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text:
Sebastian Bach Joins ABC's 'Sing Your Face Off' Competition Series
Sebastian Bach is heading back to the small screen this summer for the new ABC singing competition 'Sing Your Face Off.' But it should be noted that this is not your typical singing competition, as the celebrity contestants will each be taking on the identity of an iconic music performer each week and transformed and trained to deliver their music.
Joining Bach in this quest are NBA star Landry Fields, comedian Jon Lovitz, singer China Anne McClaine and actress Lisa Rinna. Debbie Gibson and Darrell Hammond will serve as the primary judges, while there will be a rotating list of guest judges determining how well each of the performers pull off their rendition of the musician they've been assigned.
"From the hours in the makeup chair to the days spent with choreographers and vocal coaches, each show will feature the complete transformation -- not just physical -- the celebrities will embody everything about the assigned icon -- their walk, their talk, their distinguishing mannerisms -- leading up to the live performance in front of the studio audience," reads a release on the show. The notes also suggest that Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Pavarotti, Britney Spears, Pitbull and Tina Turner are just a few of the assignments the singers will be tasked with pulling off.
'Sing Your Face Off,' hosted by John Barrowman, will premiere on Saturday, May 31 on ABC with back-to-back episodes.

subset: commoncrawl


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text:
Sunday, 27 January 2008
Sugar and spice (and all things nice) cake
Of all the cakes on my site this is probably the easiest to make. It is also utterly delicious; a perfect cake to have with a cup of tea or coffee. Lovely warm spices and a crunchy sugar topping makes this a sensual delight. But I have a confession. I only made it because I wanted to play with my new toy –my new nutmeg grater means I will never grate bits of my finger off again. When I unpacked it I stood grating nutmeg into the sink just for the fun of it before I conceded that, as activities went, this was probably one of the more futile. Isn't she a beauty:
The cake is quite plain to look at – there won't be any amazed gasps when you unveil it. The amazed gasps will come when people eat it and marvel at the flavours: cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. This cake is all about the eating! You can see the spicy flecks:
I am so confident in this cake that I serve it alone. No cream, no custard, no fruit, no bells, no whistles. Enjoy.
175g unsalted butter
250g light brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
250g plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1-3 tablespoons milk (whole or semi skimmed)
2 tablespoons Demerara sugar
How to make:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
- Line a 900g loaf tin with baking paper.
- Beat the butter until pale and creamy, then add the light brown sugar and beat for about 5 minutes. Usually I would say "beat until pale and fluffy" but that won't happen with brown sugar. As long as you beat for 5 minutes it will be perfect.
- Gradually add the eggs, beating well to ensure they are incorporated.
- Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger to the creamed mix and fold in, adding the milk one spoon at a time as necessary. Only use as much milk as you need to slacken the mix.
- Spoon the mix into the tin and then sprinkle the Demerara sugar on top; this is what gives the crunchy top.
- Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Mine took 1 hour.
- Cool in the tin for at least 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool.
- This cake will last several days in an airtight container and is most delicious a day or so after baking.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.
What the Caked Crusader chose to bake to this week (26 Jan 2008)
I tend to be susceptible to any influences around me i.e. if I hear a song I know on a tv programme or advert, or read about an artist I like, I think "yeah, I've got that record – I need to listen to it". This week during my train commute I have been reading Eels frontman E's (aka Mark Oliver Everett) autobiography entitled "Things the Grandchildren Should Know". If you appreciate the dry, dark wit of his lyrics then you will love his book. It's particularly interesting to see how directly he turned the awful events in his life into songs. Listening to the song knowing the background makes the emotion so much stronger; I felt quite shaken listening to the song "Electro shock blues", for example.
It's also worth reading to find out what he said to his hero, Neil Young, the one time he met him!
Sunday, 20 January 2008
Bramley apple and custard tart
Bramleys even look beautiful cooking in the pan:
Wherever you are in the UK at the moment, the chances are you're being rained on. The sky seems to be a permanently murky grey colour and the rain is unrelenting. It is at such times that my thoughts turn to what is called "nursery food". I don't actually like the term because it always makes me think of milky rusks and pulpy food without any decent seasoning, but it seems to be used nowadays to describe comfort food of a sort that 'nanny' would've given us in our youth (what planet do the people live on who coin these phrases?)
This is another recipe for demanding types who like their baking to tick more than one box. It could be a dessert, or it could be a slice of something to have with a cup of tea. There's no need to put anything with it as you already have the apple and custard in the tart topped with lovely cream. Pure excess! The best kind.
This tart is made in layers. First, you bake the pastry case, this is my favourite shortcrust pastry made with butter and egg yolk and all things delicious; no anaemic pastry here! – here it is fresh from the oven, the paper and baking beans removed. I like the way you get little dents in the pastry from where the beans have sat:
Say goodbye to the pastry as it's covered in apple puree. Although sweetened the apple retains a slightly tart edge which works wonderfully with the indulgent creamy custard:
Next, the custard is poured over:
What intrigued me with this recipe is that whenever I have seen cinnamon used in apple recipes, it is always added to the apple part of the dish. Here, the cinnamon infuses the custard and makes an interesting alternative to the usual vanilla custard. When I make this dish again I think I would add more cinnamon as I don't think the taste really stood up to the other flavours of the dish. It was the first opportunity I've had to use my Bahamian cinnamon sticks:
It's particularly appealing the way the custard mixes with the stewed apples and turns them a pinkish colour.
For the sweet rich shortcrust pastry:
173g plain flour
120og unsalted butter
3 tablespoons icing sugar
1 ½ egg yolks
(if you're wondering why some of the quantities look odd, it's because this is 1.5 times the basic recipe)
For the apple:
750g Bramley apples, peeled, cored and chopped (I needed 5 apples)
65g golden caster sugar
For the custard:
400ml double cream
60g golden caster sugar
2 cinnamon sticks (or one large one) – I recommend adding more cinnamon
3 large egg yolks
1 egg (yolk and white)
For the cream:
142ml double cream
Vanilla extract, to taste
How to make:
- To make the pastry either put all the ingredients, except for the egg yolk, in a food processor and blend. Then add the egg yolk and bring together to a dough. Or, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles bread crumbs. Then stir in the icing sugar before adding the egg yolk and bringing to a dough.
- Make the pastry into a flattened disk and wrap in clingfilm, refrigerating for 30 minutes.
- Grease a 23cm round, 4cm deep loose bottomed flan tin.
- Roll the pastry out between two sheets of greaseproof paper and then line the tin with the pastry. Don't worry if it tears, use any excess to patch it up – it is very good natured.
- Chill the pastry for an hour in the fridge (this will help to limit shrinkage on baking)
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
- Line the pastry case with either greaseproof paper or non-stick foil and fill it with baking beans, dried pulses – whatever you have.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is cooked, but still pale. You don't want to overcook it at this stage as it has a lot of baking ahead of it!
- Remove the paper and beans and leave to cool.
- Now cook the apples. Place the chunks of peeled and cored Bramleys into a saucepan and add 2 tablespoons of water. Cook over a gentle heat until slightly softened and then add the sugar. I found the apples broke down to a pulp better with the saucepan lid on, but keep checking it as you may need to add a little extra water if the apples look dry. I needed to add a further 3 tablespoons.
- When the apples have collapsed (this will take 10-15 minutes) remove the pan from the heat and stir to ensure that no lumps remain. Leave to cool.
- Now make the custard. Put the cream in a saucepan and add the sugar and cinnamon sticks. Over a gentle heat, bring to the boil.
- Remove from the heat and fish out the cinnamon sticks. Leave the cream to cool for a few minutes before beating in the egg and yolks.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 170°C/fan oven 150°C/325°F/Gas mark 3
- Place the pastry case (still in the flan tin) on a baking sheet.
- Spoon the apple puree over the pastry base. At this point, put the baking sheet with the flan on it, onto the oven shelf as it will be too nerve-wracking and difficult to move the flan when you have poured the custard on!
- Pour the custard gently and slowly on to the flan. I poured it through a sieve to ensure that there were no lumps in the custard.
- Ease the oven shelf back into the oven, and bake for approximately 2 hours or until the custard is set (mine took 1 hour 45 mins). Don't worry if, when you take the tart from the oven you notice a dark brown skin on top – I think this happens purely because of the slow baking. I tasted a bit and it was rather nice, however, it's not that pretty so – on taking the tart from the oven – I peeled it off with a palette knife. It comes off very cleanly if done straight away and reveals the beautiful set yellow custard underneath.
- Allow to cool. You can either add the piped cream (simply whip the cream with a dash of vanilla) decoration at this point or just before serving. Either way, once cool, the tart must be kept refrigerated; it can be made a day in advance of serving.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.
What the Caked Crusader chose to bake to this week (19 Jan 2008)
Often copied, never bettered, they are one of the few vocal groups who can really swing yet also perform ballads. Most of the early recordings are simply a guitar and vocals yet you'll swear there are more instruments – there aren't, it's just the remarkable talents of those Mills boys! Later recordings had them singing with a band and I always feel that this detracts from the brilliance of their harmonies. Having said that, their album with Count Basie would be in my all time top ten list of albums. It's quite hard to get hold of in the UK but Amazon US has it. Do whatever you must to get a copy (beg, borrow but don't steal – that's just wrong) you won't regret it.
You may be thinking to yourself, "but I haven't got a clue who these Mills Brothers are"; and my response would be that I bet you have! Their recordings are often used in TV commercials – remember the employment agency ad of a few years back with the "Get a job, bahda da da, sha la la la la" or the recent car ad with the toy tiger left on the roof "hold that tiger, hold that tiger" – starting to sound familiar?
I was delighted to see that there are various Mills Brothers performances available on Youtube
Worth watching if only to see how TV musical performances have changed!
Sunday, 13 January 2008
Vanilla cheesecake with raspberry sauce.
The Tin Man joined Dorothy in her quest because he wanted a heart (which frankly is just going to make me sound petty in comparison). Outcome: successful
My aim is to find the perfect cheesecake. Outcome: almost there.
My Perfect Cheesecake (MPC) would be beautiful, smooth, dense textured but still light. Over the years I have tried many cheesecake recipes and they've never quite matched up to MPC that dwells in my brain and torments me in its elusiveness.
So this is my latest attempt:
It was absolutely lovely – I wouldn't say it was MPC but it was pretty darned close; certainly closer than I've ever been before. Using ricotta rather than cream cheese definitely gives both a better flavour and texture. The biscuit base was very pleasing too as it held together well but was delicious and crumbly in the eating.
Where I goofed on this one was the topping. The recipe had a topping I didn't care for so I decided to use raspberries. However, as soon as I started to heat the raspberries in some sugared water they all collapsed scuppering my intention to cover the top with beautifully poached whole raspberries covered in thick sauce.
Here they are, innocent before they did the dirty on me and all collapsed into mush:
I also used too many raspberries and ended up with a topping that swamped the cheesecake underneath. What I would do if I made this again is use 500g of raspberries (the photo above shows 750g – what was I thinking??) Firstly I would use enough whole raspberries from this amount to sit on top of the cheesecake. I would then poach the remainder in water and sugar and pour this sauce firstly, through a strainer and then over the raspberries. If I'd done that this time, I may well have been writing about MPC.
One curious thought that hit me when I was dissolving the gelatine was that it looked like I was melting a breast implant. See for yourself:
For the base:
5og unsalted butter
160g digestive biscuits
For the filling:
350g ricotta
11g sachet of gelatine powder
2 egg yolks
60g caster sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract (I put in more as I'm a vanilla freak)
275ml double cream
For the topping:
500g raspberries
Sugar, to taste
How to make:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
- Grease an 18cm round tin.
- For the base, melt the butter in a saucepan. While it is melting, crush the biscuits into crumbs. I like to do this by putting the biscuits in a freezer bag, securing the end and then bashing them with my rolling pin.
- Add the crumbs to the melted butter and ensure that you mix well.
- Press the crumbs into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the base is browned.
- Leave to cool.
- Put 4 tablespoons of cold water into a dish and sprinkle the gelatine powder on top. Leave for 5 minutes.
- In a saucepan heat some water until it is gently simmering. Sit the bowl of water and gelatine on top and leave until the gelatine water has turned clear i.e. all the gelatine has dissolved. This took about 5-10 minutes. Put to one side.
- Beat the ricotta, egg yolks and sugar until blended.
- Add the vanilla and gelatine and continue to beat until the mix is smooth and well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it is at the soft peak stage, then add to the ricotta mix and beat until combined.
- Tip the mix onto the base, cover with foil and chill for at least 3 hours.
- Sit whole raspberries on top of the cheesecake.
- Put two tablespoons of water into a pan and melt a tablespoon of caster sugar into it. When it has dissolved, add the remaining raspberries.
- When the raspberries have collapsed, sweeten the sauce to taste. When it is sweet enough let it come to the boil and bubble away until it reduces in volume by about half and is thick. Strain into a jug and allow to cool.
- You may find as it cools, a skin forms. Remove this and then pour the sauce over the raspberries.
- Cover with clingfilm and return to the fridge until ready to serve.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.
What the Caked Crusader chose to bake to this week (12 Jan 2008)
It comes from the album Out of Here by Tim Keegan and the Departure Lounge and was released in 1999. I can't even remember why I bought the CD back then. It was never a commercial hit so I'm baffled as to how I came across it . But I'm glad I did because it's still a wonderful CD. The internet informs me that the band have long since disbanded which makes me sad that they didn't record more – I remember their second (and final) album not quite matching the quality of the first. How can you not love a band who call a song "Save me from Happiness"?
Sunday, 6 January 2008
Kourabiedes (Greek shortbread biscuits)
If you're ever in that neck of the woods I can heartily recommend the grilled Snapper:
Here endeth the pretentious bit.
Technically these little biscuits are classified as dessert but I don't see the need to be inconvenienced by limiting them to a post-prandial time slot. They are closest to a shortbread biscuit but that's not really a good description. Using icing sugar always makes a biscuit deliciously soft and refined in texture. The addition of ground almonds makes them moist and the dash of brandy adds a depth of flavour – you wouldn't honestly know that it was brandy, they don't taste alcoholic, but you know there's something extra there.
Here they are fresh from the oven – don't overcook them as you'll lose the crumbly softness:
I think they benefit from a light dusting of icing sugar. They look ever so pretty:
Here they are in the tin ready to be taken visiting (and meet their doom but they don't know that yet!):
Crumbly and moist, as all the best biscuits should be, these are also very quick to make. I think it's traditional that they are crescent shaped – and why not?
250g unsalted butter
80g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons brandy (you could omit this but add more vanilla to replace the liquid)
1 egg yolk
375g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
100g ground almond
Sifted icing sugar for dusting
How to make:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
- Grease or line two baking sheets. This volume will make between 30-40 biscuits.
- Beat the butter and icing sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla, brandy and egg, then beat until combined.
- Fold in the flour, baking powder and almonds. Only fold until you sense the mix is about to come together into a dough.
- Take tablespoons of the mix and roll in your hands until you have made a fat sausage. Curve it slightly into a crescent and place on the baking sheet. The biscuits expand a little but not greatly so you can put them quite close.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Traditionally the biscuits are dusted with icing sugar before serving.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.
Soured cream and hazelnut crumble cake
This is an interesting cake (aren't they all.....sigh) as the actual cake part of the mix isn't very sweet. However, the crumble part is and so an interesting contrast is created. The cake is seriously succulent:
One thing I would say, I followed the recipe and made the cake in a 23cm square tin. Next time I think I'll make it in a 20cm square tin to get it a bit deeper. I'm not mad about shallow cakes and would rather have a smaller, but more cube-like, shape.
The slice just glistens with juicy goodness:
For the crumble element:
225g dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
115g finely chopped hazelnuts (you could also use walnuts)
55g unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
For the cake:
115g unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g caster sugar
3 eggs
215g plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
250ml soured cream
Optional: dash of vanilla
How to make:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
- Grease and line a 23cm square tin or a 20cm square tin if you prefer a deeper (albeit smaller) cake.
- For the topping mix the brown sugar, nuts and cinnamon together and then rub in the butter. It won't go to breadcrumb consistency but rub until you sense the butter has been evenly distributed among the dry ingredients. Put to one side.
- To make the cake, cream the butter and sugar together either in a mixer or by hand. Cream until the mixture turns pale and looks fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time. The mix may start to curdle but it will not affect the outcome. If it bothers you add a little of the flour to stop it (NB. Add the flour from the recipe's allocation – not extra flour!)
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder.
- Fold one third of the flour mix into the creamed butter and egg mix. Then fold in one third of the soured cream. Continue to alternate until all the flour and soured cream is incorporated.
- Spoon half the batter into the cake tin. Sprinkle half of the crumble mix on top of this.
- Spoon the remaining batter onto the crumble mix and gently spread so that no crumble is visible. Sprinkle the remaining crumble mix on top of the cake.
- Bake until a skewer comes out clean. This will take somewhere between 60-70 minutes. Mine took exactly 60 minutes. If you make the cake in the smaller tin it may take a little longer as the mix will be deeper.
- Let the cake cool for 15 minutes or so in the tin, before turning out and letting cool completely on a wire rack.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.
The Caked Crusader goes sales shopping...
My kitchen scales and me have been getting along just fine, my only complaint being that I had to crouch down a bit to read the display. However, I had to convince myself that we had grown apart because, when I saw this stunner glinting at me seductively from the shop shelf, I knew we were meant to be together!
It wasn't the beautiful blue-lit display, it wasn't just the shiny and curvaceous bowl, it wasn't that it can measure grams/ounces/fluid ounces/millilitres. It wasn't even that it was reduced by 25%. It was love.
What the Caked Crusader chose to bake to this week (5 Jan 2008)
Sometimes CDs become attached to a moment in your life and just listening to the CD conjures up such a rounded, full memory that it's almost frightening. Think Proust's Madeleine but music. This album was released in 1996, slap bang in the middle of my three years of training and exams to become a Chartered Accountant. I can clearly recall listening to this as a reward having completed a tedious day's study faffing about with weighted average cost of capital and net present value calculations. If that means nothing to you be grateful!


text:
Reuters, 12/31/2012
Economists cut their estimates for economic growth in Brazil to 0.98 percent this year, a central bank survey showed on Monday, highlighting the sharp slowdown of an economy that just a couple of years ago was an emerging market star.
The world's No. 6 economy was expected to grow 1.0 percent this year in a poll released last week, a far cry from the 3.30 percent expansion predicted by economists surveyed by the central bank at the start of the year.
Still, economists see the Brazilian economy rebounding to grow 3.30 percent in 2013 after an avalanche of stimulus measures by the government of President Dilma Rousseff that includes dozens of tax breaks and subsidized loans.


text:
The price for independence is often isolation
and solitude.
Steve Schmidt
Without Liberty
Inherent Autonomy is the intrinsic nature of the human condition
Inherent Autonomy is the intrinsic nature of the human condition
Humanity has succumbed to the momentum of mediocrity. The modern age has forsaken the core values that created
Western Civilization. The principles of meaningful social relationships have been relinquished to a reign of terror - Democratic
Rule. What you get is the acquiescence of the mob to the dictates of the elites. Americans are especially afflicted with the
ailment of amnesia. A country founded upon the prescript of liberty, has surrendered to the insanity of pluralism. The loss
of emancipation is a direct result of relinquishing our Inherent Autonomy.
Inherent Autonomy is the intrinsic order of individual independence. Natural rights are the foundation
upon which an authentic society rests. All rights are possessed by human beings. Governments or states do not retain rights.
Their only purpose is to serve citizens. This fundamental truth is ignored universally by governments. Citizens demean their
own self worth and welcome tyranny everywhere. Why? Because they have lost their ability to act rationally upon their own
valid self interest.
Independence for one's own kind and from influences that conflict with your own
instinctive standards, is the natural end of mankind. Cultures are the social expression for like minded communities.
Nations are formed to protect and preserve similar ethnic groups. Governments are subordinate to their nation, and accountable
to a comparable population. Willful consent is the basis for legitimacy. Yet, notions that people are all equal is as absurd
as the sentiment that the State routinely serves the citizen.
Pluralism, multiculturalism, secular humanism, ethnic diversity or religious ecumenism are preposterous
attempts that deny the real fallen aptitude of a common nature. All of history confirms the reality that oil does not mix
with water. The melting pot myth has turned into a pure melt down. The fallacy that seeks to compel interaction between and
among contradictory factions is the primary underpinning of altruistic government. Coercion under the guise of contrived law
is the scam. Arbitrary decrees are the practice. Forced "collectivism" is the ultimate goal. And universal punishment
is the fate for dissent. The State has achieved omnipresent illegitimate rule and consummated obligatory worship as the only
almighty allowed to exist within its jurisdiction.
Is this sovereignty for a free people? Of course it isn't. After all, the real question that is continually
avoided is whether there are any people left that deserve the fruits and rewards derived from Inherent Autonomy?
A society based upon the proven principles that foster liberty should be the chosen end. To achieve the chemistry for achievement
and avoid negative reactions, the crucial standard is de-centralization. The cherished traditional theme
of limited government has been abandoned. The axiom of individual civil liberties has been substituted for constrained tolerance.
And the refuge of nonconformity has been traded for the enslavement of a false security.
The all-embracing aspiration of freedom is realized only when independence has been attained. When citizen
consent can no longer be achieved, abusive authority must be terminated. Permission to govern is conditional. The natural
order does not transfer eternal dominion upon governments. People are entitled to sever an unworkable relationship. Notwithstanding,
the State pursues the course of a permanent ruling entity. This false claim is the source of continued despotism. Strife is
the normal plight. Efforts to exclude this circumstance, relinquish your inborn autonomy, will always produce bondage.
The inalienable right to abolish citizenship in an impossible membership of conflicting communities is an
inherent imperative. Secession is not merely implicit, it is quintessential. If governments really served the populace, the
correctness of this conclusion would never be challenged. Separation means the potential of cordial coexistence can be enhanced.
Requiring compliance to accept the maximum perversion offers only the greatest indignity. Imposing civic codes against the
will of your own kindred is pure evil. This is the very dilemma that enslaves a submissive society.
When inhabitants advance clashing cultures, democracy by majority vote is guaranteed oppression. There is
no room for compromise with antagonistic tribes. Dissolution is preferable to a coerced union. The drive for empire is the
demise of liberation. Fostering the mission of equality as equivalence, invariably causes absolutism.
America is a failed experiment, not because of lack of effort, but because of a misguided application of
legitimate purpose. Saving the world, when you destroy yourself, is not a model to emulate. With the repudiation of the very
reason, why the American Revolution was fought, the oligarchy that rules, betrays the country; even greater, with each new
outrage. The 1776 rebellion was meant to overthrow tyranny. Today the central government has perfected domestic despotism,
while it exports global imperialism.
Inherent Autonomy behooves sane citizens to evoke their natural right for independence.
The pragmatic ideal for governance is genuine republic representation, by and among, your own cultural community.
Prospects for individual freedom and public harmony are viable, when central government interference is minimal. Moreover,
damaging cultural differences are diminished, when defined lines of separation are recognized and accepted. Eliminating pretentious
bureaucratic regulations and dictates, allows for parochial assimilation. Cooperative friendship endures when citizens respect
their neighbors. Amiable civil interaction is elevated, when representatives owe unqualified loyalty to their own district.
The basic right of life - lived as you and your extended family decides - is the essence of sovereignty.
Contrast sectional independence with federal dependency.
Elites that envision the nation as a comparable whole, requires compliance from all of its parts. The application
of "politics is local" is voided when incumbents ignore their own constituents and favor nationwide influences.
The opposing party fraud, fails the - loyal opposition - smell test. When elected officials' primary allegiance
is the federal government, the entire intent of the country is undermined. Without independence there is no reason to persist
with the deceit of federal unity. The Nation is not the State. Nor is the central government a benefactor of individual liberty.
The revolt that created self-rule was a repudiation against crown rule under a legal system of equity.
Oppression of the colonial era would now be considered as relief. The "shot heard round the world", has
turned into a plea for magisterial permission for the means of self defense. Relinquishing innate freedoms is mad, since natural
rights can't be destroyed by renunciation. The hoax that rights are legislated is nefarious deception. Patriotic love
of country obligates taxpayers to starve despots wherever they reside. Rabid regime nationalism, that holds citizens hostage,
is a sickness. Judiciary absolutism is the antithesis of independence and should be opposed as licit duplicity. Sovereignty
resides within the consent of humans, and is only conveyed with distinct limitations, to entrusted governmental services.
In order to achieve the benefits from Inherent Autonomy, the lineage of a society needs to willingly
accept the tenants of good government. Disagreement among incompatible peoples is best arbitrated when reconciliation is not
an option. Distinct and independent jurisdictions provide the most equable administration. Dictatorial government is the end
result from central command domination. Authentic representation requires a comparable community to represent. The United
States (euphemism union of states) are no longer a collection of self governing entities, but has become a singular brute
power designed for supreme subjugation. This former association of autonomous areas is no longer a communal unity.
Americans need to renounce their affiliation within a "Totalitarian Collectivist" society, enforced
under the enactments of a diabolical central government. The prospects for liberty are dead as long as folks are determined
to deny or face reality. Handling the truth is not a trait mastered by compliant clones. The sum and substance of the
American Revolution was to establish independence for distinctive settlements. Each separate state became a unique jurisdiction.
A restricted confederation was instituted to achieve a cooperative coalition. That was the intention and purpose of fighting
for liberation.
Inherent Autonomy is devoted to the study of the principles for self governance and their implications
in our current circumstance. The limitation of feasible options are recognized. Outline for potential alternatives will be
presented, with the price needed to be paid, acknowledged. The reward of indifference will be total enslavement. The risk
of confrontation offers hope. Only individuals committed to unfeigned liberty need apply. Independent communities means you
have a choice. Do you dare take back your own future? Or are you satisfied with the ordinariness of your servitude?
America First
He alone is great and happy who requires
neither to command nor to obey in order to secure his being of some importance in the world.
The Liberty Song
John Dickinson
Come, join hand in hand, brave Americans
all,And rouse your bold hearts at fair Liberty's call;No tyrannous acts shall suppress your just claim,Or stain
with dishonor America's name.
Our worthy forefathers, let's give them a
cheer,To climates unknown did courageously steer;Thro' oceans to deserts for Freedom they came,And dying, bequeath'd
us their freedom and fame.
The tree their own hands had to Liberty rear'd,They
lived to behold growing strong and revered;With transport they cried, Now our wishes we gain,For our children shall
gather the fruits of our pain.
Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all,By
uniting we stand, by dividing we fall;In so righteous a cause let us hope to succeed,For heaven approves of each generous
Freedom we're born and in Freedom we'll live.Our purses are ready. Steady, friends, steady;Not as slaves, but as Freemen
our money we'll give.
Come, join hand in hand, brave Americans
all,And rouse your bold hearts at fair Liberty's call;No tyrannous acts shall suppress your just claim,Or stain
with dishonor America's name.
Our worthy forefathers, let's give them a
cheer,To climates unknown did courageously steer;Thro' oceans to deserts for Freedom they came,And dying, bequeath'd
us their freedom and fame.
The tree their own hands had to Liberty rear'd,They
lived to behold growing strong and revered;With transport they cried, Now our wishes we gain,For our children shall
gather the fruits of our pain.
Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all,By
uniting we stand, by dividing we fall;In so righteous a cause let us hope to succeed,For heaven approves of each generous
Freedom we're born and in Freedom we'll live.Our purses are ready. Steady, friends, steady;Not as slaves, but as Freemen
our money we'll give.
Hail! Independence, hail! Heaven's next best gift,
To that of life and an immortal soul! James Thomson
The evils which are endured with patience as long
as they are inevitable, seem intolerable as soon as a hope can be entertained of escaping them.
Alexis de Tocqueville
The four most famous Sons of Liberty members were Sam Adams, John Hancock,
Patrick Henry, and Joseph Warren. Their motto was, "No taxation without representation." The Sons of Liberty were mostly tradesmen,
laborers, and shopkeepers. We couldn't have gotten the Continental Congress or had the Revolutionary War without the Sons
of Liberty because they made us realize that we needed to be independent and have our own country.
Each of you, for himself, by himself and on his
own responsibility, must speak. And it is a solemn and weighty responsibility, and not lightly to be flung aside at the bullying
of pulpit, press, government, or the empty catchphrases of politicians. Each must for himself alone decide what is right and
what is wrong, and which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide against your convictions
is to be an unqualified and inexcusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let man label you as they may. If you
alone of all the nation shall decide one way, and that way be the right way according to your convictions of the right, you
have done your duty by yourself and by your country - hold up your head! You have nothing to be ashamed of.
Mark Twain
The concentrating [of powers] in the same
hands is precisely the definition of despotic government.
It will be no alleviation that these powers
will be exercised by a plurality of hands, and not by a single one.
Thomas Jefferson
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text:
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Lets fight!!
Now for the card...This was another easy one. I just stamped this darling "Snowfight" (Stamping Bella) image onto White Prismatic cs with Onynx Black (Versafine), and embossed it with clear ep. I then watercolored it with watercolor pencils and an aqua pen. The edges are ink distressed with Brushed Corduroy (Ranger Distress ink)
Those little white dots on the bottom are Candy Dots, by Pebbles, Inc. They have a mat finish with an adhesive back. I love them!! You can find them at Stamper's Dream, along with a whole slew of new products. Michelle is getting new stuff in regularly. New papers: Gorgeous two-sided Kaisercraft dp is in stock now, and she'll be getting My Mind's Eye and Cosmo Cricket real soon too. She also has new Penny Black images as well as Northwoods. She has some gorgeous new May Arts ribbon too that I can't wait to get my hands on!! So, check out her store. There's a lot more to come too, so you'll want to check back often. She has some really fun new products coming that she got at CHA!! Woot!! Can't wait!! If you click HERE, it will take you to the *new arrivals* section that she's added to her store. You'll find that towards the top left of her store's home page.
And while you're there...check out her SALE. You can find the sale items HERE, or click on the Sales and Specials section of her store on the upper left hand side of the home page.
Stamps - Snowfight (Stamping Bella)
Paper - Sabrina (Making Memories), Kraft, White, Crabapple Medium (Prismatics)
Ink - Onynx Black (Versafine), Brushed Corduroy (Ranger Distress)
Accessories - Watercolor Pencils, Labels I Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Button (SU), Ribbon (American Craft and SU), Candy Dots (Pebbles, Inc.), Dimensional Tape
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a fantastic and blessed week!
Happy Stamping!!
16 comments:
- StampOwl said...
too cute Tosh ... I think that is you when you were younger making snowmen ... I can see some resemblance hehhehe.
- February 8, 2009 at 9:22 PM
- Cindy Haffner said...
Oh so darling Tosh, she is a sweetie.
- February 8, 2009 at 9:26 PM
- Carolyn King said...
who are YOU calling NUTTY!
Well---this is adorable ya stinker! But your challenge was veryyyy challenging!
- February 8, 2009 at 10:39 PM
- Denise Marzec said...
Another beautiful card, Tosh. Cute image and the colors are so pretty.
- February 9, 2009 at 3:53 AM
Oh Tosh - I just love your Snowball Fight card, your signature distressing, and particularly the way the three candy dots look like snowballs. Great job!
- February 9, 2009 at 7:22 AM
- Rose Ann said...
What a darling image, Tosh!! I love the colors and your distressing!!
- February 9, 2009 at 8:22 AM
- Kimberly Crawford said...
darling! love the design and LOVE the polka dot ribbon!!!
- February 9, 2009 at 8:51 AM
- dpkennedy said...
She's just super cute! I love those candy dots! Adorable card!
- February 9, 2009 at 10:54 AM
- Silke Ledlow said...
Gorgeous and so darn cute - Tosh!!! I love this Color Combo and hope to play along!!! Thanks for the inspiration...!!!
- February 9, 2009 at 1:15 PM
- Elena said...
The card is so cute! Love the candy dots!
- February 9, 2009 at 6:33 PM
Ooooooh, cute! I just love those little dots, too -- they look like snowballs. I'm really loving anything I can add after the rest of the card is finished (no prongs to hide and no bumps under the paper). I'll put these on my wish list. Thanks!
- February 9, 2009 at 10:41 PM
- Judy Rozema said...
What a super cute little image! I love your card and those little dots!
- February 10, 2009 at 7:49 PM
- Unknown said...
So sweet! Love all the layers under the ribbon too!!
- February 11, 2009 at 12:15 AM
- Theresa Momber said...
What a sweet card! Beautifully designs and details!
- February 11, 2009 at 8:58 PM
- Julia Aston said...
love the colors and sponging on this pretty card!
- February 13, 2009 at 4:53 AM
This is such a sweet and beautiful card, Tosh. I love her hair with all the little bows. Darling image.
- February 14, 2009 at 2:57 AM


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Wang Zhao / AFP - Getty Images
A new strain of bird flu identified in China "is one of the most lethal influenza viruses we have seen so far," Dr. Keiji Fukuda, the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Assistant Director-General for Health Security, tells journalists at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
BEIJING – A new type of bird flu that has killed 22 people in China since March is one of the most deadly strains of influenza known, international health experts said on Wednesday.
"This is one of the most lethal influenza viruses we have seen so far," said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Assistant Director-General for Health Security. "We are at the beginning of our understanding of this virus."
The H7N9 strain appears to spread more easily to humans than SARS, a different virus that started killing people in Asia a decade ago, experts said. Severe acute respiratory syndrome killed around 800 people globally in 2003 before it was stopped.
"This is an unusually dangerous virus for humans," added Fukuda, who was speaking in Beijing alongside leading flu experts from around the world.
The delegation from United States, Europe, Hong Kong and Australia, as well as China, have just concluded a week-long investigation that took them to affected areas in Shanghai and Beijing.
Little is known
The group of experts made an impressive display of international cooperation, but at the same time admitted just how little is known about the virus that has infected 108 people since March.
"We are at the very early stages of this investigation," said Dr. Nancy Cox, who heads Influenza Division at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. "There's a lot to be learned."
A four-year-old boy living in a village near Beijing has been confirmed as one the carriers of a deadly strain of bird flu virus. Until the weekend, the outbreak had appeared to be confined to Shanghai and other eastern areas but now it's spread to central and northern China. NBC's Ian Williams reports from Beijing.
Most of the cases so far have been found in eastern China, around the Yangtze River delta, but in recent days there have been cases in central and northern China, including the capital. Most have been what Fukuda called "sporadic cases."
He said a few family clusters have been found, which could be the result of exposure to the same source of virus, or limited person-to-person transmission.
But he said: "'Evidence so far is not sufficient to conclude there is person-to-person transmission. Moreover, no sustained person-to-person transmission has been found."
The experts concluded that live poultry markets were the most likely source of infection.
The experts praised the swift action of Chinese authorities in closing live poultry markets, and said it was "encouraging" that there have been no new cases in Shanghai since its markets were shuttered.
And they called for continued international cooperation against a virus that doesn't recognize borders.
"The risks of an outbreak situation are shared in a globalized world, where we are all interconnected," said Fukuda.
Legacy of distrust
All of those who spoke today went out of their way to praise the response and of the Chinese authorities and their openness and transparency. There is enormous sensitivity to any suggestion that their presence in China implies any criticism of local efforts.
China still lives in the shadow of the SARS pandemic, which began here a decade ago and killed hundreds worldwide, including in the U.S. It was made worse by an initial cover-up by the Chinese authorities.
Dr. Jeffrey Shaman, Columbia University, tells NBC's Robert Bazell why flu comes in the winter and if the weather has anything to do with it.
"The response reflects earlier and strong investments in health and preparedness made by China," said Fukuda.
SARS also left a legacy of distrust, which was on display earlier in the week in Shanghai, when a press conference by the local government and WHO was gatecrashed by the daughter of a couple infected with H7N9. The 26-year-old demanded information about her quarantined father; her mother had died.
"The hospitals and medical staff appear friendly to members of the media like you but have responded in a lukewarm manner to inquiries from family members like me," she told the South China Morning Post. She was taken away by officials.
The experts said that in the absence of so much basic information about the extent of the public health risk it was critical to maintain a high level of awareness. They also noted that the weather is warming up in China, which might provide a bit of a respite and buy them some important time, since H7N9 -- in common with other influenza -- spreads less easily in the spring and summer.
- A new openness as new bird flu virus spreads in China
- Six more diagnosed with new bird flu in China
- Scientists ready to re-start bird flu experiments
This story was originally published on Wed Apr 24, 2013 6:19 AM EDT


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Trade News
Guildford, U.K., 22 February 2010 - Comprehensive stocks from leading valve manufacturers and next day delivery to mainland UK and Ireland, combined with competitive pricing – that's what Leengate Valves offers as standard!
Part of BOC, the largest supplier of industrial gases in the UK and Ireland, Leengate Valves has expanded and updated its range to meet new demands from customers and the industry in general. The 2010 catalogue has a new look and feel to reflect its part in the BOC family of businesses, which include gases, welding equipment, safety goods and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). BOC itself is part of The Linde Group, a world-leading gases and engineering company.
Leengate Valves Ltd is a major stockholder and distributor to the valve market. Quality products and efficient organisation, combined with a competitive price and established relationships with major international manufacturers, help us to satisfy the most demanding requirements of the valve market.
The Leengate Valves range now covers an even greater number of flow control products for most gas, water, HVAC, stream, process, power and agriculture applications. With the Leengate next day delivery service, customers can expect a prompt, efficient response to their requests.
The Leengate Valves website (at: www.leengatevalves.co.uk) has also been given a new look and feel. It has been reworked to ensure the customer can find information quickly and easily. An increased search capability, full datasheet information for every product and the ability to login and download the price list are all available online.
To get your copy of the 2010 catalogue, visit: www.leengatevalves.co.uk or telephone 01773 521555.
BOC is a member of The Linde Group. An industrial, medical and special gases provider, the company supplies compressed and bulk gases, chemicals and equipment. For more than a century the company's gases and expertise have contributed to advances in many areas of everyday life, and industries including steelmaking, refining, chemical processing, environmental protection, wastewater treatment, welding and cutting, food processing and distribution, glass production, electronics and health care.
For more information visit: www.BOConline.co.uk
The Linde Group
The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with almost 50,000 employees working in around 100 countries worldwide. In the 2008 financial year it achieved sales of EUR 12.7 billion. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.
For more information, see The Linde Group online at www.linde.com
For further information about this release please contact: Simon Napper, BOC Communications, on 07500 815166. Email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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I have been doing a bit of baking this week. My friend, Carol, requested Creme Puffs for her birthday; I instead created a creme puff shaped eclair with chocolate creme filling. There were none left for my UMTR meeting so I created the Italian Fruit Tart.
It was easy peasy; the most time consuming portion of the recipe turned out to be slicing the kiwi. I love the flavor of almond, so used almond extract and crushed almonds in the crust. Here's the recipe:
2 C flour
1 C ground almonds
1 C butter
1/2 C whole milk
4 eggs
1 C sugar
2 T almond extract
1 T vanilla
Mix, roll out into crust and place in tart pan. If too 'wet' add more flour while mixing. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes; foil edges if too brown. Let cool and remove from tart pan.
2 C strawberries
2C blueberries
8 kiwi
Slice strawberries in 1/4, kiwi in 1/8.
Mix 1/2 c honey w 1/2 c apricot preserves, a bit of water to thin. Brush a thin layer over tart. Arrange fruit on top; pour and brush over fruit. Let set firm. Best at room temperature.
I brought home over 1/2 of the tart; my family gobbled it down the next day.
Today I'm baking a whole wheat bread with both a poolish and a soaker. Remember, the poolish and soaker are two types of pre-fermentations. The soaker in this recipe is used to soften the coarse oats. I mix 1 cup coarse whole oat flour with 3/4 c water and it sits at room temperature until tomorrow.
The poolish is 1 1/2 c high protein whole wheat flour, 1/4 t instant years and 3/4 c water. This will sit at room temperature for 4 hours, then into the refrigerator until tomorrow when I finish the recipe.
I'm also trying out a few recipes in preparation for the Holidays. I can't believe Thanksgiving is next month! My parents leave for TX right after our Thanksgiving celebration so we celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas with them at this time. It is fast arriving!
Tomorrow I'll be creating Stollen-a fruit holiday bread with a thick band of marzipan in the center along with plump raisins , cranberries, apricots and other candied fruits and almonds. I've never tried this before and am looking forward to it.


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Move aside Amber. Xenon White is here to take your place. All stock LED Interior Lights are installed to be amber. Amber is a strong color and friendly to the human eye. But it's BORING! LED Interior Lights offer colors such as Brilliant Red, Ultra Blue and of course Xenon White. Xenon White provides an excellent color both amazingly stylish and friendly to the eye.
Most cars are installed with amber colored lights. Amber headlights, amber parking lights, amber interior lights. If you want to follow the bandwagon, then by all means stick with amber. But if you want to stick out like a sore thumb, you have got to change your dome lights to LED dome lights.
LED dome lights will provide even brighter output of lighting and of course the ever so crisp and clean color or pure Xenon White. Xenon White will make your car's furniture look brand new, heck it'll make your entire car look new from the inside. Very welcoming to your passengers.
It's not always the outside that matters. The inside of your car needs to match the outside of your car. With the help of LED dome lights, your car will look surprisingly new to your passengers. It will also leave quite a nice impression of the car and to the driver.
LED is much brighter, longer lasting, consumes less power and much sturdier than regular filament bulbs. Thomas Edison's so called invention is a sad piece of glass compared to LED bulbs. Everything is switching to LED; Christmas lights, traffic lights, and of course car lights.
It's a must to switch to LED Interior Lights. Not only will your car look better in the inside you can now actually see that darn gum wrapper you dropped between your seats. Stay updated with the latest gadgetry and technology with LED Interior Lights.
Brought to you by www.iJDMTOY.com, the one and only one automotive accessories store for all your Car LED Lights. Follow us on Facebook for exclusive promo codes.


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Street Food Profiles: The Piecycle in Seattle
"They're made with love, and biked to you."
Name: The Piecycle
Twitter: @thepiecycle
Vendor: Max Kraushaar
What's on the menu? It changes weekly. Whatever I feel like making. Recently it was Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie and Vegan Choco-Peanut Butter (other flavors have included Vegan Apple Pie and Georgia Sweet Potato). I try to do at least one vegan flavor, and otherwise try to keep the flavors seasonal and if possible made using local ingredients. The cost is $3 per slice, or $20 for a full pie.
Hours and location? Anywhere in the University District of Seattle, Friday and Saturday evenings until 3 a.m., sometimes Sundays too. As for location, I come to you! It's delivery by the slice: I have my cell phone, and people text me requests. I have been called the "Jimmy John's of Pie."
How long have you been street-fooding? Since fall of 2010.
Why mobile over brick and mortar? I like riding my bike, and I don't have the capital to own a brick and mortar location. Plus, pie is better enjoyed in the comfort of your home or wherever you choose.
Describe a typical piecycle evening. I bake my pies in advance, then people will text me and I will bring them pie. I'm currently selling five to seven pies per weekend on average.
What do you do the rest of the time? School for theater and art, so I paint and act. I just got three paintings into the Jacob Lawrence Gallery. Art, theatre, and pies.
Is it hard riding uphill on your pie bike? It gets difficult when I have two whole pies in my bag, but now that the weather is cold it's kind of nice. And luckily I live uphill from everyone, so my journey is downhill.
What makes your food special? The unique pie crust, which is dangerously decadent—more butter than in a standard pie crust. Also, when possible, I grind my own spices. Most importantly, they're made with love, and biked to you. That's big.
What's your favorite spot to vend? The University of Washington dorms. I'm becoming something of a Sasquatch there. People don't really believe that there's a guy delivering pies. I don't mind being a mythical character.
Who has inspired you food-wise? Alton Brown, that's a big one, and my friends. Maria Friedman of the now-closed Curio Confections, and my friend Maria Clifford who helped me learn how to bake pie, and a slew of other friends.
Favorite comfort food? Biscuits and gravy at Wayward Cafe.
What are some of your favorite Seattle street food vendors? At the farmer's markets, the guys who make the vegetable quesadillas that are more vegetable than cheese—my piecycle money from Friday goes to them on Saturday. I admire just about every other street vendor though, because it's unique in that you're bearing the elements.
Advice for aspiring vendors? If you're going to do something, just do it. You can always say "oh I could do that". So why not just do it? You never know if it will fail until you try.


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3 Months Internships
Dates: 1 March – 31 May 2013
Venue 1: Midrand, South Africa (AWHF)
Venue 2: Mombasa, Kenya (CHDA)
Venue 3: Porto-Novo, Benin (EPA)
Organizers: The African World Heritage Fund (AWHF), The Centre for Heritage Development in Africa (CHDA) and Ecole du Patrimoine Africain (EPA)
Funding: Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African World Heritage Fund
Three internships will run simultaneously from 1 March to 31 May 2013 at AWHF in Midrand (South Africa), CHDA at Mombasa (Kenya) and EPA at Porto-Novo (Benin). AWHF was launched in 2006 to support African State Parties in implementing the UNESCO Convention on the protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. EPA was established in 1998 and is a post-graduate university institution specialised in the preservation and promotion of both tangible and intangible heritage. CHDA, established in 2005, is an international non-governmental organisation dedicated to the preservation, management and promotion of heritage in Africa.
Objectives of the internship
- Provide an opportunity for young African professionals to gain regional experience in international heritage organisations
- Build capacity and enhance skills in heritage conservation and management for both heritage professionals and heritage institutions
- Establish an African/international support network for management of cultural/natural heritage in order to build the institutional capacity needed to implement the convention
- Support the successful implementation of the programme.
3 interns will be selected to take part in 3 separate internships. Applicants include students (undergraduate or graduate), professionals or members of heritage and academic institutions (not necessarily within the heritage sector). The project is open to participants from all African countries. Applicants are required to be competent in either English or French, bilingualism is preferable (English/French) and knowledge of Arabic or Portuguese can be an advantage.
Eligible female practitioners are encouraged to apply.
Application deadline
The complete application package (letter of motivation, curriculum vitae and completed application form) should be sent at the latest on the 31st January 2013 via electronic emails to: Pamela Mac Quilkan (email@example.com) with copy to email@example.com and EPA (email@example.com), Rodrigue Kessou (firstname.lastname@example.com).


text:
Find out more about this domain name, or make an offer to purchase it.
"In my business, it's more important that people immediately know what I'm offering than it is to build connotations behind my brand name," says Brandon Hieber, CEO of The Old School Game Vault.Tweet
"Great names are a powerful force. They differentiate you from competitors, make an emotional connection with your audience, and help to build a brand that ignites the passions of your customers.Tweet
A good name is a combination of message and aesthetics. It has to encapsulate everything that makes your business special. It has to be catchy. And it has to be original.
– Brandnaming, positioning, and logo design. The MarketingNetwork.
[bloginfo info='name']


text:
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer came up with her controversial and hugely unfashionable policy of outlawing home working after doing something almost unheard of for a US CEO - she checked the VPN logs to see whether anyone was slacking.
Yahoo's Telework Ban: Shortsighted or Savvy?
According to the reporter who broke the news of the ban, Mayer told told a staff meeting last week that the logs told her that some employees weren't using the VPN often enough.
Why You Shouldn't Punish Employees Who Goof Off
Related Story: Why Remote Offices Mean Better IT Teams
The reasoning was simple and non-technical; if employees weren't using the VPN they couldn't be working or contributing to Yahoo as a company.
"To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side," Mayer said in her widely-leaked memo announcing the orignal ban, sent to staff on 22 February.
"That is why it is critical that we are all present in our offices. We need to be one Yahoo!, and that starts with physically being together," she added.
According to report, the company's several hundred remote workers were told to start working in the office full-time from 1 June.
Is the ban a brilliant piece of internal PR to bolster the workaholics inside a struggling company or a policy mistake made by a self-confessed 'numbers woman'?
Going against the prevailing view that asking employees to trudge to work is a hangover form the 19th Century, Mayer has faced a barrage of criticism from outside the company.
However that Mayer is a CEO that knows there even such a thing as a VPN log, not to mention how to draw conclusions from it, marks her out as a CEO of a different, more technical ilk.
It was a huge shock last July when Mayer bailed from Google, a company she famously joined as employee number 20, to head perennial struggler and dot.com refugee, Yahoo. The remote working ban may not be the last controversy of her rule.
This story, "Yahoo CEO Mayer Checked VPN Logs Before Banning Home Working" was originally published by Techworld.com.
Next read this:
- Top 9 challenges IT leaders will face in 2020
- Top 5 strategic priorities for CIOs in 2020
- 7 'crackpot' technologies that might transform IT
- 8 technologies that will disrupt business in 2020
- 7 questions CIOs should ask before taking a new job
- 7 ways to position IT for success in 2020
- The 9 new rules of IT leadership
- 20 ways to kill your IT career (without knowing it)
- IT manager's survival guide: 11 ways to thrive in the years ahead
- CIO resumes: 6 best practices and 4 strong examples
- 4 KPIs IT should ditch (and what to measure instead)


text:
Publication Archive
This archive contains all documents published by cep over the last few years:
cepAdhoc: Incisive comment on current EU policy issues.
cepPolicyBrief: Concise 4-page reviews of EU proposals (Regulations, Directives, Green Papers, White Papers, Communications) – including a brief summary and economic and legal assessments.
cepInput: Impulse to current discussions of EU policies.
cepStudy: Comprehensive examination of EU policy proposals affecting the economy.
The European Commission argues in favour of an early agreement on Climate and Energy Policy to 2030. The discussion centres on the question of the number and definition of targets and how these can be achieved, efficiently and effectively, taking account of competitiveness and security of supply.
The EU Commission argues in favour of including all major "economies and economic sectors" into an international climate change agreement with legally binding emission reductions and introducing carbon pricing for international aviation and maritime transport.
The maximum permitted size and weight of commercial vehicles is regulated EU-wide. The Commission now wants to permit exemptions to the maximum limits to allow more aerodynamic tractor cabs and streamlining devices on the rear (flaps) in order to reduce fuel consumption and thus greenhouse gas emissions. The maximum weight of commercial vehicles with electric and hybrid-engines will also be increased because these are heavier than conventional trucks and this reduces their permitted load.
The right to the freedom of movement for workers is granted to all EU citizens by way of Article 45 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and the Regulation on the freedom of movement [VO (EU) No. 492/2011]. Nevertheless, many EU citizens consider themselves subject to obstacles when it comes to the exercise of this right. The Commission therefore wants to enhance enforcement of the freedom of movement for workers.
The Commission initiates a discussion on a range of possible measures which could help to promote the long-term financing of investment. These include government-backed savings models, greater focus on the capital markets in relation to financing, more voting rights for long-term shareholders and investment funds aimed at long-term investors.
The Commission wants to combat unfair trading practices by laying down requirements on the content of contracts between companies in the supply chain. Unfair trading practices result from unequal negotiating power and unequal levels of information on the part of the contracting parties.
The European Commission intends to promote the dissemination of green products and green commercial practices by ways of transparency and consistency with the labelling of environmental performances of products and practices. Within a three-year test phase, the Commission recommends to apply its developed methods of the "Product Environmental Footprint" and that of the "Organisation Environmental Footprint".
By contrast with train drivers, there is currently no EU-wide standard certification of safety-critical qualifications for train crew entrusted with safety-critical tasks. The Commission views this as a obstacle to employee mobility and therefore wants to introduce EU-wide standard training for train crew.
The Directive aims to ensure a minimum level of network and information security. The Commission wants to impose technical requirements and reporting obligations on certain market operators and public authorities. The Member States are to adopt strategies for network and information security.


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Design Team: Scrapping Your Heart Out
Theme: Shades of Fall
Designer: The Rush Ranch
Another beautiful fall morning at the ranch. Skies are blue, and the color changes across the valley are fantastic. Fall is my favorite season. Look at the photo of the valley floor, below:
I don't know about you, but the news around the world today seems so harsh and scary. It's hard to stay focused on the priorities of our lives, but we've got to do it. We've got to guard our home gates first – taking care of ourselves and our loved ones. In my last post, I encouraged you to do something kind for yourself, to practice self-care. I'll bet the majority of you just breezed right over those words. Women often feel like we don't have the time to spend on ourselves, or that we don't "deserve" it. Some of us don't even know what "self-care" looks like! But hey, it looks different for everyone.
Here is what it looks like for me:
Fall & Winter: I love candles — especially spice–scented candles. Their glow and aroma seem to enhance a peaceful atmosphere for me. I love a cup of hot cocoa, or tea. I love to wear warm, soft socks to pad around the house in. I like a more quiet atmosphere, with either soft music, or no music. Baking bread, soup in the crockpot, or cookies in the oven. I like to read with a blanket across my lap, or a crochet project on my hook. A bubble bath in the evening is a wonderful way to relax. And don't forget nap time!! I'm pretty much at the black belt level when it comes to self-care in cool seasons. I guess that comes from living for 46 years in Alaska!
Spring & Summer: I love to be outside on the deck, writing notes or letters to friends as I gaze out upon the valley below. My hair is usually in a ponytail or hair clip, no makeup, and sneakers on my feet. I also like to take a craft project outside to work on, such as beading, polymer clay, or Kumihimo braiding. And napping. I love to nap where the sun puddles across my bed. Cuddle cat is optional.
What do you like? What calms you? What kind of atmosphere is beneficial to you? Know those things about yourself and make them happen as often as possible. These are small but effective ways to take care of yourself.
Here it is, my preview of Shades of Fall. As always, my mini kit is free and may be used for commercial use. Please visit the other designers in the blog train below to pick up their kits, as well.


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Rico Kansas State Wildcats Car Flag
Sports Team: Kansas State
Product Information
Fly your team spirit proudly in the face of the open road with the Rico® Kansas State Wildcats Car Flag. This two-sided flag features a team logo, is UV fade-resistant and shows your allegiance to your favorite collegiate team. Do the wave this season and all year-round with the Rico® Kansas State Wildcats Car Flag.
- Double-stitched, two-sided car flag
- Printed with team logo
- UV fade-resistant
- Fabric: polyester
- Officially licensed collegiate product
- Brand : Rico
- Country of Origin : Imported
- Web ID: 16RICUNCKSCRFLGXXHDG


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The U.S. economy barely grew in the first quarter as exports tumbled and businesses accumulated stocks at the slowest pace in nearly a year, but activity already appears to be bouncing back.
Gross domestic product expanded at a 0.1 percent annual rate, the slowest since the fourth quarter of 2012, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday.
That was a sharp pullback from the fourth quarter's 2.6 percent pace and was worse than economists' expectations for a slowdown to a 1.2 percent rate. The slowdown partly reflected an unusually cold and disruptive winter, marked by declines in sectors ranging from business spending to home building.
Today's GDP estimate is subject to a number of notable influences, including historically severe winter weather, which temporarily lowered growth in the first quarter. The report also shows the positive impact of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act which, together with continued slowing in health costs, helped strengthen the economy in the first quarter. …
2. The first quarter of 2014 was marked by unusually severe winter weather, including record cold temperatures and snowstorms, which explains part of the difference in GDP growth relative to previous quarters. The left chart shows the quarterly deviation in heating degree days from its average for the same quarter over the previous five years. By this measure, the first quarter of 2014 was the third most unusually cold quarter over the last sixty years, behind only the first quarter of 1978 and the fourth quarter of 1976. In addition, there were four storms in the first quarter that rated on the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale (NESIS). The right chart shows that no quarter going back to 1956 had more than three such storms.
As the U.S. economy teetered on the brink of contraction in the first quarter, one thing stood out. Healthcare spending increased at its fastest pace in more than three decades.
That surge is attributed to the implementation of President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Because of Obamacare, the nation narrowly avoided its first decline in output in three years.
"GDP growth would have … been negative were it not for healthcare spending," said Harm Bandholz, chief economist at UniCredit Research in New York.
Healthcare spending increased at a 9.9 percent annual rate, the quickest since the third quarter of 1980, and it contributed 1.1 percentage points to GDP growth.
The truth is, nobody knows how much of this slowdown represents a blip that will reverse in coming months is — and how much of it reflects fundamental weakness in the economy. The weather does a good job of explaining why businesses held back on investment during the beginning of the year, but it doesn't explain stubborn weakness in housing or why companies aren't exporting more. The economic recovery – now almost five years old – is replete with false starts and dashed optimism.
The spring and summer should be revealing – and are enormously important for the debate in Washington and the mid-term election campaign. Economic growth is an important factor in many models predicting the outcome of mid-term elections. If it continues to perform poorly, endangered Democrats could have even more reason to worry. And there could be compounding factors. It's been a bit of a mystery about why Obama's approval numbers – another factor in the mid-term races – have fared poorly after his administration was able to turn the Affordable Care Act enrollment period into something of a success. Perhaps slow growth – hey, bad weather makes people depressed, too – had something to do with it.
A housing recovery that was expected to accelerate this year is instead sputtering. And no, you can't just blame the weather.
Sharp increases in home prices in much of the USA, along with higher mortgage rates, have discouraged many house-hunters. Home inventories are at historically low levels. First-time home buyers, who traditionally drive home sales, remain saddled with student debt and face still-stringent lending standards.
After bouncing back smartly in 2012 and most of 2013 following the 2006-09 real estate crash, the housing market began slowing last fall. Although an unusually cold and snowy winter hindered activity early this year, home sales and starts were disappointing again in March, even in the West and South.
With the Republican-led filibuster of a Senate proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 on Wednesday, Democrats moved swiftly to frame the vote as an example of the gulf that exists between the two parties on matters of economic fairness and upward mobility.
The question is not just one of money, they said, but of morality. And in doing so the Democrats returned to the themes that were successful for their party and President Obama in 2012 when they convinced swing voters that Democrats were mindful of the best interests of all Americans — not just those who are powerful and wealthy.
Speaking from the White House shortly after the measure was defeated 54 to 42, with 60 votes needed to advance, Mr. Obama admonished Republicans and called on voters to punish them at the polls in November. "If there's any good news here, it's that Republicans in Congress don't get the last word on this issue, or any issue," Mr. Obama said. "You do, the American people, the voters."
"If your member of Congress doesn't support raising the minimum wage," he added, "you have to let them know they're out of step, and that if they keep putting politics ahead of working Americans, you'll put them out of office."
Every other sentence out of the mouths of Barack Obama and other progressive Democrats seems to invoke the "middle class," and when they're not promising to help the middle class, they're obsessing about how to humble the rich. In the past two weeks, the Left's preoccupation with confiscating thy neighbor's goods has been highlighted by two things: The reception of Thomas Piketty's new book, Capital in the Twenty-first Century, and the response to rumors that Senator Elizabeth ("Occupy Wall Street") Warren might run for president. Both have received the full secular saint treatment, reflecting the progressives' almost mob-like eagerness to lay hands on more of the property of the rich. Not for the poor, mind you, but for the "middle class" (translation: themselves).
The great advantage of being a liberal/progressive in America is that you are always judged on your intentions (or stated intentions) and not on results. While the pundits are swooning for Piketty and Warren, may we have even a moment's pause to consider how well Obama's brand of progressivism has done for the poor and middle class?
To the extent we have an economic inequality problem, it's not because a small percenatge of our population—comprised of professional entertainers and athletes, corporate CEOs, internet pioneers, and others—are wealthier than the average American. Young graduates bearing large student loans while facing a weak job market, families facing unemployment or low wages, and single parents struggling to raise children do not find their situations any more difficult because some in our nation are wealthy.
Yet, liberals seem to think otherwise, and here we find a stark illustration of the converse mindsets of liberals and conservatives. Liberals seem to want to reduce economic inequality by bringing the people at the top down, while conservatives want to reduce inequality by bringing the people at the bottom up. The left wants to focus on class warfare while the right wants to focus on economic growth, the proverbial rising tide that raises all boats.
If we want to reduce economic inequality, the only logical solution is to raise the living standards of the middle class and those at the lower end of the economic spectrum.


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PINE BLUFF, Ark. -- The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff says a freshman walk-on linebacker was shot to death outside his home in Louisiana.
The university says 20-year-old Lydell Hartford Jr. died early Tuesday at his home in Waggaman, La. Authorities say Hartford was fatally shot by a 16-year-old friend who was playing with a gun.
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office says the teen apparently thought the gun was unloaded when he squeezed the trigger several times. Hartford was killed by a gunshot wound to the neck. The boy was arrested on a negligent homicide charge.
Defensive coordinator Earl Buckingham says the team is mourning the loss. Buckingham says Hartford was a "good kid" who loved playing for the Golden Lions.


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Stars beat Jets in high-scoring affair
Winnipeg, MB (SportsNetwork.com) - Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin each scored once during a five-minute power play late in the second period that lifted the Dallas Stars to a 6-4 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday at MTS Centre.
Benn and Seguin finished with two goals apiece, while Valeri Nichushkin and Colton Sceviour each scored once for the Stars, who received 34 saves from Kari Lehtonen.
Sergei Gonchar collected four assists to help Dallas avoid its first three-game losing skid of the season.
Blake Wheeler scored twice, Olli Jokinen picked up a goal and an assist, and Matt Halischuk also lit the lamp for the Jets, who wrapped up a three-game homestand at 0-2-1.
"We didn't accomplish what we set out to in this homestand," Winnipeg head coach Claude Noel admitted. "For me in this game, we took a step back because I haven't seen us play this way in quite some time."
Ondrej Pavelec allowed five goals on 24 shots over the first two frames before being removed to start the third in favor of Al Montoya, who stopped 7-of-8 shots in relief.
Dallas led 2-1 with just over seven minutes left in the second before Blake Wheeler potted a pair of goals around a Benn rebound marker in a 1:55 span to tie the game at 3-3 with 5:07 left in the stanza.
However, Winnipeg's Anthony Peluso was assessed a five-minute boarding major and a game misconduct at 15:28 for a hit on Alex Goligoski, and the Stars scored twice on the extended man-advantage to regain control.
Benn broke the tie with a blast from the right faceoff dot that beat Pavelec short-side at 17:46, while Seguin scored on a one-timer from the top of the left circle 63 seconds later to push Dallas' lead to 5-3.
Sceviour scored his first career NHL goal 2:48 into the third to extend the margin, and despite Jokinen finding the back of the net at 18:19, the Stars were able to hang on for the victory.
"I thought we had some great opportunities and we kept playing," Dallas head coach Lindy Ruff remarked. "It was disappointing to get scored against there late but we played hard all night."
Dallas struck first 7:14 into the tilt when a stretch pass from Gonchar found Seguin, who blasted a shot from the high slot past Pavelec's blocker.
Halischuk's rebound tally just under four minutes later tied the game, but Nichushkin put the Stars back on top with a stellar individual effort shortly after.
After coming up with a steal near the red line, Nichushkin charged into the Winnipeg zone and held off a defender before fooling Pavelec with a slick backhand-forehand move and the stuffing the disc into the net for a 2-1 lead at 14:24.
Game Notes
Benn had gone his last 11 games without a goal ... Gonchar's four assists set a career high ... Seguin recorded two assists ... Dallas hasn't lost three in a row since closing last season on an 0-4-1 stretch ... The Jets dropped to 7-8-4 at home this season ... Jets forward Evander Kane missed his sixth straight game due to a lower-body injury ... Dallas went 2-for-5 on the power play, while Winnipeg finished 1-for-4.


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Employee satisfaction survey7038959
Proactive Insights delivers online employee engagement Surveys to measure the employees' attitude, engagement, retention, and satisfaction towards their job. employee retention survey Organizations today are functioning in a condition of extreme competition. Is the most productive has become a duty for survival. With limited resources, information mill recognizing the importance of keeping the right kind of manpower to operate a vehicle success and growth. The physical conditions of employment already went through a drastic changes, with employees in addition to employers becoming more quality-driven. Organizations have to face the challenge of attracting in addition to retaining the most talented employees. Because of this, the employees' ideologies, desires, aspirations along with other aspects that push them have to be recognized as well as nourished.
Employee testamonials are a great way to understand and analyze the implicit in addition to explicit facets of employees' relations with the company. Surveys bring out the employees' ideas and opinions, which, when fostered, could be very beneficial to the company's long-term growth. They feature an opportunity for employees to conduct themselves inside a professional way that could better their relations with management. Surveys show the 4Cs of the organization--culture, commitment, compensation and communication--are very crucial for employee satisfaction and relatively, productivity. Employee surveys were found to have several other benefits, like assessing training needs, streamlining communication, reducing turnover and absenteeism, strengthening supervision etc.
Over time, every company undertakes some form of survey to notice the employees' pulse. Sometimes, surveys are undertaken to determine the source of certain problems like high employee turnover, workplace conflicts or other disturbances or critical incidents. Alternatively, surveys also aid to verify the success or failure of certain employee-related programs for instance a "training program effectiveness survey". Whatever the case, surveys help companies to not only work smoothly but also to establish long-term goals and techniques. The most common surveys undertaken by organizations are: employee satisfaction survey, attitude survey, retention survey, benefits survey, communications survey, work environment survey, and loyalty survey. Some types of surveys also involve former employees or employees who're leaving the organization. disengaged employee The key aspects to be considered while designing a worker survey are: define the aim of the survey; keep the questions unbiased (open-ended questions are better); determine the demographic factors that may affect the results, such as older employees versus newer employees; be sure that the language is simple and impartial; be sure that all the employees are given equal importance while collecting data; give enough time for answering laptop computer questions; ensure that the employees get to know the results of the survey as well as the action plan of the company in line with the survey results. The questionnaire must not take more than 20-30 minutes to complete. The questions should balance the demands of both the employees as well as the organization. They should be reasonable and clear to reply to, and should ideally allow employees expressing themselves in the ultimate way. employee survey Surveys are generally designed in-house by the HR department. However, companies can take the help of third-party agencies that specialize in employee survey services. There are many companies that have online questionnaires offered free of charge, which can be downloaded and used. These lenders design customized questionnaires and also offer all related knowledge of analyzing the survey. They normally use professionals who have understanding the way the survey is happening. They also use special software and statistical tools for much better and faster analysis of internet data. Some of these companies also offer online services, wherein the questionnaires can be designed and even completed online by the employees. A few of the statistical techniques useful for employee surveys are: frequency analysis, trend analysis, TURF (Total Unduplicated Reach and Frequency) analysis and conjoint analysis. The web is a very good source for being familiar with employee surveys.