Come On Back

I have to admit, I never thought I would learn to play chess. The game gets a bad rap, especially on TV shows and in movies. Let's face it; it's never a bunch of cool kids whenever they show the chess club and it always leads to bunch of bad stereotypes.

My first venture in to the game of chess came at age eighteen. My brother was home for the weekend from school and asked if I wanted to play him. I laughed and let him know that wouldn't be happening any time soon. But my brother being who he is, he persisted and I ended up relenting to his imploring.

As we sat down to the chess board, I was not expecting much. Honestly, I thought it was going to be more like checkers when I looked at the board. How wrong I was. It was nothing like checkers! All of the different pieces enthralled me and caught my imagination. And how they moved, this was truly a new and exciting experience for me. It was a game of strategy and I was immediately hooked. In fact, I was the one who ended up doing the pestering to play chess from then on, although he never complained.

It never gets old for me. There's always a new strategy to try and no reason to follow the same pattern. No other game provides the constant promise of combining moves and game pieces in an attack manner that differs each time I sit down at a chess board. Sometimes I sacrifice my pawns to pave the way for my more important pieces to assail my opponent. Other times I like to let my knights go charging ahead of the pack to see just how much damage I can do with those two pieces. I like to have fun with it, never forgetting why I became hooked on the game.

This game lets you be creative and actually use your mind. It's not just a bunch of button pushing and loud noises, which are all videogames are these days. It allows true face-to-face interaction with another player. The game forces you to see your opponent, hear your opponent, and study your opponent. When was the last time that a videogames was able to give you that? So give it a try if you haven't already. You won't be disappointed.

Bradford Roegner is webmaster for BraRoe Quality Chess Sets. He is available to help provide people with the tools to bring chess into their life. You can contact him Bradford@braroechess.com any time with questions.

Politico - Politico political editor Charles Mahtesian was e-mailing the other day with a Republican lobbyist who signed off with a plea that sounded more like a taunt: “Keep it balanced.”

Barghest Trophy

Best place to hunt for this trophy is in Fields of Fornost (North Downs). This spot is suitable for level 35 and above. Go to Trestlebridge and from there follow the path to North and North-West.

There are six places with Dread Barghest and Cruel-Grip Barghest, level 25-27.

1 - location (11.1S, 59.2W) with 10-12 barghests in area

2 - location (10.7S, 58.4W) with 6 barghests in area

3 - location (10.1S, 57.9W) with 5 barghests in area

4 - location (10.2S, 58.7W) with 6 barghests in area

5 - location (9.5S, 59.3W) with 6 barghests in area

6 - location (10.3S, 59.6W) with 6 barghests in area

You will find other mobs there too, Oath-Breakers, level 27-28, but you need to kill only barghests. Just roam from location 1 to 2 ...6, kill all barghests and repeat.

After one hour I got 2 Undamaged Barghest Corpse and 3 bags full of loot. The only valuable loot is:
132 Sturdy Hides, worth 396s at AH

2 Undamaged Barghest Corpse, worth 500s each at AH

Repair cost is 65s and you can sell the trash loot at NPC merchant for 497s.

A simple calculation show us that you can get 800s in one hour, this if you keep both Undamaged Barghest Corpses for you.

Black Bear Trophy

We need to hunt for Undamaged Black-Bear Corpse. Best spot is in Old Forest (Breeland). From Bree go to West and follow the road to Buckland. Once you are in Buckland just enter in Old Forest and got to Bonfire Glade POI at location (32.8S, 60.7W). From there go South to location (33.9S, 61.1W). Here is where you are going to kill bears.

Barkshredder Sentinel, Barkshredder Cub, Barkshredder Yearling and Barkshredder Mother are the mobs in this area. All are level 12-13. If you are at least level 15, you can kill them fast enough.

After one hour and 30 min I got one Undamaged Black-Bear Corpse and 4 bags full of loot. Here is the valuable loot:

150 Medium Hides, worth 450s at AH

179 Light Hides, worth 268s at AH

1 Undamaged Black-Bear Corpse, worth 700s at AH

Repair for 33s and sell the trash loot to NPC merchant for 248s.

This will net you 600s in one hour, if you keep the trophy item for you.

Joseph is a Hardcore LOTRO Gamer and has spent months researching LOTRO gold strategies, tricks and guides. Have sold over 100,000$ worth of Ingame Gold. Check out his LOTRO Gold Guide and LOTRO Strategy Guide to learn the secrets on Gold Strategies, and hidden Trophies!!

LiveScience.com - Red may be the color of love for a reason: It makes men feel more amorous towards women, a new study reports.

Xbox 360 crash problems are a worrying reality for almost one third of 360 owners- there have been a number of studies carried out to back this shocking figure up. I've experienced the same Xbox 360 freezes on my console as well, so I decided to help show you the causes of the problem, as well as the steps that you need to take in order to fix it. Don't put up with your Xbox 360 screen freeze errors any longer!

The cause of the problem is actually overheating. This occurs because the cooling devices inside your console such as fans and heat sinks simply aren't powerful enough to prevent the Xbox 360 crash errors you receive due to overheating.

Xbox 360 freezes are such an annoying thing to put up with, especially when you consider that most electronic devices are able to cope with the heat that they produce.

There are actually three main errors related to the Xbox 360 screen freeze problem. They are -

1. Graphics processor failure - This can be diagnosed if your Xbox 360 is experiencing red lights that flash in the power ring as well as crashes and freezes.

2. Hard Drive Failure

3. HD-DVD Drive Failure

So can you fix Xbox 360 crashes and screen freezes?

Yes, all you will need to do this are a couple of hours spare time, basic tools such as a screwdriver and flat bench to work on, as well as an Xbox 360 freeze repair guide.

This is a collection of video files that will show you how to disassemble your Xbox 360, determine the exact fault, repair it and then reassemble it correctly and safely. Using one really does make the repair process so much easier and faster, and you don't need to spend more than $30 on one.

Click here to learn more about an easy step-by-step Xbox 360 screen freeze repair guide that will allow you to repair your Xbox 360 crashes in under two hours in the comfort of your own home. Read free reviews on the top repair products and learn how to fix Xbox360 freezes. Don't put up with Xbox 360 freezes any longer!

James Philipson has been involved in the electronics industry for over 10 years and has repaired more than 30 Xbox 360 consoles since the platform's release over two years ago.

AP - A cross-border raid by U.S. special forces killed the al-Qaida-linked head of a Syrian network that smuggled fighters, weapons and cash into Iraq, an American counterterrorism official said Monday. Blood stained the earth in this border village as anguished Syrians buried relatives they said were killed in the U.S. helicopter attack Sunday. Some shouted anti-American slogans and carried banners reading "Down with Bush and the American enemy."

Believe it! An absurd blonde hair style and tattered orange clothing could signify only one thing: Naruto.

Naruto: Rise of Ninja is an Xbox 360 exclusive video game that features the eccentric Naruto. This game comes from the same video game company that was responsible for games like Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell, and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon. Since the game takes numerous aspects from the television show, the plot in the game parallels the television show.

Gamers will have an opportunity to witness the Hidden Leaf Village and view scenery that is eerily reminiscent to the cartoon. The gameplay in this game is a combination of both role playing and action. Players will comprehend how to talk to other civilians, bolster attributes, buy equipment and accessories, and accomplish mission objectives. At the beginning of the game, Naruto is somewhat of an outcast. He wants to become a Hokage, but Naruto fails miserably.

In an effort to strengthen his self-esteem, he seeks to lend a helping hand to others in need of assistance. When you progress through the game, more and more pedestrians will admire your performance. There are two mission types in the game. One type is the core objectives that further the storyline, and the others are the optional side quests. The majority of the gameplay in the game entails platform jumping and fighting. Both the fighting and platform jumping elements in the game are done in a cohesive fashion. For instance, the combat emulates the Jutsu maneuvers that are prevalent in the cartoon. These techniques include summoning an attractive woman and cloning himself.

The techniques varies depending on the characters on the screen. The fight sequences range from the rudimentary button presses to some fairly intricate button combinations that require timing. Moreover, there certain attacks that can only be performed based on the distance of the foes and the situation. This game has a well rounded fighting scheme that is engrossing.The platform jumping segments in the game are also well balanced. Naruto: Rise of Ninja is a challenging game that does not treat gamers like they are a bunch of immature children. The game does have its arduous moments, but they can be easily overcome with perseverance.

I felt like the game developers were paying an homage to previous games in this same genre. In addition to the main gameplay, there are some mini games to play. For example, Naruto can partake in a racing mini game that tests his running ability. All of the skills that you will master is given at just the most opportune time. The game does a fantastic job of pacing you through the gameplay by keeping you interested throughout. There is the enormous gratification of defeating a boss and the disappointment of losing to an opponent.

Naruto: Rise of Ninja does not skimp on the amount of content either. This game should take approximately fifteen hours to finish from start to end. There is some online multiplayer that incorporates a Tournament mode, and it even tracks statistics for players via Xbox Live. However, the Xbox Live online support is not the true bulk of the game. The graphics in the game does an accurate job of representing the tone of the cartoon.

All of the architecture has a Japanese appearance to them, and the environments are representative of the television show. Cel-shading was used in this game as well as it was in games such as X-Men Legends and X-Men Legends 2. Gamers will actually feel like they are immersed in an episode of Naruto. It is just a breathe of fresh air to see something different from the typical next generation visuals the Xbox 360 has to offer. The audio in the game is about as grandiose as the graphics. You will hear all the characters from the cartoon reprising their roles in this game, and the music added some personality the gameplay. Overall, Naruto: Rise of Ninja might not necessarily be for everyone. Nevertheless, avid enthusiasts of Naruto will be entertained.

Final Verdict: Naruto: Rise of Ninja is a good game.

8 out of 10

http://wwwfunnyman.blogspot.com/

AP - The government has cleared the way to ship out $125 billion this week to the country's largest banks, beginning the biggest government bailout in history.