text:
50 Places Project: Clayoquot Sound
Clayoquot Sound is a spectacular labyrinth of rainforest, ocean, fjords, inlets and the territory of the aaḥuusʔatḥ (Ahousaht), hišqʷiʔatḥ (Hesquiaht) and ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ (Tla-o-qui-aht).
Clayoquot Sound is a spectacular labyrinth of rainforest, ocean, fjords, inlets and the territory of the aaḥuusʔatḥ (Ahousaht), hišqʷiʔatḥ (Hesquiaht) and ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ (Tla-o-qui-aht).
by Larissa Stendie
On November 13 and 15 I traveled up to Tofino and Ucluelet to host two Future is Here events in partnership with Transition Towns Tofino-Ucluelet. The events were a celebration and discussion of the transition to a healthy, just, post-carbon society that is happening now in communities across British Columbia.
These events are a continuation of Sierra Club BC's Future is Here tour that has taken me across the province visiting individuals, organizations, and municipalities who are well on their way to making their communities sustainable. In every place I visit, I have been amazed by the energy, commitment, and passion of communities that are taking control of their futures by building post-carbon economies.
To give you an example of what the events look like, I'd like to share a report back from one of our partners, Robert Zurowski from Transition Towns Tofino-Ucluelet:
On Friday November 13, the Clayoquot Sound Theatre was more than two-thirds full with a nice mix of young and old. Tsimka Martin gave a brief First Nation introduction on the pronunciation of Tla-o-qui-aht. David Floody acted as host and introduced the speakers: first Mayor Josie Osborne, who gave a very encouraging talk, then me on Transition Towns. Finally, Larissa Stendie of Sierra Club BC discussed the wider context and also read a statement from Saya Masso, Natural Resources Manager of Tla-o-qui-aht about their run-of-river projects.
The hour-long movie "The Future of Energy" was quite good. The panelists after the film were awesome, all of them gave really excellent talks: Ariel Novak on permaculture (a really engaging presentation, getting the audience involved), Gerry Schreiber on the history of government-assisted attempts to bring alternative energy projects to the west coast, Phil Reimers on the story of his construction of his tiny house project. Special thanks to Eileen Floody, who stood in at the last minute for Tofino Community Food Initiative to give an excellent talk on locally grown foods.
The event in the Ucluelet Community on a sunny Sunday afternoon was attended by a mostly older crowd. We were fortunate to have Vi Mundy and Jeneva Touchie of the Ucluelet First Nation make welcoming statements for the event. Susan Lee acted as host and introduced the speakers, first Deputy Mayor Mayco Noel, who expressed encouraging interest in Transtion Town, then me on Transition Towns, and finally, Larissa, before the viewing of the film. After the film, rather than a panel on the stage, as in Tofino, Larissa moderated an audience discussion. Many in the audience had been invited by Susan because of their special knowledge and projects. Elementary school teacher Cary McPherson told us about the wonderful sustainability course she's teaching her students, involving fenced, raised garden beds, a greenhouse, and compost barrels. It was good to hear former Mayor Bill Irving talk about earlier problems encountered trying to bring alternative energies to Ucluelet. Gerry also talked about these past efforts and emphasized community members, not government, need to get together to bring alternative energies to the west coast. Phil gave another presentation on tiny houses, and Eileen and Ucluelet's Chantel Gemel talked about food gardens locally, as did Reg Payne of Reg's Roots Landscaping. There was strong audience participation in these discussions.
I really want to make known and thank those who made the two events a success, including Susan Lee and David Floody who deserve deepest thanks for preparation work for the events. Alan Churchill and Greg Blanchette were also on-hand through both events, taking photos and helping keep us organized.
It's not likely the two events would have been as successful as they were without the Sierra Club BC's Energy and Climate Campaigner, Larissa Stendie's presentation and moderation of the Future is Here event in both towns. The film and Larissa's discussions were really the heart of the programs; I'm sure the audiences were well satisfied attending the shows.
It was a great boost for Transition Town Tofino-Ucluelet, with now Councillor Randy Oliwa even asking to attend our next TT meeting!
-Robert Zurowski
Transition Towns Tofino Ucluelet
To find out more about our Future is Here program, or to sign up to be a member of the network, visit this page.
Join us to celebrate and discuss the transitions to a healthy, just, post-carbon society happening NOW!
Hosted by the new Transition Town Tofino-Ucluelet, the events will be facilitated by Sierra Club BC's Energy and Climate Campaigner, Larissa Stendie, as part of their tour across BC highlighting green alternatives.
Friday, November 13, 2015
Clayoquot Community Theatre, 380 Campbell St.
6:30 Innovators showcase
7:00 Featuring the award-winning film "The Future of Energy: Lateral Power to the People" (1h version)
8:00 Panel of local change makers & community discussion
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Community Centre, George Fraser Rm, 500 Matterson Dr
2:00 Community networking social and showcase
2:30 Featuring the award-winning film "The Future of Energy: Lateral Power to the People" (2h version)
4:30 Facilitated dialogue on local alternatives and opportunities
Entry by donation (suggested $10)
Refreshments by Blackberry Cove Marketplace
If you'd like the chance to represent your sustainable organization, business or project, please contact David Floody, email@example.com 250 725-3691
For other program inquiries about The Future is HERE, please contact Larissa at firstname.lastname@example.com 250 891 8245
Registered charitable number: 11914 9797 RR0001
© Copyright – Sierra Club BC


text:
- September 2012 (Revised September 2015)
- HBS Case Collection
Doing Business in India
By: Andy Zelleke, Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Saloni Chaturvedi
The case is set in August 2012—a time when India was undergoing policy stasis as several key reforms were stalled and the government faced allegations of misallocation of coal production licenses. The first part of the case provides a brief background on India's history—from the Indus Valley civilization to the independence struggle; the political system—a parliamentary democracy characterized by coalition governments; cultural diversity; and the transformation of India's economy from state-centric and one with a complex system of licences and investment restrictions, to a more liberalized, market-based one. The second part of the case focuses on the key challenges of doing business in India—excessive and often unclear regulations, lack of optimal talent and infrastructure—contrasting these with the benefits of a large growing middle class and a young workforce. Some of these challenges are illustrated through the discussion of a decision that an investment firm must make, on whether or not to invest in the education sector in India, given the regulatory environment and the challenges around escalating real estate prices and lack of skilled teachers that the sector faces.
Emerging Market Finance; Emergent Countries; Business History; Economic History; Fieldwork; Emerging Markets; Business Ventures; Strategy
Zelleke, Andy, Felix Oberholzer-Gee, and Saloni Chaturvedi. "Doing Business in India." Harvard Business School Case 713-430, September 2012. (Revised September 2015.)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Copyright © 2001, 2002, 2003 Python Software Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2000 BeOpen.com. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995-2000 Corporation for National Research Initiatives. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1991-1995 Stichting Mathematisch Centrum. All rights reserved.
See the end of this document for complete license and permissions information.
Python is an interpreted, object-oriented programming language. This document describes how to write modules in C or C++ to extend the Python interpreter with new modules. Those modules can define new functions but also new object types and their methods. The document also describes how to embed the Python interpreter in another application, for use as an extension language. Finally, it shows how to compile and link extension modules so that they can be loaded dynamically (at run time) into the interpreter, if the underlying operating system supports this feature.
This document assumes basic knowledge about Python. For an informal introduction to the language, see the Python Tutorial. The Python Reference Manual gives a more formal definition of the language. The Python Library Reference documents the existing object types, functions and modules (both built-in and written in Python) that give the language its wide application range.
For a detailed description of the whole Python/C API, see the separate Python/C API Reference Manual.
See About this document... for information on suggesting changes.


text:
Sand Crop Circles
Andres Amador is a San Francisco-based artist who specializes in movement and light sculptures. Amador is pioneering a new art genre: crop circles in sand. They are quick, temporary, cheap, spectacular, and fun. And anyone can make them. You can roughly see how the patterns are produced in this very low-res video. Andres first uses ropes to sketch out the outines of the dark sections. He then returns to those guidelines and uses a rake to rough up the sand within those lines in order to make the pattern.
He describes his process on his website, Analogic, where all these images come from.
The designs are large images etched into the beach. So far these have all been done beneathe Sutro Heights on Ocean Beach in San Francisco. The location was strategic so I could take pictures. How do I do it? Basically I simply rake the surface of the beach to expose the wetter, and therefore darker, sand below. I can't think of art more environmentally friendly, aside from the work of Andy Goldsworthy, who is definitely an inspiration. My materials consist of rope, stakes and a rake. Geometry (which I was not a whiz at in high school) determines the rest. It's all about creating patterns and then decided which aspects to highlight. Creating the patterns is the easy part, the art comes in when deciding what gets shaded.
I met Andres in the center tent at Burning Man where he was handing out postcards of his work. I asked him how he got started on these wonderful designs. His answer parallels his description on his website, so I'll quote from it:
This began innocently enough with a fascination with crop circle designs, especially the ones coming out in recent years. I was in Kauai, soaking up the sun on the beach at Kalulau Valley, when I used my walking stick to illustrate concepts about Sacred Geometry that I had been learning. Earlier, in San Francisco, I had been doing crop circle reconstructions on computer using Illustrator. Reconstructions are a person's reverse engineering of circle designs. As I was making a few circles, showing basic concepts of sacred geometry, the obviousness of the two artforms came together. Suddenly the possibilities hit me.
Hawaii was a poor place for circles due to the short, steep shorelines. Strangely enough, there I was in paradise and I couldn't wait to get back to the beaches of San Francisco! I was salivating over the broad open expanse, the long shallow beaches, the canvases awaiting me. Imagine- going to Hawaii to learn how much I love SF beaches (for as dirty and crowded as they can be)!As soon as I returned home I took my pal in psychedelic crime, Kris Northern (aka Phidelity) out to show him what I had 'discovered'. I soon made a believer out of him. The designs are easily developed and executed. There is no cost involved and brings me to Ocean Beach, a place that in all my years prior I had visited perhaps a handful of times. It is a relaxing pursuit with practically instant, and beautiful, gratification.


text:
Thanks so much for all of your generous feedback on my challenge #3 entry!
The FabricMart vote for this challenge is already up and, WOW, there are some impressive entries this week!
Please go on over, check them out, and vote!
We received our 4th challenge this afternoon. Though, of course, one of us will not be able to enter it into the next round. I am looking forward to this one. I hope I got all of my "dithers" out of my system earlier today so I can get started.
And, because I don't want you to leave here empty handed, enjoy this eye candy that Margy found!


text:
This is a theme made by TouchSize, a well-known premium themes and plugin creator www.touchsize.com. The company is a leading WordPress developer that always looks for quality and beautiful aesthetics along with excellent options and settings. Not only it offers Premium WordPress Themes, but also offers great and quality support for their users and customers. If you are interested in using true quality and premium WordPress themes, you should check our website.
Photoform is the minimalist WordPress Premium Photography Theme, crafted with care and attention to detail. It includes a minimalist design, coupled with beautiful visual effects.
It is really simple to use and manage, includes excellent features that let you build your own blog or photography showcase or website in minutes! It has 5 completely different gallery showcase templates, unlimited color options, it is responsive and optimized to work fast and easy.
It has lots of different effects and layout modes which let you create the website you need easily.
• Fully Responsive Design
• Custom widgets
• Clean coded and well documented
• Foundation CSS Framework
• Includes XML file for one click demo import (dummy data)
• Translation Ready, includes the .po and .mo files
• Theme Options Panel
• UNLIMITED colors
• SEO Optimized
• Cross Browser compatible
• WordPress 3.6+ Ready!
• Excellent Customer Support
By purchasing this item, you agree to the terms and conditions and the refund policy for our products.


text:
Rondthaler, Edward
24 July 1842–31 Jan. 1931
Edward Rondthaler, Moravian bishop, pastor, administrator, teacher, historian, editor, writer, linguist, and community leader, was born at Schoeneck, Northampton County, Pa., in the parsonage of Schoeneck Moravian Church, which his father, Edward Rondthaler, Sr., served as pastor from 1841 to 1844. His mother, the former Sarah Louisa Rice of Bethlehem, Pa., was the granddaughter of John Heckewelder, missionary to the North American Indians, whose father, George, had emigrated from Moravia to Saxony in the 1720s, and of Owen Rice, a Welshman who was minister of the Moravian church in Philadelphia. She bore three children, Edward, Jr., Mary, and Howard, and died at Nazareth, Pa., in 1854.
The first Rondthaler of record, being Protestant, was exiled from Salzburg, Austria, to Prussia around 1731. Edward Rondthaler's great-grandfather, Albert Rondthaler, was a Lutheran pastor in Pomerania. His grandfather, Emmanuel Rondthaler, was born there in 1764 but grew up in a Moravian congregation (Neusalz) in Silesia, served the Moravian church at Sarepta, Russia, for ten years, and, having been ordained at Sarepta, returned to Germany. Sent to America, he became pastor in 1808 of the Moravian church at York, Pa., and in 1819 of the Moravian church at Nazareth, where he died in 1847. His father, Edward Rondthaler, Sr., born in 1817 at York and educated at Nazareth Hall, a Moravian boys' boarding school, and Moravian Theological Seminary, then also in Nazareth, was a pastor and teacher, author and linguist, principal of Nazareth Hall, and afterwards professor in the theological seminary until his death in 1855.
Edward Rondthaler, Jr., entered Nazareth Hall in 1853 and Moravian College and Theological Seminary in 1856. At the seminary, which was relocated in Bethlehem in 1858, he studied biblical and classical languages, biblical exegesis, dogmatics, mathematics, history, and classical literature; he was graduated in 1862. Nine months of graduate study at the University of Erlangen, Germany, were followed by a walking tour of Germany, with visits to Switzerland and Italy. After teaching for a year at Nazareth Hall, he received a call to the Moravian church in Brooklyn, N.Y. Ordained a deacon at Central Church in Bethlehem in 1865, he was raised to the rank of presbyter at a synod in Bethlehem in 1868.
On 1 Oct. 1867 Rondthaler (no longer known as Jr.) was married in Bethlehem to Mary Elizabeth Jacobson, daughter of Bishop and Mrs. John Christian Jacobson. To their union, which lasted sixty-three years and four months, were born six children: Alice, on 27 July 1868, and Howard Edward, on 17 July 1871, both in Brooklyn; a second daughter, who lived only five months, in Salem; and three children who died in infancy and were buried in Bethlehem.
While pastor in Brooklyn, Rondthaler directed rebuilding of the church and parsonage, which had been destroyed by fire, and contributed to The Independent, a magazine of news and opinion. Called to the First Moravian Church in Philadelphia in 1874, he earnestly appealed to his congregation for its full dedication to Christ, while strengthening his own belief in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith.
In 1877 he became pastor of the Salem Moravian congregation, arriving on 19 October to occupy the brick parsonage on South Church Street—constructed in 1841 by his wife's father, as principal of Salem Female Academy—where he lived until his death. In addition to his pastorate at Home Moravian Church he became, in 1884, the tenth principal of Salem Female Academy; he served for four years, continuing thereafter to teach the courses in biblical literature. First elected to the Provincial Elders' Conference (governing board) of the Southern Province in 1880, he held office until 1929, serving as president from 1891. In this capacity he not only presided over the triennial synods and went as fraternal delegate to the Northern Province synods but also attended the decennial assemblies of the General Synod of the worldwide Moravian church (Unity of the Brethren) held in Herrnhut, Germany, in 1879, 1889, 1899, 1909, and 1914, with the journey in 1889 including travel to the Holy Land. As president of the Provincial Elders' Conference he was ex officio chairman of several boards, including that of Salem Academy and Salem College, and a member of the Moravian College and Theological Seminary Board of Trustees. Chairman of the Salem Boys' School Board of Directors, he also taught Bible courses at the school.
Elected bishop, Edward Rondthaler was elevated to the episcopacy of the Moravian church on 12 Apr. 1891. Only the second bishop ever consecrated in Salem, he was the senior Episcopus Fratrum in the world at the time of his death. After founding The Wachovia Moravian in 1893, he continued as the Provincial monthly's editor until his death, except for a five-year period.
In 1908 Bishop Rondthaler relinquished his duties as pastor of Home Church to devote more time to the development of the Salem congregation, of which he remained head pastor, and the Southern Province as a whole. Through 1930 he conducted the Easter Sunrise Service at the Salem Moravian graveyard and prepared the annual memorabile of the Salem congregation. The Memorabilia of Fifty Years, 1877 to 1927 appeared in 1928; those of 1928, 1929, and 1930 were published in a separate volume. Aside from biblical studies, history, especially Moravian history, was Rondthaler's favorite subject; he presented before the Wachovia Historical Society papers on "The Life of Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg" and "The Use of the Lot in the Moravian Church." Also a linguist, he was not only fluent in English and German but also read Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Conversant in one or more romance languages, he began to study Spanish at about age eighty.
In 1880 The University of North Carolina conferred upon him a doctor of divinity degree. So distinguished was his career of service and scholarship, and so keen his insight into local, state, national, and international affairs, that the university summoned him to Chapel Hill again in 1918 to award him a doctor of laws degree.
In 1930 the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce named Rondthaler the city's Outstanding Citizen and awarded him its Service Cup for "meritorious, unselfish and distinguished community service." The cup, filled with white flowers, stood beside his casket until the funeral service at Home Church on 2 Feb. 1931, the day of his burial in a reserved space in the first lot ever used in God's Acre, the Salem Moravian graveyard.
In 1913 the Rondthaler Memorial Building of Home Church was named in his honor, and in 1949 Moravian Theological Seminary established the Bishop Edward Rondthaler Chair of Practical Theology in memory of the life and work of this compassionate, learned, and saintly servant of God.
Walser H. Allen, Recollections of Bishop Edward Rondthaler (1966).
John H. Clewell, History of Wachovia in North Carolina (1902).
J. Taylor Hamilton and Kenneth G. Hamilton, History of the Moravian Church: The Renewed Unitas Fratrum, 1722–1957 (1967).
"Memoir of Edward Rondthaler" (Moravian Archives, Winston-Salem).
North Carolina Biography, vol. 3 (1941).
William N. Schwarze, History of Moravian College and Theological Seminary (1910).
Edwin L. Stockton, Jr., ed., Salem's Remembrancers (1976).
John R. Weinlick, Twentieth-Century Moravian College—Challenge and Response (1977).
Manly Wade Wellman, Winston-Salem in History (1966).
Additional Resources:
Edward Rondthaler in WorldCat: https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3ARondthaler%2C+Edward%2C&qt=hot_author
Bishop Edward Rondthaler in Wake Forest University Library: http://wakespace.lib.wfu.edu/handle/10339/17337
Moravian Archives: http://moravianarchives.org/
Image Credits:
Prominent people of North Carolina: brief biographies of leading people for ready reference purposes. Asheville, N.C. [N.C.]: Evening News Pub. Co., 1906. 1906. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/prominent-people-of-north-carolina-brief-biographies-of-leading-people-for-ready-reference-purposes/501177?item=619430 (accessed June 3, 2013).
"This portrait is titled, "Moravian Bishops." Bishop Edward Rondthaler (1842-1931) is at the center. The other two men are not identified. Bishop Edward Rondthaler took over the pastorate of the Salem Moravian congregation in 1877. He was named a bishop in 1891." Courtesy of Digital Forsyth. Available from http://www.digitalforsyth.org/photos/12880 (accessed June 5, 2013).
1 January 1994 | Allen, Walser H., Jr.


text:
The new pedal is based on the concept of mixing together a clean signal with a distorted to be able to preserve low frequencies and find balance between distortion and definition.
Anaheim, CA (January 12, 2013) -- The Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim at the end of January is the scene for the release of the new extraordinary EBS Billy Sheehan Signature Drive pedal. A pedal developed by EBS in close co-operation with legendary bassist Billy Sheehan.
The new pedal is based on the concept of mixing together a clean signal with a distorted to be able to preserve low frequencies and find balance between distortion and definition.
The option to activate a built-in compressor make possible to keep the note differentiation clearly audible even at heavily distorted sounds.
On top of that this pedal offers unlimited pre-post mix tone shaping, through the unique features of a clean loop and a drive loop. So, the user can insert any other effect they wish within each loop to 'pimp' the effect into your own signature effect! Example: add a graphic EQ to the drive, to change the character of the distortion.Or add your favourit compressor to the Clean Loop instead of using the built-in offered in the pedal.
On the new extended sized stomp box from EBS, there are controls for Drive (gain for the overdrive engine), Tone (sets the frequency scoop for the drive), Level (sets level for drive channel post DriveLoop and pre final compressor) and Clean (sets level for the clean channel, post Clean Loop and pre final compressor).
The pedal offers three different compression modes: High, Mid and Off. The level of compression on the Mid setting can be determined by the user through an internal trim pot.
"This pedal is a distillate of several important principles in the signal chain for bass. Compression, distortion, tone-shaping and blending all together," said Sheehan.
The pedal is due to start shipping out simultaneously with the NAMM Show, and begin to hit stores worldwide in February. Price in US: $199 (in Sweden 1995 SEK. Euro and £ price TBA).
For more information:


text:
NOTE: Krueger's appointment was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 6.
Princeton Professor Alan Krueger has been nominated to serve as assistant U.S. treasury secretary for economic policy, the White House announced March 8.
Krueger, who has held a joint appointment since 1987 in Princeton's Department of Economics and Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, was chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor from 1994 to 1995. His nomination is subject to U.S. Senate confirmation. If confirmed, Krueger would take a leave from the University for government service, as he did during his time with the Department of Labor.
Krueger, who currently is serving as a counselor to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, also will hold the title of chief economist of the department.
Krueger was one of three nominees announced by President Barack Obama, along with David Cohen to serve as assistant treasury secretary in dealing with terrorist financing and Kim Wallace to serve as assistant treasury secretary for legislative affairs.
"With the leadership of these accomplished individuals and our whole economic team, I am absolutely confident that we will turn around this economy and seize this opportunity to secure a more prosperous future," Obama said in a statement.
David Dobkin, Princeton's dean of the faculty, said, "Alan is a valued member of our faculty. His previous experience in Washington has served him well during his time on our faculty. We are happy to see him recognized with this position and look forward to his good work in Washington, and then to having those experiences be a positive influence on our campus."
Krueger is the Lynn Bendheim Thoman, Class of 1976, and Robert Bendheim, Class of 1937, Professor in Economics and Public Policy. He has published widely on the economics of education, unemployment, income distribution, social insurance, regulation, terrorism and the environment. He is the founding director of the Princeton University Survey Research Center and a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).
Krueger is the author of "What Makes a Terrorist: Economics and the Roots of Terrorism" and "Education Matters: A Selection of Essays on Education," and the co-author of "Myth and Measurement: The New Economics of the Minimum Wage" and of "Inequality in America: What Role for Human Capital Policies?" A member of the editorial board of Science, he was editor of the Journal of Economic Perspectives from 1996 to 2002 and co-editor of the Journal of the European Economic Association from 2003 to 2005.
He is a member of the board of directors of the Russell Sage Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and the American Institutes for Research. He also is a member of the executive committee of the International Economic Association and serves as chief economist for the Council for Economic Education.
Krueger was named a Sloan Fellow in Economics in 1992 and an NBER Olin Fellow in 1989. He was elected a fellow of the Econometric Society in 1996, a fellow of the Society of Labor Economists in 2005 and a member of the executive committee of the American Economic Association in 2004.
He was awarded the Kershaw Prize by the Association for Public Policy and Management in 1997 for distinguished contributions to public policy analysis by someone under the age of 40 and the Mahalanobis Memorial Medal by the Indian Econometric Society in 2001. In 2002 he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and in 2003 he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. He was awarded (with David Card) the IZA Prize in Labor Economics by the Institute for the Study of Labor in 2006. From March 2000 to March 2006 he was a regular contributor to the "Economic Scene" column in The New York Times.


text:
This article is more than 1 year old
UK government considers open source Ordnance Survey data
Can you tell me how to get from A to B, please?
The government has released a 91-page consultation paper on how UK citizens could get more access to Ordnance Survey mapping data from next year.
"We are now consulting on proposals to make certain products from Ordnance Survey freely available so it can be used for digital innovation and to support democratic accountability," said Communities Minister Ian Austin.
As we reported last month, UK.gov announced proposals to get the Ordnance Survey to open up some postcode data from April next year. However, the plans appeared to fall short of getting the Royal Mail to allow its contentious Postcode Address File (PAF) database opened up for free access on the internet.
In November, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the government would grant the British public more access to some OS data from 2010.
At the time, it was unclear if such a move would lead free and open access to the Royal Mail's PAF database, which in 2007 pulled in £1.6m in licensing fees for the state-owned company.
The Royal Mail was resolute about its data and who owns it in a statement to The Register last month.
"Royal Mail invests significantly in collating and maintaining the Postcode Address File (PAF) and this cost is recovered in an independently regulated licensing [system]," it said.
According to the consultation papers on the OS, the government is mulling three options regarding the data.
Option 1: Maintain current business strategy - continued delivery of the strategy outlined in April 2009, plus consideration of release of OS Free.
Option 2: Release of licensing constraints on large-scale data and release of Ordnance Survey Free.
Option 3: Staged transition from the current strategy - to a model based on more open geographic information, including release of Ordnance Survey Free.
UK.gov currently favours the third option, and said that convincing the likes of the Royal Mail to get on board with its free data proposals was proving to be a challenge, especially as the PAF remains a source of cash for the postal service.
"Several barriers exist to movement from the status quo. First, there is no clear sponsor in government for a solution to this problem. Secondly, the parties involved have been concerned to maintain independent revenue streams," noted the consultation paper.
Anyone interested in wading into the debate about what OS data should be set free, has until 17 March 2010 to do so.
The consultation paper can be viewed here. ®


text:
KANSAS CITY — Almost everyone appreciates a little sweet treat after a meal, whether it is a cookie, fruit or a scoop of ice cream. Even with consumers increasingly making better-for-you food and beverage choices, they are not ready to desert dessert.
Out-of-home dessert consumption is on the rise as consumers expand their definition of "dessert" to include more nontraditional items, according to the 2013 Dessert Consumer Trend Report from Technomic, Inc., Chicago. Dessert is also no longer limited to the final course of the evening meal. It has become an all-day, any-day phenomenon. In fact, 40% of consumers now eat dessert twice a week or more often, up from just 36% of those polled in 2011, according to the report.
Only about half of consumers' post-restaurant meal desserts are purchased at the same restaurant, while the remainder are eaten at home or at another food service location. What attracts consumers to eating dessert out — indulgences that are not easily prepared at home or may not be readily found at another food service concept. Another attraction is desserts that may be shared and customized.
Appealing to millennials
When it comes to the booming foodie demographic known as the millennial, dessert is a social and culinary experience. Millennials were born into a world of infinite choice and have come to expect the unexpected in foods and beverages, including desserts.
Millennials also eat impulsively. According to the Culture of Millennials 2011 report from The Hartman Group Inc., Bellevue, Wash., millennials try not to "really think about it too much ... just eat whatever I want when I feel like it." Unique and customizable desserts that may be shared are appealing to the demographic that is eclipsing baby boomers in numbers and importance. They are projected to outnumber non-millennials by 2030. And because dessert is an important part of their lifestyle, product developers are developing products that satisfy their sweet tooth.
Seasons 52 offers miniature desserts in shot glasses. |
Mark Bastian, creative director of new product development for Dawn Food Products Inc., Jackson, Miss., said two of the biggest trends in food service desserts are miniature items that may be customized to meet the individual diner's flavor preferences and finger-food sweet treats for sharing, or even for dashboard dining.
"Our mini-bundt cakes allow operators to create their own signature desserts, as they can fill the cakes with just about anything," Mr. Bastian said. The frozen cakes come in 48-count boxes and need to be thawed prior to serving. The Sonic chain, headquartered in Oklahoma City, uses the mini-bundt cakes to create individualized ice cream sundaes.
The individual portion concept was a driving factor in the cupcake boom and is now influencing the rise in the popularity of donuts. Upscale cupcake concepts appear to have matured, while the gourmet donut market is starting to take shape, as patrons flock to donut concepts for their innovative takes on a classic American treat, according to Technomic. Donut concepts appeal more to consumers than cupcake stores because they're cheaper and they offer breakfast as well as snacks, said Darren Tristano, executive vice-president with Technomic.
"The consumer appeal of gourmet donut concepts will continue to grow, particularly across lower- and middle-income demographics, because donuts provide patrons an affordable, nostalgic indulgence," Mr. Tristano said. "Concepts can differentiate themselves by switching up their flavors every few months or by pairing their donuts with high-quality coffee and specialty drinks."
He cited the example of the five-store Chicago-based chain Glazed and Confused, which opened its flagship store in May 2012. The artisan donuts are prepared throughout the day at the location and then delivered to each unit. The donuts contain no trans fatty acids and are made with such ingredients as seasonal jams and Madagascar vanilla beans. Some of the chain's specialties include Apple Caramel (apple-cake donut with chunks of Granny Smith apples, topped with a cinnamon glaze and peanuts), Crème Brûlée (bismarck with vanilla crème brûlée, pumpkin or chocolate filling, with brûléed sugar crust) and Maple Bacon Long John (yeast-raised Long John topped with real maple glaze and peppered maple bacon).
Smaller indulgences, such as the small desserts offered by Delightful Pastries, are often perceived by consumers as a smart choice. |
This past May, Dawn Foods received the National Restaurant Association's FABI Award for its Taste-fills bakery bites, a spin on the traditional donut hole. Taste-fills are freezer-to-fryer (or oven) bite-size treats that allow operators to provide a sweet option to expand their menus, said Bill McClellan, vice-president of food service at Dawn Foods.
"Taste-fills were created with both operators and consumers in mind," he said. "They are not only delectable, but also easy to prep and serve."
Varieties are apple, cinnamon, cream cheese, cinnamon cream cheese, strawberry cream cheese and strawberry.
"They allow unlimited customization," Mr. Bastian said. "They can be used in mouth-watering recipes such as French Toast Bites, Bananas Foster for One, Caramel Walnut Apple Bites, and more. The versatile variety of flavors allows Taste-fills to be used in desserts, breakfast applications and snack options. They can even be served as a shareable dessert with different dipping sauces."
Mini treats are often perceived by consumers as a smart choice.
"Little portions complement the 'everything in moderation' approach to dining," Mr. Bastian said.
Janet Carver, culinology group manager for Ingredion Inc., Westchester, Ill., agreed that smaller portions are what keep consumers ordering dessert.
"Sample-size desserts help diners manage their calorie and sugar intake, and still allows them to have a full-fledged dessert, less the guilt."
She cited the decision by the Seasons 52 chain to make shot glass desserts a mainstay on their dessert menu.
"They make it fun and easy to try a couple of different things and share at a table," Ms. Carver said. "The thought is a little indulgence is better than none at all."
It's no wonder mini-portion desserts, such as flights and dessert sampler platters, are trending on restaurant menus, according to Technomic. Offering the treats may drive traffic among consumers who prefer affordable desserts that are less filling and better for you.
The nutritional cover-up
When it comes to better for you, the emphasis in the dessert business is currently on sugar reduction.
"This is quite different than fat reduction, and much more challenging," Mr. Bastian said. "We have had some success with stevia and monk fruit extract in fillings, frostings and icings."
A new ingredient from Steviva Brands Inc., Portland, Ore., is expanding the use of natural high-intensity sweeteners in dessert applications.
"We manufacture a 10X fine mesh powder that is a proprietary blend of two of our ingredients: erythritol and stevia extract powder," said Thom King, president. "Once the erythritol and stevia are agglomerated, we run it through a pharmaceutical hammer mill, allowing us to create custom sweetening solutions from 30 mesh to 120 mesh."
The ingredient is a two-to-one replacement for confectionery/powdered 10X sugar in most recipes.
"We believe we found the perfect threshold for using steviol glycosides in a bulking sweetener environment (erythritol)," Mr. King said. "If we increased the sweetening factor beyond double-strength, the flavor profile of the stevia extract would start to bleed through.
"This ingredient dissolves readily in any liquid or fat, hot or cold, and works in sweetened uncooked foods without making them grainy," Mr. King added.
In addition to less sugar, better for you to some simply means a little taste of the very best dessert imaginable. Thus, mini portions provide permission to indulge.
Technomic said mini-desserts resonate with women who may be looking for smaller portions or healthier dessert options. Operators may want to specifically target the demographic by marketing the options as small indulgences or by including healthfully positioned ingredients, such as berries or yogurt.
Dawn Foods' Taste-fills are a spin on traditional donut holes with a variety of flavors and applications. |
Restaurants are increasingly offering "foods with benefits," and this includes desserts. For example, another approach to better for you is to include healthful ingredients, such as Greek yogurt.
"Everything Greek seems to be trending," Mr. Bastian said. "So we created a line of tortes that include Greek yogurt fillings. These fillings are lower in fat and higher in protein than our usual cheesecake fillings. The Greek yogurt gives the tortes a slight tangy flavor and a very desirable eating quality."
The Schwan Food Co., Marshall, Minn., recognized the Greek yogurt trend and recently introduced frozen Greek Yogurt Pie Wedges. Sold as single-serve units for easy plating, the pie wedges are available in three varieties: blueberry pomegranate, strawberry kiwi and vanilla honey. The company said the clean-label product is a good source of protein and calcium, expanding it beyond the dessert menu to a breakfast food or a morning snack.
Expect the unexpected
With millennials on a quest for taste adventures, they are more apt to explore new flavor combinations, including ethnic fusions as well as sweet with heat. It's no wonder menu trends analyst Nancy Kruse, president of Atlanta-based The Kruse Co., said Sriracha sauce has become one of "the" cool ingredients in foods for every day-part. Another cool ingredient is beer, which is being used in desserts such as Red Robin's Oktoberfest Beer Shake.
Technomic's Menu Monitor report for the third quarter of 2013 indicated, as compared to the same period in 2012, chocolate, vanilla and strawberry remain the top-three dessert flavors, but all three have experienced a reduced presence on dessert menus. This is likely due to the melding and fusion of flavors, which makes it difficult to identify a dessert as having a single dominant flavor.
"With chocolate, the flavors of vanilla, coffee and cherry are joining toffee, coconut and cinnamon," said Craig "Skip" Julius, manager of culinary services for Sensient Flavors, Hoffman Estates, Ill. "Other new trending flavors include wild blueberries, cocoa nibs, golden flax, apricot, star anise, pumpkin, pink peppercorn, maca, lucuma, coconut milk and of course, sea salt, but even that is now morphing into infused and smoked salts."
Ms. Carver said salted caramel is showing up in more desserts and in different ways, from being part of a crust to an inclusion to a topping.
"Retro puddings and pastry creams are coming back strong, but with an innovative twist," she said.
For example, Chef Wylie Dufresne serves a Root Beer Pudding at his New York restaurant Alder.
"This root beer flavored pudding is topped with smoked cashews and crushed root beer barrel candies," Ms. Carver said.
The texture of puddings, creams and fruit fillings is critical for success.
"We offer an extensive portfolio of texturizing ingredients that allows for all types of formulations, from reduced-fat to lower sugar to gluten-free," Ms. Carver said. "For example, we created a reduced-sugar strawberry lemon ginger filling using our instant agglomerated functional native starch combined with our stevia sweetener. This is a great way to add layers of flavors without all the sugar to products such as macaroons or mini-pies."
Mr. Julius said cookie sales in food service are off the charts. This is likely due to the cookie's ability to be a mini-portion dessert, as well as the batter's ability to be forgiving with many innovative ingredients.
Innovative flavors in mini-size desserts keep macaroon cookies on the dessert menu.
"The macaroon has certainly gained popularity in the past couple of years and it's not uncommon to see a wide variety of exciting and unique flavor combinations in this bite-size treat," said Harbinder Maan, vice-president of global market development for the Almond Board of California, Modesto, Calif. "French macaroons are made exclusively with almond flour, as the recipe would not be functional without it."
The healthy halo of almonds transfers to macaroon, which is attractive to today's consumers.
The unexpected also may be delivered through the use of textured ingredients.
"Savory, crunchy toppings are proving successful in food service desserts," said Steve Moore, director of product innovation for Brand Formula, Bedford, Va. Mr. Moore is the product developer and co-marketer of a new line of tortilla chip crumbs from Azteca Ingredients Inc., Chicago, which provide color, crunch and a Hispanic twist to all types of foods, including desserts.
"The flavor and crunch of the tortilla chip crumbs pairs well with chocolate, caramel, fruits and custards," Mr. Moore said.
The crumbs are gluten-free and nut free, providing an innovative way to add crunch to foods that appeal to consumers with dietary restrictions.
With so much innovation, and something for everyone, dessert will continue to be an important component of the menu.


text:
Book Review: Whispers of Hope
Publisher: B & H Publishing Group
Pages: 224
Whispers of Hope is a daily devotional about prayer. The author begins by breaking down the parts of prayer; praise, repentance, acknowledgment, intersession, supplication for self, and equipping. She described these in detail. Then she follows each day's entry with a listing of those categories headlining a space to write. People who like to journal during prayer will enjoy this book.
She continues by covering the subjects we might struggle against. For example, one entry studies gossip. Another talks about God's gentle reality-check when we think we know more than He does. She also reminds us that we can go through storms though we are completely in His will.
Whispers of Hope covers ten weeks of daily meditations so I won't list every subject.
Beth Moore is a popular speaker and writer of long standing. Her writing, like her speaking shows her to be intelligent and articulate. You will find new ways to look at your problems.


text:
We've done plenty of swimming at the pool, hanging out with friends, planning and booking our upcoming vacation... but the item that I worry will slip past me is having a fun, casual potluck with friends and neighbors.
No matter if you're welcoming the folks that have recently moved to the neighborhood or if you're just having your closest pals over for an afternoon of laid-back entertainment and eating, who doesn't love hosting a summer BBQ or potluck?
As per my norm, I'm always on the lookout for quick, festive decor and tasty, easy recipes that are perfect to share. After all, I can't host a gathering and not have a yummy layered salad or s'mores ingredients on hand, right?
This is why this year I was excited to browse through the wide selection of recipes, ingredients and more at KraftRecipes.com to get a few new ideas. Upon stumbling on Tomato & Balsamic Bruschetta, I knew that I had found a winner!
In the same way that my kids love anything that I bake with zucchini, my husband will nearly always drop anything and everything for bruschetta. The toasted bread, the sweet tomatoes, the melted cheese — yum! So how could I pass up trying out this delicious twist?
Tomato & Balsamic Bruschetta
1 loaf French bread (16 oz.) cut into 16 slices
2 cloves garlic, halved
1 tub (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA ⅓ Less Fat than Cream Cheese
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup slivered red onions
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. brown sugar
⅛ tsp salt
⅛ tsp pepper
¼ cup fresh basil leaves (about 8), torn
Heat oven to 400°F.
Place bread slices in single layer on baking sheet. Bake 3 to 4 min. on each side or until toasted on both sides. Rub with garlic. Cool.
Spread toast with cream cheese; top with tomatoes and onions.
I left off the onions only because my kids won't touch them. |
Whisk vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and pepper until well blended. Drizzle over toast slices; top with basil.
These are such a tasty addition to any potluck or BBQ that your family and friends will surely go back for more! I love the way that they take the classic bruschetta and give it a unique, extremely delicious (and quite addicting) twist. I'll certainly be reaching for the recipe for gatherings as well as to add a tasty change to our dinner table in the future!
This summer, be sure to browse the large number of recipes available at KraftRecipes.com to find a huge selection of snack, meal or dessert ideas that are creative, delicious, fun and perfect for enjoying time at home or as a guest with all of your loved ones.
This post is a part of a partnered campaign with Kraft Foods, however, all thoughts and opinions shared are honest and my own.


text: Today, the Brazilian Air Force's Saab F-39 Gripen E was officially unveiled. The link below presents an extensive and interesting article showing a timeline with all fighter aircraft already operated by the Brazilian Air Force, from 1941 to the present day. I read, enjoyed and share it here. I recommend reading.


text:
- Glazes
- >
- Low-Fire Glazes (04-06)
- >
- Amaco Low-Fire Glazes
- >
- F-Series
- >
- Lemon Yellow (F-61)
Lemon Yellow (F-61)
On Sale
per item
AMACO® (F) LEAD FREE glazes were created in 1950 as America's first all Lead Free glaze series . They are semi-opaque and fire with a high gloss. Colors are more intense and brilliant than those of many other glazes. They are recommended for dinnerware as well as all types of pottery made from AMACO® pottery clays.
Comes in a 16 oz jar.
•Great For Accentuating Carvings (Similar to Celadons)
•Vivid Hues
•Break and Pool Over Texture
•Shown on White Clay
•Cone 05
Sold out


text:
The Attention Whore (homo agnitio agnitius) is a carnivorous subspecies of human whose original habitat included Acapulco, Miami, Panama City, Dublin, and before its demise Houston. They have since been spread throughout the known universe with the help of the Borg, who use them to aid with their mad assimilation skillz by distracting all the assimilatees and feasting upon those less-suited to be assimilated. Attention whores are extremely deadly and can strike without a moment's notice.
Attention whores resemble slightly higher than average humans at a distance, though they tend to dress in clothes that accentuate their bodies to a greater level and usually are more attractive than the typical average human. Up close, however, attention whores can be seen to be in the possession of retractable claws, a second row of special teeth used for grinding the marrow from bones, and vertical pupils. Attention whores may have different colored pelts; these pelts are collected by big game hunters, who sell them to third-world sweatshops to make dreadsacks and welcome mats. The most valued pelt color is red, while the pelt worth the least amount of money is puce, though tartan occasionally edges it out through market fluctuation. The musk of an attention whore has been likened to cheap perfume or Axe. They have a strong belief that this thick odor can help attract people and animals of all kinds. Beware ! you may never know when one might attack !
Behavior and Habitat[edit]
Attention whores are exceedingly social creatures that have a symbiotic relationship with homo sapiens; without the latter, attention whores waste away and become only vaguely humanoid creatures comprised of little more than skin, bone, and scraggly hair. Attention whores are most active from sunset to sunrise; this span of time allows them to infiltrate the habitat of their favorite prey, frat boys. When an attention whore encounters a likely meal, it assumes a provocative position to gain the human's recognition and to distract it from a forthcoming death. If successful, the attention whore advances on its mesmerized prey and begins eating it alive. It is believed that many attention whore-related deaths are attributed to grue, since attention whores leave little of their victims behind and prefer to strike from the cover of darkness.
When not prowling for prey, attention whores congregate in vast groups (called sororities) and practice their wily charms for the next night's hunt. Attention whores are most active in the summer months, though some subspecies (see below) have adapted to fill different niches. A number of attention whores are cultivated in sanctuaries, where they are regularly culled for their hides and to prevent the population from growing out of control.
Mating Habits and Maturation[edit]
Once each year, attention whores enter into a receptive phase during which they will have sex with almost anything that moves, including couches, robots,Stephen Hawking, or F O N E M A. After violently copulating with the unfortunate male (since he gets eaten during courtship) and receiving his seed, the attention whore withdraws into solitary existence for 7 torturous months, during which she sees not a single living being. After giving birth to two to six young, she ravenously consumes her placenta and leaves her young to fend for themselves. They immediately fall into consuming each other until there is only one. This survivor, made strong through the flesh of her siblings, subsists on a diet of small mammals and birds until she reaches 13 years of age, at which point she develops to the point of being able to hunt human prey. Attention whore numbers are dwindling in the wild, but enough are being raised in captivity to maintain the viability of the species.
Many attention whore subspecies have evolved to take advantage of specific openings in the ecosystem. However, new subspecies may be constantly arising as their prey becomes ever more elusive. They each attract prey in a different manner than the core species. Another difference that has baffled scientists is the existence of males of each of these varieties of attention whore. Scientists, however, remain convinced that these are not examples of a true or typical attention whore.
- Leftist Upstarts (homo agnitio manus manus) This type of attention whore rails against the establishment - provided the establishment is not currently controlled by the left - in order to seduce prey. Its favored prey is the hippie, and most attention whores of this variety require more food than those of other subspecies.
- Rightist Downstops (homo agnitio miserius) This type of attention whore rails against the leftist establishment and in support of war. While rightist downstops prefer to consume illegal immigrants, they are not above eating corpses in a pinch.
- Emo Kids (homo agnitio taglius) Emo kids engage in self-mutilation to draw prey. Because emo kids are always bleeding from at least nine self-inflicted wounds, the scent of blood surrounds them. Emo kids' favored prey are other attention whores drawn to the smell of slaughter. Although no one knows the exact cause of why the emos cut, the common consensus is that they want everyone to know they cut, as to get attention from their parents, and teachers. Emo kids are famous for their crying which is also believed to be an evolutionary adaption to get the attention they need.
- Goths (homo agnitio truccius) Goths don't really do much of anything. They just mope around and occasionally suck the blood from medium-sized dry goods. Goths, though found worldwide, migrate in search of prey more than do other attention whores, usually focusing on Spanish-speaking countries for sustenance.
- Punkers (homo agnitio catenus) The only attention whore subspecies to use tools in the hunt, punkers lash out at prey with wallets attached to chains, hoping to bludgeon it to death. Once the prey has been rendered into a semiliquid paste, punkers absorb the unfortunate target through a number of holes punched through their flesh. Most of these holes are located in the ears, nose, or eyebrow, though holes elsewhere on the body are not unknown. Leaders of punker groups are known as Prince Albert.
- Barsexuals (homo agnitio fakus) A woman who pretends to be bisexual by kissing and rubbing other women, but only in public. This is done in highly populated areas such as clubs and bars where there are a lot of men so to serve as an audience for the woman or women (depending on who is whoring themselves for the attention). This is also done as an attempt to excite men for their attention and approval.
- Former Rap Stars(homo agnitio cant actus or singus)Most Notebly Sean Puffy Combs, Kanye West and DMX- These two get upset anytime their attention meter goes below 99.99990% "Hey pay attention to me Im crossing over to acting where I will inevitably will suck at it" Stick to Rapping at least SOMEONE is paying for you to do whatever talent you posess.
- Tebows (homo agnitio bibleversus) There is only one known member of the Tebow subspecies: Tim Tebow. The Tebow subspecies can often be found bragging about being a virgin, being in Super Bowl ads concerning about why it is so great that he is alive, wearing bible quotes in his eye liner during football games, and his most common activity, crying at every opportunity possible to redirect attention to himself.


text:
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Run, LeGarrette, run!
Tom Brady was cool with it. So was coach Bill Belichick, once his running back took his advice midseason and lowered his pad level so his 250-pound frame wouldn't be so easy to haul down.
"Once I changed that, I started breaking tackles," explained LeGarrette Blount, New England's newly minted all-time franchise leader in single-game postseason rushing touchdowns (four). The Patriots rode Blount's sturdy legs past the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night in a 43-22 playoff victory that propelled them into the AFC Championship Game next Sunday.
Coming into this game, the Colts were ranked 26th in the league in rushing defense, relinquishing a gaudy 5.1 yards per carry. So it was hardly a shock that New England decided to run the ball on a day when high winds and driving rain descended on Gillette Stadium.
But rushing it 46 times? For 234 yards and six touchdowns? For a team whose resident legend and future Hall of Famer just happens to be a quarterback?
The Patriots have just advanced to the AFC title game with a victory in which Brady did not throw a single touchdown pass.
"If you told me that before the game, I would not have believed that," Blount admitted.
The glitzy Brady-versus-Andrew Luck story never materialized, but don't make the mistake of thinking Brady failed to put his stamp on this game. His fingerprints were all over it, even when he was merely handing off the ball. He established tempo, audibled when he needed to and happily watched his running backs flourish.
Brady submitted a tidy, efficient performance (13-of-25 for 198 yards) that included some pinpoint passes in traffic to Julian Edelman and a 53-yard play action bomb to Danny Amendola when they caught Indianapolis' secondary nodding off.
"I think because we were running the ball so well, maybe that got a little reaction and Danny got behind them," Brady said.
In the first half alone, the Patriots ran the ball 25 times and threw it just 11 times, yet the running backs' average was a modest 3.2 yards a carry. Who would have questioned offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels if he put the ball in Brady's hands more for the final two quarters?
"I wouldn't have blamed him if he went to Tom," Blount said with a shrug. "He's the best quarterback in the game."
Instead, McDaniels stuck to his game plan. He reminded Blount, Stevan Ridley et al that the 2-yard and 3-yard gains wear down the defense and eventually lay the groundwork for the crack in coverage that allows for the big gain.
"We always want to be the most physical team, so when we have the opportunity to go in there and really pound the rock -- McDaniels really likes to do that," explained tight end Mike Mulligan. "I really liked that he stayed with it and gave us the opportunity to seize the moment." On a night of big moments, none was more stunning than Blount's 73-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter when the Patriots were holding tight to a tenuous 29-22 advantage. Blount's bulldozed his way behind his stellar offensive line, cut right, found daylight and kept running until he reached the end zone, thereby setting a new Patriots franchise record of four rushing touchdowns in one postseason game.
"If you can get the guy through the line of scrimmage and then break a tackle or make a guy miss, that's where you get the long ones," Belichick said. "Good backs do that. They make some of those yards on their own -- step to the line, the backs and the tight ends get them started, get them some space and let them do their thing."
Blount was doing his thing, alright. The bruising back exhibited glimmers of his explosiveness in wins over Atlanta and Buffalo, but in his first career playoff game he was the most dominant player on a field that included some noteworthy candidates.
While Blount's national Q rating took a quantum leap, his friend Ridley experienced his own resurrection. Ridley's fumble woes left him on the sideline for huge chunks of this season, but on Saturday, Ridley nestled the football tightly to his body, held on to it "'til death do us part" and punched his way into the end zone twice. He finished with 14 carries for 52 yards.
"Keep stacking them," Ridley exclaimed. "I already told LeGarrette, 'Let's go for seven [touchdowns] next week.'"
Each rushing yard proved to be significant because young Luck, whose lanky frame and 19th-century beard afforded him the look of an odd combination between Abraham Lincoln and Dwight Schrute's cousin Mose from the beet farm, exhibited flashes of brilliance, often in the face of the cranky elements. His back-to-back throws to T.Y. Hilton (for 47 yards) and then a 35-yard strike to LaVon Brazill for a touchdown were excellent examples of his startling abilities. Yet Luck limped off with four interceptions and was limited by New England's defense to just one rush for 5 yards. Turnovers in the playoffs almost never translate into wins.
Blount, meanwhile, finished with 166 yards (a 6.9 yards-per-carry average). Blount submitted a 1,000-yard season in his rookie campaign in Tampa Bay, but his occasional immaturity and the team's decision to draft Doug Martin made him expendable there.
His former Bucs teammate Aqib Talib insisted Saturday night that Blount has always been a quality back capable of breaking the game open.
"He's the same guy," Talib said. "I saw him do this all the time in Tampa Bay. You guys just didn't see it because the games were always blacked out there."
Blount is best known for a regrettable college incident at Oregon in which he sucker punched Boise State player Byron Hout. An outraged Chip Kelly originally suspended Blount for the rest of the season before eventually reducing it to eight games.
That blemish will permanently stick to him like an unwanted tattoo, but even during those dark days, he said, he still envisioned an NFL career of prosperity.
"I always thought it could happen," Blount said. "There wasn't a doubt in my mind I was going to get a chance. It all worked out."
There will be more chances going forward. As Blount himself explained, the Patriots' stable of backs includes a rotating system in which he, Ridley and Shane Vereen share snaps. The running game has provided healthy balance to an offense decimated by injuries to its receivers. Kenbrell Thompkins was the latest casualty to be carted off on Saturday (he left with a head injury), and based on the NFL's new concussion protocol, it's hard to imagine him being available next Sunday.
So you know what that means: Run, LeGarrette, run!
Why not?


text:
33 is the magic number - the age when Brits think they can afford a house
The survey by Spark Energy found that one in six respondents (17 per cent) don't believe they will ever be able to raise the money to purchase property.
Indeed, people living in London and Manchester don't expect to step onto the property ladder until they are 35, and 27 per cent of Welsh people believe that they may never be able to afford their own home.
With many people resigned to living in shared accommodation, many tenants would actually pay more per month to live with the perfect flatmate - with almost 70 per cent of survey respondents saying they'd fork out extra to find the ideal cohabiter.
Almost a quarter of (23.6 per cent) renters would splash-out over £201 per month on top of their rent for the ideal room-mate, while 22 per cent would pay between £1 and £99, with the average flat-sharer reckoning £112.40 would be their limit.
It was also said by 50 per cent of respondents that meeting potential housemates face-to- face is still the most successful method, with only one in six renters advocating websites as an effective finders' tool.
Some of the other findings included: Being clean and tidy is the number one attribute of a good flatmate, according to 74.4 per cent of respondents.
Males prefer sharing with three people while females said two on average
And, 96 per cent of respondents like people they currently live with
The average amount of people the participants like living with is two and on average respondents have lived in three houses – although 12 per cent have lived in five or more properties.


text:
Louis L. Callahan of Bedford passed away yesterday morning at his home at the age of 77.
Born in 1931 in Jackson County, Louis was a retired truck driver, Army veteran of the Korean War, and was a member of Grace United Methodist Church, Bedford Masonic Lodge #14 F&AM, Scottish Rite Valley of Indianapolis and Murat Temple.
He is survived by his wife Bonnie, daughters Phyllis and Brenda, son David, sister Carol, and 4 grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by his parents, step-mother Viola, brothers Harold and Donald, and daughter Lois.
Services will be held Monday morning at 11:00am at the Elmwood Chapel of day & Carter Mortuary with burial to follow at Green Hill Cemetery.
Visitation will be Sunday from 2:00 until 6:00pm at Day & Carter.


text:
The first thing we need to do as a nation- before we consider the issues- is define a foundation. America is approaching the 250 year old mark and still we struggle with identity. "Land of the free," is what most people say. "Land of opportunity," is another good one. But what does that mean? What does it mean to be the "land of the free?"
America is not the only nation with freedom on the planet. We're also not the only nation that provides opportunity. We're not the only country with democracy, either. So really, what differentiates America?
The differentiation lies in our outlook, our philosophical foundation not only for our own country but for the world as a whole. The very first official document of America, our Declaration of Independence, begins with these words:
"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
This opening statement represents America. It serves as the foundation upon with everything else is built. It has to. Our unalienable Rights are a triumph of human understanding that transcends time. It remains as true today as it did in 1776. Now we must solidify it as our philosophical foundation going forward.
But unalienable Rights are not limited to just life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The text clearly states "among these," which implies other Rights exist. To me, those other Rights, aspects of our very humanity, can be found in these three ideas: love, honor, and humor.
So let us talk of humor.
Photo source - thematthewknot, CC license 2.0


text:
Every spring it's the same story. Those pendulous clusters of pinkish purplish blossoms come droopling off a pergola in a little park around the corner, and I spend the next half hour desperately searching my memory for the word. I know it's in there, if only because I've been through this before, last year and the year before and the year before that. It's in there but it's stuck in one of the crevices of my cerebral cortex, and I can't pry it loose. What is the name of that flower?
This year I took notes—looking over my own shoulder as I ransacked my mind for the missing word. The first term that came to me was hydrangea: obviously wrong but at least hitting the right general category of flowering plants. Verbena is a little closer—the flowers of verbena are approximately the right color—but the strange thing is, I didn't know that (or I didn't know that I knew that) until I googled it just now. I do know what forsythia looks like, and I know it has almost nothing in common with the plant I'm trying to name, but my brain offers it up anyway.
The next entry in the list, purple flower, reveals the futility of trying to force the issue. That's not my brain talking to me; that's me talking to my brain, ordering it to give me the word I want. Vine may be in the same category, although the initial v could be significant (see below).
There's a whole campfire story behind the next entry. Three boy scouts, their troop leader and two weeks' worth of camping gear are crammed into a Volkswagen Beetle, circa 1962. As we putter down a back-country road, the scoutmaster leans his head out the window, inhales with exaggerated gusto, and exclaims, "Smell that honeysuckle!" All through the summer camp session we mocked him mercilessly for this excess of enthusiasm, but he has had his revenge: The phrase is tattooed on my left temporal lobe. It shows up every year when I'm entangled in this crazy quest to name the flower that's not a hydrangea, not a verbena, not a forsythia, and not a honeysuckle either.
Southern: Me getting bossy with my brain again. When I lived in the Carolinas, I had a tree out front that was overgrown by the purple-flowered vine I can't name.
v, v, v… Suddenly I'm sure the word starts with v, and this is the first moment when I feel like I'm making progress, that I have the scent, I'm on the trail. A v on the tip of my tongue, but not verbena, not vine…
Not vertiginous either.
And hydrangea—what are you doing here again? I already told you to go home; you're not wanted.
Wissahickon Creek runs along the northwest boundary of the city of Philadelphia, toward Germantown and Chestnut Hill. There was a period in my youth when the road that winds along the creek was the route I took to visit a girlfriend. Late one rainy night I drove my 59 Chevy through deep water covering the road and soon had a white-knuckle moment when I discovered I had no brakes. It's not surprising that I would remember all this, but what could it have to do with my unnamed flower?
And then, all of a sudden, the neuron finally fires. Wissahickon is not about the creek or the road or the girlfriend or the wet brakes; it's all about the word itself. Not v but w… wis, wis, wis… I've got it now: wisteria! What a relief. (Until next spring.)
What is it about this genus Wisteria that so troubles my mind? There are scads of other plants I can't identify, but that's because I truly don't know their names; no amount of rummaging in the attic of memory will ever succeed in retrieving what I never possessed. On the other hand, there's a whole garden full of flowers—hydrangea, verbena, forsythia—that come effortlessly to mind, even when they are not wanted. Wisteria is different: something I own but can't command.
Freud would doubtless opine that I must have suppressed the memory for some dark reason. I can play at that game. Wisteria is supposedly named for Caspar Wistar, notable Philadelphia physician circa 1800. He was inspired to study medicine after tending the wounded at the Battle of Germantown in 1777—an event that took place within cannon range of Wissahickon Creek. (Surely that can't be a coincidence!) Dr. Wistar is also commemorated in the Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology in Philadelphia, a place I used to visit when I was a boy of 12 or 13. In that benighted age, impressionable children were allowed to wander freely through the Wistar's collection of anatomical specimens, where various pickled body parts were sealed in gallon jars. What formaldehyde-soaked vision of horror am I trying so hard not to remember?
The trouble with this story is that until a few days ago I knew nothing of the connection between wisteria and Wistar. Not that Dr. Freud would let me off the hook for such a flimsy reason as that.
Of course wisteria is not the only word that my mind seems to be censoring. There's that actress whose name I can never remember, although I have no trouble recalling that she's the sister of Warren Beatty. And, along the same lines, the actor I can't name, even though I can tell you he is the brother of James Arness. Can I find a childhood trauma to account for this distinctive histrionic sibling suppression complex?
Francis Crick wrote of our attempts to understand the brain: "We are deceived at every level by our introspection." I believe it. I don't think that looking over my own shoulder and taking notes as I free associate on the theme of pendulous purple flowers is going to resolve the mystery of memory. I'm fascinated by the process all the same.
In my latest American Scientist column I write on some other approaches to the question of what's in Brian's brain.


text:
About this game
Ricky Raccoon 2: Adventures in Egypt features everybody's favourite raccoon at the Nile. After his successful treasure hunt at the Amazon river, his 2nd big expedition into the unknown awaits our little adventurers. He will join his grandpa and a parrot on their quest for 5 mysterious artefacts hidden in the past of ancient Egypt. Will they manage to solve the riddles from a time long gone and restore an Egyptian city to its old glory?
Just like in the 1st part our adventurers will have to master challenging Match 3 missions to make it all the way to the hidden treasures. On his quest Ricky will visit 6 different locations, all of which are presented in Full HD graphics. While digging deeper and deeper into the mythical world of ancient Egypt, our little raccoon has to solve 100 lovingly crafted and colourful levels, which will put his skills to the ultimate test. In addition to the Relax mode you can look forward to a total of 6 game modes. Will Ricky Raccoon ever manage to become as great a treasure hunter as his grandpa?
- The sequel to the adventure game hit!
- An exciting treasure hunt with little Ricky Raccoon
- Exciting story set in ancient Egypt
- Detailed Full HD graphics
- 100 Levels
- Relax mode
- 6 game modes
- Exotic Match 3 treasure hunt


text:
Leapster Explorer: Play Theora Videos
This how-to will show you how to load your own Theora (Ogg Vorbis) video files on to the Leapster Explorer and play them from the standard User Interface.
Programs Needed
All programs are available for Windows and Linux.
OpenDidj Video Template Package (If you no longer have ConnectMovieApp installed)
SFTP Program
- This tutorial uses the Linux command line, you can also use a GUI program in either Windows or Linux
Convert and Upload Video
Each program needs to contain a few different files in its directory, for it to work correctly with the LeapFrog GUI. First thing you'll need to do, is connect to your device with your SFTP program.
Get Video Packaging
We are going to use the ConnectMovieApp folder as the base template for holding our video file. From your host PC run the following command:
$ scp -r email@example.com:/LF/Bulk/ProgramFiles/ConnectMovieApp .
Scp will then download the files to your current working directory.
Encoding the Video
For Linux ffmpeg2theora is included in most distribution repos so install using your distributions method. On Windows see the link in Programs Needed.
Encoding the file is done with one line:
ffmpeg2theora -o output_video.ogg -F 12 -H 16000 -x 320 -y 240 input_video.avi
Encoding the Menu Audio
The menu sound is played after you make a selection, and it asks you if you are sure. The mp3 found in the Audio/ folder is the one used, to encode you're own using LAME run:
lame.exe -b 48 -m m --resample 44 <input>.wav <output>.mp3
Then replace the one provided and change the name in the main directories GameInfo.json file to point it.
Editing the Package Files
Depending on your firmware version, ConnectMovieApp may no longer be available. You can use the OpenDidj version which was pulled from an old update. Anywhere you see OpenDidj, you can replace it with your name.
First thing to do is to open the ConnectMovieApp directory and inside the Video directory delete the ConnectMovie.ogg and LExplorer_ConnectMovie_Mix_V6.ogg place your newly encoded file in this directory. You may need to use a Leaplet code or find someone that has the package, that could give you the files, as ConnectMovieApp may not exist on your device.
Open the VideoInfo.json file and replace the ConnectMovie.ogg and LExplorer_ConnectMovie_Mix_V6.ogg lines with your new video filename.
Moving back to the parent directory you can edit the GameInfo.json with some infomation about your video rather then the default you could also use this time to edit the ConnectMovie001.png to something more meaningful.
Rename the directory from ConnectMovieApp to something that means something.
Upload the Movie
scp -r NewVid email@example.com:/LF/Bulk/ProgramFiles/
Unplug the USB cable and enjoy your new video.


text:
21 April 2009
CONTACT: Tim Bueler
(530) 401-3285
Conducting interviews on this topic is the founder and president of the Minuteman Project Jim Gilchrist.
In a county that might see five homicides in an entire year, the call over the sheriff's radio revealed little about what awaited law enforcement at a sprawling apartment complex.
A type of crime, and criminal, once foreign to this landscape of blooming dogwoods had arrived in Shelby County. Sheriff Chris Curry felt it even before he laid eyes on the grisly scene. He called the state. The FBI. The DEA. Anyone he could think of.
"I don't know what I've got," he warned them. "But I'm gonna need help."
The five dead men lay scattered about the living room of one apartment in a complex of hundreds.
Some of the men showed signs of torture: Burns seared into their earlobes revealed where modified jumper cables had been clamped as an improvised electrocution device. Adhesive from duct tape used to bind the victims still clung to wrists and faces, from mouths to noses.
As a final touch, throats were slashed open, post-mortem.
It didn't take long for Curry and federal agents to piece together clues: A murder scene, clean save for the crimson-turned-brown stains now spotting the carpet. Just a couple of mattresses tossed on the floor. It was a typical stash house.
But the cut throats? Some sort of ghastly warning.
Curry would soon find this was a retaliation hit over drug money with ties to Mexico's notorious Gulf Cartel.
Curry also found out firsthand what federal drug enforcement agents have long understood. The drug war, with the savagery it brings, knows no bounds. It had landed in his back yard, in the foothills of the Appalachians, in Alabama's wealthiest county, around the corner from The Home Depot.
One thousand, twenty-four miles from the Mexico border.
Forget for a moment the phrase itself _ "War on Drugs" _ much-derided since President Richard Nixon coined it. Wars eventually end, after all. And many Americans wonder today, nearly four decades later, will this one ever be won?
In Mexico, the fight has become a real war. Some 45,000 Mexican army troops now patrol territories long ruled by narcotraffickers. Places like Tijuana, in the border state of Baja California. Reynosa, across the Rio Grande from Texas. Ciudad Juarez, next door to El Paso. But also the central state of Michoacan and resort cities like Acapulco, an hour south of the place where, months ago, the decapitated bodies of 12 soldiers were discovered with a sign that read:
"For every one of mine that you kill, I will kill 10."
Some 10,560 people have been killed since 2006, the year Mexican President Felipe Calderon took office and launched his campaign against the organized crime gangs that move cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and heroin to a vast U.S. market. Consider that fewer than 4,300 American service members have died in the six-year war in Iraq.
The cartels are fighting each other for power, and the Calderon administration for their very survival. Never before has a Mexican president gone after these narco-networks with such force.
"He has deployed troops. He has deployed national police. He's trying to vet and create units ... that can effectively adjudicate and turn back the years of corruption," says John Walters, who directed the Office of National Drug Control Policy for seven years under President George W. Bush. "These groups got more powerful, and when there was less visible destruction, it was because they were in control; they were stable. Now, he has destabilized them."
Walters sees this as an "opportunity to change _ for better, or worse _ the history of our two countries fundamentally."
And now the cartels have brought the fight to us: In 230 U.S. cities, the Mexican organizations maintain distribution hubs or supply drugs to local distributors, according to the Justice Department's National Drug Intelligence Center.
Places like Miami and other longtime transportation points along the California, Arizona and Texas borders. But also Twin Falls, Idaho. Billings, Mont. Wichita, Kan. Phoenix. St. Louis. Milwaukee.
Even Shelby County.
The quintuple homicide occurred just outside the Birmingham city limits and a half-hour's drive north of Columbiana, the county seat.
"We became a hub without knowing it," Sheriff Curry says. "We've got to wake people up because we're seeing it all over the place. It is now firmly located throughout this country."
The talk of the day is "spillover" violence _ at once the stuff of sensationalism but also a very real concept.
In Phoenix, the nation's fifth-largest city, police report close to 1,000 kidnappings over the past three years tied to border smuggling, be it human or drugs or both. The rise parallels a shift in illegal immigrant crossings from California and Texas to the Arizona border, where many of the same gangs transporting people transport drugs. The perpetrators are often after ransom money, for a drug load lost or from a family that paid to have a relative brought over.
The problem has earned the city the unfortunate distinction of "America's kidnapping capital" in some media accounts, even though the incidents are mostly out of sight and out of mind for law-abiding residents and overall crime, including homicides, was down last year.
In Atlanta, which has grown into a major distribution hub for the Gulf Cartel, trafficker-on-trafficker violence has become more common as the cartels, in the face of Calderon's crackdown, impose tighter payment schedules and grow less tolerant of extending credit, says Rodney Benson, chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration there.
Benson blames that, in part, for the much-publicized kidnapping last summer in the middle-class Atlanta suburb of Lilburn, not far from Stone Mountain Park. Acting on a tip, agents found a Dominican man chained to a wall in the basement of a house, severely dehydrated and badly beaten. He had been lured from Rhode Island because he apparently owed $300,000 in drug debts.
"Money wasn't paid," Benson says. "They were going to kill him."
Greg Borland heads the DEA office in Birmingham. Since the murders last August, he's seen the fear in his neighbors' eyes, and faced their questions: How did this happen? Why here? Why now?
"They're absolutely shocked. To me it's like: Why? It's everywhere. Unless you have a 50-foot wall around your town, no one should feel immune from this. The citizen in me says, `I can't believe this is happening in my town.' But the cop in me says, `Well, it's only a matter of time' ... because there are high-level drug traffickers in the area.
"Maybe," he says, "it was only by the grace of God that it hadn't happened already."
Those in the know understand that this kind of violence is nothing new. In border communities that have long been trafficking hubs it's uncommon not to hear of a drug-related crime on the evening news.
What's new is where that violence is erupting, where distribution cells and hubs and sub-hubs have surfaced. How an apartment in Alabama became the site of a drug hit in many ways tells the story of the narco-trade in America in 2009, and of the challenges we face in combatting a blight that has spread to big cities and small all across the land.
Before Aug. 20, 2008, when the five men were found, the assumption had been that the big drug hauls were passing through Shelby County and on to cities with larger markets.
Alabama had long had its share of street dealers. Homegrown pot passed hands. Then powder cocaine and crack. Soon meth labs cropped up here and there. "Just a local issue," says Curry.
"There weren't really any traffickers in our county. But over time it's escalated into a sophisticated transportation structure that moves marijuana, moves powder cocaine and now moves crystal meth."
First came the rise of the Mexican cartel, brought about in the late '80s and early '90s after authorities cracked down on Colombian traffickers and choked off routes along the Caribbean and in South Florida. The Colombians aligned with the Mexicans for transportation, then began paying their Mexican subcontractors in cocaine.
As more Colombian traffickers were brought down, the Mexicans took over both transportation and distribution. A decade ago, 60 percent of the cocaine entering the United States came through Mexico. Today that figure is 90 percent.
Texas and other border states become primary distribution hubs. Greg Bowden, who heads the FBI's violent crime task force in Birmingham, worked four years in the Texas border city of Brownsville. He remembers cases involving Alabama dealers who would fly into Houston, rent a car, pick up loads at a warehouse or mall parking lot and drive back home.
"(Distributors) felt comfortable in Texas. That was their home base, and has been for a long time. Now," says Bowden, "they're comfortable here, in Memphis, in Atlanta. They moved their home bases to these little pockets."
One reason for that shift is the ability these days to "blend in in plain sight," as the Atlanta DEA chief puts it. The flood of Hispanic immigrants into American communities to work construction and plant jobs helped provide cover for traffickers looking to expand into new markets or build hubs in quiet suburbs with fewer law officers than the big cities.
Shelby has long been Alabama's fastest-growing county, with its proximity to Birmingham, good schools and a growing corporate corridor along Highway 280. The number of Hispanics grew 126 percent from 2000 to 2007. It was once rare to see a Latino face at the local Wal-Mart or gas station. Now, dozens upon dozens of Hispanic day laborers line Lorna Road in the northern part of the county.
As Bowden says, "You don't stand out."
But there is another reason this area, and others, have become what some agents call "sub-hubs."
With some 4.9 million trucks crossing into the United States from Mexico every year, tractor-trailers have become a transportation mode of choice among traffickers. Drugs head north, but weapons and cash also head back south _ like the $400,000 Border Patrol agents found on April 2 near Las Cruces, N.M., stashed in the refrigeration unit of a semi.
Shelby County is a trucking mecca, with highways 65, 20, 59 and 459 running east to Atlanta, north to Nashville, south to New Orleans, west to Dallas. Once reluctant to haul drug shipments too far beyond a border state, drivers are willing to take more chances now, because there are so many trucks on the road, Bowden says.
Since January, 27 people were sentenced in Alabama federal court in just one case for using tractor-trailers to transport cocaine and marijuana from Mexico across the border to Brownsville, then up through Birmingham on I-65 to northern Alabama for distribution. Investigators seized 77 pounds of cocaine during the investigation _ more than the DEA seized in the entire state of Alabama in all of 1999. The scheme, according to an indictment, had operated since 2004.
Amid all of this, an operation moved into Shelby County, leading to the call on Aug. 20.
A simple welfare check brought deputies to the Cahaba Lakes Apartments off Highway 280, down the road from upscale Vestavia Hills, whose motto is "A Better Place to Live."
The victims were Hispanic, all illegal immigrants. Interviews with family members and associates helped investigators piece together a sketchy portrait of what happened.
Agents described it as friendly competition turned deadly among a group of distributors from Atlanta and Birmingham that often sold and shared drug loads when one or the other group was running low. At some point, about a half-million in drug money went missing. One group suspected the other of taking it, and went after the five men at Cahaba Lakes.
The money was never found.
Whether an order came directly from Mexico, or the decision was made down the food chain, investigators don't know.
The DEA's Borland notes that making a direct connection between the street level distributors charged in the killing and a specific cartel boss back in Mexico isn't easy in a business with so many players at various levels.
"We don't have canceled checks of their dues payments to the cartels. But we know that they were moving large quantities of drugs, which are probably brought in here under the supervision of the Gulf Cartel, because the Gulf Cartel is the dominant one here," he says.
"That money was supposed to be moving ... and it disappeared. So the attempt was to locate where was the money and who took it?" Curry says. "It was a contract hit, ordered to be carried out and paid for."
Since then, Curry has pushed aside concerns about resources and assigned one deputy to a DEA task force, another to work with the FBI. At the behest of the Department of Homeland Security, he joined in a conference call with police chiefs and sheriffs in border states to discuss what he now calls "a common problem."
And he answers, as candidly as possible, his citizens' questions when they ask him about this "new" threat.
"People want to have a comfort zone, and if they have to confront the realities of how rough life really is, that doesn't sit well," he says. "It scares them. And they don't want to be scared. South of our border: gunfights, violence _ it is a normal, accepted, expected behavior. That has now moved into our borders."
Ask just about any DEA agent or expert who keeps a close watch on drug trafficking, and they'll cringe at the use of the word "war." They'll tell you, flat out, that no, it's not likely ever to be won. Just as there will always be robberies and rapes and homicides, there will always be narcotrafficking.
So they take their victories where they can. And there have been victories.
Heads of cartels have been toppled. Juan Garcia Abrego, former chief of the Gulf Cartel and once on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list, is serving 11 life terms in a Colorado federal prison after his 1996 arrest in Mexico and extradition to the United States. His successor, Osiel Cardenas, awaits trial in Houston after his 2007 extradition from Mexico.
These handovers have become almost routine under Calderon, who reversed long-standing practice and allowed more Mexicans to be tried in the United States. Last year, he extradited a record 95 wanted criminals, including several high-ranking members of the Tijuana-based Arrellano-Felix cartel.
In February, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the arrest of more than 750 people as part of "Operation Xcellerator," which targeted Mexico's most powerful drug organization, the Sinaloa Cartel. Another 175 were arrested last fall as part of "Project Reckoning," an investigation into the Gulf Cartel.
President Barack Obama has promised to dispatch hundreds of additional agents to the border, along with more gear and drug-sniffing dogs. "If the steps that we've taken do not get the job done," he said, "then we will do more."
"More" may well come in the form of more direct aid to Mexico. In her first visit to Mexico as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton said the White House would seek $80 million to help Mexico buy Blackhawk helicopters. That's on top of a $1.3 billion Bush-era initiative providing drug-fighting aircraft and equipment to Mexico over the next three years.
But the answer to this problem is as complex as the problem itself. Enforcement, money and equipment alone aren't enough. In Mexico, the challenges run deep as corruption has infected almost every level of government. Here, the true remedy is just as daunting: Curbing the appetite that fuels all of this.
"We are still throwing the cops at a problem that is well beyond that," says George Friedman, who heads the global intelligence firm Stratfor. "It is a major geopolitical problem. We've been moving into a situation where the Mexican government is no longer the most powerful force in Mexico.
"It's a mess, not a war," says Friedman.
Many months after the Shelby County case, the Alabama sheriff still grapples with the ugly reality of what the mess means for him and his community.
He had his own victory, of sorts. Arrests were swift, and six suspects now are held without bond in the Shelby County Jail charged with capital murder. One owned a tire shop, another was a barber _ more evidence to authorities of how bad guys can blend in.
Still, it is a victory without call for celebration, because Curry wonders when and where it will happen again.
"This is not an isolated incident. It is a standard business practice with this group of people, and it is simply going to be repeated," he says. "I can't predict whether it's going to be repeated here or not, but it's going to be repeated in communities throughout the United States whenever these disagreements occur."
Source: Associated Press
Link: http://www.newsmax.com/us/drug_war_the_fight_at_home/2009/04/18/204501.html
About your guest:
Jim Gilchrist founded the multi-ethnic Minuteman Project on Oct. 1, 2004, after years of frustrated efforts trying to get a neglectful U.S. government to simply enforce existing immigration laws.
Jim holds a B.A. in newspaper journalism, a B.S. in business administration, and an M.B.A. in taxation. He is a former newspaper reporter and a retired California CPA (Certified Public Accountant).
Jim is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and recipient of the Purple Heart award for wounds sustained while serving with an infantry unit in Vietnam, 1968 - 1969.
Mr. Gilchrist is a passionate defender of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and an avid supporter of law enforcement organizations. He has appeared on over 3,500 radio and TV news and commentary shows in the past twelve months, and he believes he is only one of millions of 21st century minutemen / women / children who want the U.S. to remain governed by the "rule of law" and who want proactive enforcement of our national security protections and our immigration legal code.
Jim has lived in California since 1976 and currently resides in Aliso Viejo with his wife, Sandy.