Jason Heller is a Hugo Award-winning editor and author of the forthcoming book Strange Stars (Melville House). Twitter: @jason_m_heller

The term "economic inequality" has been used so often over the past few years, it can start to blend into the background. The same thing happens with economic equality itself the poverty and injustice that's too often accepted as a fact of life. Tales of Two Americas seeks to rectify that. This collection of 36 essays, poems, and short stories puts the focus squarely on inequality, from hunger and homelessness to racism and the treatment of immigrants. Rather than speaking academically or in the abstract, however, the book's impressive roster of contributing authors push their pens toward the personal.

Many of the essays pivot around travel. In "Mobility," by Julia Alvarez, a routine layover in the Atlanta airport becomes a quest to help a lost young Mexican woman find her way to Tulsa an ordeal that sheds light on everything from America's linguistic barriers to the luxuries many Americans take for granted. Karen Russell's piece, "Looking for a Home," details the author's 2014 relocation to Portland, Ore., where she winds up renting an apartment directly above a homeless shelter and experience that causes her to reassess the effects of gentrification on longstanding neighborhoods and those less fortunate, as well as her own unwitting role in this upheaval. And in "The Worthless Servant," by Ann Patchett, a road trip to Nashville uncovers the plight of a group of homeless men striving to put down domestic roots. Delivered with varying shades of color and candor, these pieces form an anthology within an anthology a gripping triptych of American displacement and transience.

Where Patchett's story is a seamless blend of first-person and hard reporting, Rebecca Solnit's essay "Death by Gentrification: The Killing of Alex Nieto and the Savaging of San Francisco" goes more journalistic. Precisely told and chilling in detail, it relates the shooting death of 28-year old security guard Alex Nieto at the hands of San Francisco police in 2014. Solnit masterfully weaves together two narratives: how Nieto's past and Latino identity were used against him in the ensuing investigation, and how San Francisco's melting-pot ideals have yielded less-than-perfect results.

As impactful as its essays are, the book's fiction and poetry lend it even more flesh and soul. "Dosas," a short story by Edwidge Danticat, explores her own background as a Haitian immigrant through the character of Elsie, a home-care nurse whose former friend Olivia has been kidnapped for ransom back in Port-au-Prince. Urgent and gripping, it's spiked with the struggles of those caught up in a web of diaspora, documentation, and disparity. Roxanne Gay's short story "How" hauntingly conveys the desperation of a disadvantaged family in small-town Michigan, while Joyce Carol Oates' "Leander" unflinchingly examines the motivations and regrets of a white woman at a Black Lives Matter meeting, a portrait of guilt rendered in muted tones.

As impactful as its essays are, the book's fiction and poetry lend it even more flesh and soul.

Poems like Juan Felipe Herrera's "For the Ones Who Put Their Name on the Wall" and Ricky Laurentiis' "Visible City" probe border control and Hurricane Katrina with emotion and eloquence. There's also a comic: "Invisible Wounds" is an excerpt from Jess Ruliffson's forthcoming graphic novel, a stark meditation on the cost of war based on interviews with veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Both fiery and nuanced, Tales of Two Americas was edited by John Freeman, a founder of the literary journal Freeman's and a prolific essayist himself. His introduction to the book is one of its most impassioned entries. In it, he observes how the act of walking through an American city with eyes wide open can radically expand our capacity for empathy, or as Freeman calls it, our "bandwidth of care" not to mention our resolve to work toward something better.

Cities, he says, have become "meccas for luxury and creative economy work" that still "depend on service labor to run their dream machines," places where the nation's widespread inequality coalesces yet often goes ignored. Looking toward his own creative-economy profession with a critical eye, he also notes, "The way systems of oppression have entrenched themselves in the United States calls out for a new framework for writing about inequality." Poignant and profound, Tales of Two Americas is exactly such a framework one that unites a multiplicity of voices into a powerful rallying cry.

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Judi Currie jcurrie@fosters.com @ReporterJCurrie

SOMERSWORTH As one city councilor was moved to tears about the plight of immigrants facing deportation, the Somersworth City Council voted to affirm its commitment to the role immigrants play in the community.

The Somersworth City Council on Tuesday voted to approve a resolution that reaffirms a commitment to immigration and cultural diversity. As the council discussed the measure, City Councilor Jennifer Soldati cried as she recounted her own family's immigrant history.

Soldati became very emotional as she talked about the deportations of Somersworth Indonesians who have recently been told by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to buy plane tickets and get out of the country.

In 1911 my grandfather fled from Italy looking for work. He came to this community and was one of two Italian families living here, Soldati said. He came here and America welcomed him.

Soldati said her grandfather named just one of his children with an American name, Lincoln, because he thought Abraham Lincoln epitomized America.

Soldati contrasted her family's immigrant experience to the harsh treatment Indonesians are receiving now. She urged the community to come out in support of local Indonesians by attending Saturday's Indonesian Fair at Somersworth High School. "Show your support, these people are suffering a tremendous amount.

Soldati was the executive director of the Greater Somersworth Chamber of Commerce when the first fair was held five years ago to welcome and celebrate the Indonesian newcomers.

Soldati said many of the Indonesians living in Somersworth are Christians, who were not wanted in Indonesia and faced persecution and worse.

This government has chosen to deport people who came seeking the same thing my grandfather came here for, an opportunity to be productive, work hard and succeed, Soldati said.

The City Council passed the resolution unanimously on a 6-0 vote, with three council members absent. The resolution said the city was founded through the dedication of immigrant groups and has become known for celebrating and honoring diversity.

The City of Somersworth stands with pride, honor and commitment by all of its immigrants and urges the current federal administration to reverse its un-American policy of deportation and honor the foundation this nation was built upon, the resolution reads.

Mayor Dana Hilliard, who drafted the resolution, said that although the actions of the president and ICE are not illegal, they go against what the nation has stood for since its founding.

It is the promise of chance, combined with the respect for human dignity and yearning for freedom that has brought our nation into the status of world super power, Hilliard said. By standing strong to our commitment of freedom and liberty for all who seek it, our nation had become in the words of President Ronald Regan, the last best hope of man on earth.

Hilliard said he is deeply troubled, not only by the deportations, but the rise of hate groups as well.

Since our founding, our nation has continued to work toward developing a society where all would be celebrated and honored. For the past two decades we have made tremendous strides, Hilliard said. But over the last nine months our nation is once again struggling with the demons which threaten our existence, Hilliard said. The venom of intolerance and lack of understanding have led to failures throughout history.

Councilor Marty Dumont said there is not a lot of comfort that can be given to the people who have to face the day-to-day concern of whether they can stay or go.

I think of the days when Somersworth was at its best, when the shoe shops were going and the mills and the tannery over in Berwick, Dumont said. Where would they have been if they could not count on the people that wanted to experience the American dream? Dumont said. This town was founded with a lot more immigration than most.

Dumont said one cannot go very far today without seeing a help wanted sign, adding that he has seen first-hand how hard immigrants work.

Our leadership at the federal level has lost all perspective of what it is to be American. It seems like money is the driver and not the concern for human beings. It doesnt matter what side of the fence you are on, we all deserve respect, Dumont said. I am proud of this resolution and I am proud of the people that have given of their time in our community and hope to continue to call this home. I ache for them and pray for them."

The resolution serves as a gesture by Somersworth elected officials, but Councilor David Witham hopes the sentiment spreads. "I support this resolution and I think it would be appropriate to share it. Your message is a powerful one."

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EuropaCorp, the French studio headed by director Luc Besson, has pushed out a top executive following the box office disappointment of its big-budget sci-fi movie Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

The company said in an announcement Monday that its board of directors had terminated Edouard De Vsinne, who was named deputy chief executive last year and who previously served as co-president of the companys television division.

The board said De Vsinne is leaving his post immediately, adding that the film and TV output of his production company, Incognita, was no longer compatible with his role as deputy CEO.

However, the board said that EuropaCorp will continue to maintain a relationship with Incognita. De Vsinne was appointed to his position in 2016 by CEO Marc Shmuger, who joined the company the same year following his tenure at Universal Pictures.

The shake-up comes as the financially struggling EuropaCorp deals with the fallout from Valerian, its most expensive feature film. The Besson-directed movie cost an estimated $180 million to make but has grossed just under $40 million in the U.S. since it opened July 21, making it one of the biggest flops of the summer.

The movie was released in the U.S. by STX Entertainment, which has a distribution deal with EuropaCorp.

Valerian has fared better overseas, especially in China, where it opened last month and has grossed more than $58 million. But the English-language movie, starring Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne and pop singer Rihanna, is expected to be a money loser for the European entertainment giant.

EuropaCorp, based in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, has dealt with several recent theatrical flops, including The Circle, starring Emma Watson and Tom Hanks. The company posted an annual loss of about $136 million for the fiscal year that ended in March. Valerian and The Circle were both released in the current fiscal year.

The companys string of bad luck includes the collapse earlier this year of its U.S. distribution venture RED, with Relativity Media.

david.ng@latimes.com

@DavidNgLAT

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EuropaCorp sheds a top executive following box office disappointment of 'Valerian' - Los Angeles Times

Mark Cuban: She took over about 11 months before I went to trial and kicked the SEC's (Securities and Exchanges Comission) ass. I spent seven years fighting them and where this is relevant is one of the things the SEC would not do before her and particularly during her tenure is release exculpatory information, which means if you find in your due diligence and all the research you're doing that somebody is not guilty or there is evidence to suggest they're not guilty or not liable for what they're accused of, you could release it. That's called exculpatory evidence. But the SEC has a habit of not doing that's o to hear what's going on was not surprising to me at all. There were so many ways the SEC could've made life easier, more just, fair for people that they dealt with and during the last four years of her tenure, there was no interest in that whatsoever. A lot of people think I'm pompous and arrogant, she makes me look like a choirboy. I just want to share because it was no surprise to hear--and look, I don't know any details, I'm not passing any judgment on what may or may not have happened because I have no cluse--but what I do know is that I had to deal with that organization and she was in charge from the period I went to trial and they had during my trial, which took three hours for the jury to come back and say that I'm not liable and an hour of that three hours was lunch time. There were no qualms of them trying to pull every trick in the book, just abusing good people, misleading people, I mean that was the way they did business and to this day may be the way they do business but she was in charge.

Mark Cuban: It depends on the severity. If something like this happens with one of our players, you'd have to be hands off. You'd have to say let due process take its course but if I thought there was something untoward--so if the tables were turned and Adam Silver created this commission and I knew Mary Jo White was on the commission, I'd be like look, I already know her pattern and her history, something is wrong. There's a red flag. So while I may just sit back a moment to see what happens and let it play out. For certain, I'd make sure that the process was fair, so I don't blame the union for taking steps, I don't blame Jerry--I don't know, I haven't followed it that closely to what steps he may have taken--but you can't diminish the severity or the importance of domestic violence. That is paramount and that is most critical. You've got to make sure you have the facts right. You've got to make sure that there's not a culture where that's deemed acceptable. You have to make sure your players are well aware that's not acceptable and you do your homework. All of that said, if you're going to appoint an independent commission, come on, at least make sure you know who's on the commission.

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Long before anyone licked the gum on an envelope, people used seals to ensure that their letters werent opened until they reached their recipients. If the seal was broken before it reached its destination, it indicated that someone had opened it.

Now an archaeological dig in Israels City of David National Park, in the area of the walls of Jerusalem, has unearthed a collection of small clay seals that prove that the practice of using seals to ensure the privacy of a message goes back more than 2,700 years.

Some of the seals display pictures each one apparently representing a clerk who wrote the letter or indicating the general contents of the message. Others bear the names of the clerks themselves, in Hebrew script.

4,300 YEAR-OLD STATUE HEAD DEPICTS MYSTERY PHARAOAH

Though the fire that consumed Jerusalem at its destruction destroyed the letters, it actually preserved the pottery-like seals.

The seals [bear] witness to the developed administration of the city in the First Temple period, according to Ortal Chalaf and Dr. Joe Uziel, directors of the excavation for the Israel Antiquities Authority.

In later stages of the period from the time of King Hezekiah (around 700 BCE) and up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE the seals bear the names of clerks in early Hebrew script. Through these findings, we learn not only about the developed administrative systems in the city, but also about the residents and those who served in the civil service.

One seal, bearing the name Achiav ben Menachem, has drawn particular interest, because the names Menachem and Achiav are known in the context of the Kingdom of Israel. Menachem was an Israeli king, and though the name Achiav does not appear in the Bible, it resembles Achav Ahab the king of Israel in the tales of the prophet Elijah. The name also appears in the Book of Jeremiah.

BABYLONIAN MYSTERY SOLVED: 3,700-YEAR-OLD 'INDIANA JONES' TABLET REVEALS ITS SECRETS

These names are part of the evidence that after the exile of the Tribes of Israel, refugees arrived in Jerusalem from the northern kingdom and found their way into senior positions in Jerusalems administration, Chalaf and Uziel said.

The stamps will be exhibited to the public on Sept. 7 at an annual archaeological conference in the City of David National Park.

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Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen lined up across from Kansas City Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters, and on the snap, he threw a filthy stutter step with his left foot before planting his right and pushing back to the inside of the field.

Peters, fooled by the move, went the completely opposite way.

I think hes the best off the line in the league, Chargers safety Jahleel Addae said. He gets into his routes really well, precise with his movements. He and (quarterback Philip Rivers) have a good chemistry, and if hes healthy, hes a top five receiver.

But a step similar to the ones that have made Allen a top NFL receiver also cost him all of last season. After dominating the Chiefs and Peters for most of the first half of last seasons opener, Allen planted that right foot and made the kind of move thats made him one of the best.

Only this time, his right knee gave way after his ACL tore.

When the Chargers play the Broncos on Monday night in Denver, itll have been one year exactly since Allens knee injury. While the road back has been difficult, with the 25-year-old receiver having to deal with mental and physical strain, hes proven to his teammates and himself that hes back ready to make things tough on the leagues corners.

I can tell he was getting comfortable midway through (organized team activities) Just seeing him get his confidence back and seeing him work extremely hard, even post-practice, I could tell hes getting back at it, Chargers cornerback Trevor Williams said. He still has that niftiness and elusiveness. Im excited to see him go in week one.

He can make the tough catches. When youre a DB and youre covering a receiver, you can feel like youre on him like glue. (Rivers) will put the ball where it needs to be and hell make that big-time catch.

During practice Tuesday, the teams first in its week-long build to the opener, Allen planted and juked at full speed without the cumbersome knee brace hes worn for all but two other practices this season.

Allen said he wants to keep the brace in his locker and just be able to go.

Training camp was a grind, he said, as calf tightness that cost him a few days of practice could be traced to compensation for the injured right knee. But slowly, in his mind, Allen started to feel like himself.

It took some time obviously, but the more I kept doing it, the more comfortable I got and the easier it got, he said.

And while hes made it look easy in limited preseason snaps, Chargers coach Anthony Lynn thinks theres still even more there.

Hell tell you he doesnt believe hes 100 percent yet, but I think he looks great, Lynn said. If he just continues to improve and get better, he really is going to do something special.

Getting back on the field Monday will be special. Its something Lynn and the Chargers have been building for since the schedule was released.

And, its something Allens been re-building for since taking that one bad step.

Its just continuing the dominance I have on the football when Im out there, Allen said. I want to keep that going.

Woike writes for the Los Angeles Times.

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BOSTON The multiple assault charges levied against Marcus and Markieff Morris moved one step closer towards going to trial.

Trial selection begins on September 12 at 8 a.m. local time in Phoenix. This is when the master calendar judge will identify which Superior Court Judge will preside over the trail.

Marcus, who was traded to the Boston Celtics this summer from Detroit in exchange for Avery Bradley, and his brother Markieff (a starting forward for the Washington Wizards) are each facing two aggravated assault charges with each carrying a maximum sentence of 3 years in jail.

Marcus and Markieff were allegedly involved in a January 24, 2015 incident in Phoenix involving Erik Hood who according to police reports, suffered a broken nose, abrasions and a large bump on his head.

Hood, who attended the same Philadelphia high school as the twins, told police that he was held down by four men who assaulted him outside of a high school basketball game in Phoenix. He added that the Morris twins were among those who assaulted him.

Authorities later said a witness identified the Morris twins as having been at the scene during the incident.

According to Hood, he had at times coached the twins in addition to giving them rides to practice. But the relationship soured about year before they were drafted, according to reports. That is around the time when the twins reportedly found inappropriate text messages from Hood to their mother.

However, the Morris twins have said that they were not involved in the incident, and that they have no connection to Hood.

Anything other than a not guilty verdict will likely result in some sort of suspension by the NBA.

Pleading down to a misdemeanor charge may result in the twins avoiding jail time, but theyre still likely to be hit with a multiple game suspension.

Article VI, Section 7 of the leagues Collective Bargaining Agreement states that a player will be suspended for a minimum of ten (10) games if they are convicted, pleads guilty or pleads no contest or nolo contendere to a violent felony.

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Storage sheds and utility buildings can be versatile. They can be used for much more than just packing away a few items you dont need now but might need in the future. We cover some of those uses on this site, and a lot more. You will find information on why you might want to consider owning a storage shed, how to choose extras, how to find the right building for you, shed financing, and where to find the best outdoor storage sheds for the best prices. See a list of pages below.

This site will provide you with basic utility building information in an easy to navigate and easy to understand format. If you do not find what you are looking for, please use our custom search box above. It is set up to search for the type of information you are seeking. What is a storage shed?

Why do I need a shed?

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Outdoor Storage Sheds for Sale - Available Throughout Pittsburgh and Washington, PA and all surrounding areas.

The Mini - Our Most Economical Model

A great low profile storage shed, offering attractive and affordable protection for mowers, lawn equipment, quads, bikes, and all those investments that need year around protection.

See Mini Shed Pictures in our online catalog.

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This multi-purpose shed is perfect for storing lawn and garden equipment, your bbq grill, bicycles and more with plenty of wall storage for all those extra tools. Or turn it into the perfect handyman's workshop or garden shed by adding our optional shelving and workbench. Available in a variety of colors to complement your home and add curb appeal and value.

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The extra height and roof design of our Hi-Side sheds makes it one of our most versatile storage sheds, allowing you to make use of every inch of available space. Add an optional loft for additional overhead storage capacity. Classic barn styling adds rustic beauty to any yard or garden.

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A train shed is a building adjacent to a station building where the tracks and platforms of a railway station are covered by a roof. It is also known as an overall roof. The first train shed was built in 1830 at Liverpool's Crown Street Station.

The biggest train sheds were often built as an arch of glass and iron, while the smaller were built as normal pitched roofs.

The train shed with the biggest single span ever built was that at the second Philadelphia Broad Street Station, built in 1891.

The earliest train sheds were wooden structures, often with unglazed openings to allow smoke and steam to escape. The oldest part of Bristol Temple Meads is a particularly fine - and large - example, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel with mock-Hammerbeam roof.

Surviving examples include:

The middle of the nineteenth century saw many large stations covered by iron, steel and glass train sheds, inspired by The Crystal Palace at The Great Exhibition in 1851. The best have been described as "like cathedrals" and feature curved roofs; other structures have pitched roofs.

Surviving examples of curved roof train sheds include:

Surviving examples of pitched roof train sheds include:

Surviving examples of Bush-type and related train sheds include:

Surviving examples of other train sheds include:

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Train shed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia