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, Your thoughts?
Ethereal Blade
Apr 21 2012, 03:17 AM
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These forums were shut down before
Final Fantasy XIII
was released, and so I make this topic. I realize with so few members this may not get very far, but no harm in trying right?
To put it simply, I'm quite curious to know everyone's opinion on this game. The good and/or the bad. The impression I got (feel free to correct me) was that this game received a lot of mixed reception from fans similar to
Final Fantasy XII
Did you ever play it or not? What it what you expected? Did you like the new battle system? The story? Characters? The typical stuff-- feel free to share any thoughts.
I'm not going to put spoilers in my post, but I would expect them in this sort of topic... maybe avoid this topic if you haven't played and are planning on playing it?
I have mostly had a sort of love-hate relationship with this game until recently. Before the game was released, I was looking forward to it; not hyped like I was for
, but pretty excited nonetheless. I remember playing it for the first time and really getting into the battle system. Well... after getting the hang of it anyway. It was so fast-paced and flashy it was hard for me to keep up at first. Not to mention if your leader gets KO'd, it's over. Lots of game overs screens in front of my face... at least there was always retry.
Battle system was great, but there were quite a few other things that really brought the experience down for me:
No returning to previous locations
- I missed returning to old places and discovering new things that could only be found later.
How linear it was (excluding chapter 11)
- I know FFX was similar in this aspect, but it felt more obvious in this one to me. I think maybe this combined with my previous point makes it more apparent.
Weapon Upgrade System
- Wasn't really necessary to complete the game, but was quite tedious. It wasn't that easy to farm good components to use or sell, and enemies didn't drop gil making it even more difficult to upgrade.
What I liked:
Battle System
- Mentioned this already but loved it. Paradigm system was a neat approach that had similarities to the job system of past FF games. I felt like it was well implemented and every role had a meaningful purpose. Did not like the leader KO = game over, but I guess I'll let that slide.
Mostly. The villains feel
weak in this game, BUT I like the party okay for the most part. I'll touch more on this later. I think that Sazh is perhaps one of the best written FF characters (maybe saying too much; maybe I should say I thought he was the best written character in this game).
About a week after I beat the game for the first time, I started to realize how disappointed I was with it. It is opposite to FFXII in many aspects I feel, so I couldn't help but feel disappointed. However, I've played it again since then and I've come to appreciate it for what it is, rather than what it isn't. I still have mixed feelings on the story, but the battle system makes up for a lot of it.
I could say more, but I think this post is long enough already, so I will probably save it for another post if more people respond.
Apr 21 2012, 06:37 AM
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Thanks for making this topic, I thought about making one too actually, but you got to it before I did
I have to agree with you about the linearity of XIII, I for one hated it. I didn't complete the game; I got about halfway before I decided I'd had enough. In my opinion, I felt that SE tried too hard to make a game with a very emotionally involved storyline. There was too much personal drama spread around...it felt very forced. They took a risk,I think, by going so linear with the storyline, and I don't think it paid off. Final fantasy is ABOUT exploration and discovery, not just mindlessly following directions that eventually got lost among various characters cries for attention.
On the bright side, it made me appreciate XII much much more. And as much as the game was beautifully done, with all the voice actors and animation, it still lacked the classic FF feel. I didn't like the battle system either, XII's is still my favorite because it was so versatile and XIII was...the complete opposite of that.
Oh, and I won't be touching XIII-2 with a ten foot pole.
QUOTE(Nick @ May 5 2007, 04:05 PM)
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Apr 21 2012, 10:04 AM
The Captain
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I didn't even finish XIII. Hell I probably didn't even finish the tutorial. First FF game I ever lost patience with and thought "fuck this". Traded it in.
The damnation of Faust. Man sells his soul to the devil. All ends in tears, these arrangements usually do.
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Dark Yuna
Apr 21 2012, 01:08 PM
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For me, the battle system was quite good. I lean more towards having more tactical battles and more player input (not like active time events or whatever, just not having an 'auto-battle' option). So switching paradigms constantly often felt like I was kept on my toes a bit. The fact that the game was over if your leader died was a little silly and a tad annoying, but I can't stress enough the value of that 'retry' option, instead of being forced back to your last save. There were some good, challenging fights to be found around chapter 11 (I think), with the hunting missions and such but the main game didn't seem to supply many challenging encounters, which was a little disappointing to tell the truth.
The linearity of the game was a big issue for me, as it seems it was for many others too. Each area seemed to just be a glorified straight line until you hit around chapter 11. Having monster hunts as the only real form of side-quests was also a let-down, as I'm rather fond of fun and interesting side-quests, often more so than I am of the main story (e.g. in games like The Elder Scrolls). Thankfully this was changed (somewhat) in XIII-2, though I would have liked to see some more variation in XIII in terms of side-quests and post-end-game content.
I liked the characters in the party, especially Lightning and Sazh, though Snow and Hope really got on my nerves a bit. Something about Snow's obsession with 'playing the hero' reminded me of Balthier in XII, though it didn't really gel with me in the same way. Hope, while understandably upset throughout the game, did make me eventually think 'Oh just shut up, please'. Vanille and Fang were quite interesting but I felt that they could have been developed a lot more. One thing I did like, though, was how each character was related to the next in some way or another.
The story itself wasn't bad but didn't really stand out against previous FF games, in my opinion. I kinda feel that the linearity of the gameplay made the story feel less like an adventure, partly due the lack of a world map. While not really crucial to the game or story in any particular way, it just feels to me that having a map of the world and walking on it (e.g. VII) or choosing locations on it (e.g. X) made you realise the scope of the journey and that ties in with how I feel about the story. If I don't feel that there is much of an 'adventure', then sadly this seems to generate a rather disappointed feel in the story.
Also, grinding for weapon components/materials for upgrades. I didn't feel this was really necessary in order to beat the game. I didn't go for the related achievement/trophy for getting every item purely because of the amount of grinding involved to get just one 'ultimate' weapon. It seemed like a rather tedious addition to the game. The crystarium, however, was quite good though it did feel very similar to the Sphere Grid from FFX in some respects, just with a prettier interface and separate 'strands' for each role rather than having them all interlinked.
I've probably forgotten something but I've just realised that I've written more in this post than I have in the lab report I am supposed to be writing instead, so I shall leave this as it is
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Kira Lee
Apr 21 2012, 04:00 PM
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I got more hyped for XIII than I did for XII (which is saying a lot). Ultimately the game fell flat compared to how much I'd over-hyped it, but in the end I still felt that it was decent and received a lot more hate than it should.
The biggest problem with it for me was the ridiculously over the top drama filled dialogue. From the moment the game starts people are flipping the fuck out over everything and it never really ends until the game is over. It made it hard for me to like any of the characters (Hope being a great example). Snow and Sazh had their good moments though, Snow was cool whenever Serah wasn't involved in the conversation and Sazh was fairly cool headed before that whole thing with his son and Vanille.
From a gameplay perspective I thought it had some great idea's but fell short in a few areas. The first being that it took WAAAAAY too long for the battle system to fully open up. The second being that midway through the game the battle system felt fairly repetetive - go into battle, find the best paradigm set up, switch as appropriate. That was pretty much the flow to every battle. Still, it was an experiment and this whole series is about experimenting so I'm fine with that.
The two areas of this game that were awesome were the visuals (not necessarily in terms of texture, but the imagination that went into designing the locations and scenes) and the music. I'd been hoping for Masashi Hamazu to get his chance in the spotlight after FFX and I think he did a really good job.
In all it was an ok game, not my favourite Final Fantasy or anywhere near to it to be honest, but I got 70+ hours out of it and that makes it worth the money IMO.
Ethereal Blade
Apr 21 2012, 10:25 PM
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First, just want to say thanks to you guys for responding to this thread. Like I mentioned before I realized this topic might not go anywhere, but you guys have some pretty thorough answers.
Some other random thoughts that weren't in my opening post:
- I thought Jihl Nabaat had the potential to be a way better character; good character design, waste of a character imo. The same could be said for Yaag Rosch.
- Of the playable characters, Hope was the one who really annoying me during my first playthrough. His situation was understandable, but the way the game handled it wasn't the greatest I thought (My reactions started to get similar to what
Dark Yuna
mentioned, lol). Snow got to me a little bit too, but to a lesser extent and really only at the start of the game.
- A few of you guys mentioned the over the top/forced drama. I agree and this goes along with my previous point.
- I thought the Sunleth Waterscape was easily the best looking area of the game. The waterfalls and the view over the cliff side were stunning. A shame you can't revisit the place later.
- Despite the fact that it takes forever for the battle system to completely open up like
mentioned, I enjoy the first half of the game more than the second.
- Also I agree with
about the "people are flipping the fuck out over everything and it never really ends until the game is over." There was never any downtime,
. Don't get me wrong I like when stuff happens, but it was very over the top most of the time. I think the lack of towns or resting spots for the party, with the linearity/no exploration contribute heavily to this.
- Retry option for battles was probably one of my favorite things they added, I would love for them to keep this feature in future games. I think with this feature, challenge can be kept while allowing for more experimentation and strategy in the gameplay (since you don't have to fear losing a lot of progress after a game over, you may want to try methods that they normally wouldn't want to risk).
- This game had monster hunts, something that was similar to
in a way, and I liked that. However I think it was handled much better in
. You had to wait all the way until chapter 11 to get to them, and then they were all spread across about 3 different areas since you couldn't go back any of the pre-chapter 11 areas.
Again, battle system was a lot of fun, but a good portion of the story and linearity ruins part of the experience for me. I still like the game a good deal, and the fact I was willing to play it more than once shows that.
Apr 22 2012, 11:32 PM
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QUOTE((Phoenix) @ Apr 21 2012, 05:00 PM)
I got more hyped for XIII than I did for XII
Same here - a lot more hyped. FFXIII may not have been the best game in the Final Fantasy franchise, but it was decent enough. Alright I admit it, in no way did it live up to the hype, but I enjoyed the game more than FFXII. I even completed it twice, in comparison to the zero times that I completed FFXII. That's got to say something.
Unlike many I did actually enjoy the story, although it did get a bit tiresome at some times. The battle system was fun, and I liked the paradigm shifting. However I wasn't a fan of the leveling up system (which they made even more tedious in FFXIII-2). I also missed equiping armour, and being able to buy weapons (ugh, the FFXIII weapon upgrade system
<3 Married to the amazingly awesome, perfect, and beautiful PG & LL <3
Apr 23 2012, 05:42 PM
Ninja Fox - The Silent Menace
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s'alright. Story was lame. Characters sucked (mainly). Gameplay was fun. Nowhere near as good as most FF games, still a decent game on its own.
Hope I didn't go on too much!
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Games Under the Knife
Apr 26 2012, 01:52 AM
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I completed Final Fantasy XIII, but I was left with mixed reactions. There were some things I liked, and some things I didn't like. The graphics at times were pretty great, and at other times they were just nothing special. The characters were okay, with Vanille and Sazh being the standouts. The battles, they grew to annoy me. Sometimes you would fight the same enemies, and it just became too dull for my tastes. Xiitharn brings up a good point. She states that Final Fantasy XIII made her appreciate Final Fantasy XII more so than before. I actually agree with that statement. I miss engaging with enemies right then and there, instead of having to constantly have that fade to fight an enemy in Final Fantasy XIII (I can't explain myself correctly here, but I guess you know what I mean). I also miss how the world in Final Fantasy XII felt alive, because in Final Fantasy XIII the world felt dead. I almost, almost, was tempted to buy Final Fantasy XIII-2, but Katya's impressions kept me from doing so. I'll just wait for the next great Final Fantasy to come out, whenever that happens.
Ethereal Blade
Apr 26 2012, 02:46 AM
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^ Since you mention
... I thought it fixed a lot of problems that
suffered from, but then introduced new problems of it's own. I personally thought the story was a mess, but maybe I just don't like the way it handled time traveling. I typically don't like time travel in stories anyway though (
Chrono Trigger
is an exception). I can easily pick out things I enjoyed about it, but overall I thought it was weaker than
I've got to agree with you about Sazh and Vanille. They were my favorites. I mentioned earlier in this thread that I liked the first half of the game better than the second half; in particular it was the chapters dealing with these two together (chapters 6 and 8).
Apr 26 2012, 04:01 PM
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Yeah, that's the reason I'm not going to play FFXIII-2. The fixing of the problems FFXIII almost made me want to get the game, but hearing about it's new problems kept me away. S-E really could have done something amazing with FFXIII-2, especially since they used the assets/engine from the previous game. A lot of potential just squandered for a quick buck. Though, if I remember correctly, the game wound up not selling that great anyways.
Apr 26 2012, 08:28 PM
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The game has many haters, and to be honest, I can see why. XIII seems to be the game that has split the FF fan base, maybe even more so than XII. It may have sold well but it came off the back of a HUGE hype train...almost half a decade after it's initial showing.
Personally I bought the game on release day, and I enjoyed it for what it was. However I do agree with Ethereal Blade; it did introduce problems of it's own. Square gave with one hand, and took away with the other.
The main problem with FFXIII-2 is that it just isn't needed, and ends up giving no closure. AT ALL. Also, they say that fans asked for a FFXIII sequel. Did they? I think Square Enix were deluded when they gave that comment.
...the DLC for FFXIII-2 is starting to get ridiculous. But I'm still going to buy some of it.
I guess I'm part of the problem.
<3 Married to the amazingly awesome, perfect, and beautiful PG & LL <3
Ethereal Blade
Apr 26 2012, 10:04 PM
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QUOTE(fat_moogle @ Apr 26 2012, 03:28 PM)
The main problem with FFXIII-2 is that it just isn't needed, and
ends up giving no closure. AT ALL.
Also, they say that fans asked for a FFXIII sequel. Did they? I think Square Enix were deluded when they gave that comment.
...the DLC for FFXIII-2 is starting to get ridiculous. But I'm still going to buy some of it.
I guess I'm part of the problem.
My main problem with the game. Without giving spoilers, I was shocked at how they did the ending, and then... they just left it unfinished. I couldn't believe it. I feel like
is inevitable now, and I think that's ridiculous. If it ends up being a good game though, then that's fine (IMO, I think they will have to work pretty hard to make up for
Knowing me, I'd still buy it, especially if they keep the battle system the same (the main reason why I still enjoyed
a decent amount). And so I guess I am also part of the problem. I've also been getting some of DLC. I enjoy the coliseum fights, but those costumes, which I don't even care for most of them, are like $3 a piece last I checked.
Apr 26 2012, 11:02 PM
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I'm not going to lie here; I'd also buy FFXIII-3. However, I'm hoping that Square Enix are just going to release a downloadable episode that clears things up, rather than spending large amounts of money creating a full game that will undoubtedly sell even less than FFXIII-2. Fingers crossed that Requiem of the Goddess is going to fill the plot hole, but I doubt it. *sigh*
You mention the coliseum fights. I've purchased the Lightning & Amador pack, as well as the Ultros & Typhon fight (which I've yet to complete). I didn't bother downloading the Sazh scenario, as I don't really like Serendipity and those DLC games looked pretty boring. Sazh deserved so much better than this.
The next DLC I will be purchasing is Snows scenario, which comes out on the 15th May. I'm interested in finding out the details about the mission (saying no more) that he was on, because that was a pretty large plot hole in itself.
& yea, I'd never pay for costumes. I pre-ordered FFXIII-2 so that I got Serah's Summoners Garb and Noels Red thing (so ugly) but I'd never pay extra for them as they don't actually add anything to the game. I wonder how much money they will charge for each of the Mog DLC costumes that have just been announced?! I hope nobody buys them!
<3 Married to the amazingly awesome, perfect, and beautiful PG & LL <3
Ethereal Blade
Apr 27 2012, 12:51 AM
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^ I only have the Lightning & Amodor fight right now, which I thought was surprisingly easy. To be fair, my characters
have the crystarium maxed. I've been behind on the DLC lately, but I know there was a Jihl Nabaat fight released, as well as the Ultros & Typhon fight. Do you know how they compare difficulty-wise to the Lightning & Amodor one?
Also, I wasn't really aware of the Snow senario... do we know if it as actual battling in it? I was so disappointed that the Sazh DLC didn't... I got it mainly because he was my favorite character from XIII, but since it was just minigame oriented I didn't really like it. I agree that Sazh deserved better.
Apr 30 2012, 03:35 PM
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I've only attempted the Ultros fight twice, and I died both times. Ultros on his own is easy, but Typhon comes along and blasts you with status effects that cripple your characters with status effects. In that respect it seems more difficult than the Lightning fight (which I too found easy), but I could just be approaching the fight with the wrong paradigms.
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The following quadratic expression can be simplified:
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Non asset-based third party logistics services provider Greatwide Logistics said today it has launched a new service offering.
Entitled Managed Transportation Services (MTS), company officials said this offering provides shippers with superior visibility from pickup through delivery, coupled with centralized technology to monitor and improve supply chain operations. They added that MTS is comprised of various Greatwide core competencies, including: Dedicated, Brokerage, and Warehousing.
This launch follows a March announcement made by Greatwide, when the company rolled out a major re-branding push focused on its MTS-based dedicated fleet management services. As part of this effort, Greatwide took steps to consolidate its sales and business development groups so they were selling everything the company offers, followed by the creation of marketing, sales support, and engineering groups to re-launch the Greatwide brand and Website.
In an interview with LM, Greatwide Chief Customer Officer Vin Gulisano said that MTS had been planned for roughly the last 18 months.
"What drove the need [for MTS] was really Greatwide being positioned in the middle of a lot of very large shippers, and then we started doing more and more with mid-sized companies," he said. "We started preparing a strategy for large shippers as they started to take control of their transportation spend and looked at the pressures that was placing on the mid-sized shippers. And we saw the pressures they were having and applied it against the landscape of the economy, knowing that at some point soon capacity is going to dry up, rates are going to increase, leading them to wonder where the pressure is going to fall."
That pressure would be most likely to fall on mid-sized companies, noted Gulisano. This made now the right time, he said, to put together an offering which could help mitigate that pressure.
When asked how MTS can best benefit shippers, Gulisano explained that transportation savings is at the top of the list.
"This comes through our ability to aggregate purchasing power for shippers," he said. "It is the driver, coupled with the technology we offer through our Transportation Management System platform. This allows shippers to be more efficient than if they were managing transportation spend on their own. The [biggest savings] comes from the ability to offset pure transportation costs through buying power."
In terms of the competitive advantages MTS offers, Gulisano said several of Greatwide's competitors focus on the largest competitors—at the expense of mid-sized companies. And he explained that Greatwide is taking a differentiated approach by centralizing its operations with MTS and leveraging its own capacity on a dedicated basis—with backhaul capacity being the capacity that shippers often do not have access to today, due to market conditions unless leveraging an MTS model.
"We are trying to provide this service to shippers that are under-served and are also leveraging a dedicated fleet in a way that no other dedicated provider has before," said Gulisano. "This is being combined with our brokerage and warehousing services to form an integrated solution, which ideally will give us a bigger mousetrap."
Greawide officials also pointed to the following areas below as the nuts and bolts of its MTS offering:
1. Measurement — extensive monitoring, tracking and analysis of data to allow the best decisions on mode optimization, consolidation and deployment of carriers, including private fleet, dedicated and unique hybrid combinations.
2. Capability — annual bids and mini-bids to expedite transportation procurement processes and eliminate manual processing, improving auditing and payment capabilities.
3. Transportation Savings — minimization of rates by making the least expensive mode choice based on service requirements and shipment weight/dimensions. Instant comparison of available options enables mode conversion, shipment consolidation, flow-through warehouses and other rate savings.
4. Greatwide Resources — unparalleled carrier capacity, along with proactive continuous improvement through best-in-class engineering and account management resources.


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GOSHEN - Orange County Executive Ed Diana announced his expected budget veto on Friday, arguing that the Legislature's effort to fund the county nursing home for all of 2013 was fiscally unsound and would force the county to exceed its state-imposed limit on tax increases.
In a letter released to the press at 5:01 p.m. on the day before his veto deadline, Diana accused lawmakers of basing their budget changes on shaky assumptions and suggested public pressure had led them to try to extend funding for the Valley view Center for Nursing Care and Rehabilitation.
"We must not succumb to such pressures and influences by mortgaging the County's economic future," Diana said in his four-page veto message, addressed to Legislature Chairman Michael Pillmeier and Legislature Clerk Jean Ramppen.
Diana, who has been pushing for 14 months to sell the nursing home to a private operator, included only one month of funding for Valley View in his 2013 budget proposal, hoping by February to have transferred the operation. But lawmakers voted 14-5 to adopt a series of amendments that aimed to sustain the home for a full year with no additional county taxes.
Diana and his staff have taken a different view. In a memo distributed to lawmakers a week ago and attached to Diana's veto message, Budget Director Neil Blair argued that the net result of the changes was a tax-levy increase that surpassed the state cap by $5.4 million — an act that would require special legislation.
Diana called that an "unconscionable" tax-levy increase of 8.6 percent.
Michael Anagnostakis, the Republican legislator who crafted the budget changes, contends Diana and his budget office have deliberately misinterpreted the Legislature's intent by adding figures to ones they were meant to replace.
"The executive's office has purposely distorted the intent of the Legislature," he said in a statement Friday. "How stupid do they think the people are? We replaced his budget; we did not add our budget onto his. Our budget did not raise taxes one additional penny, and the tax cap was not exceeded."
Diana also faulted lawmakers for adding $6 million in anticipated federal aid to the budget. Valley View's supporters have long argued that the money is a sure thing and belongs in the spending plan, while Diana and lawmakers who support privatizing the facility insist the funding shouldn't be budgeted until the county gets it.
Diana also dismissed the Legislature's assumption of major savings through contractual givebacks promised by the union representing Valley View employees, which have yet to be consummated. In addition, he took issue with their expecting the facility to collect more Medicaid with better billing.
The Legislature has until Dec. 15 to decide whether to override Diana's veto, but could do so as soon as Thursday, when its next regular meeting is scheduled.
Diana vetos budget, citing Valley View funding
GOSHEN - Orange County Executive Ed Diana announced his expected budget veto on Friday, arguing that the Legislature's effort to fund the county nursing home for all of 2013 was fiscally unsound and would force the county to exceed its state-imposed limit on tax increases.


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I can't believe that this is my 100th post. Well actually it's my 101st post, I didn't realized that when I posted about getting paid with veggies, that was actually my 100th post. oops!! Oh well, it's my blog and if I want to celebrate my 100th post, when it's actually the 101st, then I will!!!
Anyway, I'm going to attempt the traditional 100 things and if you and I make it through, there might be a surprise at the end.
1. I am a Georgia peach!
2. This is already getting hard!
3. I am married to a wonderful man, Steven.
4.I have 3 beautiful children.
5. I am a certified teacher.
6. I have a voice disorder called spasmodic dysphonia.
7. It's not life threatening, just a 'thorn in my side'.
8. You can google it to find out more, if you want!
9. I was diagnosed in 2001.
10. So when I tell you that I get botox, it's not for cosmetic reasons!
11. I love coffee.
12. I prefer it cold and flavored.
13. I am a punctual person.
14. My 1st son is like me, he was born on his due date!
15. I love the beach!
16. I live in a small town.
17. I enjoy living in a small town.
18. I hope Barack is not our next president.
19. I can't believe I'm only on 19. yikes!!!
20. Dark chocolate is the best.
21. I developed a taste for it when i went to the Ukraine.
22. I went to the Ukraine in 1992 on a mission trip.
23. I turned 21 while we were there.
24. Now you can figure out how old i am.
25. I've always looked young, i hated it when I was younger.
26. But now I love it!
27. That's why I color my hair.
28. I'm not going to let gray hair give me away!!!
29. I was raised in a Christian home.
30. My parents will celebrate their 42nd anniversary this year.
31. I have an older brother and sister and a younger sister.
32. I have a wonderful sis-in-law and a crazy brother-in-law.
33. I have 2 nephews and a niece.
34. I am the 3rd child, enough said!
35. Rude people irritate me.
36. My spiritual gifts are mercy and service.
37. So basically, I'll love you through any situation and feed you while I'm at it!
38. God has really been strengthening me in the area of speaking the truth.
39. It's all about being balanced.
40. I believe that Jesus died for the WHOLE world!
41. I can't wait to share that great news with the people in Costa Rica.
42. I'm getting anxious about leaving Caleb. Pray about that please!
43. I'm a pastor's wife.
44. I'm not the typical pastor's wife.
45. I've been divorced.
46. God hates divorce but you know what, He loves the divorced! Praise HIM!
47. There is no such thing as a 'typical' pastor's wife.
48. We're just regular women.
49. Cute saying: I'm a BMW! Baptist Minister's Wife :0)
50. Half way there!!!
51. I was a single mom for about 3 years.
52. It was during that time that I learned what it really means to surrender to Christ.
53. I tithe.
54. In fact, you couldn't convince me NOT to tithe.
55. While I was a single mom, I learned first hand, You can't out give God!
56. The first summer I was single, the kids and I went to the beach with my fam.
57. As usual, I spent too much money.
58.The Sunday we returned, I knew I needed to give my tithe.
59. If I gave my tithe, things would be really tight for the rest of the month.
60. The internal struggle was so great, fear versus trust.
61. Trust won out and that morning I gave my tithe with no hesitation.
62. That Sunday evening my older sis went to FBCW with me.
63. After church, hanging out at my house, she gave me a card.
64. The sweet ladies in my mom's Sunday school class wanted me to know they loved me.
65. They were praying for me.
66. The wanted to bless me with a gift.
67. Inside the card was a love offering they had collected that morning.
68. It was the exact amount of my tithe I had given that morning.
69. I sobbed. My sister sobbed.
70. I've never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread. Ps.37:25
71. See #54
72 You're never more like Jesus that when you're giving.
73. I learned that from Pastor Johnny.
74. I love to eat.
75. I wish I could make chicken and dumplings like my Mama's.
76. I've mastered cornbread dressing, thanks to my mom and grandma.
77. My new favorite show is Design Star.
78. I hate drama.
79. I generally calm, cool and collected.
80. Although I can cry at the drop of a hat.
81. I love to read.
82. I love to sit on the beach and read.
83. If I could, I would adopt a child from overseas.
84. Beth Moore is my bff. She just doesn't know it!
85. Priscilla Shirer is next in line!
86. She has the prettiest teeth.
87. I am competitive.
88. I don't yell at my kids ballgames.
89. It is a struggle though!
90. Oh my word! I'm almost done!
91. I love hanging out with my husband.
92. We both like visiting historical places.
93. He makes me laugh!
94. I love to laugh.
95. I'm rarely serious.
96. I'm a night owl.
97. I'm also a morning person, go figure!
98. My life verse is Jeremiah 29:11.
99. Jesus Christ is truly my best friend.
100. I want Him to be yours too!!!!
Ok, I think I promised something about a surprise if you made it to the end!
For my 100th (101st) post celebration, I'm going to have a giveaway! (see #72) ;)
I'm going to give you some of my favorite things:
$10 gift card to st*rbucks so you can drink a coffee.
A bag of hershey kisses, I prefer dark chocolate but I'll let you choose
$10 gift card to Lifeway so you can read a good book.
Leave a comment and tell me what kind of kisses you prefer, Hershey kisses that is! I'll draw a winner on Monday, July 14th! Invite your friends to enter, unless you just really want to win. Kidding!!!
I love you all and since it's actually my 101st post:
Thursday, July 10, 2008
100th Post!!!!!!!
I can't believe that this is my 100th post. Well actually it's my 101st post, I didn't realized that when I posted about getting paid with veggies, that was actually my 100th post. oops!! Oh well, it's my blog and if I want to celebrate my 100th post, when it's actually the 101st, then I will!!!
Thoughts from Cheryl at 9:14 AM
Labels: 100th post, giveaway
21 thoughts from Y*O*U:
- Cindy-Still His Girl said...
Hey girlie! I read them all. And can I tell you that the tithing stuff was good for me. After Mexico and California and a new puppy, we are flat broke until payday on Tuesday. I'm scrimping and scavenging in the pantry to find stuff to eat. I considered not tithing our entire amount, I'm ashamed to say. But I went ahead and gave it all and I'm trusting that just as always, He will provide all we need. :)
I love all chocolate. I'm liking the new dark chocolate kisses, too. :)
I love reading you. :)
- July 10, 2008 at 11:19 AM
- Angie said...
That was really fun learning all those things about you, friend! I wish you lived closer.
Count me in for the DARK chocolate! Yummy, AND good for you!
Congrats on posts 100-101! YAY! :)
- July 10, 2008 at 11:23 AM
- Amy: said...
Congratulations on your 100th post! I loved reading all of those! You inspire me!!! Love you!
- July 10, 2008 at 12:02 PM
- Linda said...
Loved learning more about you. I love Design Star too. Beth Moore and Priscilla...need I say more??? Love cold coffee. So much in common. Great story about the tithe.:)
- July 10, 2008 at 12:22 PM
- Susan and Lee said...
100! Wow! How long have you been doing this? i guess it goes by fast though because I am already on 30 something and I have been doing it for about 3 or 4 months. I love reading your blog Cheryl. It is great and inspiring like Amy said.
YOu need to come up this way soon so we can all get together again.
- July 10, 2008 at 12:23 PM
- Kristin Puckett (Collins) said...
I think Emma posted a couple, so this one might actually be YOUR 100th! Congratulations! I have really enjoyed reading your blog and seeing your Wonderful family pictures!
- July 10, 2008 at 12:36 PM
- Sarah@Life in the Parsonage said...
Loved this one! Happy 101st!
And I'm so with ya on #78 :)
I love just plain chocolate kisses...how boring am I?!?
- July 10, 2008 at 1:10 PM
- Nana said...
100 things, I can't believe you didn't mention your second family once. How sad am I. Love ya anyway.
- July 10, 2008 at 2:54 PM
- Sallie said...
Hi Cheryl! I've been reading your blog on SBC Women feed... nice to learn so much more about you :-)
I don't have any particular favorite kiss but I think I tried one once that was like a reeses... or maybe it was white chocolate.. either way they were yummy :-)
I love cold coffee too but usually can only drink it black.. a habit I picked up in Okinawa.
I completely agree with #18!!!
I'm actually not resisting my gray. I'm mid 30's and am getting more than my mom already but I'm looking at it as my crown of glory... sigh
So great that you tithe!! We can't outgive God!!! Crying right there with you with the times God has blessed us with our exact tithe back at us for trusting in Him :-)
Have a great day and be blessed!!
- July 10, 2008 at 3:09 PM
- Amanda Jo said...
Great list! I love your story on tithing! Our church is featuring tithing testimonies right now and yours would take the cake!
Sign me up for the giveaway! It looks GREAT! I love the dark chocolate kisses - yummo!
- July 11, 2008 at 10:51 AM
- Shelley said...
Happy Blog-aversary!! :-)
- July 11, 2008 at 1:20 PM
- Fran said...
You are awesome Cheryl!! I can't comment on 101 things but it was so much fun reading these.
Since I'll be winning, you can just email me and tell me what to do! ;)
Big hugs~
- July 11, 2008 at 3:56 PM
- Alene said...
Hey girl, you are just as cute as ever! Congrats on your 101st! I have no clue where I stand. ha! I was getting all ready to explain the kind of kisses I like when you reiterated Hershey's Kiss - so make it Hugs. Blesings!
- July 11, 2008 at 8:55 PM
- Jennifer said...
I made it and enjoyed every minute of it! I love reading your posts! Thanks for all y'alls prayers. I only have two more weeks before I head home! Love you!
P.S. I'm a milk chocolate kind of girl ;)
- July 11, 2008 at 10:01 PM
- Cassandra Stafford said...
I am nervous about my 100th post, but since I am only at 60, I still have a while....maybe I should start now....anyway enjoyed reading yours. Gonna browse around the rest of your blog, but not gonna pass up a chancw to win free coffee and chocolate
- July 12, 2008 at 1:06 AM
- Barbie said...
Love the list! I am a single Mom and I truly know you can't outgive out...btw we share the same gifts lol
- July 12, 2008 at 12:55 PM
- Jennifer said...
I dont know why I never did a 100th post but wish I did. Anyways. It was neat learning more about you and the tithing story really touched me. God is so faithful.
Have you tried the mint chocolate kisses?? They are yummy
- July 12, 2008 at 3:54 PM
- Natalie said...
Amen to #47 and #48! I hear you loud and clear, sister!
- July 12, 2008 at 9:25 PM
- Natalie said...
I almost forgot...have you tried the caramel filled kisses?!?! YUM-YUM! :)
- July 12, 2008 at 9:27 PM
- Becoming Me said...
ts on your 100th post! Neat list. And your prizes are great. I'm soon moving, so that chocolate and coffee followed by a good book...just what I'll need. I know it's not trendy, but I'm a milk chocolate girl.
- July 12, 2008 at 9:39 PM
- Ginger said...
I enjoyed learning about you! I have a friend who has Spasmodic Dysphonia...small world. And I happen to love that pastor's wives aren't typical...most of my friends are pastor's wives...I am not. And I desperately needed to hear about the tithing...I so struggle with that issue...dedicated in most other areas, just this one gets me!
- July 14, 2008 at 4:35 PM


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Are Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult back on?
The "X-Men: Days of Future Past" stars ended their two-year relationship in January, but the duo was spotted at dinner together on Monday night. Lawrence, 22, and Hoult, 23, were photographed leaving The Little Door — one of L.A.'s most fabled romantic restaurants — together. The duo slipped out the back door and hopped into Lawrence's awaiting car.
The Oscar-winning actress was also snapped holding a copy of the book 'Anna Karenina.' The "Silver Linings Playbook" star has revealed in the past that itís one of her favorite novels, but considering the film was just remade last year with Keira Knightley and Jude Law, it's doubtful Lawrence and Hoult were discussing business over dinner.
An insider tells omg! it would "surprise no one" if Lawrence and Hoult did indeed get back together.
"When they broke up in January it was hard for both of them, but amicable," omg!'s insider continues. "Jennifer was busy with awards season, and Nicholas was all over promoting 'Warm Bodies.' They kept in touch."
Lawrence and Hoult have recently reunited to film the upcoming 'X-Men' sequel. Now that production has begun, perhaps it's reignited their old flame? Either way, itís most likely brought back memories since the two met on the set of 2011ís "X-Men: First Class." "There is no weirdness between them," another source adds.
Would you like to see the former lovebirds date again? Vote in our poll below!
More Celebrity Features on Yahoo!:
Miley Cyrus Strips Down for Racy Photo Shoot, Talks Liam Hemsworth
Khloe Kardashian: It's 'Hurtful' Being Compared to Kim and Kourtney
Cory Monteith Takes Post-Rehab Trip With Lea Michele
For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews – Subscribe on YouTube!


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A buyer's market at gun bazaar in Kurdish town
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — There suddenly are deep discounts available at the once-thriving gun bazaar in Irbil.
The price of an Austrian Glock pistol fell $500 to $3,000. An AK-47 is now $2,000, also down $500. And then there's another version of an AK-47 named "the Osama" after the late al-Qaida leader who famously preferred the model, now being sold for the bargain price of $2,700, down from $3,500.
Dealers say that sales of weapons at the market have slowed ever since the United States vowed to help Kurdish forces defend the largely autonomous region of northern Iraq from Islamic militants.
Kurdish forces, known as the Peshmerga, make their way to the front line to fight militants from the extremist Islamic State group at Mosul Dam, outside Mosul, Iraq, Monday, Aug 18, 2014. Boosted by two days of U.S. airstrikes, Iraqi and Kurdish forces on Monday wrested back control of the country's largest dam from Islamic militants, a military spokesman in Baghdad said, as fighting was reported to be underway for the rest of the strategic facility. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
It's a rare vote of confidence in President Barack Obama in a region that has had a troubled relationship with Washington.
"People now don't worry because Obama decided to sell weapons to Kurdistan," dealer Sabir Bazalaky said at the bazaar, which sits in a dusty ditch near Irbil's main peach-colored prison.
A toothless old man watching nearby put it in simpler terms.
"Obama, Obama!" he hooted, using his hand to imitate a swooping aircraft.
Since the U.S. began conducting airstrikes on Aug. 8 against fighters of the Islamic State militant group, gun sales at the bazaar have flattened, and the dealers have cut their prices by a third or even a half.
The Sunni-led militants seized huge parts of northern and western Iraq in June for their self-styled Islamic State, although they mostly left Kurdish areas alone.
Then, in a surprise attack early this month, the extremists seized the Mosul Dam, villages around the Sinjar mountains in the north, villages near Irbil, and the Kurdish towns of Makhmour and Gweir. Tens of thousands of religious minorities feld to the safety of Kurdish-held areas.
Before the U.S. airstrikes, there was panic-buying at the gun bazaar. Kurdish men madly snapped up any weapons on offer, fearing the Islamic State fighters would roll into Irbil.
"They didn't even ask for the price, They just said, 'Please give me a gun,'" recalled dealer Alan Aly, 36, his eyes widening.
"This never happened before," added Aly, who like the other merchants sported an expensive Japanese gold watch.
Following the airstrikes, U.S. officials said they would begin weapons supplies to Kurdish forces, known as peshmerga. The move was broadly welcomed by the poorly armed Kurds, who have been distinctly pro-American since the 1990s, when earlier administrations protected them from Saddam Hussein's forces.
On a recent day, the market was quiet. Only a few customers milled about, quickly exchanging new dollar bills for guns. One man came with his pig-tailed little girls in tow, who looked around excitedly.
Aly did not have his weapons on display in the bazaar. He sells his pistols and rifles — even mortars and rocket-propelled grenade launchers — out of the back of his car.
The gun dealers were philosophical about the downturn in sales. All of them described themselves as patriots, listing the weapons they had donated to the peshmerga.
Aly said he had given them mortars and RPGs, and he laughed when asked to explain how he had gotten them.
Sitting in a friend's store, he looked at the M-16s, assault rifles and bullets displayed on a folding table. Could these weapons help the peshmerga stop the Islamic militants?
"No," he said with a smile. "We need tanks and helicopters."
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Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed 2013-14 balanced budget is the state's first since 2007-08, thanks largely to higher taxes. A $5 billion spurt in additional revenue in January made the state – at least for the moment – appear to be even more flush with cash.
However, that surprising spurt of money simply may be the result of taxpayers "getting income off their books in the hope of limiting exposure to" federal and state tax increases that kicked in Jan. 1. State budget experts, says the Los Angeles Times, expect the revenue surge may "be offset by a big plunge in the spring."
Now comes a troubling report on how the state is spending the money it collects.
Analysis of state spending by California Common Sense, a nonpartisan nonprofit founded by Stanford University students and alumni, shows state spending on health care increased 62 percent since 2007-08, the last year a balance budget was proposed in California.
Meanwhile, the group says, "funding for social services, universities and other services declined sharply, and user fees rose" during the same period.
Revenue anticipated for the coming 2013-14 balanced budget is $10.8 billion higher than in 2007-08, but funding for most services is expected to be lower because of growing health care and employee costs. To his credit, Gov. Brown has called for a special Legislative session to address rising health care costs.
More legislative discussion may be helpful, but that alone won't reverse years of disturbing trends in government spending.
"Think of the state's proposed budget as a pie," said Autumn Carter, CACS executive director. "The overall pie is larger, but social services, K-12, universities, courts and other services are now smaller slices."
"On the other hand, health care services, employee salaries, retirement benefits and debt service are all larger slices."
Some state government core responsibilities not only will receive a smaller portion of the budget pie, they will receive fewer dollars than when the pie wasn't as large as it is today.
Despite more tax revenue, proposed spending is significantly lower in key areas in 2013-14 than in 2007-08, the analysis found. Funds for social services declined 14 percent; universities, 14 percent; courts, 16 percent; and transportation, 31 percent. State spending on K-12 education is expected to be no higher than in the 2007-08 proposed budget.
In contrast, spending on health care services is up 62 percent; employee compensation, up 16 percent; retirement benefits, up 25 percent; and debt service, 24 percent. "General obligation and retirement benefit debt has grown substantially – 55 percent and 25 percent, respectively," the report says.
Perhaps the most egregious example is the increase of unfunded retirement benefits identified by the study, which have gone from $111.5 billion in 2007-08 to $211.4 billion in 2013-14. Worse, to accommodate these trends, taxes have risen, and fees have increased.
The Register's Editorial Board is not saddened to see government spend less, but this worrisome trend is reducing core functions in dollars and as a proportion of the budget, while spending more and a greater percentage on pay, retirement and interest for debts. Carried to its absurd logical extreme, at this rate there could come a day when government spends nothing to serve Californians, and everything on its employees. It's past time to reverse that trend.


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Even though I already submitted a drawing video on "how to draw an anime kid", step by step I still wanted to upload this lesson because it includes some helpful tips and tricks. Most of you found the tutorial to be helpful when I was drawing it live on video, but sometimes it's hard for someone to follow drawing videos because the steps are not steady or static. I know if I was a novice or even a beginning intermediate artist, I would prefer to learn from a step by step lesson that is laid out before my eyes. This way here I can take my time as I look at each step, and the best part is drawing is done at my own pace. No matter what you will definitely learn how to draw "how to draw anime kids", step by step just by using this detailed and exciting tutorial. I will be back again because there is still tow more submissions that need to be uploaded. Until then stick around and have some fun!
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


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Plaza fundraiser honors J.J.'s explosion victim
Friends throw benefit for Megan Cramer at The Melting Pot
A fundraiser to help pay burial costs for the server killed in the explosion and fire that destroyed J.J.'s restaurant on the Country Club Plaza got under way Sunday.
Friends and former co-workers put on the fundraiser, including a four-course meal and silent auction at The Melting Pot on the Plaza.
Cramer worked at The Melting Pot before she was hired at J.J.'s
Organizers said money raised at the event will also go toward the Megan Cramer Memorial Fund, which will help establish a scholarship in her name.
Cramer, 46, was a Kansas City attorney, activist and poet who was working in the restaurant at the time of the Feb. 19 explosion and fire.
Friend and former co-worker Arial Penner said it's still hard for her to face the truth of what happened.
"It's really important to have this benefit because this is obviously a devastating event that occurred, and we really just want to give back to Megan," Penner said. "She was such a beautiful person. She had such a wonderful impact on a lot of our lives."
The fundraiser is set to run until 10:30 p.m. Sunday and it is open to the public.


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Use the filters to the left or simply scroll down to begin viewing all pages.
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Puzzle Warehouse recycles everything it can to save the environment and to keep costs and prices low.
We are Hiring! Please fill out the employment form or send your resume to email@example.com.


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10 December 2012 at 12.00pm | 28 Comments
Update 31 Jan 2013: Watch the highlights from the day here.
Earlier this year, we opened up the doors to Covent Garden with a whole day of ballet rehearsals broadcast live to the world. Following on the success of Royal Ballet LIVE, we're delighted to announce that on Monday 7 January, we'll be broadcasting Royal Opera LIVE around the world - an unprecedented glimpse into life behind the scenes with The Royal Opera, with live rehearsals, interviews and insights direct from London's Covent Garden.
You'll be able to watch over ten hours of uninterrupted programming, starting at 10.30am GMT via The Royal Opera House website, The Space and the Guardian. Highlights will include glimpses into stage rehearsals from The Minotaur, a chorus call for our new production of Nabucco and rehearsals for Director of Opera Kasper Holten's new production of Eugene Onegin; his first production for The Royal Opera. Associate Director John Fulljames will present a model showing of his new production of La donna del lago, giving the audience an exclusive glimpse into what the opera will look like, including set and costume designs. There will be a unique opportunity to see a vocal masterclass in which Music Director Antonio Pappano will work with a singer currently on the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme.
The day will conclude with an exclusive look at all the action that occurs behind the scenes during a live performance. Viewers will be able to experience Act III from Wagner's Die Walküre, pre-recorded earlier in the Season, made possible with support from Deloitte as part of an ongoing collaboration with the Royal Opera House. Twenty-one cameras positioned in unique locations will capture the action: from above the stage to the trap door, to the orchestra pit and the wings. You'll be able to see opera stars such as Bryn Terfel preparing to take to the stage, and all the special effects realized by the technical team. What's more, via The Space, you can choose to watch the action from three different perspectives: from backstage, with the stage manager's calls, lighting cues and all the stage technology in action behind the scenes; join conductor Antonio Pappano in the pit, or a wide-angle of the onstage action. This is a first for online opera streaming, and something we're very excited about. Wherever you are in the world, we hope you'll be able to join us on Monday 7 January.
Royal Opera LIVE is a co-commission between the Royal Opera House, Arts Council England and The Guardian.


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Sir Andy Murray has revealed he plans to retire from tennis after this year's Wimbledon – but admits he may be forced to quit the sport even earlier.
In a tearful press conference at the Australian Open this morning, the Scot explained why he plans to call time on his career.
"I'm not sure I'm able to play through the pain for another four or five months," he told the media. "I want to get to Wimbledon and stop but I'm not certain I can do that.
The 31-year-old, who has been battling a long-term hip injury, still intends to play his Australian Open first-round match against Spanish 22nd seed Roberto Bautista Agut next week.
But he candidly admitted this could be his last tournament as a professional player.
"I'm not feeling good, I've been struggling for a long time," he added.
"I've been in a lot of pain for about 20 months now. I've pretty much done everything I could to try and get my hip feeling better and it hasn't helped loads.
"I'm in a better place than I was six months ago but I'm still in a lot of pain. I can still play to a level, but not a level I have played at."
'The pain is too much'
The three-time Grand Slam winner had surgery on his right hip last January and has played 14 matches since returning to the sport last June.
"The pain is too much really," he said. "I need to have an end point because I'm playing with no idea of when the pain will stop.
"I'd like to play until Wimbledon – that's where I'd like to stop playing – but I'm not certain I'm able to do that.
"I have the option of another operation which a little bit more severe – and involves having my hip resurfaced – which would allow me to have a better quality of life and be free of pain.
"That's something I'm seriously considering now. Some athletes have had it and gone back to competing but there's no guarantee of that. If I had it, it would be to have a better quality of life."
His announcement prompted a wave of support from the world of tennis.
Tributes to a champion
Billie Jean King, who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, tweeted:
.@andy_murray You are a champion on and off the court. So sorry you cannot retire on your own terms, but remember to look to the future. Your greatest impact on the world may be yet to come. Your voice for equality will inspire future generations. Much love to you & your family. https://t.co/AQUOP3LGec
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) January 11, 2019
Andy, just watched your conference. Please don't stop trying. Keep fighting. I can imagine your pain and sadness. I hope you can overcome this. You deserve to retire on your own terms, whenever that happens. We love you @andy_murray and we want to see you happy and doing well. 🙏
— Juan M. del Potro (@delpotrojuan) January 11, 2019
Always sad when a sporting career comes to an end. Sadder still when it's one of the greatest sportsmen that these islands has ever produced. Wish @andy_murray all the very best. A truly wonderful tennis player, and an absolute credit to his sport. Well played, Sir. 👋👋 https://t.co/z0td9c4Q3Y
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) January 11, 2019
Nobody has done more for British tennis than you and it looks like nobody will for many years to come. You have been an inspiration, friend and role model to me from the get go and I thank you for everything. Hope to see you out there for as long as possible @andy_murray 🎾 pic.twitter.com/xkxUXf1lOb
— Kyle Edmund (@kyle8edmund) January 11, 2019


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Capital Budgeting: IT Project Portfolio Optimization Redux
This is the second in a series of articles that examines decision-making methods for the selection or rejection of individual projects throughout the project portfolio management process. These methods determine whether or not a given project (either proposed or in process) should be included in your next capital budget.
Capital budgeting is a multi-faceted activity that includes: the formulation and articulation of long-term goals; searching for new and profitable uses for investment funds; the proactive preparing of technical resources, marketing (of both the external or internal kind), and financial forecasts and estimates; the preparation of appropriation and control budgets and integration of these budgets in the firm's information system; the economic evaluation of alternative projects; and the post-audit of performance of past projects.
Although all of these capital budgeting activities are important, this series narrowly examines only the following, albeit very-powerful, methodologies for selecting or rejecting projects:
- Optimization using deterministic input variables (Previous article)
- Optimization using stochastic input variables (This article)
- Decision-tree analysis, with and without real options (Next article)
- Other (See References 12, 13, and 14)
These articles will focus on the sorting of projects based on their risk-adjusted returns calculated as their net present value (NPV), which is based on cash. However, other bases such as economic value added (EVA), which is based on profit, are commonly employed. For a discussion of the rudiments of NPV, see Appendix A of the previous article—Reference 15 below.
My rationale for preferring NPV over EVA: The refrain "Cash is a fact, but profit is an opinion." reflects the thought that the profit and loss statement (also known as the income statement) is subject to much interpretation using the GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles—a widely accepted set of rules, conventions, standards, and procedures for reporting financial information, as established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board), whereas cash is tangible and well understood without ambiguity.
Furthermore, these articles put financial performance at the top of the value chain. (Although your company may insist on profitability (financial viability), a regulator may insist on its social or economic viability.) Insofar as projects return more in financial resources than they absorb, they will be selected for inclusion in the next budget. But, as discussed in the previous article, when the benefits of diversification are also considered, this financial-performance rule for selection may be waived.
Why Organizations Undertake [Different Kinds of] Projects
First, take a look at the fundamental question of why organizations undertake projects and, then, the different kinds of projects that they might want to take on.
When investors buy securities, they expect to earn, in the long run, rates of return that will compensate them for time and risk: not more and not less. This is not the case, however, in investments in real assets such as new computer hardware or software, where each investment is unique in terms of such factors as timing, the way it fits into the overall operation of the firm, the firm's operating expertise, and the marketing network available. But, above all, unlike investments in the security market (where a known set of securities is available to all), investments in real assets are the result of conditions or goals that are unique to a particular firm. Thus, a firm can develop investment proposals whose costs are below—even substantially below—the present value of their expected future cash flows. Such investments give investors expectations of compensation that exceeds the market's required rate of return. Consequently, they increase demand or the firm's stock and bid up the price. Clearly, the search for, selection, and adoption of such investments is an important objective of the firm because they help to increase the value of the stock.
Classification by type of cash flow
Projects' forecasted cash flows are examined and classified using criteria such as whether they are short- or long-lived and whether or not they are expected to change sign more than once. Cash flow estimation is the most critical, and most difficult, part of the capital budgeting process. Cash flow components sometimes must be forecasted many years into the future, and estimation errors are bound to occur. However, large firms evaluate and accept many projects every year, and as long as the cash flow estimates are unbiased and the errors are random, the estimation errors will tend to cancel each other out. That is, some projects will have NPV estimates that are too high and some will have estimates that are too low, but the average realized NPV on all projects accepted should be relatively close to the aggregate NPV estimate. Later, I'll comment on the fact that these forecasts are often biased and offer some suggestions on how to deal with this problem.
Classification by size
A company might classify projects by size, as follows:
- Routine proposals involving small investments
- Capital projects that require no more than a certain amount of cash outlay
- Major proposals
The size of the proposed project usually determines not only the depth of analysis to which the project is subjected but also the level within the company at which the project is approved or disapproved. For example, the company might establish the following approval authority:
- Plant manager: Investments up to $10,000
- Division manager: Investments up to $50,000
- Vice President: Investments up to $150,000
- Executive Vice President: Investments up to $500,000
- Executive Committee: Investments over $500,000
It is unlikely that the plant manager would use sophisticated capital budgeting techniques when making investments of under $10,000; but such techniques are warranted when large investment proposals are analyzed.
Classification by purpose
When an investment proposal is advanced, the individual or group advancing the proposal usually submits an appropriation request that provides relevant information about the proposal. In addition to the dollar amount, the proposal usually specifies the function or purpose of the investment. These might be categorized in the following way:
- Upgrading an existing software application
- Developing a new software application
- Expanding existing products in existing markets
- Expanding existing products into new markets
- Others
Whereas the benefits and costs of routine upgrading of existing software applications are only roughly estimated, very careful analysis is required when it comes to such projects as expansion to new markets, developing a new software application, and the like. In short, the larger the proposed investment and the less routine its nature, the more formal and rigorous the analysis should be.
Relationship between investment projects
The classification of proposals by size and purpose helps determine who in the firm will make the decision to accept or reject the proposal and what resources will be allocated to the analysis. But, there is one more classification important to the evaluation of the project's profitability. (Profitability can come from increased revenues from external product sales or decreased operations costs from internal use ... say, of newly developed software.) You can distinguish among
- Independent projects
- Dependent projects
- Mutually exclusive projects
This classification is important when several investment proposals are being evaluated simultaneously.
Independent, dependent, and mutually exclusive projects
Two projects are said to be economically independent if the acceptance or rejection of one has no effect on the cash flows of the other. If the cash flows from an investment are affected by the decision to accept or reject another investment, the first investment is said to be economically dependent on the second. And, two investments are said to be mutually exclusive if the potential benefits derived from one investment will completely disappear if the other investment is accepted. The acceptance of one of two (or more) mutually exclusive projects results in the rejection of all of the others.
Two projects could be mutually exclusive because of limited capital or manpower or bothSiri Krishnathe two resources simulated in the optimization study discussed below.
Sometimes, the amount of cash available for investment by the firm in any one period of time is limited by management; in other words, there's capital rationing. In those cases, alternative investments compete for funds.
Other classifications
Clearly, many other classifications are possible. Some firms assign a priority rating to alternative proposals; classifying projects as urgent, required, desirable, and so on. Others classify investment alternatives by the location of the projects within the firm, division, or even department. The various schemes are not mutually exclusive; a firm can, and many do, use all of the above-mentioned classifications at one stage or another of their budgeting process.
I've taken the time to discuss these rather mundane matters before advancing to a state-of-the-art, computer-assisted capital budgeting study to emphasize that the high-tech solution that follows does not take place in a vacuum!
Simulation and Optimization
Computer simulation is a tool that can be used to incorporate uncertainty (risk) explicitly into spreadsheet models. A simulation model is the same as a regular spreadsheet model except that some cells include random quantities. Each time the spreadsheet recalculates, new values of the random quantities occur, and these typically lead to different bottom-line results. By forcing the spreadsheet to recalculate many times, a business manager is able to discover the results most likely to occur, those that are least likely to occur, and best-case and worst-case results. This is just as if he or she ran hundreds or thousands of what-if analyses on the spreadsheet, all in one sitting.
Computer optimization uses simulation, sometimes called Monte Carlo simulation, to do a risk analysis on each possible solution generated during an optimization.
In the previous article, an optimization was conducted on an economic model that didn't incorporate uncertainty (risk) in the definition of the input variables (mean and standard deviation in that case). In this article, uncertainty (risk) will be included in the definition of the input variables (manpower and capital usage).
It's important to note that simulation and optimization are sometimes applied only when large projects are being evaluated and after considerable effort has been made to estimate future cash-flows.
Capital budget (portfolio) optimization enables the decision maker to set goals and constraints for the project portfolio at the same time. Then, optimization can use a variety of what-if scenarios to focus on what the portfolio delivers rather than on whether individual projects are good or bad. By asking managers to describe the outputs they want from a portfolio, the debate is around the trade-off of strategic priorities rather than individual projects. This avoids many of the conflicts with sponsors and project managers inherent in other approaches and results in decisions that build confidence among company stakeholders.
Figure 1 illustrates a project selection scenario that's subject to resource limitation and uncertain usage. This screen shot shows the Palisade RISKOptimizer optimization/simulation tool (a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet add-in) maximizing the NPV contributed by the selected projects. Ten projects (A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I, and J) are under consideration. Each project uses an uncertain amount of manpower (in thousands of hours) and capital (in millions of dollars). The simulation/optimization maximizes the mean NPV subject to the constraint that there is at most a 5% chance of using more capital or labor than is available. 70,000 man-hours and $85 million are available. Adjustable cells (C3 to C12) will be "1" for those projects selected or "0" for those not selected by the optimization process.
The optimization selected Projects B, C, D, and I, which earn an NPV of $107 million. There is no chance of a manpower shortage, but a 4% chance of a capital shortage. An authoritative discussion of this and other optimizations under uncertainty can be found in Reference 1. In addition, an overview of how the optimization engine is implemented is available in Appendix B below.
Figure 1: Capital budgeting with resource limitation and uncertain usage.
One shortcoming in the model shown in Figure 1 is the tacit assumption that each unit of manpower is fungible: That is, in one hour, day, or week, Nate, your most-junior programmer, will be as productive as Jane, your most-senior programmer. But, that's generally not the case. So, to introduce these differences into your model, you could create a standard person and assign a standard-person coefficient to each programmer. Thus, Nate's might be 0.9 and Jane's might be 2.1. Then, the values for manpower in the spreadsheet model could be entered in standard-person units.
Alternatively, pay could be used to differentiate one programmer from another. Where this unit of measure reflects a constant, corporate-wide cost per unit of productivity, pay needs no adjustment before it is entered into the spreadsheet. Here, $1000 would presumably buy the project more than twice as many hours of Nate's time as Sally's. There are, of course, other refinements that could be made to this model. But, it's here simply to introduce the process of optimization of an uncertain system. By the time you've read this entire series of articles on Capital Budgeting, you should be able to identify some of the other assumptions made above.
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Suspect Salads: Nationwide implications
Localized Contamination, Nationwide Implications
Until now, contamination of drinking water supplies with perchlorate has been considered largely a regional concern — most serious in California, Arizona and Nevada, with hot spots in dozens of other states. But finding rocket fuel in grocery store lettuce means consumers across America are unknowingly getting doses of perchlorate equal to the levels in some drinking water supplies. Lettuce is the second-most consumed vegetable in the U.S. The average American consumed 33 pounds of lettuce in 2000, and the Imperial-Yuma crop accounted for 40 percent of year-round production. [14]
Decades of neglect at the now-abandoned perchlorate manufacturing facility near Las Vegas, formerly operated by Kerr-McGee of Oklahoma City, have polluted Lake Mead and the Colorado River with perchlorate at levels that typically range between 4 and 16 ppb. [1] But concentrations vary widely, depending on rainfall, the time of year, and how well the Kerr McGee facility's treatment system is working. From 1997 to 2000, for instance, the average perchlorate level in Lake Mead was 9 ppb, but reached 24 ppb in November 2000, and was measuring 14 ppb in January 2003. [15] Although perchlorate levels in the river tend to decrease farther from the Kerr-McGee site, testing near irrigation intakes near Yuma — more than 250 miles downstream — have found perchlorate concentrations ranging from 3 to 6 ppb. [1]
Water from the Colorado River irrigates more than 1.4 million acres of cropland in California and Arizona. [16] It is unlikely that lettuce is the only crop that takes up and concentrates perchlorate, but lettuce is of particular concern because its cultivation uses so much water, the edible portions have a high water content, and so much of the nation's lettuce is grown with contaminated water. In 2001, almost 70,000 acres in Yuma County and more than 22,000 acres in Imperial County were planted with lettuce. [17,18] At the peak of production last winter, 374 truck loads of lettuce were shipped each day from Yuma and Imperial Counties. [5]
Because we purchased lettuce from grocery stores rather than picking it from specific fields, for most of the 22 samples little is known about where the crops were grown. However, given the perishability of lettuce (about a week) and the time of year the samples were purchased (January and February), it is highly likely that most if not all of the samples were grown in Yuma or Imperial County. Eighty-eight percent of the winter lettuce eaten in the U.S. (i.e., grown from December to March) is grown in these two counties. [5]
Lettuce Concentrates the Perchlorate in Water
If the irrigation water was contaminated with 3 to 6 ppb of perchlorate, as measured near irrigation gates in Yuma County, the levels detected in the samples would mean the lettuce concentrated the chemical by a factor of 5x to 40x. More research is urgently needed to answer this and other questions about the prevalence of perchlorate in the American food supply.
Unfortunately, the Colorado River is not the only source of agricultural water that is polluted with perchlorate. Looking only at commercially harvested lettuce, USDA data show that perchlorate contamination of water or soil is known or suspected in 10 of the 15 leading lettuce-producing counties in the U.S. [19] (Table B.) For example, in late 2002, a perchlorate plume from an abandoned highway flare factory was discovered in the San Martin area of Santa Clara County, Calif., contaminating almost 300 public and private wells. [20] Santa Clara is the 15th-ranking lettuce-producing county in the nation, with more than 1,200 acres commercially harvested in 1997. All but two of the top lettuce-producing counties are in California, where perchlorate contamination has been most widely documented.
Table B. Perchlorate contamination of water or soil is a known or suspected problem in 10 of the 15 top lettuce-growing counties in the U.S.
(a) Known perchlorate contamination
(b) Known perchlorate user, contamination status unknown
(c) Suspected perchlorate handler, contamination status unknown.
Source: [3], [19], [42] Download this table in PDF format
The EPA says there are sites of known perchlorate use in more than 40 states — but the exact number of states is unknown, as some military locations are confidential [21] — and has stated that sampling is expected to confirm contamination at every site where perchlorate is or has been produced, handled or used. [46] So far, nationwide sampling has been spotty and in some states not a single sample has been taken, including many locations where perchlorate contamination is likely. [3] It is therefore possible that there are other regionally or nationally important farming regions unknowingly relying on perchlorate- contaminated water.