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EU-INTERPOL symposium provides forum for enhanced international police co-operation against transnational crime in West Africa
INTERPOL Chief warns of international implication of 'full-scale assault' on the region by transnational drug-traffick
BRUSSELS, Belgium – The need for integrated international policing to address the wider global implications of transnational crime affecting Africa, particularly drugs trafficking, was the focus of a joint European Union-INTERPOL symposium held under the aegis of Belgium's EU presidency.
Bringing together some 180 senior law enforcement and justice officials from the EU, INTERPOL, WAPCCO (West African Police Chiefs Committee), the United Nations, Europol and the World Customs Organization, Thursday's symposium addressed the challenges of widespread transnational and cross-border crime in West Africa, including terrorism, as well as drugs, weapons and human trafficking. It will recommend proposals for enhancing international police co-operation on crime in West Africa to the EU Standing Committee on Internal Security (COSI) meeting in November.
Speaking at the symposium, Belgian Minister for Interior Affairs Annemie Turtelboom said: "The EU must improve the co-ordination and co-operation with its member states by using all possible means under the Lisbon Treaty. This is important to avoid duplication of efforts and to improve co-ordination with the African authorities in the fight against organized crime in West Africa."
In her speech, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström emphasized the need for a global approach to security: "Our internal security in Europe is closely linked to the external security of the Union. Flows of drugs, weapons and stolen goods not only cause misery for West African citizens, they also have an impact on the streets of Europe," said Cecilia Malmström.
INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said that with globalization facilitating transnational crime and the ability of criminals to travel more freely, 'instability and transnational crime in West Africa have implications for countries far beyond Africa's borders'.
"Countries around the world have come to recognize the global dimensions of their local and regional security problems and realize the need to work with other countries and partners to tackle these challenges."
With as much as a quarter of the cocaine consumed in Europe transiting through West Africa from South America, Mr Noble warned that "what once seemed like a trickle has turned into a full-scale assault on countries in the region by transnational drug-trafficking networks."
Mr Noble said that instability created by drug traffickers undid any progress made in the region, undermining efforts to foster sustainable peace, stability and prosperity, with implications for Europe and the international community.
In this respect, on the sidelines of the meeting the INTERPOL Chief highlighted as a step forward INTERPOL's West African Coast Initiative in support of the Regional Plan of Action on illicit drug trafficking and organized crime of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). In partnership with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the UN Department of Political Affairs' Office for West Africa, ECOWAS and national authorities in the four pilot countries – Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Sierra Leone – Mr Noble said that the Initiative was 'the essence of integrated policing' in leveraging individual strengths and expertise to achieve the greatest impact 'by placing INTERPOL's global tools directly into the hands of officers who need them most'.
Belgian Federal Police Chief and EU COSI President Fernand Koekelberg said: "INTERPOL's decision to organize this symposium under the Belgian Presidency of the European Union puts the spotlight on West Africa, which has today become a priority region for Belgium and, more generally, for the European Union. The problems of crime originating in or transiting through the region require us to join forces at European Union level in our support for the region against organized crime, so that we can co-ordinate and prepare together specific actions based on co-operation. This symposium is a first decisive step in this common approach."
The first component of the West African Coast Initiative will see the creation of elite Transnational Crime Units in each pilot country. These units will bring together police, customs, and immigration officers, prosecutors and INTERPOL National Central Bureaus, and will also entail training in criminal investigation and analysis, enhancement of technical infrastructures, including expanded access to INTERPOL's I-24/7 communications network and global police databases to international airports and other border points in the four countries.


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NEW YORK—During most every late September of his adult life, for 11 out of 12 dreary autumns, he'd try hard to keep his thoughts from drifting.
It's not that Ichiro Suzuki would start going through the motions, for he'd rather slice off his left arm than dishonor the sport, but as his season on these shores closed again with a whimper, he'd catch himself wondering what life was like on the other side.
Video: Ichiro comebacker turns into single as ball lodges in pitcher's uniform
Then came the stunning trade from the Seattle Mariners to the New York Yankees, landing Ichiro smack in the middle of a world that really has to be experienced to be believed. Why, just on this day alone there is Derek Jeter at one edge of the looking glass, having to clarify that he really does hope to remain in the Bronx for his entire career.
There's a reason Jeter has learned to give the most boring interviews in the universe, because even when he says something obvious—"Well, if I wanted to keep playing, yes. It's a business. People forget that," Jeter had told ESPN, in response to a question about whether he could envision a time when he'd switch teams, like Peyton Manning did in football—the fallout is twisted into screaming front page headlines and raging hysteria.
It's all so very meta.
On another, sharper edge there stands Robinson Cano, fuming that he's been forced to defend himself against scurrilous accusations lobbed by a television reporter out of North Carolina. Without proof or an ounce of facts, the reporter on Thursday tweeted that at 1 p.m., MLB would announce that Cano had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, When no such thing happened, the reporter cowardly went underground.
The brain starts to itch.
"That's what makes the Yankees so special and fun," Ichiro, referring to the bigger picture and not the controversial specifics, said through a translator. "There is always something interesting happening. It's like a playoff atmosphere without it being a playoff game."
Though his English is often flawless, as his All-Star teammates always attest, Ichiro, like many Japanese players, doesn't want to offend by making even the smallest grammatical mistake. No matter, because the smile that's nearly as wide as his shoulders is universally self-evident.
For ages it seemed he'd be forever linked to just one team, like Jeter in pinstripes, like Manning in Indianapolis. Now even as Ichiro attempts to blend into this crazy cauldron, he can't help but stand out. It's his rainbow socks and those high stocking baseball pants, the way he is constantly stretching and twisting his body into poses that seem almost impossible, as if he's hooked to an invisible Pilates contraption. He's slightly funky, often quirky, and when he comes to the plate he makes it impossible to look away.
Upon bringing him aboard on July 23, just around the time the Yankees' 10-game lead in the American League East began to evaporate, the team wasn't sure where he'd exactly fit. They hoped he wouldn't be rankled by batting toward the bottom of the order (he wasn't) and crossed their fingers he had some gas left in his 38-year-old tank.
Initially, as he warmed to the Stadium's peculiarities, it looked as if Ichiro were trying to flick hits and find a respectful place in a clubhouse of superstars. September began with him starting in eight of the 15 games in which he appeared, and now it's rounding into a month in which Joe Girardi simply can't afford to have him sit.
Months from now, perhaps as New York readies for another parade down the Canyon of Heroes, will we point to this week as the moment when it all crystallized? With the Baltimore Orioles huffing at the Yankees' shins, Ichiro had one of those series that makes Yankee haters want to toss a mug at their TVs.
In a desperate three-game sweep of the Blue Jays, Ichiro went 9-for-12 with a home run, three doubles, four RBI, four steals and four runs scored. He added two more hits Friday in a 2-1, 10-inning Yankees victory over Oakland. Seven of those hits came against four lefthanders; he's batting .362 against lefties, .and 327 overall since joining New York.
During Wednesday's doubleheader he had the game-winning hit and a game-saving catch with the bases full, two outs and the Yankees clinging to a skinny one-run lead. Squinting into the dying sun, Ichiro gracefully dove to grab a sinking line drive, halting all those whispers about him having lost a step.
The next day, when bodies seemed to still be dragging, it was Ichiro's home run that boosted the Yankees' comeback, then his bases-loaded double to right that drew the lead. He had stolen four bases the night before, for 25 on the season, but after playing 27 innings in 34 hours he turned to reporters, grinned wide and admitted to being sad that the fun had ended.
"You can ask me why now, why I'm feeling like I do, but I don't have a reason," he said Friday. "The game has taught me to never wonder why things happen. I try to just appreciate it when it does."
Where once he was projected to platoon with Andruw Jones, Ichiro will instead be a heavy fixture down the stretch. Girardi might rest him a day or two across these next two heated weeks, as the pennant race careens toward nirvana, but don't expect Girardi to channel his inner party guy no matter how much Ichiro continues to titillate.
But wouldn't it be something if Girardi's binder whispered to him to fiddle with his lineup and maybe bat Ichiro first and Jeter second consistently? Jeter, in the midst of a remarkable season at age 38, leads the majors with 203 hits. The move would defy all that we think we know about Yankee baseball, two pesky geezers at the top of the order creating chaos unusual for the big bopping club. Ichiro, alas, won't even bother to entertain such a mad hatter idea.
"I'm very happy with how everything is right now," he said.
Come the offseason, Ichiro will be a tantalizing free agent. The Hall of Fame waits, a second act in Japan beckons, but he's not averse to a few more surprises. Never forget, there were an awful lot of baseball geniuses who reckoned he was too frail to survive long in the major leagues, that he'd never consistently endure grueling 162-game seasons.
"The future? I look forward to what it brings," is all he will say. He's not inclined to dwell much on the past either, doesn't want the present to be complicated by idle talk of his lone spin through the playoffs way back in 2001. That's when he batted .600 in the ALDS against the Cleveland Indians, before running into the Yankee juggernaut.
A September pennant race in New York "is pretty cool," he will admit that. October is even better, he's told, but he only nods. Someone mentions Ray Bourque, the magnificent hockey player who had to leave his beloved Boston Bruins to finally win a Stanley Cup. He did so in his last NHL game, with the Colorado Avalanche. Ichiro nods again, smoothly refusing to engage in this tricky conversation.
Two days before the World Series is set to begin, Ichiro will turn 39. He looks good in pinstripes, a vision that seemed impossible just a few months back. On this side of the looking glass, you just never know what lunacy lies ahead, do you?

subset: commoncrawl


text: My question for this thread has to do with the "tale of the 2 captain Picards." You have TV captain Picard that we all know and love on The Next Generation TV series, and then there's the movie captain Picard that some seem to love or dislike. I've read and watched (Red Letter Media's Star Trek movie reviews) a lot of criticism about how different Picard is in the TNG movies. My question is this....doesn't Picard need to be bigger than life in those movies. It seems to me, and correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that TV Picard just wouldn't draw the same appeal as action Picard. Am I wrong? I mean I could point out that Insurrection is an example of TV Picard not working out on the big screen despite the inconsistency of Picard in Insurrection vs Picard in TNG TV episode of Journey's End. Also, we had an action packed movie Picard in Nemesis that obviously did very little ratings wise for that movie. But all in all, didn't we need Picard to somewhat action packed and as I stated earlier, larger than life in the TNG movies? I do agree that the movies didn't need to necessarily be centered and focused on him seemingly at all times. What do you think?


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* Prices may differ from that shown
My husband and I both grew up with the likes of scrabble, good old fashioned board games, that we never grew bored of!
In this day of technology and everything containing at least 4 aa batteries, we wanted to ensure our children were engaged in family time, that didnt involve the tv, or expensive theme parks. So last year we purchased a variety of classic board games, and scrabble was among them.
I am sure evryone knows the concept of the game, you make words with your little tiles, by joining them in a wordsearch type fashion, and earn points for each letter used, the more complex the word, the higher the score. There are also spaces on the board, which wwhen covered, allow that player to double or even triple letter or whole word scores.
You need only two players, and we play often just us two adults (with a dictionary between us to ensure no arguments or cheating!). But we also play this wonderful, simple game with our children, the youngest being only 6 (age recommendation 8+) Yes, her words are mainly 3 or 4 letters, but she hits the occasional 5 or 6, and with a lot of luck and triple word scores, actually managed to beat us all one time! It helps with her spelling (and her older sisters) and has also ensured she maintains a very healthy interest in her spelling, and the English language. We do however, allow her a handicap of being able to discard and exchange up to 3 tiles throughout the game. She quickly got wise to this and uses it to her advantage, and her favourites to discard are Q and K!
A game with four of us often lasts 40-60 minutes, and I am very proud to say that both my children are happy to sit and focus on the task at hand for that length of time. When we play just as adults, a game can often last in excess of 90 minutes!
Basically, you take turns to spell out a word from the seven tiles you have on your "pod" (a green stand type, which displays your tiles upright, and out of view from opponents. The idea is to create the highest scoring word from the letters you have available. Each word must be connected to one already on the board, therefore giving you the option of many other letters to help you complete your word. Another favourite "tip" that both the girls soon caught onto is adding "ing" or "ed" to appropriate words already on the board, for example "fly" becomes "flying", greatly increasing your score by using limited letters. It is important to also try and aim to have your word pass over a "special" tile, these are spaces which allow you to double or triple, letter, or whole word scores.
You then pick new tiles from the bag (blindly) to replace those used, this continues until all tiles are gone, and all players have used all they possibly can from their existing selection.
You then tally up the scores (a pad and pencils are provided for the purpose of keeping score for each player) and highest score wins!
We love scrabble, we play it almost every Sunday evening as a family, and probably once or twice a month as a pair. It has kept us all off our laptops / dvds / video games, for many many hours, and I believe it has helped ensure both our children are performing well above their targets for English! How many other "toys" can do that?
In short, for half the price of a typical video game, this classic board game will provide more fun, and educational value for the whole family, and will almost certainly last a life time, not a few days!
If there is any family left that doesn't yet own Scrabble - stop reading about it, and buy it!
I've always been an avid Scrabble player, and have took part in a couple of tournaments in school and college. I've found that the game is an excellent combination of word-knowledge, strategy, insight, and luck (it's exciting to see how each game presents its own challenges)!
Play is fairly simple in practice. You have two or more players taking turns forming words crossword-style on a 15 x 15 board, using a rack of seven letter tiles. Each letter is worth a fixed number of points, to some extent related to ease of use of the letter - for example, common letters like 'E' or 'T' are worth one point while rarer ones like 'J' or 'X' are 8, and 'Q' and 'Z' are worth 10 (personally I think the four-point 'V' is far more troublesome to deal with, however). In addition to these letter tiles there are two blanks which can be replaced by any letter of the player's choice - useful for making seven-letter words or plopping down one of those high-value letters in just the right place.
You are allowed to play only one 'new' word per turn, but can build off existing tiles on the boards to make multiple words - "parallel plays". Each word that you make is scored - so you can make 2 or more (up to eight, in fact) words in one turn, and get credit for all of them. For example, if the word EAT is on the board, I can stick a P in front of it and play another word perpendicular to it - the P will count twice. Perhaps more sneakily, I could play a word like PLANK directly above it, forming several two-letter words: PE (a Hebrew letter), LA and AT.
To mix things up further, the board has 'premium squares' which double or triple the value of a letter or word that is placed on that square. This can lead to small words scoring large numbers of points and adds significantly to the strategic complexity of the game - with regard to opening and closing possible lines of usage for these special squares. In particular, a well-played ZO or QI in 2 directions with the high-value tile on a triple-letter score will immediately score 62 points.
A 50-point bonus is awarded for using all seven of the tiles on one's rack in a single turn. At first, this may appear daunting; however, the job can be made significantly easier once one considers the leftover tiles and tries to keep letters that are conducive to making seven- or eight-letter words (the letters in RETAINS, plus possibly D, G or O come to mind). It often pays to sacrifice short-term point gains to keep a balanced rack!
There are many editions of the game out there (iOS, PC, Facebook, etc.) but when it comes to playing with friends (which is when I play most of my Scrabble anyway) I find that the physical board and tiles are best.
It's a fun game for me, and would easily be adaptable to gaming with friends or in the family (I usually play with a handicap of 50 or 100-points). I'd highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys word games, or even perhaps just puzzle games in general.
As i'm sure you're already aware of how the board game works (thanks to the description) I'm going to review the game play and practicality of the game Scrabble. Myself and my friend are absolutely addicted to this game and play it almost every day.
Pros :
-You only need 2 players (great for if like me, you only have one friend haha - i kid i actually have two ;) )
-Highly addicting
-Great fun
-Learn words you never knew existed ('Ubiquitous' is a new favorite of mine)
-Only enough tile holders, tiles and space on the board for up to 4 players (not so practical if playing with large groups of friends).
-Adding up the points! This can get a bit boring and may cause arguments if the person doing the scores adds any up incorrectly
-Losing letters! The letters seem to get lost quite easily (Usually not the annoying ones such as V as i always end up with those ones).
-The game is quite bulky to store, I know a lot of other reviews have said it is quite practical to store but a smaller box/less packaging wouldn't go amiss.
-"Is that even a word?" - again this can cause arguments between friends but can also cause great laughs. One of my most memorable games of Scrabble was the time when me and a best friend were discussing whether the plural of roof was roofs or rooves (it's roofs by the way and i was correct).
Price-wise it is usually around the average price of a board game but if you look around some of the supermarkets/chain stores do occasional have offers on. I would recommend this game for people aged around 11+ , there is also a junior scrabble that is perhaps more suited to younger players.
Scrabble is a wordgame with its focus on forming the largest or most unusual words you can think of. It is for 2-4 players and is quite possibly one of the most timeless of board games except for perhaps a certain propery management game...
The game focuses on laying words on a board to gain points, the longer the word, the more points you attain. You also get more points for more unusual letters like Q, X and Z etc...
Whilst a word like 'Quartz' would score very highly indeed, there's no reason why a... not so great word couldn't score highly as occasionally (depending on the tile you place your word) you will find 'modifiers' to the score which can;
Double the word score
Double the letter score
These benefits really start to make the game interesting and even get some players attempting to employ some strategy into the game so they can attain the mosty beneficial tiles (sneaky sneaky people)
Although the game is a delight to play, we often find ourselves reverting to a quicker game as the games do tend to stretch out for quite a while, especially when you have 4 people trawling through dictionaries and computers arguing the rights of certain words.
As stated, play can extend further than you had planned. Typical play can last between 1-2 hours but can go on even longer depending on the type of players you have. If they are new to the game or children you will have to allow more time to let them familiarise themselves with the rules aswell just 'learning' the game and how to really gain the most points.
If you are still looking for a word game to play but perhaps don't have enough time to invest in scrabble, some popular alternatives are Boggle, Upwords, Countdown and scattagories.
Aside from the time investment, the game does have its advantages and is an excellent learning to tool, especially for children who just seem to attain and retain information easily.
As a game, I'd personally recommend it for older couples, parents with children and anyone who has an interest in wordgames in general.
Scrabble - a good old-fashioned word game that still appeals across the generations. In our family we like to make some of our own rules up. We don't like the Official Scrabble Word Dictionary. How is 'Ba', for example, acceptable and what does it mean? We have a copy but it hardly ever sees the light of day. We allow the use of the English dictionary if the word looked up is shared with the other playes and the meaning read out so that we all learn from it.
Rules in 2010 have declared proper nouns are allowed - absolutely not allowed in our family. It's unbelievable that I can place down my tiles and make the name, 'John'. No, we are not going to go that far into modern play. It's sacrilege!
From the educational perspective this is great for counting and spelling. Each player places seven tiles on their rack and in turn lay down tiles to make words that produce the highest possible score. Someone must keep score which involves adding and if players have tiles left over at the end of their game their tile numbers must be subtracted from their total and given over to the person who managed to use up their final letters. In our family we take it in turns to score so no person, none of us are keen on maths, is left having to keep score every time we play a new game and we play a lot of games! Despite a lifetime of practice none of us qualify, as yet, for the world champions.
Despite all the adrenalin pumping computer games, Scrabble is as ever popular throughout the world and looks like it will continue to have a strong future. Scrabble can be exciting and challenging and adrenaline pumping. My grandmother experienced hot flushes every time she played because she got so competitive!
If you don't want to delight in the vocabulary of the English language then how about in Welsh, French, or with Chinese symbols - the list goes on and on. But unless you happen to be a doctor, do not play against them, or lawyers for that matter. I made that mistake by playing two doctors. Now I know they did seven years of a medical degree and some but it is a very unfair advantage. I normally win every single game so it was like being thrashed alive to play against doctors with an internal dictionary of medical terminology which I had never heard of before. I found myself moaning that it was not fair and my poor grandmother, who took Scrabble extremely seriously, felt the need to find a reason to leave the game altogether and go and deadhead the roses (rather violently, I thought). I will never ever play Scrabble with doctors again and nor should you unless you are one. It's a humiliating experience.
So be warned this can be an emotional game. When I play against my mum I often manage to put down a seven letter word which is not an easy thing to do and I'm sure a great deal of luck over the letters that emerge on the rack are involved. Mum will slap her thigh, or the table, and declare, 'I don't believe it. How do you do that?' Her face gets quite red an she huffs and she puffs and she does everything she can to block the triple words, double words and double letter scores, on the board, from me. Speaking of Mum's I think it's a very healthy way for them to exercise their brains!
Why would you not buy the wonderful game of Scrabble?
I have always been a huge fan of board games, I remember when I was younger I would stay round my Grandparents house and they would play scrabble with me. Its a game that I have played all my life and never have got tired of playing it. Scrabble gets your brain going and is basically a word game. You pick up letters on tiles and then have to spell words on the board. You then recieve points for certain parts of the word. Each letter has a different amount of points that it will give you, letter such as vowels will give you less points because they are easier to use, letters such as "z" are hader to use so you get more points. There are also different parts of the board which can give you double word scores, double letter scores and also triples. Scrabble is not hard to get the hang of and after a while you can become a pro! You don't only have to think of words to use, but also have to think about where to place it to get the most points. I have found that scrabble helps me to think of longer words and gets me concentrated.
My old scrabble board was getting a bit tatty,so recently I bought myself a brand new one. I purchased the original scrabble from Argos and paid only £15. I think this is a good price considering how expesnive other board games are these days. I prchased the cheaper version, you can buy a luxury scrabble version and this comes with a roatating base and is wooden. This however was way out of my price range and the orginal cheap version is perdect for me. YOu can get this cheaper if you look around in toy shop sales. I have seen it as low as £9. Also have a look online as online stores may have it cheaper. I believe the £15 I paid was well worth it and I would pay that again.
This game is great for any age. Kids will have a lot of fun trying to make words and score high points. My grandparents love playing this game and they say it keeps there brains working. Its a family game and perfect for family get togethers such as christmas period and birthdays. Up to 4 people can play so it is the perfect game for a family of 4. The younger kids sometimes prefer to help then play by themselves so you can get lots of people joining in. A word game may not sound fun on paper, but believe me this is one of the most entertaining games you can play. Its great for education and fun alike. I would recommend that you invest in the game and get the whole family playing scrabble!
Scrabble will be recieving a huge 5 star rating from me. I can think of no better board game (monolpoly comes close) its such a classic and never gets me board. I could play this for hours. Its not the most competetive game in the world which means we can avoid arguments between siblings and parents! Wel worth the money. Thanks for reading my review, I hope it helped you out.
Josh - jlaker1992
Good old scrabble! Toys come and toys go, various new fads appear then disappear every Christmas but one thing is for sure. When the family settle down later on during Christmas day, the chances are that two things will remain, year after year. Number one is lego and number two is of course that old family favourite, Scrabble.
It's almost a tradition in our household (and no doubt many others) that I try to beat my mother in law (who is an ex teacher) at scrabble every year and up and down the country, similar challenges will be taking place. No matter your age or ability, scrabble truly is a fun game for all the family and my eight year old daughter is now old enough to hold her own as well.
This humble little word game takes on a life of its own as you frantically find yourself trying to fit in the word "quiz" in a triple word score as you know that this will effectively win you the game. The palpable sense of disappoint you feel when someone "blocks" a high scoring word that, "I was going to put there!" is plain for all to see, as is the sense of satisfaction in that game changing 70 pointer that has taken you ages to set up!
All in all, scrabble has stood the test of time admirably and will no doubt remain as popular as ever so if by some miracle you don't have scrabble in your board game collection, get it now!
I love playing scrabble and it is definitely up there in my top 5 board games. The reason why I enjoy playing it so much is because it is really competitive and although there is some degree of luck involved, (you could fall lucky and get a brilliant set of seven letters or you could end with a whole row of vowels!) the game mainly revolves around skill. I find that those people that read a lot or write are much better than those that just watch television or play video games. My brother in law and my dad are useless at scrabble and end up hampering the flow of the game by only using two, three letter words or doing the really annoying thing and just sticking an S on the end of a word that I created! Scrabble is a great game for kids to play as it is fun and although being a walking dictionary does help, if you fall lucky and get a word as simple as 'ZOO' on a triple word score you are walking away with a very nice 36 points for one word!
My scrabble set is around 20 years old and came with a dictionary with a number of words in. Unfortunately as the English Language has progressed many new words are now allowed into the play of scrabble so I often use an online scrabble dictionary in conjunction with this paper copy. An example of this is 'Qi.' This word has changed the dynamics of scrabble as no longer do you need a U to play your awkward 10 pointer Q. A Q used to send a wave of dread over the receiver as you could guarantee that it would be sat on the tile holder for the rest of the game; now I welcome the Q as putting it together with an I which are ten a penny and again hitting a lovely triple word score with reward you with a victorious amount of 33 points.
==Scrabble letter values==
There are 102 tiles in the game that go in a green velvet bag and on first starting the game you get to select 7 tiles, after you make a word and lose some of the seven you can then blindly go in the bag and pick more tiles to make your rack back up to 7.
The values and amount of the tiles:
There are 2 blank tiles scoring 0 points but you can use these to represent any letter at all, this gives a great advantage in creating some great words.
These are very common letters and are worth 1 point, as you can see there are more vowels than anything else and 4 lovely Ss which can really make some high point scores:
Worth 1 point we have: E ×12, A ×9, I×9, O ×8, N×6, R ×6, T×6, L ×4, S×4, U ×4
2 points: D ×4, G ×3
3 points: B ×2, C ×2, M×2, P ×2
4 points: F ×2, H ×2, V×2, W ×2, Y×2
5 points: K ×1 (This is an odd one for me and I would have given K the value of 8 as it is really hard to get in a word.
8 points: J ×1, X ×1
finally, 10 points: Q ×1, Z ×1
The board game is a series of squares for you to lay your tiles on. In the middle is a star and the first person needs to lay their word on this square to start the game. Located around the board and various bonus squares such as 'triple word, triple letter, double word, double letter. If you use one of these squares you can claim the bonus points. The winner is the person with the most points when they have exhausted all the letters. You can play with 2 - 4 players.
==Price and availability==
This is a really fun game and involves a lot of thinking but it is really rewarding. You can buy this copy of the game for around £15.00 from most good toy shops. The set is good quality with a firm cardboard lacquered board and lovely white plastic tiles. The set also comes with four racks to hold the letters on.
I think everyone has probably played Scrabble at some point in their life. When we were away last week there was not a lot to do one evening so we decided to have a game of Scrabble as there was a game in the cottage we were staying in.
==A brief history==
Scrabble was introduced in 1938 in America, its original name was Criss-Crosswords. It was invented by a man called Alfred Mosher Butts who made Scrabble after making variations to a game he had already produced called Lexiko. In 1948, the rights to the game were bought by James Brunot who made slight changes to the game and renamed it Scrabble which translates to 'scratch frantically'.
==What's in the box?==
In the box is a board to play on, marked with squares to place the tiles and also some additional marking information eg.double word score. There are lettered tiles in the box and also four tile stands which are to be used to hold the tiles during gameplay.
==How do you play?==
Firstly it must be decided who is going to go first, in our family I always try the youngest first idea because I am the youngest! However, an alternative way is to each pick one letter at random and then play in alphabetical order.
Players need seven tiles on their stands at all times. They then must use these tiles to make a word on the board. Going first is easy as you simply form a word across the middle of the board, however after this first turn is over players must form their words so that they are attatched to the words already on the board. For example, if the first player put down the word door, the second player could use one of the O's to go down and form the word book. Players cannot start a new word elsewhere on the board without attaching it to already formed words on the board. If a player cannot make a word then they have the opportunity to pass. You can also add onto words that are already on the board for example adding onto door to make doorway. If this is done then you score the points for the entire word, not just the bit you added. Each letter has a score which is added to the players running total throughout the game. There are also two blank tiles provided which can be used as any letter though they will not score the player the same points as the actual letter would, however the rest of the word still scores points.
There seems to be a lot of disagreement concerning how the game finishes. Some people say as soon as someone has finished all their tiles and there are no more to take from the bag then the game is over, others allow all players to finish as much as they can and then total up scores.
==What words can be used?==
I imagine that Scrabble has played a part in many family bust ups over the years. There is a lot of varied opinions about what is allowed and what isn't but in order to avoid any conflict during gameplay it is useful to keep a dictionary handy. My Nan even had a specialised Scrabble dictionary which she always used to catch me out with when I was a child!
==What formats is the game available in?==
Of course, the game is available as the good old fashioned board game, this retails for £13.89 at the moment on Amazon which I think is a really good price for a classic board game. Board games are notoriously expensive and this seems reasonable.
In addition to this there are various other variations of the game including Junior Scrabble, Travel Scrabble, Pink Scrabble, Deluxe Scrabble and Scrabble Trickster. You can also find themed sets including Disney's Cars 2, Wildlife and Toy Story in the Junior range.
You can get Scrabble for the computer but this is quite expensive and difficult to get hold of. My Nan wanted this a couple of years ago and I remember my Auntie spending hours trying to find a copy and in the end having to pay around £40 for it.
You can now play the game online which is good fun as you can play against others. Some sites are free but others do charge.
==Who can play?==
Just about anyone can play Scrabble. You can alter it to your families preferences for example if you wish you could give the game a theme eg. animals, names.
The game is designed for two to four players but you could form teams if there is a larger number of you.
==Is it worth playing?==
Scrabble is a classic board game and before playing it again last week I did genuinely think it was pretty boring. Granted, it is not the most thrilling of board games and it can be quite tedious and slow going however I did enjoy it the few times we played last week. I think that it can really bring the family together as if there are four of you playing you can easily spend an hour together and even if the TV is on in the background you tend to be so focussed on the game that you forget about that and just interact with the other players - something that we have found happens less and less within our family.
Scrabble has a simple format and is a good game if there are a variety of players as it is easily understood by most. Even if someone hasn't played it before then it is very easy to explain.
The game has a long longevity - it can never go out of date unless the English alphabet changes. The game itself is made from good materials - the tiles are of a solid plastic and the board is strong and longlasting. My Nan's version must be in excess of fifty years old but it is still going strong!
Overall, Scrabble is an enjoyable game once in a while. It is a good family game as it allows everyone to join in and it also gives your brain a chance to do some exercise too which is always a bonus. It is a traditional game which does not have any fancy gimmicks however it has stood the test of time. It is not my favourite board game and I doubt it ever will be however it is good fun to play now and again as it allows some great family time. The board game is very reasonably priced so it is certainly one to keep in the cupboard.
Forget the cut-throat world of financial management and property acquisition, and discard all thoughts of general knowledge marathons for six pieces of cheese - this is the game you should be breaking out on those rainy days and lazy afternoons.
As a product, the basic game is about as sturdy as they come. The tiles have a pleasing quality to them that avoids the tacky plastic feel they could have had, and those letters do a fantastic job of not wearing out despite being rattled to death in that drawstring bag. The tile holders do their job very well too, though peeking family members can't be helped. For a fold out board with a single sticker overlay, it's held up very well to the ravages of time - no peeling whatsoever, and the dreaded splitting of the board down the seam hasn't even threatened to materialise.
To describe the game itself would be to wear out a well-worn theme, but just know it's incredibly balanced and rewards all players equally. Also, for those who feel their vocabularies won't hold up to the challenge, a few goes make you realise it's not about what words you play, but where you play them. For a game usually held up as a bastion of word play, it's very much a cut throat strategy game underneath it all.
Also, for young ones it's a great learning tool. There are junior versions available, but trust your child to get the (very basic) rules and there's no reason not to start on the adult version straight away. There are even solitaire games to play, so if you don't feel like crushing your eight-year-old's dreams with a well placed CONQUEST then you can team up to take on the game.
The only niggles are classic ones that every board game suffers from. One player may have to become a skilled upside down reader, and while the tiles do a good job of not sliding, a careless bump could ruin a good game in progress. These are both problems the deluxe version solves massively with it's gridded overlay and rotating board holder, and it's a must-have if you feel flush.
I just have the basic, classic and best version of Scrabble. The game is an old family favourite and I'm certain everyone has heard of it already, just in case they haven't allow me to tell you about the game and why I love it so much.
==How to set up==
You get a board in the box which has grid squares all over it, each grid square is essentially one space on the board. Each player gets a tile holder and 7 tiles to start the game off. A mixture of vowels and consonants are on each tile and the aim of the game is to make a word with the letters you have. Each letter is worth a different number of points, common letters like A and E for example are worth 1, something like a J is worth 10, an X worth 8 and so on. Each time you play a word, you calculate your score based on what the tiles say and note the score down for each turn.
There is a twist of course. On the board, you will notice some grids have certain letters on them:
TL = Triple letter
DL = Double letter
TW = Triple Word
DW = Double word score.
They do exactly what they say on the tin and this is where the game can get interesting. When I was a kid, I will never forget, my 9 year old opponent wiped the floor with me and got the word JURASSIC on a triple word score. Damn Steven Spielberg for making the youth of today educated about dinosaurs! I gave up there and then, she blitzed me by getting 65 with that word alone. These high numbers are of course quite rare but it is best to use the special squares if at all possible.
There seems to be a history of cheating in Scrabble for some folk, this all comes down to what you define as being a word. Another Scrabble incident, my opponent used "Doh" against me. I challenged it saying that it was a slang word used by Homer Simpson, we got the trusty dictionary out (this is where you can take the game seriously or just let them cheat...cheats never prosper in my book) and turns out Doh is in the dictionary and is not cited to Mr Homer J Simpson. Classic cheating in my book.......the dictionary can be a devil or a friend!
==Whats good/bad?==
It takes a bit of skill to think of some words and this can results in delays. We sometimes put a time limit in place per 'turn' so that the game keeps momentum and doesn't get boring. This is quite a useful thing to do in my opinion. For my hard of hearing relatives, they can be included as it is generally a quiet game and not too raucous (depending on levels of cheating). If you get a loads of U's or X's, you are basically stuffed, based on that it comes down to how intelligent you are (Xi is a word in the dictionary for example) and this also limits who can play in terms of younger children.
This is a nice game for the family but introduce some rules to keep the interest going.
Scrabble has been around for as long as I can remember and I played it as a child at christmas and with friends and family, now I have a scrabble board in the cupboard to play with when ever we have a family get together or friends come round to stay as it's a great game that can get very competative.
You can buy a scrabble game from Argo's or toy shops for around £25 upwards depending on where you buy it from. You get a box with the board and tiles with letters on and an instruction rule booklet.
The board opens up and there is a star in the middle where the first player puts their first word, then you take it in turns to add to the board to try and make other words with your lettered tiles.
Each letter is worth points which are shown on the lettered ties, the person with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Some places on the board are worth triple and double points and you soon get the hang of trying to get your words on these places to ge the best score, it can get very competative if playing scrabble with a few people especially if your having a drink too.
You also get a tile holder and others can't see your letters, to begin with you get seven letters to try and make word with, if you can't take a turn at making a word then you have to pick up an extra letters from the pile to make up your tiles to seven on your holder again.
Scabble is quite fun and it's surprising how many words you come up with when you need to, as well as the fun you have when someone is trying to convince you that their word is genuine and not made up.
It is for ages from 12 years upwards but you can buy the junior version for younger players.
Whilst having a bit of a spring clean I came across some of my old board games, one of which was the old classic Scrabble. I used to love playing scrabble when I was younger and always played it around my Nan's so one year when I got it from Father Christmas I was very excited.
**What is Scrabble?**
Scrabble is a board game that revolves around the basis of the players creating words. Different letters are worth a set amount of points with the harder to use letters being worth more.
**What do you get in the box?**
In the box you will find the board that you use to set out the words on. The middle of the board has a star on and is where the first player has to set out their word. After the first word has been set the next players have to place their words around the words already on the table and connect them either horizontally or vertically.
I have had my game of scrabble for about 12 years and the board is still going strong so it is very durable.
You also get the letter tiles of which there are 100. The letter tiles show the main letter in the middle with the point's value in the bottom right corner. You also get a bag to put the letters in, this allows you to shake the letters up so that players can pick their tiles randomly.
Players will receive a tile holder in which they can place the tiles that they have picked. This is also useful so that your components cannot see what letters you have.
In order to keep track of scores you receive a score note pad. This is pretty basic and just has space for names and points totals. On the back of every sheet is a blank scrabble board which i'm guessing you can fill in as the game goes on but I don't really see the point to this. When your notepad runs out of pages it is just as easy to total the scores on a normal bit of paper but this is a nice touch.
You also get a copy of the instructions and rules of how to play the game. These are easy to understand and written clearly.
**Basic game play rules**
Each player has 7 tiles at a time to complete their word. For example, if they place 4 tiles down to complete their word they will then have to pick out another 4 tiles to make their number back up to 7.
When placing their word down players are not allowed to go horizontally across the board. Words can only be placed vertically or horizontally and join from an already existing word on the board.
If like me sometimes you just can't get a word anywhere due to having ridiculous letters a player can chose to change a letter and pick another one from random, this however takes up their turn.
**My Experience**
This is one of the easiest games to set up that I think I have played. It is literally just the case of unfolding the board and shaking up the letter bag and it's done.
I also like the fact that scrabble is a very easy game to understand, making it suitable for people of all ages. I think that it is a great game to play with children as it helps with the reading skills from finding words and also their mathematical skills from adding up the points.
Being an adult I still learn from this game as I am always finding out new words that I didn't know existed and the game also helps to keep your brain active.
Since playing scrabble from when I was a child my game play however has changed slightly. Rather than trying to find the biggest words like I used to I now go for a more forward thinking approach trying to find where I can get to the 'special' tile spaces. For those of you who don't know the special tile spaces offer the player to get double points on a letter, triple points, double word score or triple word score.
Throughout this review I feel that I have just described scrabble as being an educational and thinking game but I also find that it is a fun game to play that can pass a couple of hours easily. It's an easy game to get involved in and since the tiles are random you never know what is going to happen. By luck every one could get just the right tiles and you can have a fairly quick game but when you have the wrong tiles the game can go on for ages!
I love scrabble I think it is one of the board game greats and is an absolute classic. I recommend it for any body of any age, the full 5 stars form me.
--also on ciao--
I don't think I know anyone that hasn't played Scrabble at least once! It seems to be one of those games which has stood the test of time, and although new, supposedly improved, versions of the game come out every now and again, me and my family believe that the Original Scrabble is the best and it's certainly the one that we usually opt for out of the 5 or so versions of Scrabble we have in the house. The Mattel Scrabble Original can be bought very easily because it's available in toyshops, supermarkets, online - and even in my local newsagent. It usually costs between £10 - £15 depending on where you get it - but I note it can be bought on Amazon £11.99, which includes postage and packaging. For the amount of times I've played this game with my family, it really is very worth that kind of money because it lasts and it just doesn't get boring (we are geeks though!!!).
Scrabble can be played by up to about six players - and indeed the Mattel version does give you six racks. Theoretically more could play, but I think it would get boring because there would be too long a gap between turns. Ideally I think this game is best if you have 4 players because that seems to make it flow the best and makes it challenging but not too long and drawn out. The original version has one of the smallest boards in terms of the number of squares it has, being 15 squares by 15 squares - and so a total of 225 squares. The board comes folded over so it fits within the box and so it's family compact - although there are travel versions if you want something smaller. In the packet you also get a green material bag which has 100 plastic letter tiles within it. The only thing you need to provide is some paper to write the score on.
The idea of the game is to score points by creating words which interact with each other on the Scrabble board. Each tile has a letter written on it, and a corresponding number of points. The aim is to make a word using your Scrabble tiles and to put it on the board in a way that nets you the most points. All letters are not equal, and so letters that are easier to use, such as a, e, i, o, u are only worth 1 point, whereas J is worth 8 points and Q is worth 10 points. You start off with 7 tiles (which you pick from the bag without looking) and then every time you get rid of tiles by making a word then you top out your tiles to 7 again. On the board there are certain bonus squares which, if you use, will net you more points. So, for example, there are double letter, triple letter, double word, triple word etc. scores which can boost your points considerably. And if you manage to get rid of all of your 7 letters in one go then you get a bonus of 50!
Playing Scrabble is not only fun, but also educational, because it improves spelling and also helps you to learn the meaning for new words. If a person puts down a word that you don't recognise or that you don't think is spelled correctly then you can challenge it - and this is a good way of learning. The word that I recently challenged that I didn't think was a word was "Qi". Incidently, you can buy a Scrabble dictionary, but a normal dictionary does just as well - and more often than not we just use dictionary.com.
Overall, I think Scrabble is a great game, which is why it's stayed around so long. And, in my opinion, the Mattel Original version is the simplest and also the best.
Every one every where must have heard about, played, or, like me, owned a certain word game called Scrabble, considering that the game of scrabble has been around since the early 1930's, although way back then it wasn't played on a board.
Firstly, a bit of history about the game, which I found about on line...
Scrabble was first thought of back in the early 1930's by a Mr Butts, (apparently), who played with himself for nearly 20 years,(stop it....!!!) before deciding to manufacture the game for the general population to enjoy. To this date Scrabble is one of, if not the most popular word game ever, with competitions and even world tournaments being held to find out who is the champion of Scrabble.
Anyway that's the history lesson over with, now for the game itself, and a brief description of it for those people who have never heard of the game of scrabble, let alone how to play the game.
The game itself, these days, consists of 100 tiles, plastic, although some older sets are wooden tiles, four tile holders, or racks, a green cloth bag, a score sheet pad and a playing board.
The tiles themselves aren't the size of your average bathroom tiles, they're only around a centimetre squared.
Each of the tiles has a different letter of the alphabet on it, with each letter having a number value. Such as the five vowels and the more popular letter, such as S, T, N, R and other are worth 1 point whilst the least popular letters, such as Q and Z are worth a massive 10 points, with point values in between, J and X being 8 points, K being 5 points, F, H, and other being 4 points and so on, (the points are printed on the tiles).
There are also two blank tiles which can be used for any letters although these tiles have no value at all, but they do come in handy to finish off, or even to join onto, a word.
Then there's the board itself, which is 15 squares by 15 squares, and has different point values on it, such as double word score, being a pink colour, triple word score being a red colour, double letter score being a light blue colour and triple letter score being a darker blue. These scoring squares are symmetrically positioned on the board, with the starting square being a light pink colour with a black star in the centre.
So how do you play the game then?
Firstly, all the tiles are dropped into a green bag and the bag is given a good shake, then each player is given a green tile holder, these tile holders all eight tiles.
The player who's chosen to go first then proceeds to take 7 tiles out of the green bag, then each player in turn then takes 7 tiles each out of the bag until they all have 7 tiles.
Then the first player tries to make the best word they can out of the 7 tiles, placing the tiles onto the board, crossing the black star in the centre. The numbers on the tiles are added up and recorded on the player score sheet. This player then takes tiles from the bag so that they have 7 tiles at all times, for example, if they placed five tiles down they then would take five tiles out of the bag.
Then next player to have a go places their tiles onto the board but their word has to cross over the previous players tiles, anywhere, so long as it makes a word of course.
Again this player takes tiles out of the bag so as to have 7 tiles on their tile holder. Then the next player does the same, and so on, and so on, with each player making words on the board and the scores adding up.
This word making, tile taking continues until either there are no tiles left in the bag or there are no places left on the board that a player can make a word.
How do you gain score?
Scores are accrued by not just making words with the higher value tiles, for example Quiz for 22, but it's down to where you actually place the tiles too. For example, if you can place the word Quiz onto a triple word score square then the value is then tripled to 66 points, (quiz is a simple example you understand). The same rule applies for positioning tiles onto triple letter scores, and the double letter/word scores.
If a player managed to use all their tiles then that player gets an extra 50 points bonus on top of the score that they have just accrued.
Who wins?
The winner of the game is the one that has accrued the most points after either all the tiles have gone from the bag or there is nowhere on the board to make a word.
That's it really, that's how to play the game, make a word and pray that it fits onto the board, joining onto someone else's word, making the best word you can with the highest score possible.
What about rules..?
Well there are rules, with some of these rules being upheld stronger than a court of law, depending on whether you're in a world championship or not.
Some of the rules are that you can't use certain words, such as names of places, countries or counties, nor can you have words not used in your native tongue.
All words must join onto another word and no words can be made up nor abbreviated.
There are other rules too but if you're that interested then you can read the rule book.
My opinion...
This is a brilliant game for all the family that not only helps bring you all together but also teaches you how to spell and also maybe learning a few new words as well.
It doesn't take a genius to play it as even the easy words earn points and points all add up towards the end scores.
When we play as a family we try and stick to the rules, by that I mean that we can't make up words just because one of us has a row of rather dodgy letter on their rack, including a 'Q', 'Z', a 'P' and all the vowels apart from a 'U'.
My youngest, who's 9, really likes playing this and tried to make the best words she can, even without cheating, although we have to watch her as she does tend to make up some rather strange words.
Each game can take quite some time, depending on how slow a player is during the game, which in my case can be quite some time trying to get a word to fit on the board, especially towards the end of the game when the board is almost full and all I'm left with is one vowel and a load of bad consonants. But it's not one of them games that you need to rush, as long as no one cheats by looking at other peoples tiles on their rack, or maybe even snatching a letter from the board and replacing it with a 'Q', (or is that just something I do).
There are several different versions of this game, some where the colours of the squares may vary, a junior version, a deluxe version and even a chocolate version, but they are all based on the same playing format.
Apart from a latest version one, called Scrabble Trickster, which breaks all the rules and allows words which were previously forbidden and even allows words being placed anywhere on the board, even backwards too, although this game sounds like it's on the verge of ruining the fun of the game that is scrabble.
The build of the game is pretty good, with this version having plastic tiles whilst other older versions had wooden tiles, but these plastic tiles are well built and look like the will last forever. The only thing that may fall apart first is possibly the board itself, if previous board games are anything to go by, with the bend of the board looking like it is the first thing that could go, but the one I've been playing for a while now is still bending quite well without any trouble so far.
As for the price, well, this fun family game is on sale for just under the £20.00 mark, with some places selling it for a lot less, but even for the higher price of £20.00 it's still cracking value for money and will make any rainy day fun filled and family based.
Scrabble is the classic word game, make the best word you can using any of your 7 letter tiles drawn at random. Your word must use a letter tile already in play on the board. Scores are given for letter values and are boosted by premium squares on the grid.


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First of all I ate the Windows XP look..but I would just like to add, dont go to Lindows, the only selling point is it is easy to download and install software from Lindows that you can get easily for free(or close) and installing things on Linux is no trouble. the Only good thing about Lognhorn that i am seeing is the background. It seems MS is doing what they did their MSN Browser and reducing the actual useable space the user can have and clutter everything(which really annoys me b/c i am very strange).
uhh yeah thats it uhh feel free to yell at me it will give me something to do.


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Amazon announced today its free tool Whispercast for Kindle, which gives school and business administrators a way to deploy and manage content at scale on Kindle devices and Kindle reading apps on the iPad, iPhone, Android phones and tablets, PCs, and Macs. Users typically download their own Kindle content. Now, administrators can deploy content to students and employees who are using a Kindle device.
IT should like Whispercast because it gives it a way to centrally manage Kindle devices. It also saves time registering Kindles, and setting up Internet access, and allows IT to block Facebook and Twitter and other functions on the Kindle, much like mobile device management (MDM) tools for smart phones and tablets. The Whispercast tool also allows for massive deployment of device settings including Wi-Fi network and proxy settings, password requirements, and device restrictions. That's on the management side.
Coming soon is a Bring Your Own Device program from Amazon. Previously the Kindle was designed and marketed purely as a consumer device, but Amazon is working to make it more amenable to business use. Obviously, having an enterprise play can bring in a lot more money when the devices are bought in bulk and content is sold at scale.
On the distribution side of things, Whispercast allows for content to be wirelessly purchased and distributed as Kindle books on a number of devices including the iPad, iPhone, and any Kindle device. It also can make it easy to send content to a specific grade level or send a document to a department within the company.
In addition, Whispercast supports distribution of applications from the Amazon App store for Android. The apps in the Apple App Store tend to rely on third-party vendors to manage the mobile devices or deploy enterprise applications at scale--usually at a cost, too. The iPad certainly paved the way for technology in the classroom and in businesses; however, with Amazon's move into the space, schools might find less-expensive Kindles preferable to iPads.
Amazon's focus at this point is the distribution of content, not apps. This probably means that the applications it envisions are technical manuals, marketing literature, and books that are required reading in classrooms. Clearwater High School was able to manage content for 2,000 individuals. Curtis Fundamental Elementary school in Florida used e-readers to distribute books to entire classrooms within minutes.
This seems to show that with devices so powerful, their eventual use in businesses can change a company's efforts to claim that they are consumer devices.
Besides educational uses, Amazon sees this as a chance to break into businesses and non-profit organizations. For instance, Worldreader used Whispercast to distribute 200,000 books to students in sub-Saharan Africa. With numbers like this, a tool like Whispercast might be what Amazon needs to whip past iPads as the dominant tool in classrooms.
Whispercast will work on Kindle e-readers and Kindle Fire tablets including Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Paperwhite 3G, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD 7", Kindle Fire HD 8.9", and Kindle Fire 8.9" 4G LTE, Kindle Keyboard 3G, and previous generations of Kindle.


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Time Flies
Was going to write a bunch tonight about things, but I have to get some sleep now. Starting with FOX Sports Radio internship at 6 AM tomorrow so I need to rest to be able to get up. Expect tomorrow a piece on Trembley and MacPhail. Will throw something in soon on my game experiences.
I was at this game with Zack Hample:
Continue always reading http://baltimoresportsreport.com/ for great Baltimore sports articles.
May be making a new blog soon, and if the reader count goes up, will start up with maybe some contests for cool Orioles prizes that I have to give out, so spread the word!


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The leader
Doomhammer's time was short-lived. Thrall and the united clans of the Horde began breaking the orcs out of the camps, one by one -- and as they did, Blackmoore grew more and more furious as reports of his once-slave leading the army reached him. He ordered his men to the remaining interment camps, and in the ensuing battle, Doomhammer was struck from behind. As he gasped his last breaths, he told Thrall to take the title of Warchief and lead the orcish people to peace.
And lead them he did. Thrall's people followed him eagerly from the remaining camps; they followed him as he led the assault against Durnholde Keep, where he had lived among the humans as their slave. They watched as he leveled the keep to the ground after discovering that Blackmoore had murdered Taretha for her betrayal. They left and settled in the Eastern Kingdoms and remained out of human sight. And when Thrall was visited by a strange prophet and told to evacuate to Kalimdor, they followed him there, too."Orgrim Doomhammer has named me Warchief," he cried. "It is a title I would not have sought, but I have no choice. I have been named, and so I will obey. Who will follow me to lead our people to freedom?"
They followed him to Kalimdor, they followed him to Durotar, and they helped him found the new capital city, which he named after their fallen leader. They followed him into the Third War, and they watched as the Horde turned from just orcs to including trolls and tauren as allies. They watched as Thrall and Grom left to confront Mannoroth; they were freed from the blood pact that had haunted them for decades, even as Grom's life slipped away.
Now they were free, well and truly free. Thrall led them to fight alongside the humans that had once imprisoned them and the strange night elves of the forests from which the orcs wanted to harvest lumber. They fought against the Burning Legion and won -- and after the war was over, they watched their leader, the hero who had freed them from imprisonment at human hands, try to ally with the human race.
They watched as the humans fought back, and they wondered -- what was the sense in allying with those that sought to imprison the orcs? What was the sense in allying with the human race, when the human race seemed to want nothing more than bloodshed? And freed from the blood pact, the orcs were more than willing to give the human race all the bloodshed they wished -- but their leader, their Warchief, held them back. This was not the way of peace, he said.
And some began to question the Warchief's intentions. Some began to wonder if he was truly fit to lead. Some pondered, now and again, whether or not a Warchief who had been raised by humans -- an orc who knew nothing of his people or their history, their customs, until he was 18 years of age -- actually knew enough of the old ways to lead them down that path. Because his path was a very, very strange one; these talks of diplomacy and desperate efforts to unite the orcs and humans together made no sense.
He was a leader, but it was not a title or position he sought. He tried to usher his people down the path of peace -- but was his definition of peace really what the orcs wanted, what they needed? Those that had trusted him, Grom, Orgrim -- did they simply hear his words and agree with their intent? Did they really know who he was, what he wanted to achieve for the orcish race?
Did he?
The Hollow Vessel
Thrall was Warchief of the Horde, but he never intended to pursue that title. He led his people because he had to -- because someone had to lead the orcs back to the old ways, and everyone agreed he was the orc who could best accomplish this. He went through Drek'Thar's initiation to become a shaman but was almost immediately swept up with prophets, wars, diplomacy, and the day-to-day dealings of being a leader. And that's what he did -- lead. But did he really know how to lead? He had spent over half of his life with humans, and a bare scant number of years among his own people."The whole idea with Thrall is that...can you argue that this guy, who's so -- he's so Clark Kent, right? So straight up, he does a good job, all the time. He doesn't swear, he doesn't beat anybody down. He's a good leader; he's a noble soul. And he's spent all of these years, building and running the Horde, selflessly. And the idea is, does he really -- I'm just saying -- does he really know who he is? Or after all these years, is it just more of a Bruce Wayne thing, where he's a little baby when his parents are murdered, he never really grew up with a whole lot of nurturing. And at this phase of his life, after all the things he's accomplished, it's possible that he's actually a little hollow inside. He's never taken time to just grow."
-- Chris Metzen, BlizzCon 2010 Quests and Lore Q&A
In World of Warcraft, we are presented with a Warchief who seems to be confident and secure in his own abilities -- but the truth is, Thrall didn't do much at all over the course of vanilla WoW. He asked people to take down Rend Blackhand, which was understandable (after all, Blackhand was calling himself the true Warchief of the Horde). But Thrall continued to try and do the impossible; he still sought to ally the Horde with the Alliance.
Future dealings with the Warchief would only reinforce that fact. He was known for speaking with Jaina Proudmoore on a regular basis, for trying to ally with the human forces of Theramore -- even if most humans in Theramore didn't wish an alliance with the orcs any more than the orcs wanted to ally with the humans. It was inexplicable to the orcish race. Why would the Warchief try to do these things?
It wasn't until The Burning Crusade expansion that Thrall learned of the existence of orcs that truly knew of the old ways -- including Hellscream's son, Garrosh. At the end of the Hero of the Mag'har quest chain, players tell Thrall about Garadar and of Greatmother Geyah, his grandmother. Thrall immediately sets things in order and travels to Nagrand to speak with the only remaining blood relative he has left.
Greatmother Geyah was correct, to a degree. Thrall was a slave to his past -- he continued to carry the name Blackmoore gave him, despite the unfavorable way the orcs seemed to look upon it. Even after Blackmoore's death, he clung to the name and sought no other for himself. He would always be Thrall -- slave no longer. Or was he? Did he keep the name as a reminder of his past, or did he keep the name as a reminder of what he really was?Greatmother Geyah says: There is no doubt - you are the heir of Durotan... my grandson. Draka told me she was with child before she and your father left our world, but I never dared dream that they would survive...
Thrall says: They... did not, Greatmother. They were killed shortly after I was born. I never knew them. I was raised as a slave. To this day, I carry the name of Thrall.
Greatmother Geyah says: Thrall? You've been a slave only to the past, grandson! But no more! When last I saw him, Durotan told me the name he would give his unborn son... He was... so proud...
Greatmother Geyah wipes a tear away.
Greatmother Geyah says: Go'el. You are Go'el, son of Durotan - rightful chieftain of the Frostwolves. This day, grandson - you are the great joy of my heart.
Was there some small subconscious part of Thrall that thought of himself as slave still -- not to Blackmoore, but to his fate? His destiny? Perhaps to serving the Horde itself? Thrall returned to Azeroth with Hellscream's son in tow and began to try and teach Garrosh the ways of the Horde. Garrosh rankled under Thrall's odd ideas of peace and understanding, of his unusual concepts of diplomacy and reasoning. Because to Garrosh, the old ways were clear -- the strong lead, the weak follow. A true Warchief would never ally with those deemed as weak, with cowards. Yet Thrall seemed determined to do so.
Over the course of events presented in the Warcraft comics, the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, and the novel The Shattering, we've seen Thrall and Garrosh continually butt heads. Yet Thrall doesn't quite put Garrosh in his place. Garrosh challenged Thrall to a duel for Warchief, and Garrosh won -- or rather, Garrosh was in the process of winning when the two were interrupted by the Lich King's attacks on Orgrimmar.
Thrall said that they would discuss the duel later and promptly sent the young Hellscream to lead the forces in Northrend, along with Varok Saurfang. Supposedly, this would keep Garrosh occupied while Thrall could continue his diplomatic missions. But maybe there was a part of Thrall that already recognized Garrosh as being the sort of orc that was really meant to lead. Maybe he sent Garrosh to lead the orc forces because he realized, somewhere inside of himself, that he wasn't truly capable of doing so.
Think about it -- if Thrall led his people into war and the Alliance got in the way, what would Thrall do? Try to negotiate for a peaceful resolution. And while he was doing that, his people could potentially be slaughtered. Were these really the sort of actions a Warchief should take? Garrosh was in the process of actually besting Thrall in honorable combat when they were interrupted. Had the battle continued, would Garrosh have won?
These questions plagued the Warchief throughout the expansion. He watched as his people crumbled and splintered beneath the pressures of war. He watched his allies, the Forsaken, brutally murder thousands of soldiers, Alliance and Horde, in a display that by all rights should have gotten the undead allies promptly kicked out of the Horde. Yet he showed them mercy and allowed them to stay, even helping Sylvanas to take back her city from those who betrayed her. He watched as the last glimmering hopes of peace between Alliance and Horde crumbled.
And then, after the war was over, Thrall discovered that the elemental spirits no longer responded to his call. The mighty shaman was reduced to ... what, exactly? As Metzen said at the Quests and Lore panel this year: Who was Thrall? His life was spent in servitude, first to Blackmoore and then to his people. When exactly did Thrall get a chance to discover what kind of being he really was? An orc raised by humans, the only one of his kind to experience such a thing -- most humans were completely unwilling to accept him, most of his people were beginning to wonder if they should accept him, either.
Thrall made a very deliberate choice, and it was the only choice he could make in his situation -- to step down as Warchief, let Garrosh take over (albeit supposedly as a temporary thing), and travel to Nagrand. He chose this partially to try and figure out what exactly was going on with the elements in Azeroth, but mostly to try and figure out who he, Thrall, really was -- and how exactly he fit in a world with two races that shaped him. He is the progeny of two societies, and neither really, wholly accepts him as an individual. Perhaps Thrall's attempts to unite Alliance and Horde were really a subconscious attempt to recreate himself -- a strange mesh of human ideals and orcish traditions. Maybe by trying to prove that the two could work together, he could prove that he was as worthy a being as anyone, human, orc, or otherwise.
In Nagrand, Thrall met an orc shaman who his grandmother had chosen to be his teacher, a female named Aggra who just might show him that all he needs to be worthy is to shed the imaginary chains that hold him in place.
In Cataclysm, Thrall is no longer Warchief. Instead, he's joined The Earthen Ring in an attempt to understand the deeper part of himself and try to determine who he is and how he can help shape the world around him. From a baby who barely understood orcish, to the leader of a people he never quite seemed to understand, Thrall has lived a long time and learned a lot about the world around him. The one lesson he never learned was where he fit in that world, and in Cataclysm, it looks like he may finally gain that understanding."You are Thrall, son of Durotan," she said without preamble.
"I am," he replied.
"A filthy name. Here you will be called Go'el."
"Go'el might be the name my parents intended for me, but fate chose otherwise. I prefer Thrall."
She turned her head and spat. "A human word that means 'slave.' It is not fit for any orc to bear, least of all one who claims to lead us -- even the ones who don't live in this world."
For more information on related subjects, please look at these other Know Your Lore entries:
While you don't need to have played the previous Warcraft games to enjoy World of Warcraft, a little history goes a long way toward making the game a lot more fun. Dig into even more of the lore and history behind the World of Warcraft in WoW Insider's Guide to Warcraft Lore.


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Do the Knicks have a 29-10 lead over the Bulls in the first quarter????
Do the Knicks have a 29-10 lead over the Bulls in the first quarter????
What a flop i thought we were going to run them out of the building.
Lol no wonder Melo shot is back, he is actually following threw on his shots instead of just tossing them up.
Awesome quarter for us, but uninspired job closing out the quarter. Also, TD reminding us there why we suffered with him as the starting PG. No game smarts. Who takes a shot early like that when you're clearly playing for the final shot of the quarter?
What happened to TC?
Signature created by AmareforPresident
Damn, that Chicago 13:2 run should not have happened... we've mastered the art of blowing the lead... but c'mon! Let's go!
Kevin Hart is the softest player ever, he always just floats it or shoots pullups, GET IN THE ****ING LANE!!!


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Praised by architecture aficionados as the "American Versailles," Darlington, the 50,000 square-foot mansion in New Jersey, has captivated the world as both a historical masterpiece and a renovated modern splendor. And it's now on the market. See the full listing with Christie's International Real Estate here.
Take a look inside the luxury Mahwah estate originally conceived as a decadent escape from the hustle and bustle of New York City.


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Unique 'MGC Prototype' Replica at Shannons
SYDNEY – April 25, 2013: The six-cylinder engined MGC was originally proposed as a replacement for the Austin-Healey 3000, but as it was in production for less than two years, it has become increasingly collectible today.
But what is not widely known is that Australia played an important role in its development.
The first engine to be considered for the new car was an Australian-designed six-cylinder version of the BMC B-Series, as fitted to the Austin Freeway. However after tests in England, this engine was considered not powerful enough for the new MG flagship and the heavier 2.9-litre straight six later employed in the Austin 3-Litre saloon was fitted to production versions from 1967.
However on Monday (April 29), you can buy a locally built and painstakingly executed 'replica' of that original 'Australian' MGC prototype, which is being offered with no reserve price at Shannons Melbourne Autumn Classic Auction.
Beginning with a rubber-bumper, US-sourced MGB, this thoroughly rebuilt MG is similarly fitted with the prototype's 2.4-litre six cylinder engine from an Austin Freeway, coupled to a Nissan Skyline five-speed manual transmission.
As with the original prototype, many other locally-sourced components were used to upgrade the MGB's chassis, suspension and brakes to handle the additional power and torque of the six-cylinder engine.
They included a re-cored Austin Freeway radiator, a Honda fuel pump, a re-engineered front-end utilising HG Holden oil shock absorbers and a strengthened rear end with an extra leaf spring.
The interior has been fitted out in the style envisaged for the top-level MG model, with camel leather-look trim, a solid Tasmanian Blackwood dash and MGB English-type dash gauges.
This unique MGB six-cylinder comes with receipts for recent work and has travelled only 150km since its cylinder head was rebuilt in 2010.
It is being offered for sale with no reserve, with Shannons expecting it to attract bids in the $12,000-$18,000 range because of its uniqueness as well as reflecting the increasing value of the surviving and increasingly rare MGC models.
Other MG models in the auction include a lovely Primrose with black interior 1968 MGB MkI roadster that was originally imported from the United States and converted to right hand drive that has had little use since 2005 ($12,000-$16,000) and a well-presented and mechanically fresh 1948 MG TC Roadster that has been used as a daily driver for most of its 25 years in the vendor's hands ($25,000-$30,000).
Not quite an MG, but certainly one in spirit is the 1994 model TD 2000 Roadster that is believed to have covered just 5,700km since new, has always been garaged and has been in the vendor's hands since two months after delivery ($24,000-$28,000).


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Start your journey into college life by following the a resourceful guide and managing your time and money the right way. Earning your degree is important, but the path to your degree holds just as much value.
Take it one step at a time with this chronological view leading up to your college application process and beyond.
Whip your budget into shape before college begins so that your transition is that much easier.
Many of our schools regularly invite visitors on to their campuses throughout the year. Our upcoming Alliance events will be posted as well. Check out what events are coming up that may be of interest to you.
Our schools' faculties love to share their resources and promote their subject areas in exciting new ways. Be a part of this process. Also, you can search here out which schools have a promising teaching job.
Take a look at the professorial positions open at our schools.
Social & Behavioral Science Resources
SBS teaching materials for the classroom for our faculty's use and implementation. Share your own!


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'Tis the season for giving, and if you have some cash to spare, you might consider giving to Hope 4 Peace and Justice.
Hope for Peace & Justice is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, founded in 2004 by Cathedral of Hope, that works to help people of faith become "champions for peace and justice." The Rev. Michael S. Piazza is executive director.
Over the weekend, I got a Facebook message from Piazza and H4PJ that said the organization is $2,000 short of making its budget for 2010. While $2,000 is a pretty big chunk of change if you take it all in one lump sum, if you break it down into small increments, it's not that daunting. In other words, if lots of people give a little, it all adds up to a lot!
If you can, go here to donate, and give Peace a chance.


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© 2007 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Help make Hafner an All-Star
Slugger one of eight Indians standouts on 2007 ballot
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
CLEVELAND -- It's another All-Star Game at another National League park, which probably doesn't sit too well with Travis Hafner. National League rules aren't kind to a man who makes his living as a designated hitter. And NL baseball is what will be played at the 78th Midsummer Classic, which will take place July 10 at San Francisco's AT&T Park. The ballot-makers are doing what they can to help Hafner make the All-Star team for the first time in his career. Once again this season, he's listed as the Tribe's representative at first base, even though he plays the position infrequently. Regardless, Hafner is still up against the likes of David Ortiz, Justin Morneau, Paul Konerko and Jason Giambi in the first-base balloting, so this will be no easy race. But Indians fans will be given plenty of opportunities to help out the man known as Pronk. Ballots will be accepted at Indians home games at Jacobs Field from April 25 until June 18. And for those who prefer to vote from the comforts of home, the Monster 2007 All-Star Online Ballot at MLB.com and all 30 club sites will allow fans to cast their votes for starters up to 25 times until Thursday, June 28, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Fans around the world will again have the opportunity to select the final player on each All-Star team via the Monster 2007 All-Star Final Vote. The vote will begin immediately following the 2007 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show Presented by Chevrolet, which will be televised by Turner Sports on Sunday, July 1. Not only are fans selecting the rosters for the game, they'll have a say as to who gets recognition as the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player, presented by Chevrolet. Voting for that award will be handled through the Monster.com 2007 All-Star Game MVP Vote at MLB.com. Joining Hafner on the All-Star ballot are teammates Josh Barfield (second base), Casey Blake (third base), Jhonny Peralta (shortstop), Victor Martinez (catcher), and Grady Sizemore, David Dellucci and Trot Nixon (outfield). Blake's inclusion on the ballot as a third baseman, even though he regularly plays first base, leaves Andy Marte in the shadows.
Sizemore was the Indians' lone representative in the All-Star Game last season, when a campaign to get Hafner onto the AL team through the Final Vote came up short. The 2007 All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB.com will offer extensive online coverage and MLB Radio will have exclusive play-by-play coverage of the game on the Internet. For his part, Hafner hopes to forego the above options and watch the game in person.
Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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"Born and brought up in the top stratum of the black bourgeoisie, Lena Horne moved into white society with her international stardom and second marriage to Lennie Hayton, bringing her daughter, Gail, with her. Here, Gail explores her roots in an effort to come to terms with her own black identity. The family history is filled with fascinating characters: the slave Siny, who sold cakes on street corners to buy her own freedom; Lena's grandmother Cora Horne, an early feminist; Lena's father, Teddy, the elegant, dapper sportsman whose source of income was unknown and possibly shady; Lena's experiences as a token black in 1940s Hollywood. Well researched and written with intelligence and love, this is an interesting chapter of black American history."Library Journal
"Buckley here tells a vital story, made even more appealing by her gracefully understated writing and objective viewpoint. Spanning the history of six generations of an American family, the book is based on voluminous papers kept by the Hornes since the mid-19th century. The author sheds light on an area of black society unrecognized for the most part. After the Civil War, the 'old Hornes' settled in Brooklyn as part of a minority elite, an upper-middle class with enclaves in other American cities. Even among social peers, the Hornes stood out. Intellectual and striving, they were also uncommonly good-looking, as the book's numerous photos attest. 'Lena wasn't the first star.' By 1910, Buckley's grandparents Edwin Horne and Cora Calhoun Horne had gained political clout and were working for the advancement of 'colored people.' Buckley, who was born in 1937, takes the reader back to the time when she was growing up. She is a witness to events of the 1950s, the Cold War decade when Lena Horne among others was questioned about her patriotism and had to endure racist attacks. The author also records the Horne family's activities in the fight for civil rights, as she brings the story up to date. There is no rancor in this account. Buckley states simply: 'Every other black shut out of the American Dream has to learn that the greatest victory can only be in the struggle. Now that the Dream is open to my children and their children, I hope they all will be permitted to learn that same color-independent, universal truth'."Publishers Weekly


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LOS ANGELES – "It's always a test when you play the Spurs."
Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro uttered those words before his team failed that test – resoundingly – losing 116-90 to San Antonio Thursday at Staples Center.
It's the Clippers largest margin of defeat this season.
"It was a complete butt kicking from the start in every way you can count," Del Negro said after the loss. "…Bottom line, we didn't play hard enough."
The Clippers and Spurs traded baskets early, with San Antonio making their first six from the field and the Clippers hitting seven-of-eight.
But while San Antonio barely slowed down, the Clippers slammed on the breaks.
The Spurs, owners of the best record in the NBA, shot over 60 percent from the field in the first and third quarters and 58.8 percent in the second.
The Clippers, though, couldn't crack 40 percent in the second or third quarters, as San Antonio's lead ballooned over 30 points.
Chris Paul, the All-Star Game MVP on Sunday, struggled in 27 minutes, scoring only four points to go with three assists.
His fellow All-Star in Houston, the Spurs' Tony Parker, looked unguardable, hitting 12-of-16 fo3 31 points to go with seven assists.
"Parker picked us apart," Del Negro said.
Matt Barnes led the Clippers with 18 points and Blake Griffin scored 17 for the Clippers in the loss.
The Clippers hold a 2-1 advantage over the Spurs this season, with the teams meeting for the final time in the regular season on March 29 in San Antonio.
Billups adds dimension
Finally, the Clippers have Chauncey Billups back in the starting lineup, where he can play with Paul to give the Clippers a solid, reliable backcourt.
But the solid, reliable backcourt hasn't played together much.
In more than a season-and-a-half, Billups and Paul have only played together 23 times.
"Chris and I haven't played a long, long time together, but you're talking about two guys who think the game the same way," Billups said.
That mental edge makes all the difference, Billups said.
"It really doesn't matter how long we've been playing together." he said. "We're always thinking on the same page. We're always a couple steps ahead of most players, to be honest.
"It looks like maybe we've been playing together for a long time because of that."
With Billups back in the lineup, teams have had to adjust the way they defend the Clippers, opening things on the inside and on the the perimeter.
"He's such a good shooter and has such a high I.Q., it's easy for everybody," Clippers guard Jamal Crawford said. "It's like two point guards on the court with him and Chris."
Billups said he's been feeling better as of late, with issues like the peroneal tendonitis and the stiff back almost completely behind him.
"It's always good to get a break, no matter what," he said. "I enjoyed it, but I didn't feel like I absolutely needed it."
Physically and mentally, the Clippers have benefitted from having Billups back. Prior to Thursday's game with the Spurs, the Clippers were 6-1 in games he played.
And with him on the court, the team has another veteran to help the Clippers as they head into the final stretch of the season.
"Every time he speaks, it comes from a safe place," Crawford said. "You don't feel like he's telling you something for the benefit of him; it's always for the benefit of the team.
"It's always about the team."
Clippers don't deal
Like most of the NBA, the Clippers decided not to make a trade before Thursday's noon deadline.
"There was no trade to be made," Del Negro said. "There was nothing there."
The Clippers were linked to Boston's Kevin Garnett and Utah's Paul Milsap in the build-up to the deadline.
There was speculation that Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan could be involved in deals for Garnett and Milsap.
"Everyone is like a family," Crawford said. "It'd had been tough to see anyone go."
After suffering a conjunctival abrasion of the left eye (scratch) last week against the Lakers, Odom was cleared to play without eye protection Thursday against the Spurs. …First-year Clipper season-ticket holder Hagop Blikian of Los Angeles made a half-court shot in the third quarter to win a new Dodge Dart.
Contact the writer: email@example.com


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A Heritage of Success
Begun in the fall of 2005, Ithaca's master's degree programs in physical education and health education are built on the heritage and strength of our baccalaureate programs. The department approaches these disciplines by emphasizing real-world experience with young people in the K-12 environment, and by providing cutting-edge coursework in the classroom.
Best of all, our talented faculty and low student-teacher ratio assure individualized attention and the opportunity for a superior education.
Students in the program will:
- develop an advanced understanding of physical education and the behavioral and health sciences;
- enhance their core strengths in teaching methods, theory, and practices; and
- gain experience and deeper insights into the art and science of instructing and leading young people in a scholastic setting.
Many Ways to Study
Students in the program may choose either a thesis or non-thesis option. In addition, the program offers multiple tracks that can be customized to accommodate students from almost any educational and professional background.
Students who are interested in state certification as a physical education or health education teacher but do not have an undergraduate background in the field are encouraged to meet with the program chair to discuss individualized tracks of study.


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So this side of KA is looking a teensy bit dead. Maybe it's because all the people died. Maybe it's because they've all been whisked off to BA. Maybe no-one loves this little forum anymore. But I have just started attempting to make banners, and wondered if anyone would like them. I mean, I'm nowhere near as good as the BA members (who are fabulously gifted beyond fantasical proportion) but little me wanted to share and get better. I'm still learning, so tell me anything you think. I know I need a heck of a lot of practice.
So. I've got two banners to show at the moment. the first is a Lovegood family banner which I made to show a friend that I can use my image program of choice (JASC PaintshopPro), and the second is something I made randomly and is not particularly Potter-related. I personally prefer the second one. I also made my avvie (see left).
So yeah, tell me what you think. If you want to request anything, I'll give it a whirl. Form is below.
Thanks for stopping by!Title of your Story:
Author Name: (If you'd like it on the banner)
Catch phrase: (Only if youd like one, of course)
Overall look of the banner: (i.e. colors, images)
Fonts: (i.e. specific name of font or a general idea)
Characters: (Specific Characters in the banner? If so, would you like movie characters or images of your choosing or my choosing)
Story Summary: (a link would be great too)
Banner size: (So it fits in with the rest of your signature; may not exceed 300x500px)
Have You Requested This Banner Before?:
Anything else?


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I bought a used 2006 R1200RT last month, and I've really been enjoying it. I had been waiting on BMW to release the F800GT, but was rather underwhelmed, to say the least. I was a little nervous about the seat height of the RT, but it is so well-balanced it is completely not a problem.
I've been riding since the Nixon Administration, and commute every day, rain or shine on the bike. I just love it.