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AcademyU, the Foundation's comprehensive otolaryngology education source, contains hundreds of learning options presented in a variety of formats to complement different learning styles. Developed by leading expert volunteers, the materials are designed to deliver relevant education that is meaningful to your practice. Visit now.
The Foundation provides educational support for maintenance of licensure and certification. All education activities, including the AAO-HNSF annual meeting, are aligned with the specialty areas defined by the American Board of Otolaryngology, making it easy for you to customize your education. For up-to-date information on Maintenance of Certification (MOC), click here.


text: Women's tennis great Billie Jean King was born in California in 1943. The first female athlete to earn more than $100,000 in prize money in a single season, King was also the first woman to be chosen Sports Illustrated's "Sportsperson of the Year." The trailblazing athlete was perhaps best known for her 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" match against Bobby Riggs, in which she beat the former No. 1 ranked player and self-proclaimed male chauvinist. After retiring from tennis with 39 Grand Slam career titles, she remained active as a coach, commentator and advocate for women's sports and other causes.

subset: commoncrawl


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6 Hispanic Actors That Could Play Zorro In Fox's "Zorro Reborn"
12.3.2013 | By Mariana Dussan | 2 Comments">2 Comments
With our 'Zorro Reborn' proof-of-concept trailer article we exclusively posted last week, there has been a plethora of speculation in Hollywood on who could become the next Zorro and lead the Latino masked fugitive into the next generation. On film, Zorro was first played by Douglas Fairbanks in the 20's, then most recently with Antonio Banderas in 1998 and 2005. Banderas to us inhabited the complete epitome of the character, but with the anti-hero off the screen for the last 8 years, there has been talk from 20th Century Fox, owners of the film rights, of rebooting the swashbuckling hero. But who could take Banderas' place? With the film not yet greenlit and no set lead role, we take this opportunity to play around with the idea of proposing the six best Hispanic actors, in our opinion, that would be perfect to play the cunning hero of the flowing cape, flat-brimmed hat, and black eye-mask. Read More


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Etienne Bugeja
What a pity! If you can see this text, it means that Etienne Bugeja has not given any information about themselves yet. We hope that this will change very soon!
All works by Etienne Bugeja


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Good Morning friends, Racquel here to kickoff this week's challenge. Thank you to everyone that took part in our last challenge. We really enjoyed looking at your beautiful projects.
Now onto the new challenge for this week and the theme is:
"Use Dies"
3 images if the winner used a Crafty Sentiments Designs image.
1 image only for a winner who has not used a Crafty Sentiments Designs Image.
1 image for our crafty sentiments favorite
So come join us.
Using: Lemonade Sunday
Using: Patsy-Little Ladybird
Using Snowman Song
Using Tobey - Me and My Cat
Using Hanging Hearts
Anna using Josh - Master Painter
Rae Ann using Cold Christmas
Now its your turn to share your crafty creations. We can' wait to see what you come up with.
Have a Fabulous Crafty Week.
~Racquel and The Crafty Sentiments Design Team~


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Green car startup VIA Motors will unveil three new plug-in hybrid vehicles at the Detroit Auto Show in January. VIA, which currently builds plug-ins based on Chevrolet trucks and vans, has the backing of former General Motors product czar Bob Lutz.
VIA's plans look as ambitious as those of Fisker or Tesla. The company wants to build a luxury SUV, a 12-passenger van for airport shuttles and carpooling, and a high performance truck with up to 800 horsepower, dubbed X-Truck.
Details won't be released until VIA's Detroit press conference, but given the company's existing lineup, it seems likely that the new plug-ins will be based on GM vehicles. VIA's current offerings include the VTRUX, a Chevrolet Silverado with a plug-in powertrain, the VTRUX Suburban which, as the name implies, is a Chevy Suburban with the same powertrain, and the VTRUX Van, a plug-in Chevy Express.
With so much GM influence, it's not surprising that VIA prefers the term "extended-range electric vehicle" to "plug-in hybrid." Either way, VIA's powertrain is similar to what one would find in a Chevy Volt or Fisker Karma.
A 4.3-liter V6 serves as a generator for the 24-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which powers a 402 horsepower electric motor. As in the Karma, there is no physical connection between the gasoline engine and the wheels (the Volt can connect its engine to the wheels under certain circumstances).
Called VDrive, VIA says this powertrain can return 100 mpg in a typical 50-mile commute. Since the purpose-built 2013 Volt is rated at 98 MPGe by the EPA, that's a pretty impressive claim for these full-size trucks. It's likely the result of a long electric-only range; VIA says its trucks can travel up to 40 miles on battery power.
Pricing for the luxury and performance models will be announced in January, but VIA says a VTRUX pickup will cost $79,000. That's almost twice as much as a loaded 2013 Silverado LTZ with a 6.2-liter V8 and four-wheel drive.
With its utilitarian attitude and off-the-shelf chassis, VIA is more of a Coda than a Fisker or Tesla. However, it has one thing that no green car startup has: the endorsement of an automotive celebrity.
Bob Lutz's career has included stints at BMW, Ford, and Chrysler (where he pushed for development of the Viper) but he is known best for his work as Vice Chairman at GM. As the Detroit giant's product czar, Lutz had his fingerprints on everything from the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky sports car twins to the Volt.
Lutz joined VIA in September 2011, and unveiled the VTRUX line at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show.
Editors' Recommendations
- General Motors purges factories, staff, vehicle lineup to fund future tech
- Cadillac is finally ready to take on Tesla with its own electric car
- Tesla could show the electric pickup Elon Musk is dying to build in 2019
- GM may be the next automaker to lose its electric car tax credit
- China's GAC Motor cruises into Detroit with all-electric Entranze concept


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Regina Crain cherished the simplicity of Sunday mornings with her husband, Riverside Police Officer Michael Crain.
He loved food, and every weekend — even when their two young children asked her to cook something else — she made his favorite breakfast: eggs, bacon and, most importantly, hash browns. He loved his hash browns.
Regina always let him sleep in while she cooked, and she'd send the kids to wake him.
Those are the times she will miss the most, Regina Crain said Wednesday, fighting tears, during the funeral for her husband in the Grove Community Church in Riverside.
PHOTOS: Funeral for Riverside Police Officer Michael Crain
Michael Crain, 34, was shot and killed in an ambush before dawn Feb. 7 as he and an officer he was training stopped their marked patrol car at a traffic light at Magnolia and Arlington avenues in Riverside, police said. The other officer, who has not been identified, was injured.


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Associate's Degrees
Act now. Decide Later.
Whether you're just getting started or already have some college credit, an Associate's degree may be an excellent choice. An Associate's degree allows you to meet short-term educational goals and gain critical-thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills to help you move ahead in your current job or prepare you for a new career.
FHSU's Virtual College offers the following affordable, fully-accredited Associate's Degrees:


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2 Comments
Watch Zac Efron Fall In Love With Taylor Swift In This Preview Of 'The Lorax!'
How cute are the animated versions of Zac Efron and Taylor Swift in 'The Lorax?' It's going to be adorable!
We wonder if this is how Zac Efron and Taylor Swift were in real life when they were pre-teens! Check out this adorable preview from The Lorax, which comes out this spring.
In the film, which is based off the Dr. Seuss book, Zac plays Ted and Taylor plays his love, Audrey. Both of their voices sound amazing and we cannot wait to see it when it hits theaters March 2.
Read More About Taylor Swift!


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Detroit's children face many challenges
DETROIT (AP) — As Detroit struggles through bankruptcy, the city's young people face special challenges. A look at a few of the problems, and possible remedies:
— Since 2002, Detroit Public Schools enrollment has declined from 164,496 to around 49,500. About 200 schools have closed in recent years due to depopulation; 97 schools are in operation now. The district is mounting an intensive campaign, including door-to-door outreach, in a bid to increase enrollment.
— Gang violence is a major problem, directly affecting children and their families. In a recent survey of 1,300 high school students, 87 percent said someone in their family had been shot, murdered or disabled as a result of violence in the past 12 months. Neighborhood patrols have formed to safeguard children going to and from school, and the police department has launched a program trying to keep fight-prone students from getting expelled.
— Rates of premature births, underweight babies and infant mortality are among the highest in the nation. Mayor Mike Duggan is asking the city's medical community to get engaged in reducing these rates.
— The public bus system, which many high school students rely on, is considered inefficient and crime-ridden. Duggan wants to expand the fleet and fit existing buses with security cameras.
— Only 25 of the city's 300 parks were in well-maintained condition last summer, according to the mayor. He has vowed to have 150 parks in good shape next summer, and is urging churches to launch an "adopt-a-park" program that might allow 50 more to be revived.
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.


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Wow I can't believe it has been over half a year since I posted here. I seem to have put most of my crafty stuff on hold and have become consumed with photography. Here are some of my favourite shots since I posted in August.
Beach combing in Newfoundland
Light painted apple tree under the stars
Big Dipper
Lone Tree
Martinique Beach, Nova Scotia
Sparkler Fun
Home Sweet Home
Water drops
Cape Spear, Newfoundland
Thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoyed the pictures :)


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Where the hell is Bruny Island?
In 1999, P and I went to Australia on part of another longer trip. We hoped to make it to Tasmania but travel there was difficult and very expensive back then. We ended up only visiting Sydney; I can't complain because our time there remains one of my best travel memories.
This trip I was determined to visit Tasmania. Tasmania has a magnetic pull for me - my yearning seems to stem from a romantic notion of this remote isle nestled near the Antarctic waters. I am always drawn to islands: Zanzibar, Folegandros, Tikehau and Bali - all islands - are some of my favorite places on this planet. The connection to the sea is a great lure for me.
Tasmania lived up to my mythic expectations. The port of Hobart was full of old pirate charm - the sea was alive and the waves rough. Cobblestone streets, ship captains' houses and copious wrought iron details typified the intact architecture. Plus the island was exploding with the glory of Spring - a cacophany of lavender, roses, wisteria, apple and cherry blossoms.
Even more romantically obscure than its already remote mainland, Tasmania's Bruny Island called us to visit. We'd heard the island was gorgeous and had world class oysters and artisinal cheese. Enough said.
After an hours drive South of Hobart and a quick ferry ride to Bruny Island, we headed straight to Bruny Island Oyster. We bought a couple dozen beauties from Joe, the proprietor and P got to shucking. With just a quirt of lemon juice we devoured the deliciously salty bivalves that came fresh from what might be the purest sea water I have ever seen. Bruny Island Oysters were perfect - firm, briny and tasting of sea - worthy of a trip half way across the globe.
Our next food stop was at Bruny Island Cheese. We sampled every cheese they made and found the firm cow's cheese infused with saffron to be our favorite. And even though it was only 11 am and we were already sated with oysters, we couldn't resist trying some of their homemade ice cream. When I saw rhubarb and bay on the menu I was smitten. The ice cream was infused with earthy flavor yet creamy with milk of happy island cows.
Our food pilgrimage was well worth the journey - Tasmania was a pastoral island paradise. Cows with shiny black coats and wooly sheep grazed on wide open emerald green fields. Sandy beaches were filled with happy (and tasty looking!) clams. Copious blossoming berry bushes held promise for a summer of preserves and pies. If only we could have stayed longer!
7 comments:
this all sounds so beautiful, food lovers paradise...and I'm such a sucker for oysters...so you can only imagine how envious I am of you guys right now,ReplyDelete
enjoy it!
Thanks M.... It really was amazing and those salty oysters were delish!ReplyDelete
Your photography is just exquisite! Especially of people. I have a hard time with that, but you make it look effortless. And yes, oysters!ReplyDelete
Thanks for the nice note Julia! So appreciated:)ReplyDelete
Wow, all those photos are stunning - and the oysters look absolutely perfect!ReplyDelete
Thanks Rich:)ReplyDelete
Erin I just saw this article on Tasmania. Before kids, I surprised my husband with a trip to Australia...and then to Tasmania (that was the surprise part)! We stayed at Cradle Mountain Lodge in CM State Park. We went on a week long hike and got stuck in a BLIZZARD (it was spring). We were without food for 2 days before we managed to hike our way out of 4 feet of snow. Other than that major mishap it was a stunning island full of incredible memories for us. I clearly remember enjoying the most delicious bowl of porridge I had ever tasted. So glad that you experiences this amazing place as well.ReplyDelete


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Published: 19th October 1999
Number Of Pages: 192
The Chuang Tzu has been translated into English numerous times, but never with the freshness, accessibility, and accuracy of this remarkable rendering. Here the immediacy of Chuang Tzu's language is restored in a idiom that is both completely fresh and true to the original text. This unique collaboration between one of America's premier poet-translators and a leading Chinese scholar presents the so-called "Inner Chapters" of the text, along with important selections from other chapters thought to have been written by Chuang Tzu's disciples.
"This new translation, which expertly preserves the humor and bite of these ancient teachings, will entice a whole new audience to read--and reread--Chuang Tzu's writings."-- Publishers Weekly.
Audience: General
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 192
Published: 19th October 1999
Publisher: Shambhala Publications Inc
Country of Publication: US
Dimensions (cm): 22.8 x 15.4 x 1.2
Weight (kg): 0.28
Edition Number: 1


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It's Not Over in "The Inspiration" Season 9 Episode 1
The hunt for a ritualistic killer targeting women takes the BAU to Arizona to search for an increasingly devolving UnSub on the ninth season premiere of CRIMINAL MINDS, Wednesday, Sept. 25 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: Matthew Gray Gubler as Dr. Spencer Reid, A.J. Cook as Jennifer "JJ" Jareau.Photo: Cliff Lipson/CBS ©2013 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


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xeno74 wrote:
I was able to update my ubuntu MATE 17.04 today. It's still working.
Yes update but not upgrade.
I can't upgrade from 15.10 to 16.04 and not from 16.10 to 17.04
xeno74 wrote:
I was able to update my ubuntu MATE 17.04 today. It's still working.
musa wrote:xeno74 wrote:
I was able to update my ubuntu MATE 17.04 today. It's still working.
Yes update but not upgrade.
I can't upgrade from 15.10 to 16.04 and not from 16.10 to 17.04
sudo apt-get upgrade
deb http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/ zesty main restricted
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty main restricted
deb http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/ zesty-updates main restricted
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-updates main restricted
deb http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/ zesty universe
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty universe
deb http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/ zesty-updates universe
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-updates universe
deb http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/ zesty multiverse
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty multiverse
deb http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/ zesty-updates multiverse
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-updates multiverse
deb http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/ zesty-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/ zesty-security main restricted
deb-src http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/ zesty-security main restricted
deb http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/ zesty-security universe
deb-src http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/ zesty-security universe
deb http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/ zesty-security multiverse
deb-src http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/ zesty-security multiverse
deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu zesty partner
deb http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/ zesty-proposed restricted universe multiverse main
musa wrote:I have to look at it
Yes, I have also downloaded updates to 16.04 but I can not upgrade 16.10 to 17 or 15.10 to 16.04
sed -i 's/yakkety/zesty/g' /etc/apt/sources.list
apt-get update
xeno74 wrote:Update instructions for (X)(L)ubuntu (MATE)
- Code: Select all
sed -i 's/yakkety/zesty/g' /etc/apt/sources.list
- Code: Select all
apt-get update
Has this apt-get update found any repositories?
musa wrote:I do not know what was wrong but my ubuntu 16.10 is just starting to upgrade to 17.04. I will return when it is finished.
BFQ loads programs extremely fast under heavy disk I/O activity. It achieves up to 30% higher throughput than CFQ on hard disks with most parallel workloads, and about the same throughput with the rest of the workloads we have considered. BFQ achieves the same throughput as CFQ, NOOP, DEADLINE and SIO on SSDs.
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The late Donald Frey must have had a thing for horses. The Mustang was his idea, as was today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Bronco. That Ford truck's good for horsing around in, but are you willing to pony up?
It turns out that the effort to turn a lowly Merkur XR4Ti into a fire-breathing Sierra RS Cosworth was not a cause that many of you felt was worth the twenty five grand asking price. Just as Sierra Mist ain't Sprite, 73% of you said no effing way that faky-fake RS was as valuable as the real deal.
While that car evidenced a great deal of plastic surgery to accomplish its gender-bending transformation, its appearance pales in comparison to that of the potentially un-enhanced bikini-clad spokesmameries from last week's Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2, and she's back today! No longer hawking Italian brownies, she's now demonstrating the roll bar load capacity of a 1976 Ford Bronco Restoration, and she's wearing even less clothes! What a trooper. She's a bit of an odd juxtaposition with the Bronco as its glass is all flat and she's. . . well, her chest could probably bend light due to its gravitational pull. Regardless, I'm sure we're all glad she's back.
This Bronco hails from the second to the last model year of first-gen production, and benefits from a frame-off restoration that probably saw more stripping than our lady friend here. Everything is claimed new or painted to look that way, and speaking of paint, the exterior have been done in a love it or heave it tri-tone orange, gold and beige. Despite that, the Lambo LM002-evoking hood and flares give it a machismo that the paint job sorely lacks. Much like the accompanying model, this Bronco lacks a full top. A roll bar and soft top somewhat make up for that, and a replacement couldn't be that hard to source. Also. Like the model, the Bronco's rear bumper appears scanty.
Powering this beast (the Bronco, not the girl) is a 302-cid crate motor with an Edelbrock intake and Borla exhaust that together, the seller claims, should produce 300bhp+. Mated to that V8 is floor-shifted Tremec three speed and Dana 20 2-speed transfer case. The front axle is also from Dana, a heavy duty 44.
Inside there's white vinyl, which should really draw crowds in Cleveland, some carpet that's of questionable utility in a Bronco, and not a lot else. Of course, the Bronco never head much in there to begin with.
Originally intended to offer an alternative to the Jeep CJ5 and IH Scout, the Bronco was mildly successful in its original form. When Chevy introduced the larger C10-based Blazer in '69, the category split in an amoeba-like fashion, driving Bronco sales further south and forcing Ford to chase sales, and the Blazer with a larger F-series based replacement in '78.
But before then, before Al Cowlings and OJ Simpson branded the white Bronco as the celebrity BFF escape vehicle of choice, the Bronco was a capable off-roader with serious hot rod potential. The paint and the lack of a hard top may both be seen as demeritorious, but overall the restoration looks reasonably well done, and our friend sure seems to like it. But do you like its price? The dealer is asking $27,500 for the truck, sans the model. For that price you could buy a whole lot of crappy Broncos and hit up the Graveyard for anything missing. Hi Ted! Sure, that's a pain in the ass, and this Bronco's already sorted out for you.
So you've got some thinkin' to do. Does $27,500 make this a Bronco you'd like to saddle up? Or does a Bronco for that kind of scratch make you say no bucking way?
You decide!
eBay or go here if the ad disappears.
Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.


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By ANDY KIRKALDY
By JOHN FLOWERS
MIDDLBURY — It appears as though the various broadcasting and cell phone tenants of the communications tower on Chipman Hill will be providing Middlebury residents with some property tax relief this year.
Subject to the approval of an Addison County Probate Court judge, a portion of the rental fees derived from those tower tenants will be used to make up a penny on the tax rate — around $70,000 in property tax revenues — that will be earmarked for Middlebury's conservation fund.
Middlebury selectmen recently requested the donation from directors of the Battell Trust, a 100-year-old organization that presides over the vast public lands on which the communication tower is located. Those lands include the 130-acre Chipman Hill and 90-acre Battell Woods properties that were willed to the town by the late Joseph Battell, who stipulated that the lands be used for public enjoyment.
A communications tower (to host an FM station transmitter) was first built on Chipman Hill around 30 years ago. The courts in 2003 OK'd the replacement of that initial tower with the more modern structure that stands there today. The structure provides free spots to several emergency response organizations, including the Middlebury police and fire departments, the Middlebury Volunteer Ambulance Association and Porter Hospital dispatch services, Middlebury Department of Public Works and the Addison County Sheriff's Department.
But other users — who pay monthly fees ranging from $500 to $2,000 — include Central Vermont Public Service Corp., Rinker's Paging, Unicel, NEXTEL, U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless and local radio stations like WFAD 1490 AM.
MIDDLEBURY — Ben Franklin, one of downtown Middlebury's largest retailers, is on the verge of being sold to a local family that plans to maintain it as a general merchandise store.
Bonnie Gridley, a broker/owner of RE/MAX Champlain Valley Properties, confirmed the potential transaction last week. She said she could not disclose the names of the buyers until the deal is finalized, which is likely to occur by the end of next month.
"They plan to keep the business pretty much status quo," Gridley said, though the new owners may introduce some new items in addition to the household wares, fabric, toys, dry goods, candy and other odds and ends that have drawn area shoppers to Ben Franklin for the past 71 years.
"We hope people will continue to support the store," Gridley said.
News of the store's acquisition by a local family and word that it will remain retail space should come as good news to many Middlebury residents and town officials who feared the sizable Main Street spot could by carved up into condominiums or otherwise taken out of the downtown shopping mix.
The Duffany family acquired the Ben Franklin store in 1943 and has owned it ever since. Larry Duffany confirmed back in July that he was putting the 63 Main St. business — as well as the building in which it is located — on the market.
A Web-based listing of the property indicated an asking price of $649,000 for the two-story building and the 0.12 acres on which it sits. The listing described the building as having 7,832 square feet of office/retail space, along with two "very spacious" apartments on the second floor.
It is currently the largest retail space on Main Street and employs around a dozen full- and part-time workers.
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Review: Lethal Protection Life-Phorm
Company: Lethal Protection
Website: www.lethalprotection.com
Model: Life-Phorm
Price: $70
Compatible: All iPads, iPhones, iPods
Lethal Protection's Life-Phorm ($70) was first shown off at the 2012 CES, where it received a Best of Show Finalist Award for its original design. The plastic stand is universal in a number of ways; not only can its adjustable holder grasp any iPad, iPhone, or iPod, but the six legs are highly flexible, with three points of articulation each. Alien and insect-like, the stand can morph into any number of positions, and thanks to hooks at the end of the feet, can even hang from edges.
Our review unit of Life-Phorm arrived covered in white dust from its styrofoam packaging, although that quickly fell off. It felt totally sturdy out of the box—although it's surely an over-engineered accessory, it's solid. A screw on the back of the back of the center component can be loosened by hand to adjust the size of the holder to whatever device you're using, with the clamp flipping open to support iPads. It takes a bit of playing around to get it situated properly, but once that's done, the grip is secure. The same can be said for the infinite number of positions Life-Phorm can be twisted into, and it really can be used for anything. If you want to travel with it, the stand folds down into a relatively small size, about six inches square and two and a half thick.
Its high price and bug-like structure are sure to take away from the appeal of Life-Phorm for some, but if you're willing to accept those factors—or really like them, as some users will—it's a very useful accessory. The stand has an unlimited number of uses, and isn't locked in to one device, with or without a case. These factors earn Life-Phorm a general recommendation.
Editors' Note: iLounge only reviews products in "final" form, but many companies now change their offerings - sometimes several times - after our reviews have been published. This iLounge article provides more information on this practice, known as revving.


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Value-added was the buzz word of the day at a recent congressional hearing on farmer-owned cooperatives.
The Oct. 16 hearing before the House Agriculture Committee discussed the changing structure of agricultural cooperatives and the challenges that cooperatives face as they seek to increase the income of their farmer- members, and find new ways to finance their operations. Testifying before the committee were agricultural lenders, government agencies, and farmer-owned cooperatives.
According to committee chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., the hearing examined how traditional cooperatives sustain themselves during the rapidly changing and globalizing agricultural economy.
"All of us who represent farming and ranching communities understand, and the Congress has understood since the New Deal, that agriculture is a cyclical industry and profits are often fleeting. Access to adequate capital and crucial times is critical to the success of agricultural economic enterprises."
Thomas C. Dorr, USDA undersecretary for rural development, testified at the hearing that, for more than 100 years, traditional cooperatives have organized and operated according to a relatively static model.
Patron cooperatives were designed to provide members a beneficial interest. The benefit they received as a patron member was either a cheaper price if they bought something from or through the cooperative, or a better price if they sold something to the cooperative. Any earnings derived from patron cooperative operations had to be returned to the members as cash patronage dividends or additional equity retained by the cooperative, he says.
However, Dorr says, today's cooperatives face serious challenges, and he believes American agriculture is at a crucial crossroad.
"Cooperatives must be prepared to sail in relatively unchartered waters to bring the maximum benefit to producers who look to them for economic opportunities and security," he says. "To diversify farmer investment in businesses that add value to the products that rural Americans produce through processing, distribution, and perhaps even branding is paramount. This will allow producers to capture some of the dollars now going to the middlemen between producers and consumers."
The "new generation" cooperative model, he says, is not just any cooperative that adds value to agricultural production through processing and merchandising, but also cooperatives that adhere to a fairly specific set of characteristics that provide producer-owners with economic incentives to patronize and invest in them.
"Our challenge is to help producers develop cooperative structures that will generate a return on the untapped value of their real estate sufficiently large and safe enough to entice them to invest in off- farm operations," Dorr says. "There is nothing magical about organizing a business on a cooperative basis. But if the business plan is strong and the implementation of that plan is focused and visionary, farmers and other rural Americans can expect a strong return on their investment."
Steps, he says, should be taken to make investing in a cooperative attractive to local non-producers, and, when advantageous to the producers and the community, non-producer outside investing interests.
Dorr says he is concerned about the long-term health of an agricultural system that focuses only on production, especially the production of basic commodities that are being grown at less cost in an increasing number of countries around the world. "Cooperatives offer a vehicle to allow producers to turn their production into food, clothing, energy, pharmaceuticals, and, in the future, other value-added products that may not have even been imagined as yet."
Also testifying at the hearing was Michael M. Reyna, chairman and chief executive officer of the Farm Credit Administration. "Cooperatives play a crucial role in making American agriculture prosperous, productive, and efficient. They increase the economic bargaining power of farmers, which in turn, strengthens the agricultural economy and improves living conditions in rural areas. Cooperatives were instrumental in bringing electricity and modern telecommunication services to rural areas.
Historically, he says, cooperatives developed as an alternative to investor-owned agribusinesses, which were perceived as paying farmers too little for raw commodities and then charging consumers high prices for value-added food products.
"Concerns have been raised that traditional cooperatives are not resilient enough to endure the economic changes facing agriculture today and to help farmers overcome new challenges," Reyna says. "Value-added enterprises are one of the best ways for farmers to increase their income because they provide a way for farmers to earn a greater share of the retail food dollar. However, the American food distribution system is increasingly concentrated, vertically integrated, and capital intensive, which makes it more difficult and costly for farmers to own and control value-added enterprises. Typically today, farmers struggle to find sufficient capital to enable them to invest in their own value-added enterprises."
He says, "When farmers cannot raise sufficient capital on their own, they need to turn to outside sources of equity. To attract outside equity capital or increase their business with nonmembers, some farmer groups are forming hybrid organizations or restructuring existing cooperatives."
A legislative proposal would give the Farm Credit System more flexibility to finance cooperatives as they adjust to changing market conditions. The proposal would also financing for those entities in which farmers hold at least 50 percent of the equity or voting control, or are designated as cooperatives by state law.
That proposal, Reyna says, may well be the change needed to save the cooperative way of doing business for farmers, ranchers and their cooperatives. It may also prove to strengthen farmers' and ranchers' income.
Jim Caspary, who serves as president of the First National Bank of Clifton, Clifton Ill., and chairman of the Independent Community Bankers Association's Agriculture-Rural America Committee, says, that group is opposed to the CoBank legislative proposal in its current form because it would allow loans to corporations that may have no farmer involvement and that may be unrelated to agriculture. He also believes the proposal would allow CoBank, a national discount GSE lender, to undercut local lenders.
"We do feel it is appropriate to explore ways to enhance the accumulation of equity capital within farmer-owned cooperatives and in rural America — but this should be done in ways that don't potentially lead to the loss of legitimate farmer control of their cooperatives or in ways that drastically depart from the bedrock principles of what makes a cooperative a cooperative," he says. "We also feel it is important to ensure that policy actions do not spur greater consolidation in agriculture and consolidation of the businesses and cooperatives that serve agriculture just for the sake of growth for some at the expense of survival for others."
Caspary says, "Obviously, any business, whether a cooperative, a single proprietorship, a corporation or other corporate structure, needs to have a certain amount of equity to begin, operate and maintain their business operations. In rural America, it has been evident that there are plenty sources of debt capital. Any credit-worthy business can get a loan from a commercial bank and often times there are several community banks vying for a potential customer's business within the community."
Several options are available, he says, that allow cooperatives to "cooperate" between different types of businesses, whether they share the same or a different corporate structure, without the farmer-owned cooperative being taken over by outside investors.
"There can be advantages in seeking outside capital for cooperatives, but we must weigh these advantages with the potential for conflict with the interests of the farmers who own these cooperatives, because control follows money," Caspary says.
John Henry Smith, chairman of the board of Southern States Cooperative, Inc., based in Richmond, Va., told members of the House Agriculture Committee that while he has always been a firm believer in and supporter of farmer cooperatives, his attitudes have been strengthened in the past 12 to 18 months. "That period has been one of considerable challenge for Southern States and many other cooperatives. Due to a combination of drought and other adverse weather conditions, a difficult farm economy and some diversification and growth steps that did not generate the returns Southern States had expected, our cooperative has been confronted with major financial challenges."
Smith, who is also a cattleman and tobacco producer in Russell County, Va., a member of Southern States Cooperative since 1958, uses many of its products and services in his farming operation.
"Farmers today still need and rely on their cooperatives as much as they ever did," Smith says. "Not only does today's U.S. farmer produce for a national marketplace, he also must compete with producers around the globe. I personally do not know of any farmer who is large enough to tackle any of these and other similar challenges on his own. Whether it involves securing the needed inputs and related services as efficiently as possible to gain the cost-effective production required to compete and generate an adequate return, whether it involves the marketing and/or processing of what he grows to gain a greater share of the food and fiber dollar, today's farmer needs a reliable place to turn."
Smith believes that existing programs and tools within USDA can be strengthened. Southern States Cooperative, he says, strongly supports the establishment of a separate farmer cooperative agency within USDA, to maintain and improve the ability of farmers to join together in "cooperative self-help activities."
Such an agency would provide for greater accountability and promote greater support of cooperatives, he says.
"We also urge Congress to approve legislation (HR 1671) as introduced to clarify what's known as the Dividend Allocation Rule, because cooperative dividends are subject to a triple tax, while regular corporate dividends are taxed only twice. Eliminating this unfair tax penalty — an issue that both houses of Congress have acted on favorably in the past — would be an important step in helping farmer cooperatives attract equity capital."
Smith also thinks it's time to update the Federal Farm Credit Act. "Updating the law would allow farmers to continue to have choices when it comes to organizing and financing their cooperative businesses," he says.
In the end, Smith says, "Cooperatives are farmers themselves working together to accomplish what none of them could do by themselves."
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Adventures of the Hokkaido Bush PigBy The Hokkaido Bush Pig
No Spring Break in Daisetsu-zan
My first spring trip into Daisetsu-zan National Park taught me a lot about spring trekking in the high mountains of Hokkaido. It also gave me a ton of respect for this amazing national park. I had planned a three-day, two-night trip in May from Sounkyo Onsen up to Mt. Kuro-dake, then over Mt. Asahi-dake, finishing in Asahi-dake Onsen Village. After snowshoeing up Mt. Kuro-dake, I worked my way down the other side to the hut. Or where it was supposed to be. I looked around and, at first glance, all I could see was a flat area with windblown snow. I then made out a pole with a red flag sticking out of it where I knew the hatch door to the hut would be and I had to dig down two meters to reach it. I realized that night I was lucky to find the hut even after making a few trips in summer and autumn. If it had been a whiteout, it would have been nearly impossible to locate the hut without GPS. Over the years, since that first spring trip, I've heard stories of people who couldn't find the hut and had to spend an uncomfortable and scary night outside. The story here is always plan for the worst. Daisetsu-zan and other high mountains in Hokkaido are not places for inexperienced hikers during the early spring months. If you don't bring the right gear, the right navigational equipment and the right skills, you could spend a day or two shivering in a snow cave while the Bush Pig is a few meters below eating some hot ramen. For me heading into Daisetsu-zan in early spring is a magical time and, on a clear day, you're rewarded with some spectacular alpine scenery which will literally take your breath away. Just don't take this park lightly because she can have a bad temper and bite.


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Diwataman has compiled an excellent chronological index of the witness interviews and police reports here
He did the 183 and the 284 page versions.He reference "71-78/183" means the document begins on page 71, ends on page 78 of the discovery doc having 183 pages. I do something similar with my documets, I put for example, P. 8 of 173, dated xx/xx/xx. It's easy as could be one you have the long document in front of ou.
I have the later released 284 page PDF.But my copy of the earlier one is 184 pages, not 183.When I saved the file, it came with the name trayvon-martin-documents-ocr.pdfand Adobe Reader X will let me select the whole thing and paste it into Notepad and most of the text actually survives the process as text, whereas the 284 page PDF says nothing about OCR and can't be copied and pasted.Is it possible that the extra page is an artifact of the OCR'ing process done by whoever it was that did it?Apparently I got it from here:http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/357450/trayvon-martin-documents-ocr.pdfWonder if they have an OCR version of the 284 pager?
I was just looking at the State's 7th Supplemental Discovery and noticed one of the items listed under K is simply "victims cell phone records"? Is this George Zimmerman, who was the victim of a brutal assault?


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When you to go to Justin Bieber's house
This is the sh-t that really, REALLY makes me crazy. Like, when did they introduce new rules? People my age didn't get the update. Is it true that when someone comes to your house now you don't have to show them respect?
You remember that incident with Justin Bieber wearing overalls when he was being honoured by the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper? Click here for a refresher. JB's defence, at the time, was that he was coming from a meet and greet with fans and didn't have an opportunity to change. My original point was that the PM doesn't make flybys at concerts and that Team B would have known about the visit well in advance, giving them more than enough time to prepare, and dress accordingly.
So Bieber was on Ellen yesterday -- episode airs today -- and she asked him about the incident. Here's the transcript and the video is below:
Ellen: So you met the Canadian Prime Minster and you got a lot of attention for that. Which is kind of crazy, right. You're like in the middle of a meet & greet.
Justin: Yeah, I'm in a meet and greet.
Ellen: And then you meet the Prime Minister. And you were criticized because you were dressed like that.
Justin: Yes, in overalls.
Ellen: Overalls, right. But you were doing…
Justin: I was at my concert. That was at…. I was doing like a meet and greet. Meeting all my fans and stuff and he came to venue where I was performing.
Ellen: That was at your venue?
Justin: That was at my venue, yeah.
Ellen: He brings flags with him?
Justin: Yeah, they brought them.
Ellen: Well, that's not fair because it looks like you went to his office dressed like that. But he brought flags to make it look like you're under dressed. That's not fair.
Justin: I know it wasn't fair but that was really my event….I really promise if I would of went to his environment. I would have been all done up.
Are you furious? I am furious. There's a lot to be furious about.
First there's the word "my" in this context. I've mentioned before how gross it is to me at award shows when actors stand up to thank "my cast". And now there's an 18 year old referring to "my event" in relation to the Prime Minister. Like Justin Bieber is qualified to "his environment"/ "my environment" with Canada's head of state. Like, the PM came to Justin's house, and since Justin was in his own place, it means that it's ok for him to, you know, dress down.
Is that how it works?
Let's say the PM is coming over tomorrow to visit me. Like, in the middle of my work day and I'm in between blog postings. Well, according to Justin Bieber logic, I shouldn't have to get out of my pyjamas.
And he's making it sound like the PM was there as a goddamn fangirl. Actually, that day, the Prime Minister was there to present Bieber with the Diamond Jubilee Medal. Here's the description of the honour from the Government of Canada website:
A new commemorative medal was created to mark the 2012 celebrations of the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada. The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal is a tangible way for Canada to honour Her Majesty for her service to this country. At the same time, it serves to honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians.
In other words, this medal represents the recipient's connection to Her Majesty, relating the recipient's achievements as a point of pride for Canada to the Queen's service to our country.
THAT's why he brought the flags, you little sh-t.
So what does it matter, then, whose f-cking house it is?
At that moment, it certainly wasn't "his" house.
But the fact that he's using that excuse as his defence tells you everything about the people around him. You think he came up with that on his own? Please. THEY came up with that for him. The adults in his life, his mother, Scooter Braun, that's how they rallied around him, to support him.
It's OK Justin, you did nothing wrong. The PM came to YOU and you were working so you weren't expected to dress up for him, don't worry.
So he goes on Ellen and justifies his behaviour. My ma would say that's a great disservice to a child, you know? To protect them by not correcting them, teaching them that "loving themselves" is more important than "checking themselves". Like, are we really worried about Justin Bieber's self esteem???
Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.


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Hope you are all having an amazing week so far!
I can't believe that it's already past the middle of November and that Christmas vacations are in less than a month! Although it's getting really cold in the UK I can't complain for today's weather, the sun brightened the day up and allowed me to finally take outfit pictures. I am so happy that some of our family members are visiting us for Christmas and this can only mean.. Sightseeing, visiting other cities, shopping and lots of fun, I can't wait!
I love layering up my clothes, I find it a really nice way to both keep warm and make your outfit look more sophisticated. This is the second layering outfit I'm posting on my blog, the previous one was FALL - Layers. For me an easy way to make your outfit look well put together and of course keep you warmer, is by adding a scarf. I absolutely love snoods during this time of the year, as they a lot warmer than the ordinary scarves! This outfit is something that I would wear to uni or for shopping, comfy, warm and looks sophisticated.
I am wearing:
Sweater - H&M
Top - New Look
Leggings - Stradivarius
Shoes - Primark
Bag - Primark
Snood - Primark
Earrings - Claire's
Ring - Primark
Do you have any spacial plans for December?


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Toddler adoption is cuh-razy. I'm going to type it again because it's worth repeating. Toddler adoption is cuh-razy. But parenting in general is crazy, right? I think that the biggest shock to me was that we ended up with a toddler. When I showed up in Congo to adopt our son almost 2 1/2 years ago, we thought that he was going to be about 9 months old. His foster mama put him down on the ground and that "9 month old" walked across the room to me and opened his mouth and flashed a full of teeth- two year molars and all. That's the beauty of international adoption from a third world county where records aren't kept very well and street children don't carry their birth certificates around. By looking at Miles, I would have guessed that he was 6 months old. After all, he only weighed 12 pounds and he was teeny tiny. Turns out that Miles was somewhere between 2 (one doc even said 3) at the time that we picked him up instead of 9 months old.
All that to say- we wanted a baby. We asked for a baby. We never thought that we were "equipped" to adopt a child that wasn't a baby. But the child they placed in my arms was EXACTLY what was right for our family, even if it scared us at the time. It wasn't what we expected- it was even better. We just didn't know what we didn't know when it came to adopting toddlers. We thought that a baby was right for us because that's what we knew. We knew babies, we were comfortable with babies and there were rumors flying around in the adoption community that babies were what was "desirable". People- I'm here to tell you that toddler adoption rocks. And toddler adoption is messy, and full of hurt, and wonderful, and trying, and it will make you want to pull your hair out and laugh all at the same time. But that's parenting!!!!
Ending up with a toddler instead of a baby was such a huge blessing in disguise for us. It has opened our eyes to older child adoption and I'm not sure that we would ever be embarking on a journey to adopt an older girl out of the foster care system if Miles had been the baby that we had hoped for.
Here are a few of the best lessons I've learned along the way about toddler adoption.
1. DEVELOPMENT VS. ATTACHMENT: When my two biological kids hit 2 years old they hit what I dub the "I do it self" stage- aptly named for the zillion times that they said, "STOP MOM! I do it self!" whenever I tried to put on their shoes, or dress them or brush their teeth or pretty much anything else I tried to do with them. All of the books I read about adoption talked about trying to take our adopted children back to this place of nurturing them like an infant to teach them security. I think that I took this too far. This is great for things like rocking to sleep, and bathing. But the other stuff- like giving him a bottle? Did not fly around these parts. I took it intensely personal. The books said I was supposed to be doing all these things for my son to help us bond and he didn't want any of it. I thought that meant that I was doing it wrong and that he hated me. Nearly two years removed from it, I see that he was just going through the normal stages of development that a toddler goes through- just like my other kids did at the same age. He was naturally trying to assert his independence and I was holding him back. I assumed that if he didn't want to melt into my arms and let me feed him like a six month old that I was doing it all wrong. Turns out that 2-3-4 year olds don't find mom feeding them with a spoon airplane style very amusing.
There are still great ways to build attachment without always "going back to infancy". Rocking and reading at night is a great one. Rubbing lotion on Miles was one of the things that he let me do that helped promote bonding. He often tried to do it himself- but realized that it felt good to have someone massaging lotion into his back and legs. At first this was too intimate for him if I tried to make eye contact while applying lotion- but in time this became something I could do with him while we practiced making eye contact. Give yourself grace and don't take a natural quest for independence as a slap in the face! Do what works for you- what you read in a book is not always the right thing for your child!
2. Early intervention is our friend: most states offer early intervention programs for kids under 3 or 4 years old. Most of our adopted kiddos (especially ones who experiences neglect) are often really overwhelmed by sensory input. Imagine how people holding you feels if your body has never experienced that. Or how overwhelming police sirens are when you've never heard that kind of noise. Or how bright the lights in Target are if you've never even had electricity! Sessions with an occupational therapist can be extremely valuable when teaching kid's bodies how to process all the stimuli we have here. Both of our boys greatly benefitted from early intervention. Early intervention also provides speech therapy, physical therapy, behavior therapy, nutritionists, psychologists, etc. Sometimes early intervention is just what a kiddo needs to help them get over the hump. All those therapists can give us parents great strategies to help our kids thrive! If you google the name of your state coupled with early intervention you can find the number to refer your child for an evaluation. (or ask your pediatrician) Remember to keep your expectations in check. Kids who have been in care are often developmentally delayed. Give them time to catch up. Don't expect Rome (or a tower of blocks or talking in sentences) to be built in a day.
3. Take care of the siblings. Adoption is an endeavor that affects the whole family. I found that when our son came home, EVERYONE was all about him- often to the neglect of our other children. When we went anywhere, everyone wanted to know about Miles and I think that most people forgot that we had two other incredible children who needed and deserved just as much attention. They were going through the crazy transition of adding in a sibling who had a whole host of issues going on and they had big feelings about it. About 3 months after Miles came home, we noticed just how much our other kids were suffering through the transition. (NOT suffering because we adopted, just not coping well with the adjustment)
Sadie began pulling out her eyebrows and eyelashes until she had pulled them ALL off. We worried so much about how Miles was transitioning that we honestly did not consider how it had turned our entire family upside down. Not realizing this sooner is one of the biggest regrets that I have about our entire adoption journey. We got our kids involved in therapy. They needed someone who was removed from our family to talk them through it. They needed to learn healthy coping strategies and ways to talk to us parents about what they needed. They needed a safe space to talk about how they felt about having a little brother who was sick all the time and who got a whole lot of attention everywhere we went. Getting everyone in therapy was AWESOME. It really helped us all get on the same page as a family and helped us make sure that everyone was being taken care of and was heard while we figured out how our new family was going to work.
4. Have a script: People are dumb. They are well meaning, but they are dumb. Complete strangers will say very insensitive things to you when you have a family whose skin doesn't all match. And our adopted toddlers? They know what people are saying and they are watching our every move and how we respond. Let me paint you a picture: Woman walks through the grocery store with two kids in a cart and one kid walking next to the cart. One kid is screaming, one kid is trying to run away and the other one is whining about not getting her favorite cereal. Stranger walks up and feels like this is a good time to talk. Stranger says, "Oh my gawd! You have your hands full! Is he adopted?" Ahhhh, is he adopted. Seems like an innocent question, but it really singles our son out. We have taught all of our children to say, "We are an adoptive family." That simple phrase lets my toddler and the stranger know that we are all in this together. Usually that question is followed up by more questions that get personal really quickly.
It is not the job of my kids to be poster children for adoption. It is their job to be children. However, I do realize that many times we may be the only family that looks like ours that some people will ever talk to. So we try our hardest to be gracious- even when it's not convenient. When questions get personal, (How much did he cost? Do you get to keep him? Is his real mom dead?) I cut off the conversation. I don't want to educate someone about the intricacies of adoption and appropriate adoption language in the middle of the cereal aisle. Here is my script:
- I love to talk about adoption and how wonderful our children are! But, as you can see, it's a little difficult to talk about it in front of the children! Here's my card. Please feel free to email me and I'll be happy to talk to you about it!"
Since I use these cards when I speak at conferences or churches, I included more on it than is really needed. But if you just want something simple that has your name, email and blog address (if you have one) to hand to people you meet along the way, you can get some freebie cards at Vista Print. I can't tell you how many times this has saved me from being rude or having an awkward conversation in front of my children.
6. Trauma is real. All kids have fears, but our adopted children have fears that are very, very real for them as a result of their past experiences. They have fears of being abandoned, being hungry, being abused and all sorts of other things that children who have grown up with a loving parent who meets their needs don't have.
All toddlers go through stages of wanting to hit other kids. We have to teach them that hitting other children is not appropriate. With Miles, we had to teach him, by word and by deed, that moms and dads also don't beat up on their children. He had those fears because of past trauma. Miles was scared of animals. Miles was scared of black women. He tried to do things to our other children that had been done to him that were not things that you do to your brothers and sisters. His past directly played into how he functioned in his daily life. Seemingly small things would trigger uncontrollable tantrums in him. We had to learn to be accommodating of these things. We also had to teach him how to give a voice to these fears. ("Mommy and daddy keep me safe. They will not let animals hurt me." or "When I was in Congo, some people scared me, but mommy and daddy's friends are nice and will not hurt me."
Two years later, Miles still has trauma triggers. For example, when we went camping the last time, when it got close to bed time, Miles started acting strange. He sat down in his chair and whispered over and over, "Mommy and daddy keep me safe in my bed." What we realized is that he didn't think that same amount of safety applied when he wasn't sleeping in his bed and was instead sleeping in a tent. Those fears creep in and affect his behavior in some really strange ways. As parents, we have to learn to be patient and realize that even as time goes by (even as years go by) that our adopted children have experienced losses that we can't control that will affect them on very deep levels. I totally recommend reading Parenting The Hurt Child and The Connected Child for some great strategies for coping with trauma. I can't do justice to how trauma affects families in a couple of paragraphs, but just know that this is a very real thing and our kids need help learning to cope.
7. It's okay to ask for help. Sometimes we all get in over our heads. Too often we feel guilty and feel like we are never good enough parents. For an entire year, I felt like I was not doing an adequate job of parenting Miles. I thought maybe he would have been better off in a family where he would be the only child. Or that he would be better with a working mom so that he could be in day care since he thrived in more structure than I ran my house with. I lived with that guilt for far too long before I talked with our family therapist about it. Saying how I felt out loud made me finally realize that although I am not a perfect mom that I am the perfect mom for the kids that I've been blessed with.
I find that as adoptive parents we feel like we have to act like we have it all together even more so than parents of biological children. After all- did we not have to prove our worth as parents in front of countless agencies, social workers and embassies? So when things get hard, we feel like people are going to judge us more harshly. Know this- ADOPTION IS HARD. BEING A MOM IS HARD. (No matter how your children come to you) It's okay to not know how to do it all. Reach out to other people. None of us are meant to do this alone. Suck up your adoptive mama pride and ask for help. There is something magical that happens when us moms drop the pretense with one another and just be vulnerable. We actually get to a place where we can learn from one another and can be better moms to our kids.
8. Honor memories. Toddlers don't come with a blank slate. As a mom, this was a hard one for me knowing that my son had a whole other life before he came to me. I had to learn that honoring that life that he had does not make me less his "mom". It makes him know that his first culture and his family deserve respect and that he can talk about it and feel about it however he wants.
Toddlers come with little brains full of memories. Miles swears to me that when he was in Congo, he went to the river, caught a fish, "rolled it up"(his words) and then took it to his mom. This is the one memory that he comes back to over and over. He talks about it fairly often. I'm almost certain that this story could not be anywhere near true. But this is his perception of his life and if that is a memory that he wants to hang onto, I'm going to let him hang on to it. Our children's stories, birth families, birth cultures and their memories deserve to be honored.
8. Celebrate the joy: One of the most awesome thing about toddler adoption is that these little people already come to you with some really awesome personalities. I think that sometimes in adoption, we tend to focus on the things that we want to fix or help our children heal from. We sometimes (myself included) get so focused on attachment and healing and trauma that we forget to marvel in our kids. Sometimes when I look at Miles my mind just gets blown at how neat of a kid he really is. Someone else is responsible for coding his DNA with all those intricacies of his personality, but I'm lucky enough to get to be the one that nurtures those aspects of him. And that is truly cool!
I can't recommend adopting children that aren't babies enough. Sure, it comes with a unique set of challenges, but what parenting situation doesn't come with it's own unique challenges? Toddlers and older children are so deserving of families. Even though our adoption story hasn't always been a fairy tale and our transition was hard, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.
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- SpecsConvert Specs to MetricMax Sheet Size20.87 "Max Sheet Size29.13 "
- About Company
The Akiyama International Company Limited of today originated in 1948. The original company, Akiyama Machinery Manufacturing Corp., built printing presses for the Japanese domestic market until the end of the 1960's. The presses built during this time were of adequate design development for post-war Japan, but not up to the latest international state-of-the-art for the time. At the end of the 60's and the start of the 1970's there were major fundamental changes in the company with a new creative spirit introduced into Akiyama design and thinking. The result was the introduction of the first Akiyama press with truly original design concepts and first-in-the-world features. The Akiyama Hi-Ace 26" Press series. Since that "breath of life" that changed the company at the beginning of the 70's, Akiyama has continued to progress, grow, and still maintain the creative spirit. During the 70's the Hi-Ace press series in 26" and 38", then 28" and 40", as well as 32" and 44", was improved and refined. In the mid 80's Akiyama introduced a new generation of presses which replaced the Hi-Ace. This was the Bestech series which continues to this day to be the primary product line of Akiyama. In 1994 Akiyama introduced another new and revolutionary press model. The JPrint series. The first sheetfed offset press, not blanket to blanket type, to print both sides of a sheet while maintaining one gripper edge through the process.
- Distributors2Goss Supply Company
1520 Harmon Ave.
660 Harmon Plaza
Columbus, Ohio 43223
United StatesPrinter Machinery & Supply, S.A. de C.V.
Balanza No 4746
La Calma
Zapopan, Jalisco 45070


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Gameday Coverage Forum
Going to a big game with a cell phone? Listening to a webcast? Now that the season is upon us, make this the place to post live updates, as well as your first-hand game analysis. Anything from your H.S. scrimmage to the Final Four Championships
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(Reuters) - Andy Murray tipped 16-year-old Croatian Borna Coric for a bright future after beating him 6-3 6-0 6-3 to give Britain a winning start in their Davis Cup World Group playoff tie on Friday.
Coric, who emulated world No. 3 Murray recently by winning the U.S. Open junior title, made the Wimbledon champion sweat in the first and third sets, showing some classy touches to keep his vastly more experienced opponent on his toes.
To the delight of the home fans in Umag, London-based Coric went 3-1 ahead in the third set, breaking the Briton's serve with an audacious flicked winner after chasing down a drop shot, before Murray stepped up a gear clinch victory.
"The first five or six games were tough," said Murray, who is playing Davis Cup for the first time in two years as Britain try to return to the World Group.
"He was solid, he fought for every point. When he gets physically stronger, he's going to be a very tough player. The future is obviously very bright for him."
Ivan Dodig, Croatia's number one in the absence of Marin Cilic, leveled the tie with a straight-sets victory over Dan Evans, meaning Saturday's doubles could be crucial.
Writing by Martyn Herman, editing by Ed Osmond


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Has Labor Day Weekend left you with a little Labor Day Hangover? Never fear, I have the cure!
This hangover juice combines 5 ingredients that all help remedy that rough morning after having a few too many cold ones the night before! It's filled with potassium which is a key ingredient in bringing yourself back to life the next day!


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Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 3:24PM | 2 Comments
by Greg Keller tagged MTB, SSWC09 Gregory Keller on Google +
What a day, folks. The course for SSWC was super super hard but unbelievably fun. There's no real standings but I was told I was in the top 50-60 of 1000, completed in 2:22 so I can't complain.
I have a diary entry on VeloNews.com if you want to geta small glimpse into the scene...at least from my perspective. My hombre Frank Mapel has an awesome photo essay on Singletrack.com as well.
Check it! Stay tuned for CrossVegas this week!


text: Home / Products / Canfield XL 60" Ceiling Fan - In Brushed Nickel Larger View Rollover to Zoom Close Visualize Kichler lighting and Sherwin-Williams paint all in one tool. Today's homeowners have seemingly unlimited options when it comes to colors and finishes. With so many possibilities it can be daunting to find just the right match. Not any more. Match your lighting and your wall color with our intuitive visualization tools. Choose your Sherwin-Williams Color Family Color palette belongs to Sherwin-Williams, a registered trademark of the Sherwin-Williams Company. © 2013 Sherwin-Williams Company. All rights reserved. Other Kichler Products Products in the same collection 300188DBK300188NI300188OBB300188WH Canfield XL CollectionCanfield XL 60" Ceiling Fan - In Brushed Nickel 300188NI (Brushed Nickel) bvseo_sdk, net_sdk, 184.108.40.206 CLOUD, getAggregateRating, 31ms REVIEWS, PRODUCT bvseo-msg: The resource to the URL or file is currently unavailable.; Product Description: You'll love the simple beauty of this Brushed Nickel 60" ceiling fan from the Canfield XLcollection. Graceful smooth line are the highlight of this Energy Star rated fan bringing practical and refined style to your home. Available Finishes Shop, Buy or Order Locally Submit Lighting Showroom Landscape Lighting Distributor Electrical Distributor Available online at these fine retailers! Technical Information Weight:27.83 LBSSafety Rated:DryBase Backplate:6.3Hanging Measurement 1:14.02"/11.28"/13.78"Warranty:Limited LifetimeMotor Size:212MM X 25MMMotor Type:ACBlade Pitch:14 DegreesBlade Sweep:60"Downrod 1:1.00 OD X 4.00Watts:83/22Amps:.70/.35RPM:148/68CFM:6785/3042Reversible Blades:NoRemote:NoWall Control:NoPrimary Control System:Pull Chain - In project applications using multiple ceiling fans, alternative remote controls may be required. Please contact Kichler Advanced Product Solutions at 844-542-4537 to confirm your project requirements.Airflow Efficiency CFM/Watts:82/128Max Stem Tilt:30 DegreesOptional Light Kit Available:NoCollection:Canfield XL CollectionWidth:60.00"Height:14.00"Blade Finish:Walnut/CherryLead Wire Length:78.00"Voltage:120VFan Electrical Req:120V 60Hz ACFinish:Brushed Nickel Related Documents:300188_Canfield_XL_60_Energy_GuideDownloadIS-300188-TulleDownloadHigh Res Images 300188DownloadSpec SheetDownload bvseo_sdk, net_sdk, 126.96.36.199 CLOUD, getReviews, 0ms REVIEWS, PRODUCT bvseo-msg: The resource to the URL or file is currently unavailable.;


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Three different advertising posters for Champagne
Three different vintage advertising posters for Champagne - Clip art for your cards, paper crafts, scrapbooks, decoupage - Remember older prints may need to be removed to make room for the new. KEYWORDS: signs, advertising, promotion, vintage, tiny, colorful, colored, Paintings, Prints,
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The SBSTA is one of two permanent subsidiary bodies to the Convention established by the COP/CMP. It supports the work of the COP, the CMP and the CMA through the provision of timely information and advice on scientific and technological matters as they relate to the Convention, its Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
Key areas of work for the SBSTA include the impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change, promoting the development and transfer of environmentally-sound technologies and conducting technical work to improve the guidelines for preparing and reviewing greenhouse gas emission inventories from Annex I Parties. The SBSTA carries out methodological work under the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, and promotes collaboration in the field of research and systematic observation of the climate system.
In addition, the SBSTA plays an important role as the link between the scientific information provided by expert sources such as the IPCC on the one hand, and the policy-oriented needs of the COP on the other hand. It works closely with the IPCC, sometimes requesting specific information or reports from it, and also collaborates with other relevant international organizations that share the common objective of sustainable development.
The SBSTA and SBI work together on cross-cutting issues that touch on both their areas of expertise. These include the vulnerability of developing countries to climate change and response measures, discussions under the Technology Mechanism, the Adaptation Committee and the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts.
The SBSTA and the SBI have traditionally met in parallel, twice a year. When they are not meeting in conjunction with the COP, the subsidiary bodies usually convene at the seat of the secretariat in Bonn, Germany.
Secretariat contact for SBSTA coordination:
Ms. Wanna Tanunchaiwatana - SBSTA Coordinator (firstname.lastname@example.com)
Ms. Hanna Hoffmann - SBSTA Focal Point (email@example.com)
FCCC/SBSTA/2018/L.6Emissions from fuel used for international aviation and maritime transport. Draft conclusions proposed by the Chair.Draft conclusions
Submission by UNU-EHSReports
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Sunday, May 14, 2006
A lovely carrot cake with fancy pineapple flowers
And the cake? Well, if you liked my Canadian apple cake (and there were quite a few of you:), you'll like this carrot cake. It is very mild and mellow, no nuts to distract you from the delicate carrot flavour. Just a whift of cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg, that's all.. The pineapple flowers are optional, but highly recommended..
A lovely carrot cake
(Mahe porgandikook)
Adapted from Ruokala.tv (a Finnish website)
Serves 8
For the cake:
2 medium sized eggs
200 ml caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
100 grams butter, melted
300 ml finely grated carrots (approx. 2 medium ones)
200 ml plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
a generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
a pinch of fine salt
Whisk eggs and sugar until pale and foamy. Add grated carrots and melted butter. Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg, sift into the batter and combine.
Butter a 20 cm springform cake tin, sprinkle with semolina/flour. Pour the batter into the cake tin, and bake at 200˚C for 25-30 minutes, until the cake is cooked (test with a toothpick).
Remove from the tin and let cool.
For the frosting:
100 grams Philadephia cream cheese
50 grams butter, softened
125 grams icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, spread over the cold cake.
For the dried pineapple flowers
NB! You need to do this on the previous day (pineapple flowers keep for a few days in an air-tight container)
1 large pineapple, just slightly underripe
Peel the pineapple and cut crosswise into very thin slices (mandoline would be handy here).
Place pineapple slices in a single layer on parchment-covered baking sheets. Bake in a 110˚C oven for 1-2 hours, until pineapple slices look dry on top. Flip them over and bake for another hour or so, until dry on the other side as well.
Arrange the baked pineapple slices on a metal rack and leave to cool and dry a bit more.
When slices are cool and dry, take a flower-shaped metal cookie cutter and press into dried pineapple slices. Put aside to dry even more.
When the pineapple flowers are dry, but still pliable, then pull the 'flower petals' slightly upwards to give pineapple flowers a bit more realistic look.
Use to decorate the cake.
17 comments:
- Chas Ravndal said...
It looks so nice and lovely! hmmmmm
- 9:46 pm, May 14, 2006
- amyjames said...
I'm astounded by your patience! Those pineapple flowers are severely nifty.
And it looks absolutely stunning, well worth the effort.
- 11:38 pm, May 14, 2006
- K & S said...
this looks so good! and those flowers are cute!
- 2:13 am, May 15, 2006
- paz said...
Beautiful! I wish I could have a bite right now!
I love the flowers!
- 3:15 am, May 15, 2006
- Andrew said...
Oh come on gis a chance! I havent even made the apple cake yet and now this!
- 4:40 am, May 15, 2006
- Clivia said...
Those flowers look absolutely fantastic! I guess you can find 1000 ways to use them...
- 11:44 am, May 15, 2006
- Betul said...
Fruits, dried, as flowers..I'm into this subject nowadays...Wait for my next post, Pille.It'll be very nice coincidence..
- 1:42 pm, May 15, 2006
- Antti said...
Antti <3 carrot cakes :)
- 9:18 pm, May 15, 2006
Look awesome
Thanks for sharing the pic and recipe. Can't wait to try.
- 9:19 am, May 16, 2006
- Thredahlia said...
Lilled on tõesti väga ilusad ja hea idee.
Porgandikooki pole mina oma elus veel teinud, kes teab, vast kunagi jõun ka selleni :)
- 4:03 pm, May 16, 2006
- linda said...
Very cute the pineapple flowers!
- 10:49 pm, May 16, 2006
- angelika said...
Looks gorgeous and I would like to have a piece right now ! I also love the idea of the dried pineapples. Worth the effort ! Kind regards from Vienna, angelika
- 11:26 pm, May 16, 2006
flowers are just so lovely... you must be having a lot of patience...
i wish i could have a piece of that cake...droooling...
- 10:27 am, May 18, 2006
Nicely done! :) Did you have any problems drying or cutting the flowers? Another woman made them the other day, too. :) http://www.flickr.com/photos/geek_kitten/146852668/
- 10:56 am, May 18, 2006
- valentina said...
Pille, this cake is gorgeous. And the flowers just add a wonderful touch.
- 2:39 am, May 22, 2006
- Pille said...
Chas - I'm glad you like the look of this cake.
Amy - well, I won't be making these pineapple flowers every time I bake, but every now and then I'll gather the patience:)
K&S - thank you!
Paz - well, no pieces left to share, but you can always bake the cake;)
Andrew - no apple cake??? How come??? I'm sure you'd find a good wine to go with the cake:)
Clivia - indeed! I also like the fact that they'd be suitable for people on various special diets.
Betul - I'm looking forward to reading your post!
Antti - I knew you have good taste;)
Kitt - please let me know how you got on!
Thredahlia - kuidas siis nii lihtne kook veel proovimata on!?
Linda - thank you - they are cute indeed..
Angelika - thank you for your kind words!
Anonymous 1 - I could send you a piece, but have no idea who's behind the name:)
hfb - thank you for the flickr link! Your pineapple flowers were definitely prettier than mine. My cookie cutter was a bit rough and not sharp enough, and I didn't have a kitchen mandoline, so couldn't get the slices thin enough. Apart from that, it was a pretty straight-forward and problem-free process..
Valentina - I so agree:)
- 4:12 pm, May 22, 2006
- Gabriella True said...
you are a gem! I am so glad I found you! thanks for posting on my blog.
- 6:59 am, May 30, 2006


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Israel News - Stay Informed, Pray Informed
Egypt's Black Bloc grew out of a struggle for liberation from an authoritarian system, only after non-violent civil efforts had failed. Not to be confused with America's Black Bloc, which is friend to likes of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's Black Bloc is an enemy to their country's new Islamist rulers and fights for democracy and legitimate government.
Clad in black garb and ski masks, the faceless and nameless Black Bloc soldiers lock arms to create a human shield in defense of pro-freedom protesters -- the Black Bloc's number-one priority -- in the streets and squares of Egypt. Experts in martial arts and ostensibly military-trained, Black Bloc warriors only recently surfaced in Egypt to safeguard fellow freedom-fighters from their arch-enemies, the foes of democracy: President Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood-Hamas gangs.
Originating out of a plan to protect women protesters from sexual assault, this huge band of men and women numbering in the thousands (the exact number is not known) form a dedicated and determined corps of combatants divided into local groups of 30-50 individuals.
The secret members of the "elite" Black Bloc guard first appeared in the streets of Cairo this January, when revolutionaries commemorated their two-year anniversary with protests in Tahrir Square. Now everywhere the Egyptian opposition stages protests, the rank-and-file Black Bloc, whose leaders remain unknown to them, dutifully move in to police the area on behalf of fellow protesters.
Deemed "terrorists" and "outlaws" by the Morsi regime, the shadowy Zorro-like heroes refer to their network as the "United Ghosts Revolution" and represent a just cause in the ongoing rebellion against Egypt's Islamist government. The Black Bloc mission is to ensure that no more assaults, kidnappings, and torture occur from Morsi's security forces [the Muslim Brotherhood militia] and so-called law enforcement. Many Black Bloc members carry firearms, most likely acquired through the illegal networks smuggling weapons from Libya and Gaza.
If the best defense is a good offense, the forceful Black Bloc has aggressively expanded its scope beyond the scene of gathered protesters and their protection. With a physical presence in more than eight cities across Egypt, the anonymous soldiers have claimed responsibility for ransacking at least eight separate Muslim Brotherhood Freedom and Justice Party offices.
At first, the shrouded Black Bloc raised fears; the public saw them as terrorists. This wrong impression, however, was soon dispelled as their image as guardians took shape. Appearing first in the social media, the Black Bloc now has the moral support of more than 57,000 Facebook members for the purpose of countering Islamic supremacy and brutality.
Their core concern is to facilitate the pursuit of Western-style democracy. Its members claim no affiliation with existing political parties, as the group states that it "aims only to stand against the Muslim Brotherhood and any group exploiting religion to achieve political goals." Their challenge to the Muslim Brotherhood has prompted a new crackdown by President Morsi and his Prime Minister, Hasham Kandil. The state now targets opposition protesters who wear black, tracking those who do and conducting investigations. By mid-February, Morsi began arresting members of Black Bloc and its sympathizers.
Running under the banner of "Allah, Country, Revolution," the "outlaws" have been accused by Islamists of having Israeli backing and connections to Western funding.
In keeping with their mission statement, Egypt's Black Bloc members claim they have nothing against state institutions per se, "but against control by a particular system, the supremacy of a certain group." They further contend that "the best thing is to hit the existing system and its economy by sabotaging the system's institutions and not ones belonging to the public."
Ashraf Ramelah is on the Advisory Board of SION (Stop Islamization of Nations) and president of Voice of the Copts, a human rights organization. In 2010, VOTC sued the Mubarak regime, which refused to change the religious ID card of a Muslim convert to Christianity.
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Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Restaurant Review: The Petersham Nurseries Cafe in London (aka what dreams are made of)
Of course I had read about the hottest (or should it be coolest?) new chef in Londontown, Skye Gyngell, in the British media when still living in Edinburgh. But with London being so far away, and me having way too many cookbooks already to read, I didn't really register the information, nor did I order her book, A Year in My Kitchen. But when Keiko blogged about this unusual restaurant in July 2006, I got curious - the place looked so romantic and out-of-this-word. And when Keiko wrote about it again this March, I was sold. K. and I had already bought our tickets to London, and we were trying to decide where to go for a lunch with Johanna. Some other fancy and exciting options had been discussed in the process earlier, but after seeing Keiko's breathtaking photography, we knew where we wanted to lunch - The Petersham Nurseries Café in Richmond, near London. Johanna kindly booked the table and on a fine spring day - on April 15th, exactly a month ago - we went for a lunch there.
The place was truly like no other place I've been before. I've been to nice restaurants, and I've been to gardening centres, but this tiny restaurant in a plant nursery greenhouse was different. The entrance to the restaurant is through a shop selling antique garden furniture, expensive horticulture books and extensive range of seeds and plants. The tables are located between lush exotic plants, evocative of far-away warm and dreamy places. You notice that the waitresses (yes, they were all women) wear flipflops or dusty wellies, and that surprises you a little, but then you realise that there is no floor to speak of and that explains the choice of footwear.. Aaahh - how romantic! Instantly relaxed, you sit on one of the tables. The dining area - 15 tables at most, maybe - is full, and the air is buzzing with joyous chit-chat. You simply know that you're about to have a relaxing, and pleasing time here..
On the busy, warm Sunday afternoon we were at the Petersham Nurseries Café, its chef, Australian-born Skye Gyngell, was running back and forth in the dining area, greeting familiar customers, so even humble diners like us got a glimpse of her. Furthermore, she was chatting to Rose Gray for a few minutes, standing just beside our table. Rose Gray, by the way, was also wearing wellies :) (Rose Gray is one of the women behind the two-woman River Café team; her daughter Lucy Boyd, by the way, is in charge of Petersham Nurseries herb & vegetable garden that provides a lot of the ingredients for the restaurant on a daily basis). Talk about culinary star-spotting!
The menu was short, fresh and definitely seasonal - Skye Gyngell changes the menu every Tuesday, although there are some signature dishes that appear more permanently. As Johanna wrote in her review, we pretty much ate through all the dishes available. We started with their signature aperitif, Petersham Rose Prosecco, which was a good and festive start to the meal to follow.
For starters (£11.50-£13), Johanna chose the Salad of Fennel & Crab with Lemon Mayonnaise, her husband had the Carpaccio of Sea bass with Preserved Lemon, Chilli & Purslane, I opted for the Salad of Sheep's Milk Ricotta, Speck, Camone tomatoes & Basil Oil, and K. chose the Little Plate of Mezze. All good choices, and enjoyed by everyone. The basil oil on my salad is one of Skye's toolbox items, i.e. one of the nuts & bolts of her cooking, as she states in the book. K's mezze plate, consisting of generous dollops of roasted tomato and red pepper purée, beetroot purée, chick pea purée, wild greens & herbs (dandelion, rocket, ruby chard or bull's rocket, mint, basil, chevril), slow roasted tomatoes, and goat cheese, all drizzled with some basil oil again - was a huge hit. Luckily to us, the instructions for making this plate are also included in the book (p 66-69), and we've already replicated the chick pea purée at home.
For the mains (£16-£24), Johanna ordered the Monkfish & Clams with Saffron & Rosemary Aioli, I went for the Chickpea Curry with Bhatura, and the guys both ordered the Slow Cooked Lamb with Wild Garlic & White Beans. (The fourth item on the menu was Rabbit with Red Wine Lentils, Trevisse & Horseradish Cream, which sounded good, but unfortunately didn't make it to our table this time). Johanna's monkfish & clams dish is another long-time favourite of the Chef (and diners, obviously), having been on the menu since 2004, and although I didn't try that (remember my strong mental allergy to seafood other than fish), Johanna was ecstatic. I was immensely satisfied with my chickpea curry, which even on a really hot spring day managed to be heartwarming, but not overly so, and the bhatura must have been the best bread I've ever had in an Indian restaurant. Bhatura, for those of you who are not familiar with Indian cuisine, is a fried flatbread, which in Petersham Nurseries came studded with fragrant fennel seeds. Beats your average naan bread any time! The simplicity of the slow roasted lamb was a clear winner as well - just meat, beans and wild garlic, and although I intended to nibble only a little bit from K's plate, I ended up eating many more forkfuls - that's how tender and delicious it was.
Finally, the desserts (£7-£7.50). There was a 'walking dessert menu' (see here) with four choices. Again, although Pecorino with Raw Peas and Lemon Sorbet (probably made from the very Amalfi lemons above) sounded interesting, we ended up ordering two portions of Chocolate Mousse with Burnt Caramel and Fleur de Sel (Johanna & K), and a portion of Syllabub with Rhubarb Poached in Verjuice (me). The chocolate mousse was served as a large dollop of chocolatey goo on a plate, covered with cream and caramel, yet tasted so much better than any delicately and artfully layered patisserie cake I've had. It was rich and intensely chocolatey, had a perfect balance of sweet and salty, and yet it was also light and delicate. And my syllabub with verjuice poached rhubarb - well, let me just tell you that we've recreated that at home as soon as we had unpacked our stuff. So good - sharp, yet subtle, sour, yet sweet!
Not a cheap place to eat, but neither did we feel reluctant to part with our money at the end. Skye even signed a copy of her book for us at the end, and we left the place with happy smiles and content stomachs. And a bag of broccoli rabe seeds for my garden, of course. It's a gardening centre, after all..
You can buy Skye Gyngell's first cookbook buy clicking on the cover image on the left, and I definitely recommend the book. As you can gather from the title of the book, it is arranged by seasons, as many cookbooks these days are (Nigel Slater's captivating The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchencomes to mind). It starts with a thorough introduction to Skye's cooking philosophy, including a detailed overview of her 'kitchen toolbox'. The toolbox, alias the 'nuts and bolts of her cooking', contains ingredients and techniques like tea smoking, base note herbs and top note herbs, roasted spice mix, stock, braised lentils, toasted nuts, roasted red onions and slow-roasted tomatoes, flavoured yogurts, mayonnaise bases (incl the saffron mayonnaise mentioned above), flavoured oils and vinaigrettes, etc - all aimed to enhance the cooking and 'bring out the full natural flavours of seasonal ingredients.'
PS I had other lovely meals in London, including a dinner with Johanna & Jeanne at Galvin Bistrot de Luxe, an afternoon tea with Johanna at Brown's English Tea Room and another lovely meal at yet another French restaurant, Magdalen, with a London foodblogger with an Estonian connection, Howard of Food and Drink in London. And then there was a fabulous Lebanese feast at Levantine in Paddington with my friends Annika & Ben. Who said that there are no good places to eat in London?!?
12 comments:
- Gracianne said...
Excellent review, it looks like a lovely place as well. I will send that tink to my friends in London.
- 3:58 pm, May 15, 2007
- catalyst0527 said...
Your comments about restaurant makes me happy.
Especially this part :)
"The entrance to the restaurant is through a shop selling antique garden furniture, expensive horticulture books and extensive range of seeds and plants."
- 6:15 pm, May 15, 2007
- Anne in Oxfordshire said...
how absolutely fantastic...must try and get to it, next time I am in London..found your site through this one http://lucullian.blogspot.com/...
I look at her blog for all the lovely Italian recipes. Will have a read of your blog, now that I have found it..will add it too my blog roll.
- 7:58 pm, May 15, 2007
- jenjen said...
sounds like an amazing place, one where you could spend hours upon hours in. Great review.
- 3:47 am, May 16, 2007
- Freya and Paul said...
A great review and sounds like a place I really would love to eat, amongst plants and almost nature!
The food itself sounds fantastic! Thanks for this!
- 1:07 pm, May 16, 2007
- Jeanne said...
Oh Pille, you make me want to pack up my desk and head over there NOW! Having read your, Keiko's and Johanna's reviews I am now positively aching to go. The food sounds so simple and the setting so wonderful. Great review & lovely photos!
- 2:22 pm, May 16, 2007
- Homesick Texan said...
What a gorgeous meal! Saffron & rosemary aioli sounds heavenly!
- 4:25 pm, May 16, 2007
- Susan said...
What an enchanting atmosphere and divine menu. Thanks for sharing, Pille!
- 8:22 pm, May 16, 2007
- christine said...
Wow! What a lovely setting for such a scrumptious meal! I wish I had known about this place while I still lived in London.
- 3:45 pm, May 17, 2007
- sciencemel said...
Absolutely fantastic! It looks like a fairy tale dream. Definately on the list of must tries on my next trip to London. Thanks for the recommendation.
- 5:47 pm, May 17, 2007
- Pille said...
Gracianne - please do, I'm sure they'll enjoy the restaurant!
Catalyst - glad to hear you liked the review!
Anne in Oxfordshire - welcome to Nami-nami! I hope you'll enjoy browsing through the archives:)
JenJen - thank you!
Freya & Paul - it was a very special experience, heartily recommended.
Jeanne - you've got no excuse whatsoever for not going, being a foodie Londoner!!
Homesick Texan - there's a recipe in the book, remember:)
Susan - you're welcome!
Christine - it was a wonderful setting for a scrumptious meal, for sure. Maybe you can pay a visit next time you're in London?
Melinda - just remember to book ahead!
- 2:20 pm, May 18, 2007
- Catherine Todd said...
Wonderful blog... I'm getting ready to open a plant nursery / cafe here at lovely Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, Central America and imagine my surprise to come upon so many, and your wonderful write up about this exciting place!
Will definitely have to look them up whenever I can get back to London. So inspiring! Gracias to everyone involved... Any other tips or ideas would be most welcome.
Yours, CatherineTodd2 at gmail.
- 12:24 am, July 22, 2013