8 - was a total flop. Too long b
If your wife is a party pooper, tell her to fuck off eh ? Replace her with a game-positive friend. You have the rest of your life to be annoyed by her, a few hours apart won't kill you.
And if your Wii isn't getting enough love, I'll say this: booze. 4-5 geeks half-tanked can have a riot with any party game, good or bad. Did you think all those pubs hosting Guitar Hero nights were completely insane ? There's a method to the madness.
Rock Band, anyone? I've had non-gamers (some of them musicians) pick that up.
If you've ever seen a so-called "casual" gamer get into a game you'll notice they really devote a LOT of attention to it and tend to deal even with the harshest challenges. What you need to make one of them play your game isn't low difficulty, it's a beginning that convinces them the game is worth their time and many "hardcore" games botch that badly with overly long intro cinematics followed by boring as hell tutorials which are necessitated by overly complex game design. Complex here doesn't mean deep, many games that use the whole controller are just "shoot anything that moves", it's that they have a crapload of minor functions thrown in there that you'll rarely need but still have to memorize and camera views geared for "immersion" rather than understanding WTF is going on.
You could probably implement a modern FPS with Contra's gameplay without really sacrificing the fun. Contra was something recently made gamers enjoyed on the NES. It didn't waste your time, it was about action and offered the joy of playing cooperatively. And if it's too hard, up up down down left right left right B A.
But Super Mario Bros doesn't bridge the gap between lapsed gamers (who are actually a part of the Wii's target audience) and dualshock controllers, SMB uses two buttons (one of which is optional for most of the game) and a dpad. Maybe that's a bit more difficult than an Atari joystick but it's not even remotely close to a dualshock.
Yes! Someone else who understands that you can be a hardcore casual gamer (24/7 Wii) and a casual hardcore gamer (the occasional level on the 360)!
I'm a bit weird in this regard. I love the Wii for the 'pick up and go' simplicity and fun with friends, and I also love PC gaming because there are hundreds of buttons to do exactly what I want, but I can't stand most 'hardcore' console games - especially wrestling ones - because I don't see why the combination for "kick this guy in the head" has to be up, down,
That's what always got me about Street Fighter games, and their ilk. This type of game is the only type of game a large subset of my friends will ever play, and despite 26 years of trying, I still have no idea why I need 7000000 button presses to shoot a damn fireball. In a match of Bushido Blade I will kill them every time, since it makes so much sense. 3 stances, 2 attack buttons, one block button, instant kills, most of which makes sense since it is more a Bushido simulator than an actual fighting gam
That may just be me but wouldn't Bushido Blade work better on the Wii? Yes it wouldn't be exactly the same game as before but I think a game where individual strikes are important fits direct Wiimote control much better than the regular "50 stabs to kill a guy" fighting and brawler games the system gets where you have to waggle so fast because each individual attack is unimportant, in a game where one attack matters you can do much more with manual attacks where things like accuracy matter as well (if you h
Casual gamers will generally see hardcore games as needlessly complicated. Hardcore gamers will generally see casual games as overly simple and thus boring. And thus, a divide was born.
Let me give a possible alternative explanation for these terms and the divide from a I-have-no-idea-what-type-of-gamer-I-am sort of a guy.
I think marketing types are to blame for all the overuse of stereotypes and general innovation killing in gaming-land of today.
It's possible that some time ago the people for whose job it is to increase profits probably decided that they were only selling their company's games to boys. Hence they could more than double their profits if they sold equally to girls, and then
I think you're more of a retro gamer.
IMO the hardcore/casual divide was created because the game industry's marketing people are fucking retards. You know how in software engineering it's important to talk to the customer (but figure out what he needs instead of what he says he needs)? These guys apparently never heard of that, either they ignore the customer completely and treat him as a black box with the only input being games and the only output money or they listen to what he says he wants (focus group
Eh, I don't know about that.
I'm a casual gamer. I haven't owned a platform since the NES. My favorite games were Zelda, SMB3, Marble Madness, and Jackal (a top-down scroller, but with jeeps instead of planes and "mission objectives"). I didn't really get into most games.
The last game I bought was Fallout 3, but before that I think it was Max Payne II (which I regret spending money on), Max Payne, and Deus Ex before that. I split the cost of Warcraft 3 with my brother, as well as Half-Life 2. The list of gam
You're still what the industry labels a hardcore gamer.
I'm not sure what casual means. I think the different types of player are:
- Social, the ones who come not for the game per se, but for the community and companionship
- Recreational, the ones who come for a quick, easy, romp in fantasy-land
- Hard-core, the ones who want to beat the game or their fellow players, and who will invest time in understanding and mastering its mechanics.
I think the problem with casual, is that it tries to cover social and recreational, and ends up meaning... idiot... which alienates the hard-cores.
WoW is kinda covering all bases, with guilds, lots of solo and easy ("normal") content, and heroic raids + pvp rankings for the hardcores. I think their issue at the moment is that
- lowering the "maintenance" effort (grinding, farming) for the players to make the game more accessible to casuals is making the game boring for hard cores: there is not much to do outside of raiding, and raids are very easy and short these days. Achievements farming only does so much, especially since not much skill is required, just time.
- having hard-core content that is not very different from the casual one (you're no longer killing a very exclusive boss, only the same as everyone, but in hard mode) is kinda a let-down
On the other hand, I've tried EVE, and found the game not very accessible (I had trouble understanding how to complete a few very early quest), and quite overwhelming for the new player.
Some people seem to have lost their sense of reality!
Peach is a prude who never wears anything more risqué than that dress of hers. Do you really think she'd let her love interest soil her royal name by fornicating with some slut? Lets not forget, in her latest game she got her hands on an extreme omnivore umbrella that can eat like say... Mario sized to increase her power.
I think Mario would take issue with that since Ron's known as The Hedgehog.
Some might argue he already has [imdb.com].
I prefer an input system that is a bit more precise and accurate than the Wii
What input system might that be, while still allowing two to four players to share one living room monitor?
"The free-for-all mode has kind of a similar feel to something like Mario Kart where you just happen to have four people over and you want to sit down and play a quick match in your favorite level"
Four people over plus I also want to play...that means five controllers, right? Thought Nintendo only supported four...
Perhaps they meant "have three people over".
The Wii supports 4 Wiimotes, as well as 4 Gamecube controllers. You can connect the GC controllers simultaneously with the Wiimotes, and there are a handful of games out there that can take input from both at the same time and theoretically support up to 8 player multiplay. The DDR games jump to mind immediately, though in their case, the DDR mat connects to the GC port, and one player does input through both the DDR mat *and* the Wiimote simultaneously, so it's only a 4-player game.
It's all bluetooth, so technically you could have more than 4 wiimotes at once. They don't do that because most people wouldn't be able to figure out what controller they were using if you used the 4 LEDs on it to count in binary...
I think I found video of the coin battle mode
http://www.hulu.com/watch/57938/saturday-night-live-wii-guys [hulu.com]
"Conversion, fastidious Goddess, loves blood better than brick, and feasts most subtly on the human will." -- Virginia Woolf, "Mrs. Dalloway"