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Proactively Adopting AML Best Practices Saves Money and Averts Government Headaches
Financial institutions often adopt Anti Money Laundering (AML) best practices as an afterthought, usually in response to significant fines. But there are sound fiscal reasons why banks should be proactively establishing processes that can identify more efficient ways to conduct AML reviews before they are needed to comply with regulatory examinations. So why don't they?
Most financial institutions have the same issue -- the AML department has more work than it does resources. This is partially due to growth, but is highly correlated with the level of detail now part of regulatory reviews and the significant fines being levied on organizations that do not fully comply. These factors are the catalyst for maximizing both the efficiency and effectiveness of AML reviews, as well as upstream and downstream processes. By addressing these inefficiencies head on, financial institutions have been able to optimize their processes, which in turn have enabled them to increase capacity to handle incremental volume without materially increasing expenses.
To deliver this type of change requires cross-functional support as well as a proven approach to continuous improvement such as the Lean Kaizen method. Lean is a methodology that eliminates waste and boosts efficiency; Kaizen refers to continuous improvement. By applying Lean Kaizen tools and engaging the appropriate AML/compliance/business stakeholders, almost any AML process can be dramatically improved.
To be successful, key stakeholders must come together, baseline performance data, and document the current state process. During the Lean Kaizen session, defects and non-valued activities, or waste, are identified. And since all of the key stakeholders are in the room, process improvements can be brainstormed, and a future state or 'to be' process documented. Kaizens are a key tool in accelerating the pace of change. In one recent Lean Kaizen event, a global financial institution found that approximately 35 percent of the steps in the AML investigation process added no value. The steps were in place due to historical norms and the fact that the processes had not been updated or revisited despite a series of acquisition integrations, system changes and dramatic growth of the organization. By identifying the steps that did not add value, obtaining the requisite approval and updating the process (including procedures, manuals, etc.), the end-to-end process became 44 percent more efficient. This led to a commensurate reduction of cycle time and increased capacity to handle growth without adding new headcount.
In another real world example involving a large financial institution, the mood was optimistic in the kick off meeting, but the situation was daunting:
-- There were backlogs in many areas
-- Metrics were not clearly established and agreed to within the organization
-- There were dozens of internal audit and regulatory findings which needed to be addressed
-- Many of the AML processes and systems were not optimized
Despite these challenges, the team established a plan to tackle each of the core issues it was facing and set up a resource plan and operating rhythm to chart progress versus goals.
The first step was to identify metrics with Green/Yellow/Red definitions for each of the key processes within the AML department. The team then established a consistent process that facilitated weekly reporting in a standard, structured format. This enabled AML managers to provide their executives with weekly status updates on a consistent and timely basis. Within 6-8 weeks, each manager was reporting his or her metrics consistently and armed with data to intelligently and confidently speak to the performance of their processes. And, even if they were in Red or Yellow status, they could now more accurately communicate the data and develop a credible remediation plan.
The next step was to establish staffing models based on several months of historical data. This made annual resource planning much more effective and the managers who could 'talk to their numbers' became more successful in receiving approval for their resource requests.
Finally, process efficiency and productivity reviews for each critical AML function were performed. The goal was to streamline the processes as much as possible and make them easier – with fewer bottlenecks, fewer steps and insuring that the control points were in place where they needed to be. One year later, the organization was operating within their targets, had much greater control over their processes and had achieved a level of stability which increased the regulator's and senior management's confidence in growing the business.
All financial institutions should proactively evaluate each pillar of their AML programs. Waiting for internal audit or the regulators to do this during their examination can be even more time consuming and costly than performing this review before they arrive. Being able to articulate the pillars of your AML program is essential and it is helpful to be able to identify the improvements you are making to each pillar along with the rationale. Having this in place can lead to a more proactive discussion with auditors and regulators.
Granted, the AML function is complex, but when you really break it down, AML is a series of processes. Despite their complexity, AML processes can be analyzed and improved using Lean, Kaizen, Six Sigma and other process improvement and reengineering tools that can greatly improve their effectiveness and efficiency.
Richard Paxton is CEO and Joe Veckerelli senior manager of AML for The Alacer Group


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This isn't the story of how they might vanish. It's what happens to the cakes they leave behind. This is just part of the journey that will take us to the future of once active bakeries, as well as haunting sites already devoid of taste. Welcome to earth, population: zero.
An abandoned ring and silk flowers bear mute witness to the echoing loneliness...of desolation.
Sun-bleached displays now resemble so much worn, waxy marble, making it impossible to distinguish what once was a timeless tasty treat.
Uh. Lot of alliteration in this half of the script, huh?
Sound guy: Alliter what now?
Never mind.
Seriously? "Petrified pastries persevere?" Who wrote this?
sound guy: I think it was the new guy; he had to finish up when Jerry took leave. Look, just go with it; we're on a roll.
[sigh] Fine.
[throwing script down] Oh come on!!
sound guy: What?
I'm ad-libbing from here. Deal with it.
Fine. Let's wrap this up.
Come and get it!!
sound guy: Seriously?

subset: commoncrawl


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If you simultaneously use Gmail Chat and any other flavor of Google Talk (the gadget or the desktop application), you won't be able to change your status to invisible because they don't support the new feature yet. The feature was first added to Gmail Chat because it's the most used interface for Google Talk, but it's unpardonable to have three separate interfaces with different features.
Note that feature is only available in the new version of Gmail, supported in Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 2. I wonder if less people will disable Gmail Chat or the feature will become less useful.
{ via Blogoscoped Forum }


text:
Rule #1 - Be Patient - Rule #2 - Don't ask when, if you don't contribute - Rule #3 - You have coding skills - LinuxMCE's small brother is available: http://www.agocontrol.com
My assumption is that what you are talking about is a brand new "proper" (for the want of a better word, sorry) orbiter, as opposed to the new CHT one that polls stuff? Have I got that right?Cheers,Matt.Forgot to say; nice video Will the myth interface still be used as per now, or will it all be moved to the orbiter?
Awesome work!! Please keep it up!!br hari
Now seekingExperienced Android Dev's - we are to the point of doing initial deployment to android and hitting some roadblocks. all input is appreciated.There is no QT port for iOs so....yeahthanks! golgoj4


text:
Palos Verdes Party Bus Rentals
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Gas Lamp Party District. Little Italy and the San Diego Zoo are all fun destinations.
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For more savvy info on how to have a great time in a party bus rental visit our homepage at Party Bus 4 Us. We are confident you will find the perfect Party Bus for your party bus group because you can search our site by bus size at Party Bus Rentals.


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No offense to IBM, but a tech company — even one so highly regarded — wouldn't be the first place we'd turn for fashion forecasting. Yet on Monday, the company released the findings of a "social sentiment index" that predicted that steampunk would be the next big trend to take hold of the retail industry.
What is steampunk exactly? According to Forbes, it's a "science fiction/fantasy sub-genre that's a style mash-up of 19th century industrialized looks and Victorian flourishes." Sounds fancy. We're more apt to explain it in reference to pop culture: it's Sherlock Holmes meets Wild Wild West, with a dash of Inspector Gadget. Get the picture?
Before we all not-so-quietly snicker about the improbability of this prediction, it's important to note that IBM does have science behind its claim — or at least online metrics. The company analyzed more than a half-million posts from news sources and on message boards, blogs and social-media sites, and found that steampunk has quite a following. According to its study, the amount of online discussion about steampunk increased 11 times from 2009 to 2012. It also notes that, since 2010, more than two dozen U.S. department stores and retailers have become "steampunk savvy." Whatever that means.
(MORE: Steampunk: Reclaiming Tech for the Masses)
Furthermore, IBM predicts that during the next two years, "steampunk will shift from low-production, high-cost 'craft' manufacturing to mass production," meaning you'll be able to pick up your go-go-gadget spectacles in department stores and not just local thrift shops.
But just because something has gained traction online, does that mean a trend is on the horizon? Traditionally, new fashion styles tend to trickle down, from the couture shows in Paris and Milan to the ready-to-wear shows at New York Fashion Week to high-end retailers and then — finally — to the watered-down versions that arrive for us commoners in the mainstream.
For steampunk, the high-end influence is already out there. For his spring 2010 couture show, John Galliano designed a parade of looks for Christian Dior with nods to early 20th century influences — including corsets, top hats, flowing fabrics, layers of lace and Frankenstein-esque hair and makeup — that are often referenced by steampunk fashionistas.
More recently, Sarah Burton incorporated an updated version of classical Victorian looks into Alexander McQueen's spring-summer 2013 runway show at Paris Fashion Week in October, with voluminous, Scarlett O'Hara–inspired gowns and sexy, see-through corsets, accompanied by some fascinating headwear.
(PHOTOS: Retrospective: John Galliano's Most Memorable Dior Designs)
Even guys are getting into the action. Prada's fall-winter 2012 men's campaign featured several leading men — Gary Oldman, Garrett Hedlund, Jamie Bell and Willem Dafoe — dressed to kill in heavily tailored steampunk-style suits (railroad stripes included).
So perhaps IBM's seemingly out-there prediction isn't so wild after all. In fact, the steampunk style might already be leaking into the mainstream, at least according to Pinterest. A quick search on the social site uncovered many boards dedicated to this cultural subgenre (see here and here for some great ones). While the look still seems to be more costume-focused than something for everyday wear, we wouldn't be surprised to see some aspects of steampunk gain traction in the coming years.
The moral of the story is, if you ever wanted to embrace your inner Helena Bonham Carter (and don't we all?), there's no better time than the present to bring back the past.
PHOTOS: 2013 Golden Globes Fashion: The Bold, the Beautiful and the Boring


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June 22, 2011
Organizing Those Documents and Photos!
I deliberate. I analyze. I mull over my organizational options: Binders? File folders? Emphasis on digital rather than paper?
Granted things change. I find more documents, or more photographs come my way. I learn more about a specific family member. So my stack of documents and photos becomes even larger.
Often I change my method of organization of my family files based simply on quantity. The more documents, the more room I need. And for that I like file folders in cabinets.
But lately I've been thinking a lot about who will want all this "stuff" in the future. Even the most interested of my children or grandchildren are not likely to want both of my 3x2' filing cabinets with their 6 large drawers stuffed full of papers. Or my extra filing cabinets overflowing with the leftovers.
What to do? I don't want digital as my main method of storage and viewing. It's a great backup but doesn't work for me as my number one organizational method.
Binders haven't worked for me as I research all siblings of my direct ancestors on every generation. That's way too many binders and way too much reading for others.
With all those constraints in mind I sat down to really think this over. What was my main goal? To ensure that my research into my ancestry is passed on. Okay what were my secondary goals? To create a method of storing my research that had some chance of actually being looked at and read by others. Any other goals? To create a way of keeping my documents that I could easily pick up and see fairly easily what I have and what I am missing.
I realized that to meet these goals I had to keep in mind that it is my direct ancestor lines that will be of the most interest (perhaps the ONLY interest!) to my children or grandchidren. They aren't genealogists. They don't care about siblings. They don't care about doing any research personally. So if I want one of them to become the keeper of the work I've done, I have to pare it down.
Paring it down does not mean I have to discard what I've worked on for the past 30 plus years. But it does mean I have to separate direct ancestors from siblings. It means I need two storage methods and that's when it hit me. I need to keep the "extras", that is the sibling and spousal research that are not direct ancestors in my family tree, in filing cabinets as I've been doing. And I need to start my binder system again.
I need to move my direct ancestors documents, research and photographs and get those into binders. But I need to be strict with myself and ONLY place material about my direct ancestors in those binders. Binders allows anyone to pick one up, glance through it and keep all relevant documents in one place.
Keeping in mind that I'm creating these binders for non-genealogists, I need to keep it simple. No confusing genealogy reports, just a simple chart showing the direct lineage from me back through the years. Add a family group sheet for each direct ancestor and that's it. Then I add the images for census, church records, vital stats, land records and so on. Whatever I have found for each ancestor goes into the binder for that family surname. That includes my scanned and printed photographs for the family.
I realize I could achieve a much nicer (visually) product by creating a family book for each surname but that's just too time-consuming for my immediate needs. Once I have all my documents and photos in a binder, I can begin work on that. But to do this quickly and efficiently, I've decided on binders.
It's almost a complete circle because at one point several years ago I switched from binders to filing cabinets due to the sheer volume of material I'd collected. In the past I've always organized based on what suited ME and my needs, but not with the future in mind. Now I've reached an age and a stage where that's my utmost concern - passing those genealogy records on.
So for the past week I've been sorting and placing documents into binders. One of the perks is that I'm actually finding copies of certificates that I'd forgotten I have! I do have a tendency to get side-tracked and to start incorporating extraneous non-direct ancestor items such as my grandmother's brother's original military records. I have to constantly remind myself that I'm not creating the binders just for me, but for future generations.
I'm thinking I might start a second binder for each family surname and make those strictly for documents and photos that pertain to non-direct individuals (siblings on all generations). That allows me to preserve the documents in an orderly way and if one of my children or grandchildren decide they want everything, it is there for them in labelled binders. If they decide they only want the information on our direct ancestors they'll be able to do so easily.
21 comments:
- The Lurking Genealogist said...
I have often posted queries to message boards entitled, How much is enough? Never got many responses. My theory is similar to yours. I stopped researching and keeping information on a lot of my collateral lines.
That being said, not only did I want my collection to be usable and interesting for my children and grandchildren, but I wanted it to benefit other researchers, as well. With that in mind, I include the information on collateral lines for one generation.
The reason for this is that sometimes researching collaterals is helpful to others. In particular when using obituaries there are other names mentioned that you may have heard of. To include information on the families of your ancestor's siblings for one generation just gives a more complete picture and may help another researcher.
Something to consider ...... - 12:16 PM
- Linda Gartz said...
Wow, Lorine! You're thinking in exactly the same frame of mind I'm in--and have come to a similar conclusion. I recently ordered a bunch of binders from Hollinger to start sorting my archival photos in an orderly manner. I have 25 bankers' boxes of family archives -- photos, letters, diaries documents. My brothers and I made an excel spreadsheet 11 years ago of the overview of what's in each box. The spread sheet is 10 pages. We made a second spread sheet with dates -- every time we found a date, we added it to the spread sheet in chronological order -- along with the source. I'm going to take away more ideas from this post. My final decision for how to deal with all this is to donate it to a local research library where it will be protected for future research. My kids can have access to it at any time without the burden (or possible apathetic carelessness that will cause the research and documents to be lost). This is a very important post. None of us know if our kids will care as much as we do -- and you're protecting your legacy in a logical way. Oh the work ahead of us!
- Olive Tree Genealogy said...
Oh gosh I hope I didn't mislead anyone! I will NEVER stop researching all siblings on all generations!
But I'm separating my research into a main binder for each family surname for my direct ancestors only AND a second or third or fourth binder for that surname for siblings and collateral lines.
That way my children or grandchildren can take what interests them. Remember they are not genealogists so chances are they will only want the info on direct ancestors.
Yes the rest is important to us avid genealogists but NOT to a descendant with a mild interest only. - 12:26 PM
- Olive Tree Genealogy said...
Linda - Love your idea of an overview. I have been urging my husband to create one for his MASSEY genealogy. He has conducted a one-name study of all Massey individuals in Ireland and Canada and it's hard for him to keep track of what he has and to whom it pertains
I do plan to create a master list for my own documents -just as you did, in chronological order. I won't tally the photos as I don't think I could realistically complete that job! You sound so much more organized than I am!
I also have some photos and physical items notated that they are to be donated to specific museums. - 12:31 PM
- Nancy said...
You have 25 years' worth more of documents than I have! I'm still using binders but I can see the sense of keeping direct line ancestors in a separate binder with collateral lines in other binders/files. But in my mind there has to be some overlap so that the direct line individual appears (even if only with a family group sheet in the collateral file) with his/her birth family as well as head of family.
And then there are the women. I've been putting their pre-marriage information with their family of birth and their marriage and post-marriage information with their spouses and children. At least most of the time. But that means I have to look in two places - or have two copies of everything in both places.
Oh, the challenge. I do like your idea of a separate direct line binder(s) and will ponder that a little and perhaps make the change.
Thanks for this post and discussion topic. - 1:18 PM
- The Grandmother Here said...
I'm beginning to think that the joy is in the journey. Searching and finding is what I enjoy. To inherit filing cabinets full of documents wouldn't be as much fun as finding the treasures for myself. Do we appreciate that which is presented to us on a silver platter?
Our family trees can be preserved online at public places like ancestry.com and newfamilysearch.org for others to find. - 1:21 PM
- Olive Tree Genealogy said...
Diana I absolutely agree with you. I would hate to have my genealogy handed to me! The joy for me is in searching and discovery.
But.... my children are not interested except mildly. They like the stories. They take delight in my joy. But do the research? Nope. And that's okay because I've done it and maybe someday one of my grandchildren will take up the torch and carry on where I left off.
Because we're never going to find it all in our lifetimes are we? :-) - 1:44 PM
- Olive Tree Genealogy said...
Nancy - yes yes yes. The women! Arrgh. I struggle with that too. I decided this time around to keep women with their birth families until they marry, then with husband's surname binder.
That's okay for documents as I have family group sheets and have highlighted my direct ancestors so the married name can be easily spotted. And it's easy to see what documents go with Before marriage or AFter marriage.
It's the photos that throw a wrinkle for me! Many I can tell - child (before marriage) or mother with child (after marriage) But what about the ones I don't know for sure? And doing it before vs after marriage means that photos of that individual are spread into two binders.
Worse, what if a female ancestor married several times? Arrgh!
I still haven't finalized my thoughts on this. :-) - 1:47 PM
- Tessa Keough said...
Some great ideas - one suggestion I have would be to sit down with one of the "not interested" family members and see if your method for the binder makes sense to him/her.
I have received so many good ideas from family members who want the stories with supporting documents (and I blog about family members this way) rather than the charts and forms we may use. Try to interest a child or your grandchildren. For my part, my nieces and nephews got interested if I had pictures and explained the travel to America (maps are great here) with photos of the churches, villages and farmbooks from the old country. Trying to include the history and what their lives were like and how they were different (especially grandparents' lives) makes it come alive.
You might just find a budding genealogist! - 2:36 PM
- Olive Tree Genealogy said...
Tessa - I like your idea of sitting down with my intended recipients and asking them how they might like the material presented.
As for my grandchildren, I'm a huge proponent of brainwashing :-) Been doing it since they were born. Have you seen my blog posts on creating fun activities with children and grandchildren? Check the topics right hand nav bar called GENEALOGY FOR CHILDREN.
Every summer I come up with a new one for my two oldest grandkids and this year my next two eldest got involved too. And yes I'm sure one of them at least will become the next generation genealogist in the family :-) - 4:37 PM
- GeniAus said...
Oh Lorine, My paper files are in binders and a couple of big boxes.I have been ignoring them as I try to get my digital files organised but will have to face them one day. As my children and grandchildren are into technology in a big way I think they will be most interested in having the information presented to them in a digital format. One of my sons just phoned because he had a spare moment - he used it to check on my blog and wanted to tell me he enjoyed my "Not just Ned" post from yesterday. So for my mob digital is the way to go with original docs filed in a simple alphabetical order by name (if they feel a need to look at them) whenever I get around to organising them!
- Olive Tree Genealogy said...
Geniaus - oh how I wish! My sons are so anti-technology - neither even has a cell phone, they hate them. I mention Skype, they say "Ya, I've heard of that.." I ask them if they use cloud computing, they go "Huh?"
To be fair one son does try things out if I suggest it, the other - not so much :-)
I do think putting the paper files on digital format and then on CD is a great idea that they'd look at but - that's a huge amount of work for me, so maybe in the future I'll get to it (I hope)
I'm loving this discussion and hearing what others do - lots of great ideas to mull over! - 7:09 AM
- Cherie Cayemberg said...
You're putting me to shame...and motivating me to get into my organization. Keep it up!
- Joan Miller (Luxegen) said...
Lorine, great post on an important topic. I have a file cabinet full plus boxes and more 'stuff' around. I'm getting more and more organized on the digital end of it but need to get better on the paper end.
As for catching the interest of the next generation - I create giant family tree banners for each major family gathering (reunions, major birthday gatherings). That gets a lot of interest. I also print out blog posts for the gatherings plus share them on facebook (where the cousins and offspring are).
But as you say...they are only interested in direct lines. - 12:13 AM
I am a relatively new researcher of my genealogy (spare time for past 7 or 8 years) and my information fits into 4 very full binders still. Everything is in my genealogy software including source information for every piece of information entered into it. That being said, my binders are organized by families. I have a binder for the family lines of each grandparent. Each binder is subdivided by surname (organized chronologically - most recent generation first working my way back to older generations). Each surname is subdivided by family group. The section for the family group I organized in the following way. First is the family group sheet showing the family (if a parent was married more than once, this is the group sheet for my direct line). Next I have supporting documents for that family group including anything for a child not yet married - if the child is married it goes with their family group sheet. These documents include census enumerations, copies of birth registries, certificates, copies of pictures, etc, again in chronological order. After this I have the family group sheets of the children (my ancestor's siblings) followed by their supporting documents. Then finally I have the family group sheets for the parents other marriages, if any. I am currently very slowly and sporadicly working on scanning copies of all my documents to store on an SD card (more storage space than a CD). That project is going slowly though because I have not yet decided on an organization method for that since multiple documents would be the same for multiple people. Also, however you decide to organize things (paper or electronically), I have learned that organization will always be a work in progress.
- Jim Gill said...
I started the add a comment the day you posted this excellent article and I read the numerous thought-provoking comments, but I realized I need to think about it all first. My thoughts finally filled a blog post of my own on Searchin' for Kinfolk -- http://searchinforkinfolk.blogspot.com/2011/06/why-am-i-doing-genealogy.html. Thanks for getting my thinking gears in motion.
I have one small suggestion that has helped me tremendously. When looking at a family group chart, I never could remember which child was in my direct line. I now put each name in direct line in ALL CAPS. I do this with my individual file folders as well. It makes them so easy to spot.
Thanks for all of your wonderful ideas. - 2:45 PM
- Kelly said...
As someone who has just started getting into genealogy I am so appreciating your blog. I am overwhelmed with the idea of how to organize information and how much information to actually go after - so much that I think it's keeping me from enjoying some of this process! I am tech person and I think that digital with printed documents as backups might be the best option. I know that our local library has a massive genealogy department and you can leave your family files to them to keep - which is an intriguing idea for the future. I think that someone needs to come up with a program that helps those researching genealogy organize stuff digitally. Is there any chance that you might be willing to take photographs of your system and share it that way? I'm such a visual person and every post I find about organizing this stuff seems to be missing photographs. It would so help me visualize how ya'll are dealing with the massive amounts of information that can be collected! Thanks again for your blod. :)
- Olive Tree Genealogy said...
For Kelly and any other readers looking for my email addy. You can find it on my ABOUT LORINE page at http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/p/about-lorine.html
It is also in my PROFILE for blogger (right hand side bar, click on profile for Genealogy Blogger) - 9:13 PM
- Dana Leeds said...
I'm working on organizing my genealogy and came across this 'old' post of yours. So, I was wondering, did you stick with this method? Is it working for you?
And, thanks for the reminder that we need to think about what will happen to our research when we are gone. So many things to consider! - 4:40 PM
- Olive Tree Genealogy said...
Hi Dana
No I have changed to a very different method which I love!
In fact I wrote a small ebook tutorial on it called Organize Your Genealogy in Evernote in 10 Easy Steps
See Lorine's Books - 1:19 PM


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I do not know who started this tag, but undoubtedly everyone on Facebook has certainly been tagged at least once for the "25 Random Things About Me" Facebook note. It seems to have spread across the social networking sphere like wild fire. I am surprised at the way people are prolifically passing this note along with such intimate details about their lives. Apparently Facebook reported that nearly 5 million notes were created by its users in one week!
While I have been enjoying the voyeurism of reading several of theses notes and I have been tagged quite a few times by my buddies on Facebook, it is my die-hard belief that no one will actually get to know the juicy and interesting stuff about me in a random note. Furthermore, I have more than 25 things that makes me the interesting person I think I am and by reading a simple random list of things about someone I cannot consider them as my friend - unless I knew them better before the note!
After having read, in some cases, very personal stuff about my Facebook buddies I did in that instance feel close to them. In one case I actually even cried at the touching details, but walking away I still could not say I felt that they were my friends. Simply because I just did not know them.
After being tagged several times I finally decided to share a few random things about me - they are to be taken with a pinch of salt and trust me the really juicy stuff is not on this list. One day when we really get to know each other and our friendship evolves you will find out those juicy things about me.
- My mother put me in a boarding school at the age of 10 (or so). After 2 days she returned to take me home! It was a elite boarding school where getting accepted was rather difficult but after the entire process of getting set up, buying stuff etc. she could not stand to part from me and to everyone's surprise she came back and took me back home. Thanks mum!
- I am a bit of a crazy girl. At school I was nicknamed "MadMets" by my friends because I was always thinking up of mad ideas and doing mad things. I know a genius is born to be mad but my ideas were not always good and sometimes got me into trouble.
- I have trouble concentrating on something for too long. My dad used to play chess with me to train my concentration. Although today I do sometimes get bored and loose concentration with things, I have found a few methods that help me get back on track.
- I hate bigots! I once got a can of Fanta poured over my head by a bunch of English kids at school because I am Indian. I was 12! It was the first and the last time that someone ever was racist towards me! After that I became very aggressive when faced with such racists comments or by such bigots.
- I am very very sarcastic! To the point my sarcasm can hurt people's feelings!
- I have an enormous willpower. Many people who know me well actually say that if I truly believe in something, my mental strength subconsciously makes me and all those around me react to a situation in such a way that I change the outcome. At the age of 1 1/2 years my dad was leaving Bombay for the US. I cried so hard that he missed his plane - that plane crashed!
- I believe in God - not really in religion. Although I am very proud to be a Sikh, it is only because I find that Sikhism is more liberal in its teachings, which very much fits into my belief. Religion has become an idiotic means for people to shed too much blood!
- The older I get the less patient I get! Why is that?
- I used to smoke. Started at 16 and stopped at 25!
- My grandfather (mum's dad) was my idol!
- Sometimes my heart is still stuck in the 80s. My all time favorite movie is The Breakfast Club and I still get excited when I hear Duran Duran.
- Tom is the love of my life. I hit the jackpot when I married him!
- I went to Hotel Management School and trained as a Hotel Management Trainee at the Sheraton Doha. Food & Beverage was my favorite but also the toughest department.
- I once ate garlic snails! They were delicious but I would never eat them again because I still find the thought of eating snails extremely yucky!
- Tom says I snore! I, of course, do not believe him!
- Soeren is the most precious to me and I can put my hand in the fire for him without even a second thought.
- I seemed to have been a bit of an exhibitionist at a young age. I was always running away without any clothes on. At the age of 4 my grandmother was getting me ready for a bath. As she left the room to get my clothes I disappeared. After about an hour they found me butt naked playing on the roof of our neighbors house. There are a lot of stories like this one!
- When I am bored I twirl a lock of hair around my finger.
- I have a fetish for expensive shoes and handbags.
- I am an organization freak. I find that I can function better and more efficiently when I have organized my day to perfection.
- Even though I plan everything to the last detail I am still quite spontaneous - however, while I am being spontaneous, I am still planning each detail in my head!
- I was 2 years old when I flew alone for the first time.
- I lived in a hotel for the first 2 years of my life. (I've lived in hotels for several years in my life!)
- I am my own worst critic!
- I took guitar lessons from the age of 8 to 10 - but I cannot play the instrument anymore. I really regret it now!
I am presuming that some of you are ready with your freshly made lemon curd from earlier this week and eager to see what we'll be making with it. Here it is - soft quark cheesecake squares topped with tart lemon curd. These were soft little delightful bites I made a little while back for a little tea gathering I was attending. They were a huge hit and very different to the usual cheesecake style desserts.
I chose quark rather than cream cheese because I thought it would complement the tangy aroma of the lemon curd perfectly. Both lemon curd and quark are deliciously creamy but both offer a slightly different tangy note. To finish off the perfect bite a sensational nutty crunch of the buttery digestive biscuits. As you can imagine I had the ladies and the tea party eating out of my hands!
Monthly Mingle Extended Deadline
The Monthly Mingle Caribbean Cooking deadline has been extended to Friday 13th March. I am hoping you will find a few exciting flavors and creations to bring along to our beach party. To inspire you here are a few great ideas:
You can easily send your entries using the all new Monthly Mingle Form, which is super easy and guarantees that your submission will not get lost in my spam folder ;-)
Recipe: Quark Cheesecake Squares with Lemon Curd
Printable version of recipe here.150 - 200g digestive biscuits
500g fresh quark, substitute with cream cheese
1 cup lemon curd recipe
60g unsalted butter, melted
150g granulated sugar
2 eggs
Zest and juice from 2 organic lemonsMethod
- Butter a 20x20 cm square spring form baking pan then line with baking paper. Heat the oven to 165 degrees C.
- Place the digestive biscuits in a food processor and process until finely ground. Pour the melted butter and continue to pulse until the mixture resembles damp sand. Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan and using a flat bottomed metal bowl, firmly press into the baking pan until even. Set aside.
- In the cleaned bowl of the food processor combine quark, sugar. lemon juice and zest and pulse until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl and pulse for a further few seconds.
- Add the eggs and process until the mixture is very smooth and creamy, about 20-30 seconds. Scrape the sides and pulse a few more times.
- Pour the quark mixture into the pan. Bake for about 40-45 minutes until the center is dry to touch and the sides are puffed.
- As soon as the quark cheesecake comes out of the oven pour the prepared lemon curd over the quark. Smooth out the lemon curd evenly with an offset spatula.
- Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight.
- To serve cut the quark cheesecake with a sharp serrated knife into squares.
Food Guide Tips:
- Make your own homemade quark
- See how good lemons are for you
- Make your own lemon curd
Incredibly good and unbelievably delectable. The lemon curd on its own is a true pleasure for me but enjoyed with soft, creamy quark and crispy biscuit base it becomes pleasurable indulgence. Perfect for tea parties and picnics.
You might like these lemon and lime treats from WFLH:
Lemon Meringue Pie | Lime Brûlée | Lemon Tuiles |
Cheesecake from around the blogs:
- Upside Down Honey Cheesecakes – Rosa's Yummy Yums
- Cheesecake Bites with Kaluha Chocolate Ganache Drizzle – The Review Lady
- Frozen Lemon Mascarpone Cheesecake – Cafe Johnsonia
Daily Tiffin Reading Tip:
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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BME103:W930 Group7
BME 103 Fall 2012 | Home People Lab Write-Up 1 Lab Write-Up 2 Lab Write-Up 3 Course Logistics For Instructors Photos Wiki Editing Help | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
LAB 1 WRITE-UPInitial Machine TestingThis is a solidworks rendering of the OpenPCR machine. The OpenPCR is an affordable alternative to costly clinical machines used to amplify particular DNA sequences. This interfaces with any computer with the proper software downloaded and the process of thermal cycling to conduct a variety of tests. This could be anything from paternity tests to test for genetic markings of cancer.
When we unplugged the display (part 3) from the power supply (part 6), the machine did not have power. The blue display screen did not turn on and appeared completely black. When we unplugged the white wire that connects the power supply (part 6) to the heat block (part 2), the machine temperature on the display screen appeared incorrectly. Part 6 is responsible for recording the the internal temperature of the machine throughout the test.
Our first Open PCR test was conducted on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 on machine number 7. While running our open PCR test, we experienced nothing but problems. We set the cycles to the appropriate temperatures and time intervals; the Initial cycle on 95°C for 30 seconds, the Denaturing cycle on 95°C for 30 seconds, the Annealing cycle on 55°C for 30 seconds, the Extending cycle on 72°C for 30 seconds, the final cycle on 72°C for 180 seconds, and the final hold at 20°C. Initially, our open PCR appeared to be running correctly for the desired two hour time interval. However, due to a cycling error, our timer extended to nearly three hours. Not only did our test exceed the desired time interval, but our time would not wind down. Our test constantly moved up and down between the times of two hours thirty minutes and two hours and fifty minutes. When our time got close to two thirty, more time would be added to our test. Also, our laptop was experiencing errors. Our laptop received an application error notice multiple times, each time disrupting our process. As a result of these complications, when the two hours elapsed we only reached step seventeen of thirty. We were forced to prematurely end our test. Therefore, we could not receive sufficient results.
One way to improve on the quality and production of the Open PCR machine is to maximize the number of loading wells and shorten the cycle time. The Open PCR machine takes too long to test only 16 samples of DNA. Also, the latch to get to the loading wells served as a hassle. It was tough to open while being careful with the expensive machine at the same time. If you are using the Open PCR as a learning tool, as we have, the machine should be transparent or constructed to be easily disassembled so students can get a better view of the job and responsibility each part completes. However, the machine is constructed with some positive qualities. The machine is affordable, and it is light weight and compact making it easily transportable. The bright glowing screen can easily be read, and the test runs very quietly. While the machine is testing, no extra work needs to be done. It is very easy to start the test and patiently wait for it to end.
ProtocolsPolymerase Chain Reaction
Within a polymerase chain reaction everything is controlled by temperature. The high temperature(95 C) causes melting of DNA templates and primers by disrupting the hydrogen bonds. Next is annealing. The temperature is dropped down to 65 temporarily(20 seconds) to allow a piece of DNA to bind to your product from the initial step. The polymerase binds to the DNA template and DNA synthesis begins. Next is elongation, the DNA polymerase synthesizes a new DNA strand. This process is repeated to replicate numerous strands of DNA. 2. Steps to amplifying DNA 1. Heat denaturation- a. Heat the reactant , which causes melting of the DNA b. A DNA molecule sequence is targeted which is then separated into two strands c. Separation is because of hydrogen bonds breaking 2. Primer annealing a. Then you lower the temperature to 65 which allows a piece of the DNA to bind to the initial step product. b. Each strand of DNA molecule becomes annealed with an oligonucleotide primer complementary to either end of the target sequence. 3. Primers extension a. DNA polymerase is added and complementary strands are synthesized at 65-75 C b. Causes synthesis of a new strand in the direction of 5 to 3 direction
- nonrecombinant modified form of Taq DNA polymerase - dNTPs - 3mM MgCl2 - reaction buffers - pH 8.5 - ( allows for a better amplification of the DNA) - 400μM dATP - 400μM dGTP - 400μM dCTP - 400μM dTTP
5. Sample Description: Patient 1 ID: 91562 Male Patient 2 ID: 25235 Male (see table above for listed volumes of each reagent)
1. Remove all contents from the black box. 2. After removing the lid, flip the box upside down. 3. One side of the box will detach. Fold this side up and create a cave like opening (as seen above). 4. Place the Fluorometer device within the upside down box. 5. Lastly, place the smartphone in the black stand with the camera facing into the box.
Steps to saving images: 1. Obtain a computer and install the ImageJ software. 2. After taking the pictures needed, connect the smartphone to the computer with a USB cable. 3. Once connected, open the folder containing the smartphone (found in My Computer or Devices). 4. Create a folder on the desktop (this will be used to temporarily store the pictures). 5. Copy and paste the pictures form the smartphone folder (DCIM) to the desktop one. 6. Open the ImageJ software and click File and the Open. 7. From this Open menu, select the preferred picture from the folder on the desktop containing the pictures. This will transfer the data into ImageJ
Research and DevelopmentSpecific Cancer Marker Detection - The Underlying Technology PCR produces amplification in the presence of cancer SNP by creating around 100 billion copies of certain sequences found in the DNA. This process can take only a couple hours. During the process, Primers are added to the extracted DNA, where it attaches to the ends of specific DNA segments. Nucleotides are added so that they can create new copies of the DNA. Finally, DNA polymerase is added and works to make new DNA copies by attaching matching nucleotides. With increased temperatures, the double helix of the target sequence separates. Primers attach onto targeted regions on the separated strands and the polymerase attaches free floating nucleotides on the new strands. The process of separating and reattaching of the targeted sequence is repeated and in the end, around a billion of DNA present will be those of the DNA segments that has been targeted and contains the SNP.
In normal patients, the gene sequence is as follows: GGAAGTGGGTCCTAAAAACTCTTACA[T]TGCATACATAGAAGATCACAGTGGC But in patients susceptible to cancer, the gene sequence undergoes a slight change: GGAAGTGGGTCCTAAAAACTCTTACA[C]TGCATACATAGAAGATCACAGTGGC This is a change from an ATT codon to an ACT, a switch from isoleucine to threonine. The cancer-sequence-binding forward primer: CCTTCACCCAGGATTTTTGA The reverse primer: TGTATCTTCTAGTGTCACCGc
-Equation p(CIT)= (p(TIC)*p(C))/((P(TIC)*p(C))+((p(TI~C)*p(~C)))
-Known Variable Values
Source: Guruatma, Khalsa. (2010, April 12). Mama Ji's Molecular Kitchen. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved November 14, 2012 from http://askabiologist.asu.edu/pcr-polymerase-chain-reaction


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I wasn't going to post again until the New Year, but I'm so excited about this project, I have to show it now. NOW. I have some problems with delayed gratification, can you tell? (Although, I did wrap my own Kindle Fire and waited until Christmas to open it, to everyone's amusement.)
Ok, so I saw some pretty nifty braided scarves on Pinterest and Google. Follow me on Pinterest to see my inspirations! I decided to mash up the braided scarf idea with the upcycled t-shirt idea, and this is what I got.
I didn't cut up old t-shirts though, mostly because I only have a couple of them hanging around, and they're not of a size to produce enough fabric for this scarf. So I went to Hobby Lobby (for the FIRST TIME!) and almost swooned at the sight of the craft heaven that it is.
In a nutshell, this scarf consists of a cuff made from crochet, and a whole bunch of knit jersey fabric braided and tied into the crochet cuff. I'm thinking about selling this on Etsy! (Did I mention? I'm starting an Etsy shop – another New Years resolution that I'll talk about later.) Update: I have not been making these for sale because it takes more fabric and time than I have available.
If you'd like one, let me know and you can support my Etsy endeavors! 🙂 Or, check out the instructions below and try your hand at making one yourself!
2 yds jersey knit fabric
yarn in coordinating color
thread in matching color
scissors, embroidery needle, crochet hook (I think I used size K)
3 hair bands (3 hair bands?! I know, I'll get to it)
1. Make a crochet cuff, which is really just a crocheted rectangle folded up and joined together. My pattern was CH 13, *turn, HDC 12 starting with the second chain, CH 1, then start from the * until you get a cuff large enough to be folded. To join, fold the rectangle up, and join your first row with your last row with a row of HDC 12, then fasten off. Did that make sense? I'm terrible at patterns. I'm also terrible at gauges, so good thing this project doesn't require any size accuracy!
For the braids:
2. Cut up your fabric into (24) 2 inch strips. I tried using 1 inch strips but the "t-shirt yarn" was thin and weak looking.
Since I had 2 yds of fabric, my strips were 72 inches long, but I needed twice that, so I sewed two strips together, to make 12 strips total. If you had 4 yds of fabric, you could cut some ginormous strips and save yourself the sewing. Then this would become the No Sew Braided Scarf instead of the Minimal Sewing Braided Scarf.
3. To make the "yarn" from the strips, pull the fabric strips so that the edges curled in, which means no need to hem! SCORE! and yay! for the jersey fabric.
Now I had a whole mess of jersey yarn spaghetti, which obviously, J wanted to play with. I forgot to get a picture of the tangle that he created when he pulled the whole mess onto the floor and wallowed in it. These pictures are of my t-shirt noodles, after he had gone to bed. I felt like the asian noodle master on the Kung Fu Panda dvd.
4. Thread the 12 noodles into 12 holes at the bottom of your crochet cuff so that the seam, or the middle, of the noodle is hidden by the cuff. This means you should have 6 feet of noodle on either side. Now you have a weird 12 pronged dodeca-pus squid monster.
6. It's time to BRAID! Pick 3 noodles (that's 2 from each side of the first crochet hole and 1 from the second) to braid. At this point, save your sanity and roll the noodles up and tie with the hair bands. Otherwise, you'll be messing with 6 foot open ends, knots up to your eyeballs, and no amount of liquor is going to make you want to continue.
7. Lock down the crochet cuff somewhere so you get enough tension to braid the noodles. I did this in my guest room, so I just tucked the cuff in between the mattress and the boxspring. Ha! I knew the dead weight of the Tempurpedic was good for something!
8. Now there's nothing left to do but braid. And braid and braid and braid. Twelve noodles halved gives you 24 strips, which means you'll end up with 8 braids. At 6 feet per braid, that's 48 feet of braiding. Maybe open a bottle of wine at this point…
9. As the braid progresses, release more of the material from the hair band. Towards the end, lose the hair bands altogether, then knot the braid at the end to fasten.
10. Braid, sip wine, braid some more. Chug wine. Keep braiding. Before you know it, you'll be done, and you'll have kicked that bottle and be feeling good!
To wear, wrap the braids around your neck once and secure in the cuff.
Here's me taking pictures of myself after Drew told me I had plenty nuff pictures already. After dozens of shots pointing in all the wrong directions, these were the only 2 that turned out, sort of.
Ok! NOW I can sit down and seriously think about my resolutions for 2012!
[Update] : I got myself a sticker!


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Vicente Padilla (9-6, 4.72) vs. Max Scherzer (9-8, 4.10).
COMMENTS: So much for the soft part of the schedule. While the Rockies are beating the teams they're supposed to beat, the Dodgers are alternating wins and losses like a three-card Monte dealer on meth. What was supposed to be a September cakewalk has turned into the pie-eating contest scene from Stand by Me. Although SoSG Sax tells us the Dodgers still have a 99% chance of making the playoffs, time is running out for the bats to awaken from their hibernation. This limp to the finish line could be curdling a sweet season. Bah.


text: LP Cowbells are handmade in the USA and crafted from premium quality steel with specially developed tooling. Every LP Cowbell is hand inspected to check the consistency of metal thickness, the durability of construction and the precise position of welds. This ensures that every model of LP Cowbell will produce consistent sound, generation after generation.


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WASHINGTON (AP) – The foot soldiers of the tea party movement dismiss the chatter about its demise and stand ready to use their unbending political force against both President Barack Obama and the Republican establishment this election year.
The Tea Party Patriots, one of the major grass-roots groups, marked the fifth anniversary of the movement Thursday, attracting hundreds of members and plenty of speakers to a Washington celebration in which they directed their animosity at the Washington establishment.
Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas freshman and potential 2016 presidential candidate, got a standing ovation and wild applause when he addressed the event, cheered for his fight last fall against Obama's health care law that precipitated the 16-day partial government shutdown. He offered no regrets and argued that the effort has proved successful in the long run, contributing to Obama's low approval ratings and the law's unpopularity.
Cruz drew a rousing response when he told the crowd he was "absolutely convinced we are going to repeal every single word" of the health care law.
Keli Carender, the Tea Party Patriots' national grass-roots coordinator, said the strength of the group was reflected in the $1.2 million and counting that it raised in 10 days.
To the "establishment and permanent political class," Carender said, "we don't need their millions, we've got our own."
Republican primaries this election year will be a crucial test for the movement as the GOP establishment has aggressively challenged tea party-backed candidates in Kentucky, Kansas, Idaho, Mississippi, Michigan and elsewhere. Republicans blame the tea party for losses in winnable races in 2010 and 2012 that many believe cost the GOP a Senate majority.
The tactics were on display this week in Colorado. Tea party-affiliated Ken Buck, who lost a close Senate race in 2010, stepped aside to run for the House while more mainstream Rep. Cory Gardner launched a Senate bid in a political deal.
Tea partyers, who helped Republicans capture control of the House in 2010, made clear they don't like what the GOP establishment has done to their conservative agenda of limited government, free-market policies and what they consider fidelity to the Constitution. They signaled they will work hard to elect their uncompromising candidates no matter what the establishment does.
In Kansas, the Tea Party Express endorsed Milton Wolf, who is opposing three-term Sen. Pat Roberts in the Republican primary.
Addressing the event, Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., was interrupted by the crowd, which stood and cheered when he said, "It's high time we retire (House Speaker) John Boehner." When the applause died down, Huelskamp completed his sentence that it was "high time to retire John Boehner's biggest excuse that we only control one-third of the government."
Viveca Stoneberry of Spotsylvania, Va., said she was disillusioned with the Republican leadership because Boehner and others "pretend to be on the side of conservatives." Irene Conklin of Gainesville, Va., said Boehner needs to "take a solid stand."
The frustration isn't limited to House leaders.
Steve Gibson of Columbus, Ohio, said he had offered to help Matt Bevin, the Republican businessman challenging Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. McConnell, according to Gibson, is conservative 70 percent of the time, but then "throwing in the towel every time." Gibson was particularly upset with McConnell's recent votes on allowing the nation to borrow more money.
Boehner, for his part, said Thursday that he has "great respect for the tea party and the energy they brought to the electoral process. My gripe is with some Washington organizations who feel like they've got to go raise money by beating on me and others."
Sen. Cruz, who has helped raise money for groups targeting incumbent Republicans, earlier this week refused to endorse his state's senior senator, John Cornyn, the Senate's second-ranking Republican, in Tuesday's primary. Cornyn faces Rep. Steve Stockman.
Another tea party favorite and possible 2016 candidate, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told the group it needs to offer a happy message.
Support for the tea party has declined slightly since 2010, when members rallied around opposition to the health care law.
Just ahead of the 2010 elections, an Associated Press-GfK poll found that 30 percent of adults considered themselves supporters of the tea party movement. By October 2013, that figure had dipped to 17 percent, then rebounded to 27 percent last month.
Separately, a CBS News-New York Times poll this week found that 50 percent of Republicans who say they back the tea party complain that the party's candidates are not conservative enough, while just 19 percent of non-tea party Republicans said the same.
While tea partyers expressed frustration with the GOP, they were fierce in their opposition to Obama.
Speakers described the president as an emperor, radical and socialist whose administration has abused its power. They railed against the Internal Revenue Service's audits that they argue target conservatives and other political groups on the right as well as the NSA surveillance as an intrusion on Americans' privacy.
Members of the Tea Party Patriots pressed for broader congressional investigations of the IRS and the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans. They argue the administration is involved in a cover-up and greater oversight is necessary.
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WESTLAKE, Tex. — The Herschel Walker you know is likely the one who won the Heisman Trophy, played 15 years of professional football, and pursued a number of competitions — from bobsledding to mixed martial arts. There's the Herschel who collects antique automobiles, the Herschel who is trying to improve his golf game.
You are likely familiar with the Herschel who is still doing 3,500 sit-ups and 1,500 pushups daily, the one who weighs two pounds less than the 220 pounds of his playing days at the University of Georgia. Now aged 51, Herschel has always considered himself the best conditioned athlete in the world. Nothing has changed.
Then there is Herschel Walker the businessman. His business umbrella corporation is Herschel Walker Enterprises. His "Renaissance Man Food Services," a subsidiary headquartered in Savannah, owns three processing plants in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, and sales in the U.S. and Canada the last couple of years make him the largest minority chicken company in the country.
Then there is "34 Productions," which deals with the promotional side of his business and athletic interests and is the parent of his new restaurant on Clayton Street in Athens, Herschel's Famous 34 Pub & Grill.
Anyone who knew him as a precocious freshman tailback at Georgia and interacts with him today, gains a different perspective. Herschel, the corporate executive and business owner, is hands on.
Seasoned and introspective, Herschel hosts board meetings where team building is prominent on the agenda.When he shows up at one of his processing plants, he goes about meeting his employees, intoning spiritual and motivational thoughts and homilies into every conversation.
He'll grab a broom and help sweep off a loading dock. He'll sign autographs, but he mostly is about due diligence and production in the workplace. He never holds himself up as special, often saying, "I'm from little Wrightsville, Georgia. If I can do it, you can too."
When you see summaries of all the well-known athletes — even superstars — who have gone wrong financially, you find the Herschel approach refreshing.
He travels, he works, and he seeks to motivate, inspire, and lead. ("We are put on earth to help people. Give a man a job and he can help somebody else.") That view has become his mantra. He practices in his businesses that time-honored Bulldog theme authored by the late Erk Russell, "BIG TEAM, little me," with deep passion. He tells his employees that "if we are on the same page and everybody does his job, we can do great things."
When he reflects on Georgia's winning the national championship in 1980, he invokes the team concept as being the difference, expressing himself in his familiar third-person vernacular.
"I have looked at the film. Did you ever see Herschel getting hit in the backfield? Never, which means the offensive line was doing a terrific job. We loved each other. We always believed in ourselves, that nobody could beat us. I tell everybody if Herschel had played quarterback we wouldn't have won a game. With a team in football or in business, you only win or succeed if everybody is pulling together."
He reminds a listener that he gained 235 yards against Florida in 1980 but points out that it "would have for naught if Lindsay Scott hadn't caught that touchdown pass (93 yards from Buck Belue)." Just as it was when he was leading Georgia to the national championship, Herschel has good things to say about everybody.
For example, when he ran over Bill Bates for that first touchdown against Tennessee in 1980, he defends the Vol's defensive back. "If you look at the film, Bill ducked his head just as I made contact, a cardinal sin for a tackler. I think he slipped on the turf."
In other words if Bates had not slipped and had hit Herschel straight up, it might have been different. With the Cowboys, where Bates excelled on defense for 15 years, Herschel never brought up the Tennessee game. "I didn't have to," he says. Everybody else did."
His home at the gated Vaquero Country Club is in an exclusive neighborhood with homes ranging from $1.5 million dollars and up. Typical of the conservative Herschel, he bought his house during a down time in the market.
His neighbors include Glen Beck of Fox News and Sean Peyton, head coach of the New Orleans Saints, among others, which includes corporate CEOs and big-league baseball players. Herschel has a five-car garage, which contains an antique pickup truck which he has restored.
When he is not on the road, he spends time with his fiancee, Julie Blanchard, and his dog Cheerio. He works the cell phone and computer, keeping up with his multiple business enterprises. He is always exercising. If he wants room service for a quiet dinner, he can call the country club and ask for room service. If he goes to the club for lunch, an attendant will wash his car while he is enjoying a meal.
Do a casual check with Google, and you can find sad stories of athletes who have run through millions and are now broke: Curt Schilling announced in 2012 that he had lost his entire $50 million baseball fortune to a bad business venture; Boxer Mike Tyson has squandered $300 million, and Evander Holyfield, who earned $250 million in the ring, is busted; NBA star Allen Iverson, after making $154 million in salary and $30 to $50 million in endorsements, told a judge last year he was "flat broke"; golfer John Daly admitted he lost over $50 million gambling. Divorced four times, Daly said he has very little monthly income. Then there is Travis Henry, the NFL running back who fathered 11 children with 10 women and who cannot keep up with his child support payments.
Compare Herschel to the many who are bankrupt with no means of income, and you realize what an outstanding feat it is to find a professional athlete who has managed his money wisely. Even years later after attaining impressive financial success, Herschel went to purchase a bicycle for a competition.
He thought he would really be "splurging" if he had to pay $500. When he had to fork over $8,000, his thoughts were: "I hope my daddy doesn't find out about this. He will kill me." Herschel, even though his standard of living has him connected with a big cash flow, still operates with the view, "If you don't need it, don't buy it."
Here's to Herschel, one of the greatest names in football history, working for a living, trying to set a good example to kids, with a degree still on his mind, enjoying life and offering this reminder to all athletes: "What you did on the field may make it easy for you to get in the door, but after that you only succeed in business by working hard and looking after your money."
[For 36 years the sideline radio reporter for the Georgia Bulldogs, Loran Smith now covers a bigger sideline of sports personalities and everyday life in his weekly newspaper columns.]


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Orioles - 060 000 000 - 6 8 0 Red Sox - 240 100 10x - 8 13 0Boston finishes a four-game sweep of the hapless Orioles (by a combined score of 32-13) and retains its one game lead in the AL East. The Red Sox have won six consecutive games and 10 of their last 11.
Umpire incompetence was the story in the middle innings, as showboating home plate umpire Marty Foster, utterly clueless to the feel and flow of the game, issued warnings to both teams after Kevin Youkilis was hit by a changeup (with two men on in a 6-6 game) from Jeremy Guthrie in the fourth. Then Foster tossed Weiland (4-8-6-2-2, 78) and Terry Francona when the Weiland hit Vladimir Guerrero on the right hand in the fifth.
Neither pitch was intentional, but after Vlad was hit, Foster walked out from behind the plate, took a few steps onto the grass towards the mound, and made an exaggerated, sweeping Townshend-esque windmill motion with his right arm, indicating that Weiland's day was done.
Weiland had given up a leadoff triple in the inning and if he had been allowed to stay in the game (by Foster, and by Francona), he was looking at a 1st/3rd-0 out situation, with Boston leading 7-6. His chance of qualifying for a win in his major league debut might have been slim, but at least it existed. Foster's unwarranted ejection brought that chance down to zero.
In the sixth, Baltimore's Mike Gonzalez threw an 0-1 pitch behind David Ortiz, nearly hitting him in the ass. As per the post-warning rules, Gonzalez and manager Buck Showalter were ejected, and it was interesting to see how little fuss Showalter made about getting tossed. That would lead one to believe that -- following Friday night's fracas, and after warnings being issued today, with two batters being hit and two ejections already -- Showalter still gave the green light for Gonzalez (or whoever was out there) to throw at Ortiz. So classy, Buck. (Reading through the SoSH game thread, it came as no surprise to learn the MASN Morons were defending this behaviour with every fibre of their beings.)
Since both the pitcher and manager would be tossed on an HBP, if Gonzalez acted on his own, then that means he didn't give a shit about his manager getting the boot in the sixth inning of a one-run game. I would think would bother Showalter. But maybe that's how it really happened. Maybe Showalter, a micro-managing, control freak, had no idea what Gonzalez was going to do, and was able to hide his emotions until he got into the clubhouse. But I doubt it.
After Weiland set down the Orioles on 12 pitches in the first, Boston scored twice, with Ortiz and Josh Reddick driving in the runs. Then Weiland struggled through a 33-pitch second inning, facing 11 batters and allowing seven hits and six runs. It was ugly. After a one-out walk, Weiland was battered for a home run, double, and two singles over his next 11 pitches. He gave up three consecutive RBI singles later in the inning after recording the second out.
But the Red Sox immediately rallied. With one out, Marco Scutaro golfed a dong to left, and then Dustin Pedroia went deep to left with two outs. Adrian Gonzlez doubled into the right field corner and Kevin Youkilis -- the Sultan of Sweat -- hit a bomb to dead center to tie the game at 6-6.
Weiland showed his poise by breezing through the third and fourth, allowing one baserunner in each frame, but getting a double play and a caught stealing to escape harm.
Boston took the lead in the fourth, when, with one out. Pedroia doubled, Gonzalez singled, and Yook was hit to load the bases. After warnings were issued, Guthrie walked Ortiz to force in a run. Jacoby Ellsbury singled in an insurance run in the seventh.
When Weiland was tossed in the fifth, Alfredo Aceves came in with runners at first and third, no one out, and Boston with a slim 7-6 lead. Aceves struck out Matt Weiters and Derrick Lee and escaped trouble when Blake Davis lined out to left. Aceves also set down the side in order in the sixth and seventh. It was a fantastic outing for Aceves, reminiscent of the 4.2 innings he threw in relief of Tim Wakefield on May 6 against the Twins, finishing the game and giving the bullpen a much-needed rest.Mitch Atkins / Kyle Weiland
This is Weiland's major league debut. In 17 starts for Pawtucket this year, he had a 3.00 ERA. In 93 innings, he allowed 69 hits and 37 walks, while striking out 99. Weiland led all AAA pitchers with a .206 opponents batting average (69-for-335); lefties hit only .175.
Terry Francona:" We're excited about this. I'm not glad we're all banged up, but when you get to bring kids up like this, it is really exciting for us."
Atkins made seven relief appearances with the Cubs in 2009-10 and has one start for the Orioles this season, a strong six-inning outing against the Rangers last Tuesday. He has pitched 18 innings in his major league career.
Since winning their first game on April 8, the Red Sox have the best record in MLB: 53-29. ... Boston has won five in a row and nine of their last 10, while the Orioles have lost six straight and 11 of their last 12.
David Ortiz spoke about his role in Friday night's fight:
I feel like I was pushed last night to do something like that. This is a guy that I always face, and he never pitches in. ... I'm pretty sure he was trying to hit me. No question about that. After I hit the fly ball, he started screaming at me. I'm not going to take that. You saw the argument before, and after that, you are going to act like you are my daddy or something like that? I'm not going to take that.Former Oriole Matt Albers's fist pump and look towards the Orioles' dugout after finishing the seventh inning on Friday probably added to Baltimore's growing annoyance and frustration.
[M]aybe [I] took a look over there. I mean, it's not something I'm very proud of, it's not something I should've done. Let my pitching speak for itself. I just kind of got caught up in the moment over there. I didn't say anything ...Josh Beckett will test his hyperextended left knee during a side session today. He left Friday's game after five innings, but has said the knee will not be a lingering issue.
AL East: Rays/Yankees (Shields/Sabathia) at 1 PM.


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When I meet with clients, I almost always have to overcome their initial objections about how frivolous tweeting can be. Unfortunately, there are no shortage of people out there who do nothing but provide daily evidence to support the prejudice that exists. I'm sick of the noise. I've grown tired of the stupidity. Please, my friends, let's stop the insanity once and for all and show all those non-tweeters how valuable Twitter can be.
I beseech you to join with me to outlaw the following Twitter practices. Ok, so we can't really make them against the law, but let's stop doing them. And, let's stop supporting those who do!
Auto DMs
I can't believe self proclaimed social media "gurus" are still advocating this practice to their disciplines. And, yet others just think of this bright idea all on their own. STOP IT! It's not winning you any friends. No one is liking your Facebook page because you sent a link in your auto DM. No one is impressed with your ability to harness automation. It's a sleazy, ineffective, offensive practice and it only shows how little you really know about Twitter.
Why are people automating their list making? And, it's not even like they're getting something great out of doing so! "Who My Friends are Talking To" is a lame list! "People Who Listed Me" is equally stupid! Lists generated through Formulists provide no value whatsoever. You get no points for putting together a worthless list (heck, you didn't even do it; a bot did!) and the recipient of your listing gets nothing out of being put on such a pointless list. STOP IT. It's a waste and only makes me think less of you.
Buying Followers
I still can't believe that people do this, but they do. I've seen it firsthand. This is not what Twitter is all about. It's about being real and developing real connections with real people. Do you think I can't see that all your listings are from other people who have bought followers? Do you not realize I can look at your followers and realize they're all garbage accounts? Maybe you're fooling yourself, but you're not fooling me. STOP IT and play fair like the rest of us.
Questionable Contests
We've all seen the tweet: "Leave a comment on my blog and win _____!". However, what I see way too much is people not delivering on those contests. People who say a winner will be announced on a certain day and/or time--and nothin'. No tweet, no post, no comment. Nothing. No winner announced.
I've even tweeted to ask about the winner; silence. I can only assume that the contest response wasn't what they had hoped and they chose to keep the prize for another time. Or maybe there wasn't a prize at all. If you announce a contest, give out the prize! Update your blog to say who won and congratulate the person. Contests aren't just for you to increase traffic to your site, they're for you to create goodwill with your readers. They are not a free ticket for you to mislead people. I know who you are and I'm disgusted. STOP IT.
When I try to get people on the Twitter bandwagon, the number one objection I have to overcome is "Don't people just tweet about what they're eating?" Interestingly, even people who really understand Twitter seem to be compelled to share their eating habits. "Yummm. Carrot cake." Who cares? And do you really need to tweet a link to the TwitPic of your cake? I know what cake looks like! And Foursquare check-ins have made it even worse. "Mmmm. Peach pie (@ Marie Callendars) http://4sq.com/29sktm47". Stop tweeting this nonsense and stop responding to it with "you're making me hungry" or "sounds good". It's noise. Noise at its absolute worst. STOP IT! (The one exception here is if you have a food blog, have published articles about food, or otherwise makes a living through the food industry.)
In an ironic twist of fate, those who use TrueTwit say they're trying to cut down on spam. I've got news for you, you are the ones creating the spam! Don't send me a DM and punish me for following you by making me prove I'm real. I won't jump through hoops for you. Click on the link to show you I'm a person? No, thanks. I just as soon unfollow you. You're offending people and are the butt of jokes. STOP IT.
Twitter SystemsWhat have I missed? What else should be outlawed? Let's get it all out there once and for all and clean up the streets in Twitterland. There's a new sheriff in town and she's ready to start crackin' some knuckles...
It's not just the little guys who are offering high-priced systems to help teach you social media, it's also some of the fairly well-known people who are doing it. You don't need to pay $1,000 for some ebooks and videos. If you offer a system or have bought a program, STOP IT. Everything you need to know is out there for free! And there is no shortcut here, anyway. Listen, engage, provide value, be supportive, offer guidance. These are the tools to succeed on Twitter. See, I just saved you $1,000.


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To refresh your memories, this is Vogue 8346, view D. The only weird thing about it is that I can't seem to find anything wrong with it. I made a straight size 14, no alterations or anything. And I'm completely happy with the fit. Am I missing something?
I'm wearing a dress and a cardigan underneath, which is what I wear on a typical winter day. It fits very comfortably, with a few inches of ease.
I love the shape of it! It hits me mid-calf, which at first I thought was too long. But the length quickly grew on me. I think it's going to feel like a big cozy blanket.
Anyway, I could really use your opinions here. Do you think the fit looks good?
The fabric is currently at the drycleaners being steam pressed, and I've been avidly studying my tailoring book. I'm actually starting to feel confident about the whole thing! Even if I don't end up making any changes in the muslin stage, making it really helped me get my bearings. Now I'm just excited to make the real thing!


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LONDON – A patient being treated for a mysterious SARS-like virus has died, a British hospital said Tuesday.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, central England, said the coronavirus victim was also being treated for "a long-term, complex unrelated health problem" and already had a compromised immune system.
A total of 12 people worldwide have been diagnosed with the disease, six of whom have died.
The virus was first identified last year in the Middle East. Most of those infected had traveled to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan or Pakistan, but the person who just died is believed to have caught it from a relative in Britain, where there have been four confirmed cases.
The new coronavirus is part of a family of viruses that cause ailments including the common cold and SARS. In 2003, a global outbreak of SARS killed about 800 people worldwide.
Health experts still aren't sure exactly how humans are being infected. The new coronavirus is most closely related to a bat virus and scientists are considering whether bats or other animals like goats or camels are a possible source of infection.
Britain's Health Protection Agency has said while it appears the virus can spread from person to person, "the risk of infection in contacts in most circumstances is still considered to be low."
Officials at the World Health Organization said the new virus has probably already spread between humans in some instances. In Saudi Arabia last year, four members of the same family fell ill and two died. And in a cluster of about a dozen people in Jordan, the virus may have spread at a hospital's intensive care unit.


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I've really been enjoying avocados lately. Sure, I'll occasionally get one that's a MAJOR dud and fills my mouth with the flavor of moldy cheese smeared on a rotting deer carcass, but usually, they make for a fantastic dining experience.
I feel like I should add in some tomatoes or roasted red peppers for a little color, no? Presentation FAIL. |
When you get a good one, the flavor is subtly pleasant and the texture is creamy but a bit firm. When I find one like that, I like to eat it as simply as it comes, with just a sprinkle of salt and pepper. I also like them atop southwestern-themed salads and shmushed into guacamole. One of my favorite creations of late is a breakfast burrito involving cheese, eggs, avocados, and pesto. It's a salty, nutty extravaganza.
What's your favorite way to eat these green gems? Do they make a paint the color of avocados? If so, are any of your walls adorned with it? Finally, have you ever purchased a large and seemingly meaty avocado only to find upon opening it that it's 85% pit?
CAPE Burrito
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 eggs
1/2 avocado, diced
2-4 slices of pepper jack cheese
1 large tortilla
First, make your pesto: Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Add all the remaining oil and pulse until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese.
Next, fire up a small saucepan and melt some butter in it. Add the eggs, then season and scramble them to your preferred degree of doneness. Add the cheese and stir it around until it melts. Remove from heat. Slather the pesto down the middle of the tortilla and then top that with the diced avocado. Dump on your cheesy egg mixture, and then roll it up tightly. Set the burrito, seam side down onto the hopefully still-hot saucepan to seal it up. Cut it in half and devour!
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copyright the Chronicle 10-3-2012
by Joseph Gresser
JAY — A $600-million investment plan set out by the owners of Jay Peak Resort Thursday could change the face of the Northeast Kingdom over the next three years. In the process it could create ten thousand new jobs.
That was the message Bill Stenger, co-owner and president of the resort, delivered in a pair of press conferences, one held at Jay Peak, the other at the Gateway Center on Newport's waterfront.
Sharing the stage with Mr. Stenger were U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders, Congressman Peter Welch and Governor Peter Shumlin.
Most of Mr. Stenger's plans focused on Newport. They included construction of a new hotel and conference center on the site of the present Waterfront Plaza, the replacement of the Spates block with a five-story commercial and residential building, and construction of a 75,000-square-foot research building for AnC Bio, a bio medical research company.
Mr. Stenger also announced that a German window manufacturer will move to Newport and set up shop in a portion of the old Bogner Building.
The Newport State Airport in Coventry will also get a makeover as Mr. Stenger and his business partner, Ariel Quiros, take over the operation of the field. They will continue to work with Dan Lathrop of Lakeview Aviation, the current operator of the airport, and will add several hangers, a new terminal building and bonded warehouses.
Mr. Stenger did not completely ignore his skiing properties. At Jay Peak plans call for an expansion on the Stateside of the mountain where a hotel will be added. An entirely new area is to be developed in the West Bowl, where a second new hotel is planned.
Mr. Quiros and Mr. Stenger bought the Burke Mountain ski area recently and announced a $102-million project that will include four new ski lodges there.
Ninety percent of the projects' costs will be funded by money raised from the EB-5 visa program, which grants Green Cards to foreign citizens who invest $500,000 in an approved project that creates at least ten permanent jobs. The new jobs can be created directly by the projects or indirectly as a result of increased economic activity spurred by the new businesses.
The expected total of over $500-million in EB-5 funds must result in more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs before all Green Cards are issued by the federal government.
The EB-5 program, which has financed most of the $250-million in improvements made at Jay Peak over the past five years, was slated to expire this month. Congress recently passed a bill reauthorizing the program for another three years, which President Barack Obama signed into law Friday, September 28.
Mr. Stenger gave much of the credit for the three-year extension of the visa program to Senator Leahy. Unless the EB-5 program gets a further extension, the projects outlined by Mr. Stenger will have to be completed by 2015.
In his remarks Senator Leahy said he already has his staff working on a bill that would make the visa program a permanent part of U.S. law.
The backgrounds of those who seek to participate in the EB-5 program are investigated by federal immigration officials, as is the source of the funds to be invested. Federal officials also must certify that the expected jobs have been created before a participant is given final resident status and a path to U.S. citizenship.
Mr. Stenger began his explanation of his investment plans by talking about the work that has been done at Jay Peak Resort over the past five years. He said construction of two new hotels, a golf course and clubhouse, an indoor ice rink, and water park has resulted in a five-fold increase in Jay Peak's payroll.
At present the ski area employs 1,200 people, Mr. Stenger said.
He said that Jay Peak has completed 75 percent of its expansion plans. He said the resort plans to spend $170-million between 2013 and 2015 to build 100 homes, new lifts, an 84-unit hotel and a medical center on the Stateside portion of the ski area.
Mr. Stenger said Jay will build new lifts and trails as well as a new hotel in the West Bowl area of Jay Peak.
Moving east, Mr. Stenger outlined plans that would radically reshape the city of Newport. Along with Mr. Quiros, Mr. Stenger plans to buy the block on the south side of Main Street between Second and Center streets from Doug and Vivian Spates.
Plans call for the Spates Block to be razed and replaced with a five-story building. In accordance with Newport's zoning code the ground floor would be devoted to retail space. The second story will be devoted to office or other commercial uses, Mr. Stenger said, while the top three floors will be residential.
An architect's rendering of the block showed a couple on the top floor of the building, enjoying a view of Lake Memphremagog from the terrace of their penthouse apartment.
The building, which will be called the Renaissance Block, is expected to cost $70-million and is slated for completion in 2014.
The following year the Newport Marina Hotel and Conference Center is scheduled to open on the site of the present Waterfront Plaza on the Causeway. The cost of the 600-bed hotel is estimated to be $100-million.
Mr. Stenger said he is in discussions with Burlington developer Tony Pomerleau to purchase the property, which has extensive frontage on Lake Memphremagog. Mr. Pomerleau was saluted for his contributions to the state at the press conference, which took place on the eve of his ninety-fifth birthday.
Mr. Stenger described the two projects as bookends for Newport's Main Street, and asked his listeners to imagine a walk from the hotel up the city's boardwalk and back down Main Street.
The other Newport developments will be concentrated at the former Bogner property, which was purchased by AnC Bio, the U.S. division of a South Korean biotechnology company. Mr. Quiros and Mr. Stenger are owners of the U.S. division of AnC.
The biotech company will start manufacturing and distributing products from the existing 90,000-square-foot Bogner building in the spring of 2013.
Work on a 75,000-square-foot research center is to begin next fall at a total cost of $104-million. The glass tower will essentially be a copy of the company's research building in Seoul, South Korea. Inside there will be clean rooms, equipment and research facilities available for lease by other companies or universities, according to William Kelly, the counselor for AnC Bio and Jay Peak.
Mr. Kelly said he expects that researchers will be drawn to the new facility because of the availability of the equipment.
The former Bogner building will have a second manufacturing tenant, this one a German manufacturer of energy-efficient windows.
Mr. Stenger said that one of the people who looked into investing in Jay's EB-5 program turned out to be someone whose work involved scouting locations in the U.S. where foreign companies might want to locate.
He brought the Newport area to the attention of the owners of Menck Window Systems, who visited the area several times before committing to locating in Newport.
Mr. Stenger said representatives of the company, a 134-year-old family owned concern, were very impressed that Lawrence Miller, secretary of the state's Agency of Commerce and Community Development, attended the meetings and was solicitous of their needs.
Bringing Menck to Newport will require a $20-million investment, he said, but will result in at least 140 full-time manufacturing jobs.
The Newport State Airport in Coventry will also see considerable investment. The Federal Aviation Agency will extend the existing runway by 1,000 feet next year from 4,000 feet to 5,000 feet.
This, Mr. Stenger said, will make it possible for larger planes to land and take off, and change the economics of the field.
The existing runway is to be resurfaced and a separate taxi-way will be built, Mr. Stenger said.
Plans call for the Jay Peak partners to take over operations of the airport, and build a new 10,000-square-foot terminal building, two 15,000-square-foot hangars, a 14,000-square-foot aircraft manufacturing and repair facility, and a 40,000-square-foot bonded warehouse in anticipation of the creation of a Free Trade Zone in Orleans County.
Work at the airport is expected to cost $20-million and be done between 2013 and 2014.
Mr. Stenger credited Senator Leahy with shepherding the visa program bill through the Senate, and thanked Congressman Welch for his work getting it passed by the House. The legislation passed with overwhelming margins in both bodies.
Each member of the Congressional delegation spoke at the two press conferences, as did Governor Shumlin. All praised Mr. Stenger and Mr. Quiros for their vision.
Senator Sanders said, "The most popular sport in America is complaining about the federal government. What you are seeing here is a marriage and partnership between private business and federal, state and local government."
Secretary Miller, speaking at the Gateway Center press conference, provided assurance that Mr. Stenger's plans are likely to come to fruition.
He said that sophisticated investors from around the world have carefully examined Mr. Stenger's plans and made half-million-dollar investments in his projects.
As to whether there are 5,000 people with the skills to take jobs in the new businesses, Mr. Miller pointed out that many people have left the state in search of work.
"We want them back. We want them home," Mr. Miller said.
To any who may doubt the reality of his plans, Mr. Stenger offered this assurance: "We have the mission, we have the vision, we have a love for this community. We will make it happen."
contact Joseph Gresser at [email protected]
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