Cryptozoic Games has several tabletop diversions in its stable, including one based on AMC’s wildly popular The Walking Dead franchise as well as the popular The World Of Warcraft collectible card game. It was the ridiculously titled Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards: Duel at Mt. Skullzfyre that recently caught my eye.

The game is played with two to six people, each taking on the role of a Battle Wizard, such as Fey Ticklebottom the Enchanter, or Krazztar the Blood’o’mancer. I usually try to claim Princess Holiday & her Furicorn (judging from the art, that’s just short for “furious unicorn”). There aren’t any special abilities applied to a particular wizard (I just like to pretend I’m a princess sometimes), and regardless of who you play there’s only one objective: Eliminate all other Battle Wizards and be the Last Wizard Standing!

If you want to take out your competition, you’re going to have to cast some spells, so here’s the breakdown. Spells are made up of three different component types: a Source, a Quality component and the Delivery. You don’t have to include one of each component to cast a spell though; you could cast a spell made up of just a Source and Delivery. You can’t, however, cast spells with more than one of each component type. For instance, a spell with two Sources is illegal.

Once all players have determined the spell they’re casting for the round, all players announce the number of cards in their spell to determine whose spell resolves first. Spells made up of one component will cast before a two card spell, which in turn would resolve before any three card spells. Often more than one player will cast a three card spell in a given round. If this is the case, and more than one player casts three card spells, initiative is then determined by a number on the Delivery card. The higher the initiative, the sooner you act.

Once play order for the round is determined, the Battle Wizards then reveal their card(s) and announce their spell from Source to Delivery in their best wizard’s voice. For instance, “Sir Lootzor’s (Source) Mysterious (Quality) Power Vortex (Delivery)”. Then spell components are resolved in order (Source, Quality, Delivery), with the player following the text on each card. There are beneficial effects such as healing or gaining treasure, but most spells are all about inflicting damage. Spell components come in different flavors as well, such as Dark, Primal, etc., easily marked by a glyph in the lower left corner of the card. Matching these spell types will often make your spells stronger. In the example above, all three of the components have Arcane magic glyphs, so when resolving the text on the Power Vortex card, the player would roll three dice to determine the spells effectiveness. When all players have cast their spells, a new round of casting begins. Wild Magic cards add a bit of randomness to the mix, allowing players to play one in place of a Source, Quality or Delivery card, and then draw from the deck until they get a matching component to fill in. They come in pretty handy when you don’t have a particular card type in your hand.

Once a wizard dies, they immediately lose all cards in their hand, any treasure they’ve gathered and start drawing Dead Wizard cards. Once a wizard is determined the Last Wizard Standing, they receive a token and a new round starts. Each Dead Wizard card then grants a boon to start the new round with. This helps even things out if you die particularly early in a round. The overall winner of the game is the first player to get two Last Wizard Standing tokens.

Epic Spell Wars is entertaining, but not terribly deep. While there is some amount of strategy in composing your spells, after a couple of matches you’ll easily be able to recognize your best options from the cards in your hand. While it won’t offer the complexity of some other games, the imaginative artwork and obvious humor of Epic Spell Wars still makes it a fun addition to any tabletop gamer’s rotation. Pick it up at your local Slackers today!

At a family reunion several years ago, my sister introduced us to a new game of tag called “Everybody’s It.” You start the game with everyone ‘it’, and the only way to get someone out is to touch them on the back. If they are tagged, they have to immediately sit down where they got tagged, and they are out for the duration of that particular round. The challenge, of course, is to get people on the back, and watch your own back at the same time. Pretty exciting. The games get over quickly so everyone can start again. So, why all this information, when really you just looking to buy some silly string? Well, think about this…after you have played a couple of time with just squirting the odd shooting foam around, then what are you going to do? Silly string is one of those inventions, like silly putty, that we just seem to like and want to play with.

Now, reflect on the above information and consider the options of incorporating silly string into a good game of “Everybody’s It.” This can be played with young and old alike. Some suggestions to get your game going.

Everyone will need their own can. Enlighten the players on the rules of the game, but let them know that instead of slapping people on the back to get them out, they have to spray people on the back. No physical contact allowed. There are a couple of different ways to do it. If you want a long standing game, including several rounds, then there will be two “out” options. First, if someone is sprayed on the back, then they immediately sit down and wait for the next round. The second “out” is when they run out of silly string. It really ups the ante when you may be a great player, but you shoot too much string. The last player

standing with string still in his/her can is the winner.

Establish boundaries. This is crucial because when there are only a couple of people left in the round, chasing them half way down the block is not a good option, nor is it fun for those waiting to start the next round, because it takes too long. The fun of this game is how quickly everyone can get back in, and the winner can be anyone who has a straight shot and is also quick enough to avoid being sprayed.

So, grab some string and let the games begin.

When you first start shopping for autoclaves you don’t realize how many options you’re going to find. Internal water tank or external? Top-loader or front-loader? Floor model or counter-top? Manual or programmable controls? And on and on… By the time you get around to looking at the shape of the chamber you’re ready to sign on any dotted line just so you can be done with it. But there are significant differences between a cylindrical or rectangular chamber that you really need to be aware of before you buy an autoclave.

The Pros And Cons Of A Cylindrical Chamber

When pressurized steam starts filling the chamber it naturally expands and tries to make the chamber round. So a chamber that’s already round won’t have to be as strong to hold up under the pressure. A cylindrical chamber can be made of thinner steel, which means it weighs loss and costs less to produce. And because that steel is thinner there’s also less metal to heat, which means it costs less to operate.

A cylindrical chamber, in a front loading model, also provides better steam circulation around your instruments. Your sterilization trays are usually square or rectangular and when you put them inside the circular chamber there’s plenty of extra space for the steam to move around, ensuring more reliable sterilization.

The downside of a cylindrical autoclave chamber is that it has less useable space than an autoclave with a rectangular chamber.

The Pros And Cons Of A Rectangular Chamber

The major plus for an autoclave with a rectangular chamber is that they typically have a much larger load capacity then similar size models with a cylindrical chamber. There’s also less wasted space because again, the trays are square or rectangular and so is the chamber so you have a closer fit inside the chamber.

On the downside, we talked about the steam pressure inside the chamber earlier. To prevent that rounding effect inside a rectangular chamber, it’s made with thicker metal and generally requires additional bracing to keep its shape. This means it’s a little more expensive to produce, and it’s a heavier machine. It also takes a little longer to heat up which means it’s more expensive to operate.

And finally, because the steam circulation isn’t as great as it is in a cylindrical chamber, you and your staff will have to be much more careful loading an autoclave with a rectangular chamber. While they generally hold larger loads you have to be careful how you arrange those loads.

Your tradeoffs? When you buy an autoclave with a cylindrical chamber it will cost less, be lighter in weight and cycle faster because it heats up faster. A rectangular chamber will have a larger capacity with less wasted space and it will be heavier and more expensive.

How to Find the Right Size

In order to measure yourself, you will need a soft measuring tape, and for best results, remove your bra.

Now, measure directly underneath your breasts on the rib cage, making sure to keep the tape level all the way around your torso. Pull the two sides together until they meet and lie flat against your body, but be careful not to pull too tightly. The tape should feel snug, but not constricting. Round up the measurement to the nearest even number. For example, if you measured 31″, then round up to 32. This will be your band size. However, if you measure slightly over an even number, such as 32 1/4″ or 32 1/2″, you may want to round down because bras do lose elasticity over time and will only become less supportive with frequent wear. If you are on the borderline between two sizes, personal preference will dictate which band size you should purchase.

Next, measure around the fullest part of your breasts (usually across the nipples) and round up to the nearest number. For example, a measurement of 40.5″ would be rounded to 41″.

Finally, subtract your band size from the measurement taken across your bust. From our current example, 41 – 32 = 9″. Use the information below to find your corresponding cup size.

1″ = US A or UK A

2″ = US B or UK B

3″ = US C or UK C

4″ = US D or UK D

5″ = US DD/E or UK DD

6″ = US DDD/F or UK E

7″ = US G or UK F

8″ = US H or UK FF

9″ = US I or UK G

10″ = US J or UK GG

11″ = US K or UK H

12″ = US L or UK HH

13″ = US M or UK J

14″ = US N or UK JJ

15″ = US O or UK K

16″ = US P or UK KK

Thus, the woman from our example would be a UK 32G or US 32I; however, European and US styles tend to be cut smaller both in band and cup. If you need to size up in the band, remember you need to size down in the cup, meaning a 32G becomes a 34FF. Because manufacturers all utilize different cuts and sizing, finding the right fit can be challenging.

Double Check the Fit

Now that you have a general idea about what size you need, take a moment to review some of these tips to ensure that you have the proper fit.

• Your band should fit snug (but not tight) on the loosest set of hooks. The elastic in all bras deteriorates with everyday wear, and your bra will last longer if your start with a snug band on the loosest set of hooks.
• The band of your bra should be centered across your back with the straps adjusted to the tops of the shoulders. It should not ride up the back or cause the straps to fall off the shoulders as this will mean your breasts hang low in the front. At least 80% of the support from your bra comes from the band, so it is important that the band fits perfectly.
• Adjust your straps. Again, the majority of weight is supported by your band, but you may need to adjust your straps looser or tighter to provide you with optimal support and comfort. Properly fitted straps will pull the cup against your breast so that it sits nicely under clothes and supports the full breast tissue.
• Check your underwire. The underwire of a bra should encase the breasts and rest firmly against your ribcage, especially in the center where the underwire meets. The wire should lie flat, completely separating your breasts. On the side of your torso, the wire should not mash your breasts or dig into the skin. Many women do not realize that there is breast tissue on the side that needs to be scooped into the cups as well. When the bra fits properly, the cup of the bra should enclose the breast tissue and be filled out and shaped by your breasts.

Common Problems

Majority of women are wearing a bra with a band size that is too big and a cup size that is too small. Thus, if the average woman buys a 34D bra, she most likely wears a 32DDD. Here are a few easy ways to tell you are in the wrong bra size:

• Your breasts pop out the bottom of the bra, especially when you raise your arms.
• Your breasts overflow from the cups of the bra causing “muffin top” or lumps.
• The straps of your bra give you deep shoulder indentations.
• The band rides up in the back.
• Your breasts are smashed together at the center of the bra or compressed by the underwire on the sides.
• The underwire digs into the your breasts or sides.
• You have frequent infections or rashes underneath the breasts.

If you ever have any questions about what size you should wear or how to fit yourself, please don’t hesitate to email us at sophisticatedpair@gmail.com.

Voice Over (Female Child)

Visualization

‘I have a friend. She lives in my house.’

The little girl is peeping from a window. There is another window at the right side, there is a replica of the same girl in this window. The replica is a little faded.

‘When I am happy, so is she.’

The little girl is going round and round with her hands spread out. Her replica/reflection is also dancing by her side.

‘When I cry, she cries too.’

Both of the girls are crying.

‘But I cannot hear her voice.

My friend lives inside the mirror.’

”Come out,’ I tell her, ‘we will play.’

She does not come out.’

Now the little girl is standing in front of a mirror. She is holding a billy in her hands. She looks at her reflection in the mirror. She appears to be sad.

‘I am not happy.

I go to sleep.’

The little girl is lying in the bed. She is asleep on her front with both hands below her face.

‘She comes out of the mirror when I am sleeping. We have a lot of fun.’

The little girl is holding both hands with her replica. Both of them are going round and round around each other. There is little cuckoo flying around them.

‘We play, run, shout, and scream together.’

Both of them are now standing under a tree. There are two huts behind them. An owl, a cuckoo and a squirrel are playing around them. The girls are shouting.

‘When I talk to her, she also talks to me.’

Now both the girls are sitting on the branch of a tree, with their hands around each other’s shoulders. There is a blue bird flying around them. A butterfly too is hovering around them. The branch is laden with many colourful leaves.

‘In the morning, my friend will go back into the mirror.’

Now both the little girls are hugging each other in a window.

‘But I do not mind at all. We will play again in my dreams!’

The little girl is looking in the mirror. Her reflection is asleep in there.

No Voice Over(Subtitles)

Visualization

‘I wake up at night feeling thirsty.

I want to get some water. I start

Looking for my slippers under the bed.’

An 8 year old boy wakes up, gets down from his bed and peeps under it for his slippers. He sees big flashing eyes of a tiger under his bed.

‘Oh, no! There’s a tiger under my bed.’

The boy is crouching over his bed and looking down. The back of the tiger appears under the bed.

‘Now what shall I do? Shall I call Ma? What if the tiger comes out?’

The boy lowers his head below the bed and he sees the back of the tiger.

‘Should I just go back to sleep? But I am not sleepy anymore.’

He lies down back on his bed. He is lying on his side. He covers his head with the blanket yet his face is still open and his hands are on his face.

(Then someone turns on the light. Ma is standing at the door.)

‘What happened, dear? Did you call me?’

Ma is standing at the door. The little boy lifts his blanket from one side and looks at her.

(I point towards the tiger. Ma bends and pulls the tiger out from under the bed!)

Ma bends down and pulls the tiger from under the bed. The little boy crouches with her.

‘Hey! There is no tiger.

This is my yellow and black sweater. Its buttons shine like a tiger’s eyes.’

Ma stands up and shows the sweater to the boy. The little boy sticks his tongue out with both his hands below his chin.

‘I got frightened for nothing.’

The boy wears the sweater and smiles.

‘Now I will sleep and dream about real tigers in the jungle!’

Now both Ma and the little boy lie down in the bed and cover themselves in the blanket. The little boy smiles at Ma.

After watching the Federer and Nadal battle it out in the last three French Open tennis tounaments, I was a bit disappointed to see Federer have to play a 25th seed Robin Soderling. It almost guaranteed Roger Federer his first French Open. On Sunday, June 7th Federer had tied Pete Sampras’ record of 14 major championships and completed a career Grand Slam-at least one trophy from each of tennis’ four most prestigious tournaments. Federer beat Robin Soderling (6-1), (7-6) and (6-4), and the rain soaked crowd was cheering for Roger throughout the Match. The elusive French Open served him up the cup, that Nadal had kept Federer from winning over the last three years.

I was a bit disappointed to see Federer have to play a 25th seed Robin Soderling. It almost guaranteed Roger Federer his first French Open. After watching the Federer and Nadal battle it out in the last three French Open tennis tounaments. I would have probably missed watching the tournament, but it there was significant tennis history in the making. It is not every day that you see a record being tied or broken in Tennis. In a way I was glad that Federer would be playing a number 25th seeded player. It would make the task so much easier for Roger Federer to tie the record.

Robin Soderling was born in 1984 in Tibro, Sweden. He has not done much in 2009, he has been knocked out of most tournaments in the 2nd or 3rd round. He lost to Federer in the third round of the Madrid Masters. He also lost to Nadal in the Rome Masters in the third round. The French open has been his most successful tournament in 2009. Robin Soderling has beaten number 10th seeded Nikolay Davydenko, 12 seeded Fernando González, and of course the number 1 seeded Rafael Nadal in the fourth round, who could possibly be missing Wimbledon because of a knee injury.

Robin Soderling was down 4-0 before he won a game in the first set, which he lost 6-1. The second set was when he finally showed everybody why he was in the French Open finals with Roger Federer. It took Federer a tie breaker to win the the second set (7-6). He trailed throughout the third set, but he kept it close before Federer won (6-4 ). Soderling had finally found his 135+ mph serve in the second set, which made the match much more competitive.

Any Grand Slam victory now, will help him to break Pete Sampra’s record, and prove to the world that Roger Federer is indeed the best tennis player in the world.

If you’ve held an Edison pearl next to another cultured freshwater pearl, you may know what the fuss is about. Edison pearls, using a relatively new technology in the history of pearl farming, are known for their extraordinary size, their range of colors, and their high quality. But while these qualities make them coveted, there is something else that has farmers talking.

Type of cultured freshwater pearl, but the technology involved in cultivating Edison pearls is completely different. This difference has attracted countless South Sea and Tahitian pearl farmers to China to learn more. Why? Because of a simple thing called a ‘spit bead’, if you translate it directly from Chinese. ‘Spit beads’, or rather, the rejection of implanted beads by oysters is when an oyster ‘spits out’ the bead core that is implanted to form a pearl.

Edison Pearls: The Freshwater Pearl Made Like A Saltwater – Only Better

Most cultured freshwater are nucleated by tissue. A small piece of oyster tissue is implanted into the oyster, and nacre is secreted to cover the tissue in order to form the pearl. The completely made from nacre, but they tend to be off-round to oval in shape.

On the other hand, almost all saltwater cultured pearls are nuclear pearls, which means that the pearl is not completely made from nacre – the inner core of the pearl consists of a nucleus bead. A small, round bead is implanted into the oyster, and nacre is secreted around this core to form the pearl. The great part about this method is that the harvested pearls are (mostly) perfectly round.

Edison pearls are freshwater pearl necklace but they adopted the saltwater farming technique of using round beads to nucleate an oyster. However, they’ve improved on this technique tremendously.

Implanting a bead core into a mollusk is not always successful. The mollusk can reject or ‘spit’ out the implanted bead. In most bead-cultured pearls, this rejection rate is about 15-20% of all implanted beads. But in China’s Edison pearl cultivation, it’s only about 5%, clearly pointing to the technical superiority of the Edison farming technique.

If you’re a pearl farmer, that number makes a massive difference in your production output and eventually, your profits.

WHAT IS THE SECRET INGREDIENT? How do the Edison pearl farmers do it? With their secret ingredient: a bead core activating liquid. This liquid consists of a complicated mixture of acids, antibiotics and sterilized filtered seawater. The bead core is drug-treated to reduce the chances of immune rejection and reduce the infection rate after implantation. The migration and division of cells inside the oyster are stimulated, the formation of the pearl sac is promoted, and the survival rate of oysters are increased. It also means that the thickness of the bead layer is increased, resulting in bigger and higher-quality being formed.

All in all, a greatly reduced ‘spit’ rate increases the output for farmers. In fact, the treatment is so effective that it has increased the survival rate of pearl oysters with between 2.59-7.33%! It also increases the pearl size, and the rate of high-quality pearl yields from a harvest can be up to 12.55% more.

CONCLUSION

This technology and the results achieved is one of the biggest ways that Edison pearls have changed the face of pearl farming and the pearl industry, and it’s no wonder that South Sea pearl farmers are flocking to learn more about it.

Read more about and their history here and here and if you want to understand the difference between Edison pearls and South Sea pearls, read more here. If you’re looking to add beautiful pearl jewelry to your wardrobe,

See More: https://www.timelesspearl.com/

The Rise and Fall of Tyson

Mike Tyson shot to fame in the mid-1980s with his formidable and unforgiving boxing style. He became the youngest ever World Heavyweight Champion aged just 19 in 1985 when he beat Trevor Berbick. However after just a few years at the top, a list of things started to go wrong that set the wheels in motion for the downfall of possibly the hardest hitter the boxing world had ever seen. These problems included;

• Getting a divorced from his actress wife Robin Givens after she accused him of domestic violence
• Firing and suing his manager
• Two car accidents, one of which may have been a suicide attempt
• Leaving his trainer Kevin Rooney and joining with Don King

On February 11, 1990, Tyson lost the heavyweight title to underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas in a fight he failed to prepare for. A year later, he was accused of raping beauty contestant Desiree Washington, for which he served three years in prison.

Tyson vs. Holyfield – Part One

After his release, Tyson re-gained his titles and planned to fight Evander Holyfield, a retired former champion. On November 9, 1996 the much anticipated fight took place, the huge purse involved tempting Holyfield out of retirement. In the 11 round, underdog Holyfield caused an upset and beat Tyson on a technical knock out to win the WBA version of the title.

Tyson vs. Holyfield – Part Two

A year later on June 28, 1997 the two fighters faced each other in the ring again. Holyfield had prepared hard for the fight and came out in the first round hitting Tyson with an array of body punches, sending his opponent flailing. In the second round Holyfield, no stranger to controversial tactics in the ring, head-butted Tyson causing a cut above his right eye to open.

Holyfield’s tactics got to Tyson and in the third round he lost what little composure he had. He spat out his gum shield, pulled his opponent into him and bit a chunk out of his ear, then dramatically spat the flesh onto the canvas. The fight continued after the wound was cleaned up only for Tyson to go straight in a bite the other ear.

He was disqualified from the match and forfeited the $30 million purse, as well as failing to regain the Heavyweight Championship belt he had lost a year earlier. Despite his pleas that he only did it as a reaction to Holyfield’s consistent head-butting, after the fight Tyson was stripped of his boxing licence, though it was restored only a year later.

The two boxers met once more in 2009 on the Oprah Winfrey Show where Tyson publicly apologized for the incident to Holyfield, who agreed to forgive and forget.

How to Play Online Poker

Millions of poker players around the world dream of bringing down a high stakes pot worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in an online poker game. As the popularity of poker continues to improve, more poker players are turning that dream into a reality. However, even today’s top poker hotshots had to start somewhere, and most began by learning how to play poker online.

Learning Texas Hold’em

Texas Hold’em is the most popular Internet poker game, and if you’re interested in learning how to play poker online, you’re likely to be specifically interested in Texas Hold’em game play. Texas Hold’em unfolds in the following steps:

A big and small blind are entered by the players to the left of the dealer. The small and big blinds are forced bets that must be made to start a game of Texas Hold’em. The big blind is the minimum bet amount while the small blind is usually half that amount.

Two hole cards are dealt to each player. You keep your hole cards to yourself and will refer to them later on during the round.

The first betting round will resume with the player who is left of the small blind. You will be able to check, make your own bet, match the previous player’s bet or forfeit by folding.

The first three community cards dealt are called the flop and a second betting around occurs afterwards.

The fourth community card, called the turn, is dealt face up and a third betting round commences.

The final river community card is dealt and is succeeded by the last betting round.

A showdown then occurs where the remaining players show their cards. You may combine your hole cards and the community cards to make the best 5-card hand that corresponds to the standard poker hand ranking system.

Tips for Learning Online Poker

Figuring out the game play structure of poker games such as Texas Hold’em is just the tip of the iceberg. The real reward comes in learning how to become better at playing poker through experience.

For example, play a couple of rounds of poker online and you’ll quickly find out how important your starting hand selection really is. Receiving a good starting hand such as a pair of Jacks, Ace-Queen or King-Jack can automatically improve your chances of winning by 15 to 20%. Eventually, the true test of your poker knowledge and understanding will come from how you fare with mediocre or poor starting hands. Learning when to fold and how to make the best out of mediocre or poor hands in poker will go towards become a skilled poker player.

You’ll also quickly realize the importance that table position has when learning how to play poker online. For example, you’ll always be able to make more informed poker decisions when you’re one of the last players in the betting round because you’ve been able to view the actions of the previous players. The betting positions rotate after each round of online poker, so you will ultimately learn how to play online poker while keeping your table position as well as your starting hand strength in mind.

You won’t figure out any variation of online poker in the first couple of rounds. Nearly all online poker games are steeped in strategy, mathematical odds, probabilities and just plain old luck, so there’s almost always something new to learn from each round of poker online.

4 US fencers place in the top-32 at the Grand Prix men’s foil event in Tokyo, Japan

2008 Olympic Silver Medalist Yuki Ota (JPN) defeated Valerio Aspromonte (ITA) 15-5 to win the Prince Takamado World Cup in Tokyo, Japan on May 14th. In the semi-finals, Aspromonte defeated 2008 Gold Medalist Benjamin Kleibrink (GER) 15-12 and Ota won over Laurence Halsted (GBR) 15-9.

4 US fencers made it into the top-32 of the individual grand prix event. Gerek Meinhardt and Miles Chamley-Watson each won two elimination matches to make the top-16. Meinhardt fell 15-12 to Ota and Chamley-Watson lost out in a 15-14 match to Tae-Kyu Ha (KOR). Kurt Getz and Alexander Massialas each won their first match to make the top-32.

World #1 Andrea Baldini (ITA) lost in the round of 32 to Leszek Rajski (POL), clearing the way for Kleibrink on his quarter of the DE table.

Massialas won his first match against fellow US fencer Sherif Farrag 15-8 and then lost in the round of 32 to Japan’s Kenta Chida in a tense 7-6 match. Getz won 15-11 against Marcel Marcilloux (FRA) but then ran into Chamley-Watson, who won 15-8.

Earlier in the DE table Meinhardt defeated Suguru Awaji (JPN), then won a 15-13 match against Jianfei Ma (CHN) before falling to eventual champion Ota 15-12. Chamley-Watson’s first round match was a 15-10 victory over Dmitri Rigine (RUS).

In the team event, the China defeated France 45-35 to take the gold. The US team took 9th place, losing a first round match to Poland 45-37. They bounced back with victories against Thailand (45-34), Austria (45-28) and Great Britain (45-31). The US is current ranked 7th in the FIE team event standings.