Yesterday I joined 2 ToC25 runs, one with my DK tank and another with my hunter and I just can’t believe I’m that lucky!

My hunter won:
Twin’s Pact – Twin Valkyrs
Death’s Head Crossbow – Lord Jaraxxus

The staff was a very good upgrade as I was DW some ilvl200 weapons and I really don’t like to DW in my hunter. With my crappy trinkets I was doing around 5800dps on normal fights.

My Death Knight won:
Trophy of the Crusade (rolled 100)
Hauberk of the Towering Monstrosity – Northrend Beasts
Dawnbreaker Sabatons – Lord Jaraxxus
Pride of the Demon Lord – Lord Jaraxxus
Band of the Traitor King – Anub’arak

And doing todays daily heroic will net me 2 more emblems of frost so I can buy my Scourgelord Handguards that are a clear upgrade over my Conqueror’s Darkruned Handguards.

Missing good trinkets in both characters thought we can’t win everything in one day.

Regards,
Rohk.

I’ve been running with some problems in my hunter. Although I’m capable of dishing a good dps, reaching 5k+ with the right buffs, some pug leaders just don’t want to take people without achievement even if you have another character with it or know the fight very well. They can’t verify it, but in my raids I always let people get in if they don’t have achievement but as I tell everyone:

“If you suck or if you don’t know how to do your job I’ll kick you”

Other point is that some people think that taking someone without achievement is the same as boosting them trough the damn instance, no it’s not, sometimes they are even better than you are.

I just think that this pug raid leaders don’t need to be so dramatic and so rigid as a lot of them are as of now. Relax, anyway it’s Christmas.

Sometimes it works linking fake achievements, try it!

Merry Christmas,
Rohk.

OpEd by Rekha Basu in Des Moines Register:

Medical-pot provider mounts a novel criminal defense in federal court

By Dave Maass, San Diego CityBeat  

More than most citizens, James Dean Stacy feels betrayed by the candidate for whom he voted for president.

Barack Obama asked Americans to take a stand. Now a local pot provider is putting the candidate’s rhetoric on the stand. (Photo by David Rolland)

Up and down the campaign trail, from Los Angeles to Medford, Ore., then-Sen. Barack Obama and his spokespeople pledged that he would end the aggressive raids by the U.S. Department of Justice of medical-marijuana dispensaries operating legally under state law. The candidate said it was a waste of resources that would be better dedicated to fighting terrorism and prosecuting violent crime. Obama said he didn’t see any meaningful difference between marijuana and prescriptions such as morphine and that providers should be protected, excepting those who blatantly use medical-cannabis laws as a shield for otherwise dubious drug trafficking.  

When he assumed office, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder echoed the sentiments during several meet-the-new-DOJ appearances in California and New Mexico—“You will be surprised to know that the Justice Department will be acting in a manner consistent with what [the president] said during the campaign”—and, in October, Holder formalized the policy in a set of guidelines distributed to U.S. Attorney offices.  

By then, Stacy had been running a medical-marijuana collective, Movement in Action,

“I’m the most follow-the-rules kind of guy around, so I thought I was the perfect guy to do it,” Stacy tells CityBeat. “When the collective was open, I’d have days where we’d turn away as many as 10 people who didn’t have the proper paperwork.”  

In a Dec. 10 court motion, Stacy says he did the due diligence: He researched the prosecutorial policies articulated by Holder, hired a lawyer to walk him through the process and corresponded with the California Secretary of State’s (SOS) office on how to file for “public benefit” status, the technical term for a California nonprofit. The SOS even provided him with a copy of the state Attorney General’s guidelines for running a collective. Unlike many of the other collectives where the San Diego Regional Narcotics Task Force ran stings, Stacy opted for a low-profile model because, he says, “I didn’t want people who didn’t need to know to have it in their face.” 

Stacy told undercover officers that they could provide labor to the collective in exchange for medicine and invited them to a “farmers market,” where patients could buy directly from growers—practices he felt were in keeping with the spirit of the California AG’s guidelines. Nevertheless, on Sept. 9, he was arrested after his collective and 13 others were raided. 

Now, Stacy is one of only two collective operators who have been charged in federal court as a result of the raids. He faces one count of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana, one count of manufacturing marijuana and one count of possession of a firearm while committing the other crimes—a handgun was found in the locker where he kept the collective’s supply.  

The other federal defendant, Joseph Nunes of Green Kross Collective, pleaded guilty to his charges earlier this month. Stacy, however, says he’s not giving in to the prosecution.  

“I quote my wife: ‘I’m not going to let you plead guilty to something you didn’t do,’” says Stacy, who uses marijuana to treat pain from martial-arts injuries and to relieve the nausea he’s suffered since losing his gall bladder. “They threatened life-imprisonment at both of my bail hearings…. This is nothing but a terrorist attack against the medical-marijuana community.”  

Instead, Stacy is mounting a novel defense: The statements by Obama and Holder constitute entrapment by estoppel, defined as when an official tells someone that something is legal, then busts them for it. Put plainly, Stacy would not have formed the collective if the government hadn’t assured legal collectives that they wouldn’t be prosecuted.  

The U.S. Attorney’s Office does not comment on pending cases, and Ben LaBolt, a White House spokesman whose pro-medical-marijuana statements were directly cited in the court filing, did not respond to inquiries.  

The entrapment defense draws from a “fundamental notion of fairness: The individual must have fair warning of what conduct the government intends to punish,” Stacy’s attorney, Kasha Castillo of Federal Defenders of San Diego, writes in the recent motion. Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz has agreed to hear the motion—which includes a request that the case be dismissed or, alternately, Stacy be allowed to present the entrapment defense in court—on Feb. 3.  

When CityBeat first posted a summary of the motion on its blog, Lastblogonearth.com, and linked it from the Huffington Post, some commentators wrote it off as a gratuitous and foolish attempt to claim that a candidate’s campaign promises are as good as laws passed by Congress. However, defense attorneys say it isn’t just a novel approach; rather, it’s a potential groundbreaking solution to a longstanding paradox in federal medical-marijuana cases.  

San Diego County Deputy Public Defender Juliana Humphrey explains that, historically, medical-marijuana patients and caregivers have been barred from saying they were acting in good-faith under California law because it has not been considered a legitimate defense under federal law.  

“Most of the time, the common thought is that trial defendants are getting some kind of advantage because everything is sterilized for the defendant’s benefit,” says Humphrey, who chaired the city of San Diego’s Medical Cannabis Task Force in 2002. “But in this case, it completely keeps from the jury the truth of the motivation of the person that possesses or provides the marijuana for the benefit of the government.”  

Last month, a San Diego jury in state Superior Court acquitted Jovan Jackson, the coordinator of Answerdam Alternative Care, of all marijuana-related charges; the foreman told the press following the verdict that California’s laws are too vague to determine whether Jackson’s collective wasn’t in compliance.  

Jackson’s trial lawyer, K. Lance Rogers of Turner Law Group, cautions that each case’s circumstance are different—not to mention each jury—and that Jackson’s verdict doesn’t indicate how the federal court will rule on Stacy’s motion. Plus, unlike in Jackson’s case, when the prosecution had to prove he committed the crimes beyond a reasonable doubt, the burden will be on the defense during the hearing to show that Stacy was within the law.  

Stacy’s testimony may be enough, Rogers says, but his communication with the Secretary of State’s Corporations Division and the fact he hired a lawyer to advise him may prove the most compelling.  

More than the entrapment defense, Rogers is interested in another argument Stacy’s attorney makes: The federal government violated the 10th Amendment protection of states’ rights by enlisting San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies to enforce a federal law that contradicts state law.  

“The federal government can’t commandeer state law enforcement to implement federal policies, and the keyword is ‘commandeering,’” Rogers says. “This is a fundamental principle of federalism and American jurisprudence. That’s a fascinating argument that has not been decided to my knowledge.”  

Until it is decided, Stacy is keeping his nose (and his pipe) clean. He believes he has the right to continue using marijuana for medical purposes but has switched to Marinol, a synthetic THC pill, until the court gives him explicit permission at his next bail hearing.  

“I did not, I do not and I will not break the law,” Stacy says. 

Write to davem@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com. 

• ORIGINALLY Published: 12/22/2009
• Other Stories by Dave Maass
• 

Via National Immigrant Bond Fund’s blog:

New York State Community Groups condemn recent raid at Stewart Airport

[click here to read press statement]

For most of the your time leveling in Allods, you will see very few new things.  Though I think the game, at this stage, is the most truly complete “theme-park” MMO I have played since early WoW, there is little that truly seperates it from WoW.  The art direction is top-notch, the classes are fun and interesting, the character stat/ability customization is great, the world is open and immersive, the quests are well written and the instances seem fun and challenging….but, then again, WoW has all of that.  WoW’s graphics are not as good, their stat/ability customization is not quite as deep but there is little that is truly innovative in Allods Online as compared to WoW.

So, why play Allods Online over WoW?  Why leave your level 80s and start over from the beginning in Allods Online?

Two words:  Astral Ships

Kanian Astral Ship

Astral ships, astral battles and astral exploration are the single biggest thing that differentiates WoW from Allods Online.  It will add a whole new dimension to Allods endgame.  What are astral ships, you ask?  Read on and find out!

Astral ships serve a multitude of purposes in Allods Online.  They serve as player housing of a sort, as they are owned by people or guilds and can have a unique design.  I believe, though I am not 100% sure, that “trophies” can be hung in the astral ship to decorate it, much like homes in LotRO and EQ2.  This allows the ability to personalize your astral ship and make it your own.

Astral Ship Interior

Secondly, they serve as transport and exploration vehicles.  The Astral is supposedly huge in Allods, as big as the normal world entire.  From what I have seen in Allods so far that will be huge.  Much bigger, for instance, than Aion’s Abyss.  In addition to being huge, it is random.  From a developer’s interview located here, even though you got to point B one way, does not necessarily mean you will get back to point A the same way.  Consider this quote:

The Astral is a dynamic, changing substance that appears to have a life of its own. This means that any travel away from the security of an allod is very random, with lots of exploration available. Players who find a way through to one place using a certain course should keep in mind that they may never get back to the same location by following the same course.

That really brings out the explorer in me, that is something I want to wander around in.  It adds an entire new dimension to gameplay.  If they can pull that off, it will be unlike any other MMO around.

But what good is exploration if there is nothing to do once you get there?  Luckily, Allods Online has tons for you to do in the Astral.  There are roaming (flying? floating?) monsters in the Astral, some taking a full raid or guild Astral Ship to defeat.  In addition, many of the endgame raids are located on small Allods (islands) that are floating around in the Astral. This means that your raid will have to travel to the island in an Astral ship, dock it and go in and complete the raid.

One of the UIs for Astral Ships

This opens up the next option for Astral content, PvP and pirates!  You see, once you complete that raid or kill that boss and loot it, all that loot is loaded into your Astral ship’s hull and can only be distributed to players after they dock the ship at a friendly port.  This opens up your ship for attack by player pirates.  Not only can you attack other ships, using magic and cannons, but you can disable and board the ship.  At that point, PvP battles open up on board the ship, as one side protects their hard-earned loot, while the other tries to take it.

When players unlock Astral battleships, they can travel in rather safe zones, fighting small demons and discovering small allods. As their fighting skills develop and their ships improve, players will soon realize that they are ready to embark on far more dangerous adventures and explore the far Astral. There they will encounter huge monsters that hold useful trophies, find unknown islands and have the opportunity to fight other ships. Once their ship is packed with treasure, they need to set back home. The return trip can be as eventful as the journey, as a booty-laden ship is an attractive target for pirates that are hidden among the conduits that connect the Astral.
Players have lots of choice to get back home. They can set off in a random and unknown direction, and risk getting lost and losing their ship with all the treasures in its hold. They can engage pirates and defeat them in battle, or try their luck and see if they can sneak past the pirates. Risk is an important part of the Sarnaut world.

Players get their Astral ship through quests, gold and patience.  They are a large endeavour and something that will have to be worked toward, they are not handed to players.  There are smaller ships that can be owned by one person and controlled by up to six and there are larger ships that are guild controlled and require up to 24 people to control.  Each person on board will have a role, be it as a pilot, gunner or navigator.  There will even be a engineer that will control a team of goblins who will run around the ship and repair various damage.

No other “theme-park” MMO has anything like this.  It truly adds something new and interesting to endgame and if it is as polished and fun as the rest of Allods Online, it will be a joy to experience.

So, in the title of this post I asked a question:  Wouldn’t it be funny?

Wouldn’t it be funny if Allods Online, a free to play, sword and magic, fantasy MMO, ended up having better “space” combat than Star Trek Online?  The more I read about each respective title, the more I believe that may end up being the case.

That, to me, is humorous.

Thanks to all the guys who came back in once again to take a second look at Deathbringer Saurfang and get him killed… again. The fight was easy enough and only took a few tweaks and he died within about an hour of starting. So for a giggle we then went over and did the beasts of Trial of the Grand Crusader – much fun and thanks all who came

Deathbringer Saurfang defected, we've stormed the citadel and are 4/4 in ICC

Hi, Im flare87 currently ACID leader, I am looking for more raiders to join our ranks. This is not for Clubpenguin, its simply xat raids, we raid all the fucked up chats that need work, also boring, strict, and popular to mess with there heads, sometimes we over-rule there chat and own it! If ur interested please contact me at the following Chats, www.xat.com/icewarriors , www.xat.com/ninjaoftheworld , www.xat.com/piratescp , and www.xat.com/swarmycp . Thank you! ~Flare87

I know this is a bit overdue, but I’d just like to say that I agree with everyone who says that patch 3.3 is the best patch ever.

EVER.

There were a number of improvements on all fronts, and I would also like to fall in line with everyone else who says that the new LFG tool is awesome.  It is.  Even more so after yesterday, when I changed my dual spec to be a tank again – instant queues are very nice.  So far the only thing I’ve observed is that people still don’t like The Oculus.  I personally haven’t seen it since the changes went live… I’ve only ever done the instance once to get my Champion of the Frozen Wastes achievement.  I’m actually looking forward to it, I’d love a Red Proto-Drake eventually.

Icecrown Citadel raid is great.  I never thought I’d say it, but I actually missed trash.  ToC was a good idea, and I liked how they split it up between 10- and 25-man normal and heroic, but it’s nice to be back to semi-normalness.  Being able to toggle which specific encounters you want on heroic mode in ICC is a great improvement.  That way, you don’t have to get locked out of a whole instance if you suck at certain heroic bosses.

Along that same thought, I’m glad that there’s a bit of challenge involved in the raid again.  ToC was a bit too much of a cakewalk (especially after the Faction Champions were nerfed: it was crazy fun before – difficult, but doable), and I know our guild suffered the first night because of it.  We got Lord Marrowgar down on the first try, and then spent the next two hours wiping to Lady Deathwhisper.  Fortunately, Band of Thorns has a great raiding group, so the following night they were able to down the rest of the available bosses.

Finally, probably the best part about the patch was that it brought back people who were away.  A good friend of mine had said he was done with the game because it was boring, but now with all the changes, it’s gotten a lot better.

Thank you, Blizzard, for putting out a great patch.  I’m really looking forward to raid nights again, doing heroics again, and other things like that.  The only thing I’m not looking forward to is doing more Argent Tournament dailies on my alts.

Excerpt from the journal of The Grand Paladin, Melegaunt: The High Lord

A more accurate account…

“… it was the 18^thday of the twelfth month of the year, a fateful day. I remember it well.  Most were weary from the day’s toil, from our craft and profession, yet a certain excitement filled the air. All were beset with longing; for we have endured a whole week’s waiting. We were to embark on a great journey, the northern campaign… Ulduar!

Night falls. The North brings us winter’s chill; a wintry evening. At last, the time has come to lay siege to this massive Titan stronghold. 20 noble souls were gathered to brave its horrors, and face Ignis the Furnacemaster, a behemoth of flame and living stone.

For millennia, Ulduar has remained undisturbed by mortals, far away from our concerns and struggles. We seem to be beside ourselves, though most were in high spirits. 20 brave and noble souls, but not enough have come. A decision must be made.

Our leaders made an accord. ‘Make two groups’. And so it came to pass. 2 groups of 10 were made. Both with a single goal; both conceived with the impetuous intent of slaying The Furnacemaster. The noble 20 were split. Divided!

I gaze into the eyes of companions, my brothers and sisters in arms. I looked in the depths of their souls and measured their resolve. Among those given to my care were:

Dimrod, Druid Tank. I consider him a true friend, and an equal in the battlefield.

Nitereaper, Warrior Tank. “The Dark Family’s” first born.

Repenter, Priest Healer. A fellow captain, and a lover of beer and heavy chested blondes.

Tirano, Paladin Healer. A fellow member of the Light.

Harazzhell, Paladin DPS. Another member of “The Dark Family”. My sword brother.

Samanthajane, Hunter DPS. He’s British.

Volkyl, Mage DPS. Repenter’s lucky nephew.

Azaleath, Death Knight DPS. A massage therapist and Machone’s wife.

Torche, Hunter DPS. A good pvp strategist and one of my minions.

The brash 10. Team Greatness. From the start, we were marked with reluctance. But it is unmistakable; there was no fear in their eyes. My dear friend Repenter relinquishes command, I gladly take the reigns. The mission was simple, find and kill Ignis. We took control of the siege engines, huge constructs of metal and wheel re-engineered by goblin and gnomish technology. We lay waste to the monstrosities in the Formation Grounds, and littered the ground with pyrite. We easily demolished the Flame Leviathan! It did not stand a chance against our might! A very commendable feat! The Formation Grounds is ours!

At this time, Kalahan from the other group sent me a message. He whispered, ‘Hey, what are you doing later tonight?’. Immediately, I ignored his messages, for I thought, ‘Gee, what a fruitcake!’. We continued on. We marshaled our hearts and prepared ourselves to do battle with Ignis. With phenomenal tanking and off-tanking maneuvers, exceptional healing, and remarkable DPS, we smote the giant to his ruin. A flood of praises and good cheer abound. The angels in Heaven were not as happy as we were that night! We were filled with the rapture of the moment. We have conquered the Colossal Forge! Glorious!

Whether it was madness or some insidious agenda, we decided to push forward. Our eyes were set on Razorscale, a proto-drake fused with metal scales. An abomination! This beast would shake the very foundation of a common man’s soul! But not us! No! We faced this terror with shields high and weapons brandished. With careful planning, and the clever use of harpoons, it took us no time at all to slay the dragon. Once again, we remained victorious. We were astonished with our greatness! Razorscale’s Aerie is hers no longer! Nothing can stop us now!

Undaunted and unafraid, bursting with confidence of a thousand suns, we once more decided to push our capabilities! Against all odds, break the limits! Destroy XT-002 Deconstructor! We knew it would not be an easy fight. Leadership was key. I think to myself, ‘Now is not the time to boast, now is not the time for pride. Now is the time to humble oneself and have faith on one’s friends.’ And so, I turn to my companions. Armed with the knowledge and prowess for battle, we prepared for war! A few of us have perished, and none left unscathed. With the persistence and unrelenting courage of those that endured, we managed to subdue and dismantle the Deconstructor to pieces! Victory! We were triumphant! We triumphed over The Scrapyard! We were overjoyed! I am so proud of our accomplishments. I am proud to know and to have fought alongside these brash 10. Kings we were. Kings of the moment!

Accordingly, this phrase can sum our experience in 10 Ulduar:

‘We kicked some $%#@ @$$!!! We are mighty! Get some! Get some!’

At the end of our conquest, we received a summons from our leaders. ‘Prepare for 25 Naxxramas’. Most of us know the horrors that lie therein.. I reluctantly remove myself from the group. And with a heavy heart, I did part. My brave comrades!

I think to myself now, and ready myself for the horrors that await us in Naxxramas. ‘May the Light help us… May the Light help us…’ (cue inspirational music)

– Melegaunt, High Lord of Zodiac

– That thing with Kalahan REALLY REALLY did happen…. What a pervert! –

10 Ulduar Team Greatness

Volkyl, Repenter, Azaleath, Dimrod, Torche, Nitereaper, Samanthajane & Kittah, Hardazzhell, Tirano (on the mammoth), Melegaunt (taking the picture).

Raid 1
Strange Stalker, Xythus & Xythus, Senior Loyalist Tilas, Captain Ikalus
The inaugural TDS Critter Raid saw everyone adopt an illusion form for raiding and there was plenty of goofing around and merriment as we hit the standard TSO farming targets.

Raid 2
Demetrius Crane, Dreadlord D’Somni, Master P’Tasa, Malevolence & Ire, Kervis Pendleir, Haladan Moonrunner & Tuskers, Thet-em-aua
The final raid before Christmas and we ended up with a very strong turnout with the mandatory festive outfit of course. After the obligatory snowball fight in the foyer we sliced our way through SoH and ended up getting two useful drops from the Sisters again.
Personally I had some misgivings about going into MPS with only 6 healers but once again they delivered bigtime as we crashed through the first two named without a wipe and significantly improved our showing on the last two outings. Olooche & Dakarai did a great job healing through Tuskers and we have obviously aimed too low when Zecc exits a zone without a repair bill.
In fact, we were steaming along so well that we had time to sweep into Mad Crusader and dispatch Thet-em-aua for another set of T4 boots.

Summary
Raid 1was pretty standard fayre for the time of year but we did have a good time. Raid 2 was extremely encouraging, especially with 2 new Brigands (one recruit – Ghorn, one alt – Heartstaber) coming along to debuff and swipe. Personally I think they made a considerable difference. Now that we have made it through the traditional ‘EQ2 quiet period’ I think we are well set for 2010 and beyond.

This is an updated post on Guild Loot

1. All raiders must be prepared

All raiders must have their gears enchanted and gemmed properly before being allowed into progression/harder raids.
All raiders are expected to carry a stack of flask with them at all times. Officers will call out when you should use your flasks.

No loot will be given to those who do not flask up or do not have the appropriate gems and enchants.

2. Main Spec OVER Off spec

For example if you’re a warrior (tank/DPS), and your main raiding spec is DPS, you will be only eligible to roll for DPS items.

Only when the officers call for an off-spec roll for tanking gear, will you be allowed to roll for it.

3. Older/Experienced members OVER Younger/Inexperienced members

The officers know who’s who in the guild and can also refer to your rankings in the guild.
The reason why we put our older members first is because it is the older members (core team) that will spearhead and progress through the new raids when they come out. Our older members (core team) need all the best gear they can to be able to finish new raids.

4.  Tanker + Healer OVER DPS

The reason for this is quite simple. If your healers and tanks are weak, the rest of the raid will wipe. Gearing up healers and tanks are the priority especially when it comes to high level loot. This rule comes after rule number 2.

6. PUGs have the same chance of winning loot as Guildies

For example, if a PUG in our raid rolls highest for a loot, the PUG automatically wins the loot. No questions asked. Likewise for guildies, if you roll higher than a PUG, you will get the loot if you pass through ALL the rules.

7. Friendly guild looting/Loot Council

For example, if Babylicious wins a wand, but the officers feel that it will suit Himemai more, we will ask Babylicious to pass it to Himemai. Babylicious can say no if he believes that he needs the wand more.
In larger/progression raids, officers will decide who needs/deserves the loot more. Hence in this case, your roll means that you’re interested in the loot, and the officers will discuss accordingly. We will supply reason to why a person deserves over the other, and any objections can be raised.

We will be constantly updating this post as we fine tune our system to accommodate everyone.

So last night we had a go at the fairly new Weekly Raid Quest, it was to take down Ignis the Furnace Master for 5 Frost Emblem and 5 Triumph Emblems.

We had over 20 guildies turn up and split into 2 groups and had a blast. Our group strolled in and the were a couple of guildies who hadn’t done Ulduar before so Mel carefully explained the fights to us all. We mopped the floor with Flame Leviathan and then one-shotted Ignis and were hangin around waiting for Group 2 to finish Ignis so rather than try anywhere else we pwned Razorscale and then turned XT-002 Decontructor in to so much scrap.

Group 2 were having some problems but after some reconfiguring of their strategy (Thanks Foxxy) they finished Ignis off

After that we wanted to keep the fun going so we brought the two groups together and grabbed a couple more guildies and took advantage of the new orbs in Naxxramas to go straight to Sapphiron. After a couple of false starts we downed her and then we started KT’s Wipefest ‘09.

Kel’Thuzad has some 25 man abilities that certainly took me by surprise and perhaps a few others. The Mind-Control was one thing but when he MC’ed the tanked and wiped threat we were done. We bashed our heads against the keyboard a few times but eventually called it quits. All in all a good evening, Some guildies got some nice new gear and we had fun.

Screenshots to follow

Melbourne New Years Eve, Docklands 2009 by The Starry Eyed

.

Major and memorable events – focusing on Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia, 2009:
(I’ve only included news that I care about, so sorry the AFL and other sporting events don’t make it in)

.

January

- Heatwave, causes train chaos, blackouts, fires, breaks power usage records, tops of 45 degrees.

- Darcy Freeman, 4, dies after being thrown off West Gate Bridge into Yarra River by her father.

- 2 Melbourne brothers killed in New Zealand glacier collapse.

- student activists squatting at Melbourne University evicted.

- Melb writer Harry Nicolaides released from Bangkok prison after 5 months in jail for insulting Thai royals in a book which sold fewer than 10 copies.

.

Day Fifty-Four | Earth Fire Wind Water Heart., originally uploaded by The Starry Eyed.

February

- Melbourne’s Southern Star Observation Wheel closed after only a month of operation. As of dec 2009, has been disassembled and is being rebuilt, is yet to reopen.

-underworld killer Lewis Moran sentenced to life in prison.

- Victorian Bushfires – 173 people killed and 413 injured after bushfires (up to 400 individual fires) raged throughout the Yarra Valley, Gippsland, Dandenong, Beechworth and Bendigo regions in Victoria. Bushfire smoke seen as far as New Zealand.

.

Southern Star by The Starry Eyed

.

March

- Coldplay come to Melbourne, perform at Rod Laver Arena.

- Sound Relief concerts held in Melbourne and Sydney to raise money for victims of the Victorian Bushfires and the Queensland floods. Features artists such as Midnight Oil, Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Kylie Minogue, Jet, Wolfmother, Kings of Leon, Jack Johnson, The Presets, Architecture in Helsinki, and many more.

- Earthquake felt across Melbourne and Victoria, 4.6 on richter scale, epicentre just north of Korumburra in South Gippsland.

-Emirates plane almost crashes at Melbourne airport during takeoff due to the wrong numbers being entered into an aircraft computer, pilots forced to resign.

-Man attacked with meat cleaver in Port Melbourne has face slashed, case of mistaken identity.

.

Coldplay by The Starry Eyed

April

- a gorilla, named Yakini, uses a palm tree to escape from Melbourne zoo enclosure.

- storm crosses Melbourne with winds reaching up to 150km/hr.

- major heroin ring smashed with arrests in Sydney and Melbourne, heroin seized worth AUD$9 million.

- announced that new suburb to be created in Maribyrnong, in Melbourne’s inner west, potentially size of Castlemaine or Lakes Entrance. Construction to begin in 2012, to cost up to $1 billion.

.

Swine Flu Hanky / Design Glut

May

- Indian Students start rallying over ‘Indian related’ attacks.

- Swine Flu starts spreading in Melbourne, first cases reported are from a primary school. As of Dec 2009, over 37,000 Australians have been infected (of those reported), and 191 people have died.

- Melbourne woman arrested in Thailand for stealing a bar mat.

.

June

- first death from Swine Flu reported.

-Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise and daughter Suri arrive in Melbourne, stay at Crown, visit Aquarium, watch AFL, Katie films ‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark’.

.

July

-Swine Flu at its peak during the winter months.

- a pet dog returned to Melbourne owners after being found in QLD 9 years after going missing.

.

August

- 7 Chinese films withdrawn from thr 58th Melbourne International Film Festival.

- Four Melbourne men arrested, members of suspected terror cell, in second-largest counter-terrorism operation in Australia’s history with 400 police raiding homes across Melbourne and Victoria.

.

September

- Michael Jacksons white glove sold in Melbourne for $49,000.

-Swine Flu vaccinations begin.

- First case of Tamiflu resistance found in Australia.

.

October

- Metropolitan Train hits baby in pram at Ashburton Station, baby ok.

.

November

- Conjoined Twins joined at the head, Krishna & Trishna, separated.

- Britney Spears performs in Melbourne, and other Australian capitals. Holidays in Sydney, turns down a marriage proposal.

- Tiger Woods plays in Melbourne.

- Schoolies week in Gold Coast labelled ‘worst ever’.

- Tony Abbott becomes new liberal leader of the opposition.

- Kevin Rudd apologises to the Forgotten Australians.

- Fire out of control on an oil rig off the coast of Western Australia, has been leaking for 10 weeks into the Timor Sea.

- Asylum Seekers leave Oceanic Viking after more than a month, which created debate over immigration policy.

- Metro Trains (operators) take over from Connex, delays reported.

- Heatwave.

- Thunderstorm, 100km winds, worst damage in Eastern suburbs

.

December

.

Some dreams are completely unobtainable, like getting one of the old pvp titles that were removed long before I started playing. Some only *seem* to be unobtainable, like the Headless Horseman’s mount or the Baron’s Deathcharger. Others … can be realized with some arrangement, although it’s much more fun when they just fall into your lap without any planning, like last night.

Ulduar

One of my best buddies in the guild set up an Ulduar run to kill Razorscale for the weekly raid quest last night. We had more than 10 guildies, so he set it to 25 and we pugged the rest. I’m just kinda hanging out watching my raid frames fill up when I see this magic flash in my chat window – Bashertin has joined the raid.

I’m all like “OMG Krizz!” And he’s all like “oh wow someone is here who knows my name? ” and I’m all like ” <–repgrind” and he’s like “oh wow, how are you!” and it was all like, so cool. So he’s like “drive a vehicle for me and I’ll be your gunner” and I’m like “hellz yeah!” So we had to take screenshots in front of our siege engine.

We were doing pretty good, I was even interrupting Flame Vents … so I’m shoved up the backside of Flame Leviathan when the jerk decides to chase us. I hit the speed up button and make a quick mouse turn … right into the wall … and get stuck in the corner. /phail … so we watched the rest of the fight from this viewpoint.

Seems to be a tradition around here, doesn’t it? If I’m not posting nekkid shots, I’m posting dead shots. Hmmm.

Anywho … FL died, we got an achievement for … something. Defeating him without causing a system shutdown. I don’t even know what that means. /shrug  On to Razorscale … we wiped once on that. I’d never been here on 25-man before and had also never been here as melee before, so it was interesting. But we got it down and had a lot of fun. And of course, got screenshots of the kill WITH both of us alive. =P

Gotta love the perma-elemental eh? And Krizz put up some ungodly figure like 5k dps, too. Woo! So yeah, I got to raid with Krizzlybear and it was awesome.

RFC

As you know if you’ve been paying attention, I’ve been all excited since the Dungeon Finder came out, wanting to see if I could run RFC on my Alliance babies. So last night Kroy finally hit 15 and I queued it right up. I talked Fiak into joining me on his long-forgotten level 18 paladin. We queued, and waited … and waited … and waited some more. Group was all ready save for a tank. So we drop, he re-queues as tank/dps and the group pops immediately. LOL!

It was about the most fun I’ve had all week. Oh, and my bud Caddan sent me a nice agility enchant to put on my heirloom dagger, so I’m kinda badass now. I got the cape off the boss, too!

We didn’t get goody bags since we had signed up specifically for RFC, so after Fiak went to bed, I did random and got it again…and dinged 16 on it. Good times.

ICC 10

I must admit …. I really did expect ICC to be more difficult. We went in last night, with a mix of people who had cleared it the first week, people who had seen part of it (like me), and a couple people, including one of the tanks,  who hadn’t been there at all yet. Other than Saurfang hitting his enrage while on the brink of death in our first attempt, we one shotted everything.

Now, we’re not in there with unexperienced, undergeared players. The five dps are all pulling 4-5k and almost everyone in the group is wearing at least one item from ToGC. So maybe it’s harder when you’re not as geared.

Lady Deathwhisper dropped the Sister’s Handshrouds again and I passed on the roll … I dun wanna replace my ToGC gloves already! Yeah ok, I’d gain 4 stamina and 12 intellect, I know, but damn … heroic, baby! One of the guys in the raid (who’s always soooo worred about his gearscore) was like ‘but it’s a higher item level!’ and I’m like … so?

The Ashen Band of Destruction once I hit friendly with the Ashen Verdict was a nice upgrade over my Titan-Forged Band of Ascendancy though. (lol ur wearin pvp rings in pve – nub) Shutup, I never win the roll on Onyxia’s bloody head.

I did roll on and win Muradin’s Spyglass. It replaced Talisman of Volatile Power. Is it better? Um… ah…well …. I dunno. Haste is good … but it’s haste on use, and I’m lazy and already have so many buttons to push when I want burst. This thing procs all the time and is practically like gaining a constant 150 extra spellpower. Did I mention yet that I’m lazy? Yeah … put that with my thingy off Anub that spits out the pillar of flame and I’m in heaven with my proc moar damage trinkets.

Friday we’re trying out ICC 25, so … I guess we’ll see if that’s as hard as I’ve heard it is. It’s supposedly quite a difficulty jump between the two.

Classic Raid Night

Yes, I skipped out on finishing ICC Monday night to  attend the weekly Classic Raid Night. I don’t much care that I missed it since I got to do the whole thing last night. Since ICC was scheduled though, we made it a short one and just did Magtheridon’s Lair and Gruuls. Mage tanking was pretty fun! Angelicos got a couple pretty cool drops in Gruuls. I guess he’s starting an RP set or something, I dunno. I promised I’d post a screenshot though. :p

Afterwards, since Crocs in the City was the Outland Fishing Daily, Elgar and I went fishing. He caught his before me, and decided to entertain me while I fished. Now how am I supposed to concentrate on my bobber, Elgar?

King of the Ogres

Before I discovered that you no longer have to do all the elite quests to become King of the Ogres in order to open up Ogri’la, Kalyon went and … completed all the elite quests. lol! Oh well, it was hella fun soloing all those. And at the end, the ogres all bowed down to me and threw me a party!

Of course, it didn’t take Kaly long to discover the ogre-sized keg in the middle of the crowd, either.

Friday I’ll be back with pictures of .. I dunno .. something else. Bye!