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A Former Drag Racer and a 1932 Highboy are Both Back on the Street
Just the Facts
Year: 1932
Make: Ford
Model: Roadster
Owner: Rick Steffl
State: Ohio
After decades of drag racing, Rick was eager to get into street rodding, but the act of buying a street rod turned into a three-year process. He first saw this 1932 roadster at an ISCA show in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He approached the owner, who wasn't interested in selling it. When the car was back at the following year's show, Rick asked again and got the same answer. The year after that, Rick's persistence wore down the guy. "The third time was a charm," he said.
After the long wait to attain the roadster, Rick was eager to start the build, but it took several more years to get the roadster built to the condition you see here. During those years it has been totally apart three times, received three engines, three different sets of wheels and tires, and several other changes in an effort to make it look exactly the way Rick wanted it.
Chassis modifications were also part of the rebuild, although keeping the stance was a priority. That distinctive look had been acquired at Barry Lobeck's shop in Cleveland years before Rick had ever seen the car. The chassis is built off of a Downs Industries frame, bobbed at the rear to fit the contours of the Downs fiberglass body. Ark Hot Rods in Worthington, Ohio, handled the frame mods. Pete & Jake's provided a Super Bell 4-inch dropped axle, spindles, shorty shocks, Panhard bar, reversed-eye spring, and hairpins for the frontend. At the other end of the 'rails, a Currie polished aluminum 9-inch spins 3.00 gears with a Yukon Dura Grip differential. Strange axles are located by a triangulated four-link with P&J Viper coilovers at the ends.
Rick turned to Alan Johnson at Johnson's Hot Rod Shop in Gadsden, Alabama, for help with the body. The 'glass doors were shaved of handles and exterior hinges, and the decklid was smoothed. Hoosier Hoods created the 1932 steel four-piece hood. The repro Deuce grille is from Brookville. At the front, Rick added a pair of 1934 commercial headlights and a Moon tank and pressure pump to carry the retro hot rod theme—with a pair of 1939 taillights in the rear. Ron Sall Body Werx in Zeeland, Michigan, handled the final bodywork and sprayed the dark cherry maroon paint. The cockpit is covered by a Sid Chavers Bop Top, sized to fit the 2-inch windshield chop.
The tire and wheel combination continues the period theme. The 16-inch Team III Sebring wheels were customized with slightly larger holes just for Rick's roadster (making them true one-offs) and feature genuine knock-off hubs. Firestone tube-type piecrust bias-plies from Coker Tire measure 650-16 and 450/475-16. Braking is handled by a pair of rear drums and SO-CAL Speed Shop–concealed disc front brakes.
The stroker Chevy small-block was machined at Beech Performance and assembled by Ark Hot Rods. The balanced and blueprinted 383 runs 11.0:1 TRW pistons on Pink rods, a Crane, hydraulic roller cam, and World Product heads. A Holley 750 carb and Edelbrock intake keep it fed. At the other end, Sanderson headers route the exhaust to custom 3-inch pipes from Ark, with Flowmasters to muffle the volume just the right amount. The GM TH350 transmission is built with a TCI Automotive 2,800-rpm converter and a B&M shift kit, operated by a Lokar floor shifter.
Simplicity is the reason for the success of the interior design. Beige leather was selected for the door panels and Wise Guys bench seat. Harvey West at A Auto Upholstery in Columbus handled that job plus the maroon cut pile carpeting.
Rick says that the roadster is finally the way he wants it, nearly. He came to California in 2013 for the L.A. Roadsters Show where the car was given a prominent spot. We photographed it a few weeks later back on Rick's home turf in Columbus. He and his wife, Carolyn, will have the 1932 back in L.A. soon for this year's L.A. Roadsters Show. By then it will feature leather straps in place of the louvered hood sides, and a 3×2 induction setup on the small-block with finned vintage-style air cleaners—all part of Rick's pursuit of perfection.


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Hyundai Santa Fe Radio
in Hyundai
I have a 2007 Santa Fe, great vehicle but I've noticed that very frequently the 'stereo' sound goes in and out. There's no static but it's comparable to someone holding their hand over the speaker causing the sound to be muffled (if that makes any sense). I read the owner's manual and it indicated that when a radio signal from the source station is not very strong this is likely to occur....the problem is it happens on all the radio stations in the city where I live. In any other vehicle the reception is perfect and this doesn't happen?? Anyone have the same problem or suggestions?
Thanks, Chris
Thanks, Chris
Your owner's manual is correct but there are some other factors that influence whether the signal is "very strong." One is the orientation of the antenna which will vary from one vehicle to the next. Another is the quality of the ampifier in the radio. Also, the type of antenna can make a difference. If you have a decent portable radio you may want to test your reception with it in your Santa Fe.
Let us know what you find out!
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper0
Thank you very much for the info, I will try that. It just seems a bit odd that such a technologically advanced vehicle in this day and age would have problems with something so simple as an FM frequency. Not to mention the fact FM radio has been in every vehicle I've ever owned over the past 15yrs and this is the first time I've encountered such an issue. Do you find that a little curious?
Also, not sure if you noticed but the '08 Santa Fe has a different design of roof aerial from the '07...could this be the necessary fix they've identified and corrected?
Thanks again, Chris0
could this be the necessary fix they've identified and corrected?
Definitely! Let us know what happens with your testing.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper0
Most older analog and all Aftermarket radios do not use FM audio processing: they just spits out what they receive without affecting the audio (Stereo or High Frequency content) regardless of signal conditions (strong or weak, clear or noisy).
In the 90, Lexus started the LOW NOISE trend where FM radio actually blends aggressively from Stereo to Mono and High frequency content gets chopped off whenever the radio signal is weak (middle of nowhere in Texas) or signal is corrupted by Multipath fading (in middle to LA downtown). So the result is LOW NOISE in these situations. But the drawback is temporary loss of Fidelity. On AM, they also muffled the sound to about 2KHz max (eventhough US AM has 5KHz audio bandwidth)
For better or for worse, most OEM radios have followed this trend. Some may go a bit more LOW NOISE, while other would go toward more FIDELITY. But normally, they will not have both or LOW NOISE and HIGH FIDELITY at the same time
For those who like HIGH FIDELITY all the time and do not care about Audio Processing, there are some options: cheap analog radio (do not have hardware for Audio processing) or Aftermarket radios (FIDELITY at any cost).
Thanks very much for the info, sounds like that's what's happening to mine. So if I understand correctly the only option is to change to an aftermarket radio? Changing the roof aerial won't do?
The better antenna does help in keeping signal stronger and "sometime" less signal fading. Most OEM car antennas are usually good anyway except when the factory forgot to snap the connector in properly then you lose signal, especially AM.
You may find something not so good about Aftermarket radios:
1. Not so good reception range ( can't hear FM stations further than 40 miles due too much static).
2. May hear excessive ignition noise, especially in AM since every OEM radio was tuned to reduce this effect. Without ignition noise suppression in radio coupled with electronically noisy vehicle, your AM reception likely be affected.
3. One year warranty only vs. 3 years for OEM products. In designing consumer grade Aftermarket products (vs. Automotive grade OEM), manufacturers normally skimp on materials (cheapest possible, narrow temperature range (0 C - 70 C vs. -40C - 85C for OEM), no vibration tests, no testing below 0 C or above 70 C.). So you may luck out on some products, but not others. They want you to buy new product every couple years.
But if you care only FM Fidelity and listen to strong local FM stations, then Aftermarket radio may fit your taste. Stay away from Chinese brand names even if they are offered by Circuit Cities or Best Buy. Some of them looking good on the outside until you open them up: "fire prone". The best bet is pay for Japanese brand name like JVC, Alpine or Panasonic. JVC has a AM/FM/HDRadio/CD w MP3 for sales off on on at Buy.com for ~$190 (sometime as low as $120). This thing has decent electronic content and well built. It has advanced OEM tuner chipset but tuned for Aftermarket taste. You may like the HDRadio simucast on FM and full "fidelity" on AM in HD mode.
pelican19 Posts: 323I have the same antenna on my 07 with XM. Does your 07 have XM?0
No I don't have XM. Did you put the XM in as an aftermarket option or was it already there when you bought the truck? Any suggestions on what to do about the sound quality for the FM stations?0
You could try to boost the TREBLE setting to max. It may help
Good idea...will give it a try.
:lemon: I have a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe also and live in a medium sized city with plenty of high power FM stations. My FM radio is muffled sounding (treble loss also) about 70% of the time, and sometimes it switches back and forth several times a minute. You can really notice it if you hit the station button for the station you are currently listening to, and it will sound normal for a few seconds. IT IS VERY ANNOYING especially considering none of my other car radios have this "new" design feature. Hyundai claims the radio was intentionally designed to do this yet I can't find a single aftermarket radio with this design "FEATURE". I ended up filing a small claims court case.0
Finally! Someone else that understands this stupid problem...thank you for the response. It boggles my mind that FM radios have been in vehicles for decades and Hyundai seems to have completely screwed up old technology. Did you approach the dealer about the problem? If so, did they just brush you off? Under what law did you file in small claims court? Any information you can provide would be very helpful. I'll let you in on another little secret that Hyundai is not forthcoming about....check the alignment of your rear doors by looking from the rear of the vehicle to the front, there's a good chance they're not flush with the rest of the body. I fought with them for 4 months after 2 independent body shops told me the rear quarter panels were cut wrong and welded wrong. Hyundai even sent up a technician from the plant in Alabama to have a look at it. They ended up giving me a brand new one. The day I picked it up (the second one) at the dealership I went over it with a fine tooth comb and it seemed ok....oddly enough now the rear driver's side door sticks when you open it from the inside. Unless they drastically improve these problems, my next vehicle will have a big 'H' on the front grill, but it will stand for Honda NOT Hyundai. If you have any questions please don't hesitate.
I seriously doubt that any manufacturer would design a radio to be inaudible. Let us know how your case turns out.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper0
:lemon: I approached the dealer about the problem, but they just refered me to the national customer service hotline since they had a service bulletin stating that this is how the radio was designed. (to drop off the treble if the new digital signal is weak). A copy of the service bulletin is available at any Hyundai dealership (comment to host) It boggles my mind too that this was intentionally designed/built this way. I would recommend getting a second opinion from your local radio retailer about whether anyone else is designing radios this way if you pursue this matter further. I checked and couldn't find any other manufacturers that offer this "feature", probably because it's not something people like. I liken it to having someone randomly turning the treble all the way up and all the way down for no apparent reason. I noticed the last time I was in the dealership that the new Santa Fe's have an Infinity radio system (I doubt that the Infinity system has this special "feature") (PARDON THE SARCASM). The fact that they have a service bulletin on this issue to me indicates that they probably have alot of people are complaining about the problem!0
I may be wrong, but I think this is an antenna problem, not a radio problem. Virtually all FM stereo radios for the last 40 years have two ways of coping with inadequate signal strength - when the signal gets noisy they can A) drop back to mono or cut the treble. I think the situation with Hyundai is that the antenna is coiled (as opposed to the conventional full length) and that it's all the way at the back of the vehicle. And it's not really Hyundai's fault, it's the radio supplier - good old Delphi, once upon a time a subsidiary of GM but now an independent manufacturer. If you want decent radio reception, replace the OEM head unit with one from Pioneer - they have had the best FM reception in their car stereos since, oh, 1969 or so!0
All Aftermarket radios emphasize Fidelity (Stereo all time time regardless how noisy the FM signal is). OEM radios like Hyundai's are normally tuned for Low Noise tendency. What it means is when the radio sees some signal disturbance, it automatically switches to mono or reduces audio bandwidth to hide noise. Believe it or not, all OEM radios are doing that today. Some are tuned more subtle than the others. In the case of Santa Fe, may be it is too obvious and caused complaints. It is an act of balancing two conflicting requirements (Low Noise vs. Fidelity)
And another thing: it is easier to design radios that have 100% Fidelity all the time since they do not have to do anything with the tuner audio.
It is a mere software calibration to change the personality of the radio nowaday. Car makers change them all the time to address customer complaints. So check with the dealer for update.
I just got an 08 SF FWD Limited with the Infinity sound system. As soon as I drove it off the lot, I noticed a problem: no sound coming from the stereo! Try as I might, I tried multiple FM channels (FM1, FM2, FM3), XMs (XM1, XM2, XM3), and although the display on the radio looked like it was working, nothing was coming from the speakers (even at max volume ).
As we got about half way home, out of nowhere while pressing buttons the sound came back on.
When I started the car up the next day, sound worked fine from the "get go". Later at the mall, though, the sound didn't work when I first turned on the car.
Today, good sound in the morning, in the afternoon there was no sound at all. I finally stumbled onto something, which I don't think is how it should be, but seems to be consistent:
- If I'm listening to FM or XM, the "Logic7" mode must be turned on; if it's turned off, I get no sound in any speaker.
- If I'm listening to a homemade MP3 CD (as in DATA mode CD burned with subdirectories with MP3 files), the "Logic7" mode must be turned off; if it's turned on, I get no sound in any speaker.
I could have sworn that I toggled "Logic7" on and off while I was driving the car home the first night (once it started working), but now it seems it can't toggle without taking out the sound with it.
I'm going to take it in on Saturday to see what's wrong with it. Also, anyone else notice that it looks like the Infinity system can't handle accented characters in MP3 file names? It gives up trying to show a name and just reports "FILE 155". (My Lord of the Rings disc is a disaster, as nearly half the tracks all use accented characters in their titles...)
I love the car, but this stereo system leaves a lot to be desired. I'm assuming that my problems are related to the head unit or wiring, as I can't believe it's designed so that I have to keep turning Logic7 on and off repeatedly if I'm switching mode into and out of CD.)
wtnlvr Posts: 10I toggle my logic button all the time because it sounds better with it and doesn't seem to be on by default. I've never had the sound cut out at all in any mode at all. Something is wrong with your unit I'm afraid.0
You're definitely right...and I think it's a heat issue.
If I drive in the morning (car in the garage overnight), then the radio works as expected. If I get in after work (car in sun from 7am until 3pm), the radio either doesn't work at all (no Logic7 mode matters), or works in the odd way I described earlier. Once the A/C has run for a bit and cooled off the interior of the car, then the radio seems to behave a little better.
Off to the dealership it goes! (Kind of annoying to pay for a brand new car and have an issue as soon as it leaves the lot. I'm hoping that'll be my only major issue....)0
Night I pulled vehicle off lot we heard a buzzing sound coming from stereo. Took car in to be fixed and they said that the buzzing sound is coming from the tweeters. They told me all the vehicles on their lot with the Infinity stereo system have the same buzzing sound. I went to a second dealership and was told their Santa Fe's with the Infinity stereo also have the buzzing sound. It is mostly heard when the vehicle is on and the sound setting on one 1-4. I have been dealing with the dealership and the service center for 6 months. Today I was told by a man from Hyundai Motors America that there are no futher actions they are contemplating on our vehicle. He said the stereo is operating within the designed parameters. We cannot stand to listen to the radio because of this high pitched buzzing sound. We have to shut it off. Is anyone else having this same complaint? Any suggestions, please help.0
Please search this forum. We keep discussing this over and over. It is a known problem and is curable. Not all SF's with the Infinity stereo do it, but many do. Do some research on this forum and educate yourself.0
Unfortunately the buzz posts are scattered over several discussions here and didn't see a cure thread when I did a quick search of all the Santa Fe discussions. Maybe you or someone can summarize the fix since this discussion is solely about the radio? Thanks!0
This forum hold topics like Stereo goes in and out, Muffled sound, Switches back and forth, FM radio, 07' to 08' changes, antenna problems, XM, Treble all the way up and all the way down, no sound from speaker, heat issue. My problem and the problem with every Santa Fe I've been in is that there is a Constant buzz that comes from the tweeters. It happens no matter what your listening to FM, AM, a CD. Doesn't matter. Dealership said it was a design flaw all the Santa Fe's are that way. Only fix they gave me was to unhook my tweeters.0
This forum has a "search" function and it works very well. I put in "Infinity" and got one hundred and eleven posts that mention Infinity. Not all relate to your problem, but most do. Try this:
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.eea499a!keywords=allin%3Amsgtext%2- 0limit%3A.eea499a%20infinity&count=20
Here's an example, the very first post under "Audio and rear seat entertainment problems":
"Hello and thanks for the help! I have two huge problems with my 2007 limited touring and ultimate santa fe built 10/06. I have the infinity 605 watt system but do not have xm radio.
Problem 1: When i listen to the radio(or cd player) at low volume levels (anything under 15) i hear a high pitched tone that is almost as loud as the radio itself. This tone is not present when i use the radio with the car off. So i am annoyed and do not use my radio.
Problem 2: When i put a dvd in the rear entertainment system it starts to play the previews just fine. Then about half way into the preview it will flip over to the radio which is much louder and that is really horrible. I have to push the rse button to get it to go back to dvd.
Both of these problems have been acknowledged by the service manager after 2 weeks of my car being at the dealer. In fact i sat in another santa fe that was right next to mine that had the same annoying tone and did the same thing with the dvd. I have put in a call to hyundai because they are making their service department look bad by putting their cars out this way. Since there were at least 2 santa fe's on the lot built in different years that had the same problem i would imagine that other people have noticed this. If you have noticed this please reply with what you have found out because i am tired of dealing with it and want both issues fixed.
thanks "0
I found several posts like that too. What I didn't find was the cure that you mentioned, unless disconnecting the tweeters is the "cure."
[edit] Ok, I found your recent post about the ground:
denvertrakker, "Audio and Rear Seat Entertainment problems with 2007 santa fe" #18, 7 Sep 2008 11:33 am0
Boy, I sure am glad I only got the basic radio and not the Infinity. Anyone else want to chime in? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
OK, one last time. The cure is not disconnecting the tweeters. The issue is a grounding problem with the external amp that allows alternator noise to enter the system. Go to "Hyundai Santa Fe Maintenance and Repair (2007+) and go to post #128. The information is here if you look for it....although maybe not a solution.
It's very annoying that the dealers blow everybody off on this. I worked in the audio business for many years, and if someone had a problem it was addressed. How do car dealers get away with "they all do that, sorry can't help ya."?0
mpuzach Posts: 635Does anyone here know how to remove the radio head unit from a 2007 Santa Fe? I have a small rattle that sounds like it may be coming from behind the radio. Unfortunately, I haven't a clue as to how to pull the radio out. Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks.0
Your best bet on this is to visit a car stereo installer. If you catch one in the right mood, chances are they'll tell you how to pull it. It's likely just a pop-off trim panel, after which the radio de-mounts with 4 or 5 bolts, but I'd make sure before fiddling. If you tell me where in the country you are I might be able to recommend someone to try.0
I did some searching and found this:
As you can see, it's a bit involved. I'd still suggest going to an installer for help.0
srz948 Posts: 70I picked up my 08 Santa Fe Limited AWD with Nav. August 21st and experienced the same problem. The audio "mutes" for no apparant reason. It's only happened twice. After shutting off the car and restarting it, the radio worked. I thought it might have been an anomoly but I guess I can expect it to continue. By the way what and where is the Logic 7 mode toggle? Thanks.0

subset: commoncrawl


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Viktor Polson
JugglerAbout this photograph
This series has permitted Viktor Polson to experiment with the depiction of simple and refined forms. It is an ambitious exercise. The photographer is forced to get straight to the point. The subject, vegetables in this case, is the unique object in the depiction. By using solid colours, transparent and bright materials, Polson magnifies the subject. Without the use of staging his strategy is to change scale, using juxtaposition and an interlinking of shapes. The compositions are simple and plain, yet Polson?s still life has a sensual approach. This artist aims to demonstrate the beauty of structures in the natural world and the consecration of everyday objects. Still life, a major genre in art, has become conceptual and even funRead more Read less
The photographs are carefully packaged in order to ensure their optimal protection during transport.
Viktor Polson lives and works in Paris. He photographs what he refers to as 'minimalist ephemeral sculptures.' His photographic research revolves around shooting still life. His creations are used in advertising campaigns and he continues to pursue his study independently.


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GDT Oilers 4, Habs 1 – Game 58 – 2011-02-17 @ 7:00 PM MST – CBC
Hooray, HNIC on a Thursday! Too bad I'll be playing walleyball… The Habs are in town tonight for a warm up match before playing the "Heritage Classic" down in cowtown on Sunday. The Oilers have taken the previous and only other game this season in Montreal, but needed a shootout to finish it. The Habs have cooled off and are nursing a few injuries, so hopefully we get the same effort we did on Monday and the boys impress. Horcoff had a big 3 point night to lead the team, time for another speech?
Continue reading 'GDT Oilers 4, Habs 1 – Game 58 – 2011-02-17 @ 7:00 PM MST – CBC'»


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This week, police used plastic ties to attach orange no-parking signs to what used to be parking meters in the area of the Leonard Block/Star Theater building at 107-111 Main St.
Days since fire: 1,295
The details
Officials say an arsonist set the fire the morning of Aug. 17, 2010, that resulted in the closure of City Hall at 15 Summer St. To date, no one has been arrested for the crime.
The fire was set in the fourth-floor attic of the historic site, located across from Church Green. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, but much of the building's interior suffered extensive water damage as a result.
Since then, Taunton has operated a temporary City Hall in what was formerly Lowell M. Maxham School at 141 Oak St.
No one was injured in the fire.
The progress
This week, police used plastic ties to attach orange no-parking signs to what used to be parking meters in the area of the Leonard Block/Star Theater building at 107-111 Main St.
The Star sits directly next to City Hall and is set to be demolished to facilitate the repair and renovation of City Hall. A housing court judge in September ordered former owner Michael O'Donnell to relinquish ownership to the city.
The no-parking signs are a precursor to the re-routing of traffic past the dilapidated, four-story Star Theater. Violators will be issued a $15 ticket.
Rhode Island-based BETA engineering group is conducting a pre-demolition survey to provide a guideline for safely demolishing the Star.
Mayor Thomas Hoye Jr. confirmed that the city submitted a request to the state's Division of Capital Asset Management Capital on Friday for a waiver of the public procurement process, in order to shorten the time it will take to begin demolition.
BETA, according to senior associate Alan Hanscom, has performed a hazardous materials assessment in the Star to determine levels of asbestos contamination, especially in the basement area.
Two contractors, he said, will eventually be hired — one which will abate, or dispose of, the contamination and the other to knock down the building.
Hanscom said if DCAM grants the waiver it will speed up the process by four to six weeks, by allowing the city to bypass the usual routine of placing bid-proposal advertisements. The city, he said, instead would be able to directly hire a qualified contractor of its choice.
Hoye said the waiver request is appropriate, especially in light of the potential danger of allowing the Star Theater to remain standing any longer than necessary.
"It's a public nuisance and a safety hazard," Hoye said.
Estimates to repair City Hall have ranged from $15 million to $23 million.


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There's a real art in finding the delicate balance between want and need, sweet and savory, austere and indulgent. All too often battling cravings that fall on the more hedonistic side of the scale, reaching some semblance of middle ground is especially important for this constant snacker. Grazing through my day with the greatest of ease, finding that ideal combination that will satisfy both my sweet tooth and my hunger is always the goal, but rarely the result of endless pantry raids throughout the day.
Inspired by yet another excellent new protein powder kindly provided as a sample by Ka'Chava, rather than just drink my superfoods straight, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to get in the kitchen and play around. Energy bars were a natural first though, but too obvious, too easy to get excited about. Healthy, protein-packed fudge, though? Now that's a wholesome treat one could lust after.
Rich, but not overwhelmingly so, crunchy cacao nibs punctuate the soft texture, much like chocolate chips strewn through unbaked cookie dough. A thin sheet of dark, slightly bitter chocolate caps off each small square with just the right extra dose of decadence, although it's strictly optional if you're more of a protein purist. Eaten straight out of the fridge, there are few tastier yet still healthy tidbits out there that can power me through a long day.
Protein Fudge
Protein Fudge
- 1 Cup Raw Cashews, Soaked for 4 – 6 Hours
- 1/2 Cup Coconut Oil, Melted
- 1/3 Cup Coconut Sugar
- 1 serving (64 grams) Ka'Chava Chocolate Protein Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 Cup Cacao Nibs
To Finish:
- 3 Ounces Dark Chocolate, Finely Chopped
- 1 Teaspoon Coconut Oil, Melted
- Thoroughly drain your cashews before tossing them into your blender. A high-speed blender is recommended for this recipe to ensure the smoothest texture possible, but as long as you're patient with a lower-powered model and let it process for a bit longer, the recipe shouldn't suffer. Add in the melted coconut oil, coconut sugar, protein powder, vanilla, and salt, and start the machine on the lowest setting to begin breaking down the cashews. Slowly increase the speed until you reach the highest setting, using the plunger to keep the contents of the blender all moving towards the blade, or pausing to scrape down the sides of the container, as needed. It may take some time for everything to combine smoothly, without any residual cashew pieces or graininess to be found.
- Meanwhile, line an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with foil, lightly grease, and set aside.
- Once your fudge mixture is thoroughly blended, stir in the cacao nibs by hand to evenly distribute them throughout. Transfer everything to your prepared pan and use a wide spatula to smooth out the top. Place the pan on a flat surface in your freezer to begin solidifying.
- To finish off your fudge, place the finely chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe dish and heat for 60 seconds. Stir thoroughly until all of the chocolate is melted and no pieces remain. If necessary, continue microwaving at intervals of 30 seconds, stirring well after each one, until perfectly smooth. Retrieve the fudge from the freezer, pour the melted chocolate all over the top, and spread it out evenly so that it covers the entire pan. Return the pan of fudge to the freezer and let rest, undisturbed, for at least 3 hours.
- Using the foil as a sling, pull the fudge out of the loaf pan and slice into small squares with a very sharp knife. To make cleaner cuts through the chocolate topping, first run the knife under very hot water and dry thoroughly before making your first incision.
- Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 140 Total Fat: 11g Saturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 1mg Sodium: 31mg Carbohydrates: 8g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 6g Protein: 3g


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Author Notes: When the "Your Best Mushrooms" theme was announced a while ago, the thought of a mushroom mousse kept flitting through my head. After a quick search on the internet, I found Amanda Cohen's recipe for Portobello Mousse with Cherries and Fennel Compote, Grilled Portobello Mushrooms, and Truffled Crostini (http://tinyurl.com/3wjx76f). Amanda Cohen is the chef/owner of Dirt Candy, a vegetarian restaurant in NYC. (Amanda's Dirt Candy blog is a really fun read, btw.)
But the recipe didn't indicate if the mushrooms are to be cooked, or left raw. So I searched some more and found Sarah Simmons' blog post (http://tinyurl.com/3gxrpcv) where she describes her obsession with the Dirt Candy Portobello Mousse and how she set out to recreate it. A little too daunting for my level of culinary expertise, I thought I'd just tackle the mousse part and see what I could adapt from Amanda's sumptuous dish.
I tested so many versions…with and without gelatin, with and without cheese and aromatics, in the blender (which I hate washing) and in the food processor. But in the end, my favorite was this one, with its pure earthy mushroom-y aroma and taste, and smooth, mousse-like texture achieved with the mini-chopper.
Here, I've dressed up the mousse with a drizzle of aceto balsamico tradizionale di Modena and some parsley oil. The parsley oil is just slightly adapted from Bon Appétit's recipe for Scallop and Bacon Chowder from Dec. '01. It's delicious. —mrslarkin
Food52 Review: At our next dinner party, I'm going to perform a little experiment on my carnivorous friends: set out a nice pâté alongside this mushroom mousse and see which disappears faster. My bet: The fungi. This mousse has a mellow, thoroughly mushroomy flavor and cloud-like texture -- plus, it takes only a few minutes and one pan to prepare. I would argue that the balsamic reduction should not be optional; it couldn't be easier to prepare, and the sweet, sharp acidity is a welcome counterpoint to the creamy mousse. - MeghanVK —MeghanVK
Serves: 2
Prep time: 1 hrs 30 min
FOR THE BALSAMIC REDUCTION (optional):
cup balsamic vinegar (If you have Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena, you can skip the step of reducing the balsamic vinegar)
FOR THE PARSLEY OIL (optional):
cup fresh Italian parsley leaves (flat leaf), thick stems removed and discarded (they're bitter)
cup olive oil
teaspoon kosher or sea salt
2 1/2
tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
cups chopped Baby Bella mushrooms
cup finely chopped yellow onion
cup heavy cream
kosher or sea salt
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- FOR THE BALSAMIC REDUCTION, in a small saucepan, reduce 1 cup balsamic vinegar over medium heat until thick and syrupy. Set aside to cool.
- FOR THE PARSLEY OIL, combine the parsley leaves, olive oil and salt in a blender and puree until very smooth. Taste for salt. Pour into a lidded jar and store in the refrigerator. To use, bring to room temp, and stir. I don't strain the oil. I like the rustic look of the teeny tiny pieces of parsley.
- FOR THE MUSHROOM MOUSSE, in a medium saucepan, heat 1½ tablespoons butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and toss until fully coated with the melted butter. Add salt to taste. Cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes, stirring every now and then. They'll begin to exude their liquid, and then start to brown and crisp up a bit. Turn out into the bowl of a mini chopper or mini food processor when done.
- In the same saucepan, melt one tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, and just beginning to brown. Stir in the cream. Reduce heat to low. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
- Add the onion mixture to the mushrooms in the mini chopper. Season with salt and pepper and puree until very smooth. Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust seasonings if desired. Pour into a 4-ounce ramekin. Serve warm.
- Serve on crostini, crispy toast crusts, pita chips, or just dolloped on a demitasse spoon, drizzled with balsamic syrup (or Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena) and parsley oil. I like the mousse best when it's warm or at room temperature.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Hors d'Oeuvre
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Most Impressive Dinner Party Side
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Spring Vegetable Recipe
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Mushrooms
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Umami-Centric Recipe
More Great Recipes:


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There's been a lot of discussion this offseason about the need for young players and reserves to carve out big roles on a Steelers defense that's lost veteran leaders like linebacker James Harrison and defensive tackle Casey Hampton.
Such needs go beyond those groups of players, however. There's also a need for some of the team's established starters to move into more prominent spots, with linebacker Lawrence Timmons near the top of that list. Timmons is coming off a strong season — 106 tackles, three interceptions and six sacks — and Ralph N. Paulk of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that "it's clear" the team is expecting him to fill some of the leadership void on defense this season. It's a role Timmons is happy to fill with both words and actions.
"I look at myself as a game-changer, and I try to make that a facet of my game," Timmons said. "I look forward to those opportunities, because I want to live up to those expectations. … I have to assert myself in a certain way. I don't feel as if I have to force anything. I just have to play my game."
At 27 with a contract that runs through 2016 and plenty of experience in the Steelers' way of playing defense, Timmons is positioned to become a cornerstone as the team transitions away from the previous generation of defensive stars. If the team turns up a few more players like him, that transition should be one that continues the tradition of strong defenses in Pittsburgh.


text: If I had to take awild guess, I would say it was Havasucker with yet another name, just so he had someone to argue with. The fact is I dont need to anymore. If you seen the polls on his whole ideology they all go against him. I have done my job in getting the correct information out.


text:
wow, a lot of this stuff at this Con is really cool. Too bad it costs so much and is such and exclusive. I would buy them at retail.
It seems the SDCC exclusive for Joe this year has a good chance of being very expensive.
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text:
Skip Hire Llwyneinion from YourLocalSkipHire.co.uk
Welcome to YourLocalSkipHire.co.uk – the best choice for skip hire in Llwyneinion. We're one of the UK's leading skip hire service providers, and have helped thousands of satisfied customers find the skip they need at an affordable price.
Make sure you're hiring the skip that meets your requirements by checking our sizing guide before requesting a quote. As a rule of thumb, a home clearance will need a six yard skip, while larger projects will need a skip with a larger capacity.
Our hassle free booking system will provide you with a free no-obligation skip hire quote quickly and easily. Just call 0330 1130 700, or fill out your postcode in the box above. We'll get your quote to you as soon as possible. It really is that easy!


text:
Three children are going to buy some plants for their birthdays. They will plant them within circular paths. How could they do this?
What happens when you add the digits of a number then multiply the result by 2 and you keep doing this? You could try for different numbers and different rules.
Tom and Ben visited Numberland. Use the maps to work out the number of points each of their routes scores.


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Electrical Engineers
|complex numbers
|Search Engines
|Text too small ?
|All those that believe in telekinesis..........raise my hand
Electrical engineers: Electrical engineering covers a wide spectrum of civilian and military careers. Electrical engineers can generally place themselves in one of the following categories.
Electrical engineers are expected to be able to calculate mathematically every element within their particular field. Unlike many other types of engineer, electrical engineers are trained to a minimum of a "higher education" grade. That is to say that every electrical engineer is a graduate. Let me elaborate on this and take a deeper look at the areas covered above.
These electrical engineers have duties ranging from assessing the maximum current demand of a new high rise block to calculating harmonics within switch mode power supplies. Typically these electrical engineers work on behalf of a contracting company or are "in house" in larger buildings.
The duties of these electrical engineers are possibly the most diverse of all. Not only do they have to design and calculate a prospective installation, they may well have to use software to design it, like autocad et cetera, work out the costings, schedule delivery dates for equipment and accommodate rapid changes in their designs as requested by the clients and other contractors.
In house electrical engineers are based in a high rise or similar building complex and are available throughout the day for consultation and emergency situations. Depending on the style and purpose of the building, the in house electrical engineer will have a number of electricians to undertake the daily tasks.
Electrical engineers within this field are typically experts in a particular field but that is by no means the only type. For example he may be a lighting specialist and work solely in the street and space lighting field. Another example is an electrical engineer that oversees public works projects, such as shopping centres, cinemas and theatres et cetera.
Although many of these electrical engineers are employed directly by the public utilities, a growing number are contractors. Public works electrical engineers frequently find themselves in a consultation role whereby they mediate between works contractors and the higher echelons of government bodies.
electrical engineers that work in educational institutes are by genre the allrounders that are experts in only the direct subjects relating to electrical engineering. For example an electrical engineer in the building and construction trade will readily know the difference between a high quality power transformer and a low quality one that may just be poorly constructed and yet have an identical specification. As you can see this clearly falls outside the realms of electrical engineering and pertains perhaps more to manufacturing engineering.
These electrical engineers are, however, expected to be exceptionally resourceful and be of a standard that is at the cutting edge of technology.
electrical engineers within the confines of the military are an entirely different kind of engineer to the rest. They are expected to be able to deal with emergency and disaster situations at any time of the day. These electrical engineers have to be considerably resourceful in a different way to the educational electrical engineer. Frequently they find themselves in situations where acquisition resources are poor and have to overcome the challenge with their mind and knowledge.
The greatest demand for military electrical engineers is possibly the ability to construct makeshift or temporary installations without compromising safety. This is a generalisation and it should be noted that much military engineering is restricted information and not publishable on this webpage.
Design house electrical engineers cover a wide range of responsibilities. Duties can be as diverse as designing hydro-electric power generators to programming software for electrical engineering uses, such as cable sizing programs. These electrical engineers are almost all multi skilled engineers and noted for their flexibility within accompanying engineering environments.
This article was written by makrobicz associate member of the institution of electrical engineers, mathematician for:
A-K strategic business solutions - web design
My work can be seen at http://engineers-international.com , http://www.ids.com.au/solutions/ , http://racingcoloursclub.com/ , http://akstrategic.com/
I can be reached direct via email at
Other excerpts from these articles can be viewed at
other links


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Matrix Games (www.matrixgames.com) and Slitherine (www.slitherine.com) are thrilled to announce the release of Commander – Europe at War Gold! This is a fully updated version of the acclaimed WWII grand strategy game Commander – Europe at War and owners of the original release can download a free v1.12 update to bring their copies up to the Gold version.
David Heath, Director of Operations at Matrix Games, said "The Commander – Europe at War Gold release is a fantastic opportunity to pick up a great strategy game. With a system that is simple to learn but engaging for veteran gamers, Commander – Europe at War Gold will stay on your hard drive for a long time to come!"
Commander – Europe at War Gold includes a new Fast Play mode with six additional campaigns as well as a slew of other improvements and fixes since the original release. This brings the PC version of the game to the same level as the recent releases for the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.
Commander – Europe at War Gold thrusts the player into the command of either the Axis or the Allies during World War II. With only two goals at hand, survive and conquer, the player is charged with building and commanding the combined air, land and sea forces of his side. Advance your research to the cutting edge of technology in order to best your opponents and either conquer or liberate Europe!
Commander – Europe at War Gold is easy to learn and elegant, but deep in strategy and hard to master. Players will find themselves glued to their chairs from the beginning when all mayhem breaks loose across the continent with the invasion of Poland in 1939. Research new technologies, manage your manpower reserves, improve your industry, husband your oil supply and manufacture armies, fleets, and bombers to use all available strategic and tactical might to bring about victory. Commander – Europe at War Gold includes realistic combat resolution that models supply morale, terrain, leadership, equipment, training, strategic weapons and fog of war. To capture the immense scope and distance of WWII, Commander – Europe at War Gold includes a Fast Play mode with 6 campaigns as well as 6 more epic campaigns with different starting points, including the famous Barbarossa campaign, D-Day, the battle for France, and finally the Grand Campaign that will let the player refight the entirety of the Second World War the way they see fit!
Gamers who already own Commander – Europe at War do not need to purchase Commander – Europe at War Gold. Instead, just download and install the free v1.12 update from the Matrix Games downloads page and you'll be upgraded to the Gold level.


text:
Quick Start Quick Start
Let's attempt some mind reading: you're reading this because you need to build a website. You're thinking about using Liferay Portal for your site, or you've already decided to use it and you want to learn all about it...Read Full Article >
How many times have you had to start over from scratch? Probably almost as many times as you've started a new project, because each time you have to write not only the code to build the project, but also the underlying code that supports the project...Read Full Article >
In this Learning Path, you'll create the Liferay Guestbook Web Application from scratch using tools like Liferay IDE and BLADE tools...Read Full Article >
Becoming familiar with a platform as large and fully featured as Liferay is a big task. You learn the ins and outs of what it can do, the tips and best practices of the experts, and you work your way through the APIs...Read Full Article >
Have you ever heard the saying, "There's more than one way to skin a cat"? It's gross, but it's probably true. Well, in Liferay, there's definitely more than one way to develop a portlet...Read Full Article >


text:
Works with iPhone® Certified Dock for iPod® & iPhone
- 2.1-Channel Full-range Speaker System with Built-in Downfiring Subwoofer
- Charges your Apple® Product while in the Dock
- Bluetooth® Ready for wireless music transmission from A2DP Profile Bluetooth-enabled PCs and cell phones (requires optional Pioneer Bluetooth adapter (AS-BT100)
- Ultra-rigid Double Frame Construction
Pioneer® XW-NAS3-K Dock for iPod® and iPhone®: Don't Compromise Your Portable Music
You're an audio perfectionist. You don't want to compromise your sound, even--perhaps especially--when it comes to your portable digital music. You love the convenience of carrying your favorite tunes everywhere on your iPod® or iPhone® device, but when you're ready to take out the earbuds, do you really want to settle for the poor performance of a wimpy speaker system?
Pioneer's Audition Series is the answer. You don't have to compromise audio quality when it comes to reproducing your digital music files. With its clean, modern styling and rich 2.1-channel sound with a dedicated built-in subwoofer, your portable music has never sounded so good on a compact unit. And with an optional Bluetooth® adapter, any one of your portable A2DP profile Bluetooth-enabled audio devices can benefit from the Audition Series' incredible sound.
"Made for iPod" and "Works with iPhone" Certified
The Audition Series is "Made for iPod" certified on all recent models of iPod: iPod Classic, mini, nano®, and iPod touch®. But it's also "Works with iPhone"-certified, so you have maximum ease of use with all your favorite Apple® products. And unlike other docks that use analog, the Audition Series features a true digital connection with your Apple media player, ensuring bit-perfect audio.
Expand Your Connectivity with Optional Bluetooth
For total flexibility, the Audition Series offers Bluetooth connectivity with an optional adapter (sold separately). Models with the optional Pioneer AS-BT100 adapter installed allow you to pair your iPhone, BlackBerry®, Android or other smartphone, as well as your PC, laptop or other A2DP profile Bluetooth-enabled source to enjoy pleasing stereo sound from the dock, wirelessly. If you already have an AS-BT100 adapter for use with your compatible Pioneer home theater system, that adapter is also compatible with the Audition Series--just plug the adapter into the dock's adapter port.
Dedicated Subwoofer for Rich 2.1-Channel Sound
The Audition Series features two 52mm full range speakers as well as a separate down-firing subwoofer, giving you unimaginably rich sound from a dock with a small footprint. You don't need to lug around a huge dock to get portable sound that's comparable to your home stereo--the Audition Series delivers an immersive audio experience with custom-tuned design by Pioneer's EX Speaker engineering team.
Double-Isolated Cabinet Eliminates Resonance
Conventional docks typically can't withstand loud volumes; even if the wattage can deliver it, a weak cabinet design often results in shaking and unpleasant "buzzing" or resonance at high volumes that dilutes the listening experience. But the Audition Series features a double-isolated enclosure that virtually eliminates cabinet resonance, meaning you can get a clean, accurate sound response.
Component and Composite Video Output Lets You Share Video on Your HDTV
The Audition Series features component and composite video outputs, meaning you can share stored movie and TV video files from your iPod or iPhone, or stream directly from YouTube® to your HDTV.
iPod Compatibility: http://pioneer.jp/homeav/support/ios/na/
For questions concerning our Rebate back in October 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010, please call 1-888-295-7742, Monday through Friday from 6:00AM to 11:00PM Central Standard Time. Track the status of your rebate online at http://www.rebateshq.com


text:
trigrou necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 124 diseños de 31 diseñadores freelance.
First my web site does not correspond to me, so that's why I want to find a logo and then a theme for my website.
I am a 3d OpenGL programmer, you can see on my website the kind of work I usually do. The idea behind this logo, is to reflect my personnality, my work, and what I like.
I like clean design with a bit of fantasy, but still feel professional. I like color related to dark grey, orange, light grey, but I am not focused on those color. Because the color of the logo or the chart, will have to use on my website, it must be confortable to read.
This logo target clients working with 3d technology and needs some services related to it. There is different market for that, I can work for someone that create video with my services, another that will make an application like google earth, another one a games. There is not a specific market and the market already exists. The common point is 3D real time technology.
For example I could create a 3d web applet to display your portfolio in 3d real time
I would like a logo with different color to have an overview of what is the best. You can be really creative, I would prefer to not have something too complexe. eg:
not a complexe 3d shape
not too many color
o The logo must contains the plopbyte name
o I will need the source file vectoriel format, inkscape ...
o a different version with different color to see all possibility you propose
o the logo will have to work on different support (eg, black, white)
I like this kind of design (related to the context off course)
o http://blog.99designs.com/2010/10/0…yspoon550/
o http://blog.galaxark.com/wp-content…0Urban.png
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text:
On ComputerAidedDesignCrossing
who else wants their phone ringing off the hook with quality job interviews?
If you have always dreamed of getting more interviews and job offers then this may be
among the most exciting things you ever read.
PASADENA, Calif.—(Business Wire)—Harrison Barnes, the CEO of EmploymentCrossing.com, a website that consolidates jobs on its site from employer websites and other job boards, says there is not a crisis in the employment market as reported by the Department of Labor on Friday. Instead, Barnes believes jobs are getting harder to find because they are moving so rapidly away from local newspapers to the web—to so many websites that job seekers can no longer find the jobs that are available.What I Discovered in 10+ Years of Researching the CAD Job Market and Getting Tens of Thousands of People Jobs.
"The jobs are disbursed among too many websites," says Barnes. "It used to be you could pick up one or maybe two local newspapers when looking for a job. Now you need access to the web and most job seekers are visiting only a few sites when searching for a job. We visit over 10,000 websites a day to find jobs for our site. There are jobs out there for everyone. Not surprisingly, the job losses being reported by the Labor Department are also largely confined to professions like manufacturing where people do not have access to the web."
According to Barnes, people looking for a job simply cannot find the openings out there. With over 10,000 job sites and even more employer career pages, Barnes believes that the jobs out there are distributed to so many sites that it is getting harder for people to find jobs.
Barnes believes that his EmploymentCrossing.com site is "a good first step" towards solving this problem because it consolidates every job it can find. In addition, EmploymentCrossing.com is research company. While it does charge employers to post jobs, it balances out these paid listings by continually researching jobs from every other source it can find. It also remains an unbiased source of listings because it clearly shows you which listings are paid.
"A main part of EmploymentCrossing's business model is to consolidate every single job on our site. I view the number of Internet sites out there with jobs on them as a crisis and job seekers should too," says Barnes.
Very few people know about the jobs that are on employer websites and small job boards and other "out of the way" locations. Because so few people know about these jobs they typically receive few if any applications. (Contrast this with jobs that appear on big sites like Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs and so forth.) Due to the jobs on ComputerAidedDesignCrossing receiving fewer applications, you are likely to receive far more interviews and offers. Additionally, ComputerAidedDesignCrossing limits access to the CAD jobs on its site to people who are ComputerAidedDesignCrossing members and this keeps the applications to jobs on our site down even more.ComputerAidedDesignCrossing is Not Perfect and Does Have Some Limitations.
Only ComputerAidedDesignCrossing consolidates every job it can find in the domain and puts all of the job listings it locates in one place.


text: Our obsession with the Holden Ute is a mix of Single White Female and The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, but it's about to go full-on creepy One Hour Photo if one doesn't land on our shores soon. This short commercial for the Holden "Thunder" Ute is only exacerbating things. (Hat tip to MrQuick!)


text:
This email came a few days ago from a writer I don't know.
Dear JA,
My self-pubbed humorous novel, "The Dirty Parts of the Bible," just passed 5,500 Kindle sales for this month and is ranked at #70 in the Kindle store. I'm still in shock, and don't know how long it will take for this to sink in...
How to sum of the years of disappointment and bitterness trying to get traditionally published? I spent 3 years writing and honing the book, and it was the most satisfying creative project I'd ever worked on. The 2 years that followed, trying to sell the manuscript, were like tossing my heart into a meat grinder. It was rejected by over 100 publishers, from every big house in NY to small presses in Texas (where most of the book is set). I did manage to get an excellent NY agent who shopped it for a year, but to no avail. The real killer was when an editor at Penguin said she loved it, but the Penguin *marketing department* shot it down. (Did I mention bitterness?)
I self-published a paperback version, but it never sold more than 10 copies. I work as a professional book designer for small presses. I *love* real books, and I collect antique volumes of my favorite writers. I scoffed at the Kindle. So I just never thought of putting "Dirty Parts" out as an e-book.
More than a year after I had completely given up looking for publishers, I entered Amazon's "breakthrough novel" competition. My book made it to the top 50 last year, but was again shot down by Penguin editors/staffers when they narrowed the crop down to 4 finalists. (No surprise; but more disappointment.) But a few weeks after the contest was over, I noticed that the Kindle excerpt of my novel was being downloaded by more customers than were the finalists. That inspired me to publish the entire book to Kindle for the first time.
Sales were very slow for the first 6 months (about 5 to 20 per month), as Amazon removed the contest entries so I lost all the reader reviews that my excerpt had accumulated. Then, in mid-December, something clicked. By the end of the month, 300 copies had sold. And so far this month (January 2011), it's sold 5,500 copies. All with no promotion on my part (other than giving away some free copies in the Kindle forums after sales started picking up). It's also attracted 20 unsolicited reviews this month.
I followed your blog closely during the 2 years I was trying to sell my book traditionally, but stopped reading after giving up hope. So I had no idea that other unknown authors were finding this kind of success on Kindle. Never heard of Amanda Hocking or Karen McQuestion (greatest author name ever, by the way) until this month.
How to describe the thrill of finally getting *readers* after all these years? It's incredible. All along, I just wanted the chance to get my book past the gatekeepers and into readers' hands. I've gotten some great e-mails this month: one from an 87 year old Texan who said the characters reminded him of the folks he knew back then, another from a high-school English teacher who is recommending it to her students. It's like a commercial for the credit cards I foolishly used to finance my writing dreams before they were squashed: Priceless.
Joe sez: I love this story, for several reasons. First, because it shows an epic fail by the gatekeepers. Penguin had two shots at this, and failed both times. Now the book is selling hundreds of copies a day. Oops.
Second, because Torode priced it at $2.99. The majority of self-pubbed ebooks that have made the Top 100 have been 99 cents. It's nice to see an indie ebook selling well AND making a lot of money for the author.
Third, because here is yet another example of an unknown author who sells a ton of ebooks without a platform, an agent, or any sort of marketing. It just caught on with readers who liked it. This is the ultimate in "word-of-mouth."
And fourth, I'm a sucker for a the fairy tale ending.
Sam followed the rules for successful ebook authors (which you should all know by heart by now.)
1. Write a good book.
2. Have a good cover.
3. Set a low price.
4. Have a good product description.
Here's his description:
Watch the video trailer at DirtyPartsoftheBible.com
The Dirty Parts of the Bible is a humorous novel set during the Great Depression---a rollicking tale of love and liquor, preachers and prostitutes, trains and treasure, sure to appeal to fans of Water for Elephants, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Mark Twain, and Johnny Cash....
Semifinalist for the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award
"While the title suggests a raunchy read, this rich and soulful novel is actually a rather well-done bildungsroman [coming-of-age story] steeped in wanderlust and whimsy that at times recalls The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and at others a tamer On the Road. The story begins in 1936 as 19-year-old Tobias is thumbing his way from Remus, Mich., to his uncle's farm in Glen Rose, Tex., to find a hidden bag of money, after his father, a Baptist pastor, drunkenly slams his car into the church and is removed from the parsonage. The author does an excellent job in making well-charted territory (riding the rails; scavenged campfire meals under the stars) seem vibrant and new. Snippets of scripture, Southern spirituals, and folk ballads lend context and flavor to the text. Most impressive are the jangly dialogue and the characters' distinctive voices, which are authentic and earthy but not remotely hoary. When Tobias finally arrives at his uncle's, the surprises that await him are more than enough to keep his--and readers'--interests piqued." --Publisher's Weekly (ABNA)
"I absolutely loved The Dirty Parts of the Bible.... [It's] a grown-up Mark Twain-type adventure with lots of spirit and humor." --Reader Views
"[It] has lots of laughs and a few tears, and characters that are pure joy." --Front Street Reviews
"A fun read" --The Nashville Scene
"Sweet and funny" --Kirkus Discoveries
From the Back Cover
It's 1936, and Tobias Henry is stuck in the frozen hinterlands of Michigan. Tobias is obsessed with two things: God and girls.
Mostly girls, of course.
But being a Baptist preacher's son, he can't escape God.
When his father is blinded in a bizarre accident (involving hard cider and bird droppings), Tobias must ride the rails to Texas to recover a long-hidden stash of money. Along the way, he's initiated into the hobo brotherhood by Craw, a ribald vagabond-philosopher. Obstacles arise in the form of a saucy prostitute, a flaming boxcar, and a man-eating catfish. But when he meets Sarah, a tough farm girl under a dark curse, he finds out that the greatest challenge of all is love.
Torode did a lot right in this description. He compared it to well known books and movies, explained the type of book it is, listed some rave reviews, mentioned it was a semi-finalist, and went briefly into the plot, setting, and main character.
His cover is professional, his title is perfect, and his web page is well designed.
What he needs to do next is get more writing up on Amazon ASAP, to capitalize on his current popularity.
More guest posts coming. Thanks to Sam for allowing me to share his email with my readers.


text:
Submitted by Anonymous
- 36:00
- 555
- 2019-05-16 19:46:13
Today Hunter went to the local park to check out Kira. He supposedly went 3 days earlier and saw her with no panties and looking rather available on the bench. So he thought he would try his luck and go back to the park see if he got lucky once again. So be it he did bu finding Kira by herself once again without panties sitting on the bench. So Hunter did what he always does bench and started to flirt with Kira. She was really open and you could tell she wanted some cock on lunch break. Hunter ended up convincing Kira to back to his place and try of that delicious pussy. And my friends Kira did not disappoint. This chick was wet as hell and a major freak!
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text:
- Carousel button
Toothpick jean in garment-dyed twill
Product Details
Our designers took a bright idea and ran with it. The talk-of-the-town toothpick gets a jolt of color (and an instant update) thanks to a careful garment dye that creates a pitch-perfect hue.
- Sits lower on hips.
- Slim through hip and thigh, with a skinny, cropped leg.
- Cotton/viscose with a hint of stretch.
- 28" inseam.
- 11 5/8" leg opening (based off size 28).
- Traditional 5-pocket styling.
- Machine wash.
- Import.
- The nature of this product may result in color transfer—we suggest laundering at home in your machine before wear.
- Item 62443.


text: it crashed while I was editing the /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini file. I have a backup, but I think it's old -- since before an os upgrade. Would it still work or is there anything I can do to replace the file? I'm afraid to restart because it will screw up all of the websites if it's wrong. Please help.


text:
City Power has become aware of a scam and is warning residents to be on the alert for imposters and fraudsters who try to rob them by producing fake IDs, claiming to be City Power employees.
The entity said residents should not allow any person, technician or contractor into their property without first verifying their credentials with City Power.
Residents can ask employees to produce their ID card and the job card with the work order number for the work they are claiming to do.
Technicians or contractors, City Power said, who are most likely to request access to properties, are meter readers, cut-off teams or meter maintenance teams.
To report any suspicious individuals or vehicles, please contact City Power on 0860 562 874 or the risk control unit on 011 490 7911/00.
Presents Hokulani Kai Honua Great Maui View 612 Ocean Westside City Power releases this warning every now and again. There has been no talk of changing the identification process so residents are urged to remain vigilant – rather be safe than sorry.
ALSO READ: Proactive maintenance, City Power's new game plan


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Question: Can only PDGA Approved glow discs be used for sanctioned play in the dusk and dark?Answer: The PDGA office has approved a blanket waiver so any PDGA Approved disc may be used with glow stick or LED light attached, preferably to the underside of transparent discs, after sunset in your time zone. In addition, LED lights taped to PDGA Approved discs can be used during daylight specifically when there is sufficient snow cover on the course and the LED might make the disc easier to locate. Non-PDGA Approved discs such as those with built-in LED lights cannot be used at any time during sanctioned play.
So with the time change is it Big Blue?
Quote from: jteater on October 16, 2013, 05:33:55 PMSo with the time change is it Big Blue?As of now I am planning on keeping it as little blue and a cliff set up short. The earlier time just helps us not to have to deal with darkness.


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A few years ago, my parents brought this cool fabric covered button bracelet to me from a trip they took to Spain. I love it and thought I might try to find a way to replicate it, but the intricate wire weaving and three rows of buttons has proven a bit daunting. Destri of The Mother Huddle shares her tutorial for making a cute fabric covered button bracelet that could be just the solution of getting the same look, but in a much easier way. You could wear one or stack a few to get a width similar to the cuff my parents gave me. It's a perfect way to use up fabric scraps, even tiny ones!
How-To: Fabric Covered Buttons Bracelet


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For as long as I can remember, my maternal grandparents had at least one cat. What self respecting farm didn't have one good "mouser"?
One of my earliest farm cat memories is of a yellow cat named "Buttercup." I recall on one winter visit to the farm, Buttercup was allowed to spend the night in the back room rather than in the barn. My impression was that it was a female. After all, who would name a tom cat Buttercup but then again ... I was very little and known to have a vivid imagination.
Another favorite was Tabby, a beautiful black and white female that my grandmother received as a gift. Tabby was a long-haired cat and unlike Buttercup, lived most of her live indoors.
Tiger came to live with my grandparents following a visit to "the old farm" the homestead of Allen and Nancy Stone Space which my grandfather purchased from his siblings following his father's death. The house burned during the early 1940's while my grandparents and mom were off visiting friends leaving the stone foundation filled with wood, trees that had taken root along with a lifetime of memories.
I loved trips to the old farm to pick apples in the fall and plums for grandma's special plum jelly. On one of these visits I heard a kitten mewing in the garage - grandpa tried to convince me it was just a Catbird but I knew better. Tiger came home that afternoon and must have enjoyed special status to spend a large part of her day as an indoor cat.
"Tiger in the Sunshine." Digital Image. Undated. Original photograph privately held by
Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski. (c) 2013


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Product 1/65
Fill her Mother's Day with sunbeams and butterflies! A joyous reminder of your love, this delightful, custom-designed ceramic mug brims over with a fabulous bouquet of delicate spray roses, alstroemeria and carnations. Lush, luxurious flowers delivered in a charming mug, is the perfect gift for her!
This cheerful arrangement features light yellow spray roses, yellow alstroemeria, light pink carnations, lavender matsumoto asters and pitta negra. Delivered in a Butterfly Serenity mug.
Approximately 11 1/2" W x 11" H
Orientation: All-Around
Copyright © 2019 Northside Florist. Website by Parthenon West


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Six (6) Icom F4GS UHF radios with Icom BC-121 gang charger.
Also includes 5 extra, good batteries, 6 new antennas, 4 speaker mics. Everything is in great condition. One speaker mic has a broken clip on the back. It functions perfectly. Great price with all those accessories and charger.
Make me an offer I can't refuse. I need to seel these
Would you be willing to donate to a scouting orginization? We need new portables badly
Sorry. I need to sell them


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Laura Gemmell was defeated for the first time as a collegian in the champship match Sunday (Gil Talbot).
HANOVER, N.H. – Sophomore Laura Gemmell suffered the first loss of her collegiate career as Millie Tomlinson defeated Gemmell in the Ramsay division of the 2011 CSA Individual National Championship Sunday.
Tomlinson, from Yale, won the first set 12-10, the second 11-3 and capped the win off with an 11-9 third set victory in what was an exciting match. Gemmell is now 32-1 in her two years with the Crimson after going 16-0, while capturing last season's individual title. She finishes 2010-11 with a 16-1 record.
The first round consolation featured two Crimson student-athletes vying to call herself the winner of the 16-competitor bracket. Cece Cortes was able to defeat teammate Natasha Kingshott, 3-0, and earn her fourth win of the tournament.
The individual championship concludes the 2010-11 season for the Crimson. Harvard went 11-2 as a team and finished second at the 2011 CSA National Team Championship.
Ramsay Cup
Millie Tomlinson (Y) def. Laura Gemmell (H) 3-0: 12-10, 11-3, 11-9
Cece Cortes (H) def. Natasha Kingshott (H) 3-0: 11-6,11-7,11-8


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This post comes from Lindsay Sakraida and Louis Ramirez at partner site DealNews.
The new year is upon us, and after all that shopping you likely did during the holidays, you may be looking forward to giving your credit card a rest. But January is an excellent month to bag deals like winter apparel or early Valentine's Day gifts.
In partnership with DealNews, Money Talks News money expert Stacy Johnson has prepared the following video about the best things to buy in the first month of 2014. Check it out, then read on for more details.
So before you resign yourself to steering clear of stores altogether, check out our list of the best and worst things to buy in January, which we compiled from our extensive DealNews archives. To the list!
Resolve to buy discounted fitness equipment
A popular New Year's resolution is to get in shape, and fittingly, January is an excellent time to get a deal on fitness gear and equipment. In fact, in years past, there has been almost double the number of deals in January. (We otherwise didn't see another spike in deals until late spring.)
Look for stationary bikes, treadmills, elliptical trainers, complete home gyms, and training accessories and DVDs that are marked 30 percent to 70 percent off. January is also a great time to start grabbing discounted equipment for winter sports.
Spring for winter apparel
In general, a lot of the best things to buy during after-Christmas sales remain good buys throughout the month of January, including winter clothing deals. While the weather has been quite cold this year in many parts of the country, and that can sometimes create greater demand for seasonal wares (which may in turn affect sales), we typically see discounts of 50 percent to 80 percent off on coats and winter accessories at stores like Eddie Bauer, REI, Macy's and JCPenney.
A month for home furniture
Several manufacturers will release new, 2014 furniture collections in February, forcing retailers to clear their old inventory in January. The result is solid home furniture deals from the likes of Pottery Barn and Home Depot, to name a few.
And while May is undeniably the best time to purchase a new mattress, for the past two years US-Mattress has discounted up to 70 percent off select mattresses in early January, which is something to keep in mind if you want to start the year off with a new bed.
Next-gen consoles will still be hot … and full price
It's been difficult to get one's hands on an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 without committing to some marked-up bundle "deal," and part of that is in fact influenced by the holiday season. But even with lessened demand after Christmas, the now in-stock consoles will be easier to get but not any cheaper. At best, we might see slight price cuts of 10 percent starting around April, according to deals we saw when the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 debuted years ago.
Visit nearly 400 national parks, free of charge
Jan. 20 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and in celebration all 398 national parks will feature free admission. While a large number of our parks are already free of charge, notable parks that are waiving their fees include several of the most-visited in the country, such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Olympic National Park. You'll save roughly $12 per person if you're arriving by foot or bike, or about $20 to $25 per vehicle.
The National Park Service doesn't offer another fee-free day until late April.
Keep an eye out for early tax software deals
In January, we will start seeing sales that take up to 40 percent off tax filing software, and while discounts might get stronger in the following months, last year the discounts didn't get much deeper. So if you don't want to put off starting your taxes, January is a good month to buy.
Keep an eye out specifically for deals that discount state filing; many services offer free filing for federal tax returns, but state returns typically require an additional fee.
Get an early start on Valentine's Day gifts
While most of us remain in a daze of post-Christmas clear-outs, you should take this opportunity to jump on female-friendly gifts that can translate into thoughtful items for the apple of your eye come Valentine's Day. Typically, deals on jewelry and fragrances aren't so hot right before Valentine's Day. In fact, we've found that some jewelry prices actually go up slightly in February.
Instead of waiting, think ahead and try shopping the numerous department store sales we've seen since Christmas.
Steep savings on Christmas goods
Who cares if it has a Santa Claus on the tin? Heavily discounted goodies abound this month from brands like Starbucks and Cheryl's. Godiva, too, offers discounts of up to 40 percent off. We say, start 2014 off with something sweet, even if it temporarily interferes with your New Year's resolution to get in shape.
Beyond these sugary goods, decorations also see strong sales, with discounts of up to 75 percent off at stores like Lowe's and Home Depot. This is an especially good time to save $100 or more on a new Christmas tree.
The beginning of electronics clearance sales
Pay attention to the gadgets that debut at the Consumer Electronics Show this month. Pay even closer attention to those that improve upon a 2013 item. Such previous-generation devices will then start to see new price cuts. This includes electronics like cameras, audio equipment and Android tablets.
Just remember that the announcement of a new model will inspire initial discounts (from both stores and the manufacturer), but the sales will get even better once the new model is actually available to buy. This timing can vary from device to device, so be aware of release dates.
Wait until next month for discounts on brand-name 2013 TVs
Just as electronics in general are rebooted at CES, so too are TVs. For retailers, this means consolidating their inventory of 2013 devices to make room for the new models. However, we might not start seeing these TV deals until the end of the month and into February. Last year, 55-inch 3-D HDTV prices dipped an extra 6 percent during the month of February (versus their best price on Black Friday 2012). Also during February, name-brand 60-inch 1080p LCDs dropped to their second all-time low, beating their best December price by a more impressive 16 percent.
So if you're in the market for a new TV, January is the month to keep your ear to the ground, but February is the month to act. For 60-inch TVs, $679 is the all-time lowest price; 55-inch 3-D HDTVs have averaged $700 for the past four months. Any deals you can find at or below those marks will ensure you're getting the best price possible.
Touch-screen laptops hit rock bottom
Prices on touch-screen laptops have been falling rapidly lately. In fact, we've already seen 12-inch Ivy Bridge-based models plummet to just $200 in December. We expect to find similar discounts in January as well, which is good news because these systems were selling for at least $100 more as recently as September.
But touch-enabled laptops aren't the only systems breaking records. Contrary to our predictions, it was Haswell-based laptops (and not Ivy Bridge systems) that saw the deepest price cuts in November. Those sales leaked into December with deals hitting a record low of $500. These deals, too, will bleed into January, with 15-inch Core i7-based notebooks leading the charge at the aforementioned price. Alternatively, you can opt for a Core i5-based Haswell system, which has averaged $408 for the past two months.
If you're after quad-core power on a budget, AMD has been holding strong with deals averaging $252 for the past two months. By comparison, similarly equipped Intel quad-core notebooks have averaged $535 in the previous two months, making AMD the smarter purchase for quad-core systems.
More on DealNews:


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Welcome to Country True Value
Welcome to CountryTrueValue.com, the web site for the Capital Region's leading provider for all your hardware and equipment rental needs. At Country True Value Hardware and Home Center we pride ourselves in supplying outstanding customer service and products to meet a wide variety of your home improvement needs. Read More


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It's a touchy subject for a lot of people, but it's one worth talking about. We're talking about restrictions today, specifically those of which classes are available to which races. Even more specifically, we're talking about how much I'd love to see those restrictions thrown out the window.
I know some of you will stop reading at that last sentence there, and that's fine. I'm going to keep going though as I take a look at each race, and discuss the classes that are, and are not, available to them. Some of these combinations do not exist for Lore-based reasons, and while I can respect that as a generalization, I can't rationalize that for…well, you'll see.
You'll see down below that I bring up religion a lot as being the reason for the restriction, and that I feel it's rather ridiculous. For the sake of clarifying my stance on religion in the real world, I am a dually ordain priesthood holder. I'm not here to attack real world religions nor to infer anything about the two churches that I mention below, I'm simply saying it's a rather weak argument for a video game as people of real world religions are free to chose to leave that religion at any time for another or none at all.
Brainless Restrictions
Human Hunters: This is the first one that just jumps right out at me and shines as a glaring example of brainlessness. Seriously!? How the crap can you not justify a human being a hunter? Thankfully, this one is getting fixed in Cataclysm, but to be quite honest I have no idea how this one wasn't taken care of to start with or in Burning Crusade at the very least.
Dwarf Mage: Ok, I don't get this one. Maybe there's a small snippet of Lore sneaking in here that say Dwarves have fat fingers so they can't make the proper hand motions…maybe? Maybe I haven't been reading my quest text close enough or something, but after having leveled two mages to level 80, I don't recall ever having to wiggle my fingers a certain way to cast my spells. Thankfully, we've got a Cataclysm fix for this one too.
Dwarf Warlock: Just because Tolkien's dwarves couldn't handle the Balrog doesn't mean the WoW dwarves can't summon an Imp. To my knowledge (limited though it is), there's no Lore preventing a Dwarf from being a Warlock other than the the religion of their race overall being the worship of the Light. But you can't tell me that there's not a single dwarf in the world that wanted to go out and learn the dark arts. No fix for this one in Cataclysm and the only reason I see for it is a limp argument of religion.
Dwarf Shaman: One of the most iconic races of fantasy, closely tied into the element of earth, and they can't be shamans. Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot, Bliz? They worship the Light, yeah we got that in the Warlock blip up above, but this one makes that argument even more limp. Cataclysm fixes this one for us, which I know thrills a lot of other players that I talk to on Twitter.
Undead Hunters: See Human Hunters as Forsaken were either Human or Blood Elf in origin; one race that should be hunters and one that already is. I suppose I could see why someone wouldn't want to be a hunter when you just eat whatever you kill, but again I see no reason why this wasn't already in place. Like the humans though, this one also gets fixed come Cataclysm.
Gnome Priest: As per Lore, Gnomes place faith in themselves, their friends, and their inventions. So per Lore they woudn't become priests because they don't have a deity to follow. Yet also in their Lore some of them actually do pay their respects to the Light. If they can pay their respects, then why can't they become priests? Blizzard saw that logic too it seems, so we get it fixed in Cataclysm, though this is another issue where I feel it should have been open to us already.
Tauren Priest: This one might not be quite so glaringly obvious, but it's one that bugs me. Saying that this race cannot be a priest because they only follow religions of shamanism or druidism is like saying a white guy has to be either Baptist or Catholic. Racial restrictions are bad enough, but did you seriously need to add a religious restriction as well? Again, this one gets fixed with Cataclysm. Thank the Light! You're telling me that simply because "everyone else" worships one or the other deities that you can't branch out and do your own thing? Please.
Troll Warlock: We fight a Shadowbolt-flinging troll in our starting area for crying out loud. We fight them throughout the whole stinking game for that matter. Where the crap did this one come from, and why wasn't it fixed the day after Vanilla was released? The only reason this one isn't even more brainless than the human hunter is because human hunters exist in the real world.
Weak Lore-based Restrictions
All Shamans and Paladins: Here we have a "simple" matter of religion. Yeah, I know as far as Lore is concerned these are "secrets" or some such, but still. I don't think "it's a secret" is a firm enough argument to keep it restricted. What does keeping that secret really have to do with the overall story of Warcraft? Does the Lich King care if humans can be shamans or not? Does Deathwing care whether the paladins he faces are gnomes or trolls? Did Ragnaros care? Not that I'm aware of, no. There's one exception I found for the Paladin which I'll cover in the next section, but that's it.
Night Elf Mage: This restriction does have some basis in Lore, so I can understand to a certain extent. I'm not a huge Lore fan, so I'll let my buddy Tharion Greyseer give you the Lore details in his post: Lore Has Been Sundered: Part I from September of 2009 shortly after the year's BlizzCon event. So the Night Elves shunned arcane magics for damage it caused thousands of years ago, I'll give you that. And there's no chance that a Night Elf would ever feel the least bit curious/rebellious and go study it anyway? I didn't think so, so grats to Bliz for fixing this one come Cataclysm.
Night Elf Warlock: Once again we come back to religious restrictions. Why can't we be Warlocks? Because we worship the Ancients such as Elune and Malorne; though some also worship dragons. So, tell me again why we can't be Warlocks? Oh, because it seems too mean for our race? Ok, umm…sure. No fix for this one has been mentioned yet.
Draenei Rogues and Warlocks: More religion, anybody? These are probably the most ridiculous of them all. We can't be evil, because our race is good… Uh, no. Alright, so we praise the Light and love our little floating symbols, that's fine. You're telling me I can't get pissed off at crashing onto this horrible, plague-infested planet and change my mind? If I can decide to worship elements rather than the Light, but by Fel I can decide to summon a freaking Doomguard, and if I'm starving and broke you can bet I don't mind lifting a few coins from someone's belt pouch.
Orc Priests and Paladins: Another religious restriction, who'd have guessed? I don't buy into any of these in case you haven't noticed. Forcing races into or out of certain classes based purely on generalized religion doesn't work. I call Bravo-Sierra on that one, Bliz. Maybe Lore tells us that the Orcs are still tied to closely to the Fel energies from their Outlands origins or something, but if baby Orcs can be born, then they can be brought up to worship the Light, and if the Light is anywhere near as "good" as it's supposed to be then it would accept them.
Tauren Rogues, Mages, Warlocks: Alright, so cows are the most dexterous race in the world; I'll give you that. But I'd fear a Taruen Assassin over a Gnome Assassin any day of the week. Besides, Byron breaks all of those rules and does a great job of it. Mages and Warlocks – do we go back to the whole "my fingers are too fat" thing here, or are we still stuck on the whole religion thing?
Strong Lore-based Restrictions
Worgen Shaman and Paladin: I'm going to back off on these and simply accept them for one reason. If we assume that these people have been locked away in their little town for a long time, then I'd say its acceptable to assume that they've simply had no one around to teach them how to be either of these classes. For that reason alone, I'll not argue against these two. However, if we assume that there will be another expansion after Cataclysm, then I fully reject these restrictions.
Undead Paladin: This is the one exception where Lore has is strong defense against allowing the combination. When the scourge plague hit it was only the Paladins that were able to withstand and resist it. That plague is what created the Forsaken "race", and as such it's fair to assume that no paladins became undead.
But if you take that just one step further, are you telling me that they couldn't simply choose to become a Paladin? What if I hadn't chosen a "class" to become yet? Heck, I was still in my high school years trying to figure out which college classes to take when the plague hit me. Now that I'm a couple years older, I think I'd like to become a paladin. You're not going to discriminate against be just because of my race now, are you? If you check some of Greyseer's other articles you'll see he's found in-game Lore justifications for Undead Paladins as well.
Druids In General: While it's not especially Lore based, though at the same time it is, you'll see that the races who can become druids have a natural closeness to Nature. Perhaps the Worgen not so much due to the nature (pun) of their's, but they are all much more closely tied to nature than races such as Gnomes and Undead. I can see why Blizzard would not want to allow races turn into animals that aren't at all tied into nature, but at the same time I don't see why one of those races couldn't go out and strive to strengthen that bond.
Wrap It Up
So what I'm trying to say here is, I would love to see Blizzard drop all of this silly racial restriction crap on the classes. I see their reasons why and I've told you how I feel about them here. For the most part I don't think there's a strong enough reason to keep the majority of the restrictions that exist.
Having played every edition of Dungeons and Dragons that has been released to date, I can tell you from my experience there that in the early days the racial restriction (after races and classes weren't the same thing, at least) were kind of cool because of how that defined the world and the setting. But eventually it just became an annoying hassle that needed to be done away with, and eventually they were discarded.
You do lose a certain amount of uniqueness when you open things up and remove restrictions, but at the same time you add more uniqueness as well. If someone tells you they're a druid then you only have to ask which faction they are no know right away which race they are. They're made rather bland because of their uniqueness.
When Cataclysm comes out we're going to see a flood of Worgen Druids. "Everyone" wants a worgen druid; heck even I did at first. They already are not unique because there's finally a second option for the class. More variety lends itself to more uniqueness.
Anyway, that's my opinion. Anyone else care to share theirs?


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New Trial Sought For Sarah Johnson, Again.
(AP) - A Boise attorney and the Idaho Innocence Project are trying to get a new trial for a woman who was convicted of killing both her parents after a fight about her boyfriend. Sarah Marie Johnson was 16 in 2003 when prosecutors said she shot Alan and Diane Johnson at the family's Bellevue home. Fifth District Judge Richard Bevan ruled last year that Johnson's claims of ineffective legal counsel and new evidence didn't warrant a new trial. Now her attorney, Dennis Benjamin with the firm Nevin, Benjamin, McKay & Bartlett, has asked the judge to reconsider. Benjamin told the Idaho Mountain Express on Tuesday that he believes Johnson is innocent. Deborah Whipple, an attorney with the Idaho Innocence Project, is assisting in the case.


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EDMOND, Okla. -- Colin Montgomerie thought it would be tough to keep his advantage from the first round at the U.S. Senior Open, and it was.
The Scotsman shot an even-par 71 on Friday and leads Scott Dunlap by one stroke after the second day of the tournament.
Montgomerie opened with a 65 on Thursday, and then held off the field in mid-90s heat and high humidity. He is at 6 under after two rounds.
"It's not easy to repeat a good round as yesterday's was, but this was as good, to be honest," he said. "Seventy-one out there was a good effort. Breezy conditions, windier than it was yesterday, warmer and with the pack coming at you -- it's never easy."
Dunlap had a 69 in the first round and a 68 in the second to get to 5 under. He was at 2 under after starting on the back nine, and then went back to the front nine and birdied Nos. 2, 5 and 7 on his way to a 32.
"I have been particularly good with the putter this week," Dunlap said. "Been tidy. I have made a couple, made all my short ones. You know, those will be big in any tournament, for sure, but especially a major."
Dunlap has one bogey in 36 holes on a course regarded as one of the most difficult in the United States.
"Take my hat off to that," said Bernhard Langer, who is tied for third. "That's good playing. It's all I can say. It's very difficult not to make bogeys here. You can bogey every single hole. There's no easy hole out here, and that's very good ball striking or incredible scrambling, whatever he does."
Langer, who leads the Champions Tour with three wins this season, moved into a tie for the lead with a 3-under 32 on the front nine, and then grabbed the advantage with a birdie on 14. He had bogeys on 15 and 16, both on close misses, and then bogeyed 18 to finish at 4 under, tied with Gene Sauers.
"The score was pretty decent, but the round was very up and down," Langer said. "Short game was good, really good. Made some good putts and good saves. Long game wasn't quite up to par. Missed a lot of fairways today, and then you're behind the 8-ball and trying to struggle and scramble."
Sauers shot 69 each of the first two days, but he was much happier with his Friday score given the heat, wind and firmer fairways. He scored an eagle on No. 7.
"I was pretty bad yesterday," he said. "I got a lot of sleep. Went to Chick-Fil-A and went right to bed. Feel better today. Today went well."
Marco Dawson shot a 66 on the opening day, good for second place, but had a 76 on Friday and fell to even.
"It was just awful," he said. "You land the ball in the fairway, goes in the rough. Yesterday I hit balls that landed in the rough that ended up in the fairway. So today I was hitting it more where I was looking, but they didn't end up in the right spot. I'm not sure exactly how to play now."
Lance Ten Broeck took advantage of an early tee time and fired a 69 to go to 3 under. Jeff Sluman also had a 69, including an eagle on the par-5 seventh hole, and is at 2 under. Vijay Singh was at 5 under before shooting a 39 on the back nine to fall to 2 under.
Scott Verplank struggled on his home course and shot a 75 for the second straight day to miss the cut. He said he hasn't played this course so poorly in 25 years.
"My golf game is not very good, and I'm going to have to figure out a way to play if I want to keep playing, because whatever I'm doing isn't working," he said.