submitted the report to the court in July

Spanish National Court has received a prosecutor’s report on allegations that the CIA used an airport on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca for its program of covert transfers of terror suspects, court officials said Monday. The chief prosecutor for the Balearic Islands submitted the report to the court in July, after a four-month investigation prompted by articles in a Mallorca newspaper,tera gold, the court officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because court rules bar them from giving their names.The newspaper, Diario de Mallorca, said earlier this month that Spanish police have identified three planes used by the CIA at the airport in Palma, the capital of Mallorca, in its “extraordinary rendition” program.The U.S. government has been criticized by human rights groups for practicing “extraordinary rendition” — sending suspected terrorists to foreign countries, where they are detained, interrogated and subjected to possible ill-treatment.

Chile calls for Panama Colombia FTAs with U.S.

SANTIAGO — Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said Panama and Colombia should have free trade agreements with the United States during a Monday press conference with President Barack Obama.,tera gold

Blue Jays Orioles Preview

The Toronto Blue Jays have picked up where they left off againstthe Baltimore Orioles.Ricky Romero now gets his chance to continue his own dominanceof the Orioles, and Adam Lind's scheduled return may boost thosechances.Romero looks to extend his personal winning streak to four, andLind is expected back from injury when these teams meet at CamdenYards on Saturday night.Toronto (29-28) has won 21 of 27 against Baltimore (25-30) andwent 15-3 in the season series last year. The Blue Jays carriedthat success into 2011, winning 8-4 on Friday.Romero (5-4, 2.88 ERA) went 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA in four startsagainst Baltimore last year.The left-hander, Toronto's leader in wins, ERA and strikeouts(66), has been outstanding over his last four starts, going 3-0with a 1.21 ERA. He yielded two runs in seven innings of a 13-4 winover Chicago on Sunday.Lind is slated to be the designated hitter Saturday after he wasactivated from the disabled list following the series opener. Thefirst baseman has been out since May 8 with a lower backstrain.He was on a tear prior to getting hurt, hitting .457 with sixhomers and 15 RBIs in 12 games. Lind has a .343 average over hislast nine meetings with Baltimore.Toronto's J.P. Arencibia is batting .308 with six RBIs in thelast six games after connecting for his first grand slam Friday.The catcher is hitting .255, but his nine homers and 30 RBIs rankamong the rookie leaders, while 19 of his 41 hits have gone forextra bases.Arencibia is vastly more productive versus left-handers,compiling a .357 average with four homers. He's hitting .218against righties."He's done an excellent job at the plate and behind the plate,and (Friday) he had a very good game all-around," manager JohnFarrell said.The Orioles, losers of six of seven, will turn to Jake Arrieta(6-3, 4.97). The right-hander will be looking to rebound from oneof his worst performances of the season in trying to gain a shareof the AL wins lead.He surrendered four runs and four hits with four walks in 2 1-3innings of a 4-3 loss at Seattle on Monday."I'm pretty upset about this one,tera gold," Arrieta told the Orioles'official website.Arrieta was impressive in his only start versus Toronto on Sept.14, allowing four hits with five strikeouts in six scorelessinnings of an 11-3 win at Camden Yards.Adam Jones is batting .407 with 11 RBIs in his last 12 homegames, and he's hitting .347 with seven RBIs over his past 12meetings with Toronto.Jones is 8 for 23 with a homer against Romero.The Orioles' 37 errors rank among the most in the AL, and theyhave committed 12 in nine games. Mark Reynolds' error Friday - his11th - led to two runs for Toronto.

Wait and see about Crane;SOLOMON Will new owner put money w

We're going to learn a lot about Astros owner-to-be Jim Crane overthe next few months and certainly years. He is a sharpbusiness-man, he loves baseball, and he says he won't be ameddlesome owner, but rather one who will hire very good people andhold them accountable to get the job done. He even said that thefans come first and foremost. Sounds good.Now, let's wait and see if he delivers on the promises. Becausethat is all that matters. Don't be surprised if over the nextcouple of years, Crane delivers no more than Drayton McLane hasover the last few. It won't necessarily make him a bad owner; it iswhat it is. The Astros are a bad team, and withoutan influx of talent, they aren't likely to be a good team any timesoon. When Crane talks about spending "wisely," Astros fans should cringe. He sayshe has enough cash to "run the team effectively." Now that's whatwe want to hear. But don't get too excited until you hear hisdefinition of effectively. Yeah, yeah, you can't buy achampionship, but respectability is for sale. Owners in a city thesize of Houston should always spend enough to keep local teamsrespectable. A $70 million payroll for the Astros is not enough. Let's see ifCrane puts his money where his mouth is when it comes to acquiringtalent. He shouldn't get bonus points or be graded on a curvebecause so many of you grew to not like Drayton McLane. Let's notdo what many have done with Bob McNair. Anger at Bud Adams and theloss of the NFL for a few years made some of you lose your minds tothe point that McNair could do no wrong and has contributedsomewhat to a decade of Texans futility. Let some of you tell it,and McNair's life dream was to deliver the NFL to Houston. Yeah, itwas his dream, all right. Right after his dream of bringing the NFLback to St. Louis fell through. McNair loves his team, and thingsworked out well for him, but the business of the NFL was his firstlove. Houston deserves winner And none of that matters. Lovedoesn't score touchdowns, make tackles or win football games. Is ittoo much to ask that a team wins more than it loses, regularlycontends for championships and wins one occasionally? That is whatHouston deserves. Crane loves baseball. He grew up a Cardinals fan.He tried to buy the Cardinals' most hated rival, the Chicago Cubs.He tried to buy the Texas Rangers. Crane has been in Houston since1982. I have no doubt he will love the Astros. You put that much money intosomething - even if you borrow much of it - you'll love it, allright. But before Crane bought the Astros, he loved baseball and makingmoney. He isn't even an Astros season-ticket holder. He saidhe lost that distinction when his company was bought out in 2007.Can't necessarily blame him for not re-upping. The economy has beena little tight, even if you are worth a few hundred million. Andwhy buy season tickets when you can buy the whole shebang? TheCranes summer in Nantucket to escape Houston's heat. Franci Crane,the incoming Astros first lady, said that willnot change, at least not on her end. But when Crane is at games, hewill be there to watch the game, not shake hands and socialize withfans as Drayton was wont to do. Crane is a baseball guy. Thatdoesn't matter, either. A fickle public Relationships betweensports franchise owners and major cities can be fascinating.Deliver a winner, and an owner will be hailed a city hero withoutkissing babies at the ballpark. Most times, failure to do so leadsto an owner's being described as a greedy scoundrel. Fans areunderstandably fickle in that sense. McLane used to be the good guyfor buying the team from the bad guy,tera gold, John McMullen, who used to bethe good guy (for a couple of days) for buying the team out ofbankruptcy. McMullen did a host of things to earn the bad guytitle, including spreading false rumors that the team might move toVirginia. McLane did a few, too, including threatening to sell theteam to a group that would move it to Virginia. Thanks to theWashington Nationals, Crane can't play the Virginia card. Thanks toMinute Maid Park, he can't complain about needing a stadiumupgrade. He can't complain about paying too much for the team,either. Nobody forced him to jump into this business. He is in itnow. And nothing really matters except results.jerome.solomon@chron.com

MMO Babes Galore Pixel Loveliness

MMO Babes Galore: Pixel Loveliness
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG journalist

Half time break!

 

After reading tons of reviews from the MMO list, I though it would be nice to sit down and have a break with our MMO lovelies. Do I really have to have a reason to post and discuss MMO babes? Here we have a set of feisty females ready to enhance your gaming zen. It would definitely suck if muscles were the only things that populated MMO games right? It's girly madness right here folks, although I'm afraid there's no Lara Croft here as we're tired of her overrated polygonal funbags. Join us as we unveil Onrpg's very own list of top MMO babes.

 

Status: retired & probably looking for another job

If there were evera reason why gamers would buy a crappy game like Hellgate London, it would definitely be Avalon and Jessica. For those of you who don't know, Avalon is the sexy black-haired Templar who faced the gigantic demon in the early trailers. She's so hot that she actually gained a spot in the videogame edition of Playboy magazine where she showed (uh hem) the underlying sexiness beneath her oh so tight armor. As for Jessica, having a hot blonde babe lead an anti demon force would be far more effective than any Uncle Sam poster, yes? We're actually trying to hire a private eye to find out their whereabouts after the unfortunate closing of Hellgate London. Rawr!

 

Avalon

 

And Jessica

 

Status: Still there and single WOOT

After meeting Nao in the world of Mabinogi, I finally knew why the MMOs use the theme "fantasy life". No doubt that this angel is one of the hottest babes in MMO history. With that tight dress (too tight for her own good) and puppy dog eyes, she should definitely watch out (*snarl). Nao as a kid was quite jealous of other girls whose bodies matured earlier than hers. Upon seeing what she's become, I kinda wonder who's laughing now. Nao can raise people from the dead, which is a rather scary skill for a hot chick to posses. She also accepts gifts (clothes and costumes) and gladly wears them for you if you want... She's definitely BIG in more ways than one.

 

Nao Mariota Pryderi

 

Status: Single, but her heart is taken

Ooh la la! I've never seen a blood-elf dress this hawt before. Valeera Sanguinar is a feisty little thing who served King Varian for years. I don't know what's wrong with the guy but I would definitely have kept her in the castle if I were king. Valeera was orphaned as a kid after her village was pillaged by a pack of unruly bandits. She then entered the bloody ring as a gladiator along with Broll Bearmantle and Lo'gosh (Now King Varian Wrynn). Valeera like most Bloodelves is very susceptible to arcane addiction, this particular drug drives her insane at times,tera gold, but it's okay cause' every womangets like that occasionally. She used to dress in a very skimpy outfit, which revealed most of her sexyfigure, too bad it was replaced by a rather unorthodox set of armor that doesn't seem to be as sexy as the old one.

Not half bad

I saw that this game had a 0 as a rating, Its from the same makers as
RYL(i think), so i had 2 try it. It isnt that bad,tera gold, its hard 2 get started out, after I played 4 a while it got pretty good. Graphics r cheesy, but it doesn't lag at all, gameplay is o.k. community is helpful, and an intresting sea battle system adds fun to the game.

Lord of the Rings Online Review

Lord of the Rings Online

Lord of the Rings Online is a basic MMORPG, just in a brand new super shiny wrapping with a little pink bow tied on top for good measure. The developers of this particular game have obviously chosen the “How about we make this like every other MMORPG on the market” approach and in doing so have thrown nearly every single theme that echoes throughout the Lord of the Rings books and movies out of the window (flattening a passing hobbit who was just about to take a bite into his well deserved cheese sandwich). So is LOTRO worth your money? Or more importantly, is it worth the time it will take away from being with the ones you love?

Let us not beat around the bush here, Lord of the Rings Online is presented to you, the avid gamer, with beautiful graphics and a wonderful, and utterly breath taking, music score. The attention to detail, whilst you sit in your chair and neglect your partner for a couple of hours, in the huge world of Lord of the Rings will make you drop your jaw in awe. Be it the realistic sky or the huge, over-towering hills there is something in this game that will surprise you and make you think “Holy cow! Real life does not even look this good!” The music that accompanies you on your quest to defeat the demons that haunt Middle Earth is excellent, giving you appropriate tunes for each area whilst at the same time providing you with some decent voice acting to listen to. If I had to complain about one thing, which I do (it is in my contract, one review, one complaint), it would be that despite the world looking as good as it does you do get a general feeling that the new Middle Earth lacks charm, as there is no real sense of doomsday among the inhabitants and the world seems pretty calm and kind of boring. You will not get the feeling that a huge war is brewing and the general feel of desperation and impending doom that is apparent in the books and indeed the movies is lacking. LOTRO all in all lacks the atmospheres that the movies and books dispense making the game seem almost soulless.

The gameplay does nothing to improve the general lack of heart in the game. Whilst the mechanics are not bad, they are just the same old basic gameplay. Click on an enemy, stab him to bits using a vast variety of skills with weird names, and then loot the foe’s dead corpse (it was his fault for being stupid enough to cross your path in the first place) and repeat. Although I am happy to celebrate that the game does not make you grind as much as other MMORPGs, hurrah! Rejoice! Lord of the Rings Online does have some funky ideas in it though, such as the ability to wield titles which make your character look extra awesome when you are saving a friend from a bombardment of spiders, and with some cool character customisation options, you can well and truly make your character as wacky as you want.

To accompany the “average but that is okay” gameplay is a storyline that definitely impresses. The storyline in LOTRO is most certainly its strongest feature as the game makes new characters, uses old ones and creates whole new situations and story arcs to add to the existing power house that is the Lord of the Rings story. For players who are not as all knowing about the storyline as they should be, they may find that the storyline (whilst good) is not as engrossing as one would have hoped, yet whether or not you are an devoted fan of the series, you’d be hard pressed to find a flaw in the storyline.

The West This is Not Oregon Trail

by Scott Braquet (SimpleAnatomy), OnRPG Writer

 

 

"You have died of dysentery", Oregon Trails infamous last words that served as the final blow and the ultimate end to your intense adventure through the American Wild West. Since then we've been hooked on this historical era and in search for a unique combination of strong narrative, immense action, and pure ruthlessness that is the Old West. The 2D browser based adventure game "The West" is a formidable replacement.

 

 

The West takes on the challenge of recreating one of the most original times in America's short history. It attempts to capture the true grit of the Old Frontier by providing detailed back stories on every character you encounter within the game; whether it is Barkeeper Henry with his battered hands and calming voice or the whiskey laden breath of Sheriff John. These characters are pulled straight from an old fashion nickelodeon.

 

 

The main home screen has easy-to-navigate menus and a combination between the main map and a series of mini map displays that make for easy access to quest locations. All the RPG essentials are there, including a HUD, Character, Inventory, and Quest buttons in a clear and accessible way.

 

Quests: The game begins with a simple tutorial to help guide first time users through the games primary screens. As a Greenhorn, players spend time running errands and completing quests to gain experience. The amount of grinding that takes place in this game would make an old western Blacksmith jealous; with each quest taking as little as five minutes to as much as one hour to complete, with additional travel time tacked on. Once level 10 is accomplished a wide variety of choices open up to customize the path chosen within the game. Each class provides a unique set of advantages that helps users tailor their gameplay to fit their interests. Finally, levels are currently capped at 120 to help achieve a competitive balance between new and old players.

 

 

Duels: The other way to gain experience is through duels, players have the ability to duel both NPCs and other players. These duels are automatic however, so don't expect to achieve that Doc Holiday "I'll be your huckleberry" level of satisfaction. Duels are misrepresented as characters are shown wielding a handgun when in reality they are in possession of a broken jar; and unfortunately, there isn't any way to name a weapon. It is understandable that no one wants to bring a knife to a gun fight; but if they did they should at least be able to name it; it's these little nuances that take away from the duel at high noon feeling of western life.

MapleStory Europe Interview Constant New Events

Questions by Rick Charbs, Onrpg Journalist
Answered by Jamie Suk, PR Representative (on behalf of Mr. Sung Jin Kim, Director at NEXON Europe)

MapleStory Europe is quickly catching up to Maple Global. Here's what Jamie Suk, Pr Representative of NEXON Europe had to say during our exclusive interview: "As for MapleStory Europe, we can definitely expect far more contents and updates in the coming months - we have a very tight schedule with lots of new, large updates lined up, and are constantly planning on new events and features to bring more dynamic and fun to our players.:" Read on for some interesting MapleStory Europe information!

Onrpg: What were your ambitions for the European release of MapleStory? Have they been achieved?
With more than 1million users, we are certainly delightful with the result we have achieved until now. But we can't really put our initial ambitions into words as the more successful MapleStory Europe gets, the higher rises our ambition. We have many more plans with MapleStory Europe, but our ultimate goal is of course to position MapleStory Europe as the top-runner of its kind in Europe and to invite as many players as possible to our game and community.

Onrpg: MapleStory updates quite frequently. What has been recently added into the game?
The most remarkable update is the new job class, "Knights of Cygnus" (KOC), which has been added to MapleStory Europe in July. KOC offers easier yet detailed entry tutorial and speedy level-up for newcomers to MapleStory, while our advanced players can upgrade their gaming experience with a totally new, additional character and set of skills. And we're just about to bring another big update in September, and there are many more in queue.

Onrpg: What ongoing events are you hosting (forum or in-game)?
Currently, we have one of our annual European events going on, the Spanish "La Tomatina". During the event period, giant tomato mobs appear in several towns of Maple World and players receive special items for conquering them. We have also many events running in our new world "Demethos". To name a few, we have the "2x EXP & Drop rate" event which literally increases the rates of EXP and drop for players hunting in Demethos. Next, we have a special quest "Teo's Reminiscence" where all players who do their first and second job advancements in Demethos receive extra Mesos. Also, couples who use our in-game wedding system in Demethos are eligible to receive a set of couple rings in celebration of their wedding. Special events celebrating the launch of "Knights of Cygnus" are also still running, like the special event quests "Remnants of Black Wizard" and "Spirit Pendant".  We have also an event that rewards players who reach certain levels with a Knights of Cygnus character. So as you can see, we have LOTS of fun and special things going on right now!

Onrpg: What is Pigmy? Could you offer a little insight on the 10th Pigmy update?
Pigmy is the equivalent to "gachapon" in the Global version of MapleStory, a lottery-like mini-game that awards MapleStory players with random items. Players can obtain pigmy-eggs by feeding the pigmies with dry treats from the potion shops using Mesos. The pigmy-eggs then need to be 'hatched' using an incubator that can be purchased from the Cash Shop using NX Cash. The content of the pigmy-eggs vary depending on the location of the pigmies, and players can also trade their pigmy eggs with ones from other towns. Most recently, we had our 13

Age of Conan Review Fanservice to the Extreme!

By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), Onrpg writer

Conan the Barbarian has been a long surviving character in our history, it has become a cartoon hero, a movie star even an action figure, now with the help of Funcom, creators of the critically-acclaimed MMO, Anarchy Online, Conan's world of Hyboria has evolved into an MMO.

Your story in Age of Conan starts with your ship crashing into an unknown island. You and your slave master are the only two remaining of the boat you are aboard on and from here you are then slowly swept into this dark and chaotic world. Character creation in Age of Conan is very detailed and intricate. Besides the usual choose of hair styles, skin and whatnot you can further customize your character by going into the details of the looks. You can change

Besides being able to customize how your character looks, you are obliged to decide what culture your character belongs to. In Hyboria there are three major cultures which are namely the Aquilorian, the Cimmerian and the Stygian. Each culture has its own story that intertwines with the whole Age of Conan storyline.

The game has a unique class system where you get to choose from four general job class types which are namely the Soldier, Priest, Rogue and Mage. From there you can then choose from one of the three available options for your character.

There are limitations in the job class selection in Age of Conan, there are cultures where certain job classes are not enabled. One example would be that Cimmerian's can't become a mage of any of the three because the Cimmerian's do not like magic.

The combat system is one of the things that set Age of Conan apart from the rest of the big wig P2P MMOs out in the market today. The game uses a different approach in combat by making you decide where to attack. You initially get to choose from three general directions to where you can attack and as you progress through the game.

Also, Age of Conan utilizes in its combat system combos. As you successfully do a series of attacks your character then gets to execute a brutal fatality move that kills your enemy instantly. However, you have to be nimble with your fingers here or you won't be able to execute the finisher.

Skill allocation in Age of Conan meanwhile is different compared to other MMOs, you are given attribute points per level to allocate on certain skills and abilities your character has. However, unlike in other MMOs where it's via stat points, here your ability has a maximum amount to put into and as you put more attribute points your character becomes more proficient in that said skill or ability. One example is adding more points to your running or climbing ability makes you a faster runner or climber.

Age of Conan has a lot of features that makes the game top notch. Besides the combat system, the game also lets you create a city of your own. However only guilds can create a city of their own, as long as your guild is earning well and that your members are active your city will flourish.

Fishing Champ Interview

Question: Ok, I am sure this is on everyone's mind ... why a fishing MMO?
We've always been intrigued with fishing, and have been planning to develop a fishing game for awhile now. We weren't happy with the current single-player only fishing games on the market though, and decided to go with a new approach to the genre. We believe fishing to be a very social activity, and something didn't feel right being out on the water all by yourself.
With the MMO aspects added to our fishing game, everything is simply more fun to do. Chatting with your friends, seeing what fish others are catching, trading items, participating in tournaments…it is hard to go back to your traditional fishing game after experiencing what Fishing Champ has to offer.

Question: Is there enough things to do in game to keep players entertained?
Once you have caught a fish, we give you a number of options on what you can do with it. If you simply want to empty out your net as quickly as possible and get back to fishing, selling your fish at the shop would probably be your best option.
If you want to spend a little more time, you can also cook the fish that you catch. There is a wide variety of dishes that you can create, from fish bones to valuable stat enhancing meals.
We also have an Aquarium that you can place any fish that you don't have the heart to sell or fry-up. It is fully upgradeable as well, and there are 5 camera angles so you can always keep an eye on what your fish are doing.
Asides from that, there are tournaments, challenging quests, and hundreds of items that you can customize your character with. We will constantly be adding new content as well, so players will never run out of things to do!

Question: What makes this game fun to play?

It really depends on what kind of gamer you are. The hardcore players will have lots of fun figuring out which baits to use, the best fishing spots, and trying to catch the nasty boss fishes. The more casual player will enjoy the extra's we've added to the game such as the Aquarium.
Personally, I like to play dress-up with the hundreds of unique items the game offers. Some of the items can completely change the look of your character, I like to change it up as often as possible. And no, I am not a girl.

Question: How does the game resemble other MMOs?
To start off, the leveling system is very similar to what you would see in your traditional MMO. Once you've earned enough experience to level up, your HP and stats increase so you are able to catch bigger fish. Sounds familiar, huh?
There is also a ton of clothing and equipment available for you to upgrade your character. These items can either be purchased at the in-game store, or can “drop” from fish that you've caught. Each item is character specific, so many of the items that you get won't be usable by your character. This encourages a lot of trading between players, and helps to create an economy like you would find in other MMOs.

Check my schedule for all the shows

I’ve been getting a lot of calls lately that have led to lots of trips. The feeling of great things coming my way has been lovely. Ever since getting caught in the Icelandic volcano ended up with my driving across Eastern Europe with the leader of the Finnish otera goldpposition party playing Cold Play over and over, I’ve learned that anything can lead to anything.

A couple of months ago I played next the the Easter Bunny in the mall and Ani DiFranco at Get Lit Fest in Spokane. Then I headlined OUT/Loud at the University of Oregon.

You had to be there, in the room, to feel how the energy changed when Gold took over.
Her headlining performanctera golde, “I Look Like an Egg but I Identify as a Cookie,” engaged crowd members for more than an hour, shattering the traditional boundaries between performer and audience.
Oregon Register-Guard
Quickly after that came the first subvert show (f/k/a the Heather Gold Show) in Toronto and now I find myself in the most expensive hotel room I’ve ever been in in Melbourne Australia about to krift platinumeynote ConnectingUp a conference for non-profits in the digital age.

c and gigs here in Australia in the next couple of weeks which include speaking at Google in Sydney at Gathering11 (a kind of mind meld for people looking to change the world) and I’ll be getting in some stand-up too. I’ve heard amazing things about comedy (and queer life) hererift gold in Melbourne and am really looking forward to hitting the clubs.

I’m also offering my UnPresenting workshop in Melbourne on 6/14. Limited tix are available here.

In the meantime, I’ve got that peculiarly western thing of loving the hell out of this plush hotel, but also hoping it was donated to the conference for non-profits.

If there are places you think I should see in Melborift goldurne or Sydney or people to meet, let me know! I’d like to bring the Cookie show here for the Comedy Festivals and Mardi.