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On the Edge (Edge Series #1)by Ilona Andrews, Renie Raudman (Narrated by)
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Kate Daniels novels comes an edgy new series about a world on the border of fantasy and reality, packed with pulse-pounding action and white-hot romance.
- Overview
- Editorial Reviews
- Product Details
- Related Subjects
- Read an Excerpt
- What People Are Saying
- Meet the author
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Kate Daniels novels comes an edgy new series about a world on the border of fantasy and reality, packed with pulse-pounding action and white-hot romance.
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
- 9781400142903
- Publisher:
- Tantor Media, Inc.
- Publication date:
- 12/21/2009
- Series:
- Edge Series , #1
- Edition description:
- Library - Unabridged CD
- Product dimensions:
- 6.70(w) x 6.50(h) x 1.00(d)
Read an Excerpt
"Rosie!" Grandpa's bellow shook the foundation of the house.
"Why me?" Rose wiped the dish soap suds from her hands with a kitchen towel, swiped the crossbow from the hook, and stomped onto the porch.
She kicked the screen door open. He towered in the yard, a huge shaggy bear of a man, deranged eyes opened wide, tangled beard caked with blood and quivering grayish shreds. She leveled the crossbow at him. Drunk as hell again.
"What is it?"
"I want to go to the pub. I want a pint." His voice slipped into a whine. "Gimme some money!"
He hissed at her, swaying unsteadily on his feet. "Rosie! This is your last chance to give me a dollar!"
She sighed and shot him. The bolt bit between the eyes and Grandpa toppled onto his back like a log. His legs drummed the ground.
Rose rested the butt of her crossbow on her hip. "All right, come out."
The two boys slipped from behind the huge oak spreading its branches over the yard. Both were filthy with reddish mud, sap, and the other unidentifiable substances an eight- and a ten-year-old could find in the Wood. A jagged scratch decorated Georgie's neck and brown pine straw stuck out of his blond hair. Red welts marked the skin between Jack's knuckles. He saw her looking at his hands. His eyes got big, amber irises flaring yellow, and he hid his fists behind his back.
"How many times do I have to say it: don't touch the ward stones. Look at Grandpa Cletus! He's been eating dog brains again, and now he's drunk. It will take me half an hour to hose him off."
"We miss him," Georgie said.
She sighed. "I miss him, too. But he's no good to anybody drunk. Come on, you two, let's take him back to his shed. Help me get the legs."
Together they dragged Grandpa's inert form back to the shed at the edge of the clearing and dumped him on his sawdust. Rose uncoiled the metal chain from the corner, pulled it across the shed, locked the collar on Grandpa's neck, and peeled back his left eyelid to check the pupil. No red yet. Good shot—he would be out for hours.
Rose put her foot on his chest, grasped the bolt, and pulled it out with a sharp tug. She still remembered Grandpa Cletus as he was, a tall, dapper man, uncanny with his rapier, his voice flavored with a light Scottish brogue. Even as old as he was, he would still win against Dad one out of three times in a swordfight. Now he was this . . . this thing. She sighed. It hurt to look at him, but there was nothing to be done about it. As long as Georgie lived, so did Grandpa Cletus.
The boys brought the hose. She turned it on, set the sprayer on jet, and leveled the stream at Grandpa until all the blood and dog meat were gone. She had never quite figured out how "going down to the pub" equaled chasing stray dogs and eating their brains, but when Grandpa got out of his ward circle, no mutt was safe. By the time she was done washing him, the hole in his forehead had closed. When Georgie raised things from the dead, he didn't just give them life. He made them almost indestructible.
Rose stepped out of the shed, locked the door behind her, and dragged the hose back to the porch. Her skin prickled as she crossed the invisible boundary: the kids must've put the ward stones back. She squinted at the grass. There they were, a line of small, seemingly ordinary rocks, spaced three, four feet from each other. Each rock held a small magic charge. Together they created an enchanted barrier, strong enough to keep Grandpa in the shed if he broke the chain again.
Rose waved the boys to the side and raised the hose. "Your turn."
They flinched at the cold water. She washed them off methodically, from top to bottom. As the mud melted from Jack's feet, she saw a two-inch rip in his Skechers. Rose dropped the hose.
He cringed.
"Those are forty-five-dollar shoes!"
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"Tomorrow is the first school day! What were you doing?"
"He was climbing up the pines to get at the leech birds," Georgie said.
She glared. "Georgie! Thirty-minute timeout tonight for snitching."
Georgie bit his lip.
Rose stared at Jack. "Is that true? You were chasing the leech birds?"
"I can't help it. Their tails are so flittery . . ."
She wanted to smack him. It was true, he couldn't help it—it wasn't his fault he was born as a cat—but those were brand-new shoes she had bought him for school. Shoes for which she had painstakingly tweaked their budget, scrimping every penny, so he wouldn't have to wear Georgie's old beat-up sneakers, so he could look just as nice as all the other second graders. It just hurt.
Jack's face pinched into a rigid white mask—he was about to cry.
A small spark of power tugged on her. "Georgie, stop trying to resurrect the shoes. They were never alive in the first place."
The spark died.
An odd desperation claimed her, her pain shifting into a sort of numbness. Pressure built in her chest. She was so sick of it, sick of counting every dollar, sick of rationing everything, sick to death of it all. She had to go and get Jack a new pair of shoes. Not for Jack's sake, but for the sake of her own sanity. Rose had no clue how she would make up the money, but she knew she had to buy him a new pair of shoes right now, or she would explode.
"Jack, do you remember what will happen if a leech bird bites you?"
"I'll turn into one?"
"Yes. You have to stop chasing the birds."
He hung his head. "Am I punished?"
"Yes. I'm too mad to punish you right now. We'll talk about it when we get home. Go brush your teeth, comb your hair, put on dry clothes, and get the guns. We're going to Wal-Mart."
The old Ford truck bounced on the bumps in the dirt road. The rifles clanged on the floor. Georgie put his feet down to steady them without being asked.
Rose sighed. Here, in the Edge, she could protect them well enough. But they were about to pass from the Edge into another world, and their magic would die in the crossing. The two hunting rifles on the floor would be their only defense. Rose felt a pang of guilt. If it wasn't for her, they wouldn't need the rifles. God, she didn't want to be jumped again. Not with her brothers in the car.
They lived between worlds: on one side lay the Weird and the other the Broken. Two dimensions, existing side by side, like mirror images of each other. In the place where the dimensions "touched," they intersected slightly, forming a narrow ribbon of land that belonged to both of them—the Edge. In the Weird, magic pooled deeply; in the Edge it was a shallow trickle. But in the Broken, no magic shielded them at all.
Rose eyed the Wood hugging the road, its massive trees crowding the narrow ribbon of packed dirt. She drove this way every day to her job in the Broken, but today the shadows between the gnarled trunks filled her with anxiety.
"Let's play the 'You Can't' Game," she said to stave off the rising dread. "Georgie, you go first."
"He went first the last time!" Jack's eyes shone with amber.
"Georgie goes first," she repeated.
"Past the boundary, you can't raise dead things," Georgie said.
"Past the boundary, you can't grow fur and claws," Jack said.
They always played the Game when driving through to the Broken. It was a good reminder to the boys of what they could and could not do, and it worked much better than any lecture. Very few people in the Broken knew of the Edge or the Weird, and it was safer for everyone involved to keep it that way. Experience had taught her that trying to explain the existence of magic to a person in the Broken would do no good. It wouldn't get you committed into a mental institution, but it did land you into the kooky idiot category and made people give you a wide berth during lunch hour.
For most people of the Broken, there was no Broken, no Edge, and no Weird. They lived in the United States of America, on the continent of North America, on the planet Earth—and that was that. For their part, most people in the Weird couldn't see the boundary either. It took a special kind of person to find it and the kids needed to remember that.
Georgie touched her hand. It was her turn. "Past the boundary, you can't hide behind a ward stone." She glanced at them, but they kept going, oblivious to her fears.
The road lay deserted. Few Edgers drove up this way this time of the evening. Rose accelerated, eager to get the trip over with and be back to the safety of the house.
"Past the boundary, you can't find lost things," Georgie said.
"Past the boundary, you can't see in the dark." Jack grinned.
"Past the boundary, you can't flash," Rose said.
The flash was her greatest weapon. Most Edgers had their own specific talents: some prophesied, some cured toothaches, some raised the dead like Georgie. Some cursed like Rose and her grandmother. But flashing could be learned by anyone with a drop of magic. It wasn't a matter of talent, but of practice. You took a hold of the magic inside you and channeled it from your body in a controlled burst that looked like a whip or a ribbon of lightning. If you had magic and patience, you could learn to flash, and the lighter the color of your flash, the hotter and more potent it was. A powerful bright flash was a terrible weapon. It could slice through a body like a hot knife through butter. Most Edgers never could get their flash bright enough to kill or injure anything with it. They were mongrels, living in a place of diluted magic, and most flashed red and dark orange. Some lucky few managed green or blue.
It was her flash that had started all of their trouble.
No, Rose reflected, they'd had plenty of trouble before her. Draytons were always unlucky. Too smart and too twisted for their own good. Grandpa was a pirate and a rover. Dad was a gold-digger. Grandma was stubborn like a goat and always thought she knew better than anyone else. Mom was a tramp. But all those problems didn't affect anyone but the individual Draytons. When Rose flashed white at the Graduation Fair, she focused the attention of countless Edge families squarely on their little clan. Even now, even with the rifles on the floor, she didn't regret it. She felt guilty about it, she wished things hadn't gone the way they did, but given a chance, she would do it again.
Ahead the road curved. Rose took the turn a bit too fast. The truck's springs creaked.
A man stood in the road, like a gray smudge against the encroaching twilight.
She slammed on the brakes. The Ford skidded in a screech on the hard, dry dirt of the road. She caught a glimpse of long pale hair and piercing green eyes staring straight at her.
The truck hurtled at him. She couldn't stop it.
The man leapt straight up. Feet in dark gray boots landed on the hood of the truck with a thud and vanished. The man vaulted over the roof to the side and disappeared into the trees.
The truck slid to a stop. Rose gulped the air. Her heart fluttered in her chest. Her fingertips tingled and she tasted bitterness on her tongue.
She stabbed the seat belt release button, threw the door open, and jumped out onto the road. "Are you hurt?"
The Wood lay quiet.
No answer. The man was gone.
"Rose, who was that?" Georgie's eyes were the size of small saucers.
"I don't know." Relief flooded her. She hadn't hit him. She got scared out of her wits, but she hadn't hit him. Everybody was fine. Nobody was hurt. Everybody was fine . . .
"Did you see the swords?" Jack asked.
"What swords?" All she'd seen were the blond hair, green eyes, and some kind of cloak. She couldn't even recall his face—just a pale smudge.
"He had a sword," Georgie said. "On his back."
"Two swords," Jack corrected. "One on the back and one on his belt."
Some of the older locals liked to play with swords, but none of them had long blond hair. And none of them had eyes like that. Most people facing a truck head on would be scared. He stared her down as if she had insulted him by nearly running him over. Like he was some sort of king of the road.
Strangers were never good in the Edge. It wasn't wise to linger.
Jack sniffed the air, wrinkling his nose the way he did when he looked for a scent trail. "Let's find him."
"Let's not."
"Rose . . ."
"You're on thin ice already." She climbed into the truck and shut the door. "We're not chasing after some knucklehead who thinks he's too important to walk on the shoulder." She snorted, trying to get her heart rate under control.
Georgie opened his mouth.
"Not another word."
A couple of minutes later, they reached the boundary, the point where the Edge ended and the Broken began. Rose always recognized the precise moment when she passed into the Broken. First, anxiety stabbed right through her chest, followed by an instant of intense vertigo, and then pain. It was as if the shiver of magic, the warm spark that existed somewhere inside her, died during the crossing. The pain lasted only a blink, but she always dreaded it. It left her feeling incomplete. Broken. That's how the name for the magic-less dimension had come about.
There was an identical boundary on the opposite end of the Edge, the one that guarded the passage to the Weird. She never tried to cross it. She wasn't sure her magic would be strong enough for her to survive.
They entered the Broken without any trouble. The Wood ended with the Edge. Mundane Georgia oaks and pines replaced the ancient dark trees. The dirt became pavement.
The narrow two-lane road brought them past the twin gas stations to the parkway. Rose checked the parkway for the oncoming traffic, took a right, and headed toward the town of Pine Barren.
Above them an airplane thundered, fixing to land at the Savannah airport only a couple of miles away. The woods gave way to half-finished shopping plazas and construction equipment, scattered among heaps of red Georgia mud. Ponds and streams interrupted the landscape—with the coast only forty minutes away, every hole in the ground sooner or later filled up with water. They passed hotels, Comfort Inn, Knights Inn, Marriott, Embassy Suites, stopped at a light, crossed the overpass, and finally turned into a busy Wal-Mart parking lot.
Rose parked on the side and held the door open, letting the boys out. Jack's eyes had lost their amber sheen. Now they were plain dark hazel. She locked the truck, checked the door just in case—locked up tight—and headed to the brightly lit doors.
"Now remember," she said as they joined the herd of evening shoppers. "Shoes and that's it. I mean it."
What People are Saying About This
Meet the Author
Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team who live in Georgia, where they are currently working on Kate Daniels's next adventure.
Actor and voice-over artist Renée Raudman has performed on film, television, radio, and stage. A multiple Audie Award nominee, she has garnered several AudioFile Earphones Awards, a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award, and numerous starred reviews.
Customer Reviews
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I purchased this book. In the Kate Daniels urban fantasy series by husband and wife writing team "Ilona Andrews" sarcasm, action and things that go bump in the night rule, so I was eager to pick up another Andrews world to delve into. In this world there is The Weird, where magic rules and beasts run rampant, The Broken, our world where magic is dead and guns run rampant, and The Edge, which sits between and has a little of both. Rose is a single mom, by courtesy of being the adult left to raise her two younger brothers after her mother died and her father abandoned them. She has just enough power to hold her own, but too much for the other residents of The Edge to feel comfortable with her (or ignore her). Like has happened many times before since her powers surfaced, one day a handsome, arrogant man shows up on her lawn demanding to have her as his bride<~~Cross out broodmare and unwilling to give her a choice in the matter. The gorgeous blueblood from the Weird, Declan, triggers every bad male instinct Rose has and threatens her family and her sanity. But no matter what the pretense, Declan is not just in The Edge for Rose. He's come for a monster stalking the woods as well. Declan, Rose, and the distrusting community of The Edge must find a way to come together before the monster picks them all off to feed. On the Edge has a very urban fantasy feel, and Andrews retains a balance of action, humor and darkness that I truly enjoy. In many ways this is an urban fantasy book, but the differences are enough to push the still new genre into a wider interpretation. Translated into the horror genre, On the Edge would be set in a mysterious backwoods community that's hiding a strange power, but represents a real danger to any outsider who doesn't leave them be. Washed with urban fantasy influences instead, readers will still find the mysterious and potentially dangerous community that lives in a rural area (that particularly speaks to me with the experiences I've had in rural central Kentucky communities) which has formed a unique kind of magic, some would see as a bastardized form of high or formal magic. The community here has a good reason for their wariness of outsiders. The Broken sees them as freaks, and in some cases illegal aliens. The Weird sees them as weak mongrels. Rose herself can't even trust the neighbors since a few of them tried to sell her into "marriage" to bluebloods who expect her power to breed true. On the Edge is a deliciously complex debut world, with full, unique characters and enough plot and intrigue to keep it out of the paranormal romance genre. It has elements of fantasy, romance, mystery, thriller and awesome. I eagerly await the second book in this series and can't wait to see how this family evolves in the world that challenges them.
PB/Fantasy; more like rural fantasy. This is the first book in The Edge series. It is about a young woman, with NO mysterious tattoo and is NOT a mechanic or detective. Instead she is a house cleaner trying to make ends meet while raising her two younger brothers. She doesn't have to save the whole world either, only her little part of it. Neither she nor her brothers get kidnapped and she's not drop-dead gorgeous. What's left? A lot and the plot, mystery, and romance do work. The book doesn't have a dead spot of fifty pages and I do recommend it.
The Drayton family resides on the woody Edge of two worlds. On the Georgia side of their home is the Broken; while on the opposite direction is the Weird. In Broken lives normal humans; in Weird lives all types of supernatural and magical entities. Both realms have strict moral codes. Rose Drayton has become a talented practitioner of magic, which upsets the Weird's ruling aristocrats who want her power for their own use. Soon afterward, brutal hounds attack those who live in the in between edge. At the same time Weird noble Declan Camarine arrives to inform Rose that she will marry him. Rose rejects Declan's arrogant statement, but needs his help as her siblings and other living on the Edge are under attack. ON THE EDGE is a fascinating romantic fantasy due to the magical world that borders between the mundane and the Weird, making Edgers a unique breed; mindful of the Tex-Mex populace who resides on both sides of the Rio Grande. The story line is fast-paced from the opening scene when Rosie shoots an arrow in her grandpa's forehead and never slows down especially after she and the arrogant blueblood meet, reject, fall in love, and reject again; wait till she meets the in-laws that is if she survives the assault on the Edgers. Fans will relish this funny frenzied fantastic frolic. Harriet Klausner
Wow! Wonderfully unique story, rich characters, and great writing. A perfect recipe for an escape into a new world. Andrews creates an alternate reality that is so believable you won't be able to put the book down.This is the first novel I've read by Ilona Andrews and now I honestly cant wait to dive into her other series. P.S. I must agree with another reviewer....the cover art does not do the story any justice. Had I come across this book in a store I would not have looked twice. This is no grocery romance. It's a clever, creative, and simply magical story.
I love the Kate Daniels series so I was very excited to try out ON THE EDGE. After reading it, I have to say it's just.. okay. Not good, not great, and certainly not bad, but just all right. What's good? (A) The world-building is fantastic. I think Andrews has created (yes, they're a wife&hubby team, but for simplicity's sake I'm going to refer to them as one person) an original, interesting setting. I didn't like the Edge (as in the place) very much, since it's very "country," but I'm dying to know more about the Weird! (B) I thought the little brothers were going to be annoying, but they were cute and funny and great additions. What's eh? (A) The romance. I felt like it was too forced and too fast (this comment has nothing to do with sex or lack thereof). The connections were a bit nonexistent, in my opinion, and a potentially interesting love triangle was never really explored. (B) At the end, a bunch of events happen very quickly and it's just.. a bit gimmicky, really. These are just a couple of opinions I had about the book. There are certainly more things I liked/disliked, but I'll just leave it like this. Overall, again, ON THE EDGE was an all right book. If you're a fan of Andrews, then I would pick this up and try reading it. Even though I didn't enjoy it that much, I am curious to read the sequel--the Weird intrigues me, and I wonder how our characters will face new adventures :)
Really different, in a good way. I love the characters, personality and plot. Glad I found this and quickly bought the other book. Worth reading!
I don't write many reviews but I think this author (Ilona and Gordon Andrews) needs to be commended on the world building, characterization, and unusual plot created in the first book of The Edge series. The main Characters: Rose as the simple Edger whose is in reality a complex character with abandonment issues, trying to keep what remains of her family fed for the next week. Declan the Blue Blood, trying to save his friend and his fathers reputation by bringing the morally corrupt Casshorn to a quick end. The secondary characters, the 3 different worlds, and the little comic reliefs, combined to make this one of the best and unique books that I have read in a while. Ilona Andrews builds one heck of a world. If you like this, try her Kate Daniels books, and go to her website for her Alpha Menz snippets.
Rose Drayton has lived all her life in the Edge. The Edge is a small strip of land stretching between the Broken (the world as we know it aka non magical) and the Weird (magic, magic everywhere). Edgers usually possess a little magic and can travel freely between both worlds, but usually stick to themselves. Living in the Edge will make you tough all by itself without compounding the fact that Rose has had to raise her two younger brothers all alone while defending herself from bride-hunting bluebloods and Edgers alike who simply would like her as a brood mare due to her impressive magical abilities. To say she has some trust issues with males and outsiders in general would be an understatement. So when an imposing blueblood Lord Declan Camarine shows up on her land demanding three challenges to win her hand, Rose is less than enthusiastic. She actually shoots Declan with a cross-bow. Not that she hits him, but still, my kind of girl. Then some dangerous creatures begin showing up in the Edge and it will take everything Rose has to beat them off...and to allow Declan to help. Out of all the characters in this novel, Rose's two younger brothers, Jack (a shape shifter) and Georgie (a boy who can raise the dead), were obvious standouts. They trust Rose implicitly and even though they sometimes don't follow instructions explicitly (they are boys) they stole my heart. Both Rose and Declan are fighters and their relationship morphed into something very believable even if I sometimes found myself giggling over Rose's effusive descriptions of Declan's rippling abs since it reminded me so much of Hugh Jackman's 'shower' in Australia. Other than that, Rose is smart and knows how to take care of those she loves which totally rocks in my book. To be honest, I'm not really sure where Ilona Andrews is planning on heading with the next installment, but my hopes firmly rest on a story for William, Declan's shape shifter army buddy. The man has Potential in spades. Can I talk about the cover a moment here? If they had left off the Highland Warrior (he is SO not Declan) I would have totally dug it. Rose against the old truck with a rifle slung carelessly over her shoulder and magic swirling around? Super. But Mr. Piercing Gaze just ruins it for me. This was a fun book, but I'm not going to lie that the teaser for Magic Bleeds, the much anticipated fourth Kate Daniels book, had me squealing for joy. seemichelleread.blogspot.com
Breath of fresh air. Great story line. Wanting the next one now!! Please. Characters very well developed. Love the boys. And when will William re-appear??? These are not the main characters. Don't plan on putting it down once you start reading.
I am a big fan of urban fantasy, but I think it is much harder to do things from the rural standpoint. Andrews is spot-on with the lifestyle and mentality of rural communities. I grew up in a small town, actually on a farm, and it was a pleasant surprise to see the psychology of the Edgers done so well. It really made the book for me. If you like fantasy done well this author is a treasure.
When I found a copy of ON THE EDGE by Ilona Andrews in my mailbox, I went a little nuts. Ok. A lot nuts. I love the authors Kate Daniels Series so much that I have been chomping at the bit for a peek into their newest series The Edge . After devouring ON THE EDGE, I have two words for you: More. Please. I need more. I might not ever recover if I don't get more of this series. I shivered, I shook and I salivated. Rose is the ultimate heroine. She is strong and fierce! A woman every female should want to emulate. Declan is almost too good to be true. Almost. He is totally want worthy. I want him. WANT. HIM. Smart, gorgeous and powerful, who WOULDN'T want Declan? If you enjoy fantasy with romance or romance with fantasy, you'll love ON THE EDGE. The world Ilona Andrews has created is believable and vivid. I feel as though I know how to get there. I don't even need my GPS. One of the gifts of the writing team, Ilona Andrews, is their masterful world building skills. Although the reader knows The Edge doesn't exist in reality, Andrews constructs The Edge so vividly it doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility. Another gift of Andrews is their character development. Major and minor characters are well-rounded and authentic. With personality traits, individual quirks and distinctions each character is unique and original. I highly recommend ON THE EDGE by Ilona Andrews. I can't imagine anyone not loving this book, this series or this author! Go buy your copy TODAY!
4 Stars! When a group of friends on Goodreads decided to read this book together, I knew that I had to join in on the fun. I am a huge fan of Ilona Andrews. I read this book a couple of years ago and enjoyed but but for some reason never picked up the rest of the books in the series. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to refresh my memory of this book and jump into the rest of the series. As I read this book, I could not help but think about the things that the writing team of Gordon and Ilona Andrews do consistently well so I thought I would touch on these things in this review: Excellent world building The Edge is something completely different than I have ever read. In this world, there are three main divisions: the Broken, the Weird, and the Edge. The Broken would be our world-full of WalMarts, Burger Kings, and people who don't know about the existence of any other world. The Weird is a magical world with fewer people and less technology. The Edge is the point between the two worlds-magic and few people who self govern themselves. Tough main characters Rose is no damsel in distress. She doesn't expect anyone to take care of her or her brothers. She does what needs to be done without complaint. She helps out whenever she can despite the fact that others have tried to use her. I love the fact that Rose thinks fast under pressure and is incredibly tough. She doesn't look for a fight but she is not one to back away from one when necessary. Swoon worthy male leads First things first-Declan is no Curran and he is no Mad Rogan. He is still a very good male lead. He doesn't hesitate to put himself in danger to protect Rose and her family and friends. Declan became more and more likable for me as the story progress and by the end of the story I was sold. Something about Declan early in the book seemed almost a bit cartoonish but the more I learned about him the more real he became. Excellent banter What would a Ilona Andrews book be without the trademark banter? The interactions between the two main characters is extraordinary. I love how they are able to work some humor into every story usually through the character dialog. Just the right amount of action This book has no shortage of action. The last part of the book is almost non-stop. There are also the quieter times where we get to really know the characters. By the end of the book, I knew how much the fight meant to everyone involved. The pacing of the book was excellent. I liked lots of other things in this book. Rose's brothers, Jack and Georgie, were amazing. These two kids were truly unique and amazing characters and ended up being one of the main strengths of the book. I loved that the characters in this book spent time doing such normal things. They went to Burger King and made several trips to WalMart. These are things that most people can relate to although most of us don't start riots because of our attractiveness at any of these locations. I would highly recommend this book to others. I do think that this book would appeal to fans of paranormal romance. The romance aspect seemed to be a much larger focus than in other Ilona Andrews works. I enjoy romance so that wasn't an issue for me but it may be for other readers. I can't wait to start on the next book in this series.
I enjoyed this book with it's unique worlds and magic even though it is more crude and explicit (sex) than I prefer. The characters were well developed with plenty of action and adventure. I liked each of the characters for their own unique characteristics and their journey. It had a good ending leaving plenty for a follow-on.
Though I'm not a fan of her Magic series I found this book absolutely awesome. Rose isn't your typicall Heroine. She's not whiny or faulted to the point of obsurdity. Instead she's balanced and realistic. She's prideful but compassionate and it draws you in not only as a syphamsizer for her plight but as someone rooting and cheering for her success. Rose and Declan make mistakes but that's what's so interesting and human abou this story. I'd recomend itfor a page turning book any day!
I really loved this book. The characters were great, plot was pretty good. I just couldn't put this book down. Would definitely recommend reading On The Edge.
On the edge is about rose and her two brothers. They are living on the edge between the weird which has magic and the broken which doesnt. There life is disrupted when declan a blueblood from the weird comes to town. Rose and declan have to put aside their differences to fight a serious thret that wants to destroy the entire edge and everyone in it. I LOVED this book and I completely recomend it!
I absolutely loved this story. It is so original I can't even tell you how much fun is was to read. If you like Fanatasy, SF, Romance and mystery, all well written. This is one you should read. Loved how the kids were worked into the story.
Going for my third rereading of this series. I guess I really like It.
5 stars
I am always awed and captivated when I pick up an Andrews book. On the Edge was a re-read for me and I relished this mind-blowing and shocking story all over again. The beginning was a bit hard again to get into, but the Andrews team are detailed in exploring and explaining the world and different aspects of it. The characters where just as captivating as they where the first time I read this novel. I enjoyed the banter, challenges, and determination both have. The romance was a nice steady build. I liked the threat to the Edge people and the introduction of William, who does get his own book. Ya! I also loved the children. They are adorable and unique. Their is never a dull moment. Amazing characters and outstanding world building. I am always blown away and pulled into a unbelievable adventure. Each book feels like the first time reading it, even if I have already read it. Rated: 4 Edge Stars
Really fun read
Always enjoy their books and this one is no exception.
Fantadtic as usual for this couple's books, enjoyed it very much. Good plot and interesting charactors.


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WWYD? - DD outrageous behaviour(16 Posts)
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text:
A Hybrid .NET Technology Stack
using the MEAN.js Framework
|Hybrid Stacks
|Mean Stack
|Mongo Cache
|Select a content section anchor button and then use the Browser's back button to return to selections
New Technologies and Legacy Systems
The rapidly changing technology ecosystem promises our Clients features and functionality for the Customer base that is very attractive.
Unfortunately implementation of most of these glorious outcomes are better realized in Greenfield Projects.
Most mature Client's technology ecosystem has been evolving over many years and possible millions of dollars invested.
Proposing Greenfield Projects, as a pathway to the perceived new benefits of the latest technology platforms and frameworks, is going to be a very hard sell if leveraging their existing infrastructure and supporting processes need to be drastically changed or completely replaced.
The Challenge Becomes:
How do we offer the highly publicized
"Bells and Whistles" of technology
breakthroughs while preserving the
invested in their sources the
company already has in place?
We need to offer our Client's a viable way of leveraging their Legacy Systems accrued dollar investment.
Through a cost effective Hybrid Technology architecture solution, that requires as little change to their current processes as possible, we can safely provide our Clients and their Customers the benefits of the latest Technological Business trends.
A Common Business Dilemma
I recently was asked to help solve a financial company's issue with their current website.
The company had become aware that even though their Client tool for finding financial advisors search page was their second most hit page, the results of the search netted them less than 6% real quantifiable results.
The feature, as designed, did not meet their Client's needs
The currently deployed technology could not support the features and functionality that they saw their competition was providing for their Clients.
They decided that they needed to completely replace their client facing technology but had Millions Invested in their Middleware and Backend Technologies that was sourcing data from their Salesforce CRM application and an Oracle CMS Information Repository.
They were Primarily a .NET shop
but had other Technologies as well
The question they asked:
How can we offer modern front-end features for our Clients but still retain the maturity of our middle-ware and back-end systems?
The answer is an Opinionated Hybrid Technology Stack.
Opinionated Hybrid Technology Stacks
What are the Three Forces of Solution Delivery?
Delivering modern technology solutions is more of an Art than a Science.
It requires the Delivery and Client Management Team to manage the Three Forces of Solution Delivery:
- Time: A fixed development duration interval driven by iterated deliveries
- Resources: A cross functional, fixed count team, based on clearly defined team players roles and responsibilities
- Technology: A DevOps driven, cloud-based, elastic development and delivery ecosystem completely controlled by the delivery team, not the Client
The Time Interval, the Delivery and Management Teams Size, the Team Members, the Delivery Process along with their Supporting Environments are all built on Opinionated Tools, Processes and Delivery Strategies.
These constraints create the
Opinionated Hybrid Technology Stack.
They ensure that the
Expected Results are the Delivered Results
Every Time!
How do constraints ensure a successful engagement?
All cost estimates, time to market and acceptance criteria are based on the understanding that the opinionated management of the Three Forces of Solution Delivery are managed by the Delivery Team.
The Client has engaged a Professional Delivery
Group to help solve their current Business
issues so they MUST let the Professional
Delivery Group manage the
Three Forces of Solution Delivery
The Hybrid .NET / MEAN Stack
Microservices, Domain Entities and the MEAN.js Stack
The solution to the above business dilemma begins with creating a modern Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) in the form of an ASP.NET WebAPI 2 Microservices API Layer.
We call it "Microservices" because it sits on top of a Domain Driven Design (DDD) based Entity Technology Domain build that represents the true Business Entity Domain in its Organization of Business Information.
Each Business Entity is a core function of a Business Vertical Component that is accessed through its Independent REST API Resource.
The Business Entity is represented as a Domain Identified Collection of Entities and Value Objects that are created and destroyed as a set of objects by a Service call to a Factory that queries the In-memory Repository Cache for the Entity Object Set.
This is achieved using Model Driven Design.
If present, it returns the entire Business Entity to the calling Client.
If it is not present it retrieves all the required elements from the Infrastructure Layer, assembles them, places them in Repository Cache.
It then returns the entire Business Entity to the calling Client.
What are Entities and Value Objects?
– An Entity is an object that could have Global Identity within the Technology Domain by itself
– A Value Object is an object that only has Identity when a member of an Entity Collection
Domain Identified Collection of Customer
The Aggregate Root Entity
A Customer Aggregate Root Entity is a collection of Business Entities
- Root Entity Id
- A Customer Entity
- Customer ID
- First Name
- Last Name
- Customer Type
- Type
- Description
- Customer Addresses
- Customer Emails
- Customer Locations
- Customer Websites
- Customer Industries
The Customer Aggregate Root Entity has an Identifier that has Global Domain identity and represents all of the Entities and Value Objects within its collection.
The Entity is stored as an object that can be created and destroyed at will.
The Collections has One Entity: The Customer
The Customer Entity could have global identity as it has a Unique Id that represents a Single Business Object but it would be void of true substance without its Collection of Value Objects.
Its Collections of Addresses, Email Addresses, Locations, Websites and its Participating Industries make up the Value Objects
None of the above Business Objects serve any real business purpose by themselves, they take on true value as a member of the Client Aggregate Root Entity Object.
This is the power of Domain Driven Design and the framework that allows us to encapsulate Business Object Collections as Independently Manageable Microservices Offerings.
A Client is free to consume all of the provided
Business Object Collections or a
subset as required as each resource
is managed as an independent RESTful
resource completed decoupled
from any other Domain Aggregate Root Entity
All life-cycle management, upgrades, feature enhancements and versions are also independent.
This allows Entities to develop, or be completely replaced, without any residual effect on any other Domain Entity.
What is Data Impedance Mismatch?
Application "Data" being referenced in this context are Object Structures that encapsulates Application State defining Information Fields as Properties using "Nouns".
Data Object Structures do not contain
Action Behavior methods as "Verbs"
Interestingly enough, the term "Impedance", now bandied about in software engineering circles, is borrowed from the Electronics Industry.
Impedance is the Measure of the Amount that some Object impedes, or obstructs, the flow of Electrical Current
Impedance might refer to Resistance to current, Reactance to the current as in a Coil, or some complex combination of the two
An example to illustrate impedance mismatch:
Imagine you have a low current flashlight that normally uses AAA batteries.
Don't try this at home, but suppose you could attach your car battery to the flashlight.
The low current flashlight will pitifully output a fraction of the light energy that the high current battery is capable of producing.
Likewise, if you attached the AAA batteries to Batman's Spotlight, you'll also get low output.
However, match the AAA batteries to the flashlight and they will run with maximum efficiency.
Back to software engineering:
Imagine the flow of Data to be analogous to a current,
then the impedance of a Relational Data Model
is not matched with the Impedance of a ORM Object Hierarchy.
The Data will not Flow with Maximum Efficiency due to the Impedance Mismatch.
Data Impedance Mismatch in our Hybrid Stack
One of the major advantages of the MEAN.js Stack is the elimination of Data Impedance Mismatch through the use of the JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Data Structure throughout the entire technology stack.
The Node.js Application Layer processes the required Business Logic, if any, and sends the resulting JSON to the Mongoose Schema Middleware.
This action will create a Schema-free MongoDB Document as a Binary Representation (BSON) of the JSON Data.
The formated JSON object then store it in MongoDB Primary Database Server as a BSON Document.
No Impedance Mismatch on a Database Write
A Query is created, in JSON format,
and sent to the Express Node.js Web Server
The Node.js Application server processes the required Business Logic, if any, and sends the resulting JSON to the Mongoose Schema Middleware as a MongoDB Entity Filter Request.
MongoDB returns the results to Mongoose to format into a
Read-only Relational flat object JSON Entity
The returned Entity contains Name/Value Pairs as Data Fields along with nested Collections as JavaScript Arrays in Name/Value Pairs.
This creates a Complex Nested JSON Object that
Represents the Requested Data Set
The Node Express Web Server delivers the Requested Response as Serialized JSON for Deserialization n the Client within the Angular AJAX HTTP Service for the Controller to pass to the Visitor's view within the $state injected object.
No Impedance Mismatch on a Database Read
The Isolation Abstraction Layer
Our ASP.NET Web API 2 RESTful Microservices acts as an Isolation Abstraction Layer.
This Architecture allows us to connect our Open Source JavaScript based MEAN.js Technology Stack to our Legacy .NET Technology Stack.
By using a Domain Layer to assemble Cachable Entity State Objects and the Web API with a RESTful HTTP Uniform Interface we can create a design that does not compromising either the Greenfield Technology Stack or the Brownfield Legacy of Technology Stack.
If the Legacy .NET Stack does not have a Domain Layer to create our Aggregate Entities we must create one on top of the existing Data Access Layer (DAL) or Repository Layer. The ASP.NET WebAPI 2 Microservice API can then serve as our Isolation Abstraction Layer.
The Domain Entity Layer
The Domain Driven Design Domain Layer connects the Legacy Infrastructure Data Access Layer and its Repositories to the MEAN.js Stack through the Web API RESTful Microservices Application Layer.
The Domain Layer uses the Command Query Separation (CQS) design pattern with the Request/Response Design Pattern.
Dependency Injection of the Request and the Response Complex Plain Old CLR/C# Objects (POCO) data structures supports Bertrand Meyer's CQS design pattern.
By using a Service Query that asks the Factory Component for a Complete Domain Entity, from either In-memory Cache or from a Command to the Infrastructure Layer for all Component Data Transfer Object (DTO) POCOs, we can delivery, to the calling Microservice, a completed Aggregate Root State Entity for consumption.
The Factory Component
manufactures the
Aggregate Root Entity,
updates the
Injected Response Object,
places it in the
In-Memory Cache
and returns
as defined by the
Design Pattern
Since the Response Object was injected in the constructor the Factory Component it will return the Response Object, fully populated, to the Service Component for delivery to the calling Web API Microservice.
MongoDB Distributed Cache
The real power of using the complete MEAN.js Stack is the ability to use the MongoDB NoSQL Document-based Data Repository for Globally Distributed Object Caching.
The Node.js Express Web Server will make RESTful Calls to the Isolation Abstraction Layer if the requested object is not in the MongoDB Globally Distributed Object Cache.
The Domain Layer will deliver the requested State Entity Object from either its In-memory Cache or make the call to the Infrastructure's Entity Framework Data Access Layer for delivery to the Domain Object Factory.
Once the Node.js Application Layer receives the entity it will then place it in the Primary MongoDB for replication within its MongoDB Cluster.
It will then add the Entity name
and its BSON Mongo ID
to the Cache Dictionary
Since this is not an "Atomic Transaction" any minor latency to the Read-only MongoDB Secondaries is irrelevant.
Only one instance of a MongoDB BSON ID can exist at a time due to a call to the Cache Dictionary by Entity Name.
The Globally Distributed HTTP ETag Cache
A Globally Distributed Object Cache is great but what it the object has already been request?
Roy Fielding defined HTTP based caching using ETags, or Entity Tags, way back in 2000 within the Roy Fielding Doctorate Thesis on his HTTP Uniform Interface requirement.
There are Strong and Weak ETags:
- Weak ETag – A weakly validating ETag match only indicates that the two representations are semantically equivalent, meaning that for practical purposes they are interchangeable and that cached copies can be used. However the resource representations are not necessarily byte-for-byte identical, and thus weak ETags are not suitable for byte-range requests.
- Strong ETag – A strongly validating ETag match indicates that the content of the two resource representations is byte-for-byte identical and that all other entity fields, such as Content-Language, are also unchanged. Strong ETags permit the caching and reassemble of partial responses, as with byte-range requests.
In order to persist a Weak ETag as a Strong ETag we using the "M" in MEAN to host our Globally Distributed HTTP Strong ETag Cache.
Concluding Thoughts
The major take away from this post should be that Legacy Systems can be consumed by the latest Responsive Design Technologies in a Cost Effective manner.
The use of a Domain Layer with a WebAPI based Microservices RESTful API we can expose Legacy Middleware and Back-end Repositories to a Greenfield Stack such as the MEAN.js.
The difference between the more common "Just replace the Client-side" solutions is that the .NET Hybrid Stack is a "Full Stack" architecture
The Full Stack manages a Globally Distributed Business State Entity Object Cache along with being a Client to the HTTP Uniform Interfaced Web API Microservices that access the Legacy Repositories.
This concept can also be applied to a Java Stack
Thinking outside the box can bring
to your Client options that
were not previously on the table
Good Luck…
Wisdom Pearl # 121 – Work Quality Concept
Your Work is Only as Good
… As How it is Perceived by the Next Person who Touches It
Positive Acceptance of your Work is Your Preeminent Responsibility
Latest posts by Brad Huett (see all)
- DevOps: A Bridge to Your DevOps Culture - March 25, 2016
- Embracing Test Driven Development (TDD) - March 25, 2016
- DevOps: Delivering Agile Projects - March 25, 2016


text:
Vermont Lake Monsters Offense At A Glance
Team BA: .251 (sixth out of 14 teams)
Runs Scored: 344 (sixth out of 14 teams)
Team OPS: 683 (ninth out of 14 teams)
Team Stolen Bases: 117 (first in the league)
Team Slugging Percentage: .349 (seventh out of 14 teams)
Note: this article covers all hitters who had at least 100 at-bats for the Lake Monsters this season.
After a long affiliation with the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League, the Oakland A's began a new partnership at the short-season A level in 2011. Teaming up with the Vermont Lake Monsters of the New York-Penn League, the A's put forth a successful season in their new short-season league, earning a division title and a post-season berth.
The Lake Monsters' offense was in the top half of the league and it was an offense built mostly on speed, as well as a little bit of power. The majority of the Lake Monsters' position players were making their professional debuts in 2011, having been drafted in June. Others were in their second years as pros. Like the Northwest League, where the A's had their previous short-season affiliation, the New York-Penn League is a pitcher-friendly environment, a fact that was reflected in many of the Lake Monsters' team offensive numbers.
Two players who were unaffected by the pitcher-friendly nature of the New York-Penn League were outfielder Bobby Crocker and catcher Nick Rickles. Crocker, the A's third overall pick (fourth round) in the 2011, was the A's highest 2011 draft choice to suit up for the Lake Monsters until second overall pick (third round) B.A. Vollmuth joined the team for the final week of the season. Crocker looked every bit the part of a high draft pick throughout his stint with the Lake Monsters. He batted .322 with an 808 OPS in 32 games with Vermont. Crocker clubbed three homers and stole six bases in seven opportunities. He will make the jump to full-season ball in 2012 and has a chance to skip Low-A and land with the High-A Stockton Ports.
Rickles finished second on the team in OPS with an 806 mark. The backstop hit .310 and posted a .364 OBP in 41 games with Vermont. Despite being a catcher, Rickles showed above-average speed, collecting two triples and stealing five bases in six chances. The A's 2011 14th-round draft pick figures to be the Low-A Burlington Bees' everyday catcher next season.
Middle infielder Zhi Fang Pan led the team with a .336 average. Unfortunately for Vermont, Pan was sidelined for 10 days midway through the season with a hand injury. He also left the team before the end of the New York-Penn League campaign to return to his native Taiwan to tryout for their national team. In the 37 games he was with the team, Pan was a force near the top of the line-up. He has a slashing style of hitting and above-average speed. Injuries have limited him somewhat during his first two years as a pro (he had an elbow issue in 2010), but otherwise the A's couldn't be more pleased with the early development of their first amateur free agent signing out of Taiwan. Pan won't turn 21 until November and should be on-track to make the leap to full-season ball in 2012, barring any additional injuries.
Infielder Michael Fabiaschi stepped into an everyday role when Pan left the team for Taiwan and Fabiaschi did a solid job in Pan's stead. The 2010 draft pick was in his second turn through a short-season league, having played for Vancouver last season. The James Madison alum hit .282 with a .382 OBP in 40 games for Vermont this season and hit better than .290 over the final 23 games of the season. He was especially effective with runners on-base (.362 BA and a 984 OBP) and runners in scoring position (.412 BA and 1075 OPS). Fabiaschi spent time at second and third base. He should get a crack at full-season ball next year.
Outfielder Chad Oberacker made a solid first impression as a pro, batting .293 with a .371 OBP in his rookie campaign. The A's 2011 25th-round pick was solid on the base paths, stealing 13 bases in 15 chances. He also showed a solid understanding of the strike-zone, walking 20 times against 30 strike-outs, and played well defensively. The left-handed hitting Oberacker hit .313 with a 777 OPS versus right-handed pitchers, but struggled versus southpaws (.207/465, respectively).
Outfielder Aaron Shipman was another player who flashed above-average speed and showed a solid understanding of the strike-zone. The A's 2010 third-round pick finished second behind Pan on the Lake Monsters with a .385 OBP. He walked more than he struck out (42 walks against 39 strike-outs). When he got on-base, Shipman flashed the speed that made him a two-sport star in high school, swiping 17 bags in 20 chances. The 19-year-old didn't show much power with Vermont, collecting only nine extra-base hits and no homeruns, but the A's expect the 6'0'', 175 pound Shipman to add a little more gap power as he matures into his body. Shipman made huge overall strides with his game after struggling during spring training and the early part of extended spring training. Unfortunately, he was hit by a pitch on his hand during the final week of the regular season, costing him the Instructional League season. Despite that set-back, the A's should push Shipman to Low-A Burlington next season.
Shortstop Sean Jamieson led the team with 27 stolen bases and finished third in the league in that category. Jamieson, the A's 17th-round pick this season, was also by far the team's best defensive infielder. The Canisius alum became a fixture at shortstop for Vermont and led the league in fielding percentage with a .970 mark. He also drew praise for his approach at the plate. Despite batting only .235, Jamieson posted a .350 OBP thanks to 37 walks in 69 games. By the end of the season, he was the everyday lead-off hitter for Vermont. Jamieson has drawn some early comparisons to Mark Ellis. He will make the jump to full-season ball next year and could see time with High-A Stockton thanks to his advanced defensive skills.
Another 2011 draft pick who made a solid impression is outfielder Dusty Robinson. Despite not joining the team until the final day of June, Robinson, the A's 10th-round pick, led the Lake Monsters in homeruns with seven in 128 at-bats. The former Fresno State Bulldog also finished tied for fourth on the team in RBIs. Robinson got off to a very slow start with the Lake Monsters, but finished the year swinging a hot bat. He has work to do on his plate discipline (eight walks against 34 strike-outs), but he has solid power potential and could be in-line for a 20-homer season with Low-A Burlington in 2012.
Catcher Diomedes Lopez finished second to Robinson in homeruns with six. The Dominican native had only 21 hits in 107 at-bats this season, but six left the yard. Lopez had a more balanced approach at the plate in 2010 with the A's Arizona Rookie League affiliate. Whether he jumps to full-season ball in 2012 will likely be determined by the approach he employs during spring training.
Four players who will also be working on improving their BB:K ratios next season are infielders Chad Lewis and Jacob Tanis and outfielders Jordan Tripp and Xavier Macklin. Lewis and Tanis split time at first and third base this season. Lewis was the A's fourth-round pick last season out of a Southern California high school. At times, he flashed promising power, but overall his numbers were disappointing. In 70 games, he hit .238/.279/.332. Lewis doesn't turn 20 until December, so he still has plenty of time to develop. One area he will need to improve in the most is in the area of plate discipline. He struck-out 72 times and managed only 13 walks. He did homer four times and drove-in a team-high 40 runs, however. Lewis also played well in the post-season.
Tanis was the A's 13th-round pick this season out of Mercer. A senior draft pick, the A's expected a little more polish from Tanis in his first season, but he hit only .221 with a 594 OPS. Fatigue may have caught-up to the corner infielder. He hit only .183 in August after batting .258 in July. Tanis was a power hitter with a solid eye in college, but he managed only one homerun and had a 17:42 BB:K ratio. Despite the poor first season, Tanis could still make the jump to full-season ball with a good showing at the A's fall Instructional League and minor league spring training.
Tripp returned to short-season ball after batting only .186 for the AZL A's and the Vancouver Canadians in 2010. The A's 2010 seventh-round pick got off to a hot start with Vermont, but faded down-the-stretch. He still managed to finish third on the team in homeruns with five and he swiped 11 bases in 13 chances. He walked 23 times in 63 games, but struck-out 76 times. Tripp has as much raw ability as anyone in the A's system, but he is still learning to translate that ability into on-the-field success. He should jump to Low-A Burlington next year.
Macklin also got off to a fast start with Vermont. In his first 10 games with the club, he hit .378 with a 939 OPS. His numbers declined significantly after that, however, and he finished the year with a .230/.287/.289 line in 43 games. Macklin was the A's 12th round pick this season and he posted huge numbers in college at NC State A&T. Given his collegiate track record and his high draft position, Macklin will likely get every opportunity this spring to show that he's ready for full-season ball next year.
Signing just before the August deadline, B.A. Vollmuth was only able to appear in four games with the Lake Monsters. Although he didn't have nearly the at-bats to qualify for this article, his contributions during those four games are worth noting, as Vermont was in a win-or-go-home situation for the final week of the season. Vollmuth, the A's second overall pick and first position player selection this year, collected seven hits in 14 at-bats with Vermont. Five of those seven hits went for extra-bases (four doubles and a triple) and he scored eight runs while driving in six. Vollmuth will enter the 2012 season as one of the A's top third base prospects and depending on how the rest of the system lines up, he could see his first extended time as a professional with High-A Stockton.


text:
Too many officers try to handcuff a suspect while he or she is still fighting. Before you can handcuff a suspect, you must obtain control. Here are three techniques for when you're on your own (rear leg sweep), with a partner (rear takedown), or with a group of three or more officers (the swarm). Read our feature, "Closing the Gap," for the full story. Photos by Amaury Murgado.
Israel Weapon Industries' SAR-21 bullpup carbine is a versatile option for patrol or tactical operations. Read Nick Jacobellis' full "Arsenal" review of the firearm. Photos courtesy of Alex Landeen.
Guarantee having a handy implement at your fingertips with new knives and multi-tools for law enforcement. Here are 12 currently available tools from leading law enforcement suppliers. Photos courtesy of vendors.
The two officers of the Torrance (Calif.) PD's Commercial Enforcement Unit mostly cite mid-size truckers for an array of violations including a truck with a 20-foot palm tree clipping electrical lines. View a gallery of some of the more unusual violations. Read the full story here. Photos courtesy of TPD.
Ruger's LC380 offers a modified version of its LC9 9mm pistol chambered in .380 ACP. Read Paul Scarlata's full "Arsenal" review of the pistol. Photos by Paul Budde, Elaine Sandberg, and Becky Leavitt.
Chrysler has been producing Plymouth or Dodge patrol cars since the early 1930s, and for many of those early years Plymouth turned out some special cars for police work. The earliest came when the Washington State Patrol began using a 1932 Plymouth 1932 PB coupe, according to AllPar.com. Chrysler offered its first police package on 1956 Dodge Coronets. The 1970s brought the era of Mopar squads.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers paid their respects to fallen Bardstown (Ky.) Police Officer Jason Ellis on May 30 during a memorial service. Officer Ellis' K-9, Figo, also paid his respects, keeping a vigil and resting his paw on the officer's casket. Read the full story here. Photos by Wales Hunter.
An AR-type rifle can be configured with a plethora of accessories to adapt it to almost any law enforcement mission. POLICE contributor A.J. George walked readers through one set-up in the May feature, "Customizing Your AR Rifle." View the components he uses. Photos by Mark W. Clark and vendors.
These six duty belts give officers an often overlooked yet essential uniform accessory. View our other uniform accessory galleries covering socks and underwear. Photos courtesy of vendors.
These six pairs of socks give officers an often overlooked yet essential uniform accessory. View our other uniform accessory galleries covering duty belts and underwear. Photos courtesy of vendors.


text:
Author has written 16 stories for Kingdom Hearts, Inuyasha, Code Geass, Yu-Gi-Oh GX, Bleach, and Final Fantasy XIII-2.
My name is YGP, but who knows if I'll ever tell what it stands for ;)
A Little About Me:
I've read fanfiction for years, but then afterwards I finally decided to join and write stories. I love reading romantic stories especially about couples I support! You'll see why once you read down.
I like to watch a lot of cartoons mostly anime because it's crazy and awesome! Along with writing, I love Japanese music especially a good song from an anime!
I hope that you'll like me and my stories. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and feel free to message. That's a little about me YGP. As always, peace, love, and read on.
This is my blog where I display my artwork for my stories, other fanart, more detailed author's notes for my stories and other things. This is also a way to answer questions or comments that come in anonymously. Just click on the "Ask Me Anything" button on the right side of the page to ask or leave a comment.
(Currently under reconstruction)
Forum Link:
Final Fantasy 13 Forum:
Special Message Section:
-I don't get to say it enough, but I just wanted to send thanks out for those who review or add a story to your favorites after a story is over. Please know that I appreciate it!
-Also thank you!!! I have now reached over 100 followers and favorites as author! I really appreciate it and will try to do the best I can!
-Beta reader profile has been updated
Stories Coming Out In Order of Release:
Paradox Side Story:
Status: Complete
Summary: It's a few days before Hope's and Lightning's wedding and their friends have something very special planned for them. During that time, the two get a chance to reminiscence on their lives and look to their future ahead.
Following the 'Paradox' timeline.
Hope/Lightning Rated:M
The Sailor Light/Mad Scientist Saga:
Status: Complete
Summary: Crack/Humor fic- With a new villain on the loose known as the Mad Scientist, it's up to Lightning and her team to stop him. Will they know the Mad Scientist true intentions? Who will be caught in the middle of it all?
Hope/Lightning Rated: T
Status: Complete
Summary: Director's Notes: How to resist. Hope's POV.
Hope/Lightning: Rated: T
Stories Ended Recently:
Upcoming Stories Section:
Here are some stories that will be coming out... eventually:
New Story Ideas/Currently Working On:
Paradox 2:
Status: Not started
Summary: Trying to discover the memories of an alternate timeline, Charity's decision becomes fatal for her family when a new enemy appears. Now starts a mission through time to save her family before they can no longer exist.
Hope/Lightning: Rated: M
Paradox Side Story 2:
Status: In progress
Summary: Set in an alternative timeline: Faith convinces Hope and Lightning to go on a much needed family vacation, but more of a personal vacation for the two.
Hope/Lightning: Rated: ?
L'Cie Are Beautiful People:
Status: Started, currently writing
Summary: This was inspired by the story "The Arrangement" after seeing how that went when I posted it. This is a completely different story from that with some other story influences, but mainly a forbidden love kind of thing. Haven't come up with an official summary yet. I might try putting this in the FF13 section and not the FF13-2 section this time.
Hope/Lightning Rated: T (subject to change to higher, but maybe... not likely)
AU: Closed off from the world because of her past, Lightning has to work with the Director of the Academy. As he tries to get to know her, will he be able to break through her shell
Hope/Lightning: Rated: T
Protect Me (Not official Title):
Status: Hiatus (Really want to get back to it, but its super long to finish and barely half way through!!! Longest...story...I...have...ever...written...) Updated: Currently I went back over it and worked on it, but then it got back on hiatus again...
Summary: AU-In order to support herself and her family, Lightning takes on a dangerous mission to protect the Director of the Academy from an assassination attempt. Along the way, they'll discover things about themselves and each other.
Hope/Lightning & Serah/Noel Rated:M
Romance/ Action/ Adventure/ Hurt/ Family-So with this story, I really wanted to do a Serah/Noel pairing so this story will be it. Dealing with a lot of adult themes such as violence, lime/lemon
Memories (Not Official Title):
Status: Hiatus
Summary: Ignoring the events of FF13-2 and going with a happy ending. After the adventure is over, life still have to go on. Along the way, Hope and Lightning discovers the good and bad moments of life together.
Hope/Lightning Rated:M
Save Me (Not Official Title and Kind of Don't Want To Use The Same Title Twice...):
Status: Not Started. Worked the details out in my head, but not sure if I want to do it yet because of the very dark themes.
Summary- AU/ Dark fic- After losing everyone important to her in her life, Lightning falls into a depression and leans toward her dark thoughts to free herself from her pain. Can an old friend save her from herself or will he end up falling down with her?
Hope/Lightning Rated:M
Kingdom Hearts (Finally getting back to writing these!It's been so long!!!):
Keyblade Wars:
Status: Hiatus
Summary: When Kingdom Hearts reveal itself, a tournament for a new generation of keyblade bearers begins to fight for control of Kingdom Hearts and be granted one wish, but all they really want to do if for this war to end.
Sora/ Kairi & Roxas/Xion & Riku/Namine Rated: M
So that's pretty much everything I got in the works. Got plenty of more to last a lifetime (really not kidding about that), but these are ones I'm most likely to finish.
Favorite Video Game:
Kingdom Hearts (Never can get tired of an AWESOME game especially when someone tells you're obsessed over it!!!)
Favorite Anime/Cartoon:
So far, I have to say Durarara (That show is awesome in so many ways that a long list would need to be made!)
Have to mention that Hetalia is one of my top favorites too!
Favorite Couples:
Hope x Lightning --Final Fantasy XIII :)
Sora x Kairi --Kingdom Hearts
Roxas x Xion --Kingdom Hearts
Suzaku x Euphemia-- Code Geass
Celty x Shinra-- Durarara
Gin x Rangiku-- Bleach


text: The competitiveness and environmental impact of heat intensive industrial processes can be much improved by reducing the use of energy. Efficient and fast responsive co-generation systems are however not yet available for small scale industries in the range of 250kW-2MW electric and 750kW-6MW thermal power. Heat Power satisfies that need and developed the Rankine Compression Gas turbine (RCG), which is capable of providing heat and power for industrial processes at highly reduced fuel cost and CO2 emissions. The RCG system is truly unique, as it is capable of providing both steam and power at fast response times. Its multi fuel capability allows for application in waste streams, enabling manufacturers to achieve higher resource utilization, reduced cost of energy and green manufacturing.


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Dear Parent/Guardian,
Samuel Ward Academy has once again proven its strong provision for Sixth Form students through another excellent set of A level and BTEC results this year, exemplifying the hard work and commitment of staff and students at the academy.
111 students studied in the Sixth Form this year and in academic examinations 43% of students achieved A*-B grades, up by 11% on last year, 77% achieved A*-C grades and the overall pass rate was 98%. It was also very pleasing to see that 24% of students achieved an A* or A grade in at least one of their subjects, and 8 students achieved A*s and AS across the board. Vocational subjects did especially well with 86% of students achieving a Distinction*-Merit. Several subjects proved especially successful, with the A*-B grades for Chemistry standing at 77%, for Biology at 58%, Film Studies 56%, History 61%, Maths 52%, Media 74% and Sociology at 67%.
Kath Just, headteacher said: ' It is a privilege to take over the running of such a highly achieving school, where teachers, students and parents work together to ensure that all students progress to the next stage of their educational and work journey as well prepared as possible. Aspirations are high across the academy and students work hard, alongside their teachers, to meet the challenges and pressures they face in the ever-changing landscape of academic success. I am proud to see that this hard work and effort has been rewarded and students can move on to a bright future.'
The Head of Sixth Form Imogen Senior said: ''We are immensely proud of the exceptional results that the students received today. These come as a result of their hard work and determination and we are delighted to have supported so many students on their successful academic journeys.'
Whilst all students did extremely well, some students' results stand out as particularly impressive: Tom Quarrell achieved three A*grades and A in Further Maths AS and will take up his place at Clare College, Cambridge to read medicine this summer; Jack Sheppard achieved three A*grades and B in Further Maths AS and has a place to study medicine at UCL next year. Kier Beasley and Nathan Bowd both achieved two A*grades, an A grade and an A grade at AS and will be going on to study Histroy and Mechanical engineering respectively. Imogen Cottage achieved an A* and two A grades, while Steph Berry, Millie Iron and Aaron Thorne all got 3A grades and Leon Bailey and Tyrone Alleyne got three Distinction*s in the Extended Sport Diploma.
More images here, https://twitter.com/SamWardAcad/status/766218432702509056


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Lee goes 8 innings, Phils shut out RangersMay 22, 2011 - 2:41 AM
Lee (3-4), staked to an early lead on Ryan Howard's solo home run, snapped a six-start winless streak by scattering five hits and two walks over eight innings in the Phillies' 2-0 victory.
The left-hander also struck out 10 and did not allow a runner to reach third.
"Those guys know I throw a lot of fastballs, so I tried to throw a little less than I normally would," Lee said. "I was throwing strikes and mixing speeds."
Colby Lewis (4-5), coming off his first career shutout, was solid over 6 2/3 innings but nonetheless took the loss after allowing two runs on seven hits.
The Rangers have split their last 10 games despite holding the opposition to four runs or fewer each time out, including a 3-2 setback in Friday's opener of this three-game interleague series.
"We just couldn't get anything going. When we did, [Lee] found a way to make pitches and get out of it," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "That's exactly what the good ones do and he's a good one."
Lee shut down his former teammates several months after helping the franchise reach its first World Series. The Rangers dropped the Fall Classic to the San Francisco Giants, then lost the pitching ace in a well-documented bidding war.
Philadelphia was Lee's preferred destination, and on Saturday the veteran showed his worth.
He got the only run he needed in the second when Howard, hitless in his previous 23 at-bats, turned on a low fastball and sent it over the right-field wall for his 10th home run of the season.
The Phillies pushed another across in the sixth when Raul Ibanez and Carlos Ruiz each worked two-out walks prior John Mayberry's RBI single.
Lee was pulled after throwing 122 pitches, the same amount he tossed when he gave up a career-high six walks in a loss to the Cardinals on Monday.
Manager Charlie Manuel called on Ryan Madson in the ninth, and the closer erased a leadoff single with a double-play ball off the bat of Adrian Beltre. Mike Napoli flew out to center to seal Madson's ninth save.
Game Notes
Lee has five double-digit strikeout outings this year and 14 for his career... The Phillies have scored three runs or less in eight straight games. They have scored five runs over Lee's last 41 1/3 innings...The Phillies had eight hits, ending a string a seven straight games with six or fewer hits, which was their longest stretch since a nine-game run during the 1908 campaign...The Rangers are 0-5-2 in their last seven road series...Michael Young had three of Texas' six hits...Phillies outfielder Domonic Brown went 0-for-4 in his first start of the year...The Phillies posted their MLB-leading seventh shutout of the season.
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Rangers 0, Phillies 2 Mid 8May 21 9:31 PM
- Adrian Beltre popped out to first. None on with one out and Mike Napoli due up.
Rangers 0, Phillies 2 Top 7, 1 OutMay 21 9:02 PM
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Rangers 0, Phillies 1 Bot 6, 2 OutsMay 21 8:54 PM
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Rangers 0, Phillies 1 End 5May 21 8:37 PM
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Rangers 0, Phillies 1 Mid 5May 21 8:22 PM
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Rangers 0, Phillies 1 End 4May 21 8:16 PM
- Raul Ibanez flied out to right. None on with one out and Carlos Ruiz due up.
Rangers 0, Phillies 1 Bot 2, 1 OutMay 21 7:42 PM
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Rangers 0, Phillies 0 Mid 2May 21 7:38 PM
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Related News
- Josh Hamilton will miss all season with another knee surgery May 23
- Angels-Rangers Preview May 23
- Rangers put OF Choo back on DL after only 1 game in return May 23
- LEADING OFF: Kershaw tests streak vs Reds, Colon faces Nats May 23
- Ejections aplenty for Blue Jays lately May 23
- Baseball Capsules May 22
- Darvish seems ready for return to Rangers after strong rehab May 22
- Phillies-Tigers Preview May 22
- Odor to have appeal hearing for 8-game suspension Tuesday May 22
- Hamels fans 11, Rangers down Keuchel, Astros 9-2 for sweep May 22
- Eickhoff shuts down Braves over 7 innings, Phillies win 5-0 May 22
- Eickhoff shuts down Braves over 7 innings, Phillies win 5-0 May 22


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''In those days, as a little child,'' wrote the English poet John Masefield, ''I was living in Paradise, and had no need of the arts, that at best are only a shadow of Paradise.''
A paradise childhood may well be, but occasionally the grown-ups must intrude, especially at bedtime, and one of the ways we do this is with picture books, which, while mere shadows of paradise, are good for easing the way to bed. The following are the 10 best I found this year, arranged approximately from the most simple to the most complex.
FIRETRUCK, by Peter Sis. (Greenwillow Books; $14.95.) A boy named Matt loves firetrucks so much that one day when he wakes up, he is one. ''He drove around his neighborhood with sirens blaring. He raced down the road. He rescued a cat. He put out a fire. He saved a teddy bear.'' Then when he smells pancakes he changes back into a little boy and eats his breakfast. Peter Sis illustrates Matt's obsession in colors that are mostly fire-engine red.
SNOW, by Uri Shulevitz. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux; $16.) In a gray town, a single snowflake falls. The grown-ups say it means nothing, but more snowflakes come. Gradually, as the town turns white, you feel the child-eyed wonder of a snowfall and the coooooold.
BALLPARK, by Elisha Cooper. (Greenwillow Books; $15.) Baseball may be a nine-inning game to you, but to the ballpark it's also a red tractor mowing the outfield grass, a forklift moving boxes of peanuts, a dryer spitting out hot uniforms and a furry animal running out on the field. Mr. Cooper catches it all here in whimsical watercolors.Continue reading the main story
PETE'S A PIZZA, by William Steig. (Michaelo Di Capua Books/HarperCollins Publishers; $13.95.) In which Pete is teased out of the rainy-day grumps by being made into a pizza by his dad. In the process the ''dough gets tickled'' and ''laughs like crazy.'' When it's time to be sliced, the pizza runs away but gets captured and hugged. ''Now the sun has come out. And so the pizza decides to go look for his friends.'' Pete holding himself stiff as a crust while being carried to the oven-couch is alone enough to make you laugh.
PAINTED DREAMS, by Karen Lynn Williams, pictures by Catherine Stock. (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books/William Morrow & Company; $16.) Eight-year-old Ti Marie dreams of making pictures of ''huge green trees that would wrap the whole village in cool shade,'' if only she had paints like those of Msie Antoine, the local voodoo priest and healer. When she eventually improvises a solution, she proves that her art has commercial value as well as beauty. As does the art of this appealing book.
A BAD CASE OF STRIPES, by David Shannon. (Blue Sky Press/Scholastic Inc.; $15.95.) Although Camilla Cream loves lima beans, she won't ever eat them because all her friends hate them and she longs to fit in. One morning she wakes up covered with brightly colored stripes, which don't go away until she eats the lima beans brought to her by a sweet old woman. ''I knew the real you was in there somewhere,'' the woman tells Camilla at the end of this delicious visual metaphor for the disease of caring too much about what others think of you.
OVER THE MOON, by Rachel Vail, illustrated by Scott Nash. (Orchard Books; $15.95.) In her first three tries, the Mother Goose cow jumps under, next to and through the moon. ''It's my nursery rhyme,'' says the monkey-writer-director, Hiram Diddle Diddle. ''Can we please? Or do we need to bring in a stunt cow?'' ''No, no,'' says the cow. ''I need this job! I got calves to feed. I can do it. OVER the moon, right?'' And so it goes in this backstage tale of heartbreak and triumph starring also a cat with a Stradivarius, a dachshund that goes ''Ha!'' and a flighty dish and spoon.
THE ISLAND-BELOW-THE-STAR, by James Rumford. (Houghton Mifflin Company; $15.) Vibrant, engaging watercolors reveal how five brothers set out from a tiny South Pacific island for a new island they believe must lie under a brightly shining star. Surviving a vicious five-day storm, they sight a bird that leads them to what a concluding note explains are the Hawaiian Islands, lying below the star Arcturus, which are believed to have been discovered more than 1,500 years ago by explorers from the Marquesas Island, 2,500 miles to the south.
BLACK COWBOY, WILD HORSES: A True Story, by Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney. (Dial Books/Penguin Putnam Inc.; $16.99.) In a land ''stretching as wide as love in every direction,'' the cowboy Bob Lemmons picks up and follows the trail of a pack of mustangs, the wild horses that live on the Western plains. With their poetic text and theatrical watercolors, Mr. Lester and Mr. Pinkney bring to life a true story based on the life of a black cowboy mentioned in ''The Adventures of the Negro Cowboys,'' by Philip Durham, and ''The Mustangs,'' by Everett L. Jones and J. Frank Dobie. The thunder of hoofbeats pounds on the page.
INTO THE ICE: The Story of Arctic Exploration, by Lynn Curlee. (Houghton Mifflin Company; $16.) A concise history of Arctic exploration, from St. Brendan's encounter with an iceberg in the North Atlantic about A.D. 550 to the flight a millennium later of Joseph Fletcher, the United States Air Force pilot who landed at the North Pole in 1952 and whose claim to have stood at the Pole was the first to go undisputed. The author's arctic landscapes are as clean and cool and inviting as polar ice with a topping of azure.Continue reading the main story


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True Grit
After drifter Tom Chaney murders her father, 14-year-old Mattie Ross hires alcoholic U.S. Marshal Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn to help her exact revenge. The disreputable lawman still has grit, though, and mounts an epic search.
Rent DVDs for only $4.99 a month.
Movie Details
- Director
- Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
- This movie is
- Exciting
- Format
- DVD and Blu-ray
- Awards
- Best Actor nominee: Jeff Bridges
- Best Film nominee
- Best Actress nominee: Hailee Steinfeld
- 2011 Academy Award®
- Best Supporting Actress nominee: Hailee Steinfeld
- Best Actor nominee: Jeff Bridges
- Best Cinematography nominee
- Best Costume Design nominee
- Best Sound Effects Editing nominee
- Best Writing Adapted Screenplay nominee
- Best Director nominee: Ethan Coen
- Best Director nominee: Joel Coen
- Best Picture nominee
- Best Art Direction nominee
- Ratings
PG-13Some intense sequences of western violence including disturbing images
15Common Sense rating OK for kids 15+
DVD details
Blu-ray details
Widescreen 1.85:1Subtitles
English, French, Spanish (Neutral)Closed captioned
NoLanguage and sound
English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: DVS - Descriptive Video ServiceOther features
Color; interactive menus; scene access.
Widescreen 1.85:1Subtitles
English, French, Spanish (Neutral)Closed captioned
NoLanguage and sound
English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: DVS - Descriptive Video ServiceOther features
Color; interactive menus; scene access.
True GritClose
For Parents
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that the Coen brothers' adaptation of Charles Portis' novel -- which also inspired the 1969 John Wayne classic -- is impressive and forceful, but it's also full of brutal (and sometimes bloody) gunfight sequences and other violent moments that aren't appropriate for younger viewers, as well as some language and drinking (one character is perpetually soused). That said, mature teens are likely to feel a kinship with the lead character, 14-year-old Mattie Ross, who faces challenges that would break many adults. They might even learn from her adventure -- and not small-potatoes lessons, either, but ones dealing with loyalty, courage, and determination.
- Sexual Content
- In one brief scene, a man makes an iffy comment to a teenage girl.
- Violence
- Three men are hanged in a public square while a crowd watches; later, another man's body is shown hanging from a tree (the corpse is cut down and falls heavily to the ground). In one brutal scene, a man's fingers are cut off with a knife and another man is shot in the head at very close range. Lots and lots of additional gunfights, some of which are bloody; slain bodies are on full display. A man is rough with a teenage girl. Lots of peril; some falls and near-falls.
- Language
- Infrequent use of words like "son of a bitch," "damn," "goddamn," and "hell."
- Social Behavior
- The movie's message is that justice can be served in the right hands. Also, that you shouldn't write off a person unless you've truly given him a chance. In this case, Rooster Cogburn proves to be a good bet.
- Consumerism
- Not applicable
- Drugs / Tobacco / Alcohol
- A U.S. marshal is almost always soused, even when he's gunslinging.
- Age appropriate
- Not an issue
- Depends on your kid and your family
- Not appropriate for kids of the age most likely to want to see it


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Monsieur Bowtie Photographer
Miya DidrichsonsModel Female Toronto, Ontario, Canada
My MM URL: http://www.modelmayhem.com/miyadidrichsons
Mayhem # 1341682
About MeAbout Me:
I' am a recent graduate of Ryerson University. I received a Bachelor of Commerce in Hospitality and Tourism Management and a minor in Business Communications.
I have always had a strong interest for fashion, photography, acting and marketing. Modeling is a way for me to express myself. I have not spent a lot of time in the industry, however I' am always looking for more modeling opportunities so that I can learn and grow.
I enjoy being on stage, as well as being able to utilize my creativity; modeling does just this for me.
I have worked with several photographers and designers for fashion, hair/ makeup and glamour photo shoots/ product shots. Previous modeling for REBUS Life, creator of LazyPants and all other things luxury (Toronto based Company) as well as featured on Style Me Pretty (wedding blog in the USA and CAN).
Have you worked with Miya Didrichsons? Add Credits for Miya Didrichsons! >>
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text:
Paul Dudash
Senior Allocator
Currently: Senior Allocator at GUESS?, Inc.
Location: Huntington Beach CAShare profile
To obtain a position that challenges me to use my analytic, communication, and team-building skills. I want to create new gains in an organization and also gain new experiences that will continue to grow my retail background. Inventory Management Role: *Supervise Guess Factory and G by Guess Accessories allocators. *Managed Watches, Belts and Fragrance for Guess (USA and Canada). *Managed Jrs. Accessories for Tilly's. *Creation of allocation models to reduce transfers and increase sales. *Dual-Channel Planning for 200 Tilly's stores. *Managed Men's Knits and Woven for Pacific Sunwear. *Dual-Channel Planning (Mall & Outlet) for over 700 Pacific Sunwear stores. *Responsible for creation of excel templates and data drops. *Oversees seasonal fashion changes and store planning. *Increase revenue for allocation markets. *Effective use of units in the distribution center for allocation. *Partners with buyers, planners and rest of allocation team to produce an effective game plan. *Produced a business proposal for a customer loyalty program in Pacific Sunwear. Specialties: -Volume Ranks and Vlookup Templates -Excel templates using Micro Strategy 9 and RDW -Experience in JDA allocation system -Experience in Island Pacific, AS400 and Arthur -Financial Forecasting/Budgeting -Adhoc Analysis and management of store inventory -Replenishment and Allocation functions -Maintaining new store allocations -Inventory Management -Store/Location Planning
Work ExperienceEdit
Interests & GroupsEdit
- no interests
- no sports
- no groups
Education HistoryEdit
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text:
Natural rises and dips in property contours sometimes create lush but challenging low-lying areas that capture more than their fair share of rainfall. Moisture-loving plants are ideal for those depressions and low spaces. Not only greens and flowers, but also many shrubs and trees can flourish when selected for site-suitability and tended with care. Native plants, adapted to your local environment, are always a good choice.
Things You'll Need
- Garden hose
- Flat-ended spade
- Bushel baskets
- Digging fork
- Rake
- Trowel
- Raised beds
- Tires
- Large containers
- Mulch
- Native plant guide
Drape a garden hose around the outer edges of your low-lying area to mark the area to develop into a garden. If the area appears too large for your time or ambitions, use the hose to create smaller size and shape that you prefer.
Remove the lawn or sod inside the hose-draped area with a spade. Use bushel baskets or a wheelbarrow to haul the greens away. Compost it, if possible.
Loosen the subsoil with a digging fork to a depth of about 12 inches. Remove any large stones or rocks. Rake smooth with a garden rake.
Install raised beds that will enable you to plant vegetables in your low-lying garden. Most vegetables need full sun and at least 2 to 3 feet of good, well-drained soil to thrive. Tire towers and other large containers can extend your garden to include potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables that typically won't flourish in a moisture-retaining area.
Research local native plants. Choose moisture-loving ornamental plants that also thrive in some dry periods. Plant densely to avoid erosion from run-off as plants establish themselves. Select varying heights and textures for visual interest.
Install a layer of hardwood mulch 2 to 3 inches thick around plants and throughout garden, avoiding trunks and stems. This will help discourage weeds and protect your soil from washing in rainy periods. Replace mulch as needed throughout the season.
Water your plants well. After the first heavy rain, examine your new garden for drainage and erosion problems. Smooth those areas with the back end of a garden rake.
Tips & Warnings
- Low-lying areas may also be prone to early frosts. Cover any young or tender plants with blankets or newspaper if the forecast warns of frost shortly after planting or before the season ends.
Related Searches
- Low Impact Development Center: Success in a Soggy Garden
- RainScaping: Imitating Nature With Rain Gardens
- Purdue Agriculture: Frost A Bit Late But Little Harm Done
- RainScaping: Rain Garden Plants
- Cornell University Cooperative Extension: Understanding Frost
- Purdue Extension: Container and Raised Bed Gardening
- Backwoods Home: A New Use for Old Tires


text:
Zebrzydowice Vacation Packages
Warsaw, Poland's capital, is situated 190 miles (306 kilometers) to the northeast of Zebrzydowice, while Krakow is 60 miles (97 kilometers) to the east.
See firsthand why Silesia is so beloved by international and local tourists alike, by experiencing the cornucopia of scenic and cultural attractions within easy traveling distance of Zebrzydowice. Places within a relatively short distance of Zebrzydowice are Kobior, 19 miles (31 kilometers) to the southwest, and Wisla, 20 miles (32 kilometers) to the northwest.
When you come to Zebrzydowice, visit Katowice. Approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers) away, this regional transport and shopping hub is home to Altus Tower, Katowice International Fair and Parachute Tower Katowice. University of Silesia, Silesian Theatre and Silesian Museum are some of the other attractions in Katowice that should be on everyone's to-do list.
Spend a few hours exploring Silesia 's art museums, theaters and art galleries. These are good places to explore, especially when the weather is unpleasant. An excellent way to develop an understanding for a destination is by gaining an understanding of its history. While here, be sure to tour the area's traditional villages.
Silesia features a range of relaxing pastimes. Spend a few hours wildlife watching or cycling and leave your worries behind. View this region in a completely new way. Rise up above the landscape and have a go at parasailing.
At the end of your holiday in Zebrzydowice, pack up your camera and mementos, spend your last of your zloties, and bid Narazie (farewell) to this special place.


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Fetish Girls
Categories: Fetish
Tricia Oaks - Tricia The Raven Haired Tramp Converses Sh*t About You - HD Vignette - [Hi]
You truly ravaged up this time banger! Tricia is the one hoe that you can\'t ravage with. Your pitiful existence is something that she simply will not stand for. You\'ll never get cunny from her. She only gives it up for dudes that are going somewhere with their lives. Not a tiny 40 yr old vulva cockslut... Like you!. Hey Vagina, you finer get this pin to hear Tricia give you the real truth about yourself.386 Views
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Categories: Fetish


text:
Hip Replacement
A surgical procedure where bone and cartilage from the hip joint is removed in order to replace it with an artificial prosthesis.
An individual usually needs a hip replacement in response to having damage to the hip joint, such as arthritis, infections or damage to the joint itself (typically from direct impact to the joint.) After having a hip replacement, individuals may be advised to forego certain physical activities (such as jogging or participating in sports) in order to prevent damage to the prosthesis.


text:
Automotive assistance.
50 simbi per unit
I will assist you in repairing or modifying your car not including body work.
Training & Qualifications
I have been working on cars for about 10 years and have experience working on almost any brand.
Availability & Preferences
Trading Preference: I'm flexible, just hit me up!
To be determined upon contact.
About Cameron Vos
I am an automotive technician that has been working on cars and loving it for about 10 years. I play video games and also work for that industry aswell part time. I'm always ready to give a hand otlr ...just bullshit in the garage about many different topics.show moreOpen to other proposals
Cameron Vos is looking for:
- Music & Audio
- Experiences
- Learning
- Business
- Art & Design


text: Cover Girl is a model that Shipwreck admired most so he named his ship after her. When Tunnel Rat sarcastically asked him about why he named his "tub" (ship) Countney, Shipwreck pointed to his poster of model Courtney Kreiger (aka Cover Girl) and said "The word is "ship", Soldier, and as long as you're on mine, you will respect "Courtney Kreiger". A confused Duke asked "The model?" and Shipwreck replied, "My Courtney might not be as pretty, but she's reliable."


text:
In a quick succession, several Google Plus users were bombarded with multiple email notifications spamming their inbox due to a coding error after which the service that kept track of Google Plus notification system ran out of disk space.
Since its launching in a limited field test two weeks ago, Google Plus has captured "millions" of users. The social party began with mostly tech journalists and tech insiders, before Google had to shut down invites. Google briefly re-opened the social network to the public last Thursday.