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Fans of the television series Star Trek™ know that the mission of the starship Enterprise was to "boldly go where no man has gone before." The mission of Contracting Business.com magazine's 2011 Commercial Contractor of the Year, Enterprise HVAC Service and Control, is to boldly solve comfort and energy efficiency challenges that no one has solved before.
The company, based in the Cleveland area suburb of Twinsburg, OH, occupies a rarefied niche in the commercial HVAC world: Enterprise does no new construction work, and the focus is never on selling equipment. Instead, the company operates exclusively in the existing building service market, and assesses and analyzes customers' needs before presenting the solutions that will address them.
"We know the steps our customers need to take to get their buildings to where they want them to be," says Richard (Dick) Starr, LEED AP, president of Enterprise HVAC Service and Control. "We always know the next step, and we're there for our customers when they're ready to take it."
The company prides itself on taking a "360-degree view" of a building, thanks to expertise in three key areas: mechanical systems, controls, and air and water distribution.
"What we've seen is that most contractors simply rush to address the one area they know," Starr says. "We like to think we bring all three together, like a fine orchestra."
Bad Baseball Leads to Big Break
If an orchestra is only as good as its conductor, the music being made by Enterprise definitely springs from the baton of Starr, who is referred to by almost everyone as a forward thinker, or even a visionary. If he sees himself that way, it doesn't show: the modest Starr doesn't ever forget his big break came only through his ability to sell season tickets for a very bad baseball team.
Prior to graduating from Cleveland's John Carroll University in 1970 with a business administration degree, Starr learned that the local branch of a large national controls company was seeking sales engineers in its building controls group. As part of the interview process, Starr took mechanical aptitude tests and was ultimately paired up against another competitor for the job in a role-playing scenario. The two men were assigned to attempt to sell something to each other.
"The person I was paired with tried to sell me radiation mitigation technology for televisions," Starr recalls. "I thought the people doing the hiring would be very impressed because it was a technical product and they were a technical company. When it was my turn to sell him, my presentation was the sale of season tickets to Cleveland Indians baseball games. At that time, the team had been bad for 15 years and there was little hope for improvement."
As it turned out, the interviewers were impressed by Starr's ability to sell a challenging and intangible product, and he got the job. He spent three years with the company in Cleveland, then accepted a promotion to branch manager and moved to Toledo, OH. Family ties brought him back to the Cleveland lakefront, and he worked for two years as president of the systems/service division of a large Northeastern Ohio mechanical contractor.
Time to Lead
By 1977, Starr knew that he wanted to run his own company. His experiences in the commercial HVAC systems and controls world had helped him identify the niche that needed to be filled, and provided him with a vision of the quality work he wanted to provide. That year, he purchased assets of "a little snot-nosed $50,000 company," called Enterprise Heating and Air Conditioning.
The company provided mostly residential and some commercial services. After attempts to sell the residential customer list were unsuccessful, Starr simply liquidated the residential side of the business so that he could focus on building the company he wanted.
Three Turning Points
As with any company, there were a number of milestones along the way, some compelling, some challenging. Starr points out three significant events in the company's history that shaped Enterprise into the company it is today.
"The first was the decision to get out of the plan-and-spec market and focus entirely on service and controls," he says. "The second was becoming a certified air and water balance contractor, which provided us with that '360-degree view.' The third was getting out of the manufacturer-specific controls market, and educating customers about open protocol platforms."
Enterprise is a certified testing, adjusting, balancing agency in both forced air and hydronic systems, with the National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB). The company is a Tridium-authorized systems integrator, and has been a LINC Service® Contractor since 1998. In addition, Enterprise has been designated as both a STAR® and a GreenStar contractor by the Mechanical Service Contractors of America (MSCA). Enterprise is one of only 38 companies in the nation to hold the GreenStar designation for environmental stewardship.
The company won a Contracting Business Design/Build Award in 2001, for its work at a 650,000 sq.ft. office and manufacturing facility — a project that focused on control system integration and air balancing, to solve the customer's energy efficiency and comfort challenges.
A Foundation of Loyalty and Expertise
Enterprise HVAC Service and Control is far from being the largest commercial HVAC company in the market: the company had sales of $5+ million in 2010 and has 28 employees. But it's sized to be flexible and agile, and boasts a tremendous amount of diversified expertise. That expertise has been built over the years by the loyalty that Starr engenders in his co-workers, and the team environment that permeates the company.
Success here is built both from the bottom up and from the top down.
Page 2 of 3
"This is a rock-solid company. It's reliable and stable, and everyone here genuinely cares," says Field Foreman Joe Azara. "We're built on the idea that when we take on a job, we're going to solve it and we're going to make it right, period. That comes from the top, and everyone here has that mentality."
Field Technician Terry Antosh says he appreciates the diverse opportunities and challenges provided by the type of work that Enterprise does, and he constantly strives to convey that to the "young guys" at the company.
"There are tremendous opportunities to grow here, and the guys have a chance to really develop and mature," he says. "Dick Starr is always ahead of the curve, and with the controls work we do, the air and water balancing, the retrocommissioning, and the LEED® work, I think our guys see more in eight or nine years here than they would in 20 at most other companies."
No one has seen more than Frank Wilde, who has worked at Enterprise since 1978, in multiple field, engineering, and office leadership roles. "If you want to learn here, you can," Wilde, who is now semi-retired, says. "I came here from a large company, where they basically pigeonholed you and gave you one thing to do. I've always been impressed by the versatility of the jobs here. And the people here are great. Over the years it has become like a family to me, and I know I'm not the only one who feels that way."
Dave Busa, field technician, was a long-time customer of Enterprise's when he worked at a chemical manufacturing plant, and he was thrilled when the opportunity arose to join the team. "Everybody knew that Enterprise always had the best people," he says. And Dan Bosworth, field technician, may best sum up what Enterprise is all about when he says, "I don't know how many times we've gone into a building and heard, "You're the first company that has ever really looked at this."
Dick Starr describes his wife, Patti, human resource manager, as the glue that holds everything together at Enterprise. She joined the company in 1988, when the last of their four daughters turned 11. Her contributions to the company are wide-ranging, and invaluable.
"She always knows where to be at what time," Starr says. "She's a total support to everyone here. Her primary expertise is in human resources, but she helps out in any way that she can. At meetings, I used to listen to other contractors describe the issues they have with their HR departments, but we don't have any of that. There's not a person who doesn't trust her totally, especially when it comes to payroll. She's the most trusted person in the world."
Professionalism Draws Praise
Enterprise's people are happy, and they in turn keep the company's customers happy.
One of those happy customers is Laurie Hughes, director of administration at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, Beachwood, OH. The 24,000 sq.ft. museum has been open for five years, and had comfort and energy efficiency challenges from day one. A mechanical contractor serving on the museum's board of directors recommended they bring in Enterprise to solve on-going problems, and the rest (as they say in the museum world) is history.
"Enterprise came out here and really figured out what was going on," Hughes says. "They have a great service department and no turnover — you always get the same guys. They've really built a trust-based relationship with us."
Hughes added that, in addition to solving the initial comfort and energy problems that were "built in" to the museum's original system, Enterprise steps up to the challenge when the museum has exhibits that require special care.
"We recently had an exhibit that included one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and we had to have the humidity in our exhibit space set and controlled at a very precise level 24 hours a day," she says. "Enterprise handled it with no problem."
Bert Diehl. P.E., CFM, director of facilities management, Lakeland Community College, uses the "V" term to describe Starr: visionary.
"Dick isn't a typical HVAC service contractor," Diehl says. "He has a big picture grasp of where facilities are going, both with building management systems and on green and sustainability issues. He's a visionary in that he's always looking at the direction that the industry and facilities are moving. And, the people who work for him are consummate professionals."
Enterprise's desire and ability to take on unique initiatives earns the company praise from Terry McCafferty, business manager, Pipefitters Union Local 120.
"Mr. Starr's workforce is very steady, and his employees are very loyal to him," McCafferty says. "I think a large part of that's because of the varied and interesting initiatives that the company takes on. Those initiatives open more doors for my members, and allow them to gather additional skills. Enterprise also provides in-house training. My members appreciate the opportunity to develop a broad knowledge base."
Tom Wanner, executive director of the Mechanical and Plumbing Industry Council of Cleveland, states quite simply that, "the entire service industry is further ahead now than it would have been without Dick Starr.
"Dick has always pushed hard to change the conditions and improve the situations for the mechanical contractor. He knows how to motivate his employees — and for that matter, everyone else in the industry — with his positive thinking. And he has always pushed for training and education of any kind," Wanner says.
Starr is active at the national level as well. He is a long-time member of the MSCA board of directors and recently became one of a select number of service contractors elected to the national board of directors of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA).
Page 3 of 3
"He believes what he professes, and his company is living proof of that," says Barbara Dolim, MSCA executive director. "He's always been ahead of the curve in recognizing the value of energy services and sustainability to the industry and to the customer. He was one of our first members to become LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited. He really jumped on the LEED bandwagon very quickly, and he truly helped MSCA become one of the leaders in the green movement. In fact, Dick was a part of one of our first meetings with the U.S. Green Building Council, and helped foster our relationship with that organization." (See sidebar, "Dick Starr and CB Team Up to Educate USGBC." at the end of this article)
"Dick is not only leading his company, he's also leading the industry as a whole," adds John Gentille, CEO, MCAA. "His appointment to our board of directors is an indication of the extent to which our organization and the industry value his talents and expertise."
King for a Day
Given all that his company has achieved and continues to achieve, what's left for Dick Starr? For one thing, constantly working to gain more national respect for vocational education.
When he was chairman of the Cleveland chapter of MSCA in 2001, Starr spearheaded a "school-to-work" program in conjunction with two local vocational schools and Pipefitters Local 120. Through the program, students work at mechanical contracting companies during their junior and senior years of high school, then begin their apprenticeship after graduation. Students must be 16 years of age, and record a 95% attendance rate at their classes. They must maintain a 'B' average, and receive a recommendation from at least one teacher, related to trade essential dexterity, to ensure the safety of others.
Pipefitters Local 120 takes the responsibility for drug testing, and the school carries the responsibility for the liability of the student. To date, Starr estimates about 50 talented young apprentices have entered the HVAC service workforce thanks to the program.
"If I were king for a day, I'd emphasize the value of vocational training to every board of education and politician in the nation," he adds. "I'm amazed that vocational education fails to get the respect it deserves. What we do in this industry takes a great brain, physical fitness, and mental toughness. Add to that the fact that the country quite simply couldn't do business without properly functioning HVAC systems, and that's a strong endorsement for vocational education."
Ultimately, that's what it comes down to for Starr: he is enough of a forward thinker to realize that the future is built upon the same thing that has always made companies successful in the past: great people.
"I'm a baseball fan, and I recognize the importance of having a strong minor league system if you want to have a successful big league club," Starr says. "You need a good feeder system to develop tomorrow's talent.
"I can have all the big ideas in the world, but it comes down to having the right people to carry them out," he adds. "I want good people with positive attitudes, and I absolutely beam when a customer tells me that we have the best technicians in the industry."
Dick Starr and Contracting Business.com magazine's 2011 Commercial HVAC Contractor of the Year, Enterprise HVAC Service and Control, are not only boldly going into the future, but helping to shape it as well.
It's the best companies that truly care about the future of their industry and colleagues. They look beyond the here and now, and wonder what's to come. If what they see is a less than ideal world, they strive to improve it, for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
That's Dick Starr. That's Enterprise HVAC Service & Control.
Dick Starr and ContractingBusiness.com
Dick Starr, president of Enterprise HVAC Service and Control, was one of the first member contractors of the Mechanical Service Contractors of America (MSCA) to become LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited. Enterprise is an MSCA STAR® contractor, and is one of only 38 companies nationwide to have earned MSCA's GreenStar designation. Barbara Dolim, MSCA executive director, praises Starr for helping foster an outstanding relationship between MSCA and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Contracting Business.com is also proud to have played a small role — through Starr — in furthering the industry's knowledge of green and sustainability issues.
As Starr tells it: "At one of the first meetings we had with USGBC, we tried to educate everyone what retro-commissioning was. Ultimately I brought in an article that I put together with Contracting Business.com a few years ago (Why Retro is the Wave of the Future, CB, December 2006). The USGBC used that article to show their rank-and-file what retrocommissioning was all about. They ended up copying it for 200 of their employees. They took that article and soaked it up like sponges."


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How to Draw Dr. Doofenshmirtz from Phineas and Ferb for Kids : Step by Step Drawing Lesson
Do you want to learn how to draw Dr. Doofenshmirtz from Phineas and Ferb? Professor Doofenshmirtz is Perry the Platypus' arch nemesis who is always trying to take over the tri-state area with his evil schemes. I have put together a step-by-step tutorial that will help you figure out how to draw Doctor Doofenshmirtzby using simple shapes to build up Dr. Doofenshmirtz's form. This is an intermediate cartooning tutorial that older kids, teens, and adults will enjoy. Even some younger children might be able to draw Dr. Doofenshmirtz if you stand by to help with the instructions.

subset: commoncrawl


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Three Stanley Cups, two Olympic silver medals, 924 men's college hockey wins and four silver medals in women's international tournaments — the credentials of the newly-named U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame class are certainly impressive.
So impressive, in fact, that one of the five members of the Class of 2013 opened his remarks with a joke.
"Good thing they didn't list my stats, because it would say zero goals and zero assists," Peter Karmanos, the owner and CEO of the Carolina Hurricanes, said with a chuckle.
Joining Karmanos in the class are former NHL and U.S. Men's National Team forwards Bill Guerin and Doug Weight, former Women's National Team forward Cindy Curley and former college hockey coach Ron Mason.
The five-member class will be formally inducted later this year at a date and location still to be announced.
Despite not having the statistics and notoriety of the four other members, Karmanos' contributions to the game are certainly not something to joke about. Even before he became an NHL owner, Karmanos made his mark at the grass-roots level as the founder of the powerhouse Compuware youth hockey program
He is one of the men most responsible for the growth of hockey in the south. In 1997, two years after purchasing the Hartford Whalers, he moved the team to Raleigh, N.C., where they became the Hurricanes. Despite coming under fire from many people who felt the Hurricanes should have never left Hartford, the move has been a catalyst for growing the game in non-traditional markets.
"Whenever I had the opportunity to develop hockey, I did it without hesitation," said Karmanos was awarded the Lester Patrick Award in 1998 for his service to hockey in the United States. "I feel that it's the greatest game on the planet."
In 2006, Karmanos was rewarded for relocating the Hurricanes when he hoisted the Stanley Cup.
Curley was a pioneer of women's hockey in the United States, playing in the inaugural IIHF Women's World Championship in 1990. In that tournament, she posted 23 points in five games, which still stands as a World Championship record.
Additionally, she has worked with USA Hockey in several capacities, most recently as a member of the U.S. Olympic Athlete Advisory Committee.
"My favorite part of hockey has always been the people I've met over the years," she said. "I'm honored and thrilled to be a part of this class."
Weight was a member of that 2006 Hurricanes team. A second-round pick by the New York Rangers in 1990, he finished his 19-year NHL career with 1,033 points in 1,238 career games.
In his 19-year NHL career, Weight suited up for six different teams, spending the majorty of is career with the Edmonton Oilers. In 2011, his final season in the NHL, he was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and humanitarian contributions.
Guerin, the fifth overall pick by New Jersey in the 1989 NHL Draft, played with Weight in Edmonton from 1997-2001. The two reunited with St. Louis during the 2006-07 season, and again briefly with the New York Islanders for the 2008-09 season.
During that season, Guerin was traded to Pittsburgh, where he would finally hoist the Stanley Cup in 2009.
In addition to their NHL experience together, Weight and Guerin teamed up for three Olympic Winter Games (1998, 2002, 2006) and two World Cups of Hockey (1996, 2004).
Both players cited the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic Team as inspiration to their respective playing careers.
"Since that day, I've been so proud and excited to wear that USA jersey," Weight said. "It's a true honor to have that jersey on."
Added Guerin: "It's always been an honor to represent my country, playing a game I love so much. It was always a dream, ever since I knew what USA Hockey was back in 1980. I was fortunate enough to be able to live out that dream."
Guerin and Weight shared several laughs during Thursday's conference call to announce the class, particularly when asked if they had any stories of Herb Brooks from the 2002 Olympics, where he served as the U.S. coach.
One such story was when Keith Tkachuk was in the locker room doing his best Brooks impersonation when Brooks quietly walked into the room behind him.
"Everyone just sat down and looked at him and Keith said, 'He's right behind me, isn't he?'" Guerin said. "We were worried, because we'd heard the stories of him making his players skate sprints during the 1980 Olympics, that he was going to snap. But he just smiled and said, 'Not bad, T.K.'
"I think that ended up helping us a lot because we played looser during the tournament."
Mason is one of the most decorated coaches in the history of college hockey.
He got his start at Lake Superior State University in 1966, winning an NAIA National Title 1972. That year, he helped architect the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, which named its championship trophy after him in 2001.
In 1973, he moved to Bowling Green State University, where he laid the foundation for a team that was one of the most dominant in college hockey in the late 1970s and 1980s. He left Bowling Green for Michigan State University in 1979, and remained with the Spartans as head coach until he retired in 2002.
In his 36 years, he won 924 games — second all-time, a record that was only broken this year by Jerry York, Mason's successor at Bowling Green and current Boston College coach.
He won an NCAA title with Michigan State in 1986, and was CCHA Coach of the Year seven times. He made 22 NCAA Tournament appearances — three with Bowling Green, 18 with Michigan State. Following his coaching career, he served as Michigan State's athletic director for five years, and is currently a senior advisor for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League.
"In my situation, I was fortunate to be at three schools where hockey was important," Mason said. "I had a great deal of support from all those schools, and I got to know so many people over the years through the game. It went by so quick, now that I look back at it now."


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In core ticket #28206, the editor was modified to have a Link Text field instead of a Title field.
This plugin adds the Title field back.
- Upload the files to the
directory or install through WordPress directly. - Activate the "Restore Link Title Field" plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
- Installation Instructions
- Upload the files to the
directory or install through WordPress directly. - Activate the "Restore Link Title Field" plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
- Upload the files to the
September 6, 2022
There is no reasonable way that I am going to get my clients to add a title attribute to links in a code edit. I am not sure why WP would go out of it's way to remove an existing feature that really did not hurt anyone. I am glad to have a no-code option to put in title attributes again, it is a good little hint for visual and non-visual users (on screen readers). I am glad to have some accessibility back. I will definitely put this on all my client sites from now on. Thank you!
June 9, 2019
Thanks for this plugin
September 5, 2017
Very nice, thank you.
PS.: I can not understand, why this function not is included in WP …….
September 3, 2016
Thanks for this small but important Plugin.
September 3, 2016
4 replies
Thanks for creating this. Weird that they removed it.
September 3, 2016
Works as expected without any problems. Thanks!
Contributors & Developers
"Restore Link Title Field" is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
ContributorsTranslate "Restore Link Title Field" into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
- Fix the updateFields issue. When you click on a link from the search results, it should now populate the title correctly, like the old versions did.
- Changed the JS to use original wpLink functions for everything except htmlUpdate, to improve compatibility. Ref: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/32180
- Fix issue with title field not resetting on a new link
- Rewrite mostly by SergeyBiryukov to be somewhat smaller and more forward compatible.
- First version.


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Mandalorian - Child Pattern
Mandalorian - Child Pattern
- This design is printed with eco-friendly plant-based inks directly on the stainless surface.
- Decorated wide mouth bottles include an insulated, quick access spout lid. Included lid is leak proof and BPA-free with ergonomic loop for easy carrying. Drinking surface is fully protected when closed.
- Large bottle opening makes it easy to add ice cubes and bottom features a quiet non-slip base.
- Triple insulation reduces condensation and keeps your drink cold for up to 60 hours. Copper-lined 18/8 stainless steel construction is durable, and material won't retain tastes or odors.
- For best results, hand wash with soap, water and a scratch-free sponge. Towel dry immediately to help preserve exterior. Do not soak or use cleaning materials (bleach, chlorine, etc.) and do not put in dishwasher, freezer or microwave.
- Stainless steel tumblers and bottles feature a limited 5-year guarantee, are Made in China and supplied from Venice, FL.
© & ™ Lucasfilm Ltd.


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Update (Dec. 22, 2015): Thanks, everyone, for your feedback to this proposal. We're going to digest this one over the holidays and should have a follow-up announcement answering your questions and addressing your concerns after the new year. We won't be making any hurried decisions on this topic, and certainly not without ample opportunity to integrate your ideas into the final decision. So continue letting us know what you think. You'll hear again from us soon.
Update (Jan. 14, 2016): The promised follow-up is here, requiring attribution and postponing the change to March 1, 2016.
CC-BY-SA is an ideal license for a crowdsourced knowledge base. We've benefited immensely from it, our community has gained protection through it, and we look forward to CC-BY-SA continuing to cover prose contributions to Stack Overflow and across the network for all of eternity.
But code is a bit different (pun intended), and it's always been a little ambiguous how CC-BY-SA covers code. This has led to uncertainty among conscientious developers as they've struggled to understand what (if anything) the license requires of them when grabbing a few lines of code from a post on Stack Exchange. Uncertainty is a drag on productivity, for you and for us, and we feel obligated to make code use more clear.
Starting Feb 1, 2016, all new code contributions to Stack Overflow and Stack Exchange will be covered by the MIT License.
We've been working on this problem for a little while now. We've consulted with the OSI, enlisted the help of a real-life lawyer, and discussed it exhaustively internally. We've come up with a solution that we think is a major improvement upon the status quo.
The new license terms, in brief:
Starting February 1, 2016, contributions across the network will be licensed to the public under the following terms:
- Non-code contributions will continue to be available for use under the terms of CC-BY-SA
- Code contributions will be available for use under the terms of the MIT License
- You don't have to include the full MIT License in your code base. Contributors agree to give code users permission to ignore the MIT License's notice preservation requirement, as long as users give reasonable attribution upon request of the copyright holder (or Stack Exchange on behalf of the contributor). This optional exception to the MIT License will live in our terms of service.
That last bullet makes using Stack Exchange easy, and provides added protection to code contributors and users.
For the vast majority of developers, the above is Too Much Information. The new licensing terms don't change anything. You can do everything you did before and maybe more when you visit Stack Overflow: copy code, tinker, fiddle, put it in your project, and keep building.
But to future-proof your work, we recommend you do one of these 2 things, or both:
- A) Add a comment to your code that links back to the post where you found it, or
- B) Comply with the MIT as it's typically used, by including the full license text in your source
You're doing option A already, right? This is just standard operating procedure when it comes to finding code on the internet – a hyperlink comment ensures you'll be able to debug down the line. But under the new terms a hyperlink comment is more than just pragmatic, it's a hat-tip, and it's a tit-for-tat that ensures you've complied with a contributor's terms.
We want to know what you think about the terms described above. Before you let us know, a few anticipated questions answered in brief:
Is it really that simple?
It's pretty simple. We're optimizing for ease of compliance and clarity. This scheme lets you be compliant even if you don't do a thing. You just have to do a thing – provide credit – when and if the original poster asks for it.
My project is Open Source, can't I just include the MIT License?
Yes. Taking advantage of the notice preservation exception is completely optional. When the new terms launch, we'll have easy to follow guidelines in the help center on how to be compliant for a variety of use cases.
What about code contributed before February 1, 2016?
This is just a first step in alleviating licensing ambiguity for users of Stack Overflow and other Stack Exchange sites. Code that was contributed prior to February 1, 2016 will be available for use as it has always been, under the terms of CC-BY-SA. We are looking into ways we might allow users to opt-in old code contributions to the new scheme.
What about other sites in the Stack Exchange network?
These terms will go into effect for all code posted after Feb. 1 on all sites in the Stack Exchange network.
Who came up with this scheme?
You can blame or optionally thank Tim Post, Britton Payne and Sam Brand for this. They also had an enormous amount of help from the Open Source Initiative.
What's next?
We hope to roll this out February 1, 2016. We know it's short notice, but we think the proposed terms are a decisive improvement over status quo, and so a change probably can't come early enough. Please let us know what you think.


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There is a lot of shouting in The Newsroom.
And most of it has nothing to do with journalism.
Aaron Sorkin's much-anticipated HBO series—much-anticipated by the chattering classes, at least—revolves around half-crazed anchor Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) and his strong-willed ex-turned-executive producer MacKenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer), along with a staff of fast-talking neurotics.
Maybe expectations were too high, given the brilliance of Sorkin's track record (The West Wing, The Social Network). Maybe, after reading that Sorkin was hanging out with Keith Olbermann, we were looking for a brilliantly nuanced rendition of the pathologies of cable news.
The thing is, as the individual soap operas unfold, the characters at times seem rather cartoonish. The thing is, for much of the episode that debuts Sunday night, they could work in a law office, since the plot turns on their clashing egos, romantic urges, and overweening personalities.
The thing is, this is pretty broad comedy—amusing at times, but essentially a sitcom that veers into bad satire built around pious blabbermouths.
Even the debate over journalism, when Sorkin gets around to that, has a simplified, black-and-white, heroes-vs.-heathens quality—and it's hard to root for either self-obsessed side.
The narrative begins with Will cursing out a college student at a forum and delivering an epic rant on how America is no longer the world's greatest country. He's then confronted with the resignation of his top producer (Thomas Sadoski), prompting this considered reaction—"Hey dickless!"—when Will is informed that he is horrible to work for. "I'm affable!" he shouts.
The successor, Will is stunned to learn, is MacKenzie, a British-accented idealist with whom he shares some woeful sexual past. "You punk!" she scolds him, giving flowery speeches to Will that he can make journalism an honorable profession again, which fail to dent his industrial-strength cynicism. In fact, he gives the network back $3 million of his salary to regain the right to fire her.
The psychodrama is finally penetrated by news when the BP oil spill takes place (I know, soooo 2010). MacKenzie's young pal (John Gallagher Jr.) has two sources that tell him how this could be a huge environmental disaster, but is dissed by the departing staff due to his twerpiness. The morality play is set, and Will steps up by dismissing the old staff and putting his money on his crusading ex and her sidekick. That is, he is either bravely betting his newscast on two people who just walked in the door, or mounting the white steed we secretly hoped he was capable of as he stewed in his own anger.
Forgive me if this is less than inspiring. But then, Sorkin isn't really interested in unspooling how journalism functions, the way he was in how Martin Sheen wielded political power. The bustle of the newsroom is a mere backdrop for self-involved characters to give talky speeches and taunt each other. In fact, the smart-ass speeches go on and on and on, the actors seemingly in love with the sound of their voices.
The cameras swing back and forth as staffers talk into cellphones and try to book guests who know what the Minerals Management Agency is, typical deadline stuff for a news-based show.
Jeff Daniels never quite captures us, perhaps because his character is written as a bundle of contradictions. Emily Mortimer is more convincing as an impossibly cheeky ball-buster, but she too slides into caricature. Ninety seconds before Will goes on the air with the oil-spill story, she badgers him, telling him in his earpiece: "For an hour, five times a week, I own you." They scream at each other until the red light goes on.
It is all too fitting a moment, since Sorkin's tale is about this squabbling, shark-like couple, not the news ocean in which they are allegedly swimming.
Naturally, Will delivers a boffo NewsNight, running roughshod over government and corporate flacks, and at this point the audience is supposed to cheer. Except the characters have taken turns acting like such jerks that it's more exhausting than uplifting.


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Document #1188721
Jamestown Foundation
Al-Shabaab Split Threatens to Open New Conflict Between Somalia's Islamists; Terrorism Monitor Volume: 10 Issue: 9
By: Muhyadin Ahmed Roble
Despite recent celebrations of its merger with al-Qaeda, Somalia's Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen movement has been suffering from a power struggle in its leadership for the past two years. Though attempts have been made to conceal it, the rift is believed to have contributed to al-Shabaab's loss of Mogadishu, the national capital, as well as other strategic towns in southern Somalia. Contributing to the cracks in the movement's solidarity is the military pressure being applied against al-Shabaab on several fronts. This has led to a greater reliance on al-Qaeda style tactics such as the May 1 suicide bombing in Dusamareb that killed three Somali members of parliament (Reuters, May 1).
The ongoing rift between al-Shabaab official leader Shaykh Ahmed Abdi Godane "Abu Zubayr" and Shaykh Mukhtar Robow "Abu Mansur," a senior commander and former spokesman of the group, has now been joined by Shaykh Hassan Dahir Aweys, a founder of Somalia's Islamic movement and former leader of the now defunct independent Islamist movement Hizb al-Islam, which merged with al-Shabaab in December, 2010. Aweys, whose group was pressured to merge with al-Shabaab by Godane's allies, now appears ready to back Abu Mansur should he make a bid for the group's leadership.
The quarrel between the movement's leaders became public earlier this year when American al-Shabaab member Omar Hammami (a.k.a. Abu Mansur al-Amriki) used a short online video clip on March 16 to express his fear that his life was in danger from other al-Shabaab members:
I record this message today because I feel that my life may be endangered by Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen due to some differences that occurred between us regarding matters of the Shari'a and matters of strategy. [1]
Al-Amriki, who was perhaps the best known al-Shabaab propagandist through his English-language statements and jihadi rap videos, provided no further details in his message, but Ahmed Abdi, a Nairobi-based political analyst, said al-Amriki had succeeded in revealing the hidden rift over ideological and strategy differences among al-Shabaab. [2]
Al-Shabaab's press office turned to its Twitter account to deny that the group intended to cause any harm to al-Amriki: "HSM is surprised by the video of Abu Mansur al-Amriki that surfaced on the internet recently claiming that his life was 'endangered' by al-Shabaab." [3] The group also pledged a formal investigation to verify the authenticity of the video and the motivations behind it. Only days later, Shaykh Abdirahman Hudeyfa, the newly-appointed governor of Juba region, confirmed that Omar Hammami had been detained at a Shabaab meeting near Kismayo for the purpose of investigation (SomaliaReport, March 19). Though unconfirmed reports circulated that Hammami had been beheaded on April 4 at the order of al-Shabaab's Shaykh Ahmed Abdi Godane, he has since been seen in the Shabaab-held port town of Kismayo under heavy guard (SomaliaReport, April 19).
The leadership dispute was further inflamed when Shaykh Hassan Dahir Aweys used a Friday sermon on March 30 in the coastal town of Marka (100 km south of Mogadishu) to fearlessly attack al-Shabaab's top leadership, accusing them of monopolizing jihad as well as globalizing the conflict by the merger with al-Qaeda. [4]
Aweys seemed to be particularly angered by a new al-Shabaab fatwa that banned the establishment of any new armed Islamic group or Islamic political party in Somalia as of March 26. The fatwa appeared to be directed at preventing the formation of a new nationalist rebel group from the allied forces of Shaykh Hassan Dahir Aweys and Shaykh Mukhtar Robow "Abu Mansur." The nationalist faction within the movement is trying to escape al-Shabaab's current unpopularity and will be watching closely for a political opportunity to open up when the mandate of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) expires in August, 2012. [5]
While acknowledging al-Shabaab's well-known policy of assassinating anyone who becomes a threat to the group, Shaykh Aweys stated that all those in the Islamist movement had fallen silent due to fear of al-Shabaab's wrath and called on al-Shabaab to "Stop the threats and assassinations of innocent Muslims in the name of Islam. The world has passed the age of threats." However, al-Shabaab's subsequent discovery of a major arms cache (including anti-tank missiles) in a former Hizb al-Islam stronghold seemed an ominous portent of future clashes between the Islamist factions. Though Aweys denied ownership of the weapons, he nonetheless urged al-Shabaab to return the weapons he described as Muslim property and promised to follow up on the issue until al-Shabaab provides an explanation of why the weapons were seized. Al-Shabaab's military spokesman, Shaykh Abdul Aziz "Abu Musab" said any questions related to the weapon cache will be resolved by an Islamic court. Nevertheless, as the splits grow greater in al-Shabaab's leadership, various factions in the movement may be preparing for an internal battle in which Shaykh Abdi Godane's global jihadists will fight tooth and nail to suppress his rivals in any way possible.
Muhyadin Ahmed Roble is a Nairobi-based analyst for the Jamestown Foundation's Terrorism Monitor publication.
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mvXeMwztYg , March 16, 2012.
2. Author's interview with political analyst Ahmed Abdi, Nairobi, April 20, 2012.
3. https://twitter.com/#!/HSMPress, March 17, 2012.
4. Shaykh Hassan Dahir Aweys' Friday sermon, Marka, March 30, 2012 http://www.somdaily.com/2012/04/01/xasan-daahir-oo-weerarray-al-shabaab-dhageyso/
5. Statement from Shaykh Ahmed Abdi Godane, March 26, 2012, www.raxanreeb.com/wp-content/uploads/Bayan-ham.pdf
ecoi.net description:
Article on leadership dispute within Islamist group Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen (rift between leader Shaykh Ahmed Abdi Godane and commander Shaykh Mukhtar Robow "Abu Mansur")
Jamestown Foundation
4 May 2012
Original link:
Document type:
Special or Analytical Report
Document ID:
1188721 (former ID


text:
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Daring Baker's Chocolate Valentino
This was quite a fun challenge for me because the cake was super easy to make & it gave me another excuse to use the new ice cream maker attachment I got for the Kitchen Aid. Typically a Valentino is made in a heart-shaped pan. I don't have one so I decided to make two small cakes in my 4 1/2-inch springform pans. Half of the original recipe filled these pans perfectly. I used half bittersweet & half semisweet chocolate because we prefer a darker chocolate. I'll make this cake again, the flavor & texture are amazing!
For the ice cream (we could make any kind we wanted), I decided to make Raspberry Buttermilk Ice Cream because I love the flavor of raspberries with chocolate. The buttermilk makes this lower in fat than normal ice cream. It's wonderfully creamy thanks to the addition of the banana. You can substitute the raspberries for any other fruit you like. The cake was so rich that it really needed the ice cream with it.
Chocolate Valentino
from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan (adapted to make 1/2 the size)
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I used half bittersweet, half semisweet)
5 T of unsalted butter
3 large eggs separated, with 1 T removed from the both the whites & the yolks.
1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C. (In the smaller pans mine only took 20 minutes)
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.
Raspberry Buttermilk Ice Cream
(from The Ice Cream Bible)
1 c fresh or frozen raspberries without syrup
1 c buttermilk
2/3 c simple syrup*
1 ripe banana
Place everything in a blender or food processor & blend until smooth. Strain through a sieve into a airtight container to remove any raspberry seeds. Refrigerate until cold.
Freeze according to the directions on your ice cream maker, ours took about 20 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.
*Make simple syrup by simmering 2 cups water with 1 cup white sugar for 5 minutes while stirring. Any leftover syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 months.
20 comments:
- Lori said...
I love the sound of that ice cream. That is my kind of flavors!
- February 28, 2009 at 8:45 AM
Hey... you and me...we sure do think alike, even a couple post back :)
- February 28, 2009 at 9:07 AM
I love your ice cream filled cake! I have never had an ice cream with buttermilk- I will have to try that.
- February 28, 2009 at 9:27 AM
- Dewi said...
Wow, that really look so good. I like the raspberry buttermilk ice cream. Sounds so delice.
Elra - February 28, 2009 at 9:55 AM
- giz said...
That was creative of you with the raspberry buttermilk ice cream and he presentation of it. Raspberry and chocolate - a totally heavenly combination.
- February 28, 2009 at 10:06 AM
- Lisa said...
Once I saw Raspberry Buttermilk ice cream, I had to check it out! It looks delicious and the way you presented the cake with the ice cream in the center, is lovely!
- February 28, 2009 at 10:08 AM
- Nemmie said...
Raspberry buttermilk ice cream sounds divine, that color is awesome... Cake too looks fantastic, you did a great job!
- February 28, 2009 at 10:11 AM
- Audax said...
The ice cream recipe is a keeper - yes the cake is the BEST and so easy and simple to make. Cheers Audax
- February 28, 2009 at 12:03 PM
- Sweet Bird said...
Filling the cake was such a great idea. I am seriously contemplating getting the ice cream attachment for my KA. It looks worth it!
- February 28, 2009 at 2:44 PM
- Katie Barlow said...
Yum! I love how you put the ice cream in the middle of the cake!
- February 28, 2009 at 3:01 PM
Filling the cakes was a brilliant idea -- it looks marvelous!
- February 28, 2009 at 3:26 PM
- Unknown said...
Such cute presentation! Great job...I'm sure the ice cream was yummy.
- February 28, 2009 at 5:37 PM
- American Homemaker said...
Wow... that looks super yummy :)
- February 28, 2009 at 7:20 PM
- Kimberly Johnson said...
Your cake and ice cream look fantastic! Thanks for sharing the ice cream recipe - I can't wait to try it.
- February 28, 2009 at 8:54 PM
- Jen said...
Your cake looks so good and I love that you used tiny pans for it. I'm going to have to try again and not overwhip the egges.
- February 28, 2009 at 9:08 PM
- grace said...
yours is the first cake with raspberry ice cream that i've seen, which i find surprising--it's a tremendous combination. nicely done!
- March 1, 2009 at 8:14 AM
- TeaLady said...
Ice cream and cake. NOthing better. YOurs looks good.
- March 1, 2009 at 9:23 PM
Wow! Filling the cakes was a great idea.
- March 2, 2009 at 10:05 AM
- Unknown said...
That does look like a healthier version of ice cream, I'll have to try it!
- March 2, 2009 at 10:16 AM
- Jenny said...
Unique presentation, and I like your ice cream flavor, sounds good.
- March 7, 2009 at 8:02 AM


text:
December 1, 2011 John E. Ross, KD8IDJ, Editor
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+ Available on ARRL Audio News. + FCC News: FCC Grants Secondary Service Allocation to Wireless Broadband Medical Micropower Networks In their regular meeting on Wednesday, November 30, the four FCC Commissioners unanimously agreed to allocate spectrum and adopt service and technical rules for the utilization of new implanted medical devices that operate on 413-457 MHz (70 cm). These devices will be used on a secondary basis as part of the Medical Data Radiocommunication Service in Part 95 of the FCC rules. The Amateur Radio Service also has a secondary allocation on the 70 cm band. These new rules are the result of a Notice of Proposed Rule Making that the FCC released in March 2009. A Report & Order that will define these new rules is expected soon. According to the FCC, these devices would greatly expand the use of functional electric stimulation to restore sensation, mobility and function to those persons with paralyzed limbs and organs; they would be implanted in a patient and function as wireless broadband medical micropower networks (MMNs). Calling the new rules an "advance[ment of] its mobile broadband agenda," the FCC said this will create "a new generation of wireless medical devices that could be used to restore functions to paralyzed limbs. Medical Micropower Networks (MMNs) are ultra-low power wideband networks consisting of multiple transmitters implanted in the body that use electric currents to activate and monitor nerves and muscles." The Commission also noted that its National Broadband Plan -- released in 2010 -- observed "that the use of spectrum-agile radios and other techniques can significantly increase the efficient use of radio spectrum to meet growing demand for this valuable resource. MMNs illustrate how advanced technology can enable the more efficient use of spectrum to deliver innovative new services." Read more here. + Amateur Radio in Space: AMSAT Announces End of OSCAR 51 Mission AMSAT-OSCAR 51 -- the popular FM repeater satellite -- has likely reached the end of its operational lifespan. AMSAT-NA Vice President of Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, issued the following statement on November 29: "It is with a heavy heart I report that AO-51 has ceased transmission and is not responding to commands. The last telemetry data indicated that the third of six batteries was approaching failure to short, and observations indicate the voltage from three cells is insufficient to power the UHF transmitters. The IHU [internal housekeeping unit] may continue to be operative. Initial tests with the S band transmitter were also not positive, although more attempts are in order. We have tried leaving the satellite in an expected state where if voltages climb high enough, the 435.150 transmitter may possibly be heard. The command team will regularly attempt communications with the satellite over the coming months (and years). There is always the possibility that a cell will open and we could once again talk to our friend while illuminated. Thanks to all who helped fund, design, build, launch, command, and operate AO-51. Its 7 year mission has been extraordinary." + On the Air: The ARRL 10 Meter Contest -- Get On While the Bands Are Hot! Ten meters -- in case you haven't heard, is alive in a big way! That means that the ARRL 10 Meter Contest -- coming up the weekend of December 10-11 -- is going to be the one of the best we've seen in years! During this event, many propagation modes will be available: Sporadic-E will help you work stateside stations, a touch of meteor scatter in the morning will give you split-second chances to work stations -- you'd better be quick, though! -- and DX stations will be plentiful, thanks to the return of F2 propagation. ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, said that he keeps hearing from numerous hams who have been licensed only three or four years, telling him that they've never experienced a 10 meter opening because they weren't licensed during the last solar cycle peak: "A common phrase I'm hearing is, 'Now I understand what all the Old-Timers in my club were talking about -- 10 meters is great!' With a concentration of activity for the contest, there will be an opportunity for the first time in several years to experience the beauty of a wide-open 10 meter band. With so much excitement worldwide over the great conditions, the 2011 ARRL 10 Meter Contest could see the highest level of participation in a very long time!" Read more here. + On the Air: 2012 Malpelo DXpedition to Be Extended The HK0NA DXpedition to Malpelo -- an island located approximately 235 miles from Colombia's Pacific coast -- is scheduled for early 2012. Organized by the DX Radio Amateur Club out of Colombia, the DXpedition boasts an international team of 16 operators from eight countries. According to DXpedition leader Jorge Prieto, HK1R it is highly unlikely that the various Colombian authorities will permit another DXpedition to Malpelo anytime soon. With this in mind, he said that the dates of the DXpedition will be extended by two to three days from the previous 12-14 day plan. The approximate dates of operations will be January 21-February 5/6, 2012. Operations are planned on 160-6 meters on CW, SSB and Digital modes, including EME. Malpelo is currently #12 on DX Magazine's 100 Most Needed Countries Survey. Read more here. ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up To? Compiled by ARRL News Editor S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA This feature is a concise monthly update of some of the things that the ARRL is doing on behalf of its members. This installment -- which covers the month of November -- takes a look the 2011 Division elections, the latest happenings at W1AW, microwave bandplanning, freshman engineering students getting their Technician tickets, reports from the Official Observer Desk and more. Read more here. + Logbook of The World: LoTW Processing Update Logbook of The World (LoTW) is continuing to accept and process logs, including logs from this past weekend's CQ World Wide CW Contest. Before the contest, LoTW had just about caught up with the backlog, but due to the high number of logs submitted after the contest, is once again seeing delays. As of December 1, the processing delay is at 22 hours -- down from 45 hours last week -- with approximately 830,000 QSOs in 2500 logs still waiting to be processed. If it has been more than 48 hours since you uploaded a log to LoTW and your log has not yet been processed, please upload it again. Remember: Do not send entire logs that contain previously uploaded QSOs -- use the date range option when signing logs, selecting only those QSOs in a specific date range to upload to LoTW. Thanks again for your patience. Lauren Clarke Joins ARRL Staff as Individual Giving Manager The ARRL is pleased to welcome Individual Giving Manager Lauren Clarke to the Headquarters staff in Newington. Lauren -- who will be working in the ARRL Development Office -- will be taking over the many funds in the Development Office, such as the Diamond Club, the Education & Technology Fund, the Spectrum Defense Fund and the W1AW Endowment Fund. This will allow ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, to shift her focus to the ARRL Second Century Campaign. Though Lauren comes to the ARRL with more than 20 years of experience in non-profit fundraising, this is her first experience with a technology organization. "My background has been primarily focused on the social services and arts side of the coin," she said. "I've worked with the United Way, the Greater Hartford Arts Council and the Wadsworth Athenaeum. I am very excited to be here at the ARRL. The League does wonderful work and it is wonderful to see how our members embrace it and Amateur Radio." Lauren expressed her appreciation to the ARRL volunteers, members and staff who have welcomed her here at ARRL Headquarters: "Everyone has all been very welcoming and helpful as I learn about Amateur Radio and work toward getting my Amateur Radio license. We are definitely a team in the Development Office, and I hope to build on the hard work of Mary and Development Associates Margie Bourgoin, KB1DCO, and Maryann Macdonald to continue raising funds to support the ARRL's initiatives." As she learns more about the ARRL and Amateur Radio, Lauren said she finds that her primary interest is Emergency Communications and the ARES® program. "With so many terrible storms and natural disasters that have hit the US and other countries recently, I am proud to be associated with an organization that supports the volunteers who quickly step in to help people and their communities during these disasters," she explained. "I am looking forward to the Dayton Hamvention® in May and meeting many of our members and donors in person." "When Lauren joined the Development staff, she dove right in, working on the departmental budget details and 2012 plan," Hobart said. "She has taken a fresh look at some key fund raising programs and she is adding value to whatever she does. The ARRL is very fortunate to have in Lauren an experienced Development professional who shares our fund raising philosophy and is building solid relationships with staff and donors. I am confident that Lauren has a bright future at ARRL." Lauren and her husband live in the Greater Hartford area. They have two children: a daughter who is attending Tufts University and a son in high school. Lauren and her family are active in the local Labrador Retriever rescue organization and serve as foster parents for dogs awaiting adoption. She also enjoys recreational rowing and gardening. If you would like to discuss giving opportunities with the ARRL -- or would just like to welcome Lauren to the ARRL family -- you can reach her via e-mail or by phone at 860-594-0348. Dayton Hamvention: Charles Kaiser, KD8JZR, Named Dayton Hamvention® Assistant General Chairman On November 21, 2012 Dayton Hamvention® General Chairman Mike Kalter W8CI, announced that Charles Kaiser, KD8JZR, would take over as Assistant General Chairman of the largest hamfest in the US. Kaiser is replacing Josh Long, KD8BVD, who stepped down due to work commitments. "I am lucky to find someone who is as committed as Charles," Kalter said. "He has served on a number of committees and knows Hamvention well. I know he will be an excellent assistant." Kaiser, who is retired, said that he considered the time requirements carefully before accepting the position and is ready to devote as much time as needed to ensure that the 2012 Hamvention is a success. Read more here. Solar Update Tad "Like the Moon and the stars and the Sun" Cook, K7RA, reports: November conveniently ended on the last day of the data reporting period for the upcoming bulletin, so we can now look at recent averages. Solar Cycle 24 continues to turn up. We have a new high for the trailing three month daily sunspot number average. Starting with the three month period ending in December 2010 and going through November 2011, they were: 30.1, 35.3, 55.7, 72.3, 74.4, 65.9, 61.5, 63, 79.6, 98.6 and 118.8. There hasn't been a three month period with average daily sunspot numbers above 118.8 since way back in June, July and August 2003, when the average was 121.9. The latest forecast from NOAA/USAF has the solar flux on December 1-11 at 145, 140, 135, 135, 140, 135, 135, 145, 150, 150 and 155, and then at 160 on December 12-18. The planetary A index on December 1-10 at 8, 8, 7, 7, 5, 7, 5, 5, 8 and 8, and then 5 on December 11-22. In case you missed it, we had an extra bulletin on Monday morning, and last week's bulletin was a day early. Look for more information on the ARRL website on Friday, December 2. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation page. This week's "Tad Cookism" is brought to you by John Lennon's Instant Karma! (And We All Shine On). + ARRL Congratulates: Allen Baker, KG4JJH , Wins November QST Cover Plaque Award The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for November is Allen Baker, KG4JJH , for his article "Build Your Own DSP Speaker. " Congratulations Allen! The QST Cover Plaque award -- given to the author or authors of the best article in each issue -- is determined by a vote of ARRL members on the QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page . Cast a ballot for your favorite article in the December issue today. Hams Listen to Mars Science Laboratory Signal As NASA's Mars Science Laboratory was streaking away from Earth just seven hours after its November 26 launch, amateurs using the AMSAT-DL facility in Bochum, Germany eavesdropped on its 10 GHz telemetry signals. At 21:45 UTC, the spacecraft was about 70,000 miles from Earth, heading for a rendezvous on the red planet in August 2012. James Miller, G3RUH, remotely reconfigured the Bochum tracking and receiving system, aiming the 20 meter parabolic dish antenna toward the Mars Science Laboratory. According to Miller, the signal had a spin-modulation of +/-3.5 Hz at two revolutions per minute. The dish at Bochum is also used by AMSAT-DL to automatically receive real-time solar data from the NASA STEREO A/B satellites. The data is transmitted to a NOAA server in the US via the Internet. + Amateur Radio Fun: The Night Before Christmas -- From a Ham's Perspective Just in time for the Holidays, Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, has created a video version of Clement Clark Moore's poem A Visit from St Nicholas -- more commonly known as The Night Before Christmas -- but Pearce's version has a decidedly Amateur Radio twist. With a guitar accompaniment by Don Mercz, WA3AYR, A Ham's Night Before Christmas features QST magazine covers, Gil cartoons and Christmas-themed QST advertisements from days gone by. Click here to watch the video on the ARRL YouTube channel. This Week on the Radio This week:
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To find a convention or hamfest near you, click here. ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information Join or Renew Today! ARRL membership includes QST, Amateur Radio's most popular and informative journal, delivered to your mailbox each month. Subscribe to NCJ -- the National Contest Journal. Published bi-monthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO Parties. Subscribe to QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published bi-monthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals. Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe to the ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (bi-weekly contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much more! Find us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. ARRL offers a wide array of products to enhance your enjoyment of Amateur Radio Donate to the fund of your choice -- support programs not funded by member dues! Click here to advertise in this newsletter. | ||||||||||||||


text:
Sweet & Sour Peaches for VFAM
la ricetta in italiano qui
Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook is hosting this month's edition of Veggie/Fruit a Month, a very popular and long-running vegetarian event created by Priya of Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes.
As theme of the month Susan choose her favorite stone fruit, peach. I am very fond of it too and could not miss the chance to send her a diverse way to enjoy this fruit.
Last year I blogged about Saturn Peaches, my favorite variety (and I learned from Susan that they are also named Doughnut Peaches in English).
Saturn peaches or literally known as "tabacchiere" (snuffbox) in Italian are very special, has a flattened shape and very intense aroma. You can immediately recognize because of their shape so crushed like a snuffbox. These peaches come in medium or small size, with a small core insiede, can be either yellow or white. The flesh is very soft and sweet, intensely fragrant. They are excellent as table fruits, and often used in confectionery and for the production of ice cream and granitas.
I met them for the first time some years ago in Elba Island, but the original production area is around Mount Etna, an ideal habitat for this crop (well-drained soil, plenty of water and considerable fluctuations in temperature ensure a higher quality product), but they are growing them in other regions.
I met them for the first time some years ago in Elba Island, but the original production area is around Mount Etna, an ideal habitat for this crop (well-drained soil, plenty of water and considerable fluctuations in temperature ensure a higher quality product), but they are growing them in other regions.
I have always seen the ones with white flesh but this year I also found the yellow ones (imported from Spain, but here in Sicily I am eating the original ones!)) and also the variety with the smooth and polished-like peel as nectarines. I used the combination of three varieties for the recipe.
This peculiar peach has also become a Slow Food Presidia.
Slow Food Foundation's mission is to defend food biodiversity, safeguard the environment and the land, endorse sustainable agriculture, protect small producers and theri communities, promote the gastronomic traditions of the whole world: www.slowfoodfoundation.com.
But in these days I am still enjoying some vacations days in Filicudi, a very little magical island in the Aeolian archipelago, and discover a new surprising and unknown variety, Sbergia.
It belongs to the nectarine family, and is cultivated in a very restricted area, Niceto Valley in Sicily. It has smooth skin and white flesh, and you will be delighted by its intense fragrance and sweet taste. It is harvested in July and August. Due to the very small production areas and the rapid deterioration of the fruit, this peach is comercialized only in a few provinces, Messina, Catania and Reggio Calabria.
Sweet & Sour Peaches
A nice aromatic preserve to enjoy with meat and/or cheese.
1.5 kg peaches
700 g apple vinegar
120 g brown sugar
3 bay leaves
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
4 or 5 cm cinnamon
a teaspoon dried mint (I put some fresh leaves)
- Put vinegar and all spices in a saucepan, combine peaches cut into wedges, bring to a boil and cook a couple of minutes.
- Drain the peaches and remove the peel.
- Add sugar to the flavored vinegar, bring to a boil, add peaches again and cook a minute or two.
- Drain peaches and pour into sterilized jars (just leave them in the oven at 120° for 15 minutes).
- Reduce the vinegar syrup over high heat for at least one third, pour still hot over the peaches (leaving the seeds and bay leaves), gently knock the jars on the work surface to eliminate any air bubbles, close well with sterilized lids (just boil them in water for 10 minutes and then dry them well), turn the jars upside down to cool.
- Store in a cool and dark place and wait at least a month before give a try!


text:
Estate Planning Strategies to Minimize Taxes
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Tom Fridrich is not affiliated with Cetera Advisor Networks LLC.


text:
So here's a thing I've been failing to mention for over four months now: I don't live in San Francisco anymore. That's right, folks, you heard it here last. But if you didn't see that coming, you're not paying attention.
Even though I lived in San Francisco for over eight years, I never could quite identify as a San Franciscan. A major reason for this is that I biked daily on the roads there, more often in SOMA (where I worked) than in any other neighborhood, and there are few things that will make you feel your place as an outsider and an intruder in San Francisco more than riding a bike every day in SOMA.
Wait. But San Francisco has such a strong bicycle culture, right? How could I possibly feel like an outsider as a cyclist in San Francisco?
Oh good! I am so glad you asked that acutely irritating question. What a convenient lead-in for me to talk about bike culture.
Nutritive vs Selective Bike Culture
I think about bike cultures the same way I think about bacterial cultures: There are nutritive bike cultures and then there are selective bike cultures. In Copenhagen and in most cities in the Netherlands, you find the nutritive kind of bike culture, where people of every age, ability, and socioeconomic status can and do use bikes daily to safely transport themselves and their stuff from wherever they happen to be to wherever they happen to be going, at any time of the day or night and in almost any weather. This is a pervasive, heterogeneous bike culture on a regional level that completely overwhelms the kind of selective, homogeneous, minority bike culture that thrives in San Francisco and to varying degrees in other U.S. cities.
[youtube width="635″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-y_26lgm9I[/youtube]Groningen has a nutritive bike culture. You can tell because 57% of all trips are made by bike (contrasted with 3.5% in SF) and helmets are nowhere to be seen because biking here is safe.
A nutritive cycling environment is one in which many different types of cyclists thrive. In obvious contrast to the nutritive environments found in Dutch cities, in the much more selective San Francisco you find the following considerably harsher conditions:
- A lack of safe infrastructure for people who bike.
- A lack of support from law enforcement for people who bike.
- A lack of support from law makers for people who bike.
- A lack of education for people who drive about how to operate their cars safely around people who are operating bikes.
- A compliant media to keep drivers misinformed and dangerously agitated against people who bike.
All of these factors serve as the "selective media", combining to give you San Francisco-style "bike culture", which is really a bike sub-culture: A minority of people who, despite all of this, actually still bike to commute. Having been carefully selected by their inhospitable environment, they tend, on the whole, to be somewhat similar to one another. They're the young, able-bodied, likely childless, "bold and fearless" 3.5% or so who are not convinced by points 1 through 5 above to actually abandon their bikes.
[youtube width="635″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LvTpg0VMrM[/youtube]San Francisco's selective bike culture. Encounter another cyclist at a red light? Get his number. He might be your soulmate.
So in San Francisco, not only do bike commuters as a group hold a lot more in common than bike commuters in Amsterdam or Copenhagen, they also have a whole lot of sticky stuff to bond over. In San Francisco, when cyclists get together, they share stories about terrifying close calls with cars[1], often involving drivers who are talking on their phones, texting, or getting their morning nap in over a hot coffee and a newspaper. People share tales of broken collar bones, of getting "doored" on their way to work, of various experiences with the police department's anti-cyclist bias, or of being passed too closely, "right-hooked", pressured off the road, or screamed at, honked at, or worse, merely for taking their legal place on the road. And once you have a few stories of your own to share, you inevitably started to feel a bond and a sense of belonging with this bunch of people who call themselves city cyclists. But you can find this in any bike-unfriendly city which has an appreciable number of people who bike. If you look hard enough.
To illustrate the difference another way, imagine two people have just arrived at a book signing. Both got there on bikes and are parking them outside just a few paces from each other. If this story were set in Groningen, our narrative would end there. The two would almost certainly fail to register each other's existence, especially through the crowd of other people parking their bikes in the space between them. If we set it in San Francisco, however, if these two people didn't already know each other, they would quite likely notice each other as the only two people locking bikes up to adjacent parking meters, and they'd also be more likely to be close in age and temperament. They would probably smile at each other as they walked toward the door, and soon they'd share a knowing eye-roll, as the host, astutely spotting one of their helmets, asks if they arrived on bikes and goes on to comment that it's "a nice day for a bike ride". They would use the bicycle as an icebreaker during mingling, and they might later exchange numbers, go on bike dates, and perhaps one day move in together, have children, enroll their kids in a bicycle safety class from the earliest possible age, sign them up to be bicycle valet parking volunteers at community events, and ultimately go to their 20-year SFBC member party together. Or perhaps they would buy cars and move to Danville to keep from having to watch their precious little ones experience the same dangers and police indifference on San Francisco's streets that they have learned to endure on a daily basis. After all, with young people moving into the city every year, there has to be some attrition to keep that mode-share to a tidy 3.5%.
How San Francisco forged my identity as a "cyclist"
In late 2004, having moved back to the U.S. after living for a couple of years in London, I came to San Francisco on one of those waves of young people moving into the city. I was 28, and I had absolutely no view of myself as a "cyclist". I owned a department store bike that I had recently bought and enthusiastically decorated for Burning Man. It was heavy, low on gears, full of shock absorbers, and totally ill-suited to biking on even the tamest of San Francisco's hills. But after discovering that MUNI was not as good at getting me around the city as London's busses had been at getting me around London, I decided to circumvent MUNI's unreliability by using my bike to get to work on time.
How embarrassing.
Even though I had stripped the bike of everything pink and orange by then, this decision immediately attracted the attention of my cycling friends and co-workers, and they began to offer me bike advice and camaraderie. One co-worker (who is today of course a good friend) even gave me his old bike when he bought a new one, and I found myself learning what a difference it makes on San Francisco's hills to ride a proper bike with actual gears and other fancy features, like a lighter frame and a rigid seat post. My 3rd bike was again a hand-me-down from a friend who had gotten himself a new bike. That 3rd bike was the first bike I fell in love with. It was a geared-up, nimble, very light mountain bike with no suspension. It was pure joy to ride. And once I saw myself getting better on the hills and eventually even beating the boys to the top? That was it for me. I was hooked. I had never in my life excelled in anything remotely athletic, so crushing hills and leaving boys in the dust was a completely new and exciting experience for this physically graceless, and socially awkward computer nerd.
The same friend who gave me my 3rd bike also told me a story about how an SFPD officer treated him after a car driver pulled out from a small alley and hit him with her car. The police somehow found my friend to be at fault, and so he received no financial help with his injuries. I was a little incredulous at the time, figuring he must have left some detail out of his story that could have explained why the cop found against him, though I couldn't imagine what it might have been. I soon learned not to be so unbelieving.
And as the years went on, San Francisco continued to forge my identity as a cyclist. I became more or less loosely affiliated with many different groups of cyclists, from cyclocross and mountain bike racers, to road warrior Strava nuts, to bike campers, bike advocates, eco-riders, hipsters, and even a few fixerati thrown in for good measure. I fell in love with long distance riding in particular, as it allowed me to explore territory I used to think was off limits to those of us without cars. I became obsessed for a while with monitoring my improvement on hills using Strava, feeling the occasional validation that only a hard-fought QOM status on a lung-bleeder of a Presidio hill segment can bring to an introverted "non-racer" like me. And the weight loss was of course a happy side-effect of doing this new thing I loved to do. Despite my surprising enthusiasm for the sportier side of cycling, though, I was always primarily a utilitarian cyclist, just someone who was trying to get to where I was going efficiently without a car, which in itself was more than enough, in San Francisco, to tattoo the word "cyclist" onto my heart (and lungs).
The irony of it all
Ironically it's this very San Francisco-sourced identity as a cyclist that has caused me to decide that I can't tolerate daily life there anymore. During my many years on the "bike scene" in San Francisco, I met the occasional "ex-cyclist" who had decided the risk of biking in the city was no longer worth the reward. And after being hit by a presumably-drunk hit-and-run driver that fateful night in SOMA, my 3rd time being hit by a car in SOMA, I felt a very strong pull to become an "ex-cyclist" myself. (Especially since, as is the very disturbing and undeniable norm when it comes to bicyclists who are hit by cars, the SFPD didn't lift a finger to investigate my hit and run.) I stopped riding to appointments which would require me to bike through trouble spots in the city. And with the exception of group rides, in which I would be safer, I stopped most of my recreational riding. Some days, in order to keep from being overcome by PTSD anxiety fumes, I'd leave the bike at home and take the bus everywhere, despite the extra hours it often took to do so. But my schedule usually wouldn't allow me to indulge my PTSD, and so I would ride right through the stress and anxiety, enduring the close calls and frightfully inattentive, uneducated, and even hostile driver behavior, day after day, until I finally figured out that I had to decide between being a cyclist and being a San Franciscan.
So at the end of March 2013, with a heavy heart, I left the city that had done so much to shape who I am today. Four months later, I miss my friends, I miss my riding buddies, and I miss the ability to drop in on a bunch of rabid techies at the coolest bar in town to hear first hand about all of the fascinating world-shaping technological innovation going on around me. I miss being in the middle of one of the most happening places on earth. But I don't miss the daily PTSD triggers and feelings of utter personal stagnation I was experiencing during my last 18 months there.
Now and Later
I am currently in a luxuriously dull and uneventful limbo between San Francisco and my next city, in the sensory deprivation tank that is Hugo, MN. Here I have access to my family, my remote job, and a pretty impressive network of completely separated (albeit virtually amenity-free) bike paths to help me keep biking while my body re-learns how to remain calm in the face of the institutionalized injustices and dangers of the American transportation system. But winter is coming, and believe me, nobody wants to be in Hugo, MN when that happens.
Here are just a few (OK, quite a few) examples of the kinds of serenity I've been up against here in Minnesota:
Minneapolis's Minnehaha Parkway Trail, which I got to all the way from Hugo, MN, completely on separated trails.
Minneapolis's Minnehaha Parkway Trail again.
Lino Lakes Park Trail
Minneapolis's Cedar Lake Bicycle Highway, which has surprisingly few exits and entrances.
Another Lino Lakes Park Trail…. I know. Ridiculous.
My nieces, enjoying a nameless trail right outside their door. It leads to Hugo's only grocery store and primary commerce center.
This list would be incomplete without a photo of the famous Gateway Trail.
And finally, my very favorite bike on my very favorite stretch of MN trail.
I will almost inevitably one day reveal here what my next chosen city is, perhaps four months or so after I've moved there, or perhaps next week. For now I'll just tell those of you who don't already know but may nevertheless think you do: No. It's not Portland.
[1] In one particularly memorable story, which I heard during my last month in San Francisco, a woman riding southbound on Polk Street somehow ended up momentarily underneath an idling delivery truck together with her bike. She managed against some scary odds to escape without being injured or killed. The driver remained completely unaware of all that had transpired under and around his truck.


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