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Home /
Identity Thief gives storm the slip
By DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE PRESS SERVICES
This article was published February 15, 2013 at 2:49 a.m.
LOS ANGELES Identity Thief has turned out to be the real thing at the North American box office.
The comedy starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy debuted at No. 1 with a $34.6 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Identity Thief opened solidly despite the winter storm that buried much of the U.S. Northeast. Distributor Universal Pictures estimates the storm might have choked off as much as 10 percent of the movie's business.
"It took such a chunk out of the business [last] weekend. But we can't control Mother Nature," said Nikki Rocco, Universal's head of distribution. "We probably could have hit $40 million if it weren't for the weather [last] weekend."
The previous weekend's top movie, the zombie romance Warm Bodies, fell to No. 2 with $11.4 million. That raises its domestic total to about $36 million.
Side Effects, meanwhile, pulled in $9.3 million and attracted a heavily older crowd, as 85 percent of those who saw it over the weekend were over the age of 25. It received a B Cinema Score from moviegoers, even though critics were enamored with the picture. The movie centers on a psychologist (Jude Law) who struggles to find the right medication to treat a depressed patient (Rooney Mara).
Tom Cruise's 1986 hit Top Gun took flight again in theaters with a 3-D reissue that pulled in $1.9 million in narrow release of 300 theaters. The movie has a short run on the big-screen leading up to its Feb. 19 3-D release on DVD and Blu-ray.
Overall domestic revenues were down sharply from a year ago, when four movies had big openings - The Vow, Safe House, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island and a 3-D reissue of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
Receipts totaled $105 million, down 45 percent from the same weekend last year - which was the only nonholiday weekend to have four movies open with more than $20 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.
"The same weekend a year ago was such a tremendous weekend," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "It's really tough to live up to a weekend like we had last year. It was sort of a foregone conclusion that this was going to be a down weekend."
Identity Thief came in above industry expectations despite the storm and poor reviews for the comedy, which stars Bateman as a man chasing down a con artist (McCarthy) who has racked up thousands of dollars of charges in his name.
The combination of the actors and the premise made it a review-proof comedy, Rocco said.
"I think people just want to be entertained," Rocco said. "The chemistry between Jason and Melissa is the reason why this picture is doing so well."
Another film playing in only a handful of theaters, Lost in Thailand, also failed to debut with a splash. AMC released the Chinese-language film - which grossed $201 million in China last year, more than any other movie in the country - in 29 theaters. The Hangover-esque film collected only $29,143.
MovieStyle, Pages 34 on 02/15/2013
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subset: commoncrawl


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UK Teachers Say Censor The Internet 463
Marlow the Irelander writes "The BBC is reporting that in response to a YouTube video of a schoolboy breaking his teacher's window (yes, this is a video), NASUWT, one of the teaching unions in the UK, is calling for legislation to control the internet. Could Britain, rather than the US, be the main front of the battle against censorship in 2007?" From the article: "Unfortunately, any yob or vandal can now have their 15 minutes of fame, aided and abetted by readily accessible technology and irresponsible internet sites which enable such behaviour to be glorified. [The general secretary of the union] said the union supported a zero tolerance approach in schools to pupils who used technology to abuse and undermine teachers, and called for more rigorous legislative control of internet sites which gave them license."


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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO)-- Legendary coach, and member of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, Bill Fanning will be remembered for his victorious life on Friday.
Fanning was coached the Grand Junction Tigers baseball team for 35 years, winning three state titles during that time.
He will be remembered during a funeral mass at 1pm on Friday at St. Joseph Catholic Church.


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The Kane County Chronicle has been the recipient this month of two tasty media kits from the Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois organization.
Dropped off at our office annually by moms and their daughters, the kits include an assortment of Girl Scout cookies, as well as information about the cookie-selling program.
The timing of when this year's cookie kits arrived was perfect for me, as I already had Girl Scout cookies on the brain.
A friend I have known since first grade asked whether I would pass around an order form to help increase her daughter's cookie sales.
I decided to do it, but I told myself it would be on one condition: I wouldn't pressure anyone to buy the sweet treats.
After all, I'd already done my time selling cookies.
Yes, as a brownie many years back, I would trek door to door with my sister and mom, and we would sell cookies together.
I always thought it was kind of tough because instead of one person selling cookies there were two – my sister and me splitting sales between us.
On top of that, I also was in park district soccer each spring and fall, and my two sisters and I had to sell candy for that. I think a bunch of our neighbors really got to know us through our constant sales efforts.
That being said, I do think I learned a lot from selling cookies (and candy). Just like the Girl Scout media kit says, I learned goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics.
Thirteen-year-old Crystal Kotvan, a cadet in St. Charles Troop 4298, also has identified with those skills.
"You really have to know how to spend your money after you get it," she said, adding that "you really need to know what audience you're trying to appeal to."
Sisters Lexi Blondin, 10, and Emma Blondin, 7, a junior and brownie, respectively, have found positives in selling cookies as well.
"It's taught me how to goal set," Lexi said. "My troop is trying to go to a dude ranch, so that's what we're trying to save money for."
To learn about the Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois and annual cookie sales, visit www.girlscoutsni.org.
Oh, by the way, I sold more than 40 boxes of cookies for my friend's daughter. Not too bad for an ol' brownie.
• • •
My fiance (yes, I did get engaged over the holidays!) and I attended the opening reception for the "I AMerican" art exhibit at Water Street Studios in Batavia on Jan. 24.
The exhibit is a "multi-media exhibition exploring what it means to be an 'American' from the perspective of bi-cultural artists living in the U.S.," states Water Street's website.
It was great to get out of the house on a cold Friday night to check out a variety of art, discuss different pieces on display and mingle with art-lovers young and old.
You can see the exhibit for yourself now through March 30.
Learn more at www.waterstreetstudios.com or 630-761-9977.
• Kathy Gresey is editor of the Kane County Chronicle and president of the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association Board. Contact her at firstname.lastname@example.com or 630-845-5368. Learn more about NINA at http://ninaonline.org.


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Study Says: Lack Of Innovation, Not File Sharing, Real Problem For Record Labels
from the maybe-you-shouldn't-kick-your-biggest-customers-off-the-Internet dept
Nastybutler77 was the first of several to direct our attention to a new Dutch study (pdf, via Ars Technica) by Professor Nico van Eijk of the University of Amsterdam. van Eijk finds, once again, that file sharers aren't just consuming copyrighted material voraciously, they're consuming all media voraciously (especially concerts, films and games). The study also concludes that there "isn't a clear relationship" between the decline in sales and file sharing, while also finding that (shockingly) fear of evolution prevented the recording industry from adequately adapting their business models to the broadband age. While the recording industry is having problems, argues van Eijk, it has less to do with file sharing, and more to do with the fact they've been "abstaining from innovation" -- as the study phrases it:
"Turnover in the recorded music industry is in decline, but only part of this decline can be attributed to file sharing. Conversely, only a small fraction of the content exchanged through file sharing networks comes at the expense of industry turnover. This renders the overall welfare effects of file sharing robustly positive."van Eijk, who does a nice job differentiating between the recording and music industries, goes on to note that despite Sweden's reputation as a piracy hub, total revenues from recorded music, live concerts and collecting societies remained roughly static between 2000 and 2008 (something we've pointed out before). The study also touches on how the content industry has set the price far higher on movies and video games than people say they are willing to pay (though what people say they'll pay and what they'll actually pay obviously can be quite different). While the recording industry was busily suing customers, exploring nastier DRM solutions and trying to desperately hold on to the past -- everything changed around them -- and "reinvention of the business model" is now the only way forward, concludes van Eijk:
"And so the entertainment industry will have to work actively towards innovation on all fronts. New models worth developing, for example, are those that seek to achieve commercial diversification or that match supply and end-user needs more closely. In such a context, criminalizing large parts of the population makes no sense. Enforcement should focus on large scale and/or commercial upload activities. . . Introducing new protective measures does not seem the right way to go..."None of this will surprise Techdirt readers, given that we've made many of these points before, and study after study indicate that file sharers are some of the content industry's biggest potential customers. So, once again, we're facing a future where entertainment companies can either embrace these users and find ways to get them cheap, simple, high-quality product -- or they can demonize them, alienate them, and fight to terminate their connections to the Internet (and by proxy any purchases they might make). Place your bets.


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Obama plans to beef up border patrol
President Barack Obama has written House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking for $500 million to hire 1,000 more border patrol officers as well as more ICE agents and to finance other incidentals, such as aerial drones, to police the border. Proposed to stop trafficking in people, drugs, and guns, it's actually a sop to insecure Americans in order to advance his other immigration reforms (see Washington Post [1]).
"Secure borders" is becoming the big trade-off on immigration reform. Even Mexico is asking for it to prevent the flood of guns from the north. Border security and employer sanctions are offered in exchange for a path to citizenship, family reunification, and a new system for guest workers. Such is the program embraced by a coalition of big businesses--including Boeing, Hewlett-Packer, Disney, and News Corp.--and big-city mayors put together by Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City (See Los Angeles Times [2]).
Yet the evidence isn't really there that the border is insecure. Recent FBI statistics and the testimony of border chiefs of police have testified that border towns not only have a lower crime rates than the rest of the country, but they're actually declining. Still Gov. Jan Brewer cited the crime on the border as justification for signing the Arizona exclusionary law. The perception and the reality are at odds. The new addition of enforcers at the border--including a previously announced 2,000 National Guard--will be an expensive overkill, as the fence was before it. Unauthorized immigration is significantly down because of the recession and the fear that the undocumented have because of the increased hostility to them. But sometimes the nation responds to fear with placebos (see Arizona Republic [3]).
Another glitch in the Arizona law
The Arizona Republic [3] has been reading through the new restrictive law (SB 1070) on immigration with a fine comb. It has pointed to the enormous burden the law will create for law enforcement in cost, time, and attention to real crime-fighting. It also described the burden on the courts and the jails. This is nothing to the real danger of racial/ethnic profiling. Now the newspaper reports another handicap to enforcing the law: What if the individual stopped by the police and asked for his documentation invoked his/her Miranda right to remain silent?


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Amid an escalating food scandal, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday accused the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of covering up its discovery of the use of industrial starch in food products to benefit certain certification companies.
Citing the latest issue of the Chinese-language Next Magazine, DPP caucus whip Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) said the agency had been aware of the illegal use of maleic anhydride-modified starch in food products since February, but did not take any action until the case made headlines and stirred up a public panic in April.
Chiu alleged that the agency's coverup could have been meant to benefit certain certification firms, as evidenced by the dates when some of these companies began offering preferential deals to food manufacturers sending samples to be tested for the presence of maleic anhydride.
"On May 27, the FDA initiated the '0527 Project for Food Safety Event Regarding Starch Containing Maleic Anhydride' and officially banned the use of the industrial starch. However, the Germany-based certification company TUV Rheinland Group started advertising and offering discounts on its [maleic anhydride] testing services as early as May 15," Chiu said.
"The findings suggest that these certification companies were aware of the use of maleic anhydride long before the FDA made the announcement, leading me to assume that the FDA had sought to cover up the case and underestimated the severity of the matter," she added.
Urging the government to launch an immediate probe into the sources of the industrial starch used by food manufacturers, Chiu said if the government failed to stamp out use of the substance at source, the food scare would not only take a toll on public health, but also on food vendors' business.
FDA Director-General Kang Jaw-jou (康照洲) rejected the accusations, saying the agency did not cover up or delay taking action, nor did it seek to protect or benefit any company or food manufacturer.
Kang said the agency started looking into the case shortly after it heard of an unidentified illegal substance being used in food products on Feb. 4.
Following deliberations on possible investigative approaches at a meeting on Feb. 7, the FDA conducted a random inspection of 74 starch-based products on March 18 and completed the first batch of inspections on April 3, Kang said.
"Of the 74 products, three were found to contain maleic anhydride in the initial stages, followed by two more tainted products that were discovered later," Kang said.
Kang said the agency then asked the Chiayi branch of the Ministry of Justice's Investigation Bureau for assistance in running tests on more starch-based products on April 24 and made public its results on May 13 after collecting sufficient information on food manufacturers potentially implicated in the case on May 10.
"Investigations take time and there is no way we can have all the information all at once," Kang said. "The FDA could be embroiled in legal issues if it makes public the names of suspected manufacturers without hard evidence. Doing so before the time is ripe may also give perpetrators time to conceal tainted products and evidence."
FDA Northern Center for Regional Administration director Pan Chih-kuan (潘志寬) also dismissed the allegations, saying that some food manufacturers voluntarily sent their products for testing after hearing rumors about the investigation.


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November/December – 2006
Authors: Dr Atomic Leow Chuan Tse and Ms Wong Shaou-Yi Ruth
Chilling The Root Zone: Revolutionary Energy Cost-Saving Chilling System for Temperate Plant Production in Tropical Climates
Research studies at Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore show that controlled chilling of the root zone for temperate-climate vegetables can significantly increase vegetative growth and prevent them from wilting and bolting under tropical conditions. Temasek researchers have also developed a revolutionary cost-saving hydroponic chilling system that can be easily incorporated into existing commercial hydroponic systems with minimal capital inputs and disruption to existing infrastructures.
Agricultural crops are divided into cool-season and warm-season plants. Cool-season plants or temperate plants generally thrive poorly in the hot tropics. For example, butterhead lettuce, iceberg lettuce, cabbage and rhubarb are cool-season vegetables that tend to bolt in long day and high temperature environments.
Bolting is defined as the tendency of cool-season plants to grow rapidly and produce seed without first establishing strong vegetative growth when exposed to warm temperatures. Generally speaking, long days tend to favour bolting or seed stalk formation; while short days favour vegetative growth. Bolting results in numerous physiological and biochemical changes in plants. For example, the amount of bitter compounds, the sesquiterpene lactones, increase sharply as lettuce plants approach flowering. This causes off-flavour in lettuce, making the edible parts bitter and tough. Bolting also causes heat-sensitive head lettuce to form loose heads; this further renders the end products un-sellable.
In addition, high environmental temperatures can result in moisture stress, photosynthetic slum, and severe wilting in heat sensitive species, factors which can lead to a devastating loss in yield and productivity.
In temperate climate countries, growers adopt various planting strategies to combat or reduce the chance of bolting. One approach is to plant cool-season crops close together in wide rows to keep the soil and roots cool. Another approach is to avoid planting the crops too early in spring, as a sudden cold spell followed by warm weather can quickly set off bolting.
In the tropics, growers employ various evaporative cooling methods (e.g. the fan-and-pad method and fine mist fogging) to lower greenhouse temperatures, so as to create a cool greenhouse climate for cultivation of heat sensitive cool season plants.
In 1993, Dr Atomic Leow pioneered the use of thin film chilled nutrient solution or chilled nutrient mist to chill the root zone of cool season plants (e.g. zucchini, strawberry, tulips, carnations, cabbage and lettuce), and succeeded in raising these cool season plants in NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) channels and in the aeroponic system, respectively, in Singapore1. This pioneer work is fully detailed in a hydroponic textbook entitled A Guide to Hydroponics written by Dr Atomic Leow and published by the Singapore Science Centre in 1994. Subsequently, researchers and commercial growers in Singapore and in other parts of the tropics attempted to grow butterhead and iceberg lettuce using chilled nutrient solution technology with various degrees of success. For example, aeroponic farms in Singapore and Malaysia are using huge chillers to chill bulk quantities of nutrient solution, employing high-pressure pumps with timer control to spray either a continuous or intermittent chilled mist to the plant roots to grow a range of cool-season lettuce such as butterhead and romaine lettuce. However, this chilled solution technology is energy demanding and greatly increases the cost of production, which decreases the profit margin.
At Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore, Dr Atomic Leow invented a revolutionary energy cost-saving chilling system that can be easily incorporated into existing commercial hydroponic systems (NFT, aeroponics, and Deep Flow Technique), to deliver small quantities of chilled nutrient solution to the root zone of plants. This chilling technology enables many economically important temperate plants to be grown in the hot tropics at one seventh of the energy cost of the conventional chilled aeroponic system. This research paper provides convincing research evidence to show that using chilled solution technology, a range of difficult to grow cool season plants, such as purple basil, butthead lettuce, Shanghai Pak Choy and broccolini, can be successfully grown in tropical Singapore.
Effect of chilled solution temperature on root growth and plant development
Plant scientists have long observed that root zone temperatures exert a greater influence on the development of plants than the surrounding ambient air temperature 2,3. Crop species of tropical and sub-tropical origins, which are vulnerable to root zone chilling, are usually categorized as chilling-sensitive species. Some examples of chilling-sensitive species include cassava (Manihot esculenta), Ephedrine or Ma Huang (Ephedra vulgaris), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), and mung bean (Vigna radiata). Species such as cucumber (Cucumis sativum), soybean (Glycine max), maize (Zea mays), common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), and cereal grass (Sorghum spp.) are considered to be moderately sensitive species4, while the mustard family (Brassica spp.), barley (Hordeum vulgare), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and spinach (Spinacia oleracea) are classified as chilling resistant or tolerant species4.
Most published studies have investigated effects of root-zone chilling and plant responses using solution culture (e.g. 5, 6, 7, 8). Through these studies, it has been established that over-chilling of the root zone temperatures can have detrimental effects on the root and plant development, especially in chill-sensitive plants. For example, chilling had been shown to induce changes in the function and integrity of root cell plasma membranes; this may contribute to the associated decreases in water and nutrient (e.g. B, K+, Ca2+, NH4+, Cl-, NO3-) uptake by plant roots. Such changes include cell membrane lipid composition9, membrane fluidity10, and dysfunction of membrane-bound enzymes such as H+-ATPase11, 12.
In chilling sensitive species, cellular membrane alterations precede other cellular changes, and adverse effects on different cellular organelles are dependent on the duration of chilling and associated growth conditions, including photon flux density and relative humidity9. Root chilling can also cause a reduction in leaf stomatal conductance in a range of species, such as bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) 13, maize14 and tomato15. In chilling-sensitive species, chilling decreases root hydraulic conductance and slows down water absorption and impairs stomatal control that leads to excessive water loss and leaf wilting16,17. Chilling-tolerant maize lines, on the other hand, were found to have lower transpiration and higher water potentials in recently matured leaves than those in chilling-sensitive lines18.
In short, over-chilling of the root zone can result in tissue damage, interference in ion transport, and impair leaf stomatal control. Thus, growers who intend to exploit chilled nutrient solution technology to grow cool-season crops in the hot tropics, must first take into consideration the nature of the cool-season crops under study, and to experimentally determine the upper and lower range of chilled solution temperatures that can be applied to the root zone of plants under study for prolong periods without incurring tissue damage and physiological dysfunction to the plants.
In this research report, the authors conducted mass screening of some selected cool season plants for heat tolerance. The upper and lower range of chilled solution temperatures that can be fed to the root zone of these selected heat-tolerant varieties were experimentally determined, and then tested in the energy cost-saving chilling system developed at Temasek Polytechnic for small-scale commercial trials in the hot tropics.
Comparative growth studies of sweet and purple basils raised by five different types of hydroponic treatments
Material and Methods
Seedlings of sweet and purple basil (Red Rubin) were transplanted into either a Deep Flow Water Culture (DFWC) or Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) growth system when they attained a height of about 2cm.
In DFWC, the basil roots were immersed in a large quantity of either chilled re-circulating nutrient solution (Treatment 5) or non-chilled re-circulating nutrient solution (Treatments 1 & 2). For NFT, the basil roots were continuously fed with a thin film of either chilled re-circulating nutrient solution (Treatment 4), or non-chilled re-circulating nutrient solution (Treatment 3). For treatments involving chilled solution, chilling was carried out entirely using the energy cost-saving chilling system developed at Temasek Polytechnic. The five experimental treatments were summarized as follows:
Treatment 1
Sweet basil – grown in non-chilled nutrient solution in Deep Flow Water Culture (NC-DFWC).
Treatment 2
Purple basil – grown in non-chilled nutrient solution in Deep Flow Water Culture (NC-DFWC).
Treatment 3
Purple basil – grown in non-chilled nutrient solution in Nutrient Film Technique (NC-NFT).
Treatment 4
Purple basil – grown in chilled nutrient solution in Nutrient Film Technique (C-NFT).
Treatment 5
Purple basil – grown in chilled nutrient solution in Deep Flow Water Culture (C-DFWC).
The leaf areas and height of the basil plants grown in the five different hydroponic treatments were measured weekly and the data collected were subjected to the Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) to establish the degree of statistical significance.
Results and Discussions
The results of Table 1 and Table 2 show that sweet basil plants could be grown relatively easily in Singapore using NC-DFWC. However, massive root rots were observed in the sweet basil plants on day 40 of cultivation. The heat-sensitive purple basil plants also displayed a similar growth response when raised in NC-DFWC, with massive root rot set in by day 40 of cultivation (see Fig. 1). As root rot was not observed in the purple basil plants raised by NC-NFT, it was concluded that prolonged exposure of the root zones to large amounts of warm (30°C), non-chilled nutrient solution, was detrimental to the basil root development and was directly responsible for the observed root rots seen in NC-DFWC. Generally, purple basil plants raised in NC-NFT performed significantly poorer than those raised in NC-DFWC, albeit the advantage of root rot absence.
Figure 1. Massive root rots of un-chilled purple basil plants.
Chilled nutrient solution (26°C) confers a definite protective role to the basil roots. By growing the purple basil in C-NFT and C-DFWC, the root rot problem could be completely circumvented (see Fig. 2). Chilling also greatly enhanced the vegetative growth of the purple basil plants (see Fig. 3 and Fig. 4), and intensified the purple anthocyanin of the purple basil plants (see Fig. 4). This enhancement in vegetative growth and intensification of the purple colouration were related to the amount of chilled nutrient solution being fed to the plant roots.
Figure 2. Healthy roots of chilled purple basil plants.
Figure 3. Un-chilled purple basil plants exhibiting signs of gross heat stress, poor vegetative growth and lost of purple pigments.
Figure 4. Chilled purple basil plants exhibiting robust vegetative growth and significantly darker purple pigments than un-chilled plants.
Figure 5. Chilling intensifies the anthocyanin pigmentation of the purple basil plants.
A large amount of chilled nutrient solution, as in C-DFWC, was shown to be more effective than a shallow amount of chilled nutrient solution, as in C-NFT. In addition, chilling was also effective in removing the bitterness experienced in non-chilled purple basil plants.
Unpublished data of Dr Atomic Leow and Ms Ruth Wong had shown that chilling of basil roots significantly increases the methyl chavicol content of the purple basil plants. Perhaps, this may explain why chilling was effective in removing the bitterness experienced in non-chilled purple basil plants.
These comparative growth studies categorically establish that the temperate purple basil plants could be grown commercially in the hot tropics using C-NFT or C-DFWC. The latter was the preferred method as it results in a marked increase in vegetative yield, intensification of the purple colouration, and complete removal of the bitterness experienced in the untreated purple basil plants. The optimal solution temperature for growing purple basil in the hot tropics was found to be in the region of 25°C – 26°C. Solution temperatures lower than 20°C could result in irreversible damage to the basil roots.
Comparative growth studies of butterhead lettuce raised by six different types of hydroponic treatments
Materials and Methods
Seedlings of butterhead lettuce (Rex) were transplanted into either a Deep Flow Water Culture (DFWC), Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) channels, or the aeroponic system when they attained a height of about 2cm. The hydroponic systems were supplied with chilled or non-chilled nutrient solution. For treatments involving chilled solution, chilling was carried out entirely using the energy cost-saving chilling system developed at Temasek Polytechnic. The six experimental treatments are summarized as:
Treatment 1
Butterhead lettuce – Grown by non-chilled Deep Flow Technique [NC-DFWC]
Treatment 2
Butterhead lettuce – Grown by chilled Deep Flow Technique [C-DFWC]
Treatment 3
Butterhead lettuce – Grown by non-chilled Nutrient Film Technique [NC-NFT]
Treatment 4
Butterhead lettuce – Grown by chilled Nutrient Film Technique [C-NFT]
Treatment 5
Butterhead lettuce – Grown by chilled aeroponic technique [C-Aeroponics]
Treatment 6
Butterhead lettuce – Grown by extra chilled Deep Flow Technique [EC-DFWC]
The leaf area of butterhead lettuce was measured weekly and the data collected were subjected to the Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) to establish the degrees of statistical significance.
Results and Discussion
The results of Table 3 show that C-DFWC and C-Aeroponics were far more superior than C-NFT in promoting leafy growth of butterhead lettuce (Rex). In addition, butterhead lettuce raised in C-DFWC and C-Aeroponics also formed better semi-loose heads than those raised by C-NFT.
Of the three types of chilling systems investigated, C-DFWC was by far the best system for growing heat-sensitive butterhead lettuce in the tropics. Butterheads raised in C-DFWC (Fig. 6) was also found to weigh 25% more than those raised in C-Aeroponics.
Figure 6 . Butterhead lettuce (Rex) grown by six types of hydroponic systems. From top right hand corner in clockwise direction: C-DFWC, NC-DFWC, EC-DFWC, C-NFT, C-Aeroponics and NC-NFT.
Dr Atomic Leow
Without chilling the root zones, butterhead lettuce performed poorly in the hot tropics (see Fig.6). Figure 7 and Figure 8 show the close views of two varieties of butterhead lettuce (Panama, Rex) successfully raised in Singapore by C-DFWC.
Figure 7. Close view of butterhead lettuce (Panama) raised in C-DFWC.
Figure 8. Close view of butterhead lettuce (Rex) raised in C-DFWC.
Extra chilling of the root-zone temperature to 20°C, as in Treatment 6 using the EC-DFWC, conferred no added advantage, but was actually detrimental to the growth of the butterhead lettuce (Table 3, Fig. 6).
In conclusion, production of high quality temperate butterhead lettuce in tropical Singapore is no longer a myth, and can be achieved by growing a heat-tolerant variety butterhead in combination with an energy cost-saving C-DFWC, like that devised at Temasek Polytechnic.
Comparative growth studies of Shanghai Pak Choy grown in chilled and non-chilled Deep Flow Water Culture
Materials and Methods
Seedlings of Shanghai Pak Coy (Brassica campestris Chinensis) were transplanted into either a NC-DFWC or C-DFWC when they attained a height of about 2cm. For the latter treatment, the nutrient solution was chilled using the energy cost-saving chilling system developed at Temasek Polytechnic.
The leaf areas of the Shanghai Pak Coy were measured weekly and the data collected were subjected to Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) to establish the degrees of statistical significance.
Results and Discussions
The results of Table 4 show that heat sensitive Shanghai Pak Choy (Brassica campestris Chinensis) performed poorly in NC-DFWC in Singapore. The plants were grossly under-sized and displayed severe heat distress responses such as wilting and folding-up of the leaves on hot afternoons (see Fig. 7).
In contrast, Shanghai Pak Choy grew robustly in C-DFWC and was darker green in colour and showed no signs of any wilting or bolting under the scorching tropical sun (Fig. 8 and Fig 9). Thus, this study shows that heat sensitive Brassica species can be grown successfully in hot tropics by mere manipulation of the nutrient solution temperature bathing the root zone by a few degrees downward.
Figure 9. Shanghai Pak Choy performed poorly in NC-DFWC.
Figure 10 . Pak Choy displaying vigorous
vegetative growth in C-DFWC.
Figure 11. Close view of the Shanghai Pak Choy raised in C-DFWC.
The amazing effect of root-zone chilling to promote vegetative growth of heat-sensitive vegetables raised in the hot tropics was elegantly demonstrated in 1993 by Dr Atomic Leow when he transformed a dwarf variety of Pak Choy into a gigantic size merely by supplying a shallow stream of appropriately chilled nutrient solution to the root zone of plants (see Fig. 12). Unpublished data by Dr Atomic Leow while working with overseas researchers in 1996 indicates that chilling of the plant root zone increases the gibberellin-like substances in plants by several folds.
Figure 12. Comparison of the size of dwarf Pak Choy raised in NC-NFT (held up by Dr. Leow) and in C-NFT.
In summary, Temasek Polytechnic of Singapore have invented a revolutionary energy cost-saving hydroponic chilling system that can be easily incorporated into existing commercial hydroponic systems with minimal capital inputs and disruption to existing infrastructures. The hydroponic chilling system is unique in that it delivers only a small quantity of pre-determined chilled nutrient solution to the root zone to enable a range of heat-sensitive, cool-season plants to be cultivated in Singapore. Being an energy cost-saving system, the chilling system consumes only one-seventh of the energy cost of conventional chilled aeroponics.
Research studies conducted at Temasek Polytechnic also show that controlled chilling of the root zone of heat-sensitive vegetables in the tropics can significantly increase the vegetative growth of vegetables and prevent plants from wilting and bolting under the high tropical heat.
Unpublished data by Dr Atomic Leow while working with overseas researchers in 1996 indicated that chilling the root zone causes the gibberellin-like substances of plants to rise by several fold. Chilling also intensifies the anthocyanin pigmentation of purple basil plants, the chlorophyll pigmentation of heat-sensitive Brassica species, and prevents the photo catalytic breakdown of these pigments under extreme tropical heat.
Of the various hydroponic systems tested at Temasek Polytechnic, C-DFWC was found to be superior for the cultivation of heat-sensitive, cool-season plants in the tropics, as shown by the robust growth of broccolini plants (Fig. 13 and Fig. 14). It is anticipated that this ground-breaking energy-saving technology developed at Temasek Polytechnic will generate tremendous interest for both local and foreign investors for the cultivation of high-value temperate crops in the hot tropics.
Figure 13. Robust broccolini plants growing in C-DFWC.
Figure 14. A close view of broccolini plant growing in C-DFWC.
The authors would like to thank Temasek Polytechnic and the Singapore Totalisator Board for making available the funds and manpower needed for this research study.
About the authors
Dr Atomic Leow Chuan Tse is the former Head of the Biotechnology Specialist Unit, Temasek Applied Science School, Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore. Ms Wong Shaou-Yi Ruth is a researcher at Temasek Applied Science School, Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore.
Literature cited
1. Leow, A.C.T.,
1994 – A Guide to Hydroponics.
Singapore Science Centre.
2. Cannon, W.A.,
1917 – Soil temperature and plant growth.
Plant World 20: 361-363.
3. Jones and Linus, H.,
1938 – Relation of soil temperature to chlorosis of gardenia.
Jour. Agr. Res. 57: 611-621.
4. Kratsch, H.A. and Wise, R.R.,
2000 – The ultrastructure of chilling stress.
Plant, Cell and Environment 23: 337-350.
5. Forno, D.A., Asher, C.J. and Edwards, D.G.,
1979 – Boron nutrition of cassava, and the boronxtemperature interaction.
Field Crop Research 2: 265-279.
6. Macduff, J.H., Hopper, M.J. and Wild, A.,
1987 – The effect of root temperature on growth and uptake of ammonium and nitrate by Brassica napus L. cv. Bien venu in flowing solution culture.
Journal of Experimental Botany 38: 53-66.
7. Ye, Z., Bell, R.W., Dell, B. and Huang, L.,
2000 – Response of sunflower to boron supply at low root zone temperature.
Communication in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 31: 2379-2392.
8. Ye, Z., Huang, L., Bell, R.W. and Dell, B.,
2003 – Low root zone temperature favours shoot B partitioning into young leaves of oilseed rape (Brassica napus).
Physiologia Plantarum 118: 213-220.
9. Lyons, J.M., Graham, D. and Raison, J.K.,
1979 – Low temperature stress in crop plants: the role of the membrane.
New York: Academic Press.
10. Queiroz, C.G.S., Alonso, A., Mares-Guia, M. and Magalhaes, A.C.,
1998 – Chilling-induced changes in membrane fluidity and antioxidant enzyme activities in Coffea arabica L. roots.
Biologia Plantarum 41: 403-413.
11 Shabala, S.N. and Newman, I.A.,
1997 – H+ flux kinetics around plant roots after short-term exposure to low temperature: identifying critical temperatures for plant chilling tolerance.
Plant, Cell and Environment 20: 1401-1410.
12. Ahn, S.J., Im, Y.J., Chung, G.C. and Cho, B.H.,
1999 – Inducible expression of plasma membrane H+-ATPase in the roots of figleaf gourd plants under chilling root temperature.
Physiologia Plantarum 106: 35-40.
13. Matzner, S. and Comstock, J.,
2001 – The temperature dependence of shoot hydraulic resistance: implications for stomatal behaviour and hydraulic limitation.
Plant, Cell and Environment 24: 1299-1307.
14. Aroca, R., Irigoyen, J.J., and Sanchez-Diaz, M.,
2003a – Drought enhances maize chilling tolerance. II. Photosynthetic traits and protective mechanisms against oxidative stress.
Physiologia Plantarum 117: 540-549.
15. Bloom, A.J., Zwieniecki, M.A., Passioura, J.B., Randall, L.B., Holbrook, N.M., and St Clair, D.A.,
2004 – Water relations under root chilling in a sensitive and tolerant tomato species.
Plant, Cell and Environment 27: 971-979.
16. Capell, B., Drffling, K.,
1993 – Genotype-specific differences in chilling tolerance of maize in relation to chilling-induced changes in water status and abscisic acid accumulation.
Physiologia Plantarum 88: 638-646.
17. Bloom, A.J., Zwieniecki, M.A., Passioura, J.B., Randall, L.B., Holbrook, N.M., and St Clair, D.A.,
2004 – Water relations under root chilling in a sensitive and tolerant tomato species.
Plant, Cell and Environment 27: 971-979.
18. Capell, B. and Drffling, K.,
1993 – Genotype-specific differences in chilling tolerance of maize in relation to chilling-induced changes in water status and abscisic acid accumulation.
Physiologia Plantarum 88: 638-646.
Farewell testimonial
By Steven Carruthers
Following a stellar career as one of Singapore's foremost hydroponic research scientists and tertiary educators, Dr Atomic Leow Chuan Tse has resigned as Head of the Biotechnology Specialist Unit, Temasek Applied Science School, at Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore, to pursue his life-long dream to study medicine at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom.
Among Dr Leow's many industry achievements has been the development of a revolutionary hydroponic system to produce spectacular commercial cut orchids. The 'Precise Influx Hydroponic Growth System' (PIHGS) utilizes an automated mechanism to deliver precise, pre-determined amounts of nutrient solution that effectively circumvents the root-rot problem faced by many hydroponic orchid growers. (Many of our readers will recall our feature story on this revolutionary system in our January/February 2006 issue.) The technology is now licensed to a biotechnology company and a major orchid grower in Singapore. Dr Leow is also the inventor of a revolutionary, cost-saving chilling system for temperate plant production in the tropics, featured in this issue.
Formerly educated in Australia, Dr Leow holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Honours) and Diploma in Education from La Trobe University. He is also a Doctor of Philosophy (Toxicology), the result of a La Trobe University Research Scholarship for PhD research in toxicology of drugs.
In 2006, he was awarded a Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies (summa cum laude and Dean's Award).
Between 1982 and 1990, while a biology lecturer at St Andrew's Junior College in Singapore, Dr Leow pioneered the first Bodybuilding Club in Singapore, an interest that stems from his high school years when he was placed second in the Mr Chung Ling Muscle Improvement Competition in Penang, Malaysia. In 1985, he was awarded the Certificate of Merit by the Asia Bodybuilding Federation, and the Certificate of Merit by the International Federation of Body-Builders (IFBB), Montreal, Canada (1986).
Returning to his academic career, in 1984 and again in 1987, Dr Leow supervised the science students to capture first prize in the Singapore National Science Fair. In 1990, he became one of the pioneer biotech lecturers that helped to start up the Biotechnology course at Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Singapore, where he lectured in plant tissue culture, animal and plant cell biology, hydroponics and biochemical laboratory techniques. Between 1992 and 1997, Dr Leow was a senior lecturer and Agrotechnology Coordinator at Singapore Polytechnic, where he lectured in Plant Cell Biology, Human Anatomy and Physiology and Agrotechnology, as well as teaching inorganic chemistry to biotechnology students.
In 1995, Dr Leow authored the world's first CD-Rom on hydroponics, which won the 'Creative Ngee Ann Multimedia Award'. During this period he also mentored the gifted students in the top Secondary Schools in Singapore on 'Life Sciences' research projects. In 1996 he was invited as a Visiting Fellow to the prestigious Institute of Agribiology & Soil Fertility at the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands, where he presented a seminar paper on the 'Impact of hydroponic technology on the agrotechnology industries in Singapore' and the 'Effect of nutrient cooling on the gibberellins metabolism in Simposai'. During the 1990's, Dr Leow also served as a volunteer counselor for Singapore Prisons and Drug Rehabilitation Centres.
Between 1997 and 2006, Dr Leow has been the principal lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic and Head of the Biotechnology Specialist Unit where he secured international accreditations from numerous international universities for the 'Diploma in Biotechnology' programme at Temasek Polytechnic.
Although Dr Leow had fulfilled all the requirements to study medicine as a younger man, he was unable to do so owing to his deep commitment to raise his two daughters with care and love. His youngest daughter is now a fifth year medical student at the School of Medicine at Melbourne University. In fact, medicine seems to run in the family with a brother-in-law the Clinical Director at Frankston Hospital, Victoria, and a cousin and nephew who also have careers in medicine. Now the time has come for Leow to follow his life-long passion to study medicine.
As a strong advocate of hydroponic technologies, and a role model for his many students and colleagues, Leow's contribution to the industry has been enormous and our best wishes go with him in his new career where I am certain he will make an indelible mark. Farewell old friend. The hydroponics industry is the poorer for your departure. Ω
PH&G November/December 2006 / Issue 91


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Mount Union Accepting Nominations for MLK Award
December 06, 2012
ALLIANCE, Ohio — Each year, the University of Mount Union presents the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Award to members of both the University of Mount Union community (student, faculty and staff) and the Alliance community who best embody the values and principles exemplified by Dr. King.
Individuals and organizations may nominate people for this award by submitting a letter detailing why the nominee should receive this prestigious honor.
Selection for the MLK Award will be based on the nominee's exemplification of the following:
- Promoting racial harmony
- Advocating for social justice
- Collaborating with groups, offices, churches and/or organizations
- Demonstrating sustained commitment to diversity
- Fostering inclusiveness and an appreciation of differences
The MLK awards will be presented at the University of Mount Union's MLK Jr. Award Ceremony and Dinner held at the University in January.
Please mail or email all letters of nomination no later than Friday, January 11, 2013 to: Deanna McFarland, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, The University of Mount Union, 1972 Clark Ave., Alliance, Ohio 44601 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Jan 16, 2014 1:41 pm
Did somebody say #SELFIE? Peyton List and Kat McNamara are totally on their selfie game in their latest pic. Just check out those amazing, colorful sunglasses. Um... where can we get a pair of those?! Just sayin'.
Do you take selfies with your BFF? We want to see it! Tag @mmagazine in your bestie selfie!


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|Home >> Course Descriptions >> College of Education
|Teaching the Content Areas in Dual Language Environment/ECE-4th.
|Three semester hours. (FL/SP)
|The course focuses on developing the knowledge and skills required of bilingual education teachers in quality ECE-4 dual language settings. The course is conducted in Spanish and English. Participants will engage in developing lesson plans in the areas of math, science and social studies and design activities that target critical thinking skills. Prerequisites: Admission to the College of Education; oral and written proficiency in English and Spanish; and 2.7 overall grade point average.
Home - General Information - Student Services -
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Graduate Degrees - Course Descriptions - Faculty -
Appendix A - Appendix B - Appendix C - Appendix D


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WOODSTOCK – Ken Koehler's eight-year reign as McHenry County Board Chairman ended Monday morning.
The newly seated County Board elected Tina Hill, R-Woodstock, to a two-year term as chairman, beating Koehler, R-Crystal Lake, and two other challengers. It took the County Board two tries until a candidate received the 13 votes needed for a majority on the 24-member board.
Board members Ersel Schuster, R-Woodstock, and freshman Joe Gottemoller, R-Crystal Lake, also ran for the chairmanship.
In that second round of voting, Hill received 14 votes, Koehler, 4, Schuster, 3, and Gottemoller, 3.
"We have lots to do and as a team I'm confident we can accomplish them," Hill said.
The board also elected James Heisler, R-Crystal Lake, to a two-year term as vice-chairman, replacing John Jung, R-Woodstock.
The County Board swore in nine new members Monday, the largest freshman class in at least 20 years. All 24 seats were up for grabs this election year because of post-census redistricting.
Read more about it in Tuesday's Northwest Herald or check back with www.NWHerald.com.


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A friend of mine got horrendously drunk at her bachelorette party. We didn't want to drive anywhere because she kept saying she needed to throw up. It became apparent to me that she needed to vomit but couldn't.I told her I was going to stick my finger down her throat on the count of three. I did, and got out of the way just before she let fly...After bodily carrying her into the hotel room and cleaning her up while she vomited into the toilet another friend and I got her undressed and into her nightgown.That was when other friend noticed that she had tampons in her overnight bag.She looked at me (drunk friend was long passed out) and said "What do we do? She's on her period!"I looked at her and said "She's on her dingdangity own with that. I've been knee deep in puke all night and I have had ENOUGH!!"
Here's mine:About 10 years ago, I went with some friends to a local 24 hour restaurant for an early breakfast. It was around 3am, and the bars had just closed. We were sat at a booth in front of 2 men, one was eating salad. For you to get this, here's a map, because I am not sure how this happened the way it did: | Our table | |Their table | | ME| |1 guy- SGuy|My back was to the salad guy. All of a sudden I hear this single loud HACK! and get hit in the back of the head with a steaming wad of salad. Somehow he projectile vomited from his side of the table, missed his friend, and hit me, sitting at the next table almost 5 feet away.I scream, and end up trying to wash puke out of my hair in the tiny bathroom. Luckily, I had another shirt in my car and changed. Just as I come out, the waitress brings my eggs over medium. Which of course, I couldn't eat.
What was your grossest moment?
My daughter was about 8 months old and we had one of those jumper things that hangs from the door frames. You put the kid in and they can hop and jump in there.She would spend an hour or 2 in there, she loved it so much.One day I popped her in it and went to the bathroom. When i came out, she was happily jumping around in a puddle of diarrhea. It escaped her diaper and was running down her legs on to the floor.I swear I nearly died cleaning that up
My mother once hosted a fairly formal eveing outdoors cocktail shindig years back. She spent weeks preparing and all day stressing, cleaning and cooking. She was dressed to the nines and trying to be perfect. About 30 min into the party, she's talking to a guest, hears a noise, looks up.... and catches a load of bird doo right in the mouth. My mother's EXTREMELY type-A and perfectionist. It was pretty funny to watch the fall-out.
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Was in Phily one day to see a sixers game. Never saw a deer in my time thereOriginally Posted by silentstriker
Was in Phily one day to see a sixers game. Never saw a deer in my time thereOriginally Posted by silentstriker
Yes, I am sure they don't wander into center city. I live in the 'burbs.Originally Posted by Dravid
-My beliefs summarized in words much more eloquent than I could come up with
How the Universe came from nothing
Closer to Jersey or away from Jersey? I'm moving to Jersey once I come back. And if you know anything about Jersey, then I'm moving into Brown Town. If you know nothing about Jersey then Brown Town is Edison. I'm sure you have heard of Edison NJ?Originally Posted by silentstriker
Got your back Smithers.Originally Posted by dontcloseyoureyes
Jesus brings life eternal
Watch ya back there Patto. Many things go bump in the night.Originally Posted by Nnanden
Fuller and Gelman, for instance.
Nah, Patrick is the last guy you want watching your back, from what I've heard.
Rest In Peace Craigos
Biggest party-wrecker.Originally Posted by pasag
Well Philadelphia is literally a bridge ride from Jersey so it would be 'further' from jersey. And I don't think you will have any problems with deer in Edison.Originally Posted by Dravid
This is not about responsibility. This is about you having a sick mind.Originally Posted by silentstriker
Spot on.Originally Posted by FaaipDeOiad
Originally Posted by adharcric
I'm like the nicest guy around.
Post reported.Originally Posted by silentstriker
"I am very happy and it will allow me to have lot more rice."
Eoin Morgan on being given a rice cooker for being Man of the Match in a Dhaka Premier Division game.
For? Anti-cat sentiment?Originally Posted by Jono
For poor taste and lack of tact for mine.Originally Posted by silentstriker
Disturbing pictures. Some should move this topic to off topic now.Originally Posted by silentstriker
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Police in Lexington are looking for a man they say robbed the Intimate Apparel store on Richmond Road Monday night.
Police say the man walked into the store, told an employee he had a gun, and demanded cash from the register. Once he got the money he ran off behind the building. Police say he got away with around $300.
Police did call out a K9 Unit to track the suspect, but they lost the scent
They think the man had a getaway car waiting. Authorities hope surveillance cameras inside the store and some forensic evidence will help them find the man.
The suspect is described as a white man in his 50's around 6"2'. He was wearing a tan jacket, jeans, a beige ball cap with the numbers "2002" on it, and sunglasses.
Two employees were inside the store at the time. No one was hurt.


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Original URL: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/12/gmail_audio_video_features_added/
Google adds audio, video tools to Gmail
Intros yet another installable app
Posted in Software, 12th November 2008 13:13 GMT
Google has added new video and audio conversion tools to its free email service – Gmail – in an effort to eat into some of Microsoft and Yahoo!'s market share.
Users with a webcam who want to see and hear the people they're emailing and chatting with online via Gmail, which is known as Googlemail in the UK, can now do so – well, after installing software on their computers, that is.
Google introduced the tools yesterday. Its video feature is tied directly to Gmail, in other words the software doesn't cross-pollinate to non-Gmail accounts. It's compatible with the Windows XP and Vista and Apple Mac's running OS X 10.4 or later.
It works in modern browsers such as Firefox 2.0+, IE7, Safari 3.0, and of course Google's Chrome.
Yahoo and Microsoft already offer similar features, with one significant difference: Google's rivals do not provide the apps in their more popular free email services.
According to comScore states, Gmail currently boosts 113 million worldwide users. Hotmail clocks up 283 million and Yahoo! isn't far behind with 274 million email accounts. ®


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If you like mushrooms, you will probably love this recipe. Typically, stuffed mushrooms are an appetizer that is baked in the oven.
The thing about these mushrooms is that they are made in the slow cooker. No need to heat up the kitchen; your oven can be used for something else.
First or all, if you are preparing these mushrooms in the slow cooker, do not even consider using white button mushrooms. You will have to use the portabellas as they are firmer and can hold up better when cooking in liquid. Crimini mushrooms would be good, also.
Be sure to scoop out the gills of the mushroom. If you skip this step, the mushroom will produce a black liquid when you bite into it. This will not harm you, but it doesn't look that great.
Use arugula in this recipe. It will wild, like spinach. But unlike spinach it still will hold its shape. Kale or Swiss chard also would be good substitutes.
I tend to use spinach in a lot of things. I think I will start using arugula, kale or Swiss chard more often.
Arugula adds a peppery flavor to the mushroom. If you are concerned you will have too much arugula left over, just add it to a salad. It is delicious. No need to even cut the stems off; they are not hard and fibrous.
Once you have assembled the mushrooms and are ready to add them to the slow cooker, you will realize that there is not enough room.
Not to worry.
Stack the mushrooms in between the other mushrooms on the bottom, within an hour all the mushrooms will fit in nicely.
Once the mushrooms have finished cooking, pour the liquid out and dry out the inside of the slow cooker. Place the mushrooms back in and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese and parsley on.
If you prefer a cheesier mushroom, put a small square of Swiss cheese on instead of the Parmesan.
Let them cook again for about 10 to 15 minutes. They will dry out a little bit, but still be incredibly moist. You can tell they are done when the cheese has melted.
We like this so much that I will sometimes make them for dinner. When I do this, I like to use the large portabella mushrooms caps.
The next time you have to bring an appetizer someplace, try making these for your guests. Hopefully your family doesn't eat them all before your guests arrive.
And remember ... a good cook always cleans up!
Sausage and arugula stuffed mushrooms
2 packages (6 ounces each) baby Portobello mushrooms
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon black pepper, divided
½ lb. bulk pork sausage
½ onion, finely chopped
2 cups arugula, rinsed and chopped
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons garlic and herb flavored dried breadcrumbs
1-½ cups chicken broth, divided
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Coat 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Wipe mushrooms clean, removed stems and hollow out mushroom caps. Pour 3 tablespoons oil into small bowl. Brush mushrooms inside and out with oil. Season mushrooms with ¼ teaspoon pepper; set aside.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in medium skilled over medium heat until hot. Add sausage. Cook and stir until browned. Transfer sausage with slotted spoon to medium bowl.
Add onion to skillet. Cook and stir loosening browned bits, about 3 minutes or until onions are translucent. Stir in arugula and thyme. Cook until arugula is just wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat. Add sausage, breadcrumbs and 1 tablespoon broth, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Mix well to combine. Scoop 1 tablespoon of stuffing into each mushroom cap. Divide remaining stuffing evenly between mushrooms.
Pour remaining broth into slow cooker. Arrange stuffed mushrooms in bottom. Cover; cook on HIGH for 3 hours or until mushrooms are tender. Remove mushrooms with slotted spoon; discard cooking liquid.
Wipe out the inside of the slow cooker and put mushrooms back in. Blend cheese and parsley and sprinkle onto mushrooms.
Let mushrooms sit in slow cooker until cheese is melted. Serve.


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As Tax Hikes Loomed, Some CEOs Sold Stock
As Congress mulled higher tax rates last month, dozens of corporate executives sold big chunks of stock, saving themselves millions of dollars in taxes.
Cashing Out
A Wall Street Journal review of securities filings found that 58 executives sold stock valued at $10 million or more in December as talks intensified over raising tax rates. On Jan. 1, Congress voted to increase taxes on income, capital gains and dividends for high earners.
Capital gains were hit more than other types of income, according to David Kautter, the managing director of the Kogod Tax Center at American University in Washington, D.C. "So if you could move that into 2012, you saved the most of anyone."
Most executives contacted by the Journal either said that tax considerations didn't influence their plans to sell stock in 2012 or didn't return calls and emails seeking comment. But a few acknowledged that the prospect of higher tax rates did influence their stock-sale decisions.
James L. Dolan, chief executive of Cablevision Systems Corp. , exercised stock options in Cablevision, Madison Square Garden Co. and AMC Networks Inc. in November and December and then sold the stock for gains of $26 million. Mr. Dolan hadn't previously sold shares in any of those companies since at least 2009. He is a director of Madison Square Garden and AMC, which were spun off from Cablevision in recent years.
A Cablevision spokesman said that "tax planning" had played a role in the sales. He added that he couldn't elaborate.
Mr. Dolan's father, Charles F. Dolan, the chairman of Cablevision and AMC and a director of Madison Square Garden, exercised options in the three companies in November and December and sold the shares for gains of $21 million. He also sold AMC shares valued at $72 million in August. The spokesman said Charles Dolan declined to comment.
Fortress Investment Group co-founder Robert Kauffman said in late December that his decision to retire—and to sell $180 million in stock back to the private-equity firm—was partly influenced by concerns about higher rates.
"It was more that the current certainty, with rates relatively attractive, was a factor," Mr. Kauffman said. "It's a material amount of money."
The move may have saved Mr. Kauffman millions of dollars. Single executives with incomes above $400,000—or married executives with incomes over $450,000—who sell stock will pay 25% of the gains in taxes this year, compared with 15% last year, said Roberton Williams, the Sol Price Fellow at the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan group. That's the combined effect of the new law's higher capital-gains rate and limitation on deductions, as well as a new tax this year to help pay for the new health-care law.
For executives who exercised stock options and then sold stock, the savings from selling in 2012 would have been smaller, closer to 6.7% of the gains in most cases, Mr. Kautter said. That's because options are taxed as earnings when they're exercised, based on the difference between the exercise price and the value of the stock. The new law boosted the tax rate on earnings over $450,000 to 39.6% from 35%, and it limited deductions; a health-care tax applies as well.
It's unclear if the prospect of higher rates sparked a wave of insider selling. Thomson Reuters says high-ranking executives and corporate directors sold shares valued at roughly $4 billion in December. Insiders sold more stock than that in February, March and November 2012. For the year, insider selling rose 28% from 2011, to roughly $35 billion, higher than any year since at least 2007.
Executives were "selling consistently throughout the year because stocks were doing well and they were taking profits," says Richard Uhl, lead business analyst for the Thomson Reuters unit that tracks insider trading. "The fiscal cliff was a nonevent."
The biggest beneficiary of a December sale may have been Andrew T. Mack, the founder and chief executive of Teavana Holdings Inc., which agreed last year to be acquired by Starbucks Corp. The deal was completed on Dec. 31, and Mr. Mack sold $333 million of Teavana shares the same day. If the sale had taken place a day later, he likely would have had to pay more than $20 million in additional tax.
In an earlier securities filing, Teavana said that its board had considered the benefits of closing the deal by the end of 2012, "such as avoiding potential tax-rate increases in 2013." Mr. Mack didn't reply to an email seeking additional comment.
Starbucks CEO Howard D. Schultz sold, too. He exercised two million stock options he had been granted in November 2008, selling the shares for $107 million in December, according to Starbucks filings.
After subtracting the cost of the options, Mr. Schultz recorded a roughly $90 million pretax gain on the sales, meaning he may have saved at least $6 million in taxes by not waiting until 2013 to sell.
A Starbucks spokesman said potential tax-law changes "did not play a role" in the sales. The spokesman said Mr. Schultz's pay is tied to company performance and that his gains reflected a more than threefold increase in Starbucks's share price since he returned as CEO in 2008.
Another executive involved in a deal didn't wait for it to be completed to sell his shares. James M. Bernhard Jr. , chief executive of Shaw Group Inc., sold shares valued at $103 million on Dec. 27 and 28, shortly after Shaw shareholders approved the sale of the engineering and construction company to Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.
The $3 billion deal is expected to close in the next few months. Shaw shares are up more than 75% since the deal was announced in July. A Shaw spokeswoman didn't return a call or email seeking comment.
Other executives recorded big stock sales in December that appeared similar to sales in prior months. Google Inc. Executive Chairman Eric E. Schmidt sold 153,000 shares of the search-engine company in December, reaping $108 million.
He had sold a similar number of shares monthly since July. During 2012, he sold a total of 1.5 million shares, for proceeds of almost $1 billion.
Google CEO Larry Page sold 83,000 shares in December for proceeds of $57.8 million. Mr. Page sold an identical number of shares in most months last year.
Google declined to comment.
—David Benoit
contributed to this article.
Write to Scott Thurm at firstname.lastname@example.com
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Hearty Hunter's Stew Recipe
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- 2 pounds boneless venison or beef chuck roast, cut in 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 4-1/4 cups water, divided
- 1/2 cup tomato juice
- 2 medium onions, cut in wedges
- 2 celery ribs, sliced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 to 3 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 6 medium carrots, quartered
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- 6 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- In a Dutch oven, brown meat in oil over medium heat. Add 4 cups water and scrape to loosen any browned drippings from pan. Add the tomato juice, onions, celery, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Discard bay leaves; add the carrots, rutabaga and potatoes. Cover and cook for 40-60 minutes.
- Stir in the peas; cook for 10 minutes. Combine cornstarch and remaining water until smooth; stir into stew. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Yield: 8 servings.
Reviews forHearty Hunter's Stew
My Review
Average Rating
"This stew was great and I am picky. I did not have Tomato Juice so I used canned Tomato Sauce. No rutabaga so I just added more veggies. I like that idea of mushrooms but did not have that either. I can see this also being served over egg noodles. Yummy!"
"Made at hunting camp everybody loved it."
"Made this the other night and it was SO good. I didnt have rutabaga on hand. But I did add fresh sliced mushrooms and it was very good."
"I heartily agree with cookieface's comment about being kind to all those making comments. There is no need to be condescending to anyone making a comment or asking a question."
"Good basic recipe but missing a few critical elements.I put all the veggies in bottom of slow cooker. Season beef all over with salt and black pepper. I do not use cornstarch. For 3 - 4 Tbsp flour: I add my herbs & spices. In a bowl or plastic bag, combine meat & seasoned flour. Shake until there's a nice dusting of the meat. Place meat on top of vegetables in slow cooker. In answer to jefinch2: Keep in mind, veggies have water. There will be some meat drippings. The recipe calls for tomato juice. The lid will be on which traps the water content. Plus the steam created from cooking. There's a lot of water content - calling for less water than 4 ½ c in the recipe. I do add a ½ c wine to my stew. I, than, if needed, add enough water or broth to cover the veggies. I add the peas in the last 30 min of cooking. Sometimes I add a green leafy vegetable in the last 10 - 15 min."
"rutabaga is a root vegetable & you should find it in fresh produce section. For slow cooker method, I looked online & you should follow the instructions as listed except I would add the all the vegetables on top of the browned cubed beef EXCEPT the peas. Those I think should be added about 30 minutes before done. Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours."
"This looks like a recipe I use often. As for slow cooker, I often brown my meat and saute onions and sometimes carrots, but not necessary. Make sure you leave the potatoes in larger chunks or they will mush out. Just add all the ingredients at the beginning and cook. My crockpot cooks slowly, so I usually cook on high all day and then turn in down to low for the last 2+ hours when I get home from work. Stew is a pretty successful crockpot dish and GREAT for tougher meats as they tenderize with the longer cooking times."
"What is rutabaga"
"Does anyone have any suggestions about method for doing in a slow cooker? Proportions of liquid would be different. (I had to choose a rating to submit. Sorry -- haven't tried it so picked 3 stars.)"


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Honorary Degrees Awarded at Commencement
May 07, 2011
The University of Mount Union honored three individuals during its 165th Commencement exercises Saturday. Mount Union Trustees Jack Peters, Vanita (Bauknight '63) Oelschlager and the late Charles Grove were awarded honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees in recognition of their personal and professional accomplishments and service to the University.
Jack Peters
An Alliance native, Peters is as respected business leader in the Stark County area. He has a distinguished record of investment management service, having served as vice president of Stifel, Nicolaus and Company, Inc., formerly Butler Wick and Company. He is also the co-founder of The Greater Alliance Foundation, which provides individuals and other entities interested in the quality of life in the Alliance area the opportunity to direct their charitable giving toward identifiable and worthy needs that sometimes go unmet by the established charitable resources. He has been involved with numerous organizations including the Alliance Community Hospital, Alliance Family YMCA, United Way, Rodman Library and Alliance Area Chamber of Commerce.
At Mount Union, he has served as a member of the Board of Trustees since 1987 and has faithfully supported the institution's annual fund and numerous fund-raising campaigns. He also endowed the Madge Patterson Peters Scholarship, and just this fall, the stock ticker in the lobby of the Engineering and Business Building was named in his honor. Most notably, he established the Dowling Mentor Program in an attempt to enhance the lives of young people in the Alliance area. A graduate of the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Peters has shared his knowledge and expertise with Mount Union students as an instructor for our business program.
"Along the way, he has more than enriched our lives and this campus as a whole," said Dr. Raymond Posey, chair of the Department of Economics, Accounting and Business Administration as well as executive in residence and professor of economics, accounting and business administration, who presented Peters with his degree. "As a result of Mr. Peters' dedication to Mount Union and the Alliance community, we, the faculty, recommend him for this prestigious recognition."
"You have served your profession, your community and your peers with distinction, and we, as well as the entire Alliance community, have truly benefited from your guidance and influence," said Dr. Richard F. Giese, president of the University, upon conferring the degree. "Each and every day, you lead your life in a manner that so appropriately represents all for which the mission of our institutions stands. Your life is fulfilling, your work is meaningful and your citizenship in this community is, without a doubt, responsible."
Vanita (Bauknight '63) Oelschlager
Mount Union alumna Oelschlager, along with her husband James, is an extremely generous supporter of the University while also dedicating herself to many other pursuits. She is a philanthropist, author and poet, as well as a former public school teacher and current co-owner of Oak Associates, an investment firm in Akron, Ohio. In addition, she is a regular visiting instructor in our children's literature course and is a writer in residence at the University of Akron.
The Oelschager's firm, Oak Associates, donated significant funds to Mount Union to establish a student investment team that invested their gifts in the stock market. The Oelschalger's also provided the lead gift that made the 87,000-square-foot facility Bracy Hall possible, requesting that it be named for Carl Bracy, the sixth president of Mount Union, who made a major impact on her life while she was a student.
"Today, she is the one making a difference in students' lives, leaving an indelible impression of dedication and loyalty that will live long into the future," said Dr. Michael Olin-Hitt, chair of the Department of English and professor of English, who presented Oelschlager for the honorary degree. "Yet, Mount Union isn't Mrs. Oelschlager's only passion. Her husband's 35-year challenge dealing with multiple sclerosis (MS) led the Oelschlagers to co-found the Oak Clinic for Multiple Sclerosis, which they subsidize annually."
Oelschlager also shares insights from their family's challenges in dealing with the disease by writing on the topic. My Grampy Can't Walk is just one of many children's books Vanita has written, expressing her wisdom of and experiences with MS in a way that children can relate. She has penned more than a dozen other books on an array of topics, and all net profits provide support for those battling MS as well as other philanthropic causes.
"At a time when the world is looking for true leaders, it is refreshing to know that we have one virtually in our own backyard," said Olin-Hitt.
As he conferred the honorary degree, Giese said "As an alumna of Mount Union, we treasure your leadership and commend you for building a career and living a life that serves as a shining example for future generations of students. You stand here as one to be emulated by those graduating seniors who await their diplomas."
Charles D. Grove
Dr. Donna Michalek, chair of the Department of Engineering, director of mechanical engineering and associate professor of mechanical engineering, presented Grove for an honorary degree, awarded posthumously and accepted by his wife, Carol and daughter, Carrie Givens.
"In January, we were saddened by the loss of a treasured member of the Mount Union community – Mr. Charles Grove," said Michalek. "Known as an inspirational, generous and sincere human being, Mr. Grove was not only a business leader, but also a loyal and avid supporter of the Alliance and Mount Union communities."
After serving in the United States Air Force for three years during the Korean War, Grove, a graduate of Alliance High School, returned to his hometown to join his father in the family business. As president and owner of Grove Appliance TV and Audio, he made his mark in the Alliance business community. Today, Grove's is the city's oldest business under continuous management.
Grove was a civic leader in the city, supporting numerous organizations and philanthropies. A member of the Alliance Chamber President's Club, he also actively served on the Jaycees, Senior Citizens Board of Trustees and Rotary Club Foundation. He was a member of the Alliance Country Club, Alliance Elks Club and the Navy League of the United States. All the while, he found time to co-chair the Restoration Committee for Glamorgan Castle and served on the Board of the Greater Alliance Foundation.
Serving on the Mount Union Board of Trustees for nearly two decades, he was an invaluable asset during a period of significant growth and expansion at the University. A campaign supporter and annual fund contributor, he also provided a unique link between the University and the Alliance community in which he was so actively involved.
"Mr. Grove's place in the history of this institution is a considerable one, and the University is truly a better place because of his association with it," said Michalek. "There is no doubt that Mr. Grove exuded the spirit and energy that allowed him to make a significant impact on this University and the Alliance community he called home."
Grove, who passed away in January, was also honored on Friday at a dedication ceremony at which the entryway of the Engineering and Business Building was named The Charles D. Grove Lobby in his honor.
"He was a leader, a mentor and a friend to many, and will be sorely missed," said Giese. "A man of inspiration, his sincerity was unmistakable, and his enjoyment of life was undeniable. We were truly fortunate to have known him, and are honored to be able to recognize him today for a lifetime of accomplishments."


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Okay, so maybe, just maybe I was a little rough on Craig Hartsburg for his shootout strategy.
I haven't said a bad word about him yet this year so I figured I might as well start with the nuclear option.
But the main point of what I said remains true: He didn't go to his best players when the game was on the line.
Jarkko Ruutu might have a great shootout percentage but Hartsburg still should have went with Dany Heatley.
Heatley has expressed his desire to be more of a leader and this was a chance to let him go in and prove it with the game on the line. Hartsburg went for statistics but he should have went the "intangible" route.
It would have been a huge moment if Dany Heatley went in and scored. Who knows what that could have led to heading into Thursday's match against the Canadiens. Even if he didn't score, at least he'd have been put in the position to help this team and he'd be judged on the outcome. Now it's not black and white. It's a murky grey.
Even Henrik Lundqvist was surprised to see Vermette and Ruutu, but he wasn't complaining:
"I like the challenge of facing their best players" in the shootout, said Lundqvist, who agreed that he didn't really get that chance Monday night. Asked if he was surprised to see Ruutu lining up, the goaltender replied: "Heatley, Alfredsson - yeah, surprised. Not disappointed."
- New York Daily News
I don't think that leaving Daniel Alfredsson on the bench was a very inspired move either and to me, this ranks right up there with Ron Wilson's decision to pull Vesa Toskala and insert Curtis Joseph, because of Joseph's better statistics in the shootout. Toronto didn't have much to lose at the time but Ottawa had plenty to lose against the Rangers and in this way, it's somewhat more damaging.
Now the winless streak is at 5 and the end may be nowhere in sight. I'll continue to support Craig Hartsburg because I think his system is good for this team but his decision making has been too "by the book". Trying to force some secondary scoring backfired on him badly. The theory was sound but it never felt right.
It was the same as last night. He looked at the stats and made his decision – something that could only look good on paper.
It still doesn't feel right.
Bruce Garrioch has been speculating about Mattias Ohlund being available and it's pretty easy to see why it makes a lot of sense.
While the Canucks only have 4 defenseman under contract for next year (Bieksa, Salo, Mitchell and Edler), they all will make over 3.25 million each . That's a heavy cap hit for your top 4 and Ohlund won't likely take a paycut to stay in town as a free agent.
Ottawa on the other hand have 5 defenseman under contract (if you count Brian Lee) but only 2 make over 3 million (Phillips and Volchenkov). Ohlund would be a good fit on the ice and on the accounting sheet.
If Vermette is one of the guys going the other way, as has been speculated (and wished for by many), his 3 million salary would make him the second highest paid forward on the Canucks of players under contract for next year.
Of course, the Sedins are unrestricted this summer and will probably get a signifigant raise from their 3.75 million salaries. There's also a lot of whispers that Marian Gaborik might make his way to Vancouver if he gets to free agency.
You have to wonder if a team that already has a few similar players would really want to take on Vermette's contract. If he's not going to break out like everyone has been waiting on for years, 3 million is pretty expensive for a penalty killer.
I got a chance to watch most of the Sharks-Predators game last night and the fights that broke out were unbelievable. While the game wasn't as out of control and entertaining as the Boston-Dallas tilt from a few week's back, it was still filled with some big time nastiness.
Jordin Tootoo, who we'll hear from a bit later, starts this melee by sucker punching Brad Staubitz, and then Jody Shelley and former Senator Greg DeVries get it going. DeVries does okay here but he ends up in big trouble during the rematch.
Now things get out of hand. The next three fights are all within ten seconds of each other if you go by the score clock. This is Joe Thornton taking on tiny Scott Nichol. Nichol doesn't care about the size difference and just wails away.
Now Staubitz and Tootoo finally get together. Tootoo gets hammered a little but watch how he throws with both fists. Crazy.
Now this one ends it all. DeVries gets destroyed in the rematch with Shelley and probably has his nose broken. Not pleasant to watch.
Ruutu was at his agitating best last night and probably crossed a line by shooting a puck at Lundqvist after he blew his shootout chance. Brandon Dubinsky didn't hold back:
"Just let him run his mouth and be ineffective," Dubinsky said. "That's just the way he is. He's pretty careless on the ice. I don't know, he's an idiot."
-New York Daily News
EDIT: Bob Mackenzie wrote a piece today about the "late" Ruutu shot and explained in detail how, if the puck had happened to find a way in the net, it would actually have counted.
"If Ruutu had scored on that bad-angle and seemingly late shootout shot, it would have counted.
According to NHL rule 25.2 on penalty shots, or shootouts if you will, that was still a live puck and Ruutu was within his rights to shoot it at Lundqvist.
"The original loss of the puck was not on a shot," NHL director of officiating Stephen Walkon told TSN. "Therefore, the puck is live until it comes to a complete stop or the puck completely crosses the goal line."
Speaking of trade possibilities, Jay Bouwmeester is off to a bad start for the Panthers:
"Of greater concern is that he has zero goals and five assists through 16 games and has a team-worst minus-6 rating. Bouwmeester, who continues to lead the NHL
in average ice time (28:45), started slow last season, too, but finished with a career-high 15 goals and 22 assists."
-Sun Sentinel
What are the chances of Jacques Martin helping out the Senators by dealing Bouwmeester to them? Probably nil.


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This is Sony's first Mobile World Congress since it separated from Ericsson. Now that it's Sony Mobile Communications, we've been waiting for the company to roll out some hot, new handsets. We recently got our hands on the PS Vita and today we look forward to some quality time with the Xperia U and the Xperia P .
The Xperia U is Sony's entry-level offering and includes a 3.5-inch Reality Display, a 1GHz dual-core processor, and a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera with an Exmor R sensor that records 720p video. It'll ship in the middle of Q2 2012, globally.
There's also the Xperia P which ups the specs a bit with an aluminum, unibody design, 1GHz dual-core processor, and an 8-megapixel shooter with Sony's Exmor R sensor. It also has a 4-inch qHD Reality Display with new White Magic technology that offers bright colors and excellent outside viewing.
As a premium phone, the Xperia P supports NFC-enabled Smart tags that let you scan a tag and launch a suite of apps. Sony used the example of a runner who can scan a tag that'll launch her fitness apps as she goes out the door. Available in three finishes, the Xperia P will roll out in mid-Q2 2012.
Lastly, Sony gave us another look at the Xperia S , a high-end handset which features a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 12-megapixel camera, and a 4.3-inch HD display. It goes on sale this week in Barcelona. We will have some hands-on time with the Xperia P and U handsets. So check back soon!
[Via Sony Mobile Communications]


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Thousands of lives and millions of dollars lost due to late response to food crisis in East Africa
Lessons learned can help prevent future disasters and save lives
Thousands of needless deaths occurred and millions of extra dollars were spent because the international community failed to take decisive action on early warnings of a hunger crisis in East Africa, according to a new report by the international aid agencies Oxfam and Save the Children.
The report, A Dangerous Delay, says a culture of risk aversion caused a six month delay in the large-scale aid effort because humanitarian agencies and national governments were too slow to scale up their response to the crisis, and many donors wanted proof of a humanitarian catastrophe before acting to prevent one.
Sophisticated early warning systems first forecast a likely emergency as early as August 2010 but the full-scale response was not launched until July 2011 when malnutrition rates in parts of the region had gone far beyond the emergency threshold and there was high profile media coverage of the crisis.
Save the Children and Oxfam say more funding for food emergencies should be sought and released as soon as the crisis signs are clear, rather than the current system which funds large scale emergency work only when hunger levels have reached tipping-point – by which time lives have already been lost and the cost of the response is much greater. The agencies are calling on governments to overhaul their response to food crises, as laid out in the Charter to End Extreme Hunger, a document that has already received backing from key international figures.
Acting early saves lives
"We all bear responsibility for this dangerous delay that cost lives in East Africa and need to learn the lessons of the late response," said Oxfam's Chief Executive Barbara Stocking. "It's shocking that the poorest people are still bearing the brunt of a failure to respond swiftly and decisively. We know that acting early saves lives but collective risk aversion meant aid agencies were reluctant to spend money until they were certain there was a crisis."
"We can no longer allow this grotesque situation to continue; where the world knows an emergency is coming but ignores it until confronted with TV pictures of desperately malnourished children," said Save the Children's Chief Executive Justin Forsyth. "The warning signs were clear and with more money when it really mattered, the suffering of thousands of children would have been avoided. All governments should sign the Charter to End Extreme Hunger to help ensure a crisis like this can never happen again."
While some positive action by governments did take place – such as improved early warning systems and social protection schemes that meant families were given some early support – much more was needed across the region.
Although it is impossible to calculate exactly how many people died as a result of drought, the UK government estimates that between 50,000 and 100,000 lives were lost between April and August 2011, more than half of them children under the age of five. Today, Somalia remains the most acute food crisis in the world, with hundreds of thousands of people still at risk.
Some early action did take place. But overall, the scale of crisis outstripped these efforts, and more costly interventions had to be taken at a later stage. Trucking five liters of water per day as a last resort lifesaving intervention to 80,000 people in Ethiopia costs more than $3 million for five months, compared to $900,000 to prepare water sources in the same area for an oncoming drought.
Looming food crisis in West Africa
Across East Africa, providing early support to families to keep their animals healthy and markets functioning would have helped prevent soaring malnutrition rates, as hundreds of thousands lost their livelihoods when their livestock was wiped out by drought.
The report, which comes ahead of global meetings at Davos and the African Union, is a timely reminder that the international community must act fast to avert disaster in West Africa, where a looming food crisis threatens to affect millions of people. A recent Save the Children assessment in Niger shows families in the worst hit areas are already struggling with around one third less food, money and fuel than is necessary to survive.
Kofi Annan, Chair of the Africa Progress Panel said: "Achieving global food and nutrition security is the challenge of our time, and our success in alleviating widespread hunger will depend, in large part, on our ability to identify the early warning signs of food crises, and respond immediately and effectively."
Further reforms to tackle hunger crises like the East Africa emergency are set out in the Charter to End Extreme Hunger, a joint-agency initiative, which urges governments to fulfill their responsibilities and take concrete steps to stop catastrophic food crises from happening again.
Read more
Download the report: A Dangerous Delay: The cost of late response to early warnings in the 2011 drought in the Horn of Africa
Notes to editors
- Broadcast-quality footage and photographs of the East Africa crisis and response are available.
- While it is impossible to calculate exactly how many people have died in the East Africa crisis, one DFID estimate suggests that it could be between 50,000 to 100,000 people, more than half of them children under five. Another estimate made by US government was that more than 29,000 children under age 5 died in 90 days from May to July. Widespread support for livelihoods threatened by drought would have done much to prevent malnutrition taking hold. The death of livestock due to the drought wiped out the income of hundreds of thousands of families, leaving them unable to afford to buy enough food. Early supplementary feeding of livestock could have kept herds alive, markets functioning and could ultimately have helped prevent the malnutrition that killed so many.
- According to UN OCHA, in southern and central regions of Somalia a standard measure of malnutrition (median Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) prevalence) increased from 16.4% to 36.4% in 2011. This means that GAM already exceeded the 15% 'critical' threshold early in 2011.
- Save the Children has reached more than 280,000 people in Somalia, in addition to more than one million in Ethiopia and over 440,000 in Kenya.
- Oxfam has reached about 1.5m in Somalia, 300,000 in Ethiopia and about one million in Kenya with clean water, sanitation services, therapeutic feeding for malnourished children, cash and livelihood support.
- Early warning systems in the Sahel region show that overall cereal production is 25% lower than the previous year, and food prices are 40% higher than the five-year average. The last food crisis in the region, in 2010, affected 10 million people.
- Read the Charter to End Extreme Hunger, endorsed by Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs Kristalina Georgieva and other leaders including UK Development Minister Andrew Mitchell.
Contact information
Anna Ridout, +44 (0)7766 443506 or +44 (0)1865 473415, email@example.com


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DANNY WICKS, the last NRL player to be busted for supplying drugs, will be released from jail at Easter.
However, the former Newcastle forward's rugby league career will remain on hold with his playing ban set to stretch until September 20 next year. Wicks was sentenced to a maximum of three years in jail, with a non-parole period of 18 months, after pleading guilty to drug-trafficking. He will be a free man as of Easter Saturday, when he is scheduled to be released from Glen Innes jail.
Those close to Wicks say he has been a model prisoner, that he has regained fitness and would like to return to the game at some level.
However, the fact that he was charged with trafficking - in her ruling, Judge Helen Syme stated that Wicks was ''one of many'' in a drug supply chain which was a ''joint criminal enterprise'' - resulted in his playing ban stretching to four years. Players testing positive to performance-enhancing substances are usually suspended for two years.
Wicks, who became a cult hero during his 69 NRL appearances for St George Illawarra and Newcastle, returned to his junior club, Grafton Ghosts, while awaiting the outcome of court proceedings.
However, Ghosts president Neil Payne said the club wouldn't be offering the 27-year-old a lifeline.
''No, I don't think it would be a wise move for the club,'' Payne said. ''We were aware that his jail term would expire this season but it was our understanding that his term of being able to play was a lot longer.
''Irrespective of whether that was the case, he won't be playing for us. We're very happy with the squad that we've got.''
It's estimated that Wicks lost up to $1.5 million in potential career earnings due to the playing ban.
Meanwhile, an NRL club source has told Fairfax Media that one of it's former star players, a State of Origin representative, used a horse linament to treat a recurring knee injury.
The player used the product, which was labelled ''for equine use only'', in the belief it would speed his recovery. When the practice was disclosed to the club doctor, he was ordered to discontinue use. The incident occurred at a club not named in the Australian Crime Commission's report into doping and the integrity of sport.
''The club doctor was absolutely horrified when this came to light,'' the source said. ''There's no telling what effect long-term effects that could have on your body.''


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A former Rochester man who killed his friend in a car crash at the Gunbower Forest in 2009 has been sentenced to three years and six months' jail.
Brandon McCraw, 23, was driving his friend home from a day of drinking at a sandbar on the Murray River when he lost control of his ute and crashed into two trees.
Leigh Williams was killed instantly.
Yesterday the Victorian County Court heard McCraw had pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving causing death, a charge which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' jail.
McCraw, Mr Williams and most of their friends had been drinking on the Murray River near Leitchville on September 12, 2009.
Judge Lance Pilgrim said McCraw left with Mr Williams while it was still daylight, planning to drop him at his Cohuna home. But about 3.5 kilometres down the bush track McCraw lost control of his vehicle.
The ute skidded to the side, spun around and crashed into two trees causing "extensive crush damage" on the passenger side.
McCraw was travelling at an estimated speed of 69.5km/h and he had a blood alcohol content of 0.112 per cent.
Mr Williams, who was not wearing a seatbelt, died at the scene.
McCraw walked two kilometres to a nearby farmhouse to get help and was later flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
McCraw has no prior criminal convictions, but Judge Pilgrim said he was concerned that while on bail for this offence McCraw was issued with an infringement for drink-driving.
"You have to learn you must not drink and drive," he said.
"Young men so often think they're bullet proof.
"General deterrence is extremely important.
"Unfortunately the message seems to be falling on deaf ears.
"The media are all speaking of hoon drivers and drink-drivers, but court lists visit such offences day after day.
"This driving has to be denounced in the strongest way."
Judge Pilgrim said McCraw's prospect of rehabilitation was "excellent" thanks to the support of his family and friends, as well as his strong work ethic.
The court heard McCraw was a trained fitter and turner, currently working interstate in mining as a welder.
Judge Pilgrim said he had taken this, and the delay in the matter reaching court, into account in sentencing.
McCraw must serve two years before he is eligible for parole, 14 days pre-sentence detention were reckoned as time served.