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Due to unforeseen circumstances, Rise Yoga Space is temporarily closed effective February 1st 2020. Please watch this space!
email@example.com / 07881 520320
MON – FRI 6am – 10pm
WEEKENDS 6am – 10pm
Welcome to Rise Yoga Kensal Rise
The incredible power of Yoga; come and see for yourself at your Rise Yoga Kensal Rise – your local studio.
Yoga is now almost universally understood and acknowledged, by professionals right across the health and wellbeing spectrum, to be of invaluable benefit to people of all ages, stages, shapes and sizes.
Whilst the ancient practice of Yoga, when practiced effectively and regularly, is undoubtedly a strengthener, toner and calorie burner, it is so much more than simply a strengthening exercise. Even gentle Yoga poses, such as those found in a typical Yin Yoga class, can ease stress, improve balance, and boost energy.
Yoga's star has been rising quickly and steadily since the turn of the 21st century. The practice has entered the mainstream lexicon and passed from the realms of 'fringe activity' to widely known and accepted activity, much in the same way jogging/running did in the early 1960's (both activities have of course been around forever but received a mid century boost of consciousness in Western culture).
Yoga however, again akin to running, goes far beyond being a passing trend. Yoga is a form of exercise, but it's more than that. Steady breathing is vitally important, as it affects your nervous system in beneficial ways that go beyond burning calories or making muscles stronger. Simply learning to plant your feet firmly as you do a pose strengthens the connections that keep you coordinated and flexible, for example.
Some of the many, and well documented, benefits of Yoga (alongside being a fun, enjoyable, positive and relaxing way to spend an hour or so) include:
Increased energy and brighter moods
You will feel increased mental and physical energy, improved alertness and enthusiasm, and fewer negative feelings once you are in a regular routine of Yoga practice.
Better Joint Health
Gentle Yoga eases joint discomfort. Slow movements and deep breathing increase blood flow and warm up muscles, while holding a pose can build strength in a healthy and sustainable way. Moving from pose to pose helps improve joint mobility.
Healthy Heart
Regular Yoga practice can reduce levels of body-wide inflammation that contribute to the progression of heart disease. It may even lead to healthier blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood-sugar levels, and body weight. Yoga isn't a substitute for moderate-intensity exercise like walking, jogging or cycling but makes an excellent partner to regular exercise.
Back Pain Relief
Yoga is excellent for easing the symptoms of and guarding against lower back problems.
Less Stress.
Study after study shows that people all of all types, from all backgrounds and going through all kinds of life events see positive benefits in terms of stress, anxiety and mental wellbeing from committing to a regular program of Yoga practice.
Which types of Yoga can I practice at Rise Yoga Kensal Rise?
Our philosophy at Rise Yoga Space is to provide the local community with a beautiful Yoga studio, open for all to learn, enjoy and benefit from Yoga in a relaxed and non judgemental environment with excellent teaching.
The 3 forms of Yoga we currently choose to offer are as follows:
Vinyasa Flow (or just 'Flow') Yoga Classes
The more dynamic (and contemporary) of our three styles, Flow Yoga strings sequences of poses together, sychronized very closely with the breath. A fantastic all encompassing form of yoga which will strongly benefit both mind and body.
Hatha Yoga Classes
Hatha classes tend to focus on one pose at a time, with rest in between. Hatha is an ancient system of Yoga which very much assists in bringing peace to body and mind.
Yin Yoga Classes
Yin Yoga postures are more passive postures, held mainly on the floor. Yin Yoga is unique in that you are asked to relax in the posture, soften the muscle and move closer to the bone. Yin is a very restorative form of Yoga and offers a much deeper type of access to the body.
So, whether you're a highly experienced Yogi, or an absolute beginner, we're confident you'll find something unique, something enjoyable and something beneficial at Rise Yoga Kensal Rise. We'd love to see you at the studio sometime very soon!


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The Shore Power System represents a giant leap forward for the Port and the community.
Port Hueneme, CA (PRWEB) May 04, 2016
The Port of Hueneme launched the second phase of its Grid-Connected Shore Power System, celebrating another next step forward in reducing air emissions and minimizing environmental impact. Among the community leaders attending the ribbon cutting were Congresswoman Julia Brownley, County Supervisor Kathy Long, Ms. Sabiha Khan with Senator Dianne Feinstein's office, Port Hueneme Mayor Douglas Breeze, and VCTC chairman Keith Millhouse. By connecting to the Port's Grid-Based Shore Power System, refrigerated cargo vessels calling the Port can shut down their auxiliary marine engines and operate on shore power in lieu of diesel fuel dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"The Port of Hueneme is an essential economic driver to our region and I am proud to have worked with community stakeholders and port leaders to support the grant for Phase II of the Shore Power Project," said Congresswoman Julia Brownley. "This project is a win for improving our environment, growing our local economy, and increasing the competitiveness of the port in the international marketplace."
Supervisor Long said, "The Port of Hueneme's continued environmental leadership in successfully implementing significant projects, such as this Shore Power System, have direct benefits on the community that surrounds the Port and throughout the region."
The Port of Hueneme's project "represents a giant leap forward for the Port and the community," said Port CEO and Director Kristin Decas. "Over the lifetime of this project (30 years), annual emissions from refrigerated cargo vessels also known as 'reefer vessels' will be significantly reduced." Anticipated reductions include a 92% reduction in PM, 98% reduction in NOx, and a 55% reduction in greenhouse gasses. "Environmental sustainability is a top priority for the Port and this largest emissions reduction project in county history represents our commitment to being a good neighbor by being a strong environmental steward," said Port Commission President Dr. Manuel Lopez.
Ventura County Transportation Commission Chairman, Keith Millhouse said, "VCTC and the Port have long been partners when it comes to safe and efficient freight movement, and now with the VCTC contribution of $1.7 million in federal funds for transportation and air quality purposes committed to the Shore Power project, we are pleased to be partners for clean air as well."
Phase I of the Shore Power system went online in April 2014, demonstrating the system's ability to provide a reliable, steady source of power for ships at berth. It has been successfully used by ships from such companies as Del Monte Fresh and Hamburg Süd which carries products for Chiquita Fresh.
Mike Villegas with the Ventura county Air Quality control District said, "The Port of Hueneme and all its staff should be commended for their commitment to implementing this Shore Power project. By utilizing grid electricity instead of the auxiliary engines on these vessels the port is not only reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides which form smog, but they are reducing emissions of diesel particulate matter and providing a public health benefit to their neighbors."
With the passage of AB 32 by the state assembly, programs were put in place mandating that refrigerated cargo vessels, called "reefer vessels" reduce greenhouse gas emissions for their ships at berth while in California ports. The major financial contributors for this project include the Ventura County Transportation Commission; the California Air Resources Board with proposition 1b funding; the Ventura County Air Quality Control District, providing grants for engineering; and Wells Fargo and Commercial Clearing House with a cash infusion from the Port's New Market Tax Credit transaction.
About the Port
The Port of Hueneme is one of the most productive and efficient commercial trade gateways for niche cargo on the West Coast. The Port is governed by 5 locally elected Port Commissioners. The Port moves $9 billion in goods each year and consistently ranks among the top ten U.S. ports for automobiles and fresh produce. Port operations support the community by bringing $1.1 billion in economic activity and creating 10,226 trade-related jobs. Trade through the Port of Hueneme generates more than $69 million in annual state and local taxes which funds vital community services.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Working on my first actual series. These are from the "Peace and Dove" series I've been working on these past weeks. I'm having so much fun and am actually very pleased with the results. All of the following are acrylic on canvas except the small one on a vintage wooden plaque. More to come!


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— Leman Wall, American Quarter Horse Assn.
"Great presenter, great stats, clean presentation."
— Laura Eilers, AthletixNation, Inc.
"Beneficial overview of sponsorship principals and best practices. We used this as an introduction to sponsorship for our managers."
— Erica Simpson, San Francisco Chronicle
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text:
H&M sweater. Urban Outfitters dress. Jeffrey Campbell Carry boots
Meet my new favorite boots — Jeffrey Campbell Carry — available at SoleStruck.com. They are my first pair of over-the-knee boots and it was love at first sight. The flats and wrap around straps had me at hello.
After nearly missing my flight (screw you Continental Airlines, but thanks to the guard who took pity on us and told us to go up the elevator to avoid the super long security line), Mel and I are back home in the Garden State for the next week and heading to Maryland/Virgina for my friend's wedding.
So I'm officially addicted to Twitter. Follow me so I can follow you!
And vote for me (Rebecca) or any of your other favorite bloggers for La Mimi's Favorite Fashion Idol!


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Hi Is there a way to extract all of the attachments in the `eAttachment` table and put them in a folder or network share? It would also be extremely helpful to be able to put each attachment in a folder made up of the metastorm foldername [more]
This can be cause by a number of different things, from an engine that's not started to incorrect endpoints. Here is a general list of things to check -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ **1) [more]
After upgrading from 9.1 to Version 18.104.22.168. The web front end stops working and all clients get the error message displayed below to them when they try to click on anything. **Error Message: Exception 'Timeout expired. [more]
The information in this article applies to: Product: Metastorm BPM (e-Work) Version: 6.x 7.x ## Issue ## * Folders are entering a system stage, but they're not moving on to the next stage as expected. ## Resolution [more]
Hi All, Suddenly the deployment service stopped working. When I tried to restart the service I am getting the following warning: **The Metastorm Deployment Service service on local computer started and them stopped.Some services stopped [more]
I have a form that a user will open to enter additional info in (say for example after the first quarter of the year has passed). With that, they can update new fields on the form that are specifically for quarterly updates. But on the original [more]
Hi I am trying to install Metastorm 18.104.22.168 on 2012 machine. I have installed Process Engine, Designer and Administrative tools in one machine ( .abc ) and Web Extensions on another machine (.xyz). Both are 2012 machines Metastorm Process [more]
I am trying to determine if this is an IE display thing or if there is a setting/property in the form/..? of the metastorm process I am deploying. When the form appears after the user edits it and it's at a stage where the I have numerous actions [more]
The documentation with 9.1 has not helped me too much. Does anyone have a simple example of how to create a scripted business object? thanks
Is there any way to get a file's contents from an attachment clip? Basically, I want to upload an XML folder with some data in it, open the file in code, perform validations on the file's contents, and throw a flag to kick off a new folder based [more]
Hi. Instead of working in Metastorm designer we would prefer to use Visual Studio with Resharper. No matter how good Metastorm Designer is it will never be as good as he above pair. We have no problems calling our custom [more]
The information in this article applies to: Product: Metastorm BPM Version: 7.x ## Issue ## * In the Formula Editor in the Process Designer, a line of code and a line containing a comment are added to *Only start action if* [more]


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As most of you know, I am a huge Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix, Bound, Speed Racer) fan. Whenever I do an interview with anyone who knows the brothers, I always try to find out what they're up to as they don't do any press. If you follow the brothers, you know they produced Ninja Assassin and the film arrives next week. But beyond Assassin, they have nothing scheduled to be released and there are no rumors about what they might be working on.
But at today's press junket for Ninja Assassin, I finally got someone to tell me the brothers are at least working! While I didn't find out what the projects are (believe me I tried), this is the first time anyone has said anything regarding their future projects. Believe me, I look for news on the Brothers constantly.
According to screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski, "they have a number of things in development. Some of them are large projects and some of them are smaller projects. I can't imagine Larry and Andy never working ever again. The brothers are always developing something." While I know this is almost a non-story, if you're a fan of the Wachowskis, I figured the news was worth sharing. If anyone knows what they are working on, please email me!


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We are a leading treatment facility offering state-of-the-art, evidence based programs for mental health disorders, addiction and dual diagnosis. Our Admissions team at (305) 615-2028 is available 24/7 to answer your questions and enroll you in one of our programs.
Our Blog
Want to learn more about drug addiction? Check out our blog for some of the latest information. We provide case studies, informational blogs, current event blogs and more to keep readers informed.
Overtown neighborhood turns into a heroin-overdose hotspot
Published On: 01-27-2017 in Category: Drug Addiction, Heroin, Narcan, Overdose
Overdosing on heroin is destroying lives across the United States including Florida. However, the drug is not just limited to the shanty low-income neighborhoods, it has, in fact, crossed all boundaries, reaching the suburbs and the affluent areas.
Recently, a homeless Hispanic woman was found fatally overdosed on heroin in Miami's Northwest 17th Street. The victim Mary, 43, stumbled and fell flat on the sidewalk as paramedics from the Miami Fire Department rushed to the scene to administer the life-saving overdose-reversal drug "Narcan."
The sad part is that such scenes are becoming increasingly common in almost every nook and corner of Overtown, which is fast turning into a heroin-overdose hotspot. According to the latest statistics, the Miami Fire-Rescue stations in the Overtown neighborhood administered Narcan injections almost 1,700 times, during the first nine months of 2016. There has been almost a twofold increase in such incidents, as compared to the previous year.
Most of the overdose victims in these parts of Miami are from white American or Hispanic backgrounds, rather than the black community, which is predominant in Overtown. People addicted to heroin are attracted to Overtown and the surrounding areas by the cheap packets of white powder nicknamed as "boys," which is available for a mere $10.
Cheap prices causing spike in heroin use
Experts attribute the spike in overdose cases to the national and state-level crackdown on pill manufacturing mills, which has made it even tougher to procure prescription opioids, such as OxyContin, Vicodin, Fentanyl and other off-the-counter painkillers, without producing a valid medical prescription.
Therefore, drug dealers are increasingly taking advantage of the identical chemical structure and euphoria-inducing properties of heroin to smuggle the drug into the state. Moreover, prescription opioids can cost nearly $1/milligram to uninsured users, i.e., $60 for a single 60-milligram pill, as compared to an equivalent amount of heroin, which costs much less and can be easily obtained at about $10 per bag.
"Heroin users have a history of nonmedical use of prescription opioid pain relievers," and "Americans using heroin are likely to be using other drugs," observes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Combating the menace of addiction
Alarmingly, cases of heroin overdose are increasing rapidly across states in the U.S. Heroin has a powerful effect on the pleasure circuitry of the brain, causing it to want more and more of the drug. Moreover, the effects of withdrawal from heroin can be severe.
If you or your loved one is battling an addiction to heroin, or any other substance, seek treatment immediately. The Miami Drug Treatment Rehab Center can help you get the best addiction treatment programs and embrace sobriety. Call at our 24/7 helpline number 305-615-2028 or chat online for more information on different treatment options in your vicinity.


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October 27, 2010
"Witchcraft": Content-Aware Fill & paint mixing on tablets
During Monday's MAX keynote, Kevin Lynch demoed a couple of the tablet explorations we've been doing:
As you can see, we're trying some different design directions, making stand-alone imaging tools for tablets, as well as companions to Creative Suite apps. Props to Iván Cavero Belaunde, Christoph Moskalonek, and the other folks who brought these features to life.
So, what do you think? How would you like to see these technologies evolve?
A good test is to see if people who've been using an iPad since they came out have any interest in the product at all. This will help you see which things are just novelty fueled by someone at Adobe's admiration for a new product. As one of those early iPad users, I feel like this stuff is all just novelty. Tell me there are more organic controls for use with graphics tablets (wacom) and you've got my attention. Tell me you think people want to mix colors on a fingerprint covered macro-phone and then shoot it over to their computer and I think you're just having a techno-lust episode.
I won't go into all the gory details, but I'd be more excited to hear that Adobe was going to address some of the problems with their existing, shipping, flagship products, like Photoshop and Illustrator (at least fix the thing where you can't change tools).
Donate a finger painting app to the OLPC project. Someone like David Hockney can make a living doodling on an iPad. Few of your CS users are going to find a productive use. With a 30″ wide gamut calibrated display, why in the world would I want to use an uncalibrated narrow-gamut tablet for color mixing?
I'm sure the other example of context-aware editing will be useful to a wide smart phone user base. I'd have no use for it professionally. By all means, have fun developing playful products and keep an eye out for uses that would translate to the professional tools. But I second the motion to keep the CS suite focus on addressing longstanding issues and with improving consistency between apps.
I take technology demos such as these in the same way I take concept cars at auto shows and fashion on the runway. It's a peek at what the future could be.
What grabs me about this demo is the the underlying idea that a tablet computer can also be a tablet input device. This speaks to devices that can change roles on the fly, all the while talking among themselves. That is: iPad today, movie player tomorrow, and Cintiq tablet the day after that.
Here is my vision of a workflow. I am shooting a beach out your way in sunny California or, more likely, back here in the chilly East. In my backpack, or on the shore nearby, is my iPad. It is tethered via Bluetooth to my camera. As I shoot, the images load automatically to the tablet. After a time, I stop, pull out the tablet, and with full Photoshop capability, including the ability to use a stylus a la Wacom, I rough out some preliminary takes on my work. For instance, I stack a bunch of surf frames and average them, checking to see if I've gotten the anticipated image. Sort of like using Poloroid test shots back in the good old film days. But perhaps I date myself.
After the shoot, I return home. My iPad now takes on the role of Cintiq tablet, talking to my desktop, and I work on the images in more depth. Oh darn, I want to mix colors or have my Configurator panels at my elbow. No problem, I pull out my beat up old iPad and "gang" it with the other iPad and my desktop.
This is what I see in the demo. Pretty exciting, notwithstanding that it's beyond my budget.
I'm hoping prices will come down with time. ;-)
Wrong OS :(
[Apple really, really doesn't appreciate it when developers demo iOS apps that haven't yet been approved in the App Store. In deference to their wishes, we built and demoed an Android version. –J.]
Ouch! That color mixing looks like it would be a pain to use – literally. Mmh, do I smell one more computer age disease where surgeons need to fix up overstretched tendons coming here? *yikes*
But the grouse made the picture! I thought he was just doing it as a joke at first, and then would do what a real photographer's task would be more inclined to be: removing the unsightly road. It looked like he just picked the easiest thing he could find, on a photo he already knew would work.
The demo was rigged! Why not take a random photo and audience suggestion for what to remove. Oh wait, then it might completely flop.
What? A tech demo with examples they already know will work? What kind of fraud is that?!
… Now you've got me thinking – he probably rehearsed his lines, too. What a joke!
[Sarcasm – in case anyone missed it]
The most revolutionary thing imaginable is to act as if you believe the system is honest and virtuous.
aw, now you're just grousing…. ;-)
Lightroom Express!
I love the color mixing on tablet tech. The color sampling has really started to mature with CS5 and now this stuff. I really would like to see the brush presets menu also mature and allow for easier toggling between sets. It's too tedious to have to unload and load brush sets and much too tedious to scroll through one giant list of brushes. Ideally there would be tabs of brush sets within the preset pane (up to 5?). Photoshop users are in need of something more robust than this antiquated part of the interface. Keep up the great work!
Been saying that for years.
Grouse ??? That's a Canada Goose!
ok. so I'll have a mouse, keyboard, medium wacom intuous3, AND an iPad on my desk? That's just too much stuff.
The best thing that could ever happen if for Wacom to put their tech into a tablet that uses their pens and the artist can use it as like an intuous or a cintiq. For sketching I'd draw directly on the tablet. For color work i'd work on my pc monitor using the tablet for pen input and activating custom photoshop-related widgets on the tablet to access tools and menus while my monitor is just one big uninterrupted canvas.
Without a doubt the MOST time-wasting and frustrating thing in Photoshop is having to click through menus and sub-menus over and over again to reach things you use all the time. The BEST improvement to productivity would be the facility to make and save your own toolbar. I've asked for this before and I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants this. In the program itself and/or as an iPad extension (iPhone TOO small) PLEASE!!
[Thanks for the feedback, Colin. To create toolbars, please check out Configurator. –J.]
What would get me to buy an iPad tomorrow? An app suite that gives me customizable, graphic control surfaces for Production Premium. Jog and shuttle, mark in and out for Premiere with a surface that changes to audio sliders and color shading controls. The same iPad could be a Multi-Touch surface to navigate around images and up and down layers in the graphic programs and After Effects.
It would be a sweet (suite?) victory for Adobe to deliver a feature set like this to Production Premium before Apple comes up with the idea for FC Studio.
I can only second that, to be able to use a tablet as a control surface for Photoshop, Lightroom etc would be fantastic. With practice I can see that really speeding up work flow.
Another great functionality would be to use a tablet like a Cintiq, where you can see the image on the tablet (maybe a lower res version for speed), make multi-touch edits (heal, clone, paint etc) and see the updates in PS on your computer screen. That would be a great tool.
That color mixing looks like it would be a pain to use – literally. Mmh, do I smell one more computer age disease where surgeons need to fix up overstretched tendons coming here? so I'll have a mouse, keyboard, medium wacom intuous3, AND an iPad on my desk? That's just too much stuff.
Give us the Adobe tools we love, but can use on the go, and build in easy sharing. We all want it. This IS the future. Produce it! Nice start.


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Adding a random sort to the category blog in joomla 1.5October 12th, 2011 by Edward
A client with a joomla wanted to display articles in a random order. Sounds like an opportunity for ee-web design to hack the back of joomla – marvelous. We are working here with joomla 1.5.23 – I shouldn't think its that different with the later joomlas….
There are two stages to this – set up another option in the drop down menu for the category blog layout and add a random sort to the query.
Adding an option to the category blog
Find root/components/com_content/views/category/tmpl/blog/xml
Look for this code
<param name="orderby_pri" type="list" default="" label="Category Order" description="Order items by category">
<option value="">No, order by Primary Order only</option>
<option value="alpha">Title Alphabetical</option>
<option value="ralpha">Title Reverse-Alphabetical</option>
<option value="order">Ordering</option>
And add another option thus:
<param name="orderby_pri" type="list" default="" label="Category Order" description="Order items by category">
<option value="">No, order by Primary Order only</option>
<option value="alpha">Title Alphabetical</option>
<option value="ralpha">Title Reverse-Alphabetical</option>
<option value="order">Ordering</option>
<option vlaue="random">Random</option>
Now go to your backend, open the menu item and see if the sort order now provides a "Random" selection in the drop down.
So, half way there – you can now select random order – but it doesn't do anything useful!
Alter the query
Now open components->com_content->helpers->query.php
and look for this code:
function orderbyPrimary($orderby)
switch ($orderby)
case 'alpha' :
$orderby = 'cc.title, ';
case 'ralpha' :
$orderby = 'cc.title DESC, ';
case 'order' :
$orderby = 'cc.ordering, ';
which effectively looks to see what selection was made in the back end and then applies that to the sort
We need to add in a random option – like so
function orderbyPrimary($orderby)
switch ($orderby)
case 'alpha' :
$orderby = 'cc.title, ';
case 'ralpha' :
$orderby = 'cc.title DESC, ';
case 'order' :
$orderby = 'cc.ordering, ';
case 'random' :
$orderby = 'RAND(), ';
default :
$orderby = ";
One last thing – note the word "random" in bold – you can write whatever you like here, just make sure that in the two steps you write EXACTLY the same thing – if you don't, it wont work!
And, hopefully that's it – all seemed to work for me.
Edward owns and runs ee-web design and has been building websites for over 12 years. He is passionate about... most things really
Was this post helpful or interesting? Spread the news.
First of all: Thank you for this article. I did the steps an it worked out on my Joomla 1.5 – System.
You ask your readers to edit "root/components/com_content/views/category/tmpl/blog/xml".
Of course you mean "root/components/com_content/views/category/tmpl/blog.xml".
If you want to radomize the order of your articles on your frontpage, it is necessary to edit the file "root/components/com_content/views/frontpage/tmpl/default.xml".
Comment by happy_programmer — March 22, 2012 @ 5:07 pm
Thanks for this – exactly what I needed to show a random subset of the testimonials on a website.
On J!2.5, instead of editing the core file blog.xml, I created an additional template layout "testimonial blog" by copy blog.xml, blog.php and blog_item.php to testimonial.xml, testimonial.php and testimonial_item.php with suitable edits for my purposes.
I'd like to be able to do the same with query.php, but I can't find any hint on how to override a helper with a local template copy.
Comment by Ken Adam — April 10, 2012 @ 11:08 am
Thank you! Finally my site will be randomly ordered http://www.theregoesmypaycheck.com
Comment by Brian Duke — June 5, 2012 @ 1:39 pm
It doesnt work for me:( I see the random option, but the articles are ordered in the same way like before. What should I select on the primary order tab?
Thanks for your help
Thanks but doesnt work. Should the order change for every refresh?
This is the page where shoul order random:
Hi there,
I am having the same problem as vbarnus… The random option is showing but when selected the articles dont show up randomly… The website is running on joomla 1.5.22
This is the page I want to randomise http://perthshireamber.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=73&Itemid=279
Thanks in advance for any help you can give!
Dear Edward,
I would send you the files just give me an email please. And I really apreciate you to help me. I just want to test it with this site then if it will work I will do it with another site. http://www.manoprogram.hu But that is a business page so I dont want to test it:)
Thanks you in advance.
It works but there is a misstype on the code:)
value not vlaue:)
it was 2 days to find the problem and n ot it works with my page. Thanks guys!
Does anybody know how to make this in the newsflash module? There is a chance to have a random article to show, but is shows only one article, but I need to show all the articles but in random order.
If you have any idea, please let me know.
I found this in the default.php
I dont know exactly how to configure rand params to show more than 1 item: $flashnum = rand(0, $items -1);
Do you have any idea?
Hi everyone,
Ur code works, but only if u have only 1 page in ur category blog. If u have more than 1, the articles are repeated in different pages.
Any idea to solve this???
Best Regards
Nice job – worked well for me in category blog. I even managed to add this to a section blog following the second part but applying it to file in components/com_content/views/tmpl/blog.xml for the first part.
The second part remains unchanged.
Thanks for the pointers – much appreciated.
Comment by Henk — September 5, 2012 @ 2:05 am
This is a great fix in Joomla 1.5. I know it's already been mentioned but if you ever do come up with a solution for Joomla 2.5 I'd be extremely grateful. I have a list of accommodation providers on a page which I'd love to display in a random order. Cheers, Mike
This could not worked for me. here is my Query.php code
public static function orderbySecondary($orderby, $orderDate = 'created')
$queryDate = self::getQueryDate($orderDate);
switch ($orderby)
case 'date' :
$orderby = $queryDate;
case 'rdate' :
$orderby = $queryDate . ' DESC ';
case 'alpha' :
$orderby = 'a.title';
case 'ralpha' :
$orderby = 'a.title DESC';
case 'hits' :
$orderby = 'a.hits DESC';
case 'rhits' :
$orderby = 'a.hits';
case 'order' :
$orderby = 'a.ordering';
case 'author' :
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case 'rauthor' :
$orderby = 'author DESC';
case 'front' :
$orderby = 'a.featured DESC, fp.ordering, ' . $queryDate . ' DESC ';
case 'random' :
$orderby = JFactory::getDbo()->getQuery(true)->Rand();
// I have Changed This Code Starts Here
// case 'RANDOM' :
// $orderby = 'c.random';
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default :
$orderby = 'a.ordering';
return $orderby;
Comment by Tariq Khan — November 2, 2016 @ 7:35 am
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Thank You.


text:
In the scheme of things, making homemade baby food is simple business (and totally worth it!). Roast or steam, puree and freeze. No big deal, right? Well, as any busy parent knows, even the simplest tasks become arduous when you're under slept and have few precious personal moments. Sometimes even just three easy steps feels like too much to bear. The best motivation to get back on track? Make purees that you—and the rest of the family—love, too! The effort feels more worthwhile when you can feed more than just one member of the family with the fruits of your labor.
Serving purees feels strange when you think of them only as baby food. But, just like good old-fashioned applesauce, a tasty puree is great to have on hand for eaters of all ages. They make a prefect snack, mix-in for yogurt or oatmeal, smoothie base or even ice cream topping.
To make purees that everyone will love, start by thinking outside the produce. You don't have to stick with just plain fruits and vegetables.
* Add grains and nuts (for children already safely eating tree nuts; read more on safely introducing high allergen foods to beginner eaters). Whiz nuts like walnuts and almonds in your food processor to make a flour-like meal that can be blended into your puree (be careful not to over blend or you'll end up with nut butter). You can do the same with raw grains like oats and quinoa. Add hot water to the resulting "flour" to "cook" the grains and make a paste—of whatever consistency makes most sense—that can be stirred into your puree.
* Play with combinations of vegetables and fresh and dried fruits. There are infinite ways to combine ingredients. Poke around here and look to your other favorite baby food resources for inspiration. Then cook a bunch of ingredients and mix and match to see what works well. Steam apples, roast pears and squash and soak prunes—then go crazy! Apples and squash. Pears and prunes. Apples and pears. You get the picture.
* Don't be afraid to use herbs and spices. They're often what separate bland baby food from purees that even grownups love. Remember those puree combos from above? Now turn them into apples and squash with toasted curry powder; pears, prunes and cardamom; apples and pears with cinnamon and nutmeg. Now we're cooking!
* For kids over 12+ months, puree with liquids other than water, formula and/or breast milk. Whole cow or goat milk add creaminess, as does coconut milk (with a tropical flare!). Try unsweetened almond milk for kids already safely eating tree nuts. Though I don't recommend serving cups of juice to beginner eaters (lots of sugar without most of the benefits that come from whole fruit), a touch of OJ, pineapple juice or cider can add a whole lot of flavor to already nutrient-packed fruit and veggie purees.
What baby food puree have you made that the rest of the family loves, too? Share your ideas with us!


text:
Intro by George Nielsen
Serbin's official beginning took place in 1860 when the government honored the community's request and gave the little village a post office. From 1860 on Serbin experienced a modest growth until 1890 when the railroad builders bypassed Serbin and then began its decline and lost its status symbol—the post office—in 1909.
Much of Serbin's fifty-year existence was uneventful, but during Serbin's early years the troubles associated with Reconstruction spilled over and disrupted life in Serbin as well. Historians date Reconstruction from the conclusion of the war in 1865 until 1877 when all the seceding states were back in the Union.
Not all states were on the same Reconstruction timetable, but most went through similar stages. For Texas the first stage, from 1865 to 1870, was a contentious time as the Northern leaders set up a provisional government and established guidelines for readmission. Those uncertainties, in addition to the disruption of civilian life resulting from the war, provided an environment conducive for violence.
Texas was readmitted into the Union in 1870 and elected Republican leaders, but politics was often the cause for problems rather than a solution. The young Republican Party was northern party and Abraham Lincoln had won with Northern votes. The party leaders planned a national party by establishing it in the South as well. They envisioned a Republican Party based on the former Southern Whigs, immigrant Northerners who saw business opportunities in the South, and the Freedmen. The Democrats were not inclined to step aside and instead used methods, including violence, to regain political power. They elected a Democrat governor in 1873 and then wrote a new constitution in 1876.
Kenneth Kesselus, in his study of Bastrop County during Reconstruction, frequently refers to a German resident of Bastrop named Julius Schutze (Schuetze). His residency in Bastrop was brief—from 1864 to 1870. He had immigrated to Texas in 1852 and lived in various locations including San Antonio and Austin. He taught speech and music, tuned pianos, and was active in the Sängerbund.
He moved to Bastrop to teach school in 1864 but after the Civil War the Provisional Governor of Texas, Andrew J. Hamilton, appointed Schuetze to the position of Chief Justice of Bastrop County. In 1869 was elected to the state legislature as a Republican. After he left Bastrop County he edited a German newspaper in Austin, cultivated silkworms, and served as President of the Sons of Hermann. (Source: Handbook of Texas Online)
Schuetze's brief political career serves as an example of a Texas German who during Reconstruction worked to build a Republican Party on a base of Germans, Freedmen, and Southern whites. It also illustrates the ultimate return to private life of Republicans as the Democrats regained political power.
Schuetze's contribution to Wendish studies is a list of citizens, both black and white, that could be trusted to register former slaves and disenfranchise former Confederates. The requirements for such a position included taking an oath of loyalty to the Constitution and also the test oath that included the statement that they had not voluntarily supported the Confederacy. Schuetze's list did not separate German from Wend, but Kesselus included the list in an Appendix so we can do it now. Information on Wendish political participation is hard to find and many never were naturalized so this list in valuable because it does name those Wends who were Unionists in 1867 and sympathetic to the formation of a Republican Party that included freed slaves.
John Dube, John Heohle (Hohle), J. Knippie (John Knippa), G. Mertik (George Mertink), M. Morasko (Matthes Mrosko), John Schoenig, M. Simmank, M. N. Trellop (Matthes Prellop), John Urban, M. Domaschk (Matthes Domaschk), A. Polnick (August Polnick), John Schatte, Mathias Schultze, J. Semme (John Symm), M. Wukash, Joe Deo, Ch. Lehman (Charles Lehman), M. Mitich (Matthes Mitschke), J. Schneider (John "Captain" Schneider), M. Schuster (Matthes Schuster), J. Schilling (John Schelnick), Jacob Urban, M. Wagner (Matthes Wagner), Adam Ritter, J. Schellneck (John Schelnick), J. Kilian (John Kilian)
Other Wends identified as dependable Union/Republican men: Carl Mischalk (Carl Michalk), Peter Persch (Peter Gersch), Carl Lehmann (The Godfather), Fred Sedyler (Fred Seydler), and Andreas Kieschnick.
Civil War and Reconstruction
by Ken Kesselus
Bastrop County was one of only nineteen Texas counties (another was Fayette County), out of 122, to deliver a majority against secession. Locally, there were some strong leaders who were in favor of staying in the union, but there weren't many. The main group who voted against secession were the Germans. The county-wide totals were 335 for and 352 against. The secessionists lost by 17 votes. The pro union voters had 51%.
The Serbin area box, called Rabb's Creek Box, cast 57 votes in the election, 56 against and 1 for. Without that box the vote would have been 336 (53%) for and 296 against. The other box that voted against secession was Bastrop, which had a sizable number of Germans, mostly merchants and tradesmen living in town.
It was the horrible time after the war that I have researched extensively and have written about in my latest Bastrop County book. (Bastrop County during Reconstruction.)
What I do know is that Serbin was the only town in that area, and before the railroad came it was the only place that you could really call a town besides Bastrop.
For example, in January 1866, Bastrop County commissioners designated thirteen roads that they would keep up–one of the main ones was the Bastrop to Brenham Road, via the Serbin Community. It closely followed the Gotier Trace.
In the late 1860s, St. Paul's congregation remained one of only five church buildings in Bastrop county. All the rest were in the town of Bastrop. This is an important factor in demonstrating how developed this area was.
After the Civil War was a very difficult time in the South. The Emancipation Proclamation became effective in Texas when the Federal troops landed in Galveston in June 1865, as 5,000 soldiers enforced martial law. The Federal government made Texas an occupied territory (no longer a state).
There was a great deal of difficulty for the freed slaves because the conservative whites tried everything they could to maintain as much of the status quo that they possibly could. Eventually the Federal government put into place the Freedman's Bureau and there was an agent in Bastrop who had the authority to call in Federal soldiers. Most of the Germans felt the desire to help the emancipated slaves with their new found freedom and not resist the changes that were going on. I know that this was true in this area.
Eventually most of the Federal troops were withdrawn, and the Texas government created a State Police force that was kind of like the Texas Rangers and under the control of the governor to help protect the African Americans, as the Army had done before.
An example of what the Freedman's Bureau did was to promote schools for African Americans. In the Serbin area, a man named Solomon Fehr donated land and timber for a schoolhouse where he himself taught students before being replaced by an African American teacher.
What happened in the political realm was that the African Americans, and mostly German Americans, and a few Union supporters, people who had opposed the war, etc, were able to carry the day in the polls because a number of the Anglo whites were prohibited from voting and some of them opted out because they thought that the Federal government was going to make whatever it wanted happen and it did not matter if they voted or not.
In the outlying areas of Bastrop County, a frightening degree of violence occurred in 1868, just as blacks got the vote and the Republican coalition was able to gain control. "Raids on Negro homes became so numerous . . . that blacks . . . began sleeping in the woods for fear of getting caught or killed." In addition, "masked riders kidnapped two delegates to the state convention of the Union League and hanged them."
In the midst of this, Serbin Justice of the Peace Andreas Kieschnick wrote an extraordinary, articulate, blunt, confrontational, and desperate letter to Governor Pease about the violence and lawlessness in this area. It reflects the state of affairs in Bastrop County and illustrates the difficulty of changing the views and actions of many unreconstructed Confederates.
"Sir, Some weeks ago, while in the discharge of my official duties as justice of the peace, I was attacked by a band of outlaws, who had broken into our peaceable settlement, and severely wounded with a bowie knife by a certain Gorman, who with a number of men lives in the woods of this neighborhood committing depredations upon the quiet and peaceable German settlers of this vicinity. I appealed through Captain Porter [Freedman's Bureau agent in Bastrop county] to General Reynolds [Commander of Texas for the military, ultimately in charge of everything about Texas] for protection and military assistance to arrest the offenders, but my petition was not noticed at headquarters. It may be proper to state here that it would be impracticable to summon a posse of citizens as the gang of desperados is too numerous to be caught at once and the remaining outlaws with their connections would certainly fall en masse upon every farmer who would obey such summons, when they find him alone in his field. It was therefore, that I most respectfully asked General Reynolds through Captain B. Porter, Sub Asst Commissioner of Bastrop County to send us a file of soldiers for the arrest of murderers and assassins. We have patiently been waiting for these troops, but in vain. Captain Porter informs us that he has not received a reply to the statement and petition sent by him to Headquarters and we have abandoned the hope that something will be done for our relief.
Allow me therefore, Governor, most respectfully to tender herewith my resignation as justice of the peace of this county, as I deem it incompatible with right and honor to serve a government that with all the power at her command is unwilling to protect even her most humble public servant in the discharge of his duties. Were I a General of this mighty republic and the Government would fail to protect me in my official duties I should readily break her sword under my feet and throw it with contempt before my superiors. Were I a judge and the government would refuse to lend me her strong arm to administer the law, I should trample upon my commission before I would be willing to dishonor the chair of justice.
I am only an humble magistrate. There is no salary connected with my office. It is merely the honor which every republican citizen should feel when serving his country even in the capacity of a justice or constable, but such service becomes a dishonor if that government presents a deaf ear to the appeals of her loyal officers.
Not doubting that the General commanding this District may soon find a citizen as my successor who may be willing to serve as magistrate under existing circumstances, I have the honor to remain, Governor, your very obedient servant. Andreas Kieschnick."
In 1871, a gang terrorized northeastern Bastrop County, rendering the area "disorderly and deplorable." Four men armed with shot guns and six-shooters disrupted a circus performing in Serbin. They drew down on Deputy Sheriff W. Miller and ordered him to leave, then turned on some freedmen, robbing them of pistols and money. Their leader, John Wilson, "well known as a desperado" and citizen of neighboring Burleson County, and another man named Long, boasted that they had recently shot a man named Paul Brice and stolen his horses. Arsonists acted near Serbin – burning another freedmen's school, near Cunningham's Post Office on the river. They also cruelly whipped the teacher. About the same time, in the Pin Oak neighborhood near Serbin "fifteen or twenty disguised men" took three elderly freedmen from their homes at midnight and "stripped and brutally whipped" them. Two of the freedmen, brothers Edward and Patrick Wormley rented land on Pin Oak Creek in far eastern Bastrop County, and the third freedman, Martin Bell, owned his place. The culprits whipped Bell "on the soles of his feet in the most inhuman manner" – so badly that an attending physician did not expect him to walk for a year.
A correspondent from Serbin wrote Austin's Reformer on July 1 about worsening conditions there. "Last night twelve men, dressed in white, faces painted black and red, high hats and horns, rode into town making a great noise, shooting and hooting." After forcing themselves into several cabins, they evicted the African-American residents and destroyed their furniture. With no law officers in the area and because "neither his life or property is safe," the writer expected Justice of the Peace Jungmichel to resign his office.
Ku Klux Klan activity in the county involved beatings, lynchings, and burnings. An anonymous writer sent a note to the State Journal saying, that "the lynchers and school-house burners [had left] the condition of affairs simply desperate." He insisted, as "absolute fact," that armed men "in disguise" prowled at night, "burning school-houses, whipping school teachers, and beating colored men who patronize schools." The perpetrators inflicted "terrorism" not only on blacks but also on Germans, "especially those of Serbin [who were] continually intimidated and outraged by these cowardly and infamous scoundrels."
When the district attorney tried to gain indictments against such men, Serbin's C. C. Jungmichel testified that a gang, "calling themselves the same name: i.e. 'Ku Klux,'" came through Serbin more than once, frightening the citizens. Patrick Wormley, one of the freedmen recently whipped, and a man named Ryan stated that their tormentors called themselves "Ku Klux."
When the grand jury failed to indict anyone, there was a large outcry across the state and especially in Bastrop county and the governor nearly declared martial law in Bastrop County. Falling short of that, however, he ordered additional state policemen to the area. The local lieutenant appointed Fredrick Milton and August Jeffers as special police stationed at Serbin.
Shortly after African Americans finally gained the right to vote, the commanding general ordered the local freedman's bureau agent Byron Porter to suggest three places for registering voters and for polling places. He chose Bastrop, Walnut Creek (Red Rock/Cedar Creek, Rockne area) – and Serbin. He expected a majority in each to favor reform and support the new law so there could be a fair registration and election. He advised dividing the county with all residents of eastern Bastrop County to register and vote in Serbin.
Porter recommended those he thought most capable of ensuring a fair election in Serbin – Carl Michalk (who had left Texas to serve in the Union Army) and Peter Gersch; and Carl Lehmann, described as "always a good Union man."
But the conservatives, bent on control blacks and maintaining the status quo, rallied around the Democratic Party to stop this – appealed to the pivotal German voters, including those in Serbin, but without much success. Failing that, they also used threats and violence to try to intimidate the Germans using "Ku Klux bands of nocturnal prowlers and marauders" to keep many of them from the polls by overrunning several sections of the county, including Serbin, burning schools, whipping teachers, and threatening "whites and blacks with impunity."
Though a tentative Republican majority in Bastrop County provided some hope that freedmen could live there in relative safety, the political situation across Texas worked against them. In the January 1873 election, Republican Governor Davis lost to Democrat Richard Coke by a more than a two-to-one margin. Democrats also gained control of other executive offices and both houses of the legislature. This positioned the party, in 1874, to begin repealing the reforms carried out since 1869 and effectively ended the Reconstruction Era in Texas. The next year, after the Democrats regained control, a constitutional convention and the vote to affirm it erased much of the Republican policies and laws of a progressive nature.
The Republicans continued for a time to poll strongly in Bastrop County, but they were barely holding on, still winning most elections, with the Serbin area providing an important part of the majority.
Meanwhile, the railroad arrived in Bastrop County and the founding of Giddings on the rail line, only seven miles from Serbin, began to change the lives of locals. They turned more and more northeastward and away from Bastrop.
Residents in and around Serbin began to complain about their isolation from the rest of the county. In 1870, two petitions from citizens of the area sought relief through the creation of a new county that would include Serbin. The first, sent to Governor Davis from Justice of the Peace C. C. Jungmichel, along with S. Fehr, L. Sustry, C. A. Lottman, Carl Lehmann, A. Kappler, and F. Kessel. It included a map of a proposed county, combining sections taken from four existing ones – Washington, Burleson, Fayette, and Bastrop.
The second, a follow-up to the first, went directly to Davis from C. Munsenberger "in the name of the Settlement Serbin." He represented "about 25 of our wealthy and influential citizens of this section." Stating that they all strongly supported the Republican administration, he asked whether they could expect their proposed "county, named Serbin" or "whether we will yet and further on have to have 22-27 miles to our County seat."
The effort did not prevail, but four years later J. L. Moore, John G. Hardemeyer and Thomas J. Nesbitte called for a meeting of citizens "of the west end of Burleson county, the west end of Washington county, the northwest end of Fayette county, and the northeast end of Bastrop county" to meet at Giddings "for the purpose of devising ways and means for the formation of a new county, to be composed of the above named territory."
Once introduced in the 1874 session of the legislature, the bill had some difficulty making its way through both houses of the legislature but finally emerged with a consensus and the name "Lee County," in honor of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. After the final vote in the House, the bill became law on May 2.
By July 27, 1874, the government of Lee County was organized and in operation. Taking away forty square miles of Bastrop County, 4.3% of its total, including Serbin and surrounding areas.
From the perspective of Bastrop County African Americans and other Republicans, however, a much more substantial loss came from the transfer of a sizeable number of mostly Republican German voters to Lee County.
In addition to the shift of some Germans to the Democratic camp, this development further threatened the tenuous majority Republicans had held for a number of years. This geopolitical change helped ensure a future in which Bastrop County would follow the majority of Texans into Democratic rule, resting on the strength of a solid majority of conservative white voters. It also guaranteed that the prospects for progress among African Americans would decline in its wake. The support and protection provided for freedmen by local Republican authorities would evaporate when Democrats regained control of all offices Bastrop County.
George Nielsen's Response
Because race is such a critical matter today we look back and see everything tied to slavery. Slavery was not the only issue from 1820 on. Even more important were (1) the tariff (2) internal improvements and (3) western lands (cheap or free). And remember, the secession vote was not over slavery, it was over the question of the union. The Wends were just like the other white yeoman farmers and used their families in the cotton fields instead of slaves. There were more yeoman farmers than planters and it was a subsistence farm in which cotton provided the cash to buy the things they could not produce themselves.
Reconstruction should be associated with political parties. The Republican Party was young party that did not have a following in the South. In order to make it a national party it was necessary to bring in those Southerners who were former Whigs, add those Northerners who wanted to build up the South with railroads, factories, and enterprise, and add the Freedmen to provide the votes. The Conservatives were the Democrats who wanted to keep control of the state and prevent the Freedmen from voting Republican. (Low taxes, cotton economy.) Pease and Edmund J. Davis were the only Republican governors in those days.
We do not know if the Wends voted against secession or if they even voted. We do not know if the Wends were opposed to slavery or if they were too poor to buy a slave. Did the Wends display racial prejudice by not trying to convert the Freedmen to Lutheranism? It seems as if they pretty much bought into the segregated society, but thanks to Ken Kesselus' study we now know that the Wends wanted to work with a Republican Party and the Freedman's Bureau to improve education of the Freedman and integrate them into the political system.
Serbin Area Violence during Reconstruction
by Weldon Mersiovsky
Examples of violence during the Reconstruction Era evidenced itself in the death and burial records of St Paul Lutheran church in Serbin.
1. Jordan Krueger, farmer on the Bullfrog [Creek], died at 7 pm on Sunday, 10 July 1870. He was murdered by his renter. Jordan is survived by one son, August, in California; one son, Henry, here; one daughter, Minna, in Hannover; and one daughter, Emma, in Pennsylvania.
2. On July 9, 1871, a year less a day from which his father was killed, Henry Krueger, farmer near the railroad station in Giddings, died from fatal injuries received from an unknown person.
3. Carl Wilhelm Herman Muenzenberger, (mentioned by Kesselus) who died 15 May 1872, was a former merchant in San Antonio, then teacher at the public school that was founded at Serbin on 1 Mar 1872. He was 39 years and one month old and was survived by a widow living in New Braunfels and one son. No cause of death was given.
4. Dr. Johann Mollet died on 28 Jun 1875 and was buried in the St Paul cemetery. According to Pastor Kilian he was shot to death, "a vicious murder in Serbin Town."
See also "Serbin in the News" in the Wendish Research Project blog.]]>


text:
Friday, October 19, 2007
These Young People Today
Journals where these writers' works can be found:
Glimmer Train no. 64
Ploughshares vol. 32 no. 1
The Antioch Review vol. 65 no. 3
The Missouri Review vol. 30 no. 2
The Paris Review no. 180
Tin House no. 31
Salt Hill no. 19
One of the most recognized roles of literary magazines is as publishing venues for new writers. This has been true since at least the beginning of the 20th century, when magazines like Poetry and The Double Dealer were dedicated to locating new talent--which they did in spades, publishing the early writing of such then unknowns as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Thonrton Wilder, T.S. Eliot, Jean Toomer, H. D., and numerous more. Their position as discoverers of new writers is a portion of their job that literary magazines take much pride in; it is one of the main editorial distinctions separating them from the better circulated and more financially lucrative glossy magazines, who most often cannot risk print space on writers or forms of writing that have not yet proven their audience appeal. Still the literary magazine world's role in the careers of American writers seems a little publicly realized fact (though one much mentioned in these pages). One might wonder, for instance, what number of the many readers of Jeffrey Eugenides Pulitzer Prize winning and best-selling novel Middlesex have even heard of The Gettysburg Review, where Eugenides published his first story. The same question could be posed about the first publications of such authors as Claire Messud, Sara Gruen, Junot Diaz, or Philip Roth. Certainly the literary magazine publishing complex doesn't have the cultural power it had during the height of modernism, with such things as television, the internet, and the general glut of contemporary publishing to compete with, but there are still, in the thousand plus literary magazines out there, much wonderful and powerful writing constantly being discovered and published.
Like in nearly everything, some works stand out above others. There are, at various times, writers whose works are being almost universally acknowledged by editors across the spectrum, everyone seemingly at once becoming aware of a new and exciting artistic talent. Recently, the writing of two stunning and amazingly talented writers appears in just about every literary magazine a reader might pick up (and even some wider ranging, glossier publications): 28-year-old short story writer Benjamin Percy and 36-year-old poet Victoria Chang.
1. The Short Story Writer.
"The blood in his ears buzzes, like a wasp loose in his skull. The rifle kicks against his shoulder. The gunshot fills the world." -from "Somebody Is Going to Have to Pay for This," originally published in The Paris Review no. 180
Benjamin Percy is undeniably the real thing. His stories are some of the most emotionally charged and gorgeously understated pieces found in print today; they seem filled with a barely controlled passion vibrating below the surface of each sentence, like the desperate shaking of a tornado shelter door as the twister passes directly overhead. Like a good Raymond Carver story (whose influence runs through Percy's writing), the emotional climaxes of Percy's stories are never sentimentalized or brooded upon, they simply happen, like things do in this world, and we move on beyond them changed, but as yet uncertain as to how. And aside from Percy's talent for moving character and plot, his language is as nuanced and delicate as the many interlocking gears of an enormous clock, each piece perfectly balancing against another. And his eye for detail is seductive in its selectivity. Here is a brief description of a couple spelunking in an opening beneath their house in Percy's story "The Caves in Oregon" from Glimmer Train no. 64: "Sometimes the ceiling would come loose with a click of stone, a hiss of dirt, nearly noiseless in its descent, but when it impacted, when it slammed to the cave floor, it roared and displaced a big block of air that made them cry out and clutch each other in a happy sort of terror." A silent falling piece of rock nearly crushes them and they cry out in a happy sort of terror, as we all do when we are scared and in love.
Nearly all of Percy's stories are an inspection of working class Oregon, a fertile ground for fiction, covered most memorably in the short stories of Carver and Charles D'Ambrosio. But it isn't only the frontier wilderness of Oregon that Percy depicts in his stories; the enduring theme of all his stories is what repressed pain does to someone, how in keeping our hurts and fears from others in an effort to protect ourselves from further injury, we are also changing ourselves, distorting, sometimes even crippling, our behaviors, perceptions, and desires. Not that Percy seems to argue that this isn't the way we should behave; he simply shows us that, in today's war-torn landscape where the gap between the rich and poor is widening every moment, this is how we live: in a forced repression of violence and fear, seeking (sometimes finding) some love and companionship to remind us we can be happy.
In each of Percy's stories there are elements of violence, either directly acted or only haunting the scenery. In some even, violence is the world's main form of currency, such as in Percy's Plimpton Prize winning story, "Refresh, Refresh," where two boys beat each other bloody every day in order to toughen themselves and make their fathers proud. Even in "The Caves of Oregon," arguably one of Percy's least violent stories, focusing around a couple dealing with a recent miscarriage, Percy begins the piece with a grotesque scene of a couple opening a meat-stocked freezer after a power outage earlier that day: "The sight of it reminds Kevin of the time he had his wisdom teeth removed. His dentist had given him an irrigator, a plastic syringe. Twice a day he filled it with salt water and placed its needle into the craters at the back of his mouth--and from them, in a pink rush, came scabs, bits of food. That is what the freezer looks like when its door opens and the blood surges from it--all down the front of the fridge, dampening their photos, glossing over their magnets, until the front of the fridge has more red on it than white." After seeing this, Kevin's wife, "makes a noise like a wounded bird....A tremble races through her body and then she goes perfectly still."
But, amidst all the violence and hurt in Percy's fiction, there is a constant desire by the characters for some undefined connection with others and an understanding of the self. This is not a conscious need, but instead it is a need the characters haven't conceptualized but just know they want, like an itch. And it is this need for others which drives the stories, this constant struggle of human needs against a violent world. The endings are usually unhappy. Sometimes the characters are allowed to see the calm surface of the world, such as in "In the Rough" from The Antioch Review vol. 65 no. 3: "He imagines he is sitting at the bottom of a pond, his pockets weighed down by golf balls, his words escaping his mouth, buoyant and drifting to the surface where everything is blue and full of sunlight." Other times, the characters aren't even than lucky, and the calm world does not even exist in the life of the imagination. In Percy's enthralling mystery tale "Dial Tone" from The Missouri Review vol. 30 no. 2, we are left only with the stark image of, "The hissing of radio frequencies, the voices of so many others coming together into one voice that coursed through you in dark conversations."
2. The Poetess.
"I wake the next morning, pretending
nothing happened. Pretending this life, this era,
with its cheap housing projects, music that makes
cars vibrate, men pouring concrete and snipping
hedges into shapes of animals, pretending."
-from "The Dislocated Theater," originally published in Salt Hill no. 19
Victoria Chang is making a great success as one of the most prodigious and continually intriguing poets around. But it is not mere ubiquity that makes readers and editors pay special attention to her work. The oeuvre of Chang's poetry asserts its importance through each individual poem's presence--like a loud fingerprint from another planet you can't help but recognize as one of your own. And, like all fingerprints, it is the zeitgeist, the roaming camera, the caffeinated, sound-bite-addled monologue in our heads.
Many of Chang's poems are unbelievably expedient in their delivery, coming at you with the speed of the contemporary, like an email made of sparkling quartz. "Each morning," her recent poem "How Much" from Paris Review no 180 begins, "I put on those shoes, legs,/ nylons, sex, black briefs with texts. Each/ dusk, there were martinis, drinks that said/ Cocktail! No choice." We are thrust immediately into the high sensual moment at Autobahn speeds.
In a recent review on Blackbird, Susan Settlemyre Williams nicely describes Chang's poetry as that which "thinks big, that harbors the best sort of ambitions, not to be acclaimed, but to stretch itself." Chang's poems are not meditations on an abandoned lover or ruminations of a single orchid on a battle-torn embankment; they seem to strive against these singular notions of the contemporary. Chang's poems resemble a sort of string theory of the poetic world, burning with a fever of multiple desires and personalities, with their hands in a variety of ages. In "How Much," the speaker of the poem is not only the victim of a lightning quick mind, absorbing a thousand sensory experiences in a New York minute, but, like ill-fated Cassandra, she can also see into the future. The narration in the poem shifts from place to place (apartments, cars, dinners) and voice to voice (answering machines, excited voices, chilling proclamations), moving from one worm hole to the next until we finally arrive at a less chaotic, taxi-cab- and cell-phone-free future, where "Somewhere in a kitchen, a mother will watch/ the last piece of beef fall off a bone." Beneath the demanding shimmering chaos forever remains the world of meat.
In her two poems from Tin House vol. 8 no. 3, "Seven Infidelities" and "Dear Professor," we again see Chang's amazing ability as a writer to leap about in a myriad of locations/events/voices/ideas in her poems, much as one would flip television channels or surf the net. Yet, just as websites and television channels are all part of one large, complex system, we never feel Chang is not weaving some intricate and important pattern with her imaginative bursts. "Seven Infidelities" discourses on a number of seemingly isolated instances of occasional want and deviance, but in the end everything converges into a thrusting violence as "houses fall into the ocean with all the people/ bumping into sofas" and "the snow falls in the shape of men and women,/ and they collide randomly in the dark." In a nearly opposite poetic representation of isolation in chaos, the landscape of Chang's poem "Dear Professor" is not the world, but the narrator's frictive mind, within which we roam between jolts of memory and ironic assertion: "Drugs are like running, someone said, when I didn't get it./ Never got it. You mean raining. Ruining. Like,/ like, like, not quite. Williams hated similes." Finally, our Chinese Emeritus narrator seems through being the conception of another's desire (the professors?) and
wants "to be Emeritus only,/ so the bullet in another chest does not hurt. So I can sink/ my mouth in, come out with it between my teeth./ So I win. So good enough."
But not all of Chang's poems have this same quality of order in randomness. One of her most powerful poems is also her quietest. "Proof," originally published in Ploughshares vol. 32 no. 1, is a subtle evocation of the almost mathematically precise weave of connections that makes up human civilization, and which seems to be a very common notion of our communal fate: now that the communication and travel have been simplified, we can no longer ignore our relations, no matter how distant, historical, or unexplained. But, if this is the case, that all our fates are linked, what happens to our individuality? Where, in this miasma of unity, is the I to be unified with? "Proof" explores the resemblances between a great-uncle who was killed in China and the narrator who is "standing in the dirt in La Jolla." Though this idea of worldwide interconnectedness is not new, Chang is able to make it intensely unique with a subtle shift from the idea connection to one of parallelity, our lives not as one, but running in pace alongside one another. And so "Our angles are equal, therefore we are parallel./ Then there must be two birds, two shores, two deaths."
2 comments:
ben is incredibly talented and more people need to know. not to mention that the guy is incredibly nice and has a reading voice like charlton heston intoning moses. it's funny you mention charles because both of those guys are hands-down my favorite two fiction writers, hell, writers period.
ben's also written a piece for "green mountains review" and published in the previous issue of "esquire."
it's also refreshing to see someone who's willing to get out there and really push his work instead of solely leaving it to publishers and industry types.
the "writer" used to be a central figure in the cultural lexicon and i truly believe that guys like charles and ben will, hopefully, change the current tide and once again, writers will be mentioned in the same breath as musicians, artists and the like.
- October 19, 2007 at 11:26 AM
- Todd Colby said...
What great idea for a blogspot. I'll be a regular visitor from now on! Keep up the good work.
- October 19, 2007 at 9:52 PM


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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - The ITA tournament, hosted this year by Williams, opened with 19 schools in attendance from around the northeast. 64 singles players and 32 doubles teams competed on Friday, with two rounds of singles and one round of doubles. Due to the morning rain, matches were held at both the Bennington (VT) Tennis Center and Lansing Chapman Rink on campus at Williams.
Three Ephs advanced to the round of 32, defeating players from Colby, Wesleyan, and Colby-Sawyer. Junior Chloe Henderson, who is seeded 2nd in the tournament, went 6-1 6-1 in her match against Colby-Sawyer. She fell to Elena Pellegrini of Trinity in her second match of the day. Both Emily Zheng '20 and Maxine Ng '22 prevailed against their first round opponents. In the round of 32, Zheng won a hard-fought match against MIT 1-6, 6-2, 12-10. Ng fell to Patricia Obeid of Tufts (seeded 7th) in her third round of singles. First-year Julia Pham lost to Keren Khromchenko of Brandice. The top seeded player for the tournament, Victoria Yu of Wesleyan, won both of her matches for today.
In doubles, all three teams advanced to the second round, with the teams of Bush/Henderson (seeded 2nd) and Neveux/Ng (seeded 5th) winning 8-1. Pham and Zheng won their match 8-7 (3). Victoria Yu and Kristina Yu of Wesleyan, the 1st seeded doubles team, won their match against Brandice.
"Something I admire about this group is their willingness to listen and be coached and their support for one another," said head coach Anik Cepeda. "I thought that was on full display today. My shoutouts go to Emily for saving match points in all three of her matches and to the freshmen Maxine and Julia who have shown a lot of growth in just three short weeks."
The winners of the ITA will be given All-American status and advance to the 2018 Oracle Cup in Rome, Georgia, taking place on October 11-14th.
The ITA will continue through Sunday.
Doubles results can be found here. Singles results can be found here.


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February 26, 2008 WMTW
Maine Correctional
A Gardiner nurse will get to tell a jury why she feels she was a victim of retaliation when she was escorted from her job at the Maine State Prison on Oct. 17, 2008, and ultimately fired. Katherine Kelley sued Correctional Medical Services, Inc., of St. Louis, Mo., about her firing, claiming it was a violation of her rights under the Americans with Disabilities and the Maine Human Rights acts. A three-judge panel of the U.S. First Circuit Court of the Appeals ruled recently that the case should go to trial. However, that ruling is still subject to appeal. "I am very ecstatic because someone believed me," Kelley said. The circuit court panel overturned a U.S. district court judge's decision dismissing the lawsuit in favor of Correctional Medical Services at the summary judgment stage. "We have to have a trial of the facts," said Kelley's attorney, Guy Loranger. Kelley's lawsuit was filed in federal court Nov. 1, 2010. It was originally filed in Knox County Superior Court. Loranger said he expects the case to go on the trial calendar this spring, depending on whether Correctional Medical Services appeals the three-judge decision to the full U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals. "She was ecstatic, and rightfully so," Loranger said. "She went through a lot. It was very difficult to hear the court say she had no case." Attorney Matthew J. LaMourie, who argued on behalf of Correctional Medical Services, Inc., said he could not comment on the decision because the case is still "active litigation." Kelley, a licensed practical nurse, started working for Correctional Medical Services at the prison in spring 2007, and court documents show she was earning almost $49,000 annually. She shattered her pelvis in July 2007, and when she returned to work using first crutches and then a cane to get around, she sought an accommodation for her medical disability. The decision, authored by Circuit Judge Kermit Lipez, outlined a series of encounters between Kelley and a supervisor, Teresa Kesteloot, who required Kelley to bring a doctor's note about her need for a cane and work-hour limitations. On Oct. 17, 2008, Kelley, who was on vacation, agreed to cover a shift in an emergency. She was placed in the main clinic, where she would be required to respond to emergencies and carry equipment, including a stretcher, something she said she would find difficult. After several attempts to shuffle jobs among several nurses, Kelley told the supervisor she "did not feel 'comfortable with the physical responsibilities,'" and mentioned leaving work. She also refused to do a narcotics count, saying two other nurses already had done it. Two security officers escorted her out of the prison at midnight at Kesteloot's direction. "Under these circumstances, a reasonable fact-finder could conclude that Kelley's refusal to obey an instruction of Kesteloot served as a convenient pretext for eliminating an employee who had engaged in ADA-protected conduct one too many times," Lipez wrote. After being fired as a prison nurse, Kelley said she worked only part time. Now 52, she has been disabled and unable to work since July 2009. Part of the reason, Kelley said, is that she had to delay a second surgery when she lost her medical insurance along with her job. "I've always been a real workaholic. I literally worked until my leg gave out," Kelley said. Before working for Correctional Medical Services, she had worked at the Veterans Administration Medical and Regional Office Center at Togus and for agencies in the Portland area.
March 13, 2008 Sun
August 13, 2004
July 22, 2004
April 28, 2003
Maine Department of
February 15, 2011 Kennebec
February 15, 2011 Maine
January 25, 2011 Maine
Public Broadcasting Network
Medical Center
May 4, 2011 New Maine
February 15, 2011 Kennebec
February 15, 2011 Maine
January 25, 2011 Maine
Public Broadcasting Network
December 15, 2010 Portland


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Mike Strong
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- making 0-9 flashcard bean bags for the baby
- prepping for teaching my next cloth diaper class at Barefoot Kids this Saturday
- Must find out what paperwork is needed for homeschooling next year.
- Should I get tested for a wheat gluten allergy? Or maybe get one of those full-body scans to see if I have cancer?
- revising my book proposal for an interested agent who has not committed, but who has generously gifted me with tons of constructive criticism and an invitation to resubmit
- planning our summer trip to Massachusetts--the Boston Community Solar System Trail is, sadly, off exhibit for a while, but will DEF check out Artbeat
- Must figure out how to cut felt with Cricut without killing Cricut.
- Crockpot recipe for nutritional yeast casserole?
- Willow wants to make a pinball machine. Sydney wants to make more cookies.
- laundry
Things currently on Willow's mind, as evidenced by a long morning laying on the floor working in a lined steno pad:
Santa and His Reindeer, with Happy Moon and Star Funny Person Ice Cream Cone with Lots of Toppings Our New Ceiling Fan (courtesy of Willow's Grandma Janie and Poppa, who taught Willow many new swears in the course of its installation)
I don't know how often I think about Santa or the ceiling fan, but I, too, spend a lot of time with funny people and ice cream on my mind.


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As a teenager, Billy Gardell's second home was a beat-up Delta 88 steered from one comedy club to the next, trying to get his career off the ground.
"I chewed up a lot of Florida highway when I was starting out," Gardell said from his Los Angeles home. "Used to come to Tampa two or three times a year for about 10 years straight."
"Billy the Kid," as comedians called him then, is 41 now and returning tonight for two shows at Side Splitters, where he recorded his first comedy CD years ago.
Gardell's ride will be nicer this time, and he'll have someone else doing the driving - a perk for starring in the popular CBS sitcom Mike & Molly.
Gardell plays Mike Biggs, a cop whose expansive waistline suggests a deep affection for doughnuts. Mike also loves Molly Flynn (Melissa McCarthy), a plus-sized woman he met in a weight-loss support group. Millions of viewers tune in, making Mike & Molly one of the highest-rated new shows on TV.
In a telephone interview, Gardell talked about achieving every stand-up comedian's dream, said nice things about Mike & Molly co-creator Chuck Lorre (take that, Charlie Sheen), revealed why he works cleaner on stage now and why he's pulling a Christian Bale to prepare for next season.
Any doubts ever that you'd make it this far?
Oh, my God, yes. The last two years in L.A. (before Mike & Molly) were probably my hardest as far as trying to book a job. Then this script came and it was, like, wow.
Do people show up at comedy clubs expecting nice guy "Mike" and getting down-and-dirty Billy?
These days my act matches up pretty good with the show. ... I made a conscious decision about five years ago to just not be too offensive. I try to not offend anybody anymore.
Did becoming a father have something to do with that?
Fatherhood had a lot to do with it. Growing up had a lot to do with it. You start realizing that maybe you're the one night a month that people have out, and they don't need to hear your political views or how dark you can get. They just want to laugh for an hour and go home. Once I wrapped my head around that, my act evolved accordingly.
Your show's co-creator and writer is Chuck Lorre, whom we've heard plenty of bad stuff about lately from Charlie Sheen. Tell us something good about him.
Well, Chuck Lorre was the one who talked me into this part. I was afraid to really commit to this because I had something else going on and (Mike & Molly) was a maybe; they were pushing it uphill. ... Chuck knew how to put this thing in a launching position, a position to win. ... Then they brought in Jim Burrows to direct, and that's like playing football for Joe Paterno: Friends, Cheers, Taxi, Will & Grace. He has forgotten more about TV comedy than I'll ever learn.
Mike & Molly has broken ground in plus-sized romance, but what's next? Could we see some infidelity like "attractive" people often experience in sitcoms?
I don't know, man. They are so secretive about our scripts. They don't let us know until the day of the table reading when we see the scripts. We're always in the dark until we get them. Then we can't believe they topped the week before.
As far as the weight thing goes, I know we're going to go up and down with it. I'm going to lose weight, I'm going to fail and succeed, just like in real life. That's going to be a neat journey to take. I'm working with a trainer and nutritionist right now, trying to take off 30 pounds before next season, so they have some room to write about that.
Ever get in touch with comics from the old Florida circuit?
Yeah, I've done Jim Breuer's radio show a couple times, and I heard from Larry the Cable Guy when I got Mike & Molly, wishing me congratulations. I'm always the last one to the party, man. But that's okay. I got there.
Steve Persall can be reached at email@example.com or (727) 893-8365.
* * *
Billy Gardell
Tonight at 7 and 9 at Side Splitters Comedy Club, 12938 N Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa. Tickets are $23 to $28, available at sidesplitterscomedy.com. Call (813) 960-1197 for information.