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Now that the trial's over and Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger has been convicted of 11 murders and multiple counts of extortion and money laundering, it's a good time to look back at a few memorable moments, surprises and conclusions.
We'll start with the end, courtesy of the Boston Globe:
"On his way out of the courtroom Monday, Bulger smiled and gave the thumbs-up sign to his brother, John, and two nieces — the children of his brother William, the former president of the Massachusetts Senate and the University of Massachusetts. The gesture outraged Cheryl Connors, whose father, Edward, was gunned down by Bulger inside a Dorchester telephone booth in 1975.
" 'Rat-a-tat Whitey!' Connors yelled from the gallery. Later, she said she was referring to a taped conversation played at the trial, in which Bulger mimicked the sound of machine gun fire as he mentioned her father's slaying to his nephew and niece when they visited him at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility."
Along the way, there was this unexpected development, via our colleagues at WBUR:
"One surprise of this trial has been the relationship between the victims' families and the lawyers for Bulger himself.
"They say they are grateful to defense attorneys J.W. Carney and Hank Brennan for bringing out information the prosecution would have preferred to leave out of the trial, and for the respect they've received from the defense that they say has lacked from some parts of the government.
" 'You know, in order to find out information, my family will do whatever we could,' Tommy Donahue said outside the courthouse this afternoon. 'And we went to Carney and Brennan and they did bring out the information we needed. And plus, Carney and Brennan, they were nothing but gentlemen. They were nothing but good to us. They were class acts.'
"Donahue's father, Michael Donahue, was an innocent victim, gunned down in May 1982 after offering to give a ride home to an acquaintance, Brian Halloran, whom Bulger was targeting for murder after his FBI handler tipped him that Halloran was informing against him."
There was plenty of dramatic testimony. Jurors heard from Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, one of Bulger's right-hand men, who as WGBH says gave "a stomach-churning account of Flemmi's sexual relationship with his stepdaughter, Deborah Hussey, whom he also helped murder.
There was also the testimony that never happened — from a would-be witness who was found dead during the trial. Stephen "Stippo" Rakes, who claimed that Bulger forced him — at gunpoint — to sell a liquor store in 1984, was found a day after he learned he would not be on the witness list. Authorities think he was poisoned by a con man who owed Rakes money.
Returning to the end, our friends at WBUR sum things up nicely this way:
"The mobster who once reigned over Boston's underworld is now looking at life in prison. ... After the verdict was read and the courtroom emptied, U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz basked in the government's victory. 'Today is a day that many in this city thought would never come,' Ortiz said during a press conference outside the courthouse.
"And she's right. Many Bostonians never thought Bulger would face a day in court for his crimes after he went on the run in December 1994. He evaded capture for years until 2011, when he was caught in his Santa Monica apartment, living under a fake name."
Bulger could be still tried in Oklahoma and Florida, which have the death penalty, on other murder charges. Prosecutors in those states aren't sure yet whether they'll try him, though. Given that he's 83-years-old and will almost surely spend the rest of his life in a Massachusetts prison, they may decide not to move ahead.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Nissan Leaf |
The State of Washington, however, isn't too keen on EV drivers skirting the state's gas tax, which helps to maintain the roads that EV drivers travel on every day. According to the Associated Press, Washington has a $5 billion dollar deficit, and hitting the pockets of EV owners is just one way to help close the gap.
Washington's gas excise tax is one of the highest in the nation at 49.4 cents per gallon [PDF] -- 31 cents of the total is from the state, while the federal tax is 18.4 cents. Assuming that the average driver averages about 12,000 miles per year, a Nissan Leaf driver (EPA rated 99 mpg) would be only be skipping out on $38 of the state's portion of gasoline excise tax. For a Chevrolet Volt driver (EPA rated 93 mpg on battery power), the tax revenue lost by the state would amount to $40.
Washington's proposed EV fee, however, would amount to $100 per year.
"Electric vehicles put just as much wear and tear on our roads as gas vehicles," explained the bill's sponsor, Democratic state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen. "This simply ensures that they contribute their fair share to the upkeep of our roads."
"So the question is how do you account for those trends and begin to capture revenue that reflects the actual usage of the road?" said Republican state senator Dan Swecker. "Our state doesn't change very fast. But we thought the $100 fee was a place to start, so let's start there."
Not surprisingly, EV owners aren't exactly thrilled with this proposed legislation. "The Legislature saw electric vehicles are coming and thought, why not just put a fee on them," quipped Dean West, a Nissan Leaf driver.

subset: commoncrawl


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SUV in Fatal Vegas Strip Shooting Seized: Suspect Identified
(Associated Press) - Police are seeking a 26-year-old man as the prime suspect in last week's pre-dawn shooting and crash on the Las Vegas Strip that killed three people and injured several others
The black SUV used as a getaway car was found Saturday as police named Ammar Harris in connection with the shooting and six-vehicle chain-reaction carnage Thursday on the neon-lit boulevard near the Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Bally's and Flamingo resorts,
An aspiring rapper who was driving a Maserati was shot to death, while two people in a taxi died in the crash.
"His location is unknown," police Capt. Chris Jones said of Harris, who sometimes goes by the name Ammar Asim Faruq Harris. Police say he has been arrested for working as a pimp.
Police released a photo that was taken when Harris was arrested last year on pandering, kidnapping, sexual assault and coercion charges. The disposition of that case was not immediately known.
The photo shows Harris with tattoos on his right cheek and words on his neck above an image that appeared to depict an owl with blackened eyes. Jones warned that Harris should be considered armed and dangerous.
Police had been searching for the black Range Rover, with blackout windows and distinctive black rims, since it was last seen speeding from the shooting. It was located at an apartment complex just a couple of blocks east of the neon-lit boulevard, and was impounded as evidence, Jones said.
The shooting killed Kenneth Wayne Cherry Jr., who was driving the dark gray Maserati that was peppered by gunfire from the SUV. Taxi driver Michael Boldon and passenger Sandra Sutton-Wasmund, of Maple Valley, Wash., died when the Maserati hit their taxi, which exploded in flames.
Boldon, 62, was a family man who moved from Michigan to Las Vegas. Sutton-Wasmund, 48, was a businesswoman and mother of three.
A passenger in the Maserati was wounded in the arm and four people from four other vehicles were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The Maserati passenger was cooperating with investigators. His name hasn't been made public.
The shocking chain of events had family members and friends in Las Vegas, California, Michigan and Washington trying to grasp the blink-of-an-eye finality of it all.
"My son was a good boy," Kenneth Cherry Sr. told reporters Saturday in a news conference convened by Las Vegas lawyers Vicki Greco and Robert Beckett.
Beckett said they wanted to respond to rumors that the 27-year-old son - who produced a rap video using the name Kenny Clutch - was a gangster and a troublemaker. The attorneys had represented his son, and now represent his estate and the family.
"My son was a victim just like the two people in that taxi," Kenneth Cherry Sr. said. "Trouble found him. The people in the taxicab, trouble found them."
Court records show Cherry had no criminal cases or convictions in Las Vegas, and police said there was no record of arrests.
The Clark County coroner determined that Kenny Cherry died of at least one gunshot to the chest. Boldon and Sutton-Wasmund died of injuries in the crash. All three deaths were ruled homicides.
Police say the shooting appeared to stem from an argument at the valet area of the upscale Aria resort-casino about a block south of the crash scene. The shooting happened after a night featuring Morocco-born rapper French Montana at Aria nightclub Haze.
Cherry's parents live in Emeryville, Calif., and the father said his son's body would be taken back to Oakland. He said his son started a music career there and was recognized by other rappers within a West Coast hip-hop strain called hyphy.
Cherry wasn't well-known in wider music circles, according to Chuck Creekmur, CEO of AllHipHop.com.
Kenny Clutch's YouTube music video, "Stay Schemin," shows scenes of hotels along the Strip as he sings about paying $120,000 for his Maserati.
"One mistake change lives all in one night," he raps in one verse.
Kenneth Cherry Sr., who said he runs a cellphone business, said he helped his son make payments on the Maserati. He said he last spoke to him on Wednesday, when they talked about the high cost of the son's cellphone use.
Cherry Sr. described his son as an entrepreneur but didn't say how he made money or if he had jobs other than his music production.
Boldon's family in Las Vegas was struggling to cope with his death, said Tehran Boldon, the taxi driver's younger brother.
Boldon's sister, Carolyn Jean Trimble, said Boldon was a father, a grandfather and a car race enthusiast who drove a Mercedes when he wasn't in a cab. He owned a clothing store in Detroit and worked at a car dealership, his sister said, and drove taxis after moving to Las Vegas about 1 1/2 years ago.
The irony that a man with a taste for beautiful cars was killed by a sports car wasn't lost on Trimble.
"He would be tickled to death: 'Damn, of all things, a Maserati hit me, took me out like that,'" she said. "I'm happy he didn't suffer."
In Washington, Sutton-Wasmund co-owned a dress shop, said Debbie Tvedt, the office manager for a Maple Valley plumbing company that Sutton-Wasmund started with her husband, James Wasmund. Sutton-Wasmund was in Las Vegas attending a trade show with her business partner.
"It's a big loss," Tvedt said in a telephone interview with AP.
The Maple Valley-Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce website said Sutton-Wasmund was a board member from 2004 to 2011 before becoming a marketing representative.
A phone message left for James Wasmund was not immediately returned.
The famously glowing, always-open Las Vegas Strip was closed for some 15 hours after the crash. Nevada Highway Patrol Sgt. Eric Kemmer recalled a similarly long closure after the 1996 drive-by slaying of rapper Tupac Shakur.
That shooting - involving assailants opening fire on Shakur's luxury sedan from a vehicle on Flamingo Road - happened about a block away from Thursday's crash.
The Shakur killing has never been solved.
- Ken Ritter, Associated Press


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Friday, June 20, 2008
You Found Me HOW???
Video One
Video Two
Video Three
When you're done watching these videos, click HERE to sign this petition. I know it takes a couple minutes and it's kind of a pain, but as Mimi says - it could happen to you. In the blink of your eye, you could get that dreaded diagnosis - cancer. As your whole world crumbles away, wouldn't you want someone in your corner, fighting for your child?
And God has gifted Michelle with incredible artistic talent and she's putting it to use to raise money for childhood cancer. Check out the link for 4 THE KIDS over to the right there -------------> Michelle is also walking for the kids in her Relay for Life. The link for that is HERE. Thank you for taking the time to check these out and/or donate money and/or pray that a cure is soon found! :)
Reminder - you have until midnight central time on Friday to leave a comment on THIS POST listing your 3 favorite mom websites. The winner will receive a set of Wonder Pet beanies..."We're not too big and we're not too tough, but when we get together, we've got the right stuff." Oh joy, I'm going to have that little ditty in my head for the rest of the night. Anyway, you'll get the set of beanies AND a $75 gift card for Good For the Kids!!! Meanwhile, check out Angie's variety of safe sippy cups which are free of Bisphenol A (BPA Free), phthalates and DEHA. She's also got a ton of toys to nurture and engage your little ones like Melissa and Doug puzzles and Zoobie pets.
OK, now it's time for another installment of How On Earth Did You Weirdos Find Me???
These are the actual keywords that folks googled in order to find me.
telling good lies to each other at class reunion
I recommend it.
why do people get stung if they step on a dead jellyfish?
because they've stepped on a jellyfish
Camping in southern Missouri I came across a spider the size of my hand
Note to self: don't go camping in Missouri.
what should i do with my mother when i have so many problems with her
OK, which one of my kids googled this?
pee stains on pants
It wasn't me! Honestly. It was just water from the fountain that I sat in!
How many more days of school??????????!!!!!!!!!!
OK, now which kid googled this one?
If you asked a woman to change your diaper what would she say?
Goodbye freak!
I searched butt paste for you dawn
Umm thanks?
just a fool to believe she's got disease you tube
I believe the lyrics are "just a fool to believe I've got anything she needs..." not "disease"!
Ways to get moms sympathy when I'm sick
Oh suck it up! You're not that sick.
nude cruise
Umm ew!
my daughter shaved her eyebrows off
Oh my gosh! Why???
so i
So you what???
Hahaha i
You what???? Stop leaving me hanging like this!
I look up to the most to my mom because
Grrrr! Because WHY???
I'm so angry at my new husband
Get used to it.
Hi dawn! Wanted to see if I make it to your next google list becuase I said so! =p
Someone has a little too much time on her hands. ;)
Your laughing at me because I'm different I'm laughing at you because I have gas
I'm sorry to hear that.
If you're driving in a Chevy and your pants are feeling heavy diarreah
Songs about bodily functions for $200 Alex.
Silicone dog's paws
Do they really make prosthetic paws for dogs?
I resign because of family
I hear ya there!
One fabulous mom blogspot
Thank you, thank you, thank you. :D
Arizona scorpions in toilet drain
Oh my gosh! And I thought it was bad when my friend Stacie told me that scorpions had dropped on her head while she was in the bathroom!
Why does my water bottle smell like feet?
because your kids filled it with milk and let it sit in your car, in the summer heat, for 2 weeks. Just guessing.
Don't eat the bugs clay
Do you hear that Clay? Don't eat bugs!
Stuffed butts
It just wouldn't be my blog without the requisite butt reference.
How do bats poop
with their butts (sorry - couldn't help myself)
Can you take her back and change her for another
I swear I didn't google this about Brooklyn!
Plaid knee socks
Thing you don't want to wear. Ever.
Children who eat strange things diaper crème
I don't know. When you spell cream like that, it makes it sound like a dessert.
What does a grade one kid put in his backpack
I looked in Lexi's backpack so I could accurately answer this. A first grader puts Littlest Pet Shop toys, Polly Pockets, a Leapster game cartridge, a pencil, 2 crayons, a bunch of misc. papers, 3 socks, a library book that should have been turned before school got out a couple weeks ago, a baggie filled with smashed crackers, 4 containers of chapstick/lipgloss, a bracelet, and one of my Tupperware cups.
My son flushed something down the toilet and now it won't flush, how do I unclog it?
Oh honey! Are you on your way home yet?
How do mom blogs get so many views?
because we're so darn awesome!
This is how I walk my dog Dorothy
Thank you, Elmo.
Things that make you say, "Wha???"
if suddenly you forget me, don't look for me, because suddenly I've forgotten you
I you because so
Win thi lootery book
The style of is normal day pair of shoes that is in right now for teenage boys
Utah toilet lock bailey
She don't know that face I know she don't know the things I know she don't know I run this show
the chicken had a home where she lived with delight so why did she visit the construction site?
Dawn i.
I haven't a clue about what you just said, so here is a rabbit with a pancake on its head.
I try to make my way to you but still I feel so lost I don't know what to say, what else to do. Don't give up on me yet, don't forget who I am I know I'm not there yet, but don't leave me alone
I don't know if what I did was right or wrong, guess I will never know. But, I made it, and I guess I should be thankfull for that.
42 comments:
ROFLOL! Scratching my head here and wondering what people are thinking!
- June 20, 2008 at 6:32 AM
- Sara said...
Hehe! I love the random rhyming ones at the end!
- June 20, 2008 at 6:54 AM
- cakeburnette said...
I can explain the "rabbit with a pancake on it's head" one...although I'm wondering exactly who googled it...
There is a message board site that had some drama about a poster who had sort of "stolen" someone else's identity and was using it as her profile. Some other folks decided to "out" her to the board, and in the beginning it was all very weird and disjointed. One of the board administrators posted a picture of a bunny with a pancake sitting on its head and the caption that was googled. It's a pretty small community, so I'm dying to know who googled it and got to you. - June 20, 2008 at 6:56 AM
What's with all the people searching Butt related stuff!?! LOL
- June 20, 2008 at 7:42 AM
Elmo's pet Dorothy is a goldfish not a dog. LOL
- June 20, 2008 at 8:09 AM
- Katy said...
nude cruise...not enough sunscreen in the world to justify a nude cruise.
http://mynutvillage.com/ - June 20, 2008 at 8:21 AM
- roseys madhouse said...
you said a while back that you were going to have more items on ebay. What is your ebay id?
- June 20, 2008 at 8:34 AM
- Robin said...
Thank you for sharing the link to Mimi's videos. So sad. Those poor little babies and the ones they leave behind. She did a nice job on them.
- June 20, 2008 at 9:02 AM
- Sherri said...
Dawn, your blog brings laughter to my day. My favorite three mommy blogs are:
Bad mommy! Bad, Bad Mommy
Mommy Needs a Cocktail
and yours of course - June 20, 2008 at 9:33 AM
Some of those are hilarious, some are just mind boggling and some look like drunk monkeys got to the keyboard.
- June 20, 2008 at 9:54 AM
- Laurie said...
Ya know, ALL moms totally get the "butt" frequency of your posts. Kids=butts...its just funny!!
- June 20, 2008 at 9:55 AM
- Heather said...
Thanks Dawn! I needed a smile today and now my kids are looking at me like I'm crazy for laughing!
I'm seeing a scary new trend in googling- trying to make Dawn's list... - June 20, 2008 at 10:33 AM
- fawndear said...
Wow Dawn, I just noticed the time you posted. Do you ever sleep?
My Top Three Mom Sites not including your's of course because you are the Queen and no one can really compare.
http://www.swampbrat.net/ - June 20, 2008 at 10:34 AM
- Amber said...
Thanks for posting the cancer petition link. Funding and media attention are so important for finding cures. I couldn't view the videos because my daughter is currently battling cancer herself, but I'm sure they are heartwarming.
- June 20, 2008 at 11:18 AM
- Allison Hill said...
Actually, the rabbit with the pancake on it's head is from fark.com...I don't know if you've ever read that site but it's hilarious. I seriously recommend going on saturday, known on fark as "caturday", when everybody hauls out their best photoshopped and captioned cat pictures. Basically the rabbit picture is posted whenever anybody says anything stupid or completely off-subject. I don't know to what cakeburnett is referring to, but whoever posted it on that site got it originally from fark.
Now that that's done, I have to say that you're my hero, and I love reading your blog! - June 20, 2008 at 11:23 AM
I think it's hilarious that some of the searches are messages for you!
Come on over to my place and enter to win some FREE CHOCOLATE!
http://blog.sweetlifesite.com - June 20, 2008 at 12:08 PM
- Brenda said...
When I first saw your post titles I thought you were asking how the weirdos who read you blog found you....read: ME. I found you because someone sent me the EBay listing.
- June 20, 2008 at 12:21 PM
Dawn, I didn't know how else to contact you to ask would you possibly link to this digital scrapkit on behalf of 2 children, Abbey & Declan, who have been abused by their parents.
http://babyvdezign.com/abuse/abdec.html - June 20, 2008 at 12:38 PM
- Theresa said...
Childhood cancer is a scourge and needs to be eliminated. This is a cause very near and dear to my heart so I'm all over it!
- June 20, 2008 at 1:23 PM
- MaBunny said...
- June 20, 2008 at 1:42 PM
- Michelle Kemper Brownlow said...
I am is that find cow was for that miss cat!
Just trying to sound like your "google friends"!
I appreciate it tons...the cancer kids (and their families) thank you, too!!!
Have an amazing weekend - you deserve it! - June 20, 2008 at 1:50 PM
- Valarie said...
Your google keyword searches are always so hilarious. Mine are always so boring. *sigh* I'm sure hearing one more person whining about a little trivial thing is probably just what you need in your life, huh? :)
- June 20, 2008 at 1:55 PM
- TheHMC said...
I get scarier ones on mine every day. Yours make me laugh though. The ones I get just scare the crap out of me.
- June 20, 2008 at 2:38 PM
- Franny Organny said...
always good to know i would find you again in the wide wide web of the world by typing in these weird key words! people, bookmark dawn!!!
franzi - June 20, 2008 at 3:46 PM
- Kim said...
Hey Dawn! My husband says he's so glad I found you. Something about me not ever laughing before...
anyway, my FIL sent me this e-mail. I literally had to stop and catch my breath between paragraphs I laughed so hard. Seeing as you recently had a bunch of check-ups, I thought you'd enjoy it as well!
-Kim - June 20, 2008 at 4:38 PM
LOL I'm the one who left the "Hi Dawn!" quote. Just couldn't help myself. Too much spare time, LOL
- June 20, 2008 at 5:08 PM
- Tricia said...
Love the personalized search messages for you!
And umm..my first grader puts things like dirt and grass in her backpack. When questioned as to why she had handfuls of grass in her backpack, she answered, "Cause I picked it." Oh. Makes perfect sense now. Stupid me. - June 20, 2008 at 6:57 PM
- Serial Mommy said...
let me count the ways...
ok, i'm going to make a pretty decent sized list of my fav mommy blogs and you can count the 1st three as my entry, yes?
mine http://serialmommy.blogspot.com
pioneer woman http://www.thepioneerwoman.com
miss britt http://miss-britt.com/
bean paste (i always think of this one when you talk about butt paste) http://beanpaste.blogspot.com/
the blogess http://thebloggess.com/
and in all honesty, i have quite a few more...go to my blog and i have a list on the side, that i need to update with a few more...i go through blogs i like, click on the comenters links and read away, if i like it, i add it to my favs and put it on my blog... - June 20, 2008 at 7:38 PM
Some of them sound like song lyrics.
- June 20, 2008 at 9:04 PM
- Aileen McCabe-Maucher said...
I love your blog and am a faithful reader! Can I please copy and paste your friend's cancer videos and petion into my blog (as well as your intro to this piece? I would love to help get word out. Of course I will give you credit link back to your blog.
Have a great weekend!
All the best,
http://innerpeacediet.blogspot.com - June 20, 2008 at 9:24 PM
- krystina said...
hey dawn,
you said that your migraines stopped coming after you had kids? as in, all of the sudden or did they gradually die down, or just take physical form? lol, just kidding, i know you love them. the kids, not headaches... - June 20, 2008 at 9:36 PM
You always keep me laughing!
My favorite mom/family sites are:
I also like facebook because I can keep in touch with friends and get some "me" time instead of just "Mommy" - June 20, 2008 at 9:37 PM
LOL!! My family just finished looking at me like I'm insane because I've been laughing so hard! I once googled you with Dawn's funny butt or something lol. Just wanted to share :)
Oh and by the way, the illustrating for my book is done! I'm so excited to see it all finished! I'll be getting it Tuesday!! EEEEEEE <--- my impersonation of you sounding excited for me :) - June 20, 2008 at 10:58 PM
- Chelf said...
"just a fool to believe she's got disease you tube"
Are we sure they are searching for Dirty Dancing videos, or are they seriously talking about a disease? Do they have diseased women lying on You Tube? Maybe they need to search for more misheard lyrics. - June 20, 2008 at 11:26 PM
- Beth said...
Hey Dawn! I thought I would step out of my comfort zone and leave a comment...
Cancer sucks! I didn't make it through the first video and I was in tears. My hubby said no more for me, being that I am currently pregnant with baby number one. He says I stress enough!
My three favorite parenting sites are:
(a Pittsburgh Moms group)
(and of course I can't get by without my daily birth control... ;-) I think we are stopping at two! You are one unbelievably awesome mother & wife!) - June 20, 2008 at 11:36 PM
- Michelle said...
So so funny. I can only hope that one day I get just one lovely google search like that. But maybe I need to change what I'm posting about. More about bodily functions and annoying children's songs! ;)
- June 21, 2008 at 1:02 AM
Love the misheard song lyrics. There is a website just for them called www.kissthisguy.com. Good for a laugh or three
- June 21, 2008 at 3:44 AM
- The Cochran Family said...
You are HILARIOUS! I read your online auction and that is how I ended up here.
My favorite sites are:
Thanks so much for your comical approach to child-rearing. - June 21, 2008 at 11:10 AM
- debi9kids said...
LMAO! People really type in the strangest things and strangely enough, your blog pops up! hahaha
You got me addicted to finding out the odd words people type that find my blog too, but I have yet to have anything as odd as you do. LOL - June 21, 2008 at 6:18 PM
- Rick said...
How come the search that deal with "body functions" lead to your blog?
- June 21, 2008 at 7:40 PM
- Nef B.F. said...
I may not be a parent yet, but your blog has been a great source of entertainment for me. I first came across your blog when searching for pokeman cards, but to my dismay it was an old auction. Any hoots, You're blog's the best.
- June 21, 2008 at 10:11 PM
- My Two Army Brats said...
I really love the "how did you find me" posts. People are crazy!
- June 22, 2008 at 6:38 PM


text:
We are deeply saddened to report that our colleague and friend, Megan Charlop, was killed this morning while riding her bike to work. She was 57.
Charlop, a long-time Norwood resident, was a veteran public health advocate who worked at Montefiore for more than 25 years in the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program and most recently as director for community health in the School Health Program.
She is survived by her husband, Richie Powers, and their four adult children: Sarah, Zach, Rachel and Aaron.
In 1999, Charlop was one of 10 recipients to receive the national Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health and Leadership Program award for her lead poisoning prevention work at Montefiore.
Following her death, Philip O. Ozuah, MD, the head of the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, released this statement:
It is with the deepest sadness that I write to inform you of the untimely death of a good friend, long-time Montefiore employee, and champion for the health and social well-being of the families of the Bronx. Megan Charlop, Director of Community Health for the School Health Program and a former administrator of the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, died earlier today doing something she truly loved, riding her bike on her way to work. Police report that Megan swerved her bike to avoid an opening car door and veered into the path of a bus. She was killed instantly. Megan's work for Montefiore and the people of the Bronx literally touched thousands of her co-workers and residents of the Borough. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her husband, Richard Powers, her children and her entire family. We will be sharing more details as they become available.We'll have more about Megan's life and work in the next Norwood News. In the meantime, we'll leave you with a passage from a 1981 New York Times profile of Charlop: "The 29-year-old Miss Charlop is an expert on rehabilitation and a tenant organizer, with a Dead End Kid voice, a dazzling smile and an energy that seems to electrify her small body."
That voice, that smile and that energy, not the least bit diminished by age and experience, will be so sorely missed.
--Jordan Moss and Alex Kratz


text:
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text:
I have to share another one of my deepest food love affairs with you. Many already know I love panna cotta in all flavors and varieties and that crème brûlée really rocks my sweet tooth. What a few do not know is I have a passionate penchant for flans or crème caramel too. Of course everyone will notice one common factor in all of these desserts - creamy, milky goodness either allowed to set in the refrigerator or gently cooked in a water-bath.
Certainly not everyone is inclined to thick and rich creamy custard served in a medley of flavors, but for me I can pretty much sink into such creamy delights and eat my way out!
A flan or crème caramel is basically stylish and elegant dessert and is so versatile that it can be adapted to fit any occasion. And yes it needs a bit of patience and care to make a good flan or crème caramel, but then the reward is a wonderfully luscious and creamy custard. What makes the flan or crème caramel so unique is the time, effort and precision it takes in preparing the custard, which should be a real treat to be savored whenever the opportunity should arise.
It's one of the desserts I always like to create when I am in the mood to spoil someone special. A romantic evening with Tom, pleasure moment with Soeren or celebration with dear friends. Why I even make it just for me when I think I really deserve it.
Just like this one - I was desperately craving chocolate and was feeling low. So to pep up my mood I decided to combine my favorite ingredient with one of my favorite desserts, threw in a few raspberries, then sank into the sofa, stretched my feet out and simply let the chocolate raspberry flan take control of me!
Chocolate And Raspberry Crème Caramel
Printable version of recipe here.
1 can (about 200 ml) evaporated milk
1 can (about 200 ml) sweetened condensed milk
60g bittersweet chocolate, cut into coarse pieces
1 cinnamon stick
120g fresh raspberries
6 whole eggs, lightly beaten
115g fine granulated sugarMethod
- Pre-heat oven to 175-180 degrees C.
- To make the caramel, melt the sugar in a non-stick pan over low heat. Keep your eye on it. The sugar just needs to melt and slightly turn into a rich amber color.
- Pour the caramel into 6 ramekin dessert bowls or one large bowl. Quickly swirl the bowl/s so that the caramel covers the bottom and sides. You will have to be quick with this because once the caramel starts to cool down it begins to solidify making it difficult to pour. Allow the caramel to cool before you pour the egg mixture into the bowls.
- In a small saucepan heat the milk, cinnamon and chocolate pieces, stirring occasionally to help the chocolate dissolve. Let the mixture cool down to just warm, then remove the cinnamon stick.
- Using a balloon whisk, gradually add the eggs to the chocolate-milk mixture. Beat the mixture only lightly because you do not want to have a bubbly or frothy mixture. Place the ramekin bowls into a larger baking or roasting pan, then carefully pour the custard mixture into the dessert bowl/s. Add a few raspberries to each bowl. Bring some water to a boil in a teakettle, then very gently fill the roasting/baking pan with water so that it comes just about halfway up the ramekin bowls.
- Bake in the "bain marie" for about 50 minutes or until golden. To test if the flan is ready, insert a fork into it if it comes out clean remove from oven, allow to come to room temperature then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Using a non stick pan to make your caramel will help the caramel to slip off the pan when pouring - easy to clean later too!
Of course it was not all for me both my men got some too! Always a tantalizing treat - the silky, smooth and creamy custard is simply divine to indulge into. And chocolate always puts a huge smile on almost everyone's face. The raspberries add a slight tart note to the entire sweet dessert and plays off the chocolate wonderfully.
Hope you all have a sweet and fun filled weekend!
You might like these creamy desserts from WFLH:
Sweet Potato Flan | Lime Brûlée | Quark Vanilla Panna Cotta with Star Anise Cranberry Compote and Spiced Pecan Brittle |
All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2009 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First


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Engineering applies knowledge from science and math to real-world challenges in an effort of improve the world we live in. It is a broad discipline that encompassess teamwork, problem solving, design thinking, communication, organization, and project management.
Computer Science and Technology
If you are interested in using your technical knowledge, creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills in your career of choice, exploring opportunities in technology, and software engineering-related industries and sectors may be of interest to you. These industry areas are growing and innovating rapidly – opportunities that are unheard of today may be top options in a few years. Broadly speaking, employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 15 percent from 2021 to 2031.
Computer science at Wellesley encompasses the broad application and theory of ideas relating to hardware and software. As an outcome, those studying computer science should leave with a broad understanding of how computing and technology applications work so that they can build computer applications of the future. Since technology is present in any and all industries and disciplines, the application of technical knowledge can be found in numerous career opportunities.
Mathematics is essentially the study of patterns, and the understanding and application of these patterns is essential for the foundation of all other sciences. While mathematics is often studied in its own right, it is also applied to all manner of real world problems found in business, government, laboratories, medicine, engineering, and more.
National Institutes of Standards & Technology Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (NIST SURF) (students)
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) offers Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) at NIST laboratories in Gaithersburg, MD; Boulder, CO; and Waimanalo, Hawaii. The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship is designed to inspire undergraduate students to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) through a unique research experience that supports the NIST mission. Eligible are currently enrolled undergraduates who are US citizens or permanent residents, majoring in chemistry, computer science, physics, engineering, materials science, fire research, nanotechnology, information technology, mathematics, biology, manufacturing, statistics, or another STEM discipline.
Boren Awards (students)
Supports study abroad of less-commonly-taught languages in world regions critical to US interests, and underrepresented in study abroad. Study abroad programs of a year are preferred, but a spring plus summer can be a good option and summer programs will be considered for students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Eligible for the Scholarship are Wellesley first years, sophomores, and juniors who are US citizens, and Wellesley seniors who are also applying for U.S.-based graduate programs might apply for the Fellowship. Campus application deadline typically in January.
Wellesley students should seek advice about appropriate study abroad programs from the Office of International Study, although the Fellowships office is happy to offer advice on Boren Scholarship applications.
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship (sophomores and juniors)
Supports one or two years of undergraduate study in the fields of mathematics, engineering, and natural sciences. Eligible are college sophomores or juniors who are US citizens, permanent residents, and nationals intending to pursue research careers in STEM fields. Campus application deadline typically in late November/early December.
Churchill Scholarships (seniors & graduates)
Supports one year of graduate study (including one-year research degrees) in science, mathematics, or engineering at Cambridge. Eligible: graduating seniors and recent graduates of Wellesley College who are US citizens with majors in appropriate STEM fields. Campus application deadline typically in early October.
Introduction to International Affairs
A career in international affairs can be fueled by a passion to travel and a desire to learn about our global environment, effectuate change, and make a difference in the world. As an interdisciplinary field at Wellesley, the international affairs major exposes students to an array of perspectives and analytical methodologies that equip them to enter a workforce in a broad range of organizations and experiences. The work in international affairs can truly change the world; however, it is important to focus on the small steps that will maximize your success and lead you to a fruitful career in international affairs.
Olin College of Engineering Fall 2024 Career Fair
Wednesday, September 25th 2024, 11:00 am -
2:00 pm EDT
Olin College of Engineering Fall 2024 Career Fair


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"Analysis and Synthesis Tools for Robust SPRness", in Intelligent methods in signal processing and communications, Birkhauser, 1997, pp. 147-171.
, "Application of singularity detection with wavelets for pitch estimation of speech signals", in European Signal Processing Conference (EUSIPCO), Edimburgh, UK, 1994.
, "ArboX, a Contribution to Digital Library", in International Conference on Engineering and Computer Education (ICECE), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1999.
, "A Multipulse-like Wavelet-based Speech Coder", in UK Symposium on Applications of Time-Frequency and Time-Scale Methods (TFTS), Warwick, UK, 1995.
, "ArboX, a Contribution to Digital Library", Computer Applications in Engineering Education, vol. 8, pp. 216–220, 2000.
, "A multipulse-like wavelet-based speech coder", Applied Signal Processing, vol. 3, pp. 78-87, 1996.


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The enthusiasm about social media among public relations professionals is rampant, and encouraging. Wanting to be at the center of a new way to communicate to customers and prospects is a worthy objective. But, under pressure from digital and advertising agencies each looking to be the driver of the social media express, PR firms are sometimes turning over inquisitional rocks that do not portray them as strategic caretakers of brands' social presences.
1. What's the hot new trend in social media that we can bring to our clients?
Better question: How can we optimize and improve our existing social media programs?
2. What's the best way to get the most possible Facebook "likes" and Twitter followers?
Better question: How can we encourage existing customers to truly engage with our clients on the social Web?
3. How can we make a viral video that gets thousands of views?
Better question: How can we optimize a video so that prospective customers find it in search results?
4. How much money should we be pulling from the email budget, to support social media?
Better question: How can we integrate email and social media to increase customization and relevancy?
5. How can we convince our clients that we're good at social media?
Better question: How can we create content in multiple forms and locations that demonstrates our expertise?
6. How can we find a social media guru to add to our team?
Better question: How can we distribute social media knowledge across the entire firm, including ongoing training and knowledge sharing?
7. How can we create a killer social media campaign that will get noticed?
Better question: How can we develop a sustainable, ongoing social media strategy that will turn customers into advocates over the long haul?
8. How can we find the most influential bloggers and get them to write about our client?
Better question: How can we find the existing customers that are already passionate about our client, and turn them into a volunteer marketing army?
Of course, there are a ton of outstanding PR firms doing excellent work in social media, including all the folks I have the great privilege to work with every day here at Convince & Convert. But there are still plenty of PR firms (and companies, for that matter) looking at social media purely as a distribution vehicle. What do you think?


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Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
AP Movie Critic
(AP) - The idea of watching a movie in which a sniper methodically crafts his own bullets, practices weekly at a gun range, then waits quietly in an empty parking garage before shooting five people dead may not sound like the most appealing form of entertainment during these tragic days.
Nevertheless, it's important to assess "Jack Reacher" on its own terms, for what it is and what it isn't. Besides being caught in some unfortunate timing, it's also clever, well-crafted and darkly humorous, and it features one of those effortless bad-ass performances from Tom Cruise that remind us that he is indeed a movie star, first and foremost.
OK, so maybe Cruise doesn't exactly resemble the Reacher of British novelist Lee Child's books: a 6-foot-5, 250-pound, blond behemoth. If you haven't read them, you probably won't care. Even if you have read them, Christopher McQuarrie's film _ the first he's directed and written since 2000's "The Way of the Gun" _ moves so fluidly and with such confidence, it'll suck you in from the start.
McQuarrie, the Oscar-winning writer of "The Usual Suspects," exhibits some Hitchcockian aspirations in "Jack Reacher" with its sense of foreboding from the very beginning, its twists and double crosses and the quintessential icy blonde at the center in British beauty Rosamund Pike. Hinting at a romance between the two main characters is among the film's few mistakes.
As Pee-wee Herman says in "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" to the woman who has a crush on him: "You don't want to get mixed up with a guy like me. I'm a loner, Dottie. A rebel." Taken from the Child novel "One Shot," Jack Reacher is all that: a former military investigator who's become a bit of a mythic figure since he's gone off the grid. No address, no credit card trail. This is a guy who uses pay phones _ that's how stealthy he is.
When the deadly shooting occurs at the film's start, along the Riverwalk outside PNC Park where the Pittsburgh Pirates play, authorities believe they've quickly found their man: a sniper who's ex-Army himself named Barr. He reveals nothing during his interrogation but manages to scribble the words "Get Jack Reacher" on a notepad before winding up in a coma.
Reacher is hard to reach, if you'll pardon the pun, but he knows to show up anyway when he hears about the crime just `cause he's one of those stay-one-step-ahead kind of guys. He agrees to team up with Barr's defense attorney, Helen Rodin (Pike), in hopes of burying the guy. But the deeper he digs, the more he realizes this case isn't as simple as he, the lead detective (David Oyelowo) or the district attorney (Richard Jenkins) _ who happens to be Helen's semi-estranged dad _ had hoped.
Besides being a mind teaser, "Jack Reacher" offers the muscular thrills of a `70s action flick, including fight scenes that mercifully aren't over-edited messes and a thrilling, prolonged car chase through the streets of downtown Pittsburgh, with the grinding and screeching providing its own rhythmic soundtrack. Cruise dials down the megawatt charisma and instead relies on a no-nonsense world-weariness which has its own appeal. He also has a dryly funny give-and-take with Robert Duvall, his "Days of Thunder" co-star, as the gun range owner who becomes Reacher's ally.
Disappointingly, though, Werner Herzog is a bit of a stereotypical villain as a mastermind named The Zec; he's never really fleshed out enough to seem truly frightening, but at least he sounds right for the part. Even when delivering voiceover about subject matter he's excited about in his own films, like the documentary "Cave of Forgotten Dreams," it's as if he's threatening us with world domination.
"Jack Reacher," a Paramount Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for violence, language and some drug material. Running time: 130 minutes. Three stars out of four.
Motion Picture Association of America rating definition for PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Corn and Edamame Succotash - Outdoor Wednesday
...and for Outdoor Wednesday, covered bridges.
More covered bridges of Lane County Oregon can be seen here.
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite..."Sufferin' succotash!" I loved it as a child when it was made with lima beans and I love it now when it's made with edamame. American Indians taught the colonists how to make this dish. We can be pretty certain that they didn't use lima beans in those early versions because the beans, brought here by Europeans from South America, weren't native to North America. They did, however, have other types of beans at their disposal and they used used what was locally available. Over time, other regional additions were made to the mixture. Purists, and I happen to be one of them, insist the dish should be made only with corn, shell beans, butter and cream. Unfortunately, it had been so ineptly prepared and served, that millions remember it as the bad joke that sat in a cafeteria steam table throughout much of the 20th century. Efforts to improve its flavor led to the addition of other vegetables and it became a hodepodge of waring elements. We owe the green movement and its push for simplicity for restoring the dish to its original elements. The only trick to preparing succotash is to make sure the vegetables are cooked, but still retain a bit of crispness. Undercooked they are like rabbit pellets and overcooked they are like mush. The use of edamame has taken a nice dish and made it really special. This is the kind of supper that I make for my self when Bob is traveling. It's very easy to do and quite delicious. Here's the recipe.
Edamame and Corn Succotash...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite
1 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups cooked corn kernels
1-1/2 cups shelled, cooked edamame
1/4 cup cream or half-and-half
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Optional garnish: diced red bell pepper or finely chopped parsley
Place butter in a large skillet and melt over medium heat. Add corn, edamame and cream. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is warmed through. Do not let the mixture boil. Add salt and pepper. Garnish with bell pepper or parsley if using. Serve warm. Yield: 4 servings.
You might also enjoy these recipes:
Brown Buttered corn with Basil - One Perfect Bite
Corn Salad with Edamame and Tomatoes - One Perfect Bite
Golden Corn and Potato Mash - One Perfect Bite
This is being linked to:
Outdoor Wednesday - A Southern Daydreamer
53 comments :
- La Bella Cooks said...
My husband loves succotash and your recipe reminds me I need to make this more often, especially come summer! I better get moving as yours looks delicious.
- April 13, 2010 at 11:48 PM
- Lazaro Cooks said...
Sufferin' Succotash...sorry big looney tunes guy as a kid! Great dish, very festive. Love the contrasting colors.
- April 14, 2010 at 12:30 AM
- Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...
Hi Mary!
I love both edamame and fresh corn, so I now I would love this!
Happy Outdoor Wednesday! - April 14, 2010 at 1:19 AM
- MaryMoh said...
Oooh...I love this dish....very healthy. I made one quite similar the other day. Just didn't use cream. I love edamame and sweet corn.
- April 14, 2010 at 1:50 AM
- ♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ said...
Love those contrasting colors,make not only a beautiful pic but a beautiful delcious eat as well.
- April 14, 2010 at 2:03 AM
- Alessandra said...
THis dish reminds me of New Zealand, and also looks very English. I wander what the native American used before cream and butter were available. In New Zealand too many Maori dishes have been adapted by the addition of cream and butter.
- April 14, 2010 at 2:10 AM
- Sutapa said...
It look so beautiful and appetizing!
I would love to try this! - April 14, 2010 at 2:57 AM
- Diane said...
I had to look up Edamame and I gather it is young soya beans. Now I know the answer I will definately try this dish. Diane
- April 14, 2010 at 3:26 AM
- Sushma Mallya said...
Beautiful colours in that yummy salad...nice one...
- April 14, 2010 at 3:38 AM
- Ana Powell said...
Awesome scenary.
Lovely and fresh looking dish, loved the combination of colours and flavours.
As usual well done x - April 14, 2010 at 3:50 AM
- Anusce@Ciao-Chow said...
I think summer is arriving!!!!
What a great dish...how is it that it is 9am here in Italy and you already have a post in the US (in the middle of the night)?? - April 14, 2010 at 4:00 AM
- giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•. said...
Hi Mary,
sono andata a cercare cosa significava la parola Edamame, e ho letto che è un tipico fagiolo acerbo della Cina.
Anche tu lo cucini con tutto il bacello per poi scartarlo al momento del consumo ?
A vedere la fotografia, deve essere un piatto buono :-) - April 14, 2010 at 4:09 AM
- Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...
very colourful and sound healthy!
- April 14, 2010 at 4:16 AM
- Federica Simoni said...
Ciao Mary! è sempre un piacere passare a trovarti!! anche oggi una ricetta super! complimenti!! ciao!
- April 14, 2010 at 4:43 AM
- eileeninmd said...
The scenery and the covered bridge are both wonderful. Great shot. I have never tried Succotash, maybe someday.
- April 14, 2010 at 4:44 AM
- Unknown said...
Mary, one word: YUM!
I absolutely love edamame beans. I'll keep this recipe in mind for summer. - April 14, 2010 at 4:55 AM
- Light and Voices said...
Lovely red covered bridge photograph.
Joyce M - April 14, 2010 at 4:55 AM
- Allie and Pattie said...
Great idea t use edamame! I buy it often as the little ones snack on it. Wonderful!
xoxo Pattie - April 14, 2010 at 5:16 AM
- GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...
Not many people in my family like succotash but it was a dish my dad liked and I love it. I think this version with the edamame sound great!
I enjoyed your post with the beautiful covered bridges!
Kindly, ldh - April 14, 2010 at 5:55 AM
- Ann said...
perefect and healthy snack.. looks so yum
- April 14, 2010 at 6:03 AM
- sanjeet said...
I need to make this more often, especially come summer! I better get moving as yours looks delicious.
post free classified ads - April 14, 2010 at 6:07 AM
- Joanne said...
I love succotash and this edamame version looks super delicious. You've got me in the mood for corn season to get here soon!
- April 14, 2010 at 7:11 AM
- Big Dude said...
I had to look up edamame, but the dish sounds very good.
- April 14, 2010 at 7:12 AM
- Debbi Does Dinner Healthy said...
I've just been getting into edamame in the last year here, this looks excellent. I make a couple of different salads with it but this looks different. Thanks!
- April 14, 2010 at 8:17 AM
- Simply Life said...
WOW! What a delicious and perfect dish!
- April 14, 2010 at 8:27 AM
- 3 hungry tummies said...
Oh lovely photos screaming spring is here!
- April 14, 2010 at 8:35 AM
- Allison Shops said...
Looks delicious. Dropping by from Outdoor Wednesday.
AtticMag - April 14, 2010 at 8:40 AM
- Unknown said...
I think I have never understood succotash until now! Wonderful!
- April 14, 2010 at 8:45 AM
- Kim said...
You had me with the mere mention of edamame. I love that stuff:D
- April 14, 2010 at 8:54 AM
- The Chef In My Head said...
I'm embarrased I have never made this before. Love your recipe! The swap for the edamame is a sure way to get me to! Have a wonderful day Mary ~LeslieMichele
- April 14, 2010 at 9:34 AM
- Lyndas recipe box said...
I'm one who has not tried succotash before, mainly because it did not look appealing, but yours looks delicious, so I'll have to try your version! I love your use of edamame in this dish.
- April 14, 2010 at 9:41 AM
- ♥ Kathy said...
That looks yummy Mary :) Happy Outdoor Wednesday!
- April 14, 2010 at 10:15 AM
- Schnitzel and the Trout said...
This looks good. Shyly I step to the soapbox and proclaim..."I have never eaten edamame." I think now is the time to try it, though I am fond of lima beans. Thanks Mary and have a good day.
- April 14, 2010 at 10:23 AM
- Nancy's Notes said...
Scrumptious dish and oh so colorful! I think I'll make it this evening!
Nancy - April 14, 2010 at 10:39 AM
- Mary Bergfeld said...
Alesssandra, they'd use bear or other animal fat and water.
- April 14, 2010 at 10:44 AM
- Alessandra said...
I though so Mary :-), I didn't want to say something silly. ;-D thank you!
- April 14, 2010 at 11:58 AM
- Trissa said...
I'm a great fan of edamame, never thought to pair it with something else to make a salad! I'll have to try this. And by the way, thank you for sharing pictures of the bridges, they look beautiful and peaceful.
- April 14, 2010 at 12:13 PM
- Namitha said...
Wonderful !!Lovely pictures too...Hope you'll have a fun day :-)
- April 14, 2010 at 12:34 PM
- Angie's Recipes said...
A very healthy, colourful and delicious SPRING salad.
- April 14, 2010 at 12:34 PM
- Unknown said...
Thats really a healthy colourful dish..have a great day....
- April 14, 2010 at 12:49 PM
- Maria said...
Love the colors! Perfect for spring and summer!
- April 14, 2010 at 12:50 PM
- Carol said...
I've never had succotash I think because of Lima beans. but I would definitely have it with edamame! Love your recipe, looks so good, I have to try it!
- April 14, 2010 at 2:09 PM
- foodcreate said...
It look so awesome and delicious !
I would love to make this dish.. - April 14, 2010 at 2:40 PM
YUM!!! I love butterbeans or butter peas in soccotash, but I'm going to have to try this for a change.
- April 14, 2010 at 2:59 PM
- Liesl said...
Mmmmm I love Succotash!! This looks delicious!! Perfect refreshing treat for this spring weather!
- April 14, 2010 at 3:09 PM
- Barbara said...
This is going on my make soon list, Mary! I love the looks of this and it's so healthy!
And for another very good reason. One of my favorite salads is made with corn, edamame and green onions. It's roasted in the oven for 20 minutes, then dressed with a little red wine vinegar, fresh basil and tomatoes. Saw Alton Brown make it last year and we've been eating it ever since! - April 14, 2010 at 3:23 PM
- Biren said...
Firstly, thanks for visiting my blog and for your kind comments. Edamame is wonderful and I always have some frozen ones in the freezer. The are best minimally cooked like in your succotash. What a wonderful side dish!
It's lovely country out there and those covered bridges are so charming. We've driven through Idaho and Washington but not Oregon. Will have to make another trip out west sometime :) - April 14, 2010 at 5:59 PM
- Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...
Hi Mary. Gorgeous photo of the corn and edamame succotash. I wish I could get myself to like edamame. I feel like I'm the only person in the world who doesn't love it. This beautiful salad would convince me to give it another try.
However I'm crazy about that red covered bridge.
Sam - April 14, 2010 at 6:05 PM
- Michelle said...
I absolutely love Succotash. It's something about this combo of vegetables that is just so good! I swear I could eat it every day and not get tired of it.
- April 14, 2010 at 6:21 PM
- noble pig said...
I love the edamame in this, a real treat as far as I'm concerned.
- April 14, 2010 at 7:26 PM
- tasteofbeirut said...
Love that name succotash, sounds so fun! Great thing that the dish is made using tradition as a guide! edamame or not, this is beautiful and delish!
- April 14, 2010 at 10:45 PM
- Deb in Hawaii said...
This looks so good with those edamame--very fresh and delicious!
- April 15, 2010 at 6:38 AM
- angela@spinachtiger said...
Really cool fun idea. Gives me lots of inspiration for corn season.
- April 15, 2010 at 2:43 PM


text:
Over the past couple of months I have been consumed by guilt. Even though I had tons of ideas and a couple of sleepless nights I did miss a couple of Sugar High Fridays. Guilty! It matters. It's sugar. Allright, so "consumed" is a little strong. Upset that I could not work my schedule right to find an hour to make cupcakes is more realistic. When something I could have done starts bugging me, the smaller it is, the more it bugs me. I can easily forget there is an elephant in the room, but if a tiny little fly starts dancing in my head….It will keep dancing and buzzing until I do something about it. The elephant will still be in the room though.
I missed Fanny's S.O.S for cupcakes but I surely was not going to miss Anita's call for SHF spiced up sweets. So when C. and I started to plan her upcoming birtday party, the little fly in my head started to dance, loudly. Tap dancing even. Maybe I could combine both.
C: hmm, not sure what I want for dessert for my birthday…
Me: Cupcakes! You want cupcakes!
C: really?
Me: chocolate cupcakes with a hint of cardamom…
C: that's very grown up for a cupcake
Me: Well, that's settled then! Chocolate Cardamom Cupcakes! Glad we had this discussion!
Allright, so that was the summed up version. I did give her some space to think and talk more than that, give me some credit here! I did however guided her towards the bittersweet chocolate cupcakes and the addition of cardamom in them which is a spice that she likes as much as I do. The frosting is a simple whipped ganache. Easy, rich and chocolatey to the bone. The combination seems classic and worked well as there were one left for her last night! Too bad I can only send a picture to Anita for this month SHF!!
Bittersweet Chocolate and Cardamom Cupcakes:
Makes 24 cupcakes.
Kitchen Notes: the whipped ganache needs to go on the cupcakes as soon as it is ready so have the cupcakes baked and completely cooled. Make sure the ganache is chilled well before whipping or it might separate.
Note: I noticed a bloop (sorry was typing late night-early morning) and in the ganache I gave the single measure of chocolate for a double measure of cream. My sincere apologies…and yes, I promise to stop typing this late 🙂
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cardamom and salt and set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar on medium speed until airy and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition (scrape down the sides if necessary). Still on medium speed, add the chocolate and mixing until well incorporated. Add the flour,baking soda and salt alternating with the buttermilk . Make sure that all the ingredients are well incorporated but do not overbeat. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. Spoon the batter into cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Whipped Ganache Frosting:
12 ounces (360 gr) good quality bittersweet chocolate
2 cups (500ml) heavy cream
Place the chocolate in a medium size bowl and set aside. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the cream to a simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for a couple of minutes. Stir the cream and chocolate together gently until the mass becomes smooth and shiny. Let cool and refrigerate until very cold. When ready to use, whip the ganache until it is holds its shape and spreads easily. Use as soon as it is made or it will be too stiff to pipe. If this happens, just reheat it on top of a double boiler to melt it again, and repeat the cooling and whipping process. If your chocolate is less than 72% bittersweet, add 2 more ounces before adding the hot cream.
We had a tad more than needed but with enough spoons digging into it, it was not a problem.


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University of Massachusetts Amherst Student Publications Collection
Since almost the time of first arrival of students at Massachusetts Agricultural College in 1867, the college's students have taken an active role in publishing items for their own consumption. Beginning with the appearance of the first yearbook, put together by the pioneer class during their junior year in 1870 and followed by publication of the first, short-lived newspaper, The College Monthly in 1887, students have been responsible for dozens of publications from literature to humor to a range of politically- and socially-oriented periodicals.
This series consists of the collected student publications from Massachusetts Agricultural College, Massachusetts State College, and UMass Amherst, including student newspapers, magazines, newsletters, inserts, yearbooks, and songbooks. Publications range from official publications emanating from the student body to unofficial works by student interest groups or academic departments. Links to digitized versions of the periodicals are supplied when available.


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"Cannabidiol: Barriers to Research and Potential Medical Benefits"
Mr. Chairman, Ms. Chairwoman, and Members of the Senate Drug Caucus, thank you for inviting the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to participate in this hearing to share what we know about the biology and the potential therapeutic effects of cannabidiol (CBD), one of the main active chemical compounds found in marijuana. In light of the rapidly evolving interest in the potential use of marijuana and its derivative compounds for medical purposes, it is important to take stock of what we know and do not know about the therapeutic potential of CBD.
To date, 23 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws allowing marijuana to be used for a variety of medical conditions. Fifteen additional states have enacted laws intended to allow access to CBD oil and/or high-CBD strains of marijuana. Interest in the potential therapeutic effects of CBD has been growing rapidly, partially in response to media attention surrounding the use of CBD oil in young children with intractable seizure disorders including Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. While there are promising preliminary data, the scientific literature is currently insufficient to either prove or disprove the efficacy and safety of CBD in patients with epilepsy.i and further clinical evaluation is warranted. In addition to epilepsy, the therapeutic potential of CBD is currently being explored for a number of indications including anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, schizophrenia, cancer, pain, inflammatory diseases and others. My testimony will provide an overview of what the science tells us about the therapeutic potential of CBD and of the ongoing research supported by NIH in this area.
CBD Biology and Therapeutic Rationale
CBD is one of more than 80 active cannabinoid chemicals in the marijuana plant.ii Unlike the main psychoactive cannabinoid in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD does not produce euphoria or intoxication.iii,iv,v Cannabinoids have their effect mainly by interacting with specific receptors on cells in the brain and body: the CB1 receptor, found on neurons and glial cells in various parts of the brain, and the CB2 receptor, found mainly in the body's immune system. The euphoric effects of THC are caused by its activation of CB1 receptors. CBD has a very low affinity for these receptors (100 fold less than THC) and when it binds it produces little to no effect. There is also growing evidence that CBD acts on other brain signaling systems, and that these actions may be important contributors to its therapeutic effects.ii
Preclinical and Clinical Evidence
Rigorous clinical studies are still needed to evaluate the clinical potential of CBD for specific conditions.i However, pre-clinical research (including both cell culture and animal models) has shown CBD to have a range of effects that may be therapeutically useful, including anti-seizure, antioxidant, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-tumor, anti-psychotic, and anti-anxiety properties.
Anti-Seizure Effects
A number of studies over the last two decades or more have reported that CBD has anti-seizure activity, reducing the severity of seizures in animal models.vi,vii In addition, there have been a number of case studies and anecdotal reports suggesting that CBD may be effective in treating children with drug-resistant epilepsy.viii,ix,x However, there have only been a few small randomized clinical trials examining the efficacy of CBD as a treatment for epilepsy; the total number of subjects enrolled in these studies was 48. Three of the four studies reported positive results, including decreased frequency of seizures. However, the studies suffered from significant design flaws, including failure to fully quantify baseline seizure frequency, inadequate statistical analysis, and a lack of sufficient detail to adequately evaluate and interpret the findings.viii Therefore, the currently available information is insufficient to draw firm conclusions regarding the efficacy of CBD as a treatment for epilepsy; a recent Cochrane review concluded, there is a need for "a series of properly designed, high quality, and adequately powered trials."xi
NIDA is currently collaborating with the National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke to evaluate CBD in animal models of epilepsy in order to understand the underlying mechanisms and optimize the conditions under which CBD may treat seizure disorders, and determine whether it works synergistically with other anti-seizure medications. In addition, clinical trials are currently underway by GW Pharmaceuticals, testing the efficacy of Epidiolex, a purified CBD extract, for treatment of pediatric epilepsy.
Neuroprotective and Anti-Inflammatory Effects
CBD has also been shown to have neuroprotective properties in cell cultures as well as in animal models of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's,xii,xiii,xiv stroke,xv glutamate toxicity,xvi multiple sclerosis (MS),xvii Parkinson's disease,xviii and neurodegeneration caused by alcohol abuse.xix Nabiximols (trade name Sativex), which contains THC and CBD in roughly equal proportions, has been approved throughout most of Europe and in a number of other countries for the treatment of spasticity associated with MS. It has not been approved in the United States, but clinical trials are ongoing, and two recent studies reported that nabiximols reduced the severity of spasticity in MS patients.xx,xxi There have been limited clinical trials to assess the potential efficacy of CBD for the other indications highlighted; however, a recent small double-blind trial in patients with Parkinson's disease found the CBD improved quality-of-life scores.xxii
Analgesic Effects
There have been multiple clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy of nabiximols on central and peripheral neuropathic pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer pain.xxiii In addition, nabiximols is currently approved in Canada for the treatment of central neuropathic pain in MS and cancer pain unresponsive to opioid therapy. However, the current evidence suggests that the analgesia is mediated by THC and it is unclear whether CBD contributes to the therapeutic effects.xxiv THC alone has been shown to reduce pain;xxv,xxvi we are unaware of clinical studies that have explored the efficacy of CBD alone on pain. However, the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD (discussed above) could be predicted to play a role in the analgesic effects of nabiximols. Recent research has also suggested that cannabinoids and opioids have different mechanisms for reducing pain and that their effects may be additive, which suggests that combination therapies may be developed that may have reduced risks compared to current opioid therapies. However, this work is very preliminary.xxvii
Anti-Tumor Effects
In addition to the research on the use of cannabinoids in palliative treatments for cancer—reducing pain and nausea and in increasing appetite—there are also several pre-clinical reports showing anti-tumor effects of CBD in cell culture and in animal models.xxviii These studies have found reduced cell viability, increased cancer cell death, decreased tumor growth, and inhibition of metastasis (reviewed in McAllister et al, 2015).xxix These effects may be due to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of CBD;xxx however these findings have not yet been explored in human patients. There are multiple industry sponsored clinical trials underway to begin to test the efficacy of CBD in human cancer patients.
Anti-Psychotic Effects
Marijuana can produce acute psychotic episodes at high doses, and several studies have linked marijuana use to increased risk for chronic psychosis in individuals with specific genetic risk factors. Research suggests that these effects are mediated by THC, and it has been suggested that CBD may mitigate these effects.xxxi There have been a few small-scale clinical trials in which patients with psychotic symptoms were treated with CBD, including case reports of patients with schizophrenia that reported conflicting results; a small case study in patients with Parkinson's disease with psychosis, which reported positive results; and one small randomized clinical trial reporting clinical improvement in patients with schizophrenia treated with CBD.xxxii Large randomized clinical trials would be needed to fully evaluate the therapeutic potential of CBD for patients with schizophrenia and other forms of psychosis.
Anti-Anxiety Effects
CBD has shown therapeutic efficacy in a range of animal models of anxiety and stress, reducing both behavioral and physiological (e.g., heart rate) measures of stress and anxiety.xxxiii,xxxiv In addition, CBD has shown efficacy in small human laboratory and clinical trials. CBD reduced anxiety in patients with social anxiety subjected to a stressful public speaking task.xxxv In a laboratory protocol designed to model post-traumatic stress disorders, CBD improved "consolidation of extinction learning", in other words, forgetting of traumatic memories.xxxvi The anxiety-reducing effects of CBD appear to be mediated by alterations in serotonin receptor 1a signaling, although the precise mechanism remains to be elucidated and more research is needed.xxxvii
Efficacy for Treating Substance Use Disorders
Early preclinical findings also suggest that CBD may have therapeutic value as a treatment of substance use disorders. CBD reduced the rewarding effects of morphinexxxviii and reduced cue-induced heroin seekingxxxix in animal models. A few small clinical trials have examined CBD and/or nabiximols (THC/CBD) for the treatment of substance use disorders; however, the available data are not sufficient to draw conclusions. NIDA is supporting multiple ongoing clinical trials in this area.
Safety of CBD
For reasons discussed previously, despite its molecular similarity to THC, CBD only interacts with cannabinoid receptors weakly at very high doses (100 times that of THC),xl and the alterations in thinking and perception caused by THC are not observed with CBD.iii.iv,v The different pharmacological properties of CBD give it a different safety profile from THC.
A review of 25 studies on the safety and efficacy of CBD did not identify significant side effects across a wide range of dosages, including acute and chronic dose regimens, using various modes of administration.xli CBD is present in nabiximols which, as noted earlier, is approved throughout most of Europe and in other countries. Because of this, there is extensive information available with regard to its metabolism, toxicology, and safety. However, additional safety testing among specific patient populations may be warranted should an application be made to the Food and Drug Administration.
Research Opportunities and Challenges
This is a critical area for new research. While there is preliminary evidence that CBD may have therapeutic value for a number of conditions, we need to be careful to not get ahead of the evidence. Ninety-five percent of drugs that move from promising preclinical findings to clinical research do not make it to market. The recently announced elimination of the PHS review of non-federally funded research protocols involving marijuana is an important first step to enhance conducting research on marijuana and its components such as CBD. Still, it is important to try to understand the reasons for the lack of well-controlled clinical trials of CBD including: the regulatory requirements associated with doing research with Schedule I substances, including a requirement to demonstrate institutional review board approval; and the lack of CBD that has been produced under the guidance of Current Good Manufacturing Processes (cGMP) – required for testing in human clinical trials – available for researchers. Furthermore, the opportunity to gather important information on clinical outcomes through practical (non-randomized) trials for patients using CBD products available in state marijuana dispensaries is complicated by the variable quality and purity of CBD from these sources.
Ongoing CBD Research
The NIH recognizes the need for additional research on the therapeutic effects of CBD and other cannabinoids, and supports ongoing efforts to reduce barriers to research in this area. NIH is currently supporting a number of studies on the therapeutic effects as well as the health risks of cannabinoids. These include studies of the therapeutic value of CBD for:
- Treatment of substance use disorders (opioids, alcohol, cannabis, methamphetamine)
- Attenuation of the cognitive deficits caused by THC
- Neuropathic pain due to spinal cord injury
- Mitigating the impact of cannabis use on risk for schizophrenia
- Examination of the potential of CBD as an antiepileptic treatment
It is important to note that NIDA's mission is focused on drug abuse; studies related to the therapeutic effects of CBD in other areas would be funded by the Institute or Center responsible for that program area. For example, studies related to epilepsy will likely be funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke or by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, while studies related to schizophrenia will likely be funded by the National Institute on Mental Health.
There is significant preliminary research supporting the potential therapeutic value of CBD, and while it is not yet sufficient to support drug approval, it highlights the need for rigorous clinical research in this area. There are barriers that should be addressed to facilitate more research in this area. We appreciate the opportunity to testify on the potential use of CBD for therapeutic purposes. Thank you again for inviting me here today, and I look forward to any questions you may have.
- i Welty et al. Cannabidiol: promise and pitfalls. Epilepsy Curr. 14(5):250-2. (2014).
- ii Borgelt et al. The pharmacologic and clinical effects of medical cannabis. Pharmacotherapy (Review) 33 (2): 195–209 (2013).
- iii Martin-Santos et al. Acute effects of a single, oral dose of d9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) administration in healthy volunteers. Curr Pharm Des. 2012;18(32):4966-79.
- iv Fusar-Poli et al. Distinct Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol on Neural Activation During Emotional Processing. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009;66(1):95-105.
- v Winton-Brown et al. Modulation of Auditory and Visual Processing by Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol: an fMRI Study. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2011 Jun;36(7):1340-8.
- vi Jones et al. Cannabidiol exerts anti-convulsant effects in animal models of temporal lobe and partial seizures. Seizure. 2012 Jun;21(5):344-52.
- vii Consroe P and Wolkin A. Cannabidiol--antiepileptic drug comparisons and interactions in experimentally induced seizures in rats. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1977 Apr;201(1):26-32.
- viii Porter BE and Jacobson C. Report of a parent survey of cannabidiol-enriched cannabis use in pediatric treatment-resistant epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior 29 (2013) 574–577.
- ix Press et al. Parental reporting of response to oral cannabis extracts for treatment of refractory epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior 45 (2015) 49–52.
- x Hussain et al. Perceived efficacy of cannabidiol-enriched cannabis extracts for treatment of pediatric epilepsy: A potential role for infantile spasms and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Epilepsy Behav. 2015 Apr 29. pii: S1525-5050(15)00157-2.
- xi Gloss and Vickrey B. Cannabinoids for epilepsy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 3:CD009270. (2014).
- xii Esposito G et al. The marijuana component cannabidiol inhibits beta-amyloid-induced tau protein hyperphosphorylation through Wnt/beta-catenin pathway rescue in PC12 cells. J Mol Med (Berl). 84(3):253-8. (2006).
- xiii Martín-Moreno et al. Cannabidiol and Other Cannabinoids Reduce Microglial Activation In Vitro and In Vivo: Relevance to Alzheimer's Disease. Molecular Pharmacology. 79(6):964-973. (2011).
- xiv Iuvone et al.Neuroprotective effect of cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive component from Cannabis sativa, on beta-amyloid-induced toxicity in PC12 cells. J Neurochem. 89(1):134-41. (2004).
- xv Pazos et al. Mechanisms of cannabidiol neuroprotection in hypoxic-ischemic newborn pigs:role of 5HT(1A) and CB2 receptors. Neuropharmacology. 71:282-91. (2013).
- xvi Hampson et al. Cannabidiol and (-)Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol are neuroprotective antioxidants. Proc Natl AcadSci U S A.95(14):8268-73. (1998).
- xvii Pryce et al. Neuroprotection inExperimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis and Progressive Multiple Sclerosis by Cannabis-Based Cannabinoids. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2014 Dec 24. [Epub ahead of print]
- xviii García-Arencibia et al. Evaluation of the neuroprotective effect of cannabinoids in a rat model of Parkinson's disease: importance of antioxidant and cannabinoid receptor-independent properties. Brain Res. 1134(1):162-70. (2007).
- xix Hamelink et al. Comparison of cannabidiol, antioxidants, and diuretics in reversing binge ethanol-induced neurotoxicity. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2005 Aug;314(2):780-8.
- xx Di Marzo and Centonze . Placebo effects in a multiple sclerosis spasticity enriched clinical trial with the oromucosal cannabinoid spray (THC/CBD): dimension and possible causes. CNS Neurosci Ther. 21(3):215-21. (2015).
- xxi Flachenecker et al. Nabiximols (THC/CBD oromucosal spray,Sativex®) in clinical practice--results of a multicenter, non-interventional study (MOVE 2) in patients with multiple sclerosis spasticity. Eur Neurol.71(5-6):271-9. (2014)
- xxii Chagas et al. Effects of cannabidiol in the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease: an exploratory double-blind trial. J Psychopharmacol. 28(11):1088-98. (2014).
- xxiii Russo EB. Cannabinoids in the management of difficult to treat pain. Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management. 4(1):245-259.(2008).
- xxiv Iskedjian et al. Meta-analysis of cannabis based treatments for neuropathic and multiple sclerosis-related pain. Curr Med Res Opin. 23(1):17-24.(2007).
- xxv Svendsen et al. Does the cannabinoid dronabinol reduce central pain in multiple sclerosis? Randomised double blind placebo controlled crossover trial. BMJ. 2004 Jul 31;329(7460):253.
- xxvi Portenoy et al. Nabiximols for opioid-treated cancer patients with poorly-controlled chronic pain: a randomized, placebo-controlled, graded-dose trial. J Pain. 2012 May;13(5):438-49.
- xxvii Neelakantan et al. Distinct interactions of cannabidiol and morphine in three nociceptive behavioral models in mice. Behav Pharmacol. 26(3):304-14. (2015).
- xxviii McAllister et al. The Antitumor Activity of Plant-Derived Non-Psychoactive Cannabinoids. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2015 Apr28. [Epub ahead of print]
- xxix McAllister et al. The Antitumor Activity of Plant-Derived Non-Psychoactive Cannabinoids. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2015 Apr28. [Epub ahead of print].
- xxx Massi et al. 5-Lipoxygenase and anandamide hydrolase (FAAH) mediate the antitumor activity of cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid. J Neurochem. 2008 Feb;104(4):1091-100.
- xxxi Wilkinson et al. Impact of Cannabis Use on the Development of Psychotic Disorders. Curr Addict Rep. 2014 Jun 1;1(2):115-128.
- xxxii Iseger and Bossong. A systematic review of the antipsychotic properties of cannabidiol in humans. Schizophr Res. 162(1-3):153-61. (2015).
- xxxiii Guimaraes et al. Antianxiety effect of cannabidiol in the elevated plus-maze. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 100:558–559 (1990).
- xxxiv Lemos et al. Involvement of the prelimbic prefrontal cortex on cannabidiol-induced attenuation of contextual conditioned fear in rats. Behav Brain Res 207:105–111(2010).
- xxxv Bergamaschi et al. Cannabidiol reduces the anxiety induced by simulated public speaking in treatment-naive social phobia patients. Neuropsychopharmacology 2011;36:1219–1226.
- xxxvi Das et al. Cannabidiol enhances consolidation of explicit fear extinction in humans. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2013 Apr;226(4):781-92.
- xxxvii Campos et al. Involvement of serotonin-mediated neurotransmission in the dorsal periaqueductal gray matter on cannabidiol chronic effects in panic-like responses in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2013 Mar;226(1):13-24.
- xxxviii Katsidoni et al. Cannabidiol inhibits the reward-facilitating effect of morphine: involvement of 5-HT1A receptors in the dorsal raphe nucleus. Addict Biol. 2013;18(2):286–96.
- xxxix Ren et al. Cannabidiol, a nonpsychotropic component of cannabis, inhibits cue-induced heroin seeking and normalizes discrete mesolimbic neuronal disturbances. J Neurosci. 2009;29(47):14764–9.
- xl Pertwee RG. The diverse CB1 and CB2 receptor pharmacology of three plant cannabinoids: Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin. Br J Pharmacol. 2008 Jan; 153(2): 199–215.
- xli Bergamaschi et al. Safety and side effects of cannabidiol, a Cannabis sativa constituent. Curr Drug Saf. 2011 Sep 1;6(4):237-49.


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King Abdullah of Jordan had hoped next week's parliamentary elections would be the jewel in the crown of a reform process designed to inoculate the Kingdom from the fever of political rebellion raging across the region. Little chance of that now, with the most popular opposition movement — the Muslim Brotherhood — having opted to boycott the poll in protest at the limited powers on offer to the election winners and against electoral laws that considerably diminish the value of urban votes. That's bad news for the prospects for stability in a country beset by rising political tensions fueled by economic hardships and in growing danger of infection from the morbid symptoms of the civil war in neighboring Syria.
"Jordan faces growing economic challenges and a political system whose legitimacy is increasingly questioned," notes Julien Barnes-Dacey of the European Council on Foreign Relations. "Add to that the risk of spillover jihadist violence from Syria, as well as the rise of Muslim Brotherhood influence in both Egypt and Syria potentially emboldening Jordan's own Brotherhood to articulate more radical demands, and there is some concern of instability in Jordan."
(MORE: Jordan's Survival Strategy Hits a Wall: Tightening Funds Make It Hard to Buy Support)
The immediate impact of the Syrian conflict on Jordan's fragile polity is twofold: the influx of refugees into Jordan and the outflow of jihadists from Jordan into Syria to join the fight. According to U.N. figures, some 183,000 Syrian refugees have already made their way to Jordan, and the real number may already be higher — and likely to grow while an end to the civil war remains elusive. And even in the misery of the sparse tent camps in which they're being forced to endure a brutal winter, those refugees impose a further strain on an economy already struggling to meet its obligations to its base. Tensions are reportedly rising in those camps over lack of food and resources. And the refugee issue carries a political undertone for the tribal Bedouin support base of the Hashemite throne, whose traditional prerogatives have long been threatened by a Palestinian refugee population that constitutes Jordan's demographic majority.
Jihadism creates an even more immediate security impact. Syrian Islamists have begun using Jordan as a rear area from which to stage their insurgency in the south, according to Nicolas Pelham of the International Crisis Group, while public calls from Jordanian Salafis have seen hundreds of young radicals cross the border to join the fight in Syria's civil war. By some accounts, the main body of foreign fighters in Jabhat al-Nusra — recently branded a terrorist organization by the U.S. — are Iraqi and Jordanian. Security officials in Amman fear that the return home of this cohort of battle-hardened and radicalized Islamists will result in a recurrence of the domestic security nightmare faced by Arab regimes when volunteers who'd fought the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s went home a decade later.
(MORE: Will Syria's Conflict Spill Over into War-Weary Iraq?)
The long-term impact of the Syrian rebellion, of course, is just as much a source of anxiety: a persistence of the bloody stalemate or a breakup of Syria into sectarian fiefdoms means the creation of a long-term jihadi breeding ground right on Jordan's border. Iraq's centers of insurgent militancy were separated by hundreds of miles of desert from Jordan's towns and cities, whereas Syrian cauldrons of rebellion, like the city of Dara'a, are immediately across the border from Jordanian hotbeds of militancy such as Irbid and Zarqa.
And even though King Abdullah in November 2011 urged President Bashar Assad to step down, today the Kingdom's officials are anxious at the prospect of a rebel victory. That's because the Muslim Brotherhood remains the dominant element of both the political and military leadership structures backed by the West — and its strongest competition among the armed rebel formations comes from more radical Salafis rather than secular liberals. Amman fears that a rebel victory in Syria, combined with the ascendancy of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, will embolden the Jordanian Brotherhood to challenge the power of the throne.
The regional ascendancy of the Muslim Brotherhood would, by the logic of the reform process, make the case for integrating it into the Jordanian political system at a moment when its demands are moderate — insisting, for example, that winning the election should give it the right to form the government even as the King retains extensive executive power. The Brotherhood's inclination is to make a political deal; however, the authorities remain reluctant to go down that road. "But the palace is also stuck in a difficult position," Barnes-Dacey notes. "If it opens up a more representative political system, it risks angering its tribal base, which fears the Palestinian majority taking over and denying the tribes their traditional patronage privileges."
(MORE: Jordan's King Holds On, Despite Rising Discontent)
"Jordan's best hope for avoiding a potential disaster may be the fact that many Jordanians, even among the Islamists and others in the opposition, prefer the stability of the status quo and modest efforts at reform to the sort of turmoil that has rocked neighboring Iraq and Syria in recent years," notes Barnes-Dacey. But the impact of the ongoing turmoil in Syria on the increasingly brittle political order in Jordan suggests that the kingdom's rulers will be living dangerously for some time to come.


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by Paul Lefebvre
copyright the Chronicle August 1, 2012
MONTPELIER — As a one-legged fellow, Bernie Henault had a long stride: a stride that carried him through the doors of one social agency after another in the Kingdom and into the State House committee rooms here in the state's capital.
Perhaps it was fitting and most appropriate then that the last tribute paid to Bernie was in the cafeteria where politicians and lobbyists mingle over lunch and pitch issues.
"He spent a great deal of his life roaming through these halls and that's the reason why we're meeting in this cafeteria," said Sharon Henault, Bernie's wife and partner in working for the poor and those who must cope with a physical disability.
Saturday's potluck tribute to Mr. Henault, who died June 4, came on what would have been his seventieth birthday. A familiar figure at town meetings as well an animated talker on the streets of Island Pond, Mr. Henault was indefatigable in his advocacy for social justice for the poor and the disabled. Nor was he afraid to step outside the box.
"He was the best antidote to group think I know," said Susan Yuan of Jericho, who served on low-income committees with Bernie.
She said he had a larger vision than most of the other committee members in that he saw that advocacy begins at home. She noted that Bernie urged other advocates to take the issues that affected their clients back to their local school boards and town meetings.
Ed Paquin of Montpelier, who once served as a state legislator in the House and is the current executive director of Disability Rights of Vermont — a nonprofit agency that provides legal representation to its clients — described Mr. Henault as a tenacious fighter for the cause and one not easy to appease.
"He was a great guy to call your bluff," recalled Mr. Paquin, who gets around in a wheelchair.
Mr. Henault was 17 when he was struck by a drunk driver that led to the amputation of one of his legs, according to an interview he gave recently to a reporter with the Rutland Herald.
A man with an empty pant leg who relied solely on crutches, Mr. Henault was equally as passionate about education as he was social justice.
He served on the North Country Union High School Board and along with Sharon adopted two biracial girls, whom he guided on what to expect in a Northeast Kingdom public school system that historically sees few people of color.
Samantha, who is now a 21-year old single mom, living at home with her mother and going to college, recalled her public school experience as the "only girl with two disabled parents and the only mixed girl."
Bernie, she said, taught her to feel proud that she was different, told her to hold her head high.
"He was always protective of me. Always," she said, as she contended with a different problem in the same hallways where her father had once bent a legislator's ear: Her two-year old daughter, Jaelyn, was acting up.
A Democrat who worked for Robert Kennedy in the party's 1968 presidential primary, Mr. Henault was no stranger to electoral politics. He repeatedly ran for a seat in the Vermont House and, although he never won, his ardor for public service never diminished.
No doubt it was a trait that U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders admired and praised when he showed up Saturday in the closing moments of the tribute.
Their relationship dated back to the 1970s when the two worked together on low-income issues, recalled Mrs. Henault in a telephone interview this week.
"If Bernie was looking down from above I know he'd be pleased," she said, adding that the two men were friends as well as political allies.
People who worked with Mr. Henault recalled that he had a big voice and a pointing finger when it came to advocating on behalf of his clients.
Testimonials Saturday recalled that Bernie told his clients to see themselves as differently able people, never disabled, which gave them a different outlook about themselves and the world.
More than one speaker remembered him as the person who initiated the first wheelchair, "Mini Olympics" games in the state. Or as the powerful voice who spearheaded the movement for independent living in the Kingdom.
Assertiveness was one of his traits.
"He was a guy to push you all he could if you represented the system," noted one of the speakers.
Sarah Laundervill remembered meeting Bernie when she was teaching a class at Springfield College's satellite campus in St. Johnsbury. Her students were making their final presentations in a course on social work. Bernie, who had come to the campus on another matter, stuck his head in the classroom to listen. He wasn't impressed.
"You must do better if you're going out into the community," he told one of the students.
Afterwards, Ms. Laundervill said she made a point of engaging Bernie in a conversation, but recalled having a difficult time getting him to listen to her.
Someone in the group quickly picked up the thread of her story, saying that at this moment Bernie was no doubt up in heaven telling them how they could do it better.
"I don't think God could get a word in edgewise," she concluded.
People Saturday characterized Bernie as someone who was infallibly human, someone who had his weaknesses as well as his strengths. But most agreed that as an advocate he was a person who put the human in human services.
"It's going to be very Bernie-like," said Sharon, when she earlier characterized how she expected the tribute would play out.
"Very informal with people sitting around eating and talking."
That's pretty much the way it went with one exception: On behalf of the Vermont Statewide Independent Living Council, Harriet Hall presented a plaque to Mrs. Henault in recognition of Bernie's efforts for the group.
contact Paul Lefebvre at [email protected]
For more free articles from the Chronicle like this one, see our Featuring page. For all the Chronicle's stories, pick up a print copy or subscribe, either for print or digital.


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Iran runs altered images of Michelle Obama gown
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iranian state media has run altered images of U.S. first lady Michelle Obama's Oscars appearance, making her gown look less revealing...
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state media has run altered images of U.S. first lady Michelle Obama's Oscars appearance, making her gown look less revealing.
The first lady wore a sleeveless, scoop neck gown. The semi-official Fars news agency ran an altered photo that covered her shoulders and neckline with added material. State TV showed images that blurred the parts of her body that were exposed.
Under Iran's Islamic dress code, women are required to cover their bodies in public. Films showing foreign women without a headscarf are considered acceptable, but revealing clothes are forbidden.
For the Oscars ceremony, Michelle Obama at the White House joined Jack Nicholson via video link to help present the best picture prize for "Argo," a film based on the escape of six American hostages from the besieged U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.
Fars said the first lady's announcement suggested that the film was made with U.S. government support. Iranian officials have dismissed "Argo" as a CIA commercial.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.