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Gettin Hectic: President Obama Sending 30,000 Additional Troops To Afghanistan!
AP reports "President Barack Obama will send 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan. AP correspondent Julie Pace reports on the president's strategy for escalating the war, and eventually ending the country's military mission there"
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


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2018 will be the best Spring Herb Faire ever! Like our Facebook Page and sign up for our newsletter on our homepage for up to date information on the Spring Herb Faire and other classes, tours, and fun things going on @ the farm! Click here this link for the full schedule
|Event Date
|05-10-2019 9:00 am
|Event End Date
|05-10-2019 5:00 pm
|Lavender Fields

subset: commoncrawl


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Howdee all,
Remember the Ruby-crowned Kinglet a few days ago who came tapping at our bedroom window? If you want to see a big Ruby on the Kinglet you must check out the video.
We have a new bird tapping at our window…
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Wasn't that a silly bird?
Our Motorhome has reflective windows and this happens quite a bit.
I wonder what bird will come tapping at our window next…
In the meantime…..
Don't forget to check out my weekly post
Featured Bird Blogger of the Week
If you haven't checked out Birdingblogs.com yet..please come over and check us out.
A multi authored blog..
Kenn Kaufman, Dale Forbes,Tom McKinney, Rich Hoyer, Martin Garner,
Gunnar Engblom, Rebecca Nason, Gyorgy Szimuly ,Susan Myers and yours truly.
I would love to see you there and hear what you have to say about my featured blogger.
Come on over for a visit!
If you know a Bird blogger that you think should be featured at Birdingblogs.com
.send me an email at Nobbiecat (@) hotmail (.) com
Thanks Vickie for mentioning me in your latest post..It made me smile."


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We are sitting back and reflecting on all the great news that came out of the Day 1 keynote at Adobe MAX 2010 today. Flash content developers can literally pick any screen or device and go build amazing apps and experiences for it.
The one that I know a lot of us here at MAX are really excited about is the BlackBerry PlayBook. We've all read blogs and press releases about how the device has a gorgeous screen, a real multitasking Tablet OS and support for Flash Player and AIR built down into the silicon – but no one had ever seen it working live before. Well that changed today at Adobe MAX.
If you were not here or missed the Live broadcast on MAX Online here is the video from the keynote with Kevin Lynch, Adobe's CTO and Mike Lazaridis, co-CEO of RIM walking through a broad variety of AIR apps and Flash content live on a BlackBerry PlayBook. Kevin kicked things off by talking about eUnity, a rich and interactive healthcare application built in Flex and already deployed in hospitals. Check out the highlights here:
Want to start building apps in AIR for the PlayBook? Download the new PlayBook SDK for Adobe AIR from http://www.blackberry.com/developers/tabletos
It comes with a simulator to test out your apps before submitting them to Blackberry App World. And if your app gets approved for launch on the device, RIM will be sending you a free PlayBook! Now that's just sweet!
Great times for building great stuff with the Flash Platform…just Great times!


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inkuplex - I basically agree with you. Immensely frustrating. I've gone through maybe 10 various synths over the years, none had the key beds crack apart like this.I think Arturia admitted that the bumper assembly was some kind of weak plastic. Good enough for some things, but obviously not good enough to take the stress of key-up spring force.I have no idea how many MiniBrutes Arturia has sold. Probably a decent number - there was a lot of pre-release buzz, followed by a long wait for production to ramp up, plenty of pre-sales. If even 1/10th of those units were faulty, this forum would be hundreds and hundreds of complaints deep.If you unscrew the 16 small screws on the bottom plate, the synth opens up easy. There's no security stickers or anything. You'll see the broken bits and where they cracked. There's a thread about how to get the key off to check the bumper. I can't tell you to be happy with a superglue fix, but for me it was faster and simpler than shipping a return or opening a support ticket.Anyone who paid for a brand new MiniBrute deserves it to work right and to have reliable key action. Arturia promised to make things right soon. They know that the Bass Station II and the MS-20 Mini are out there in the same price range.
I just received my second minibrute with broken keys today. This is getting really frustrating.
Glad to report I have a working model sitting next to me. I guess third time really is the charm.


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devassa png
You can get acquainted with the presented collection of devassa png to choose suitable ideas for your business or design interface.
Today we have 10 cliparts and vectors for this category.
Advice on how to make a good presentation
Attract additional attention by gesticulation
This time around we are here to talk about the importance of body language during a presentation and to let you know how best you can learn and exercise it.
- Watch presentations of others either live or on video. This helps a great deal to understand how to effectively and meaningfully gesticulare during your presentation.
- Rehearse your presentation in front of a mirror or record it on video. If you are a beginner, you will surely need to do this at least a dozen times, until you will actually dare to gesticulate.normally.
- As an addition if you are a beginner, don't be hard on yourself and don't force yourself to gesticulate. Rather make sure that your posture is straight and that you don't show any signs of being stressed or nervous.


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Building a sweet tradition
More than bricks and mortar make a house a home, and more than icing and candy make building gingerbread houses a holiday tradition.
Seeing folks design a rooftop with peppermint shingles or screen door of checkerboard pretzels gives Kit Myers a thrill. What began more than 20 years ago as a family activity is now an annual event of confectionary creativity for hundreds of people through Myers' business, GingerbreadWorkshop.com.
"I wanted to create a tradition for my daughter," Myers said. "I baked eight little houses for her and her friends, and developed a passion I didn't know existed within me."
When gingerbread became her business, Myers baked cookie components for the workshops she hosted in her home. Now she orders the pieces from a bakery and facilitates workshops at public and private parties, schools and corporate team-building events. For $40 to $55 per structure, participants get instruction and all the materials they need to build their structures.
At a recent workshop, Myers began with the first rule of gingerbread: "There are no mistakes."
She demonstrated how to assemble the evening's cookie houses, churches, general stores and trains. After some advice about icing application, Myers and her volunteer helpers - the "Gingerbread Angels" - gave the group free rein with a smorgasbord of tasty décor - 48 types of candies, pretzels, cookies, sugar crystals and gum.
"What you're trying to do is find the 8-year-old within," said Myers, accessorized with gingerbread house earrings and red sequined sneakers. "We don't want realism; we want imagination."
Ten-year-old Lola Sanchez has attended a workshop every year since age 6. This year she topped her ginger general store with an iridescent collage of sugar and sprinkles. Decorating the roof is her favorite part, she said.
Another annual participant, Jefferson Middle School art teacher Dawn Stockton, challenged herself to create stained-glass windows for her candy-coated church. She succeeded by using pieces of striped gum.
"I let artists make whatever they want," Myers said.
More Information
In 2012, participants in Kit Myers' workshops have built about 500 structures. In addition to the gingerbread, the year's building supplies have included:
- 500 pounds powdered sugar (for icing)
- 800 pounds pasteurized egg whites (for icing)
- 1,500 freezer bags (for icing)
- 50 pounds of pretzels in four varieties (sticks, balls, butter snaps, holiday shapes)
- 1,800 miniature ice cream cones
- 1,000 pounds of candies, including:
- 4,200 gummy bears
- 8,400 candy bear cubs
- 1,500 licorice dogs
- 7,800 candy tear drops
- 15,000 candy pastel hearts
- 7,500 each candy fish, ducks and stars
- 2,800 lollipops
¾ teaspoons of cream of tartar
3 egg whites
1 pound of powdered sugar (See note)
Directions: Beat ingredients on medium high speed for at least 10 minutes. The icing should look glossy and make stiff peaks.
Store at room temperature.
Note: Because egg whites vary in size, a couple more tablespoons of sugar might be required. The ratio is 1 ounce of egg whites to 5.25 ounces of powdered sugar.
From Kit Myers
One workshop participant fashioned an Alamo façade from spare gingerbread pieces. Myers liked the idea so much that she now includes a premade Alamo with the train setup.
"We've even had people build football stadiums and space shuttles," said volunteer Misty Muñoz.
At the end of each 90-minute workshop, participants take home their creations and a bag with extra candy and icing to have handy in case repairs are needed. They also receive a card with Myers' icing recipe, which is especially good glue for the sweet structures.
Myers estimates she's supervised the construction of at least 5,000 structures over the years. Her goal is to make the process as easy as possible so participants take home a gingerbread building and a story to tell.


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So this is it. A very summery looking quad with a shimmering white gold shade, a bright matte pink, a shimmery coral and a deep slightly shimmery brown. Bit of an odd combination with the coral and pink, but you can either use just 2 or 3 shades, or work the whole lot into one look (which I did with the pink on my eyelid, coral in the inner third, brown in the crease and the shimmery white gold to highlight - sadly I have no pictures).
The brown would work well as an eyeliner as well as crease colour. It is the most pigmented shade in the quad, it is absolutely gorgeous. The shimmery white gold is stunning, it has lots of small flecks of fine glitter, but it's actually still quite subtle with very minimal fallout. The pink is almost completely matte and is rather chalky, but it is buildable, however I'd advise patting it on rather than swiping. The coral is a big letdown, it looks gorgeous in the pan but sadly it has a very poor colour payoff, the shadow is not at all buttery, it's hard and not much colour comes off it when swiped. I haven't tried it wet yet, that might work, but I tend not to use my eyeshadows wet, so I need them to work well dry too.
The compact is shiny and bronze instead of Guerlain's usual black. As I said mine didn't come with the velvet pouch or the box, so I don't know what those look like.
All in all, this quad has positives and negatives. The price will be a negative to a lot of people, I think it's likely to be £37 as that's how much the other quads cost. You get 7.2 g of eyeshadows, so that's not bad, but at this quality I don't know if I could recommend it. I do love the brown and white gold shades very much, but the other two, especially the coral are not very nice. They're okay, but not that great. So to me this definitely doesn't live up to the normal Guerlain standards.
Se more pictures including swatches after the jump!


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Add some pizzaz to next event with personalized stadium cups!
Personalized Stadium Cups -- Screen printed -- 1-color imprint included -- Made in the USA -- Recyclable -- Reusable -- BPA Free
1. Choose your cup size and quantity from the SIZE drop down menu.
2. Choose your cup color from the CUP COLOR drop down menu (click right on listing photos to see options)
3. Include the following in the "message to sender" purchase notes section during checkout.
-- Ink color
*If no ink color is listing in the notes during checkout we will use the white ink.
*If you choose a cup color that is not available in 12oz, 22oz, or 32oz cups we will adjust your order to 16oz cups (16oz cups offer all colors shown in the listing photos).
*At this time we are not able to split colors between a set. Your order will consist of all the same cup color, imprint color, and design layout.
If you would like to see a digital proof of your order, before printing please add a proof listing to your cart prior to checkout. Proofs are located in the drop down menu of this listing.
If you do not purchase a proof, your order will be printed exactly like the listing picture, but with your name/date/personalization info that should be included in the notes during checkout.
Please allow 8-10 business days to process the order before shipping to avoid rush fees. Business days start from the day your order is submitted, or the date a proof is approved (if applicable).
If you would like to add a rush to your order please see the "Add ons" section of S&L Paper Co's shop.
-----COLORS and SCREEN RESOLUTION-----
All computer and cell phones screens are calibrated differently. Some display CMYK and others RBG color codes. S&L Paper Co. can not guarantee the color on your screen will match the actual item color. The pictures in our listings are the best portrayal of the items in person (or digitally, depending on the listing).
-----Thank you for visiting Sequins & Lipstick Paper Company!-----
Be the first to know about new products and sales by following us on social media :)
Facebook | www.facebook.com/sequinsandlipstick
Instagram | @sequinsandlipstick
Pinterest | @slpaperco
© Sequins & Lipstick Paper Co, all rights reserved.
Paypal, Credit/Debit, and Gift Cards Accepted
Turn around time is 8-10 business days, for printing and shipping of your order. If you need your order delivered sooner please add a production rush listing to your cart before checkout. Rush listings can be found in the add ons section of S&L Paper Co's shop. Please also include a need by date when placing any order. If no need by date is included in your purchase notes, the 8-10 business day turn around will apply.
United States shipping only. S&L Paper Co's utilizes the most reliable shipping options for our customers including Fed Ex, UPS, and USPS (depending on the item ordered). All items (except greeting cards) come with tracking information. Once an order has shipped, tracking information will be automatically emailed to the address associated with your checkout information. Please check your spam/junk folder.
• For the most up to date tracking info please copy and paste your tracking number into the carrier's website. Once an item has been shipped, any questions related to delivery or package whereabouts should be sent to that particular carrier (not SL Paper Co). We are note able to reroute packages once they are shipped. We ship to the address included with your payment info during checkout.
All personalized items ship directly to our customers. Local pick up is only available for acrylic trays and greeting cards.
Please take a few moments to ensure your shipping address is correct prior to checkout. Any returned items due to incorrect shipping information will be reshipped at the expense of the buyer, not the seller.
If an order with tracking/insurance is lost or not delivered on time, the responsibility to file a claim with the shipping carrier falls with the buyer, not the seller. The buyer takes possession once the goods leave our facility. The buyer can vouch for their address, delivery details (mailbox, front desk attendant, etc) better than a S&L Paper Co. representative can. Feel free to use your SL Paper Co. receipt for proof of the value purchased. The package is the buyers responsibility during transit time. If your items are time sensitive, we suggest keeping a close eye on Fedex's tracking info via their website updates.
S&L Paper Co can only control the design and manufacturing of your items. Once your items are in the possession of a shipping carrier we have zero control over delivery date. All delivery dates are our best estimates (provided by the shipping carrier) and can be delayed due to weather or local events. Please contact the carrier asap if you notice your package tracking is delayed. If an item is delayed while in the possession of the shipping carrier, S&L Paper Co will not process a refund for your order. It's best to order early to avoid shipping delays affecting your delivery date.
Link to file a Fedex claim for lost or damaged items:
Link to file a UPS claim for lost or damaged items:
Link to file a USPS claim for lost of damaged items:
• HI and AK ADDITIONAL SHIPPING COSTS
Shipping to HI and AK will incur added shipping charges. If you would like an estimate prior to purchase please message us for a quote.
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
• All sales are final. Due to the nature of S & L's products being personalized, custom items we do not accept returns. Please take the time to include all necessary information in the purchase notes during checkout.
• If an order has entered the production line we will not be able to cancel your order. If an order has NOT entered the production line, we can cancel your order. If cancellation is an option, you will be refunded minus a $10 order change fee. If a proof has been sent to a customer we will deduct the $5 proof free from your refund.
• If an item is printed with an error we will gladly replace your order. Customers will need to send a photo to show evidence of the error.
• If your item is damaged during shipment or if any part of your order is missing, please contact us within 3 days of receiving your order. Customers will need to send a photo to show evidence of the damage.
•If no ink color is listed in the notes during checkout we will use the white ink or gold ink, depending on the cup listing purchased.
•The first listing photo is the design being sold. If you purchased a listing, your order will look like the first listing photo design. If you need a custom design, please purchase items from the "custom" shop section.
•If you choose a stadium cup color that is not available in 12oz, 22oz, or 32oz cups we will adjust your order to 16oz cups (16oz cups offer all colors shown in the listing photos).
•Frosted or clear cups shown with a one sided design will be printed single sided. If you prefer the same design printed on both sides, please request that in the notes during checkout. Opaque or solid cups will have double sided printing of the same design. If a cup design is shown in the example photo as having two sides, that is how the order will be printed.
•Prices are quoted for the same item color, ink color and design for all items purchased. Ex: a set of 50 cups will all be the same color, printed with the same ink color and the same design. If you need a name or design element changed, that will require a new set in your order.
• All cups are screen printed with ink. Occasionally products have an odor. This order will dissipate once your items are taken out of the shipping box (and cello sleeve) and aired out for a short time. It is always suggested that you wash your cups before using them (top rack of your dishwasher or by hand). Simply letting your cups air dry after washing should eliminate the smell. Soaking your cups in water will not help but will actually cause the ink smell to linger for a longer amount of time.
• S&L Paper Co's logo will be printed on the back of all flat printed (full color) stationery unless otherwise requested
• All folded notecards and greeting cards are blank on the inside
• We do not offer gift wrapping. Depending on the item we can include a gift message with the packing slip. This is not guaranteed! Please alert the gift recipient that they should expect a package once you receive a tracking email.
• All computer and cell phones screens are calibrated differently. Some display CMYK and others RBG color codes. S&L Paper Co. cannot guarantee the color on your screen will match the actual item color. The pictures in our listings are the best portrayal of the items in person (or digitally, depending on the listing). The seller is not responsible if the colors show up differently in person.
Click right through listing pictures to see color options and sizing information.
S&L Paper Co has set up our shop so that the first listing photo is the design you are purchasing (fonts as shown). We typically do not offer a font list. If you would like to make changes to a design please purchase a proof with your order and let us know what changes you would like to see, in the notes during checkout. Or you can always order from the custom shop section to create a design to coordinate with your party's theme.
Turn around time is 8-10 business days depending on your location. Nothing personalized can be shipped out on the same day. Please view the Rush listing in the "custom/add ons" shop section for more info about expediting your order. Please remember business days turn over at 12 noon ET.
Sorry, the smallest quantity available for cups and napkins is a set of 25. All cups and napkins are professionally screen printed or foil stamped, not created individually with vinyl decals.
Stadium, foam, and shatterproof cups are listed by their full liquid capacity (when filled to the brim). Please check listing pictures for physical measurements of each cup style sold in the shop.
Our most popular size is the 16oz cup.
For example: A 16oz cup holds approximately 16 ounces of liquid when filled to the brim. When serving a beverage you would pour around 12oz of liquid in a 16oz cup and leave space for ice and empty space near the rim to avoid spillage.
The best way to know you are ordering the correct size cup is to measure out the size shown in our listing charts with a ruler or measuring tape. Item measurement charts are located in the listing photos.
S&L Paper Co is not the grammar police :) This FAQ is here to help offer advice but ultimately we will print what you request in the notes associated with your order.
The Smiths is plural for "Smith" and means there is more than one person named Smith.
The Smith's (with an apostrophe) is the plural possessive of "Smith". The "Smith's" means the possession of more than one "Smith" of something like "The Smith's car is green".
If your order simply says "The Smiths" that is correct. If your order has a design showing possession (Ex: The Smith's Luau party 2019) then you need to add an 's.
If your name ends in a "s" you should add "es" to the end. Ex: The Harrises
Foil is stamped into items. The only foil colors options are the ones shown in the foil color chart in our listing photos.
Ink is printed onto items. Ink is mixed to match a color, then printed. The color options are endless with ink.
A proof is a digital mock up of your order. No physical items will be mailed when a proof is ordered.
Proofs are not automatically sent with each order. If you would like to see a digital proof of your order please add a proof listing to your cart prior to checkout. This listing can be found in the add ons shop section (or in most listings drop down menus). Proofs will not be sent for items purchased with a rush order.
Proofs add time to our production schedule. Your order can not be placed in the production line up until a proof is approved. If time is of the essence for your order, I would suggest not adding on a proof. Proofs are best for custom designs or when you want to see changes in the fonts shown in a design.
Traditionally monograms are printed in fLm order (first) LAST (middle).
If you purchase an item where the letters are all the same size font, they will be listed in FML order.
Married monograms are usually printed in the following order: (wife's first name) Couples Last Name (husband's first name).
Monograms are personal and depends on the customers preference. We will print initials in the order you request in the notes during checkout.
Shatterproof and stadium cups are dishwasher safe. We suggest using the top rack only.
Foam and paper cups are intended for single use.


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Provided by: libweather-com-perl_0.5.3-2_all
Weather::Com::Wind - class containing wind data
#!/usr/bin/perl -w use Weather::Com::Finder; # you have to fill in your ids from weather.com here my $PartnerId = 'somepartnerid'; my $LicenseKey = 'mylicense'; my %weatherargs = ( 'partner_id' => $PartnerId, 'license' => $LicenseKey, 'language' => 'de', ); my $weather_finder = Weather::Com::Finder->new(%weatherargs); my @locations = $weather_finder->find('Heidelberg'); my $currconditions = $locations[0]->current_conditions(); print "Wind comes from ", $currconditions->wind()->direction_long(), "\n"; print "and its speed is", $currconditions->wind()->speed(), "\n";
Via Weather::Com::Wind one can access speed and direction (in degrees, short and long textual description) of the wind. Wind is usually an object belonging to current conditions or to a forecast (not implemented yet). This class will not be updated automatically with each call to one of its methods. You need to call the "wind()" method of the parent object again to update your object.
You usually would not construct an object of this class yourself. This is implicitely done when you call the "wind()" method of one current conditions or forecast object.
speed() Returns the wind speed. direction_degrees() Returns the direction of the wind in degrees. direction_short([$language]) Returns the direction of the wind as wind mnemonic (N, NW, E, etc.). These directions are being translated if you specified a language in the parameters you provided to your Weather::Com::Finder. This attribute is dynamic language enabled. direction_long([$language]) Returns the direction of the wind as long textual description (North, East, Southwest, etc.). These directions are being translated if you specified a language in the parameters you provided to your Weather::Com::Finder. This attribute is dynamic language enabled.
Thomas Schnuecker, <firstname.lastname@example.com>
Copyright (C) 2004-2007 by Thomas Schnuecker This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself. The data provided by weather.com and made accessible by this OO interface can be used for free under special terms. Please have a look at the application programming guide of weather.com (<http://www.weather.com/services/xmloap.html>)!


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As a Canadian voter...
You might be a Green, or a Dipper; a Tory, PC, Bloquistador or Liberal; or non-affiliated. But in the end, a plurality of you will be required to vote for Stéphane Dion and not Stephen Harper.
For one thing, the tax breaks coming into effect today (be still my beating heart: I just saved $1.95 on my new 8-gig IPOD nano...) are merely an empty sales pitch that will pointlessly put pressure on our public finances in order to create the necessary conditions to further "streamline" (we'll be told) and "reduce to a manageable size" our federal government services. Then they'll sell it in french to my fellow Québecois and Québecoise as a further reduction in the interference of the Canadian State into the unquestionably Correct and Good sovereignty of the so-called Québecois Nation in handling its own affairs, just as Camille Laurin and the tar-stained but beatified (n'est-ce pas?) Saint-Réné Levesque would have had it.
As sales pitches go, it's not unlike the time a couple of years ago when someone was asking us to "lend" them our votes.
For those with short memories, Jack Layton and his 30-strong caucus haven't exactly been able to curtail the most flagrant abuses of the SSHITs with all those "borrowed" votes. And I have a feeling Dion will be very effective reminding us of what we got for that trust once we get pulled to the polls at some point this year.
Like Australia's latest Johnny-come-lately to the greenhouse effect table (yeah, I'm talking about John Howard), Peevey Steevie is about as convincing an environmentalist as he is a field marshal; I am reminded of the image presented of him earlier in his term, clad in his button-testing flak jacket, presumably assessing military strategy with an actual CF officer at some hyper-photo-op Afghanistan lookout. With Australia now a signatory to Kyoto, and the international reputation of Canada now cemented as Bushco's unofficial water boy, (don't believe me? Besides the interference Baird ran for Bushco at the Bali talks, note how our Defense Minister is now baselessly blaming Iran for supplying Afghan Taliban rebels with war toys), I don't believe enough of the country's voters will rally for the re-election of this callous dimwit.
What's most curious about the present government is how ill-advised this policy is of being the lapdog to an outgoing and immensely unpopular U.S. administration. Doesn't Peevey Stevie realise it's a bit late to tie his fate to the lame duck Bush-Cheney tag team? That there is no strategic benefit to Canada in such brown-nosing to them of all American pols? As Nobel Laureate Al Gore pointed out in Bali, there will be a completely new American political reality to deal with this time next year.
No, the reasoning for this policy of full-on Bushco support by the SSHITs can only be rationalized under the most rueful and troublesome of scenarios (and I tremble at the thought): that Harper is the keeper of inside knowledge that some sort of Benazir Bhutto-type shenanigans is on the table for the coming year. That regardless of whether the assassination of Bhutto was the result of U.S. string-pulling, Bushco is prepared and willing to throw the United States into the kind of tizzy that would see them "be forced for security's sake" to postpone "indefinitely" the heretofore unstoppable 2008 U.S. elections, thereby prolonging their regime until some magical, elusive safe day in the future.
Here's hoping that is merely a paranoid ramble and that our "New Government" is just plain stupid. I would prefer to think that.
- 30 -


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I'm trying to play a song in an applet. I've googled it, and most of what I see is audio clip, but it doesn't seem to be playing the music. I've tried .au, .wav, .mp3, and .m4a. None of them are playing, and I didn't have any errors is my code.
Could someone please explain how to play sound in an Applet, or why it isn't working for me? Maybe theres a different way of doing it that would work for me? (The simpler the better.)


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So let us begin with some basic tips:
- Never shop hungry - While it is good to stock up, being hungry may tend to influence you to buy beyond your basic needs.
- Know the layout of your store - Having a game plan is just as important as having a list. Plotting your stops in the store gives you a more direct path which, in result, creates an efficient trip which may allow some extra parousing if wanted.
- Dry Goods First - While not knowing how long you plan to shop, common sense tells you to buy your dry goods first since they do not need any type of refrigeration. This ties in to your gameplan and knowledge of layout of your store.
- Don't be shy - Ask for advice from the department employees. Good stores have knowledgeable associates in each department. They can help you make the choice that is right for you. Also, do not be afraid to ask for a specific item. If you do not like the choices available, ask if there are any other choices in the back, or if they can prepare, cut, or slice another one. This should apply to all departments.
- Check your dates - Check "sell by" and "best by" dates. If stores properly rotate their items, especially perishable ones, you may find longer dates in the back if there are different dates. Canned goods may have lot numbers but other items like eggs use either Julian dating or "use by" dates. If you do not know how to read Julian Dating, click HERE.
- Avoid defrost - Always purchase your frozen items right before you are ready to check out. A good rule of thumb is give yourself 30 minutes from placing the frozen item in your cart to placing it in your freezer at home. For those who are required to travel far, carrying a cooler is helpful. Employees should be able to supply some ice with your purchases to help hold temperature.
- Check your receipt - No one is perfect so mistakes can happen. Knowing how to read your receipt is important as well.


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When Cindy West left a career in accounting, she and her husband Dorian spent a year in Paris, where she trained as a chef. Back in her home state of North Carolina, she worked in restaurants until the demanding schedule of a professional chef collided with the needs of young children. The couple bought a farm in Hillsborough, Cindy threw herself into a new self-taught craft, and in time they decided to take their dream and "go pro." The Wests bought tanks and equipment and turned the old tobacco farm over to the production of…
Beer lovers will know a score of stories where this sentence finishes with the word "beer." The modern revolution in American brewing has been propelled by people like the Wests, who turned away from established careers to carve out a new life in craft brewing. But the West's narrative is completed with the word "cheese" instead. They opened Hillsborough Cheese Co., where they make a small range of cheeses only available locally. The Wests are kindred spirits to any upstart microbrewers of the last decade.
The parallels between beer and cheese are striking: their histories both start with a varied, home-based industry with strong ties to indigenous producers; the industrial age consolidated manufacturing in the hands of a smaller number of national companies; local styles and businesses lost ground to the ubiquity of a few inoffensive styles; and traditional approaches have recently made a comeback, thanks to a combination of multi-generational regional producers and newly-recruited innovators.
The world of new American cheese even includes traditionalist revival producers (think Anchor Brewing) and what might be called "extreme" cheese makers (think Dogfish Head). There are debates about authenticity: where beer people argue about who can and cannot wear the badge "craft," cheese makers struggle over the divide between "specialty" and "artisanal."
We are eating three times the amount of cheese we ate in 1970, according to educator and writer Max McCalman, author of the newly published Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager. "As in craft brewing," he explains, "less of the enthusiasm is for the processed cheese or the industrial style of beer. There is a growing connoisseurship for fine cheeses." The steepest growth in cheese appreciation has come in the last decade.
For both beer and cheese, the passion of a small number of producers and consumers has made life at the table more flavorful for all of us.
Prehistoric Sustenance
The similarities between beer and cheese go back to basic biology, and to their origins millennia ago.
One of the fundamental advances in human history had to do with the ability to preserve food, extending a bridge of security that would let communities transform today's plenty into sustenance for the lean seasons. Today's fresh kill is next winter's cured meat. The summer's abundant fruit becomes wine. The grain harvest can be saved as beer, and surplus fragile milk becomes long-lasting cheese. A predictable diet could give our species the assurance to extend its reach into otherwise hostile lands. Our ability to modify food is part of what makes us human.
Beer and cheese were both lucky accidents of some 3- or 4,000 years ago, and both probably required that a level of basic technology already be in place. Since grain has to be germinated or baked to make its sugars available for fermentation, it's likely that early beer arose from the accidental soaking of primitive bread. The first brewers had to already be bakers.
And cheese, which is essentially the controlled spoilage of milk, first required that animals be domesticated for milking. Domestic herds gave milk, meat and materials: a slaughtered animal's organs made convenient containers. Fresh milk stored in the stomach of a young animal would have separated naturally through the actions of the stomach's enzymes into curds and whey: simple cheese.
Beer and cheese share an additional attribute: both made the unpalatable safe for consumption. The boiling that was part of brewing killed pathogens and turned unhealthy water into a wholesome beverage. And cheese making converted milk, a food most humans cannot digest after infancy, into a food that could sustain adults who had become "lactose intolerant"—the norm for most of the human family.
The Power of Fermentation
Beer and cheese have changed in the past four millennia, but neither has strayed very far from its origins.
Both owe their character to the transforming power of microorganisms: fermentation. In brewing, simple sugars from grain are converted by yeast into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Cheese making depends on the conversion of milk by a bacterial culture that makes it acidic, turning the milk sugar lactose into lactic acid. Then rennet, a digestive enzyme complex from the stomach of an unweaned ruminant animal, curdles the milk, turning it into a solid mass. In essence, casein, the chief protein in milk, is partially digested by the rennet into a solid (curds) and a liquid (whey). (There are now vegetable rennets, also.)
Beyond the process of fermentation, the art of brewing consists of the selection and handling of the grains (barley, wheat, oats, rye, rice among others), the addition of other flavors (primarily hops, but also other spices and fruits), and the careful conditioning of the beer.
Similar choices turn the cheese maker into an artist. Milk from cows, sheep and goats are the most popular selections, though water buffalo, yak, camel, reindeer and mares' milk have been made into cheese. The cheese maker can also select additional flavoring agents: secondary microbial cultures of mold or bacteria that will ripen the cheese into familiar varieties such as Roquefort or Camembert, as well as fruits and spices. And, lastly, cheeses can be aged under different regimes for weeks or years to attain desired qualities.
American Cheese
Cheese and beer both arrived on these shores with the European settlers, who drew upon culinary traditions that were already highly developed. Colonists brewed and made cheese, and each new wave of immigrants brought their practices with them. Cheese production, like brewing, spread west with the settlers.
In the mid-nineteenth century, critical leaps in technology in both brewing and cheese production originated with one man: French microbiologist Louis Pasteur. His discovery of the presence of yeast and bacteria in fermenting beer gave brewers control over a process prone to going sour. And pasteurization, the heating of raw milk to kill pathogens, made cheese a safer food and paved the way for industrial-sized production.
New Yorker Jesse Williams, who is credited with establishing the first large-scale cheese-making operation, may have been the Adolphus Busch or Frederick Pabst of cheese. Add to this innovation the invention of "process cheese" early in the 20th century—a cheese food created by re-heating cheddar scraps with other ingredients and emulsifiers —and cheese was launched on a similar mass-market path as brewing, with affordable, stable, but unchallenging varieties available nationwide.
"Many of us who grew up before the craft brewing revolution were exposed to bland cheese and bland beer, and for a lot of the same reasons," observes Charles Finkel, founder of Seattle's Pike Brewing Co. and an advocate for handcrafted foods of all types. "The words 'American cheese' or 'American beer' were synonyms for something that had little or no taste, that is mass-marketed and fills the void between being hungry or thirsty and satisfying those needs, but not with any panache."
But over the past four decades, consumer frustration with national brands and styles has transformed wine, beer, coffee, chocolate—and now, cheese.
"Heritage" Creameries
Master cheese maker Sid Cook is heir to a four-generation tradition of cheese making in this country's top cheese-producing state, Wisconsin.
He sees many parallels between his business and the brewing industry, which also has a rich history in the state. "In the past, there were a lot of wonderful small breweries here, but nobody seemed to be about making any money," he says. "And the same was true of the 3,000 cheese factories that were here in Wisconsin in the '20s and '30s: they were just making a living. So, of course, there was consolidation."
In 1986, Cook purchased Carr Valley Cheese Co., a large creamery with its roots early in the century, and set about re-directing the company's focus from a single type of cheese to the production of a wide range of selections. The diversification has netted Cook and his company a host of awards.
"We started doing pepper jack, then we started making goats' milk cheeses, mixed milk and sheep milk cheeses," he explains. "Our new customer base was completely different from who we traditionally sold our cheeses to." Cook describes the process as "making a transition from a specialty cheese company to an artisan cheese company." He points to other cheese makers, such as Sartori, that have followed the same path.
As Cook sees it, the distinction between commercial, specialty and artisan creameries has less to do with the size of the company, and more with the types of cheeses made. Carr Valley now makes about 50 different cheeses from cow, sheep, goat, and mixed milk. They include such originals as a goat cheese with the rind dusted in cocoa, a layered cheese of sheep milk and goat milk with grape vine ash separating the layers, and a cave-aged cheese with naturally occurring molds on the surface, in the manner of wild fermentation.
"We're little like Leinenkugel in the beer world," says Cook of another multi-generation Wisconsin company. "They were always in the business, with a special beer and a special market, but they've also made the transition to more artisan styles of beer."
He likens the new, small cheese companies to microbreweries. "Somebody like Vermont Butter and Cheese would be more like a Capital Brewery or New Glarus. They started 20 or 25 years ago, they got in early, and they got things right."
New Start-Ups
On Thistle Hill Farm in Vermont, John and Janine Putnam personify the truly micro end of the new micro-creameries, which ironically represents a return to the most traditional sort of cheese making. Theirs is a farmstead creamery, where the milk all comes from animals living on their farm where the cheese is made.
John had a successful legal career, but he and his family were "geographically imprinted," as he puts it, on rural Vermont. They bought a farm, and he juggled law and farming, first beef cattle, then organic dairy, then organic cheese. Over time "there was more dairy and less law," and now the Putnam family devotes all their time to the production of a single cheese called Tarentaise, named after a valley in the French alps where these American cheese novices found their inspiration in the group of cheeses that includes Comte and Beaufort.
I got very sage advice from my French friends," says John. "They said 'Don't try to make a cheese like ours. You have different cows, you have different feed, different environment, different everything.'"
Cheese making of this sort, with the milk sourced to one small flock, expresses the most variation, in comparison to cheeses from larger manufacturers who pool milks from many sources. Milk composition also varies by time of day and season, and so will its cheese.
"TERRIOR. Put that in capital letters, because that's what cheese is. Cows, grass, weather," John stresses. "The weather here will affect that day's cheese. We not only live with it, we like it. I can take a cheese and look at it when I open it six or nine months later, and tell you what the weather was that day."
A farmstead operation can require that the owner master every skill involved in the production process. "It's not easy to make cheese, but to add difficulty to that, to actually husband the animals, is particularly challenging," comments Pike's Charles Finkel. "The two aren't necessarily any more related than growing grapes and making wine, or growing hops and barley and brewing beer."
But for those able to take on farmstead life, Max McCalman notes, "It remains one of the last forms of sustainable agriculture for the family farm, not only in the United States, but all over the world. Instead of being just a milk producer, if you want a value-added product, you can make the milk into cheese. It requires a lot more work."
Close Connections
Rogue River Creamery and Rogue Ales are two entirely separate Oregon businesses, connected only by a name and a dedication to excellent food and drink. The brewing company is over 20 years old, one of the oldest in the modern craft tradition, but the creamery dates back to the 1930s, opened and operated by the well-known Vella family of cheese makers. In the 1950s, the creamery became one of the first in the west to make a cave-aged blue cheese in the Roquefort style.
David Gremmels, with two decades in marketing behind him, and his partner, Cary Bryant, bought the creamery in 2002. By the next year, Gremmels had moved into the top ranks of cheese makers. Rogue River Blue is a new take on blue cheese, wrapped in grape leaves macerated in brandy. It won Best Cheese in America at the 2009 American Cheese Society, the latest of many prizes.
But, given the kinship of names, a Rogue-Rogue alliance was a natural, and Rogue Chocolate Stout Cheddar was born. The curds are bathed in the brewery's stout (which also contains real bittersweet chocolate and oats) and chocolate syrup, giving the finished cheese a variegated appearance and buttery, cocoa and coffee flavors.
On the other side of the country, Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont has brought cheese and beer together even more intimately.
The farm serves as the aging facility for Cabot's cloth-bound cheddar, and other Vermont creameries send their cheeses to be finished in the extensive cellars. The constant temperature and humidity, perfect for ripening cheese, inspired a beer-cheese collaboration.
Shaun Hill, a relative of the eponymous Jasper Hill and an aspiring brewer at the time, recalls drinking a beer on his porch with cheese maker Mateo Kehler. "We shared the notion: what if we made a beer that was saturated with the same microorganisms native to the cellar that houses the ripening cheeses? A spontaneous, open fermentation, and then wash the cheese with the beer?"
Hill brewed a mid-range red ale, low in bitterness, and left the beer to cool and sit open in the cellars for a couple of days. The spontaneously-fermented lambic-like beer was used on a rind-washed cheese called Winnimere, which was then wrapped in a strip of spruce bark from the farm. In years that followed, Hill experimented with adding various strains of Brettanomyces or Lactobacillus.
Hill has spent the past two years brewing at Nørrebro Bryghus in Copenhagen, during which time Kehler tested beer washes from Russian River, Goose Island and Brooklyn breweries. Now, Hill is back in Vermont, about to open his own venture, Hill Farmstead Brewery. In December, he announced "Just this week, I am brewing the next batch of beer that will be used to wash this season's Winnimere."
The explosion in American artisan cheese production and public support is newer than the revolution in craft beer, but both are young. Still, if beer lovers can boast that American innovators have given the beer-loving public a greater range of choice than is available in any of the great European brewing nations, the same may soon be true of our cheese. For the same reasons—a diversity of immigrant traditions, and a willingness to borrow from and break with those same traditions—the counter at your local cheese store may also give you the most diverse choices available to cheese lovers anywhere.
Julie Johnson
Julie Johnson is the technical editor of All About Beer Magazine.


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Brazil finished top of Confederations Cup Group A by beating Italy in their final pool game in Salvador.
Barcelona's summer signing Neymar maintained his record of scoring in each match at the tournament so far by grabbing his team's second goal as the hosts forged ahead for a second time after Dante's opener had been cancelled out by Emanuele Giaccherini.
Fred then netted twice, with Giorgio Chiellini on target in between, as the hosts extended their perfect start to the competition to head into the knockout stage – alongside the Azzurri – full of momentum.
Both teams headed into the game having already assured their places in the semi-finals, having beaten Mexico and Japan in their previous outings, and were effectively playing for the right to avoid the world and European champions Spain in the next round.
The game looked set to be goalless at the break but the deadlock was finally broken in first-half stoppage time, defender Dante pouncing from close range after Fred's header had been brilliantly parried by Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
Giaccherini, teed up by Mario Balotelli, rounded off a swift counter-attack to get Italy back on level terms within six minutes of the restart.
Parity lasted less than four minutes, however, before Neymar placed a fine free-kick into the top corner, leaving Buffon stranded.
The Fluminense forward Fred then extended Brazil's lead with a neat finish into the top-left corner from Marcelo's pass midway through the second period.
Chiellini gave Italy hope of a comeback when he converted Alberto Aquilani's assist five minutes later, and they were within a whisker of making it 3-3 10 minutes from time when Cristian Maggio's header smashed against the bar.
But the equaliser was not forthcoming and Fred restored the 2014 World Cup hosts' two-goal cushion in the 88th minute with another close-range strike after Buffon had denied Marcelo.


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Get Ready for the Marsala Freestyle World Cup 2013
The next PKRA freestyle tour stop will take place in Sicily, Italy. The lagoons and thermal winds of the town of Marsala will be the perfect venue for the third stop of the year. The lagoons are famous in the world of kite surfing and around Italy for having 28° water and 20 knot thermals every afternoon. The region is made famous by its sweet Marsala wine and for a rich history and a great place to visit and enjoy. The town of Marsala is rolling out the red carpet for the best kiteboarders in the world and celebrities that will be in town for the Marsala Freestyle World Cup 2013.
The first two freestyle events of the season took place in Morocco and France. Once again the freestyle level of the men and the women of the PKRA has improved for the top 24 men and 12 women that compete at every event. On the men's side of competition Alex pastor from Spain has been the dominant force, winning the first two events. Mark Jacobs from New Zealand has finished second the first two events but could challenge Alex pastor with this powerful riding. Youri Zoon from Holland and current world champion has had a tough year, being disqualified in Morocco and then drawing Aaron Hadlow from England in the second round of France. The return of Aaron Hadlow is also very exciting we will see if he joins us in Italy. Young riders like Christophe Tack and Liam Whaley have been very impressive and tour veterans like Alberto Rondina and Sebastien Garat been having a tough time keeping their top 10 spots.
With the level this high and so much new talent coming from all over the world, just to qualify into the main PKRA event is a challenge and accomplishment. Once a rider qualifies for the main event the heats are intense right from the beginning and anyone can win.
On the women side of competition Gisele Pulido put an end to Karolina Winkowska's four consecutive wins and put herself right back in the chase for another world title. Bruna kajiya is also in the hunt even though she finished third at the first two events of the season. Up and comers Novotna from Czech Republic and Anabel Van Wes Trop from Aruba are slowly becoming new challengers to the top three women.
The livestream and live scoring system have become part of the competition and competitors and kite surfing fans can follow closely all the PKRA action. Make sure you visit www.Prokitetour.com for all that it is videos and pictures and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
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VANCOUVER -- The number of restaurants and bars offering patio dining and drinking has surged in the last five years, according to statistics from the B.C. Liquor Control and Licensing Branch.
More than 20,000 new patio seats in the Greater Vancouver Regional District were approved by the body between July 2007 and July 2012 with 80 per cent of the permits going to restaurants and the remainder to bars. As of July 5, there are almost 60,000 outdoor seats in the GVRD for diners and drinkers to lounge in.
But even though patio season is finally here, dining al fresco at popular city venues may still require a bit of patience — spots on many patios like the one at CinCin Ristorante + Bar on Robson Street are handed out on a first come, first served basis.
"We do get a fair number of requests," said Richard Luxton, CinCin's restaurant director. "We have people waiting up to a half-hour or more every day [for a terrace seat]."
CinCin does not take reservations — only requests — for outdoor seating because of its popularity, according to Luxton.
The full-service patio — which has an alcohol license — has become something of a phenomenon with a regular clientele that is a mix of locals and, thanks to helpful city hotel concierges, out-of-towners, he explained.
"It's a garden oasis out there," Luxton said. "It's almost like a secret terrace because it's raised up above Robson Street and shielded from street traffic. It makes our terrace unique."
CinCin's terrace also attracts VIPs, he added, including Gavin Rossdale, the lead singer of the rock band Bush, Wayne Gretzky, comedienne Caroline Rhea, and actress Annie Potts.
The popularity of al fresco dining is also spreading into the Fraser Valley — Abbotsford Downtown Business Association is working to get approval for 10 new patios before the end of the summer, according to executive director Tina Stewart.
The project to bring outdoor patios to downtown Abbotsford has been in the making for some years. Patios set up for special events and festivals have consistently gone over well with the general public and local businesses, Stewart said. Small restaurants feel it gives them a competitive edge over larger establishments, she added, and the patios will enhance businesses in the area.
"Everybody anticipates it will have a great economic impact on the downtown as a whole," she said.
Patios could add as much as 30 per cent to a restaurant's sales, according to Ian Tostenson, president of the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association.
"Generally a patio adds about an extra third to your seating," he said. "The additional revenue comes from greater seating capacity and it also makes the [restaurant] attractive, which will draw in more people.
This past June's gloomy weather likely hit B.C.'s patio culture hard and briefly decreased al fresco dining revenues, Tortenson said the expected sunny weather will put things back on track.
"We saw an explosion [of patio dining] yesterday," he said on Friday. "The patios were full because of the sun. We have that great outdoor, mountain-fresh air. It's so ripe for being outside. We're inside for so many months so it's a treat. The simple act of going out into the sun, sitting down with people for food and drink has traction."


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Back in September, I reported that according to Admob, a mobile advertising marketplace, iPhone seemed to trail Symbian, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry and Palm handsets in both worldwide and US share of smartphone traffic. This was in direct contrast to other web browsing marketshare statistics where iPhone seemingly comes out on top. I also received hate-mail from iPhone-junkies. But looks like there is an explanation. Jason Spero, VP of Marketing at AdMob proffers an explanation:
With regards to the iPhone question: we serve ads on our partner's mobile sites, so when the users surf the "regular" web on the iPhone that traffic isn't included in the Metrics report. Much of the tremendous growth we are seeing in iPhone requests are coming from the creation of iPhone specific mobile sites. This traffic is included in the report and these sites represent a growing part of AdMob's business. As content owners look to improve the mobile experience, we believe more and more mobile specific sites will be created and the mobile web will continue its strong growth in the face of more handsets having the ability to surf the "regular" web.
One additional point of clarification – the report doesn't state that a Motorola RAZR user is more likely to surf the mobile web that an iPhone user, it simply states that our publisher sites see more traffic from RAZRs than iPhones. The mobile web existed and was seeing explosive growth well before the iPhone hit the scene –many millions of these devices are still in heavy use today.
The short answer is that regular web-surfing (which is what most iPhone users do, I reckon) is not included in AdMob's report. The AdMob-reported iPhone numbers refer to ads served out by AdMob when users visit iPhone specific mobile sites.
According to AdMob's September report, iPhone is giving the other platforms a run for their money even here! iPhone is now ranked 4th globally in terms of the total number of ad requests served by AdMob -ahead of Nokia N95/N80/N73, BlackBerry 8100/8300 and Pal Centro. Only Motorola's RAZR/KRZR and Nokia N70 is ahead and not by much.


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Five States Submit Fourth Draft of Lesser Prairie-Chicken Conservation Plan
Plan is alternative to federal Endangered Species Act listing
The fourth draft of a comprehensive conservation plan for the lesser prairie-chicken has been submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for endorsement, a plan offered by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) and state wildlife agencies in Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma.
This latest version comes after extensive review and comment by stakeholders across the bird's five-state range. Once the USFWS endorses the plan, the states can begin implementing it in hope of precluding the need to list the species under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The lesser prairie-chicken is an iconic grassland grouse species native to parts of all five states. However, long-term population declines have brought state and federal agencies together in an attempt to better manage lesser prairie-chickens and their habitats. The resulting precedent-setting plan identifies population and habitat objectives based upon the needs of the species, not state boundaries.
"For years, biologists have well known that wildlife do not recognize state lines, which has presented management challenges for wildlife agencies," says Bill Van Pelt, WAFWA Grassland Initiative Coordinator. "Often, population goals are set based on administrative boundaries. This plan not only sets biologically meaningful population objectives, it also allows for resources to be spent anywhere within the same habitat type, regardless of the state. This should give state wildlife agencies maximum management flexibility and, ideally, preclude the need to list it."
The submission of the range-wide plan comes at the same time the second annual statistically-valid, range-wide population estimate for the lesser prairie-chicken is being released. Analysis of the 2013 range-wide survey revealed population estimates of 17,616, down from the 34,440 birds estimated the previous year. This population decrease was predicted by biologists because of the persistent drought that has plagued the region in recent years.
Lesser prairie-chicken populations have fluctuated historically due to weather and habitat conditions. In fact, populations were so low during the droughts in the 1930s and 1950s biologists feared the species was almost extinct. However, when the rains returned, the populations rebounded. Bird populations impacted by drought should respond to a coordinated management approach.
WAFWA's Grassland Initiative collaborated with the Lesser Prairie-chicken Interstate Working Group, which is composed of biologists from state fish and wildlife departments within the range of the species, the Bureau of Land Management, and Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc. to conduct a large-scale, helicopter-based survey of lesser prairie-chicken leks across all five states. Leks are sites where the birds congregate every spring for breeding. These surveys occurred from March-May and encompassed more than 300,000 square miles.
The 2013 survey was funded by the five state fish and wildlife agencies and WAFWA with support from various partners, including oil and gas companies that support lesser prairie-chicken conservation, the Bureau of Land Management and a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Although drought has significant impacts on game bird populations, biologists are heartened by the fact that the lesser prairie-chicken has historically shown significant resiliency to periodic climatic events. When the birds were first proposed for listing in the 1990s, the region was experiencing a severe drought. In many areas, bird populations declined by more than 60 percent, but recovered to prior levels with a return to wetter years later in that decade.
The range-wide conservation plan will help increase and enhance critical lesser prairie-chicken habitat through partnerships with landowners that will incentivize beneficial land management practices. The plan has benefited from extensive public review and stakeholder input, including more than 70 public meetings throughout the five states in addition to online review and comment. This includes specific meetings and outreach for wind energy, oil and gas and agricultural interests.
"We don't want to see the lesser prairie-chicken designated as a federally threatened or endangered species, however in the event it is listed, we want to have a plan in place to recover the bird and get it off the list as soon as possible," said Bill Van Pelt, WAFWA grassland coordinator.
"Two critical factors for the bird are good weather and good partnerships with conservation groups and landowners," Van Pelt added. "Fortunately, drought conditions continue to improve and landowners are getting more involved at the grassroots level, both of which are encouraging signs for the future of the lesser prairie-chicken."
For more information, contact Van Pelt at [email protected] or visit the team's website atwww.wafwa.org/html/prairie_chicken.shtml, where the fourth draft of the range-wide plan and the 2013 aerial survey report are available.


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DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co (GM.N) is gearing up to show off its new full-size pickup trucks this week just as the No. 1 U.S. automaker is boosting incentives on its rising supply of the current models.
GM will unveil the redesigned versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra in Pontiac on Thursday, but consumers will not be able to start buying the new 2014 models until the second quarter next year.
Until then, they will have to be satisfied with getting a peek at GM's plans, while also having the option to buy the current version.
"It's a huge cash-flow machine and it's the first introduction of this product post bankruptcy and that means something just for the psychology for General Motors," said Guggenheim Securities analyst Matthew Stover, who has a "neutral" rating on GM shares.
The rollout of the new trucks and related SUVs, which analysts say generate profits of $12,000 or more, are critical for GM, which filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and received a $50 billion U.S. taxpayer-funded bailout.
While new small cars like the Chevy Cruze have garnered positive reviews, the big pickups and SUVs - Chevy Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade - remain top draws at dealerships. Their combined U.S. sales rose 11 percent last year to more than 799,000 vehicles.
And even though they are the oldest truck models on the market, GM pickups still ranked No. 2 in all U.S. vehicle sales last year, behind only Ford Motor Co's (F.N) F-150 truck.
Analysts said trucks and SUVs account for about 60 percent of GM's North American profit, and Citi estimates the new models could bring GM more than $1 billion in additional operating earnings in 2013 and 2014.
GM has told analysts and investors the magnitude of product advancements in the new trucks will be as large as the last redesign in 2006, which helped the automaker gain market share. The new trucks are part of the company's revamp this year and next year of more than 70 percent of its U.S. product portfolio.
Guggenheim's Stover and dealers expect GM's new trucks to offer strong fuel efficiency without sacrificing power so it can better compete with Ford, which has found great success with the F-150 that includes the Ecoboost turbocharged, six-cylinder engine.
Analysts and dealers also expect GM to vastly improve the interior on its big pickups, which start at almost $24,600. Given the trucks' strong brand equity, GM simply needs a strong offering.
"All the dealers are really looking forward to having a new truck," said Steve Hurley, owner of Stingray Chevrolet near Tampa, Florida, adding the Silverado was his top-selling vehicle. "There's no doubt, the Silverado launch is the most key launch of the 13 (Chevrolets) that are coming in 2013."
Hurley, who is on the Chevy dealer advisory council and has seen the new design, touted the 2014 model's more steeply raked windshield, squared off lines and beefier fenders in explaining why he believes it will do well.
In the meantime, GM's inventory of the current Silverados has soared to 139 days worth of supply.
GM has acknowledged its truck inventories were too high, and it would miss its end-year target of having U.S. inventory of no more than 220,000 pickup trucks, or about 85 days of supply. Automakers typically prefer to have closer to 80 days supply of pickup trucks.
Officials last week said they would focus on cutting production rather than profit-sapping rebates, but on Friday nevertheless began offering cash incentives of up to $2,000 on the current models after GM said it was caught off guard by aggressive deals from Ford, Chrysler Group LLC FIA.MI and Nissan Motor Co. <7201.
According to Edmunds.com, November incentives on the Silverado were $4,610 per vehicle sold, compared with $4,533 for Chrysler's RAM 1500 pickup and $4,166 for the F-150.
GM also is offering more attractive leases on the Chevy Malibu and Cruze cars and Traverse SUV. The various deals are for vehicles purchased through January 2.
GM officials said the company's recent ability to raise prices has given it room to boost incentives without hurting itself too much.
"We've always said we'd be competitive and we clearly weren't in some segments, including trucks, last month," GM spokesman Jim Cain. "What we're doing is trying to level the playing field, so there have been enhancements.
"We've come so far from old GM, where incentives were every month the highest in the industry and that was reflected in our poor resale values," he added.
Before the 2008-2009 downturn in the auto industry, U.S. automakers routinely overproduced in order to keep factories running and then piled on consumer incentives to prop up sales.
Reporting By Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by David Gregorio


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|Study: more cancer, fewer deaths
Australians are now developing cancer at slightly higher rates but dying of the disease less often, according to University of Sydney research published in the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA).
Professor Bruce Armstrong wrote the most notable trends in the latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) statistics were annual five to six percent rises in the incidence of hepatic and prostatic cancers and four to five percent falls in mortality from Hodgkin lymphoma and cervical and testicular cancers.
"These examples reflect the annual trends in the rates of all cancers: increasing incidence of 0.7 percent and falling mortality of 1.4 percent," Professor Armstrong wrote.
Three factors drive trends in cancer incidence and mortality, he wrote.
"Changes in population exposure to cancer risk factors can increase or decrease cancer incidence and, after a delay, produce a parallel change in mortality. Liver cancer, which has shown an increasing annual incidence of 4.8 percent and increasing mortality of 3.0 percent, was an example of this."
Population screening that detects precancerous lesions can cause drops in both incidence and mortality.
"Cervical cancer shows this pattern, however, population screening that detects invasive cancer tends to increase incidence and decrease mortality," he said.
"The national prostate cancer screening program with PSA was an example of this pattern.
"Finally, in the absence of both incidence downtrend and any material effort at early diagnosis, treatment advances were the most likely contributor to mortality downtrend."
Professor Armstrong wrote that while Australia had done very well in preventing cancer deaths, the story was not so good in terms of primary prevention.
"Given that the data show 19 favourable and two adverse mortality trends, six favourable and 17 adverse incidence trends, this was an inescapable conclusion," Professor Armstrong wrote.
"This should come as no surprise: the AIHW estimated that in the 2004-05 financial year, Australia spent $3.19 billion on medical and hospital care and pharmaceuticals for cancer and $0.22 billion on community and public health programs — mostly for screening programs, not primary prevention. The imbalance is unlikely to be less now."
The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.
Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.


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This page can be viewed at http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a111296fainmanshot
This is a scalable context timeline. It contains events related to the event November 12, 1996: Vancouver Abortion Provider Shot at Home. You can narrow or broaden the context of this timeline by adjusting the zoom level. The lower the scale, the more relevant the items on average will be, while the higher the scale, the less relevant the items, on average, will be.
The "Army of God" (AOG), an underground anti-abortion extremist group, forms, according to government documents. The Army of God advocates violence towards abortion providers and clinics, and will even recommend murder and assassination of abortion providers (see Early 1980s); later it will also advocate violence against homosexuals in order to end what it calls the "homosexual agenda." Current and future leaders and prominent members will include Don Benny Anderson (see August 1982), Michael Bray (see September 1994), James Kopp (see October 23, 1998), Neal Horsley (see January 1997), and Eric Robert Rudolph (see January 29, 1998). It is unclear how large the group is. The group advocates "whatever means are necessary" to stop abortions, which it calls "baby-killing." According to government documents, the AOG manual "explicitly states that this is a 'real' army, with the stated mission of choosing violent means both to permanently end the ability of medical personnel to perform abortions and to draw media attention to their opposition to women's right to choose to have abortions." The AOG advocates the use of glue, acid, firebombs, and explosives against clinics and clinic personnel, and later advocates shooting abortion providers and clinic staff. A government document says, "It is explicitly stated in the manual that violence is the preferred means to the desired end, and there are references to 'execution' of abortion clinic staff." The manual states that the local members of the Army of God are not told of the identities of other members, in order to make certain that "the feds will never stop us." AOG documents will also threaten the US government and the United Nations, calling the UN an "ungodly Communist regime" supported by its "legislative-bureaucratic lackeys in Washington." A letter apparently written by AOG leader Donald Spitz will claim of the US government and the UN: "It is you who are responsible and preside over the murder of children and issue the policy of ungodly perversion that's destroying our people.… Death to the New World Order." The AOG will openly declare itself a terrorist organization in responses to media articles. It will maintain that a state of undeclared war has existed in the US since the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion (see January 22, 1973), and it carries out terrorist attacks against abortion clinics and providers in order to "defend God's children" against state-sponsored "slaughter." The AOG will repeatedly state that it intends to continue its violent, deadly attacks against abortion clinics and providers until all laws legalizing abortion are repealed. After 2001, the AOG will begin rhetorically attacking homosexuals as well as abortion providers (see 2002). It will also proclaim its solidarity with Muslim extremist groups over such incidents as the September 11 attacks. AOG members will publicly profess their enthusiasm for mounting chemical and biological attacks. (Extremist Groups: Information for Students 1/1/2006)
During this six-month period, 52 percent of the women's health clinics providing abortions in the US are subjected to violence, including arson, bombings, and shootings (see July 29, 1994, September 1994, and December 30, 1994 and After). Numerous abortion clinics and providers in Canada are also targeted by anti-abortion activists (see November 8, 1994). According to author and researcher Harvey Kushner, anti-abortion extremists escalated their violence against abortion providers because of the Clinton administration's repeal of many anti-abortion regulations perpetuated by the Reagan and Bush administrations, and the passage of the FACE Act (see May 1994). (Kushner 2003, pp. 39-40)
Dr. Garson Romalis, a physician and abortion provider, is shot in the leg in his Vancouver home while eating breakfast. The bullet that injures Romalis comes through his back window. (Washington Post 1998; Associated Press 5/31/2009) Anti-abortion advocate James Kopp will later be charged with Romalis's shooting (see March 29, 2001). The assaults on Romalis and other Canadian abortion providers (see November 10, 1995 and November 12, 1996) become known as the "Remembrance Day" shootings; Canada's Remembrance Day honors its war veterans, and the holiday has been informally adopted by the anti-abortion movement as a day to highlight its opposition to abortion. (Clarkson 3/30/2001)
Dr. Hugh Short, an Ancaster, Ontario, physician and abortion provider, is shot while watching television in his home. The bullet is fired through a second-floor window and shatters his elbow. (Washington Post 1998) Anti-abortion advocate James Kopp will later be named as a suspect in Short's shooting (see March 29, 2001).
Dr. Jack Fainman, a Vancouver physician and abortion provider, is shot in the right shoulder while at his home. The bullet comes through his back window. (Washington Post 1998) Anti-abortion advocate James Kopp will later be named as a suspect in Fainman's shooting (see March 29, 2001).
Dr. Barnett Slepian, an obstetrician in Buffalo, New York, who performs abortions, is shot to death in his kitchen, by a bullet that enters through the window of his Amherst, New York, home. His wife and one of his four children witness his murder. Anti-abortion advocate James Kopp shoots Slepian with a high-powered rifle. Kopp uses the pseudonym "Clive Swenson," and is well known under that name in a Jersey City, New Jersey, Catholic congregation. Militant anti-abortionists call him "Atomic Dog." It will take the FBI over two years to find Kopp, who will be arrested in France (see March 29, 2001). Kopp, who apparently was drawn to anti-abortion protests in the 1970s after his girlfriend had an abortion, has been active in anti-abortion protests for decades and joined Randall Terry's Operation Rescue in 1986. It is also believed he joined the violent anti-abortion organization "Army of God" in 1988 (see 1982), as well as the "Lambs of God," a Catholic anti-abortion group whose leader has characterized the anti-abortion movement as a "war between God and Satan." Kopp is well known for designing intricate locks that anti-abortion protesters use to lock the doors to women's health care clinics. Slepian has been listed as a "wanted" abortion provider on the anti-abortion Web site "Nuremberg Files," which The Guardian will describe as "a virtual hit list of doctors who carry out abortions" (see January 1997). Within hours of his murder, Slepian's name is reposted on the site, this time with a line drawn through it. (Washington Post 1998; Clarkson 3/30/2001; Vulliamy, McDonald, and Jeff 4/1/2001; National Abortion Federation 2010) By early November, Kopp will be named as a suspect in the murder, though he will not be formally charged until May 1999. He will be placed on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list in June 1999. (National Abortion Federation 2010) In 2002, Kopp will confess to the murder (see November 21, 2002). He will be found guilty a year later (see March 17-18, 2003).
French authorities arrest anti-abortion advocate James Kopp, who is wanted for the 1998 murder of Dr. Barnett Slepian (see October 23, 1998). The FBI and other law enforcement agencies have been hunting for Kopp since the murder, and tracked him through a Brooklyn couple, Dennis Malvasi and his wife Loretta Marra, who are arrested for conspiring to aid and abet Slepian's murder. (Malvasi has been convicted of bombing an abortion clinic; Marra and Kopp have been arrested together at a number of anti-abortion protests.) Shortly after Slepian's murder, the FBI found Kopp's sniper rifle buried behind Slepian's home; investigators also found Kopp's automobile in a suburb of Slepian's home town of Amherst. Currently Kopp is being held in Rennes, where he is refusing to answer questions; French authorities have not yet decided whether to extradite him, as French law precludes extradition of anyone who may face the death penalty. In March, the FBI learned that Kopp was living in Ireland under a series of false identities and surviving by doing menial labor. In mid-March, Kopp fled Ireland on a ferry that took him to Brittany, a rural French province. It is there that he is arrested, in the medieval Breton town of Dinan. Kopp is also wanted for three non-fatal shooting ambushes of doctors in Canada and in Rochester, New York. (Vulliamy, McDonald, and Jeff 4/1/2001; National Abortion Federation 2010)
Help from Irish Anti-Abortion Groups - Irish pro-life groups deny helping Kopp, but an FBI spokesman says, "He did not leave the US without assistance, and he did not remain a fugitive without assistance." Later evidence will show that Kopp was assisted by American and Irish anti-abortion advocates in Ireland, many of whom are affiliated with the right-wing breakaway Catholic sect headed by excommunicated Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. In 2001, The Nation will observe, "In the last half-decade US antiabortion campaigners have moved on Ireland in a big way, introducing a militancy previously unknown there." (Nation 4/23/2001; National Abortion Federation 2010)
Pro-Choice Spokesman: Kopp Part of a Larger Conspiracy - National Abortion Federation head Vicki Saporta says in a statement: "The arrest of James Kopp could potentially be the greatest advance in the effort to end violence against abortion providers in this country and in Canada. Law enforcement officials are now uncovering what we have been asserting for years: the existence of an organized network of anti-choice extremists who assist terrorists in carrying out acts of violence against abortion providers.… The Army of God (see 1982) has in large part been responsible for the reign of terror against abortion providers in the last decade. This is the best opportunity we've had to finally identify, expose, and prosecute those individuals who are part of this extreme network.… We have been collecting statistics on violence against abortion providers for more than 20 years, and we know that there are individuals who provide money, safe houses, and other support to those who have committed acts of terrorism against abortion providers. These terrorists do not work alone, and we now have an important opportunity to reduce the violence and harassment that abortion providers in this country face on a daily basis.… Now is the time to uncover the ring of extremists who are part of the Army of God and reduce the violence against abortion providers once and for all." (National Abortion Federation 3/30/2001)
Confession and Conviction - Kopp will be extradited over a year later (see June 5, 2002 and After). He will confess to the murder shortly afterward (see November 21, 2002) and will be pronounced guilty in 2003 (see March 17-18, 2003).
Accused murderer James Kopp, an anti-abortion advocate who allegedly shot Dr. Barnett Slepian (see October 23, 1998), is extradited by French authorities (see March 29, 2001) to the US after the American government assures them that Kopp will not face the death penalty. French law precludes suspects being extradited to foreign nations if the possibility exists that they will be executed. Kopp retains lawyer Paul Cambria to defend him, but also retains lawyer Bruce Barket because Barket, like Kopp, has strong anti-abortion views and wants to make the defense about abortion (Cambria wants to defend Kopp strictly on the evidence). Barket will not be allowed to represent Kopp in federal court. (National Abortion Federation 2010) Months later, Kopp will confess to the murder (see November 21, 2002). He will be found guilty several months later (see March 17-18, 2003).
Anti-abortion advocate James Kopp, accused of murdering Dr. Barnett Slepian (see October 23, 1998), confesses to the crime during an interview with the Buffalo News. "I did it, and I'm admitting it," he says. "But I never, ever intended for Dr. Slepian to die.… I regret that he died. I aimed at his shoulder." Kopp, who for months has vehemently denied any involvement in Slepian's death, is accompanied by his lawyer, Bruce Barket. Both Kopp and Barket intend to make their legal defense about abortion, and will attempt to claim moral justification for the murder due to Kopp's anti-abortion views. Of other abortion providers, Kopp says: "They're still in danger, absolutely. I'm not the first, and I probably won't be the last.… To pick up a gun and aim it at another human being, and to fire, it's not a human thing to do. It's not nice. It's not pleasant. It's gory, it's bloody. It overcomes every human instinct. The only thing that would be worse, to me, would be to do nothing, and to allow abortions to continue." Kopp claims he wants to set the record straight for the sake of his supporters who were publicly proclaiming his innocence and saying the FBI had framed him. Kopp adds that he selected Slepian's name from the phone book, and that he also cased the homes of several other physicians before deciding that Slepian's was the most vulnerable due to a window in the back that faced the woods. After his confession, prosecutors charge Kopp with an additional charge of reckless murder with depraved indifference to human life. (Dobbin 11/21/2002; Esmonde 11/22/2002; National Abortion Federation 2010)
Ends Claims that Kopp Innocent, Framed by Police - In January 2003, the magazine Catholic Insight will observe: "With this admission, Kopp knocked the feet out from under those pro-life supporters who had suggested that he couldn't have committed the crime because he was a pacifist, had poor eyesight, was a poor marksman, or was being framed by the police. Pro-life advocates who earlier had condemned the shootings as unacceptable acts of violence could take solace in the fact that Kopp made it clear he acted alone in the Slepian shooting and that no one in the Buffalo pro-life community had suggested Slepian as a target." (Catholic Insight 1/1/2003)
Anti-Abortion Advocates Condemn Kopp's Shooting but Welcome Trial as Platform for Debating Abortion - The Reverend Paul Schenck, an anti-abortion advocate who has led numerous protests and has been arrested for blockading abortion clinics, says of Kopp: "James Kopp has admitted to being a cold-blooded killer, a vigilante who acted as judge, jury, and executioner. In what he did, he undermined the whole moral philosophy of the pro-life movement, which views every human life as intrinsically valuable and created in God's image. He should fade into ignimony after being utterly rejected by all people of conscience. May God have mercy on his soul." (Schenck 11/21/2002) Bishop Henry Mansell, a local anti-abortion leader, says while he disapproves of Kopp's action and the use of violence against abortion providers, he welcomes the use of Kopp's trial to create a platform for an abortion debate. "We don't believe the end justifies the means," Mansell says. "But given a trial, I hope there would be a discussion and an exploration of the issues in depth." Pro-choice lawyer Glenn Murray disagrees, saying, "I would hate to think that those who want a referendum on abortion would exploit an act of terrorism." (Esmonde 11/22/2002) "Kopp is an extremist, a terrorist, a self-confessed murderer plain and simple, so his jailhouse confession is nothing more than a cynical attempt to manipulate us all through the media," says Gloria Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood, a pro-choice organization. The Reverend Philip "Flip" Benham, director of the anti-abortion organization Operation Save America (formerly Operation Rescue), says Kopp "betrayed the pro-life movement, unborn children, and the Lord he proclaims to serve. You never overcome the problem of murder by murdering people." (Dobbin 11/21/2002)
Kopp Will Be Found Guilty - Kopp will be found guilty of Slepian's murder (see March 17-18, 2003).
James Kopp, the anti-abortion advocate who has confessed to murdering abortion provider Dr. Barnett Slepian (see October 23, 1998 and November 21, 2002), is tried for the murder. Kopp has agreed to a bench trial in lieu of a jury; both the defense and prosecution have already agreed to a number of basic facts stipulated about the case. Defense attorney Bruce Barket argues that Kopp should be acquitted because of his moral belief that force is necessary to stop abortions, and because he did not intend to kill Slepian, but only wound him. Prosecutor Joseph Marusak counters by arguing that every step Kopp took in planning for the attack, including his choice of weapon and the use of aliases in buying the rifle, pointed to an intention to kill. After less than two days of trial, Judge Michael D'Amico finds Kopp guilty of second-degree murder. Kopp will be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. (Thompson 3/18/2003; National Abortion Federation 2010) Kopp is allowed to read a long statement explicating his anti-abortion views into the court record. (Buffalo News 1/7/2007) Pro-choice organization Planned Parenthood says of Kopp's conviction: "The conviction of confessed terrorist and murderer James Kopp is a triumph for justice. Our thoughts are with Dr. Slepian's family and community. James Kopp's horrendous crime is a painful reminder of the threat posed by extremists who will go to any lengths to impose their ideology on others. Planned Parenthood and America's pro-choice majority will not tolerate anti-choice terrorists and their limitless hostility toward reproductive health care providers and the women they bravely serve. We hope the outcome of the Kopp trial will dissuade other anti-choice extremists from further harassment and violence. Planned Parenthood is committed to protecting our patients, staff, and volunteers and to ensuring that those who threaten them are brought to justice." (Planned Parenthood 3/18/2003) The National Abortion Federation's Vicki Saporta says in a statement: "Unfortunately, there are many anti-choice extremists who believe that it is justifiable to kill doctors because they provide women with safe and legal abortion care. The Army of God, of which Kopp is a member (see 1982), supports the use of force to end abortion. [V]iolence against abortion providers is never acceptable or justified.… One trend we have documented is that when one murderer is brought to justice another one is quickly recruited to become the next assassin. Kopp's trial must not lead to another series of assassination attempts directed at physicians who perform abortions. We, therefore, continue to urge law enforcement to remain especially vigilant in enforcing the law and prosecuting those who would use violence to advance their own personal, political agendas." (National Abortion Federation 3/17/2003)
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This article was reported by Augusta Chronicle.
The Augusta Chronicle reported that a local Augusta, Ga., organization will use a $1.6 million federal grant to reduce HIV incidence by providing African-American women with substance abuse and mental health treatment, two risk factors of acquiring the infection. According to CDC, black women in Georgia have an HIV rate that is 12 times higher than their white counterparts. The program, SHE PREVAILS, receives support from the Medical College of Georgia at the Georgia Regents University. Lara Stepleman, the program's director, says that empowering African-American women to take control of their sexual health and negotiate complex relationships will allow them to protect themselves.


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New Degree Seeks to Fill Demand for Supply Chain Experts
Undergrads Learn the Science of Optimizing Business Processes, From Purchasing to Product Delivery
UT Dallas has launched a new bachelor's degree in one of the country's hottest new business fields.
The demand for management analysts is increasing at a brisk pace, says Dr. Marilyn Kaplan, JSOM's associate dean of undergraduate education.
The Naveen Jindal School of Management introduced a BS degree this semester in supply chain management (SCM), described by U.S. News & World Report recently as the business world's "next great frontier."
Supply chain management professionals oversee the acquisition of parts and raw materials, managing complex networks of supply and demand from the purchasing stage to delivery.
An increased number of job openings, growing salaries and advancement opportunities have spurred a wave of interest in supply chain management as a career choice.
The number of undergraduate SCM programs has increased 25 percent since 2006, according to the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Approved in December, the new major at the Jindal School has already prompted a number of students to switch their majors to SCM, and freshmen are already applying for the program, said Dr. Marilyn Kaplan, associate dean of undergraduate education.
Bachelor's in Supply
Chain Management
The program prepares students to be management analysts in operations, logistics, distribution; manufacturing, warehousing and more. Students are taught to:
- Analyze markets and financial performance for improving supply chains.
- Design, manage and optimize critical components of supply chain systems, organization and operations.
- Integrate engineering and manufacturing practices to improve financial and operational performance.
For more information about the program, email or call Dr. Shawn Alborz at 972-883-6455.
"The demand for management analysts, at all educational levels, far outpaces growth estimates in other occupational areas for the coming decade," said Kaplan. Following the most recent economic crisis, business and governmental entities have been forced to improve organizational performance by more closely evaluating the costs of their operations, logistics and manufacturing processes, said Kaplan.
Jobs in this high-demand field are expected to grow 26 percent between 2010 and 2020, faster than the average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Salaries in this discipline continue a strong showing as well. The Institute for Supply Management reports that the average annual salary for supply chain management professionals is slightly more than $102,000. Entry-level salaries averaged around $61,000, according to the institute's 2012 annual survey.
Students who pursue SCM majors, says Kaplan, will receive "much more depth in supply chain management than was previously being offered within business administration, and it is recognizable in the job market as bringing special skills to the table."
One student who wanted to capitalize on the trend is Blake Odom of Little Elm. Odom was a business administration senior planning a spring 2013 graduation before changing his major to supply chain management in January.
"I figured a SCM degree would hold more clout than a business administration degree," said Odom. "I chose to switch to supply chain management because I think it will make me more marketable, and I wanted to be different in the workforce and not be one of those guys who have a business administration degree."
Dr. Shawn Alborz is director of the Supply Chain Management Program.
Other North Texas schools offer undergraduate SCM degrees, but are heavily concentrated in traditional supply chain field applications – the logistics and transportation industries, according to Kaplan.
"New SCM graduates must be capable of analyzing the broad range of SCM business functions across multiple industries to optimize efficiency and the 'bottom line' of the shrinking U.S. economy," Kaplan said. "The BS SCM curriculum at the Jindal School targets this identified void in undergraduate supply chain management education as we plan to prepare to educate the future Texas workforce."
"Industry leaders tell us that our students are in high demand because our program enables them to gain the required skill sets such as analytical thinking, state-of-the-art technology developments and decision-making capabilities in order to be successful in the workplace," said Dr. Shawn Alborz, assistant dean and director of the school's SCM program.
Media Contact: The Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, [email protected].


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Car Salesman's Sizzling Dance Moves Are Way Better Than Any Deal He Can Get You [VIDEO]
This guy is doing all he can to change the image of car salesmen.
In this video, car salesman Joe Barzelay, of Eastern Shore Hyundai, in Daphne, Alabama, shows he's got more moves than the Elantra does standard features.
After watching this, all we can say is baby got hatchback.