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Tarvin CalaanComments0
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|Tarvin Calaan
|Biographical information
|Physical description
1.83 meters
|Hair color
Light Brown (later gray)
|Eye color
|Chronological and political information
"I love to go fast, fly, blow things up, my wife and kids, and to liberate galaxy from tyranny, in that order. It's a Calaan thing."—Tarvin Calaan joking with his squadron mates
Tarvin Calaan was a Human male born and raised on Alderaan, although, he spent most of his life on Naboo. He was the adopted son of Tristan Calaan and didn't meet his birth mother, Karen Orvan, until he was almost thirty. He was married to his childhood friend, Larena Vaal and was the father of Jedi Knight Brin Calaan and Galactic Alliance fighter pilots Dirrax and Nerric Calaan. Also, as of 36 ABY he had one grandchild in Mayla Onar. Despite his humble beginnings in the rebellion against the Galactic Empire, he quickly rose to be one of their best pilots and throughout his service with both the New Republic and its successor state, the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, he was renowned as one of the best in the galaxy. During his years in the military he won many awards, becoming one of the most decorated pilots in recent history. He eventually rose to attain the rank of Colonel, and briefly held the rank of General during the war that broke out in 40 ABY.
He was always a staunch supporter of freedom and reacted passionately whenever he felt that people's freedom was being threatened. Like his wife, Tarvin both hated and feared the Empire throughout his life and would go to any lengths to ensure that it never returned to power. During the course of his life, Tarvin grew to trust the Jedi above above anyone else and as a result ended up fighting for them directly in 40 ABY.
Early lifeEdit
"Someday, I'm gonna be a gweat pilot just like my daddy."—Even as early as 14 BBY, Tarvin knew that flying was his calling
Tarvin Calaan was born on Alderaan in 18 BBY to a homeless and creditless Karen Orvan. Karen, who was only nineteen years old at the time, knew she didn't have the ability to adequately care for Tarvin. As a result made what she would later say to be the most difficult decision of her life; to put her son up for adoption. Wanting the best life possible for her son, Karen was able to approach Bail Organa after he made a public speech in one of Aldera's parks and ask for his help in finding Tarvin a home. Organa, who pitied the young woman, agreed to help. He eventually settled on Tristan Calaan as the best candidate. Tristan was initially reluctant but eventually gave in to Bail. When Tristan first held Tarvin, the love he felt for his new son was so great that the two almost immediately formed a mild Force Bond, which actually passed some of Tristan's force potential on to his son. Although, this Force affinity would not show up in Tarvin, it would surface in his daughter, Brin.
Tarvin was an adventurous child which, much to the chagrin of his father, commonly got him in trouble. He enjoyed traveling with his father onboard the Star Blade more than anything else. On one of these trips in 12 BBY, Tarvin was nearly killed by Imperial soldiers on Vanquo when he snuck off the Star Blade and ventured out into the wilderness. Fortunately, the Stormtrooper who fired on Tarvin didn't want to kill a child and set his weapon to stun. Tarvin was rescued moments later by Tristan and the Jedi Knight Strix.
It was around this time that Tarvin met the two people who would go on to become his best friends; his future wife, Larena Vaal, and Dirrax Norsen. Both Tarvin and Dirrax were expert mechanics as well as pilots and enjoyed fixing up old, broken speeders. For their sixteenth birthdays Tristan was able to acquire a broken down and rusting Whitecloak fighter for the two to toy around with. After about a year of tinkering, the ship, which was originally named Twin Star, was eventually brought back to flying condition. The two eventually renamed the craft the Twinster; a play on the word twister, which was the term they used to describe a dangerous high-G corkscrew maneuver that the two liked to perform while flying the ship. By the time they had turned eighteen, both Tarvin and Dirrax were excited about joining the Imperial Naval Academy, although both secretly disliked the Empire and even considered defecting to the Rebel Alliance once their training was complete. Only a few weeks before Tarvin intended to enter his application to the Academy, his father asked him if he would like to accompany him on another trip on the Star Blade. Fortunately for Tarvin he said yes to his father. Tarvin waved goodbye to his friends, not knowing that it was the last time he would ever see his home. A few hours after the Star Blade hyperspaced out of the system, the Death Star arrived in orbit around Alderaan. Under the orders of Grand Moff Tarkin, the battle station fired its main weapon, wiping Alderaan from the face of the galaxy.
Joining the RebellionEdit
When word reached the crew of the Star Blade that Alderaan had been destroyed, Tristan immediately changed the ship's course and headed toward the Rebel base on Yavin 4. While in hyperspace, Tristan finally revealed to his son his connections with the Rebels. Upon arriving, Tarvin, against the will of his father, who after the destruction of Alderaan wanted to keep him safe, immediately volunteered to join the Rebel Alliance. Due to his inexperience Tarvin was asked to sit out the attack on the Death Star. During this time he discovered that Larena had also survived the destruction of their homeworld and had with the help of R2-C6 made her way to the Yavin system. Sadly, she told him that Dirrax had not been with her at the time and had died in the explosion. After the destruction of the Death Star, Tarvin was assigned to the newly reformed Gold Squadron, along with Tyler Saft, Rita Tabber, Tol Dorr, and eight others. He only had a few short weeks of training in his X-wing before he and the rest of his squadron were pressed into combat to fend of Imperial attacks on the moon. In his first engagement, Tarvin impressed Commander Saft by scoring two kills one of which got an enemy fighter off the Commander Saft's tail. Tarvin would continue to prove himself over the next year. At some point during this year he scored at least three more kills, becoming an ace.
Tarvin quickly earned the respect of his commander and other squadron mates during his first year of service. As a result he was hand picked by Saft to accompany him and General Madine on a mission to Gerrard V in 1 ABY. Flying a Y-wing, Tarvin scored three kills in the battle and, as the squadron's kill leader, was promoted to Lieutenant by Commander Saft a few days later. During his downtime he grew closer to his friends Larena Vaal and Kora Vintar, whom he had met on Yavin 4. At some point during this time, Saft taught Tarvin a unique precision flying tecnique that Tarvin would later put to good use throughout his life.
"If it weren't for him, we'd be space dust right now. Mark my words gentlemen; that kid is going places"—Tyler Saft to Tristan Calaan and Rilk Teller on Tarvin's actions over Zolan in 2 ABY
Early in 2 ABY, Tarvin won the Shield of Yavin for his role in defending an Alliance convoy from an Imperial ambush at Zolan. Despite his actions, the squadron still suffered at least two casualties. Fortunately, replacements in the form of Kael Sykes and Hally Serrie arrived at Echo Base about six months later. The two became fast friends with Tarvin, and the three of them quickly proved themselves to be some of the best pilots in the Alliance.
Rising through the ranksEdit
When Imperial forces discovered the location of the Rebel base on Hoth, Gold Squadron was assigned to escort the first transports out of the system. Commander Saft chose Tarvin to accompany him as escort for the first transport, Quantum Storm. Tarvin was initially upset that he would not get a chance to stay and fight the Imperials. Just before he left, he was approached by Kora, who revealed she had feelings for him. Tarvin didn't know how to react, as he cared for Kora but somehow felt he would be betraying Larena. Kora understood, and, after convincing herself that Larena needed him more than she did, volunteered to stay behind and set off charges to destroy the base. In the attempt, she was killed, which shook Tarvin emotionally. He blamed himself for her death and for almost a year was unable to look Larena straight in the face. After the evacuation he was promoted to Captain and second in command of the squadron, by Commander Saft.
"Welcome to my home, Kael. Welcome to my reason for fighting the Empire."—Tarvin upon seeing The Graveyard
Over the course of the following year, in preparation for the assault on the second Death Star, Tarvin and his squadron took part in numerous battles and raids against the Empire. One of these missions was an escort assignment which took them through The Graveyard. This was Tarvin's first time in the Alderaan system since his homeworld's destruction. The sight of the asteroids reminded him of why he had joined the Rebellion and what he was fighting against. Later, in private, he promised Kael that no matter what, once he found a new home, he would never let anything happen to it.
Things changed drastically just a few weeks before the Alliance launched their attack at Endor. During the Battle of Bespin, Commander Saft was killed when he sacrificed himself by flying his X-wing in front of an enemy concussion missile which had been aimed at one of the vital Tibanna gas platforms. After the battle, Tarvin was immediately promoted to Commander. However, for the coming battles, General Calrissian would be chosen to lead the squadron. At Endor, after the Emperor sprung his trap, Tarvin flew in defense of the Rebel fleet, scoring one of the highest kill counts among Alliance pilots in the process. During the battle he defended the Star Blade from a flight of TIE fighters. During the battle, he led Gold Group in a successful attack against an Imperial Star Destroyer when Lando gave the order to "engage them at point blank range." During the attack on the Star Destroyer, Tarvin was separated from Kael Sykes who had been flying as his wingman. As a result he briefly flew on the wing of Grizz Frix of Red Group who was ultimately killed when he flew too close to the Star Destroyer's exploding shield generator. After forcing the Star Destroyer to break off, Calaan was reunited with Sykes. When General Solo's strike team deactivated the Death Star's shields, Tarvin was ordered to take his flight to the surface of the battle station and give Wedge, Lando and the others cover as they moved into the superstructure. Despite their efforts however, two TIEs were able to slip past Tarvin and his wingmen and make it into the superstructure. Ordering Hally Serrie to take the lead on the surface, Calaan took Sykes and dove in after the TIEs. Tarvin quickly eliminated the interlopers, but without confirmation that the main reactor had been destroyed, had to make a decision as to whether he should continue on towards the heart of the Death Star, or make a break back toward the surface. Just as Calaan reached the access tunnel back to the surface, Wedge's astromech droid was able to detect the incoming fighters, and warn them that the main reactor had been destroyed. Reacting instantly, Calaan and Sykes were able to make the turn, and escaped the doomed station with just seconds to spare. Afterwards, during the celebrations, Larena and Tarvin finally expressed their feelings for each other and shared there first kiss. For his actions in the battle, Tarvin was later awarded the Battle of Endor Hero's Medal.
Over the next few weeks Tarvin and the rest of Gold squadron would take part in a series of intense battles against the Nagai and Tof invaders from the Unknown Regions. Despite coming out victorious each time, the constant combat began to take its tole on the squadron. When Naboo called for aid in their uprising against the Empire, Gold Squadron had been cut down to just seven members, including new addition Ace Azzameen. This problem was compounded by the fact that most other Alliance units were either in just as bad shape as Gold Squadron or were already deployed elsewhere, meaning Gold Squadron would be deployed to the Chommell Sector without any other fighter support. Also, Tarvin was having difficulty taking on a leadership role in the squadron as he was not used to flying without Saft, who had been his mentor for years. When the small group of ships under the command of Commodore Tristan Calaan entered the Naboo system, they were ambushed by an Imperial Star Destroyer and a Victory II-class frigate. Tarvin led the few members of his squadron in a desperate effort to fend them off. During a strafing run against the frigate, he was hit and his fighter fell out of control toward the planet. He was able regain control a mere meters off the ground. After helping Naboo and Gungan forces in capturing the hangar and palace he led Bravo Squadron into orbit against the Imperial forces there. With the help of the new squadron, the surviving members of Tristan Calaan's force were able to destroy the Imperial forces and liberate the system. Despite the victory, Gold Squadron had been hit hard again, losing long time members Rita Tabber and Tol Dorr. As a result the squadron was put on the inactive list until new pilots could be trained. Young Bravo Squadron pilot, Cody Vistal, volunteered to join, however, Alliance High Command felt he was too young and inexperienced. Before he left, Tarvin promised Cody that he would be a member of Gold Squadron some day. Tarvin was later awarded the Star of Alderaan for his actions during the battle. After the battle, Tarvin finally felt comfortable in the leadership role and was ready to lead Gold Squadron into the seemingly bright future.
Fighting for the New RepublicEdit
After the new recruits had been trained, about a year later, Gold Squadron was assigned to patrol the area around the Naboo system. On one of these patrols, Tarvin and fellow pilots Kato and Trav Otov were performing a security check on an a suspicious Action VI transport. When Tarvin ordered it to halt and prepare to be boarded, it opened fire on him and his wingmates as well as proceeded to launch three TIE Hunters from a hidden hangar bay. Despite the surprise attack, Tarvin and his wingmen were able to destroy both the fighters and the freighter. The investigation into the origins and intent of the freighter would lead to what would become known as the Ohma-D'un Crisis. During these events, Tarvin would score his highest profile kill yet when he destroyed Imperial Moff Tage Kallag. Also, it was during this time that he first met Brek Onar, although neither knew at the time because Brek was still fighting for the Empire and they had met in a dogfight over Talravin. For the bravery they showed in bringing the crisis to an end, both Tarvin and Cody Vistal were awarded the Medal of Bravery. Tarvin was also able to make good on his promise to Cody as the young Naboo pilot was finally allowed to join the squadron. Tarvin also chose to make a permanent home on Naboo and asked Larena to live with him, which she did.
About a year later, when the New Republic began its push toward the Core, Tarvin and Gold Squadron were tasked with spearheading a diversionary assault on the Talravin system. During the ensuing battle, Tarvin once again tangled with Brek Onar and Black Knight Squadron. After New Republic forces had secured the planet, Brek secretly approached Tarvin and informed him of his and his squadron's intentions to defect. After the Knight's defection, Onar and Calaan would, along with their respective squadrons, go on to fight in the Liberation of Coruscant. The two would also go on to become close friends. During the celebrations on Coruscant, Tarvin asked Larena to marry him, to which she happily answered yes. They were married a few weeks later in a small ceremony on Naboo. Kael Sykes served as Tarvin's best man.
Soon afterwards, much to Tarvin's dismay, New Republic High Command chose to turn Gold Squadron from a multi-fighter unit into an all A-wing unit, forcing Tarvin to leave the cockpit of his beloved X-wing. Tarvin's protesting of the change caused him to be passed over for a promotion to Major. It would be another seven years before Calaan would be offered another promotion. Despite his objections however, the squadron was retrained to fly A-wings and was subsequently stationed at Folor, as it awaited an assignment. When Admiral Trigit attacked the base under the orders of Warlord Zsinj in 7 ABY, Tarvin led the squadron in escorting the evacuation transports. Much like at Hoth however, he was upset that he would not get the chance to stay and fight. After the battle Tarvin was finally able to convince Starfighter Command to turn his squadron back into a multi-fighter unit.
The Tarsik CampaignEdit
In 8 ABY, while the rest of the New Republic military was off fighting over the remains of the recently defeated Warlord Zsinj's empire, ex-Imperial Admiral Peri Tarsik, now a warlord hmself, revealed himself and his new Deep Core-based fiefdom, which he referred to as the Third Tetan Empire, to the New Republic. Despite the ongoing campaign against the Empire in the Mid Rim, the Republic could not ignore the threat posed by Tarsik's empire and its proximity to Coruscant, and quickly organized a force to dissuade Tarsik and his minions. Included in this force were Gold, Black Knight and Lancer Squadrons, as well as General Horton Salm's Defender Wing, all under the command of Admiral Kir Vantai. The members of the New Republic task force would not have to wait long to see action. After setting up an advanced base on the Deep Core world of Tython, the task force quickly gained Tarsik's attention, who immediately sent a scouting force to investigate. Tarvin and his squadron with the help of Defender Wing easily dispatched the scouting force. Tarsik, realizing that the New Republic meant business, sped up construction on his flagship which was being built at Foerost. When the New Republic learned of this, they immediately ordered Tarvin and the rest of the task force to assault the Foerost Shipyards and destroy Tarsik's new warship.
During the assault on Tarsik's shipyards at Foerost, Tarvin and his Squadron was, ordered to provide fighter cover for the Fleet, while the less experienced B-wing pilots of Lancer Squadron were sent in to destroy the dry docks where Tarsik's flagship, Revanchist, was being built. Tarvin compared the task to the Death Star trench run and protested that sending in a lone squadron was suicide. Soon after beginning their attack run, the Lancers found themselves overwhelmed by both ground and fighter defenses. The Black Knights, who were providing top cover for the Lancers, requested immediate assistance and Calaan quickly prepared to move in on the Revanchist to provide support. Vantai however was confident that the mission could be accomplished as planned and despite repeated objections from both Calaan and Onar, he ordered Gold Squadron not to intervene. As the situation deteriorated, General Salm stepped in and overruled Vantai, ordering Gold Squadron to move in and attack. Although they arrived too late to save Lancer Squadron, which had been completely wiped out, the intervention of Calaan's unit saved the Black Knights from a similar fate. Taking charge of the situation, Calaan led his pilots into an attack on the docks. Supported by the Black Knights, Calaan and Gold Squadron were able to destroy the Revanchist's docking supports, causing the vessel to be pulled down into Foerost's atmosphere, where it disintigrated.
With Tarsik's most powerful weapon destroyed, the New Republic task force, now under the joint command of Vantai and Admiral Areta Bell, launched its final assault on Tarsik's capital of Empress Teta. During the battle Calaan led Gold Squadron in an attack on Tarsik's flagship, the Hunter. Calaan, Azzameen and Vistal were able to take down the ship's shields long enough for Kato, who had been once been a slave of Tarsik's, to destroy the bridge, killing the warlord once and for all. Shortly after the end of the campaign, Calaan shocked his squadron-mates by announcing that he would be leaving Gold Squadron. After the incident involving Lancer Squadron over Foerost, Calaan became convinced that New Republic commanders had become overconfident in the abilities of their fighter squadrons. He believed that without a major shift in the way that new pilots were trained, more and more units would suffer Lancer Squadron's fate. As a result he requested and was granted permission by Starfighter Command to create a new starfighter squadron using Calaan's proposed training techniques. Calaan took Cody Vistal with him to serve as his executive officer. Calaan quickly determined that his new unit would be dubbed Republic Squadron.
A few months after the conclusion of the campaign against Tarsik, Larena gave birth to the couple's first child, whom they named Brin. Soon after her birth it became apparent to her grandfather that Brin was force-sensitive. Tristan Calaan was force-sensitive himself, and despite their apprehension, he was able to convince Tarvin and Larena to allow her to learn the ways of the force when she was old enough.
Republic SquadronEdit
After Tarvin had hand picked each of the new recruits for Republic Squadron, he began a long and rigorous training program to weed out pilots who weren't yet at an elite skill level. Because of the length of the program, Tarvin was unable to take part in the campaign against Grand Admiral Thrawn. During the time, Tarvin turned down a number of promotions so that he could stay with his new unit. After more than a year of training, Tarvin and Cody finally felt they had a good final roster which was now ready for combat. They would get their chance when the reborn Palpatine launched his attack on Mon Calamari. Tarvin led his squadron against the World Devastators along with the rest of the New Republic relief force. During the battle, Rep. Squadron's Three Flight under the command of Arto Reedo was cut off from the rest of the group. Despite the best efforts of Tarvin, Cody and the rest of the squadron, the four pilots of Three Flight were all killed. When his squadron was called on only a few weeks later to defend Manaan, Tarvin was forced to call up inexperienced replacements to replenish the ranks. His own wife volunteered and took the callsign Republic Twelve. At Manaan, the inexperienced pilots of Three Flight were again cut off. After already losing two of the replacements, Larena and the other survivor were rescued by Tarvin and Lead Flight. Tarvin would go on to lead his squadron at the Battle of Onderon, during which his flying earned him another embellishment for his Kalidor Crescent.
In 12 ABY, about a year after the end of the campaign against the clone Palpatine, Larena gave birth to twin boys whom they named Dirrax, after their friend, and Nerric, after Larena's father, both of whom perished on Alderaan. Dirrax and Nerric quickly grew up to want to be just like their father. With his encouragement the two would eventually begin honing their piloting skills in the Twinster, just as he had years earlier. During this time, while aiding in the rebuilding process on Coruscant, Tarvin met his birth mother for the first time. Though the meeting was awkward at first, Tarvin accepted his mother's apologies and after meeting her husband Alsod and their son Conor, left, glad to have met her at last. Conor, Tarvin's half brother would be inspired to go on to become a fighter pilot himself after Tarvin's visit.
As the Galactic Civil War began to wind down, Tarvin finally began accepting promotions. He was promoted to Major in 14 ABY and to Colonel a year later. The latter promotion gave him command of not just Republic Squadron, but Black Knight Squadron as well. Tarvin felt that the war would be ending soon and as a result he began grooming Cody to take over Republic Squadron soon after his promotion; believing he was the best man to replace him when he retired.
"Sending one elite squadron to eliminate another elite squadron? It's like ramming two Star Destroyers together. All it leaves is a big mess, and in the end everyone has a bad day."—Tarvin in 16 ABY
In 16 ABY, Republic Squadron was ordered to eliminate a squadron of TIE Defenders which had been harassing New Republic convoys. Unbeknownst to the New Republic however, Typhoon Squadron, the squadron in question, was one of the most elite units in the Remnant and had been tasked specifically with drawing out Republic Squadron and destroying them. When Republic and Black Knight Squadrons were tasked with escorting a convoy, Typhoon Squadron ambushed them. Despite being outnumbered two to one, the Imperials were able to inflict heavy casualties on the Knights and scored two kills against Republic Squadron as well. Fortunately, Tarvin had the presence of mind to record the hyperspace vectors of the retreating Imperials, which led New Republic Intelligence straight to their base. New Republic forces made up of Tarvin's command, a small SpecForce team led by Larena, and a group of CR90 corvettes attacked the base shortly after and caught the Imperials completely by surprise. Using a precision flying maneuver he had learned from Tyler Saft, Tarvin was able to fly his fighter through a small gap in the station's outer defenses and destroy the shield generator, allowing the attack force to destroy the base. Many of the fighters from Typhoon Squadron were destroyed before they could launch. The squadron's commander however, was able to get away where he proceeded to engage Tarvin in one on one combat. After a fierce dogfight, Tarvin was able to shoot the Commander down as the two surviving Imperial fighters escaped into hyperspace. Immediately after the battle, Republic Squadron was praised as a rival to Rogue Squadron and Tarvin became a national celebrity for his actions in ending the Imperial threat. A few weeks later, the public attention coupled with his pre-existing cockiness got the best of Tarvin and he challenged Rogue Squadron's Wedge Antilles to a simulated dogfight. Though Tarvin was able to make the engagement interresting, he was ultimately bested by Antilles. Though Antilles was a gracious winner, Tarvin was forced to endure weeks ribbing from members of Rogue and Republic Squadrons alike.
Two years later, Tarvin and Larena sent Brin to train at the Jedi praxeum on Yavin IV. Later that year, Luke Skywalker asked Tarvin to come to the Praxeum and help him train the Jedi in the art of starfighter combat. Tarvin gave Cody temporary command of the squadron during his time on Yavin IV and ended up being thoroughly impressed with Cody's ability to lead.
When the war ended a year later in 19 ABY, Tarvin felt that he had accomplished his goal of ridding the galaxy of the Empire's tyranny and getting revenge for Alderaan. After discussing it with his wife and his old friends Kael and Hally, he finally chose to retire and live out the rest of his days in peace on Naboo. Unfortunately for Tarvin and his vision for a peaceful future, he was unaware that the long sought after peace would be short lived. Six short years later he would be called on again to face an extragalactic threat, greater than any he could have imagined.
The Yuuzhan Vong WarEdit
"This is an enemy unlike any we've fought before. The New Republic doesn't just need great pilots, we needs heroes. We need Tarvin Calaan."—Major Cody Vistal after the Battle of Dantooine in 25 ABY
Tarvin at first didn't know what to think of the stories of the extragalactic invaders called the Yuuzhan Vong. In his mind, there couldn't be anything worse than the Empire. As the stories of atrocities became more frequent and horrific however, he came to realize that he could have been wrong and prepared himself for a return to action. After the debacle at Dantooine, Cody Vistal knew it was time to call Tarvin back. Tarvin however, not wanting to interfere with Cody's command, had himself bumped from Colonel back down to Major so that Cody, who himself was a Major at the time, would be able to maintain control of the squadron.
Tarvin quickly realized that this war would be different. He saw that unlike the war against the Empire, this one wasn't being fought for a political ideal, but for the very survival of the many species in the galaxy. The beginning of the war was marred with a series of demoralizing defeats in which the morale of the men and women of Republic Squadron reached an all time low. At Gyndine, Tarvin disobeyed the order to retreat and, along with his squadron, attempted to rescue seven refugee ships which were stranded behind the Yuuzhan Vong line. Despite his best efforts only three transports made it out, for which he would blame himself until the end of the war. To add insult to injury, Tarvin was demoted to Commander in the aftermath of Gyndine for unecessarily putting the lives of his squadron mates at risk. At Fondor, Tarvin and Cody were separated from the rest of the squadron and found themselves fighting among the Hapan fleet for the duration of the battle. Though originally presumed dead, the two were able to narrowly evade Centerpoint Station's energy beam which decimated the Hapan forces. Afterwards Republic Squadron was assigned to the Duro Defense Force. When the Vong finally attacked that world, Tarvin and his squadron fought valiantly but once again their efforts were in vain. The planet fell and the DDF was wiped out, with the members of Republic Squadron as its sole survivors. Republic Squadron went on to take part in the hectic evacuation of Bellassa. The operation was largely successful and millions of refugees were saved. Calaan and Vistal were the last people to depart the planet before it fell to the Yuuzhan Vong and only barely managed to break through their blockade and escape. After the evacuation, Tarvin and his squadron were reassigned to General Antilles' new flagship, the Mon Mothma, and would go on to take part in two small yet still uplifting New Republic victories at Talfaglio and the Black Bantha. The victories were short lived however, as soon after, the Yuuzhan Vong began their push towards Coruscant. When they finally did launch their attack, Tarvin and Cody led the squadron in a heroic defense of the planet. During the battle, Cody was surrounded and cut off by enemy coralskippers and was in danger of being killed. Tarvin, putting himself directly in harm's way, dove in to assist his friend but was hit, and spun out of control. Knowing that to eject in the middle of so many enemy units would be suicide, he stayed in his cockpit and awaited his fate as Cody's E-wing exploded above him. Fortunately for Tarvin, his father's Star Destroyer was nearby and Tristan was able to get a tractor beam on his son and pull him aboard moments before the remaining New Republic Forces were ordered to retreat. Weeks later, Tarvin learned that, along with Cody, his mother and her husband had also perished during the battle when the Vong bombarded the planet's surface. Tarvin was emotionally shaken by the loss of his longtime friend and the mother whom he had really never had the chance to know. However, just as the loss of Alderaan had years earlier, the loss of those he cared about inspired him to keep on fighting so that one day he might have vengeance.
After Coruscant, Tarvin went on to take part in the recapture and valiant defense of Borleias, where he single-handedly wiped out a squadron of coralskippers. During the battle he learned that his daughter had narrowly escaped Coruscant and with the squadron down to only eight members invited her to join Republic Squadron. By the time the New Republic was finally pushed off Borleias, Brin had proven herself to both her father and the other members of the squadron and was asked to stay as a permanent member.
"I made you a promise Kael. I promised you that once I found a new home I would never let anything happen to it. That's a promise I intend to keep. I was at Gyndine. I was at Duro and Coruscant. I'm tired of running. I'm drawing a line in the sand right here. Maybe we can't win this war. Maybe this galaxy can't be saved. But if we are going to turn the tide, it's going to happen right here! The Yuuzhan Vong's win streak ends today!"—Tarvin to Kael Sykes moments before the Battle of Naboo in 27 ABY
After Borleias, Tarvin was able to link up with the Dagger and Black Knight Squadron, both of whom had barely escaped Coruscant themselves. While onboard the Dagger Tarvin learned that the Vong had threatened to attack Naboo for the sole purpose of striking fear into the broken New Republic by devastating the peaceful and out of the way world. Tarvin, acting without orders, decided that he had to do whatever he could to prevent that. He refused to order his men to join him in what was a seemingly suicidal task, however they all volunteered to stick with Tarvin until the end. Brek, Black Knight Squadron and the crew of the Dagger followed suit and the small renegade force set off for Naboo. Upon arrival Tarvin and his men linked up with his old friend Kael Sykes and the other members of the Royal Naboo Security Forces. The battle turned out to be a stunning success, despite the loss of the Dagger. News of the victory spread quickly throughout the galaxy. It was used throughout the New Republic as a propaganda tool and years later it would be used in Galactic Alliance military academies as a textbook example of how to defend a position when the enemy had greater strength. From that point on, Republic Squadron was known among the Yuuzhan Vong as the Death Bringers and Tarvin himself was known simply as the Death Bringer.
Late warEdit
"The Death Bringer! All yorik-et, attack and pray that your deaths bring you eternal glory!"—Unknown Yuuzhan Vong pilot during the Battle of Ebaq 9
After Naboo, just as Tarvin said it would, the war went much differently. Tarvin took part in a series of small New Republic victories meant to train the new recruits. Afterwards, he and his squadron were assigned to General Farlander's battle group for the trap being set at Ebaq 9. During the battle, Republic Squadron actually fought alongside Tarvin's old unit, Gold Squadron. Gold Squadron, as well as many of the other fighter groups in Farlander's group suffered heavy casualties. Republic Squadron however, came away unscathed. After the battle Cal Omas reformed the New Republic into the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, much to Tarvin's disappointment. He felt that by taking away the New Republic, Omas was saying that all of Tarvin's friends who had died fighting the Empire had died for nothing. When asked by Galactic Alliance politicians to change Republic Squadron's name to Naboo Squadron or Alliance Squadron, Tarvin refused saying that even though the Vong had destroyed the New Republic, he and his squadron mates would always fight for the ideals which it stood for.
In early 29 ABY Calaan took part in the liberation of Bellassa. Due to his actions during the battle coupled with his actions during the evacuation of the planet earlier in the war, Calaan, along with the rest of Republic Squadron, would be revered by the people of Bellassa for many years to come. Tarvin would go on to lead Republic Squadron in a series of major battles that finally brought about an end to the war. First he fought in the defense of Mon Calamari. Following that, he fought under Wedge Antilles at the Battle of Corulag and immediately after joined the attack on Coruscant. During the final battle, he led Lead Flight directly into the Vong lines around Muscave. Thanks to the heroic sacrifice of squadron mate Ryanni Synter, Tarvin and Lead Flight were, with the help of other ships in the area, able to destroy an enemy Kor Chokk warship. Afterwards, his squadron was withdrawn to Zonama Sekot, where he helped defend his father's group of warships from a wave of coralskippers. During the battle Tarvin had enlisted the help of a lost TIE pilot who had been seperated from his unit. Tarvin later learned that the pilot was one of the two survivors from Typhoon Squadron. Tarvin and Valner Greer, the pilot in question, made amends, with both men realizing that the other was only following orders. With the war finally over, Tarvin retired once again. He handed command of Republic Squadron over to longtime member Jarton Kinsk and then returned to his family on Naboo with the hopes of living out the remainder of his life in peace.
When Tarvin and Tristan returned to Naboo for their long awaited retirement, they were immediately invited to a ceremony in Theed in which a street was renamed Calaan Way in their honor. At first, Tarvin had trouble adjusting to a civilian life and spent most of his spare time in the cockpit of Twinster, weaving through the asteroids in the Naboo system. What he found most difficult was the fact that his sons had left to join Republic Squadron and the knowledge that he had missed out on much of their growing up while he was away in the military. Eventually however, he was able to settle down and enjoy the retirement that he had waited so long for.
Dirrax: "How can you sit there and say that your own son died for nothing?"
— Tarvin Calaan and his son Dirrax after Nerric's death in 36 ABY
Tarvin: "Because my son did die for nothing! And you almost did too. If you took the time maybe you would see it! Your my son. You used to listen to me. You used to see these things."
Dirrax: "Well maybe I changed while you were away. Did you ever think of that? Maybe I shouldn't be your son anymore. I never want to see you again."
Tarvin: "Then get out."
Tarvin was vehemently opposed to the Galactic Alliance's involvement in the Swarm War. As he saw it, the conflict didn't involve the Alliance and they were trying to play the role of galactic police. He felt that the Empire had once played this role and that by doing so the Alliance was heading down a dangerous path. He encouraged his friends in Republic Squadron to resign and Jarton Kinsk and the other surviving members from Tarvin's day, who agreed with Tarvin's views, subsequently chose to retire. Tarvin's own sons however, who had spent their entire adult lives under the Alliance, decided to remain loyal. During the war, Republic Squadron was ambushed and wiped out. Only Dirrax and the squadron's commander, Zhandon Narva, survived. The squadron was officially decommissioned shortly afterward. When word of Nerric's death reached Tarvin and Larena, they were heartbroken. Kael and Hally attempted to comfort their old friends but it was no use. Things got worse when Dirrax returned home. Tarvin and his son's frustration turned to anger and the two fell into a heated argument. Dirrax told his father that he resented him for all the years he had missed of their childhood while he was away in the military. Tarvin told his son that Nerric had died for nothing. The confrontation ended with Dirrax storming out, claiming he no longer wanted to be Tarvin's son. Tarvin couldn't understand how his son had become so different from him. Brin and Larena however, hypothesized that they had fought not because they were different but because their two personalities were so similar. Around this time Tarvin learned that Brin had become pregnant with Jance Onar, Brek's son. Tarvin was surprised that he hadn't noticed the relationship between the two before, and feared that Dirrax might have been right when he said that Tarvin had missed out on much of his children's lives. Shortly thereafter, Tarvin, Larena and the Onars attended a small wedding ceremony between Jance and Brin.
Tarvin would go on to hold a deep resentment toward the Galactic Alliance. This resentment was so deep in fact would lead him to come out of retirement for the conflict that would ignite only four years later.
Second Galactic Civil WarEdit
"I'm sort of surprised your here. I figured you'd stay with the Alliance."—Wedge Antilles and Tarvin Calaan in 40 ABY
"Hey, I'm all for galactic unity. I believe if we let every system leave the Galactic Alliance whenever they felt like it, the galaxy would fall apart. But the minute Alliance leaders decided to use intimidation to keep those systems from leaving, they lost my support."
In 40 ABY, as tensions between Corellia and the Galactic Alliance rose, so did Tarvin's anger over how the GA was handling the growing situation. Though he was upset with Corellia for taking advantage of Galactic Alliance laws while at the same time disobeying them, he was more upset with Galactic Alliance for using military muscle to threaten the Corellians. Just as he had four years earlier, Tarvin felt that the Galactic Alliance was acting very Imperial. He especially disagreed with the GA's laws specifying how large the Corellia's defense forces could be. Their navy had always been a source of pride for Corellians and in Tarvin's eyes imposing regulations on its size was tantamount to putting regulations on Corellian culture. Due to his being so outspoken against the Alliance, he garnered the attention of Galactic Alliance Intelligence. When he learned that he was under surveillance coupled with the news that Wedge Antilles had been detained by GAI, Tarvin was outraged and told Larena that he had lost all faith in the Alliance. When the Alliance tried to intimidate Corellia with a show of force in the form of Operation Roundabout, it was the last straw. Tarvin knew intimidation would only strengthen Corellia's resolve and that if left unchecked, the crisis could escalate into a full scale war. As a result, he and Larena traveled to Corellia in the hopes that they, along with people like Wedge, could help prevent the conflict from exploding into an open civil war.
Upon arrival on Corellia, Tarvin was immediately commissioned as a General in the Five Worlds military. Though he was originally asked to take command of a large group of warships, Tarvin instead chose to command only a single wing of fighters. Tarvin dubbed the three squadrons now under his command Messenger Wing in reference to him joining the Corellians in the hopes of, as he put it, "sending the Alliance a message." The wing consisted of two XJ7 X-wing squadrons named Independence and Liberty Squadron and one A-9 Vigilance interceptor squadron named Freedom Squadron. Tarvin himself took the callsign of Independence Leader. Tarvin and his new wing were soon assigned to the Corellian fleet being sent to Hapes to aid the Heritage Council in deposing Queen Mother Tenel Ka. Tarvin questioned the mission from the start and was completely opposed to any action which involved assassinating the Queen Mother. Five World Prime Minister Gejjen however was able to convince Tarvin that killing the Queen Mother was not their intention, and that they only wanted her step down from power. When the Corellians entered the Hapes system and immediately came under attack from the waiting Hapan Navy, Tarvin realized, too late, that Gejjen had lied. During the battle, Tarvin found himself in a dogfight with his son Dirrax, who was now a Galactic Alliance Guard pilot. The two shared a touching moment in which Dirrax told Tarvin that he would always be proud to call him his father. However, the meeting was bittersweet as Dirrax, always duty-bound, told Tarvin that if they ever met like that again, he would have no choice but to shoot him down. Tarvin, fighting back tears, told his son that if that was case, he would not hesitate to defend himself. When Tarvin realized that the Corellians had been drawn into a trap, he was forced to convince Admiral Delpin that they had no choice but to retreat or risk losing the three heavily damaged Corellian Dreadnaughts. Reluctantly, Delpin agreed and the Corellians escaped. After the battle, outraged about being deceived by Gejjen, Tarvin began to question the Five Worlds leader's motives and whether he had made the right decision in joining the Corellians.
Gejjen: "You old fool. You couldn't have thought we weren't expecting this. What, did you think you'd just fly out of here unnoticed?"
―Dur Gejjen and Tarvin Calaan upon the latter's capture
Tarvin: "No. I just figured you'd be smart enough to leave me alone. I guess I gave you too much credit. You're going to regret this."
Tarvin became very distressed when Wedge Antilles "resigned" his post in the Corellian military. Tarvin knew immediately that Wedge had been fired and had Larena, using her Intelligence experience and Tarvin's secuirity clearance, search for some information on the Five Worlds' reasons for firing their most experienced military leader. What the pair dicovered was that Wedge had been fired for not being aggressive enough and not just that, but after his "resignation", the Five Worlds leaders had attempted to have him assassinated. Tarvin realized that the Corellians had no intention of bringing about a quick resolution to the war and as a result he decided it was time for him and Larena to leave. After seeing what had happened to Wedge however, Tarvin new it wouldn't be as easy as simply retiring. As result, he decided to wait for the right moment to leave. In the meantime, he sabatoged the starfighters of Messenger Wing by making it so their weapons systems would fail when he activated a signal. After Tarvin was ordered into the battle to break the Blockade of Corellia, he realized that it was time to make his move. When he refused to fire on a heavily damaged and defenseless GA frigate, he was relieved of his command. Messenger Wing was ordered to take the frigate out, but found their weapons had been sabatoged by Tarvin and they were forced to leave the battle. Meanwhile, Tarvin slipped away from the battle to his estate on the surface, hoping to pick up Larena and make a quick getaway. Upon arrival however, he found his estate swarming with CorSec officers and he and Larena, realizing that Gejjen had suspected they might defect, were taken into custody. Without even a trial, Tarvin was sentenced to death for treason and Larena was placed under house arrest. Fortunately for Tarvin, the newly formed Confederation proudly broadcast news of his capture across the galaxy. His children, Brin and Dirrax, quickly went about formulating a rescue attempt upon hearing the news. With the help of former Republic Squadron pilots Jarton Kinsk, Vyalla Serru and Nien Nuvv, the two were able to rescue their parents and get them out of the system. During the rescue, Tarvin's friends had been forced to kill Dane Tabber, the younger brother of close friend and squadron mate Rita Tabber. Because Dane insulted Rita's memory to Tarvin's face however, Tarvin didn't regret seeing him die.
After the Raid on Corellia, Tarvin and Dirrax made amends, with both men realizing they had misread the situation. Tarvin, Larena and their three Republic Squadron companions then took refuge on Rori in an old smuggling hideout once used by Hally Serrie Sykes' father, where they could avoid detection from both the Confederation and the GA. Kael Sykes helped by using his position in the RNSF to throw off GA investigators, who had learned off Tarvin's escape and hoped to capture the "traitor" themselves. From Rori, Tarvin and his companions planned their next actions to help and bring about a quick end to the war.
Personality and traitsEdit
"You need to realize that I'm acting without orders. I won't command any of you to come with me. This is a completely volunteer mission."—Tarvin Calaan and Jarton Kinsk before the Battle of Naboo in 27 ABY
"Then I think I speak for all of us when I say we're in. We'll follow you to the end, Tarvin."
Tarvin Calaan was a loyal and trustworthy individual. Tarvin always put the well-being of his friends, family and innocent civilians above his own. He was always willing to put himself at risk for those he cared about and was always ready to try a new and dangerous maneuver in order to accomplish his mission. Due to this fact, his own father once described him as brave to the point of insanity. Tarvin would even go so far as to disobey direct orders if it meant he could help someone in need. At multiple times during the Yuuzhan Vong War, Tarvin disobeyed or acted without orders in the hopes of saving lives. The most notable instances of this are at Gyndine, where he went back to defend a group of stranded transports, Coruscant, where he dove in to assist Cody Vistal, and Naboo, where he left the New Republic fleet and led in the defense of that world.
Above all else, Tarvin always felt the need to have something to believe in. After years of fighting against the Empire, Tarvin truly believed in the New Republic and was heartbroken when it collapsed during the Yuuzhan Vong War. This, almost impulsive, need to be a part of some movement also led him to join the Corellians in their rebellion in 40 ABY; a decision he would later regret. First and foremost, Tarvin was a born leader. He inspired loyalty in the men and women under his command and most of them would remain close friends with him years later. Some were even willing to risk their lives to save him from Confederation imprisonment in 40 ABY. Despite his good qualities, Tarvin, like all fighter pilots, was cocky and headstrong, much to the annoyance of his wife.
Physically, Tarvin was fairly tall and of a strong build, though he was not big enough to be considered intimidating. Strangely, he bore a close resemblance to his adoptive father Tristan Calaan, and most who didn't know otherwise, assumed that the two were in fact related by blood. It is unknown if this resemblance was simply a coincidence, or if it was brought about by the Force bond they shared.
"Arrogant, stubborn and one of the best pilots I've ever seen. He's definately your son, Tarvin."—Larena Vaal Calaan to Tarvin, refering to their son Dirrax
Tarvin Calaan was known throughout his career as one of the best fighter pilots in the galaxy. This was not surprising, considering he had a Clone Wars veteran fighter pilot as a father. During the Second Galactic Civil War, Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles both agreed that amongst non-Jedi, Calaan was probably the best X-wing pilot to have never flown with Rogue Squadron. Tarvin was most famous for his attacks on capital ships. During his career he accounted for more capital ship kills by a fighter than any other pilot. Though, in most cases, he had support from other fighters and sometimes even other capital ships during these assaults, Tarvin's precision flying techniques, imparted to him by Tyler Saft, made him exceptionally good at evading fixed defensive weaponry. Tarvin's skills in a fighter were made even more impressive by the fact that he, like Antilles, flew without the benefit of the Force. Also, Tarvin was known to set the inertial compensator on his fighter as low as eighty percent. This meant he had to deal with far greater g-forces than the average pilot and still he was able to outmatch them in combat.
Tarvin apparently had some skill with a blaster as well, as he showed when he was shot down during the Ohma-D'un Crisis. During the battle, he was able to use his sidearm to fight through waves of battle droids and destroy the Imperial Installation on Ohma-D'un. It is unknown where he picked up his skill with blaster. Like piloting, he might have learned it from his father. Another possible teacher was his wife Larena, who herself was skilled with the weapon. More likely however, learning how to use a blaster was part of his basic training to become a fighter pilot.
Larena VaalEdit
Larena was Tarvin's main love interest throughout his life and in fact was the one who ends up marrying him. Tarvin met Larena at age six and the two were fast friends. Despite their friendship never turning into anything romantic throughout their teenage years, their friend Dirrax and both of their parents knew, even then, that the two were meant for each other. It wasn't until after the destruction of Alderaan and the loss of their friends and family however, that the two realized how much they needed each other. After finally admitting their feelings at Endor, the relationship took off, with the two being married just about two and a half years later. After surviving the Galactic Civil War, Yuuzhan Vong War and the tragedy of losing a child, it became apparent to those close to them that they had possibly the strongest relationship any of them had ever seen. Tarvin and Larena remained happily married as of 44 ABY.
Kora VintarEdit
Kora Vintar and Tarvin had interesting yet brief relationship early in the Galactic Civil War. They met on Yavin IV and became close friends. Due to the fact that Kora was Larena's partner, they saw a lot of each other. Kora, like Larena, had experienced a great personal tragedy and needed someone like Tarvin to love her. During the evacuation of Hoth, Kora revealed to Tarvin that she had feelings for him. Tarvin cared about her but was unsure if he could carry on a relationship with her while he also cared about Larena. Kora didn't want to hurt Larena either and so convinced herself that Larena needed Tarvin more than she did. She volunteered to stay behind at Echo Base and set of charges to destroy the facility. During the attempt she was killed. Tarvin was extremely hurt by the loss of Kora, and was unable to look Larena straight in the eyes for almost a year. Although he eventually did fall in love with and marry Larena, he never forgave himself for Kora's death.
Rita TabberEdit
Rita Tabber and Tarvin's friendship never really developed into anything romantic. Nonetheless, many pilots in Gold Squadron who weren't aware of Tarvin's relationships with Kora and Larena, felt that he would end up falling for Rita. Before the arrivals of Kael Sykes and Hally Serrie, Rita was clearly Tarvin's closest friend in the squadron and he reacted more severely to her death at Naboo than he had for other squadron mates who had been killed.
Behind the scenesEdit
If this fanon were actually canon, then Tarvin would actually make three brief appearances in the films. He could first be seen in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, as one of the two X-wings escorting Quantum Storm away from Hoth. He could also be seen twice during the Battle of Endor in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. First he could be seen flying just ahead of the Millennium Falcon as the Imperial fighters attack. He could be seen again later in the battle as Grizz Frix's wingman.
This character's name was originally meant to be Tristan Calaan. However, in the hopes of making the character's name more "Star Wars sounding" it was changed to Tarvin. The name Tristan was later used for his father.
Tarvin Calaan's character was heavely based of that of Wedge Antilles (The author's favorite canon character). Many of the events in Tarvin's life were inspired by events in Wedge's life. Examples include the Tarsik Campaign, which was based off the Zsinj Campaign, Tarvin leaving Gold Squadron to form Republic Squadron, which was based off Wedge's departure from Rogue Squadron to form Wraith Squadron, and Tarvin's decision to join the Five Worlds. Despite their similarities, it has been said by the author that, of the two, Wedge is the better pilot, making Tarvin arguably the second best, non-jedi, pilot in the galaxy. In fanon, Tarvin and Wedge are friends and interact on a regular bases.


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Tremendous Sister Rosetta Tharpe single from late 1930s--guitar playing so influenced early rockers.
On PBS tonite, doc on "The Godmother of Rock 'n Roll," Sister Rosetta Tharpe, 9 p.m. ET.
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Le projet de réduction des odeurs de la société Twin Rivers est en avance sur le calendrier et donne de bons résultats
La Twin Rivers Paper Company complétera le projet d'élimination des odeurs à Edmundston
Twin Rivers Paper Company to Complete Edmundston Odor Reduction Project
Twin Rivers Paper Company Expands Alliance® Release Portfolio
Twin Rivers to invest $2.5 million and create 50 jobs in Plaster Rock
Plaster Rock, NB (March 27, 2014) – An infrastructure investment of $2.5 million is being made by Twin Rivers Paper Company Inc. in its Plaster Rock mill. A third production shift will be added and 50 new employees will be hired.
"As a result of the government's action and the new forestry... Read more »
Twin Rivers va investir 2,5 millions de dollars et créer 50 emplois à Plaster Rock
Plaster Rock, N.B. (Le 27 mars 2014) -- Twin Rivers Paper Company Inc. est en train d'investir 2,5 millions de dollars dans son usine de Plaster Rock, ce qui permettra de créer une troisième équipe de production et donc d'embaucher 50 nouveaux employés.
« Grâce à l'action du... Read more »
Twin Rivers Paper Company Hires Tony Rigelman as Vice President Sales
Madawaska, ME (December 20, 2013) - Twin Rivers Paper Company is pleased to announce and introduce Mr. Tony Rigelman as Vice President, Sales effective December 20th, 2013.
Mr. Rigelman has over 19 years of industry experience in a variety of leadership roles, serving most recently as Director... Read more »
Twin Rivers Paper Company Hires Kenneth Winterhalter as President
Madawaska, ME (September 11, 2013) - Twin Rivers Paper Company is pleased to announce and introduce Mr. Kenneth Winterhalter as President of the Corporation effective August 26th, 2013.
As President, Ken will be instrumental in setting and the strategic direction of the company. Ken's attention... Read more »
Annual Shutdown at Twin Rivers Paper Company Will Have a Temporary Impact on Madawaska River Water Level
An important notice for residents and businesses along the Madawaska River
Edmundston, NB (September 4, 2013) – As part of Twin Rivers Paper Company's annual shut-down and capital investment, we will be doing proactive maintenance on two sections of a pipeline that lies next to the Madawaska... Read more »


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What Else Can I Do With Leftover Eggnog?
Good Questions
Q: I have a half empty carton of eggnog in my fridge and, while I know it will keep for awhile, no desire to drink it.
Are there any creative uses for eggnog other than French toast? Could I use it in scones?
Sent by Kristin
Editor: If you aren't averse to drinking it in another form, you could make lattes with it:
You could also substitute it for milk or half and half in a pudding or custard recipe.
Readers, what else would you suggest?
Related: Recipe Review: Homemade Eggnog
(Image: Nora Maynard)
21 Comments
I have recipes for eggnog bread and eggnog pound cake. You could make something like that and give it as a gift...
I just bookmarked these the other day: http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2011/12/01/eggnog-cheesecake-bars/
Eggnog fudge or truffles? I usually use the leftovers in pound cake, scones, muffins, cookies, pancakes or the aforementioned french toast. Any of my standard recipes using buttermilk, during the holidays, I sub eggnog just to use up the leftovers.
I'm going to try making ice cream out of mine.
I've tried a pancake recipe variation where I subbed eggnog for both the eggs and milk in the recipe (and then fried them in butter kind of by accident). Those were quite good.
I second the cake idea. People love it and it makes a great holiday gift! I just substitute milk in any cake recipe.
Anything baked, just switch out the liquid for eggnog. It's great. Cake? Use eggnog in place of milk/water. You won't get a strong eggnog flavor, just make the baked good more moist and dense.
Eggnog custard pie! Yum!
Make rice pudding. Or as a shortcut, I added some to Kozy Shack rice puddingt this weekend
Wait... leftover eggnog? I don't understand, I've never heard of "leftover eggnog"...
More seriously, DON'T use it as a milk substitute in instant pudding. It's terrible. It seemed like a good idea at about 3 AM once, but trust me, it's not.
In coffee. Deelish.
Panna cotta?
ice cream
Egg nog panna cotta is pretty delicious.
Bread or rice pudding would be amazing! Maybe creme brulee or as others have said, panna cotta?
These eggnog scones are always a big hit at our house and as gifts. Don't be put off by the inclusion of cornmeal--it adds a nice "bite."
Eggnog bundt cake! http://chefpandita.com/2011/12/03/eggnog-bundt-cake/
Eggnog Tresh Leches cake. http://therunawayspoon.com/blog/2010/12/egg-nog-tres-leches-cake/
I'm not sure which came first... this post or this one:
waffles look awesome!
Sub for cream in bread pudding.. yumm
Make orange pasta and instead of cream, use the 'nog.


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HOLLAND (WKZO) -- State Senator Rick Jones of Eaton Rapids is seeking to outlaw sales of electronic cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18.
Holland Vapors owner Sophal Duch is supporting the proposal and already will not sell e-cigs at his store to minors. Duch credits vaping with helping him kick smoking, which for him had been a three-pack-a-day habit.
Several other stores in west Michigan are also not selling the product to anyone younger than 18.


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A regulatory what?
August 16, 2010
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Growing FCC.gov/data
April 20, 2010
Today's Open Meeting
January 20, 2010
Upcoming events at FCC.gov/live
January 11, 2010
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Jefferson Papers Indexes | Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Cumulative Index to vols. 1–20 | W | White Bear, Piccadilly
To John Stockdale, 13 September 1786 [Main Series 10:384]+
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And then there were….July 24, 2014 Anthony, Family, Nicholas No Comments
Surprise! (Yes, it was a VERY BIG surprise a few months ago)…Baby LG #3 is on his/her way!
We finally told the boys tonight with these cool "one of a kind" Ninja brother shirts (my 1st Etsy purchase). They came out so great and the boys loved them!
Nicholas read the shirt but didn't quite pick up on what it meant (since he is already a Big Brother). He didn't quite 'get it'.
When Grandpa read Anthony's shirt ("Big Bro Anthony, 1st time"), AJ said that he was a big bro because he is growing so big! AJ had NO idea that it meant a baby was on the way.
Hard to believe there could be another boy in the family….or, maybe we will be blessed with some pink.
Either way, we will welcome Baby LG into the family around February 4, 2015.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
(1) Was this planned?
It depends which parent you ask. Joe would say "yes" – it's been planned all along (remember, he wanted 6 kids?)
I say: It was not prevented but it was not planned or expected. I was completely shocked when I finally figured out what was going on.
(2) Are you going to find out the sex this time?
You can probably guess the answer to this one…since we did NOT find out with the first 2. No way! We welcome the surprise, at the end! Plus, we have to give Aunt Yvette a chance to win for a third straight time on the baby guessing game.
(3) Do you & Joe really want/hope for a girl?
Joe & I really pray for a healthy baby. And that is all. Seriously. Girl or Boy – it doesn't matter to us. Praying for health.
(4) Ok, yes, Healthy baby – of course. But don't you REALLY want a girl, deep down?
I have to laugh at this one. I guess I understand. My Dad & Joe's Mom both really want a girl. I will let them pray for that
Joe & I really don't care (but you better believe that I am going to spend the next 6 months preparing for a 3rd boy)
(5) How have YOU been feeling?
It has been the roughest 1st trimester I have ever had. It was so hard to make it through the work day (especially when my team didn't know!) My MiL suggested acupuncture and I decided to give it a try (couldn't get anything else to work). Seems like it was a miracle coupled with the end of the 1st tri. I finally feel like I can make it through the day again. Yay!
(6) What did the boys say?
We just told them tonight. Joe recorded the whole thing so we have it on video. The BEST part was the moment when Nicholas finally understood…and came over to me to poke my belly. He said "How do you know there is a baby in there?" So cute.
The boys have already asked if they can sleep with the baby. I thought that was very sweet.
When I tucked NCL in tonight, I asked him to pray for his baby brother or sister. He said "Mommy, I really wanted a sister. I am praying for a sister".
(7) Do you guys need to buy a bigger house?
Yes. (Thankfully we don't have to buy a bigger car…since we bought a van in December).
(8) Are you going to take off on a crazy long RV trip after Baby LG arrives? (Again)
Depends who you ask. Joe LaGreca was ready to pack the RV the day I got the positive test. He is already on the road…in his mind.
(9) Are you excited?
I think I will table this question for another post. I can give the short answer now. Yes! I am VERY excited (now). The boys know, the baby is healthy (all tats have come back positive and there is a healthy strong heartbeat!), and it's fully public now. It's going to be scary…but I am excited. Another LG Baby. Can't wait to see what it looks like!
(10) If you aren't going to find out the sex, will you at least tell us the names on the list?
Simple answer. NO WAY!!! You will have to wait on that, too.
I am 12 weeks now…and already visibly showing. Eek!! And in case you were wondering….I have NO maternity clothes left. 5-6 months ago, we got rid of EVERYTHING! All baby clothes and ALL my maternity clothes. A huge bummer!! I remember Joe saying "it's fine. If you need them again, you can just go buy more" (He only said that because he didn't think it would ever come true).


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(WHAS11) -- The UofL Center for Women and Infants will be at the Kentucky State Fair to share information on prenatal classes, baby wellness and Kangaroo Care.
The University of Louisville Hospital's award winning Kangaroo Care initiative emphasizes more skin-to-skin contact between baby and parents to improve breast feeding, wellness and bonding.
WHAS11's Brooke Katz spoke with Lisa Wright from the Center for Women and Infants to find out more about what activities will be offered at the fair this year. Click on the video player to view.
Click for a list of all activities being offered by University Hospital and the James Brown Cancer Center.


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Next Show
October 3, 2014 - Piano Chameleons at Chapelle du Bon Pasteur, Montreal
It's official! : my musical theatre show, Bella: the Colour of Love, about the life of Bella Chagall, muse, manager, publicist and great love of famed artist Marc Chagall, will be presented for a 3-week run at the Harold Greene theatre in Toronto this October! The run will be from October 13th to November 3rd.
I've added a little promotional video from Live On Stage on the Videos page, who is representing me for bookings for their 2014-15 season - short and sweet!
My musical theatre production with co-writer/lyricist Theresa Tova, Bella, the Colour of Love, based on the lives of Bella and Marc Chagall, was a huge hit at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia this past October! This was the premier of the full, revamped 2-act version with our new director, the legendary Danny Grossman.
New review of my performance at the Xerox Rochester Jazz Festival last week - see full review on the Press page
Review of Upstairs in Downbeat magazine's Editor's Picks! You can read the full review on the Press page.
Matt Herskowitz Upstairs has already received numerous glowing reviews from the US! You can read some of them on the Press page (just click on the tab to the left). In the US you can also order this CD online worldwide through Justin Time Records, itunes, amazon and many other online retailers, as well at any record stores that still exist. In Canada it's available online as well at all retail record stores, including HMV, Archambault, Renaud-Bray and Grigorian.


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Center Earns Second NHL Call-Up of the Season
Providence, RI - The Providence Bruins, in their 17th season in the American Hockey League, announced that the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins have recalled center Vladimir Sobotka to Boston on an emergency basis. He will travel with the team on its upcoming road trip to Washington and Atlanta. With the move, the P-Bruins have 23 players on their roster, including 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders.
Sobotka, 21, heads north to Boston for the second time in 2008-09 after appearing in five games for the big club in October, averaging 9:13 minutes of ice-time per game. The second-year center was a healthy scratch for five additional games before being assigned to Providence on November 4.
In two stints for Providence this season, Sobotka has posted points in 13 of 17 games for 21 points overall (10g, 11a). He leaves the P-Bruins riding a five-game point-streak, during which he has registered seven points (2g, 5a). Over 17 games, Sobotka has seven multiple-point games, tied with Johnny Boychuk and Martin St. Pierre for the team-high.
Sobotka split the 2007-08 campaign between Boston and Providence, appearing in 48 regular season games with Boston while amassing seven points (g, 6a), plus another six Stanley Cup Playoff contests, where he scored two goals versus the Montreal Candiens. His first NHL point came on December 12, 2007, recording an assist against the Atlanta Thrashers. Sobotka also enjoyed several other NHL firsts, including his first goal at the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 13, his only multiple-point game with two assists April 4 against the Ottawa Senators, his playoff debut at Montreal on April 12 and the first of two playoff goals five nights later. A native of Trebic, Czech Republic, Sobotka had 20 points (10g, 10a) and a plus-12 rating in 18 regular season games for the P-Bruins a year ago.
Sobotka was drafted by Boston 106th overall in the fourth round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
Providence Bruins season tickets, Flex Tix packages and single game tickets are on sale now for the 2008-09 season. To purchase tickets or to learn more information, call the P-Bruins ticket office at (401) 273-5000 or log on to the team website at providencebruins.com.


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What's the Most Delicious Thing You've Seen (Lately)?
We spend quite a bit of time online, buzzing here and there among the food blogs, picking up things that look particularly delicious and inspiring. This is one of the times in the year when tastes are shifting from one season to another, spring to summer, fresh green to vibrant color. So we're curious, as you're hunting about for delicious and beautiful things to cook this summer, what's the most delicious thing you've seen lately?
A few recent favorites, pictured above:
• Flo Braker's Pain d'amande Cookies, a guest post at David Leibovitz's weblog. We are suckers for fragile, crispy cookies like these. There's something so plain and simple about a delicate cookie, yet elegant and irresistible too. These are supposed to be honeyed, toasty, and crispy.
• Strawberry Panna Cotta with Strawberry Compote at Epicurious. With the weather unseasonably hot and muggy, anything cool and creamy sounds wonderful. We feel like we could eat this for every meal right now.
• Badass Beet Salad! from Boots In the Oven, a fabulous and new (to us) blog. This stunning salad satisfies every craving for color and texture we have right now, in the gateway to summer.
What's inspiring you right now? What's on your to-cook list of delicious things? Tell us; we want to go and look at every one of your suggestions.
Related: Late Winter Inspiration: 20 Things On the To-Cook List
(Images: Clockwise from left, David Leibovitz; Romulo Yanes; Rachel and Logan of Boots In the Oven)
13 Comments
What's the most delicious thing I've seen lately? Try everything on this site. I seriously think you all are out to ruin every person who is on a diet. :)
Oooh...I can personally vouch for those almond cookies. I've made them so many times at this point and absolutely adore them!
sproutedkitchen.com It's new so keep an eye out! the pictures are gorgeous!
you'll love it!
I'm a sucker for a lip-smack inducing picture of food.
Barbecued chicken, ribs, leg of lamb and -- best of all -- salmon, the former three slathered with a sauce homemade by Jamie Oliver on his "Jamie at Home" Food Network show. The fish got a quilt-like coating of finely chopped fennel fronds, the skin was crisped over hot coals. It was 8 a.m., and I was drooling.
Everything Helen makes over at Tartelette looks exceptionally delicious.
cinnamon brioche rolls my husband made last week!
also sprouted kitchen looks so beautiful, definitely adding it to my blog roll. loving the minimalist photography.
My go-to site right now for gorgeous food photography and recipes is Have cake, will travel. Celine shares wonderful vegan recipes that make even non-vegan mouths (like mine!) water. Check out her Flickr photostream too. Just stunning.
Thanks so much for linking to us - totally august company, too! We're in this great in-between season here in Texas. Beets are jostling with summer squash and onions, and any minute now the peppers will be getting nice and hot...
This crab and orange verrine recipe from the French Fork, another Austin blogger, makes me want to run to the store for some crab. It looks completely delicious for our hot hot days to come: http://frenchfork.blogspot.com/2009/05/crab-and-orange-summer-duo.html
The crêpes I had in Japan last month!
The apples forming on my garden's apple tree, the anticipation alone is delicious, I cannot wait for this year's cider and apple tarts.
Also anything in the case at Tartine:
but especially their banana cream tarts that remind me of the banoffee pie I loved so much in London. Here's a link to the recipe:
I prefer the small 4" tarts because then I don't have to share my dessert!
Is it against the rules to say the croissants I made recently? I was so proud! I'd never made croissants before, and they came out so, so, so well. Hooray for me!


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April Family Events at Kean University
Kean University welcomes the spring season with a series of cultural events for the entire family. Easter Egg hunts, exhibits, afternoon tea, theatre productions and dance recitals are in the line-up for all ages at Union County's leading institution of higher education.
Liberty Hall Museum hosts the Annual Easter Egg Hunt on April 23 at 12 noon. Children will explore the grounds of Liberty Hall searching for plastic eggs hidden throughout the landscape, filled with holiday treats. A surprise visit from the Easter Bunny caps off the events of the day. Reservations are required, and admission is $5 per child, one adult is free per paying child, additional adults are $5 each.
On April 16 from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. the museum offers The Girls of Liberty Hall - A Children's Afternoon Tea and Fashion Show. Guests will be treated to a luncheon of scones, breads, finger sandwiches, sweet treats, lemonade, iced tea and sherbet punch on real china while watching a fashion show of reproduction historic children's clothing from colonial times through early 20th century. There will also be a dress-up and play tent with games and prizes. Admission is $25 per person, reservations are required.
The on-going exhibit at Liberty Hall is Stitches in Time: Three Centuries of Hemlines, Necklines & Everything in Between. The show displays over 40 pieces of clothing and accessories from the vast fashion collection of the Liberty Hall Museum. The fashions range from 18th century shoes and fans to 20th century Christian Dior cocktails dresses, featuring elegant gowns, glittering accessories, refined evening attire and vintage undergarments in a display called "Victorian Secrets."
General admission to the museum for regular visits is $10 for adults, $6 for students and free to children under three, Liberty Hall Museum members and Kean University students, faculty and staff. Liberty Hall is located at 1003 Morris Avenue in Union, New Jersey. It is open to the public Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For reservations and further information, call 908.527.0400, e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com or visit www.kean.edu/libertyhall.
Kean Stage will present The Griffin Theatre Company's Frindle, a musical for young audiences on April 10 at 3 pm in the Wilkins Theatre. Griffin Theatre brings young people original productions of award-winning contemporary children's literature. All world premieres, Griffin's work speaks to young people with plays that reflect the life, experiences, trials and tribulations of the children in the audience. Frindle is a heartwarming story of a resourceful and gutsy 5th grader who decides to put what he learns in school to the test.
For slightly older children and their families, Kean Players on Tour presents an adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream on April 1 at 12 and 8 pm, April 2 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and April 3 at 2 p.m. in the University Center Little Theatre. Madcap merriment ensues when mismatched lovers, loutish laborers, feuding faeries, and one spirited sprite collide under a magical midsummer moon in a family-friendly adaptation of Shakespeare's most cherished comedy.
"We've adapted Shakespeare's great comedy for young audiences," said Gail Winar, theatre professor at Kean and director of the production. "But it's perfect for all theatre-goers: kids & parents, students & teachers, scholars & beginners. Just bring your sense of humor!"
Kean University is located at 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ. Tickets to Frindle, "Midsummer…" and NJ Dance Theatre Ensemble are $15. Admission to Kean Dance Theatre is $12. To purchase tickets, call the Kean box office at 908.527.7469 or buy on-line at www.keanstage.com
Founded in 1855, Kean University has become one of the largest metropolitan institutions of higher education in the region, boasting a richly diverse student, faculty and staff population. Kean continues to play a key role in the training of teachers and is a hub of educational, technological and cultural enrichment, offering more than 50 undergraduate degrees and more than 45 options leading to a master's degree, doctorate, professional diploma and/or state certification(s). Five undergraduate colleges and the Nathan Weiss Graduate College now serve more than 15,000 students.


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PORTAL (Patient-Oriented Research Training and Leadership)
The PORTAL (Patient-Oriented Research Training and Leadership) program is a highly selective, strongly mentored program, designed to encourage the career development of medical students who seek to become leaders as physician-scientists.
Scholarly Year
With this program, some students can opt to devote a year conducting research or working on another type of scholarly project in order to obtain mentored, one-on-one research training, or engage in a service or advocacy project.
INSPIRE (Individual Scholarly Project and Independent Research Experience) Program
The INSPIRE program is a fourth-year curriculum initiative which aims to enable students to conduct a strongly mentored research project so they may harness their critical thinking skills, while demonstrating their creativity and intellectual independence.


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One of the most indelible images of January 8th is the massive memorial that sprang up on the lawn of University of Arizona Medical Center. The sprawling display has been packed up and put away, but not forgotten.
A committee has been gathering input from shooting survivors and the public regarding how to create a lasting tribute.
From each candle to every poster, thousands of small mementos sent a powerful message of well wishes. The items symbolize the care and compassion of southern Arizonans, who pulled together after tragedy shattered our world.
"Those speak to the beauty of our community," said Roberto Bedoya of the Tucson Pima Arts Council, which is spearheading the effort to preserve the message and meaning behind all the mementos.
His office continues to take input on a permanent memorial. There are no concrete plans yet, but leaders feel a proper tribute will somehow incorporate the pieces left by the public.
"Sometimes, objects associated with a particular incident can trigger that moment of reflection," Bedoya said.
The items left on the hospital lawn and other locations had been boxed up in storage at University of Arizona Medical Center until a few months ago. In October, they were relocated to a longer-term storage facility for safe-keeping - for as long as necessary, until the community comes up with an appropriate way to remember and respect those whose lives changed on Jan. 8, 2011.
"It takes time for deep reflection to make sure you are responding in the most, the best way you can," Bedoya said.
A year has now passed, and it may take many more to build a lasting memorial. But project leaders assure that the display that once lit up our city will shine on again, in some form.
For more information about the permanent memorial project, and to submit ideas:
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Don't Believe the Bounce in RIM
Peter is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.
Blackberry manufacturer, Research In Motion (NASDAQ: BBRY), beat analysts' estimates by selling 7.4 million smart phones and 130,000 Blackberry Playbook tablets for the quarter ending 1 September with its subscriber base increasing from 78 to 80 million as the company gained market share in emerging markets. It ended up increasing revenues by 2% over the previous quarter to $2.8 billion and was able to reduce its losses by 54% to $235 million, which also includes more than $92 million as a one-off restructuring charge. However, as compared to a year ago, revenues have fallen by 31%. The company was profitable by $329 million ($0.63/share). The current loss will be its third consecutive at $0.45 per share, down from the loss of $0.99 last quarter.
The increase might be insignificant, beating analysts' estimates by selling 500,000 more phones. Although the company's revenues have fallen in all regions as compared to last year its decline has been more severe in the US and Canada. As a result, the company is now earning more than 70% of its revenues from outside North America. And this drop is all the technology press in the West cares about. If you can't be big in the U.S. then you don't matter is a dominant theme in our industry, regardless of whether it's true or not.
Sequential fall in revenues for 6 months ending 1 September:
Revenue Contribution by geographic region for 6 months ending 1September:
The company's current strategy is completely devoted towards achieving a successful launch of Blackberry 10. Some of its critics have earlier doubted if it can introduce its new smartphone given its financial constraints. However, the increase in revenues, including the $100 million it added to its reserves during this quarter that has pushed the cash reserves to more than $2 billion, will ensure that Blackberry 10 is coming. Like rival Nokia (NYSE: NOK) the bad news surrounding RIMM was so toxic that any glimmer sparks new hope.
The cost cutting program that aims to eliminate 5,000 jobs and save $1 billion in the current fiscal year is also on track. Nokia similarly has to slash its workforce, sell off part of its patent portfolio and restructure whole business units- Nokia/Siemens – to keep from burning all of their cash up in the next 12 months.
The main problem for both of them comes from the dominance of Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG)'s Android OS and Samsung's Galaxy in the global smartphone industry in general and the North American market in particular, which has left little room for other manufacturers. RIM is now looking towards the emerging markets, particularly India, Singapore, Indonesia and South Africa. The company's Chief Marketing Officer Frank Boulben has recently paid a visit to these countries and has held meeting with the local carriers. BB's image is not as severely hit in the Asia Pacific region as it is in Europe and North America. For instance, Indonesia is one market where BlackBerry dominates over other smartphones. The two leading mobile operators of the country, Telkomsel and Indosat, have 5 million BlackBerry users and are quickly growing while RIM expects this number to touch 9.1 million by 2015. In this part of the world, a BB promotion event attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors and even caused a stampede in 2011.
However, the competition in the smartphone arena is getting tougher and tougher with each passing year. The technology giant Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT) is releasing Windows Phone 8 in conjunction with Windows 8 and a reorientation of their entire product line towards their enterprise cloud services. In that respect, Microsoft could quickly become RiM's biggest threat to a potential recovery.
The future of RIM is anything but certain. It has become a relatively small company as its shares have tumbled more than 86% since January 2011. It has an enterprise value of ~$6.17 billion which means that there is always the looming M&A rumor, similar to Nokia. But for both companies, they both have to prove there is a future business to attract a buyer before the chapter 11 papers are filed.
RIM's hopes are pinned on Blackberry 10 which it claims will be the first new and innovative smartphone after iPhone. The product has so far received highly positive reviews and comes with a record number of apps for any 1st generation platform. The issue is delivery. The Playbook failed because the OS didn't even have functionality of the BlackBerry itself. With the delivery schedule continuing to be pushed farther into 2013, every day they delay is another day that Microsoft, Apple and Google can extend their hooks into the consumer base.
The Smartphone market is rapidly becoming mature and as such in difficult economic times the value proposition for a new device or 'ecosystem' will have to be extremely high for them to switch. RIM's business has always been business and with the iPad seeing heavy adoption at the corporate level and Windows 8 OEM's specifically designing hybrid devices to cater to that customer set, where is RIM is going to fit in as its market share continues to shrink. Microsoft is arguably too late to the game with Windows 8.
For investors I would not believe the bounce in the stock's price, for it is just that, a short-covering bounce. Like Nokia and other turnaround stories taking a flyer on long-dated out of the money calls may pay handsomely if the company does everything right. For everyone else, wait through at least another one or two quarters to see where the story goes.
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Sorana Safely Through
Published July 29, 2010 12:00
ISTANBUL, Turkey - The quarterfinals are now set at the Istanbul Cup, with all four of Thursday's second round victors having advanced in straight sets, including Sorana Cirstea.
Cirstea rebounded from a 4-2 second set deficit in her 64 64 defeat of Johanna Larsson to post her second best result on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour this year, her best having been a semifinal showing at Estoril in May.
"Physically I felt good today," Cirstea said. "I could have won it earlier but she played well on the important points and I lost my focus and had some ups and downs. But I'm happy that I finished the match in two sets and I think that's the most important. I'm really happy with the way it's going, every match is getting better and better and I'm still young, I'm trying to improve every day I step on the court and hopefully one day I will reach my dreams."
Read about Sorana's recent hitting sessions with a Tour legend!
Next up for Cirstea is No.3 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who made short work of Magdalena Rybarikova, 63 62. If the Russian comes through on Friday, she will be into her first semifinal since she won her first career Tour singles title at Monterrey in March.
"It was a tough match because Magdalena plays differently from the other girls, she hits flat and slices, mixes it up a little bit, but I stuck to my game and tried to stay aggressive and I was happy to win," said Pavlyuchenkova, who at No.29 is the highest-ranked teen on Tour now that Caroline Wozniacki has turned 20. "I struggled with my serve a little bit in the beginning but I stayed positive."
Also winning easily on the bottom half of the draw was Jarmila Groth, who disposed of Anna Lapushchenkova, 62 63, to reach her second Tour quarterfinal of 2010, the other having come in Estoril.
"I played pretty well, she's a difficult player to play against as she hits so hard and it's hard to change the pace and make her move," said Groth, who next plays Vera Dushevina. "In the end I was getting a little angry with a couple of line calls and lets on my serve, but apart from that it was a really good match. I have been practicing at this club since February so I know everyone here, including the ball kids. I love practicing here and everyone has been good to me, so I have so much fun playing in front of them. I hope to keep doing well, so they can enjoy watching me and supporting me. It's like a home tournament for me."
On the top half of the draw, Elena Baltacha reeled off five straight games from 3-4 on serve in the first set to seize control of the match in her 64 62 upset of top-seeded Francesca Schiavone. The eighth-ranked Italian is the highest-ranked player Baltacha has ever beaten, her previous best being two wins over 10th-ranked Li Na earlier this year.
Read more about Elena's big victory right here!Baltacha, who will next play No.6 seed Andrea Petkovic, did not go beyond the round of 16 at any Tour event in her career before this year, but is now into her third quarterfinal of 2010, the others having come at Memphis and Eastbourne.


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Daniele "Erratic" and PCM thank you for your clarification with respect to your and my own use of "erratic". I guess in a way I was conditioned by trying to understand PCM related events outside of IEDM. That is the reason for the removal of the 1Gbit PCM-MCP from the products list on Micron's web site, followed more recently (Dec 2013) by the removal of the smaller bit density serial PCM 128Mbit products. Plus the relegation of PCM by Micron from available product status to "promising memory technology" status; with yet another new PCM process now under development. Micron also state on their website "PCM is one of several emerging memory technologies that Micron is investing in".
In relation to crystallization I would also like to clarify a point with respect to my diagram. I showed the case for threshold voltage as a function of volume fraction of crystallites. That is the case where percolation effects come into play and there is a discontinuity in Vt when the first nano-bridge of crystallites links the two electrodes. For the SET situation where there is a large crystal nucleating site already available on which further crystal growth occurs during SET then the Vt = f(VolFrac) curve would I think have a more gentle slope. I discussed the common case where one the electrode is the large nucleating site earlier article in EETimes on data retention and the impact of crystal electrodes.
Daniele- In that case I would think the statistical variation in crystal growth that you mention would depend more on the morphology of the surface of the crystal nucleus after the previous reset operation. I would certainly be interested in your observations on that point and how any element separation with write/erase lifetime would effect the conclusion you draw in your paper.
Thanks for the overview. You have probably been misled by the word *erratic* in Paper 21.7, which you have quoted as an evidence of possible reliability issues affecting PCM technology. I am one of the authors of this work, which clearly states that there are no reliability concerns raised by erratic retention. Erratic retention in this work means that the crystallization time of a PCM cell changes randomly from cycle to cycle, within a narrow time range around the average time to failure. Erratic retention has no impact on the overall retention characteristic of the PCM array: for every cell showing faster crystallization in one cycle, there is another one showing slower crystallization and there are no single bits standing out of the array distribution. Most important, all experiments in the work have been carried out at high temperature, much higher than the typical operation of NVM, to collect data in a reasonable timeframe. Erratic retention, that can be detected only in a time-temperature transition range between consistent retention and consistent data loss, appears at longer times and/or higher temperatures than the product retention specifications. For any further discussion on the erratic retention phenomenon, please refer to our paper in the IEDM proceedings. I will be glad to answer any question.
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