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Thursday, September 24, 2009
Summer Rolls for Sunday Supper - Tablescape Thursday
Last weekend we were asked to stand in for friends at a function that was scheduled to overlap the dinner hour and extend well into the evening. No mention was made of food. It seemed probable that food would be served, but experience has taught me that probable is not always the sure thing we assume it to be. Rather than chance a long evening without food, I decided to make a late lunch that would carry us through the evening, whatever happened. I love to prepare Asian food on these occasions. It's light and easy to prepare but filling enough to make evenings with uncertain meals easier to handle. We have a low table in our living room that's used for a lot for meals. It has a view of the fireplace and with candles and flowers it's a great place for dinner for two. Fortunately, we both can still manage the ups and downs that are necessary to sit at a table 18 inches off the floor. We are, however, no longer taking bets as too how long that will continue. My primary china service is white, but I augment it with special pieces, usually from special places, that make our ethnic meals seem more authentic. The red-lined cups I've used here are part of a tea service given to me by a client who became a friend. The lids are used to hold dipping sauce while the cups usually hold the clear soup that begins our meals. The chargers are from an old employer's kitchen. That gorgeous geranium is from one of the window boxes we use to tart up the decks that surround our home. I know it's old-fashioned but I really want the food to be the focus of a meal with family and friends. I deliberately try to keep things understated and use small pops of color try to keep the table interesting. I'm really pleased with the simplicity of my Asian table. I was also pleased with the simplicity of the meal I prepared for us. My choices? Pho Bo, a Vietnamese soup, and summer rolls. My recipe for Pho Bo can be found here and the recipe for summer rolls and a simple dipping sauce appears below. In Vietnam these rolls are called goi cuon, or salad rolls. They are bundles of shrimp or chicken that are combined with rice noodles and fresh mint before being wrapped and rolled in a paper thin rice wrapper. I hope you'll try the homemade version of both. They are really fresh and lovely. They are also easy to make.
Summer Rolls...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite
Ingredients: 1/2 pound thin dried rice noodles
12 (8-inch) round rice paper sheets
2 cups tender lettuce leaves cut crosswise into 1-inch strips
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup frsh cilantro leaves
5 green onions, cut into 3-inch lengths, then cut lengthwise into thin strips
12 medium shrimp cooked, peeled and halved lengthwise or 1/3 pound shredded chicken
Dipping sauce
1) Bring a medium saucepan of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Drop in rice noodles and remove from heat. Let stand 8 to 10 minutes, gently lifting and stirring noodles occasionally as they stand to separate the strands and cook them evenly. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again. Set aside.
2) Fill a large shallow bowl with hot water.
3) To make each roll: Place 1 sheet of rice paper into water and submerge it for about 15 seconds. Remove it carefully, draining off water. Place it on a work surface. On bottom third of sheet, place following ingredients in a horizontal row;
1/4 cup noodles, some lettuce strips, some mint leaves and some cilantro leaves. Sprinkle green onion slivers on top. Lift wrapper edge nearest to you and roll it up and over filling, tucking it in under them about halfway along wrapper and compressing everything gently in a cylindrical shape. Fold in sides as though making an envelope. Place a portion of chicken or 2 shrimp halves, pink side down, on rice sheet just above cylinder. Continue rolling wrapper and press seam to close it. If it is too dry to close, moisten it with a bit of water to seal. Set the roll on a platter, seam side down and continue to fill and roll wrappers until you have 8 to 10 rolls.
4) To serve, leave rolls whole or cut in half diagonally. Serve with a dipping sauce. Yield: 8 to 10 rolls.
Dipping Sauce
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce ot 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1) Combine garlic, sugar and chili-garlic sauce in a small bowl or on a cutting board; mash to a paste.
2) Scrape into another small bowl. Add fish sauce, water and lime juice. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Transfer to small bowl/bowls for dipping. Unused sauce will keep for 1 week in refrigerator. Yield: 1/2 cup.
Recipe adapted from Quick and Easy Vietnamese by Nancy McDermott
This recipe is being linked to Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.
60 comments :
- Kathleen said...
Looks lovely, Mary...
- September 23, 2009 at 11:33 PM
- My Little Space said...
Do you get the sheets from the store or you make you own? REally nice and transparent!
- September 23, 2009 at 11:52 PM
- Lyndas recipe box said...
A beautiful table and a delicious meal. Perfect!
- September 24, 2009 at 12:18 AM
- Mary Bergfeld said...
My Little Space, I will try anything once. I tried once to make my own rice wrappers and will not repeat that ever again. I buy the wrappers in an Asian market.
- September 24, 2009 at 12:35 AM
- Abatevintage said...
What a beautiful table scape Mary. The food looked yummy as usual and the table dressed up looks so good you don't want to eat off it :0)
Heidi - September 24, 2009 at 12:36 AM
- Deanna said...
Dear Mary,
Your table is outstanding!
I'll be back to visit your Blog, One Perfect Bite.
Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving such a nice comment.
Autumn Blessings,
d from homehaven - September 24, 2009 at 12:48 AM
- theUngourmet said...
Oh I haven't had these salad rolls in ages. Now I'm craving one!
Your table setting is just lovely! - September 24, 2009 at 1:02 AM
- niartist said...
Ooooo! This is great! Thanks for sharing! Come by and check out my giveaway - I think you'll like them! :)
- September 24, 2009 at 1:09 AM
- Selba said...
What a nice table setting, Mary :)
I love Vietnamese food! - September 24, 2009 at 2:41 AM
- Deb in Hawaii said...
Beautiful tablescape and summer rolls are a particular favorite of mine.
- September 24, 2009 at 4:18 AM
- KathyB. said...
I need more time to cook and bake! I love the simplicity of your tablescape. ( by the way, was there food at your function?) And the recipe is one I know I would love, then I got sidetracked by your "Linkedwithin" recipe for garlic rolls, which I WILL for sure be making. More time.....need more time....
- September 24, 2009 at 5:31 AM
- Martha said...
What a pretty table. Love the simplicity.
And although I've never made them I do love summer rolls -- a Laotian friend DOES make them and it is always a treat when she does. We certainly eat our fill! - September 24, 2009 at 5:41 AM
- Debbie said...
Beautiful table and food! My daughter in law is from Indonesia and she makes delicious rolls. So good....
- September 24, 2009 at 7:27 AM
- Jamie said...
Too funny! We foodies are all alike, afraid of going anywhere and either finding bad food or no food at all. I love the Pho Bo soup with Summer Rolls meal! How perfect! I have been so wanting to make these at home, never have. I'll use your recipes!
And beautiful new family photos on the side bar. What a group of gorgeous women! - September 24, 2009 at 8:42 AM
- puna said...
I love this. There's a special place in my heart for Japanese settings. And the spring roll is perfect.
- September 24, 2009 at 8:52 AM
- petite nyonya said...
Very nicely made pho bo & the presentation is lovely!
- September 24, 2009 at 9:00 AM
- Madam Chow said...
Oh, these look so good. And I need you to set my table, which never looks this good!
- September 24, 2009 at 10:40 AM
- Sarah said...
I'm going off to make those summer rolls. Thanks for sharing the recipe and the lovely table setting. ~Sarah
- September 24, 2009 at 10:46 AM
- Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...
Gorgeous table scape. At first I thought this was a tablescape from an upscale restaurant.
- September 24, 2009 at 11:00 AM
- Signing Out said...
Your tablescape is lovely, and those summer rolls look delicious!
Jane - September 24, 2009 at 11:29 AM
- Pam said...
The table looks really pretty Mary. I love the summer rolls and the sauce sounds especially good.
- September 24, 2009 at 11:52 AM
- Amy said...
Yummy, yummy..Your summer rolls look so healthy and delicious. I also love the tablescape. Simple and elegant. Thanks for sharing. Amy :)
- September 24, 2009 at 11:53 AM
- Bab's Kitchen said...
Very Nice, It all looks yummy! I love spring rolls.
- September 24, 2009 at 12:32 PM
- Cathy said...
What a beautiful and dramatic table, Mary. Your summer rolls look so tasty.
- September 24, 2009 at 12:49 PM
Beautiful table, and both the summer rolls and pho bo sound scrumptious. I'm looking forward to trying them! I'll be out looking for the rice wrappers tomorrow.
- September 24, 2009 at 12:50 PM
- Brenda Pruitt said...
This looks and sounds so yummy! I'd love to be a guest at your place!
Brenda - September 24, 2009 at 1:04 PM
- Mary Bergfeld said...
KathyB, this was a long meeting. It was a planning precursor to a political fundraiser for a pro healthcare group and it ran from 4 to 10. Around six, appetizers and wine and beer were served. I'm glad we ate at home.
- September 24, 2009 at 1:15 PM
- Heidi said...
Hi Mary,
A lovely table,I love the color combo it's a perfect choice for the evening and the menu. I wish I could come for dinner...love asian food, and recently discovered a wonderful Cambodian rest. which is fabulous. Yum.
Thanks so much for visiting, come back soon!
Heidi - Heart and Home - September 24, 2009 at 1:25 PM
- The Blonde Duck said...
It looks like something out of an elegant restaurant! How lovely!
- September 24, 2009 at 1:33 PM
- Theresa @ Take A Sentimental Journey said...
Love your setting.The red really pops !
- September 24, 2009 at 1:49 PM
- Cass @ That Old House said...
Ummm Mary this looks good - I am a complete novice when it comes to cooking Asian foods; this is so lovely to look at as well!
I may attempt these; I'm going to visit my daughter in California for a week, and I'm printing out and taking this recipe with me! I think it's something she would like, too.
It will be a bonding experience. :-)
Cass - September 24, 2009 at 2:00 PM
- Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...
Mary, what a gorgeous table scape. Everything looks beautiful as always.
Sam - September 24, 2009 at 2:06 PM
- Denise said...
Your table is beautiful. I love to make those summer rolls too and just serve them with hoisin sauce!
- September 24, 2009 at 2:21 PM
- Fifi Flowers said...
YUM!!! Those are my favourite!!! I'm jumping in my car right now... see you soon... I hope you made plenty!
- September 24, 2009 at 2:45 PM
- Flower said...
Delicious food and a pretty table. It's nice that the two of you can celebrate a regular day with flare!! I have learned to prepare for such evening functions, too! A cookie just doesn't work when it's time for a meal. :))
Thanks for the recipe! - September 24, 2009 at 3:15 PM
- Tammy@InStitches said...
What a pretty table and the food looks delicious too.
- September 24, 2009 at 3:34 PM
- Lynn said...
Thank you for coming by and enjoying my "Lovely Tablescape!"
Yes, I agree. The catsup tied everything together. - September 24, 2009 at 3:56 PM
- Farmer Jo said...
Yum! I love the dishware as well.
- September 24, 2009 at 4:09 PM
- Splenderosa said...
Mary, I could never do this !!
You are an artist, my dear.
Marsha - September 24, 2009 at 4:27 PM
- Inspired by eRecipeCards said...
That is a beautiful table setting
- September 24, 2009 at 5:05 PM
- NKP said...
I love the table setting. I was just telling hubby about the Tablescapes group last night.
Summer rolls are some of my favourite foods. Rolled and stuffed foods just taste better! - September 24, 2009 at 5:23 PM
- Claudia said...
This looks so scrumptious and you lay the prettiest table. Just stunning. I'd happily sit there and feast any day of the week.
- September 24, 2009 at 5:55 PM
- susan said...
The table is perfect for this meal. I looked at the Pho Bo recipe and it really sounds delicious! You were smart not to assume anything :)
- September 24, 2009 at 6:10 PM
- Ms. Bake-it said...
Hello Mary,
What a gorgeous setting! I love the simplicity and colors. It looks so serene.
Like you, I tried making my own rice wrappers and am pretty sure I will not tackle that adventure again!
Thank you for sharing both the setting and the recipes.
~ Tracy - September 24, 2009 at 6:37 PM
- maryt/theteach said...
The table setting is just beautiful! :)
- September 24, 2009 at 6:57 PM
- Heather S-G said...
It is simply beautiful Mary :D
- September 24, 2009 at 7:28 PM
- Katy ~ said...
Tablescape is just lovely; so clean and sleek!
Summer rolls are perfection! - September 24, 2009 at 7:42 PM
- Nancy said...
perfect...food and setting.
- September 24, 2009 at 7:47 PM
- Lele said...
Summer rolls are one of my favorite afternoon snacks, too!
- September 24, 2009 at 8:24 PM
- Julie said...
Hi Mary,Beautiful table and food...
Julie - September 24, 2009 at 9:14 PM
- xinex said...
Thanks for the recipe, Mary. I have always wanted top make this but did not know how.....Christine
- September 24, 2009 at 9:30 PM
- figtree said...
Ive always wanted to make these..now I have no excuse!Figtreeapps
- September 24, 2009 at 10:26 PM
- Unknown said...
Mary these rolls look so good I have always wanted to try these but have never known where to start thanks.
- September 24, 2009 at 11:14 PM
- nannykim/ spindle cottage said...
Love your tablescape--it is beautiful and very artistic--stunning really. Would love to eat the food too!!
- September 24, 2009 at 11:20 PM
- Lori @ Dining Delight said...
Very nice 'scape and the food looks yummy!
DD - September 25, 2009 at 12:15 AM
- Unknown said...
Beautiful table, and the food looks wonderful. My first visit and I loved it, can't wait to try some of the recipes. Thanks for visiting.
Sandy - September 25, 2009 at 6:29 AM
- Blondie's Journal said...
Hi Mary,
I love the Asian theme!! It looks so serene. The spring rolls are a masterpeice, I have torn many a wrapper!!
Have a happy weekend!!
Jane - September 25, 2009 at 7:37 PM
- Rettabug said...
Stunningly simple clean lines with brilliant pops of color...I LOVE IT!
I have some of that same Bavarian crystal, too & was planning on using it next week. :)
Your recipe sounds delish & I hope to try it very soon. Thanks for sharing it & your beautiful table. - September 26, 2009 at 3:42 PM
- Michelle Kearney said...
- September 27, 2009 at 9:57 PM
- Elizabeth said...
I'm so busy reading all the recipes that I wasn't going to leave any comments, but I have to tell ya that this recipe sounds unbelieveably good. I love Asian and I love fresh veggies and shrimp, so this one is right up my road.
thank you so much for sharing! - September 29, 2009 at 12:42 AM


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Even though there are new movies coming out on a daily basis, some are so good that if they are on TV it's almost an obligation to watch them again - I saw "Misery" for the 4th time last week. :D
Can't say the same happens in my kitchen: with hundreds of new things to try – a list that grows longer everyday – I don't like repeating recipes... I'm pretty sure some of you agree with me. But I don't mind trying variations on something I've already made and that was a hit among my family and friends.
Remember my apple caramel cake? It was delicious and I have received very positive feedback from people who have baked it, too. So why not try something similar, with bananas instead?
This great recipe comes from our favorite Cream Puff, the lovely Ivonne. Everything she makes is amazing and this cake is no different.
Banana caramel cake
2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cups (300ml) vegetable oil (or canola oil as in the original recipe)
1 ¾ cups (350g) sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (75g) coarsely chopped walnuts
85g (3oz) dark chocolate, broken into small pieces (size of chips)
3 ripe bananas, diced
½ cup (88g) firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Butter and flour a tube pan or a bundt pan that can hold 12 cups*; preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF.
Sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and baking soda.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the eggs, oil and sugar. With the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that the sugar has been incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and mix for another 30 seconds.
With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients a bit at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl every now and then to ensure everything is incorporated.
Once the dry ingredients have been added, remove the bowl from the stand mixer and add the walnuts, chocolate and bananas. Gently fold them in with a spatula or a wooden spoon. Don't over mix.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes and then test the cake to see if it's done by poking a toothpick or cake tester into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. If not, bake the cake for another 5 to 10 minutes. In Ivonne's oven, this cake took 55 minutes; in mine, 1 hour.
About 5 to 10 minutes before the cake is done, make the caramel by combining all the ingredients in a small pan. Bring to the boil and stir occasionally to ensure that it doesn't burn. Let it boil for about 5 minutes and then turn off the heat.
Once the cake is out of the oven, poke holes all over the cake with a skewer. Immediately pour the caramel over the cake, stopping every now and then to let the caramel sink in. If the caramel pools in spots, poke more holes to allow it to sink in.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack. Once it's cool, loosen the cake from the sides of the pan and then unmold it onto a plate.
* I halved the recipe and used a 19cm (6-cup capacity) ring pan
Serves 10-12

subset: commoncrawl


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Parshat Mikeitz
It is two years later. Pharaoh has a dream. He is unsatisfied with all attempts to interpret it. Pharaoh's wine chamberlain remembers that Yosef accurately interpreted his dream while in prison. Yosef is released from prison and brought before Pharaoh. He interprets that soon will begin seven years of abundance followed by seven years of severe famine. He tells Pharaoh to appoint a wise person to store grain in preparation for the famine. Pharaoh appoints him as viceroy to oversee the project. Pharaoh gives Yosef an Egyptian name, Tsafnat Panayach, and selects Osnat, Yosef's ex-master's daughter, as Yosef's wife. Egypt becomes the granary of the world. Yosef has two sons, Menashe and Ephraim. Yaakov sends his sons to Egypt to buy food. The brothers come before Yosef and bow to him. Yosef recognizes them but they do not recognize him. Mindful of his dreams, Yosef plays the part of an Egyptian overlord and acts harshly, accusing them of being spies. Yosef sells them food, but keeps Shimon hostage until they bring their brother Binyamin to him as proof of their honesty. Yosef commands his servants to replace the purchase-money in their sacks. On the return journey, they discover the money and their hearts sink. They return to Yaakov and retell everything. Yaakov refuses to let Binyamin go to Egypt, but when the famine grows unbearable, he accedes. Yehuda guarantees Binyamin's safety, and the brothers go to Egypt. Yosef welcomes the brothers lavishly as honored guests. When he sees Binyamin he rushes from the room and weeps. Yosef instructs his servants to replace the money in the sacks, and to put his goblet inside Binyamin's sack. When the goblet is discovered, Yosef demands Binyamin become his slave as punishment. Yehuda interposes and offers himself instead, but Yosef refuses.
The Hidden Light
"When behold! Out of the river emerged seven cows" (41:2)
One of the most difficult things in life is to take the wisdom of happiness into the despair of depression.
The despair of depression and the wisdom of happiness are two different worlds, two different realities. They have no point of contact. It's like visiting-time at the State Pen when the telephone has broken down. A one-inch wall of glass separates them like a prisoner from his wife. They gesture to each other, but their mutual isolation is total. They are like two people on different islands waving flags at each other, but neither understands the other's signal. They are like two people who don't know a word of each other's language, trying to hold a conversation using a dictionary in which every word is completely mistranslated.
Seven cows emerge from the river. They are beautiful to behold; strong and healthy. Then, seven other cows emerge from the river. These cows are as dissimilar from the first cows as is possible. They are gaunt, skinny and malnourished. And then these evil looking creatures devour the fat cows. Nothing is left. The fat cows are gone and the thin cows are as thin and as miserable-looking as before.
In life, a person must use his days of optimism, the good days, the days that are full of holiness and closeness to Gd, to fix in his heart the light of that holiness, so that when lean, gaunt days come upon him he is prepared. Then he will understand that the light has not vanished. It is only hidden. The light seems to have been swallowed up completely by evil, but in fact it is merely in exile.
At the beginning of time, there shone a unique light called the Ohr Haganuz,the Hidden Light. This light was not like any light that you or I have ever seen. With this light you could see from one end of the Creation to the other. In other words, you could see how one end of the Creation was connected to the other. It was a spiritual light that revealed the existence of the unseen world of spirituality.
On the first night of Chanukah we light one candle, and on the second night two. Thus, after two nights, we have lit three candles. If you add correctly you'll find that the total number of candles that we light on Chanukah is thirty-six (excluding the shamash). The thirty-six lights of Chanukah correspond to the thirty-six hours during which the Ohr Haganuz shone.
The power of depression is that it tries to usurp the light. It tries to usurp the true reality of things. It tries to tell us that the good days have been devoured by the bad. The light has gone forever and the bad days are now firmly in command.
That's the message of this week's Torah portion and it's also the message of Chanukah. The thin cows want us to believe that the healthy cows are gone forever. That they rule in their stead. The nations of the world want us to believe that we no longer have any portion in the
However, those thin cows will only be in business for just as long as


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Blusang Lindwyrms are quite different from most dragons in that they lack hind legs. In this regard, they resemble snakes, and this is evident in their movement; these lindwyrms slither along the ground, using their forelegs to lift them over rougher terrain. Blusangs are a coastal breed, preferring to live along rocky beaches and in seaside caves rather than sandy locations. They are omnivores who graze on seaweed from time to time, although their primary form of sustenance is fish.
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text:
Carrie Underwood stars in NBC remake of 'The Sound of Music'
| New York
Maria, former would-be nun, is about to get married.
Starring as Maria in NBC's new version of "The Sound of Music," Carrie Underwood is clad in her own T-shirt and leggings plus a wedding veil as she reverently steps through the bare-bones Manhattan rehearsal space while three dozen castmates, on their feet as if in church, sing "How do you solve a problem like Maria?"
Underwood's procession ends at the "altar" (marked by a music stand) to join her groom, Capt. von Trapp, played by jeans-and-sweater-sporting Stephen Moyer.
During this preliminary run-through a few weeks ago, much work clearly remained to get "The Sound of Music Live!" ready for airtime on Dec. 5 (8 p.m. EST), when it, along with everyone involved, will make history: More than a half-century has passed since a broadcast network has dared to mount a full-scale musical for live TV.
It would have been risky enough revisiting this Rodgers and Hammerstein classic on any terms. But this is no remake of the not-to-be-tampered-with Julie Andrews juggernaut, declares Neil Meron. Meron and longtime partner Craig Zadan are the telecast's Oscar-winning executive producers.
Instead, "The Sound of Music Live!" is the 1959 Broadway musical reimagined for TV, then given extra crackle with a live presentation.
Meron's message: Everybody knows "The Sound of Music," or thinks they do from the 1965 film nearly everyone has seen. But relatively few fans are acquainted with the stage original. Drawing from it, "The Sound of Music Live!" is meant to feel familiar, yet at the same time come across as new and different.
Consider: Moyer with castmates Laura Benanti (as Baroness Elsa Schrader) and Christian Borle (as Max Detweiler) are rehearsing a couple of weeks later a saucy song titled "How Can Love Survive?" This song will be brand-new to most viewers of the telecast — it was dropped from the movie.
"Plenty of nothing you haven't got. How can love survive?" Max tunefully teases the wealthy Elsa, who, in her posh relationship with her fiance, Capt. von Trapp, can never count theirs among "all the famous love affairs (where) lovers starve and snuggle."
This number, sung to an instrumental track recorded by a 40-piece orchestra, takes place on the sumptuous von Trapp terrace, complete with a fountain and a panoramic view of the Alps.
There are still no costumes — at the moment, Borle is wearing jeans and a Batman T-shirt — but by now the entire production has redeployed to a cavernous Long Island, N.Y., soundstage.
Grumman Studios' Stage 3, with square footage rivaling a football field's, is now home to the terrace, along with five neighboring sets evoking pre-World War II Austria including the abbey, a festival site draped with huge swastikas and the summit over which (spoiler alert) Maria, the Captain and his seven children pass to flee the Nazis at the musical's conclusion.
It is for this soaring finish that Audra McDonald reprises "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," the breathtaking anthem that Mother Abbess introduces as she sends Maria into the world and into the von Trapp household.
"In that scene, Mother Abbess is giving Maria tough love, kicking her out of the abbey," says McDonald. "But Carrie is so moving and so sweet, my challenge is to not cry when I sing it."
When she sings it, McDonald is fully capable of bringing to tears everyone within earshot. She is a classically trained soprano, a Tony- and Grammy-winning singer and stage actress who, for good measure, appeared for four seasons on ABC's "Private Practice."
Though best known as a vampire on HBO's "True Blood," Stephen Moyer, too, is a theater veteran. Last summer he returned to what he calls his first love, the musical stage, after 18 years' absence for a production of "Chicago" at the Hollywood Bowl. Then he reported for work on "The Sound of Music Live!"
Christian Borle, known to viewers from NBC's musical drama "Smash," boasts Broadway credits including "Legally Blonde: The Musical" and "Monty Python's Spamalot," and won a Tony for the comedy "Peter and the Starcatcher."
Laura Benanti, who starred last season on NBC's Matthew Perry comedy "Go On," has appeared in the Broadway musicals "Into the Woods" and "Nine," and scored a Tony for her role as Gypsy Rose Lee in the 2008 Broadway revival of "Gypsy."
And then there's Carrie Underwood. Despite her status as a multiplatinum country music superstar who rose to fame as the winner of "American Idol" in 2005, at first glance she might seem something of a wild card in the "Sound of Music" cast: She has never had a major acting role before.
"Carrie is one of the bravest artists we've ever worked with," says Meron, who notes that she arrived two weeks before the production's six-week rehearsal began with her lines fully memorized, to get a head start.
"Every day," she says during a break, "I feel like I discover new things and how to go places in acting that I didn't think I could go."
Even if she's a drama neophyte as she faces her "Sound of Music" trial by fire, Underwood, by one measure, is the cast's old hand: No one knows live TV, and its pressures, like she does.
"But this time, there's no chance of me being voted out," she laughs. "I'm here to stay."
As she speaks, it's a scant 16 days until the broadcast. By week's end, cameras (as many as a dozen) and tons of other broadcast equipment would be brought in. In the parking lot, TV trucks would join the city of dressing-room trailers.
During Thanksgiving week, the ensemble is rehearsing in full costume.
Already, the cast has recorded a "Sound of Music Live!" album, due for release Dec. 3. A home-video edition of the broadcast goes on sale Dec. 17.
If graced with good ratings, this won't be the last such musical event staged live for TV, says Meron.
And in any case it ends a drought that had persisted, in effect, since the birth of video tape made live TV unnecessary and, apart from news and sportscasts, nearly extinct. Helping close out that live-TV era: "Cinderella," performed and aired by CBS on March 31, 1957, and starring 21-year-old Julie Andrews.
A made-for-TV musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, "Cinderella" was one of many collaborations by these Broadway titans that began with their pioneering 1943 musical "Oklahoma!" and continued through "The Sound of Music" 16 years later, with Mary Martin creating the role of Maria. It ran for more than 1,400 performances and won five Tonys, including a trophy for best musical.
"There's an inevitability to what they do," says Borle, when asked what continues to set Rodgers and Hammerstein apart. "The material is so lovely, you just show up and try to do it justice."
That's what he and his co-stars plan to do the night of Dec. 5, for three hours start to finish, with no reshoots and no postproduction fixes to fall back on.
"There's an excitement about that," Benanti says. "It feels dangerous. Anything could happen!
"Even if you're only curious," she adds invitingly, "you should watch."


text:
Would you like to grow your own delicious berries such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries? How about asparagus and herbs? You can purchase yours and support the youth of Forsyth County at the same time.
Forsyth County 4-H is holding their annual plant sale to raise money for their scholarship fund. Youth EARN scholarship dollars through participating in 4-H events that they can use to off-set their registration costs to 4-H events such as workshops, teen leadership events and 4-H camp.
The 4-H Plant Sale has a new item this year – Figs! Plus, only on pick up days, we will have a limited number of stevia and basil plants available in our "Extras" room on a first come, first serve basis.
Orders are due on or before Wednesday, March 6, and pick-up is from 8:30 am - 6:00 pm on Thursday and Friday, March 27 and 28th. Download a 4-H Plant Sale Brochure.


text:
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text:
Despite the fact that my weekend was pretty busy, I managed to find the time to make a nice breakfast. I have been enjoying pancakes for breakfast on the weekends recently and this weekend apples were on my mind. I was thinking that pancakes with apple pie flavours would be great! I decided to go with a healthier recipe and made the batter with whole wheat flour and ground up rolled oats. While I was thinking about oats my mind wandered to apple cinnamon oatmeal and apple crisp with a rolled oat topping and I thought why not add some whole rolled oats for some additional texture? Speaking of texture, I wanted there to be nice big chunks of apple in the pancakes so I added some sliced up apple. I also wanted to maximize the apple flavour so I added some apple sauce. It was the perfect excuse to make some more roasted apple sauce . Of course I could not forget the cinnamon and I rounded the pancakes out with some ample syrup. But I did not stop there; I also topped the pancakes off with some caramelized apples and maple syrup. The apple and cinnamon oatmeal pancakes topped with caramelized apple turned out great! The were nice and moist and light and fluffy and good! I really liked the chunks of apple in the pancakes and the overall texture of the pancakes was rally nice. These pancakes were definitely full of apple flavour. I can't wait to make these again!
Apple and Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup rolled oats (ground in food processor)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 cup milk (or buttermilk)
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons butter (melted)
- 2 tablespoons apple sauce
- 2 tablespoons rolled oats
- 1 apple (peeled, cored and chopped)
- Mix the flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
- Mix the maple syrup, milk, egg, butter and apple sauce in another bowl.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients.
- Mix in the rolled oats and apple.
- Heat a pan and melt a touch of butter in it.
- Pour 1/4 cup of the mixture into the pan and cook until the surface starts to bubble and the bottom is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
- Flip the pancake and cook the other side until the bottom is golden brown, about 1-2 minutes.


text:
What's In A Name?
We knew there was a problem when the border guard leaned out of the window of his little cubicle and tried to peer into our car.
He gestures towards the backseat, our passports clutched in his hand. "Who's the mother of that baby?"
"Um... me?" Why on earth would he ask me that? He has the passports in his hand.
"Do you have identification for that baby?"
"Um... you're holding it? That's his passport."
"His last name is different from yours, ma'am. I have no way of knowing if this is your baby. Do you have a letter from the father?"
This conversation is starting to make me anxious. Katie, in the driver's seat, is gripping the steering wheel tightly and trying to look virtuous.
"No, I don't have a letter. I wasn't aware that I needed one. I have a passport for him. You're holding it." I'm starting to babble. "You can call my husband if you want, but I guess that doesn't help, right? Because I could just give you any old number, and how would you know it was my husband, so..." shut up shut up shut up "I don't know what you want me to do; I mean, that is my baby..."
The border guard is staring at me with that blank but vaguely threatening bureaucratic stare that is the trademark of border guards, traffic cops, DMV employees and hair salon receptionists.
"His last name as indicated on this passport is different from yours, ma'am. He might not be your baby. And you have no travel letter. You could be taking him from his father."
"But we're on our way BACK to Canada. We're RETURNING from a trip. We're going BACK to where we came from. And he IS my baby. He IS." I want to tell this guy that I have the scars to prove that I birthed this baby and that he's welcome to see them IF HE DARES but I bite my tongue. Border guards have no sense of humor, and, also, it's not like a display of my scarred nethers would prove anything. It's not like Jasper left his gang tags on the walls of the birth canal on the way out. Any baby could have been responsible for that blast site. There'd be no way of proving that it was him. At least, not out here at the Thousand Islands border crossing in the middle of the night on a long weekend.
My voice is starting to get that hysterical edge. "That's my husband's last name on his passport, and I am married to my husband and this is our baby and I'm headed home to him but I have no way to prove that to you so I don't know what you want me to do, seriously."
The border guard looks at the passports, and then back at Katie and I, and then back at the passports again. "Okay," he says. "I don't get a bad feeling from you." (WTF?) "I believe that this is your baby. I'm going to let you go. Next time, though, you need to bring more documentation with you." He leans out of his border-guard cubby and hands us back our passports. "On your way."
Katie hits the gas and peels away before he can change his mind.
We don't say anything to each other for a few minutes.
"I think we brought back more liquor than we were supposed to. Thank god he missed that," I say. I roll down the window to get some air. "Also, I think that I'm going to take Kyle's name."
I don't have any special attachment to my family name, apart from the fact that I've used it most of my life, which is significant, I know, but still. It's not a true family name. My father picked it out of a hat, literally, when I was not quite two years old; he changed our family name after a falling out with his stepfather caused him to want to sever all ties with that part of his family. So my birth certificate was amended and I ended up with the family name that I have now. There's no ancestry attached to it, no legacy. It's just a name.But it's my name, and the one I'm used to. When I married my husband, I kept that name. I made a half-hearted effort to use a hyphenated version of our names, but it was hard to keep up, and, also, it sounded funny and pretentious, like it needed to be spoken with one's lower jaw locked and all of one's vowels and consonants enunciated clearly and separately. It's not that I was opposed to taking his name, but nor was I opposed to keeping my own, and I just kinda lapsed into the easiest choice. I had a vague notion that I might change it to his when and if we had children, but that seemed a long way off.
I hadn't thought again about changing my name until the other week - the week prior to being challenged by the border guard - when Emilia introduced herself to a little old lady that we encountered in the park. "My name is Emilia M-----" she said proudly, pronouncing, very carefully, every syllable. "And this is my brudder, Jasper M-----" She indicated the bundle in the stroller. "And this is my mommy, Caffrin M-----." She beamed at me, proudly (is there any other way to beam?) and accepted the woman's cheerful admiration of her language skills and general adorability. I, however, felt a little bit ashamed. My daughter doesn't know my name. And, will she be disappointed that it is not the same as her own?
And: Am I disappointed that it is not the same as her own?
I was proud of her pride in introducing her family. I was proud of and heart-burstingly pleased by her delight in our us-ness. This is us, she told that lady. We are a family.
Does it matter that we don't all share the same name? In the larger scheme of things, no, probably not. It doesn't matter to me that border guards might challenge me on my children's names. It doesn't matter to me that some people might have judgments about me not taking my husband's name, or about me not sharing my children's name. What does matter to me, though, is this: my childrens' feelings about our name. Perhaps Emilia wouldn't care so much, if she knew. Call me but love, said the poet through the voice of Romeo. The name doesn't matter, where there's love. But I remember being a kid, and taking pride in my family, and really loving that we were us, that we were, we four, all Connors, that we alone in the world shared this name as our own, and that it set us apart. We were the Connors, and we were family.
That I loved, that I love, being a Connors, is precious to me. But that family unit is no more. My family, now - the family that is the very seat of my heart - is the M-----'s. And I want my children to have the same pride in being - with their mom and their dad - the M-----'s as I did being a Connors.
Perhaps it's time to make that change.
What did you do? Did you keep your name, or not? If you didn't, how do you or will you sort this out with your children? How do they feel about it? INQUIRING AND BEFUDDLED MIND WANTS TO KNOW
Labels: Flamily, The Husband


text:
It's Melbourne, Victoria 1998. The state government continues its drive to reduce public waste. Already the bureaucracy has been slashed, utilities and public services privatized, and 16,000 public transport workers put out of their jobs. Tram conductors, affectionately referred to as "connies," are also out of a job, having been replaced by ticketing machines.[1] This was an efficiency drive on a mass scale. Ticketing machines were assumed to be more efficient and were expected to save the state bucketloads in wages. But the problem was, and still remains, that the machines were not only less efficient than people, they were less effective, too.
Subsequent research into the service offered by Melbourne tram conductors showed what commuters already knew: they did more than just sell tickets. They increased patronage of public transport by making people feel safer. They were far more effective as fare evasion deterrents than random checks by ticket inspectors. They helped passengers alight and they were the "everywhere tour guides."[2] The people who had thought machines would be cheaper hadn't understood that customers had a range of needs that were met simply and seamlessly by the conductors.
Businesses typically calculate efficiency by identifying all of the inputs in a process and then weighing them against the cost of delivering the result. This means identifying misuses of resources in order to eliminate the waste or reallocate those resources to better use. Methodologies abound for how to go about doing this, including Kaizen, Six Sigma, Lean, and Scrum. These methodologies produce results for business efficiency but there is also customer efficiency to consider.
Attempts to improve business efficiency can often result in putting effort back onto the customer to fill the resulting gaps in experience. This is where a user-centered design (UCD) approach can address the needs of business and customer efficiency. The UCD process differs by looking closely at customers and then designing for the problems they are experiencing. The tram conductors in Melbourne showed that sometimes you have to look on the ground to witness what is actually happening before you start deploying changes. Otherwise you risk business efficiency colliding with what is efficient and desirable for customers.
Why Efficiency Is Important
Efficiency is key to successful organizations as they look to minimize costs in competitive marketplaces. However, organizations that focus on only their inner workings can easily fail to appreciate the impact that day-to-day operations and internal "efficiency drives" have on their customers.
Customers have their own view of efficiency. This article primarily discusses the customer view of how much of their effort and time is involved in interacting with an organization. Research studies show that customer satisfaction largely depends on this.[3] Design research conducted by Different into the journey of customers along the mortgage process revealed how little patience customers have for their lenders.
Emotions and anxieties escalated when significant customer effort was involved, particularly when the effort was unanticipated. Customers had little tolerance for how long it took the organization to fulfil a transaction or complete a step in the process. But two heroes did emerge from our research. Unlike bank lenders, brokers facilitated and chaperoned their customers, taking on much of their burden. And financial comparison sites were the other customer heroes, as they efficiently reduced the effort of shopping around.
Customers care about service but they do not always understand the inner workings of the organization delivering it enough to fully appreciate the value of the service. What customers do care about is the opportunity cost of the time they put into the service, particularly when they view their time as having been wasted.
Let's take a step back from efficiency and consider predictability, the topic of the previous article in The 7 Essentials series. For an experience to be predictable, it needs to be intuitive. People have mental models of how they expect an experience to pan out, which they use to predict outcomes. Anything outside of this model requires greater effort from the user. When an experience is unpredictable, people lose their sense of control and trust is diminished, increasing insecurity and making the overall experience feel less reliable. These emotions are more acutely felt when an experience is also inefficient. Efficiency is dependent on adequate predictability, for without it a service or product cannot be used with the optimal amount of effort.
As we have said, how much effort customers expend to complete a task has a direct correlation to their levels of satisfaction. When customers put out greater effort than expected, they become more invested in a successful outcome. If expectations are not met, customers are more likely to experience a cognitive dissonance (an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding conflicting ideas or beliefs simultaneously) and consequently report lower levels of satisfaction than if expectations were correctly set upfront.[4] An inefficient service increases unrewarded effort, pushing the customer toward dissatisfaction. The good news is that customer-centric efficiency for an organization does not mean an injection of new resources to cater for needy customers and confused users. What it does require is an understanding of customers' goals and expectations to create pathways for them to achieve them.
What Is Efficiency In Experience?
Efficiency in experience can be defined as the degree to which customer effort is facilitated. Every interaction between the customer and an organization's product or service should happen in the fewest steps possible. In a design or experience context, this simply means that customers who can complete their tasks more quickly and across fewer touchpoints are more efficient.
How far should a business go to mitigate or take on effort on the customer's behalf? These are tricky questions for self-serve and human-mediated channels alike. The challenges of designing for customer efficiency were outlined by Harvard Business School professor Frances X. Frei, who created a framework to describe customer variability.[5] Frei speaks of:
- Arrival variability: variability in which customers arrive at the point of service.
- Request variability: variance in the types of requests different customers have.
- Capability variability: differences in the skills and competencies of customers.
- Effort variability: differences in the amount of effort customers are willing or able to put in.
- Subjective preference variability: variety in customers' unique wants and desires.
All of these volatile factors have implications for efficiency, particularly when the customer must actively participate in the interaction. Frei speaks of the trade-off businesses face: do they accommodate variability, or reduce it? Reducing variability means limiting options and attracting price-conscious customers. Accommodating variability means transferring effort to employees to compensate for customer variation. However, this involves higher cost to the organization, which translates to higher cost to consumers.
In an experience-design project undertaken by Different for Gomez y Guzman, a Mexican fast food chain, a number of customer efficiencies were introduced into the business that resulted in a sixfold increase in revenue across all store locations.[6] As a result of spatial flow analysis, the store layout was reorganized to optimize the flow of customers queuing, ordering, waiting, and collecting their meals.[7] This addressed the arrival variability factor in Frei's model.
However, observation and interviews with customers also revealed that half of the ordering time was dedicated to staff educating customers on the menu—a form of capability variability in customers' knowledge. This factor was not influenced by the organization of the store. As customers ordered, they were asking questions about the food items that were novel to them. (It is worthwhile to note that Mexican cuisine was new in the Australian fast food market at the time).
We addressed the problem through an iterative design process where menu design changes were piloted, benchmarked, and refined. The resulting clear and visual menu facilitated an understanding of the meal combinations available and offered quick suggestions for what to order. Customers learned about Mexican cuisine as they were queuing and were ready to order by the time they reached the counter. As a result, ordering and queuing time was reduced by 50% while volume and sales drastically increased.
The Customer as Co-Producer
Contributing back to the value chain
As more self-service options and platform models (e.g., eBay) emerge, the burden to fulfil transactions switches from the employees within organizations to their customers. The rationale for customer efficiency is is broader than simply facilitating customers' seamless experiences to complete transactions and derive income. In the Amazon model, the customer provides data in the form of their purchase history and in submitting reviews, which facilitate the process for the next customer. In this case the customer is adding value to the service.[8] The data provided is utilized back into the process. The significance of this cannot be understated. Business efficiency is primarily concerned with the allocation of resources. In the digital realm, customers are able to create brand new resources in the form of intellectual assets that contribute to an increase in customer efficiency.
Customer retention depends on customer effort
The customer is no longer just a patron of a service. The customer is an active participant in co-production, playing a role in his own service provision.[9] Research has shown that the best indicator of retention is customer effort—the burden required of the customer as an active participant in the process.[10] In big business, the quality of an interaction between a customer and the organization is often measured by the Net Promoter Score (NPS). The NPS, calculated through surveying customers on the satisfaction levels of their previous encounter, seeks to provide data on the likelihood of repeat business and advocacy. However, it has been found to be an unreliable indicator of both.
In a study of self-service interactions and call-center efficiency, the most accurate indicator of satisfaction, retention, and advocacy was the amount of effort the customer had to undertake in the process. This included the amount of rework as well as the number of times that customers had to switch channels to resolve or complete an inquiry or purchase. The moments where customer effort is at issue must be identified in order for processes to be optimized. This creates opportunities to accommodate the underlying customer variability and create better customer experiences. Consideration of customer efficiency is vital as it has a direct correlation to satisfaction and advocacy and is the most accurate indicator of future behavior.
How to Achieve Experience Efficiency for Your Organization and for Your Customers
Increasingly, designers are helping organizations understand their customers by conducting research to inform the design of experiences and interactions. This customer research can reveal how the business and customer models might align for the benefit of both.
Businesses must examine their interactions with customers and redesign them to become focussed on saving customer effort. The article Stop Trying to Delight Your Customers (essential reading on customer efficiency) reported that an Australian Internet service provider (ISP) increased its first-point issue resolution rate and reduced calls by 58% by removing productivity metrics from call-center staff performance scores.[11] The emphasis on shorter call times and high-volume call targets is common in call centers as businesses perceive this to be a means of measuring and achieving efficiency. A focus on reducing customer effort to achieve customer efficiency can seem inefficient to businesses if lengths of calls increase. The Australian ISP showed that a renewed focus on the customer experience not only saved customers' time by reducing the number of calls made to resolve enquiries, it also achieved efficiency for the business.
In examining the potential to alleviate customer effort, organizations must not only consider where they fail their customers but also bear witness to what is really happening. Before changes are designed and deployed, the customer experience must be understood.
The Customer Efficiency Checklist
Questions you should ask about your organization
- Is the business aware of the steps the customer is actually undertaking?
- Are expectations being accurately set upfront, i.e., are customers being presented with the information they need to create corresponding mental models of the experience?
- What parts of the process are inefficient for the customer? What are the underlying causes of inefficiencies?
- Are customers undertaking more steps than necessary? Can any steps be consolidated?
- Where are customers dropping out? Why are these steps deemed more trouble than they're worth?
- What negative emotions are evoked in the process and how do they affect customer decisions?
- Are steps taking longer than necessary? Can a channel or touchpoint be designed to better satisfy user goals?
- Does the experience move within and across channels without causing rework by the customer (e.g., repeating their query to multiple staff)?
- Is it possible to reward or otherwise motivate customers to take on more effort? Are there unrecognised opportunities for customers to contribute back to the value chain that are not being leveraged?
Once these questions can be answered with the full understanding of the behaviors and motivations of customers the process of designing new experiences can begin.
The Risks of Efficiency
Is it possible to go too far with experience efficiency? Gateway, the computer manufacturer, recognizing a capability gap in its customers, had generous staff levels dedicated to educating buyers on their PC purchases. This was certainly a bid to alleviate customer effort. However, all this accomplished was to upskill shoppers to the point they felt they could shop elsewhere. Interestingly, a decade on, Apple has a similar staff-training-customer model, but Apple's tightly managed distribution chain and affirming brand shield them from the thrifty.
Banks are now also facing an interesting problem. Branches are more effective at selling products than self-service channels. However customers have embraced ATMs, Internet banking, and online-only accounts to such an extent that loyalty and product cross-selling are being threatened. It is no surprise that big banks are now recognizing this and are recasting their branches as "lounge rooms" to restage service interactions and reinstate the relationship banking model.[12]
There is also the common credo that focusing on efficiency can cause you to miss opportunities for innovation. However, a careful understanding of the customer experience can catch the opportunities for improvement and provide the insights for a potential paradigm shift.
Customers and users are active participants in the service delivery that companies provide. The question for businesses and organizations now is not only how should they drive their own efficiencies, but how should they contribute to the efficiency of their customers' experiences?
Efficient customers not only spend less of their time and effort, but they also have the potential to contribute back into the value chain when the content and data they provide is repurposed for the company or other users. Efficient customers are proven to be more independent and to demand fewer resources, and they are more loyal and more likely to advocate for the business.
How can you start thinking about customer efficiency to create a customer-centric business? The expectations that customers have when they interact with you must be known. Not fulfilling their mental models and failing to deliver what they expect will result in an unpredictable experience for customers as they exert effort exploring multiple channels just to try and do business with you. Organizations must find out what the capability gaps of their customers are, and go about fixing them in a sincere effort to save customers' time. The results will be lower operating costs for the business along with more satisfied and loyal customers.
The business case for improving customer efficiency is waiting to be found amongst the experiences of your front-line staff and customers. All you have to do is watch and ask them to know what and where you should be designing.
- Martin, L 2008, Time to backtrack on the Connies, The Age, 8 September, viewed 8 June 2011. [back ^]
- The Age 2008, Conductors were never merely ticket dispensers, 15 July, viewed 8 June 2011. [back ^]
- Xue, M & Harker, PT 2002, Customer efficiency: Concept and Its Impact on E-business Management, Journal of Service Research, vol 4, no. 4 253-267. [back ^]
- Cardozo, RN 1965, An experimental study of customer effort, expectation and satisfaction, Journal of Marketing Research, vol. 2, no.3, 244-249. [back ^]
- Frei, FX 2006, Breaking the Trade-off Between Efficiency and Service, Harvard Business Review, vol. 84, 92-101. [back ^]
- Gomez y Guzman, A case study in experience modelling 2010, case study, Different, viewed 8 June 2011. [back ^]
- Bilda, Z 2009, How many seconds does it take to order a burrito: Guzman Y Gomez Case Study, slide show, viewed 8 June 2011. [back ^]
- Xue, M & Harker, PT 2002, Customer efficiency: Concept and Its Impact on E-business Management, Journal of Service Research, vol. 4, 256. [back ^]
- Ibid, 259. [back ^]
- Dixon, M, Freeman, K & Toman, N 2010, Stop Trying to Delight Your Customers, Harvard Business Review, July-August, 118. [back ^]
- Ibid, 121. [back ^]
- Umpqua Unveils New 'Neighborhood Store', The Financial brand, viewed 23 June 2011. [back ^]
Illustrations by: Nam Ngyuen


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Check out the new machoaddition to the Savage line-up! The Savage XL is the super-large, extra-tough and supremely powerful bigger brother to the Savage monster trucks. With a longer wheelbase, wider stance and huge 5.9cc (.36 cubic inch) engine, the Savage XL is ready to rock and roll right out of the box! We were looking to expand the Savage range of monster trucks and had to consider what would capture the imagination and hearts of legions of HPI Savage fans. HPI designers settled on a larger, fun-oriented version of the Savage with massive great tyres, a giant chunky bodyshell and powered by the biggest engine ever offered in a production Savage monster truck. The end result is the Savage XL!
Bigger in every dimension than the Savage X trucks that stand next to it, the XL is taller, longer and wider, with a longer wheelbase, more ground clearance and tyres nearly 7 inches across! It's based on the practically indestructible Savage X chassis but features even more durability upgrades like 3mm TVP plates and engine mount, machine-cut differential ring and pinion bevel gears, steel spur gear, heavy duty clutchbell, extra heavy-duty dogbones, new larger diff outdrives and axles, machined brake hub, dual fibre disk brakes and much more! Read on to find out more about the Savage XL! It will absolutely blow you away!
The Savage XL is loaded with new features that make it the perfect choice for anyone looking for a massive great monster truck! Check out this hugely impressive list of new parts and custom features that are standard on the XL!
At the heart of the Savage XL is the all-new, monstrous Nitro Star K5.9 engine! This 5.9cc (.36 cubic inch) powerplant gives the XL loads of torque for turning the giant tyres, giving the truck the muscle to power over obstacles and through the toughest terrain and conditions. The K5.9 engine delivers the muscle and grunt that you'll want for powering the Savage XL over any type of terrain and through any obstacle! The low powerband supplies the torque for getting the XL up to speed fast, and the curved manifold and aluminium tuned pipe get the most power out of the engine. The K5.9 is also fitted with a Roto-Start 2 for easy starting, a vented heavy-duty clutchbell and aluminium 3-shoe clutch for tough and reliable power transfer and a giant heatsink head so you won't have to worry about overheating!
Full-time shaft drive 4WD system for
maximum grip, power and grunt!
Extra tough slipper clutch for
drivetrain security when landing big-air jumps
Massive 160cc fuel tank for long run
times and huge amounts of bashing and racing fun.
Easy-access radio box protects the
electronics from splashes, dirt and more
Radio box features openings for battery
charging plug (included) and #308 illuminated Battery Level
Indicator (not included)
Eight long-stroke oil-filled shock
absorbers provide confidence over the jumps and on big-air
Savage X shock towers for loads of
strength and adjustable suspension settings
Double wishbone suspension for amazing
handling and performance at any speed
Lightweight suspension arms improve
suspension action and give great response in corners and over
Large 17mm metal alloy hex hubs prevent
the hex stripping in the wheels under heavy load applications
Hardened 4-gear diff setup can handle
the abuse of high-horsepower engines
Alloy differential cases enhance
drivetrain reliability and reduce maintenance downtime
Full array of heavy-duty drivetrain
components, from clutch to brakes and outdrives to hubs, ensure you
have plenty of fun!
Machined steel brake hub and dual red
fibreglass brake discs provide secure and fast stopping power
Cam-type servo saver steering arms
improve the efficiency and power of the steering servo
Extremely easy access to front and rear
differentials - no chassis disassembly required to get to diffs or
tranny gears!
Savage X-style vertical transmission
case for fast disassembly and simple access to internal gears
Stronger transmission case with extra
webbing and improved strength over earlier Savage designs
Full set of rubber-sealed ball bearings
for maximum efficiency and power from the engine.
Bigger, tougher 'Gigante' bodyshell has
classic Savage styling and strength with 0.60" thickness
As with all HPI cars and trucks, you get a full, in depth instruction manual with step by step instructions that allow you to easily disassemble and reassemble your monster truck for maintenance and easy servicing. The information on the HPI RC Cars DVD provides a complete and detailed introduction to the fascinating world of RC model cars. This DVD will show you step by step how to start and run in a Nitro engine, and how to get the best performance from your HPI RC car. The HPI RC Car DVD is your personal RC car expert in a box!
Specification may be subject to change


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YouTube LEARN MORE ABOUT OFFICIAL ARTIST CHANNELS
We've launched our Official Artist Channels, designed as a one-stop shop to help artists engage with millions of fans around the world.
Whether you're signed or independent, you can get rewarded for your work.
What's more, for you this means greater ownership of your presence across the platform, including on our new YouTube Music app.


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Never have activities commemorating China's National Science Popularization Day taken on such significance. On Sept. 15, two weeks after China's Vice President Xi Jinping — and presumptive leader-in-waiting — disappeared from public view, he apparently spent part of Saturday morning attending an educational event at China Agricultural University in Beijing.
China's official news service, Xinhua, ran a one-sentence story recording Xi's participation, an article presumably aimed at quelling intense speculation about the Vice President's whereabouts after he cancelled several scheduled meetings with top foreign dignitaries, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The story was accompanied by a photo that showed a smiling Xi standing amid a clutch of dark-jacketed men on what was presumably the college campus. A rare blue sky shone overhead, unusual for a capital often swathed in smog. The caption for the photo was longer than the story itself.
Xi's 14-day disappearance was the latest unforeseen event to shake China's political establishment, which is set for a once-a-decade leadership transition that could take place as early as next month. No official explanation was given for his absence at a time when official media might have been expected to glorify the man set to soon assume leadership of the world's second largest economy. Not surprisingly, rumors swirled about his absence. Health problems, ranging from an injured back to a minor heart attack, were mooted. Other sources whispered of a last-minute political putsch, perhaps organized by forces loyal to Bo Xilai, a once powerful politician whose downfall (along with his wife's sentencing this summer for the murder of a British business consultant) had already thrown China's leadership handover off-script earlier this year.
Last year, when rumors floated of the death of President Hu Jintao's predecessor Jiang Zemin, the Chinese state media refuted the speculation within a day. Jiang appeared in public soon after. Why did it take so much longer for Xi to reappear? We will likely not know anytime soon. Perhaps he really had taken to bed with a bad back. Or he has since triumphed in some political battle. One thing is clear: the ruling Communist Party, even if it was compelled to eventually trot out Xi, was content to leave the world guessing for a fortnight.
Still, the business community seemed relatively unperturbed about the Vice President's whereabouts. Even as the Xi rumors reached their most frenzied —including one wild story that he had been injured in a deliberate car crash orchestrated by a political enemy — the Chinese stock markets hummed along. The thinking among some foreign investors went like this: the Chinese bureaucracy is so entrenched and extensive that it hardly matters who's at the top. Xi is already seen as a compromise choice for China's next leader. The Standing Committee that collectively rules China will surely be composed of interests balanced between economic reformists and old-style leftists when its new membership is unveiled during the upcoming leadership shift.
But all this is just more speculation. China is a nation whose unprecedented rise has affected every country on earth. Yet whether we're talking about foreign businesses that depend on China's laborers and consumers or the 1.3 billion Chinese citizens themselves, we know almost nothing about what is happening in the cloistered confines of Zhongnanhai, China's leadership compound. Our ignorance is deeply concerning. No cameo at a National Science Popularization Day event will change that troubling fact.


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History shows us that elections can turn on details — a momentary lapse during a debate, the design of a butterfly ballot, who oversees a recount. That's why so much attention is being paid this year in state capitals to redistricting.
Every 10 years, congressional and state legislative districts are redrawn to reflect changes in population.
Although many states have already finished redistricting, Florida is just getting started. And it's turning into a heated political battle.
Defining 'Gerrymandering'
It is a verb and a noun which has been abused a great deal. One person's gerrymander is the next person's court-ordered district.
In the political lexicon, few politicians have reached the status of 19th century Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry. After he presided over his state's legislative redistricting in 1812, the Boston Gazette newspaper said a resulting district resembled a salamander. Add to that his last name, Gerry, and the term "gerrymandering" was born. It means drawing an electoral district in a way that benefits an incumbent or political party.
But state Sen. Don Gaetz says that in Florida, gerrymandering is in the eye of the beholder.
"It is a verb and a noun which has been abused a great deal," he says. "One person's gerrymander is the next person's court-ordered district."
Gaetz is a Republican and one of the legislators in charge of overseeing Florida's redistricting process.
Here, as elsewhere, Republicans drawing new district maps see minority voters — particularly Hispanics and African-Americans — as allies. Florida is one of the states covered by the federal Voting Rights Act, so it has to take special care with minority voting districts and submit its maps to the Justice Department for approval. It's the law, but for Republicans it can carry a bonus: Packing Democratic-leaning minority voters into those districts can help Republican candidates in adjoining areas.
This year, because of its population growth, Florida is adding two new congressional seats. The map being considered by the state Senate draws one of them as a majority Hispanic district in central Florida. At a hearing in Tallahassee, Emilio Perez, a political activist from the Orlando area, was there to say thanks.
"It was because of the growth of the Latino community in Central Florida that Florida gained two new congressional seats. We will support you in all your efforts to make sure that these seats will be protected against any potential lawsuits or any other suggested violations that anyone can mention against it," he said.
I think we were directed ... to allow the voters to select their elected officials, not the other way around.
On The Road To Court?
Legal challenges are likely because of a new set of rules guiding redistricting in Florida. Constitutional amendments adopted last year now require lawmakers to draw districts without regard to parties or incumbents — in other words, without gerrymandering.
Because of those new guidelines, Democratic leaders in Congress have high hopes for Florida. They need 25 seats to regain control of the House. The head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Steve Israel, said last month the path to those 25 seats "flows straight through Florida."
Now, after months of hearings and meetings, the first redistricting maps have just come out. And Florida Democratic Senate leader Nan Rich doesn't like what she sees.
"I believe that it does not comply with the specific standards that are now in our constitution. I think we were directed by them to allow the voters to select their elected officials, not the other way around," she says.
Because Republicans have control of the House, Senate and governor's mansion, Democrats will have little say in Tallahassee about how the maps are drawn.
Already, it's clear that both sides are girding up for a showdown in court. At the Tallahassee hearing, Republican Sen. Joe Negron, an attorney, sounded very much like a lawyer preparing for a court appearance.
"The facts show that this was done through hearings, done through public testimony, done through having our staff look at nothing except what was following the law and what was in the best interest of Florida," he said. "There's been no evidence that our process has been tainted in any way by political considerations."
That ultimately may be decided by the courts. Challenges have already begun. Republican leaders in Florida's Legislature are seeking to overturn the new redistricting rules — the same rules that for now they say they're being careful to follow.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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CD sleeves usually feature pictures of the musicians, the text of lyrics and copious thanks.
But the sleeve of Michael Hearst's new CD, Songs for Unusual Creatures, shows pictures of a blue-footed booby, an elephant shrew, a blobfish, a humpback anglerfish and more. (Those images are courtesy of illustrator Jelmer Noordeman, and will appear in a book version of the project, out later this year.)
Hearst, a Brooklyn musician and composer best known as a founding member of the band One Ring Zero, says he finds an affinity between these strange beasts and many strange instruments you never hear at the symphony.
"Some of them were almost built for this album," Hearst tells NPR's Scott Simon. "In particular, there's one that I use for the 'Honey Badger' song, which is the daxophone. 'Dax' [comes from] the German word 'dachs' — just like 'dachshund' — which means badger. The dachshund was a badger hunter. So that song needed to have the daxophone, which is this animal-like-sounding instrument."
You can learn more about the unusual creatures at Michael Hearst's website, and watch him perform "Chinese Giant Salamander" on this page.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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"Broadly-speaking, home prices continued to decline in the early months of the year," according to economist David Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Indices.
His statement came with this month's S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices report, which showed "annual declines of 3.6 percent and 3.5 percent" in February for its 10-city and 20-city composite price indexes.
The one ray of sunshine in the report: in 15 of 20 cities the annual results, while not positive, at least weren't as weak as in January.
As The Associated Press adds, "the steepest declines were in Atlanta, Chicago and Cleveland. Prices rose in Phoenix, San Diego and Miami. They were unchanged in Dallas." And, "prices in nine cities fell to their lowest levels since the housing bust. The average price in Atlanta fell 17.3 percent in February compared with a year earlier. That's the biggest annual drop in the history of the index for any city."
Foreclosures continue to keep prices down. According to the AP:
"Stan Humphries, chief economist for housing website Zillow.com, attributed the declines in part to heavy sales of foreclosed homes, which are usually sold at super-low prices. Foreclosures made up about one-fifth of February's sales."
Update at 10:15 a.m. ET. Sales Of New Homes Fell Last Month:
Sales of new single-family homes fell 7.1 percent in March from February," the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development just reported. It was the biggest one-month decline in more than a year, the AP says. Still, sales were up 7.5 percent from March 2011.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Maps & Atlases
Perch Patchwork
FatCat Records
Maps & Atlases formed in 2004 having met when they were art students in Chicago. Their new record Perch Patchwork is a heady mix of intricate guitars and catchy pop.
What's immediately striking is the complexity of the rhythms, with military and Afro/Latin flavours that enhance the varied sounds peppering each track. While this sound continues through the band's style, each song is very much a piece in its own right, avoiding the monotonous danger zone of the entire album sounding the same from start to finish. Lead singer, David Davison's vocals have the serious edge of Editors' Tom Smith, with quirky elements of Morrissey. Despite this, they're in no danger of giving up their originality.
The upbeat, catchy nature of this album has a touch of Vampire Weekend, but it's the strikingly high-speed guitar riffs that give Maps & Atlases their trademark edge.
Sophie Gordon