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Anthony Hopkins has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, and has played Richard I, Richard Nixon, monarchs, statesmen, geniuses and heroes. He won an Academy Award playing one of the most notorious movie villains in history: Hannibal Lecter, the criminal cannibal with an affinity for Bach. Now, Hopkins is making his own music.
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra of England performed original classical music written by Anthony Hopkins last year in the U.K. A recording of those live performances, called Composer, was recently released there and rocketed to the top of the U.K. classical charts. Hopkins tells NPR's Scott Simon that he's been writing music for some time, improvising on pianos and writing bits and pieces on manuscripts for more than 50 years.
"I just did it for the sheer fun of it," Hopkins says. "My wife, Stella, said [I] should take this and orchestrate it and get it performed by a major symphony orchestra. It took me about a year to put all the pieces together."
Growing up in Wales, Hopkins found his entry into the arts when his mother bought an old cottage piano for 5 pounds, and he started music lessons.
"She, of course, wanted me to be a concert pianist, and I had different plans," he says. "I just wanted to be a composer; I became an actor by default, really. I got a scholarship to a college of music and drama, hoping to take a scholarship in music. But I ended up as an acting student, so I've stuck with that for the last 50-odd years."
"When you're a certain age and becoming conscious that you're inadequate in school — which I was — it's a lonely feeling," Hopkins adds. "You feel isolated and bullied and all the rest of it. I was pretty strong, so nobody bullied me, but I did feel isolated. And I look back on it all now as the greatest gift that I could have been given, because it was the rocket fuel that sort of drove me to do something with my life. So life and destiny are very peculiar. God, whatever God is, has a great sense of humor. And here I am, composing at the age of 74."
Sir Anthony Hopkins has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth and has played Richard I, Richard Nixon, monarchs, statesmen, geniuses and heroes - and, of course, one of the most notorious movie villains of history.
SIMON: ...the criminal mastermind who - let's just put it this way - does not catch and release his prey, all while Bach plays on...
SIMON: Hannibal Lecter is making his own music now. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra of England performed original classical music written by Anthony Hopkins, last year in the United Kingdom. A recording of those live performances was recently released in the U.K., and it rocketed to the tops of the charts. The album is called "Composer."
And Sir Anthony Hopkins joins us from our studios at NPR West. Sir Anthony, thanks so much for being with us.
: Pleasure being here. Thank you.
SIMON: You've been writing music for some time, I gather.
: Yes, ever since I can remember. Well, certainly 50, 55 years - improvising on piano, and writing bits and pieces on manuscripts over the many, many years. You know, I just did it for the sheer fun of it. And my wife, Stella, she said, you should take this and write it and - you know - orchestrate it, and get it performed by a major symphony orchestra. And I said, no, no, no. She said well, why are you so dismissive of it? She said, do it. So I did.
SIMON: Let's listen to a track from this new album, and this one is called "The Plaza."
SIMON: Now, what's the story of this piece of music?
: Well, it comes under the heading of 1947. I mean, most - all this music comes from my childhood. My father used to take me to the Plaza Cinema, and I used to see all those MGM musicals with Carmen Miranda and Harry James, and - I would say, all those great musicals. And that was a lasting memory for me, all that kind of bright Technicolor.
SIMON: You growing up in Wales - and I gather piano was your entry to the arts.
: It was. My mother bought a piano for 5 pounds - an old cottage piano - and I started music lessons. She, of course, wanted me to become a concert pianist, and I had different plans. I just wanted to be a composer. And then I became an actor by default, really. I just - got a scholarship to the kind of college of music and drama, hoping to take a scholarship in music. But I ended up as an acting student, so I stuck with that for the last 50-odd years.
SIMON: When do you think you wrote your first piece of music - do you remember?
: Yeah. I remember. It's 1955 - and it's on there in another piece, called "Margam."
: Margam is the place I was born.
SIMON: Mm-hmm.
: And it's full of farmland and fields and woods, and there was a lake and the seashore. So it's very evocative of my memories.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC, "MARGAMâ)
SIMON: This is a very lovely piece of music.
: Thank you. There's some orchestra coming in - a moment, I think.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC, "MARGAMâ)
SIMON: Do I have this right, that Richard Burton was nearby?
: Richard Burton was born in a place called Pontrhydyfen, up in the valleys, in the coal-mining valleys of Port Talbot. Margam is a little, rural community outside Port Talbot. I never knew Richard Burton. I only went and asked him for his autograph.
SIMON: That's what I've read, when you were 15.
: Yeah, I went to his house. He used to come back to Wales, and there was this great movie star. And he signed my autograph and he said, do you speak Welsh? I said, no. He said, you're not a true Welshman. He was teasing, but he scared me. And I remember thinking; I want to be like him. I just want to be famous. I didn't know what to do because I wanted to escape from the desert of my own mental - whatever it was - emptiness. And so I became an actor.
SIMON: To escape the desert of your own...
: That's right.
SIMON: Really?
: Yes, I did because, you know, I think when you're a boy - or girl, whatever - at a certain age, when you're becoming conscious that you're inadequate in school, which I was; you know, it's a lonely feeling. And I feel isolated - and you feel bullied and all the rest of it. Well, I was pretty strong, so nobody bullied me, so I could look after myself. But I did feel isolated. And I look back on it all now as the greatest gift that I could have been given because it forced me - it was the rocket fuel that sort of drove me to do something with my life.
So I wanted to become famous, in a way, to have my revenge on all those people that laughed at me. Of course, they're all dead now and here I am, living in sunny California.
: So life and destiny are very peculiar. I think God - and whatever God is - has a great sense of humor. And here I am, composing at the age of 74, so...
SIMON: Yeah.
: I wrote this in 1964, in fact. I was walking across the fields up Bracken Road, and I heard this sort of music coming from a window. That is a memory that stayed with me. I wrote lyrics, originally, for this.
SIMON: Do you remember them?
: Do I mean nothing to you anymore? All the time in the world could never be time enough to change the course of things - that was the title, I think; and it's all the time in the world could never be time enough to change the course of things. We may never meet again.
Anyway, that's the lyric I had.
SIMON: (Singing) We may never meet again.
: (Singing) We may never meet again. We will never smile together.
SIMON: Is there anything in your acting experience which serves you when you write music, in the sense that individual instruments seem to get spotlighted?
: Well, it's the reverse, really. I use music when I'm learning lines, if I'm just working on a script. I'll put a CD on, and whatever it is, really. And I don't play classics all the time. I love country-western. I love - Dolly Parton is some of my favorites. Waylon Jennings...
SIMON: Dolly Parton?
: Yeah. Waylon Jennings, people like that. I love those.
SIMON: Have you met Dolly Parton?
: Yeah, I did meet her once at a party - twice, in fact. I met her and she was just terrific. She (imitating accent) - hi, how are you? She was just beautiful.
SIMON: I wonder if she does an Anthony Hopkins impersonation.
SIMON: You're playing Alfred Hitchcock in a film that's coming out.
: Yes.
SIMON: I mean, I have to ask. Does that begin with putting an enormous pillow under your belt?
: Well, yes, I have one of those things. I'm not going to put on the weight for that. But he was a fascinating character, very complex man. And I actually met him once, with my agent, in a restaurant.
SIMON: There in Los Angeles?
: In Los Angeles many years ago, about 1979. 'Cause my agent knew him well and he'd just been knighted at the time and he - Sir Alfred. He said, (mimicking Alfred Hitchcock) hello George, how are you? This is my client, Tony Hopkins; (mimicking Alfred Hitchcock) I'm charmed, I'm sure.
: Now, he was just Alfred Hitchcock, sitting alone in this restaurant with a large glass of brandy - and not looking too well, but a great personality. I'm so honored to have met him.
SIMON: Let's return to your current album, though, if we could. We have the waltz, "The Waltz Goes On."
: Yeah, I wrote this many years ago. I was in the theater in Liverpool, the Liverpool Playhouse and they had an old, beat- up piano the night I made this up. Somebody says, you should do something with it. And then Andre Rieu - my wife sent it as a half-chance to see if he would like to perform it, and I thought that was very courageous of her. She - well, what can they do, put you in jail?
: So I got a call from Andre Rieu. He said, hey, I'd like to play your piece of music. I said oh, my God. It's about life goes on, whatever we do. We die, but the waltz goes on. That's the title of it.
SIMON: Do people always come up to you with recipes for fava beans?
: Yeah. Sometimes they ask me to do that fava bean lines, you know. And I say yeah, OK. But not so much now. I became rather resentful. I thought, well, is this all I'm going to be remembered for, is Hannibal Lecter? But as the years go by - a marvelous, great part to play, but I've done many other works since then.
SIMON: Sir Anthony, a pleasure. Thanks so much.
: Thank you very much. Thank you.
SIMON: Sir Anthony Hopkins, speaking from NPR West. His new album, "Composer."
SIMON: You can hear more from the album "Composer," and Sir Anthony Hopkins on his first - somewhat less stellar - stint on the U.K. pop charts, on NPR.org.
This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC, "AND THE WALTZ GOES ON") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Four more people have been detained in connection with two car bomb attacks that killed dozens in a Turkish town near the Syrian border, bringing the number of suspects in custody to 13, Turkey's prime minister said Tuesday.
Syria again rejected Turkey's contention it was involved, condemning the attacks and offering to conduct a joint investigation of an attack it has blamed on Turkey.
Police were still searching for six other wanted suspects, Interior Minister Muammer Guler said. Turkish authorities have blamed the attack on a Marxist group with alleged links to the Syrian intelligence agency, but have not named the group.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the death toll on Tuesday stood at 51 people, including five Syrians.
Saturday's powerful bombings were the deadliest in Turkey in years, shattering the border town of Reyhanli, a main hub for Syrian refugees and rebels fighting against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.
In Washington, the White House condemned the bombings, vowing that the attack would only strengthen the U.S. resolve to fight instability and violence in the region.
"We stand with Turkey against such horrific violence," White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday.
Carney said he fully expected the incident would come up Thursday in President Barack Obama's meetings with Erdogan in Washington, along with Syria's civil war, trade issues and broader instability in the Middle East.
A statement carried by Syrian state television following a Cabinet meeting in Damascus put the blame for the bombings on Turkey and its support for the rebels.
"Accusing the Syrian state of these cowardly and terrorist acts is totally baseless," the statement said.
It added: "The Turkish government is responsible for the situation in the border areas through turning them into a haven and passage for the terrorists and allowing gunmen to use the Turkish lands to commit crimes against the Syrians."
Once a close ally of Syria, Turkey has turned into one of the Assad regime's harshest critics. It is a key supporter of the Syrian rebels, offering shelter for many senior and lower-ranking defected Syrian soldiers.
Syria's Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said later that Erdogan's government was "taking political advantage of Reyhanli's bombings." He said Syria would be willing to take part in a "joint and transparent investigation by special agencies in both countries."
Erdogan, who previously rejected the Syrian denial of involvement as a lie, dismissed the offer of a joint investigation.
"At the moment, there isn't a legitimate administration accepted by the Syrian people," Erdogan said. "There isn't (an administration) we can conduct any joint work with... How can we accept an administration that is not accepted by the people?"
Guler, the Turkish interior minister, said those detained were still being questioned and that authorities were looking for more suspects, including four people who may have been involved in planning the attack and two people suspected of "aiding and abetting" the attackers.
The bombings have sparked speculation that Turkey would be drawn into its neighbor's civil war, but Erdogan reiterated that Turkey would act with restraint.
"Thank God we are powerful, determined and experienced enough to make the culprits pay," Erdogan said. "However, we will act in a cool-headed manner and take steps with the reflexes of a great state."
He said investigators are looking into a possible lack of coordination between Turkey's police and intelligence agency.
Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Bassem Mroue in Beirut, and Josh Lederman in Washington contributed.

subset: commoncrawl


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SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes acquired forward Mike Fucito from the Portland Timbers on Wednesday in exchange for the club's second-round pick (No. 34 overall). The Earthquakes now have the right of first refusal to Fucito and may negotiate a contract.
Fucito, 26, joined the Timbers via trade from the Montreal Impact on April 20, 2012, and appeared in 12 games for Portland during the 2012 MLS regular season. The four-year MLS veteran has played 36 career regular-season matches for Seattle Sounders FC (2009-11), Montreal (2012) and Portland (2012), recording three goals and two assists.
The former Harvard standout was a two-time NSCAA All-American for the Crimson. He led his squad to the NCAA Tournament in three of his four years and was a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
The Earthquakes still hold two picks in Thursday's MLS SuperDraft, one in the first round (No. 15) and another in the second (No. 33). The event begins at 9 a.m. PT in Indianapolis, Ind. and will be streamed live on ESPN3, ESPNFC.com, MLSsoccer.com and YouTube.


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Gabrielle Union, Boris Kodjoe and More Party at BET's Inaugural Gala
Over 2,000 D.C. socialites, political figures and Hollywood's elite celebrated President Obama's inauguration in style at BET's Inaugural Gala. The event, which was part of the "Hennessy V.S Inauguration Takeover," was held at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Gabrielle Union, Boris Kodjoe, Nicole Ari-Parker, Lynn Whitfield, Rocsi, DJ D-Nice, Jermaine Dupri, Kenny Lattimore, Shaun Robinson, Wayne Brady, BBD, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane, Kevin Liles, Omorosa, Wilmer Valderrama, DJ Kiss and A.J. Calloway were just a few names on the guest list.
Flip through to see snapshots from the fabulous affair, courtesy of Jeff Dormeus and Wire Image.


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**1/2 (out of four)
Oh, commerce and integrity. Can't you two ever get along?
Five years after Daniel Day-Lewis, his mustache and his oil derricks wreaked havoc in early 20th century California, star/co-writer Matt Damon and "Promised Land" arrive to see if small-town Pennsylvanians will sell their souls for natural gas. Well, that's not how Steve Butler's (Damon) sales pitch goes. He and Sue (Frances McDormand) are experts at going into struggling communities and emphasizing the economic boom that will follow his company's fracking. If you're giggling, you should probably look up what that means.
Folks seem agreeable in McKinley, Penn., until a science teacher (Hal Holbrook) with a Ph.D. in physics from Cornell argues that the situation isn't as simple as it seems, and that the locals should vote after learning more about supposed financial and health risks. When environmental advocate Dustin Noble (co-writer John Krasinski) arrives with photos of dead cows and a story about how natural gas shut down his father's farm, Steve looks ready to bust a gasket of his own.
Fifteen years after "Good Will Hunting" and 10 after "Gerry," Damon re-teams with director Gus Van Sant. Neither has lost his ability to hold attention. Damon is one of Hollywood's most naturally likable presences, even when losing his cool, and he brings charm to the flirtation between Steve and local gal Alice (Rosemarie DeWitt)—though her character is oversimplified, especially when she also bats an eye at Dustin. I know she's the prettiest single woman in town, and the love triangle doesn't turn into "The Departed" or anything, but it's a distraction from the central issue.
Speaking of which, "Promised Land" generates plenty of conflict and conflicted people as they consider whether they support bringing natural gas to a dilapidated town. But it rarely elevates the debates above the theoretical. Nobody learns details about the real risks involved or takes the situation further than the broad issue of, "Is it worth possible disaster and the loss of my family farm to save our economy?" The collision between values and the bottom line gets stickier with people in need, but "Promised Land" smoothes over current conditions and what could happen whether they sign off on Steve's company or not.
It's a movie that feels either too long or too short—a fable that fails to grow into a statement.
Watch Matt on "You & Me This Morning," Friday at 6:55 a.m. on WCIU, the U
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Whenever a substantial earthquake shakes up the greater Los Angeles area, it stirs talk of "the Big One": a catastrophic quake capable of some very heavy damages, like we've seen in other parts of the world.
Scientists remind us that it's just a matter of time, so we'd best be prepared.
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How Performing Rights Groups Funnel Money To Top Acts And Ignore Smaller Acts
from the nice-trick dept
But, back to the original point. ASCAP, BMI and their supporters insist that they're not as bad as the big, mean RIAA, and that they're especially focused on providing important royalties to less well known artists. Except... even that may be questionable, at least when it comes to live performance royalties (admittedly, a smaller segment of overall royalties). Reader btr1701 sent in some email exchanges from a mailing list, which I won't share directly since I don't have approval, concerning a jazz musician trying to find out why she doesn't receive any live performance royalties, despite knowing that these organizations collect them, supposedly on her behalf. In response, she's told that ASCAP and BMI only distribute that royalty money to "the top 200 grossing US tours of the year." If you're smaller than that? Too bad. Except... they do have one minor exception. If you play "serious music" (no joke), then they'll pay you your royalties. So, the musician asks what is "serious music" and is told it's "generally considered to be classical music."
The musician tried re-registering her own (jazz) compositions as "serious music" but it "does not appear to have made any difference whatsoever" and she notes that she is "yet to receive a single penny... for any US performance or radio broadcast of any kind" despite the fact that her music has been performed in the US for almost ten years, and "the vast majority of performances of my music take place in the US."
I went looking for some more details, and it appears that, indeed, ASCAP and BMI have a policy in place to only provide performance royalties to the top 200 grossing tours in the US. If you're a "smaller" act, the only way to get paid is to be an opening act on such a tour. Otherwise? Too bad, you're on your own. Aren't you glad you signed with ASCAP or BMI? Update Good clarifications in the comments on this. Despite what the musician was told originally, it appears that it's not that ASCAP and BMI only pay the top 200 tours, but that they only monitor them (it's not explained how they know ahead of time which are the top 200) in order to figure out who to pay. The end result, of course, is functionally quite similar. If they're only monitoring the top 200 grossing tours, then the likelihood of them finding out about songs from less well known composers is close to nil. But those big names? They get more than their fair share.


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The orphanage at Chodrak Monastery was founded by Khenpo Dam Cho Dawa Rinpoche, a senior teacher at Chodrak Monastery, in response to the growing numbers of young children who were orphaned or whose parents were unable to provide for them.
The majority of the people of Kham province are traditionally farmers and nomads. Farmers were able to grow enough food to feed their families and a little more that could be traded for necessities such as tea. Nomads grazed yaks, sheep and goats, and raised horses that could also be traded. Most of the farmers and nomads dont earn a cash income; rather they exchange goods as needed. The land reforms introduced by the government over the last forty years, greatly restricting grazing areas, has had a very adverse effect on the Khampas ability to maintain their lifestyle. The problems created by the harsh conditions in Eastern Tibet, which had historically contributed to an early mortality rate, have been compounded by government policies such as resettlement and the change from a barter to cash economy. Even those who have a chance to earn a cash income have great difficulty paying for necessities such as medical fees and often forego medical treatment for lack of money. Khenpo Dam Cho Dawa built Chodrak orphanage to provide food, accommodation and an education for children who would otherwise be forced to beg for survival in a poor and remote part of Tibet.
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We are marking this year the 50th anniversary of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, a book that's credited with launching the modern feminist movement in 1963. I was hugely impressed when I read it in my early twenties – it had more impact on me than Germaine Greer's The Female Eunuch because Friedan's approach seemed to speak from her own experience.
She portrayed the frustrated housewife – not just thwarted by her role as suburban wife and mother, but maddened by the way that advertising manipulated women, reinforcing their homemaking identity.
Betty – whom I met later at an Oxford Union debate – was devastating on the issue of home-baking. Manufacturers had produced an instant cake-mix to which you needed only to add water: but so as to make the dim housewife feel she was baking properly for her family, they fabricated the idea of adding a beaten egg as well. This was supposed to "validate" her role.
Betty described the life of the American housewife in existential terms: as she shopped, made beds, and looked after her husband and children, she might ask: "Is this all there is?" A big philosophical question. Anyone might ask it, in any daily existence.
I thought The Feminine Mystique was ace. It hit exactly the right note at the right moment in social history: small wonder the characters in Mad Men are seen reading it – it was, among other things, a piercing dissection of Madison Avenue's techniques.
As the years passed, the context became more nuanced. When I visited Poland and Russia in the Eighties, women there thought that American housewives – with cars, labour-saving gadgets and supermarkets – were in heaven, rather than in oppression. Our generation's subsequent efforts to "have it all" left us rather frazzled: and for younger mothers today, the juggling of roles continues.
Still, it's piquant to watch the emergence of Mary Berry, the 77-year-old baking queen, as the latest female icon – and baking become a national craze again. A housewifely tradition has been reborn: but then Mary Berry bakes real cakes, rather than following a marketing man's fake recipe.
Violent tactics of the Suffragettes
On a related feminist note, the Epsom racecourse will unveil a plaque this year to Emily Davison, the Suffragette who threw herself under George V's horse, Anmer, at the Derby in 1913. Davison was a martyr to her cause, but she was not trusted by others in the broader movement. She was given to violent tactics, and had tried both stone-throwing and arson.
In fact, the Suffragettes' violence appalled many women at the time. When Herbert Asquith visited Dublin in 1912, an English Suffragette threw an axe at him, lopping off part of the ear of John Redmond, the Irish Home Rule leader. Subsequently, a Suffragette tried to burn down the Theatre Royal in Dublin, with 3,000 people inside.
It is suggested that Davison did not mean to kill herself: perhaps not, but she was intent on some pretty aggressive tactics. The horse was unaffected, but the jockey, Herbert Jones, was haunted by the episode all his life and subsequently gassed himself.
Women in Norway, New Zealand and Portugal, to name but three countries, won the vote without recourse to violence. Why are the Suffragettes so admired for their tactics?
Many strings to a church's bow
There's an ongoing debate about the use of organs in church music – when there is no organ player available, should the tinny, artificial, electronic organ be substituted? But why not sometimes have violins and cellos? Nothing makes as beautiful a sound as the fiddle, and it's often used in continental churches. A great piped organ is impressive, but there are alternatives.


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STRANGE BUT TRUE- Puppy loathe: When canines realize a rip-off
Q. Do dogs have a sense of fairness, of getting a good deal or a raw one?–L. Helmsley
A. Surprisingly, they do when they feel they're not being treated fairly. Until now, overt reaction to unfairness had seemed to be restricted to primates. But some researchers had grown to suspect that other species that live cooperatively could also be sensitive to "foul play," says Nora Schultz in New Scientist magazine. To test this out, University of Vienna researchers asked 43 trained dogs to extend their paws to a human in various situations. The animals complied just about every time, with or without being given a reward.
However, this changed quickly when the dogs were stationed alongside another dog that was being given a food reward when the test dog got none. The predictably "disgruntled" dogs offered their paws far less often, while showing stress signs such as licking and scratching themselves. "They were clearly unhappy with the unfair situation," said researcher Friedericke Range. "It might explain why some dogs react with 'new-baby envy' when the owners have a child."
Like wolves and coyotes, dogs are pack animals and, among social carnivores, learn not to tolerate unfairness where other members of the pack are not pulling their weight. Range argues that the dogs' sense of fairness probably evolved long before domestication. "We are now testing for envy in wolves," she says, "and I would be surprised if we didn't find it."
Q. "I've got some in my fridge, and it tastes fine to me." How did such a prosaic pronouncement get to be a magazine headliner?–B. Crocker
A. The drink in question was none other than water derived from urine using a new wastewater recycling system developed under NASA engineer Bob Bagdigian, as part of a mission to renovate the living quarters of the International Space Station, says Yudhijit Bhattacharjee in Science magazine. The device was among the cargo transported to the station by seven astronauts aboard the shuttle Endeavor. Waste not, want not.
Q. Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross studied dying patients and taught us all about the five stages of grief. Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud taught us about the five stages of psychosexuality, Harvard's Lawrence Kohlberg about the six stages of moral development. So at what stage are we humans now in our understanding of very important things?–J. Brothers
A. You might call it the "Stage Fright" stage because we've finally begun to understand the shortcomings of such theories of human behavior, says Michael Shermer in Scientific American. For example, Kubler-Ross postulated the stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance in dealing with the death of a loved one; but according to co-authors Russell Friedman and John James in The Grief Recovery Handbook, "no study has ever established that stages of grief actually exist." Grief is the natural response to loss, but no specified stages fit any two people. After Freud's five stages, Erik Erikson countered with eight. And on it goes.
Such tidy orderings are appealing because we are pattern-seeking, storytelling beings trying to make sense of an often chaotic world. But the stories may be more true for the storyteller than for the cultural audience. Perhaps such stages reflected a time when most people marched through life predictably– marrying early, having kids, working, retiring. However, new social and economic conditions have blown these life predictabilities away.
Q. They say nobody works anymore, and they've got the data to prove it: Since there are 365 days in a year, and the average worker works only one-third of a day (8 hours out of 24), that figures to 122 days a year that can be worked at most (365 x one-third). But then you must subtract Saturdays and Sundays (52 x 2 = 104 days), holidays (roughly 8 days), plus paid vacations (10 days), or 104 + 8 + 10 = 122 days off. So 122 days total that can be worked minus 122 days off equals zero (0!) net days worked, right?–K. Marx
A. The fallacy here is that initially only 1/3 of each work day was counted as work, so only 1/3 of weekends, holidays and vacation should be subtracted as time off. Done this way, you get 122 - 40 = about 80 twenty-four-hour days' worth of work per year, or 240 eight-hour work days.
Send strange questions to brothers Bill and Rich at email@example.com.


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The women's lacrosse team pulled out a 9-8 overtime victory the previous time it faced Duke, in last year's NCAA Tournament Final Four.
Now, with last season in the back of their minds, the two teams will square off once again, though this time it's one round earlier.
No. 5 Duke (15-5) is coming off an overtime victory of its own, a 15-13 defeat of Virginia last Sunday. When the Blue Devils travel to Philadelphia tomorrow for the 1 p.m. matchup, they will be looking to forget last year and start anew.
"They have a lot of new players that we are going to have to get ourselves acquainted with," Duke coach Kerstin Kimel said of Penn. "We are trying to look more at this year's team."
The No. 4 Quakers (14-2, 7-0 Ivy), however, find last season's win to be valuable as they prepare for tomorrow's showdown. According to junior midfield Emma Spiro, Penn's familiarity with the Blue Devils' high-powered attack will be beneficial.
"They typically get the best recruiting classes in the country," Penn coach Karin Brower said. "They don't have a weak link."
And with nine of last season's 12 starters returning to the field, that's definitely true this year.
The Blue Devils have a diverse offensive corps, which according to Brower, consists of up to nine players that are capable of putting the ball in the net. However, one of those scorers, senior midfield Carolyn Davis, suffered a knee injury against UVA and will not line up this weekend. Duke's leading scorer with 59 goals and a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist, Davis is a huge asset to the team's attack. Last year she torched the Quakers for five goals.
"Obviously we would love to have her on the field but our offense is going to be just fine without her," Kimel said. "Other kids around her are completely capable and willing to step up in her absence."
Senior midfield Caroline Cryer is one of those players, having netted 44 goals this season. The Quakers did not face Cryer in the tournament last year due to a foot injury, but the Colorado native will be taking the field this time around.
In addition, Duke's senior goalie Kim Imbesi was just named the Division I defensive Player of the Week after a game-changing save with 49 seconds left in regulation against UVA. The Quakers' attack, meanwhile, struggled to score against Fairfield, netting only 10 of 29 shots and will have to be aware of Imbesi in goal.
"It's really just about placing the ball and seeing the net, taking that extra second," Spiro said. "The attacker always has the advantage."
In last year's matchup, the Quakers struggled to gain possession. Duke is currently ranked eighth in the nation in draw controls, averaging 14.7 a game, while Penn is ranked 71st with only 10.56.
Even with last season's win under their belt, the Quakers know that beating a team of Duke's caliber will be difficult.
"We are excited for the challenge," Spiro said. "The team who wins it can actually say that they played the best in the country."Comments powered by Disqus
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text:
Madeleine Albright, "Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box"
English | ISBN: 0060899182 | edition 2009 | EPUB | 176 pages | 4,1 MB
English | ISBN: 0060899182 | edition 2009 | EPUB | 176 pages | 4,1 MB
Before long, and without intending it, I found that jewelry had become part of my personal diplomatic arsenal. Former president George H. W. Bush had been known for saying "Read my lips." I began urging colleagues and reporters to "Read my pins."
It would never have happened if not for Saddam Hussein. When U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Madeleine Albright criticized the dictator, his poet in residence responded by calling her "an unparalleled serpent." Shortly thereafter, while preparing to meet with Iraqi officials, Albright pondered: What to wear? She decided to make a diplomatic statement by choosing a snake pin. Although her method of communication was new, her message was as old as the American Revolution—Don't Tread on Me.
From that day forward, pins became part of Albright's diplomatic signature. International leaders were pleased to see her with a shimmering sun on her jacket or a cheerful ladybug; less so with a crab or a menacing wasp. Albright used pins to emphasize the importance of a negotiation, signify high hopes, protest the absence of progress, and show pride in representing America, among other purposes.
Part illustrated memoir, part social history, Read My Pins provides an intimate look at Albright's life through the brooches she wore. Her collection is both international and democratic—dime-store pins share pride of place with designer creations and family heirlooms. Included are the antique eagle purchased to celebrate Albright's appointment as secretary of state, the zebra pin she wore when meeting Nelson Mandela, and the Valentine's Day heart forged by Albright's five-year-old daughter. Read My Pins features more than 200 photographs, along with compelling and often humorous stories about jewelry, global politics, and the life of one of America's most accomplished and fascinating diplomats.


text: 1 2 Linux and parallel port IDE devices 3 4PARIDE v1.03 (c) 1997-8 Grant Guenther <email@example.com> 5 61. Introduction 7 8Owing to the simplicity and near universality of the parallel port interface 9to personal computers, many external devices such as portable hard-disk, 10CD-ROM, LS-120 and tape drives use the parallel port to connect to their 11host computer. While some devices (notably scanners) use ad-hoc methods 12to pass commands and data through the parallel port interface, most 13external devices are actually identical to an internal model, but with 14a parallel-port adapter chip added in. Some of the original parallel port 15adapters were little more than mechanisms for multiplexing a SCSI bus. 16(The Iomega PPA-3 adapter used in the ZIP drives is an example of this 17approach). Most current designs, however, take a different approach. 18The adapter chip reproduces a small ISA or IDE bus in the external device 19and the communication protocol provides operations for reading and writing 20device registers, as well as data block transfer functions. Sometimes, 21the device being addressed via the parallel cable is a standard SCSI 22controller like an NCR 5380. The "ditto" family of external tape 23drives use the ISA replicator to interface a floppy disk controller, 24which is then connected to a floppy-tape mechanism. The vast majority 25of external parallel port devices, however, are now based on standard 26IDE type devices, which require no intermediate controller. If one 27were to open up a parallel port CD-ROM drive, for instance, one would 28find a standard ATAPI CD-ROM drive, a power supply, and a single adapter 29that interconnected a standard PC parallel port cable and a standard 30IDE cable. It is usually possible to exchange the CD-ROM device with 31any other device using the IDE interface. 32 33The document describes the support in Linux for parallel port IDE 34devices. It does not cover parallel port SCSI devices, "ditto" tape 35drives or scanners. Many different devices are supported by the 36parallel port IDE subsystem, including: 37 38 MicroSolutions backpack CD-ROM 39 MicroSolutions backpack PD/CD 40 MicroSolutions backpack hard-drives 41 MicroSolutions backpack 8000t tape drive 42 SyQuest EZ-135, EZ-230 & SparQ drives 43 Avatar Shark 44 Imation Superdisk LS-120 45 Maxell Superdisk LS-120 46 FreeCom Power CD 47 Hewlett-Packard 5GB and 8GB tape drives 48 Hewlett-Packard 7100 and 7200 CD-RW drives 49 50as well as most of the clone and no-name products on the market. 51 52To support such a wide range of devices, PARIDE, the parallel port IDE 53subsystem, is actually structured in three parts. There is a base 54paride module which provides a registry and some common methods for 55accessing the parallel ports. The second component is a set of 56high-level drivers for each of the different types of supported devices: 57 58 pd IDE disk 59 pcd ATAPI CD-ROM 60 pf ATAPI disk 61 pt ATAPI tape 62 pg ATAPI generic 63 64(Currently, the pg driver is only used with CD-R drives). 65 66The high-level drivers function according to the relevant standards. 67The third component of PARIDE is a set of low-level protocol drivers 68for each of the parallel port IDE adapter chips. Thanks to the interest 69and encouragement of Linux users from many parts of the world, 70support is available for almost all known adapter protocols: 71 72 aten ATEN EH-100 (HK) 73 bpck Microsolutions backpack (US) 74 comm DataStor (old-type) "commuter" adapter (TW) 75 dstr DataStor EP-2000 (TW) 76 epat Shuttle EPAT (UK) 77 epia Shuttle EPIA (UK) 78 fit2 FIT TD-2000 (US) 79 fit3 FIT TD-3000 (US) 80 friq Freecom IQ cable (DE) 81 frpw Freecom Power (DE) 82 kbic KingByte KBIC-951A and KBIC-971A (TW) 83 ktti KT Technology PHd adapter (SG) 84 on20 OnSpec 90c20 (US) 85 on26 OnSpec 90c26 (US) 86 87 882. Using the PARIDE subsystem 89 90While configuring the Linux kernel, you may choose either to build 91the PARIDE drivers into your kernel, or to build them as modules. 92 93In either case, you will need to select "Parallel port IDE device support" 94as well as at least one of the high-level drivers and at least one 95of the parallel port communication protocols. If you do not know 96what kind of parallel port adapter is used in your drive, you could 97begin by checking the file names and any text files on your DOS 98installation floppy. Alternatively, you can look at the markings on 99the adapter chip itself. That's usually sufficient to identify the 100correct device. 101 102You can actually select all the protocol modules, and allow the PARIDE 103subsystem to try them all for you. 104 105For the "brand-name" products listed above, here are the protocol 106and high-level drivers that you would use: 107 108 Manufacturer Model Driver Protocol 109 110 MicroSolutions CD-ROM pcd bpck 111 MicroSolutions PD drive pf bpck 112 MicroSolutions hard-drive pd bpck 113 MicroSolutions 8000t tape pt bpck 114 SyQuest EZ, SparQ pd epat 115 Imation Superdisk pf epat 116 Maxell Superdisk pf friq 117 Avatar Shark pd epat 118 FreeCom CD-ROM pcd frpw 119 Hewlett-Packard 5GB Tape pt epat 120 Hewlett-Packard 7200e (CD) pcd epat 121 Hewlett-Packard 7200e (CD-R) pg epat 122 1232.1 Configuring built-in drivers 124 125We recommend that you get to know how the drivers work and how to 126configure them as loadable modules, before attempting to compile a 127kernel with the drivers built-in. 128 129If you built all of your PARIDE support directly into your kernel, 130and you have just a single parallel port IDE device, your kernel should 131locate it automatically for you. If you have more than one device, 132you may need to give some command line options to your bootloader 133(eg: LILO), how to do that is beyond the scope of this document. 134 135The high-level drivers accept a number of command line parameters, all 136of which are documented in the source files in linux/drivers/block/paride. 137By default, each driver will automatically try all parallel ports it 138can find, and all protocol types that have been installed, until it finds 139a parallel port IDE adapter. Once it finds one, the probe stops. So, 140if you have more than one device, you will need to tell the drivers 141how to identify them. This requires specifying the port address, the 142protocol identification number and, for some devices, the drive's 143chain ID. While your system is booting, a number of messages are 144displayed on the console. Like all such messages, they can be 145reviewed with the 'dmesg' command. Among those messages will be 146some lines like: 147 148 paride: bpck registered as protocol 0 149 paride: epat registered as protocol 1 150 151The numbers will always be the same until you build a new kernel with 152different protocol selections. You should note these numbers as you 153will need them to identify the devices. 154 155If you happen to be using a MicroSolutions backpack device, you will 156also need to know the unit ID number for each drive. This is usually 157the last two digits of the drive's serial number (but read MicroSolutions' 158documentation about this). 159 160As an example, let's assume that you have a MicroSolutions PD/CD drive 161with unit ID number 36 connected to the parallel port at 0x378, a SyQuest 162EZ-135 connected to the chained port on the PD/CD drive and also an 163Imation Superdisk connected to port 0x278. You could give the following 164options on your boot command: 165 166 pd.drive0=0x378,1 pf.drive0=0x278,1 pf.drive1=0x378,0,36 167 168In the last option, pf.drive1 configures device /dev/pf1, the 0x378 169is the parallel port base address, the 0 is the protocol registration 170number and 36 is the chain ID. 171 172Please note: while PARIDE will work both with and without the 173PARPORT parallel port sharing system that is included by the 174"Parallel port support" option, PARPORT must be included and enabled 175if you want to use chains of devices on the same parallel port. 176 1772.2 Loading and configuring PARIDE as modules 178 179It is much faster and simpler to get to understand the PARIDE drivers 180if you use them as loadable kernel modules. 181 182Note 1: using these drivers with the "kerneld" automatic module loading 183system is not recommended for beginners, and is not documented here. 184 185Note 2: if you build PARPORT support as a loadable module, PARIDE must 186also be built as loadable modules, and PARPORT must be loaded before the 187PARIDE modules. 188 189To use PARIDE, you must begin by 190 191 insmod paride 192 193this loads a base module which provides a registry for the protocols, 194among other tasks. 195 196Then, load as many of the protocol modules as you think you might need. 197As you load each module, it will register the protocols that it supports, 198and print a log message to your kernel log file and your console. For 199example: 200 201 # insmod epat 202 paride: epat registered as protocol 0 203 # insmod kbic 204 paride: k951 registered as protocol 1 205 paride: k971 registered as protocol 2 206 207Finally, you can load high-level drivers for each kind of device that 208you have connected. By default, each driver will autoprobe for a single 209device, but you can support up to four similar devices by giving their 210individual co-ordinates when you load the driver. 211 212For example, if you had two no-name CD-ROM drives both using the 213KingByte KBIC-951A adapter, one on port 0x378 and the other on 0x3bc 214you could give the following command: 215 216 # insmod pcd drive0=0x378,1 drive1=0x3bc,1 217 218For most adapters, giving a port address and protocol number is sufficient, 219but check the source files in linux/drivers/block/paride for more 220information. (Hopefully someone will write some man pages one day !). 221 222As another example, here's what happens when PARPORT is installed, and 223a SyQuest EZ-135 is attached to port 0x378: 224 225 # insmod paride 226 paride: version 1.0 installed 227 # insmod epat 228 paride: epat registered as protocol 0 229 # insmod pd 230 pd: pd version 1.0, major 45, cluster 64, nice 0 231 pda: Sharing parport1 at 0x378 232 pda: epat 1.0, Shuttle EPAT chip c3 at 0x378, mode 5 (EPP-32), delay 1 233 pda: SyQuest EZ135A, 262144 blocks [128M], (512/16/32), removable media 234 pda: pda1 235 236Note that the last line is the output from the generic partition table 237scanner - in this case it reports that it has found a disk with one partition. 238 2392.3 Using a PARIDE device 240 241Once the drivers have been loaded, you can access PARIDE devices in the 242same way as their traditional counterparts. You will probably need to 243create the device "special files". Here is a simple script that you can 244cut to a file and execute: 245 246#!/bin/bash 247# 248# mkd -- a script to create the device special files for the PARIDE subsystem 249# 250function mkdev { 251 mknod $1 $2 $3 $4 ; chmod 0660 $1 ; chown root:disk $1 252} 253# 254function pd { 255 D=$( printf \\$( printf "x%03x" $[ $1 + 97 ] ) ) 256 mkdev pd$D b 45 $[ $1 * 16 ] 257 for P in 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 258 do mkdev pd$D$P b 45 $[ $1 * 16 + $P ] 259 done 260} 261# 262cd /dev 263# 264for u in 0 1 2 3 ; do pd $u ; done 265for u in 0 1 2 3 ; do mkdev pcd$u b 46 $u ; done 266for u in 0 1 2 3 ; do mkdev pf$u b 47 $u ; done 267for u in 0 1 2 3 ; do mkdev pt$u c 96 $u ; done 268for u in 0 1 2 3 ; do mkdev npt$u c 96 $[ $u + 128 ] ; done 269for u in 0 1 2 3 ; do mkdev pg$u c 97 $u ; done 270# 271# end of mkd 272 273With the device files and drivers in place, you can access PARIDE devices 274like any other Linux device. For example, to mount a CD-ROM in pcd0, use: 275 276 mount /dev/pcd0 /cdrom 277 278If you have a fresh Avatar Shark cartridge, and the drive is pda, you 279might do something like: 280 281 fdisk /dev/pda -- make a new partition table with 282 partition 1 of type 83 283 284 mke2fs /dev/pda1 -- to build the file system 285 286 mkdir /shark -- make a place to mount the disk 287 288 mount /dev/pda1 /shark 289 290Devices like the Imation superdisk work in the same way, except that 291they do not have a partition table. For example to make a 120MB 292floppy that you could share with a DOS system: 293 294 mkdosfs /dev/pf0 295 mount /dev/pf0 /mnt 296 297 2982.4 The pf driver 299 300The pf driver is intended for use with parallel port ATAPI disk 301devices. The most common devices in this category are PD drives 302and LS-120 drives. Traditionally, media for these devices are not 303partitioned. Consequently, the pf driver does not support partitioned 304media. This may be changed in a future version of the driver. 305 3062.5 Using the pt driver 307 308The pt driver for parallel port ATAPI tape drives is a minimal driver. 309It does not yet support many of the standard tape ioctl operations. 310For best performance, a block size of 32KB should be used. You will 311probably want to set the parallel port delay to 0, if you can. 312 3132.6 Using the pg driver 314 315The pg driver can be used in conjunction with the cdrecord program 316to create CD-ROMs. Please get cdrecord version 1.6.1 or later 317from ftp://ftp.fokus.gmd.de/pub/unix/cdrecord/ . To record CD-R media 318your parallel port should ideally be set to EPP mode, and the "port delay" 319should be set to 0. With those settings it is possible to record at 2x 320speed without any buffer underruns. If you cannot get the driver to work 321in EPP mode, try to use "bidirectional" or "PS/2" mode and 1x speeds only. 322 323 3243. Troubleshooting 325 3263.1 Use EPP mode if you can 327 328The most common problems that people report with the PARIDE drivers 329concern the parallel port CMOS settings. At this time, none of the 330PARIDE protocol modules support ECP mode, or any ECP combination modes. 331If you are able to do so, please set your parallel port into EPP mode 332using your CMOS setup procedure. 333 3343.2 Check the port delay 335 336Some parallel ports cannot reliably transfer data at full speed. To 337offset the errors, the PARIDE protocol modules introduce a "port 338delay" between each access to the i/o ports. Each protocol sets 339a default value for this delay. In most cases, the user can override 340the default and set it to 0 - resulting in somewhat higher transfer 341rates. In some rare cases (especially with older 486 systems) the 342default delays are not long enough. if you experience corrupt data 343transfers, or unexpected failures, you may wish to increase the 344port delay. The delay can be programmed using the "driveN" parameters 345to each of the high-level drivers. Please see the notes above, or 346read the comments at the beginning of the driver source files in 347linux/drivers/block/paride. 348 3493.3 Some drives need a printer reset 350 351There appear to be a number of "noname" external drives on the market 352that do not always power up correctly. We have noticed this with some 353drives based on OnSpec and older Freecom adapters. In these rare cases, 354the adapter can often be reinitialised by issuing a "printer reset" on 355the parallel port. As the reset operation is potentially disruptive in 356multiple device environments, the PARIDE drivers will not do it 357automatically. You can however, force a printer reset by doing: 358 359 insmod lp reset=1 360 rmmod lp 361 362If you have one of these marginal cases, you should probably build 363your paride drivers as modules, and arrange to do the printer reset 364before loading the PARIDE drivers. 365 3663.4 Use the verbose option and dmesg if you need help 367 368While a lot of testing has gone into these drivers to make them work 369as smoothly as possible, problems will arise. If you do have problems, 370please check all the obvious things first: does the drive work in 371DOS with the manufacturer's drivers ? If that doesn't yield any useful 372clues, then please make sure that only one drive is hooked to your system, 373and that either (a) PARPORT is enabled or (b) no other device driver 374is using your parallel port (check in /proc/ioports). Then, load the 375appropriate drivers (you can load several protocol modules if you want) 376as in: 377 378 # insmod paride 379 # insmod epat 380 # insmod bpck 381 # insmod kbic 382 ... 383 # insmod pd verbose=1 384 385(using the correct driver for the type of device you have, of course). 386The verbose=1 parameter will cause the drivers to log a trace of their 387activity as they attempt to locate your drive. 388 389Use 'dmesg' to capture a log of all the PARIDE messages (any messages 390beginning with paride:, a protocol module's name or a driver's name) and 391include that with your bug report. You can submit a bug report in one 392of two ways. Either send it directly to the author of the PARIDE suite, 393by e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com, or join the linux-parport mailing list 394and post your report there. 395 3963.5 For more information or help 397 398You can join the linux-parport mailing list by sending a mail message 399to 400 firstname.lastname@example.com 401 402with the single word 403 404 subscribe 405 406in the body of the mail message (not in the subject line). Please be 407sure that your mail program is correctly set up when you do this, as 408the list manager is a robot that will subscribe you using the reply 409address in your mail headers. REMOVE any anti-spam gimmicks you may 410have in your mail headers, when sending mail to the list server. 411 412You might also find some useful information on the linux-parport 413web pages (although they are not always up to date) at 414 415 http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.torque.net/parport/ 416 417 418


text:
TENERIFE, Canary Islands, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- A Tenerife, Canary Islands, Carnival Queen contestant was severely burned when her elaborate costume caught fire, witnesses said.
After Saida Maria Prieto, 25 -- wearing a winged and feathered "Isis, Queen of the Gods" costume -- finished seventh in the contest, a fire believed to have been started by fireworks, struck the backstage area of the event venue, the website ThinkSpain said.
"The scene was horrific, terrifying," a TV reporter said. "A curtain caught fire and in less than a second, flames of 10 meters [32 feet] in height reached the ceiling."
Prieto suffered burns to 40 percent of her body and was transferred to the burn unit of Virgen del Rocio hospital in Seville, Spain, where she was reported in serious condition.
Four other people were treated at the scene by the Red Cross for first-degree burns, ThinkSpain reported.


text:
Continuing their pursuit of a first-ever Voyageurs Cup title, Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2W-0L-0D in ACC) host Major League Soccer rivals Toronto FC (1W-0L-1D in ACC) in the first leg of this year's Amway Canadian Championship (ACC) final on Wednesday evening.
The Blue and White will be a determined side in this two-leg final series, as Whitecaps FC have come close to winning the ACC title on a couple of occasions. They advanced to this year's final after getting past North American Soccer League side FC Edmonton in the semifinals. The 'Caps host a TFC squad that are looking to put a woeful start in MLS aside by claiming a fourth-straight Voyageurs Cup title. Though they have played in Vancouver before, the first leg will be TFC's first-ever match on Bell Pitch at BC Place.
Wednesday's ACC final, first leg, between Whitecaps FC and Toronto FC at BC Place kicks off at 7 p.m. PT. Individual match tickets start at $20, plus applicable service charges, and are available at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centres, online at ticketmaster.ca, and Charge-by-Phone at 1.855.6.GO-CAPS (1.855.646.2277). CLICK HERE for more information on Whitecaps FC tickets.
Whitecaps FC's ACC final, first leg, versus Toronto FC can also be seen live on Sportsnet ONE at 7 p.m. PT, with a pre-game show beginning at 6:30 p.m. PT. 'Caps fans can also listen to Wednesday's match live on TEAM 1410 radio and teamradio.ca, starting with the pre-game show at 5 p.m. PT. TEAM 1410 will also have a two-hour post-game show, which will begin following the match at around 9 p.m. PT. Fans can also follow Wednesday's match on Twitter @WhitecapsMatch.
As in 2011, this year's Amway Canadian Championship has been contested by four Canadian clubs - Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal from MLS, as well as Edmonton from the second-tier NASL. The tournament will consist of a home-and-away semifinal stage followed by a home-and-away championship final series. The semifinal pairings were based on the final standings of the four clubs in their respective leagues last season. Three-time defending champions Toronto FC are the top seed, while last year's runners-up Whitecaps FC are the second seed after The Reds finished above Vancouver in MLS in 2011. FC Edmonton are the third seed after finishing above MLS expansion side Montreal Impact in the 2011 NASL standings, as the Quebec club were part of North America's second division last year.
In the semifinals, Whitecaps FC defeated FC Edmonton 5-1 on aggregate following last week's 3-1 victory in the second leg at BC Place. The other semifinal series saw Toronto FC defeat Eastern Canadian rivals Montreal 2-0 on aggregate following a 2-0 second-leg win at Toronto's BMO Field last week. The two-leg championship final between Whitecaps FC and Toronto FC will be played this Wednesday night and Wednesday, May 23. As the highest-seeded team, Toronto FC opted to play the first leg in Vancouver and the decisive second leg at their BMO Field home.
During the final series, if both clubs are level on aggregate over the two games, the 'Away Goals' rule will be used to determine the series winner (ie: the club that scores the most goals on the road over the two games). If the 'Away Goals' rule does not produce a result (ie: both teams have scored the same number of goals at home and away), then two 15-minute periods of extra time will be played at the end of the second leg. If, during extra time, both teams score the same number of goals, the visiting team will win the series on the strength of the number of 'Away Goals' they have scored in the extra-time period. If no goals are scored during extra time, the series will then be determined with a penalty shootout.
The winner of the 2012 Amway Canadian Championship not only claim the Voyageurs Cup title and the bragging rights as Canada's top club, they will also represent Canada in the 2012-13 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League, where they will play the top clubs in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The winner of the 2012-13 CONCACAF Champions League title will then represent the confederation at the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco.
A sense of anticipation has surrounded Whitecaps FC regarding this latest opportunity to be crowned Canadian champions. The heartbreak of 2009, and in particular last year's final against TFC, should serve as motivation for Martin Rennie's squad over this two-leg series. Starting the final series at home, the onus will be on Vancouver to earn a positive result and take that advantage to Southern Ontario next week. This scenario will likely see the 'Caps play an attack-minded line-up in search of goals this Wednesday night.
There is also a sense of redemption that Vancouver will want to claim with their performance in the first leg. Saturday's humbling defeat at New England Revolution in MLS left a bitter taste in the mouth, so the chance to put that loss right gives Rennie's side the motivation to display their qualities on Wednesday night and this weekend against Cascadia Cup rivals Seattle Sounders FC at BC Place.
Whitecaps FC are without goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre (knee) for Wednesday's match, while striker Atiba Harris (quad) is listed as questionable.
2012 has been eventful - if not turbulent - for Aron Winter's side. With a 0W-8L-0D record, TFC earned the dubious distinction of having the worst start to an MLS season in league history. Their current plight may have been the reason behind Monday's coaching staff changes at BMO Field. Former Toronto FC captain Jim Brennan becomes Winter's new assistant coach, with Bob de Klerk moving upstairs to the role of technical manager. Director of player development Paul Mariner will take a more active role on the pitch, occasionally coaching the team's strikers, in addition to his regular responsibilities at TFC.
For all of their MLS woes, TFC have found a silver lining in other competitions. Last year's Voyageurs Cup success led to a remarkable run to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL). Though their CCL journey was ended by Mexican powerhouse Club Santos Laguna, The Reds are looking at their two-leg semifinal success over Montreal Impact as a turning point, with TFC now undefeated in 11 ACC matches (7W-0L-4D). In fact, the last time TFC lost a Canadian Championship game was to Whitecaps FC at Swangard Stadium on June 2, 2009. The Reds will have striker Danny Koevermans available for the first leg following a spell on the sidelines with an adductor strain. Defender Richard Eckersley, however, is suspended for the first leg after being sent off early in TFC's semifinal, second leg, win over Montreal last Wednesday.
TFC will be without goalkeeper Stefan Frei (leg), defenders Miguel Aceval (hamstring) and Dicoy Williams (knee), as well as striker Nicholas Lindsay (knee). Former German international Torsten Frings (shoulder) will also miss Wednesday's first leg.
Wednesday's match will be the 11th all-time meeting between Whitecaps FC and Toronto FC. Before their two clashes in MLS last season, the first six meetings came in the first three editions of the Canadian Championship when Vancouver was a North American second division club. Since 2008, Whitecaps FC have amassed a 3W-3L-4D record versus TFC. This includes an undefeated home record of 2W-0L-3D versus The Reds. Both clubs met in preseason on March 3, as the 'Caps defeated TFC 1-0 in the championship final of the 2012 Disney Pro Soccer Classic in Orlando, Florida.
There are several player connections between Whitecaps FC and Toronto FC. 'Caps midfielder Russell Teibert was a member of TFC Academy before joining Whitecaps FC Residency in 2008. Rennie's assistant Carl Robinson spent three seasons as a player with TFC, where he was twice named the club's Most Valuable Player. The Reds roster includes centre back Adrian Cann, who won a United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1) title with Whitecaps FC in 2006, while Vancouver native Terry Dunfield spent parts of 2010 and 2011 with the Blue and White.
TFC's recent visits to the Lower Mainland make them the seventh different Toronto-based club to have played in Vancouver in Canadian professional soccer history. Whitecaps FC have a favourable all-time home record against teams from Canada's largest city, having amassed 24 wins, six defeats, and seven draws between 1975 and 2011.
In the North American Soccer League days, Vancouver recorded nine wins and four defeats at home to Toronto Metros-Croatia and Toronto Blizzard between 1975 and 1984. The Canadian Soccer League era of 1987 to 1992 saw the club register six wins, one defeat, and two draws against the CSL's Blizzard at Swangard Stadium, while in the American Professional Soccer League, the club claimed two home wins over the Blizzard in 1993 and one home victory over Toronto Rockets in 1994. Between 1998 and 2006, Whitecaps FC hosted Toronto Lynx, with Vancouver claiming four wins, one defeat, and two draws versus the former USL-1 club.
Following the first-leg clash with Toronto FC, Whitecaps FC will prepare for a derby match of the Cascadia Cup variety, as they host Pacific Northwest rivals Seattle Sounders FC in an important MLS Western Conference clash on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff from BC Place is set for 2 p.m. PT. Individual match tickets start at $20, plus applicable service charges, and are available at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centres, online at ticketmaster.ca, and Charge-by-Phone at 1.855.6.GO-CAPS (1.855.646.2277). CLICK HERE for more information on Whitecaps FC tickets.
Whitecaps FC's home match versus Seattle Sounders FC can also be seen live on TSN and Bell mobile devices at 2 p.m. PT. 'Caps fans can also listen to Saturday's match live on TEAM 1410 radio and teamradio.ca, starting with the pre-game show at 12 p.m. PT. TEAM 1410 will also have a two-hour post-game show, which will begin following the match at around 4 p.m. PT. Fans can also follow Saturday's match on Twitter @WhitecapsMatch.
Whitecaps FC are pleased to announce that three new match packs for the 2012 season are now on sale. Starting at the affordable price of $119, match packs include five Major League Soccer regular season matches and offer significant savings over individual match prices. To purchase your match pack, call 604.669.9283 ext. 3, or email email@example.com. For additional information on match packs, visit whitecapsfc.com/match-packs.


text: I m selling a mpls moped shirts. I do pre order because I don't want to get stuck with a bunch of extra. I will take order for 2-3 weeks and then print the shirts and mail them. I thought I would post this here incase anyone wanted one. Thanks.


text:
OMAK – Tonasket shut out Omak, 5-0, in a Caribou Trail League soccer match Sept. 24.
"Tonasket outplayed us," Omak coach Chris Werner said.
"We went out and played a very sloppy first half and it put us in a hole. Mental mistakes mainly. These are things we can fix."
Scoring for Tonasket was not received.
In other CTL matches Tuesday, Cashmere edged Cascade, 2-1, and Quincy slipped past Chelan, 3-2.
On Tuesday, Oct. 1, Brewster (2-4 overall, 1-3 league) is at Tonasket (3-1, 2-1) and Okanogan (3-3, 3-2) at Omak (2-3. 1-2).
OKANOGAN – Okanogan ran over Brewster, 7-0, in a league match Sept. 24.
"The kids played very good," Okanogan coach Dean Klepec said. "We moved the ball around well and set things up to get shots."
The Bulldogs led 3-0 at the half.
First-half scoring included Alex Jones from Jill Townsend, Jones from Emmy Engle and Janice Romero from Engle.
Second-half scoring included Jones from Aidan O'Connor, Jones from Amber Duke, Cameron Moses from Townsend and Breanna Cox unassisted.
"Our defense did a great job of keeping the ball on its half of the field so we could keep applying offensive pressure," Klepec said.
Okanogan (3-3 overall, 3-2 league) is at Omak (2-3, 1-2) and Brewster (2-4, 1-3) is at Tonasket (3-1, 2-1) on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
ENTIAT – Bridgeport edged Entiat, 2-1, in a hard-fought, defensive battle Sept. 24.
The game was scoreless in the first half.
Bridgeport's Yaretzi Martinez broke the ice with a goal off an assist by Karina Perea about midway through the second half.
Entiat tied the match back up five minutes later.
With two minutes left in regulation, Jenny Salazar scored the winning goal on an assist from Ayana Herrejon.
On Tuesday, Oct. 1, Bridgeport (3-1) is at Manson (0-4).
MANSON – Oroville blanked Manson, 3-0, on Sept. 24.
"It was a good win for the girls as they have worked hard to improve their passing game," Oroville coach Laura Kinman said.
The Hornets led 2-0 at the half following goals by Meagan Moralez on an assist from Kambe Ripley and Yessica Nemecio on an assist from Moralez.
Kaitlyn Grunst worked her way through the defense for an unassisted goal in the second half.
"We started off a bit slow, but later in the half played a more aggressive ball," Kinman said.
"Our outside midfielders created a good passing game with many assists for shots on goal. With a young team, they are learning their positions and how to play a physical game. "
Oroville (1-3) is at Liberty Bell (3-2) on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
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text:
Russia's central bank is resisting calls to cut interest rates, sparking a "huge argument" with the government over priorities as economic growth slumps, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said.
Russia needs "easier money" to boost corporate lending, Shuvalov, 46, said in a Jan. 18 interview during a train ride to Moscow from Kaluga. Bank Rossii, the country's central bank, has room to cut borrowing costs by as much as a percentage point and is resisting as it fights inflation, he said.
Shuvalov, Russia's top official for economic policy, is amplifying pressure from Cabinet members on the central bank to cut borrowing costs as growth slows to half the government's 5 percent target. The unprecedented clash is playing out in public, raising the stakes for the successor of central bank Chairman Sergey Ignatiev, whose term expires in June.
"We're trying to persuade them, always, that now they need to reduce the rate," Shuvalov said. "And they say, not yet. We think they could."
Inflation is a priority for the government, which eventually wants to rein in consumer-price growth to less than 4%, Shuvalov said. That would send a positive signal to investors after inflation surged to 6.6% in 2012, faster than the previous year and above the central bank's target.
Monetary-policy makers left borrowing costs unchanged this month after unexpectedly raising them in September. They removed a phrase from their statement that market rates were acceptable for the "nearest future," which central bank First Deputy Chairman Alexei Ulyukayev said opens the door for increases or decreases as soon as next month.
Ignatiev's Succession
President Vladimir Putin will nominate a candidate to replace Ignatiev in March, three months before the current chairman's third and final term ends, Shuvalov said.
"Mr. Ignatiev was and is a brilliant central bank chairman," Shuvalov said. "Ignatiev worked quietly and slowly to achieve results."
The government has been increasingly vocal in its debate with the central bank, with Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Deputy Economy Minister Andrei Klepach arguing for easier credit last week. Still, the regulator is following its legal obligation to do as it sees fit on questions of interest rates and inflation, Shuvalov said.
"They work completely independently," he said. "And we argue very often. And they ultimately can say that 'we work based on our law.'"
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


text: Following the Sundance premiere of their BDSM porn documentary Kink, Variety reports that James Franco and his longtime cinematographer Christina Voros have lined up their next project. It will be a feature-length documentary on Gucci, the fashion label Franco was once the face of. The film will focus on Gucci's creative director, Frida Giannini. So, tonally it'll be somewhere between Interior. Leather Bar. and Oz the Great and Powerful.


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Moderators: Kommander Ken, Elmagnifico, Duerer, BrickSyd
Tzan wrote:Semaj Nagirrac wrote:Well, I took some land without checking if it was owned by a faction or not. I'm not going to be banned, am I? I can destroy everything if need be.
That's what Hitler said,
in 1938.
mgb519 wrote:Space ninjas, please.
stubby wrote:omg noob, balrogs are maiars too, don't you know anything
Empire of Luchardsko WIP wiki pageBrikWars 2010 Rules wrote:BrikWars ... stands in pretty direct opposition to many fundamental elements of the LEGO® philosophy, such as "Not Teaching Kids How Funny It Is to Set People on Fire."
BFenix wrote:Silent-sigfig wrote:
Coolest 1000th post ever
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text:
you will always be limited to the speed of the cards !!!
I would purchase a PCI-e card with 2 external USB 3.0 ports and an internal 19 pin header. Also convenient would be a front panel bracket with 2 USB ports and a cable which will connect with the 19 pin header on the PCI card. To this I would attach a USB3 card reader. I have discarded the idea of installing a front panel card reader because of the questionable reliability of these devices (as reported in several postings here on Pnet.)QUESTIONS:1. Is my proposed hardware add-ons reasonable/workable?2. Assuming that USB 3.0 offers the potential of increased upload speed, to what degree will the incremental speed depend on the generation of CF card being used?3. Are their some important specs I should be aware of when ordering the PCI to USB card?4. Are their any important caveats when purchasing the card reader?I will be most grateful for any advice and suggestions.
John,Do you have any experience with this card and Windows Server 2008? Tried their website without success.TIA
Thanks Steve,WOW, after looking at Rob Gailbraith's site one is completely confused. In regard to write speed from card to computer: it seems that card manufacturer, type, capacity and the card reader itself all have a greater impact on speed than the choice of USB 3 or USB 2. I'm baffled.
I'm assuming you mean Server 2008R2/Win7 ? I'm not sure that you'll find any USB 3.0 support for Server 2008, as it was an interim release between Vista and Win7 (closest to Vista SP1, but still some differences, Server 2008 was the last supporting 32-bit)In any case the card works fine with Win7/Server2008R2 and Win8/Server 2012 (all 64bit)
I have been looking at USB 3 pci cards to upgrade a Dell Studio xps 435T. i7 920, 2.67 GHz, win 7pro 64bit.Some of the card spcs say "host card" some do not. I don't understand the difference, if any?Will be using the card to hook up external hard drives for camera raw file archives, and card downloads.Any recommendations and warnings welcome.Thanks for the help, John


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The LMx39-N series consists of four independent precision voltage comparators with an
offset voltage specification as low as 2 mV maximum for all four comparators. These comparators
were designed specifically to operate from a single power supply over a wide range of voltages.
Operation from split power supplies is also possible and the low power supply current drain is
independent of the magnitude of the power supply voltage. These comparators also have a unique
characteristic in that the input common-mode voltage range includes ground, even though they are
operated from a single power supply voltage.
LMx39-N series was designed to directly interface with TTL and CMOS. When operated from both plus
and minus power supplies, the devices directly interface with MOS logic where the low power drain
of the LM339 is a distinct advantage over standard comparators.


text:
Then a little place opened up right downtown which means I do not need to use a car to get there. I was THRILLED to get that raved about pedicure money for Valentine's Day. I
I was mortified they only had one pedicure for $25, the rest (six of them) were all $45 each! I don't spend more than twenty bucks on a shirt I wear every week...so the only way I got that much of a splurge was their grand opening 20% which brought it with tip under $40. But. Then. I. Saw. THIS.
I chose the "Sun Kissed" citrus pedicure and realized this would be a blog post when I saw the prettiest set up ever. It says the fragrances are all essential oils and I kind of wanted to verify that by reading a label but didn't feel like being obnoxious. And I was happy either way, but pure essential oils instead of chemical scents would be a HUGE plus. The pedicure was just great. Especially when she hit me with the foot cheese grater I love and need so dearly. Look at that wonderful nastiness. OOH!
I always try to choose a color I do not own, ie: not in the mauve or starlet red family. I picked out a vunderbar OPI coral that I will probably go back & buy when they have it in quick dry polish. Right.
So I didn't plan well and had to kind of rush out of there. This is the latest look on the street.
Save your pennies and get to H2O nail spa while they have the grand opening deals....tell them the girl who hates their magazine and loves their aesthetic presentation sent ya!


text:
Not discovered movies tagged as Bean
Mr Bean and the Christmas Turkey
Yeah, I know, its not yet christmas. But some bird told me once something about christmas going on until easter, so I (and neighter does Mr Bean) just don' [...]
Just cant stop loving this guy - Mr Bean in room 426
A part of this site is about giving you funny movies. Now, what would it be without the greatest of the greatest? Well? OK. I give up. ALMOST the greatest of th [...]


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Quebec's Mont Tremblant offers thrills -- and spills -- for novice skier
MONT TREMBLANT, Que. — "Are you a snowman?" asked a smiling face leaning over me as I laid on my back, skis and poles scattered about.
Considering this was my third fall in 15 minutes, I was starting to think the answer to that question was affirmative.
Luckily for this novice skier, Mont Tremblant communications specialist Annick Marseille was the only one to see my thrilling spills as we took advantage of some early morning runs before the crowds descended — literally — from the top of Quebec's winter sports gem.
As I picked myself up and tried to gather my equipment, Marseille qualified her question by pointing out just how much time I'd spent in the snow that morning.
"You seem to like it," she said with a grin.
As we once again skied down P'tit Bonheur — a beginners run with a gentle drop and wide berth, a welcome sight to any novice skier — I couldn't help notice the beautiful expanse revealing itself around each corner.
Snow-covered pines, as far as the eye could see, stretched out across the rolling hills of the Laurentians before us, creating a beautiful monotone landscape pierced occasionally by the bright red or yellow outfit of a passing skier.
Making good use of our First Tracks pass, which is complimentary for guests staying in the village and grants access to the lifts as early as 7:45 a.m., we had our first run in the bag well before the thousands of other sliding enthusiasts made their way to the top.
While about 12,000 skiers and snowboarders would call Tremblant's 95 runs home that day, to say there is plenty of room for everyone is an understatement.
With 14 lifts — including the Cabriolet that runs sports people from the lower portion of the village to the top — operators can transport more than 27,000 skiers per hour up the hill. Lineups are short and move quickly.
While riding the Lowell Thomas lift — named after American radio journalist and friend of resort-founder Joe Ryan — I couldn't help but wonder if this is what the pair had in mind when they first ascended the mountain in 1938.
Only a year after that visit, 75 years ago, Ryan opened the hill to skiers, with Thomas broadcasting from the mountain on occasion to drum up interest among his listeners.
With stunning views in any direction from the highest point in the Laurentians, it's easy to see how Mont Tremblant has become Eastern Canada's premier ski destination.
Bought by resort developer Intrawest in 1991, measures were taken to ensure any expansion reflected the resort's roots.
From the original lodge, which still stands in the heart of the village, to the small cabins, built in the 1930s and now home to cozy restaurants, pubs and clubs, each does its part to pay homage to Tremblant's humbler beginnings. The result is a quaint ambiance that doesn't feel forced.
Blending old with new isn't just at the base of the mountain, either. A small mid-hill log cabin is a good example of tradition meeting new demand.
Le Refuge du Trappeur on the Versant Soleil side of the mountain makes for a good mid-morning pit stop.
The cabin — marked by signs for "Refuge" from the summit — is located on the right side of Tiguidou, a black diamond run.
Less adventurous types, like this journalist, can access it by taking the intermediate Toboggan run and cutting through the treeline on an unmarked trail that appears on your right. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the turn, however, as it is easy to miss. If it wasn't for my ski guide, I'd likely have been looking all day.
Skiing up to the Refuge, you quickly forget the surroundings and begin to feel you're in a remote back country area. The sounds of other skiers carving their way down the mountain are deadened by snow-covered trees, creating a tranquil feeling.
Leaning my skis on the rack outside, I counted only nine other pairs, giving me a sense I wouldn't have a hard time finding a seat.
Inside, old skis and snowshoes hang from the walls as the fireplace glows and throws much-needed heat into the room.
Sitting at long rustic tables with a group of journalists (all far more experienced skiers than me), we catch up on our adventures so far.
After sipping hot chocolate and laughing about my earlier troubles staying upright, our thoughts turn to the waiting slopes and we bundle up to head out into the cold once again.
With temperatures below -30 C, and a pre-lunch activity planned, it is time to make tracks and head for the village.
Taking in the beautiful scenery once again, I couldn't help but notice how quickly I was building up speed — or how the tree line was narrowing ahead of me.
That's when I glanced up through frosted goggles and noticed a familiar yet daunting shape on a sign as I whizzed by — a black diamond!
I was speeding straight down Laurentienne, an expert run that leads directly to the base of Le Soleil lift.
Immediately I hit the brakes after spotting a cut that could take me to a neighbouring run, Tapecul, and a friendlier intermediate-rated jaunt to the bottom.
After apologizing to passing skiers, one of whom took the time to point out I was going the wrong way as I side-stepped back up the mountain to make my switch, I finally made it down to the group, with a few more tumbles under my belt.
As we left the slopes satisfied, our group of smiling novice and expert skiers could agree on one thing.
No matter what your skiing or snowboarding skill level may be, Mont Tremblant offers a unique experience for everyone.
— Season: Mont Tremblant Ski Resort will be open through April 21, depending on weather and snow conditions.
— Lift Tickets: Adult (18-64) 1-day $79, half-day (noon on) $59. Senior (65+) 1-day $68, half day $51. Youth (13-17) 1-day $56, half-day $42. Children (6-12) 1-day $46, half-day $34. Peewee (3-5) 1-day $8.44, half-day $4.22. Toddler (0-2) free.
— First Tracks: $16 online or by phone 48 hours in advance, $21 the day before or day-of at the ticket office. Provides access to lifts at 7:45 a.m., with slopes opening at 8.
— Runs and lifts: 95 runs totalling 78.9 km of trails (17% beginner, 33% intermediate and 50% expert). The longest run is Nansen, a beginner route about 6 km long. There are five high-speed four-passenger lifts, one four-passenger lift, two three-passenger lifts, two gondolas, three Magic Carpets, and one Cabriolet lift that runs between the upper and lower village. Combined lift capacity is 27,230 skiers per hour.
— School break deal: Five days of skiing from only $119 for kids and teens 6-17, $249 for adults. Lift tickets must be purchased by March 12 for skiing through March 16.
Getting to Mont Tremblant is easy with direct flights on Porter Airlines from Toronto's City Airport to La Macaza's Mont Tremblant International, about 35 minutes from the resort by shuttle. With a flight time of just over an hour, those looking to step into their bindings for some downhill action can be on the slopes in Quebec by early afternoon. When your time in Tremblant is up, your bags can be tagged and secured when your airport shuttle picks you up, leaving your flight check-in hassle free and quick so you can enjoy the view of the rolling Laurentians from the lounge. See flyporter.com.
— Mont Tremblant, tremblant.ca or 1-888-738-1777.
— Quebec Tourism, bonjourquebec.com or 1-877-BONJOUR (266-5687).
— Tourisme Laurentides, laurentides.com or 1-800-561-NORD (6673).


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- Inside Athletics
- Tickets
- Fan Zone
- Media Zone
- Social
- Shop
- E Fund
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (May 4, 2005) - East Tennessee State women's golf coach Stefanie Reynolds announced on Wednesday that Lucy Gould (Bargoed, Wales) has signed a national letter of intent to play for the Lady Bucs beginning with the 2005-06 season.
The Welsh girls champion in both 2002 and 2003, Gould represented
"Lucy's passion for the game of golf is infectious," Reynolds said. "I'm excited to add such as enthusiastic and unyielding competitor to our program."
A skilled athlete who also plays soccer and field hockey, Gould will be joining an ETSU squad which is coming off a successful 2004-05. The Lady Bucs captured two individual team titles last season, and enjoyed several Southern Conference individual awards, including Reynolds' selection as SoCon Coach of the Year, and first-team All-SoCon selections for junior Ashley Barton (
Gould said her decision to attend ETSU was easy.
"They have a great facility, a great coach, a good location, awesome teammates, and very friendly people in


text:
|2009-06-17, 17:36
|Link #221
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
|2009-06-18, 15:41
|Link #222
Not an expert on things
Join Date: Jun 2007
Are there some good PvP or good 2D games? I enjoyed Ragnarok for it's PvP [I played private servers], and I enjoyed Maplestory because it didn't seem like a click-watch-repeat game [although I still didn't enjoy grinding] and because interaction was easy. I'm not interested in the game's story or anything, since if I wanted something like that, I'd play a console RPG.
|2009-06-18, 15:50
|Link #223
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: event horizon
In LaTale when you pvp levels are equaled and skills buffed so as to balance out. There is still a slight advantage depending on class and job level but its not as drastic as other games. You can win as low level against high level in LaTale.
Latale is 2D side-scroller like Maple (I didn't like/play maple).
|2009-06-19, 13:31
|Link #225
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: event horizon
|2009-06-20, 11:47
|Link #230
Sleep beneath the flowers
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Lording above all of humanity >;3
Age: 29
In my experience free to plays the better the graphics the more dull the gameplay gets. They make the game look really pretty to try and make the gameplay get covered up.
I mean look at Perfect World...
|2009-06-20, 14:37
|Link #231
Rozen Von Keiser
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Toronto Canada
I haven't really tried other MMORPGs that much but what's so wrong about Perfect World's gameplay? Unless your doing it wrong in this game, I even think that Perfect World has better quality in gameplay than its graphics. By gameplay I mean things that keep me having fun while inside the game.
* Some Free MMORPGs have cash shop items (Boutiques) for you to pay real money to become better or look better. But Perfect World lets you have the option to also use your in-game money to purchase them too.
* As for leveling..... Im pretty sure most of the people actually grind the whole time in their first play and just quit. If you were grinding your whole lvling time THEN YOUR DOING IT WRONG. 90% of your leveling exp actually comes from quests which also introduces you the the game's plot and stories from different NPCs.
* Heck it even has quests that resets everyday and are easy to do and gives you around 10% even at lvl 65 and thats just 1 quest.
*Controls is also what I heard from other people. But then you don't expect all MMO's to have the same control setups. Not continuing the game just cause of game control issues and not even trying to get used to it is just a poor excuse. But then its your choise.
*Actually for a Free MMO, this game might actually have the fewest bots, specially in PvP servers. You cant easily teleport in this game and the controls above actually helps to prevent botting. One good example is the no auto target button. Most people complain about having to click on the monster than to just press 1 button but botters actually have to rely more on other ways to target monsters. And its not worth it cause their bot keeps getting killed every minute by some people who will just PK you for not responding.
*Character customization or creation is hands down the best I've seen in "any game". While it still lacks more customizations in the body but you basically have unlimited way to create your face. Not a single player in Perfect world looks the same (Unless you used presets [which are ugly] or someone gave you their presets). You can even change your character's appearance anytime you want as long as its before 48 hours upon creating your character. After 48 hours though you need real cash or coins(in-game money).
The only two problems I have on this MMO and that it's still not big enough and the class balance. Towns consists of 3 houses and Cities the size of a very small town. Class balancing is just stupid and this is what the company really fails at doing at all their games. Maybe cause their communists. And if you actually want to try playing this game , don't go to PVP server, I definitely wouldn't recommend it for non PvP gamers.
Haven't tried their Guild vs Guild yet so I cant comment on it.
That said I haven't really tried that much Free MMOs. Cabal was definitely the all graphics bad gameplay game and you get to be called a noob-chicken-dodging-away-from-my-combo for actually having skills to use fade. Didnt even game Maple Story a chance, and havent touched Runescape.
Can anyone recommend me an MMO that you believe to have a good gameplay and still anime based? So far I liked Perfect World and Mabinogi.
Btw here's my character, Konata_Izumi from Harshlands(PvP) server:
Spoiler for A Bunch of Pictures:
(Graphics setup was really high so I was lagging while taking these pictures @_@)
Sorry if there are errors on my post, in a hurry right now, I'm very late @_@. Please don't hate me.
Last edited by Rozen Van Kaizer; 2009-06-20 at 14:48.
|2009-06-20, 15:17
|Link #232
Sleep beneath the flowers
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Lording above all of humanity >;3
Age: 29
By gameplay issues I just mean it's kind of stale. Battle-wise. I've grown a bit... Bored of the 'click and forget' kind of combat. I was spoiled with Mabinogi's more 'real time' battle system that actually required me to not just alt-tab when I was killing things.
Not to say I won't play 'click and forget' battle systems it's just they're so common it makes a lot of games feel the same.
|2009-06-20, 16:23
|Link #233
Tastes Cloudy
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Snake Way
Age: 30
|2009-06-21, 08:47
|Link #234
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: event horizon
You can only really level efficiently in a instance, but the items you get at the end (not to mention other things like ranking) are heavily dependent on your score which is calculated as: combo + crit - hit. To get combos you need to get lots of consecutive hits, multiples of 30, up to at most 150. Getting 30 = 1 combo point and you get bonus if you get higher multiples. Crit is similar, 10 critical hits = 1 crit point. This may not seem all that hard but then you have to be doing all this while never ever getting hit. When you do get hit its calculated as follows: melee: 2 hits = 1 point, mages: 80% of hits, Archer: 1 hit = 1 point. Hit here being a monster attack, so if you get attacked multiple times by a monster (even the same one) you get multiple hits. The individual scores of the party are summed up, so everybody counts not just you.
Now you can cheat combos by using crappy gear but then you are going to level so slow its going to be retarded. Should you use too powerful spells too often you effectively kill the mobs too fast thus either not generating that x30 or otherwise screwing your team-mates. Same for disables, as some make mobs hard to hit, you don't want to use them except against ranged or dangerous mobs. If you are a melee class like a warrior then should you go in there and spam you'll inevitably get lots and lots of hits on you (due to target limitation some monsters will still get you) so you'll generate a unholy negative score to destroy whatever good the others are doing, not to mention kill so fast you screw up combos. Other solo play also gets the stick, if you ignore the team and just head on up ahead to the next mob you effectively make it imposible for your team to get high combo counts for bonus points (you broke their combo by killing the next mob, duh).
The instances are also very long and hard, while the first level you can solo the next and especially the last are either too hard or too boring/long to takle solo. So the best way to do them is to go as team kill fast but not fast enough that you ruin the combo counts, not get hit etc, in other words have some real skill.
Other games have similar systems where as party with other players has great benefits. Usually potions at high levels become incredibly expensive for spamming in solo play or monsters too annoying and hard to kill, things like monsters going by in packs or having family-aggro are all too common.
You understand I hope, a game like Perfect World and others like it, where you just pick a mob and click 2 buttons or use skill X then skill Y, then go on to complete another set of quests to level, looks to me like a "multiplayer single-player game".
|2009-06-21, 17:30
|Link #237
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Gear system is very similar to WoW, where you have your whites/greens/blues/golds. With greens and above being soul bound, and good gear coming from instance bosses and what not, so none of that farming 9000 rabbits to get some super rare drop nonsense.
|2009-06-21, 17:38
|Link #238
Sleep beneath the flowers
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Lording above all of humanity >;3
Age: 29
|2009-06-21, 17:53
|Link #239
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
By level 30 you basically rarely use normal attacks, since almost all your skills should be cooled down after you use them. By 40, you don't use normal attacks at all, and in will always have a ton of skills ready to use (really short cooldowns) so you have a lot of choice.
Templars also have a really nice combo skill sets, where a block can lead to a variety of different combo counters and combo setups, each with different properties and followups.
Clerics are kind of boring to solo though, they have basically 2 chains and 1 DOT they use for killing mobs all the way up to 42, which basically means you just throw the 2 chains out whenever they're on cooldown and just heal yourself. I suggest grouping and doing Elites/Instances if you're playing Cleric.
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