AOE Mage tips

Now is the actual process of AoE grinding. The killing part is really
easy. All you need to do is press a key, aim, and then unleash hell on
your foes. And watch the purple numbers fly.

I wouldn't recommend actually grinding before lvl 40 or so, but that's
just me (I prefer questing, it means more for the game to me – yes, I
know, I'm writing a grinding guide….). But if you insist, I really
recommend only grinding when you hit 26. This is when you get Arctic
Reach 2/2 and Imp Blizzard 3/3, which are vital talents. Otherwise
you'll only fit in 1 full Blizzard.

Pick a place where there are 5-10 MELEE mobs, of your same level.
All ranged classes murder you, as they interrupt your blizzard casting
and generally mess everything up. If you're lucky, and there's only
one, you may be able to sheep them, but this is risky.
STAY AWAY FROM RANGED! There should be space for blinking around,
running around, and also a good place to flee just in case. I'll
suggest some good places later on.

Here is the entire AoE process, and I'll explain how further below.

Q u o t e:

- Choose a good spot, where you can see 5 or 10 mobs, and a good
space for you to run around.

- Pop up Ice barrier, or mana shield (not recommended – ice
barrier doesn't waste mana)

- Mount up if you have a mount

- Take a deep breath and hope you don't die.

- Run into the mobs – try to get the mob furthest away from your
original position first, to the mob nearest to you.

- After you have the mobs you want, run around in spirals for a
few seconds to cluster them together. If they're not in a group, run
back and circle them until they are.

- Dismount. (Or just hit the next spell, ie. Ice Block or Ice
Barrier - dismounting is now automatic)

- Put Ice block on, if you have it. Otherwise, put on ice barrier
(just to be safe).

- Once they are all hitting you, frost nova, and blink away.
Anywhere, so long as it's not off a cliff, or into more mobs. Strafe
away about 16 yards, or a few seconds. This is your max range for
Blizzard.

- Hit the key, and aim the green circle so that the edge furthest
away from you touches the furthest guy at the back.

- When the first blizzard is about to be over, hit the key again,
and aim the green circle so that the furthest edge away from you is
just IN FRONT of the guy CLOSEST to you.

- Ice barrier if you want to be safe. You'll probably run out of
mana around here, and you still need mana for one more blizzard and a
CoC. Eat a mana gem if you want.

- CoC, then frost nova and blink TOWARDS the enemy (so you're now
behind the mob who was furthest away from you – or you can blink away,
but you have to check there IS space. Generally there isn't, and just
to be safe, you should blink towards your mobs)

- Blizzard again, and they should be dead. If not, finish up with
a CoC, and if the infidel still insist on living, you can wand them
down, AE, Fire blast, etc.

- Hooray! You killed them all!

Essential talents to take there are:

Q u o t e:
-Imp Blizzard, 3/3 –

You need 3/3 to fit in 2 blizzards when firing at max range before the
mobs reach you. If you spec 1/3, you can only fit in 1, and 1.5 if 2/3.

Q u o t e:
-Arctic Reach, 2/3

Like Imp Blizzard, you need this to obtain the max 36 yards of your
blizzard. Otherwise you can't fit in 2.

Q u o t e:
-Imp CoC, 3/3

You'll be using CoC a lot, with your blizzard, and more damage (+35%)
is good.

Q u o t e:
-Ice Barrier 1/1

You need this during the pulling part. If you use mana shield you'll
have half your mana burned before you even start killing.

Note the above are the absolute `must'. You simply have to take them.

Here are the recommended talents. (Not just talents which could be
helpful, but should be taken unless you really want another talent)
These are in no particular order.

Q u o t e:
-Elemental Precision 3/3

Nothing is worse than 1 out of the 10 mobs resisting that frost nova
and then whacking you as you perform blizzard.
Less resistance, thus, is good, and so is the reduced mana cost as you
will be burning up your entire mana bar during the killing process
(blizzard x3 or 4 + CoC + frost nova + ice barrier is quite a lot of
mana).

Q u o t e:
-Cold Snap 1/1

Useful if you really need to pop a frost nova or ice barrier.

Q u o t e:
-Improved Frost Nova 2/2

Frost nova is used a lot, and 4 secs left of cooldown is always good.
However this is not vital.

Q u o t e:
-Permafrost 3/3

Reducing the mobs' speed by +10% gives you more time to think and
react, but this is once again not essential.

Q u o t e:
-Ice block 1/1

This is actually a very important spell, and is on the border of being
a `must' talent. This can be used during the pulling process – pop up
the ice block and allow them to you, so they become clustered into a
group. Also useful in emergencies.

Lastly,

Q u o t e:
Frost Channeling, 3/3

Less mana usage is always good, as explained in Elemental Precision.

Talents NOT to take – these aren't talents which aren't good (some of
them are amazing), they just wreck your AoE grind if you take them.

Q u o t e:
-Frostbite

Yuck. Having some mobs frozen and left behind and some not means the
group is not together and clustered.
Absolutely horrible, because you can't perform AoE on them if one is
ahead and the other is 50 yards behind. Go take Wand Specialization,
if you're going to take this. Absolutely horrible for AoE grinding.
Note this is actually pretty good if you're single-targetting DPS.

-

Q u o t e:
Any +crit % or +crit damage (ice shards, shatter)

These don't wreck your AoE grinding, but you need to save these
talents for others. Blizzard doesn't crit, so it's quite pointless,
and you don't want to rely on critting for this type of grinding
process in case it doesn't crit. Then you're dead.

OK. Enough of talents. That was quite boring.

Heres a list of some spots to aoe, contributed by mardy. (slightly
modified by Knoxwille @ Grim Batol ;>

I know some of the link`s to the spot is broken,and i will add new
working ones as soon as i have time

First off i'd recommend to go for Stamina and Intellect in gear for
aoe levling. Spell damage doesn't matter very much. since pre level
mid 60`s you will need to gimp sta and/or intl to get +spell dmg

(Level: 14-15) Savannah Lions - SW of Sludge Fen (Barrens)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1017

(Level: 16-18) Venture Co. - Boulderlode Mine (Barrens)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1017

(Level: 17-19) Stonesplinter Troggs - Ironband Excavation Site (Loch
Modan) http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2013

(Level: 17-23) Mosshide Gnolls - Near Loch Modan Entrance [Few
Casters] (Wetlands) http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2025

(Level: 19-21) Ravenclaw Undead - Beren's Peri (Silverpine Forest)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2016
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I suggest to do quests until level 20 and then start to do aoe at the
places belove ( since frankly, you wont do that good before u get some
talent into frost tree imp blizzard and the fact that you don`t get
blizzard before lvl 20 :> so you will do more xp pr hour by questing
and stuff :> from lvl 1 -20

Also if you just started wow, you shod rather do quest and explore the
game,rather then use this guide since leveling 1-60(1-70now :D ) was
greate fun on my first char (atleast i liked the quest, and taking
time to explore Azeroth, seeing the instance and work with other ppl
in groups.

But it get kinda boring after the first char tho, since u mostly know
all quest and mostly want to get to the top level as fast as possible
( atleast thats how i feel)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Level: 25-29) Skeletal Undead - Raven Hill Cemetary (Duskwood)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2008
(this is a GREATE spot also the Gy is really close ( not that greate
for horde tho, since there is quite alott of allys add`s around :>)

(Level: 21-24) Bael'dun Dwarves - Bael'Dun Dig Site (Barrens)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1017
( very easy to get adds =( so pay attention to mobs around before
pull, since its a loooong walk from gy)

(Level: 21-25) Foulweald Furbolgs [Bring a Healer] (Ashenvale)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1001

(Level: 21-26) Shadowhide Gnolls (Redridge Mountains)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2014

(Level: 22-26) Hillsbrad Farmers/Peasants - Hillsbrad Fields
(Hillsbrad Foothills)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2011(you shod bring a
mage friend or a healer for this, since you often get adds. ( you shod
also pick up the quest for this spot in tarren mill(Horde), since the
you do get somewhat decent xp from those)

(Level: 23-31) Highperch Wyverns (Thousand Needles)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1018

(Level: 25-32) Dragonmaw Orcs - Angerfang Encampment [Few
Casters/Bring Healer] (Wetlands)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2025

(Level: 26-28) Plague Spreaders - Raven Hill Tomb (Duskwood)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2008

(Level: 26-28) Hillsbrad Miners/Sentrys- Azureload Mine (Hillsbrad
Foothills) http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2011 (I
sugest to bring another mage or a priest here, since u dont get alott
of space to move in therefore cant use blizzard to well, and mobs hit
kinda hard)

(Level: 28-30) Nightbane Worgens - Near Rotting Orchard (Duskwood)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2008

(Level: 29-33) Syndicate Humans - North of Tarren Mill (Alterac
Mountains) http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2001

(Level: 29-35) Sparkleshell Turtles - Shimmering Flats (Thousand
Needles) http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1018

(Level: 30-32) Cave Yeti's (Hillsbrad Foothills)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2011

(Level: 30-33) Mountain Yeti's (Alterac Mountains)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2001

(Level: 30-34) Salt Flats Vultures/Scavengers - Shimmering Flats
(Thousand Needles) http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1018

(Level: 33-35) Dabyrie Humans - Dabryie's Farmstead (Arathi highlands)
(HORDE) (http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2002
This spot is amazing, I would advise doing this area until 37-38

(Level: 33-35) Hammerfall Orcs - Go'shek Farm (Arathi Highlands)
(ALLIANCE) (http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2002

(Level: 33-36) Silithids - Shimmering Flats (Thousand Needles)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1018
Shimmering flats is to spread out i never did it

(Level: 33-36) Crushridge Ogres (Alterac Mountains)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2001
I've ran through here, I never personally grinded here but it is a
viable spot, the mobs are kinda spread out though

(Level: 33-36) Scorpid Reavers/Terrors - Shimmering Flats (Thousand
Needles) http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1018
same as before

(Level: 33-40) Saltstone Basilisks - Shimmering Flats (Thousand
Needles) http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1018
The Basilisks are grouped nicely but personally there are not enough
to make it worthwhile

(Level: 35-38) Mirefin Murlocs - NE of Zone (Dustwallow Marsh)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1007
The next best spot, For a frost mage i'd advise doing this spot until
44, just a filler until you get your next blizzard

(Level: 35-38) Syndicate Humans - North of Zone [One Caster per Camp]
(Alterac Mountains) http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2001
Never liked it, tried it a little bit

(Level: 35-39) Darkmist Spiders - North of Brackenwall Village
(Dustwallow Marsh) http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1007

(Level: 36-39) Lesser Rock Elementals - NW Corner (Badlands)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2003
Not enough mobs to make worthwhile

(Level: 36-40) Bloodfen Raptors - NE of Brackenwall Village
(Duskwallow Marsh) http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1007
Seem to be spread out

(Level: 37-39) Elementals [Various Locations & Types] (Arathi
Highlands) http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2002

(Level: 37-40) Shadowforge Dwarves - Agnar Fortress [Few Casters]
(Badlands) http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2003
The casters make this a pain

(Level: 39-44) Woodpaw Gnolls (Feralas)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1009
The gnolls have a few ranged mobs, so as a frost mage I did not find
this spot to be suitable

(Level: 40-43) Grimtotem Tauren (Feralas)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1009
Again some casters, not advisable, depending on your aoe spec

(Level: 40-45) Wastewater Bandits (Tanaris)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1015
The bandits have casters mixed in, to me there was not enough of these
mobs to make it worthwhile, I'd advise doing the murlocks

(Level: 40-45) Southsea Pirates (Tanaris)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1015
Ahhh now LOST RIGGER COVE is where its at. On my server not many
people grind this area. I catagorized the area into 5 pulls, will last
me until 52. At level 51 im able to grind 40k/hr.

(Level: 41-47) Green Sludges (Hinterlands)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2020

(Level: 41-48) Dark Iron Dwarves [Various Locations] (Searing Gorge)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2015

(Level: 42-48) Dunemaul Ogres (Tanaris)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1015

(Level: 45-50) Thistleshrub Elementals (Tanaris)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1015

(Level: 46-47) Rage Scar Yeti's (Feralas)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1009

(Level: 46-51) Nethergarde Humans (Blasted Lands)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2004
Good spot to level besides the fact of not being able to mount in the
mine, a few ranged mobs, not advised unless you have no other option

(Level: 47-50) Northspring Harpies (Feralas)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1009
Have alot of casters mixed in with them

(Level: 47-50) Ravasaur Raptors (Un'goro Crater)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1020

(Level: 47-50) Deadwood Furbolgs (Felwood)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1008
Have ranged

(Level: 48-54) Jadefire Saytrs [Various Locations] (Felwood)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1008

(Level: 49-50) Saltwater Snapjaw- East Coast (Hinterlands)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2020

(Level: 49-54) Thunderhead Hippogryphs - Northern Peninsula (Azshara)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1002

(Level: 49-55) Jaedenar Forces (Felwood)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1008
Just a bad spot

(Level: 50-52) Felstone Fields [Few Casters] (Western Plaguelands)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2023
The casters don't make it worthwhile in my opinion

(Level: 50-53) Flamekin Imps [Various Locations] (Burning Steppes)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2005

(Level: 50-54) Warpwood Elementals (Felwood)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=1008

(Level: 52-56) Sorrow Hill [SE of Anderhol] (Western Plaguelands)
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/map.htm...zoneid=2023

(Level: 52-58) Ice Thistle

Places to grind in (thank you Drec, for the coords! :P) –

These are mainly alliance regions, but unless you're on a pvp server,
most should be accessible by horde anyway.
There is a nice list of ALL AoE spots (inc Horde) at the bottom too.

I'm assuming you're at least lvl 26 or so for the talents, so I'll
start at around this level.

These are some of the 'better spots', but if you have difficult, check
out the link I've posted below, or the sticky about AoE spots on the
mage forums!
There's also a sticky on the forums for more spots if you don't like
the ones listed below:
http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=292920866&sid=1&pageNo=1

27-30
Raven Hill or Tomb. Duskwood. Good Undead mobs to grind on, lots of
them and fast respawns. Watch out for casters, and there may be
limited space to blink around in. Lots of quests for killing these
guys. Undead so no runners.

Q u o t e:
21, 37 -
Ghouls
• 65,50 - Worgs
• 68,80 - Worgs
• 72,74 - Worgs

25-30
Gnolls in Redridge. Pretty good, generally not too much ranged.

30-35
Witherbark Village. Arathi Highlands. The trolls are great to grind
on, but watch out for ranged. There are quests for here too in AH.
Look out for runners.

32-35
Yetis in Yeti Cave of Arathi Highlands. No ranged or casters, good to
grind on. However, they may be quite spread out, so be careful during
pulling process.

Q u o t e:
• 46,31 - Yeti Cave

35-38
Hillsbrad farms. Horde only, this is an amazing place. Lots of
meleeing weak male farmers - annihilate them! Watch out for the mages,
though. The farmers run too, so get ready to wand. Work your way to
the north, then go south again, etc.

34 - 37
Farms in Arathi Highlands. Lots of humanoids here, no ranged. Be
careful for runners, but generally quite good. Kill the civilians!

Q u o t e:

• Alliance - 60,57 - Hammerfall Peons / Go'Shek Farm
• Horde - 54,39 - Dabyrie's Farmstead

36-40
Murlocs in Dustwallow marsh. These have no ranged and are easy to
grind on, since they have no special attacks. This is where AoE
grinding starts to kick off, excellent place to grind. There's a large
camp of around 40 murlocs north east of North Sentry Tower, with fast
respawns.
Over the hill there are another 40 too, but these guys give poison, so
watch out.
However, the aggro radius is pretty big, so watch out on this as well,
They also run too. Gurgle

Q u o t e:

• 57,16 -Murlocs
• 54,14 -Murlocs
• 57,21 -Murlocs

40-44
Murlocs in Swamp of Sorrows. Read above. Gurgle.

Some people are having lots of trouble here, I'm not sure why. The
important thing is to find enough space amongst the vegetation, and no
ranged. Lots of mobs doesn't matter, more doesn't necessarily higher
chance of dying.

44-50
Pirates in Lost Rigger Cove, Tanaris, or just in Tanaris (watch out
for the `locks though). Some ranged, and they run.

42-45
Trolls in Hinterlands. Not that great because there are lots of ranged
mobs. Only really choose here if you have a quest, or you hate the
pirates.

Q u o t e:
• 31,57 - Trolls at Hiri'watha

50-54,
Undead in Sorrow Hill. Great place, this is where the speed of AoE
grinding really kicks in when it boosts you to 60. Very fast respawns,
and the mobs generally cluster in 5s or 6s in the first place anyway.
Lots of runecloth/money drops, and no runners. No ranged. This can be
a busy place though, so try to find a quiet time in the day, eg late
at night or early in the morning. Weekdays ftw.

Q u o t e:

• 51,77 -Sorrow Hill

53-60.
Undead in Dalson's Tears. This is a great place to grind, no ranged at
all. Even faster respawns than Sorrow Hill, and good drops too. Nice
place to grind for rep for AD, watch out for fears though. This will
take you all the way to the infamous 60. This is less busy than Sorrow
Hill, so come here when you can.

Q u o t e:
• 46,53 -Dalson's Tears.

Above level 40 or so Alliance players can go to Horde areas easily, or
vice versa. A lot of people have requested Horde grinding sites, but I
don't many but here's a good list compiled by Runningcat (thanks! :P)
http://wow.stenbakk.net/grind.htm
And no, I have not grinded past 60 yet >.<

However, you can try these mobs out (thanks, echxlor!)-

Hellfire Pennisula

Bonestripper Buzzards (53-59)
Bonestripper Vulture (57-62)
Rogue Voidwalker (58-61)
Uncontrolled Voidwalker (58-61)

Zangarmarsh

(This zone is quite tricky because you don't often have a lot of room
to manouevre)

Daggerfen Assassin (61-63)
Ango'Rosh Brute (62-63)

Terokkar Forest

Shienor Talonite (58-63)
Timber Worg (59-63)
Dreadfang Lurker (59-64)
Bone Crawler (60-65)
Lost Spirit (60-65)
Boulderfist Invader (64-65)
Auchenai Warrior (might be the initiate I mean but the ones with no
mana!) (64-66)

Nagrand
Most animals there are good for AOEing, watch the Talbuk's however as
they have a nasty charge which can bring tears to even the most highly
talented AOEers out there...

Blade's Edge Mountains
Shadowmoon Valley
Netherstorm

GEAR – if you can, invest in stamina and intellect.
Eagle gear is good, as it focuses on these 2 stats.

Spirit is the only other valid option for a mage, but since you're
casting 100% of the time, all it'll do is less downtime, but you can
drink anyway. Mage armour allows a bit of mana regen (30%), but you'll
need a lot of spirit for it to have any effect, so it's not worth it.

Mana/5s - like spirit, you need a lot for effect and it's better to
take intellect and stam since you're doing burst mass damage, not slow
endurance damage.

+damage does not affect blizzard much in comparison of the other
spells. It's good, but tbh Stam and Int is better, and imo it's more
important to get those. But if you think you have enough hp/mana, grab
some +dmg for some extra pew pew.

You need lots of intellect because of the high mana usage, and lots of
stamina since a lvl 50 being hit by 10 lvl 50s is quite deadly.

1 int = 15 mana
1 stam = 10 hp

Don't take strength or agility, etc. You need a lot for the effect.

Try to get a rune of perfection from the wsg pvp vendor, as it makes
your mobs resist less. It's a trinket.
If you can, try to up your +hit, but don't sacrifice your int/stam for
this.

Apart from that, the main thing is to have fun! AoE grinding is meant
to be fast, fun and exciting, so if you hate it, don't force yourself!
However, DO remember you die a lot in the first few tries, so don't
let that put you off. Once you learn it, you can't forget, and you'll
be racking in the xp by the 1000s.

Enjoy this guide, and I hope it's been of use. Have fun in AoE
grinding, and may you always be a blink away from danger!

Bangy

PS. If you have any useful things to add, or correct, please do! :P
PSS. There is an interesting response to my guide about some of the
details, feel free to take a look:
http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=299066680&sid=1

otes on the tactic above

The killing part is very easy to master. It simply involves blizzard,
blizzard, CoC, nova, Blizzard, and maybe another CoC.

The pulling part requires precise movements and reactions, as you are
being hit by 10 mobs of your same level. Ice barrier is pretty
important, as you can lose a lot of hp much faster than you think.
You don't just charge in like a crazed gnome either, you should tag
the one furthest away, then work your way to the front. Keep going
back to the first tagged mob once in a while, so they keep their aggro
on you. Once you've tagged them all, you must run around in spirals,
and if there are ones which aren't with the group, you need to run to
them, then run back to the group.

The biggest area for dying is the part between the dismounting and the
blinking away.
This is why ice block can be very useful. It needs to be done quickly,
but not rushed.
The second you dismount, you must frost nova, but you have to nova all
of them.
If there is a mob you know who's outside the nova range, don't bother
wasting your nova. Just run around in circles (very dangerous) until
you can, and immediately blink away. If you're lucky you might be able
to pop up a CoC just before you blink, but this is depending on how
good you are.

The first few tries you WILL die a lot. It's a sad fact, but you have
to accept it. Just keep practicing and practicing until you get the
times, CDs, and movements right.

Oh no, it's all gone wrong!

Things can go wrong. Not every run is going to be perfect, or
identical. Part of the challenge is to deal with these problems
(usually involving running away as fast as you can :D).

Here are some things which can mess up, and some solutions -

Nova (after the pulling) does not freeze all the mobs - either through
resisting, or just out of range
There are 3 ways of approaching this

- Cold snap, and then nova again
- Summon your elemental, and freeze the extra mobs
- Run away. This is actually probably the best idea, for several
reasons.
- It's still early in the AoE run, so there's not much to
lose. You'll have mainly full hp and mana, so just try again
- If you CS/Elemental and nova again, the extra mob(s) is
away from the main group, which may lead to difficulties later on.
You'll also have lost precious seconds refreezing.
- All the mobs are frozen, so it's very easy to run away.

You've eaten your gem, drank your pot, but they're still living and
you have no mana

Don't panic. Just pop up ice barrier, and evocate. If you don't
have the barrier, freeze and blink away (hopefully you have mana to do
this - if you don't, just pray), then evocate. If they've still got
more than 50% hp, there's something wrong with your tactic, you're
burning your mana far too fast.

Help! An add!

Generally, just leg it. You can try to follow the nova tips
(elemental/CS + nova), but the adds will be far from your main group,
and have full hp. Freeze your friends and blink out of the area.
If the add is a ranger/caster, run away as fast as you can.
Don't even try to fight back, unless your main group is dead and you
have a decent amount of mana left to single-target the guys. Do NOT
AoE range/caster adds.

If you're evil, run towards some unsuspecting player. He'll either run
away, or try to help you, or do some heroic last stand. If it's the
last two, then well done, you've saved your life and killed a player.

Mage Kiting / Movement perfection topic

Solipsists Kiting / Movement perfection topic

Welcome, to Solipsists Kiting and Movement perfection topic.

This guide will give you tips, hints, information, on how to squeeze
the maximum out of your mage, movement wise.

I have made several movies because i want the message to be as clear
as possible.

The stuff i will present in this topic, is usable for PVE, as well as
for PVP.

Most of the things i describe here i've learned out of my own
experience, and/or own thoughts about how things should work. some
stuff i've seen from other mage movies offcourse, but it's perhaps
nice to have all the stuff in one topic.

The goal is to have one complete guide on the mage-eu forums, so every
mage can learn, adapt, be better at handling, squeeze just THAT little
more out of your mage, while hoping you will be able to annihilate
most other classes ingame even harder and more near
perfection!,(except for soullink lifedrain locks offcourse ;) )

If you think something is incomplete, or invalid, please say so, i
will add the stuff, completely with movies and screenshots. Perhaps i
can learn things i didn't know as well :)
If things could be done better, or more easy, then please say so, i'm
not perfect after all :)

The movies are available in livestream (video.google.com) or highres
divx movies from my webspace ;)
(note, this is work in progress, dependant if people actually are
intrested in this stuff)

1. Introduction
2. lagcasting, (abusing lag for your own benefit)
3. Blink movement and the global cooldown
4. frostnova (gaining as much distance possible in the shortest
ammount of time)
5. Aoe Spells (bugs and how to work around it)
6. Cone of cold Movement.
7. Polymorph and pulling.
8. /stopcasting, and how it works.
9. Using rank 1 spells. (how, why, when)
10.
11. Gear, spec, diffrence in talents, Enchants.
12. Keybindings, and important mods
13. Duels, and how to beat classes in general.
14. Dictionary

1. Introduction

The purpose of this guide is to have an complete overview from the
collection of spells wich a mage got to offer.
I'm hoping, to create a sort of guide, wich could lead mage handling
to almost perfection for everyone who reads it. i need your help as
well for that :). If things could be improved, better done because i
need to lern2play etc, please let me know, so i can alter it in this
guide.

2. Lag casting (abusing lag for your own benefit)

At first we are going to discuss what i call "lagcasting" (dunno if
there's an official phrase for it)
Basicly, when you cast a spell like frostbolt, your wow client allways
will suffer some lag / delay, because your computer needs
to communicate to the servers in france over the internet. That is
some distance, and that's why you experience a little delay while playing.
Your spells will allways be finished about 5 / 10% earlier then your
castbar is showing.
The mod Quartz, shows the actual lag you had when you started to cast
your frostbolt. this way you can time your lagcasting more accurately.

The following movie shows how you can gain distance the best way
without using frostnova.

Lowres/Stream: http://video.google.nl/videoplay?docid=-5565342921225724889
Highres/DivX: http://www.solipsist.biz/kiting/lagcasting.avi

Basicly, you see me casting a frostbolt.
i turn around immediately, and start walking, before the cast finished
casting!
You would think that the spell would be cancelled because we are
walking at the moment.
The truth is, that the server allready finished the spell, but your
client doesn't know it because ofthe lag / delay from the servers in
france.
You walk away, and the client actually thinks the spell was cancelled.
However, the server will tell your client that your frostbolt was
fired off properly.
So now you are walking backwards, while casting a frostbolt, wich
gives you more space while kiting.

Here another example:
Lowres/Stream: http://video.google.nl/videoplay?docid=-2297340234093206792
Highres/DivX: http://www.solipsist.biz/kiting/lagcastingpolymorph.avi

So, you cast polymorph, and you walk away before the spell even
finished. but the ogre still got sheeped!
I use this myself mostly in PVP scenarios. Especially now the duration
is getting nerfed to 10 seconds, you want to buy every inch you can get.

Imagine the following procedure:
The rogue ambushes.
You blink and walk 1.5sec
after 1.5sec you cast poly, and right before it's finished you walk
away, to get just that extra distance.
Now the rogue uses his pvp trinket, and you cast poly again.
You've cut yourself some more distance, so you can polymorph him for
the second time safely (we don't talk about the pvp hands ;) its just
an example)

3. Blink movement and the global cooldown

The concept of this is very simple.
Basicly, when you press blink, you will be teleported forwards
instantly (most of the times anyway).

So, you have blinked forward, but your global cooldown still has to
wait out its cooldown of 1.5 seconds.
I see a lot of mages spam blink when they get ambushed by a rogue, and
they stand still after blink, spamming their poly button for 1.5 sec.

The goal of the mage in general is to "not get hit"
What you should do is:

Press blink
walk forward for 1,5 seconds right after you pressed blink. The range
you are getting here, is totally free, because you can't cast spells
anyway for that 1,5 seconds. why not use those 1.5 seconds as much as
possible into your advantage.
When the global cooldown is over, you can continue with what you were
doing offcourse ;)

Since you can't do anything other then walking anyway while waiting on
the global cooldown, it's better to gain the maximum distance
possible, as it could buy you JUST that little time you needed in
order to survive.
3. Frostnova

As a mage, you want to have the max distance in almost every situation.
I've seen alot of mages cast frostnova, walk backwards(!), and then
cast a frostbolt + icelance.

You want to make sure that if you are running away to gain distance,
you allways will walk forward, in the opposite direction, or strafe,
if that's more your thing.
The next movie shows what in my opinion the best way is to cast
frostnova, and to gain max range/distance in the shortest timeframe.

Lowres/Stream: http://video.google.nl/videoplay?docid=8217138977440205208
Highres/DivX: http://www.solipsist.biz/kiting/frostnova.avi

Basicly, i lagcast a frostbolt and i'm running away allready from the ogre
when the frostbolt is launched while i walk away and it has hit the
ogre, i cast frostnova while still running away from him.
This way, you will get the most range the fastest way.

I've compiled a slowmotion video of the actual action. This slowmotion
video shows very clearly, what actually is happening.

Lowres/Stream:
http://video.google.nl/videoplay?docid=4443480735828873436&hl=nl
Highres/DivX: http://www.solipsist.biz/kiting/frostnovaslowmo.avi

You have to be carefull with this though.
Unfortunately we mages suffer a little bug with frostnova.
If you cast a frostbolt, and a frostnova to fast, the frostbolt will
kill the frostnova immediately
You could see it as, the frostbolt is still flying to the enemy, and
you cast frostnova even before frostbolt has landed.
this way the frostnova gets destroyed immediately, and you don't want
that.

Here a little demonstration on how broken the mechanic really is.

Lowres/Stream: http://video.google.nl/videoplay?docid=2901595381753903158
Highres/DivX: http://www.solipsist.biz/kiting/frostnovabreak.avi

You can clearly see in the movie, that frostnova hit that ogre for
145, but it didn't get rooted.
You want to take this into account while doing this stuff :)

5. Aoe Spells (bugs and how to work around it)

Mage instant aoe spells suffer from a bug (surprising huh)
It's really simple. Instant AOE spells like Arcane explosion, Cone of
cold, Blastwave, Frostnova (!) have more range, while you jump!

This movie shows that jumping increases the range of Cone of Cold.
Lowres/Stream: http://video.google.nl/videoplay?docid=-6212144481449702203
Highres/DivX: http://www.solipsist.biz/kiting/cocrange.avi

This movie shows that jumping increases the range of Arcane Explosion.
Lowres/Stream:
http://video.google.nl/videoplay?docid=-4497327190831515577&hl=nl
Highres/DivX: http://www.solipsist.biz/kiting/aerange.avi

Can't really add alot. the movies speak for themselves.
Just make sure you jump while you use an instant aoe spell, for
increased range.

[ Post edited by Solipsist ]

Social Engineering, the USB Way

Social Engineering, the USB Way

Those thumb drives can turn external threats into internal ones in two easy steps

JUNE 7, 2006 | We recently got hired by a credit union to assess the security of its network. The client asked that we really push hard on the social engineering button. In the past, they'd had problems with employees sharing passwords and giving up information easily. Leveraging our effort in the report was a way to drive the message home to the employees. The client also indicated that USB drives were a concern, since they were an easy way for employees to steal information, as well as bring in potential vulnerabilities such as viruses and Trojans. Several other clients have raised the same concern, yet few have done much to protect themselves from a rogue USB drive plugging into their network. I wanted to see if we could tempt someone into plugging one into their employer's network. In the past we had used a variety of social engineering tactics to compromise a network. Typically we would hang out with the smokers, sweet-talk a receptionist, or commandeer a meeting room and jack into the network. This time I knew we had to do something different. We heard that employees were talking within the credit union and were telling each other that somebody was going to test the security of the network, including the people element. We figured we would try something different by baiting the same employees that were on high alert. We gathered all the worthless vendor giveaway thumb drives collected over the years and imprinted them with our own special piece of software. I had one of my guys write a Trojan that, when run, would collect passwords, logins and machine-specific information from the user’s computer, and then email the findings back to us. The next hurdle we had was getting the USB drives in the hands of the credit union’s internal users. I made my way to the credit union at about 6 a.m. to make sure no employees saw us. I then proceeded to scatter the drives in the parking lot, smoking areas, and other areas employees frequented. Once I seeded the USB drives, I decided to grab some coffee and watch the employees show up for work. Surveillance of the facility was worth the time involved. It was really amusing to watch the reaction of the employees who found a USB drive. You know they plugged them into their computers the minute they got to their desks. I immediately called my guy that wrote the Trojan and asked if anything was received at his end. Slowly but surely info was being mailed back to him. I would have loved to be on the inside of the building watching as people started plugging the USB drives in, scouring through the planted image files, then unknowingly running our piece of software. After about three days, we figured we had collected enough data. When I started to review our findings, I was amazed at the results. Of the 20 USB drives we planted, 15 were found by employees, and all had been plugged into company computers. The data we obtained helped us to compromise additional systems, and the best part of the whole scheme was its convenience. We never broke a sweat. Everything that needed to happen did, and in a way it was completely transparent to the users, the network, and credit union management. Of all the social engineering efforts we have performed over the years, I always had to worry about being caught, getting detained by the police, or not getting anything of value. The USB route is really the way to go. With the exception of possibly getting caught when seeding the facility, my chances of having a problem are reduced significantly. You’ve probably seen the experiments where users can be conned into giving up their passwords for a chocolate bar or a $1 bill. But this little giveaway took those a step further, working off humans' innate curiosity. Emailed virus writers exploit this same vulnerability, as do phishers and their clever faux Websites. Our credit union client wasn’t unique or special. All the technology and filtering and scanning in the world won’t address human nature. But it remains the single biggest open door to any company’s secrets. Disagree? Sprinkle your receptionist's candy dish with USB drives and see for yourself how long it takes for human nature to manifest itself. — Steve Stasiukonis is VP and founder of Secure Network Technologies Inc. Special to Dark Reading

Mage - AoE Grinding Guide

http://www.edgeofnowhere.cc/viewtopic.php?t=324168

Mage - AoE Grinding Guide

Step 1] Respec - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=Rf0EbZZi0z
This will give you Magic Attunement, the key factor in elemental
grinding. This will also allow for some mana regeneration thanks to
Magic Absorption - with 30 elementals attacking you, you are bound to
resist several hits per second. For each resisted hit, you gain 5% of
your mana back. Arcane Concentration was also used in order to cut
down on mana loss and pervents you from going out of mana (OOM).

Step 2] Grind the water elementals in Stranglethorn Vale.
They are level 37/38, and can be grinded effectively until level 45.
Location:
[Image]

*Remember: Always keep Mage Armor and Dampen Magic up.

Step 3] Grind the water elementals in Arathi Highlands.
They are level 38/39 and can be grinded effectively until level 46.
Location:
[Image]

Step 4] Respec - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=Rf0VZZVhMusfzh

Step 5] Using Blizzard, grind the oozes in The Hinterlands until level 55.

Step 6] Respec - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=Rf0Eb0bZZVVG0obth

Step 7] Grind the air elementals in northwestern Silithus.
They drop Essence of Air which sells for anywhere between 10-20g each.
This will take you to level 60.
Location:
[Image]

Step 8] Respec to whatever you want.

*Remember: "of the Eagle" gear is best for this leveling strategy.

Question
Quote:
any recommendations on pre-30 talent options to aid in non-elemental
aoe grinding until i get high enough to try this out? working on my
first mage ever, at 24 currently. i suspect imp blizzard? or is there
a more efficient method? right now i just mana shield-->frost
nova-->flamestrike-->arcane explo-->arcane explo-->arcane explo-->etc.
aoe grinding is so ridiculously fun, id love to get this down as
efficiently as possible.

Answer
Frost AoE
1) Gather mobs by wanding them or using Rank 1 Arcane Explosion.
2) Get them packed tightly together then Frost Nova.
3) Get as distant as possible, but don't be too cautious - can't let
Frost Nova wear out.
4) Blizzard.
5) Blizzard.
6) Cone of Cold
7) Frost Nova
9) Repeat 3-7 until all the mobs are dead.
I skipped step 8 because it made an emotion.

Fire AoE
1) Gather mobs by wanding them or using Rank 1 Arcane Explosion.
2) Get them packed tightly together then Frost Nova.
3) Flamestrike.
4) Blastwave (if you have it, otherwise, skip this step)
5) Arcane Explosion until Frost Nova is down, then repeat.

I've never actually used either of these methods, but I know they'd
work. Be creative, there's no "set way" of doing things.

Massive credit crunch striking now! (by Martin Weiss)

http://www.moneyandmarkets.com/press.asp?rls_id=898&cat_id=6&

Massive credit crunch striking now! (by Martin Weiss)
8/20/2007 7:30:00 AM

A massive credit crunch is striking, and you sit at a critical
juncture like none other in history.

Never before have you seen so much wealth at stake. Never before have
you seen such massive threats to that wealth. And, fortunately, never
before have investors had such powerful tools to protect themselves
from these threats!

In just the last few days, the U.S. Federal Reserve has desperately
tried to rescue the nation's gigantic $10 trillion mortgage market …

Flooding the banking system with cold cash …

Slashing its discount rate by a half point, and, in a special meeting
just this past Friday …

Literally begging America's largest banks to borrow!

But for the massive U.S. mortgage market — crumbling in 20,000
cities and towns all across America — it's too little, too late.

And for the U.S. dollar — already sinking for years under the
weight of the largest trade deficits of all time — the sudden flood of
more paper dollars is too much, too soon.

That's why I called an emergency teleconference last week and why it
was sought out by 15,000 investors from all over the world.

That's also why, this morning, I'm giving you the transcript of the
entire hard-hitting, fast-paced event, making this the biggest — and
probably most important — Money and Markets issue we've ever published.

The Spreading Credit Crunch:
Protect Yourself and Profit!
Edited Transcript of Weiss Research's
Emergency Teleconference

Tom Jeffries: Welcome! My name is Tom Jeffries, your host for today.
I've been a broadcaster for over 25 years and I host a show on
investing in the markets heard every week around the world.

This conference — taking place right in the midst of America's worst
credit crunch in decades — could not be more timely. And the team we
have assembled for you today, led by Dr. Martin Weiss, could not be
better suited to help you through it.

Martin Weiss founded his company, Weiss Research, 36 years ago with
one paramount goal: To provide for the financial safety and well-being
of his customers.

Dr. Weiss was recognized by the U.S. Congress for introducing the
first-ever independent safety ratings in the United States. And he was
described by The New York Times as the first to see the financial
dangers and say so with precision.

So it should come as no surprise that Dr. Weiss and his team were also
among the first to warn you about the unusual crisis that America
faces right now, today: The breakdown in America's vast market for
home mortgages … and now … a credit crunch that's striking many
financial markets.

From the beginning Dr. Weiss and his team were way ahead of this
crisis: Right now, for example, I'm looking at an issue of the Safe
Money Report that Dr. Weiss and Mike Larson wrote back in February of
2005. Listen to this headline: "REAL ESTATE BOOM AND BUST, three
alarming warnings of coming declines."

Or consider this headline from the Safe Money Report of this past
February: "MORTGAGE MELTDOWN!" And let me read to you what it says
right here on the first page: "Delinquencies and defaults will migrate
up the food chain — to larger, more diversified mortgage lenders, even
major investment banks."

Folks, what I just read to you is today's news! But Martin Weiss and
Mike Larson wrote you about it six months ago.

I've been personally following Dr. Weiss and his team for a long time
now. I've interviewed them on my international radio show over and
over again. And I'm continually blown away by their foresight.

But what impresses me even more is that they go far beyond just
warnings. They also offer solutions — solutions that not only protect
your wealth, but also build your wealth … that not only safeguard you
against the dangers, but also help transform those dangers into major
profit opportunities.

Martin, the stuffing is hitting the fan right now. Please give us, in
a word, your overview of what you see.

Martin Weiss: Complacency!

Tom: I know exactly what you're talking about, Martin. I talk to
investors all the time. Nearly everyone is saying: "Don't worry, about
it. Stick it out. This will blow over soon."

Martin: The emperor has no clothes! The little boy has already shouted
to the investors in the crowd to announce that the emperor has no
clothes. Anyone reading today's headlines can see that the emperor has
no clothes. But still, most investors are frozen like a deer in the
headlights. They have not yet taken action to protect their assets!

Tom: What's holding them back? Where do you see the greatest danger
right now? And where do you see the greatest opportunities?

Martin: The gravest danger is in a vast market that few people are
paying attention to, and fewer still really understand: The U.S.
dollar! The U.S. dollar is in grave danger! And some of the greatest
opportunities are going to be in the currencies that rise as the
dollar falls.

This isn't like the crisis of one decade ago, which started in
Thailand and smashed the currencies of Asia. This isn't like the
crisis of two decades ago that started in Mexico and then smashed the
currencies of Latin America. The epicenter of this earthquake is right
here in the United States, and it's going to smash the U.S. dollar.

Tom: OK. But you didn't answer my first question: Why are people still
complacent? What's holding investors from heading to the exits?

Martin: It's all in one three-letter word: F - E - D. The Federal
Reserve! It's the deeply held, widely accepted faith that the U.S.
Federal Reserve will somehow rescue everyone. They believe the Fed
will wave its magic wand and resolve the crisis with money, endless
amounts of cold cash. They hope the Fed will absorb all the bad
mortgages and all the bad debts.

"Sacrificing the U.S. dollar on
the altar of the housing market!"

Tom: Do you agree with that belief?

Martin: Ultimately, no. But in the short term, the Fed will do
everything to try.

Tom: We already know that, don't we. It's has already started, hasn't it?

Martin: Yes. The Fed pumped in $24 billion on August 9th. On August
10th, it pumped in another $38 billion! And since then, still more!

Tom: So what does that mean?

Martin: It means that, in their zeal to put out the fires here in the
United States, they're actually sacrificing the one market that really
matters the most in the long term — the U.S. dollar. They're
sacrificing the dollar on the altar of the U.S. housing market!

Tom: Please connect the dots for all those who have logged on to this
conference today.

Martin: Anyone who's been paying attention knows that the decline in
the U.S. dollar has been a fact of life for years. But so far, that
decline has been gradual, and therefore, invisible to most investors.

Now, the Fed is pumping out huge amounts of paper dollars. And that
glut of newly printed U.S. dollars inevitably cheapens the value of
every dollar — every dollar in your pocket, every dollar in your bank
account.

Plus, the Fed has pledged to continue pouring out as many dollars as
needed, for as long as needed.

That means the slow, steady erosion in the purchasing power of your
dollars that we've seen for so long is going to accelerate, and do so
wildly!

Tom: In your view, for how long will the Fed try to solve this crisis
by throwing paper dollars at it?

Martin: Look at what's happening all over America! This is not a local
brushfire. We're not talking about a little market. We're talking
about the market for U.S. mortgages. The market for mortgages is the
largest market for credit in the world. It's larger than the entire
market for U.S. government securities. It's far larger than the
commercial and industrial loans to all of America's corporations.

Tom: And we're not just talking just about a passing crisis, here
today, gone mañana, are we?

Martin: No. It's the worst meltdown in the mortgage market in our
lifetime.

Tom: So how long do you think the Fed will keep pumping out cheaper
and cheaper dollars?

Martin: Until the dollar falls so far they can't ignore it any longer
… until they realize the dollar decline is the greater of the evils …
until they finally give up trying to save the housing and mortgage
markets.

Tom: Which brings me to my first big first question for your team of
analysts today: Is the mortgage crisis nearing a climax? Or has it
just barely begun?

Martin: I think the person best qualified to answer that question is
Mike Larson.

Tom: I've had the pleasure of talking to Mike many times on my show.
Mike is your research analyst behind those uncannily accurate housing
market forecasts that I talked about a moment ago. He's been Weiss
Research's real estate specialist for five years. And more recently,
he's become the go-to guy for virtually every financial news reporter
in the country, including yours truly.

Mike, I'm an avid reader of your articles in Money and Markets every
Friday. And I'm seeing you more and more often on CNBC, Bloomberg and
CNN … in Barron's, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal.

And just recently, you submitted a white paper to the Fed and the FDIC
about this crisis. You held a press conference with some of the
nation's leading news organizations. Can you tell us what you told them?

"What's the next bubble that's
going to save us from the housing bust?"

Mike Larson: Absolutely! Plus, I'll also tell you what I didn't tell
them — namely the events of just the last few days.

First, look at what Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan did a few years ago
when the tech market was melting down and the Nasdaq was falling
apart. He slashed interest rates to the bone and helped create a new
bubble to bail out us out of the tech wreck.

So if the housing bubble is what saved us from the Nasdaq bust, the
question now becomes: What's the next bubble that's going to save us
from the housing bust?

You've got 14% of subprime mortgages delinquent in the first quarter.
You've got surging late payments in the so-called Alt-A mortgages,
which are supposed to be somewhat better quality. You've got lenders
like Countrywide Financial warning that even their prime credit
quality borrowers are having trouble paying back their home equity loans.

It makes perfect sense. It's exactly how you'd expect it to play out.
But for some reason it seems to be a "big surprise" on Wall Street.
And some of these numbers are really staggering:

Foreclosure filings in the U.S. were up 87% compared to a year ago
this June. We're seeing the percent of nationwide mortgages entering
foreclosure at the highest level ever. And we're not even in
recession! That's really scary.

What's also scary is that almost every day there's another mortgage
lender that's added to the casualty list. There are more than 110 that
have either thrown in the towel and gotten out of the mortgage market
entirely or that have gone broke.

Home Banc out of Atlanta — broke August 10th. Aegis Mortgage out of
Houston — broke August 13th.

Martin: That's just a few days ago!

Mike: This company made $17 billion in mortgages in 2006. So it's not
just any tiny company. And of course you've probably heard of American
Home Mortgage of Long Island. Broke August 6! Last year, they made
almost $60 billion in mortgages!

Tom: $60 billion?! Unbelievable. But let's talk about the mortgage REITs.

Mike: OK. The point is you don't have just the lenders that make the
loans getting into trouble. You've also got these companies called
mortgage REITs — or real estate investment trusts — who buy the loans
and hold them on their books. Now, Wall Street discovers, all of a
sudden, that the underlying credit is so terrible on these loans
they're pulling back the money across the board.

It started in the subprime. It migrated up the food chain. Now it's
reaching the big banks — the ones everyone has heard of. You walk by
their signs everyday: Wells Fargo, National City, Wachovia. They're
starting to eliminate the loan programs they offer. And they're
raising standards on others.

This means that, if you're a homebuyer, you're finding it harder and
harder to qualify for a mortgage. And if you're someone who's stuck in
one of these bad loans and seeking to refinance it, good luck!

"Major mortgage company stocks are crushed!
Down 70%, 80%, 90% this year alone!"

Tom: What about mortgage company stocks?

Mike: Crushed! When you look at the overall Dow or S&P, you may not
realize it. But some of these stocks are down 70%, 80%, 90%. They've
lost that much of their value this year alone. It's also hitting the
Wall Street banks that are funding these companies: The JP Morgans and
the Citigroups of the world.

I see two scenarios:

In the best case scenario, we may see something like the 1998 crisis.
That's when that gun-slinging hedge fund Long Term Capital Management
and all of its rocket scientists lost billions on high-risk bond
market bets. The bets went sour. The New York Fed stepped in to
organize a bail-out. But the overall economy muddled through.

In a worst-case scenario, you'll get something like the savings and
loan crisis of the late '80s and early '90s. These kind of events —
plus interest rate surges — combined to cause more than 1,000 S&Ls to
fail. The U.S. government had to step in with a $150 billion bailout.
The economy slipped into recession.

Martin: Let me sum up: Regardless of the scenarios, this is far too
big for the Fed just to paper over with dollars. And yet that's the
only tool they seem to have at their disposal. They're just pumping
out more and more paper dollars into the financial markets to try and
ease the crisis. For the future of the U.S. dollar, this is a terrible
situation.

Tom: Before we talk about the dollar, can we first get closure on this
real estate mess? I live on the West Coast. If I have investment real
estate in my area, or if I have real estate investments in the stock
market, what should I do right now to protect myself?

Martin: We recommend three strategies. The first strategy is to reduce
your exposure. If you have investment properties, get rid of them. Sell!

Tom: Wait a second, Martin! We're talking real estate. I can't just
call my broker and say "Hi, it's Tom, sell everything at the market."
It takes time to unwind, to unload properties.

Martin: That's why we also have a second strategy:

Tom: Which is … ?

Martin: Which is to buy some hedges, some insurance. And fortunately,
there are several available today that are ideal for this situation.

I'm talking about an ETF that's designed to go up 20 percent for every
10 percent decline in the Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate index. When the
index goes down, this ETF goes up at double the pace. Would you like
that symbol?

Tom: Yes!

Martin: It's SRS. That's good for protecting you from your real estate
investments. But as Mike explained, this crisis is migrating up the
food chain and beginning to effect banks and other financial
companies. So here's another one you can use to protect yourself.

This is also an ETF. It's also designed to go up 20 percent for every
10 percent decline. But instead of being tied to the real estate
index, it's tied to the Dow Jones U.S. Financial Index. The symbol is SKF.

One word of warning: These investments are double-edged swords. They
surge when real estate or the financial stocks are falling, but if
those stocks rally, then these ETFs can obviously fall.

So we also have a third strategy, which I think is the better solution
— a solution that helps you profit from the primary consequence of
this crisis — the falling dollar — and to do so continually, over and
over again, month after month.

"Investors in Asia are now very concerned that
this mortgage crisis is going to drive the
dollar down faster than ever before."

Tom: And that's why we've invited two world-renown experts on the
dollar. First, let me introduce Larry Edelson. Larry is one of the
world's leading gold analysts, and along with his bullish forecasts
for gold, he has been tirelessly and repeatedly warning about the
decline in the buck — the decline that is now unfolding.

And man, does this gentleman travel! Larry's just back from Asia, and
he's on the call right now to give us the Asian perspective on this
crisis. Where did you go in Asia this time, Larry?

Larry Edelson: I was in Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and
Australia. I go to Asia three or four times a year. This trip was a
doozie, and I'm just getting over the jet lag.

But it was also a doozie from another point of view: I've been
traveling to Asia for eight years, and investor confidence in the U.S.
markets was usually great, even in the post 9-11 period.

But now, for the first time, I've started to hear and see things that
I haven't heard or seen before: Not just among market traders and
investors. But also on the street … talking to taxi drivers … having
coffee at Starbucks … just about everywhere.

For the first time, people in Asia are very, very worried about what's
happening in the United States. They see the dollar plunging virtually
nonstop. And now, they're very concerned that this mortgage crisis is
going to drive the dollar down faster than ever before. Conversely, of
course, that also means that foreign currencies are going to go up
more sharply than ever before.

Tom: Does that mean international investors are going to start
shifting from the U.S. to stronger economies in Asia?

Larry: Going to? They've already been doing it! First, as many of you
know, the Asian stock markets have been outperforming the U.S. stock
market for some time, dramatically outperforming. Asian economies are
fundamentally much stronger than ours. Their GDP growth levels are
three, four, five times the U.S. growth levels.

Between India, China and Southeast Asia, 40% of the world's population
is coming out of communist regimes or restrictive socialist
democracies that are opening up … and all demanding improved
lifestyles at the same time. So the demand factor alone is going to
keep those economies cooking at higher growth rates than the U.S.

But Asian investors also have big money in the United States, and
they're looking to bring it back.

Tom: OK. Put two and two together for us.

Larry: They see the mortgage crisis. It's all over the headlines
there. Not just the business pages, but headlines in the main section:
"Mortgage meltdown in the U.S." "Real estate crash in America."

This is a shock to them. Keep in mind, they don't borrow money like we
do. They have a high-savings culture. So the whole notion of going
deeply in debt to buy anything is foreign to them. And this mortgage
crisis is really scaring the heck out of them. On top of that, they
see the Fed pumping more and more cheap dollars.

Foreign investors are acutely aware of currency values. Unlike us here
in the United States, they look at the value of their currency and the
value of the dollar every day. They check it daily just like we check
the weather or the Dow Jones Industrials. When they see the Fed
putting the pedal to the metal on the printing press, they conclude
the dollar has no place to go but down.

That means other currencies vis-à-vis the dollar — be it the euro, the
Swiss franc, the yen, the Australian dollar, or the Canadian dollar —
are going to go up against the dollar. So foreign investors are going
to do everything they can to protect themselves.

They're shifting out of U.S. dollars. They're bringing their money
home. And, unfortunately, that creates a vicious cycle. The more they
sell, the lower the dollar goes and the more frightened they get.

Bottom line: The U.S. dollar's purchasing power has been — and is more
likely to be than ever before — evaporating because of this crisis. I
think the decline you've seen in the dollar so far is just Act One. I
think Act Two is beginning now,and it could be very dramatic.

Tom: Let's go straight to the 64-milion-dollar question: Specifically
how do you profit from this monumental shift?

Martin: You get out of dollars, which are losing value, and you get
into foreign currencies, which are rising in value. And to tell us how
to do this, I've invited our good friend to join us. His name is Jack
Crooks.

"The currency market is, without a doubt, the largest
market in the world— and the most liquid."

Tom: I'm glad you did, Martin. And I'm very pleased to see that Jack
Crooks is a long-time friend and associate of Weiss Research. I have
interviewed Jack many times. I know Jack has more than 20 years of
experience in the foreign currency market.

That's why many of the world's most influential investment news
outlets rely on Jack for timely guidance on currency information. And
right now, Jack is working with a revolutionary new breakthrough in
the world currency market.

Jack, welcome. First tell us about the currency market. Then tell us
about the revolutionary breakthrough.

Jack Crooks: The currency market is, without a doubt, the largest
market in the world — and the most liquid. $3 trillion dollars a day
trade in the currency market. That's more than all of the world's
stock markets combined.

What I like most — one of the reasons I specialize in this market — is
that there's always a bull market in currencies. It gives you the
power to make money regardless of what's happening in the stock
market, whether it's soaring or plunging in value.

If real estate is booming, there are opportunities in the currency
market. If it's busting, there are opportunities. Same with interest
rates — whether soaring or falling. Ditto for bonds and commodities.
No matter what's happening elsewhere, opportunities abound in the
currency market.

Tom: Why is that?

Jack: It's pretty simple. Currencies are different from stocks, bonds
or commodities in that you make money buying and selling one currency
against another.

Tom: I think I get the picture. It's like a see-saw. When one is going
down, the other one has to be going up. So there are always currencies
going up. There is always a bull market. So if you knew, for example,
that the dollar is going to plunge against another currency, you could
buy that currency and make a lot of money, right?

Jack: Yes. But let me add something that you may be missing. It's not
just because of the see-saw effect. Equally important is the fact that
currencies move independently from stocks and bonds. They are
non-correlated. What that means to the average investor is that
currencies are a great asset class for diversification.

Tom: Boy, this is really intriguing to me. But isn't it true that
currencies have always been reserved for the mega-rich only. Why is that?

Jack: In the past, it took a huge account to get involved in the
currency market. You probably needed a million dollars just to get the
dealer to answer the phone. Plus, you had huge risk. The way they were
set up in the past, you could lose more — a lot more — than you invested.

But not anymore. Now, for the first time ever, the gates to this
market are being flung wide open for the average investor. You're
seeing a new class of vehicles that give investors virtually unlimited
profit potential … but strictly limit their risk.

Tom: Explain why that's so important?

Jack: Until now, there have only been a couple of viable vehicles you
could use to trade currencies.

One is the currency futures markets. In that market, you trade against
the major speculators and commercial hedgers in the world.

The other market is the cash foreign exchange market — spot Forex.
This is a market that's controlled by the major money center banks and
governments.

So in both those market, you're trading against big, powerful players.
You can make a lot of money. They're very liquid, very dynamic. But
for the average investor, one of the big downsides — in either futures
or cash Forex — is that you're exposed to unlimited risk.

"A solution to making money in the currency
market that's nothing short of revolutionary."

Tom: Jack, you and I have been talking about this months. So I happen
to know a little bit about it. The profit opportunities in currencies
are unbelievable. But the risk is huge. One tiny move, and unless you
have plenty of capital, you could be wiped out. But, you've also told
me that now you have a solution, and from everything I've seen, your
solution is nothing short of revolutionary. So please tell us exactly
what that is.

Jack: It's the new currency ETFs, or exchange-traded funds.

Now, for the first time, you can buy foreign currencies just like you
would any other exchange-traded fund — like any ETF traded on the NYSE
or Amex. It gives you the purest possible protection against the
falling dollar. And it gives you the simplest single way to profit
with the currencies that are soaring against the dollar.

Tom: What are the advantages of using these ETFs as compared to other
things like futures or Forex?

Jack: One of the major benefits is that you can get in for such a tiny
investment: You can buy a currency ETF for $100 or even less.

Tom: That's amazing. Years ago, you needed a million bucks to start
trading currencies. Now, I can start investing in several of these
with just a few hundred bucks?

Jack: That's right. Another advantage is the yield. If you were to
buy, for example, an Australian dollar ETF or the British pound ETF,
you'll get yields in the five or six percent range, possibly even more
… especially given the fact that those central banks are in hiking
mode. They're raising interest rates.

The Fed can't raise interest rates in the U.S. because of the housing
crisis. So the most you're going to get in yield here is what you have
been getting. In fact, they're even talking about lowering interest
rates. That means the yield you get on your money markets is going down.

Tom: Going down? You've got to be kidding! The yield I can make is
already too darn low. And now you're saying it's going to go even lower!

Jack: Not if you take advantage of these currency ETFs. Whatever they
earn in yield, they pass right along to you in the form of regular
dividends.

Tom: That's excellent. I really like that.

Jack: Yes, but please understand: the yield is just a kicker. It's not
the main advantage and not the primary goal of currency ETFs. The main
advantage is that every time the dollar falls, you can make a small
fortune.

Martin: Let me put this in perspective: If you're riverboat gambler,
go to the futures markets and trade against the big speculators and
big commercial interests. Or go to the spot currency market and trade
against the big money center banks and governments around the world.

Tom: Well, I like to go to Vegas once in a while, but no, I'm not a
riverboat gambler. The first thing I want is protection from the
falling dollar. Heck, almost everything I own is in dollars. My home
is in dollars. My bank account is in dollars. My brokerage account is
in dollars. My wages, my interest, my dividends. Everything is
dollars. How am I going to sleep nights with the dollar falling like
this? I need to protect myself. And I need to do it now! The second
thing I want is a real, solid wealth building opportunity. Solid
returns. Year after year.

Jack: Then don't go do futures.

Annualized returns of 41%, 44% and 48% …

Tom: And the good thing is I don't have to. Your research department
has just provided me with some numbers, which tell me I don't need
futures. I can get everything I need just with these lower risk ETFs.
So if you don't mind, I'd like to take a few moments to run through
these numbers with you and get your comments. Is that OK with you?

Martin: Sure, go ahead.

Tom: These are examples of how much money you could make in currency
ETFs: This year, if you bought the British pound ETF, you could have
grabbed a nice gain that's the equivalent of 36% per year on an
annualized basis. Add in the yield, and you'd have a total return of 41%.

And here's another example: If you had bought the euro ETF, you could
have had an annualized gain of 41%. The yield on the euro is lower
than that pound, but I don't think you'd mind that too much. Because
your total return comes to 44%.

Larry: Is that the best example on your list?

Tom: No. The best example from this year is the Canadian dollar.
Annualized return: 44%. Add in the yield, and you're looking at a
total return of 48%. Folks, these are very impressive numbers. And
this is exclusively with ETFs, right?

Jack: Right.

Tom: And these ETFs are just like the ordinary ETFs I'm already buying
all the time, right?

Jack: Exactly like ordinary ETFs. The same ease of buying and selling.
The same access through any online or offline broker. The same low
commissions. Everything you like about U.S. sector ETFs, or index
ETFs, or international ETFs … you'll like about currency ETFs.

Tom: I love ETFs. I love the fact that I don't get a nastigram from
some mutual fund bozo telling me I can't get out whenever I want to
get out without some kind of penalty. Plus, I've always been
fascinated by the currency market. Now, they've put the two together:
Currency ETFs. Could I go online right now and trade them?

Jack: Absolutely.

Tom: Jack, I have another important question: What do you plan to
recommend next? ETFs on the currencies I've just talked about?

Jack: Actually, no. It's going to be on another currency, one I'm more
bullish on than any of those you talked about.

Tom: Don't keep us guessing. What is it?

Jack: The Japanese yen.

Tom: Because of what Larry said — that their economy is so much stronger?

Jack: Yes. The Asian economies are booming and most of the other Asian
currencies have rallied tremendously against the U.S. dollar. The
Japanese yen has been the exception. It is, without a doubt, the most
fundamentally undervalued currency in the world.

The reason is the Japanese government has done almost everything in
its power to keep the yen down relative to other currencies. But now,
the Japanese economy is growing nonstop. It's gaining momentum. Its
jobless rate just fell to the lowest level in 9 years. So the Japanese
are going to have to raise interest rates. The market's going to force
them to do it. And when that happens, you're going to see it provide a
real boost to the Japanese yen.

Martin: I have a question for you, Jack. What is going to trigger this
huge move in the yen?

Jack: It's already been triggered! It's all the things you and Mike
talked about — the credit crunch.

Let me explain how that works: Major hedge funds and investors around
the world have borrowed money in Japan at very low interest rates —
massive amounts to fund their risky investments. The hedge funds have
taken all that cheap Japanese money and invested it into all these
mortgage in the U.S., and for a while, they looked like heroes to
their investors.

But with the credit crunch, they have to reduce their exposure. That
means hundreds of billions of dollars going back to Japan — to buy
back yen and repay the loans. And that's going to be pure rocket fuel
for the yen.

"The amount of borrowing in the Japanese yen
is tremendously larger than it was in 1998 when
the yen surged 20% in one month. So the potential
for a surge today is almost beyond comprehension."

Martin: Is that what happened the last time we had a crisis like this,
back in 1998, when Long Term Capital Management cracked up?

Jack: That's exactly what happened back in 1998. We had a very similar
situation — also with low Japanese interest rates, also with investors
borrowing large amounts of cheap Japanese money. But as risk began
flowing across the globe, investors repaid their loans, and the yen
just soared.

Tom: How much did it go up?

Jack: It went up over 20 percent in one month, and it kept on rising
for over a year.Just to give you some perspective on how much that is,
we know the euro has been in a huge bull market. But it has only moved
15% against the U.S. dollar in two years. So you can see the potential
for a move in the yen is massive.

Tom: Earlier, based on the numbers your research department gave me, I
talked about ETFs that could have given you annualized returns of
close to 50%. And you're saying the explosion in the Japanese yen
could be even bigger?

Jack: Yes. Much bigger. And one more thing: Today, the amount of
borrowing in the Japanese yen is tremendously larger than it was in
1998 when the yen jumped 20% in one month. So the potential for the
move today is almost beyond comprehension.

Tom: The other thing I like about this is that the Japanese yen ETF is
like any other ETF. I can use my regular broker. I don't have to set
up any new account. And I can pay standard discount commissions, even
cheap online commissions. Is that correct?

Martin: Correct. And that's why we're launching a new service that's
dedicated to trading international currencies with ETFs. It's our new
World Currency Alert.

Tom: Yes! I've spent some quality time learning all about your
project, Jack. In fact, you and I have been talking about it for
several months. So if you'll permit me, let me step in here and give
our participants some of the highlights. If I say something out of
turn, just jump in, OK?

Jack: OK.

Tom: For starters, you get Jack Crooks' World Currency Trading Manual.
In the manual, Jack shows you his #1 strategy for selecting the ETFs
that offer you the potential for the greatest returns. He shows
exactly how they work and how he identifies the best ones to buy. He
shows you how to whittle your risk down to the bare bones minimum.

Martin: I'm a risk-averse person. So I'm really pleased to see this
provides several risk barriers: The first is diversification — your
investing in the currencies of entire nations, not just a few stocks.
The second is Jack's close monitoring of each position, with strict
limits. The third risk barrier is the ETFs themselves, the most
prudent of all currency trading vehicles in existence today.

And while we're on the subject of risk, I want to remind you of one
more thing: One of the greatest risk of all, in my opinion, is being
taken by the folks who do nothing to protect themselves from this
dollar crisis.

Larry: How much would you say Jack's manual is worth?

Tom: Recently, a currency course, which doesn't even cover the new
currency ETFs, sold for $1,977, and thousands of investors bought it.
But we give it to you free with your Charter Membership in World
Currency Alert.

Plus, the trading instructions in World Currency Alert are so simple,
even a sixth grader could use them. With each trade Jack recommends,
you get complete, easy-to-follow, plain-English instructions. He tells
you what to buy, when you should buy it, and how much to pay for it.

Jack even tells you the steps to take to make the trade online … or …
precisely what to say — word for word — to place the trade with your
broker on the telephone. And if you ever have a question, you can call
our HelpLine anytime.

Larry: So you could just call your broker and read Jack's trading
instructions word for word?

Tom: Yes. Ditto for when it's time to take your profits. Jack rushes
you an e-mail telling you what to sell, how much your position is
worth, the expected results of the trade — and once again,
easy-to-follow instructions for executing the trade online or on the
phone with your broker.

Larry: And I could sign up today … use World Currency Alert for two
full months … and then if I'm not blown away by the profits I can say
goodbye, cancel, get for a full refund of every penny I paid for my
membership, right?

Martin: Of course.

Tom: I've always been intrigued by currencies, how dramatic the moves
can be, how huge the leverage is. But I have always been hesitant
because of the unlimited risk. Now, with these currency ETFs, I can do
it safely. I also know Jack, and I think he's the best when it comes
to currencies. I know of no one better.

Tom: Any other comments, gentlemen?

Larry: This is Larry again. I've been away from the office for a few
weeks, traveling in Asia. So a lot of what was said here today was
news to me. And I can't tell you how overjoyed I am to hear about
these currency ETFs.

I've traded the currency market inside and out, in the futures and in
the cash. And I was always amazed that there was no viable way for the
average investor to participate without taking huge risks. No one
brought together what has got to be the most liquid, most wildly
profitable market with the investor-friendly instruments like these
new currency ETFs.

I think about George Soros who traded the British pound years ago. He
made a billion dollars in a single day. I think about the banks that
have been making hundreds of billions of dollars in the currency
market. And now the currency market is open to average investors? And
with limited risk? That's just terrific.

Editor's Note: Normally, a one-year membership in World Currency Alert
is $595 per year. And that's a great value, considering the potential
to earn many times that amount just with the yield you get on these
instruments — not to mention the huge profit potential when the dollar
falls. But if you become a Charter Member now, you can join for 1 year
for just $295, and save $300 off regular membership rate. Your cost:
Only 81 cents a day.

Or, for an even better deal, join for two years for just $495 and save
$695. That brings your cost all the way down to just 68 cents a day!

The number to call is 1-800-393-0189. Or, to order on our secure
website, click here for a 1-year membership and click here for a
two-year membership.

You must be delighted with the profits World Currency Alert earns you,
or cancel anytime in your first 60 days for a full refund of your
membership fee — or anytime thereafter for a refund on the remaining
portion of your membership.

Tom: Thank you, Larry. Thank you, Martin and team. And thank you, our
loyal reader and subscriber, for participating in this conference.
Just remember, you don't have much time to take action — to protect
yourself from this crisis and to go for amazing profits. So take full
advantage of the knowledge you've gained here today.

Good luck and have a great day!

Jornalista reclama de bancos-É trocada p/ petista

Jornalista reclama de bancos-É trocada p/ petista
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc3X3ICNCxE

A jornalista Salete Lemos na Tv Cultura desabafou contra os bancos e
seus lucros recordes e contra o governo por causa do fim do prazo para
os brasileiros recorrerem à justiça para reaver créditos perdidos com
os Planos Bresser e Verão.

O resultado: A jornalista Salete Lemos está fora da Cultura.
Oficialmente, ela goza férias até o final do mês, mas não volta à
emissora depois do dia 31. Foi substituída por Heródoto Barbeiro no
`Jornal da Cultura' das 22h.

E o Heródoto Barbeiro é filiado ao PT:
http://carreiras.empregos.com.br/carreira/comunique_se/chat/herodoto.shtm

IMPRENSA &#65533; Como foi a sua sa&#65533;da da Record?

Salete - Foi a coisa mais punk que eu vi na minha vida. Cheguei dia 30
de dezembro na reda&#65533;&#65533;o e estava todo mundo chorando. Eu
disse: "Gente,
&#65533; final de ano. Por que essa choradeira?". A&#65533; uma das
produtoras pegou
o terminal (de computador), virou e estava l&#65533;: "Boris rescinde
com TV
Record". Como assim? A&#65533; me disseram: "Est&#65533;o te esperando
na sala de
reuni&#65533;o". Cheguei l&#65533; com aquele meu jeito e disse: "Que
porra &#65533; essa?"

IMPRENSA &#65533; Quem estava na sala?

Salete - D&#65533;cio (Nitrini), (Alexandre) Raposo, Douglas
(Tavolaro)...Nem
vi direito. Disseram: "Acabou". Depois, vendo o meu estado, me
chamaram para a sala do Casoy. Me mandaram subir para a diretoria. Eu
disse: "Se acabou com o Casoy, acabou para mim tamb&#65533;m.
N&#65533;o vou subir
para lugar nenhum."

Salete Lemos: "Eu não voltaria para a Record"
"Eu não voltaria para a Record"

IMPRENSA &#65533; Voc&#65533; acha que houve press&#65533;o do governo
pela demiss&#65533;o do Boris?

Salete - Claro que tinha press&#65533;o e era muito forte. O Boris era o
&#65533;nico que estava falando alguma coisa sobre o governo ali. Por que
voc&#65533;s acham que eles perderam o patroc&#65533;nio do Banco do
Brasil? Quem
patrocina todos os jornais da Record? N&#65533;o &#65533; Correios,
Petrobras, Banco
do Brasil? Quem tem grana? &#65533; complicado...

http://web.archive.org/web/20070310215505/http://portalimprensa.uol.com.br/new_ultimasnoticias_data_view.asp?code=3297

Rocky Balboa, outra crítica

http://thesituationist.wordpress.com/2007/02/20/dispositionist-situational-characters/

Promoting Dispositionism through Entertainment - Part I

Posted by Jon Hanson & Michael McCann on February 20th, 2007

This is the first of a series of posts exploring some of the ways the
entertainment industry reinforces dominant (dispsitionist) conceptions
of the human animal.

* * *

blue-background-small.jpgWikipedia defines the fundamental attribution
error as "the tendency for people to over-emphasize dispositional, or
personality-based, explanations for behaviors observed in others while
under-emphasizing situational explanations." Since identifying it in
the late 1960s, social scientists have added significantly to their
understanding of the gap between why we behave as we do and why we
think we behave as we do. We think we make choices based on the
confluence of internal forces including our thinking, our preferring,
and our willing – add a dash of personality, a pinch of character, a
splash of the supernatural, and you have the key components for human
behavior.

Science indicates, quite to the contrary, that those components are
widely shared fictions. After thousands of studies and experiments,
what becomes clear is that that the fundamental attribution error
understates the vastness of that gap between perception and reality.
We humans (particularly of the American variety) are more or less
clueless regarding what is moving us. That is, the "situational"
forces are far more numerous and subtle than we ever imagined.
Similarly, the dispositionist reasons we offer or conjure up generally
reflect our attempts to spin or make sense of our actions. We give
reasons in an effort to make "reasonable" what often isn't. We are, to
use the jargon, situational characters caught in a dispositionist
mindset and culture.

Where does this gorge between who we are and who we imagine ourselves
to be come from? That dispositionist person schema has countless
sources – including its own self-fulfilling effects on perception and
construal. But one of the key tributaries from which the
dispositionist river of individualism, personality, character, and
choice are fed is the entertainment industry.rocky-balboa1.jpg

The December and January holiday box office is illustrative, with two
of the more popular films, Rocky Balboa ($60 million gross) and The
Pursuit of Happyness ($124 million gross–10th highest among films
released in 2006), furnishing classic dispositional themes. Indeed, as
the Rocky Balboa website promo announces: "The Greatest Underdog Story
of Our Time . . . Is Back for One Final Round." Now in his 50s, Rocky
overcomes age, and the doubts and advice of everyone he knows,
respects, and loves to take on (and, in effect, beat) the far younger,
faster, stronger heavyweight champion of the world. And how, you might
ask, does he manage this impossible feat? The answer is simple: an
unwillingness to be moved by situation or, put differently, a
tenacious will and unflinching disposition. In a speech to his son,
Rocky himself explains his success (and, by implication, the success
and failure others) with these spirit-rousing words:

The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very rough, mean
place . . . and no matter how tough you think you are, it'll always
bring you to your knees and keep you there, permanently . . . if you
let it. You or nobody ain't never gonna hit as hard as life. But it
ain't about how hard you hit . . . it's about how hard you can get
hit, and keep moving forward . . . how much you can take, and keep
moving forward. If you know what you're worth, go out and get what
you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit.

We have an unlimited appetite that inspirational, dispositionist
message, and the entertainment industry doesn't tire of serving it up.
The Fox News reviewer calls that speech "The most poignant and
ultimately important scene in this humble film." "That speech alone is
worth the admission to `Rocky Balboa' and makes the conclusion to the
30-year journey that Stallone let us share in worth the wait." That's
saying something, particularly when you remember some of the earlier
movies in the series.

Not feeling sufficiently inspired? Take a stroll to screen number 7.
There you will find Chris Gardner, in The Pursuit of Happyness,
dishing out a heaping helping of the same message. Looking over the
cityscape with his four(ish)-year-old son, he admonishes:

You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do something
themselves, they wanna tell you that you can't do it.You want
something? Go get it. Period.

Nothing new here. Rocky powers through the steaming streets of
Philadelphia while Gardner sprints the hilly boulevards of San
Francisco. Balboa is figuratively hit by a truck (heavyweight champion
Mason Dixon) in the ring, and gets up to keep fighting round after
round. What drive! What a will! What a dixon-hits-balboa.jpgstrong
jaw! Gardner is literally knocked out of his shoes by a car. Still,
for the sake of his dream – becoming a stockbroker – he jumps up and
runs shoeless (but otherwise apparently fine) back to the "highly
competitive" internship program at Dean Witter, as if nothing
happened. What commitment! What character! What strong socks!

Both characters earn their success with more than simply pit-bull
determination. They use their heads and exploit special training
techniques to outsmart their less driven, less hungry competitors.
Rocky's coach, "Duke," sums it up this way:

Duke: To beat this guy, you need speed. You don't have any. Your
knees are weak so no hard running. You've got neck arthritis and
calcium deposits in most of your joints, so sparring is out.

. . .

Duke: So what we'll be callin' on, is good old-fashioned blunt
force trauma. Horse power. Heavy duty cast iron pile drivin' punches
that will have to hurt so much it'll rattle his ancestors. Everytime
you hit him with a shot, it's got to feel like he tried kissing the
express train.

Duke: [cracks his neck] Yeah! Let's start building some hurtin' bombs.

Cue the trumpets – "doo dotadoo dotadoo dotadoo dotadoo . . ." – and
roll the clips of bulging arms and barrel chest heaving beer kegs and
flinging Russian kettle bells. "Feeling strong now . . ."

Gardner is no less resourceful, though perhaps a little less
inspiring. To maximize his success as a glorified, cold-calling phone
solicitor, hepursuit-of-happyness2.jpg discovers he can save eight
minutes per day by not hanging up the phone (vintage, 1970s) on the
receiver – while his less motivated cohorts piss away seconds per call
by lazily placing the handset onto the phone stirrups and then lifting
the handset again. How does he pull this ingenious trick off? Gardner
calls on his index finger to press the disconnect button while the
handset stays firmly ensconced between shoulder and ear. Talk about
using your head.

From wash-up to Heavyweight Champion of the World to "has been" and
back. From broke and unpaid phone solicitor to multimillionaire
stockbroker. Rock bottom to American dream. Rags to riches! Please
tell me another.

Turns out, a "feel good" movie is one that assures us that we are who
we want to believe we are — in control of our destiny no matter our
situation. You want something? Go out and get what you're worth. Go
get it. Period.

* * *

The next post in this series will explore whether, if anything, the
message of those movies has anything to do with how we conceive of law
and policy.

*****See also Part II of this Series.*****

http://thesituationist.wordpress.com/2007/03/01/promoting-dispostionism-through-entertainment-part-ii/

Promoting Dispostionism through Entertainment - Part II

Posted by Jon Hanson & Michael McCann on March 1st, 2007

Gardner and Balboa 4

In Part I of this series, we described how Americans pursue happiness
by watching heroes like Rocky Balboa and Chris Gardner pursue theirs.
We spend $10 per ticket and $8 per popcorn bucket to watch
more-or-less fictional stories of the downtrodden rise up through
sheer force of will and good life choices. Feels very satisfying.

We have an insatiable appetite for such stories, in part because they
tell us what we want to hear: anyone in this country can go from the
bottom to the top. No Excuse BookThe Horatio Alger story continues to
sell and sell and sell, because, to paraphrase P.T. Barnum, there is a
dispositionist situational character born every minute.

But does this sort of entertainment influence how we perceive law and
policy? Absolutely.

The basic scripts for Rocky Balboa and Pursuit of Happyness—just like
those for Rudy, Radio, Racing Stripes, Race the Sun, Raise Your Voice,
and that's just the "r"s—are the also the foundational scripts
employed by most influential policymakers and legal theorists today.
Laws, we've been told, particularly since Ronald Reagan occupied the
Oval Office, should facilitate choice – placing the individual in
charge, making the consumer sovereign, and letting power and
responsibility fall to the person, while minimizing the role of the
collectivist, paternalistic, and intermeddling "regulator" or "social
program." When the state and its laws simply facilitate individual
choice, we can be confident that those among us who are holding the
long straw drew well, while those stuck with the short straw chose badly.

So how does dispositionism explain inequality, poverty, and the
disappearing middle class? Easy: the less equal lack the will, the
commitment, the character, the drive, and the heart, of a champion.
The more equal pursue their happiness with the eye of the tiger. What
about credit problems that seem increasingly to plague so many
Americans? No problem: people lack the financial discipline to spend
wisely. If they would stop wasting their paycheck on plasma
televisions and $150 sneaker, maybe they'd have enough to pay their
rent. Okay, but whatTime Magazine Cover The War on Welfare Mothers
about the increasing national girth and the ill-health effects
associated with the obesity epidemic. Again, the answer can be found
in "choice" — specifically the good choices of the thin (but not too
thin) and the bad choices of the couch potatoes, video game players,
and everyone else too lazy to choose healthy.

Take any inequity or social problem, ask a dispostionist to explain
its existence, and you will almost certainly receive a
straightforward, pleasantly simplistic, choice-based explanation that
attributes most of the blame to the disadvantaged individual — or his
parents. And it is this perception of the person that has propelled
much of the late twentieth century's policy scripts of more markets
and less regulation, more freedom and lower taxes, more individualism
and less collectivism and state.

This person-schema/law-schema connection is explicit in both Rocky and
The Pursuit of Happyness. Consider that Rocky Balboa's biggest single
obstacle isn't his age, or his willingness to train, or even the
sincere doubts of his loved ones. No, it's those pesky government
bureaucrats who, at least initially, deny him his license to fight and
thus his "right" to pursue his idiosyncratic version of personal
happiness. In a verbal counterpunch that draws as many cheers from
theater-goers as the actual (fake) fighting does, Rocky delivers these
policy-oriented "hurtin' bombs":

Rocky Balboa: Yo, don't I got some rights?
Boxing Commissioner: What rights do you think you're referring to?
Rocky Balboa: Rights, like in that official piece of paper they
wrote down the street there?
Boxing Commissioner: That's the Bill of Rights.
Rocky Balboa: Yeah, yeah. Bill of Rights. Don't it say something
about going after what makes you happy?
Boxing Commissioner: No, that's the pursuit of happiness. But
what's your point?
Rocky Balboa: My point is I'm pursuing something and nobody looks
too happy about it.
Boxing Commissioner: But . . . we're just looking out for your
interests.
Rocky Balboa: I appreciate that, but maybe you're looking out for
your interests just a little bit more. . . . I mean maybe you're doing
your job but why you gotta stop me from doing mine? Cause if you're
willing to go through all the battling you got to go through to get
where you want to get, who's got the right to stop you? I mean maybe
some of you guys got something you never finished, something you
really want to do, something you never said to someone, something . .
. and you're told no, even after you paid your dues? Who's got the
right to tell you that, who? Nobody! It's your right to listen to your
gut, it ain't nobody's right to say no after you earned the right to
be where you want to be and do what you want to do! . . . You know,
the older I get the more things I gotta leave behind, that's life. The
only thing I'm asking you guys to leave on the table . . . is what's
right.

Booya!

Chris Gardner is even more pro-individual and anti-state.
Unsurprisingly, given the movie's title, Gardner weaves the
dispostionist language of the Declaration of Independence throughout
his autobiographical voice-overs. At one point he declares:

It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson,
the declaration of independence, and our right to life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness, and I remember thinking; how did he know to
put the pursuit part in there. That maybe happiness is something we
can only pursue, and maybe actually we can never have it, no matter
what. How did he know that?

And what is Gardner's biggest challenge in his personal, private
pursuit? Is it when his wife, the mother of his young son, leaves him?
Nope. Is it when he has no place to sleep and spends the night on the
floor of the subway men's room with his son's head on his lap and his
meager possessions around them? Try again. Is it when he shows up to a
job interview with Dean Witter disheveled and dirty, after spending a
night in jail? Uh uh. When he is hit by a car? Not even close—just the
opposite, actually, we watch him intrepidly bounce right back up in
the middle of traffic telling the despondent car driver who hit him to
not worry.

No, Chris Gardner's announces that his lowest point is when the I.R.S.
seizes $600 of "my money!" from "my bank account" for taxes long
unpaid. "How can they do that?," he asks.

The answer to that rhetorical question can be found in the movie's
core value: don't begrudge the wealthy for their wealth, accept that
it is earned and deserved, and go pursue it for yourself at full
speed; when you face obstacles, as everyone must, don't make excuses
and don't ask the government to bail you out. In that vein, the film's
stark contrasts between extravagance and squalor, between smiling and
squabbling, between "me being stupid" and "happyness" are not intended
to raise questions about whether there is something wrong in the
system. It is intended to assure us that the system is fine. The
question is whether the individual wants something bad enough. Period.

The Federal Mafia BookNot convinced? Just consider how the movie's
"keep yo hands out my pockets" anti-taxation sensibility is never
reconciled with the clear absence of shelters for the homeless (at
least two of whom are portrayed as mighty blameless), with the public
transportation system, deficient as it may be, on which Gardner and
son so heavily rely for both transport and shelter, and with the
absence of social welfare programs that might have saved a marriage
and subsidized the budget-busting childcare.

No, The Pursuit of Happyness is about recognizing that the rich and
the poor are equally deserving of their condition. That's true even
though Gardner doesn't mind stealing a $20 fare from a desperate taxi
driver but knows never ever to ask for a single penny from the wealthy
businessman who actually accrued the fare. Similarly, Gardner empties
his wallet to loan the senior partner in the Dean Witter office,
Martin Frohm, $5. The wealth-dripping boss has no trouble asking for
money, but Gardner understands that he must be silent about the fact
that the loan will break him. Meanwhile, Gardner is repeatedly singled
out by his immediate supervisor to fetch coffee and doughnuts, park
his car, and tend to those menial tasks suitable for the the only
black intern in the program. Again, Gardner understands the implicit
rules of success: don't complain, don't even flinch, in fact, don't
even notice; just work that much harder. Getting the job means getting
along. Getting along means going along.

"You want something? Go get it. Period."

* * *

The next post in this series looks at a few of the situationist
lessons of Rocky and The Pursuit of Happyness.

*****See also Part I of this Series.*****

http://thesituationist.wordpress.com/2007/04/20/promoting-dispostionism-through-entertainment-part-iii/

Promoting Dispostionism through Entertainment - Part III

Posted by Jon Hanson & Michael McCann on April 20th, 2007

rocky.jpgIn Part I of this series, we described how Americans pursue
happiness by watching heroes like Rocky Balboa and Chris Gardner
pursue theirs. In Part II, we examined why the basic scripts for films
like Rocky Balboa and Pursuit of Happyness–placing the individual in
charge, making him sovereign, and letting power and responsibility
fall to that person, while minimizing the role of the paternalistic
and intermeddling "regulator" or "social program"–are the same
foundational scripts employed by most influential policymakers and
legal theorists today.

While these scripts are compelling, intuitive, and often affirming,
social science indicates that they are upside-down. These scripts miss
the power of the situation and how our schemas are primed to find (or
imagine) causation and disposition in others' behaviors and attitudes.

But there is no need to exhaustively review the social psychological
evidence to make this point. All we have to do is go back to those
same two films to see how, even by each movie's own account, the
bigger part of the story is about luck and situational forces that
have little to do with the main character's choices!

Remember back to the original Rocky — before it was known as Rocky I.
Recall the setup. Rocky's boxing career was done, finished, never
having even reached the level of a has-been. Rock had hit bottom and
found himself firmly anchored to a "never was" and more clearly,
"never will be" status. Although Rocky may have shown flashes of
talent as a boxer in previous years, and although he had a strong jaw
and a never-broken nose when the story begins, he was also a
second-rate club fighter who had just been thrown out of his locker,
and his future seemed more intertwined with breaking legs for a
small-time loan shark than with bustin' face for the world title.

philly-market2.jpg Rocky was without assets, without family, without
reliable friends, and without his youth. His best friend was a
manipulative and self-serving alcoholic. Completely by fluke – owing
nothing whatsoever to Rocky's will, choices, preferences, or
character, Apollo Creed, the world champion, arrives in Philadelphia
to take on a challenger, who, at the last moment backs out because of
an injury. It was to be a bicentennial bout, and canceling it was
going to cost a lot of dough. Creed wanted a substitute – some local
guy who the city might get behind but who posed no real threat. He
thumbed through a book looking at names of local boxers and picked
Rocky for one reason — a reason that had nothing to do with our hero's
talent, drive, intelligence, or merit. Creed selected Rocky simply
because of his nickname, the "Italian Stallion." The opportunity is as
much the product of Rocky's hard work as a lottery winner's take can
be attributed to good choices — more or less random luck.

Rocky MeatBut Rocky's good fortune didn't end there. When the
opportunity arose, Rocky's other options were bleak. At that moment,
he had one foot into a dead-end life of low-level organized crime and
thuggery. Had his alternative career options been more promising, the
tiger's eye may have remained dormant.

Pauly, who as friends go, left much be desired. But he happened to
work at the slaughterhouse where Rock could spar against a warehouse
full of bovine carcases. Rocky was also blessed to have an experienced
trainer and manager, Mickey, who had immense knowledge of the sport
and — owing to his age and his own star-crossed fighting career —
something to prove. Mickey's lessons were integral in Rocky's battle
with Creed.

Other sources of luck were Rocky's idiosyncratic physical endowments.
As five movies would demonstrate, Rocky had an unbreakable jaw.
Rocky's lackluster boxing skills rocky-apollo.jpgmeant that more
punches landed, but his steel jaw absorbed blows that would have
flattened most fighters. Similarly Rock was a south-paw, a factor that
even Creed's trainer worried about and that Mickey exploited.
Fighters, if the movie is to be believed, expect power from the right
side, and are taken by surprise when hammered from the southside. It
was also plain luck that this aging pugilist didn't pull a groin
running steps, or break a finger glovelessly pounding cow cadavers ,
or otherwise injure himself from that unorthodox, treacherous, and
full-on training regimen.

Rocky was also extremely lucky that his opponent, Creed, was himself
situationally constrained — preoccupied as he was with the business
side of the faux fight and unconcerned with the challenge Rocky posed.
It's a truism that being underestimated by one's opponent is an
enormous advantage.

Rocky and Adrian

Most important, at the very moment of Creed's serendipitous selection,
Rocky's wooing of Adrian was just paying off. The growing mutual
admiration between those two quirky and lonesome souls gave Rocky
someone to impress, someone to show that he was more than he seemed.
And as their love developed, Adrian provided Rocky confidence,
inspiration, and someone who would be there for him win or lose.

In short, Rocky had all upside and no downside. Rocky's situation
created his disposition, not the other way around.

* * *

In our next post in this series, we will discuss the situational
sources of Chris Gardner's success.

*****See also Part I and Part II of this Series.*****