Crytek: Past, present and the future - Part 2 | bettor.com

Crytek: Past, present and the future - Part 2

PC enthusiasts also noticed that the PC version of Crysis 2 did not look as good as it should have and the new engine was poorly optimised with lots of graphical pop-ins, animation and clipping bugs and artifacts on screen. It was however one of the best looking games on the consoles.

Crysis 2 was criticised by fans for having locked downloadable content already present on the disc which in case of the PC version could be unlocked by modifying some game files. The game did feature a solid multi-player and through that the game managed to sell around 2 million copies on consoles.

EA is also to blame in part for the poor PC sales of Crysis 2 as EA removed the game from Steam and made Crysis 2 exclusive to Origin, which is EA?s digital store and game download client that is not really popular with Gamers. The plan was to drive Origin with the success of Crysis 2 which backfired and resulted in poor sales because of Origin exclusivity.

Disappointed yet again with the lack-lustre sales even after the marketing push, Electronic Arts announced Crysis 3 for PC and Consoles at this years? Electronic Entertainment Expo (e3 2012). Using a more optimised and improved version of the Cryengine 3, Crysis 3 is set to bring back what fans loved about the first game. The sandbox elements mixed with the tighter more ?Call of Duty? like game-play and some of the best graphics of the e3 show are bound to make Crysis 3 a must have game for all First Person Shooter fans.

?I think it runs better than ever before. Crysis 3 as a technology gets more and more optimised every day.? said company CEO Cevat Yerli, when asked about the performance of the game on consoles. He did not comment if Crysis 3 was going to be exclusive to Origin on Pc or not by stating, ?That is yet to be determined. It's all in motion and I can't talk about it.?

Apart from Crysis, Crytek is also working on a few other games such as Homefront 2 for THQ. Nothing has been shown as of yet but judging from the first game, Homefront published by THQ, the sequel is likely to be a good looking ?Call of Duty? clone. Crytek is also working on RYSE, previously known as Project Kingdoms, for Microsoft?s Xbox 360. RYSE is going to be Cryteks? attempt at doing a hardcore game featuring Kinect and Microsoft is keeping this title well under wraps for the time being as there is only one game-play video available from last year?s e3.

When asked about how RYSE was coming along, Cevat Yerli [Crytek CEO] stated, ?The same update that Microsoft said. It's still coming strong but we couldn't show it yet.? He also mentioned that the fans should not worry as the project is coming along well by mentioning, ?Ryse is one of my personal darlings so it's going to be rock-solid and strong.?

Aside from developing games based on Intellectual Properties owned by other publishers, Crytek is also developing ?Warface?, which it claims will be a free to play First Person Shooter that looks as good as any $60 shooter in the market. Yerli claims that Free to play games are the future of first person shooters but whether it?s true or not, remains to be seen.

DISCLAIMER: The views and the opinions expressed in this article are the writer?s own and do not reflect the editorial policy of bettor.com.

Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Crytek-Past,-present-and-the-future-Part-2-a166532

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Republicans not backing down on contempt votes

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, joined by other House GOP leaders, meets with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 27, 2012, following a political strategy session. Boehner defended the contempt of Congress vote against Attorney General Eric Holder, commented on the looming Supreme Court decision on the health care, and updated progress on student loans and the transportation bill. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, joined by other House GOP leaders, meets with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 27, 2012, following a political strategy session. Boehner defended the contempt of Congress vote against Attorney General Eric Holder, commented on the looming Supreme Court decision on the health care, and updated progress on student loans and the transportation bill. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, goes to the House Rules Committee to argue procedures as the House of Representatives prepares to vote on whether Attorney General Eric Holder is in contempt of Congress because he has refused to give the Oversight Committee all the documents it wants related to Operation Fast and Furious, the flawed gun-smuggling probe involving Mexican drug cartels, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 27, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Barring a last-minute deal, House Republicans plan historic votes Thursday to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in civil and criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over documents related to a bungled gun-tracking operation.

A sitting attorney general never has been held in contempt and Republicans picked an odd day to set a precedent. They scheduled the votes the same day the Supreme Court was deciding the legality of President Barack Obama's health care law.

Passage of the contempt resolutions was not in doubt. Republicans control the House, and are likely to pick up Democrats who support the National Rifle Association. The NRA said it's keeping score on how members vote, partly because the gun owners' group believes the Obama administration wanted to use the program ? called Operation Fast and Furious ? to make the case for more gun control.

Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., the longest serving House member and normally an NRA supporter, said Wednesday he would not back the contempt resolutions but instead wants the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to conduct a more thorough investigation.

The criminal contempt resolution would send the matter to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, who is under Holder. The civil contempt resolution would allow the House to go to court in an effort to force Holder to turn over documents the Oversight Committee wants. In past cases, courts have been reluctant to settle disputes between the executive and legislative branches of government.

The House is unlikely to get the documents anytime soon, because Obama has invoked a broad form of executive privilege, which protects from disclosure internal documents from executive branch agencies.

Republicans want to focus on the economy and health care in an election year. They're hoping the diversion of holding the nation's chief law enforcement officer in contempt will not muddle their message.

Democrats have kept up steady criticism, accusing the GOP majority of trying to embarrass the administration and rushing to judgment rather than putting more effort into a compromise that could give Republicans the documents they want.

Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said a committee report recommending contempt had more than 100 mischaracterizations, omissions and errors. He said the dispute could be settled if House Speaker John Boehner became personally involved in negotiations.

In Operation Fast and Furious, agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Arizona abandoned the agency's usual practice of intercepting all weapons they believed to be illicitly purchased. Instead, the goal of the tactic known as "gun-walking" was to track such weapons to high-level arms traffickers who long had eluded prosecution and to dismantle their networks.

Gun-walking long has been barred by Justice Department policy, but federal agents in Arizona experimented with it in at least two investigations during the George W. Bush administration before Fast and Furious. The agents in Arizona lost track of several hundred weapons in Fast and Furious.

Two of the guns turned up at the scene where border agent Brian Terry was killed in Arizona in a shootout with Mexican bandits.

Ironically, the documents at the heart of the current argument are not directly related to the workings of Operation Fast and Furious. Rather, they are internal Justice Department communications after February 2011, when the Obama administration falsely told Congress that guns were not allowed to "walk" to Mexico. The department has given the Oversight Committee's chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., 7,600 documents on the operation itself.

Fast and Furious had been shut down by the time of the false information, but Issa wants documents showing deliberations during the 10 months it took for the administration to acknowledge the error.

Issa told the House Rules Committee on Wednesday that he had no evidence that Holder personally knew that guns were allowed to "walk." But he has suspected some Justice Department officials were part of a cover-up.

Democrats insisted the administration did nothing wrong, and said Republicans were just playing politics.

"It has all the trappings of a witch hunt," said Rep. Louise Slaughter of New York, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee. "I don't think there's any way we're doing justice to Brian Terry with what we're doing today."

Issa, however, said the documents he wants are essential to learn who in the administration produced a February 2011 letter with false information.

Referring to Justice Department officials, Issa said, "When did they know we were lied to and what did they do about it?"

Issa also said closure was needed for Terry's family.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday that the public would view the vote as "political theater" and "gamesmanship."

Carney said the Justice Department and the White House on Tuesday had shown House Republicans a representative sample of the documents they were seeking. He said the administration's offer would have provided "unprecedented access" to internal communications about how it responded to congressional inquiries into the Fast and Furious program.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-06-28-Fast%20and%20Furious/id-daeeb005ff46482eb99a013a85cd58e9

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Stockton official: Mediation with creditors fails

STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) ? Officials in Stockton said Tuesday that mediation with creditors has failed, meaning the Central California city is set to become the largest American city ever to declare bankruptcy.

City Manager Bob Deis said officials were unable to reach a deal to restructure hundreds of millions of dollars of debt under a new state law designed to help municipalities avoid bankruptcy.

Monday marked the three-month deadline for negotiations.

"Unfortunately we have no comprehensive set of agreements with our creditors that would eliminate the deficit and avoid insolvency," Deis said at a City Council meeting. He said, however, that the city was still negotiating with some creditors and could reach deals with as many as one-third of them.

"We think Chapter 9 protection is the only choice left. If we get any agreements, those will be honored in Chapter 9," Deis said.

The City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday evening to approve a special bankruptcy budget to plug next year's anticipated $26 million deficit. The budget will suspend debt payments, reduce payments for retiree medical benefits and increase revenue through code enforcement and parking citations, among other steps.

The proposed budget includes no major service reductions, Deis said earlier.

City lawyers would have to file for Chapter 9 protection in court by Friday.

"If we had other choices that would fill the millions of dollars of deficit, we'd be doing that," Mayor Ann Johnston said. "The reality is the gap is so big and so broad, we have to do something this drastic. This is not what we wanted to do but this is what we have a responsibility to do."

The river port city of 290,000 in Central California has seen its property taxes and other revenues decline, while expensive investments and generous retiree benefits drained city coffers.

In the past three years, officials in the city that was slammed by the collapse of the housing market dealt with $90 million in deficits through a series of drastic cuts.

They eliminated one-fourth of the city's police officers, one-third of the fire staff, and 40 percent of all other employees. They also cut wages and medical benefits.

"The whole purpose of filing Chapter 9 is to avoid an uncontrolled chaotic situation," he said. "Bankruptcy provides the equivalent of a pause button. It retains services and provides structure so you don't have a bunch of lawsuits."

In a standing-room only chambers Tuesday, former city employees told council members about their life-threatening medical conditions and said benefit cuts meant they would effectively lose their health insurance.

"For me, bankruptcy might as well be a life sentence," said Gary Jones, a retiree who used to be a police officer in Stockton and said he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Other residents complained about plummeting property values, and recurring break-ins and robberies.

"The average citizen will not put up with this. Their home prices have plummeted, they have no jobs, a lot of people are getting fed up so that they have to resort to crime." said Gregory Pitsch, a 22-year-old unemployed resident who made an unsuccessful run for mayor. "I'm asking you to make the right decision, not destroy the property values in this city, which bankruptcy will do."

But city officials say Stockton has run out of options. In recent years, thousands of new homes mushroomed in the city about 80 miles east of San Francisco, part of a suburban housing boom that attracted buyers from the Bay Area and beyond.

When the economy crashed and the construction bubble burst, Stockton was battered by foreclosures and lost income from property taxes and other fees.

Multi-year labor contracts for city workers carrying escalating costs and generous retirement plans added to the burden.

In addition, expensive city investments ? a promenade, sports arena and hotel ? failed to produce economic benefits.

The unemployment rate has doubled in Stockton over the past decade and now hovers around 16 percent. One-fifth of residents live below the poverty line, and the city has twice topped Forbes magazine's list of "America's most miserable cities."

Under a bankruptcy filing, officials would retain power over day-to-day city operations and staffing, but a judge would take over all decisions concerning the city's debts, said Robert Benedetti, professor of political science at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

The judge would decide which creditors should be paid, how much and in what order. He would make allowances for expenditures needed by the city to function, and it would be up to city officials to decide how to spend that money.

"One of the reasons a city might want to go the bankruptcy route is that they don't want a situation where they have to pay out debts and have to close the police or fire department," Benedetti said. "Filing for Chapter 9 means you're asking the court to protect you against lawsuits from people who hold your debt."

Stockton's bankruptcy would make it the largest city by population to file for Chapter 9 protection, according to Jim Spiotto, a Chicago bankruptcy lawyer who tracks such cases. He said Bridgeport, Conn., was the largest city to file for bankruptcy, which it did in 1991, followed by Vallejo, Calif., which filed in 2008.

Jefferson County in Alabama is the largest local government bankruptcy filing to date in terms of the size of its debt. It occurred in November 2011 and was followed by Orange County, Calif., in 1994.

Experts say the bankruptcy filing, while protecting the city from catastrophe in the short run, should not be seen as Stockton's panacea.

"Bankruptcy won't take away Stockton's underlying financial problems, one of which is the economy, the high unemployment rate and the high foreclosure rate," Benedetti said. "It will take years for them to come out of this."

Stockton was the first city to test a new state mediation law, which is less than 6 months old.

Under the law, municipalities considering bankruptcy must first negotiate behind closed doors with creditors for up to three months, with the goal of settling debts without filing for Chapter 9 protection.

The city spent $3 million on mediation with creditors that included Wells Fargo & Co., the California Public Employees' Retirement System, labor groups, and major bondholders.

Stockton officials have said that even with a bankruptcy, they are optimistic. They point to Vallejo, which emerged from bankruptcy last year.

"Vallejo is leaner, smarter and they've got the confidence of their citizenry," Deis said. "I think Stockton will be doing the same."

Johnston said Tuesday night that the city would eventually come out of the ordeal with a brighter future.

"We will survive," she said. "We will manage to get through this. It will be painful for us, but we will come out stronger."

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KI Marketing Intl l Support & Solutions to Launching & Growing ...

If someone asked you who you market to, how would you respond?

If your answer is you market to ?everyone,? then read on to find out why this may not be the best approach for your business.

Marketing experts concur that one of the most effective ways to market your product is to clearly identify your target market.

Businesses that incorporate this strategy in their product launch efforts will have a greater chance of attracting customers who are more likely to buy their products and repeat customers who remain loyal to their brand.

Here?s why.

1. During the product development and pricing stage of your launch, defining your customers may determine how you should present your product?s form, features and functionality AND the price of your product.

If you think your customers are used to buying high-end products, then you should make sure you deliver a product that is perceived as a high-end product and close to what they?re used to buying.

Conversely, the price of your product (how much you need to sell it to make a profit) may also affect how you should define your target market or your product?s features and functionality. If you have to sell your product for $100 to make a profit and you know that your current target market will not be willing to spend this price, then you either have to market to a different audience or modify your product to make it more suitable for your customers? price expectations.

2. You need this information when choosing where and how to spend your advertising dollars. Targeted advertising campaigns are much more effective if you know exactly to whom you should be marketing.

Just think about this. Would you want to buy a print ad page in Vogue if your customers are skateboarders? Would you want to buy a banner ad in a mommy blog if you?re marketing to teenagers? Would you want to buy a TV spot at Lifetime Channel, for instance, if you market to males who are into extreme sports or a radio spot that airs late at night when you?re targeting people who have the tendency to go to bed early?

You get the point. The more information you have on your ideal customers, the more effective your ad buys will be for your business.

3. When writing marketing copy for packaging, advertising, catalogs and your website, you want marketing messages that speak to and engage your target customers. You want to make sure that your audience can relate to the message.

Knowing their demographics, their lifestyle, what kind of language they use, what music they listen to, what events they attend, what they like to do are some examples of ?profiling? that can assist in the way you tailor your marketing messages.

4. Profiling your customers can also assist in branding and positioning. Your positioning statements such as your mission statement, taglines, compelling story should resonate with your target market. As far as branding, your target customers may be more attracted to certain colors, fonts and even names, so this can help with how you design your website, packaging, etc.

The best way to get to know your customers is to create an ideal customer profile.

I?ve listed sample questions to consider when defining your ideal customer. Of course it all depends on your product.

• What age group and gender do they belong?
• What specific segment of the population do they belong (i.e., gays/lesbians, baby boomers, genXers, teenagers, infants, etc)?
• What level of education did they complete?
• What is their average household income?
• What is their marital status? Do they have children?
• Where do they live (i.e., city, suburbs, farms, etc)?
• What television shows do they watch?
• What are their buying patterns and spending habits?
• Where do they hang out?
• What events do they attend?
• Where do they shop (i.e., brick ?n mortar stores, online)?
• What retail stores do they usually frequent?
• What brands do they like?
• How often do they shop?
• On average how much do they spend on i.e., a pair of shoes?
• Do they have pets?
• What types of products do they buy that relate to your product?
• Where do they spend most of their time (i.e., internet, video games, traveling, movies, outdoors, etc.)?
• What are their values?

An easy way to create your ideal customer profile is to think about your best customers. Use them as an ?avatar?.

Here?s an example of a customer profile.

?My ideal customer is a single or married female in her 30s and 40s. She?s educated with a median salary of $60K per year. More likely she follows a spiritual practice. She meditates. She probably also practices yoga, pilates or qigong. She gets a massage regularly. She takes care of her body and prioritizes her well-being. She is hip, modern and fashionable. She loves to travel and experience different cultures. Her favorite brands are Lululemon, Gaiam, West Elm, Target. Her favorite magazines are Women?s Health, O, Marie Claire. She loves to read books from the likes of Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra, and of course, Oprah. Her favorite shows are xxxxx. She?s an avid xxxxxx?..?

You get the point. The more detailed you can get, the better.

By defining your target customers you will clearly understand who they are, their patterns and behaviors, which in turn will allow you to develop a product that serves them well and launch a campaign with marketing strategies that will attract them and bring in sales for your business.

***

Karla Ilarde is The Product Launch Partner. Through her consulting and mentoring business, Karla guides and supports inventors, entrepreneurs and manufacturing business owners how to become prepared and well-positioned for retail success using proven manufacturing, marketing and sales strategies and solutions. To get your F.R.E.E. Product Launch Success Kit and receive her bi-monthly articles, where you?ll get insights and information on how to launch, market & grow profitable products with confidence and success, sign up on this page right now and get these valuable tools delivered to your inbox instantly!

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Judge Koh stops US sales of Galaxy Tab 10.1, puts a smack down on Samsung (updated)

Thought Samsung was out of the woods when it defeated Apple's attempt to prevent it from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 stateside? Well, Apple appealed that decision and was given a second crack at banning Sammy's slate last month -- and it looks like Cupertino made the most of the opportunity, as Reuters reports that Judge Koh has granted Cupertino's request to enjoin the sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Details are scarce at the moment, but we do know it's only a preliminary injunction, meaning if Samsung's ultimately victorious in the case, the injunction will lift and it'll be free to peddle its wares once again. Still, it's certainly bad news for the Korean company, but given its expansive stable of other slates still on sale combined with its recent economic performance, we're sure Samsung can weather the storm while the courtroom fireworks continue.

Update: All Things D got a copy of Koh's order, and we just gave it a quick read. Turns out that she granted the injunction due to the strength of the merits of Apple's case and the unlikelihood that Samsung would invalidate Apple's design patent -- the court already held that the 10.1 is "virtually indistinguishable" from the iPad's design and likely infringes Apple's IP. Furthermore, Judge Koh held that, because Apple and Samsung are direct competitors in the tablet space and "design mattered more to customers in making tablet purchases," Apple would be irreparably harmed by further 10.1 sales. Those two factors outweighed any hardship suffered by Samsung, and thus, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was stricken from US shelves.

Judge Koh stops US sales of Galaxy Tab 10.1, puts a smack down on Samsung (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 21:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Me @ the Zoo': Sorry, Chris and Britney

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Proposition 8 trial witness to stop opposing marriage for gay couples ...

David Blankenhorn, founder the Institute for American Values and a witness at the trial of the ballot which led to California?s gay marriage ban says he will no longer fight against marriage rights for gay couples.

Mr Blankenhorn wrote in an opinion piece for the New York Times that he still believed children had the right ?insofar as society makes it possible, to know and to be cared for by the two parents who brought them into this world?.

But, he said, ?there are more good things under heaven than these beliefs?.

Mr Blankenhorn cited firstly the ?equal dignity of homosexual love? and said that while gay and straight relationships were not the same, ?the time for denigrating or stigmatizing same-sex relationships is over?.

?Whatever one?s definition of marriage, legally recognizing gay and lesbian couples and their children is a victory for basic fairness.?

Secondly, he said ?mutual acceptance? and ?compromise? was a necessary part of living together in society, that ?bending the knee a bit, in the name of comity, is not always the same as weakness? and that he wanted ?conciliation?, not ?further fighting?.

Thirdly, Mr Blankenhorn said the emerging consensus among the broader general public had persuaded him in part to change his views.

The consensus, he said ?may be wrong on the merits?, but ?surely it matters?.

He wrote: ?I had hoped that the gay marriage debate would be mostly about marriage?s relationship to parenthood. [...]

?In the mind of today?s public, gay marriage is almost entirely about accepting lesbians and gay men as equal citizens. And to my deep regret, much of the opposition to gay marriage seems to stem, at least in part, from an underlying anti-gay animus. To me, a Southerner by birth whose formative moral experience was the civil rights movement, this fact is profoundly disturbing.?

He continued: ?With each passing year, we see higher and higher levels of unwed childbearing, nonmarital cohabitation and family fragmentation among heterosexuals. Perhaps some of this can be attributed to the reconceptualization of marriage as a private ordering that is so central to the idea of gay marriage. But either way, if fighting gay marriage was going to help marriage over all, I think we?d have seen some signs of it by now.?

Instead of campaigning against marriage for gay couples, Mr Blankhorn said he would ?like to help build new coalitions bringing together gays who want to strengthen marriage with straight people who want to do the same?.

?For example, once we accept gay marriage, might we also agree that marrying before having children is a vital cultural value that all of us should do more to embrace? Can we agree that, for all lovers who want their love to last, marriage is preferable to cohabitation?

?Can we discuss whether both gays and straight people should think twice before denying children born through artificial reproductive technology the right to know and be known by their biological parents??

Mr Blankenhorn had argued against gay marriage rights in the trial of Proposition 8 in 2010, characterising marriage more as a relationship in which to bring up children than a private relationship between two adults.

That court case ultimately ruled that Proposition 8, a public ballot through which voters revoked the rights of gay couples to marry in California, was unconstitutional. The court said his appearance constituted ?inadmissible opinion testimony that should be given essentially no weight?.

It said: ?Blankenhorn?s opinions are not supported by reliable evidence or methodology and Blankenhorn failed to consider evidence contrary to his view in presenting his testimony.?

Mr Blankenhorn?s Institute for American Values aims to ensure children grow up with both married parents, ?renew the ethic of thrift?, combat ?extremism in the Arab and Muslim world? and ?civilise? public conversation.

He has previously acknowledged benefits of marriage rights for gay couples. In his book the Future of Marriage, he said it would promote stable, committed relationships for gay couples, mean fewer children would grow up in institutions, reduce the incidence of hate crimes and drive progress in the American dream of equal opportunity regardless of an individual?s circumstances.

Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin told AP: ?While it can be difficult as a public figure to change course, I applaud him for taking a courageous and principled stand. His experience wrestling with the issue of marriage equality and coming out on the right side of history will be an inspiration to millions of fair-minded who are in the same?place.?

Discuss this ?

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Pleasant Guidance To Quit Smoking cigarettes To Improve Your ...

When you are contemplating stopping smoking, then you do not should be informed why you ought to undertake it. You know that simply being cigarette free of charge means conserving money and shielding the fitness of yourself and those that talk about the atmosphere along with you. Whatever you don?t know is how to give up smoking, but that?s exactly where this article is available in, so keep reading.

To help in your pursuit to exclude cigarette smoking from the existence, seek out one more smoker who may be attempting to give up, and offer the other some help. The only people who can truly understand what you?re going through are the type who happen to be undergoing exactly the same situation you happen to be in. Share tips with each other and give good words to one another, anytime among you feels like providing in to temptation. Attempting to stop with someone else is much more powerful than seeking to quit all on your own.

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There you have it ? some great info which can help you earn the warfare against smoking cigarettes. Stopping smoking is tough for pretty much every single cigarette smoker, so don?t overcome your self up if you don?t be successful at the beginning. Follow the tips previously mentioned, workout some perseverance and determination, so you too will be able to phone a low-tobacco smoker 1 day quickly.

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Ps 68:6 ?God sets the lonely in families.? |

It?s true, adoption and foster care sets lonely children in families. All too often, however, once the children are home, adoptive and foster families are also lonely. When families have biological children, many people share the journey. Families, churches and social groups surround the new family with attention and interest. ?Adoption and foster stories often generate a different response. Adoptive and foster families are often met with comments like this, ?That?s great you are doing that. I could never do that.? ?

Adoptive and foster families feel like an anomaly. Often there are few foster and adoptive families in their church or extended family. Families feel like they no longer ?fit? with their former social groups or their church. They are lonely.

God commands us to care for the lonely. The family of God, the church, must surround lonely families, including foster and adoptive families. These families are often overwhelmed. It?s hard to ask for help or even to initiate social contact with other families. The church can support those families in many ways, especially by maintaining and promoting those social contacts. Church families can help meet not only the spiritual needs of these families, but also the physical and social needs. It takes effort on the part of these church families. It takes thought to invite and reach out to families who may not have the energy to respond. It isn?t always easy for church members to know where to enter in.?

Recently I had a conversation with a friend. I was telling her about a foster family who had just brought four young children into their home. I commented, ?I hope that their church surrounds them and the new kids, because it will be hard.? Her comment was, ?Well, they (the foster parents) wanted this. They knew it would be hard.?

Yep! These families knew it would be hard and said ?yes? to setting the lonely in families. Let?s encourage our church family to say ?yes? to setting the lonely families into warm and loving church families even when it?s hard.?

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Sect member dies, prison break frees 40 in Nigeria

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Tropical Storm Debby soaks Florida's Gulf Coast

Convenience store employee Lindsey Bennight watches floodwaters surround the store where she works in Crawfordville, Fla., Monday, June 25, 2012. Bennight had to walk through waist-deep water earlier in the day to leave the store after it was flooded by heavy rains caused by Tropical Storm Debby. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Convenience store employee Lindsey Bennight watches floodwaters surround the store where she works in Crawfordville, Fla., Monday, June 25, 2012. Bennight had to walk through waist-deep water earlier in the day to leave the store after it was flooded by heavy rains caused by Tropical Storm Debby. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Cedar Key Fire Chief Robert Robinson walks on a section of a floating dock that broke loose during a storm surge from Tropical Storm Debby in Cedar Key, Fla., on Sunday, June 24, 2012. Slow-moving Tropical Storm Debby's outer bands lashed Florida with rain and kicked up rough surf off Alabama on Sunday, prompting storm warnings for those states. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Brad McClenny)

Cedar Key Police Chief Virgil Sandlin works on his hands an knees to secure a section of a floating dock as strong storm surge and flooding are felt from Tropical Storm Debby, in Cedar Key, Fla., Sunday, June 24, 2012. Sandlin said it was like riding a bronco trying to keep balance on the dock. Slow-moving Tropical Storm Debby's outer bands lashed Florida with rain and kicked up rough surf off Alabama on Sunday, prompting storm warnings for those states and causing at least one death. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Brad McClenny)

A message referring to rainfall from a tropical storm system is displayed at the San Jose Baptist Church on Monday, June 25, 2012, in Jacksonville, Fla. Tropical Storm Debby raked the Tampa Bay area with high wind and heavy rain Monday in a drenching that could top 2 feet over the next few days and trigger widespread flooding. (AP Photo/The Florida Times-Union, Kelly Jordan)

Motorists drive through a flooded section of Beach Rd. near Siesta Key Public Beach in on Monday, June 25, 2012 after rain from Tropical Storm Debby filled streets and parking lots with water on the Sarasota, Fla. barrier island. Tropical Storm Debby drenched Florida with heavy rains, flooded low-lying neighborhoods and knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses as it lingered off the state's coast Monday. (AP Photo/Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Elaine Litherland) CHARLOTTE SUN OUT, BRADENTON HERALD OUT, MAGS OUT, TV OUT, INTERNET OUT, NO SALES

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? Practically parked off Florida's Gulf Coast since the weekend, Tropical Storm Debby raked the Tampa Bay area with high wind and heavy rain Monday in a drenching that could top 2 feet over the next few days and has already led to flooding.

At least one person was killed Sunday by a tornado spun off by the large storm system in Florida, and Alabama authorities searched for a man who disappeared in the rough surf.

An estimated 35,000 homes and businesses lost electricity. But as of midafternoon, the slow-moving storm had caused only scattered damage, including flooding in some low-lying areas.

The National Hurricane Center reported late Monday that torrential rains and flooding would continue for the next several days across parts of the Florida Panhandle and north Florida.

The bridge leading to St. George Island, a vacation spot along the Panhandle, was closed to everyone except residents, renters and business owners to keep looters out. The island had no power, and palm trees had been blown down, but roads were passable.

"Most true islanders are hanging in there because they know that you may or may not be able to get back to your home when you need to," said David Walker, an island resident having a beer at Eddy Teach's bar. He said he had been through many storms on the island and Debby was on the weaker end of the scale.

Gov. Rick Scott declared a statewide emergency, allowing authorities to put laws against price-gouging into effect and override bureaucratic hurdles to deal with the storm.

By 10 p.m. Monday, Debby was in the Gulf of Mexico, 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Apalachicola, with sustained winds around 45 mph (72 kph), according to the hurricane center. It was moving northeast at 2 mph (3 kph)

A tropical storm warning remained in effect Monday evening from Mexico Beach in the Panhandle to Englewood, south of Sarasota.

Forecasters cautioned that Debby is a large tropical cyclone spreading strong winds and heavy rains at great distances from its center.

They said it would crawl to the northeast, come ashore along Florida's northwestern coast on Wednesday and track slowly across the state, exiting along the Atlantic Coast by Saturday morning and losing steam along the way.

Parts of northern Florida could get 10 to 15 inches of rain, and some spots as much as 25 inches, as the storm wrings itself out, forecasters said.

"The widespread flooding is the biggest concern," said Florida Emergency Operations Center spokeswoman Julie Roberts. "It's a concern that Debby is going to be around for the next couple of days, and while it sits there, it's going to continue to drop rain. The longer it sits, the more rain we get."

High winds and the threat of flooding forced the closing of an interstate highway bridge that spans Tampa Bay and links St. Petersburg with areas to the southwest.

Monday evening, the state announced the closing of the Howard Frankland bridge that connects Tampa, including the region's major airport, and St. Petersburg. The eight-lane bridge carries Interstate 275 over Tampa Bay. The southbound lanes were later reopened.

People in several sparsely populated counties near the crook of Florida's elbow were urged to leave low-lying neighborhoods because of the danger of flooding. Shelters opened in some places.

On St. Pete Beach in the Tampa Bay area, surfers enjoyed the large waves in the Gulf, which is usually so calm the water looks like glass. Residents cleaned up debris in yards and streets from a possible tornado Sunday.

"The wind picked up so bad. It's very, very scary. I ran into the closet underneath the hallway stairs," said Ann Garrison, who has lived on the barrier island for 20 years but has never seen such strong winds. She said that when she came back out after just a few minutes, "the fence was gone, and it was in the middle of the yard."

Nearby, a likely tornado ripped the roof off a marina and an apartment complex and knocked down fences, trees and signs.

Kourosh Bakhtiarian's yard was flooded. He said people were driving around the neighborhood to gawk at the damage, and he complained that police hadn't closed off the streets.

"We have a lot of visitors from outside of this area. They just want to see exactly where the disaster is. I mean, this is not the happiest time," he said.

On St. George Island, many businesses were closed, but Eddy Teach's bar had a few customers and used a generator to keep beer and food cold.

"The tourists cleared out. It's not a good thing and hurts the economy during a week in peak season," said Patrick Sparks, a manager at the bar. He scoffed at the storm, which was well below the 74 mph threshold for a hurricane: "It's a little rash to send everyone home."

___

Farrington reported from St. George Island. Associated Press writers Freida Frisaro and Christine Armario in Miami; Gary Fineout in Tallahassee; and AP Auto Writer Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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Video: Stocks Tumble as Investors Seek Safety

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Jordan Staal mixes a wedding with a Hurricanes' trade

RALEIGH, N.C. ? For Jordan Staal, the date June 22, 2012, was supposed to be memorable for one reason: It was his wedding day.

Staal would be married in Thunder Bay, Ont., and he would have a number of his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates on hand for the grand occasion.

Things soon changed. After the nuptials at 1 o?clock, everyone moved on to the reception, where toasts were to be made. But that?s when Staal learned from his agent that his life had changed in another big way ? he had been traded to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The news was announced at the NHL Entry Draft ? in Pittsburgh. The Canes, to get Staal, traded Brandon Sutter, Brian Dumoulin and the eighth overall pick in the draft to the Pens.

?It was unfortunate timing,? Staal said Saturday. ?It worked out for the best, but it was very emotional. We didn?t know when we planned the wedding that it was the day of the draft, and then something like that happens.

?It was a little emotional but still very exciting. Even when you know something might be coming, it?s still a shock. It?s tough to take it all in.?

Staal, who will be an unrestricted free agent after next season, confirmed that he was offered a 10-year contract extension Thursday by the Pens. He said he also realized that if he did agree to the offer, it would end any chance he might have of ever playing with older brother Eric and the Canes.

The two are close and always have been. There?s a third NHL-playing brother, defenseman Marc Staal of the New York Rangers, but Jordan and Eric always appeared to have a closer bond. A fourth brother, Jared, is the youngest of the four and is in the Canes? minor-league system.

Jordan said he and Eric had talked of playing together, noting, ?It was something we would like to do and doesn?t happen often in the NHL.?

Jordan noted that he and Eric did compete for Team Canada in the 2007 World Championship in Moscow.

?It was after my first year in the NHL and he was already a wily veteran,? Staal said, chuckling. ?I played on his line one game. We won the tournament and it was great. It was memorable for us, for our family.?

Now, the Staal brothers will try to win for the Canes. Both have won Stanley Cups ? Eric with Carolina in 2006, Jordan with the Pens in 2009. But while Pittsburgh has been to the playoffs each of Jordan?s six seasons, the Canes have not made it to the postseason since they lost to the Pens in the 2009 Eastern Conference finals.

Jordan said he did not care if he played the wing on Eric?s line or if he continued to play center. After being in the shadow of superstar centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh, Jordan ? who scored 25 goals this season ? likes the idea of getting the chance to be a bigger offensive contributor for the Canes.

?It?s an opportunity for me to show what I can do offensively,? he said. ?It?s a new challenge for me. I?m excited to get a lot of wins, make the playoffs and see what we can do.?

???

?2012 The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

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China Grove OKs budget with 7 cent tax increase

Friday, June 22, 2012 12:00 AM | Printer friendly version | E-mail to a friend | Comments

By Shavonne Potts

spotts@salisburypost.com

CHINA GROVE ? The town board approved its 2012-13 budget with no discussion. No one spoke during the public hearing regarding the budget.

The budget includes a 7-cent tax rate increase and no fee increases for services including garbage or recycling.

The total budget is $3,073,200. The board waffled on whether it would increase taxes at all, by a few cents or establish fees on services.

The former property tax rate was 47 cents per $100 of assessed value and now will be 54 cents. Residents? tax bill for a $100,000 home would increase by $70.

According to a summary provided by town staff with the transfer of the town?s water/sewer system to Salisbury-Rowan Utilities, residents should see a savings in utility bills.

The board also:

? Received a monetary donation request from the South Rowan Historical Society to help cover the cost of needed repairs to the Roller Mill Museum.

Finance Director Mary Jo Bopp said the requested amount of $5,000 was already in the budget and had been budgeted for last year.

Historical Society President Barbara Doby said in a letter to the board the money would replace windows, an ice maker and other maintenance.

? Approved to revise its assigned vehicle take-home policy.

The board created this policy in 2007, which requires police officers who drive town vehicles to not go beyond 15 miles outside of the town limits and not leave the county.

The board approved to allow employees up to 15 miles and any other issue that may arise would be at the discretion of the town manager.

Police Chief Eddie Kluttz said there is one officer who lives 16 and a half miles outside the town limits and another who resides 18 miles out.

Councilman Charles Seaford said the difference was ?splitting hairs.? He believed it should be up to the discretion of the town manager.

There was also some discussion about whether any officers live outside the county.

All of the officers live within the county.

? Revised its low-speed vehicle ordinance to add John Deere ?Gators?, Husqvarna ?HUVs? and any other manufacturers equivalent should be considered a slow moving vehicle.

The board originally approved its low speed vehicle ordinance in August 2010.

The ordinance allows golf carts and other low speed vehicles on designated public streets, roads, pathways and highways within the town?s jurisdiction.

A permit to operate the vehicle must still be issued by the police department and displayed.

Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253.

Thanks for commenting on SalisburyPost.com! You'll need to login with your Facebook credentials to comment on this story.

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Random people automatically appearing on my Facebook friends list

I keep a very tight control of who I accept on Facebook, I only have names on Facebook who I know and careful who I accept.
Once in a while I go through my friends list, find a few names I don't recognise, it has been suspicious that something is going on, change my password and move on.

This time I found 20 names. When I check on their names it says that their account is deactivated (ALL OF THEM DEACTIVATED).

I KNOW that I did not send or accept friend requests from these people.
I ONLY use Facebook on my own devices (Android with lookout security, iPad with 5.1.1, Laptop running Windows 8 (Built in Security Essentials).
I use a UNIQUE email address ONLY for Facebook logins and notfiications which has been changed since last time I checked through my friends list.
I NEVER use Facebook to authenticate to websites
The ONLY Apps which have approval are Spotify & Instagram.
All other games, apps, etc. have has their permissions revoked since last time I checked through my friends list. I keep a very tight leash on my Facebook "privacy" now.

There was a time, a long long time ago (about 3 years ago), I DID send lots of Friend requests because at low point my my life where I was in a ****ty job and playing Mafia Wars a lot for lack of better things to be doing, including one time I sent friend requests in bulk by email address. Since about 2 years ago, I deleted EVERYONE who I added via. Mafia Wars, and also went into the friend request pending by email section (I don't think they have this page anymore) and DELETED everyone with friend requests outstanding who didn't accept me at the time.

I don't know if this is still a having a ripple effect from the Mafia Wars invites I sent out long ago and maybe only being accepted now. I do have email notifications turned on for when someone wants to Add me as a friend, and for when someone accepts my friend request, and I am not getting such emails to confirm this to be the case.

Maybe this is some other security issue (Hijack control of Facebook from a malicious webpage?) Maybe there is an ongoing security issue? Maybe this is a Facebook bug?

Has anyone heard or seen this before?

Attached some screenshots of examples.

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Angel Perales, David Silva, Osvaldo Conde: Calif. Mayor And City Officials Accused Of Pot Shop Bribes

LOS ANGELES -- If someone wanted to do business in the small Southern California city of Cudahy, federal prosecutors say one-time city manager Angel Perales had some advice.

"Money makes the monkey dance," Perales told an FBI informant, according to court documents.

Perales, Mayor David Silva and Councilman Osvaldo Conde were arrested Friday and charged with soliciting and accepting cash bribes totaling $17,000 to support the opening of a medical marijuana dispensary. If convicted of a bribery charge, they each face up to 10 years in prison.

The three officials were in court Friday afternoon and it wasn't immediately known if they had retained attorneys.

Court documents laid out the scheme to approve a pot shop in exchange for cash and also portrayed the suburb of 25,000 as a virtual den of iniquities where drug use, voter fraud and illicit sex permeated City Hall.

The arrests are the latest in a series of corruption scandals plaguing small cities south of Los Angeles. Most notable were the 2010 arrests of the former city manager and several other officials from neighboring Bell, who are accused of misappropriating funds to overpay themselves.

Federal prosecutors said in an affidavit that after weeks of soliciting bribes, Conde, Perales and Silva accepted $15,000 in February from an FBI informant who formerly owned a medical marijuana shop in a nearby city.

Conde later met with the informant and received $2,000, court documents show. The informant estimated the dispensary could generate up to $2.5 million within a year.

"The allegations in this case describe a corrosive and freewheeling attitude among certain officials in the city of Cudahy," said U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. "The stain left by public corruption is indelible, extending beyond any individual case because of the general erosion of public confidence in government."

Recorded conversations show that Perales, who ran the city's code enforcement division, helped arrange the deal and knew plenty of the city's dirty secrets.

Among them was the firing of former City Manager George Perez in March 2011. The council said Perez was let go "for cause," but Perales, 43, told the informant the ex-official was doing drugs on the job.

Perez could not immediately be located for comment.

Perales also said Conde, 50, was the most powerful man in Cudahy. Conde seemed to confirm that to the informant as well.

"In other words, I'm leading and bring all these ideas," said Conde, according to the affidavit.

One of the ideas was to be a business partner with Perales to build a massage parlor where sex would be provided to patrons, the affidavit said. Perales tells the informant the new venture could generate $10,000 to $15,000 every month.

In two meetings with the informant, Conde showed up with a pair of armed bodyguards, who turned out to be employees of the 1.2-square-mile city. Conde also had a revolver with him at one of the meetings, according to court documents.

Perales also suggested he helped get Conde elected five years ago. He tells the informant during a recorded conversation he persuaded 60 to 70 people to vote for Conde.

Conde finished with 472 votes and won by a margin of 33 votes, court documents show.

Thom Mrozek, a U.S attorney's spokesman, said the investigation is ongoing and he couldn't say whether additional charges would be filed.

Perales suggested the shakedown of the prospective pot clinic owner wasn't the first time Conde and Silva looked to receive bribes.

"These guys are not your typical, uh, council people," Perales tells the informant, according to the affidavit. "They've dealt with, uh, you know, people that throw money down."

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LeBron delivers on first of promised NBA titles as Heat cruise past Thunder

The Miami Heat got 20+ points from four players last night, including NBA Finals MVP LeBron James, to win their second NBA title by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 121-106.

By Christopher Hartman,?Contributor / June 22, 2012

The Miami Heat's LeBron James sits between the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy, left, and the most valuable player trophy after Game 5 of the NBA finals basketball series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, early Friday, June 22, in Miami.

Lynne Sladky/AP

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The Heat began Game 5 last night in a patient fashion. But after trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder with just under five minutes remaining in the first period, Miami began pulling away in what would eventually amount to a 121-106 rout to win its second NBA title since the 2005-2006 season, four games to one.

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It was also the first championship for the Heat?s ?Big Three? assemblage of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh since they joined forces in July of 2010. The Heat, leading the Thunder for most of the way, expanded a 59-49 halftime lead to 24 points by the end of the third (it was as many as 26 in one instance).

Asked following the game by ESPN?s Stewart Scott what the most hurtful comment made about him by the news media had been since his mediocre Finals appearance last season, James was thoughtful and then replied being called ?selfish.? In light of his 26 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds last night, it would appear that unfortunate characterization was a bit misplaced.

The Heat posted an overwhelmingly dominant offensive performance, and particularly from the three-point arc, where they went 14 of 26 for a mammoth 54% shooting percentage. By contrast, Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, who scored a team-high 43 points in Game 4, could only hit 4 of 20 shots from the field (he wound up with 19 points on the night), though teammate James Harden rebounded from a miserable eight points in the last game to score 19 last night.

But even with Kevin Durant, Westbrook and Harden combining for 70 points, they just couldn?t keep pace with the Heat, who aside from their 3-point percentage, were hitting on all cylinders in hitting 52 percent of their field goals and 82% of their foul shots. In fact, Miami had already crossed the ?century mark? less than two minutes into the fourth quarter.

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