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KDE 4.1 Included in FreeBSD Ports Tree
KDE 4 is now also available for FreeBSD starting with the marvelous KDE 4.1. The original commit from the FreeBSD/KDE team says 'The KDE FreeBSD team is proud to announce the release of KDE 4.1.0 for FreeBSD'. KDE 4 will be installed into a custom prefix ${LOCALBASE}/kde4 so KDE 4 and KDE 3 can co-exist. For sound to work, it is necessary to have dbus and hal enabled
KDE on all major platforms
It is very exciting seeing KDE reach all these different platforms.
I'm curious how well KDE 4 performs on BSD compared to Linux. Functionally, is there any difference in how they operate? How does the differing kernel affect things like Solid and Phonon?
By T. J. Brumfield at Fri, 2008/08/15 - 5:00am
Re: KDE on all major platforms
Hi, KDE 3 and before also run on FreeBSD. It performs very well. As BSD also uses the same X-windows (x.org) and the filesystems and networking is very much the same (from an application point of view). Solid and phonon are ported, but I can't tell you how hard it was to make that working.
By Ronald Klop at Fri, 2008/08/15 - 5:00am
Re: KDE on all major platforms
There was quite a bit of work since January seeking out and stomping all the "Linuxisms". But it all seems to be working now. People are having some problems, but they seem to be mostly configuration and dependency issues, as well as the ubiquitous video driver weirdness.
Phonon works great. Xine tends to be flaky on both my Linux and FreeBSD systems, so I enable the gstreamer backend. FreeBSD already has good Hal support, so no problems with Solid.
p.s. Last week at LinuxWorld Expo in San Francisco, the only desktop I saw running KDE4 was at the FreeBSD booth (on a PC-BSD system).
By David Johnson at Fri, 2008/08/15 - 5:00am
Spreading indeed...
Well, KDE 4.1 is in slackware-current now.
By Richard Van Den Boom at Fri, 2008/08/15 - 5:00am
Re: Spreading indeed...
I tell you! I am just updating Debian Testing and it seems to bring in kdebase-runtime-bin-kde4, phonon, etc. and that is earth shattering.
It's not Debian "Experimental", it's Debian Testing even in as in "will be Stable" frozen form.
Render me surprised. :-)
By Debian User at Fri, 2008/08/15 - 5:00am
Re: Spreading indeed...
Holy monkey, that's unreal. Didn't they just include 3.0 (three point zero) some months ago? :)
By fhd at Fri, 2008/08/15 - 5:00am
Re: Spreading indeed...
The funny part is that gentoo won't have it in the near future. From a distro that has been prized to having all recent packages, its down to just another lame project that releases later than Debian. See https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=234773 for more details.
By anon at Fri, 2008/08/15 - 5:00am
Re: Spreading indeed...
Indeed, on gentoo for now one must use the kdesvn-portage overlay. And having to unmask some packages too, a bit messy.
By AC at Fri, 2008/08/15 - 5:00am
Re: Spreading indeed...
Gentoo... oh the sorrow...
From bleeding edge to bleeding dredge...
My Heart mourns this sad, sad time...
By Avram at Fri, 2008/08/22 - 5:00am
Re: Spreading indeed...
Offering KDE4 will be universal, making it the default is another story. A few distros made it the default (and Arch even removed KDE3), but I don't think most folks will be able to abandon KDE3 until 4.2. KDE3 also works on any video card.
By David Johnson at Fri, 2008/08/15 - 5:00am
Re: Spreading indeed...
Fedora removed KDE 3 almost 3 months before Arch did.
Archlinux has completely moved to KDE 4.1 the day it was released. You can't even officially find KDE 3.x packages anymore...
By Pieter at Fri, 2008/08/15 - 5:00am
Re: Archlinux
What about the KDEMod repositories?
By T. J. Brumfield at Fri, 2008/08/15 - 5:00am
Re: Archlinux
Those aren't official repositories, and you can't directly upgrade to KDEMod from KDE. You have to remove one and then install the other. Or you can edit some configuration files to bypass KDE during updates.
This whole episode was just a wee bit too radical and unstable for my tastes. I may have blinked, but I swear that KDE3 was pulled before the official 4.1 announcement even hit their smtp server.
By David Johnson at Sat, 2008/08/16 - 5:00am
Re: Archlinux
This gets me how everyone insisted that KDE 3 would still very much be around and be supported for years to come, and yet Fedora already yanked it, Arch yanked it, and I'm hearing that both openSUSE and Kubuntu intend to yank it with their next releases.
Is it so terrible to provide packages for both for a while?
By T. J. Brumfield at Sat, 2008/08/16 - 5:00am
Re: Archlinux
Yes, it's terrible. As we say on: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/SIGs/KDE/KDE4FAQ
"True, while theoretically possible to do, it involves what we consider pervasive hacks including (at least) violating the FHS and/or installing into separate prefixes/roots, and additional hacks to make both KDE3/KDE4 environments not stomp on each other. None of these things we would willingly want to even try to fix and support, nor to inflict upon our userbase.
One of those "additional hacks" is the use of separate .kde and .kde4 configuration directories, which breaks upgrade paths in horrible ways: there are 2 "solutions":
As for attempting to support KDE 3 and 4 in parallel with just one .kde config directory, that sounds unsupportable to me, to the point where none of the distros offering both in parallel decided to use that setup (at least none of the big ones). KDE doesn't support application downgrades, so using old and new versions of the same application in parallel can cause problems with config files.
* move to .kde4 and stay with it forever - you stay forever with a non-default configuration directory and you break the upgrade path once for everyone.
Some people want both installed at once side-by-side. They obviously will need to configure these desktops independent of each other. .kde and .kde4 being separate is almost a necessity.
You suggest that you need .kde as an upgrade path, yet KDE 3 and KDE 4 are so different, that upgrading your existing settings just doesn't make sense. Conversely, I would take the following approach.
I would work on scripts that move existing .kde settings into .kde4 where those settings are compatible and make sense to do so. However, not all settings can move over, and the format for some settings may have changed.
* use .kde4 until KDE 3 is dropped, then move back to .kde - that way you punish your early adopters who decided to move to KDE 4 as soon as possible by breaking their configuration not once, but _twice_! That's not an option for a distribution like Fedora which is primarily targeted towards early adopters.
This just doesn't even make sense remotely. First off, their settings aren't broken either time. As with above, either they get a fresh .kde4 directory with distro defaults, or you have a tool to migrate some of the .kde settings. This isn't breaking their configuration at all.
Then if you migrate back to .kde (which is really unnecessary and stops people largely from running KDE 3 and 4 side-by-side if they ever want to) you can do so with a symlink. You're not ignoring or erasing the .kde4 directory.
Regardless, all of this is circular logic. You're saying you can't have KDE 3 and KDE 4 together, because eventually you want to drop one, and force people into old folder for settings. Why force people into one folder for settings? The only reason that makes sense is if you want to remove the choice of running both side-by-side.
I like testing new things. I like trying to run bleeding edge. I understand that Fedora is largely a testing grounds. You can test KDE 4 without abandoning KDE 3. I see no good reason to do so whatsoever. Several distros handle both side-by-side without a problem.
By T. J. Brumfield at Sat, 2008/08/16 - 5:00am
Re: .kde(4)
By testerus at Sat, 2008/08/16 - 5:00am
Re: .kde(4)
> I thought it was well recommended by most not to use .kde for upgrading to
We don't want to _ruin_ our existing .kde settings, we want to _keep_ them! Of course, some settings can't be migrated, like all the Kicker stuff, those will just get ignored and do no harm. But the vast majority of application settings are interpreted by the KDE 4 versions just fine, as are several global KDE settings (such as single-click vs. double-click activation in list views).
> Some people want both installed at once side-by-side. They obviously will
That's exactly what I'm saying! And thus the conclusion that installing both at once side-by-side is impractical, because having .kde and .kde4 is impractical.
> You suggest that you need .kde as an upgrade path, yet KDE 3 and KDE 4 are so
It perfectly makes sense. Most settings are retained just fine.
> Conversely, I would take the following approach.
That's an ugly hack, and it requires the user to manually run some script. It's also a one-way street, so the only way you can use that script without losing some configuration is to run it once to migrate .kde to .kde4 (when upgrading to KDE 4) and then never again. But in that case, why not just keep .kde?
KDE already has a tool for when the format of settings changes: kconf_update. But it works by fixing the settings in place, without an extra directory to migrate to. And luckily, it is needed only very rarely. Most settings just work in the newer version.
Another issue is that of running KDE 3 apps in a KDE 4 session. With a shared .kde, they'll inherit several KDE 4 settings, such as the single-click vs. double-click preference. If you use separate .kde and .kde4, you have to configure everything twice.
> This just doesn't even make sense remotely. First off, their settings aren't
Resetting all settings to the defaults is what I call "breaking their configuration". It means users lose all their customization, which is pretty much unacceptable. Having to manually run a migration tool like the KDE3TO4 hack is also broken, first of all it requires manual intervention, which is unacceptable for an end user, and in addition, you can only run it once without overwriting some settings you made in KDE 4.
> Then if you migrate back to .kde (which is really unnecessary and stops
I already explained why keeping a separate .kde4 forever sucks. (That was the first of the 2 "solutions" I discussed.)
> you can do so with a symlink. You're not ignoring or erasing the .kde4
If you have 2 separate .kde and .kde4 directories and you want to merge them into a single one, how do you suggest doing that without losing settings from either? They can contain conflicting settings! There's just no way this can be done automatically.
> Regardless, all of this is circular logic. You're saying you can't have KDE 3
Because it's the only way people can keep their existing settings without manual intervention, it's the only way settings made in KDE 4 can apply to KDE 3 apps where possible and it's the only way you can migrate applications to KDE 4 versions one at a time without running some hackish script for every single such app (hoping such a script will exist at all - KDE3TO4 doesn't even come close to supporting all apps you may want to migrate settings for). And migrating applications gradually is how things work in Fedora: for example, Fedora 9 has kdepim 3.5, Fedora 10 will have kdepim 4.1; KDevelop is still KDE 3 in Fedora 10 and will probably be a KDE 4 version in Fedora 11; and so on. There is no one point in time where we can "migrate settings" from .kde to .kde4 and be done with it.
> The only reason that makes sense is if you want to remove the choice of
No, it makes sense because it makes life a lot easier for the user who _doesn't_ want to run both side-by-side. And that's really the common case. You need to be a KDE geek with no real work to do to want to switch between KDE 3 and 4 all the time. ;-)
The average user wants to:
> I like testing new things. I like trying to run bleeding edge. I understand
I have given several good reasons, you've just ignored them.
Re: .kde(4)
PS: Oh and the difference between kconf_update and hacks like KDE3TO4 is that kconf_update is _automatically_ handled when an application reads its settings. And that's because it's the way configuration updates are intended to be handled in KDE, whereas KDE3TO4 is just a hack.
(And the reason I'm mentioning KDE3TO4 which you haven't mentioned in your post is that, as its author remarked, it's exactly an implementation of the approach you were suggesting.)
Re: .kde(4)
Additionally, setups which have KDEHOME set to a specific location will end up with the same directory for both versions, so neither applications nor any migration tool can assume that .kde for KDE3 and KDE4 are always different
By Kevin Krammer at Sun, 2008/08/17 - 5:00am
Re: .kde(4)
Right, that's why my original parallel-installability patches (which we only used in early prerelease packages which weren't considered usable for Rawhide) also patched things to have a separate KDE4HOME environment setting. AFAICT, none of the distros using the .kde4 setup picked that up, probably because it is a PITA to maintain. (I had to rerun KFileReplace and re-undo all the false positives in that patch at every single release. I was glad to be able to finally drop it in early pre-4.0 times.) I think they're also missing several places in the code where .kde is hardcoded. (I found a lot of those when I made my patches, and those were the biggest PITA for false positives from KFileReplace because ".kde" also appears in strings like "www.kde.org".)
By Kevin Kofler at Sun, 2008/08/17 - 5:00am


text: Background Images Archive Best Free Images For Designers Cocktail #1 Author: Editorial Team | Mar112015 Categories: Freebies, Graphic Design, Wallpapers No comments In this series article we share best free images for designers. We will update this article daily or weakly with some best free high quality images. High quality images are used in designs as backgrounds. Yo can also use the images as your desktop backgrounds. Every collection will consist Continue Reading

subset: commoncrawl


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Nalco has announced that it will be merging with Ecolab, a provider of cleaning, sanitising, food safety and infection prevention products and services.
The agreement has been unanimously ratified by the boards of both companies and will allow the firms to combine their expertise to achieve improved future growth performance, while expanding their capabilities.
Both organisations have identified the other's business model as being complementary, with the total value of the merger transaction having been placed at $8.1 billion (five billion pounds).
J Erik Fyrwald, Nalco's chairman, president and chief executive officer, said: "We are pleased to be partnering with Ecolab, a company we have long admired, and look forward to working together to realise substantial benefits for our shareholders, customers and employees."
This comes in the same week that Nalco reported record preliminary sales figures for the second quarter of $1.2 billion.
It also highlighted its progress last month in amending its pricing policy to account for the rising cost of raw materials.


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Lavender is a beautiful plant of the color blue with a delightful fragrance. The linen closets of grandmothers on Hvar had the distinct scent of this flower and when denim sheets were laid out everyone felt like they were in a fragrance heaven.
It is interesting to note that lavender, although native to the Mediterranean region, first reached Hvar in the 1920s. The first lavender shrub was planted in 1928 – it was a shrub of Lavendin, a hybrid of lavender called Budrovka (Lavandula Hybrida Reverchon II). In 1947, it was planted on about 30 hectares of rocky terrain and produced about 500 kilos of oil. In the 1960s, its cultivation was increasing intensively and about 600 hectares were covered with shrubs that produced 20 tons of oil. The golden era of the lavender of Hvar lasted for about twenty years.
With the development of tourism and olive-growing people began losing interest in growing lavender. Furthermore, three large-scale fires destroyed most of the lavender fields, leaving only 80 hectares of rocky terrain covered with lavender today, with an annual production of between 3 and 5 tons of oil.
The lavendin from the island of Hvar is rich in essential oil which is easily recognized. The oil is a good pain-reliever, eases sciatica, gout, rheumatic and muscle pain. It is one of those rare oils that can be applied directly onto the skin and that helps replenish it. The oil is used as an antiseptic, a bactericide and a disinfectant. It helps people with pulmonary diseases and allergies, but also wards off moths and mosquitoes. Hence, when in Jelsa, do not forget to buy some dried lavender bags for your closets and bottles of this precious oil of the island of Hvar on street stands from autochthonous producers!


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California. Being the most populous state, and third largest in land area, I figured that it is important enough to earn it's own map. Also before anyone says "there are to many America maps already" I'll point out that the only map of an American state on this site is Texas wars.
All cities start with 2 neutral.
It's a standard play map with 2 insets for the San Fransisco bay, and Los Angeles. There are also city territories that can be collected for additional bonus points. 52 territories.


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Williams College to pay $86,000 settlement for withholding tips
WILLIAMSTOWN -- Dozens of servers, waitstaff and bartenders at Williams College will be reimbursed for tips that they claimed were withheld by the college from December 2009 through October 2012.
Under a settlement that was approved on Jan. 29 by Berkshire Superior Court Judge Daniel Ford, the college will pay $86,000 into a fund for distribution to the 58 current and former employees of the Williams College Catering and Dining Services departments.
Individual awards, which have been mailed, range from $40 to $6,000, depending on how many hours an employee worked.
The employees, who worked on functions or events where a mandatory service charge was collected by Williams College, filed a class-action lawsuit seeking recovery of gratuities required by state law to be paid to workers but withheld by the college.
The original complaint was filed in December 2012, said the attorney for the employees, Paul Holtzman of the Krokidas & Bluestein firm in Boston. The lead plaintiff was Bruce Pierce of North Adams, employed as a waitstaff member during the summer of 2011.
According to the amended complaint filed on Sept. 10, 2013, the employees contended that Williams College "has engaged in a longstanding pattern of wrongfully depriving servers, bartenders and other waitstaff employees of service charges, gratuities, tips or service fees."
The complaint outlined the college's employment of dozens of staffers paid hourly to provide food, beverages and other catering services at off-campus or non-college events.
A 15 percent service charge was collected from patrons, who were told that the money would be given as a gratuity to the employees, the court document stated.
The complaint alleged that the college failed to pay the gratuities to the employees and "instead has a policy and practice of unlawfully retaining the service charges." The result was to deprive the employees of wages to which they're entitled, the complaint noted.
"The defendant's longstanding violations were undertaken with reckless disregard or indifference as to the lawfulness of its conduct and/or the rights of its employees," the complaint contended. It also noted that the plaintiffs had filed a nonpayment of wage complaint with Attorney General Martha Coakley's office.
Under the terms of the settlement, Williams College "denies any liability or wrongdoing of any kind and asserts that its pay practices complied with legal requirements." The college also maintained that it paid all legally required gratuities to the employees.
A college spokesman told The Eagle there would be no further comment.
In a statement on Thursday, attorney Holtzman commended the college for "reaching a prompt and fair resolution to ensure that the catering staff received the service charges they worked so hard for."
He said that his firm also has seen issues with tips and service charges at "catering companies, resorts, country clubs and hotels."
The out-of-court settlement with the college was the fifth Berkshire County case involving non-payment of tips since 2008.
After both sides agreed to pursue a settlement, hundreds of pages of documents produced by the college were reviewed during "arms-length, comprehensive negotiations."
According to the agreement, the law firm representing the employees was paid $21,500, or one-fourth of the total settlement. The workers may be required to pay income taxes on the checks they receive.
If they have questions, current or former employees involved in the class-action suit may call attorney Paul Holtzman at (617) 482-7211.
To contact Clarence Fanto:
or (413) 637-2551.
On Twitter: @BE_cfanto
Previous settlements ...
Here is a list of recent settlements in the Berkshire hospitality industry involving court cases filed by employees alleging non-payment of tips by their employers.
Canyon Ranch, Lenox: $14.75 million, February 2008.
Cranwell Resort, Lenox: $7 million, November 2011.
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Pittsfield: $1.3 million, February 2012.
Orchards Hotel, Williamstown: $240,000, July 2010.
Williams College, Williamstown: $86,000, January 2014.
A portion of the totals listed represent legal fees paid to the Krokidas and Bluestein law firm in Boston, which represented the employees covered by the class-action suits.
Source: Eagle archives
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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Oyster Happy Hour at Local's Corner, San Francisco
I'd happily spend most afternoons anywhere where the oysters are temporarily discounted and there's something good to drink, and I'm determined to find the best oyster happy hour in San Francisco. At Local's Corner on Bryant and 23rd Street, select oysters are 2-for-1 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and I went to check it out. The oysters (we chose Miyagis, though the Drake's Bay bivalves were also discounted) were meaty and fresh, cleanly shucked and full of their salty liquor, offered with a mesh-covered lemon (to prevent seeds from falling.) They have Kumamotos, too, but sadly they're not part of the discount deal.
You won't find Champagne or Muscadet to go with your oysters at Local's Corner; the beverage list is strictly Californian, highlighting locals like Broc Cellars and Arnot-Roberts. Consider the Calder Wine Co. riesling from Napa, or go funky with the Salinia 25 Reasons sparkling Sauvignon Blanc. (Corkage is available for $20, and our waitress said they'd waive it if we bought a bottle, too.)
They recently launched an extended raw bar, mostly served in single-portion tasting spoons. Two halves of a lightly pickled quail egg make a lush, flavorful platform for caviar ($8). A peppery serving of salmon tartare ($5) is topped with crispy salmon skin and a pickled cherry. It had a nice balance of richness and acid.
The best of the spoons, though, was the uni ($5), perfectly fresh and completely lacking the musk of lesser versions, topped with tangy lime pickle and a delicate slice of jalapeno for a pop of heat. Two people could each have a bite of mussel salad ($5), served in each half of a mussel shell, and it's tasty, savory stuff, served with sliced purple potato, little pops of seaweed. But it's easy to devour a wallet's-worth of tiny seafood bites without feeling satisfied here: you could quickly spend $28 on five bites of food, and that felt a little steep, deliciousness aside.
The larger seafood plates felt like better value. The squid salad ($14) featured sparkling-fresh rings and tentacles, cooked until just tender and dressed with a nicely acidic vinaigrette. (Some of our group found the noyaux aioli, made with an oil infused with apricot kernels, a little too reminiscent of almond extract, but others didn't mind it.)
Our favorite dish was the Dungeness crab salad ($14), a mound of remarkably sweet shredded crab served with just-tender beets, plump blackberries, and creamy avocado.
Where's your go-to seafood spot in San Francisco? Do you have a favorite Bay Area oyster happy hour?
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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2015 Tour de Pier Jersey - SALE!
Originally $75
Our 2015 StageOne Custom Sportswear Tech Classic Short Sleeve Jersey made of highly breathable Italian matrix technical fabric which naturally wicks moisture away from the skin. Features include 3 vertical drop rear cargo pockets, hidden seams for added durability, elasticized waist and rear silicone gripper and YKK Camlock full-length front zipper with StageOne Zipper Garage.


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The commentary track for The Last of the Time Lords featuring David Tennant, Freema Agyeman, and John Barrowman, is currently available for download from BBC America. The track was available on the Region 2 release of the Series Three DVD set, but was left off of the Region 1 release due to rights issues. There is also a feature on the site that will allow fans to run the commentary in sync to the episode as it airs on April 19th.
Last of the Time Lords Commentary
4/13/2008 07:34:00 pm - Reported by Jarrod Cooper
Filters: Online, Series 3/29, USA


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Rockstar Games put out 3 new trailers today for long-awaited sequel, Grand Theft Auto V. The game, coming September 17th for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, will feature 3 protagonists with intersecting plotlines. Michael, Franklin, and Trevor each got their own trailer today, fleshing out their characters and the narrative of the game. Rockstar's titles have become increasingly polished and cinematic over the years, and GTA V looks like it will push the envelope even further. The voice acting and characterization is Hollywood grade and the licensed music, a GTA hallmark, really adds to the film trailer quality of the clips. Check them out below:
Michael is a wealthy, middle-aged former bank robber with a family. Franklin works for a business that repossesses cars and is mixed up in shadier business on the side. Trevor comes off as a wild card, and someone without any self control or social graces.
Grand Theft Auto 5 takes place in Los Santos, the version of Los Angeles from 2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. According to Rockstar, it will be bigger than the areas from the all the former games combined. You'll play all 3 protagonists as their intersecting narratives lead you through the missions of the games.
GTA V was delayed from its Spring 2013 release and pushed back to September 17th, so these trailers will have to tide you over for now. They show the level of polish and storytelling that we've come to expect from Rockstar titles, but there's also a little something extra….
Blink and you'll miss it, but around 3:30 it appears that Trevor (of course it's Trevor) is hanging out with a Juggalo!
If you aren't familiar, Juggalos are the fans and followers of horror core rappers, Insane Clown Posse. They're known for their love of facepaint, Faygo soda and all things Psychopathic records. If you want any more background, this fascinating documentary (NSFW!!) shows them in the wild practicing their strange and confusing customs. You might want to hold off on the popcorn, though.
I have to admit, I'm a little bit obsessed with Juggalos. In recent years the Miracles video and all those strange Gathering of the Juggalos infomercials brought them back into a national consciousness that was happy to have forgotten them long ago. The inclusion of a Juggalo character in the latest GTA marks a major development in Juggalo culture. Juggalos have been down with the clown since day one, and it's finally paying off. I really hope this character is more than just a one off joke, and he has a role in the story. Rockstar's writers could do a lot with him!


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By Karin Calloway
Related Menus
Recipe Categories
Honey-Citrus Marinated Asparagus
Fresh, in-season asparagus is one of my favorite signs of spring. And, the season's best asparagus is, to me, much tastier than the asparagus available in the off season. This dish combines fresh asparagus with a sweet and tangy citrus marinade for a salad course or side dish that sings of the season. Orange juice and zest, champagne vinegar, honey and olive oil make a lovely combination, and the vinaigrette is delicious served with mixed greens, too. Rice wine vinegar can stand in for the champagne vinegar if you don't have time to stop by a gourmet shop.
Fresh, juicy navel oranges are approaching the end of their prime season, and they lend color and flavor to the salad. And, sliced red onion adds a real flavor spark here.
Combine orange zest and juice with vinegar, honey and olive oil in a large zip-top plastic bag. Squeeze bag to combine ingredients, taste and season with salt and pepper. Add asparagus, orange segments and red onion, seal bag tightly and refrigerate for several hours or over night. Place asparagus on a serving platter and drizzle with the marinade and arrange the orange segments and red onion on top.
Makes 12 servings.


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Marcum to start Saturday against Phillies
Anthony DiComo is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @AnthonyDicomo.
NEW YORK -- It's official: Shaun Marcum will make his long-awaited Mets debut Saturday against the Phillies at Citi Field, returning from a nearly month-long disabled list stay to start the season.
Marcum threw 52 pitches over five scoreless innings in an extended spring game Monday, and "came through great," according to manager Terry Collins. That made him the obvious candidate to pitch Saturday, when the Mets next need a fifth starter.
On the DL since Opening Day due to nerve inflammation in his neck, Marcum was already en route to New York on Tuesday afternoon. He signed a one-year contract worth $4 million plus incentives over the winter, after going 7-4 with a 3.70 ERA in 21 starts for the Brewers last season.
Read More: New York Mets, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Juan Lagares, Shaun Marcum


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Welcome to the Allspark League! This league will not have an individual champion, but rather will show which players can play at a high level consistently. Players who participate will be working to stay at the top of the scoreboard and not fall into danger of being dropped from the league, thereby being replaced by a new player. It is open to players of all ranks as long as they have premium membership.
There will be 48 players. In the future, I will expand the league to include more and more players until it grows to be no larger than 72 players at any one time. Player input will be very important for this league.
Games & Gameplay:
Game Format: All games will be sequential and include 6 players. Also, the card settings as well as fortifications will be determined by the choice of maps for any particular set of games. There will always be at least 1 batch of games with Escalating cards in each set of 3 batches released.
Game Load: Games will be joined in sets of 3. A new set of games will not be sent out until we are down to 5 or 6 active games from the previous set. I have decided that three games at once is not too bad, and I don't want anyone to be overloaded with new games all the time. This format for starting games will mean that sometimes new games will be ready after a week, and sometimes after several weeks. It will all depend on how quickly they finish and the maps and settings used in any particular set.
Maps: Not every map that CC has to offer will be used in the league to start. Below I have included a list of maps that I currently will be picking from at random to create games. All of them feature no gimmicks in gameplay, and that is the way I like it. Once the league is established I will start polls for the players to vote on as to which other maps with gameplay gimmicks should be included, and then they will be added to the list.
Available Maps:
Africa, Ancient Greece, Arctic, Asia, Australia, BeNeLux, Brazil, British Isles, Canada, Classic, Discworld, Eight Thoughts, Europe, France, Germany, Global Warming, Great Lakes, Hong Kong, Indochina, Ireland, Italy, King of the Mountains, Middle Earth, Mongol Empire, Montreal, North America, Philippines, Portugal, San Francisco, Siege, Tamriel, USA, WWII Eastern Front, Midkemdil, Iberia, Malta, South America, Caribbean Islands (other maps will be included in the future after receiving input from the players of the league).
8-Player Games: Once per Era there will be a single set of 8-player games. They will be played on maps deemed appropriate for 8-player settings by the Map Foundry. Only 1 of the 18 batches in an Era will be with 8-player games. The scoring for 8-player games will be slightly different, see below for the 8-player game scoring spread.
Bonus Games: Once per Era I will create a Fog of War, Assassin, and 7-player game. These games will be 6-player, Sequential, Flat Rate, Unlimited. I will announce these games at different times during the day via PM to all league players. The first ones in get the spots and everyone else will have to wait until the next bonus games. Winning one of these bonus games will earn you 5 points in the overall standings, but 0 points in the current Era standings. Players will not get any points for not being the winner in these games.
Opponent Burnout: In order to combat the problem with burnout associated with playing the same players over and over again I will be using the list randomizer from random.org to assign players to each game. I am hoping that this will prevent any problems with players having too many games against each other in a row. However, be advised that you will see the same players on a regular basis.
Scoring & Standings:
Standings: There will be a league standings that includes all players currently active in the league. All players will begin play with 40 points in the standings. The completion of each game will earn an addition or subtraction to your score as detailed below. If a player falls below 0 points at any time, they will have until the completion of that current set of games to climb above 0 points again. If they do not, they will be dropped from the league and replaced with a player from the Waiting List.
Game Scoring: All games will be scored as follows according to the place you finish:
Standard Batch Games (6-player)
1st: 7 points
2nd: 4 points
3rd: 2 points
4th: -1 point
5th: -2 points
6th: -4 points
8-Player Batch Games
1st: 10 points
2nd: 7 points
3rd: 5 points
4th: 3 points
5th: 1 point
6th: -1 point
7th: -3 points
8th: -4 points
Bonus Games: The winner of any bonus game will receive 5 points to their overall standings score. The points will not be applied to their Era score. Nobody but the winner will receive points.
Stalemates: In the event of a stalemate, Optimus Prime will determine the appropriate number of rounds that the game will continue for. Once that mark has been reached, the remaining points available will be divided equally among all non-eliminated players.
I will not apply your new points until after the game is fully completed so as to give as accurate a picture as possible. Applying points earned halfway through a game is just a pain in the rear anyways.
Era Champions
Era Length: Each Era will last for 18 "game batches." An Era will include 17 batches of 6-player games, 1 batch of 8-player games, and 3 bonus games announced randomly throughout the Era.
Era Standings: Every time a new Era begins there will be a separate set of standings for that Era in order to give all players and equal chance of becoming an "Era Champion" even if they are in the bottom portion of the overall standings. All players will start at 0 points in the Era standings and will move up and down with the scores from each of their games within that Era. Bonus game points do not count towards the Era Standings.
Era Names: Given that this league is themed upon the Transformers cartoon, the first few Eras will be named as follows: Autobot, Decepticon, Quintessicon, Dinobot, Cybertron, and Unicron. These names will suffice for a long time before we need new ones.
First Era-Autobot: In order to be fair to all participants the Autobot Era will begin with Game Batch 4 along with the first league expansion.
Waiting List:
How to Get On the Waiting List: Any player that signs up for the league after the original 36 players have been determined will automatically receive a place on the Waiting List. This list will be used to replace any players that fall below 0 points or that choose to leave the league under their own reasons. The player at the top of the list will be chosen first, and so on down the line.
Expanding the League: When I decide to expand the league I will use the players from the Waiting List first and if necessary have an open callout after that.
Waiting List Miscellaneous: Due to the fact that players will likely be on the Waiting List for a long time, I will contact them via PM before using them to replace players who have dropped out of the league. If a player does not respond to that PM within 48 hours I will move on to the next.
No-Shows: If a player does not show up for their assigned game or games they will receive the -4 penalty for a last place finish as well as an additional -5 penalty for not showing up. All players will be given a respectable amount of time to join games (no predetermined time limit will be set at this time). If a player does not show up the game will be remade to include the smaller number of players as needed.
Player Input: I will be sending out surveys from time to time to all of the players asking them to give their opinions on adding maps, game setting options, or adjustments to the league format and scoring. These surveys will only be every so often and should not be a hassle to perform. I really want to polish this league into a well-tuned machine and value the input of the players very highly.
Getting Kicked/Dropped from the League: There are two ways to be dropped/kicked from the Allspark League. The first is to fall below 0 points in the overall standings and not climb back above 0 points by the end of the current batch of games. The second way is to finish dead last in the current Era standings regardless of overall score.
Re-entering the League: Optimus Prime is working closely with some of his trusted friends/players to develop an idea for allowing re-entrance into the league after being dropped/kicked. This will be the subject of a future survey or poll.
- Code: Select all
Game Batch 7
1760885 kevin0023, denominator, BaldAdonis, rebelman, Kinnison, iamkoolerthanu
1760890 Gilligan, Forza AZ, odratsab, lord voldemort, Timminz, Rumondo
1760893 barterer2002, pogophiles, amazzony, Gozar, keiths31, Tieryn
1760895 Godd, negoeien, thekidstrumpet, Marshall Law, vykingsfan64, jennifermarie
1760899 DAZMCFC, JDill8, Serbia, cougfan82, rallison, japser_be
1760907 Evil Semp, Boss_oss_ss, CCmachine, trk1994, Coleman, beanyuk
1760911 spidey, tsioumiou, cena-rules, cazmart, yeti_c, Bad Speler
1760912 Aerial Attack, Night Strike, 0ojakeo0, Baas K, hschroed78, KidWhisky
- Code: Select all
Game Batch 8
1760924 kevin0023, Gilligan, barterer2002, Godd, DAZMCFC, Evil Semp
1760925 spidey, Aerial Attack, denominator, Forza AZ, pogophiles, negoeien
1760927 JDill8, Boss_oss_ss, tsioumiou, Night Strike, BaldAdonis, odratsab
1760928 amazzony, thekidstrumpet, Serbia, CCmachine, cena-rules, 0ojakeo0
1760931 rebelman, lord voldemort, Gozar, Marshall Law, cougfan82, trk1994
1760932 cazmart, Baas K, Kinnison, Timminz, keiths31, vykingsfan64
1760935 rallison, Coleman, yeti_c, hschroed78, iamkoolerthanu, Rumondo
1760937 Tieryn, jennifermarie, japser_be, beanyuk, Bad Speler, KidWhisky
- Code: Select all
Game Batch 9
1760939 kevin0023, spidey, JDill8, amazzony, rebelman, cazmart
1760940 rallison, Tieryn, Gilligan, Aerial Attack, Boss_oss_ss, thekidstrumpet
1760944 lord voldemort, Baas K, Coleman, jennifermarie, barterer2002, denominator
1760947 tsioumiou, Serbia, Gozar, Kinnison, yeti_c, japser_be
1760949 Godd, Forza AZ, Night Strike, CCmachine, Marshall Law, Timminz
1760952 hschroed78, beanyuk, DAZMCFC, pogophiles, BaldAdonis, cena-rules
1760953 cougfan82, keiths31, iamkoolerthanu, Bad Speler, Evil Semp, negoeien
1760955 odratsab, 0ojakeo0, trk1994, vykingsfan64, Rumondo, KidWhisky


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Off the Air With Jeremy: Getting Better All the Time?
All right, I've just got to vent about my recent experience with the doctor. I've only worked one day this week due to my bronchitis. On Tuesday I was told I would need to be out for two days and be on meds.
Well, the doctor in the little doc-in-the-box place I went to put me on steroids, and by the next day I felt like I could lift a pickup truck! So I went back to work a day early.
Baaaad mistake! By 9PM that night my producer Todd and I knew that I had slightly overdone it. My body was needing rest, but I just couldn't sleep!
The next day I took more meds, and again I was bothering my boss, producer, our web team and everybody else with ideas and things that needed to be addressed. My boss said very nicely, "I think you should get some rest."
But yesterday was the worst yet. I can't rest because of the steroids -- so how am I supposed to get better? I feel like crud, but I absolutely hate being away from you and everything involved in the show. I hope I'm not contagious, because no matter what, I'm going to be there tonight at 7PM! I have a pair of tickets to give away to our huge Taste of Country Music Festival!
I hope this blog made some kind of sense, since I am in bed and on meds as I'm typing it. What makes you feel better when you're sick?
Jeremy Robinson is the host of Taste of Country Nights, a syndicated radio show that airs on 41 stations across the United States on weeknights. Radio has been his life since the age of nine, when he "hosted" a show out of his bedroom. After almost 16 years on the air, country music isn't just his job — it's also his passion.


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I want to go into the high pressure ridge building over the Gulf of Alaska. This is a negative East Pacific Oscillation, or EPO. When a negative EPO sets up, cold air is then provoked to move into the central and eastern parts of the nation. It is thought of as one corner of a triangle of teleconnections that can bring cold air to the US. The second piece is the Arctic Oscillation, or AO. When the polar vortex is weak, cold air is not able to be held by the vortex and slips south from the Arctic. This is a negative Arctic Oscillation. Considering the polar vortex is going through heavy damage, the AO will be strongly negative and could bomb out to extreme negative values. The third item is the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). In the negative NAO, the jet stream buckles south to give parts of the nation cold weather. We see a battle ongoing between low pressure just south of Greenland (typical of a positive NAO) and high pressure to the north of Greenland (typical of a negative NAO). I think the NAO is definitely the wild card here, and could determine whether the cold stays in the Plains and Midwest (what I am thinking) or moves East into the Northeast and East Coast (which will happen, but may not be as cold).
An issue we are seeing on both the ECMWF and GFS model (image on the left from WeatherBell) for this event is the negative Pacific North American index, or PNA. In the negative PNA, low pressure builds over the West US and Rockies and provokes high pressure to build in the East. This whole cold outbreak will start with a negative PNA, which is why warm air will be maximized on the East Coast prior to this warm up, as the top ECMWF image is showing.
So we're seeing a tricky NAO and a bad PNA. Is this cold really going to happen??
YES. Both models have the polar vortex (yes, THE polar vortex) sliding into southern Canada and the north US. As it does so, the low pressure causing the negative PNA will also move east, bringing the unforgiving Arctic cold into the Plains and Midwest. The dreaded Southeast Ridge will then move out of the East Coast, allowing for some moderated (but still harsh) cold to bleed into that region.
Why am I so confident? The GFS has been giving a stellar performance with the stratosphere thus far, meaning it has a better handle than that of the ECMWF. If the GFS is to be believed, a negative NAO, negative AO and negative EPO will be in place when the cold breaks off and moves east in about 10-15 days. However, I think the ECMWF has a better handle on the North Atlantic Oscillation, hence my thinking that the strongest cold will be confined to the Plains and Midwest-Great Lakes.
Beyond January 20th, things become very murky, and I don't even want to go into what could happen after this initial wave of cold. We will have to wait a few more days to get a clearer picture of what happens post-January 20.
How could it mimic January 1985?


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2. Customer specified express was accepted. Only four reliable Express Comapny to be choosed,which are Fedex,UPS,DHL,TNT.
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text:
Where I live in Southern California's San Gabriel Valley, you can still see along the sides of the roads trees that were toppled in Nov. 30 windstorms but haven't yet been removed.
The hurricane-force winds took down thousands of trees and utility poles, destroyed cars, damaged homes, and left thousands without power for a week.
One would think that the state government would step forward with emergency assistance.
One would think wrong.
The Pasadena Star-News reports that the certified amount of damage is, at least of this moment, less than the $50 million necessary to be considered a federal disaster. And the state fund that is supposed to be tapped in such circumstances is "$164 million in the red from previous declared disasters."
Could the state appropriate extra money? Surely you jest.
The budget picture is just too bleak. So local governments that are themselves short of money will end up covering the costs.
This is a tough circumstance, but governments will make do.
The more profound question it raises, though, is: can Californians depend on their state government in a major emergency, given the state's persistent difficulties?
The answer to that question is: we can't be sure. This uncertainty is one of the costs of California's failure to manage its budget, and govern itself.
Let us know what you think. Comment below, send us your thoughts via Twitter @PropZero or add your comment to our Facebook page.


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Classes are currently being taught online. All physical facilities are closed to the public at this time, and employees are working remotely.Please visit
dcccd.edu/coronavirus for additional information and to
find contact information for various departments.If you need additional assistance, please visit
My Community Services and our
Community Employment Resources.
This article appeared in a 2015 issue of the
student newsletter.
What do you want to be when you grow up? A painter? Doctor? Firefighter? Ballerina?
As soon as we could talk, our parents, teachers and friends all wanted to know — What were our dreams? What did we want to be doing when we "grew up?"
Truth is, we never really "grow up"
As long as we are breathing, we are learning and growing; becoming new each day. Even our dreams morph and change as we grow older! A new class causes us to switch our major … the economy opens our eyes to previously undiscovered needs. Either way, what we "want to be" evolves (just like us).
And then, when we think we've finally figured it out, bam … a new passion is discovered. When someone who "hates sports" falls in love with kayaking and the "can't-boil-water" guy takes his first cooking class, things get hazy. These are the moments when dreams evolve.
Just as dreams evolve, so do the dreamers
DCCCD realizes every student is multi-faceted. One day we may be a hockey-loving, late-night daughter. The next day we are a film-editing, early-rising mother. Triathlon runners become science nerds, and science nerds become triathlon runners. Who you are today does not have to be (and won't be) who you are tomorrow.
That's why the colleges of DCCCD each offer continuing education programming.
Keep learning new skills
Whether you want to develop personally or professionally, continuing education (CE) classes will provide you with flexible, innovative instruction.
Instructors are working professionals from the community — each chosen for their knowledge, experience and expertise in their fields. Class offerings are diverse and range from floral design and dog obedience training to test prep and retirement planning. No topic is off limits for continuing education!
Workforce training is also available through continuing education to enhance economic and community development. You could train to be a welder or even a phlebotomist! In some cases this job training is free thanks to grants from the Department of Education, like Learn and Earn Pathways.
Ready to grow up?
Registering for continuing education classes is so easy you can do it over the phone! Call the Continuing Education department at your college today to sign up for a class. Every college offers different CE classes, so be sure to first visit their website for the most current listings.
Program locations include:
Unlike signing up for credit classes, registration for continuing education classes is ongoing, so you can begin whenever it is best for your schedule. New classes are added throughout the year, so if you don't see what you are looking for, please do not hesitate to call and make a special request! Just as your dreams are evolving, so are ours!


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Find Books
The Wright Institute Library's 6500 item book collection supports the classroom and research needs of the Wright Institute community. With the exception of reference material, most books can be checked out by Institute students and faculty for a period of two weeks. The library also holds copies of all course readers and all books that are required or recommended reading for current courses. These items are kept on two-hour reserve, and can be found in the library office.
Search our new online catalog here
This new catalog is fully functional as of July 2009. To find our collection of eBooks from Springer and PEP, use the catalog's advanced search, select eBook as a limiter, and click search.
If you don't find what you need in our collection, the next step is to search UC Berkeley's collections. We are very fortunate to be next door to one of the largest academic libraries in the world, with one of the finest psychology collections anywhere, and all of our students are entitled to free library cards at UC Berkeley. Search UC Berkeley's Oskicat online catalog.
If something you need is also not available at UC Berkeley, the library can attempt to borrow it for you through Interlibrary Loan.
During library hours, please place returned books on the cart next to the library office. After hours, books may be returned using the book drop located around the corner from the library door.


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tkaiser Enlightened
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Your contribution to OMV and the arm community is extremely valuable, thanks for all you did in the past, I've been using the arm images for a long time, only recently I was doing some reading I came across some upsetting posts, I'm sorry on behalf of the community, I request you to reconsider and staying on board, your contributions to this small community is extremely valuable and as the community grows a few unnecessary toxic people will arise, please don't give in to them. Thank You.
If sometime I did not agree completely about some harsh or quick judgement toward myself. I think your contribution to OMV project has always been more than valuable, and ask you to consider not abandoning this board.
Anyway as for me, I always appreciate your high level of expertise.
Hello tkaiser. I would just like to say thanks for your replay the 12th of december. It was nice of you to take time to help me with my basic question. I hope you had a lovely holiday and upcoming new years eve.
HI tkaiser. Were the files you asked for of any help with regard to my problem? Thanks!
Hey boss, I have a request for you. Can you explain to me or in a guide how to set up a modern, data protecting btrfs multi-disk system, preferably from the web console? I just got my stuff backed up but I want to make sure I'm doing it right, and you seem to know pretty well.
Also ist das gar kein Forum für deutschsprachige User !? Wei das Frontend ja in deutsch ist. Ich gehe sonst auch zum Banana PI Forum. Sollte man hier nur Englisch sprechen / schreiben.
Danke !
Hello, I am currently using a slightly handicapped version of openmediavault with a plex media server running. I have had success in getting the open media vault up and running and sharing my files to the network. My complication comes with plex and finding my media. I have no idea how but I managed to get plex to connect to my external 5tb drive. I got it to be able to see a file I have labeled "Movies" inside of this external drive. What is escaping me is being able to add my "Music" folder in the same manner. I have from what I can tell all the same settings on the "Music" folder as I have on the "Movie" folder. When I go into plex and try to add it I do not see a Music folder in my options. I see my Movies folder. It just seems really weird that I can get it to share and see my Movies folder but I cannot get it to see the Music folder. I guess a good place to start would be to know what exactly has to be in place for or setup on open media vault for plex to see a shared folder. The Movie and the Music folders are on the same external hard drive which is why this has be so baffled.


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UNIONDALE, N.Y., April 1 (UPI) -- Kyle Turris notched two goals and a pair of assists Sunday and the Ottawa Senators clinched a playoff spot with a 5-1 win over the New York Islanders.
The Senators punched their return ticket to the post-season with the help of Milan Michalek, who contributed a goal and two assists.
Nick Foligno and Sergei Gonchar helped out with a goal and an assist, while Craig Anderson made 29 stops as the Senators won their fourth straight.
Ottawa will make a reappearance in the playoffs following a 13th-place finish last season.
Mark Streit scored and Al Montoya yielded five goals on 32 shots for the Islanders.


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Greetings everyone! We hope everything is going well for you. For us the last few years were quite significant. TeamCity has become an important tool for many companies, the demands of our customers are growing and to meet them, we … Continue reading
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Jeep and Dodge treat the annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, the same way Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Porsche approach the Frankfurt motor show--it is a serious event deserving of its own concepts and visits by top executives. The fact that Moab, perhaps less so than Frankfurt, is also a ton of fun is purely coincidental.
So every year, Jeep and sometimes Dodge roll out concepts in Moab to gauge customer interest and to thrill the faithful. This year there were several trailers full of wild Jeeps, and at least one Dodge, and Chrysler let us drive a few of them in their natural habitat.
We counted seven in all, built by an amalgamation of Jeep Design, Jeep Engineering, the Mopar parts department, Mopar Underground and a loosely knit but totally committed confederation within the company known as the Lunatic Fringe. We are not making that last one up.
They hauled all of the concepts to some sand dunes south of Moab and let us drive as many as we could before they broke or before the local sandstorm blew away the last free sandwich in the compound.
The first one we drove was called the Nukizer, a modern take on the Vietnam-era military Jeep known as the Kaiser M-715. The Nukizer is based on an Egyptian Military J8 stretched eight inches and converted to a pickup. Why? Why not? It was terrific fun to drive. Given one of these, Lawrence of Arabia could have dispensed with diplomacy entirely. Its 2.8-liter diesel four lacked the horsepower of a great prerunner but made up for it in durable torque. Dynatrac Pro-Rock Dana 44 front and Dana 60 rear axles with ARB Airlocker differentials made it ready for rock crawling but also made it fun on the sand dunes over which we flew.
"We're not talking production intent," said Mark Allen, head of Jeep Design. "It's just, the world's a better place because we built this thing."
Who could argue?
Next was the Wrangler Trail Boss. Originally, this particular Jeep was just the stock Rubicon of Jeep president and CEO Mike Manley, until Manley saw it parked next to a modified Wrangler.
"He said, 'Hey, how come his Jeep's bigger than mine?'" recalled Allen. "So we threw the Mopar catalog at it."
The designers raised it three inches, added a half-door kit, a Bimini top, front and rear AEV off-road bumpers, a Warn 9.5ti winch, a "nonrattling" rear-tire carrier, AEV hood, Hutchinson Rock Monster beadlock wheels, Katzkin leather seat-trim kit, slush mats and a Kicker audio system.
Now, presumably, Manley--who had to leave Moab days earlier to attend some car show in New York--is happy. We were, too.
Then we went the other direction, driving the Jeep Patriot Extreme, a vehicle of which the Jeep cognoscenti appeared to be less than enthusiastic.
"We brought the Jeep Lower Forty last year," said Allen, referring to the ultracool chopped and channeled Wrangler shown both here and then at SEMA. "This year, it's the Lower Expectations."
The Mitsubishi Galant-platformed Patriot is perhaps the least-capable Jeep product ever made, even equipped as this one was with the Trail-Rated off-road package, two-inch Rocky Road Outfitters suspension lift, TJ "Moab" 16-inch wheels, BF Goodrich KM2 tires and custom rock rails. None of that helped its on-road platform, 165-hp, 172-lb-ft four and soul-sapping CVT2 transmission. Still, it was fully enclosed and so it kept out the blowing sand and biting cold, so we liked it for that.
"We brought it here because we need to know more about it so we can make the next one better," said Allen.
The next driver, the mighty Ram PowerWagon concept, needed no improvements. As a teen, Allen loved to watch Simon and Simon, a detective show that featured a Dodge Ram as its star--at least it was the star from Allen's point of view.
To make this one, the team started with a Dodge Ram and cut out the middle, right behind the cab. Then they added a light-duty inner box and a dually outer box on the back with a four-inch lift and massive 40-inch tires all around. From behind the wheel, the stock 5.7-liter Hemi suddenly felt even stronger than its 383 hp and 400 lb-ft. Naturally we had to do multiple donuts in the sand to be sure. At first it did this merely adequately, then Allen suggested we shift into 2WD, "to throw more sand." That was quite thrilling, and we decided then and there that Allen should be president.
We hoped to drive next the massively fast Ram Runner, an aftermarket kit that may be available this summer. It's designed to offer Dodge Ram 1500 owners a chance to keep up with the Ford Raptor. It uses 3-inch-diameter Fox shocks with external reservoirs, billet aluminum upper A-arms, chromoly steel lower arms, variable-rate coil springs and reshaped fiberglass fenders to allow 14 inches of wheel travel. The price for all that and some more might be between $12,000 and $14,000 when the package comes out. That was what we wanted to drive next, but the engine apparently ate too much sand and died.
Then we set our sights on the Jeep imMortal, with the big M shaped like the one in Mopar. It was, according to at least one Mopar official, "the baddest-ass rig we could think of." To qualify for such a rating required that the Wrangler-based ass rig have massive portal axles (which may soon be available in the Mopar catalog), a 5.7-liter Hemi and an unstoppable 100:1 crawl ratio. But alas, the imMortal was mortal after all, and one of our media colleagues--while "romping it"--broke a rear shock and the rig was parked, ass and all.
We saw but did not drive the Wrangler J7, a stripper version of the four-door, with no fog lamps, alloy wheels or stereo and with carpet replaced by Rhino Lining.
"There's an appeal for a Wrangler in the most base model you can get," said Allen, to cheers from the Wrangler faithful on hand.
And there were plenty of faithful in Moab.
If you need any further evidence that it's important to make cars and trucks about which people get passionate, look no further than Moab during Easter break. Imagine how quickly Chrysler's troubles would be solved if it instilled in all of its products the same things that appeal so strongly to Jeep owners. Imagine if it made a compact, front-engine, rear-drive coupe with a useable trunk and a useable back seat that happened to be perfectly balanced and sold for a reasonable price. Say, a Giulietta, perhaps?
Hey, we can dream.


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Penn State Beaver students have raised more than $700 for Haitian earthquake victims through the "For the Love of Haiti" project sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA). Fundraising efforts will continue throughout March, and all donations will be given to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Students continue to collect funds at athletic events, in classroom buildings, in the Brodhead Bistro and in campus offices. Anyone making a donation of $3 or more will receive a red wristband imprinted with "For the Love of Haiti" and a red heart sticker.
The public is welcome to participate. To make a gift, checks should be made payable to Penn State SGA and mailed to Denise Turyan, Office of Student Affairs, Penn State Beaver, 100 University Drive, Monaca, PA 15061. Turyan can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com or 724-773-3951.
For more information about the project, visit http://www.beaver.psu.edu/StudentLife/ClubsAndOrganizations/32778.htm or contact Becky Mulholland, adult and transfer admissions recruiter, firstname.lastname@example.com or 724-773-3809, or Robin Schreck, student activities and residence life coordinator, firstname.lastname@example.com or 724-773-3947.


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Banquet Beverage Supervisor
Job Title: Banquet Beverage Supervisor (outdoor concerts and showroom) at Talking Stick Resort
Department: Banquets
Reports To: Banquet Manager
Wage/Salary Grade: $17.51 per hour plus % of gratuity pool
Assists in the supervision and coordination of the overall activities of the Bar operation as assigned. Acts as a working supervisor, responsible for pricing, ordering, scheduling and overseeing the bar activities and performing duties personally or through subordinates.
Supervisory Responsibilities
Directly supervises the Bartender, Bar Back Attendant and Beverage Servers in a showroom, banquet or outdoor concert event on a given shift. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
Duties and Responsibilities:
* Participates in the planning, operational setup, execution and tear down of events/venues.
* Focuses on speed of service focus and maintaining standard operating procedures.
* Performs bottle service training and promotion
* Trend Analysis to stay current of the market
* Hires, schedules, and trains for all responsible venues.
* Monitors staff performance. Defines performance requirements and develops action plans for achievement of goals to communicate expectations and counseling when needed
* Performs assigned projections in compiling annual budgets in conjunction with Beverage Manager.
* Supervises and supports Food & Beverage outlets in the absence of the F&B Manager and/or Beverage Manager.
* Ensures proper billing and charges to guests for their events, prepares charges for guest to review at the end of the event; collects payment if necessary
* Acts as the primary Interface with clients in charge and responds to requests.
* Speaks at roll call meetings prior to events to inform staff about event particulars and expectations.
* Supports all assigned side work, bar cleanliness, Health Code considerations
* Checks with Facilities, Catering, Marketing and Culinary for any last minute changes.
* Attends banquet BEO meetings, as necessary, to assist in the coordination of the events.
* Manages Venue Beverage Inventory and Ensures Accuracy and Assists In Monthly Inventory
* Provides operational support for all bottle service venues.
* Provides operational support for Release Pool parties.
Education and/or Experience required:
* High school diploma or general education degree (GED) required;
* 3 years related experience in a supervisory capacity; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
* Must have prior experience with large venues: indoor/outdoor; with portable and stationary bars; food service al a carte or buffet style.
* Must have knowledge of basic restaurant cashiering procedures, tray service and beverage ingredients.
* POS experience strongly preferred.
* Knowledge of Arizona State Liquor Laws - Title 4 and/or Arizona Alcohol Awareness certification a plus.
Certificates, Licenses, Registrations
Must possess a Maricopa County Food Handler's Card.
Computer Skills
Must be computer literate and have knowledge of Microsoft Office applications. Experience using POS system; InfoGenesis preferred.
Other Qualifications
Must be able to get along with co-workers and be a team player. Must be able to work quickly and accurately in stressful situations and maintain a positive customer service attitude. Can work a flexible schedule and available to work all shifts, including nights, weekends and holidays.
Language Skills
Must be able to read, write, speak and understand English.
Physical Demands
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand for prolonged periods of time; walk; use hands and fingers to handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear and taste or smell. The employee must regularly lift and /or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
Work Environment
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to wet and/or humid conditions; extreme cold and secondary smoke. The employee is frequently exposed to extreme cold and extreme heat. The noise level in the work environment is usually loud.


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Vic stalker and house arsonist jailed
A man has been jailed for a number of crimes including stalking a university student, nearly severing his mother's thumb before burning her house down, and stabbing two strangers in Melbourne.
Damen Stephens, 43, was described by County Court of Victoria Judge Lisa Hannan as "a danger to the community" and suffered "schizotypal, obsessional, paranoid, narcissistic personality traits".
He previously pleaded guilty to three counts of stalking, one count of possessing child pornography, three counts of intentionally causing injury and one count of arson.
In January 2012, Stephens began stalking a young woman he met at university, contacting her on Facebook and persisting over a number of years.
In August 2014, police seized his computer, finding 519 child exploitation images.
In October 2017, Stephens contacted his staking victim, telling her: "My name is not important, but you may call me Odin for now, and master, as I slice and pull your face off. I'm not sure if your eyes will come off then, but it won't matter - you will see my face and you will know".
On October 6, Stephens brutally attacked his mother - who he was living with at the time.
He punched her to the head several times and placed his forearm around her neck, trying to choke her, as she attempted to stop him by hitting him with a dog bowl and trying to gouge at his eyes.
Stephens then bit his mother's thumb, partially amputating it.
In the early hours of the following morning, he set fire to his mother's Malvern home, sending pictures of the blaze to his stalking victim.
"The house was destroyed, along with all of your mother's possessions. The damage was estimated at some $420,000," Judge Hannan said.
Later that same day, he attacked two men outside a St Kilda bottle shop with a 30cm knife.
One man needed 22 stitches and part of his tricep removed, while the other needed five stitches.
Police then went searching for Stephens, finding an 824-page journal on his mother's laptop, with 218 pages dedicated to his stalking victim.
Judge Hannon described Stephens' stalking as "calculated, prolonged and verbally violent".
"Your threats were extreme and included threats to kill her and her family and graphic descriptions of torture," she said.
"In my view you are a danger to the community and that risk must be carefully managed upon your eventual release."
A psychiatric report showed Stephens likely had schizophrenia triggered by an underlying vulnerable personality and cannabis use, and that he was a man "with poor self-regulatory capacity, heightened sensitivity and low frustration tolerance".
Stephens was jailed on Friday for 11 years and one month, and must serve at least eight years before being eligible for parole.
Australian Associated Press


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In the New Testament for Everyone series, Wright continues his trademark of bringing the most up-to-date biblical scholarship to life with engaging writing, inspiring anecdotes, and faithful interpretation. These eighteen volumes are ideal for Bible study, personal devotion, and teaching.
Tom Wright has undertaken a tremendous task: to provide guides to all the books of the New Testament and to include in them his own translation of the entire text. Each short passage is followed by a highly readable discussion with background information, useful explanations and suggestions, and thoughts as to how the text can be relevant to our lives today. A glossary is included at the back of the book. The series is suitable for group study, personal study, or daily devotions.
N. T. Wright talks about the New Testament for Everyone series on WJK Radio with Dan and Jana. To listen, click here.
N.T. Wright is the Chair in New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is the former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and is a prolific author and noted New Testament scholar. His books include the New Testament for Everyone series, Scripture and the Authority of God, Surprised by Hope, Simply Christian, and Evil and the Justice of God.


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J-Hood - Kiss My a$$ [5 Minute Jadakiss Diss]
J-hood "Kiss my Ass 5 minute Jada Diss" Hood Really get at Jadakiss on Some real personal shit
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For better: My brother Jeremy moved back to Seattle last week! (And who can blame him?) He's remaining car-free for the present and so has chosen an apartment close to a frequently running bus route. I plan to visit him often, to make up for the year (plus) he was away.
For worse: The bus route he's close to is the 358. Pray for me.


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Search by Part Number, Brand, or by Year make Model, and or Part.
Granatelli 350330 - Granatelli 4th Gen Firebird LS1 - Low Cost 85MM MAF - Not State Legal V8, 3 Bolt; 1998-2002.
Fits Camaro and Firebird Models.
California Residents: Prop 65 WARNING: This product MAY contain chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling. For more information, visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov
California Residents: TIRE WARNING: LMPerformance will not ship Tires to California.
Legal: Some or all of these parts may not comply with Federal, State, Province, and/or Local laws, ordinances, and regulations. Buyer takes all responsibility to ensure that any modifications or upgrades that have done conform to all applicable laws and regulations for road use, especially pertaining to safety and emissions. LMPerformance is not responsible for buyer not complying with Federal, State, Province, and/or Local laws, ordinances, and regulations. This policy shall be in force for all past, current, and future purchases from LMPerformance, Inc. LMPerformance will not ship ANY non-CARB compliant products to California where California requires products to be CARB certified such as Catalytic Converters and Induction Kits.
FREE SHIPPING: Please note FREE Shipping refers to shipping within the contiguous continental US only. All other locations extra.
IMAGES: Images may be a representation and may not reflect the actual product. Examples would be SPEC stage 3 clutch kits which all use the same photo.
Search Terms: 350330 Granatelli 4th Gen Firebird LS1 - Low Cost 85MM MAF - Not State Legal V8, 3 Bolt Pontiac Induction Mass Airflow Sensors Granatelli 4th Gen Firebird LS1 - Low Cost 85MM MAF - Not State Legal V8 3 Bolt 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Granatelli Motor Sports warrants that all products sold for street use shall be free from defects in materials and/or workmanship for ninety days from the date of purchase, except in-tank and in-line fuel pumps as these parts carry no warranty expressed or implied. Ignition coil packs and ignition wires purchased directly from Granatelli Motor Sports, Inc. or an authorized reseller / distributor have a limited one year warranty from the date of purchase as of May, 5 2014 (05/05/2014). There is no warranty expressed or implied for any products intended for use in racing applications or Custom Applications. Custom Applications are defined as products that are used outside of Granatelli Motor Sports print application guide. The following requirements and exclusions apply: You must be the original purchaser and must call us to register for an RGA number and return the defective product within 10 days after the expiration of the product warranty. Failure to do so voids all warranty, either express or implied set forth herein.
The product must not have been altered, disassembled, modified, or converted for any other use than intended by Granatelli Motor Sports.
The product, or any part thereof, is not used in accordance with the operating parameters specified by Granatelli Motor Sports.
The product or any part thereof is damaged or rendered unserviceable due to negligence, vandalism, theft, fire, debris, flood, Act of God, or other peril, malfunction of equipment, or by any cause within the Customer's control.
The serial number (if applicable) must not have been altered or removed. The extent of Granatelli Motor Sports' liability under this warranty shall be limited to the prompt correction or replacement, at Granatelli Motor Sports' option and at no cost to the customer other than return shipment, of any defective part of the product determined to be necessary by Granatelli Motor Sports.
This only applies if written Granatelli Motor Sports received notice of the claimed defect prior to expiration of the warranty period. All warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose are expressly excluded. The duration of any and all implied warranties is limited to the duration of this express warranty. All incidental and consequential damages including but not limited to loss profits even if it has been advised of the possibility of such damages are hereby excluded. Regardless of the form of the claim, Granatelli Motor Sports liability for any damages to the customer for such product is limited to the guidelines herein. This stated, expressed warranty is in lieu of all liabilities or obligations of Granatelli Motor Sports for damages arising out of or in connection with delivery, use or performance of the product. This warranty cannot be amended or changed by any Granatelli Motor Sports representative, employee, or agent and any promises inconsistent with this warranty are void and unenforceable against Granatelli Motor Sports. Some states do not allow limitations of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may have other rights that vary from state to state. Your sole remedy for the above warranties is the repair or replacement of the defective product only, at Granatelli Motor Sports' sole discretion.
These are parts that other customers have purchased while purchasing the product on this page.
History and information about Granatelli and their products.
Granatelli Motorsports innovative designs allow the Company to be the premier name in the market. Granatelli Motorsports innovations include the first aftermarket F-body torque arm, the first and only calibrated 200 MPH speedometer for the aftermarket, the first silicone radiator hose kits and most importantly Granatelli Motorsports was the first company to produce a 50 state legal centrifugal supercharger system and then the first to achieve 50 state legal status on their Novi-2000 supercharge which proved to produce an excess of 1000 horsepower. Today, Granatelli Motorsports offers impressive performance innovations including the worlds fastest and most sophisticated flash tool, the worlds only S197 calibrated mass airflow sensor, the worlds only 4th generation F-body 200MPH speedometer conversion and the worlds most powerful S197 Mustang and C5 & C6 Corvette turbo systems.
The Granatelli Motorsports name has been associated with speed for more than seventy years. Granatelli Motorsports spends countless hours performing engineering evaluations and precision testing to ensure its customers innovative products and advanced automotive solutions. GMS offers professional installations that are consistent with the Companys high standards. GMS helped establish the standards set forth by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) enabling the Company to secure approval for many companies in the aftermarket manufacturing forced induction systems, camshafts, exhaust systems, cylinder heads and mass airflow sensors.
GRANATELLI MOTOR SPORTS, housed in Oxnard, California, celebrated their twenty-fifth anniversary in 2014 and that is certainly a testament to the fact that they design and manufacture primo quality aftermarket performance auto parts and accessories because they would never have been able to withstand the competitive nature of the industry otherwise, and the GRANATELLI MOTOR SPORTS success story is truly a family success story that began with Joe GRANATELLI, Sr., the chief mechanic for the Indy team and president of Paxton Products and his love of race cars as far back as 1946. When J.R. GRANATELLI began GRANATELLI MOTOR SPORTS in 1989 it was his father's love for the sport, knowledge, experience and drive that supported him in his endeavor and he has used this knowledge well as evidenced by their continued growth and multiplicity of products. Innovative designs like the Intercooler Expansion Tank available on the LMPERFORMANCE web site for your Corvette C7 Z06 with its ability to give your vehicle an additional 1.75 gallons of cooling and with a built-in spray bar is just one example of the ingenuity prevalent in the company today. Or another great example of a sui generis product, the valve covers for your Granatelli Camaro, Pontiac, Firebird, Formula, and Trans Am on the LMPERFORMANCE web site, designed with the racer in mind and fabricated so that it will fit over rocker gear without a spacer and space to add 8 fittings for a true race style breather system. All of the "firsts" mentioned above would not have been possible without a dedicated team of engineers capable of utilizing the latest in technology to create the potpourri of products available from GIRANTELLI MOTOR SPORTS today and this, coupled with the company's commitment to excellence, are the driving forces behind the company's success in the aftermarket performance auto parts industry today. Shop more products like this Granatelli 80974636-00.
Below are other popular parts other customers have purchased for their Pontiac Firebird.


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On May 2, four graduate students in Penn State's College of Health and Human Development embarked on a summer-long research exchange program to the University of Jena in Germany. The program, which began in 1995, involves periodic faculty and student exchanges, with the ultimate aim of promoting collaborative research.
"Students will get some high-end cultural experience, excellent instruction and exposure to research domains that they wouldn't have seen here," said Neil Sharkey, associate dean for research and graduate education in the College of Health and Human Development. "Likewise, we will be offering the same in the fall semester, when students from Germany will be studying here."
The exchange operates between the College of Health and Human Development and Jena University's Center for Applied Developmental Sciences (a renowned child psychology research enterprise). Although Penn State students participating are usually human development and family studies (HDFS) majors, the program is open to other majors. This year, Nengliang Yao, a graduate student in health policy and administration (HPA), will be joining HDFS graduate students Rebecca Madill, Bora Lee and Yao Zheng for the trip.
"A major focus of the HDFS graduate program," said Madill, "is that we study development in context. Germany is a context that I haven't studied yet, so exposure to this can only broaden my understanding."
Because the students seek out their own research projects, they have the opportunity to pursue topics that will hone their expertise.
"It's interesting to see how people in other countries think, behave, and live," said Lee. Lee will be studying two topics: why people become entrepreneurs, and life-span career development. "It's rare that you see empirical studies on entrepreneurs, so this is a great opportunity."
Yao will be researching child mental health, Zheng will be researching adolescent aggression and Madill will be studying immigrant families and how children transition from the home to preschool/kindergarten.
Jena University provides students housing on campus, and in the fall, Penn State will reciprocate by providing housing for the group of German students.
"The measure of viability of an exchange program is that it should produce exchanges—not just physical exchanges, but research exchanges, too," noted Fred Vondracek, professor of human development and family studies and one of the founders of the program.
In the past, this exchange program has incorporated faculty exchanges and several collaborations on peer-reviewed journal articles.


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In over fifteen years working as an artist in the video game industry, Joseph Sanabria has been in the employ of companies like Obsidian, THQ and Rockstar.
For those developers, he's produced art for games such as Terminator 3 and, awesomely, the Neverhood series. Most recently, he served as art director for Fallout: New Vegas, which meant he was the man responsible for defining the artistic direction of not just the sequel, but its downloadable content as well.
In the gallery above you'll find a selection of his work over the years, both personal and professional, but you can see plenty more at Joseph's personal site.
Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists. If you're in the business and have some concept, environment or character art you'd like to share, drop us a line!


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Mrrout wrote:but i would like to know who those seer or saint of the mormoon faith are, because i don't know them, and i'm always happy to learn.
Sorry about. I have added the terms "Great Father/Great Mother" and "Dryghten" (Wiccan). There is only One Supreme Being, perceived through different religious, theological, philosophical, and cultural frames. I was taking a monistic-panentheist view of the Divine Parent in that I view certain highly anthromorphic deities (e.g. Vishnu, Shiva, Zeus, Brahma, Indra, Aphrodite, Vulcan,) as personifications of the elements, concepts, or attributes of The Absolute. Whereas specific other anthromorphic deities (e.g. Apollo, Hermes, Athena, Rama, The Yellow Emperor, Odin) who provide teachings to humanity I view as "Primordial-Enigmatic" Manifestations. My spiritual views have been largely influenced by Hindu, Buddhist, Greek, Deist, and Baha'i thoughts.Mrrout wrote:ther is something that bother me about your list of suprem beings, Frey: i saw no Goddess.
i'm not a wiccan, but i think that in the history of humanity, a lot of people have worshipped a feminine suprem being, as "great mother", under different names.
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For the past two years, linked story collections as a sub-genre in fiction writing have seized me by the throat and won't let go. I know that sounds a bit melodramatic, but that's the effect I'm going for. It all started when I first entered an MFA program at VCFA and received advice that it was a good time to put my novel-in-progress aside and get working on shorts. Though my previous sentence could ignite controversy–I've read the debates–the invitation to hone my craft in that way made some sense. It was my choice and I was not sorry, just a little sad.
A glutton for novels since the age of ten, I'd reveled in the expansiveness of time, the thickness of pages all bound for the same cause, the one true protagonist. To loose myself in two hundred or more pages of the same imaginative world is why I woke up in the morning.
So what to do with the sadness?
One of my teachers, in a passing conversation, suggested that I might begin a transition into stories by reading linked collections. Had I heard of them? I had not. I had heard of and read everything by Flannery O'Connor, and read novels.
Six months later, a stack of new books teetered on my desk, a new game on, and a new reason to stay up all night. Alice Munro. Elizabeth Strout. James Joyce. Louise Erdich. Jason Brown. It wouldn't be the first time in my life that I was surprised by love. And, like being in love, after the giddy blush come the unhealthy obsessions, the grasping and the grilling, the rebuffs and the reunion, and finally, the struggle to let go. Sherwood Anderson. Robert Olen Butler. Stuart Dybek. Andrea Barrett. Jhumpa Lahiri. Cathy Day.
The problem is, a good linked story collection can affect the wide sweep of a longer narrative, the evolution of a character and place over time, and still maintain the crisp clarity of the single emotional moment, the sudden revelation, the dozen-page-doozy of a kick-ass tale. Who'd want to break up with that? The story stack stretched higher, while unread novels got stuffed between gardening book and field guides. What won me over were the concise, unrelenting slivers of time and the links that expanded them into a broader world.
Here's how some authors have achieved the link, and where I drop a few good names…
Sybil Baker does it with mainly through character. Her protagonist, Elise, sometimes saunters, sometimes storms across the pages of Talismans. In each story, Elise shows up for one in a string of revelations that creates the novel-like feel of this collection, while maintaining each stand-alone quality in its parts. From my Contrary review: "…readers simultaneously experience the emotional and geographic territory of Elise's world as she navigates loss and pursues connection–from girl to woman and from small-town Virginia to Southeast Asia. While each story represents a key moment in Elise's life, the collection shows her evolution over two decades. Herein lies the beauty of the story cycle form."
Siobahn Fallon links her stories, closely based on her life at an army base, with place, and more. Here's what I say about theme as a linking device in, You Know When the Men Are Gone. "…the theme of unrelenting separation is what most unifies the collection. Deployment, re-assignment, divorce, re-deployment, and potentially, death–all threaten the foundation of familial relationships and loom larger than the war itself."
Alan Heathcock unifies with place and character in Volt. "The nature of a linked collection allows the reader a scope of character development beyond the events in one story, one narrow slice of time. In Volt, protagonists in one story age and become supporting characters later in the book." (Contrary review)
Patricia Henley takes the issues of being a woman into strong consideration in Other Heartbreaks. Or as I see it… "stories are linked by women responding to loss through amalgamated reminiscences." My review here. The quality of Henley's prose and the plight of her characters remind me of Louise's Erdich's Love Medicine.
But Dylan Landis is the expert on Erdich's book. I will never forget the posted and pocked state of Dylan's own beloved copy, rifled for the gleanings that she used to teach herself how to write a linked collection, as she waved it in the air at a panel discussion at the 2011 AWP conference in DC. You can read what she says about it in her article for Tri-Quarterly here.
And, since we're on the topic of Dylan Landis, I highly recommend her linked collection, Normal People Don't Live Like This. While I did not have the honor to review her book at Contrary, you can read more about my views on her collection at my blog post from last March titled, "Normal People."
And speaking of the highly recommendable, check out this linked story collection, too. Ms. Hempel Chronicles by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum …From another earlier blog post: The stories are linked by the narrator, Beatrice Hempel, a young middle school teacher of English, who feels she really is "just another line of defense in the daily eight-hour effort to contain them." There's a terrific review on the linking character, Ms. Hempel, by Josh Emmons in the NYT Sunday Book Review that you can check out here.
And, while I enjoy peddling female authors, I'll give Alan Heathcock a couple of male pals in this discussion and mention a new-release collection, The Greatest Show, by Michael Downs. This remarkable book links stories via a shared tragedy, the city of Hartford, and an on-going character discovery in the form of Teddy, a three-year-old circus attendee who traverses the span of the book over decades. Reminiscent of Let the Great World Spin, a novel by Colum McCann, with all of it's dips and loops, Downs demonstrates how writing a certain kind of collection can satisfy the novel groupie.
Finally, I would be remiss in excluding my most recent read, The Memory Wall by Anthony Doerr. I first saw this collection in hardcover at a Border's liquidation sale. Based solely on a blurb on the back cover, I bought one up, read the first story, and was blown away. Then I heard him read from the last story at our local Brattleboro Literary Festival and sat among an entire throng who were blown away. I bought a paper copy and mailed my hard copy to a friend. I championed the book at my local book group and beamed on the night of the discussion, as if it were my book, because we had a unanimous YES!-with-4 stars vote, and a red pen endorsement from our secretary, and that hardly ever happens.
In the past two-and-a half years, I have read over thirty linked collections. Pam Houston. Ann Joslin Williams. Joan Silber. Josh Rolnick. John Updike.
I still squeeze in a novel here and there, delight in one YA fiction per month, and watch a hell of lot of BBC mini-series, but I can't help loving what I love: that gripping, clinging, cloying passion. In fact, I have a laundry basket with enough unpolished manuscripts of shorts of my own to make up two linked-story collections set in the fictional town of Rosewood, Vermont.
Which reminds me, I'd better get going.
Annie Proulx. Vincent Panella. Ernest Hemingway. Ellen Gilchrist. Jennifer Egan.