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Best Metal Detector Information For New Owners
(How To Successfully Test Your Metal Detector)
The UPS truck had not even left the driveway before Jim was tearing open the shipping box containing his brand new metal detector. After watching episode upon episode of the many treasure-hunting reality shows as well as spending hours surfing the myriad of Internet sites that cater to today's treasure hunters, Jim had convinced his wife that he needed a new hobby and a new metal detector was ordered. He was like a little kid at Christmas and just knew that the areas around his house contained all sorts of treasure just waiting for him to come by and recover it. He was glad that the detector came with batteries as that meant he could get out and start digging up those old coins and gold jewelry as soon as he pulled on his jacket. Waving to his wife, Jim grabbed his detector, jumped in his truck and drove over to the nearby park to begin what he knew would be an exciting and profitable hobby.
Turning it on, he started searching near the picnic tables figuring that would be an area loaded with coins but was confused by all of the beeps-&-chirps that his detector was producing. The display was jumping from one end of the scale to the other as he swept the coil across the ground and Jim was not sure what it was trying to tell him lay beneath the surface of the ground. Thinking the area was cause, he moved to the grass surrounding the basketball courts and had the same experience. After more than an hour, Jim gave up in frustration and headed back to the truck… the only coin he had to show for his efforts was one he saw laying on the pavement in the parking lot just before he reached the truck! Totally dejected, Jim wondered how he was going to break the news to his wife that treasure hunting was a bust and he would be looking for some other hobby to fill his time.
I hate to say it but Jim's initial experience is not unique and there have been many people that became interested in the hobby, bought equipment and just as quickly became disillusioned and sold what they had just acquired at a loss based on their initial experiences. Does anyone want to take a guess as to why Jim became so discouraged on his first trip into the field? If you said it was his lack of understanding of what the detector was telling him as he searched the park, you are 100% correct. All too often, people unpack their new equipment and head out in search of instant success only to find that frustration is about all that usually turns up. And before you think that this is limited to complete novices, it happens to those with years of experience under their belt almost as frequently. Treasure hunters that have been hunting for some time with a particular model and opt to switch brands based on new features or wanting to try searching for a different type of treasure can find themselves just as frustrated on their first few times out without the proper preparation.
Over the years I have often quoted Greg, a good friend and seasoned treasure hunter, on this subject. He frequently conducts training sessions for beginners and sums up the need to learn your detector this way. "How can you hope to be successful when you start detecting without knowing how to set your detector or what type of response to expect from the types of targets you are looking for or hoping to avoid? Going out searching for unknown targets with a detector you do not fully understand is a guaranteed recipe for frustration and failure. There are simply too many variables for you to be successful!" This is excellent advice for any brand of detector and for any type of treasure hunting you might be interested in trying your hand at.
Well where is this guide taking us? Well let's start with what Jim did once his new metal detector arrived. He unpacked it and since they tend to go together only one way, he quickly assembled it and headed out the door leaving what might have been the most important item laying in the bottom of the box… the instruction manual. I know many of us subscribe to the philosophy of "When all else fails read the manual"; however, when it comes to equipment like metal detectors, that can often be the difference between success and frustration. Even if you have experience with metal detectors, different manufacturers tend to use different terminology to describe features. Some models may have unique controls that if not adjusted properly, will produce erratic operation and as a result, frustration. All of this combines to leave one with the nagging question as to the soundness of the decision to purchase a particular piece of equipment. I can't tell you how many times I have received a new detector and thought I knew everything there was to know about it only to find that the performance failed to meet my expectations… and then after looking through the manual and / or talking to someone that knew the unit, found that a slight adjustment made it perform at an entirely different level.
Certified Metal Detector Experts!
OK, you've done your homework and narrowed down your choices for a new detector – what's next? Place an order and hope for the best?Actually, unless you are basing your selection on input from a fellow treasure hunter in your area that is searching for the same types of targets you will be looking for (coins, relics, jewelry, etc.), you need to realize that every detector on the market will not perform equally under all conditions, in all areas and for all types of targets. Depending on what you are looking for and where you live, you may find that a detector that costs half of what you were planning on spending will actually perform better than your original choice for your application(s). The staff at Kellyco is well versed in the capabilities of everything they sell and combining that knowledge with talking with customers from across the country on a daily basis, know what works and what doesn't in your area. A call to one of these factory trained and certified experts can help you avoid making an expensive mistake by ordering the wrong detector for your specific needs.
Instruction Manual!
So you've made your selection and the big day as arrived… your new detector has just been left at the front door. Fight the urge to unpack it and head out to see what you can uncover! Once you have it assembled, set it aside and pull out the instruction manual. Skim through the pages on how to assemble it if that activity went well and focus on the section that covers each of the controls and what function they perform. Often there will be paragraphs that are highlighted, bolded, outlined or annotated with asterisks to let you know that they provide information the manufacturer feels is crucial to your success and these are typically marked that way based on repeat questions received from previous customers. Take the time to read through the information that has been provided as it will have a direct bearing on your overall success once you head out into the field.
With a basic understanding of the controls and how to adjust them, you are ready to move on to the next stage which is to conduct an air test. This is simply a way to get familiar with the response various targets will produce as the search coil sweeps across them. You will find that real world conditions such as target depth, ground conditions and having multiple targets in close proximity to one another can and often will impact the response received; however, an air test will help you see the response produced by targets you are hoping to find (or avoid) as well as what effect changes to the individual controls will have on these responses.
Start by collecting an assortment of the types of targets you expect to come across in your searches and remember, the items will vary depending on what type of hunting you plan to focus on. Coin hunters will have a different set of test targets than a Civil War relic hunter or beach hunter will so be specific for what you plan on searching for. Don't forget to include examples of the trash you can expect to come across so you can start to learn what not to dig and what settings will help you do that.
Lay the detector on a table with the coil away from any metal including heating ducts, braces in the table, nearby appliances or even items in your pockets or a belt. Remember that metal is detected both beneath andabove the coil. Turn your detector on and start passing various targets across the top of the coil at a normal sweep speed with the discrimination control set at "0". Pass each target across the coil keeping them at least 4 inches away from the coil to ensure you are not overloading the circuitry and are receiving a consistent signal. The point of the air test is to listen the audio response and see how even subtle changes in settings affect the response which will prove to be invaluable when you head out in search of actual targets. Experiment with various adjustments and repeat the air tests to see how these changes alter the responses received. Change the Discrimination and Sensitivity controls among others that your specific model may have on it and make note of where the optimal signals are produced.
Once you've done some air testing to see how slight changes can impact the response to specific targets, it's time to move on to the test garden phase. As we discussed earlier, changes in ground mineralization, moisture contact, depth and proximity to other targets (good or bad) can alter the response from specific targets and the only way to find out what that change will be is to check the response on known targets IN THE GROUND.
The basis for setting up a test garden is to provide you with an area where you can see how your detector responds to various targets buried at various depths in the type of ground that you will be searching in. You can also revisit the test garden throughout the year to see how changes in moisture content can affect the response each target produces. A good example of how moisture content can dictate what sites to focus on is tied to silver coins. Without going into a drawn-out technical discussion of detector circuitry, silver coins will produce a stronger signal when the ground is damp than when it is bone dry. Copper coins on the other hand are less affected by the moisture content making them easy to detect under a wide range of conditions. So if you have seen this phenomena in your test garden (you are getting less depth on silver coins when the ground is dry), start keeping track of sites that you have searched where Wheat cents and Indian Head pennies have turned up so that you can rehunt them after periods of rain and pick up some of the deep silver that might have been missed previously due to the low moisture content.
Test Garden with Golf Tees!
You don't need a large area to setup a test garden – even a 4 foot square plot can provide you with a wealth of information that will improve your success rate in the field. Start out by scanning the area with the detector set at "0" discrimination to ensure there is no metal present which will produce more frustration and confusion than anything else. Now assemble the items you want to use for testing and again, what you use will depend on the type of treasure hunting you plan on doing. Remove a plug of dirt and carefully place the test item(s) into the hole. If you want to see how two targets close together react, put them in the same hole. Put the targets at different depths to see how deeper targets tend to react differently than those just under the surface. Shallow targets are easy to detect but the older, more valuable targets tend to produce mere whispers and are easily missed. This is the main reason there are still so many valuables waiting to be found despite countless people having searched sites for decades. Once you have placed each target in the hole and refilled it, mark the exact location with something such as a golf tee with a number written on the top with a permanent marker. Make sure you press them down so that they are not pulled out the first time a lawnmower comes through the area… and let me say that this is advice based on personal experience! After each tee is placed, make a list showing the number, what the target is and its depth so you know what you are checking whenever you use the test garden.
A comment I've heard from detectorists that live in apartments is that they are not able to make a test garden and I always remind them that very little "real estate" is required. If you are careful in removing the plug, there will typically be no sign of targets having been buried. All that will be visible – and that is only if someone is actually looking – will be the tops of 10 or so golf tees with numbers written on them.
If you stay in the area and can keep your test garden undisturbed, you will see that the longer the targets are buried, the stronger the response will be that they produce. This will be especially noticeable on the deeper targets which many have only produced a faint signal when first buried. Over time the signal will improve as a result of what is known as the "Halo Effect" which makes the target seem bigger to the detector as the metal "leaches" into the surrounding soil. Some targets have a more pronounced halo than others due to their composition with items made of gold or silver leaching very little which tends to make them harder to detect. Check the responses after a period of rain to see how moisture content affects the signals. Conversely, if you have a drought, see what no moisture will do to signals in terms of limiting overall detection depth.
It is advisable to take a spin through your test garden if you get a new search coil, have not hunted in a while or if ground conditions have changed since you were last in the field. You may find that slight changes are required to get the desired level of performance. I always take any new detector, search coil or set of headphones through my test garden so that I am familiar with the response from known targets and as a result, tend to do better in less time when I am searching for actual targets under a wide range of conditions.
I almost hate to share this story but it demonstrates the point I am trying to make with this guide. I started metal detecting in the 1960's and had nearly a decade of experience under my belt by the time the first detectors capable of ignoring mineralization made their appearance. My father and I were intrigued by the ads that were popping up in the treasure magazines and drove to a local dealer to see one of these new "wonder machines" in operation. A short demonstration was all it took to know we needed to get one of these and a week later, we returned and picked one up. The first site we visited was an old school near our house that we had hunted for years and had recovered literally 1,000's of coins and other items during that time. My father was running one of our old detectors and I was using the new one hoping to start recovering the real old coins we knew had to be there. Well, my father's detector had limited detection depth but did have rudimentary discrimination while my detector got amazing depth but lacked any discrimination. So while my father has digging coins at 4″ and ignoring most of the trash, I was digging targets at 10″ of which most were rusted nails and other trash. After an hour we compared targets and my 3 coins and a pile of trash could not hold a candle to my father's pile of coins and a small gold ring. Frustration continued to build over the next hour or two and when he yelled over that he had just recovered a silver half dollar, I literally wrapped the new detector around a tree and snapped the shaft in two. My father laughed and suggested we head home but it took a few days for me to cool off enough to head back out AFTER I took the time to test the detector on known targets and that preparation allowed me to ignore most of the trash the next time out with far different results… a handful of coins that dated back to the mid-1800's! By the way, I still have that old detector in my collection and when I look at the welded spot on the shaft where my father repaired the damage caused by my frustration, I have to smile and remember that no matter how experienced I am, spending time with a new detector performing air tests and taking a spin through a test garden is essential if I want to unlock the true capabilities any detector has to offer.
Good luck in your searches and hopefully some of the techniques contained in this guide will help you find more and enjoy your time in the field in less time than simply heading out the door would have produced.
Recommended Equipment
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Beginning in May, Optivation, the custom college and training program at Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College, will be offering an online preparatory course for the National Institute for Social Media's Social Media Strategist certification examination.
The preparatory course, taught by institute president Eric Mills, will be offered completely via asynchronous online delivery from May 13-June 23. The course carries a registration fee of $595; advance registration is encouraged as the course requires a minimum number of participants.
As social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and dozens of others have become dominant forms of communication for millions of people, the importance of those networks in the workplace has grown as well. Social media is becoming a vital way for businesses to promote themselves and their products, increase their visibility and recruit new clients.
Many businesses are hiring dedicated social media managers to fill this need. Research shows social media manager jobs have increased dramatically over the last year, with dozens of openings for these positions in Minnesota alone.
Social Media Strategist certification through the Minneapolis-based National Institute of Social Media is the first of its kind in the industry. The certificate course to prepare for the certification exam will be taught by institute president Eric Mills. Participants will gain the knowledge and skills to take the institutes's Social Media Strategist exam and earn certification validating the foundational skills needed to strategically operate social networks in a business environment and to open new employment opportunities.
"We work with an independent board of subject-matter experts in field of social media to make sure we are examining the skills of professionals operating in the industry to make sure they are meeting all of the standards true professionals are expected to achieve," Mills says. "This kind of certification is a new industry, something that has never been attempted. We are excited to work with Bemidji State and get this training out to the public."
NISM has offered this training in person in the past, but its partnership with Optivation will mark the first opportunity for the certification training course to be completed online.
"We are hoping that anybody who takes this course realizes the value of certification and of passing the exam," Mills says. "We think there's a big value to it."
For more information, contact Optivation at optivation.org, email@example.com, (218) 755-2998.
About Eric Mills
Eric is the president of the National Institute for Social Media (NISM). He led the charge in forming an independent committee of subject matter experts in the field of social media and guided this committee in the development of the NISM Social Media Strategist certification examination – the first certification examination for professional practitioners in the social media industry.
About the National Institute for Social Media
The National Institute for Social Media is dedicated to social media education and certification for professional social media practitioners. Its mission is to provide premier, vendor-neutral public education and resources related to social media. In addition, its Industry Advisory Committee defines and supports certification and continuing education standards for social media professionals in a manner that upholds industry standards for competent practice. The institute also challenges those who meet these standards to commit to engaging in lifelong learning. The institute has continuing education opportunities available in an effort to help our certified professionals keep up with the rapid changes that are occurring in our world.
• National Institute for Social Media
• Online registration for social media certification preparatory course
About Bemidji State University
Bemidji State University, located in northern Minnesota's lake district, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling more than 5,000 students, the University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and nine graduate programs encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. The University is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. University signature themes include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and global and multi-cultural understanding.
For further information about the University, visit http://www.bemidjistate.edu.
Become a fan of Bemidji State University on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BemidjiState or follow us on Twitter at @BemidjiState.

subset: commoncrawl


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Book your Train ticket to Brighton
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Brighton, the vibrant and colourful city
Brighton, the vibrant and colourful city
Brighton is a British town located in the south east of England. It is one of the liveliest seaside towns in the UK. When you think about the piers on the sea, you think about Brighton. The iconic Brighton Pier and the city's pebble beach is world known.
The first thing to do is to have a stroll on the beach and head to the Brighton Pier, where you will find drink outlets, numerous attractions and restaurants. Why not taste a fish & chip? Brighton iother landmars are the Royal Pavillon, the Brighton Dome, the Fabrica art gallery, the se life centre and the Brighton wheel.
Train Station(s)
While you're there
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Cairns, Australia – Capt. Bobby Jones on Iceman released an 1,000 lbs. Black Marlin.
Cairns, Aus – 15th Grander of the Year
October 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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Hook Harmeling is the Co-Founder of Billfishreport.com and Granderwatch.com, the only daily international fishing report on all billfish species. Hook travels the world in search of the best fishing areas and is recognized as a billfish expert. Follow him on Facebook under "Marlin Billfish", Twitter @billfishreport or email email@example.com
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In the 1968 movie classic Bullitt, Steve McQueen took to the streets of San Francisco in a revved up 1968 Highland Green Mustang GT 390 Fastback as he chases two hit-men in a "Tuxedo Black" 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 440 Magnum.
Getting air off the hills of SF
What follows is the greatest car chase ever filmed. Bullitt has nine minutes of tire-squealing thrills through the streets (and air) of San Francisco. What made the car chase scene groundbreaking, Bullitt was the first movie to show close-up shots of the driver which added more realism to the scene. The director called for speeds of 75–80 mph, but the cars reached speeds of over 110 mph on surface streets. The chase scene took three week to film, during which the Charger lost six hubcaps and has different ones missing in different shots. Even now, Bullitt is the measuring-stick by which all movie chase scenes are stacked up to.
Video of the Mustang Bullitt after the jump
Agree? Disagree? What's your favorite movie car chase scene?


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Thursday, May 28, 2009
Life is a Bowl of Cherries...
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Pasta Puttanesca
I've made Pasta Puttanesca a few times before and came across Smitten Kitchen's post for the recipe, which she adapted from Ellie Krieger. I made a few adaptations of my own, based on the available ingredients in the house, and it turned out very tasty!
All of the sauce ingredients - minced, chopped and measured...
Sauteed garlic
Parsley, olives, capers, anchovy paste, oregano, crushed red pepper
Tomatoes and splash of red wine
Chopped, fresh arugula (I used a spring mix that included some arugula)
And a sprinkling of grated Parmesan and toasted pinenuts
Pasta Puttanesca (Serves 4, or 2 with leftovers for Mom and lunch)
1 lb. thick spaghetti
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup pitted chopped Spanish or Greek olives
4 tablespoons capers
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves or 2 teaspoons dried
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh arugula (or Spring Mix)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Toasted pinenuts for garnish
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add pasta and cook according to the directions on the package.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium flame. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the parsley, olives, capers, anchovy paste, oregano and crushed red pepper to the skillet, and saute for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and wine and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the arugula and simmer for 1 minute more, until the greens wilt slightly.
When the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the skillet, tossing it with the sauce to combine. Top with grated cheese and toasted pinenuts.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
John's Chicken Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
John had every intention of sharing this dish at Concert in the Park, but sometimes two chefs in our little kitchen generate more stress than heat. So, on Sunday, as I was diligently mastering the art of potstickers, John was faithfully monitoring my margarita glass and washing dishes.
On the morning after, he took over the kitchen and impressed me with this incredibly delicious ravioli for the two of us.
Beautiful, fresh ingredients really make a difference. Sage and sun-dried tomatoes....
Roasted red peppers for the sauce...
Ground chicken, Applewood smoked bacon, toasted pinenuts, caramelized onions, sun-dried tomatoes, sage smoked mozzarella, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, for the filling...
Homemade pasta...
John had to make a special rig to get our pasta machine to stay secured to the counter edge, but he seemed to have it under control...
You can see all of those lucious ingredients in that spoonful of filling...
Gently covered with a soft blanket of dough...
So sorry we were unable to share...
Monday, May 25, 2009
Challenge "Fill Me Up Until I'm Stuffed"
This is our beautiful Jacaranda tree, hours before the Memorial Day weekend crowds flooded Spreckles Park to kick off the first concert of the summer.
Our first culinary theme of the Summer 2009 Challenges, Fill Me Up Until I'm Stuffed, lured in a few of our creative and faithful chefs.
I tackled Shrimp Potstickers with Spicy Dipping Sauce, using Martin Yan's recipe as a guideline. The filling is primarily composed of ground pork, shrimp, water chestnuts, ginger, cilantro, green onions, sesame oil and cornstarch. Making the filling was the easy part...combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix.
I then set out to make homemade potsticker dough. Don't try this without one of John's margaritas within easy reach.
The dough, flour and water, comes together quite easily in the food processor and then rests for about 15 minutes. It's then divided, rolled into long cylinders, and sliced into 3/4 inch pieces. The pieces are then flattened into little disks and the little disks are each rolled into paper thin circles measuring about 4 inches in diameter. I was able to make about 24 wrappers in a mere 6 hours...well, let's say 2 hours.
The next step took some time to master, gently cradling the wrapper in the palm of your hand, placing a tablespoon of filling in the center, and sealing the edges with cute little pleats. After about 14, I got the hang of it. Here they are, ready for the pan.
The potstickers are pan-fried in a little oil until the bottoms are golden and then steamed to finish the cooking.
I used our little portable burner to prepare the potstickers at the park, table side. The Spicy Dipping Sauce is a mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili-garlic sauce, hot chili oil, and chopped green onions.
Unfortunately, I didn't make enough potstickers to go around.
In addition to my potstickers, we enjoyed the following stuffed and filled creations...
Dina's Tomatoes Stuffed with Basil Pesto and Fresh Mozzarella
Mary's Chocolate-Dipped Stuffed Dates (first marinated in Grand Mariner)
Madeline's Dessert Assortment
Sandra's Shrimp Quesadillas
Melinda's Cream Puffs and Strawberries in Chocolate Ganache
Mom's Stuffed Zucchini with Lamb & Mint
....and Pammy's Stuffed Salad?
Congratulations to our newly married couple, Mark and Kerry.
And goodbye, for now, to Brandon.
Get ready for Challenge Cherries ...they are delicious, in season and one of my favorites!
Denise & John
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Farro Salad with Squid, Chorizo and Fresh Favas
This would be a perfect salad for a gourmet picnic for two, paired with a nice bottle of Shiraz.
1 cup farro
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 ounces dry chorizo, skinned and sliced 1/4 inch thick (1/2 cup)
3/4 pound cleaned squid— bodies cut into 1/4-inch rings, large tentacles halved
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup shelled fava beans (my variation)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped marjoram
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Freshly ground pepper
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the farro, cover and simmer over low heat until the farro is al dente, about 45 minutes. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chorizo and cook until sizzling, about 2 minutes. Add the squid and cook, stirring, until just white throughout, about 2 minutes. Season with salt.
Add the squid to the farro along with the cherry tomatoes, fava beans, parsley, marjoram, vinegar and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, toss well and serve right away.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sartu', Neapolitan Rice Timbale
Sartu', Neapolitan Rice Timbale
From La Cucina Italiana, March/April 2009, No. 9
2 hours, 30 minutes - 6 servings
- 1 ounce dried wild mushrooms
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste concentrate (from tube)
- 7 cups chicken or beef broth, heated to a simmer
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1/3 pound pork sausage
- 2/3 pound ground beef
- 3 large eggs (printed recipe states 3 eggs, but instructions only call for one)
- 5 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 5 tablespoons fine plain breadcrumbs, plus more for mold
- 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for mold
- 4 ounces chicken livers, cut into small pieces
- 2 1/2 cups Arborio rice
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes
Special Equipment: a 2-quart mold or ovenproof bowl.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Soak dried mushrooms in 2 cups hot water for 20 minutes; drain, reserving liquid, and finely chop.
In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat.
Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Dilute tomato paste in 1 cup broth, then add to pan with onion.
Add mushrooms, peas and pinch salt and pepper; bring to a simmer.
Add sausage and simmer, covered, until sausage is nearly cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Transfer sausage to a cutting board and slice into 1/4 inch pieces.
Return pieces to skillet and simmer, uncovered, until liquid is mostly evaporated, about 10 minutes more.
Remove from heat.
In a bowl, stir together beef, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Form into 1 1/2 inch balls.
In a large skillet, heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
Dust meatballs lightly with flour and fry in 2 batches until golden on all sides, about 5 minutes.
Drain on paper towels.
Drain oil from skillet and wipe clean with paper towels.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium-high heat.
Add liver and pinch salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liver is cooked through, about 2 minutes.
Add liver and meatballs to skillet with sausage, stir to combine.
Combine remaining 6 cups broth and mushroom liquid in a large saucepan; bring to a boil.
Add rice, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain rice; spread onto a large plate and let cool to room temperature.
Transfer rice to a large bowl; stir in 4 tablespoons butter and remaining 4 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano while still warm.
Grease mold or ovenproof bowl with butter and dust with breadcrumbs.
Put 1 1/2 cups of the rice mixture into bowl and press into base and up sides, forming a well in the center.
Pour meat sauce into well; top with mozzarella.
Then cover with remaining rice.
Cover with remaining 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces, and remaining 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs.
Bake for 1 hour.
Remove mold from oven; transfer to wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.
Run a knife around edges of mold to loosen rice, then invert onto a large serving plate.
Serve immediately.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Creme de Menthe Chip and Dark Chocolate Crackles Ice Cream Sandwiches
A generous scoop of homemade ice cream, infused with Creme de Menthe liqueur and chocolate morsels, gently sandwiched between rich, decadent and chewy dark chocolate crackles…after just one taste of bittersweet chocolate, intermingled on your tongue with cool, refreshingly minty, and luxuriously smooth ice cream, your craving will slowly melt away.


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Hey all,
I'm new to Java and am attempting to write my first program that will determine the circumference of a circle with a given radius. The user will enter only a 'double' number as there is no error handling in this program - it's mainly to get me comfortable using helper classes, objects and methods as well as variable handling. Both classes compile, but it doesn't appear as if the radius is being calculated inside the circumference formula. Here is the code I've written so far:
import java.util.Scanner; /** * Write a description of class Circumerence here. * * @author me * @version 1.0 */ public class Circumerence { public static void main(String[] args) { double radiusInput = 0.0; Scanner keyInput = new Scanner(System.in); CircleFormula cf1 = new CircleFormula(); System.out.print("Enter a radius: "); radiusInput = keyInput.nextDouble(); System.out.println("The circumerence of a circle with a radius of " + radiusInput + " is " + cf1.getRadius()); } }
/** * Write a description of class CircleFormulas here. * * @author me * @version 1.0 */ public class CircleFormula { // radiusInput holds the radius private double userRadius; // circleOutput holds the circumference private double circumferenceOut; /** * Default constructor for CircleFormula sets the default * value of the userRadius object to 0.0. */ public CircleFormula() { // initialise instance variables this(0.0); } /** * An example of a method - replace this comment with your own * * This formula will calculate the circumerence of a circle, given a radius. */ public CircleFormula(double radius) { // put your code here setRadius(radius); } /** * The setRadius method sets the radius then calculates the circumerence * of the circle. */ public void setRadius(double radius) { radius = userRadius; circumferenceOut = 2 * 3.14 * radius; } public double getRadius() { return circumferenceOut; } }
I have a feeling I've confused variables and objects but I think I'm thoroughly confused now. If anyone has some pointers of where I might start looking to debug this, that'd be awesome. Not looking for someone to fix it completely, because I want to learn what I've done wrong. :-) Thank you!


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May 2018
Recent Releases
What a Difference a Duke Makes
Lenora Bell
What it's about:
Hired to care for the Duke of Banksford's twins (who have scared off at least four previous governesses), Mari Perkins bonds with her charges while battling her attraction to her new employer.
Series alert:
What a Difference a Duke Makes
is the 1st steamy installment of the School for Dukes series.
You might also like:
Eloisa James'
Seven Minutes in Heaven
, also starring an unlikely governess who falls in love with the inventor who hires her to supervise a pair of rambunctious children.
A Princess in Theory
Alyssa Cole
Prince Thabiso, heir to the throne of Thesolo, and sleep-deprived, perpetually broke American graduate student Naledi Smith.
What happens:
When Naledi receives an email informing her that she is the long-lost fianc
e of an African prince, she chalks it up to a scam. Little does she know that it's true -- and that her handsome new neighbor "Jamal" is her betrothed in disguise.
For fans of:
the 1988 romantic comedy
Coming to America
Ashes on the Moor
Sarah M. Eden
What it's about:
Tragedy upends Evangeline Blake's privileged life, forcing her to accept a teaching position in the West Yorkshire factory town of Smeatley. Helping Evangeline adjust to her new situation is Irish brick mason Dermot McCormick, who appreciates her kindness toward his young son, Ronan.
Why you might like it:
This chaste Victorian romance offers an uplifting friends-to-lovers storyline, a strong sense of place, and a sensitively depicted inter-class romance.
No Earls Allowed
Shana Galen
What it's about:
Lady Juliana runs a London orphanage -- much to the dismay of her father, an earl, who enlists military veteran Neil Wraxall to bring her home. But Neil, impressed by Juliana's resolve, becomes her assistant and ally instead.
Series alert:
No Earls Allowed
is the 2nd book in the Survivors series, after
Third Son's a Charm
Reviewers say:
Publishers Weekly
predicts that a "
marvelous hero and heroine will put this on many keeper shelves."
Bad Bachelor
Stefanie London
What you need to know:
Think Yelp for dating and you've got the ultra-popular app Bad Bachelors, which encourages singles to post reviews of their dates. That's bad news for Reed McMahon, currently the lowest-rated man in New York City due to his womanizing ways.
Brooklyn librarian Darcy Greer, who works with Reed on a fundraising project after he decides that pro bono work will improve his image.
For fans of:
Sarah Title's
The Undateable
, another engaging novel in which a librarian finds unexpected love as a result of internet notoriety.
Focus on: Royals
From Kiss to Queen
Janet Chapman
"Plain" Jane Abbott, and her kidnapper, Mark, who's hiding a secret.
What it's about:
After she saves his life, Mark -- who's actually Crown Prince Markov Lakeland of Shelikova -- decides to repay Jane by making her his wife.
For fans of:
modern-day fairy tales featuring very persistent heroes.
For All Time
Jude Deveraux
What happens:
Upon meeting Toby Wyndam at his cousin's wedding, Prince Graydon Montgomery of Anconia believes he may have found his soul mate. So he trades places with his twin brother in order to spend some quality time with Toby.
Is it for you?
Subtle paranormal elements hint at the couple's destiny.
Series alert:
Due to the genealogical complexity of the Montgomery family, newcomers to the Nantucket Brides series may want to start at the beginning with
True Love
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Pierce County Library System
3005 112th St. E • Tacoma, WA 98446


text:
I try to get as much Norman Reedus on the site as I can, because I know that for some of you, he's on your Five List. And I get it. I totally, totally get it. I imagine it would be transformative. Look at that expression on her face. She seems like she's been transformed, non? That's practically a Cialis commercial for women.
Cynthia and I talking about this right now backstage at The Social. Cynthia interviewed him when she was hosting InnerSpace. Said he was super twitchy. Agro. "Douchey" is the word she used. And then Traci chimed in with…
"Can't someone show up to a panel at Comic-Con a little high without someone getting their balls in a knot?"
Does that change how you feel about him?
Anyway, in other Norman Reedus news – The Walking Dead Season 4 begins this weekend. Sarah's recaps will begin on Monday.


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Page Content
to Navigation
There is no English translation for this web page.
Dr. Samira Iran
Dr. Samira Iran
Technische Universität Berlin
Institute of Vocational Education and Work Studies
Marchstraße 23
10587 Berlin
Room: MAR 1.017a
Phone: ++49-30-314-73981
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Consulting times: By arrangement (please write me an Email)
Short CV
Samira Iran obtained her bachelor in the field of Bio-Medical Engineering. She studied Master of Business Administration (MBA) focusing on international marketing and consumer behavior at Sharif University of Technology in Iran (2011). In her master thesis, she surveyed sustainable buying behavior of Iranian consumers.
In her PhD thesis she worked on the topic of sharing economy in clothing industry. With a mixed-method approach, the research focus was on how consumers from different cultural contexts accept or reject the idea of re-using garments.
Between February 2016 and June 2018, she worked in a living lab project called "Dietenheim zieht an" at Ulm University. Since September 2019 she is a post-doctoral researcher at Technische Universität Berlin, working in "BNTextillabor" project. Please have a look at the link below for more Information about her current research project: BNTextillabor
Research areas
- Consumer Behavior
- Sustainable Consumption
- Sharing Economy
- Collaborative Consumption
- Sustainable Fashion
- Living-Labs
Iran, Samira; Geiger, Sonja Maria; Schrader, Ulf (2018): Collaborative fashion consumption– a cross-cultural study between Tehran and Berlin. In: Journal of Cleaner Production.
Iran, Samira; Geiger, Sonja Maria (2018): To wear or to own? Influences of values on the attitudes toward and the engagement in collaborative fashion consumption. In: Heuer, M. and Becker-Leifhold, C. (Eds.), Eco Friendly and Fair: Fast Fashion and Consumer Behavior, Routledge, 153–162.
Becker-Leifhold, Carolin; Iran, Samira (2018): Collaborative fashion consumption– drivers, barriers and future pathways. In: Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 22 (2), 189–208.
Iran, Samira (2018): Sustainable fashion: from production to alternative consumption. In: Jastram, S. and Schneider, M. (Eds.), Sustainable Fashion - Governance and New Management Approaches, Springer, 139-159.
Geiger, Sonja Maria; Iran, Samira; Müller, Martin (2017): Nachhaltiger Kleiderkonsum in Dietenheim– Ergebnisse einer repräsentativen Umfrage zum Kleiderkonsum. Online available at dietenheim-zieht-an.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Brosch%C3%BCre_A4_online_LR.pdf.
Iran, Samira; Schrader, Ulf (2017): Collaborative fashion consumption and its environmental effects. In: Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 21 (4), 468–482.
Stanszus, Laura; Iran, Samira (2014): Sustainable Fashion, in: Idowu, S.O., Capaldi, N., Fifka, M., Zu, L., Schmidpeter, R. (Eds), Dictionary of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, 154–155.
Conference Presentations
Iran, Samira (2017): The influence of national culture on collaborative fashion consumption– comparative study between Tehran and Berlin. Presentation at GRF Conference on Sustainable Lifestyles, Livelihoods and the Circular Economy, June 27th, Brighton, UK.
Iran, Samira; Hirscher Anja Lisa (2016): Sewing café– participatory design platform for connected consumption?. Presentation at Global Fashion Conference, October 21st, Stockholm, Sweden.
Iran Samira; Becker-Leifhold, Carolin (2016): Share what you wear– innovative path to stylish but conscious consumption?. Presentation at Global Fashion Conference, October 20th, Stockholm, Sweden.
Iran, Samira (2015): Collaborative fashion consumption– An attractive element of sustainable consumption?. Presentation at CR Berlin Study Group: 3rd Paper Development Workshop, February 27th, Berlin, Germany.
Iran, Samira (2014): Collaborative fashion consumption as an element of sustainable fashion consumption. PhD course: Consumption, capitalism and everyday life: understanding the social dimensions of the growth imperative, December 8th- 10th, Oslo, Norway.
Iran, Samira (2013): Traditional and sustainable: Iranian espadrilles (Geeveh). Shoe goes sustainable, October 4th, Berlin, Germany.
Iran, Samira (2013): Sustainable fashion consumption across cultural borders (a study of less- and more developed countries). Presentation at 16th Conference of the European Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production (ERSCP) & 7th Conference of the Environmental Management for Sustainable Universities (EMSU), June 6th, Istanbul, Turkey.
Iran, Samira (2012): Applying collaborative consumption concept as an innovative tool in sustainable fashion (a theoretical discussion focusing on cultural factors). Presentation at the 6th International Conference on Indicators and Concepts of Innovation "Sustainability of Innovation, Innovation of Sustainability", November 23th, Friedrichshafen, Germany.
Miremadi, Alireza; Iran, Samira; Shadafza, Marjan; Moshiri, Fereshte (2011): A new scenario of fashion marketing in Islamic world: a case study of Iranian women. Presentation at the 14th International Business Research Conference, April 29th, Dubai, UAE.
Kavousi, Esmail; Heidarizade, Elahe; Iran, Samira (2010): Iran's government and social capital considering the 20-year perspective. Presentation at the International Journal of Arts and Science conference for academic disciplines, June 8th, Aix-en-Provence, France.


text:
Not gonna name names here or anything, because that's secondary to the issue and I see this as a pretty informal discussion, not an essay. My question is, how do you react when you find out that the writers you enjoy are assholes — i.e., not just "ornery" or "politically incorrect" or "contrarian," but real assholes, who have caused other individuals profound psychological, emotional, financial, social, or even physical distress? Do you stop reading them altogether, or do you try to separate the writer from the work? In the case of the latter, can the writer always be separated from his or her output?
In most instances, readers will separate the work from its creator, or at least try to place both in some kind of context where the offending behavior, however severe, can be understood in the context of the creator's life and times. SF fandom is unique however, I think, because there's always a strong tendency on the part of readers to identify with authors, especially if you started reading their works at an impressionable age. I think of this as the "imaginary friend syndrome" — the writer isn't just someone whose stuff you enjoy, but someone you come to identify with very strongly, to the point where you can easily imagine that if you did know the person in question, you would probably get along with them very well and would share many of the same interests and opinions. (Especially if you first encountered them when you were going through adolescence or some other stressful period in your life.) Most readers tend to outgrow this period, but I suspect there's still a tendency among fans to regard their imaginary relationships with certain writers as sacrosanct, to the point where they envision them as absolutely infallible, incapable of error or misdeed. (Again, not mentioning names here.)
I myself enjoy lots of writers who have acted like or been total dickweeds at one point or another, if not consistently so. My strategy is to always enjoy stuff in context: When rereading a novel that I loved when I was fourteen, I'm always remembering what it was I liked about the book at the time versus my current appraisal of the book as an adult. I've also stopped worshipping specific writers beyond their ability to tell a story, facility with language, characterization, etc. That said, there are some writers I used to love but just avoid entirely because I don't really dig them as people that much. I'm not fair. I don't see how you can be.


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President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush are leaping into the immigration debate, but their attempts to add momentum to the search for a possible path to citizenship for millions face strong opposition in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
As Bush delivered a rare speech Wednesday in favor of immigration reform and Obama prepared for a bipartisan meeting with prominent senators at the White House, Republicans who control the House bluntly challenged Obama and appeared unimpressed by Bush's advice to carry a "benevolent spirit" into the debate.
Emerging from a closed-door meeting, Republican leaders affirmed a step-by-step approach to immigration but offered neither specifics nor a timetable — nor any mention of possible citizenship for an estimated 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. unlawfully.
Lawmakers streaming out of the two-hour meeting said Bush's long-distance advice had not come up in a discussion that focused instead on the importance of securing the U.S. borders and a general distrust of Obama.
The meeting in the Capitol was the House Republicans' first such gathering since the Senate approved sweeping legislation last month on a bipartisan vote of 68-32. Obama is to meet Thursday with two authors of the Senate measure, Republican John McCain and Democrat Chuck Schumer, in the president's Oval Office.
The legislation faces a steep challenge in the House, and the former president's ability to sway a new generation of conservatives was a matter of considerable doubt, especially because many of the conservative tea party movement-backed lawmakers have risen to power since he left the White House and are strongly on record in opposition to any citizenship provision.
"We care what people back home say, not what some former president says," declared Rep. Tim Huelskamp, a second-term Republican who has clashed with the party leadership in the House.
Still, the timing and substance of Bush's remarks were reminders of the imperative that many national party leaders feel that Republicans must broaden their appeal among Hispanic voters to compete successfully in future presidential elections. Obama took more than 70 percent of their votes in winning a second term last year.
"America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the same time," Bush said at a naturalization ceremony at his presidential library in Dallas.
For their part, Democrats quickly embraced the former president's message, challenging House Speaker John Boehner to proceed in the same spirit.
In a written statement noting that the White House recently delayed a key part of Obama's health care reform law, Boehner and other leaders said that action raised concerns that the administration "cannot be trusted to deliver on its promises to secure the border and enforce laws as part of a single, massive bill like the one passed by the Senate."
Lawmakers said after the session there was strong support for a bill to create a path to citizenship for immigrants who were brought to the country as children illegally by family members, an idea advanced by Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Republican Rep. Robert Goodlatte, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said his panel would soon begin work on legislation covering that group.
Several members of the rank and file said Republican Paul Ryan had made a particularly strong appeal for a comprehensive approach, which includes possible citizenship for the 11 million.
But others emphasized there was virtually no support for the Senate's approach of one sweeping measure that dealt with immigration in all its forms.


text:
Prawn, pea & tomato curry
Simple, speedy and good for you, this seafood curry takes just 20 minutes to make, or use a slow cooker for extra flavour
Nutrition and extra info
- kcal236
- fat0g
- saturates1g
- carbs18g
- sugars10g
- fibre6g
- protein24g
- salt1.24g
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onions, halved, each cut into 6 wedges
Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…
- 6 ripe tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges
A member of the nightshade family (along with aubergines, peppers and chillies), tomatoes are in…
- large knob of fresh root ginger, chopped
Mainly grown in Jamaica, Africa, India, China and Australia, ginger is the root of the plant. It…
- 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp curry paste (we used Patak's tikka masala paste)
- 400g shelled raw king prawn
- 250g frozen pea
- small bunch coriander, leaves chopped
- basmati rice or chapatis, to serve
Heat the oil in frying pan, then fry the onions over a medium heat until soft and beginning to brown, about 5 mins. Meanwhile, reserve 8 of the tomato wedges, then whizz the remainder in a food processor with the ginger and garlic.
Add the curry paste to the pan for 30 secs. Stir through the tomato mix and remaining tomato wedges, then bubble over a high heat for 5 mins, stirring so the sauce doesn't catch. Mix in the prawns and peas; simmer until prawns are pink and cooked through. Scatter with coriander, then serve with rice.
Recipe Tip
If you want to use a slow cooker...Leave this to simmer away in a slow cooker. Whizz the oil, ginger, garlic, curry paste and all but 8 tomato wedges to a paste. Scrape into your slow cooker and stir in the onions. Cover and cook on High for 3 hours. Mix in the remaining tomato, prawns and peas, then cover and cook for 30 mins-1 hour further until the prawns are cooked, Serve as above.


text:
Hi, I don't understand what am I doing wrong, I just can't get the right answer no matter what I change. Here is the code:
import java.io.*; import static java.lang.System.*; import java.util.Scanner; import java.lang.Math; class Assignment2 { public static void main (String str[]) throws IOException { Scanner scan = new Scanner(System.in); System.out.println("Please enter two decimal"); double x = scan.nextDouble(); double y =scan.nextDouble(); int temp = (int)Math.round(100*x); System.out.println(1.0*(200-temp)/100); System.out.println((y - x)); } }
I am getting .53 and I should be getting 0.527
Anyone explanation and/or feedback, will be greatly appreciated. I have tried everything but can't get 0.527


text:
Ninja Rogers is a tap-dancing ninja who vies for a slot on The Muppet Show in the first issue of The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson despite the fact that the Muppets haven't strictly booked him as such.
Ninja Rogers first demonstrates his skill at stealth by sneaking into The Muppet Theatre under the Pops' nose, although the doorman's poor eyesight makes the feat less than impressive. He is then rejected by Scooter and Kermit (the former referring to him as Mister Rogers) before demonstrating his tap-dancing skill for Janice and Zoot in a bid to join the Electric Mayhem's closing number. While they agree that he's got moves, they hesitate to let him join the band. But when Animal's unusually calm demeanor and subsequently lame drumming threatens to sink the closing number, Ninja Rogers saves the day by taking the drummer out and tap-dancing up a storm on the snare drum and cymbals.
His name is a parody of Ginger Rogers.


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The study, published online in The Journal of Urology, revealed that nearly three-quarters of urology practices meet national standards to qualify as a medical home.
"The medical home model has been widely discussed in the context of primary care while relatively little attention has been directed towards specialty care," says Joe Sakshaug, Ph.D., the lead author of the study, formerly a doctoral student in the Program in Survey Methodology at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, and now Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral research fellow in statistics at the German Institute for Employment Research and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
"For some chronic urologic conditions, including prostate cancer and other genitourinary cancers, urology practices may serve as more logical medical homes for patients requiring ongoing care."
The study authors used data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey – a nationally representative sample of outpatient visits to office-based physicians – to map physician practice characteristics collected from the survey to the National Committee on Quality Assurance's (NCQA) Patient-Centered Medical Home standards, the most commonly used medical home recognition process in the U.S. The mapped NCQA elements were then used to measure the "structural readiness" of a practice to become a medical home.
The investigators found that on average urology practices scored higher than primary care practices on medical home readiness and achieved a higher percentage of "muss pass" elements that are required for medical home recognition. Urology practices generally performed better than primary care practices on the use of electronic systems for tracking patients and test results.
The researchers further assessed the feasibility of transferring care for primary care patients with genitourinary (GU) cancers, including prostate, bladder, kidney, and testicular cancers, to urologists. By calculating the total time spent by primary care physicians in direct and indirect care for GU cancer patients, they found that reallocating half of this care alone would result in less than four additional work days per year for every practicing urologist, or the equivalent of expanding the urology workforce by 89 physicians.
While this consolidation of care seems feasible and reforms are already in place to provide incentives for practices to increase their medical home capacity, the authors caution that it would require proficiency and willingness on the part of urologists to manage and coordinate care for a host of non-urological conditions outside of their traditional scope of practice.
"Unfortunately the NCQA standards do not evaluate a physician's ability to function as a physician in a medical home," says Sakshaug. "As this reform becomes more widespread, there undoubtedly will be more specific credentialing requirements put in place."
Sakshaug and his coauthors encourage policy-makers and healthcare professionals to develop "pilot initiatives and/or 'proof-of-concept' demonstration projects to assess the viability of specialist practices as medical homes."
"We hope that our study advances the notion that specialty practices are capable of playing a more prominent role in the medical home discussion, but ultimately the decision of whether or not to participate in this innovative healthcare delivery reform should be decided jointly by the individual physician and their patients," says Sakshaug.
Additional authors: David C. Miller, MD, MPH; Brent K. Hollenbeck, MD, MS; John T. Wei, MD; and John M. Hollingsworth, MD, MS; of University of Michigan Health System, Department of Urology.
Funding: The study was partially supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
Disclosures: None
Citation: Sakshaug, JW, Miller, DC, Hollenbeck, BK, Wei, JT, Hollingsworth, JM. "Urologists and the Patient-Centered Medical Home" The Journal of Urology (2013), published online ahead of print
About the Institute for Social Research
Established in 1949, the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research is the world's largest academic social science survey and research organization, and a world leader in developing and applying social science methodology, and in educating researchers and students from around the world. ISR conducts some of the most widely cited studies in the nation, including the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, the American National Election Studies, the Monitoring the Future Study, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, the Health and Retirement Study, the Columbia County Longitudinal Study and the National Survey of Black Americans. ISR researchers also collaborate with social scientists in more than 60 nations on the World Values Surveys and other projects, and the institute has established formal ties with universities in Poland, China and South Africa. ISR is also home to the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, the world's largest digital social science data archive. For more information, visit the ISR website at www.isr.umich.edu


text: Baby Josiah has a rare condition called gnathodiaphyseal dysplasia. It causes extra bone growth in his skull and jawbone, and causes the rest of the bones in his body to be extremely brittle. He has undergone several facial reconstructions at St. Louis Children's Hospital with Dr. Albert Woo, director of the craniofacial institute at St. Louis Children's Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.


text:
We Energies to pay settlement in bluff collapse
We Energies has agreed to pay $100,000 for violating state environmental regulations before a 2011 bluff collapse that sent coal ash, soil and other sediment down a hillside adjacent to its Oak Creek power plant.
Racine County Circuit Court Judge Gerald Ptacek approved the settlement Monday.
The Department of Natural Resources had accused We Energies of violating three environmental regulations, including failing to revise its erosion control plans after a retention pond was moved.
The collapse happened on the southern part of a large We Energies complex in Oak Creek, a southern suburb of Milwaukee in October 2011. The area is near a spot where pollution-control equipment was being installed at the time. The debris swept several construction trailers toward the beach and some of the soil and debris reached Lake Michigan.
No injuries were reported in the incident.


text:
Eau de Parfum Couture
My New Couture Fragrance
Indisponible -
I am absolutely essential and utterly irresistible. I am the chic and very glamorous perfumed creation by Guerlain.
La Petite Robe Noire is returning for Mother's Day in a limited edition under the brush of the artistic duo Kuntzel+Deygas.
Her new olfactory variation, Eau de Parfum Couture, takes the form of a stunning long dress sewn with fresh floral notes and top-stitched with ultra-refined woody notes. A fascinating interpretation in which cheerful raspberry, a shower of petals and wood are sure to make heads spin and fulfil every desire…
Woody Floral.
Sexy, Fascinating, Glamorous.
The fragrance soars with a seductive and energised raspberry, teamed up with fresh bergamot. The heart pays tribute to rose essence and rose absolute, enhanced with incredibly feminine and delicate scents. In the drydown, the woody trail intensifies with a chypre base. Noble patchouli dominates, underlined by irresistible moss, vetiver and tonka bean.
Thierry Wasser, Guerlain House Perfumer and official Pygmalion of La Petite Robe Noire, adds magic to the fragrance trail with new materials. Haute Perfumery at the service of Haute Couture… This olfactory variation takes the form of a long dress embroidered with raspberry, sewn with fresh floral notes and topstitched with ultra-refined woody notes.


text:
September 19, 2013
By Benjamin Todd Jealous
This fall, as college campuses open their doors to the bustle of students, one historically Black institution will remain silent. In the old colonial town of Lawrenceville, Va., Saint Paul's College has shut its doors after more than a century of operation. The college had fallen on hard times in recent years, and it serves as a canary in the coal mine for other historically Black colleges and universities that face an uncertain economic future.
Saint Paul's College was founded in 1888 by my grandfather's uncle, James Solomon Russell. A former slave who died an archdeacon and university principal-emeritus, Russell understood the transformative power of education. He opened Saint Paul's Normal and Industrial School with fewer than a dozen students and a mandate to train teachers. Over the next 125 years, the school became a hub for education training in the region, producing many teachers in Virginia and neighboring states.
Many of the students who attended Saint Paul's over the years were the first in their family to attend college. The vast majority came from poor families. The school even offered a child-care program for single parents enrolled in classes. Like so many other HBCUs in underserved communities, Saint Paul's was a lifeline.
The recent recession hit Saint Paul's especially hard. Like many HBCUs, the college lacked a wealthy donor base or strong endowment that could help it weather the financial storm. Faced with mounting bills, college officials closed the child-care program, laid off top teachers, and watched enrollment numbers fall back to near-1888 levels. Last fall, St. Paul's opened its final academic year with just over 100 students before shutting its doors for good.
Saint Paul's demise should serve as a wake-up call to those who care about the future of HBCUs. For more than 175 years, the institutions have played a crucial role in African-American advancement. HBCUs make up just 3 percent of the nation's colleges and universities, but produce 50 percent of Black public school teachers, 80 percent of Black judges and 40 percent of baccalaureate degrees awarded to Black students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the STEM fields. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Morehouse man; Thurgood Marshall studied at Lincoln University and Howard University School of Law; Oprah Winfrey attended Tennessee State University.
However, even the wealthier HBCUs are struggling financially. Morehouse College was recently forced to furlough some of its staff, and Clark Atlanta and Hampton Universities have both announced budget shortages. This June, a Howard University trustee, Renee Higginbotham-Brooks, wrote an alarming letter about Howard's "genuine" financial trouble.
The recession only partly explains this crisis. Part of the reason is political. In 2011 the Department of Education tightened the standards for its Parent PLUS federal loan program. The program has historically been an important service for parents of HBCU students, who are more likely to need financial support.
The new standards have had a devastating effect. In the 2012-13 school year alone, the volume of Parent PLUS loans to HBCU families dropped by 36 percent, according to an analysis by The Washington Post. Parents of 28,000 HBCU students were initially denied loans under the stricter standards, causing HBCUs as a whole to lose $150-million in expected revenue.
This slow bleed will continue as long as the tighter standards are in place. As the president of the UNCF, Michael Lomax, has recommended, the Department of Education should find a way to preserve financial aid instead of undercutting the students it is supposed to serve. Meanwhile, it is encouraging to see that the department is allowing families with small-scale debt-Black, White, or otherwise-to become eligible for PLUS loans through an appeals process.
The loan program is only one part of the solution, however. Congress should also increase funds for Pell Grants, financial subsidies for low-income students that do not have to be repaid. According to a UNCF study, 42 percent of all HBCU students come from families with incomes lower than $25,000. More than half qualify for Pell Grants. HBCUs are only as strong as their students, and their students often need significant financial support. An expansion of the Pell Grant program will help support historically Black colleges and, for many first-generation college students, help disrupt generations of family poverty.
Historically Black colleges and universities like Saint Paul's College are an integral part of African-American history, and they need to remain an integral part of our country's future. As we write Saint Paul's obituary, we must not allow other colleges to suffer a similar fate. Let us recommit to James Solomon Russell's vision, which mirrors the larger vision of the HBCU community: a school for every student, a lifeline for every dream.


text:
|Follow on Twitter as @GeorgeAnders
Sally Kornbluth says there's no question that students are getting value from online learning.
|Photo: Sally Kornbluth, Ph.D., courtesy of Duke University.
Of all the U.S. universities offering free online courses to the world, Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, is among the most active. Its professors have filled Coursera's distance-learning platform with 30 courses, in subjects ranging from astronomy to dog emotions. Since 2013, the university has assigned one administrator exclusively to digital and online education initiatives.
There's even a collection of sunny haikus about online education on Duke's website.
"A few years ago, the question was 'Should we be teaching online or shouldn't we?' says Duke provost Sally Kornbluth, a geneticist by training. "That conversation has passed. Now it's a conversation about what kinds of innovative things we can do." In a discussion with MIT Technology Review contributing editor George Anders, Kornbluth explained why Duke is bullish about online education—and what new opportunities lie ahead.
Universities have been relying on books, lectures, and seminars since the 1400s. Does online learning provide a fourth channel that can rival the others?
It's supplementary. It hasn't replaced in-person lectures or books. But there's no question that students are finding it another avenue for getting the information they want. Frequently, that's complementary to traditional settings. In other words, they're looking for more background. Online learning actually enriches their in-person experience.
Tell me more about blended learning—where instructors use a mix of online tools and classroom settings. How much is that happening at Duke, and what are the results?
We have a lot of "flipped classroom" education going on. It's not in every corner of the university, but you will see plenty of situations where students do online exercises or watch material online ahead of class. Then faculty can use class time for experiential learning or discussions, rather than straight-on delivery of didactic material. Students still get in-person interactions with fellow students and the faculty. We create touch points that interface with the technology, rather than having the technology be stand-alone.
Read more...
Source: MIT Technology Review


text:
Tesla makes it into the "10 most-shorted stock list"
Tesla makes it into the "10 most-shorted stock list"
Well, this is good news if you're ultimately bullish on Tesla and you're in a longish position.
This would be bad news for investors who hold Tesla as some portion of some larger, more general strategy and your opinion is influence by generic market information and analysts and stuff. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. Most investors are likely not experts on everything they invest in and look to other sources of information for decision making.
But if you're reading this here, then you probably buy and sell TSLA based on what you know specifically about Tesla and the market. If you're holding Tesla longer term, it's probably because you believe it's product quality and business model will make it very successful in the future, not because you're betting on some generic strategy of investing in tech or alternative cars or whatever.
Short-sellers must to borrow shares and pay interest to short them. Since there aren't enough shares to go around (too many bearish investors who don't know the real story), the interest rate has surged in recent weeks. Fidelity Investments, a market-maker in this arena, is currently paying 17% on loaned Tesla shares. It would be most satisfying to make the claim that Detroit auto execs betting on Tesla's failure have financed the purchase of a Model S. I am attempting to do just that.
Jack Bowers
Jack, do you have any proof of fidelity paying this?
Holy crap, the interest is 17%? What exactly is that a percentage of? The value of the shares at the time borrowed?
That would make shorting TSLA even riskier than I had originally thought. The value of TSLA has to drop a lot in order to make a decent amount of money.
Wait for a dip and buy calls, not puts. Much safer.


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MOVIE REVIEW- Camp or horror? <i>Wolfman</i> can't decide
Once again, Hollywood looks to its past for "new" ideas. At least they're going all the way back to 1941 for this one...unless you count Wolf and the Teen Wolf, American Werewolf and Howling movies of a more modern era. (Don't even mention Team Jacob!)
For better and worse, The Wolfman is a serious attempt to recreate the original with more modern techniques, not an unnecessary attempt to cash in on a familiar title. Director Joe Johnston (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Jumanji, Jurassic Park III and two of my personal favorites, October Sky and Hidalgo) has assembled an impeccable cast and crew to bring Wolfie back to the screen.
As one of Percy Jackson's demigod friends says, "All of us have daddy issues." Well, no one has them worse than Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro in the role created by Lon Chaney Jr.). The details emerge in the first half of the picture: how he was traumatized as a child by his mother's death and institutionalized for a year by his father (Anthony Hopkins), then went to America to live with an aunt and never returned home until now.
Lawrence has become a famous actor and is appearing in London when his brother's fiancée, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt), writes to tell him his brother has disappeared and ask him to return to Blackmoor to aid in the search (because there's nothing like decades of estrangement to give him insight on where to look).
By the time Lawrence arrives, his brother's remains have been found, and he's not the only local who appears to have been torn apart by some kind of animal. Someone remembers a similar wave of murders a quarter-century ago when the village was also being visited by a gypsy caravan... just like the one that's here now.
Lawrence visits the gypsies and is getting a reading from Maleva (Geraldine Chaplin) when the wolf attacks again. Lawrence is bitten, and you know what that means.
The trouble is, you also know everything that's going to happen, once Lawrence confronts his father and solves whatever mystery there was. With nearly an hour to go, you've been told exactly what has to occur, so you can only watch it unfold.
Of course Lawrence is also bitten by the love bug as he gets to know Gwen and helps her over her grief at losing her fiancé. Hey, a Talbot's a Talbot, right?
The Wolfman might have been played for laughs, but it isn't. Instead it's played so straight you might be tempted to laugh anyway, but it walks a fine line without ever quite veering into camp. This homage to the pre-ironic age may disappoint post-ironic viewers, to whom many of the non-action scenes will seem dull and stodgy.
It doesn't help that Johnston's solution to this problem is the overuse of cheap shocks. In the first five, we're startled by a flock of birds flying out of a tree and a dog suddenly appearing and barking ominously. There are several more of these to come.
Considering the potential, there's less bloodletting than you'd expect. Oh, a decapitation here and a few fingers bitten off there, but overall it's more about the power of suggestion that prevailed in the pre-John Carpenter era.
Effects makeup artist Rick Baker has been doing these transformations since An American Werewolf in London, and no one's better at them, even if he doesn't bring much new to the makeup table this time. Likewise, Danny Elfman's music and Milena Canonero's costumes. You hire the best people, and you get the best work. If the best work doesn't add up to the best movie, at least they did their jobs.
It might have made more sense to wait two weeks and release The Wolfman on the weekend of the full moon, but someone thought it would be effective counterprogramming to put a little wolfbane in your Valentine bouquet.


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Issue 9 is all about sewing for, and with, the children in your lives. It's full of fantastic patterns and project ideas, including a feature on Project Linus. For my contribution to the issue, I was VERY excited to have the chance to play with Tula Pink's new line, Nightshade. Though "officially" a Halloween line, a quick Twitter poll confirmed my belief that this goth-chic line would be totally embraced by tweens and teens (and, I suspect, many of their moms) all year 'round.
Being the dad of twin girls myself, I decided to design a quilt pattern for twins -- that is, a pattern that's easy enough to make 2 in the time it might take to make another, single quilt. The scale of the prints lent themselves to large blocks, so I focused on making big, easy blocks and then created two complementary layouts.


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As cloud computing is becoming more prevalent, anytime and anywhere Internet connectivity is becoming the standard for consumers, which has caused IT vendors to dedicate their research to making portable, mobile products. In recent years, Intel has been promoting the ultrabook which is less than 0.8 inches thick, costs less than US$1,000, and can be turned on and connected to the Internet at fast speeds, making it the next wave of ultra-mobile products in the market. The ultrabook along with smartphones that have large-sized screens and tablets are all following the ultra-mobile trend.
As the ultra-mobile trend continues to flourish, existing components, chassis, mechanical parts, energy efficiency and industrial design have been constantly reexamined and restructured to satisfy product developers' demand for thinner and lighter devices. This is creating new technological barriers.
Against this backdrop, Digitimes held the "DTF 2012 Ultra Mobile & Ecosystem Forum" in Taipei on April 25, inviting leading firms in the IT industry such as Intel, DTS, NXP, MPT, Kingston, Asus and AUO to talk about ultra-mobile trends in the industry ranging from platform planning, systems, multimedia, the Internet, power sources, mechanical parts, display panels as well as many other topics.
There was also a stand put up at the forum to display some of the latest products and technologies, and it is hoped that through the forum it could help industries learn more as well as create ultra-mobile products.
Rethinking brand meaning and value: Economies of scale, orders and the popularity of Apple
Colley Hwang, president at Digitimes, revealed that he asked Steve Ballmer what "MIT" meant to him about a year ago when the Microsoft chief executive officer was in Taiwan. Ballmer's answer was "Microsoft, Intel and Taiwan." However, despite Microsoft and Intel reporting record high revenues, Taiwan's electronics industry barely grew last year.
IT players have previously relied on big orders and mass production of products to help with operations in the financial market. But this strategy has come under increasing since Apple's iPad whirlwind in 2010. In the past "PC" meant personal computer, but now it means "Price below Cost."
In an era where pricing competition is fierce, Amazon is using a subsidized hardware sales model to promote its Kindle products. When world-class companies such as Microsoft, Qualcomm and Google leave Taiwan with a market with limited gross profits, we may ask these companies to lower their license fees, said Hwang. But then, we will still have to face the situation where we have no way of using products' added-value as a means to raise the price of a PC to US$1,200 when others can attach a US$1,000 retail price tag on their devices whose product cost is only US$600.
The IT market has already seen big changes. For example, 40% of IT revenues used to come during the first half of a year followed by 60% in the second half. That has changed since 2008. Last year China surpassed the US to become the largest PC market. Although Korea has industry advantages, its foreign debts have increased more than US$80 billion since 2008. Its industry structure is not too healthy. By the end of 2011, the 800 companies that were listed in Taiwan reported a total of nearly US$446 billion in revenues, and 15 of them individually reported more than US$10 billion.
Moreover, brand value has also been experiencing "qualitative change." Seven out of 10 major notebook brands in 2011 were Asia-based, but only Taiwan-based Asustek and China-based Lenovo earned profits. Acer is expected to turn losses into profits in the second quarter of 2012.
Compared with Apple, which manages to have high profits and high market shares by maintaining only a simple product line, major PC makers try to appeal to consumers with multiple and complex product lines with different features for different market and price segments. But their profitability has been far from being ideal. The success of Apple's minimalistic product strategy indicates that there needs to be major changes in strategy within the PC industry.
Striving for resources and the right to speak to enhance Taiwan's IT industry
Hwang said that industry competition has given much emphasis on patents and market share but for brand vendors, their products have not brought them much meaning and value. One example is with Samsung's consumer electronic products. Even though it has been one of the largest CE brands in the world, its profit margin isn't even 2%, which is inferior to Taiwan contract manufacturers.
There are 800 listed companies in Taiwan, forming a big army for the IT supply chain. In terms of the ultrabook, Intel's technology is not the only thing that matters. Attention still needs to be drawn to the eco-system of the related supply chain. Of the US$345 billion China reported in exports during 2010, Taiwan-based entrepreneurs made up two thirds and created more than US$280 billion in production value last year in China as well. Looking at the monumental role Taiwan has been playing in the IT world, we absolutely have the right to require Intel and other world-class companies to give us more resources and assistance, added Hwang.
Hwang concluded that in the development of the world's civilization, Europe, Asia and Africa have always had equal importance. Europe started to flourish after the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. In the future, populations will become an important strategic resource with the rise of cloud computing and Eastern civilization will again become a dominant force. Taiwan's companies and industries need to constantly enrich their knowledge in the face of future trends.
The DTF 2012 Ultra Mobile & Ecosystem Forum attracts hundreds of participants.
Digitimes president Colley Hwang delivers a talk on how the ultra mobile eco-system can recreate Taiwan's IT industries.


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(NC)-If you aren't in the middle of a home renovation right now, you might be making plans to get started.
A recent survey by the Canadian Home Builders' Association found that Ontario's renovators have been busy over the past year and expect to be even busier over the next one.
It makes sense. Spurred by a desire to cut their commutes and shrink their carbon footprint, Ontarians are returning to urban centres across the province, many to older homes that need some TLC.
And they are investing some serious money in sprucing up. Renovation spending in Ontario, which jumped 5.8 per cent in 2007, has been growing at an average annual rate of 8.9 per cent a year since 1998.
Planning a renovation is also the perfect time to think about increasing your home's energy efficiency.
Upgrading your lighting, windows, insulation, water and space heating systems can save you hundreds of dollars a year. It's good for the environment too, because the less energy your home uses, the fewer greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere.
The Ontario Home Energy Savings Program can help, by showing you how best to cut your electricity bill, and offsetting the cost of many eligible energy efficient retrofits. You could be eligible for rebates totalling as much as $10,000.
Simply hire a licensed home energy advisor who will find your home's energy leaks and show what you can do to plug them, such as adding insulation or caulking around your windows and doors. (Your advisor will also apply on your behalf for an audit rebate of up to $150.)
You will also receive a plan that will show you how reduce your energy bills, such as upgrading to a more efficient furnace.
After your audit, you have 18 months to make some or all of the suggested improvements and qualify for government rebates. After completing the work, book a post-retrofit audit to verify the work was completed.
After your second audit, the governments of Ontario and Canada will each rebate up to $5,000 for your upgrades. The more upgrades you make, the more money you'll get back, up to a total of $10,000.
For more information, visit www.ontario.ca/homeenergy - or call the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure info-line at 1-888-668-4636.


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The objective of this study was to assess the safety of SUISENG® vaccine under field conditions.
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Based on the data presented, there was no difference between the vaccinated groups and the control groups in terms of adverse reactions, clinical signs and reproductive parameters, so that SUISENG® can be regarded as a safe vaccine under field conditions. Moreover, the total number of piglets born and piglets born alive improved in the SUISENG® groups. The use of an aqueous adjuvant from ginseng included in SUISENG® reduces adverse reactions and clinical signs after vaccination and therefore improves performance in terms of reproductive parameters compared to a non-vaccinated group.
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Major imaging initiative to shed light on little known brain disease
UCSF scientists have received a $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to embark on a major neuroimaging study of a degenerative brain disease that is at least as common as Alzheimer's disease in people under age 60.
UCSF scientists have received a $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to embark on a major neuroimaging study of a degenerative brain disease that is at least as common as Alzheimer's disease in people under age 60.
The fatal disease, known as frontotemporal dementia, affects decision-making, behavior, emotion and language. It gradually destroys the ability to behave in a socially appropriate manner, to empathize with others, learn, reason, make judgments, communicate and carry out daily activities. Because of the changes in personality that occur, the disease is perplexing for loved ones before a diagnosis is made and remains a particularly distressing disorder to manage. Some patients, as a result of their disease, mishandle money, commit adultery and carry out criminal behaviors, such as embezzlement.
Scientists have identified several mutated genes associated with the various forms of the disease, each of which in its own way leads to destruction of nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. However, there are no therapies targeting the proteins the gene's produce, though a multi-institutional trial is under way to test a drug that targets some of the disease's symptoms.
The current study, led by Howard Rosen, MD, UCSF associate professor of neurology, is intended to determine how to use new imaging techniques to illuminate the changes that occur in the brain as the disease progresses. This information will enable scientists to identify biomarkers for diagnosis and, most importantly, track the impact of experimental drugs.
"Having accurate measures of the normal rates of change in FTD will be critical for planning future medication trials that will use imaging as an outcome," says Rosen.
"While cognitive testing scores vary from day to day due to factors such as sleep quality and medication use, imaging studies measure brain structure and function precisely. They can reveal when a drug has slowed or reversed the brain shrinkage that would normally occur."
UCSF and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, will collaborate to enroll 120 FTD patients, as well as about 80 people who will serve as cognitively normal "controls." Each participant will be followed for one and a half years with neurological examinations, cognitive and behavioral assessments, and brain imaging. Neurologist David Knopman, MD, will lead the Mayo team.
FTD is diagnosed by an assessment of a patient's clinical history, and by neurological, cognitive and behavioral evaluations. Blood tests and neuroimaging supplement the process, but primarily help rule out other neurological disorders and provide additional evidence for FTD, rather than reveal a definitive diagnosis.
The new imaging project, which will begin in early 2010, will obtain several different types of images in each patient. Some will be obtained through structural magnetic resonance imaging, which measures the size and shape of the brain, and positron emission tomography, which examines aspects of metabolism, such as glucose consumption. Others will be obtained through promising new MRI techniques, including imaging to measure the blood content in the brain, and imaging to determine the integrity of the neural wiring, or axons, connecting various parts of the brain, using a technique called diffusion tensor imaging.
"It is possible that one or both of these techniques could replace PET scanning, which is expensive and requires exposure to radiation," says Rosen. "This would lower the cost of clinical trials and make it possible for more patients to enroll because MRI scanners are commonly available."
The study will investigate whether a combination of images, such as structural MRI, PET and DTI, will provide a better explanation of how a patient is doing than any one of these image types alone. It also will include serial assessments of the chemistry in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid the surrounds the brain, to see how these relate to changes in the brain images.
The new study, known as the Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Neuroimaging Initiative, takes advantage of the infrastructure developed for another major NIH-funded study of which UCSF is a leader, known as the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, says Rosen.
The ADNI, begun in 2004, established procedures that make it possible to obtain comparable images at different centers, and has established procedures for ensuring high quality data. This year, the ADNI made a significant step forward in developing a test to help diagnose the beginning stages of Alzheimer's disease sooner and more accurately by measuring levels of two biomarkers—tau and beta-amyloid proteins—in cerebrospinal fluid.
The FTLDNI is funded primarily by the National Institute on Aging and is co-funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Related links:
UCSF Memory and Aging Center – spotlight on FTD
UCSF Memory and Aging Center


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Elizabeth Taylor has impressed the world once again.
I had the rare chance to sit among the hundreds of people who were bidding on some of the most fabulous jewelry collection in the world, the late and great Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry at the Legendary Jewels Evening Sale.
The world hasn't seen this amount of luxury (and money) together in one room in a long time. Maybe it was because of Liz, maybe it was because of the pieces sold and the love story behind each piece, or maybe it was just because Liz has the power to aggregate people. Her humanitarian work towards finding a cure for AIDS has brought worldwide attention and hundreds of millions of dollars to AIDS research.
The first night of a three-day sale organized by Christie's was a night of total glamour. Out of all three days of auction, the first one was the hardest one to get in to. Not only because a lot of people wanted to be a part of this event, but also in order to qualify, the Christie's bid department needed all potential attendees to prove that they have some serious financial support. Don't even ask me how I got in… let's just say luck, I guess!
Hundreds of people, mostly dressed up to the nines, sat for almost four hours, through 80 lots of Liz Taylor's most famous, precious, and of course, most valuable pieces. And that is just a portion of her extensive collection.
The crowd was mixed, but very low profile. There were some traditional looking older couples, many younger couples, some "old money" couples, many "new money" couples, and of course, err, some huge "age gap" couples. And then there was me, in my finest suit, trying to fit in amongst the crowd.
I was actually very surprised by the way most women were dressed. They were not very ostentatious, but elegant and confident. Most of them had designer-logo-free attire--no gaudy, pedestrian displays of wealth here… not a lot of fur coats and the handbag of the night was definitely the one almost impossible to get: the alligator Hermes Birkin, another sign of money beyond labels.
The press was set up in the end of the room, which guaranteed a lot of privacy to the wealthy bidders. The room had two huge screens, one on each side, to show each item and the amount they were being sold for.
Of course it started a little later than 7PM, as the ticket indicated. But as anything in Elizabeth Taylor style, it started fashionably late. She was known for being late.
Christie's showed a short clip of some of her movies and an exclusive private footage from 1987 of Liz at her home in Bel Air, California, bidding on the famous Prince of Wales brooch. (Over the phone, by her swimming pool. Can you be more glamorous than that?)
The most expensive pieces were sold through the phone because those bidders were in Europe or Asia. Just one bidder alone spent more than $16 million and got most of the famous emerald suite set, given to Liz by her "twice husband" actor Richard Burton.
There was also a surprise sale in the middle of the night. The number one printed and signed copy of Liz Taylor's "My Love Affair With Jewelry" book was sold for $170,000. All the proceeds from this sale went to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
According to Christies, just that one night of sales reached the record of $115,932,000, an amount never reached before on a single evening of jewelry sales. The famous 33.19 karat diamond ring, known as the Krupp Diamond, now renamed the "Elizabeth Taylor Diamond," was the last lot to be sold, and it was bought by some rich lady who could afford the bargain price of $8,818,500.
Elizabeth Taylor passed away in March of this year and left a legacy of fans, including myself, along with her huge humanitarian work.
As for me, I kept my ticket. The only thing I could possibly get from this auction.
Inside the Auction: My Night With $115,932,000 Worth of Jewels From the Late Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor has impressed the world once again.


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I practice and teach yoga, which is not as weird as it sounds…unless you are as I was before I took a yoga class. Back then I had the idea that yoga was people in a room kind of stretching but mostly burning incense, chanting and smoking the devil's lettuce. While there might actually be some yoga classes out there where this occurs, for the most part yoga is a brutal, kick-ass workout that puts even the most 'manly of men' on the floor begging for a break. It's particularly true of the yoga I practice and teach, Bikram Yoga, which is yoga practiced in a room heated to a minimum 105 degrees.
The point of this is that practicing and teaching yoga over the last eight years has led me to explore some healthy lifestyle choices I previously would have ignored or dismissed, given I was raised in a family with many doctors. I've done quite a shift from West to East in terms of medicine and health. I've tried chiropracty (awesome) and acupuncture (effective but for me it was a little intense.) I've also explored a variety of approaches to food from various cleanses (I love The Master Cleanse, I also enjoy juice cleanses) to Vegan and Raw foods. I once even 'went raw' for about 3 months, which means all I ate was raw food. I really enjoyed it, though to eat raw full time is a much bigger time commitment than one might think. I initially thought it would be easy: no cooking! But to eat quality raw food full time takes quite a bit of planning and preparation. You certainly feel healthy, alive and full of energy eating only raw, though.
I don't eat raw full time now… clearly. But I still love raw food. For those who are thinking a raw diet sounds weird, here are some examples of raw food: Guacamole. Pico De Gallo. Most green salads. Tapenade. Many cheeses. Sushi. Crudite. Fruit salad. Many smoothies. Pesto (sans the cheese, or with raw cheese). Gazpacho. Bruschetta (no bread, I just eat it with a spoon, terrific.) These are just a few of the regular foods most of us eat that are raw. And wonderful. Guacamole!!!!! oh my. Don't discount raw.
Today, then, I want to give you two of my favorite raw recipes. Both are easy. The second one takes a little prep but once you've done the prep, it is very easy the rest of the week…or as long as the ingredients last, which may not be very long! Both also are insanely good. So good, in fact, that friends and I have termed them 'crack' because they are so addicting. While I mostly eat either of these in the morning for breakfast, when I am not, you know, scarfing down eggs, they both can be eaten anytime of the day. As a meal. As a snack. As a pre-egg appetizer! And both work wonderfully as healthy dessert. Give them a try and let me know what you think. And let us know if you have raw foods you enjoy eating already.