text:
\section{Introduction}

Nowadays quantum spin chains are a very active field of research both
theoretically and experimentally\cite{haldane}. In early studies mostly
the spectrum of magnetic excitations was considered. By now it is well
known that chains described by the Heisenberg Hamiltonian with
half-odd-integer spin have a gapless spectrum. In their critical
behavior they belong to the same universality class, irrespective of the
spin and are expected to be equivalent\cite{wzw} to that of the
Wess-Zumino-Witten (WZW) model with topological coupling constant $k=1$.
Thus, the value of the critical exponent for the algebraically decaying
spin-spin correlation function is $\eta=1$, independently of the value of
$S$. On the contrary, the low energy spectrum of isotropic antiferromagnetic
chains with integer spins has a gap to the lowest excited state occurring at
the boundary of the Brillouin zone, $q=\pi/a$. This leads to the
exponential decay of the spin-spin correlation function with a short
correlation length.

Since the samples always contain finite chain segments, the effect of the
inhomogeneity of the field distribution and the decay of the induced
surface magnetization are of eminent interest for experimentalists. From
a theoretical point of view a related problem, namely that of the effect
of a locally applied boundary field was studied \cite{affleck7}, but for
the spin-1/2 case only.

More generally the question arises, how an external local
perturbation will affect the behavior of finite or infinite spin chains.
Our aim in this paper is to study the spatial dependence of the site
magnetization and the spin-spin correlations in an antiferromagnetic
spin-S Heisenberg chain when a small magnetic field is applied locally.
For this purpose we will determine, using the density matrix
renormalization group (DMRG) method \cite{white}, the ground state
properties of isotropic spin-S finite Heisenberg chains with $S=1/2,
1, 3/2$ spins in a finite local field.

The layout of the paper is as follows. In Sec. II we give a
short description of the results known for the $S=1/2, 1, 3/2$ systems.
The model and a few main points of the numerical procedure
applied in the course of the calculations are briefly mentioned in Sec III.
The numerical results are presented in Sec. IV. Finally Sec V. contains a
brief summary.

\section{Results known for the spin-S Heisenberg chains}

It is known from analytical \cite{vbs} and numerical \cite{white,szam,s1cikk}
studies devoted to integer spin systems that due to the finite value of the
energy gap the ground-state correlation functions fall off exponentially.
The most accurate value for the correlation length of the two-point
correlation function $\langle S_i^z S_{i+l}^z \rangle$ was determined by
White and Huse\cite{s1cikk}. This calculation gave $\xi_{\rm bulk}\simeq
6.03(1)$ for the $S=1$ Heisenberg chain.

They have also studied the decay length of the local magnetization
near the surface. According to the valence bond model \cite{vbs} of
spin-1 chains in an antiferromagnet with open boundaries unpaired
spins should occur at both ends of the chain. Owing to them
$\langle S_l^z\rangle$ decays exponentially as one moves towards the
center of the chain, if it is calculated for the lowest $S_T^z=1$ state,
which in the thermodynamic limit should become one of the components of the
fourfold degenerate ground state. This decay length was found to be
exactly the same as the correlation length in the bulk.

The analysis of critical half-odd-integer spin systems is more
complicated. This is due to the existence of a marginally relevant
operator in the Hamiltonian of the spin-1/2 isotropic Heisenberg
antiferromagnetic chain, which leads to important logarithmic corrections
to the power law decay of the spin-spin correlation function.
According to the renormalization group analysis based on effective
continuum models \cite{wzw,k9}, for large $l$ the correlation function
behaves asymptotically as
\begin{equation}
  \langle S_i^z S_{i+l}^z \rangle  \sim a
  \times \frac{(-1)^l}{l^\eta} \left[\log\left(\frac{l}{c}\right)\right]^\sigma
  -\frac{1}{4\pi^2l^2} \,,
\label{eq:logcor}
\end{equation}
where $a$ and $c$ are constants, $\eta = 1$ and $\sigma = 1/2$.
This form was confirmed numerically by Sandvik and Scalapino \cite{k11}
and recently by Hallberg {\em et al.} \cite{s12cikk}
using a highly accurate DMRG calculation.

If a local field is applied to a spin on the chain end, the loose edge spin
is oriented and a slowly decaying magnetization develops,
\begin{equation}
   \langle S_l^z \rangle \propto \frac{h(-1)^l}{l^{x_m}}\/,
\label{eq:ordaff}
\end{equation}
where $l$ measures the distance from the surface and $x_m$ is the bulk
scaling dimension of $S_l^z$. It follows from the scaling theory that
$x_m = \eta /2$.

Recently Affleck \cite{affleck7} considered the critical exponent $\eta$
of the two-point correlation function and $x_m$ of the decay of the
magnetization for the anisotropic spin-1/2 Heisenberg chain
subjected to a transverse surface magnetic field. In the isotropic limit, his
result for the spin-spin correlation function and the magnetization
confirms Eqs. (\ref{eq:logcor}) and (\ref{eq:ordaff}) with $\eta =1$
and $x_m = 1/2$.

In a finite chain, when the spins are oriented locally by an external field,
this power-law decay will be modified depending on the boundary condition.
The assumption of conformal invariance \cite{cardy} allows us to predict
the profile of the magnetization and to extract the properties of the
infinite system from those of finite samples. It has been shown by Burkhardt
and Xue\cite{burkhardt} that for Ising like models on a strip of width
$L$, conformal invariance leads to the profile
\begin{equation}
  \langle S_l^z \rangle \sim
      \left[ \frac{L}{\pi} \sin \frac{\pi l}{L}\right]^{-x_m}
        F_{ab} \left( \cos \frac{\pi l}{ L}\right) \,,
\end{equation}
where the function $F_{ab}$ depends on the type of boundary applied
on the two sides $a$ and $b$.

In the case when the spins are fixed at $l=0$ and they are free at the
other end, $l=L$, the decay of the magnetization is described by the
simple form
\begin{equation}
  \langle S_l^z \rangle \sim
      \left[ \frac{L}{\pi} \sin \frac{\pi l}{L}\right]^{-x_m}
      \left[ \cos \frac{\pi l}{2 L}\right]^{x_m^s} \,,
\label{eq:szl}
\end{equation}
where $x_m$ and $x_m^s$ are the bulk and surface scaling dimensions of
the magnetization. Close to the free end the magnetization is
proportional to
\begin{equation}
    \langle S_l^z \rangle \sim  (L-l)^{x_m^s-x_m} \,.
\label{eq:xs}
\end{equation}
In the Ising model, where $x_m^s=2x_m$, we get $(L - l)^{x_m}$.

One of the aims of this paper is to check whether a similar
relationship holds for the Heisenberg model. We will see, that for
half-odd-integer spin models with $S>1/2$, although they are critical,
a new problem arises. As Ng \cite{ng} has shown, loose end spins show up
not only in the valence-bond model of integer spins, where the end spin
value is $S_{\rm end}= S/2$, but in half-odd-integer models as well with
$S_{\rm end}=(S-1/2)/2$. This was confirmed numerically by Qin {\em et al.}
\cite{qin} using the DMRG method for spin chains with $S=1/2,1,3/2,2$
using open boundary condition. These end spins will lead to a
completely different profile of the magnetization near the free boundary
for $S=1/2$ and $S > 1/2$.

Nevertheless conformal invariance can be used to check the scaling form
of the spin-spin correlation function even for $S > 1/2$ half-odd-integer
spin models, as has been shown by Koma and Mizukoshi \cite{koma}.
Their numerical results for $S=3/2$ are in agreement with the assumption
that the correlations show asymptotically the same behavior as for $S=1/2$.
This was later confirmed by Hallberg {\em et al.} \cite{s32cikk} using
very extensive DMRG calculations, showing that Eq. (\ref{eq:logcor}) is
valid for the $S=3/2$ chain, too, with $\eta=1$ and $\sigma=1/2$.

\section{Formulation of the problem}

In the present paper we will study the response of a 1-D spin-S Heisenberg
model to a small magnetic field $h$ applied locally. The Hamiltonian of the
system is written in the form
\begin{equation}
  {\cal H}=\sum_i J\vec S_i \vec S_{i+1} + {\cal H}_{\rm local} \,,
\label{eq:ham}
\end{equation}
where the first term is the usual first neighbor Heisenberg model
with antiferromagnetic interaction and the second term denotes the coupling
of the field to a spin. In what follows we will take $J=1$ and measure the
field relative to this coupling.

As mentioned before, effective edge spins may appear in the vicinity of
the boundaries even without external field. In order to separate the
magnetization induced by the field and the effect of the edge spins, the
magnetic field should be applied far from the ends. In our calculations
we will apply it on the central site of the chain.

In a finite field the ground state does not necessarily belong to the
singlet, $S_T=0$, spin sector and the spin quantum number
of the ground state may change as a function of the chain length. This
may lead to complications in the finite-size scaling procedure.
These difficulties can be eliminated by applying the magnetic field on
two neighboring sites with opposite strength, in which case the ground
state remains always in the singlet sector. We have therefore used
the following expression for the local Zeeman term:
\begin{equation}
  {\cal H_{\rm local}}=h S^z_{N/2}-hS^z_{N/2+1}\/.
\end{equation}

Since we are interested in the response to weak fields, we tried to remain
in the regime where the local magnetization is proportional to
the applied field. It turned out that
for integer spins, linearity holds at least up to
$h<0.25$.
For half-odd-integer spins
this regime was found to be much smaller, thus $h<0.1$ fields
were used for the $S=1/2, 3/2$ chains.

Our calculations were performed using the infinite-lattice
method of DMRG. First a chain with $N-2$ sites is built up without field.
In the case of open boundary condition we have used both the
spin-reversal and the left-right reflection symmetries in order to reduce
the size of the Hilbert-space of the superblock configuration. The field
was introduced in the last step of the infinite-lattice method on the
two sites between the left and right blocks. The number of block states
kept in the calculation varied between 100 and 200. The truncation error
was better than $10^{-7}-10^{-8}$. As an indication of the absolute error
of our calculation, we point out that in zero external field in the
$S_T^z=0$ spin sector the largest value of the site magnetization was
$10^{-5}$.

Since boundary effects are expected to influence the finite-size
calculations we have considered both open and periodic boundary conditions.
In some cases real $S=1/2$ spins were attached to the end of the $S=1$
and $S=3/2$ chains, further reducing the contribution of the free end spins.

\section{Numerical results}

In this section we present the results of our numerical calculations.

\subsection{The S=1 case}

Chains up to $N=120$ sites were considered. This allows us to
separate the boundary effects and the local magnetization induced by
the field. Fig.\ \ref{fig:s1obc} shows the absolute value of
the site magnetization calculated with open boundary condition in the
ground state which is a total spin singlet ($S_T=0$) state, for two values
of the field applied on the central sites. The striking result of this
calculation is the appearance of the end spins even in the $S_T^z=0$ sector
for arbitrarily small finite field. It is also clearly seen in the figure
that in the region around the perturbed sites, where the magnetization decays,
the amplitude is proportional to the strength of the local field, while
close to the free boundary the magnetization is independent of the field.
As a comparison Fig.\ \ref{fig:s1obc} also shows the site magnetization
calculated for the lowest lying state in the $S_T^z=1$ spin sector in the
absence of field.

Since the system is always gapped, an exponential decay is obtained in all
cases, both near the edge and around the perturbed site. The decay length
was determined, following White and Huse \cite{s1cikk} from the quantity
\begin{equation}
    \xi_i\equiv -1/\ln [-C(i)/C(i-1)] \,,
\label{eq:zetai}
\end{equation}
where $C(i)=\langle S_i^z \rangle$, since it gives a clear indication of
the region where the asymptotic behavior sets in. From the semi logarithmic
plot used in the figure it is clear that near the edge the slopes of the
curves obtained for different field values are the same. When $M=120$
states are kept in the DMRG we have found $\xi_{\infty}\simeq 5.85(5)$,
reasonably close to the known best result for the decay length.

The analysis can be done in the same way for the decay length around the
central perturbed site using
\begin{equation}
    \xi_l\equiv -1/\ln [-C(l)/C(l-1)] \,,
\label{eq:zetal}
\end{equation}
where $l$ is measured from the perturbed site, from the middle of the chain.
The same value is obtained as above. These short decay lengths ensure that
the effects of the edge spins and of the locally applied field could
clearly be separated.

To further clarify the origin of the nonvanishing magnetization at the
boundary, real $S=1/2$ spins were attached to the ends of the chain with
adjustable $J_1=J_{N-1}\equiv J_{\rm end}$ couplings. Fig. \ref{fig:s1b12}
shows the site dependence of the magnetization on a semi logarithmic plot
calculated for $J_{\rm end}=1.5$. It is compared to the situation when no
extra spins are attached. i.e., $J_{\rm end}=0$.

From these results it is found that the effect of the edge spin can be
eliminated by the extra spin, while the magnetization is not modified
far from the edge. The fit of the curves obtained with $M=180$ states kept
leads to $\xi_{\infty}=5.95(3)$, a result closer to the expected value, than
that obtained for $M=120$. The accuracy can be improved by fitting the
quantities $\xi_{\infty}(M)$ calculated for various values of $M$ as a
function of $1/M$. In the $M\to\infty$ limit the value
$\xi_{\infty}\simeq 6.05(5)$ is found.

To complete the analysis, let us consider the effect of the field on the
spin-spin correlation function. In the absence of magnetic field the
two-point correlation function is usually calculated in the DMRG method
by taking the two sites symmetrically with respect to the center of the
chain. On the other hand, in the presence of the magnetic field acting on
the site $i=N/2$, the correlation function $\langle S_i^z S_{i+l}^z\rangle$
was calculated for $i=N/2$. Employing again Eq.\ (\ref{eq:zetal}) but with
$C(l)=\langle S_i^z S_{i+l}^z \rangle$, and fitting the correlation
functions obtained for various values of $M$ and at different field values
in the $0<h<0.25$ interval, the value $\xi_{\infty}=5.92(5)$ is obtained
for the correlation length.

Within the numerical accuracy the numbers obtained for the decay length,
agree with those obtained by White and Huse \cite{s1cikk}. We can
therefore conclude that the decay length and the correlation length of the
two-point correlation functions are identical and field independent. For
weak fields, where linear response is valid, there is only one length
scale in the system determined by the gap.

In order to have a further check, similar calculations were done also with
periodic boundary condition. Our results for $M=20-180$ block states are
plotted in Fig.\ \ref{fig:s1pbc}. For small $M$ values the magnetization
curves are not symmetric and a minimum is observed in the curves. This is
in fact due to the truncation procedure in the DMRG wave function. As the
number of the block states is increased the minimum disappears and the
decay of the magnetization becomes more symmetric. Carrying out again
the $\xi (M)$ extrapolation as a function of $1/M$, the value of the
correlation length scales to $\xi_{\infty}=6.0(1)$ in the $M\to\infty$ limit.

It is worth mentioning that the asymmetry mentioned above is related to a
similar asymmetry in the local energy $\langle \vec S_i \vec S_{i+1}\rangle$
inside the blocks used in the DMRG method, if a relatively small number of
block states is kept. This asymmetry provides therefore a better
information about the real error than the truncation error \cite{white}
defined in the standard way.

\subsection{The S=1/2 case}

The analysis of the critical half-odd-integer spin system is more complicated
due to the logarithmic corrections. Our calculation performed on chains with
some $100$ sites in the interval $0<h<0.1$, where the magnetization is a
linear function of the field.

First we show our results for the decay of the magnetization. The absolute
value of the site magnetization calculated in the $S_T^z=0$ spin sector
with $M=180$ block states and open boundary condition for $h=0.02$ and
$h=0.05$ are shown in Fig.\ \ref{fig:s12obc}. Both curves were obtained
for the case when the field was applied on two central sites in the
configuration $h_{N/2}=-h_{N/2+1}$. In order to avoid complications coming
from the $1/l^2$ term of Eq.\ (\ref{eq:logcor}), only the results on even
sites are shown.

Using a fit to the form in Eq.\ (\ref{eq:ordaff}) by measuring the
distance $l$ from the center of the chain we have found $A\simeq 0.37(1)$
and $x_m =0.49(3)$. Since in this case the magnetization shows a
downward curvature near the free end, we assumed there the form
(\ref{eq:xs}). We have got a good fit with $x_m^s - x_m = 0.49(2)$.
Basically the same results were obtained when a single site was
perturbed and also for other, larger values of the field.
Thus we find that like in the Ising model, the relationship
$x_m^s=2 x_m$ holds for the Heisenberg model.

The effect of the field on the spin-spin correlation function has also been
investigated. Following the proposal of Ref.\ [10] we have
considered the average value
\begin{equation}
   \overline{\omega} = \frac{1}{4}[ \omega(l-1,N)+ 2 \omega (l,N) +
     \omega(l+1,N)]
\label{eq:omega}
\end{equation}
to remove the $l^{-2}$ correction of Eq. (\ref{eq:logcor}), where
$\omega(l,N)=(-1)^l\langle S_{i+l}^z S_i^z\rangle$. Our data obtained
for a chain with $N=100$ sites with $M=180$ block states for zero and
finite ($h=0.25$) field are plotted in Fig.\ \ref{fig:s12cor}. Eq.
(\ref{eq:logcor}) gives a good fit both without and with field, confirming
that apart from logarithmic corrections the leading term in the
correlation function goes as $1/l$ even in the non-linear regime. This
result also provides us with a test of the accuracy of our result when
compared to those in Ref. [10].

As a further check we have considered the same problem with periodic
boundary condition. The deviation of the local energy from the value obtained
at the $i=N/2$ site was of the order of $10^{-2}$ in the interior of the
block from which the system is built up in DMRG, implying that for better
accuracy more block states should be used. In spite of this error we have
found $x_m=0.48(5)$ for the decay of the magnetization and $\eta \simeq 1$
in the spin-spin correlation function in agreement with the result
obtained recently by Affleck \cite{affleck7}.

\subsection{The S=3/2 case}

It follows from our previous discussion that open boundary condition
usually gives better results, in this case, however, we have to face again
the problem of edge spins.

The result of the DMRG calculation performed with open boundary condition
and $h=0.05$ for various values of the block states is plotted in
Fig.\ \ref{fig:s32obc}. Two things are apparent: the
contribution of the end spins causes a nonvanishing value of the site
magnetization close to the chain ends and an even-odd oscillation is
present even if the absolute value of the site magnetization is shown.
Since the system is critical, the magnetization falls off algebraically.
Therefore the effect of the field and
of the end spins cannot be separated for chains for which the calculation
could be done. In order to remove the contribution of the end spins we have
attached real $S=1/2$ spins to the chain ends. The site magnetization
is shown in Fig.\ \ref{fig:s32b12}. The fit to these data gives
for the decay exponent $x_m=0.50(2)$, the same value as obtained
for the $S=1/2$ case. Since according to the result of Ref.\ [16]
the exponent of the decay of the spin-spin correlation function is $\eta=1$,
the relation $x_m = \eta /2$ holds for $S=3/2$, too.

The calculation of the profile for free end spins would need at least a few
thousand block states as in Ref.\ [16].

\section{Conclusion}

In the present paper we have considered spin-S antiferromagnetic
Heisenberg spin chains in a locally applied oppositely oriented magnetic
field on two sites in the center of the chain, leaving the boundary
spins free.

For the spin-1/2 Heisenberg chain it has been found that the linear response
of the system holds only for extremely small perturbations. The exponent
describing the decay of the site magnetization was found to be $x_m=1/2$
around the locally applied field, while $\eta =1$ is found for the
spin-spin correlation function independently of the field thus confirming
numerically, at least in the isotropic point, the analytical result obtained
recently by Affleck\cite{affleck7}. Near the boundary the decay of the site
magnetization changes character and disappears at the edge. Assuming the
profile predicted by conformal invariance, $\langle S_l^z \rangle \propto
(L-l)^{x_m^s -x_m}$ with $x_m^s = 2 x_m$, very much like in the Ising model.

For the integer spin case it was shown that linear response theory is
satisfied for stronger perturbations, too. The field applied in the center
of the chain, however weak it is, will orient the end spins and the site
magnetization calculated in the $S_T^z=0$ ground state shows a dramatic
increase near the ends. We have confirmed that there exists a single
length scale in the system, related to the finite gap. The various bulk
and surface quantities fall off exponentially  with the same correlation
length. In particular, we have shown that the correlation length in the
two-point correlation function is identical to the decay length of the
magnetization and that they are field independent.

Using periodic boundary condition we have pointed out that a better measure
of the accuracy of the DMRG procedure than the truncation error could be
obtained from looking at the deviation of the local energy from its mean value.

Finally the relationship $x_m = \eta/2$ has been shown to hold
for the spin-3/2 Heisenberg chain, as well. Although this model has the
same bulk critical exponents as the $S=1/2$ Heisenberg model, the
magnetization profile is very different, resembling much more that of the
$S=1$ model, indicating that indeed effective $S=1/2$ spins appear
at the edges. Unfortunately, our limited computational resources did
not allow us to determine the precise form of the profile.

\section{Acknowledgments}

This research was partially supported by the Hungarian Research Fund
(OTKA) Grant No.\ 15870. We acknowledge I. Peschel, D. J. Scalapino and
T. Ziman for useful discussions, the U.S.-Hungarian Joint Fund and the
French Ministry of Research and Technology for supporting our stays in
Santa Barbara and at the Institut Laue Langevin (Grenoble), respectively.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
Javier Báez, Mets Flip Thumbs Down on Fans; Team Prez Mad
New York Mets shortstop flashed a double thumbs-down gesture toward the crowd on his way back to the dugout in Sunday's win over Washington
By Jerry Beach • Published August 30, 2021
Javier Báez and his New York Mets teammates turned the boos at Citi Field to cheers this weekend — and turned their thumbs upside down at frustrated fans.
Báez launched a 444-foot home run Sunday in a 9-4 win over the Washington Nationals, then flashed a double thumbs-down gesture toward the crowd on his way back to the dugout.
Later, he said Mets players have been making the hand signal after big hits in response to fans who have jeered the club during a rough August.
"When we don't get success, we're going to get booed," Báez said. "So they're going to get booed when we have success."
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
Báez, a two-time All-Star acquired from the Chicago Cubs last month, good friend Francisco Lindor and Kevin Pillar all were seen giving the thumbs-down during the win.
Mets President Sandy Alderson swiftly condemned those remarks and signs.
"These comments, and any gestures by him or other players with a similar intent, are totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated," Alderson said in a statement.
figure skating 2 hours ago
Pair of Teenagers Dominate Friday's Programming at the US Figure Skating Championship
sports 9 hours ago
2-4-1 Sports Brings Fencing to Breakthrough Magnet Schools in Hartford
"Mets fans are understandably frustrated over the team's recent performance. The players and the organization are equally frustrated, but fans at Citi Field have every right to express their own disappointment. Booing is every fan's right.
"The Mets will not tolerate any player gesture that is unprofessional in its meaning or is directed in a negative way toward our fans. I will be meeting with our players and staff to convey this message directly," he said.
The Mets are 8-19 this month, dropping them from the NL East lead to third place, 7 1/2 games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves.
Báez, who is batting .210 with 22 strikeouts in 62 at-bats since being traded on July 30, said the booing doesn't bother him but that it is discouraging.
"I love the fans and I like playing for the fans," Báez said. "But we can't have our fans against us."
Manager Luis Rojas, who heard chants of "Fire Rojas" during a loss to the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night, said he wasn't aware what the downturned thumbs meant.
"I didn't know there was any intention of giving anything back to the fans," Rojas said. "We want to win for the organization. We want to win for ourselves, we want to win for our front office, our owner and we want to win for our fanbase. So that's where the focus should be."
Rojas said the reaction by Báez could be part of the adjustment process following the first trade of his career. Lindor, who signed a 10-year extension before playing a game with the Mets, and Pillar are also in their first years in New York.
"I think it's something that he's probably getting used to — it's the first time he's had another uniform," Rojas said. "Probably that's why he's sharing (and) venting. It's a learning experience. There's different guys that probably felt that way coming into here and probably not performing immediately. But they learned how to deal with it and they know where the fanbase is coming from."
Said Alderson: "Mets fans are loyal, passionate, knowledgeable and more than willing to express themselves. We love them for every one of these qualities."
Lindor forced a run-scoring balk and hit a two-run double and new leadoff hitter Jonathan Villar hit a two-run homer as the Mets won the final two games of the three-game sert. It was their first series win since sweeping three from the Nationals on Aug. 10-12.
Villar missed the cycle by a double and scored three times. He and Brandon Nimmo, who moved from leadoff to the second spot Saturday, combined to reach base seven times in 10 plate appearances.
Báez's homer put the Mets ahead for good 3-2 in the fourth inning.
Pete Alonso had an RBI single among his three hits and Dominic Smith delivered a run-scoring, pinch-hit single.
Josh Bell homered twice and Juan Soto also connected for Washington. Those were the Nationals' only three hits.
Tylor Megill (2-3) allowed two runs on one hit — a fourth-inning, two-run homer by Bell — over five innings.
Soto homered off Aaron Loup leading off the sixth — the first homer surrendered by the Mets lefty to a a left-handed hitter since Tampa Bay's Corey Dickerson connected in 2017.
Bell homered again in the eighth. The two-homer game was the first of the season for Bell and the sixth of his career.
Fedde allowed five earned runs on eight hits, including the homers by Báez and Villar, in 5 1/3 innings.
"The pitch to Baez and the one to Villar were just pretty bad pitches in general," said Fedde, who whirled and crouched as soon as Báez made contact on his homer.
RUIZ TIME
The Nationals announced they will recall catcher Keibert Ruiz, who became their top prospect upon being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in last month's Max Scherzer-Trea Turner blockbuster trade, prior to Monday night's home game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Ruiz, 23, hit .308 with five homers and 14 RBIs for Triple-A Rochester.
"We feel like he's ready to come up and get an opportunity to play up here and watch him play," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. "We're all excited about it. He's part of our future here."
"We'll see how this is all going to work out, but we want to give him an opportunity to play," he said. "We're going to play him as much as we can."
Nationals: RHP Josiah Gray (0-1, 3.75 ERA), acquired with Ruiz from the Dodgers, will throw to him Monday when he makes his sixth start for Washington in the opener of a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Mets: After an off-day Monday. RHP Taijuan Walker (7-9, 3.82 ERA) will "relieve" teammate Marcus Stroman and RHP Trevor Williams (4-2, 4.54 ERA) will start the second game of Tuesday's unusual setup against the Miami Marlins. The second game will be seven innings.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We are now proactively accelerating the market development on East-Europe, Asia & Mainland China in order to extend the business scope. Also our existing co-operated schemes with several world-wide large chain-stores and supermarkets have been enlarged for developing more categories to build up new product lines (i.e. Fire Pits & Halloween) in order to play up to the different trend.


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{{Specs-Card|code=mig-15bis_nr23_german}}
* Great acceleration
* Superior climb rate
* Powerful armament
* Powerful armament, combination 37 mm and 23 mm cannons devastate targets
* Low wing loading which results in great manoeuvrability
* Great in vertical manoeuvres
* Good flaps that allow them to be deployed even at high speeds (up to 800 kph IAS)
* Excellent high altitude performance especially against aircraft such as [[F-86 (Family)|Sabre's]]
* S-21 rockets with good fuse time (1,000 m) result in a very high chance of head-on winning
* Low roll rate especially at high speeds
* Control surfaces are highly stiffening at high speeds
* Hard to aim due to low velocity guns
* Hard to aim due to low-velocity guns
After World War II was over, the leaders of the USSR realized that they were behind the leading states of the world in the sphere of jet aircraft construction, most notably in the full-scale production of turbojet engines. Consequently, a delegation including the designers A. I. Mikoyan and V. Y. Klimov was sent to Great Britain towards the end of 1946. Their negotiations were successful, resulting in the purchase of two of the most advanced turbojet engines at that time: the Rolls-Royce Derwent Mk.V and the Rolls-Royce Nene I/Nene II. The British consented to sell their newest strategic designs easily enough since they believed that the Soviet industrial/technological apparatus could not handle the mass production of sophisticated assemblies. However, very soon that the Rolls-Royce engines were launched into full-scale Soviet production under the designations RD-500 and RD-45.
The MiG-15 was equipped with an RD-45F single-shaft turbojet engine rated at 2,270 kg of thrust with a double-entry centrifugal compressor. The plane's armament included a 37mm Nudelman N-37D cannon with 40 rounds and two 23mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23KM guns with 160 rounds in total. The cannons were mounted in the forward fuselage on a lowerable carriage. Two 100-kg or 50-kg bombs could be suspended under the wings. To increase its flight range, the aircraft could carry two external fuel tanks with a capacity ranging from 250 to 600 litres.
Battle Ratings/Ranks subject to change
The battle ratings and/or ranks depicted on this article may be outdated due to a recent update. They will be updated soon.
10 mm steel armour plates in front of the cockpit and behind the pilot's headrest.
Powerful armament, combination 37 mm and 23 mm cannons devastate targets
Low wing loading which results in great manoeuvrability
Great in vertical manoeuvres
Excellent high altitude performance especially against aircraft such as Sabre's
S-21 rockets with good fuse time (1,000 m) result in a very high chance of head-on winning
Hard to aim due to low-velocity guns
9.0 jet which may play with 10.0 jets and at 10.0, its mostly T-2 spam
WIP articles


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Michael Bordt SJ (born 28 April 1960 in Hamburg) is a German philosopher and academic. He is a professor at the Munich School of Philosophy and specialized in the area of ancient philosophy, especially Plato and Aristotle. Since 2011 he has been the chair of the Institute of Philosophy and Leadership at Munich.

Biography
After finishing his A-levels and civilian service, Michael Bordt studied Theology at Philosophy at Hamburg and Frankfurt and Munich from 1981 to 1988. His thesis dealt with the topic of the definition of being in Plato's Sophist.

In 1993 he finished his studies in Theology in Munich and Frankfurt. In 1997 he received his PhD in Philosophy from Oxford University for a commentary on Plato's Lysis  supervised by Michael Frede. After founding the Aristotle circle in Munich in 1999, he was given a research fellowship at Princeton University in 2001 where he prepared for his habilitation, which he finished in 2004 at the University of Fribourg about Plato's Theology.
Since 1997 Bordt has been working at the Munich School of Philosophy as a professor for ancient philosophy and philosophical Anthropology as well as aesthetics since 2004. From 2005 to 2011 he was the president of the Munich School of Philosophy. In 2011 he started the Institute for Philosophy and Leadership in Munich. During the 2013 summer term he is a visiting scholar at Columbia University, New York.

Work

The philosophical concern of Bordt is to answer the existential questions arising from being human by using the concepts of analytical (especially Wittgenstein) and Ancient philosophy.
Besides his function as a professor of philosophy he gives speeches and workshops for people in leading positions in economy, politics and the church about value-orientated leadership and leadership ethics. He also offers meditation courses and religious retreats.

Bibliography
 Was uns wichtig ist oder warum die Wahrheit zählt. Gespräche mit Jesuiten über Gerechtigkeit, Verantwortung und Spiritualität (Hrsg.), München 2010
 Was in Krisen zählt, München 2009
 Platons Theologie, Freiburg 2006
 Aristoteleś Metaphysik XII. Übersetzung und Kommentar, Darmstadt 2006
 Platon, Herder-Spektrum, Reihe 'Meisterdenker', Freiburg 1999 (Übersetzung ins Koreanische bei EHAK Publishing Co. [2003])
 Die christliche Antwort auf die existentiellen Fragen des Menschen. Zu Franz von Kutscheras neuer Studie Die großen Fragen - Philosophisch-theologische Gedanken, in: Theologie und Philosophie 77 (2002) 110-118.
 Platons Lysis, Übersetzung und Kommentar, in: Ernst Heitsch und Carl Werner Müller (Hrsg.) Platon Werke, Bd. V 4, Göttingen 1998 (= Diss.).
 Beweistheorie, Mathematik und Syllogistik. Zum Problem ihres Verhältnisses in Aristoteles? Zweiten Analytiken, in: Theologie und Philosophie 64 (1989) 23-53.
 Was ist der Mensch, München, Komplett-Media, 2011.
 Philosophische Anthropologie, München, Komplett-Media, 2011.

References

External links
 Profile at Munich School of Philosophy website
 Literatur von und über Michael Bordt im Katalog der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek
 Vorstellung auf der Seite der Hochschule für Philosophie
 Interview auf münchen.tv mit Erich Lejeune
 Interview in der Zeitschrift Brand eins

1960 births
Living people
20th-century German philosophers
21st-century German philosophers
Writers from Hamburg
University of Hamburg alumni
Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology alumni
Alumni of the University of Oxford
Princeton University fellows
University of Fribourg alumni
20th-century German Jesuits
21st-century German Jesuits

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


VJBrendan.com: Panic! at the Disco's Brendon Urie is Giving $1 Million to Help LGBT Kids in Schools!
Panic! at the Disco's Brendon Urie is Giving $1 Million to Help LGBT Kids in Schools!
Urie has partnered with GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) to help create a string of clubs for LGBT youth in American high schools.


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package io.seata.core.protocol;

/**
 * The interface Merge message.
 *
 * @author slievrly
 */
public interface MergeMessage {
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Vistas News
Virtue & Logic
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More Central American migrants take shelter in churches, recalling 1980s sanctuary movement
The ongoing threat of mass immigration raids is terrifying immigrant communities across the United States.
Many of those targeted in these raids are Central Americans who came to the United States illegally, came legally but overstayed their visas or whose asylum requests were not granted. Refugees from these violence-torn countries live in fear of being sent back home to one of the world's most dangerous regions.
By Vistas	in Politics	on August 1, 2019 August 3, 2019
Image Credits : Unsplash
By Mario Garcia
Since 2012, an estimated 1.5 million people have come to the United States fleeing gang violence and state repression in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. Just over 330,000 have applied for asylum, according to United Nations data. On average, about 75% of asylum claims from this population are denied. Though migrants may appeal these decisions, they may still be deported during the end stages of the legal process.
To avoid arrest, thousands of Central Americans have taken shelter in churches, which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement considers sensitive locations where officers should be hesitant to make arrests.
Asylum denied
Central Americans facing deportation have long sought protection in houses of worship.
As I write in my new book on the sanctuary movement in Los Angeles, hundreds of thousands of people came to the U.S seeking political asylum in the 1980s due to civil wars in El Salvador and Guatemala.
Under U.S. refugee laws, a political asylee has the right to stay in the United States if they would be tortured, killed or both back home. While many civil rights lawyers and immigration advocates in the 1980s felt this standard clearly applied to the Central Americans, acknowledging their fears of persecution would have been an implicit acknowledgment by the Reagan administration that its Central American allies were engaged in human rights abuses.
Central Americans' asylum applications were largely denied. Just 5% of Salvadorans, for example, received asylum between 1980 and 1990, my research found.
Declaring that the Central Americans were economic migrants seeking jobs that belonged to U.S. citizens and must return to their country, the Reagan administration began workplace raids in the early 1980s.
In response, many churches and synagogues proclaimed themselves sanctuary sites. Based on biblical, theological and historical – but not legal – grounds that compel religious groups to protect victims of persecution, they opened their doors to the Central American migrants.
The sanctuary movement, as this operation came to be called, began in 1982 in Tucson, Arizona and soon spread throughout the country. By 1990 some 2,000 churches and cities had declared themselves to be havens where these immigrants, virtually all of whom were Catholic, would be protected.
Father Olivares and La Placita Church
Of the estimated 1 million Salvadorans who came to the U.S in the 1980s, about half of them went to Los Angeles – then, as now, a city of Latin American immigrants.
So after originating in Tucson, the sanctuary movement really exploded in L.A., both in numbers and in ambition.
The heart and soul of the L.A. sanctuary movement was Our Lady Queen of the Angeles Church, popularly known as La Placita Church. Its pastor, Luis Olivares, was a charismatic leader dedicated to helping the poor and oppressed in the social justice tradition that has long defined one strain of Latin American Catholicism.
He joined La Placita, a predominantly Latino church, in 1981, just as the Central Americans began arriving to the United States. Father Olivares, a Mexican American from Texas, embraced these refugees.
In this, he was guided by his faith. He said that he saw Jesus in the faces of the refugees and hence could not turn his back to them.
"What if that person is Jesus and I turn him away?" Olivares said in a 1990 interview. "How can I do that?"
Jesus had ministered to the poor and the oppressed, Father Olivares felt, so he – a pastor to the poor and oppressed – could do no less.
By assisting these refugees, Olivares was technically defying U.S. immigration law, which prohibits anyone from knowingly harboring an undocumented immigrant. But he said that he obeyed a higher law – God's law.
He felt that "we are all responsible" for "God's children."
Father Olivares answered this call to action by establishing the most widespread sanctuary program anywhere in the country. He fed, clothed and housed the refugees, allowing hundreds of Central American men to sleep in La Placita's pews for a few nights at a time. Women and families were housed with family members in the area, or stayed in a renovated former Jesuit seminary in North Hollywood.
La Placita also provided medical assistance and legal assistance to Central American refugees, helped them get jobs and get their children into schools.
By the time Father Olivares publicly proclaimed La Placita a sanctuary church on December 12, 1985, the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, this well-established sanctuary operation was already in action. He alerted immigration officials that La Placita was a safe space for the refugees and out of bounds for "la migra," immigration officials.
The declaration was symbolic, since churches have no legal standing to provide sanctuary. Yet despite threats to arrest Olivares for harboring "illegal aliens," immigration officials never entered La Placita. No one there, including Father Olivares, was ever arrested.
And, with one or two exceptions, immigration chose not to breach sanctuary of other U.S. churches, either.
Two years later, in 1987, Olivares did what no other sanctuary movement in the country did: He extended sanctuary to undocumented Mexican immigrants, too.
A modern sanctuary movement
By the time La Placita's sanctuary program ended, in 1990, Reagan was out of office and the mass immigration raids had ended.
The Trump administration's renewed crackdown on Central Americans – who are, once again, fleeing the region in droves due to violence – has sparked talk of a modern sanctuary movement.
According to Voice of America News, 1,100 religious congregations today offer some form of sanctuary for the undocumented. Last year, only about 50 migrants took asylum in churches, but the number has spiked recently in anticipation of immigration raids and mass deportation.
The history of La Placita, and of the broader church sanctuary movement, serves as a roadmap for how the houses of worship that protect migrants as a religious duty can go beyond symbolism to assist the poor and oppressed in tangible, lasting ways.
Mario Garcia, Professor, Department of Chicano Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons License. Read the original article
Published by Vistas
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Назас има више значења:

 Назас, Лас Лагартихас (Гомез Паласио), насеље у савезној држави Дуранго у Мексику
 Општина Назас (Дуранго), општина у савезној држави Дуранго у Мексику
 Назас (Назас, Дуранго), насеље у савезној држави Дуранго у Мексику


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How prevalent is the supernatural in The Dresden Files?
After reading the Hollows series by Kim Harrison, I've picked up Storm Front by Jim Butcher, the first book in the Dresden Files series (I understand there is/was a TV show at some point, but have never seen it).
How prevalent is the supernatural in the series? I ask because a vampire fears Harry for being the only one in the city/region who could have worked the magic that was done earlier.
This tells me that either Harry is insanely well known, or that the magically aware population in the Midwest (or at least Chicago) is so small that it's possible to know everyone else in it by reputation.
Obviously, then, the magical population is nowhere near as dense as in Harrison's books, but how dense is it?
magic the-dresden-files
PearsonArtPhoto
JeffJeff
Something to remember about Storm Front; it was a frustrated attempt at showing what Butcher believed would NOT work: From a 2004 interview with him "When I finally got tired of arguing with her and decided to write a novel as if I was some kind of formulaic, genre writing drone, just to prove to her how awful it would be, I wrote the first book of the Dresden Files." -- So, although it taught him something about what could sell, don't take it as indicitive of the rest of his works, or even the rest of the series.. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dresden_Files for more info. – K-H-W Aug 23 '11 at 20:47
The reason Harry was the prime suspect in that particular murder (from the supernatural community's point of view) wasn't that the supernatural is particularly rare, but that the attack in question required a ridiculous amount of power. Other than Harry, none of the known practitioners in Chicago could have pulled it off. – Harry Johnston Sep 18 '19 at 3:37
I agree with @apoorv020's post, but think it could be expanded upon.
Having read both the Hollows, and the Dresden Files, one of the biggest differences (in terms of human-vs-supernatural), is that in the Hollows, the supernatural denizens are public. Everyone knows there are witches, vampires, werewolves, etc, whereas in the Dresden Files, they are highly secretive. The general population goes out of their way to ignore any attacks or weird occurrence, with the authorities always willing to find an excuse for things ("it was a gas leak/biker gang/escaped zoo tiger") that do become public.
And yes, there was a major population difference - in the Hollows, after an epidemic wiped out nearly half of humanity, the witches/werewolves/vampires, etc, came out of hiding, to the point where they had (roughly) equal numbers. In the Dresden Files, most of the supernatural world is also predatory (unlike Hollows), with two different types of vampires (Red and White court) being the most prevalent. As predators, their numbers are much lower than their prey animals (us :) , or it would be harder to keep it a secret.
The Hollows denizens, being mostly witches and werewolves (vampires were a much smaller percentage), were benign, and could co-exist with humans in large numbers, once they became public.
Also, one of the reasons Harry is well-known, he's the only wizard who actually advertises in the Chicago Yellow Pages. :)
Spoiler update from the book "Changes":
The Red Court is now dust - the spooky-side population dropped dramatically (and it was very dramatic...)
John CJohn C
Minor nit: there are four types of vampires: White, Red, Black, and Jade Court. – James Keesey Aug 23 '11 at 20:52
@James, true, I didn't mean to imply there were only two types, I was just talking about the most prevalent types, since the issue at hand was relative population size. Black Court is mostly wiped out, and Jade Court, in Asia, doesn't show up much. – John C Aug 23 '11 at 21:28
Never read the Hollows, but can answer the parts about the Dresden universe.
Some of the answer might be lightly spoilerish, but nothing major.
Almost all powerful wizards are compulsorily part of a club, called the White Council. Their numbers aren't that great, I think a few thousands ( or even lower than that). Dresden regularly states/thinks that he is probably among the top 40 wizards when ranked by power alone.
However, wizards tend to live long, a few lifetimes for a normal human. Plus there are more numerous small fry magicians who lack good training, skill and abilities. Also, there are many other supernatural entities excluding vampires - werewolves, fairies (or fae), zombies, angels, fallen angels, half-human half-something people, renegade wizards, demons from other universes, valkyries etc.
Dresden is feared not only because of his personal strength, but because most supernatural entities seem to be part of some alliance or the other, and attacks on a member will bring reprisals from the other members. ( and vice versa as well, Dresden sometimes has to restrain himself as well)
And Harry is the only White Council wizard in Chicago. Also, some people and creatures know that Harry killed his quite powerful mentor in a wizard's duel. Which says two things, Harry is very powerful and he may be a black wizard. – Zan Lynx Jan 4 '12 at 3:06
+1 for discussing the difference between white council and "paranetters" – deworde Mar 23 '13 at 17:40
In addition to his power and status in the first book, Harry has only increased both as the series continues. (Trying to keep spoilers to a minimum) From gaining the ability to mix in Hellfire and later Soulfire into his spells, to becoming the warden of an ancient prison and having status in the Winter Court of fae, to his fight against the Red Court of vampires, Harry is starting to become (in-)famous in the supernatural world. And he's still in the Chicago yellow pages. :) – Brian S Jan 30 '14 at 16:08
@brianS As of Harry's increased status in the Winter Court, that phone number is probably disconnected. I am not sure how quickly the yellow pages is updated. – Verdan Feb 5 '19 at 18:09
Storm Front is probably the worst of the Dresden books. I definitely wouldn't base my opinion of the series on that book. The supernatural becomes more and more prevalent as the series goes on, and he fleshes out the cast of characters.
As far as your question goes, he's feared, not for himself, but because he is a member of a world spanning organization of powerful wizards who might be willing to throw down with him. And yes, he's the only one in town, but there are plenty of other supernatural nasties of various types, as well as lesser magic users, fairies, other vampires, demons, demigods, etc, etc.
SatanicpuppySatanicpuppy
Even if it is the worst Dresden book, that still puts it in the excellent category. The series definitely improved over time, but none of the books are remotely bad, or even mediocre - IMHO. :) – John C Aug 23 '11 at 21:31
@john C: Oh, I agree completely. Quality has gone nowhere but up. I wasn't impressed at all with Storm Front and it kept me from buying Fool Moon for a couple of years. Fool Moon was okay, but it didn't make me lunge out to buy Grave Peril. Grave Peril was good enough that I bought Summer Knight and Dead Beat. Dead Beat was good enough that I bought all the rest (including the Codex books), and I keep track of release dates so I can grab them on the day they come out. – Satanicpuppy Aug 23 '11 at 22:01
-1: Half this answer is dissing the book, the other half isn't a very good answer to the question. – deworde Mar 23 '13 at 17:38
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged magic the-dresden-files or ask your own question.
In the Dresden Files, how did Harry's dad die?
Does Harry Dresden of the Dresden Files book series wear a hat?
Dresden Files, TV show vs Books
Magic In Dresden Files Universe
Is there a group in Dresden Files that keeps the supernatural world secret?
Why there is so little healing magic in Dresden Files?
Harry making a deal with the devil (Dresden Files)
The Dresden Files - Changes - what joke Harry refers to?
Relative strength of Vampires in Dresden files?
What's the deal with Outsiders in The Dresden Files?


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Golden Eaglets set to battle Hungary in World Cup opener
The Estadio Olympico, Goiania will come alive tomorrow when five-time world champions in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, Golden Eaglets of Nigeria tackle Hungary in the opening game in Group B of this year's championship taking place in Brazil. The young football ambassadors from Nigeria touched down in Goiania on Tuesday from Sao Paulo, the
The Estadio Olympico, Goiania will come alive tomorrow when five-time world champions in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, Golden Eaglets of Nigeria tackle Hungary in the opening game in Group B of this year's championship taking place in Brazil.
The young football ambassadors from Nigeria touched down in Goiania on Tuesday from Sao Paulo, the city they had their training tour and the team swung into action with training session in preparation for the class against the East European side.
Thenff.com reports that Coach Manu Garba and his assistants are not leaving the stone unturned as they continued to impart tactical and technical knowledge to the players ahead of the game against Hungary, which he strongly affirmed to be a very important tie, adding, "winning the opening game is crucial in building the confidence level in the team."
He said: "We are looking forward to the game against Hungary with great expectations of having a good game and winning the maximum points at stake."
He told thenff.com in Gioania, "Any team from Europe that qualified for a tournament like this, must definitely be a good side. But we will approach the game with every seriousness it deserves to give Nigerians back home something positive to cheer at the end of 90 minutes."
Both teams are not new to each other as the Golden Eaglets that have now been rechristened the 'Super Eaglets' by FIFA defeated Hungary 3-1 at the quarterfinal stage of the maiden edition of the tournament in 1985 en route to becoming the first country to win the tournament, after the team defeated Germany 2-0 in the final.
Nigeria will also play Ecuador and Australia in the group phase.
eaglets


What does A&D stand for? Definition of Aerospace and Defense in the list of acronyms and abbreviations provided by the Free Online Dictionary and Thesaurus.
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Mauell Corporation manufactures hard and soft simulators for the utility, transit, and nuclear industries.
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Mauell Corporation manufactures panel overlays and synoptic panel sections (image replication areas) through the use of our large format 1200 dpi UV-curable ink jet printer. Our printer gives us the ability to print virtually anything directly onto the simulator sheet metal panel overlays.
During scheduled outages, Mauell Corporation will perform on-site maintenance and updates to new and existing simulators whether supplied by Mauell or others, easing the burden on customer resources already stretched thin during the short outage cycle. We will manage, update, and provide all drawings and required documentation needed to track system updates.
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My life was full of adventure while growing up, and I moved with my family to new places every two years. We moved to multiple states along with stints in Canada and Mexico. This made traveling both exciting and normal to me, and I realized that it's possible to see the world without stress if you plan accordingly.
In 1996, I went to Disney World with my family where we were instantly overwhelmed by all of the choices. I'm a natural planner, and I wanted to find a way for us to see and do everything we wanted in our limited amount of time. I started researching everything I could about the park to improve our situation, and we soon had a wonderful time. As we returned throughout the years, each trip became better and better with my newfound knowledge.
I homeschooled my kids for 17 years and worked as a professional chiropractor during that time. I know how difficult it can be for families to find the time to research new destinations and create an itinerary they love, and one of the reasons I joined the travel industry is because I wanted to show families that it's possible to have amazing adventures without stress or worries.
Today, I specialize in planning personalized vacations for families and groups of all ages. I take care of all the little details so you can enjoy your vacation with confidence and ease. I'm passionate about traveling, and I really want to help families create their own lasting memories together anywhere in the world.
I've booked everything from luxury ocean cruises to smaller river cruises through picturesque locations. I want to learn about your interests so I can research everything for you and provide perfect recommendations. Booking a vacation should be fun and exciting, and I will help you every step of the way so you can start daydreaming about your trip immediately.
I'm also an expert with Disney's resorts, cruises, and theme parks. I've always loved everything about Disney, and it's great when I can help families and couples get the most out of their parks and offerings. With so much to experience, I will help you plan so you're never overwhelmed by all of the options.
With years of experience, I'm ready to help you create magical moments on your next vacation!


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HomeRolls RoyceRolls Royce Dawn
Luxurious, exclusive and exciting, Rolls-Royce says it is the most exciting car in its fleet, Rolls-Royce Dawn - Dawn in Arabic - is a convertible coupe that can accommodate four passengers, presented by Rolls-Royce during the Frankfurt Motor Show 2015, and is the third car revealed by the company in 45 years, and is also considered The largest and most luxurious detection car in the world, Rolls-Royce supplied the all-new model of her car with the spirit of sporty feeling, and refused to engage in vulgar discussions about driving dynamics, road feeling, and more. The car will perform as expected, and the owner will not need to worry about existing technologies, as the experience is designed to be comfortable in all respects.
These impressions we got after Rolls-Royce Dawn came out "Dawn". The Dawn detector car contains two doors and four royal seats, in addition to having amazing aspects that cannot be rivaled by any kind of other sports car.
The car's name and design are inspired by the classic 1952 Silver Dawn, but with a contemporary view of what luxury cars should be like, the company says that 80% of the body parts are completely new and specially made for this distinctive car, while the front grille got a design New The front bumper has been increased by 53 mm compared to the Wraith model and has been fitted with 21-inch polished metal wheels.
The elegance of Rolls Royce Dawn 2016 appears when viewed from the side, where the fabric roof appears consistent with the shape of the car without any bulges, as is the case in other types of cars with a fabric roof. Oblique angled and smooth lines on both sides of the car,
Every Rolls-Royce car is specially prepared for each of its customers, and with so many alternatives, it is not necessary that the cars that make it be the same.
From the back, the backend is wider with a design, When lowering the roof, the rear platform that surrounds the rear seats appears in the shape of a horse suit, which reflects the highest levels of professionalism and mastery.
Rolls-Royce did an amazing job making the Dawn very elegant.
dawn interior
The interior of Rolls-Royce Dawn includes 4 independent seats, while the cabin was surrounded by the most luxurious wood and leather as you would expect in a Rolls-Royce, and the instrument panel was redesigned to provide minimal control over the brushed metal that is simple and easy to use, while the cars retained classic counters that Emphasizes the excellence of this car and its luxurious identity.
The elegant fabric ceiling can be opened and closed in just 22 seconds and completely quietly - silent ballet - and up to a speed of 50 km / h. The roof is also designed in the style of "French seam" that provides a smooth surface to pass air around the fabric ceiling when traveling at high speeds without exporting No noise or disturbance to passengers, while the cabin has distinctive sound insulation even when the roof is lowered.
Rolls-Royce Dawn engine
Rolls-Royce Dawn is equipped with a 6.6-liter V12 engine with a twin-turbocharger that generates 563 hp (570 hp European PS) and 780 Nm of torque connected to a ZF automatic and advanced eight-speed automatic gearbox, and a top speed of 250 Kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour).
Rolls-Royce Dawn price
Rolls-Royce Dawn price starts from ($ 350,000)


text:
1986-87 Toyota MR2 1600
-------------------SPEX------------------
Years Represented: 1986
Class: Sports Car
Type: 2-door coupe or targa
Host: GT2 & GT4
Price as Tested: $5,943 (used car lot--GT2)
$7,349 (historic lot--GT4)
Body Construction: unit steel
Overhang: @ 5 feet 3.5 inches
Track: 56.7" [F] 56.9" [R]
Layout: Mid Engine / Rear Drive
F. Suspension: MacPherson strut / coils / anti-roll bar
R. Suspension: multilink / coils / anti-roll bar / shox
Tires: 185/60R-14
Steering: unassisted rack & pinion
Brakes: vented discs + vacuum asst. [F] solid discs [R]
Engine: 1.6 liter DOHC inline 4
``````````````````````````GT2`````````````````````````````````GT4
Tested BHP: 137 @ 5,700 rpms 140 @ 6,400 rpms
Tstd Torque: 137 @ 4,500 rpm 137 @ 4,400 rpms
Aspiration: normal or supercharged
Fuel Syst: TCCS fuel inj.
Credits per HP: $43.38 $52.49
Lbs. per HP: 17.05 16.54
Hp per Liter: 86.3 88.2
Idle Speed: 1,000 rpms (GT4)
*track testing currently for the supercharged version.
```````````````````````GT2`````````````````````````````````GT4
0-60 mph: 7.948 seconds 8.100 seconds
0-100mph: 23.776 seconds 21.900 seconds
400 M: 16.298 @ 85 mph 16.338 @ 88 mph
1 KM: 29.97 @ 109 mph 29.550 @ 114 mph
100-zero mph: no test 4.60 seconds
Top Gear RPM @ 60 mph: 2,750
5th: 147.62 mph @7,100 rpms (GT2)
145.70 mph @6,800 rpms (GT4)
-----------------EXTERIOR / HISTORY------------------
The first-gen Toyota MR2. What a perfect addition to the Gran Turismo selection of '80s cars, right? If it weren't here, I certainly would have noticed. Despite this, I have mixed feelings about the '86 MR2, which creates both nostalgia and nausea in my gut at times. What can we learn about it?
First off...if you don't live in the United States, you probly missed one of the premier automotive sales wars of the mid-eighties. Those of us who can remember that far back may recall that the MR2 wasn't the ONLY 2-seater, mid-engine car on the market! Here in America, we also had our own -- the Pontiac Fiero. This was also a mid-engine 2-seater, however it featured an 'Enduralux' plastic body instead of the MR2's heavier unit steel construction.
Unfortunately, the Fiero didn't last long...by 1989 it was out of production. It died a quick death along with hair bands, Reaganomics, and about a billion of my brain cells. ;-? But as we know, the Toyota MR2 thrived on and on thru the '90s, lasting two generations before declining sales (in America, anyways) caused Toyota to start concentrating more solely on 'family' oriented models *gack!*
Luckily, in 1999 or 2000, the 3rd gen MR2 Spyder emerged (known as the MR-S in our game and in certain countries), which was Toyota's attempt to compete again now that Honda had their S2000 and Mazda still had their Miata. But let's go back and look to the beginning. *insert cheesy new wave music here*
The Mid-engine Runabout 2 (that's what MR2 stands for, according to www.SpyderChat.com but www.MR2.com gives several other interpretations) started its life in 1984. Like the 1st-gen RX-7, It wasn't meant to be a fast car at first, but in 1986 Toyota added a supercharger, and produced both this version and the original naturally-aspirated car till 1989. After this year, the MR2's 2nd generation began. In GT4 either model (normal or supercharged) can be had, but in GT2 we'll only find the supercharged version.
Tho it originally sold for just under $8,000, we can buy MK1-era MR2s in either game for several thousand less. Polyphony's attention to detail is awesome here...they've got all the basic colors represented, including my favorite--a 2-tone black with dark gray trim.
GT2: PS1 graphics are a bit shoddy for this car, and (of course) in GT4 everything looks heavenly. In either case, the MR2's lowish weight is a blessing. Still, the MR2 is a tad heavy when compared to, say.,...a mid-engine Lotus Elise, Tommykaira, or several other MR machines. Racing parts are available for the car's exterior (GT2), and with full weight taken away, it falls satisfyingly to Corolla country at 2,083 pounds in GT2, and a bit more in the 4th game.
There are nine MR2 and MR-S cars total in GT2 and God knows how many version in 4; it's nice to see Polyphony Digital included the baby.
Toyota MR2 1600 Supercharged
-------------------ENGINE / DRIVETRAIN------------------
On my way thru Sears the other day, I saw this girl, maybe 6 years old... maybe 8, with a pack of friends. On her shirt it said
"I have ISSUES"
...Which got me thinking. What the hell kind of issues could she have at such a young age? Did her young crush break her heart after bringing his 'Amazing Can of Worms' to show-and-tell that day? Did her mom deny this princess her very own cell phone? Pierced ears? Tattoo? We'll never know. For one thing, I AINT asking her mom! Plus, I got my own issues, plenty of them!
Well, take this baby for a test drive (I'm talking about the car, now, not that girl's mom) and hmmm. What do you think? I'll tell you what I think (it's my website, after all), I think the power could be improved. There really isn't much here to begin with, is there? Yes, this 1.6 can be easily had with a supercharger, which calls to mind all the funny cars and drag racers that made superchargers famous. So at first it seems you're about to get the ride of your life as soon as you hammer the throttle. Yes there's a supercharger; but truthfully, you barely notice it at first. You don't even begin to HEAR it till later on when you've got Stage 2 parts installed!
Acceleration in a stock MR2 is really poor for a sports car (even in some later MKII models like the '96 Spider), but thankfully this can be changed. All told, you really can't expect much. 283 hp @ 7,000 rpms is the most with a Stage 3 turbo in GT2, which of course costs a bundle of money. In GT4, turbos can't be bought, oddly. In fact, as confusing as this may sound, you can only buy natural-aspirated tuning, even for the SC (supercharged) version of the car. At most, we're talking much less than the GT2 car: 231 bhp with 213 foot-pounds at best.
Not much to go with, but it's okay. The poor MR2 1600 can't handle much more power as we'll soon see. The good news is this is one of those mid-engine machines that has loads of traction, so even tho power is low, most of it gets thrown to the pavement with efficiency.
After I donned a skinny tie with piano keys on it, used mousse gel to sculpt my hair into the shape of a crow, and broke out the Culture Club, I took my sweet '86 to the 80s races. For most of my driving, I used a close-ratio transmission. Since the powerband is narrow and up near the redline, this is all my MR2 needed.
Well like I said, I had some issues. Not only did my girlfriend make fun of my hair and break my Boy George CD in half, but my poor car had a rather tough time at the races.
-----------CHASSIS / HANDLING-----------
Left....right,...bump...left....switch to the right. LEFT.
No, that wasn't my MR2 going thru a series of chicanes in Deep Forest, nor was it some cheesy '80s-era Jane Fonda aerobics video. That was actually a scene from my replay as the MR2 travelled down the Trail Mountain backstretch, WHILE I TRIED TO KEEP IT GOING IN A STRAIGHT LINE!!! If you haven't driven an MR2 1600 G-limited, be forewarned: stability is not this car's forte. And tho my description above sounds a bit exaggerated, rest assured. It's NOT!
But once you've got the Midship Runabout 2 (or whatever it's supposed to be called) pointed correctly, all is well; with minimal tuning and an agile steering thumb, it plants the power. All you'll need is a sports suspension, 1.5 or 2-way limted-slip device, and perhaps some medium slick tires (GT2) or medium sports (GT4) to get this nervous car to behave...in the '80s races I was using sports tires instead of slicks, simply to kill any cornering advantages.
The short wheelbase combined with a rather narrow body and tires with a tread width of just 185 are just as much to blame as the mid-engine for the jumpiness. In slower corners (like at Autumn Ring) you should have few problems. Whenever you see an MR2 1600 racing as an Ai in slower races, this car will dominate twisty & horsey tracks of all kinds, and so will you. It's once it starts moving with more speed and horses that you'll have to keep an eye out for possible impending disasters. But I did okay. I won four out of five '80s races, only losing at Seattle since my car was a bit underpowered. But I'm glad.
My Toyota makes me smile like in those commercials they ran back when I was in high school: "Oh what you do for me! TOYOTA!" Something gay like that.
MR2 1600 G-limited
PROS---------------------------------------
1). Low, low price. Perhaps the cheapest mid-engine sports car in our game. Double-digit credit to power ratio guaranteed.
2). A fairly decent light weight car. If it were much lighter, stability would be sacrificed. Race-kit available in GT2.
3). What a cool vehicle!! The novelty factor can't be ignored, dude. Lots of videogames have Ferraris, Corvettes, and later-model MR2s, but what other game features the 1st-gen 1600?? And supercharged! This is yet another piece of automotive history to stalk in the used car lots.
4). Three aftermarket upgrades. Yeah, they're weak, but at least they're available. In GT4, some versions only accept natural tuning instead of superchargers.
5). Mid-engine guarantees decent traction & power efficiency. Rarely will spinning tires spin for long, unless you're purposely sliding out.
6). Light tuning & minimal parts is needed to win various lower sim races. Most of the time, you won't need the best suspension, tires, etc. to win, unless you're a fan of overkill.
7). Minimal understeer, gymnastic cornering ability (at lower speeds).
8). Not fuel-thirsty (GT4).
CONS--------------------------------------
1). Yes, there IS such a thing as too much maneuverability. At medium to high speed (over 80 mph) the skittish MR2 becomes prone to spins. Road bumps don't treat it kindly, either.
2). A total of 146 extra horsepower from Stage 3 parts (GT2) if the engine is maxed. This is not cheap, either. The normally-aspirated car from GT4 only makes about 240 hp max, and the SC version makes even less at 231!
3). Poor engine-twist below 5,000 rpm despite the fact that peak torque is created in the 4 to 5,500 range. It's almost as if Toyota used a supercharger with the boost of a desk fan.
4). Experienced players like me can get away with doing most of their sim races on cheap tires, but amateurs may need racing slicks early on (GT2 only)
5). Easily pushed around by other sim cars.
6). Below average acceleration for a mid-engine sports car.
7). Poorly defined graphics from the Polyphony team (GT2).
8). Brakes that inspire more confidence than they provide.
Re-Edited: July 3rd, 2007
CLICK HERE FOR MORE CAR REVIEWS


Incorporating two flexible sheets of plastic with a powerful magnet on each side, Oli Clips can hold approximately 20 sheets of paper and are great for marking your place in your planner, holding a pile of papers securely together, or as a colourful bookmark for your favourite novel or magazine. They are a must-have for planner & stationery addicts!
Small clips measure 18mm wide x 37mm tall when folded in half.


The San Juan Island Trails Committee has been hosting a series of Know Your Island walks where naturalists, historians, and others share information with locals during a guided hike at one of our island's numerous recreational areas. Last Saturday I went along on the hike exploring Third Lagoon to share information about birds. Third Lagoon is probably one of the least visited trails on the island, despite being a beautiful access to both deep forest and the shoreline of Griffin Bay. I was surprised how many islanders I told about the hike said, "Where is that?"
It was a rainy Saturday, but we still had 20 people show up for our hike. In addition to birds, others talked about trees, lichens, and mushrooms. I definitely learned a thing or two!
My friend Kari knows quite a lot about mushrooms, and had a sharp eye for finding them too! She collected a whole basket of chanterelles - all of which I probably would have walked by without seeing.
There is an amazing variety of trees at this part of the island, and we saw a couple of species I'm not that familiar with that I didn't know we had here - quaking aspen and Douglas maple.
Our two youngest participants got particularly excited over this tiny tree frog found among the detritus. I thought it was pretty cool, too.
The rain held off for the first part of our hike, but it started an earnest as we headed out into the open near the lagoon itself, which was where the best birding was. As a result I don't have any pictures of that part, but we saw lots of harlequin ducks, red-breasted mergansers, and horned grebes, along with a couple of black oystercatchers, common loons, and a great blue heron.
One final sighting to share is that last week we heard and then saw two barred owls right from the deck of our houseboat! I couldn't believe it. Their call is accurately described as "Who cooks for you?" but that doesn't really capture the booming quality when you hear it, especially in the middle of a cold night. Get a feel for it by listening to the audio recording from Bird Web here. It sounds so cool.
I had to listen to the owl call over and over again. So cool!
Also really like the mushroom photo...and the poppies.
We call em shaggy ink caps or layers wigs which are still worn in UK courtrooms.
Dave - The salmonberry bird is the Swainson's thrush. Their melodic call is one of the symbols of early summer in the Pacific Northwest, and I guess it was usually timed with the ripe berries.


text:
www.rmsbeauty.com
Helene Ravlich talks to organic makeup maven and RMS Beauty founder Rose-Marie Swift
Celebrity make-up artist and the organic beauty mogul behind RMS Beauty, Rose-Marie Swift has a secret side hobby; astrological readings. She told the New York Times she gives one hour readings to clients and friends in the fashion industry, including supermodel Gisele Bundchen and the incredible Linda Rodin.
"Usually, people come to me when there's drama that they can't answer," says Swift, who believes astrology can explain almost everything and even used it to determinate layout of her on-counter material. "I'm an Aquarian; therefore, I'm a future thinker. My rising sign is Libra, which rules the beauty industry. My moon is in Sagittarius, so I'm a truth seeker – this is why I mouth off; my Mars in Aries makes me feisty."
Rose-Marie Swift- founder RMS Beauty
A makeup artist for over 35 years
Swifts work has been featured in Vogue (French, Italian, Nippon, China, Russian), W, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire and the international mags. Her make-up has appeared in ads for the likes of Diane Von Furstenberg, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Louis Vuitton, and her photographic partners over the years have included Mario Sorrenti, Annie Leibovitz and Patrick Demarchelier.
Her Products are not only non-toxic, but they actually heal and nourish the skin.
RMS Beauty is an original, organic, pure- colour cosmetic line designed to hydrate and illuminate skin for the perfect 'natural' look. Her Products are not only non-toxic, but they actually heal and nourish the skin.
She recently visited New Zealand on her way to Las Angeles to attend super model Miranda Kerr's wedding to tech mogul Even Spiegel. We spent a morning talking to her about her approach to beauty.
Women have been brainwashed for years into thinking they have to cover everything up with thick product to look better
One of your most successful products, Un Power, looks virtually invisible but dramatically minimises the appearance of pores, softens the skin and absorbs oil. You also have Un Cover Up, which does amazing things with little effort. Do women find hard to get their heads around 'less is more' concept?
Oh god yes, women have been brainwashed for years into thinking they have to cover everything up with thick product to look better, but it's just not so. You want a little cover but also something that defuses rather than masks imperfection – you don't want make-up to look dried out and caked on. That just makes you look older and who wants that?
I always wanted to create a proper make-up line with all the possibilities that brings, but one that is also safe to use.
What do you think about the current global trend for using multiple products to contour the face?
I hate it. Models look great in photos because of lighting and bone structure; you can't just draw that in. I see women who have become immune to how strange it looks that they are wearing bronzer and blusher like the world's best drag queens, but they don't need it. It doesn't look great and it's not good for your skin.
Would you say you were one of the pioneers in the natural make-up industry?
I wouldn't say I was one of the pioneers, but as a make-up artist with some great contacts and clients, I was the first to really get behind great colour pay-off without chemicals, I always wanted to create a proper make-up line with all the possibilities that brings, but one that is also safe to use.
First step is learning how to take it all off, and that's with my RMS Beauty Coconut Oil.
You have said that you don't believe in adding fragrance to your products. Can you tell me why?
No, I don't believe they need them. Essential oils are fantastic for therapeutic purposes, but if you're putting them to mask a scent in your product then something is wrong.They are used in everything these days and it's overkill.Fragrance also irritates – 99 per cent of the time someone tells me they have reacted to a beauty product, it's added fragrance that is to blame. Essential oils are super powerful and they heal. They are not to be messed around with.
For someone who has never used RMS Beauty before, where would you tell them to start?
I'd say the first step is learning how to take it all off, and that's with my RMS Beauty Coconut Oil. When Angelina Jolie was filming Maleficent her skins reacting really badly to all the heavy make-up she was wearing and the chemicals required to get it off, so I gave her a pot of this and it worked straight away. Next I'd tell them to try my luminizer for a light reflective glow – it's that glow that makes you look young. The more creamy formulas you add to your routine, the better you will look. Guaranteed.
Words by Helene Ravlich
Visit Helene at Pretty Beautiful www.mshelene.com
Wright & Smith Artisanal Contemporary Home décor
Hackney Herbal Promoting Well-Being Through Herbs
Interview with Jason Pooley – Founder and co-owner of The House of Yoga and Flovibe Festival
Natural Wonder- Helene Ravlich talks to organic makeup maven and RMS Beauty founder Rose-Marie Swift
Moon Juice Plant Sourced Alchemy for Beauty
Yoga Directory
© 2017 Le Resonant


Climate debate driven by fear? The self-described skeptical environmentalist, Bjorn Lomborg, joins the Dylan Ratigan Show on Earth Day to discuss global warming, the fear-based rhetoric, and whether China is actually beating the U.S. in the clean energy race.
Expert: Fossil fuels kill more people Bjorn Lomborg, revolutionary thinker and writer, says closing nuclear plants in the wake of a huge tsunami in Japan will actually cause more deaths.


Well, here's one more than a bit off the beaten path! But should nonetheless be familiar to some of you -- and a whole lot more if you're a fan of Disgaea or Neptunia. I played this on the Vita a couple months ago and I'll bet dollars to donuts it'll be on Steam sooner or later. It's by Compile Heart and published by Idea Factory. Trillion: God of Destruction is a game taking place inside a world of demons (the game was made by former Disgaea staff). One day, a giant monstrosity named Trillion shows up and begins barreling through the demons defenses, on its way to try to attack the Underworld's core. If the core is destroyed, so too will the power of the Overlords who rule this realm sink into darkness of the nether and everyone will lose their home.
One by one, you have to train each of the Overlords to act as a final line of defense to keep Trillion from reaching the core. Even if it means sacrificing their lives and seeing a lot of the energy put into training them spent. Does this sound at all familiar at all to anyone who's been on the wrong side of a Behemoth rush?
The Underworld residents, as a slight subversion, are pretty decent people taken on their own. They don't get along with human or divine forces, but they do get along very well with other extra-planar beings. In some free DLC, you can get help from the goddesses of the Hyperdimension Neptunia series, who... surprisingly get along just fine with the Overlords.
I'm crossing my fingers this one gets to Steam. It got pretty harshly panned by reviewers, but it actually reminded me to check back up on WftO!


text:
From a Retirement Place to a Dying Place - Mexico's 'Waiting Room'
"Stand up if you're new here," addressed the woman with the microphone. About a dozen people stood. "We hope none of you move here," she…
"Stand up if you're new here," addressed the woman with the microphone.
About a dozen people stood. "We hope none of you move here," she joked. Everybody laughed.
She was speaking to hundreds of people at the Lake Chapala Society in Ajijic, Mexico. As usual, the sun was shining.
But at 10:30am, and 5,000 feet above sea level, it was a pleasant 60°Fahrenheit.
Every Sunday, the Lake Chapala society hosts its Open Circle. Speakers share their expertise, often attracting hundreds of retirees.
It's part of the weekend social scene. Topics range. A few years ago, I spoke about investing.
A week before, a retiree from Cambodia spoke about the atrocities her family suffered during the Khmer Rouge regime.
Last week's speaker, David Truly, packed the house like a rock star might.


text:
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Trigun Omnibus
Posted on February 22, 2015 by Colin Herzog in Archives, Edited by Joss Taylor Olson // 0 Comments
Review of: Trigun Omnibus
Comic:
Yasuhiro Nightow
Reviewed by: Colin Herzog
Last modified:January 2, 2016
"Overall, Trigun does struggle to hold up on its own, so if you pick it up, anticipate picking up Trigun Maximum as well; however, its artwork, interesting genre blending, and main character make this series still worth buying, even if the omnibus is both bare-boned and a tad thick for its portable size, making it difficult to read."
Among fiction, there aren't that many non-superhero characters that cause enough destruction to be declared a humanoid natural disaster.
The pacifist Vash the Stampede is one of those (un)lucky few.
Some may recognize Vash's name from the hit 1998 anime series Trigun. For those that don't, Trigun (according to the inside flap, its title is actually Trigun Deep Space Planet Future Gun Action. Trigun for short)is a science fiction Western that follows Vash's misadventures as he wanders the desert planet Gunsmoke while he tries to track down his brother and avoid bounty hunters after the 60 billion double dollar price on his head.
It is based on a manga series by Yasuhiro Nightow that began in 1996; however, the series came to an end in 1997 when the magazine it was running in was discontinued. Fortunately for fans as well as the anime script writers, Trigun found a new home with Young King Ours magazine under the new title Trigun Maximum and continued until its end in 2008.
Thanks to Dark Horse, the original Trigun series, which they released in two volumes, has now been compiled into one convenient package—but is it the release one should go for? Besides, who knows if the original series holds up, especially compared to the longer-running Maximum?
Actually, we know. The story holds up overall, but some of it has not aged well—it wears its 90s aesthetic on its sleeve proudly, especially with character designs—and carries some considerable pacing issues as well. The collection is pretty bare-bones and, clocking in at 700 pages, its thickness can be a hindrance.
STORY: 3.5/5
The stories collected in this volume may seem familiar to those that watched the show, as many of its 26 episodes were taken from this series versus Maximum due to the dissonance between the second manga's and anime's production schedules. Much like the first half of the show, the first half of this series is pretty episodic, as Vash fights off the Nebraska Family and thwarts the Bad Lad Gang's Sand Steamer/sand train robbery. There are also occasional hints towards his goal of finding his brother or his own potential connection to the Plants, which are mysterious power and habitation sources that makes living on a desert planet possible. To their credit, the brief glimpses into Vash's past and his bond with the original colonizers are effective: they hold our interest, show just enough information to help us understand while still keeping a sense of mystery, and the western aesthetic and science fiction space journey for survival are well-blended.
Unfortunately, those hoping for more detail explaining how Vash is able to communicate with Plants or how he and his brother Knives came to be on the colonizing vessels will likely be disappointed, as most of that story is saved for Maximum. Therefore, when Knives is resurrected at the end of the volume for reasons that are not adequately explained, there is confusion regarding why it was necessary or how the doctor they brought in would know to perform the procedure. Honestly, it was at the point where Nightow likely learned of the magazine's discontinuation and rushed the story to some kind of climax with the few chapters he had left and the payoff is pretty lackluster given the lack of explanation or investment.
CHARACTERS-VILLAINS: 3/5
Knives also does not get much of a chance to demonstrate a personality beyond "calculating to destroy all humans." On the plus side, Knives shows genuine concern for his brother, and he even severely wounds Legato for ordering the Guns to kill him, which at least elevates him beyond straight up evil.
Legato gets similar treatment during his own chapter where he butchers a biker gang that were carrying slaves; however, his motivation really is vague. A layer of mystery is fine, but as far this series goes, all we know is that he wants to kill humanity and hates Vash for unexplained reasons, which makes it hard to really get invested with his conflict against Vash. Wolfwood also encounters a similar problem: he does have a good character moment with Vash, but he fades into the background after that and does not get much of a chance to show off his character.
As for the other Gung-Ho Guns, we only really get to meet three of them and only the first one gets something of a backstory. The second one, E. G. Mine, honestly could have just been cut from the story—he is around for maybe 8 pages, gets no character or personality beyond "kill," and we don't even get an interesting fight out of it. Vash takes him down with one shot and a swing of his luggage within 3 pages. The third Gun to confront Vash, Dominique the Cyclops, at least gets an interesting ability, but she too gets no background, motivation, or personality beyond being just another enemy for Vash to fight—another victim of the series's rushed pacing.
CHARACTERS-HEROES: 4.5/5
Still, say what we will about the bad guys, at least our core trio gets fleshed out. Vash has numerous people question his pacifism philosophy and his scarred body is a testament to how much it has cost him over the years,—which adds a nice layer of tension as he is forced into numerous "kill or be killed" scenarios. One particular moment that stands out is during the Bad Lad Gang's heist on the Sand Steamer, when Vash accidentally shoots one of the nameless henchmen in a possibly fatal place. Without hesitation, he rushes over and tries to stop the bleeding, even though he was wounded himself and had to still stop the runaway steamer. Because of moments where Vash has to drop everything to stick to his principles, it is clear that this philosophy costs him dearly and that, unlike most "no killing" heroes, his fights rarely end with him getting what he wants in the end. The confliction, sense of tragedy, and clear resignation add fantastic depth to Vash's normal happy-go-lucky act. He becomes compelling and yes, sometimes he comes across as naïve, but overall, getting the chance to know him is reason enough to check out the series alone—even if he's randomly telepathic for one chapter when Legato's introduced and the ability is never referenced again.
Vash is followed by Meryl Strife and Millie Thompson, representatives of the Bernadelli Insurance Society. First of all, the fact that Nightow brings up the idea of insurance and its frustration of paying for all the collateral damage left in Vash's wake is hilarious. It's funny how their main reason of tracking Vash down is so they can attempt damage control and keep costs down. They do at least get some development, as they take on work as bodyguards to protect an older couple from their son and his mafia connections in Vash's stead and reflect on their own family lives. It adds a nice wrinkle and they do provide a nice foil to Vash's more eccentric personality. They are given distinct and likeable enough personalities to make them stand out, and they're memorable for their profession and dynamic with Vash, if nothing else.
ARTWORK: 3.5/5
Nightow's incredibly detailed artwork makes for distinctive sets and character designs. Granted, this does lead to Vash's limbs being coated with enough leather and belt buckles to start up his own Final Fantasy cosplay store, but thanks to the distinctive red coat and sunglasses, Vash has enough memorable elements to make up for it. However, leather is hardly the only 90s element—there is enough cyborg augmentation to make you just shake your head and wonder "why." The winner of that award has to be Doctor Nebraska, whose lower half is just one big gun, not to mention the buff Monev the Gale who looks like he was lifted straight from a 90s American comic book and randomly has half of his brain exposed because science.
Speaking of which, there seems to be a random insistence on shoulder pads for everyone—the leader of the Bad Lad Gang sports a pair of dynamos on his shoulders on top of his neon-light-lined clothing because when you have a gimmick, by golly you may as well commit. Legato has less of an excuse though, as he sports the poofiest shoulders I have seen, one with a skull on it and the other with a sort of pin-cushion thing because 90s. Still, Nightow offers a variety of character designs: the contrasts among Nebraska family's giant child and mother alongside a fairly normal looking daughter are fun, E. B. Mine's spike ball gimmick is more memorable than he is, and most of the background characters rarely blend together.
Wolfwood's classy suit and giant cross also help make him memorable, as it allows him to have a more unique fighting style—though once we get to the fighting, we encounter one of Trigun's biggest problems. Many of the action scenes are difficult to follow. Granted, it doesn't help that Nightow is often drawing people shooting at each other—the distance between characters makes it hard to remember where they may be in respect to one another, so it is a problem for many artists. Still, some of those actions scenes can stretch the imagination a bit, even in a science fiction western with more mutants than an X-Men book. Such as Vash's duel with the leader of the Bad Lad Gang. They take the time to head outside and duel on the deck of the steamer, even when it is about to run it off a cliff while going over 80 miles an hour, and their aim or clothing isn't affected by the wind whatsoever.
In addition, some of Nightow's character positions are almost laughable, the most prominent occurring during an emotional moment between Vash and Wolfwood. The second we see Wolfwood deliver his insightful line, he is supposed to be standing up after crouching. Instead, he somehow gets into this back-breaking pose that makes no sense; somehow between panels, Wolfwood apparently decided to try and make his body into an "S." Despite these problems, Nightow's character designs and backgrounds are memorable, incredibly detailed, and versatile, as he is able to capture the lightness of Vash's antics alongside Legato forcing a biker to rip his own heart out.
EXTRAS and PRESENTATION: 2/5
Dark Horse's rerelease sports a new cover, where the front is a close up of Vash's face while the whole image is printed on the back under the product description. It looks pretty and is printed well, plus it looks consistent with most of the Trigun Maximum omnibuses—though for some reason, Dark Horse didn't reprint their first Maximum omnibus, so that one sticks out like a sore thumb, much to the annoyance of some collectors. In addition, despite the new cover, they do not include any reproductions of the original, beautiful covers and joke covers that are in the original volumes. These may sound like quibbles, but Nightow's covers are quite memorable and often look great, so it is a real shame that they are not included or reprinted in a manner comparable to Viz's Neon Genesis Evangelion release or even reprint cheap gray scale versions of each cover in the book like Viz did for its D.Gray-Man 3-in-1.
For some reason, they also restart the chapter numbers when we get to the volume 2 portion, despite them being in one volume. Still included from the original volumes are the author messages at the end of each volume, and two short stories: a day in the life of Vash before the series began and also the Trigun pilot chapter, which turned into an episode of the show.
Dark Horse's translation is solid overall; they do not translate sound effects, but it keeps the art intact and the action and pacing is usually fast enough that it's barely noticeable. It seems odd that they use Japanese honorifics in a space Western that also consists of numerous English names, but at least they provide a translation for most of them when they're first used. However, they likely could have taken a note from Del Rey's releases by including a glossary for what each honorific means at the beginning of the book. While the omnibus is kept at a portable size comparable to the original volumes, its thickness can make it difficult to read, but outside of creasing the cover, the pages are sturdy and worth the price.
Overall, Trigun does struggle to hold up on its own, so if you pick it up, anticipate picking up Trigun Maximum as well. Its artwork, interesting genre blending, and main character make this series still worth buying, even if the omnibus is both bare-boned and a tad thick for its portable size, making it difficult to read. Now, given that the original volumes are out of print—though you can still find them used via Barnes and Noble and Amazon—, you may want to pick up the omnibus for its convenience of having the whole series in one. If you already have the original volumes of this memorably fun but flawed series, there isn't any incentive to upgrade to the omnibus. If not, then the series is worth checking out either way.
About Colin Herzog (15 Articles)
Born and bred in the Midwest, Colin has spent the past four years honing and exploring writing and reviewing at St. Norbert College, where he is set to graduate with an English and Communications with Media emphasis dual major. Beyond writing creative work for the student creative works magazine (of which he has been the head editor for three years) and reviews for the student newspaper, he works as a writing consultant for his campus writing center and has an online radio show called Culture Shock at 7 o'Clock with his roommate where they discuss and review movies, TV shows, comics and more. He loves comics, TV shows, movies, books, and music and hopes to one day work as a comic book editor--but anywhere where he can help quality stories be told will do.
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