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Handsome Rooms with a Masculine Vibe
Think beyond the stereotypical man cave and create dashing interiors that appeal to men and women alike
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We appreciate dark, cozy man caves as much as anyone, but this slide show is not about creating rooms just for dudes. It's about designing elegant interiors with masculine undertones: rooms that convey warmth, strength, and a sense of the people who live in them.
What's the formula? The short answer is masculine room design embraces dark, saturated colors; clean lines; a rugged mix of materials; and an absence of clutter. Keep clicking to get lots of ideas for making a room with both strength and style.
Shown: Substantial pieces of furniture—an oval desk, a large-scale ottoman covered in a houndstooth check hair-on-hide, and leather club chairs—command attention in this office. Ivory-colored carpet balances walls painted an arresting shade of black.
Design: Suzanne Kipp
Use Strong Colors
Light, shimmery pastels don't work here; they remind us of ballerinas and animated princesses, not manly men. So ditch the pinks and periwinkles and envelop your space with dark, saturated, or neutral paint colors—such as charcoal gray, chocolate brown, coal black, rich eggplant, deep burgundy, navy blue, and forest green. Accent with contrasting shades of white, camel, crimson, and/or sapphire blue to keep the room from feeling overwhelmingly dark.
Shown: Crimson accents enliven a room shaded with deep gray walls. The headboard and base of the bed are upholstered in a rugged hair-on-hide "Brindle" material.
Design: Erik Kolacz
Choose Substantial Furniture
Chances are you already realize these truths. Delicate furniture—especially when it boasts a curvy silhouette—looks feminine. Sturdy furniture with straight lines looks masculine. Imagine a Louis XV chair sitting next to a comfortably modern sofa from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and you'll get the picture.
How to proceed? Mix an oversize leather sofa (perfect for relaxing) with clubby leather armchairs and a padded ottoman or two. Or pair a sleek well-padded sectional with a hefty coffee table made of chunky chrome and glass. Love wood? Choose beefy pieces—in dark or natural stain colors—to introduce natural appeal.
Shown: A large, comfy sofa upholstered in steel-blue mohair provides a moody contrast to the den's traditional mahogany paneling. A deep blue-gray ceiling enhances the room's drama.
Design: Summer Thornton
Cut the Clutter
Masculine spaces get their appeal from large elements—such as furniture or focal-point walls—rather than layers of accessories. So keep it simple, stylist. Furnish your room(s) with a few well-chosen pieces of substantial furniture. Keep horizontal surfaces as free from decorative items as you can bear. And cut back on the use of throw pillows; florals, fringe, and fussiness will ruin the mood.
Shown: Homeowners Michael Hughes and Karen Brody decorated their ranch home's open floor plan with mid-century modern furnishings in neutral colors. Noticeable texture (wood grain, woven chair seats, a hooked rug) adds interest.
Original architect: Richard Crowther
Renovation architect: Jeff Sheppard
Make It Personal
Yes, we recommend that you avoid clutter when living within a masculine space. But we also know you long to put your personal stamp inside every room. Just promise us you'll do it in moderation—too many sports collectibles or vintage signs take the room from a dashing space to a decorating nightmare.
Shown: Animal skulls are hung from the bookcase to give this library the masculine feel of a hunting lodge.
Design: Joseph Abboud in partnership with the design team at RH
Check out handsome showhouse rooms that are nothing short of heart-throbbing.
Create a Sophisticated Sanctuary
Menswear designer Joseph Abboud claimed the tower in his family's pied-à-terre as a sanctuary. He furnished it—as with the rest of the home—with a sepia-tone mixture of antiques and new pieces from RH (formerly Restoration Hardware). This library sitting room includes a late-1800s weathered English chest, a new leather chaise, and an industrial-style tripod lamp. The pillow is upholstered in fabric from the designer's menswear collections.
Design: Joseph Abboud in partnership with the design team at RH
Go Big
Sizable furnishings and strong design statements build a masculine vibe into a room.
Shown: Designer Kerry Delrose's self-proclaimed "sophisticated man cave" features a long linen sofa, leather-and-wood bench, and sturdy armchairs facing a wood coffee table with bronzed-iron legs. The bar area flaunts dramatic Macassar ebony-wood cabinets with silver-leaf doors. The ceiling sports Farrow & Ball's "Black Blue" paint. And the wall-hung television, naturally, is enormous.
Design: Kerry Delrose
Outfit with Dark Wood
Dark, richly stained woods add strength, character, and a masculine ambience to an interior, especially when the wood is used for traditional paneling and built-in cabinetry. Adding architectural features such as exposed ceiling beams, a coffered ceiling, and/or hardwood flooring makes the room feel rugged.
Shown: A pair of chaise lounges and an extra-long sofa—all upholstered in gray wool—provide comfy seating in this elegant media room. Frosted glass panels, rather than fussy window treatments, keep the room secluded. A subtle detail: Some throw pillows are covered in a paisley pattern reminiscent of men's ties.
Design: Lonni Paul
Add Dashing Accents
Dark walls not your thing? Punch up nuanced neutrals with accents in deep, sultry shades that add waves of masculine energy.
Shown: Deep-chocolate-brown drapes and faux-fur pillows invigorate a neutral den. The streamlined sectional is upholstered in warm beige microfiber fabric; the ottoman is covered in a matching shade of leather. A brown-leather armchair punctuates the seating arrangement.
Design: Dana Lyon
Show Off Rugged Materials
The look of painted drywall or plaster-and-lathe walls just can't equal the drama delivered by handsome materials such as fieldstone, exposed brick, concrete, steel, or hand-hewn wood. Combine features crafted of these materials with large-scale furniture and you've got a room that exudes strength and masculinity.
Shown: A bluestone mantel and hearth enhance the entry porch's fieldstone fireplace. Large-scale furniture is positioned around a coffee table made of birch logs.
Design: Tracy Hickman
Build in Industrial Influences
Straight lines and square corners may get a little repetitive. Add interest with industrial chic design details: from timeworn wood furniture to machinery parts and tools made from forged or welded metal. In other words: anything that simultaneously celebrates practical function and patina. A rusty patina is a bonus. Such pieces, with their striking silhouettes and intriguing surfaces, warm up monochromatic interiors with hardworking character.
Shown: Rustic knotty-alder cabinetry warms the feel of a marble-topped island built around a vintage French factory cart. Vintage-inspired draftsman's stools pair industrial steel with rugged wood seats. A double-pendant light from The Urban Electric Co. lends a splash of red.
Design: Trip Haenisch
Connect with the Outdoors
You don't need multihue throws or pillows to jazz up a monochromatic room. Inject visual interest—and a sense of adventure—by connecting such a room to the outdoors. Oversize picture windows, sliding glass doors, or glass panels that slide into the exterior wall pocket and disappear from view: All these options let you gaze at the landscape from your living room or see a sparkling cityscape from your high-rise. An added plus: The natural "artwork" changes every day.
Shown: This living room boasts a travertine-tile floor, a hide rug, exposed beams, an oversize white sectional, and even an organic chair carved from a single tree trunk. But the most masculine detail is the eye-catching view of Arizona's rugged Sonoran Desert.
Design: Suzanne Biers Harrington
Go Rustic, Yet Refined
Masculine design features rule in this Midwestern summer cottage. Rough-hewn beams frame the kitchen, where hide-covered saddle stools with hickory legs sidle up to a zinc-topped peninsula. (Perimeter countertops are crafted of Bronzo Quartzite.) The base cabinets are made of hand-scraped, distressed Norwegian butternut with an antique glaze. Uppers feature angel-hair brushed-stainless-steel-and-glass doors.
Kitchen Design: Mick De Giulio
Interior Design: Veronica McGraw
Relax the Look with Fabric
Maybe all those angular shapes need a little softening. Just stay away from ruffles, pom-poms, and lace; we beg you. Instead, hang simple window treatments made of natural textiles such as linen, raw silk, burlap, or cotton. (For a more straightforward look, install wood blinds.) Warm hard-surface floors with natural-fiber rugs—such as jute or sisal—that deliver intriguing textures. Outfit beds with monochromatic linens in colors that coordinate with the walls, or bedding ensembles that display minimalist patterns.
Design: Susan Bohlert Smith
Show Your Rugged Side
This gathering space follows all the masculine-design rules: neutral colors, intriguing textures (even nailheads on the upholstered side table!), substantial pieces of furniture, and rugged building materials. But it's the recycled sculling oars that make the room stand apart; they create a whimsical rafter effect that draws attention to the wet bar made of pecky cypress.
Design: Tracy Hickman
Think Clean and Simple
This master bath went from highly decorative to stripped-down simplicity, says interior designer Summer Thornton. What's left is masculine design at its cleanest: a collection of straight lines and right angles built from warm oak planks (the ceiling), bright white subway tiles (the walls and shower surround), honed marble floor tiles, and a straight-edged vanity that combines wood, metal, and marble. Even the Circa Lighting sconces sport 90° angles.
Design: Summer Thornton
Show Some Animal Magnetism
The designers' intention was to create a room for intimate conversation, says Dana Goodman, one of the professionals who worked on this space. But putting a zebra-print hide over the sisal rug and adding a display of animal horns to the coffee table shows this room is poised for adventure. Other masculine undertones? The paneling and built-in bookshelves are painted a deep, saturated navy. And the large scale of the linen-covered wingback chairs from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams complements the room's high ceilings.
Design: Dana Goodman and Crysta A. Parish
Be Naturally Beautiful
Simple but strong, this master bath makes the most of its neutral color scheme: beige walls, a cream-color Roman shade, and floor tiles with a natural, sliced-lumber look. A freestanding soaking tub, tucked into a niche for a spa-like setting, boasts an aged-look metal patina. And a burly chunk of wood stands ready to hold towels and sundries.
Design: Cecily Mendell
Nod to Southwestern Style
Designer Patty Burdick helped homeowners Mary Beth and Gates Hawn develop an authentic Southwestern look free of kitschy décor. For example, their great-room's soaring 20-foot-high ceilings are constructed with latillas—peeled pine tree limbs supported by massive vigas (shown). A tufted leather chaise offers a comfy space to lounge in front of the fire. A braided sisal rug, an iron chandelier, and mounted horns above the mantel add an organic touch to the space.
Design: Patti Burdick
Explore Shades of Gray
Inspired by a certain erotic novel, designer Diane Guariglia created a "playroom" with a masculine palette of rich grays, blacks, and browns. "I wanted the room to be edgy and sexy, dark and complicated," she says. The designer created textural contrast by pairing rough-hewn barn-wood wainscoting with a sleek wall covering. The leather sofa and welded-metal coffee table expand upon the masculine design scheme.
Design: Diane Guariglia
Look at lots of elegant rooms dressed in gray.
Know Your Geometry
Designer Kristine Irving created a master bath both masculine and chic by loading it with luxe appointments and geometric shapes. The floor is clad with French beige limestone tiles from Ann Sacks, while the sink wall features 3-inch lagos azul tile squares. All the grout lines are perfectly parallel. Every axis is square and sharp. Wooden accessories—a barn beam table, a teak ladder, and a teak mat—add contrasting textures.
Design: Kristine Irving


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Washington, D.C. - Today, the United States Office of Personnel Management announced a record-setting level of charitable giving by Federal employees through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). At a White House awards ceremony this past week, OPM Director John Berry presented 25 awards to members of the Federal workforce whose work contributed to raising nearly $282.6 million in pledges to non-profit programs in 2009.
"Just as Federal employees work for the American public in communities throughout our country, they also give back to these same communities through programs like the Combined Federal Campaign," said OPM Director John Berry. "I am proud to recognize the volunteer efforts of Federal employees, whose donations through the CFC program represent the largest workplace charity program in the world."
Federal workers are demonstrating innovative ways to increase charitable donations, and the Office of Personnel Management is thrilled to recognize their work as it models how all Americans can contribute to our neighborhoods and our nation."
At the White House ceremony, Director Berry recognized nine regional CFC campaigns for recording the largest increase in CFC pledges in 2009 over pledges in 2008. Additionally, five campaigns were singled out for taking innovative steps to encourage employee contributions, while 10 Federal employees were awarded special recognition for their leadership on behalf of the program.
In a letter from President Obama to award recipients, he said "During difficult economic times, the struggles of families and individuals are often reflected in fewer and smaller contributions to charitable organizations. Yet, today, many Americans still selflessly offer all they are able to give and your donations through the Combined Federal Campaign demonstrate the true heart and spirit of Federal workers."
The Combined Federal Campaign is the world's largest and most successful annual workplace charity campaign, with more than 300 CFC campaigns throughout the country and internationally to help to raise millions of dollars each year. Pledges made by Federal civilian, postal and military donors during the campaign season (September 1st to December 15th) support eligible non-profit organizations that provide health and human service benefits throughout the world. Since its inception in 1961, the campaign has raised more than $6 billion in charitable donations.
Campaigns recognized on Friday included the Greater Olympic Peninsula CFC (WA), Heartland CFC (MO), Miami Valley CFC (OH), CFC of National Capital Area (DC), CFC Overseas, San Diego County CFC (CA), Heart of Alabama CFC (AL), Potomac CFC (VA), Greater Southwest Texas CFC (TX), CFC of Island County (WA), Fort Polk - Central Louisiana CFC (LA), CFC of the Northern Shenandoah Valley (VA), Yakima-Kittitas CFC (WA), and the North Country CFC (NY).
Individuals recognized at the White House ceremony included David Braadland (CFC of the Pikes Peak Region), Loren Heaton (San Diego & Imperial Counties CFC), Robert Jennings (Greater Olympic Peninsula CFC), Michael Miller (EscaRosa CFC), Ellwyn Parks (Greater Indiana CFC), Paul Pinaula (CFC Norcal), Carolyn Renge (Central California CFC), Robin Stripling (Central California CFC), Louis Torchia (CFC of the National Capital Area and CFC Overseas), and Jennifer Yahnian (Central California CFC).
For a high-resolution image of CFC winners, visit:
For more information, visit: www.opm.gov/cfc.
OPM leads and serves the Federal Government in enterprise human resources management by delivering policies and services to achieve a trusted, effective civilian workforce. By Empowering Excellence in Government through Great People, we provide leadership and support to U.S. agencies on issues including human resources policy and oversight, background investigations, federal employee benefits, retirement services, guidance on labor-management relations, and programs to improve workforce performance. For more information, visit OPM.gov or follow OPM on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

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Greenpeace is calling on Indonesian citizens to be part of the 'Tiger's Eye Community' to protect Indonesian forest from destruction. Greenpeace is urging the government to take immediate action to protect the habitat by expanding moratorium areas and evaluate existing permits and implement full peatland forest protection.
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Fashion Case Donna Romina Galaxy S9 Mother Earth
Stock running low
Color/pattern : Mother Earth
Phone model : Galaxy S9
Hold the whole world in your hands with this dreamy design in bluish green. With Mother Earth as the source of all inspiration, this case translates the diverse facets of our fascinating planet into one artful design. From deep oceans and green landscapes to dreamy clouds, this case has it all! Lifelike photographic prints are a favorite of the season, featured in ready-to-wear everyday looks to haute couture shows of the big fashion houses. Dream away with this playful design!
Always at iDEAL
- 1 year warranty
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- Swedish Design Award Winner
- Made from strong but flexible plastic
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- Compatible with iDeal of Swedens QI chargers
- Part of The iDeal Concept and magnetically compatible with our wallets and mounts
- Swedish design, always on trend
- Gold details to add a luxurious feel
- Perfectly fits your phone to provide protection and a great look
- Standard delivery 10-15 days with DHL – $4.99
- Express delivery 3-4 Business days with UPS Express – $13.99


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Crews recover man's body from icy S. Dakota river
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. Crews on Saturday recovered the body of a second person who drowned in an icy South Dakota river while trying to save a 6-year-old boy, authorities said.
A search boat discovered the body of Lyle Francis Eagletail, 28, in the Big Sioux River shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday, said Jeff Helm, division chief for Sioux Falls Fire and Rescue.
Eagletail had been near the river in Falls Park Thursday evening when he saw 6-year-old Garrett Martin Wallace either fall into the frothing water or become obscured by the gathering foam. Garrett's 16-year-old sister had jumped in to save the boy and Eagletail followed. The boy later emerged from the river and was uninjured.
The body of Madison Leigh Wallace, of Vermillion, was discovered Friday afternoon. Eagletail's body was discovered about 100 feet from Wallace's body in a part of the river that was about 12 feet deep, Helm said. It was an area on the east bank that crews had previously searched.
"That just shows you how treacherous and how easy it is to hide such a thing in this murky water," he said.
Witness accounts differ on whether someone pushed the boy out of the water or he popped up on a rock before being pulled ashore, Sioux Falls Fire Chief Jim Sideras said earlier. Emergency workers carried the boy away from the river wrapped in a blanket.
About 45 people had been taking part in the search efforts Saturday, including a dive team from Pierre, Helm said.
About a dozen family members of Eagletail's had remained at the river as rescuers searched for him. After the body was found, they immediately left to see it at a nearby hospital and did not speak with the media.
The park had been closed since the incident and was to reopen at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sioux Falls Fire said. The city rescheduled an annual St. Patrick's Day lighting ceremony at Falls Park until Sunday.
The city of Sioux Falls is named after the Big Sioux River's cascading waterfalls in Falls Park, a tourist attraction where people often picnic or pose for wedding photos.
The park draws about 525,000 visitors annually, according the local visitors' bureau, and is an especially popular spot in the spring and summer. Thursday had been the first day in months that temperatures reached 50 degrees.
Fatal accidents are rare at Falls Park. The body of 29-year-old Travis Hallan was found just north of the falls after his canoe tipped over in 2006. In 1999, 26-year-old Slavisa Andric drowned after losing his footing on rocks at the park. Omar Iasi Ibrahim Warsame, 43, had been fishing at the river in 1997 when he fell in and drowned.


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Intrigo: Death of an Author
This film tells us that the gulf between what we want to know and what we can know may never be illuminated.
This film tells us that the gulf between what we want to know and what we can know may never be illuminated.
It is the best of the three films, offering in some odd ways a corrective to the prior installments.
Roger Ebert on James Ivory's "Howards End".
"The Ballad of Narayama" is a Japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice, telling a story of startling cruelty. What a space it opens…
An article about today's noon premiere of a new movie about architect Benjamin Marshall at the Gene Siskel Film Center.
An article about the screening of Horace Jenkins' "Cane River" on Friday, November 1st, at the Academy Film Archive in Los Angeles.
Scout Tafoya's series on underrated films heads into the 2020s with a Tony Scott classic.
Scout Tafoya's video essay series about maligned masterpieces celebrates Steven Soderbergh's Solaris.
Theo Angelopoulos' Landscape in the Mist is a work of art that comes from the feelings, the dreams, the sorrows, and the flashes of life…
Far Flung Correspondent Seongyong Cho pens a letter to Roger about Michael Apted's 63 Up.
A tribute to the late, great Terry Jones.
A dispatch from the 2020 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, featuring reviews of Kourosh Ahari's "The Night" and Andrew Davis' "Mentors—Tony & Santi."
The tsunami that devastated the Pacific Basin in the winter of 2004 remains one of the worst natural disasters in history. Although I assumed its climax, as shown in Clint Eastwood's film "Hereafter" (2010), would never be surpassed, that was before I had seen "The Impossible." Here is a searing film of human tragedy.
We were London in 2004 when the disaster struck, and later we sat mesmerized in Biarritz, watching the news on television. Again and again, the towering wall of water rose from the sea, tossing trucks, buses and its helpless victims aside. Surely this was a blow from hell.
The victims in Eastwood's film beheld it afar on home video. In director Juan Antonio Bayona's "The Impossible," they seem lost in it, engulfed by it, damned by it.
As "The Impossible" begins, all is quiet at a peaceful resort beach in Thailand. Seconds later, victims are swept up like matchsticks. The film is dominated by human figures: a young British couple, Maria and Henry Bennett (Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor), and their three young sons, Lucas, Simon and Thomas (Tom Holland, Oaklee Pendergast and Samuel Joslin). All five fear they will never see their loved ones again.
In the earlier Eastwood film, they seem the victims of cruel destiny singling out a fate, perhaps foretold. In the Bayona film, have they been doomed by destiny? Seated in a dark theater, I reached out my hand for that of my wife's. She and I had visited the same beach and discussed visiting it with our children and grandchildren. An icy finger ran slowly down our spines.
Such a connection can be terrifying. What does it mean? We are the playthings of the gods. As the film's heroine, Naomi Watts powerfully becomes a front-runner for an Academy Award. Its eldest young hero, Lucas (Holland), separated from all, seeks tirelessly for fellow family members. How did anyone possibly survive? It takes a lot of courage for the little boy to bravely try to help others.
Spoilers follow, although the trailer and TV commercials reveal many of them. I'm happy I was blindsided by the story. We meet the Bennetts aboard a flight beginning their family holiday in Khao Lak, Thailand. We almost feel, rather than hear, a deeply alarming shift in the atmosphere. Something is fundamentally wrong. We see the tsunami from the tourists' point of view. There is a shift in the universe, leaving behind a dazed group whose world is a jumble of destruction. They wander through the wreckage.
Maria is terrifyingly knocked through a glass wall and realizes she can see her son Lucas' tiny head and body struggling to stay afloat in the surging flood waters. With indomitable strength and courage, she clings to debris, and they find themselves in a makeshift hospital that seems to have been somehow cobbled together. We realize she is the most seriously injured and begins to drift into and out of consciousness. She is a medical doctor and applies emergency first aid to herself.
Henry, tough and plucky, screams out the names of his two younger sons and loads them onto a truck bound for higher ground. The geographical layout miraculously seems halfway familiar to us after dozens of hours of cable news. All of those YouTube videos uploaded by strangers have been populated by characters we think of as people we know.
The film's most dramatic sequences focus on Lucas, assigning himself the role of his mother's lifeguard and protector. Now again, at another holiday season, this film becomes a powerful story of a family's cohesive strength.
Director Juan Antonio Bayona and writer Sergio G. Sanchez combine visual effects in this film that are doubly effective because they strive to do their job without calling undue attention. It is a mark of great acting in a film when it succeeds in accomplishing what it must precisely when it is required. "The Impossible" is one of the best films of the year.
The 2020 Oscar nominations.
A review of the new Netflix crime docuseries about former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez.
A review of Netflix's Dracula, from the creators of Sherlock.
This message came to me from a reader named Peter Svensland. He and a fr...


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Paul A. Matlack
June 13, 2013
Print commentary
Although we don't believe that rates will move up any time soon, we do believe the next significant move may be higher, given today's historically low levels and our outlook for continued economic improvement over the long term. We therefore have measures in place to seek to address an increase in rates over the long term.
Effective Federal Funds Rate (FEDFUNDS)
With U.S. interest rates at historically low levels, rates have only one direction to go: up. Data: U.S. Department of Labor, April 2013
Federal funds rate refers to the interest rate banks charge each other for overnight loans to meet reserve requirements.
Chart above is for illustrative purposes only, and not meant to predict actual results.
For example, within Delaware Diversified Income Fund (DPDFX), we own high yield bonds and bank debt, which are the senior debt of high-yield bond issuers. When rates are rising because of an expanding economy, the more credit-oriented bond investments, which include high yield bonds and bank debt, have historically performed well.
Traditionally, high yield bonds have outperformed all the high-quality tiers of the market in a rising-rate environment, whether it's investment-grade, mortgages or, as an extreme example, Treasury bonds. We believe this has been the case because the issuers of high yield bonds tend to improve their own health as the economy expands. With this, price increases on high yield bonds have historically been enough to partially offset the impact of rising interest rates (Source: St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank).
Across several of our bond funds, we've also increased credit exposure in high yield, bank loans, and within the BBB-rated component (that is, the lowest of the rating categories by Standard & Poors considered to be investment grade with some speculative characteristics) of the investment-grade corporate-bond universe. Those are all designed as relatively defensive ways to hedge against an eventual climb in interest rates. In the meantime, we're also receiving higher interest payments than we could have by investing in higher-quality segments of the market.
We continue to have a notably positive view of U.S. corporate credit, particularly intermediate-range corporate bonds. Whether it's high yield or investment-grade bonds, the sector continues to have favorable credit measures.
We believe a combination of factors has resulted in record-high credit quality and record-low default rates. These factors include:
For these reasons, we believe that intermediate corporate bonds may have the potential to outperform other fixed income instruments, including floating-rate bonds and bank loans, possibly through the remainder of 2013, simply due to their higher yields.
We've had a 30-year decline in interest rates as a driver of bond returns. We believe that trend could be over. All the spread widening that took place in 2008 has almost entirely re-corrected and, in most cases, is well inside long-term averages.
Whether it's high yield, investment grade, mortgages, or emerging markets, yields above Treasury bonds are once again very narrow. We don't believe there are any major drivers of capital appreciation left in the bond market, meaning once again bonds should no longer have the potential to provide equity-like returns in the coming years, as they often have in the recent past. Therefore, we view the current situation as a time to focus on coupon payments.
Given our outlook for subdued economic growth, we believe fixed-rate intermediate-term instruments in a diversified investment portfolio may outperform Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) and floating-rate bonds, possibly through 2013. But when the economy eventually gains traction and rates potentially move up, we think floating-rate options could become attractive to some investors.
Because interest rate moves cannot be predicted with precision, we believe bond investors may be better served by considering an actively managed diversified portfolio that provides the flexibility to move in a number of directions.
On the Delaware Investments® Fixed Income team, we don't believe the economy is much above stall speed. We estimate growth could be about 2% to 2.5% for 2013. The reason for this estimate is that the main drivers of gross domestic product — consumer spending, government spending, corporate spending and, to a lesser extent, exports — seem likely to remain subdued.
Despite a recent decline in the unemployment rate to 7.5%, we believe tremendous slack remains in the labor market. Looking at the U-6 measure produced by the U.S. Labor Department, which we believe is a more accurate picture of unemployment, the number of unemployed, underemployed (part-time workers looking for full-time work), and dropouts from the labor force is roughly 14%. (Data: U.S. Department of Labor, April 2013).
With higher taxes, we don't expect consumer spending to climb rapidly. As for state and federal government spending, both measures appear to be trending downward. Despite some glimmers of light in the last six months or so, corporate and investment spending has been muted, with many companies hoarding cash in the face of so much uncertainty out of Washington, Europe, China, and the Middle East.
Given the sluggishness of the economy, we believe the United States could be vulnerable to a potential shock coming from some geopolitical cause, such as an unexpected slowdown in China or problems in the Middle East, for example.
Broad (U6) Unemployment Rate
This chart, which depicts the U-6 unemployment rate, shows a much more significant unemployment problem than the popular estimate currently suggests. U-6 refers to those unemployed and looking for work, part-time workers looking for full-time work, and discouraged workers who have dropped out of the labor force. Data: U.S. Department of Labor, April 2013
We do not expect inflation to rise much above a nominal 2% level for the foreseeable future. The significant resource slack in the U.S. economy, coupled with a sluggish growth rate, suggests that it will be very difficult for inflation to become structurally embedded in the economy. In addition, we believe there is no expectation of inflation on the part of consumers, which is essential for inflationary pressures to take root.
Furthermore, from a monetary perspective, the record-breaking liquidity injected into the banking system by the U.S. Federal Reserve has largely remained trapped within bank reserves. We believe the economy needs aggressive bank lending in order to provide capital and boost growth rates. With banks exceptionally risk-averse right now, we just don't see much of an inflation threat.
In our view, the weaker dollar, combined with heightened geopolitical event risk (particularly from the Middle East), implies the potential for spikes in energy prices that could affect consumer spending. However, energy prices constitute a small portion of the final cost of goods and services, and given the low growth rate that prevails today, we see little likelihood that hikes in oil prices will ignite a broader inflation problem.
In our view, there are more downside risks at present than catalysts for growth. We generally expect global economic output to remain well below its full potential, as still-robust growth in Asia is offset by recessionary conditions in Europe, sluggish growth in the U.S., and slowing growth in several of the larger emerging market economies.
In particular, the potential for slower-than-expected growth in both the U.S. and China, and a disruptive worsening of the European situation, could potentially affect output and consumer and business sentiment on a global basis.
In our view, the European crisis seems to us an outgrowth of forming a monetary union without an accompanying fiscal union. With too much fiscal autonomy at the national level, inadequate centralized oversight, broadly different national economic identities, and generally different goals between the northern and southern tier countries, fissures that were largely under the surface finally emerged under the stress of the 2008 credit crisis.
Greece, Portugal, Spain, and Italy share (to various degrees) the same common problems, which include the following:
The most likely outcome, in our opinion, remains a protracted, but ultimately successful, package of concurrent measures aimed at addressing the issues listed above. At the national level, we believe countries will need to pursue fiscal austerity and a broad package of legislation aimed at decreasing regulation and improving national competitiveness. At the regional level, much tighter fiscal coordination will be necessary, albeit at the expense of some degree of sovereignty.
In addition, the range of European Central Bank (ECB) funding mechanisms established during the last several years will need to be sustained and increased in order to provide breathing room for fiscal reforms to gain traction. The process may be measured in years, not months, in our opinion, and should certainly be accompanied by economic contraction as government spending and bank lending declines. This process will likely be uneven we believe and could contribute to heightened equity and bond market volatility until true progress is achieved.
The views expressed represent the Manager's assessment of the market environment as of June 2013, and should not be considered a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security, and should not be relied on as research or investment advice. Views are subject to change without notice and may not reflect the Manager's current views.
Carefully consider the Funds' investment objectives, risk factors, charges, and expenses before investing. This and other information can be found in the Funds' prospectuses and their summary prospectuses, which may be obtained by visiting delawarefunds.com/literature or calling 800 523-1918. Investors should read the prospectus and the summary prospectus carefully before investing.
Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal.
Fixed income securities and bond funds can lose value, and investors can lose principal, as interest rates rise. They also may be affected by economic conditions that hinder an issuer's ability to make interest and principal payments on its debt. Fixed income securities may also be subject to the risk that principal is repaid prior to maturity.
The Fund may also be subject to prepayment risk, the risk that the principal of a bond that is held by a portfolio will be prepaid prior to maturity, at the time when interest rates are lower than what the bond was paying. A portfolio may then have to reinvest that money at a lower interest rate.
High yielding, non-investment-grade bonds (junk bonds) involve higher risk than investment grade bonds.
The high yield secondary market is particularly susceptible to liquidity problems when institutional investors, such as mutual funds and certain other financial institutions, temporarily stop buying bonds for regulatory, financial, or other reasons. In addition, a less liquid secondary market makes it more difficult for the Fund to obtain precise valuations of the high yield securities in its portfolio.
International investments entail risks not ordinarily associated with US investments including fluctuation in currency values, differences in accounting principles, or economic or political instability in other nations.
Investing in emerging markets can be riskier than investing in established foreign markets due to increased volatility and lower trading volume.
International fixed income investments are subject to currency risk. Adverse changes in foreign currency exchange rates may reduce or eliminate any gains provided by investments that are denominated in foreign currencies and may increase losses.
If and when the Fund invests in forward foreign currency contracts or uses other investments to hedge against currency risks, the Fund will be subject to special risks, including counterparty risk.
Because the Fund may invest in bank loans and other direct indebtedness, it is subject to the risk that the Fund will not receive payment of principal, interest, and other amounts due in connection with these investments, which primarily depend on the financial condition of the borrower and the lending institution.
Interest payments on inflation-protected debt securities will vary as the principal and/or interest is adjusted for inflation.
The Fund may invest in derivatives, which may involve additional expenses and are subject to risk, including the risk that an underlying security or securities index moves in the opposite direction from what the portfolio manager anticipated. A derivatives transaction depends upon the counterparties' ability to fulfill their contractual obligations.
Diversification may not protect against market risk.
Managing Director, Senior Client Portfolio Manager
(View bio)
Managing Director, Senior Client Portfolio Manager
Paul A. Matlack is a strategist and senior portfolio manager for the firm's fixed income team. Matlack rejoined the firm in May 2010. During his previous time at Macquarie Investment Management (MIM) from September 1989 to October 2000, he was senior credit analyst, senior portfolio manager, and left the firm as co-head of the high yield group. Most recently, he worked at Chartwell Investment Partners from September 2003 to April 2010 as senior portfolio manager in fixed income, where he managed core, core plus, and high yield strategies. Prior to that, Matlack held senior roles at Turner Investment Partners, PNC Bank, and Mellon Bank. He earned a bachelor's degree in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA with a concentration in finance from George Washington University.


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Main Content
Frequently Asked Questions for Parents and Families of Prospective Students
Welcome, parents! Below are some general answers to common questions. While we can't anticipate every question and concern, readers with questions unaddressed by this FAQ shouldn't hesitate to ask them -- staff, students, and faculty are all willing and eager to help prospective students and their families learn about Southern Connecticut State University.
1.We're considering SCSU as our child's college choice. Do you recommend visiting the campus before applying, and how can we arrange a visit?
SCSU is a flourishing community of more than 10,000 students located less than three miles from downtown New Haven, near the artsy and historic Westville Village section of the city. We highly recommend that you and your student visit our campus, either before applying or soon after submitting an application. A student guide will give you a tour of the campus and answer questions you may have about Southern. You'll see our academic facilities, a residence hall room, dining hall, library, student center and more. An admissions counselor will be available to review the application and admissions process in our daily information session. Sign up for a tour right online HERE.
2.When should my child submit her/his application for admissions?
The Admissions Office reviews undergraduate applications on a rolling basis throughout the year. So the sooner an application is submitted and completed, the sooner we can get a decision back to your student!
3.How will SCSU notify my child of its decision regarding the application for admission?
All students are notified with an email and a printed letter mailed home regarding the outcome of the application evaluation. Prospective students are encouraged to check their application status online. Directions for accessing this information are emailed directly to students once they apply to the University.
4.Are admission requirements for out-of-state students different than those for in-state students?
No, all students are evaluated in the same manner. However, in-state and some regional students are eligible for reduced tuition.
5.When will my child need to declare his/her major?
More than half of incoming freshmen do not declare a major. Two year state college graduates, however, must declare their preferred major field of concentration at the time they apply for admission to the baccalaureate program. We encourage students to begin to explore a major area of study as soon as possible. Students are not limited to any major and may change at any time. However, students should not adopt the narrow perspective of only focusing on the university's "general requirements." If this is done for the first three to four semesters, students will find themselves with only major area courses and a few electives that need to be taken. Many major course areas need prerequisites, or only a selected few of the courses may be offered during a particular semester. This situation could postpone a student's graduation.
6.How much access will my child have to faculty?
With a students to faculty ratio of 15:1, students find it easy to keep in touch and develop strong relationships with faculty. All faculty keep office hours equal to the hours they are in the classroom. Information about the faculty member's office hours is always included in the course syllabus, and students are encouraged to take advantage of this time. In addition, e-mail and the internet make communication between students and faculty even easier.
7.Can my child start and finish his/her entire education at SCSU?
Yes! The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degree programs in liberal arts and in professional studies, and bachelor of science degrees in education with teacher certification. Within The School of Graduate Studies, Research, and Innovation (GSRI), the university offers programs of study leading to master's degrees and/or sixth year professional diplomas as well as a doctoral program in Educational Administration and Leadership.
8.Is help available if my child is having trouble in class? All professors hold office hours and encourage students to both ask questions and
work collaboratively amongst themselves.
Moreover our Academic Success Center is a resource for students who are having difficulty with a particular course, as well as for students who aim to maintain a high academic standing. The Center provides tutoring, information and academic enrichment for all students seeking assistance in writing, math, science, and nearly all other courses offered at SCSU. Assistance may be provided by a professional academic assistant or by a trained student tutor. All services are free and available upon request.
9.Can my child live on campus, and if so, can he/she bring a car?
Yes, the Office of Residence Life provides on-campus living accommodations for undergraduate and graduate students who meet established eligibility criteria. Eligible upperclass returning students participate in a formal room selection process during the spring semester of each year. Incoming freshmen are typically assigned accommodations in Chase Hall, Farnham Hall, Hickerson Hall, Neff Hall, Wilkinson Hall or in West Campus Residence Complex. Incoming transfer students are placed in double rooms or in apartment-style housing, based on total academic credits transferred into Southern, on a space-available basis. Residence Life issues all parking decals, including overnight and visitor passes, for all students residing in the residence halls.
10.My child has a disability. Whom should we contact at SCSU to discuss disability issues?
SCSU is committed to providing access to a quality education for students, including those with documented disabilities. Please consult the Disability Resource Center for further information.
11.How much does it cost to attend SCSU? SCSU offers an excellent value for a quality education with a reputation for excellence. SCSU establishes tuition rates and fees for all students each year in July. For the most up to date information please visit Tuition and Fees.
12.How can I find out if my child is eligible for financial aid? In order to receive student financial assistance at Southern Connecticut State University, you:
- Must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen of the United States
- Must be registered with the Selective Service Administration (if a male)
- Must be formally admitted by the Office of Admission by the financial aid's "priority" date
- Must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by our "priority" date
- Must be enrolled for a minimum of six credit hours per semester
- Must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
13.What is the SCSU Federal school code number?
The SCSU federal code is 001406. Learn more. (see: How to Apply for Financial Aid)
14.What is the deadline for applying for financial aid?
For the most up to date deadline and calendar information please consult the Financial Aid website.
15.If we own a house in Connecticut, are we eligible for Connecticut residency?
To qualify for in-state tuition, your family needs to reside in Connecticut. Owning a house in Connecticut alone does not qualify a student for Connecticut residency tuition. To change your child's status from out-of-state to in-state, you will need proof of residency, including Connecticut income tax and federal income tax forms for the most current year. Students residing in New England states may be eligible for the New England Regional Tuition Break program, depending on their intended major.
16.Will I have access to my child's grades?
Due to federal regulations, parents do not have access to their child's grades. Only
if the student gives written permission to the Registrar's Office can grades be released to parents.
17.How can I notify my health insurance company that my child is a full-time student?
The simplest way is for your child to request an enrollment verification. To request
a verification of degree, enrollment, or graduation, you should submit a written request
with your name, Social Security Number, student ID #, semester to be verified, address
to mail verification to or fax number to send verification to, and your signature.
No e-mail requests are allowed. Verification of enrollment is not available for a
semester unless the semester has begun. Download a verification form. Fax the completed form to (203) 392-5320. Or, you may contact the National Student
Clearinghouse. Southern Connecticut State University has authorized the National Student
Clearinghouse to provide enrollment and degree verifications. The National Student
Clearing House can be contacted by:
Web: http://www.degreeverify.com/
Fax: (703) 742-4239
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Mail: National Student Clearinghouse
13454 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300
Herndon, VA 20171
18.What if I cannot pay my child's tuition bill by the due date?
The university offers interest-free payment plans for the fall, spring, and summer terms. For more information on accepted payment methods and payment plan enrollment please visit the Student Accounts Office. Past-due student accounts will have a hold placed restricting access to grades/transcripts/registration/residence check in, are subject to a $50 late fee after the expiration of the 10-day grace period, and if applicable, the housing assignment/course schedule may be canceled.
19.How safe is the campus? Southern Connecticut State University has its own police department that monitors the campus 24 hours a day. The Police Department also provides 24-hour escort services on campus. Students are assigned university ID cards and PINs that they are required to use to gain entrance to residence halls and buildings. Learn more about safety and security on campus.


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Tight corners, crowded sidewalks and small spaces: meet your match.
A - Wheel Base: Swivel mode 27 in (68 cm) / Jogging mode 32.5 in (82 cm)
B - Overall Length: Swivel mode 46.5 in (118 cm) / Jogging mode 51.5 in (131 cm)
C - Handle Bar Height: 40.0 in (102 cm)
D - Overall Width: 25.5 in (64 cm)
E - Interior Seat Width: 14.5 in (37 cm)
F - Folded Length, wheels on: Swivel mode 39 in (100 cm) / Jogging mode 43 in (109 cm)
G - Folded Height, wheels on: Swivel mode 16 in (41 cm) / Jogging mode 16 in (41 cm)
H - Folded Length, wheels off: Swivel mode 33 in (84 cm) / Jogging mode 37 in (94 cm)
I - Folded Height, wheels off: Swivel mode 12 in (30 cm) / Jogging mode 10.5 in (30 cm)
BOB strollers are built to comfortably and securely bring baby wherever life takes you. Check out all the latest innovations that are at the heart of the BOB experience.
Padded straps hold your child comfortably secure.
Foam grip for comfort, wrist strap for security.
Lock the rear wheels with a step of your foot.
Low Boy Cargo Basket, large seatback pocket and two internal seat pockets.
High-impact polymer or lightweight alloy.
Shade your baby but still keep an eye on her.
Quickly attaches BOB Infant Car Seat Adapter or Snack Tray.
Absorbs bumpy terrain and uneven surfaces.
Lightweight design makes stow-and-go a snap.
A simple twist of the tracking adjustment knob keeps you rolling straight.
Easily adjust the padded seat to ensure your baby's comfort.
Stroll with unmatched maneuverability.
To download a copy of the owner's manual and to view instructional videos, visit the Product Instructions page.


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Crash seriously injures motorcycle driver in Pasadena
Police: Drugs or alcohol may have been involved
Anne Arundel County police are investigating a crash that severely injured a motorcycle driver in Pasadena on Tuesday evening.
Police were called to the intersection of Fort Smallwood Road and Solley Road around 7 p.m. Tuesday, where first responders said they found 46-year-old James Gieser, of Glen Burnie, lying in the road.
A preliminary investigation revealed that Gieser tried to turn left onto Solley Road from Fort Smallwood Road and failed to yield the right-of-way, causing him to be hit by an oncoming car driven by Alex Phelps, 20, of Pasadena.
Gieser suffered life-threatening injuries. He was taken to Shock Trauma, where he remains in critical condition. Police said Phelps wasn't injured.
Detectives said possible intoxication may have been a factor for both parties involved.


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11-7-2010 Hunter Schooling Show At Sharon Oaks Stables
Hello Sharon Oaks Faithful. First I am sorry for the delay in getting these photos on line. As always remember these are low resolution photos and they will need to be edited before you can purchase them in sizes larger than 4x5. If you want me to edit a photo send me the number at email@example.com. Thanks again for coming out and making it such a great day.Read More


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Researchers at Loyola University Medical Center have recently made a discovery that could be the first significant step toward helping the body's immune system put up a more effective fight against severe infections and possibly cancer.
In a study published in the February edition of the Nature Medicine journal, the Loyola researchers reported developing a technique that they say delivers DNA to the immune system, instructing cells to overproduce proteins that help develop stronger T cells — a type of white blood cell instrumental for the body's defense against illness.
Among the various types of T cells, CD8, or "killer" T cells, are responsible for attacking pathogens, while antigen-presenting, or "instructor" T cells, program CD8 T cells to attack. In order for the killer T cells to become truly effective, they also require the aid of what's known as CD4, or "helper" T cells. In HIV and cancer patients, the killer T cells are suppressed because CD4 T cells are compromised, or destroyed altogether.
"When a CD8 is activated in the absence of CD4s, or with compromised CD4s, they're not only deficient in killing, but they also die. They don't survive, so you have no memory," said the study's senior author, Dr. Jose A. Guevara-Patino, an associate professor of oncology at Loyola's Stritch School of Medicine. "That's the key of all immunity. ... Every time you encounter the pathogen, you can mount a fast defense to protect the body."
The process developed by the research team involves delivering DNA by a device known as a gene gun into instructor cells, which then unlocks the killer properties of the CD8 T cells, allowing them to still fight infections and tumors even if the helper T cells are compromised.
The idea for the technique, Guevara-Patino said, came after observing the way in which killer T cells behaved within autoimmune disorders, such as celiac disease, a genetic disorder where exposure to a protein found in gluten causes a reaction in the immune system that damages the gastrointestinal tract.
"If I could harness the power of that receptor to guide the killer cells against pathogens or cancer, maybe we have a shot," Guevara-Patino said.
The technique was first tested in mice with low counts of CD4 T cells, and then studied by examining the CD8 T cells from HIV patients with low counts of CD4s, Guevara-Patino said.
"What we saw was we were able to reproduce the same effects (as seen in mice)," Guevara-Patino said. "We were able to rescue T cells that were otherwise helpless from HIV patients."
Guevara said the possibilities for the technique could possibly lead one day to the development of effective vaccines for a wide array of diseases, including HIV and cancer.
"When you now provide this alternative help, which is like jet fuel for the CD8s, now the CD8s are responding to things they otherwise wouldn't," Guevara-Patino said. "Part of the beauty of this approach is that it can be incorporated into multiple platforms of immunotherapy, whether it's for chronic infectious diseases or cancer."
Clinical trials of the study within cancer patients are expected to begin in about three years, where questions regarding the kind of effect the technique will have on a living human body can be fully examined, Guevara-Patino said.
"It's definitely a step forward in trying to characterize what's there and how these interactions are supposed to occur," said Dr. Neil Kao, an internal medicine specialist at the Allergic Disease and Asthma Center in Greenville, S.C. "First you have to understand how things work. However, it is a whole another gigantic step as far as identifying something else that will interfere with how things work along with not causing side effects."
The study was conducted over a five-year period, and received major funding from the American Cancer Society and the National Institutes of Health.


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Results tagged ' Rays versus Yankees '
Are You Ready for a Throwdown?
This weekend will put one team in a small, but substantial advantage of having a numerical edge on their closest competitor, and the team that wants to take their dream away of October glory. No matter if you side with the Evil Empire , or the Rebel Alliance this weekend, the battle lines have been drawn, and the fun is just about to begin. In less than three hours, when the Rays Fan Hosts open the outer doors of Tropicana Field, a large segment of the baseball viewing World will be focused on this hamlet off the Gulf of Mexico eager not only for the First pitch, but the last.
This series will do more than give a little breathing room to a possible Playoff berth, it could be the difference between the Wild Card and the American League East crown. Each team thinks they are fighting the "good fight", the fight that will deem them victorious, but the reality is that just as the Highlander, Conor McCloud once said, "There can be only one." With the home team boasting a winning streak and the visitor's holding onto the climax runaway game fresh in their minds, both teams approach this game as pivotal and a "must win" situation.
With both teams separated by only a small slip of the offense and pitching, this series, even if it is only 3 out of the remaining 10 contests between these two Major League Baseball giants. Those pesky Rays who the Yankees have not been able to get out of their rearview mirrors for most of the season have two 3-game series left in their "Pit" while the Yankees have only a 4-game slate in mid-September to their advantage. You want to give the immediate advantage to the Rays, but these are two titans who will not go down without a messy and bloody fight. No matter if it is a one-run game or a blowout, every inning, every movement, every sound could play a convincing role in the outcome of this series.
You wanted something magnificent Tampa Bay……Well, you got it this weekend. For the first time in the Rays 13 seasons, this series will be sold out, with possibly only Standing Room Only selections still left to buy at the Rays Box Office. The enveloping ticket scalpers that circle Tropicana Field will be eager and willing to project their price upon you if you did not choose wisely and pre-purchase your chance to see these giants collide. Boosted by the fact the Yankee faithful can see one of their own possibly hit a Major League milestone only adds fuel to the inferno already encircling this series. You wanted a showdown of epic proportions…..Well you got that too Tampa Bay.
Out of the loop this weekend will be attendance concerns, stadium issues and even the Trade Deadline may take a backseat to the living and breathing beat this is this American League East collision. Someone will come out of this whole series with bruises, battered emotional scars and maybe even a few less protractors. But there is also a good side. And that side is that for once this season, no matter what team you root for, the Tampa Bay area will be the center of the baseball World…period.
Two best teams in the game stroking it out mano-on-mano with the victor getting a leg up on their competition. This series can end only two ways. Someone will win and put a bit of distance or overtake the other, or someone will see their confidence rattled and have to rebound quickly to stay hungry for the home stretch. As always, I have my front row seat to seeing these titans battle it out just feet in front of me with each squad eager and willing to lay down personal sacrifices that go way beyond those committed using a maple bat.
This weekend will either be fulfilling another step towards a destiny, or establishing a dominance needed to secure, insure and procure a chance again to fight for the golden chalice with 30 MLB flags upon it. To say this is for all the marbles is too cliché`. To say this series will define a team is too vague. But to say the winner of this series has an edge….Well, that is just the Rays and Yankees ways of doing things in 2010.
- Posted on July 30, 2010 at 2:21 pm
- Permalink
- 6 Comments
- Filed in: Dailies
- Tags: A L East, American League East, New York Yankees, Rays, Rays Renegade, Rays versus Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Yankees, Yankess versus Rays


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Purchased gentility gave me fresh fodder for poking fun.
The Palm Beach RINO is a beast of a different sort.
Palm Beach was, and is, a town with its fair share of legitimate princes, princesses, marquises, barons, counts and countesses — even the occasional visiting king or queen. However, it also has plenty of Royalty In Name Only with titles of dubious pedigree, even a few that were rather famously bought and paid for.
After the breakup of the U.S.S.R. in 1991, descendants of exiled monarchies were popping up all over and dusting off their titles to return to their homelands. The notion of joining the aristocracy became popular again, and in some countries any commoner could purchase a lordship, barony or ducal title for $15,000-$75,000.
Several stories broke about this dime store gentry when I first started drawing editorial cartoons for the Palm Beach Daily News. My "Titles 'R' Us" cartoon, published in June 1992, is still one of my favorites.
The Knights of Malta had been quite busy conferring honorary titles in return for "donations." One such conferral became a controversial local news story when it was suspected that one of Countess Henrietta de Hoernle's dame titles didn't come from a legitimate chapter of the historic order. Later, another local knight with the title of (I kid you not) Baron Drumtariff vouched for the legitimacy of her title.
No matter. The countess has comported herself in the highest traditions of service and philanthropy, but the same cannot always be said of others who have lavished additional titles on themselves.
About the same time, it was reported that Wellington residents Frederic Prinz von Anhalt and his wife, Zsa Zsa Gabor, were involved in the title hawking business.
Frederic's claim to be called Prinz von Anhalt stems from when he was adopted at age 37 by the 82-year-old-widow Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt. The rest of the Anhalt family didn't recognize him in their lineage, but that hasn't stopped him and Zsa Zsa from adopting three grown men of their own and giving them the Prinz von Anhalt name — all allegedly in return for remuneration.
I found the idea of buying your way into royalty to enhance your social standing ironically hilarious.
Considering the tabloid antics of the British Royal family and those crazy kids from Monaco — not to mention the behavior of Palm Beach peers such as French Count Jean de la Moussaye, the scandalous lover of Roxanne Pulitzer — there was little that was noble about nobility.
Actually paying to be considered royalty seems like a classic case of the saying: you get what you pay for.
Join David Willson at his Palm Beach Daily News Editorial Cartoon Page on Facebook for more stories, regularly posted cartoons from the archives and cartooning news.


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Coffee Ice Cream And Mexican Chocolate Sundaes With Crisps
By á-170456
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
- 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped (do not use unsweetened)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter - (1/2 stick) room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 flour tortillas - (8" dia)
- 1 1/2 quarts coffee ice cream
- Fresh mint sprigs (optional)
Servings 8
Step 1
For Sauce: Whisk cream, 1/4 cup hot water, and espresso powder in heavy small saucepan to blend. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Stir in cinnamon. (Sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm sauce over low heat just until pourable before using.)
For Tortilla Crisps: Mix butter, sugar, and cinnamon in small bowl to blend. Spread butter mixture evenly over tortillas. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges. Place wedges on 2 baking sheets, buttered-side up, spacing apart. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover with foil; let stand at room temperature.)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake tortillas uncovered until crisp, puffed, and golden, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven.
Place large scoop of ice cream in each of 8 dessert glasses. Drizzle warm chocolate sauce over. Stand 4 tortilla crisps in each glass. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired, and serve.
This recipe yields 8 servings.


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This section describes the steps required to downgrade from MySQL Enterprise Edition to MySQL Community Edition. This can be done at any time, and is required at the expiration of a MySQL Enterprise Edition subscription if you wish to continue using MySQL Server.
When you perform such a downgrade, all commercially licensed components of the MySQL Enterprise Edition subscription must be uninstalled. These components and related considerations are described in the rest of this section.
The issues described in this section are in addition to any that may be encountered as a result of any upgrade or downgrade of the MySQL Server version (such as between MySQL 5.5 and 5.1). Information about upgrading and downgrading between MySQL release series can be found elsewhere in this chapter; see Chapter 10, Upgrading MySQL, and Chapter 11, Downgrading MySQL.
MySQL Enterprise Database Server. All commercial versions of MySQL Database Server must be uninstalled.
Commercially licensed extensions. All commercially licensed MySQL Enterprise Database Server extensions must be uninstalled. This includes the following commercial extensions:
MySQL External Authentication for Windows: Following uninstallation of this plugin, existing MySQL user accounts must be re-created using local authentication. See Access Control and Account Management, for more information.
MySQL External Authentication for PAM: Following uninstallation of this plugin, existing MySQL user accounts must be re-created using local authentication. See Access Control and Account Management, for more information.
MySQL Enterprise Thread Pool: Following uninstallation of this plugin, existing MySQL servers revert to default thread and connection handling.
MySQL Enterprise Audit: Following uninstallation of this plugin, no logging of user logins or query activity occurs.
MySQL High Availability: Following uninstallation of this plugin, automated failover is no longer available.
MySQL Enterprise Backup. MySQL Enterprise Backup must be uninstalled. Uninstalling this application has the effects listed here:
Automated backup scripts no longer work.
Existing backup images taken with MySQL Enterprise Backup can no longer be used for recovery.
Third-party integration with multimedia systems such as NetBackup, Tivoli, and Oracle Secure Backup no longer works.
MySQL Enterprise Monitor, MySQL Query Analyzer, agents. MySQL Enterprise Monitor, MySQL Query Analyzer, and all server-side agents must be uninstalled. Uninstalling these applications and agents has the following effects:
Automated SNMP and SMTP alerts no longer work.
All historical MySQL, OS monitoring, query, and performance metrics as well as all trending data are lost.
All environment-specific monitoring templates, custom advisors, graphs and scripts are also lost.


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Sprint Sprints but May Still Lose the iPhone Race
After several quarters of disappointments, Sprint Nextel (NYS: S) finally offered investors good news this morning. Third-quarter earnings came in better than expected.
The numbers aren't pretty, per se. Revenue rose 2% to $8.33 billion while Sprint's net loss shrank from $0.30 in last year's Q3 to just $0.10 this time around. Sprint also lost 44,000 retail post-paid subscribers, down from 101,000 lost last quarter. Yet beating expectations is what matters to Wall Street and Sprint's $0.10 loss is better than the $0.22 loss analysts had been expecting.
So why is the stock off more than 10% as of this writing? Debt, I think. Along with earnings, Sprint announced a plan to increase its borrowing capacity by $150 million. Some of those proceeds could be earmarked for wireless broadband partner Clearwire (NAS: CLWR) .
According to Forbes, CEO Dan Hesse told investors in a call this morning that the two companies had signed a "nonbinding cooperation" agreement in which Sprint will help Clearwire roll out a national LTE network to compete with AT&T (NYS: T) and Verizon (NYS: VZ) , as well as space-based provider LightSquared.
Unable to afford a losing proposition
Investors should be skeptical of the Clearwire arrangement. Though the agreement itself isn't binding, Hesse talked of cooperating on a whole network build-out that would ensure the sort of "seamless hand-off and service-layer control" that customers should expect. It's a pricey proposition given the billions Clearwire has already spent to create a WiMAX network that's been blown away by Verizon's LTE network in speed tests.
And what does Sprint get in return? The right to buy access on Clearwire's network, which, again, could be problematic given the history between these two companies. Back in March, Clearwire and Sprint were publicly battling over wholesale rates for WiMAX usage. The dispute is what led Sprint to consider LightSquared in the first place. You'll forgive me for refusing to believe this time is different.
Sprint doesn't have the capital to risk. Sure, the company claims more than $5 billion in liquidity in the way of cash and available borrowing. None of that accounts for cash flow. In the third quarter, Sprint burned through $273 million on an adjusted basis. Year to date, the carrier has produced just $172 million in free cash flow, down from $1.6 billion last year at this time.
The cost of biting into Apple
Cash flow should continue lower from there. Sprint told analysts it would end 2011 with as much as $100 million in free cash flow, but could also burn as much as $200 million as costs to carry Apple's (NAS: AAPL) iPhone kick in.
Overall, Sprint is committing to pay 40% more to Apple than it does to other handset makers, Reuters reports. The result? Carrying iCandy will cost $15 billion over the next four years while producing $7 billion to $8 billion in value over the same period. Another mathematically losing proposition -- unless Sprint takes share from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon and then locks these new customers in for the long haul.
That may prove to be difficult. A rising tide of complaints has flooded Sprint's support forums this week. New Sprint iPhone users are apparently experiencing unexpectedly slow speeds -- in some cases about as slow as a 1980s 2400 baud modem. The 72-page thread began on Oct. 14 and continues through this morning. As this story was being written a customer named "dujuanr26" posted about switching to Verizon because a single app still hadn't downloaded after three hours.
Sprint can't afford this kind of trouble. At the very least, it calls into question the wisdom of investing in Clearwire when its own network may be in need of an even more basic upgrade. Be careful here, investors. Just because the iPhone has been a powerful catalyst for AT&T and Verizon doesn't mean it will also lift Sprint to new highs.
Do you agree? Disagree? Please weigh in using the comments box below. And if you're in the mood for more mobile stock ideas, try this free video. In it, you'll get a closer look at a technology that's changing the way we think about smartphones and access to a pick from our market-beating Motley Fool Rule Breakers scorecard. Click here to watch now -- it's 100% free.
At the time this article was published Fool contributor Tim Beyers is a member of theMotley Fool Rule Breakersstock-picking team. He owned shares of Apple at the time of publication. Check out Tim's portfolio holdings and Foolish writings, or connect with him on Google+ or Twitter, where he goes by @milehighfool. You can also get his insights delivered directly to your RSS reader.The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Apple and AT&T, as well as creating a bull call spread position in Apple. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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Morenci senior Zach Phillips knew time was running short if he were to break another school track record.
He set a new standard last year in the 1600-meter run, clipping the school's oldest record that was still hanging on from 1965.
This year he wanted to add the 800-meter run to his scrapbook, but the opportunities were running out.
The regional, league and county meets still lay ahead, but there was always something that got in his way: the 1600-meter race comes before the 800.
"I knew I couldn't break it after I already ran a mile," Phillips said.
Last week at Britton-Deerfield, he passed the 1600-meter race off to teammate Logan Drummond and set his sights on the 800.
There was one more obstacle. The Britton-Deerfield squad didn't have anyone entered in the race to give Phillips a push.
He turned to teammate Chas Frey who got him halfway there.
"Chas ran with me for a lap and then he walked off the track," Phillips said.
The strategy worked. Together they turned in a 56-second lap, then Phillips completed the race with a 63-second final lap to finish at 1:59.93.
"Not many people would give up a first place in the 200-meter dash to help a teammate break a recored," Phillips said about Frey. "Chas did it without hesitation."
Since Phillips' time was recorded by a hand-held watch, Morenci coach Brad Brown explained that the time would have to be rounded up, leaving the official time at 2:00.0—and leaving Phillips a little disappointed that he would have to settle for a tie.
Coach Brown assured him that it was no tie. The record holder, Jeff Taylor, ran a 2:00.7, a time that was confirmed in an Observer article.
When Taylor—now a teacher and coach at Delta (Ohio) High School—broke the record in 1986, he topped Morenci's oldest existing record. Ron Towne established the mark of 2:00:9 in 1964 and kept it for 22 years.
Taylor held on to his record for 23 years before Phillips ended the reign.
Phillips now joins Matt Masters and Larry Place as the only male athletes to possess two individual records for Morenci.


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Children in Washington State who receive care from complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) providers are less likely to receive recommended pediatric immunizations and are more likely to be diagnosed with a vaccine-preventable disease. This is according to a study funded by NCCAM and published in the Maternal and Child Health Journal. Previous research has shown an association between parents who use and support CAM therapies and opposition to childhood vaccinations.
Researchers from the University of Washington and the University of Missouri-Kansas City analyzed insurance claims and enrollment data in Washington State from 2000 to 2003. The researchers analyzed two subsets of the data. In the first, they correlated provider-based CAM use with vaccinations in 11,144 children ages 1 to 2 years. CAM services were provided by chiropractors, naturopaths, acupuncturists, or massage therapists.
A total of 10,719 children received conventional care only, 376 received conventional and CAM care, and 49 received only CAM care. Among all of the children, 75 percent received diphtheria/tetanus or Haemophilus influenza type B vaccinations, 67 percent received measles/mumps/rubella vaccinations, and 51 percent received chickenpox vaccinations. Children who saw conventional and CAM providers had significantly lower vaccination rates for all four vaccines than children who saw only conventional health care providers. Children who saw only CAM providers had even lower vaccination rates. Those who received naturopathic care had consistently reduced rates of all four vaccinations, while those who received chiropractic care had reduced rates of all except diphtheria/tetanus.
The second aspect of the study focused on the relationship between CAM use and the diagnosis of a vaccine-preventable disease. The researchers examined family insurance records of 213,884 children ages 1 to 17 years. More than 7 percent of the children received care from a CAM provider, most commonly a chiropractor, and approximately 30 percent had family members who used CAM providers. Children who saw a CAM provider were more likely to be diagnosed with a vaccine-preventable disease than than those who saw only a conventional provider; the percentage of those diagnosed was low (about 1 percent)—and most diagnoses (85 percent) involved chickenpox. Use of naturopathy was associated with significantly more vaccine-preventable disease diagnoses than were other CAM therapies.
The researchers noted that although the findings suggest that parents who use CAM providers for their children are less likely to meet recommended pediatric vaccination schedules, the data do not clarify whether the reduced vaccination rates among children who see CAM providers reflect an increased likelihood that vaccine-hesitant parents seek out CAM practitioners, or a direct result of influence of CAM providers on parents' attitudes and choices. However, the researchers suggest that outreach and promotion of immunization awareness and education as well as intervention strategies with parents and CAM providers may be needed to increase their support for and adherence to recommendations regarding childhood immunizations.
Downey L, Tyree PT, Huebner CE, et al. Pediatric vaccination and vaccine-preventable disease acquisition: associations with care by complementary and alternative medicine providers. Maternal and Child Health Journal.;14(8):922–930.2010
Additional Resources
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ramana1359,Thanks very much for your warm welcome.I enjoyed reading your posts here,especially on the wonderful sayings of Lord Jesus,the Christ.Ramana,have you read about the wonderful Brother Lawrence and his 'Practice of the Presence of God'?Brother Lawrence is truly a Great soul!Nagaraj,Yes,Satsangha is a great boon.Namaskar.
Namaste All,Welcome Raviji! I have been reading your posts along with R.Subramanianji's and Nagarajji's in David's blog. I have learnt a lot from the blog.This forum is also really very helpful, mainly because people are very honest and share their strong and weak points in their spiritual journey. Thanks to all the members for this satsangha. I am facing a conflict between my worldly life and trying to practice Bhagavan's teachings. I trust Bhagavan when he says this world is just another dreamlike state and it is false identification that is leading to the suffering. I am trying to use the sakshi bhava and question who is affected when faced with a tough situation but sometimes all I am able to do is pray to Bhagavan because I am too upset. In some ways the teachings and small glimpses of peace are making it harder to accept both good and bad situations like before. I was listening to Nochurji's Kurai Onrum Illai discourse. It is definitely Bhagavan's grace to even listen to such messages. In this discourse, he compares the delayed start of an airplane's engine to a person's heart opening. I can relate to this and recognize the call from the Self or Bhagavan. But there is frustration and some guilt when I get depressed and give in to my old habits and watch some comedy or eat some sweets. Probably mind needs more purification for these vasanas to reduce?
Ramana,have you read about the wonderful Brother Lawrence and his 'Practice of the Presence of God'?Brother Lawrence is truly a Great soul!
"every day prayer, little meditation, listening to some Saint's teachings, reading Ramana's words etc. This would create the right environment for one to develop in karma yoga and also eventually release oneself from all bondage. This also means one has started to wake up early, sleep early, eat in limited amounts, exercise regularly etc. All these are nithya karmas. Please see that when one does all these, one is setting everything in correct order"
In an inspired mood "M" once wrote of Ramakrishna: "The Master was like a five-year-old boy always running to meet his Mother. The Master was like a bonfire from which other lamps were lighted. The Master was like a celestial vina always absorbed in singing the glory of the Divine Mother. The Master was like a big fish joyfully swimming in calm, clear, blue waters, the Ocean of Satchidananda. The Master was like a bird which had left its nest in a storm and then, perched on the threshold of the Infinite, was joyfully moving between the two realms, singing the glory of the Infinite."Finally 'M' had to give up saying "All these descriptions fall short"!


text:
- January 31, 2012 to the December 13, 2011
Release of the 2012-2016 Extra Class Question Pool
REVISED Pool Files for download:
January 31,2012 REVISED
2012-2016 Extra Class Pool.doc
2012-2016 Extra Class
â Corrected wording of question and distractor B to: Which
of the following describes the rules for operation on the 60
meter band?
A. Working DX is not permitted
B. Operation is restricted to specific emission types and
specific channels
C. Operation is restricted to LSB
D. All of these choices are correct
E1C09 - Correction in the question: Changed
"Mhz" to "MHz"
E1E05 - Correction of missing wording in distractor D:
Minimum passing score of 77%
E2A14 â Deleted question
E2D11 - Changed wording of question and distractors to:
Which of the following data are used by the APRS network to
communicate your location?
A. Polar coordinates
B. Time and frequency
C. Radio direction finding LOPs
D. Latitude and longitude
E3C01 â Changed wording of distractor C: New
wording; C. CW signals appear to be modulated by white noise
E3C06 - Change wording of question: By how much does the
VHF/UHF radio-path horizon distance exceed the geometric horizon?
E3C07 - Correction in the question: "it's" to
E3C09 - Changed distractor D: to Ground wave
E4B09 - Correction of the word feedline to feed line in
E4D01 - Changed wording of distractor A: . The
difference in dB between the noise floor and the level of an
incoming signal which will cause 1 dB of gain compression
E5C22 - Correction to answers A and B: Removed extra
spaces in values
E5D17 - Correctly renumbered question to E5D16
E5D18 â Correction in wording of question:How many
watts are consumed in a circuit having a power factor of 0.71 if
the apparent power is 500 VA?
E6A08 - Changed wording in question to
"grounded-base": hyphenated
E6D05 - Correction of missing word in distractor B: A
display using a crystalline liquid which, in conjunction with
polarizing filters, becomes opaque when voltage is applied
E6E07 - Change wording of question to: Which of the
following techniques is typically used to construct a MMIC-based
microwave amplifier?
E7A15 - Removed the â?â at end of distractor A
E7B08 - Changed wording in distractor C:. By feeding a
180-degree out-of-phase portion of the output back to the input
E7C12 - Changed âpiâ-L to Pi-L in question and
to Pi in distractor B
E7C13 - Correction in wording of question:
capitalization changes in distractors A, B and C: What is one
advantage of a Pi matching network over an L matching network
consisting of a single inductor and a single capacitor?
A. The Q of Pi networks can be varied depending on the component
values chosen
B. L networks can not perform impedance transformation
C. Pi networks have fewer components
D. Pi networks are designed for balanced input and output
E7G13 - Change wording of distractor C to: The
differential input voltage needed to bring the open-loop output
voltage to zero
E8D06 - Correction of hyphenated word feed-line in C:
changed to feed line. Removed quotations in distractor D:
E9 Syllabus title - Corrected to : ANTENNAS AND
TRANSMISSION LINES in both syllabus outline and E9 section of
E9B11 - Correction of hyphenated word feed-point in C:
changed to feed point
E9E03 - Changed wording of question: What is the name of
the matching system that uses a section of transmission line
connected in parallel with the feed line at or near the feed
E9E07 - Correction of typo in D: "constant"
should not be capitalized
E9E09, E9E10, E9E11, E9E12 - Corrections of hyphenated
feed-line and conjoined use of feedline; changed all instances to
âfeed lineâ in questions and/or answers
E9E12 - removed quotations around words "phasing
line" in question
~~~ end of errata~~~
Anders, K3RA - LAUREL VEC
Chairman of NCVEC Question Pool Committee
of the Committee
Perry Green, WY1O - ARRL VEC
Michael Maston, N6OPH - SANDARC-VEC
Larry Pollock, NB5X - W5YI VEC
Jim Wiley - KL7CC - Anchorage VEC


text:
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text:
Weeds: Hard to make sense of tragedies
In the center of the campus at St. John's University is the stately, old Quadrangle. It is four buildings connected in a traditional monastic arrangement. The Quad at St. John's is five stories tall and dates back to the 19th century. It almost killed me.
I was a senior there in late winter, walking on the sidewalk next to the Quad. I heard this loud screeching, scraping sound and turned to see a giant chunk of ice crash to the ground where I had been a half second before. Oh my. I was briefly shook up, but then realized I had a good story to tell.
Speaking of things smashing to the Earth, in February a 60 foot meteor travelling at 42,000 miles an hour detonated over Chelyabinsk, Russia. There was lots of damage to the city caused by the explosion. There was no warning, and it was a reminder that in the whole of time, such events have occurred repeatedly to our planet.
Shortly after the Russian meteor, a sinkhole swallowed part of a home in Florida, apparently killing a man who was in his bedroom. The hole was so deep, and the area surrounding it so precarious, that the home was demolished and the body never recovered.
Somewhere in the total and utter randomness of these events, I had in mind that humor could be found. I began to concoct a tongue-in-cheek piece about living in fear of being struck by an object from the firmament. I was going to suggest wearing a helmet whenever you are out. But while your eyes are peeled to the sky, you might get sucked into the ground by a sinkhole. A constant state of abject dread might be called for.
Then in the course of few days, three innocents were killed who happened to be near backpacks laid down on a street in Boston. Fifteen were killed in an explosion in West, Texas. An earthquake in Lushan, China took the lives of 168. That's 186 people who woke that morning with plans for their day. They had plans for that day and into the future, just like you and I do right now.
I can be tactless with the best of them. But the comic possibilities seemed to drain out of my concept. That's not to say humor has no place in the realm of tragedy. On my worst days, I've had ridiculous thoughts about the irony or just plain weirdness of a situation. Sometimes that can help get one through an awful moment.
We know that we will suffer loss and heartache. Some of it is semi-predictable. Aging, risky behaviors, taking chances make tragedies a little more understandable. But when a life ends just because someone stood near a backpack? Well, we might as well be hit by a meteor or swallowed by a sinkhole as much sense as that makes.
We accept that there is risk in our lives. We have steps in our house, even though level ground is safer. We even climb ladders. Each day we engage in an activity that kills over a hundred Americans: we get in cars. Encapsuled in two tons of metal, we hurtle 60 miles an hour with other hunks of metal speeding the opposite direction two feet away. We know these risks.
But we shake our heads when a tree falls on someone or lightning hits someone. It is impossible to make sense of these. We try. We spend our time here on Earth dealing with cause and effect. We know that this cause leads to that effect. And if we do too much of this, it could be lead to too much of that. But these random accidents don't fit any cause or effect that is visible to our eyes.
We are not alone; humans have grappled with this since the first cave collapse. Jesus dealt with such incomprehensible tragedy in his time. In Luke 13, he talks about an accident, "Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them – do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no!"
In 1927 Thornton Wilder published the novel, The Bridge of San Luis Rey. It begins with this line: "On Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru broke and precipitated five travelers into the gulf below." Brother Juniper, a Franciscan monk, witnesses that. The novel is about his attempt to make sense of the death of the five victims who shared nothing except being on a bridge at a moment in time.
Juniper spends years interviewing everyone he can find with a connection to the five victims. He builds the story of each of their lives leading up to crossing that bridge. He considers each of their traits and tries to create a formula that gives reason to their fate. He fails, and is himself killed in the end. But you can imagine a Brother Juniper searching for meaning in the Boston bombings.
We talk about God's plan. When we do, we know that we don't or can't understand that "plan" at all. We are like little children who haven't learned to read paging through a dictionary. We can see someone created it, but the meaning is beyond us. Thornton Wilder ends The Bridge of San Luis Rey with this line: "There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning." Maybe that's the best we can do.


text:
A cold front draped across the southern Plains and the Midwest will continue to drive southeastward, reaching the Atlantic Seaboard during the weekend.
Widespread showers will precede and accompany the front, with some of the most significant rainfall -- generally an inch or more -- expected from the Mid-South into the Ohio Valley and in northern sections of Florida, according to USDA's Joint Ag Weather Facility.
A period of cool, dry weather will trail the front in most areas east of the Rockies, although late-season heat will quickly return to the Plains and Midwest by early next week. Elsewhere, monsoon-related showers will continue in the Southwest, while a late-season heat wave will end early next week in the Northwest.
The NWS 6- to 10-day outlook for September 12-16 calls for near- to above-normal temperatures and near- to below-normal rainfall across most of the nation. Cooler-than-normal conditions will be confined to the lower Southeast and areas along the Pacific Coast, while wetter-than-normal weather will be limited to the southern Rockies.
In the West, hot, mostly dry weather favors fieldwork, including early-season winter wheat planting across the interior Northwest. Isolated showers dot the Southwest, while cool conditions are confined to the eastern slopes of the central Rockies and areas along the immediate Pacific Coast.
On the Plains, cooler weather prevails, except for lingering heat in parts of Texas and southern Oklahoma. Across the central Plains, scattered showers accompany the surge of cooler air. Producers have been slow to start planting winter wheat due to drought. In Nebraska and South Dakota, the 5-year average pace for wheat planting by September 2 is 6%; this year, planting stood at 1% in Nebraska and 2% in South Dakota.
In the Corn Belt, cooler air is spreading across northern and western areas, but hot weather persists in the Ohio Valley. Showers and thunderstorms are developing across the western Corn Belt in the vicinity of a cold front.
In the South, hot weather is promoting summer crop maturation and fieldwork. Scattered showers are generally confined to areas along the southern Atlantic Coast.
For More Information
See if you have rain or sunshine forecast for your area. Check AgWeb's Pinpoint Weather.
See more Top Producer Power Hour blogs, news and videos.
Power Hour: Bright Corn Profit Prospects for 2013
Livestock Analysis (VIP) -- September 7, 2012


text:
Who doesn't like an easy, mindless recipe? That's what this lentil salad recipe basically is, plus, it makes great leftovers, is super healthy and tastes delicious! I think it's perfect for this season when the weather is warmer since our bodies are looking to be nourished with more cooling foods.
It's best to prepare your lentils within a couple months of buying them as it'll make cooking them simpler. Know that it is best not to add salt or any acidic ingredients to the lentils until the last 10-15 minutes of cooking, as this will result in crunchy lentils even though they're cooked. Also, there are different types of lentils, therefore, different cooking methods required, so this recipe specifically calls for green lentils.
-1 cup green lentils
-2 cups chicken broth (or water)
-1/2 yellow onion, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
-1 bay leaf
-1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
-1 avocado, cubed
-2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
-1 tablespoon pesto
-1/2 lemon
-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil + 1 tablespoon
-Splash of red wine vinegar
-salt and pepper
- Rinse lentils in a mesh strainer making sure to check for pebbles (remove pebbles if you find them). Heat a medium pot over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pot. Once hot, add the onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for 30 seconds or until softened and aromatic.
- Add the lentils and bay leaf to the pot with broth or water. Turn heat up to medium-high. Once at a gentle boil, turn heat down and simmer for 45 minutes. Add salt to the pot the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove from the heat and keep covered for at least 10 minutes so lentils can soak up the rest of the water.
- While the lentils finish cooking, make the dressing by mixing together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small cup or bowl.
- To a large bowl, add the chopped lettuce, lentils, feta, avocado, pesto, and the dressing. Option to serve with a side of toasted pita bread. Enjoy!