text:
DINGER BATS Model 356 (M356) Adult Wood Baseball Bat
Product Code: DBC356
Availability: Custom Made To Order
Availability: Custom Made To Order
Price: $55.00
The 356 is based on a Louisville conversion M356. The Extra-large barrel combined with a thin handle gives this bat that end loaded feel that some hitters look for. Custom created by one of the greatest hitters of all time Edgar Martinez. The "M" is for "Martinez and the number classification was his batting title average of .356 in 1995. We recommend this model for more seasoned wood bat users.
|Custom made to order just for you. Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery in most cases
|Similar to a M356
|Handle slightly tapers to the standard knob
|Handle measures 1.41" where it meets the knob
|Handle measures .91" at the top of your bottom hand (approx. 5" up from the knob)
|Barrel measures 2.46" at the sweet spot and 2.54" near the very end of the barrel
|Choose from- Base Ash: Selected from #1 grade billets. Pro Ash: Meets all MLB requirements as far as grains per inch and straightness. M-Series Ash: The best of the best. Exceeds standard MLB specs. Pro Maple and Birch: Selected from #1 grade billets. M-Series Maple and Birch: Pro Ink Dot Certified to meet all MLB specs. The best of the best.
Write a reviewYour Name:
Your Review: Note: HTML is not translated!
Rating: Bad Good
Enter the code in the box below:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Something you say to alert the person you're talking to on your cell that you need to quickly put the phone down while you're driving past a police officer in an area where talking on cell phones while driving is against the law or "iffy."
by shaunschick August 05, 2009
Only applicable in states where it is illegal to use a cell phone while driving. The act of dropping one's telephone, mid-sentance, as to avoid a ticket.
"-Say again, I didn't catch the end of that.
-Oh, sorry, I am in the car and had to cop drop."
-Oh, sorry, I am in the car and had to cop drop."
by Whitetw533 October 03, 2007
Those bastards from the Comp challenged us, but it turned into a cop drop.
by Weens September 25, 2005
The act of dropping a cell phone out of police view in mid conversation when you see a police officer in a state where talking on the cell phone and driving is illegal. Best accomplished by saying "cop drop" to alert the person you are talking to that you are placing the phone down for a second.
I was telling Steve a great story and right in the middle of it I had to do a cop drop, and he thought I hung up.
by Trebled Yenkcip May 23, 2009
I cop drops like a boss - Slim Thug
by Thick D aka Rick the Ruler April 22, 2010
n. The deft act of physically dropping your cell phone in the middle of a call, whilst driving your car, to avoid getting ticketed for not using a hands- free device while driving. There is no time to give notice to the person on the other end of the line, so they may wonder what all the noise was about as your phone tumbles to the floor mat or between the seats.
Not a required technique in all states... yet.
Not a required technique in all states... yet.
(Person on the OEL): "Yo, what was all that thumping around? You were in the middle of saying something and then it sounded like you fell down."
(Driver): "I had to do a cop drop. The po- po just flew up on my ass. He's gone. Now where were we?"
(Driver): "I had to do a cop drop. The po- po just flew up on my ass. He's gone. Now where were we?"
by coolblu02 November 04, 2009
To get the lowdown on the police location
My boy hit me with that Copdrop and now I'm driving safer
via giphy
by theFuzz187 May 23, 2018


text:
The prior note discussed the procedure for notice to creditors, the presentment of claims to the estate and the statute of limitations for bringing an action against an estate for a claim. This note will discuss the allowance and disallowance of claims, how contested claims are handled, the priority of claims and the rights of a creditor under EPIC.
Allowance or Disallowance of Claims
Once a personal representative receives a claim, he or she may allow or disallow the claim. If the personal representative takes no action on a presented claim, it is considered to be automatically allowed 63 days after the time for original presentation of the claim has expired or after 63 days of the appointment of the personal representative, whichever is later. However, the personal representative can later change his or her position regarding the claim. However, a decision disallowing a claim may not be changed after the claim is barred. A judgment of another court constitutes an allowance of the claim. Pursuant to MCL 700.3807(3) an allowed claim may be disallowed later by the court in a formal proceeding if the whereabouts of the claimant is unknown when the personal representative attempts to pay the claim. Since there is no time limit for the presentation of claims for fees and expenses of the personal representative, attorney and other specialized agents under MCL 700.3803(3)(c), these claims are never "allowed" because the 63-day period never begins to run. The personal representative is permitted to pay these claims pursuant to MCL 700.3807(2). A claim by the personal representative for a claim that arose before the death of the decedent may only be allowed or disallowed by an order of the court in a formal proceeding pursuant to MCR 5.307(C).
The personal representative may also disallow the the claim in whole or in part by sending a notice to the claimant. The form used is Notice of Disallowance of Claim, (PC 580). The notice of disallowance must warn the claimant that the portion of the claim that was disallowed will be barred unless the claimant starts a civil action by filing a complaint against the personal representative within 63 days. It is extremely important to use PC 580 since it contains the proper language which will result in barring the claim if the proper action is not taken by the claimant within the proper time. It should be noted that the only proper way to have a disallowed claim allowed is by a civil action pursuant to MCR 5.101(C). After notice of disallowance the claimant must start a civil action by filing a complaint against the personal representative within 63 days after the mailing of the notice. If the claimant fails to do so, the claim will be barred.
Contested Claims
MCR 5.101(C) provides that a complaint filed by a claimant after notice that the claim has been disallowed must be titled civil action and must be commenced by filing a complaint and governed by the rules which are applicable to civil actions in circuit court. The intent of the rule is to require any action to allow a disallowed claim filed in a decedent's estate to be the same as any civil lawsuit. The matter is heard in the probate court. It must be commenced by filing a complaint and then an Answer must be filed by the personal representative. The case will proceed as any other civil lawsuit until a determination is made by the probate court. Pursuant to MCR 5.120 the personal representative must give notice to all interested persons that a contested matter has been commenced and must keep such interested persons reasonably informed of his or her actions. The personal representative must inform interested persons that they may file a petition to intervene in the matter and that failure to do so shall result in their being bound by the actions of the personal representative. Unless someone intervenes, interested persons are bound by determination made in the lawsuit.
Priority of Allowances of Claims
In an estate the allowances and claims must be satisfied before the payment of any devise. The Estates and Protected Individuals Code establishes the order in which each charge against an estate must be paid. This becomes very important when there are insufficient assets to pay all such charges. A preference shall not be given in the payment of a claim over another claim of the same class, and a claim due and payable shall not be entitled to a preference over a claim not due. The charges against an estate must be paid in the following order of priority:
1. Expenses of administration.
2. Funeral and burial expense.
3. Homestead allowance.
4. Family allowance.
5. Exempt property allowance.
6. Debts and taxes with priority under federal law.
7. Reasonable and necessary medical and hospital expenses of the decedent's last illness, including a compensation of persons attending the decedent.
8. Debts and taxes with priority under laws of Michigan
9. All other claims
Payment of Claims
After the expiration of the 4 months following publication of the notice to creditors, and after providing for homestead, family and exempt property allowances, for claims that have been disallowed and appealed, and costs of administration, the personal representative must pay the claims allowed in the order of the priority as provided above. No order allowing claims is necessary. If a claim is presented and if it appears to be in the estate's best interest, the personal representative may settle the claim. Pursuant to MCL 700.3807(2) the personal representative may pay claims sooner, but the personal representative may be liable to another claimant whose claim is allowed and who is injured by the payment if (1) the claim is paid early and there is no or inadequate security for repayment, or (2) payment is made due to the negligence or willful fault of the personal representative in a manner that deprives the claimant of priority.
Rights of Claimants
Creditors have the right to take several actions under the Estates and Protected Individuals Code. A creditor may do any or all of the following:
1. Pursuant to MCL 700.3205 file a demand for notice.
2. Pursuant to MCL 700.3605 make a written demand that the personal representative file a bond if the amount of the claim is in excess of $2,500.
3. Pursuant to MCL 700.3401 commence a formal proceeding to determine testacy or commence a formal proceeding to determine the priority or qualification of the personal representative.
4. Pursuant to MCL 700.3502 file a petition for supervised administration.
5. Pursuant to MCL 700.3607 file a petition for a temporary restraining order to restrain the personal representative from performing some act.
6. Pursuant to MCL 700.3911 commence a proceeding against a distributee to recover property improperly distributed.


text:
|Send News. Want a reply? Read this. More in the FAQ. News Forum - All Forums - Mobile - PDA - RSS Headlines Twitter
Happy birthday Hudson the wonder dog, who turns 12 years old today. I'll pick up something special for the pups for dinner to celebrate the occasion, and maybe give her another bath to help ensure a less scratchy birthday.
R.I.P.: Hip-hop mogul Chris Lighty dies in NYC at 44.
Copyright © 1996-2019 Stephen Heaslip. All rights reserved.
All trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
Privacy Policy. Manage Cookie Settings.
News CGI copyright © 1999-2019 James "furn" Furness &
Blue's News.
All rights reserved.
Chatbear v1.4.0/blue++: Page generated 21 March 2019, 03:38.
Chatbear Announcements.


text:
A website that compares university programs across the United States has ranked several Kansas State University College of Agriculture programs in the top 10 as compared with similar programs at peer institutions.
A website that compares university programs across the United States has ranked several Kansas State University College of Agriculture programs in the top 10 as compared with similar programs at peer institutions.
The rankings, at PHDS.org, use data from the National Research Council, the National Science Foundation, and the Center for Education Statistics to provide information about quality measures or graduate programs.
The rankings, available at http://graduate-school.phds.org/ are based on university doctoral programs.
In total, eight doctoral programs associated with K-State's College of Agriculture were evaluated.
The council's most recent Ranking of Plant Sciences Graduate Schools lists Kansas State's plant pathology program at No. 10 nationally among 162 plant sciences departments.
K-State's is the top ranked plant pathology doctoral program on the list, which puts it ahead of plant pathology programs at Cornell University, the University of Wisconsin and the University of California-Davis.
"These rankings, which include numerous renowned universities across the United States, are a testament to the incredible work being done across the College's doctoral programs," said John Floros, dean of K-State's College of Agriculture and director of K-State Research and Extension. "It affirms that our students and faculty are among the best and brightest. We are in the process of finalizing our college strategic planning for the campus-wide K-State 2025 process. These rankings provide at least one external benchmarking guide for us as we seek to become a top five college of agriculture by the year 2025. Clearly, we have some very strong programs."
K-State's agricultural economics program is ranked No. 4, ahead of similar departments at Purdue University and Cornell.
In addition, K-State's entomology doctoral program is ranked No. 8 and the interdepartmental food science program No. 9, compared with other universities' programs.
In the "Research Productivity category," the university's animal science doctoral program ranked No. 5 among animal and dairy science programs nationally.
Overall rankings are based on a variety of criteria including research productivity, student outcomes, student resources, diversity, and a National Research Council quality measure.
One of the programs that was not included in the rankings was K-State's Department of Grain Sciences and Industry, which is the only institution in the country that offers college degrees in all three areas of baking, feed, and milling science and management.
"K-State's grain science doctoral program provides the lion's share of research scientists working on cereals, cereal processing, cereal chemistry, and storage worldwide, and has done so for a long time," said Jon Faubion, professor and graduate program director in the department. "Our concentration of faculty with this expertise provides all of our graduate students, including doctoral students, with a breadth of expertise and experience in these cereal grain areas that doesn't exist elsewhere."
"The National Research Council rankings reflect the quality of educational experience our doctoral students receive at K-State, as well as the quality of research conducted as those students are mentored through their respective degree programs in the college," said Ernie Minton, associate director for research and technology transfer with K-State Research and Extension.
Graduate scholarly experience is one of the goals of K-State 2025, the university's new strategic plan.
K-State's College of Agriculture has a graduate enrollment of more than 500 students, including students seeking both master's and doctoral degrees.
About a third of the graduate student enrollees seek doctoral degrees. The college has about 200 faculty members, many of whom take time to mentor graduate students.
More information is available at www.ag.k-state.edu.


text:
Your list is empty.
Save musicians, entertainers, speakers, and services, and they'll appear here.
Children's Theatre Acts Near You
I never would have guessed that little Red's granny was a scary wolf! I'm so happy that Prince Charming found Cinderella's slipper so they can live happily ever after! This is what you'll hear from your kiddos when you treat them if you hire one of these children's theatre groups for their upcoming party, assembly, or fair. All you'll have to do is watch your kids' eyes widen and jaws drop as they become enthralled by these talented characters acting out timeless, beloved children's stories or special original plays.
Where do you need a Children's Theatre?
About booking Children's Theatre Acts
For school assemblies, public performances, private parties, and daycare centers, a children's theatre troupe can be the perfect choice. Keep your kiddos entertained for the entire event with these talented theatre groups specializing in children's entertainment. Many groups perform plays, skits and sketches to keep the lil' tikes entertained for hours! Whether you want a well known production or an original, these traveling theatre troupes will be the perfect ticket for your event.
Here's some easy tips for you to follow while hiring a children's theatre for your upcoming event. First, find a children's theatre that specializes in the type of show you want for your event. For example, is there a certain show you want to see? Or do you want the actors to interact with the kids? Next, you should ask to view video of their past performances and ask for references you can contact. This will help you make sure you're booking the best. Lastly, you should inquire about specifics. Like will the traveling theatre entertainment need a special type of floor or stage? Will you have to provide any props, make-up, etc. for the performers? Follow these tips, and you'll be ready to host a show-stopping event that your kids will never forget!
Children's Theatre Acts around Ashburn, VA:
SuperHero For Kids DC, MD, VA(3)
Costumed Character / Children's Theatre
Washington, DC
Recent review: I hired superhero for kids DC to send Batman for my sons 5th birthday. My son and all the kids…
Nica The Magician and Clown Entertainer(39)
Children's Party Entertainment / Children's Theatre
Silver Spring, MD
33 Verified Bookings
Recent review: NICA was phenomenal she had great control if the crowd and captured the attention of the young…
Ever Laughter Parties(61)
Children's Party Entertainment / Children's Theatre
Fairfax, VA
93 Verified Bookings
Recent review: Great job, kids were excited.
Adam Stone Magic(32)
Children's Party Magician / Children's Theatre
Baltimore, MD
52 Verified Bookings
Recent review: Adam's Magic Show was nothing short of phenomenal! From beginning to end, there were squeals…
Children's Theatre Acts for hire across the U.S. and Canada:
United States:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District Of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Ontario
You might also like:
Want more Children's Theatre gigs?
If you provide Children's Theatre services in the United States or Canada, get more gigs by joining GigSalad.


text:
Attorneys say theater shooting suspect wants to plead insanity, possibly bringing long delay
DENVER – The man accused in the deadly Colorado theater shootings wants to change his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity, potentially delaying the trial for weeks or even months while doctors evaluate his mental state and lawyers argue over the constitutionality of the state's insanity law.
James Holmes' attorneys filed court papers Tuesday announcing his intentions.
Holmes is charged with more than 160 counts of murder and attempted murder in the July 20 attack that killed 12 people and left 70 injured at a suburban Denver theater. Prosecutors announced last month they would seek the death penalty.
Holmes was widely expected to plead insanity, given the compelling evidence against him. But his lawyers delayed it for weeks, saying state laws on the death penalty and insanity overlap in ways that could severely hamper his ability to mount a defense against the death penalty.
One of their worries: If Holmes doesn't cooperate with the doctors who will evaluate him at the state mental hospital, he could be barred from calling witnesses to testify about his mental condition during sentencing. That would make it nearly impossible for his lawyers to use his mental state as an argument against the death penalty.
"If you don't cooperate during the evaluation phase, you lose the right to call witnesses in your own behalf who could help convince a jury that your life should be spared," said Karen Steinhauser, an adjunct law professor and former prosecutor.
It's not clear how cooperation is defined, she said, and the question hasn't been tested in court since the laws were changed to their present form in the late 1990s.
Two judges previously refused to address the constitutionality question, saying Holmes couldn't challenge the insanity law unless he entered an insanity plea first. That gave his lawyers little choice but to enter the plea and then try to make their case against the law.
Their filing Tuesday made it clear they are not giving up their right to challenge the laws, Steinhauser said.
Holmes was supposed to enter a plea March 12, but his lawyers said he refused to do so because the constitutional questions prevented them from giving him good advice. The judge in charge at the time, William Sylvester, entered a standard not guilty plea for him.
Sylvester withdrew from the case April 1, saying his administrative duties as chief judge of the district wouldn't allow him enough time. Sylvester assigned District Judge Carlos Samour to take over.
Samour must approve the new plea before Holmes is allowed to enter it, and he has said state law requires the defense to give an explanation before he does so. Steinhauser said she doesn't think that will be an issue.
Samour said he would hear arguments from the defense and prosecutors about the new plea at a hearing Monday.
If the judge does accept the plea, Holmes would be sent to the state mental hospital, where doctors would determine whether he was sane at the time of the shootings. If the doctors do determine Holmes was insane, a jury could still find him guilty.
Holmes' attorneys repeatedly have said in court hearings and documents that Holmes is mentally ill. He was being seen by a psychiatrist before the attack.
Holmes had sent the psychiatrist a notebook that media reports said included crude drawings of violence. Prosecutors might renew their request to see the notebook, because state law gives them access to some medical records of defendants who plead not guilty by reason of insanity.
Prosecutors backed off their previous attempt to see the notebook when Holmes' lawyers said it was protected by doctor-patient privilege.
It's unclear how long the mental evaluation would take, but it would further delay the proceedings, which already have taken nearly 10 months. The trial is not scheduled to start until Feb. 3, and even that likely would be pushed back by the mental evaluation.
Tom Sullivan, whose son Alex was killed in the attack, said prosecutors have warned victims that an insanity plea would delay the case.
"We're just mortified that this is the process that we're going through, and we still have a long way to go," Sullivan said Tuesday. "I know justice will win out in the end."
Prosecutors declined to comment.
Colorado law defines insanity as the inability to distinguish right from wrong, caused by a diseased or defective mind. The law specifically excludes depravity, "moral obliquity" and passion caused by anger, hatred or other emotions from being considered insanity.
Prosecutors say Holmes, 25, spent months buying guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition, donned police-style body armor and opened fire during a midnight screening of the latest Batman movie.
Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi and Catherine Tsai contributed to this report.
Follow Dan Elliott at http://twitter.com/DanElliottAP


text:
The Falcons got a reprieve from pondering life without Tony Gonzalez when the future Hall of Fame tight end put off retirement in March.
Nevertheless, the Falcons eventually will have to replace Gonzalez, who is signed for two more seasons but indicated to PFT in April that 2013 is his swan song.
Atlanta somewhat addressed its tight end depth in the offseason, drafting Stanford tight end Levine Toilolo in the fourth round. Still, capably backing up Gonzalez — let alone having to one day step into his shoes — is not a one-person job. Even if Toilolo can contribute in two-TE sets in Year One, the Falcons could use another tight end to emerge.
Chase Coffman, who finished 2012 on Atlanta's roster and had an impressive sideline catch in the Falcons' divisional-round win vs. Seattle, is among those competing for a spot at tight end. With Gonzalez excused from offseason work, Coffman has received more practice snaps, and he has played well, head coach Mike Smith said Thursday.
"Chase has had a really good offseason," Smith said Thursday at the club's minicamp, according to AtlantaFalcons.com. "He's had a lot of opportunities to get some snaps in. He's made the most of it. He made a couple of really great catches today. We were specifically working on the red-zone area and as you know our tight end is highly involved in the red zone."
A third-round pick of the Bengals in 2009, the 26-year-old Coffman caught just three passes in three seasons with Cincinnati. Coffman first signed with the Falcons last August but was waived after two weeks. However, the Falcons re-signed him in November after tight end Tommy Gallarda was placed on injured reserve.
The Bengals have moved on from Coffman at tight end, but there is an opportunity in Atlanta for Coffman to contribute if he's capable enough — and any public praise from the coach, even in June, has to be considered a positive.


text:
ESCI needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 81 designs submitted by 19 freelance designers.
Electrical & Solar Concepts,Inc.
I have been in the electrical field over thirty years and have done projects from as small as a project can be to multimillion dollar projects in all phases of this field. Through the years I have seen solar power technology develop to the point that it is feasible to provide this power to everyone who feels they want to do their part to make our environment cleaner for our children and their children. This industry is starting to take off and I am excited to be in a position to participate in starting a new business, creating jobs and making a big difference in the environmental health of our world. I am very excited about this project and looking forward to working with a designer who wants to make a difference and to show their work in a way that you can be proud of. My intention is not only to have a successful company but to make a contribution to our global concerns.
This is for property owners who are looking for ways to cut their costs and invest in our environment.
The name of my company is Electrical & Solar Concepts Inc.
I would like the logo to show: A picture of the earth rotating around a sun that is wearing solar panels for sun glasses with the name of my company in the center of the orbiting earth and sun. I would like the name to be staggered with electrical at the top and Solar below. Solar angled slightly to the right and Concepts, Inc. below Solar angeled slightly to the right with the first letter of Eletrical , Solar &Concepts being larger then the rest of the lettering. I would like the large letters to cross slightly through each other. I would like an extension cord coming from the sun underlining the company name and connected to the earth. I would like this logo to express how the sun is the answer to the earths invironmental hearth and how a solar systems works.
After having said all this I would still be open to exploring other designs that would convey the same information visually. Thanks very much and I appreciate all your efforts. Format as an Adobe Photoshop image (psd) and scalable vector graphics. If you think a different format would work better, please let me know.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text:
Anemia is a common problem in children. About 20% of children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with anemia at some point. A child who has anemia does not have enough red blood cells or hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a type of protein that allows red blood cells to carry oxygen to other cells in the body.
There are many types of anemia. Your child may have one of the following:
Anemia has 3 main causes:
Decreased red blood cells or hemoglobin levels may be due to:
Risk factors for anemia include:
Most symptoms of anemia are due to the lack of oxygen in the cells. Many of the symptoms are not present with mild anemia.
These are the most common symptoms:
The symptoms of anemia may look like other blood problems or health conditions. Anemia is often a symptom of another disease. Be sure to report any symptoms to your child's doctor. Always see your child's doctor for a diagnosis.
Because anemia is common in children, doctors do routine screening for it. Plus, it often has no symptoms. Most anemia in children is diagnosed with these blood tests:
To get a blood sample, a healthcare provider will insert a needle into a vein, usually in the child's arm or hand. A tourniquet may be wrapped around the child's arm to help the healthcare provider find a vein. Blood is drawn up into a syringe or a test tube. In some cases, blood can be taken using a needle prick.
Blood tests may cause a little discomfort while the needle is inserted. It may cause some bruising or swelling. After the blood is removed, the healthcare provider will remove the tourniquet, put pressure on the area, and put on a bandage.
Depending on the results of the blood tests, your child may also have a:
Treatment will depend on your child's symptoms, age, and general health. It will also depend on how severe the condition is.
The treatment for anemia depends on the cause. Some types do not require treatment. Some types may require medicine, blood transfusions, surgery, or stem cell transplants. Your child's healthcare provider may refer you to a hematologist. This is a specialist in treating blood disorders. Treatment may include:
The complications of anemia depend on what is causing it. Some types have few complications, but others have frequent and serious complications. Some anemias may cause:
Some types of anemia are inherited and can't be prevented. Iron deficiency anemia, a common form of anemia, may be prevented by making sure your child gets enough iron in his/her diet. This is done by the following:
Tips to help you get the most from a visit to your child's healthcare provider:


text:
Results 1 to 10 of 662
Thread: E6: The Game Inside D&D
Tuesday, 4th September, 2007, 03:02 AM #1
E6: The Game Inside D&D
Note to mods: E6 was born in House Rules, but I ran the idea of posting in General past Piratecat a while ago, and it's finally ready for the bigtime. Thanks!
This is E6's sixth major incarnation here at EN World; in this thread I hope to talk about preparing E6 games, how to talk to skeptical players about E6, and your actual play experiences with E6. The E6 and Raising the Stakes .pdfs are attached to this post. Enjoy!
E6: The Game Inside the World's Most Popular RPG
What is E6?
Earlier this year a fellow named Ryan Dancey suggested that d20 has four distinct quartiles of play:
Levels 1-5: Gritty fantasy
Levels 6-10: Heroic fantasy
Levels 11-15: Wuxia
Levels 16-20: Superheroes
There's been some great discussion at EN World and elsewhere about how to define those quartiles, and how each group eventually finds the quartiles that suit them best.
E6 is a game about d20's first two quartiles, and focuses on continuously delivering exciting heroic fantasy, even in a very long campaign. Like d20, E6 can be adapted to a wide variety of settings, from high-magic action-adventure where magic takes the place of technology to low-magic worlds where sorcerers are spoken of in frightened whispers and dragons are the stuff of legend. E6 keeps all the benefits and familiarity of low-level d20 games: Fast-paced combat, quick prep, and an incredible wealth of third-party material that can be used with the game. E6 has been playtested extensively, and its rules that can be explained to veteran d20 players in under a minute.
How E6 works
Like d20, E6 is a game of enigmatic wizards, canny rogues, and mighty warriors who rise against terrible dangers and overcome powerful foes. But instead of using d20's 20 levels to translate characters into the rules, E6 uses only the first 6. E6 is about changing one of d20's essential assumptions, but it doesn't need a lot of rules to make that change.
To understand E6, imagine the perspective of the average medieval peasant in a d20 game. This person has the stats of a 1st-level commoner, and while they might not know their stats explicitly, they know their relation to the rest of the world. Our peasant knows that he can be killed quite easily by maurauding raiders, enemy soldiers, or even wild animals. He's not mighty, he's not organized, and he doesn't have any special skills to bring to bear when danger strikes. He worries about drought and flood, and the welfare of his livestock. His extended family likely all lives within a mile of his birthplace. To him, a trip to a town ten miles off is an expedition into the unknown.
Imagine you are this peasant, and you meet a trio of 6th-level adventurers. When you address the wizard, you are speaking to someone who could incinerate your home and slay all your livestock with a few words. The fighter has prevailed against a dozen orcish skirmishers and slain them all – and he could do the same again. The cleric is a man so holy that the gods themselves have granted him the power to cure the sick and heal the wounded. These are epic heroes.
Now consider the powers of a CR 5 manticore. To the peasant, the appearance of this manticore near the village isn't a nuisance: the beast can, and likely will slay you in seconds if you draw its attention. You, your livestock, and your entire family are in immediate danger of violent death. Even if you were well armed and gathered a large peasant militia, your village faces heavy losses and no guarantee of success. Against such a creature, adventurers may be your only hope. E6 recognizes that 6th level characters are mortal, while reframing the game's perspective to create a context where those same 6th level characters are epic heroes.
What levels mean in E6
Levels 1 to 6 are a period when a character comes into his own, and a crash course in action and danger transforms them from 1st-level commoners to veteran adventurers (or corpses). Once transformed by their experiences, a character's growth is no longer a continuous, linear progression. Instead, they specialize or broaden their abilities: There are still major differences between the master warriors and the veteran mercenaries, but it's not a change of scale. This change in progression, which we see frequently in fantasy literature, is modeled through the acquisition of feats.
Character progression from level 1 to level 6 is as per d20. Upon attaining 6th level, for each 5000 experience a character gains, they earn a new feat. A diverse selection of feats should be made available in any E6 campaign, however, feats with unattainable prerequisites under this system remain unattainable.
For the purpose of experience awards, treat each 5 feats as +1 CR (or level), to an upper limit of 20 feats. After this, it becomes more and more difficult to bring all a character's feats to bear in a given situation; although they continue to gain feats, 6th level characters with more than 20 feats can continue to be treated as if they were level 10 for experience and challenge purposes.
Monsters and Items in E6
Just as level 6 parties in d20 aren't expected to tangle with monsters higher than CR 10, the mighty monsters of E6 require special consideration for presentation in-game. E6 characters aren't intended to go up against high-level d20 threats under the same circumstances as high-level d20 characters; those creatures, if they are defeatable at all, require the kind of resources and planning far beyond the typical d20 dungeon encounter.
In terms of raw rules, CR 7-10 monsters are an excellent guide for what 6th level characters can handle. As a party approaches 6th level plus 20 feats, that range also increases, and PCs are able to fight monsters with base CRs in the range of CR 9 to 12, or larger groups of lower-level monsters. If a campaign continues beyond this point (and congratulations, because that's a lot of gaming) a GM should take monsters in the CR 7-12 range and use feats (and to a lesser extent templates) to advance them. Hit die or class-based advancement beyond CR 12, or base monsters above CR 12 should generally be avoided as straight-up fights in any E6 campaign.
Of course, not every monstrous encounter is a straight-up fight. For example, insane horrors from another age might be a reason to run, and there is little a character could do in the face of an angry Titan. But these situations don't call for direct confrontation, except with some special resource or amazing circumstance. Perhaps, in a special ritual with the presence of 20 mages, a Titan can be bound to the mortal realm (lowering its stats to a Hill Giant with the spells of a 6th-level sorcerer), with whom the players can do battle. Again, that's far from a straight-up fight with a CR 20 creature, but we can console ourselves with the fact that it's probably a very memorable encounter.
Items follow a similar approach. If, as a result of the restrictions on items, an item cannot be created, then it should not be distributed as normal treasure. Like high-level monsters, such items should be placed carefully and built to make sense in the context of your game. For example, a +4 sword is an amazing artifact in this setting, perhaps even made by the gods: It's a sword no mortal could make.
Benefits of E61. Very fast play at every level of the campaign.
2. Focus on planning, not levelling. To defeat the black dragon Zolanderos, the CR 10 terror of Staunwark Island, the heroes will need help, special resources, and information. I want to further encourage party-directed adventuring, and if the heroes want to take on something 4 to 6 CR above them, then that's what they will require.
3. A low magic game that everyone knows how to play.
4. Never a need for meaningless encounters. The players can be involved in a dozen or so major combat scenarios (perhaps more than one encounter each) and have proven themselves and made a major accomplishment. See Lord of the Rings movies, or most fantasy novels.
5. Classic monsters stay classic throughout the campaign; Chimeras and Aboleths start scary, and stay scary. Dragons are always exciting encounters.
6. Even legendary heroes remain mortal; while a 6th level fighter who has taken toughness several times can take on a good mob, he isn't invulnerable. The sorcerer's 6d6 fireballs are phenomenal, but not so powerful that he can destroy a village and not fear retaliation.
7. Quicker prep. Make a 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 6th version of a sorcerer, and now you have a whole sorcerous dragon-cult that can last you through your whole campaign.
8. You can put what you've learned of the rules to good use. It's hard to know every 4th through 9th level spell out there; they're the ones we see the least. But we've seen 0th through 3rd level spells many, many times, and mastery over them is relatively simple.
9. E6 is a great system for on the fly GMing. If you're reasonably familiar with what a 2nd level threat looks like, power-wise, you can probably get away with running it without stats handy.E6 vs d20
Here's how I see E6 vs standard d20, in terms of power levels.
Character advancement in d20 is an upward sloping curve; levels are a linear, but the feats and magic items that get added on top makes the progression even faster. As players get better and better combinations of items and feats and class abilities, they can combine them in better and better ways. This leads to levelling out of the Heroic Fantasy quartile (6-10) and into the Wuxia quartile (11-15). The Wuxia quartile is also more complex, which is another mark against it for some.
Levelling in E6 is like d20 till 6th level, and a character never stops advancing. But feat-based advancement is naturally slower than level-based advancement, and while you keep getting closer and closer to CR 10 power level, you're getting there more and more slowly; feats always add a mechanical benefit, but the combinations and permutations of the feats and items you've acquired don't "crack the top" of CR 10 power level.
E6 will always inherit d20's balance issues at the same level, especially issues that result from scenarios where those characters d20 characters have long periods of downtime. The best approach is to be cognizant of these issues when considering what feats to allow in your E6 game.
There several philosophies on what feats to allow in an E6 game, but in any long-running E6 game some expansion feats should be made available for players to continue to grow their characters in different ways.
Which feats you allow depends on what you want for your own game. Some GMs want to encourage single-classing, others are happy to tell their players to work within a framework, choosing only those feats that match the style of their campaign. Some want to see more gestalt-style characters and allow feat chains towards specific classes' abilities. Many GMs make a real-world decision, allowing feats from publishers they trust, or all feats from the books the GM owns. The original E6 campaign allowed feats on an ad-hoc basis; players were encouraged to develop various aspects of their characters rather than linear power, but were allowed to suggest feats if they couldn't find something that worked in the available rules. Ultimately, the decision on what feats to allow belongs to the GM, and should naturally vary from one E6 campaign to the next.
All of these feats should be considered suggestions – each E6 game is different and it is always up to the individual GM what they want to allow.
For Ability AdvancementAbility Training (General)
You spend time honing one of your Abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.
Benefit: Choose one Ability; treat that Ability as having a +2 bonus to that Ability Score whenever you are making an Ability Check. This bonus does not count when making a skill check or for any other use of that ability.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times, its effects do not stack. Each time you take this feat it applies to another ability.
Ability Advancement (General)
Your training pays off, and one of your Abilities increases.
Prerequisite: Ability Training in the same ability.
Benefit: Choose one Ability. You gain a permanent +2 bonus to that ability. This bonus does nto stack with the benefit from Ability Training.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times, its effects do not stack. Each time you take this feat it applies to another ability.Capstone FeatsMartial Veteran (General) (comrade_raoul)
Prerequisites: Fighter level 6th.
Benefit: You may select feats with a requirement of up to fighter level 8, and with a Base Attack Bonus requirement of up to +8.
Special: A fighter may select Martial Veteran as one of his bonus feats.
Roguish Ability [General]
Prerequisite: Rogue 6
Benefit: You learn one rogue special ability.
Special: This feat may be taken only once.
Barbaric Resilience [General]
Prerequisite: Barbarian 6
Benefit: You gain DR 1/--
Skill Beyond Your Years
Prerequisite: Level 6
Pick a skill. Your max ranks rise from Level+3 to Level +5.
Holy Strikes [General]
Prerequisite: Paladin 6
Benefit: Your melee attacks are considered good for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Mighty Wild Shape [General]
Prerequisite: Druid level 6
Choose 1 Large animal. You can wildshape into that animal.
Bardic Inspiration [General]
Prerequisite: Bard level 6
The bonus granted by your inspire courage ability increases to +2.
Extra Domain Power [General] (Shazman)
Prerequisites: Wis 18 +, Cleric level 6, Knowledge (religion) 9 ranks, Skill Focus: Knowledge (religon)
Benefit: You gain the domain power of one additional domain associated with your deity. You may only take this feat once.
Extra Domain Access (General) (Shazman)
Prerequisities: Wis 18 +, Cleric level 6, Knowledge (religion) 9 ranks, Extra Domain Power, Skill Focus: Knowledge (religion)
Benefit: You gain access to the domain spell list of one additional domain assciated with your deity. This domain must be the same one as that chosen for the Extra Domain Power feat. You may only take this feat once.
Restoration (General)
Prerequisites: 6th level, ability to cast 3rd-level divine spells, Wisdom 18, Healing 9 Ranks
Benefit: You can use Restoration, as the spell (paying the material component), with a casting time of 1 hour.
Swift Metamagic (Metamagic) (Kunimatyu)
Prerequisite: Metamagic feats (see below), Caster Level 6
Benefit: When you take this feat, select a metamagic feat. As a swift action once per day, you may apply this metamagic feat to a spell you cast with no adjustment to the level of the spell cast.
Special: You must have a number of Swift metamagic feats equal to the level increase of your chosen metamagic, minus one, to take this feat. For example, Empower Spell, which boosts the level of a spell by 2, has a prerequisite of 1 Swift feat. Split Ray, which has an increase of 1, would have no prerequisites. This feat may be taken multiple times.
Caster Training (General) (Khuxan)
You become a more accomplished spellcaster.
Requirements: Character level 6, caster level 1 or greater.
Benefit: Your caster level increases by 4, to a maximum of 6. Note this only affects Caster Level (i.e., more dice on your damage, no new spells or slots).
Expanded Knowledge (General) (PoeticJustice)
Prerequisite: Character Level 6th
Benefit: Choose a spellcasting class in which you have levels. You gain an additional spell known at any level you can cast from that class's spell list.
Expanded Casting (General) (PoeticJustice)
Prerequisite: Character Level 6th
Benefit: Choose a spellcasting class in which you have levels. You gain an additional spell slot at any level you can already cast.
Stone to Flesh (General)
Prerequisites: 6th level, ability to cast 3rd-level arcane spells, Intelligence 18, Craft (Alchemy) 9 Ranks
Benefit: You can use stone to flesh, as the spell, with an expensive and secret magical ingredient with a market value of 1000 gp and a casting time of 1 day.
Excelling Flurry [General]
Prereq: Monk 6
Benefit: You use Flurry of Blows with no penalty to your attack bonus. In addition, you qualify for feats that a Monk may take as 6th level bonus feats.
Step of the Wild lands
Prereq: Ranger 6
Benefit: You gain the Woodland Stride and Swift Tracking class abilities.
Wondrous Rings (General)
Prerequisites: 6th level, Craft Wondrous Item
Benefit: You treat rings as wondrous items for the purpose of meeting item creation prerequisites. You must still meet caster level requirements for any ring you create.For VillainsMental Domination (General) (Lord Tirian)
You're able to subjugate certain people's mind.
Prerequisite: Having charmed humanoid with HD equal or less than your caster level.
Benefit: Choose a humanoid with HD equal your caster level or less, you have currently charmed. Treat charm person as dominate person against this person.
Special: This feat can be taken several times. It applies to a different humanoid each time.
Raising the Stakes.pdf
This will be my last revision of E6 for a while; the idea has clearly gotten across, and now it's time to play my home campaign and work on some of my other design priorities. Thanks to everyone who's asked questions, set up your own campaigns with E6, and challenged me to improve E6's writing and presentation. You guys are the best.
Last edited by Ry; Tuesday, 4th September, 2007 at 02:51 PM.
Tuesday, 4th September, 2007, 03:02 AM #2
FAQ, Play Aids, and Links
FAQ, Play Aids, and Links
FAQ: Using E6Q: So characters just stop levelling at 6?
A: That's right. Characters who have reached level 6 have proven themselves, but this extremely rapid growth does not go on forever. Instead, they master specialized techniques, or become more versatile. This stage of a character's development is represented by gaining new feats.
Q: Does E6 change the stacking rules? For example, can I take Weapon Focus twice and have it stack? Can I take Skill Focus twice and have it stack?
A: The stacking rules remain the same as in standard D&D.
Q: What if I want there to be a higher level magical effect, but still use E6?
The rules for rituals in Unearthed Arcana are an excellent fit for E6, to support things like opening portals to another dimension, higher-level divinations, and so on. When a spell is a 3-day event requiring 20 mages, it's more of a plot point than a spell itself, and that maeks it a great a springboard for challenging the players.
Q: As a DM, I like running things on the fly. Can E6 support that kind of play?
A: Absolutely. A DM that knows how to estimate the abilities of enemies in the low-level range can use that knowledge throughout the campaign. Likewise, familiarity breeds mastery – and for feats, spells, and monsters, there is more chance for a DM to become familiar with abilities in an appropriate range to the PCs, even if he is using a diverse selection of monsters. Furthermore, Dungeon Masters can get much more mileage out of their previous work: The stats of a 5th-level sorcerer written for 4th level PCs is still a useful tool months of gametime later against characters who are 6th level +10 feats.
Q: Can you make high-level items as a low-level caster in E6?
A: No, caster level requirements for magic items are treated as hard requirements.
Q: If a character took multiple classes, or Prestige Classes, suddenly you've got a guy with saves that are seriously out of whack. Is this a game-breaking issue?
A: If you multiclass that much, you're probably doing it to get the saves. In that situation, your saves are your special ability. Moreover, saves are passive abilities; the player doesn't control when their character uses a save, which gives them limited appeal compared to stuff the player can control. So if a player goes after them like crazy, and succeeds in having really exceptional saves – let them have their fun.
Q: I prefer stopping at around 8th level, does that work for this system?
A: The system will probably work about as well at 8th level, but note that "Epic 6th" characters do end up being more powerful than regular 6th level characters. Epic 6th may be what you want for a game that sits at the power level for Level 8, and Epic 8th may cater more closely to Level 10 style play.
Q: Does E6 work with a slower progression to level 6? Does it work when characters are created at 2nd level?
Yes and yes. I've tried both during my playtesting period. I'll be starting my new game at 3rd level.
Q: I'm not a big fan of experience points. Do you need a strict XP system to make E6 work?
A: An ad-hoc "gain a feat" approach would work absolutely 100% with this system. I used to do that with other systems (power up when the story makes it appropriate) and given the fact that the upper end of the power curve flattens off, that method should go very smoothly with E6.
Q: Can you use Prestige Classes with E6?
A: I'd recommend taking the same approach you take in your regular D&D game. If you allow Prestige Classes there, feel free to allow them here. Of course, characters capped at 6th level can usually take at most 1 level of a Prestige Class.
Q: With only 6 levels, how do races with a level adjustment work?
If you use races with a level adjustment, the 6th level cap is a big issue. Use the point buy rules in the DMG as follows:
LA Point buy
+0 32
+1 25
+2 18
+3 10
+4 00
Thus, +LA races should start with zero LA, but use the point buy listed here. Keep in mind the difference between LA and racial hit dice (the two combine to give starting ECL).FAQ: Why is E6 designed this way?Q: Where did E6 come from?
A: E6 was inspired by the article Gandalf was a Fifth-Level Magic User by Bill Seligman. The article was published in The Dragon (which became Dragon magazine) in issue #5, March 1977. When I first had the concept of E6, where we used the first six levels for the whole game, my very first step was pitching it to my players. Some thought it was a great idea, and the rest were willing to give it a try, so I gave it a shot. E6 worked really well for our tastes, and we've done lots of playing inside E6 since then. Back then E6 was a lot more convoluted than it is now: there were intricate quasi-gestalt rules and several other little things that weren't so much about the cap as they were about my group's thoughts on D&D class balance. Over time, we found that the only rules we were really using (on both sides of the screen) were the feat rules, and that was producing a great play experience. So when I returned to E6 just recently, that's how I wrote it up: As it was actually played.
Q: Why 6th level for the cap? Why not 12th, or 20th?
A: My experience in D&D is that at around 6th level the characters are really nicely balanced, both in terms of balance against other classes, and against the CR system. Also, there was an element of setting assumptions; each class is strong enough that they're well defined in their role, but not so strong that lower-level characters don't matter to them any more.
Q: How did you arrive at the cost of 5000 xp per feat post 6th level?
A: Originally, I considered that if I wasn't giving level 7, maybe 2 feats for the same price would be a good comprimise (3000xp / feat). That way they would have this great feeling of advancement without popping the top off the power level." But in play, the players found it was so fast that they did not have time to enjoy their new abilities. There just wasn't time in-game for their characters to grow, so I upped the cost to 5000 xp, and it works like a charm.
Q: Why not use [system of character points / experience purchases / incremental gestalt rules] instead of E6?
A: Feats, if they don't work out in a particular case, are less controversial to tweak than, say, the XP table. If you find out that the XP table, or stats, or whatever else you've changed doesn't work for some players, it's a big deal to change it because it then affects everyone - and sometimes has effects that cascade through the system.
I have found that if a feat is too good, it's not that big a deal to say "Hey Ned, I think the feat I made for you is too good, but I don't want to take it away from you. I think it should have a prerequisite, like Skill Focus (Knowledge - nature) instead of being straight-up available. I'd like to leave you with it but say that your next feat needs to be that knowledge thing, rather than take it away now. We could do that, or if you want you could swap it out for something else. What do you think?"
It's important to me to keep the rule changes minimal, because players really don't want to read a lot outside of the game and they get frustrated if there's too many house rules.
2 years ago (before E6 was called E6) I worked up these complex gestalt XP-buy rules, but eventually my players and I realized that with all the options available all that was really getting used were feat purchasing, because they were so easy to approach.
Q: Why not just stop advancement at 6th, and have characters just not advance after that, or slow experience down so much that you can game for years and never get higher than 6th level?
A: In my experience, players prefer to have characters that can grow – and have that growth reflected in the mechanics of the game.
Q: I like high-magic, high-powered campaigns. Is E6 for me?
A: Probably not. Just as D&D can't be all things to all groups, E6 caters to a specific set of tastes.E6-related linksThe OGC E6 Wiki
D&D Calibrating Your Expectations
mfrench's (mostly) free stuff E6 campaign
Netbook of Feats
http://datadeco.com/nbofeats/Quick Templates for E6These templates up the CR of existing creatures quickly and easily by adding blocks of 5 feats. These essentially add +1 CR to the monsters.
Ability Training (Strength), Ability Advancement (Strength), Weapon Focus (Bite), Power Attack, Improved Natural Attack (bite)
Ability Training (strength), Ability Advancement (strength), Power Attack, Improved Bullrush, Improved Sunder
Improved Natural Armor x3, Toughness x2
Abiltity Training (dexterity), Ability Advancement (dexterity), Combat Reflexes, Dash, Improved Initiative
Ability Training (constitution), Ability Advancement (constitution), Improved Toughness, Endurance, DiehardKhuxan's discoveryKhuxan discovered that D&D Miniatures are well suited to E6. The vast majority are CR <10. In fact, it's quite fun to look through the above-sixes and work out where each one belongs in a E6 campaign:
the CR 11 Stone Golem that guards the entrance to an ancient kingdom...
the CR 8 Warforged Titan whose creation ended a border dispute between two nations...
the CR 9 Aspect of Orcus isn't an Aspect, it's the Orcus...
the CR 8 Efreeti you hope stays in its lamp - because if it broke free, it could raze cities...
the CR 7 Yuan-ti Abomination which heads the empire-spanning Slithering Cult...
the CR 7 Bulette that destroys every caravan to venture through the Wastes...
the CR 13 Huge Red Dragon that is the first dragon, the dragon from which all others sprung...
the CR 8 Treant which is the heart of the deepest forest in the land...Evilhalfling's list of Wondrous ItemsHere is a list of all minor wondrous items that require only spells 3rd lvl or lower to create,
Elixir of love 150 gp
Unguent of timelessness 150 gp
Dust of tracelessness 250 gp
Elixir of hiding 250 gp
Elixir of sneaking 250 gp
Elixir of swimming 250 gp
Silversheen 250 gp
Elixir of truth 500 gp
Bag of tricks, gray 900 gp
Hand of the mage 900 gp
Bracers of armor +1 1,000 gp
Cloak of resistance +1 1,000 gp
Pearl of power, 1st-level spell 1,000 gp
Phylactery of faithfulness 1,000 gp
Salve of slipperiness 1,000 gp
Elixir of fire breath 1,100 gp
Pipes of the sewers 1,150 gp
Dust of illusion 1,200 gp
Brooch of shielding 1,500 gp
Necklace of fireballs type I 1,650 gp
Dust of appearance 1,800 gp
Hat of disguise 1,800 gp
Pipes of sounding 1,800 gp
Amulet of natural armor +1 2,000 gp
Horn of fog 2,000 gp
Robe of bones 2,400 gp
Sovereign glue 2,400 gp
Boots of elvenkind 2,500 gp
Boots of the winterlands 2,500 gp
Candle of truth 2,500 gp
Cloak of elvenkind 2,500 gp
Scarab, golembane 2,500 gp
Necklace of fireballs type II 2,700 gp
Stone of alarm 2,700 gp
Bag of tricks, rust 3,000 gp
Chime of opening 3,000 gp
Horseshoes of speed 3,000 gp
Rope of climbing 3,000 gp
Dust of disappearance 3,500 gp
Lens of detection 3,500 gp 57
Bracers of armor +2 4,000 gp
Cloak of resistance +2 4,000 gp
Gloves of arrow snaring 4,000 gp \
Restorative ointment 4,000 gp 68
Pearl of power, 2nd-level spell 4,000 gp
Circlet of persuasion 4,500 gp 7
Slippers of spider climbing 4,800 gp
Bracers of archery, lesser 5,000 gp
Helm of comprehend languages and read magic 5,200 gp
Vest of escape 5,200 gp
Eversmoking bottle 5,400 gp
Sustaining spoon 5,400 gp
Boots of striding and springing 5,500 gp
Wind fan 5,500 gp
Amulet of mighty fists +1 6,000 gp
Horseshoes of a zephyr 6,000 gp
Pipes of haunting 6,000 gp
Gloves of swimming and climbing 6,250 gp
Circlet of blasting, minor 6,480 gp
Horn of goodness/evil 6,500 gp
Bottle of air 7,250 gp
Periapt of health
Medium Items
Bracers or armor +3
Amulet of NAC +2
Boots of haste
Cloak of Arcadia
Minor cloak of displacement
Last edited by Ry; Tuesday, 4th September, 2007 at 03:14 AM.
Tuesday, 4th September, 2007, 04:11 AM #3
Contemplating world-building in an E6 game... how would folks suggest structuring 'what levels exist in the population'?
I realize the answer is 'however you want for your campaign,' but it might be worth poking at various designs and the effects that would have on the game.
Tuesday, 4th September, 2007, 05:08 AM #4
I'll be starting my E6 game in the next few weeks. It's something of a "science fantasy" game using the Sorcerer supplement "
EncyclopediaDictionary of Mu" (that was up for a few Ennies this year, I heard). I think E6 will work especially well for a lower-fantasy dying-world pulp setting like Mu, and I'm eager to get started.
While the setting has humanoids, I'm pushing for an all-human party, using the Background rules from Iron Heroes, with a few custom backgrounds appropriate to the setting.
Last edited by Kunimatyu; Tuesday, 4th September, 2007 at 04:49 PM.
Tuesday, 4th September, 2007, 09:09 AM #5
Nice. This will be in the running for the next time I run my "standard campaign", which is a fairly low-powered game.
Tuesday, 4th September, 2007, 01:13 PM #6Originally Posted by Will
One thing to keep in mind here is the difference between level demographics in the background and level demographics in the foreground.
You could structure two campaigns the same way in terms of encounters: The players speak with a 6th-level cleric, who implores them to do battle with a wyvern living in the nearby hills while he takes the pass beneath the wyvern's lair to a town in need of his healing magic.
Under my approach, the cleric is described as a Very Important NPC. He might be Raulim, wandering mystic, servant of Fiutiel, the Angel of Virtue. The towns the players are helping are made up of 1st-level commoners and a few 1st-level experts and warriors. The head of the local militia is a 3rd-level warrior (he's been around a bit).
Under the other approach, the cleric is Raulim, the town cleric. He hasn't travelled much and although he's quite skilled as a cleric, his life is just as local as the peasants in his flock. If he's important to the story, it's because the PCs are familiar with him and have seen him before. In this case, the town probably has quite a few levelled characters; maybe the head of the town guard is a 6th level fighter, and many of the townsfolk are 3rd level commoners.
Here's the point about background and foreground: In terms of playability, since only Raulim, 6th level cleric, is getting involved in combats near the PCs (foreground), there's very little difference between the two approaches (background).
Last edited by Ry; Tuesday, 4th September, 2007 at 01:16 PM.
Tuesday, 4th September, 2007, 01:14 PM #7Originally Posted by Kunimatyu
Tuesday, 4th September, 2007, 01:28 PM #8Originally Posted by brehobit
Tuesday, 4th September, 2007, 01:33 PM #9
Great ideas. Actually, with E6 I could be tempted to once again run a 3.5 campaign (provided I had the time and opportunity)...
I would probably use some of the rules found in Unearthed Arcana as well, expanding on "ritual magic", using variant rules for acquisition of prestige classes so they could be gained at 2nd or 3rd level, etc.
Tuesday, 4th September, 2007, 02:42 PM #10Originally Posted by rycanada
The setting has bits of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom, D&D 2e's Dark Sun, and Jack Vance's Dying Earth books scattered throughout, and for newer gamers, there's a something of a Secret of Mana/Crystalis/Chrono Trigger/Illusion of Gaia influence(though I suspect it's merely due to parallel inspiration from the above works). It sounds like a fun, if bleak, setting that I'm going to enjoy playing around with.
vBulletin Message
Similar Threads
Classic Six: The Game Inside OD&DBy Jack Daniel in forum *General Roleplaying Games DiscussionReplies: 13Last Post: Wednesday, 14th April, 2010, 08:37 AM
E6: The Game Inside D&D (with PDFs!)By Ry in forum *Pathfinder, Starfinder, Older D&D Editions (4E, 3.x, 2E, 1E, OD&D), D&D Variants, OSRReplies: 467Last Post: Tuesday, 4th September, 2007, 03:08 AM
E6: The Game Inside D&D (new revision)By Ry in forum *Pathfinder, Starfinder, Older D&D Editions (4E, 3.x, 2E, 1E, OD&D), D&D Variants, OSRReplies: 338Last Post: Tuesday, 24th July, 2007, 02:18 AM


text:
February 5, 2007
Jesse James may prove to be the perfect choice for his current role of Wabash College student body president.
His duties include listening to students and voicing their opinions to Wabash administration. James has already shown he's a great listener. That's why he's at the Crawfordsville institution. Without ever having seen the campus, James signed his admissions form to enroll in the class of 2008. Wabash was the only school he applied to, taking a risk at a school that brings in between 250 and 280 freshmen per year and attempts to keep its entire student population around 850.
"It was a bold move, but it was a wise move," James said of his decision. "They say high school is the good four years of your life, but after my experiences here, I'd have to disagree and say college is probably the best time."
It was James' ability to listen to the opinions of others that led him to Crawfordsville. Alumni, high school teachers and guidance counselors told him Wabash was a school he should consider. He took that advice and ran with it. Three years later, the Sullivan native is still listening to the opinions of others and is now taking those opinions and using his position as student body president to get the messages across to Wabash administrators.
In the meantime, he's developed a friendship with new Wabash College President Patrick White and come to understand that NCAA Division III sports hold a special meaning, more so than mainstream college sports. It only took one Monon Bell game experience for James to become hooked on Little Giants' athletics and, like everyone else on campus, despise DePauw University.
Most recently, James was a keynote speaker for an event titled "Celebrating the dreams of Wabash men" during White's inauguration weekend. Since the turn of a new semester, he's been meeting with White regularly to discuss a new strategic plan for the college, as well as learn White's goals for the institution.
"Being the new president, I think part of my job will be assisting (White) representing the student body with a strategic plan and find out (White's) goals for the college and changes the trustees and board of directors have," James said.
Class time has become a mainstream way for James to gather student opinions. Since enrollment is about 860, James said he can converse with 20 percent of the students on campus during class time alone. Inovations in technology have also allowed the Wabash junior to gather useful information. He regularly uses e-mail as a mode of communication.
"They say we're the new age of the social networks," James said. "I'm not very big into them, but I'm glad we have them. I can't imagine doing all this without the technology we have on campus, it would just be horrible."
James' ability to listen comes as a direct correlation to conversation, his No. 1 goal for Wabash College's future. His dream is for Wabash College to not let conversations on campus die, both individually and within different areas of the college.
"It's just the fact that Wabash keeps getting people here who are willing to talk and who understands Wabash is a great college, but are also willing to say, 'There's some things we could do better,' and those are the kind of students we need," James said.
Regular meetings with White have helped both men come to a better understanding on the future of the school. James has been asked to candidly share the student views regarding the Wabash community with the newly-inaugurated president. One fascinating appeal James sees from White is the willingness to hear views from all angles.
"He would probably get offended if I went in there and told him what he wanted to hear because that would be shortchanging him and the college," James said.
James voiced his opinions before the administration long before becoming the voice of Wabash students. As a freshman, he let his opinions be heard, befriending administrators and then giving them input on things they, as well as the student body, were doing. It was nothing he did on purpose, but rather his nature to speak out on debatable topics.
It was that care for the college that James thinks led to him being voted as the president of the student body. Now he is the official representation of the students' voice. Doing some recreational reading, James was approached by past president Kevin Pazour (Pazour and James are the only two independent, or non-Greek organization, presidents - at least in recent years) as a congratulatory welcome to the new position.
Since then, James' schedule has been booked. If you manage to find him during a brief opening in his schedule, don't be afraid to strike up a conversation. He'll be willing to listen.
King is a reporter for the Crawfordsville Journal Review. This story appeared in the paper's Feb. 5 edition.


text:
beck123 wrote:Could you link us all to that book on punctuation, please?
http://www.amazon.com/Eats-Shoots-Leave ... 303&sr=8-1
beck123 wrote:Could you link us all to that book on punctuation, please?
That is one sheep with 'tude, dude.beck123 wrote:The sheep's for you, Luke, but don't expect it to have a life expectancy measured in years.
beck123 wrote:
The apostrophe becomes a problem when the next, logical steps are taken with the new construction. If seen as a contraction, then a phrase like "Here are y'all's tickets" begins to accumulate too many apostrophes for our simple language. Using the phrase as a free-standing possessive pronoun, it reads "Here are yalls tickets," where "yall" is the root pronoun and "yalls" the possessive form in parallel with "her" and "hers," "their" and "theirs." And yet in this form, it seems to lack a needed apostrophe.
beck123 wrote: As I wrote elsewhere in the forum, my opinion is that we shouldn't be writing in this (or any) dialect, anyway; but people do, so I suppose it needs to be addressed.
With all the technology available, dialects should be
disappearing - TV, radio, etc. : we can hear each other
and speak to each other. This should ultimately
eliminate the Boston "drawl", southern stuff, midwestern
Return to "The Rebel-Yankee Test"
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


text:
Directory> Dropship
Toy Wholesalers> Wholesale Drop Ship Games Companies
<< Games | Puzzles | Swords | Toy Cars >>
Find a listing of wholsale Games dropshipping companies that work with eBay sellers and online retailers that sell educational games, video games, boardgames, and fun game products. Here you will find the company name, description and url of each wholesale Games drop shipper. If you want to have your dropshipping company website exposed to hundreds of qualified buyers everyday, visit our Free Dropship Company Listing page.
Sponsored Links
SaleHoo Wholesalers & Dropshippers Directory
Can't find the right dropshipper or wholesale supplier on our directory? SaleHoo offers an unlimited, lifetime access to their wholesale directory of more than 8000 unique wholesale suppliers where you can find massively discounted items either for your own use or for resale! And guess what! If they don't have a wholesale source for a product you want, they will find it free of charge!
Gain access to top wholesale suppliers
Drop Ship Companies
(Add your website here)
Wholesale Merchandise
Wholesale Directory | Wholesale Suppliers USA
Wholesale Games Dropship Companies Directory
Dropship Guides | International Dropshippers | Dropshippers | Dropship Search | Contact Us | Link to Us
© 2012 Get Dropshippers com Dropship Companies
All Rights Reserved.
Dropship Site Map | Privacy Policy


text:
News and Events
Student Spotlight
Devin Wysni, Senior
Garrett Stephenson, Senior
Cameron Johnson, Junior
Hao Fu
Feature Story"I was one of the original IS students at Marietta College. I really believed in the tool sets that the major had to offer and the variety of jobs I could do with these skills." Read More


text:
While our Clean Monday shutdown is behind us, we may still have forum outages as we continue with the server migration. Please check out the appropriate thread in Board News for more info.
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Frankly all this seemed stupid and cultish to me.
And, as I've understood, there are daily messages, transmitted to many Catholic parishes, via Internet, around the globe.
Frankly all this seemed stupid and cultish to me. The priest especially, instead of watering down his flock's unhealthy enthusiasm for that phenomenon, was the most ardent Medjugorjie fan of them all.
I don't think She has anything to do with this charade
Augustin717,Thank you very much for your reply. You are right! I completly agree. My experience with Medjugorjie was way more limited. I remember one big article in Ukraine years ago. The author (as far as I am recalling not a priest), claimed that we all should follow "directions from Medjugorie" That how it was articulated. Furthermore, that person misrepresented a position of Roman Catholic Church. The article claimed something like "miracles need time in order to everyone to be convinced and to follow procedures. We expect a formal recognition". Clearly this is not an official Catholic point of view on this subject. Overall, the style of article also sounded cultish. It was easy to infer such an impression.Thanks again.
Σε εκείνη Äην ÀεÃÂÂÂÂÂίÀÄÉÃη, δεν θα ÃŽÂÂÂÀÃÂÂÂÂÂεÀε Äο ÃÂŒνομά Ãƒα να είναι "ÃÂŒμοÃÂÂÂÂÂÆη ελληνιδα";ΕκÄÃÂŒ αν, ÆÃÂ…Ãικά, Äα ελληνικά δεν είναι ÀÃÂÂÂÂÂαγμαÄικά η γλÃÂŽÃÃα ÃαÂ.
Another danger flag is with whom the 'spriit' first appeared to. (Again according to that author), in the experience of our church there are seldom genuine apparitions to those who aren't prepared for it spiritually; thus this usually excludes children.
Children also have vivid imaginations and are so naively trusting that they can be easily manipulated by any unscrupulous adult with a hidden agenda.
I agree that this is a very real problem. I however also believe that some of these visitations ARE real. I would however not attribute them to God.
One of the very reasons we need to shape the imaginations of our children with great care, because a child's imagination not shaped to conform to Truth can also be a great playground for demons.
The Catholic Church stopped following all Christ's teachings.
I however also believe that some of these visitations ARE real. I would however not attribute them to God.
Quote from: PeterTheAleut on April 30, 2006, 03:49:28 AMOne of the very reasons we need to shape the imaginations of our children with great care, because a child's imagination not shaped to conform to Truth can also be a great playground for demons.Taht is the souce to which I attribute those visitations.
What is your reasoning? Do you just automatically assume that anything not Orthodox is demonic?
I thought I should ask this:Is anyone here actually specialized in the area of demonic visions and activity? Has anyone met a demoniac in real life? Has anyone ever talked to one? How about seeing demonic visions personally? Anyone who has been able to consistently identify such visions and assist those who have had them? Who has studied the patristic texts on visions?
Who has studied the patristic texts on visions.
Something seems amiss here. We do a great deal of research to insure that our lineage is just so, traceable back to Christ. Yet He Himself "summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons" yet the Patristic Fathers were not even a twinkle in their father's eyes? And what of all the others who by the discernment and power of the Holy Spirit, delivered and healed long before these books were written?
When it comes down to it, I was just wondering who had any experience and discernment in this area.
Taht (sic)* is the souce to which I attribute those visitations.What is your reasoning?  Do you just automatically assume that anything not Orthodox is demonic?
It is inconcievable that the apostle's anointing should be licit on paper but lacking the accompanying signs that were imparted as a demonstration of the power of God. I believe that we are all spiritually lax and underdeveloped, and that we have substituted rules, regulations and pronouncements for the gut wrenching, embarrassing, humiliating, risky business of learning to listen to the Holy Spirit and discern the Spirits. The Scriptures say "test the spirits" they do not say run to the religious authorities and get the latest consensus.If we do not take the time to discern the spirits, (with fasting and prayers and amendment of life) we are consigning our opportunities to grow and serve the Church, to those souls who will. And most unfortunately, those who do not have the Sacraments and are missing more than one big part of the puzzle are. Are we to be like the servant who hid his talent because he was afraid to invest it?
most Orthodox don't even know about Francis of Assisi's delusions,
I have never said that a peice of paper is necessary for anything, nor have I questioned anything the apostles did. The criteria I gave were in part to see who has experience in testing the spirits, not everyone has the gift. For example, most Orthodox don't even know about Francis of Assisi's delusions, and much less about the topic of driving out demons! It's hardly that I am questioning God's giving us the power, but rather the individual's use of it.
I think spiritual revelations outside the church are false and are liable to mislead people; lead them away from the Church that Christ established.
We Orthodox who believe that the Orthodox Church is the one holy, apostolic Church are bound to the Church, but why do you bind God to His Church? Cannot God, Who desires that all should be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth, work outside of the confines of His own Church? What do you have to say about the centurion that St. Peter baptized because he had received a vision guiding him to the apostle, or those that St. Paul had baptized because they already demonstrated through speaking in tongues the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives?
Shouldn't our criterion for truthfulness or falsehood of a vision then be consistency with what we, the Orthodox, know to be true? We know that God has spoken to the Orthodox Church, and we can trust the Church's word to be true. If a vision outside the Church is perfectly consistent with the truth we know, then why must we recognize the vision as deceiving merely because it happened to someone outside the Church, which is what we must conclude if we follow your logic?
Shouldn't our criterion for truthfulness or falsehood of a vision then be consistency with what we, the Orthodox, know to be true? If a vision outside the Church is perfectly consistent with the truth we know, then why must we recognize the vision as deceiving
I am not confining God to one Church. God said that our way was 'the Way' (an early way of describing the church).Things counter to 'the Way' must be false; unless you believe God has truths that are all relative.
Good question.It seems like these kinds of communications and supernatural events are many times dismissed in the Orthodox faith, as deceptions, unless they are recounted in the lives of the Saints such as Saint Seraphim.  I do not understand this kind of hostility towards what is potentially the working of the Holy Spirit to bring conversion.
False. The Mother of God made no prediction about the end of WWI. She simply stated that WWI was coming to an end and that another would start during the reign of Pope Pius XI. This was in July 1917. WWI ended in 1918. WWII started in 1938. Pope Pius XI reigned from 1922 to 1939.
The 'hostility' as you would put it is against people ignoring these facts and just hoping that we all join hands and hug and take in the moment with a nice cup of tea.
For the peace and good of everyone, why are we focusing on disagreements that build walls and block grace? For the "correct" who have sown division, and withstood the Holy Spirit in His work of bringing all men to salvation, there is good reason to fear..
For the peace and good of everyone, why are we focusing on disagreements that build walls and block grace? Why do we insist on being correct and have everyone else bow to our correctness, or be labeled heretics?...Irregardless of denominational-doctrinal bent, a poor ignorant protestant who has loved God with all their heart and strength, and mind, and their neighbor as themselves, will enter Heaven before the doctrinally correct that have totally ignored the heart of the law. And for the "correct" who have sown division, and withstood the Holy Spirit in His work of bringing all men to salvation, there is good reason to fear that such as these will find themselves outside the gates where there is weeping, wailing and knashing of teeth.
Page created in 0.147 seconds with 26 queries.


text:
Pascal Lamy, the World Trade Organization director-general, says the U.S. Congress passed a bad farm bill, one that sends the wrong "signal." If the authors of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 needed any affirmation of their work, they don't have to look any farther.
Lamy, who long ago demonstrated his preference for protecting Europe's farmers at the expense of the rest of the world, told European Parliament members the farm bill is sending a signal U.S. government leaders are "not serious about reducing their subsidies."
The 61-year-old diplomat, who spent most of his career as a bureaucrat in France, can be forgiven for feeling a little frustrated these days. The negotiations for a new WTO agreement, which began in Doha, Qatar, are now into their seventh year with no end in sight.
One reason little progress has been made is a succession of U.S. agriculture secretaries have been promising Lamy and other WTO officials that the United States would reduce their farm subsidies by 60 percent or more in the new farm bill.
Thus, the European Parliament, the 27-member European Union's governing body, and developing countries such as Brazil and India were led to believe all they had to do was wait for the U.S. Congress to "cave" on the farm bill, and they would get a new agreement without having to make more concessions.
Fortunately, leaders such as Reps. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and Bob Etheridge, D-N.C., and Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., refused to turn over the sovereignty of the U.S. government to the WTO.
When he spoke, Lamy appeared to be clinging to hope the Bush administration might still acquiesce to the demands from the EU, Brazil and India for a unilateral reduction in U.S. farm subsidies.
"The only chance you have to trump up this farm bill is a WTO deal, which will then necessitate a reform of the U.S. system," he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
Free trade advocates will bemoan another missed opportunity to help the Doha Round negotiations. (Lamy said he hopes that progress will be made on two sticking points — agriculture and industrial goods — by the end of June.)
But U.S. farmers are increasingly questioning the benefits of the WTO, especially when its judges ignore the facts and rule against the United States as the WTO appellate body did June 2 in a compliance case brought by the government of Brazil against the U.S. cotton program.
According to National Cotton Council leaders, the WTO panel used out-dated and unrealistic information to affirm a decision that seemed — from the beginning — aimed at punishing the U.S. government for daring to try to protect its farmers.
If passage of the 2008 farm bill injects a dose of reality into the Doha Round negotiations, then the two-plus years it took to write the new law will have been time well spent.
e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
- Startpage
- Power Tools
- Accessories
- Digital Measuring Tools
- Production tools
- News & Promos
- Service
- Dealers
- Stories
Robust, compact and easy to handle.
The drill bit range for all applications.
The right chisel for any application.
Bosch hole-saws - always the right specialist.
The suitable bits for every application and every screw.
Solutions for all applications.
The optimum coated abrasive for your application.
Enables fast, energy-saving and safe work.
Top quality blades with clear and understandable range.
Find the right blade from well structured range.
Offers solutions for all applications.
The right circular saw blade for any application.
Bosch offers a compact, clearly structured range of router bits.
The right solution for every cordless tool user.
The professional needs to take care of his/her own safety!
Here you will find system accessories for Bosch tools.
The multi-volt quick charger for all Li-ion batteries from 14.4 – 18 volts
Part number: 1 600 A00 1DH
The high-endurance 18 Volt XL battery with 4.0 Ah and COOLPACK technology
Part number: 1 600 A00 163
|Part number
|EAN code
|Battery voltage
|350 g
No self-discharge, no memory effect
and a higher energy density thanks to Li-Ion battery technology
No self-discharge, no memory effect
and a higher energy density thanks to Li-Ion battery technology
Optimal protection of the cells
against excessive heat due to special, heat conductive housing
Battery 100% compatible with all tools within its voltage class
Choose the XL battery for longest runtime or the compact battery for best handling
You may also have a check in our spare parts catalogue. In there you will find all of the parts that fit your Bosch tool - even up to ten years after production has been stopped.Spare parts catalogue
Imprint | Privacy statement | Press
The Bosch Group worldwide | Jobs and Careers | Research and Development | Purchasing and Logistics | Quality
© Robert Bosch GmbH


text:
Has it only been a week? Time does fly when you are having fun, but I have been doing SO MUCH running around that I can't believe I have only been in Israel for 1 week so far (OK, 9 days). I have 6 days left, but I know that will fly. I'm headed up North tomorrow to the Galil region which includes the highly regarded Galil & Golan Heights viticultural sections. Can't wait!
But what I wanted to write about tonight was some quick "blending" tidbits.
While at a winery last week talking to a winemaker he had some visitors. While telling the people about his wine, a woman noted that they were all blends – no 100% varietal wines. When the winemaker briefly walked away to take a call she mentioned to me and the two others in her party that she thought blends were inferior to wines made from only 1 grape varietal. I told her that I thought otherwise – what about Bordeaux, which can consist of up to 5 grape varietals? She was surprised to hear this, and a gentleman who was with her then said that yes they are blends, but they consisted mostly of Cabernet Sauvignon. Once again trusty Wine Tasting Guy told them that many Bordeaux (generally Right Bank) have a majority Merlot. This too surprised them. In the end they realized that this winemaker is making quality wines and they purchased a few bottles.
The second blending story took place tonight, following the completion of the Succot holiday. I was in Jerusalem for the last day and made my way upon the holiday's completion from Jerusalem to a winery near Sederot. There I worked with some winemaker friends on a blend. I am by no means qualified to concoct a wine blend. Like everyone else I know if I like a wine or not. And yes I may be able to comment on and attempt to assess a wine, but create a blend??? We were playing with 3 varietals – Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah & Sangiovese. It was a lot of fun and I learned a thing or two but in the end I think I made things harder on my winemaker friends as opposed to being able to help them out.
A quick recommendation. Make your own blends! No, I'm not saying you should go become a winemaker (although that isn't a bad idea either), what I'm saying is it is OK to mix wines. If you happen to have some leftover wine from 2 or more bottles you MAY want to consider mixing them. I wouldn't mix different colors, vintages, or very different wines. And truthfully, more often than not the new wine will probably not be as good as the original wines. But I DO like to mix bottles for 1 reason. TO PREVENT OXIDATION. If I find myself with more than one open bottle and want to best preserve the wines, the best thing to do is to fill ONE bottle and re-cork, removing all oxygen. Although the wine might be a little weird, at least it won't be ruined – something that happens with extended exposure to oxygen…
Happy wine blending!!


text:
-Visit Naturally Nora and leave a comment here with the mix you would like to try,
-For an EXTRA entry, like Naturally Nora on Facebook and leave a separate comment letting me know that you did.
Giveaway is open for residents of the US only.
Winner will have 48 hours to respond with shipping info,if no response, another winner will be chosen .
A winner will be randomly chosen and announce in this post on Friday Nov 12.
Good luck everyone !
Opinions about the cake mixes are mine and I was not paid to write this post.


text:
It's devastating I know, and I can say nothing to help, yet, I am always going to try. Even though nothing can be done, I will always try to do something. That is the kind I am.
I never met Donna Summer, but my good friend Prince Poppycock sang with her, and I was always jealous of him for that. Her voice was the sound of the 70s, her high pitch perfect disco soprano kept the dance floor filled with stomping feet, shirtless men and some shirted men among them, bodies close enough to be touching and some actually touching, tightly packed yet boundlessly free, together, maybe feeling good for the first time. This was the sum and solace of Donna Summer, and her name was fitting, as she brought on the summer of our lives, many of us, more than she will ever know, more than we will even ourselves understand.
Donna Summer's name conjoured hot sweaty midnights, disco balls, being gay and being proud, feather boas and poppers, cocaine and freedom, neon signs and leather vests, that kind of bad girl that every gay man wants to be – not bad really – more like the kind of bad that Olivia Newton John gets into at the end of Grease. Still, Donna Summer wore those tight Frederick's of Hollywood thick spandex pants first, like jeans but with a long zipper, stringy camisole thing on top, and in this uniform of the true disco diva, I imagine her working over the mikes at Casablanca like no one else before her or since.
We took the loss of Whitney Houston hard, and I for one have not yet recovered. It seemed like we had lost enough so far. Etta james and Whitney Houston – enough is enough – I had thought – and also ironically, it's one of my favorite Donna Summer songs. Enough is enough – I only think of it as a Donna Summer song – is that terrible? Of course her duet partner is the formidable Barbra Streisand, but unfortunately for Babs, Donna steals the show, even though I can tell the mix of the song is tipped heavily in Barbra's favor. No matter. Donna's voice shines decibels above even the greatest and most revered of all singers.
Donna Summer got played a lot at funerals in the 80s, Last Dance becoming a sort of requiem march. The untimely deaths of gay men from AIDS – when I hear that song, that is what I remember. I still love the song though, tragedy and bliss go hand in hand sometimes. I look back at my long life and blink unbelieving at how many I have survived. All I have left are these memories of songs, love for these singers. That is all. As i get older, I have less and less, or maybe that means, I have more. But enough is enough.
Donna Summer R.I.P


text:
[Look for the podcast play button below.]
I have a great show for you today. Provocative questions from the sexually worrisome and an equal number of amusing, entertaining and informative responses! Hey, it's what I do.
- Thomas, from Dublin, wants to bag a bird, but doesn't know how.
- Sita, from Delhi, can't get it on because it hurts.
- Tench and his man want friends that look, but won't touch.
- Doreen has been very bad and needs a spanking!
- Bob plays too rough and his BF's hole is in real trouble.
Check out The Lick-A-Dee-Split Connection. That's dr dick's toll free podcast voicemail. Don't worry people; no one will personally answer the phone. Your message goes directly to voicemail.
Got a question? No time to write? Give dr dick a call at (866) 422-5680. Again, the TOLL FREE voicemail number is (866) 422-5680. DON'T BE SHY, LET IT FLY !
Look for my podcasts on iTunes. You'll fine me in the health section under the subheading — Sexuality. Or just search for Dr Dick Sex Advice With An Edge. And don't forget to subscribe. I don't want you to miss even one episode.
Say, would you like to become a sponsor for one or more of my weekly sex advice podcasts? As you know, I plug a product or service at the beginning and end of each show. Each podcast has its own posting on my site along with the name of the podcast sponsor and a banner for the product or service.
The beauty part about this unique opportunity is that once a sponsor's ad is included in a particular podcast that sponsor is embedded there forever.
Your sponsorship also underscores your social conscience. Your marketing dollars will not only got to promote your product, but you will be doing so while helping to disseminate badly needed sex education and sexual enrichment messages. Simply put, ya just can't get a better bang for your advertising buck!
For further information, contact me at: firstname.lastname@example.com
Today's podcast is once again bought to you by: Dr Dick's Stockroom.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download


text:
Vietnamese Chicken
This is a recipe I kind of made up, trying to imagine Vietnamese ingredients. You should garnish this with chopped scallions, cilantro, and wedges of lime. Use big Ziploc bags for marinating.
Serves two hungry people, with leftovers for salad.
2 chicken breasts
2 chicken thighs
2 Tbsp. minced ginger
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Asian fish sauce
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
4 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
Marinate chicken with rest of ingredients overnight.
Bake chicken at 400 for approximately 45 minutes, basting occasionally. Sauce will be soupy. Serve with jasmine rice to sop up sauce.
Pretty Good Made-Up Cornbread
Makes one 10-inch skillet of cornbread.
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 egg
Whisk dry ingredients together. Melt butter in skillet in 400-degree oven.
Whisk egg into milk.
Add milk, egg, and most of butter to dry ingredients, stir gently, just until mixed. If you wish, you can add grated cheese, chopped chives, jalapenos, fresh corn, whatever you like.
Pour into hot skillet, place back into oven and bake approximately 20 minutes, or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. That is, if you can find a knife.
Summer Pasta
While tomatoes are still good, this is a perfect end-of-summer pasta dish. In winter, it can be made with cherry tomatoes.
Serves four.
4 large ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup slivered basil leaves
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, cubed
1/2 cup olive oil
12 oz. linguini or spaghetti or whatever shape pasta you like
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
1/2 cup chopped scallions for garnish
Combine tomatoes, basil, garlic, mozzarella, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Let sit to blend flavors.
When ready to serve, boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Toss with tomato mixture and serve.


text:
Sunday, June 6, 2010
A Heads up on Fiddleheads
This time a survey of my two competing supermarket chains a few weeks ago turned up a small amount of fiddlehead ferns at $4.99 a pound. They had already been wrestled out of their fuzzy jackets and are so beautiful with their architectural lines and cool green color, that I had to buy some to cook up for a lovely supper side dish.
I got a pot of salted boiling water going at full tilt, and then steamed the fiddlehead coils for ten minutes, until they were fork tender. I then served them simply with a pat of butter. They taste a bit like asparagus, but with a more grassy, earthy flavor, redolent of the odors of walking in a cool, mossy forest. My husband and kids were not enamored, however, and commented on their resemblance to a certain variety of garden pest.
No matter. I ate them all up and savored every bite. Fiddleheads are supposed to be very nutritious when cooked (don't eat them raw, as they have certain toxins that need to be boiled off in the cooking water) and they are certainly one of the most beautiful vegetables one can behold on the plate. I am sharing this discovery of a new and gorgeous vegetable with Simona of Briciole, who is this week's host of Weekend Herb Blogging, a blog event that explores cooking with herbs, vegetables, fruits and flowers. Weekend Herb Blogging is now in its fourth year and is headquartered at Cook (Almost) Anything At Least Once.
6 comments:
- Simona said...
You piqued my curiosity, Rachel. I have a lot of ferns in my garden and there are ferns everywhere around here, though I understand I need to do a careful identification before I attempt a tasting. Such a lovely plate! I never get tired of looking at ferns unfolding in the spring: it's fascinating. Thank you so much for participating.
- Monday, 07 June, 2010
- Esme said...
I so love fiddleheads-we do not get them in So. Cal.
- Tuesday, 08 June, 2010
- Gay said...
Fiddlehead fern is something we take for granted from where I leave since we have them almost all year round. We use them as vegetables, with coconut milk. Or mostly like a salad, with vinigar, onions and tomatoes. Time for me to check them out again...
- Monday, 14 June, 2010
- Kitchen Butterfly said...
I've seen flowers that look like these fiddleheads and have been tempted....to pluck and cook them!
- Saturday, 19 June, 2010
- Mediterranean kiwi said...
fiddleheads used to be eaten by cretans even in recent times, but no one eats these now, as far as i know, becos of the relative ease of access to food sources these days - they still grow in the area, so i know i can forage them and have a taste of old time food
- Tuesday, 27 July, 2010
I used to pick and eat fiddleheads as a kid growing up in Randolph NY. My mother ate them growing up in New Brunswick, Canada, and brought her love of them to NY. They were usually steamed,then served with a little vinegar. All the local relatives thought we were crazy. Thanks for the memories!
- Monday, 05 September, 2011