![]() These colonies consist of multiple nesting chambers and are used as roosts when birds are not breeding. ![]() We use extensive year-round data to investigate the thermal benefits of massive colonial structures built by sociable weavers in the arid savannahs of the Kalahari, South Africa. Nest structures that help buffer against extreme temperatures may play a crucial role in managing the costs of thermoregulation, especially those nests that are used and maintained year-round. In hot, arid environments, maximum daily temperatures can exceed a species’ upper critical temperature threshold and during the non-breeding season temperatures may also drop below freezing. Nests can serve a particularly important role in protecting or buffering birds from weather. The primary role of nests as structural support for eggs, nestlings, and incubating parents is well established, but our understanding of their secondary roles and their adaptive features is still limited. Despite the positive effects for native species, monk parakeets also facilitate nesting opportunities to other non-native species and may also transmit diseases to tenants, highlighting the complexity of biotic interactions in biological invasions. Multispecies communal nests triggered interspecific aggression between the monk parakeet host and its tenants, but also a cooperative defense against predators. Rural and invaded areas showed the highest abundance and richness of tenant species. A total of 2690 nests from 42 tenant species, mostly cavity-nesting birds, were recorded in 26% of 2595 monk parakeet nests. We compared the role of the monk parakeet as a nest-site facilitator in different rural and urban areas, both invaded and native, across three continents and eight breeding seasons. However, the ecological effects of these interspecific interactions are barely known. The monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) is a worldwide invader and the only parrot that builds its own communal nests, which can be used by other species. Invasive ecosystem engineers can disrupt recipient environments however, they may also facilitate access to novel resources for native species. While most of the knowledge on invasive species focuses on their impacts, little is known about their potential positive effects on other species. Finally, we identify potential pathways that may have led to the evolution of nesting associations, discuss some possible implications for the populations involved and argue that nesting associations provide many novel research opportunities. In two cases the nesting association is obligatory for one of the species but there was also evidence for significant local adaptation to nesting near protective species, sometimes across a broad geographical range. Many studies show that nesting associations occur by active choice and not because the associate species choose similar habitat, but only one study does so experimentally. This is probably because few researchers set out to test this hypothesis specifically, but we tentatively conclude that the majority of nesting associations are commensal in nature, and that only a few are parasitic or mutualistic. In contrast, there is little evidence to suggest that the protective associates pay costs or gain benefits. Two studies demonstrate that protected species manipulate the trade-off between the costs and benefits of nesting near an aggressive associate, while only a handful of studies have found specific adaptations to help avoid costs. Protected associates sometimes also pay costs when they or their young are killed by their aggressive associate, or when they are forced to abandon their nest. Protected associates primarily benefit from a reduced predation rate when nesting near protective species although a variety of other, often unusual benefits have been described, including early warning of predators, lower parasitism, lower brood-parasitism, nest stability and higher mating success. Most ‘protected’ associates are found in the Anseriformes, the Charadriiformes and the Passeriformes, while most ‘protective’ associates come from the Charadriiformes and the Falconiformes. Here we review 62 studies that have looked at protective nesting associations in which at least one species is a bird. ![]() Exploiting the nest defence behaviour of another relatively aggressive species is one of the most unusual amongst a great diversity of strategies used by animals to evade predation.
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![]() ![]() Event Tickets can be bought with gems: 15 tickets for 75 gems, and 50 tickets for 200 gems. Events can be entered with 10 Event Tickets. The event offers several rewards up to 25000 Zone Points collected. This consists of an arena where player needs to stand on flags to accumulate Zone Points. Limited time events opened in January 2021. The 20 ticket limit will be exceeded, when the tickets are obtained from daily logins or daily dash rewards. Player can hold a maximum of 20 tickets, regenerating one every five minutes. Chapters use tickets to enter, with the amount of tickets needed increasing as the game progresses. In later updates A Lucky Wheel was added after defeating a Chapter final boss, offering only gems and one loot box after update 0.10.0. Special Wheel offers a chance at obtaining gems. A variation of the Lucky Wheel is Special Wheel, which appear right after completing Lucky Wheel, but only five times in a day. There is a Lucky Wheel mini-game offering a chance for coins or skills, which appears at the start of a chapter, and once a boss is defeated. The game features in-app purchases for gems, which can be used to open loot boxes for gear or buy in-game currency, the coins. Gear has five rarity types: common, uncommon, rare, epic, and legendary. The game has a gear system, items can be leveled up with manuals and upgraded with three of the same item type. The player is allowed one revive in a playthrough in exchange for 30 premium currency, the gems, or for free by watching an ad, there are three free revives per day. Von Croy offers a passive skill in exchange of 20% of the player's health. Werner Von Croy appears if a boss is killed without getting hit once. In certain stages, Anaya Imanu waits Lara offering the choice of healing skills or a passive skill. Gaining a character level rewards the player with the choice of 1 of 3 passive skills, the character level restarts each playthrough. The player progresses through the different stages in each chapter. The player controls Lara's movement, but she shoots enemies automatically when stationary. Tomb Raider Reloaded is a top-down action-adventure shooter. Gameplay Note: Since the game is in beta, things are subject to changes. Tempted by the thrill of another adventure, Lara travels to Peru. Natla informs Lara that she has found the City of Vilcabamba, the resting place of the legendary Atlantean Scion. Similar to Tomb Raider (1996) and Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Lara Croft is accosted by mercenary Larson Conway in Calcutta, India, at the request of his boss, Natla. ![]() ![]() This one keeps that up and I was really excited to get to it once I finished watching it. I honestly like reviewing these movies as they are flawed enough to be review-ab but also competent enough to not be a chore to watch. It’s been well over a year but it’s finally time to return to A Cinderella Story! Even the heroine and her BFF Angela (Jessalyn Wanlim) come off morally ambiguous at best, because, you know, there’s no better movie for your little girl than one telling her she should hate herself.We’re doing with spooky stuff after last time, so I think it’s time to return to a series I’m going through. How can the minds behind A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song expose her crippling self-esteem issues two scenes before the climax and then expect us to celebrate her downfall? Perhaps I’m asking for too much sensitivity of filmmakers who see it fit to portray all the male characters as kind-hearted benefactors and all the women as insecure sociopaths. I can’t begin to imagine what the movie’s young demographic makes of that scene or, for that matter, of the inconsistent characters, ropy plotting, and rampant misogyny.Ĭonsider Katie’s stepsister Beverley, played by Megan Park with more depth and maturity than the screenplay ought to allow. Seriously, twenty minutes into A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song, an Indian guru (Manu Narayan) threatens to poke the stepmother, Gail (Missi Pyle), with his fourth eye. One gets the impression screenwriters Erik Patterson and Jessica Scott thought they were penning a raunchy sex comedy, what with all the crass humour, double entendres, and penis references. Oh, and she’s got no clothing to boot because, you know, nothing captivates aspiring tween princesses like the thought of an older boy giving them a patronising smile as he ogles their naked body without consent. It doesn’t help that we’re never told why Tracy likes her Prince Charming Luke (Freddie Stroma), seeing as the trust fund brat spends most of the film condescending to her and, at one point, even leaves the girl locked out of her own home so he can flirt with a pretty blond. This makes her character’s chronic passivity all the more frustrating, as even the lyrics to her songs present the would-be role model as an object to be either used or discarded: “Don’t break my heart before I give it to you Don’t say it doesn’t fit before you try it on.” Does the world really need another Bella Swan? © Copyright Warner Bros. The girl has got screen presence, acting chops, a face that indeed belongs on the cover of every magazine (at least for a while), and that certain je ne sais quoi that makes little girls instantly want to relate to someone. Mind you, as rising stars go, Lucy Hale assuredly fits the bill. ![]() Such a lovely moral to teach your children, wouldn’t you say? In the end, Katie finds the courage to screw over her wicked stepfamily not because they’re mean so much as because she’s got talent and they don’t. It’s a distillation of our heroine’s journey. You and I are gonnabes, so what do we do? We stay away from the wannabes, all right?” By the way, this isn’t a throwaway line. There are wannabes, and there’s gonnabes. Even Mickey (Titus Makin Jr), the token black cast member who goes out of his way to out-black the blackest black stereotypes, says so: “There are two kinds of people in this world. A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song pertains to star power. Oh, well, the story doesn’t matter, you see. Need I bother with the plot, which has our notional Cinderella, Katie (Lucy Hale), at the mercy of a domestic tyrant bent on launching her tone-deaf daughter’s pop career? It’s the same as in the previous instalment, except with song instead of, uh, song masquerading as dance, making the extended Bollywood number at the halfway mark somewhat jarring, not least because it interrupts a song. The studio’s methods prove as cynical as its motives: pick an up-and-coming starlet, shove her in a hastily produced rom-com that equates fame with purpose, and release the piece of consumer propaganda as soon as she gains a tween following. However, any mother and father worth their salt ought to see the difference, and, with this movie, it’s imperative that they do. It seems Warner Premiere plans to churn out one of these every four years or so, no doubt hoping to bank on the modernised princess fantasy carefully manufactured by the Disney Channel. ![]() I didn’t think one could do much worse than Another Cinderella Story (2008), the abysmally redundant sequel to A Cinderella Story (2004), but now comes A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song, the third entry in the franchise, which claims to reinvent the classic fairy tale but appears more content with recycling its own platitudes. Why I cannot recover 2GB data for free? It is recommended to check the version installed is Free or Trial because they are different versions. ![]() If you are faced with one of these symptoms, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the fastest way to recover data. You may encounter a variety of data loss dilemmas. Dont' panic, you can recover data from the dead hard drive and do hard disk repair. In such a condition, your hard disk drive might become dead. When you find your hard disk does not respond anymore and hear a few "biz biz" when you're trying to boot from it, and then it stops, and you can't access it. Data Recovery Wizard Pro scans for all recoverable files from any inaccessible storage device and completes file recovery safely and efficiently. It won't be frustrating and infuriating anymore when chkdsk is not available for raw drives. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is an all-around file recovery tool to help you recover lost data from hard drive, lost or deleted partition, memory card, external hard drive, SD card, and more. When we talk about how to recover data from deleted partition, a professional data recovery program is essential. No matter it is an HDD, SSD, SD Card, Memory Card, Flash Drive, USB Drive, and Pen Drive, data recovery software can find what you want and won't let you down. Is it possible to recover formatted hard drive? All lost files are recoverable. ![]() ![]() EaseUS file recovery software can quickly recover deleted files or emptying the recycle bin. ![]() (2021) Morfología neurocraneana del Teiidae (Squamata/Lacertilia) Callopistes cf. PhD dissertation, Biology, University of Maryland, 219p. (2021) Extratympanic hearing in salamanders: a comparative assessment of structural variation and terrestrial function of an atympanic ear. PhD dissertation, Computer Science, Technischen Universität Kaiserslautern, 109p.Ĭapshaw, G. (2022) Towards distributed task-based visualization and data analysis. PhD dissertation, Biology, University of Washington, 150p. (2022) The function of the reflected lamina in therapsids and the origin of the mammalian middle ear. MS thesis, Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, 163p (2022) Variation in the cranial osteology in the genus Zygaspis. MS thesis, Geological Sciences, California State University Bakersfield, 147p. (2022) Petrographic and geochemical analysis of new lunar meteorite NWA 11788: insights into lunar crustal diversity and implications for the Lunar Magma Ocean model. PhD dissertation, Biological Sciences, Ohio University, 203p. (2022) Bird balloon bones: The evolution of postcranial skeletal pneumaticity in birds and its relationship with skeletal form and function. MS Thesis, Geological Sciences, Texas Christian University, 194p. (2022) Classification and petrogenesis of new Martian meteorite, NWA 14904. MS thesis, Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, 267p (2022) Identification of Pleistocene fauna from McFaddin Beach, Texas. PhD dissertation, Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, 160p.įlores, M.D. ![]() (2022) The olfactory anatomy and upper respiratory tracts of whales, dolphins, and their terrestrial relatives: perspectives from morphology, histology, embryology, and evolutionary biology. MS thesis, Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, 88p.įarnkopf, I.C. (2022) The quantitative analysis of coronal suture separation due to cranial trauma. ![]() Photoshop features many tools to help edit and produce captivating images. All images and PDFs are shown at original (full) resolution, which is how they are included in all printouts and PDF exports. Best Budget iStudio Publisher at Apple A supreme value for novices and users. All non-printing construction lines and characters are hidden and the View menu settings for these items are ignored. In Preview, what you see on the screen is exactly what will be printed or exported as a PDF. Select the text and click the 'Transparency' option in the upper toolbar, you can freely adjust the transparency of the text to make it a perfect watermark. Photoshop features many tools to help edit and produce captivating images. Find the 'Text' tool in the tool panel and enter your text. Text View can include all the same non-printing construction lines and characters as Normal View, which are shown (or hidden) via the same settings on the View menu. Best Budget iStudio Publisher at Apple A supreme value for novices and users. Shapes and lines can either be displayed at reduced opacity, or hidden entirely, via the View Options window. To change the font, font size, or text style (including color), start by selecting the Text Tool and then select some text so that it is highlighted either blue. All images and PDFs are substituted by placeholders and all shape shadow and text shadow is hidden. Text View helps focus on writing, by removing distractions. ![]() Normal View can include different sorts of non-printing construction lines and characters, to aid with document creation, which can be shown (or hidden) via settings on the View menu. Different options for image and PDF display quality are provided on the View Options window. By default, Normal View shows all document content and large images are shown at reduced quality. Use the Edit Mode buttons (on the page view title bar) to select between Normal View, Text View and Preview. ![]() Scripts and Freestyle Orchestrator require Workflow Engine 20.10+ to be installed. HubCLI support for managed software updates via MDM commands requires Workspace ONE UEM 2210+. HubCLI sensors require Workspace ONE UEM 2010+. HubCLI profiles require Workspace ONE UEM 1910+. Seeded Notifications and System Extension payload for App & Process restrictions requires Workspace ONE UEM 2105+. ![]() Hub Services require Workspace ONE UEM 1904+. Note: As of 22.08 macOS 10.14 is no longer supported. Note: As of 21.09 macOS 10.13 is no longer supported. Note: As of 20.06, macOS 10.12 is no longer supported. Support for SEP version 11.x ended on January 5, 2015.MacOS version 10.15 or later is required to install Intelligent Hub version 23.01. See End of Support Life for Endpoint Protection 12.x. The End of Standard Support Life fell on April 3, 2019. Note: SEP 14.2 RU1 MP1, or newer, is recommended for Web and Cloud Access Protection on macOS due to numerous fixes introduced with that release. SEP 14.3 RU5 provided tunneling functionality with Web and Cloud Access Protection, including seamless identification with Cloud SWG (formerly known as WSS). SEP 14.2 RU1 expanded this to support full explicit Web and Cloud Access Protection, including seamless identification with Cloud SWG (formerly known as WSS). SEP 14.2 introduced basic PAC file management to the SEP for Mac client. SEP 14.3 RU6 introduced macOS management of Web and Cloud Access Protection via ICDm. This firewall is only available to managed clients. traffic rules) and feature parity with the Windows product was not included until version 14.2 and later. IPS was introduced in SEP 12.1.4, but broader firewall support (e.g. SEP client versions earlier than 14.2 do not include a firewall. You can only enable Device Control for managed clients. Device Controlĭevice Control is available in SEP 14 and later. Intrusion Prevention (IPS) is available in SEP 12.1.4 and later. ![]() See Endpoint Protection 14.2 RU1 and kext notarization for macOS 10.14.5. If you install a client version earlier than 14.2 RU1 (refresh) on macOS 10.14.5, or upgrade the operating system to macOS 10.14.5 with an earlier version of Symantec Endpoint Protection already installed, you may experience issues. Kext notarization was added in macOS 10.14.5.See About authorizing kernel extensions for Symantec Endpoint Protection for macOS 10.15. However, if you reinstall the operating system, you need to reauthorize the kernel extension. If you have Symantec Endpoint Protection 14 and then upgrade to macOS 10.13, you don't need to reauthorize the kernel extension. If you uninstall and reinstall the client, you don't need to reauthorize the kernel extension. You only need to authorize the kernel extension once during the life of the computer's operating system. Neither Symantec Endpoint Protection nor the Mac operating system continue to remind you that you must do this. If you do not do it during the client installation, go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy, and click Allow. You are prompted during the client installation to do it if needed. As of macOS 10.13, you must authorize the Symantec Endpoint Protection kernel extension after installation for Symantec Endpoint Protection to fully function.Mac clients for Symantec Endpoint Protection Cloud do not support Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan).See Remove Symantec software for Mac using RemoveSymantecMacFiles. Remove legacy Symantec AntiVirus (SAV) for Mac installations before installing Symantec Endpoint Protection.Case-sensitive APFS volumes are not supported. As of version 12.1.2, SEP supports case-sensitivity in HFS volumes.PowerPC processors are not supported as of version 12.1.x.Neither Apple or Symantec support macOS 10.12.x or older.Apple M2 is supported from SEP 14.3 RU5 and later.Apple M1 (M1 Pro/M1 Max/M1 Ultra) supported from SEP 14.3 RU2 and later.The 14.3 RU4 Full installer download ships with the 14.3 RU3 Mac client. The 14.3 RU5 Mac client will download to the SEPM when Liveupdate is run on the SEPM server. The 14.3 RU5 Full installer download ships with the 14.3 RU3 Mac client.MacOS 13 Ventura is currently supported on 14.3 RU5 and 14.3 RU6.*Mac versions prior to 14.3 RU1 follow the same versioning as Windows clients Additional Notes ![]() Symantec Agent for Mac version (SEPM) Release Name The SES Mac client is only supported on macOS 10.15.x and 11.x with the SES Mac agent build 14.3 RU1 and newer.The Symantec Endpoint Security (SES) client for Mac is cloud-based and managed by the Integrated Cyber Defense Manager (ICDM) web page.The SEP client for Mac is managed by a Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager (SEPM) on a Windows server.Note: Different product versions have specific system requirements. SEP 14.x Client for macOS/OS X Compatibility Chart ![]() The advantage of this function is that you can view any part of the surface even at high latitude without the distortion of perspective and from a simulated vertical position. The fancy new function to try in the Projections sub-menu is the Lunar Globe 3D (last item on the sub-menu) which produces a 3D globe which you can twirl around using the mouse. The Projections sub-menuWhen you click an icon on this new menu bar, the icon selected turns blue and the sub-menu pops out to the right. The default projection as shown in Figure 1 is Orthographic (Nearside), but you can change this by clicking on the globe icon at the very top of the menu bar to open up the ‘Projections’ layer, as seen in Figure 2. In the bottom left corner to the right of the ? symbol, you will see the lat/long data, and finally the scale bar is in bottom right. The zoom control can be found at the top right hand corner. ![]() The slim menu bar on the left-hand side has changed in appearance, with a number of icons that expand by selecting them. As seen in Figure 1.įigure 1.The Quickmap home page in its default setting. The lunar image you see on the screen remains unchanged, and if you just want to explore the surface using a mouse without plunging into the menus you still can.īy selecting, you will be directed to the Quickmap home page. The major changes apply to the menus and the data and layers available. Given the British climate and the few opportunities we have to view the Moon telescopically, you will all be delighted to know that the Quickmap site has been updated with a number of new additional functions. ![]() 2018 January 3 QUICKMAP – Latest Version Now Live ![]() 16 new Potions to assist in all areas of the game.5 new Agility obstacle tiers to add to your existing course.More buildings to use in Township to allow for extreme town growth!.New Astrology constellations that provide permanent modifiers to your character.8 new Summoning familiars providing over 100 new Synergies to explore and use to your advantage.Every non-combat Skill has brand new content to explore from Level 100 to Level 120.2 new Tiers of Slayer Monsters to tackle.A brand-new Magic Spellbook containing 10 unique Spells for Level 100 - 120.Heaps of new Combat gear to assist you through your journey.A final boss fight, where the Boss is the only Monster in the Dungeon.Immerse yourself in the journey as you make your way through the new Combat content. A massive expansion to the Lore and story of Melvor.Over 500+ new and unique items to discover and use.Includes brand new content for every single Skill from Level 100 to Level 120.When using the Longranged style, 0.2 Ranged experience and 0.2 Defence experience is earned per point of damage instead. When using the Rapid or Accurate styles, 0.4 Ranged experience is earned per point of damage dealt. With new locations to explore, new gear to craft, and even more monsters to fight, the Throne of the Herald expansion will bring huge amounts of new content to Melvor Idle, including a massive expansion to the story. There are three Ranged combat styles: Accurate, Rapid, and Longranged. ![]() Throne of the Herald is the first expansion to Melvor Idle and continues the story of our hero as you discover more about the mystic forces that surround the lands of Melvor, and the dark forces that remain hidden outside of the Capital. Windows are shuttered on empty streets, and families huddle silently in the dark” The capital is shrouded in gloom, swarming with unspeakable monsters that lurk in the shadows, seething and scratching. That’s because I fought a slew of new monsters from the Elite Slayer tasks which dropped a bunch of items I haven’t seen before.About This Content “Bane may be gone, but the storm is ever present. Per usual, Monster and Items granted me the most completion this week. I didn’t unlock the pet before getting to max level so I’ll have to revisit crafting at some point for that. I got bored of Slayer tasks in the middle of the week and used all of the dragon hides I had collected so far to see if I could max the skill. It doesn’t provide any benefits other than a Steam achievement because there’s nothing to craft after level 90. Non-Combat Skills Woodcutting 107/99 (+0) Can I Idle Melvor? doesn’t have a listing for the last two dungeons so I’ll have to find out if I have enough health/damage reduction once I get in there. I’m hoping these stats are good enough to take on In to the Mist. Attack, Strength, Magic, and Hitpoints are all now max level thanks to running so many Slayer Tasks this week. Slayer is up to level 94 now so I’m ready to take on Into the Mist next week! Combat Skills Attack 99/99 (+3)Īll skills over 99 are virtual levels based on additional experience gained after level 99 cap. As it is, I can only keep one on but the difference is noticeable. ![]() If I didn’t need the damage reduction I could equip both pieces for an extra +60% XP for slayer. They are not as good as my current armor sets but the Elite upgrade provides +30% Slayer XP on each piece. I figured I’m going to need to fully upgrade all of them fro 100% item completion so I better start working on it now. I also bought all of the Slayer equipment for Ranged, Magic, and Melee and a few upgrades for each. This should make creating large batches of summoning tablets much easier. I used my Slayer Coins to purchase the Necromancer set which gives and extra +8 summoning tablets per craft and grants +8% XP to summoning. I got my last level in Magic from doing just this. Slayer tasks are the majority of what I did this week with the occasional break to craft Holy Dust to refill my prayer points. My damage reduction was more than enough on all sets to take on whatever was thrown at me. These pit you against monsters between level 200-374. Once loot container stacking was unlocked I went to take on Elite Slayer tasks. Sadly, I’m still missing the Fletching Pet. I fletched my way to 75m GP by crafting more Dragon Javelins. Before that, I wanted to unlock Loot Container Stacking so I could forgo the Amulet of Looting in favor of a necklace that gave stats to take on the higher level slayer tasks. I needed to get to 90 slayer to be able to enter the second to last dungeon, Into the Mists.
![]() I think a key aspect of the original Christmas Story-the reason it is remembered but the other films aren’t-is that it takes a younger child’s perspective, even if it’s technically the recollections of a foul-mouthed adult. Every other entry in the Parker Family Saga features Ralph as a child or an adolescent. Instead, we get Peter Billingsley reprising the role of Ralph Parker, but as an adult. The second problem is that Jean Shepherd (not just the creator but the original narrator) and MVP Darren McGavin (the “Old Man”) are both long dead, removing two of the key nostalgia-bait charms a legacy sequel could have provided. So, the first problem is that the new sequel is a retread of a film that isn’t that great to begin with. Not only is it racist, it is blatant cultural appropriation of one of the pillars of American Judaism. It ends on its worst scene too, with the Parker family eating Christmas dinner at a Chinese restaurant with ghoulishly caricatured proprietors. The humor is more of the “wry smile” than “laugh out loud” variety, and, to be frank, the only scene I love is the one with the grotesque mall Santa. It is a series of sketches, some of them funnier in concept than execution (the atrocious lamp, for one). The main one is that A Christmas Story, while a holiday classic (if by “classic” you mean “plays eleventy billion times during Christmas season”), is not my idea of a great movie. Frankly, I don’t know how it could have succeeded, given that it had several things working against it. This did not prevent me from hating every single moment I spent with the movie. Also like Halloween (2018), I came into A Christmas Story Christmas having only seen the celebrated original and none of the intervening (or preceding) movies. That is, it is a dreaded legacy sequel/reboot, one that wipes the slate clean and recognizes the original (“original”) entry as the one legitimate predecessor. In fact, A Christmas Story Christmas is to A Christmas Story what Halloween(2018) is to Halloween(1978). The franchise does not follow a single continuity and is as gnarled as fellow holiday franchise Halloween. A Christmas Story, at least, was the first theatrical release. They were the basis for several television movies of varying length and quality in the 1970s and 80s and sported colorful titles like The Phantom of the Open Hearth (1976), The Great American Fourth of July (1982), The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski (A Tale of Gothic Love) (1985), and Ollie Hopnoodle’s Haven of Bliss (1988). The stories in this volume were first told on Shepherd’s radio program before being written down at the behest of Shel Silverstein and published in the children’s magazine *check’s notes* Playboy. Now, real Parker Family enthusiasts know that the original Christmas Story fell smack into the middle of a run of adaptations of humorist Jean Shepherd’s semi-autobiographical (or, if you are an optimist, semi-fictional) childhood memoirs, the most famous of which is In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, the textual source for A Christmas Story. ![]() Subsequent attempts over-corrected for this error, and the most recent entries-2012’s reviled A Christmas Story 2, 2017’s forgotten A Christmas Story Live!, and the present subject-have reduced the franchise to “ A Christmas Story, but again!” The 1994 release It Runs in the Family (aka My Summer Story), features the same characters but none of the same cast and, crucially, a different American holiday. Clark himself set off this chain reaction of failure, cementing his reputation as a purveyor of failed sequels to his own movies. If you are a little more film-savvy (and you are on this website), you might be aware of the multiple attempts to profit from A Christmas Story’s success. You are probably familiar-likely over-familiar-with the crown jewel, Bob Clark’s A Christmas Story (1983), cementing his reputation as a purveyor of perennial Christmas classics. The Parker Family Saga is the franchise you didn’t know existed. |