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There can hardly be an adult in the world who didn't enjoy being read a story as a child and for many of us recollection of these tales means reliving some of our earliest memories.
But rather than being scared of the big bad wolf, kids in Belgium have a new foe – the country's evil copyright overlords.
In quite possibly their lowest move yet, rights group SABAM are now trying to attach a price to children's reading sessions taking place in libraries up and down the country.
More often associated with music-related collections, SABAM have been contacting libraries that hold sessions where children can listen to stories read out by library staff. These, the group insists, are events held in public and are therefore chargeable.
One target for SABAM is a library in Dilbeek that has been holding a twice-monthly reading hour for children.
"Each time a dozen or so children attend," library worker Alexandra Vervaecke told DeMorgen. "A while ago we were suddenly contacted by SABAM and told that we have to pay. I have done the calculations: for us it would amount to 250 euro per year."
Naturally the libraries are mulling ways to avoid paying SABAM – one option is to limit readings to older stories that are copyright free, but even that's not easy.
"Even Grimms' Fairy Tales are on a list of works for which one must pay," said Vervaecke. "This is because only the original version is copyright-free. In any case it's impossible to read only older texts."
LINC, a non-profit organization that helps to set up public reading spots in libraries, is concerned by developments.
"A few hundred euros might not sound like much, but for small libraries it is quite a lot of money and the effects will not help to promote reading", said spokesperson An Valkenborgh. "Since the report from Dilbeek we've heard from a few other libraries that have also been contacted about paying or are already paying."
It's not clear if there is a link with the increased SABAM activity in this area, but currently in Belgium it's Jeugdboekenweek – children's literature week. Nevertheless, SABAM insist they have a right to get paid.
"We have a department that actively tracks events for which royalties must be paid. It could be that they have seen a notice and thus contacted us," said spokesman Jérôme Van Win. "For libraries there are no exceptions to the law. They are public places and so royalties must be paid for a public reading session."
Only 3 months in, 2012 is proving to be a busy year for SABAM. Last month the group lost their legal battle with social networking site Netlog, with the European Court of Justice ruling that hosting sites aren't allowed to filter copyrighted content as that would violate the privacy of users and hinder freedom of information.
In a separate case originally brought by an artist back in 2004, a judge's findings means that SABAM is now facing accusations of falsifying accounts to cover up bribe payments, abuse of trust, copyright fraud and embezzlement.
Update: Although the original article at Belgium's DeMorgen seems very clear, and despite the author of that article contacting SABAM and receiving a quote for his story, SABAM are now saying that there is a misunderstanding. While they clarify that they are able to ask for payment when a literary work is read out as a public performance, in the case of the Dilbeek library, SABAM say that the fee requested was only for the playing of music.
The bottom line is that if libraries arrange a reading they do have to contact SABAM to see if the work to be read is protected. If it is then the library has to pay SABAM a fee.


text:
- Description
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White Wine Glass
One imprint position (per glass) included.
Specs & Details
General information
- Vector artwork must accompany your initial order.
- Artwork may be submitted electronically. Faxed copies, and other similar printed material, is not considered camera ready vector art.
- Electronic art must be vector, high resolution (300dpi or higher) and may be sent as an .ai, .eps, .dxf, or .cdr. - Email your artwork to your Customer Service Representative.
- Artwork modifications will be charged at $50 per hour, if supplied as a tif, bitmap, jpeg, gif, or any other form of non-vector art.
- For painted 3D creations, PMS color match must be submitted with order or artists discretion will be used.
- New 3D logos, falling within standard size up to 9" across at largest dimension, incur a $250 set up.
- Larger 3D creation sizes, please call for quote.
- Crystal, glass, marble, engraved and framed awards or barware/stemware and ceramic mug artwork that is not set in vector art format will incur a $50 set up.
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- California Proposition 65: www.p65warnings.ca.gov

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with foundations, investors, governments, corporations, communities and civil society to formulate strategies and implement solutions that generate lasting social, environmental and financial benefits. For the past 50 years, we have been making Positive Impact possible. With a team of more than 2,500 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of more than 35,000 technical experts, Palladium has improved – and is committed to continuing to improve – economies, societies and most importantly, people's lives. Palladium is a child-safe organisation, and screens applicants for suitability to work with children. We also provide equal employment to all participants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran or marital status.
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Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló announced his resignation overnight, ceding power after nearly two weeks of furious protests and political upheaval touched off by a leak of crude and insulting chat messages between him and his top advisers.
A crowd of thousands outside the governor's mansion in Old San Juan erupted in cheers and song after his announcement on Facebook just before midnight on Wednesday.
"Despite expecting to serve the term that the people democratically elected me to, today I feel that continuing in this position represents a threat to the success we have achieved," a shaken-looking Rosselló said in an address in which he listed his accomplishments before making clear he will step down Aug. 2.
The 40-year-old Democrat and son of a governor, Rosselló became the first governor to resign in the modern history of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory of more than 3 million American citizens. He is more than halfway through his four-year term.
He said Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez will take over, becoming Puerto Rico's second female governor.
"It's historic, but we have to be cautious. What will happen beyond this? There are concerns, but there is also hope," designer Jalil Serrano said. Gesturing to the young crowd outside the mansion, he said, "This belongs to them."
Daniel López, a businessman also in the protest, wiped tears from his eyes as people leaped into the air, beat drums, waved flags, hugged and cried, "We did it!"
"This is for the future of my family," López said. "It's big, what's happened."
Rosselló's announcement — made amid threats of impeachment from lawmakers — came after a bizarre standoff unfolded in Old San Juan, as the governor pledged to deliver a message to the people of Puerto Rico, then hour after hour passed in unexplained silence while thousands of protesters chanted demands for his resignation. An announcement was first expected at 5 p.m., then finally came less than a half-hour before midnight.
Puerto Rico Rep. Gabriel Rodríguez, a member of Rosselló's pro-statehood party, said legislators had initially agreed to set aside the impeachment process and give the governor until 5 p.m. to announce that he was going to resign.
At one point, dozens of officers in full riot gear marched out of the governor's mansion toward protesters.
"We want peace, and they want war!" the crowd yelled.
The obscenity-laced online messages involving the governor and 11 other men infuriated Puerto Ricans already frustrated with corruption, mismanagement, economic crisis and the sluggish recovery from Hurricane Maria nearly two years ago.
In reaction, tens of thousands took to the streets to demand Rosselló's resignation in Puerto Rico's biggest demonstrations since the protests that put an end to U.S. Navy training on the island of Vieques more than 15 years ago.
The chat participants discussed the awarding of government contracts in ways that some observers called potentially illegal. They also insulted women and mocked constituents, including victims of Hurricane Maria. Rosselló called a female politician a "whore," referred to another as a "daughter of a bitch," and made fun of an obese man with whom he posed in a photo.
Earlier this week, a judge issued search warrants for the cellphones of government officials involved in the chat. One of the search warrants said officials in the conversation may have illegally divulged confidential government information.
More than a dozen government officials have resigned since the chat was leaked earlier this month, including Rosselló confidant and chief of staff Ricardo Llerandi, former Secretary of State Luis Rivera Marín and former chief financial officer Christian Sobrino, who also held five other positions.
Under Puerto Rico's constitution, the secretary of state would normally assume the governorship, but since that post is vacant, Vazquez is in line to succeed Rosselló.
Over the weekend, Rosselló posted a video on Facebook in which he announced he would not seek re-election in 2020 or continue as head of his political party, but his refusal to resign further angered Puerto Ricans and led to a colossal demonstration Monday on one of the capital's main highways.
The upheaval comes as the island tries to restructure part of $70 billion in debt and cope with a 13-year recession that has led to an exodus of nearly half a million people to the U.S. mainland in the past decade. Many Puerto Ricans are resentful over the resulting pension cuts, school closings and other austerity measures.
The economic crisis is in part a result of previous administrations — including that of Rosselló's father, Pedro — that overspent, overestimated revenue and borrowed millions as the island sank deeper into debt. In 2017, Puerto Rico filed for the equivalent of bankruptcy. Congress approved a financial package, and a federal board is overseeing the island's finances.
An MIT graduate with a doctorate in genetics, Rosselló spent much of his time as governor fighting austerity measures and seeking federal funds after Maria devastated the island in September 2017, causing thousands of deaths and more than $100 billion in damage.
Nearly two years later, some 30,000 homes still have tarp roofs, power outages remain common, and Puerto Rico has received less than a third of the roughly $40 billion pledged by the U.S. government. Rosselló complained earlier this year of unfair treatment and a hostile attitude from some U.S. officials.
The public's confidence has also been rocked by a recent string of corruption arrests involving such figures as the island's former education secretary and the one-time chief of health services.
The Associated Press contributed to this article


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Intel's CEO [Brian Krzanich] stopped by the Re/Code conference to announce Jimmy, the first robot from the 21st Century Robot project. The project is the brainchild of [Brian David Johnson], Intel's resident futurist. We love the project's manifesto:
Robot Is: Imagined first. Easy to build. Completely open source. Fiercely social. Intentionally iterative. Filled with humanity and dreams. Thinking for her/him/itself.
Jimmy may not be all those things yet, but he definitely is exciting. For starters, he wasn't built in some secret lab at Intel HQ. Much of Jimmy's construction took place at Trossen Robotics, a name well known to Hackaday. [Matt] and [Andrew] at Trossen describe all the details in their video down past the break.
This version of Jimmy is a research robot, which mean's he's not going to come cheap. Jimmy sports an Intel i5 NUC motherboard, 20 Dynamixel servos, a 5052 aluminum frame and a host of sensors. A 4S 14.8v 4000mAh LiPo battery will power Jimmy for 30 to 60 minutes between charges, so be sure to budget for a few spare packs. The most striking aspect of Jimmy is his 3D printed shell. The 21st Century Robot Project gave him large, friendly eyes and features, which will definitely help with the social aspect of their goals.
Jimmy is all about open source. He can run two flavors of Linux: Ubuntu 14.04 LTS or a custom version of Yocto Pokey. There is a lot to be said for running and developing on the same hardware. No specialized toolchains for cross compiling, no NFS shares to move binaries around. If you need to make a change, you can plug a monitor (or launch an VNC session) and do everything with Jimmy's on-board computer. Jimmy's software stack is based upon the DARwIn OP platform, and a ROS port is in the works.
We're excited about Jimmy, but at $16,000 USD, he's a bit outside our budget. Thankfully a smaller consumer version of Jimmy will soon be available for around 1/10th the cost.
Continue reading "Meet Jimmy: An Open Source Biped Robot From Intel"


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Picture it: It's 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning, it's 16 degrees, and I'm standing in a ski jacket and plaid pajama bottoms on my driveway, which at this wintry moment looks like a footpath that might be used by Bhutanese yak herders. In one hand is a long yellow leash attached, conspicuously, to nothing, and in the other a half-empty box of Milk Bone dog biscuits, which I'm shaking up and down like some kind of pathetic cardboard maraca.
Halfway down the driveway is our 3-year-old yellow Lab, Penny, staring at me like I've gone completely out of my mind.
The hardest thing to reconcile, while swearing under my breath and fruitlessly shaking my Milk Bones as Penny tears off in the other direction, is why this dog never passes up the opportunity to bolt. After all, the house she's trying so desperately to escape contains heat, food and unfettered access to any number of lumpy couches. Is the lingering possibility of finding a dead animal carcass really so compelling? (Apparent answer: Yes.)
I figure this is the type of thing you have to grapple with if you live with not one, not two, not three, but (wait for it) four canine companions, which happens to be exactly the situation I find myself in. And these are not fit-in-your-purse, keep-them-inside-if-there-are-hawks-around kinds of dogs — these are Labs and goldens, the kind who will collapse on your bed like a four-legged sack of cement, fixing your comforter in place like spikes through a circus tent.
For the record, my wife, Theresa, is the true dog lover in the family — she loves dogs in a very real, spiritual way that she considers more than worth any effort she has to put in to care for them. Whereas I tend to love dogs in more of a theoretical sense, in that way where you get choked up at the end of "Homeward Bound," but you'd rather not be cleaning up after anything that comes out of them, or chasing them through snow drifts in your pajamas.
My family did have a dog when I was a kid — a large and unfortunately aggressive boxer named Rocky, whose tenure as a pet did not end well — but our current crowded household (I'll tell you about the three cats later) has led me to consider, as I've never done before, why we get so attached to our pets. After all, they're messy, they're expensive, they do things that make you want to strangle them, and, unlike your kids, they aren't obligated to take care of you when you get decrepit.
I guess maybe Penny's personality holds the answer to that question. Her distinguishing trait is to greet everything she meets, be it growling, cowering or yipping, with loving and earnest licks to the face. She's a diplomat and a peacekeeper, like Jimmy Carter with a 6-inch tongue, but fortunately not nearly as smart — for instance, after chasing her pointlessly through the snow for half an hour on Sunday, I simply opened the door to Theresa's car and she promptly jumped into the driver's seat, like a teenager awaiting her first lesson.
I dove in next to her and snapped the leash on, and she lovingly and earnestly licked my face as if I'd just rescued her from the brink of death. Yes, I could have strangled her just minutes before, but all was quickly forgiven — it's hard to stay mad at someone when you're relieved they didn't get themselves run over by a snowplow. And even if Penny's prone to taking off, I admit it's flattering when she showers me with licks of love when she comes back.
So much so that I'm almost able to forget about what may have been in her mouth while she was gone.
Note: The above is the first in a series of columns I'll be doing this year on life among pets. Follow them at my new blog, The Longest Tail.


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TCF has worked with Habitat for Humanity since 2004 in Cambodia and have been instrumental in creating the revolving fund that HFHC is using for housing loans to poor people in the settlements outside Phnom Penh. From 2014 TCF is now supporting Habitat for Humanity in Nepal to implement a Community Development Project around the same Save and Build scheme that is at the core of Habitat for Humanity's approach.
Nepal has a population of 30 million and is among the poorest countries in the world, ranking 157 out of 187 countries on the Human Development Index. One of the most deprived segments of the rural population are the Tharu, an indigenous group from the western lowlands. Under the Kamaiya system, tens of thousands of Tharu worked as bonded labourers (without remuneration) to repay debts owed by their ancestors. The Kamaiya system was declared illegal in 2000, which saw thousands of Tharu households receive allocations of land from the government, but little other support.
While most households now have land, the majority lack access to basic facilities such as clean water and toilets, and houses are generally small, unhygienic and not durable. As an ethnic minority the Tharu face significant discrimination and limited access to opportunities. Alongside the Tharu, there are significant numbers of working poor families living in the Western lowlands in Nepal.
Under the Ghorahi Community Development Project, Habitat for Humanity Nepal seeks to improve living conditions for 270 Tharu ex-Kamaiya households and other poor households in Ghorahi Municipality, Dang District.
They will provide housing loans to 270 ex-Kamaiya and other poor households in the project area, allowing them to build new or to upgrade existing houses. Community wells will be provided where existing water supply is inadequate, alongside sanitation loans and hygiene training. Households will participate in Appropriate Construction Technology (ACT) training, aimed at teaching basic building techniques using locally available materials to ensure quality and durability of housing, and make provision for any ongoing maintenance. Loan repayments will go into a revolving fund, making loans to even more families possible.


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Marduk ( 𒀭𒀫𒌓 ) is an ancient deity with origins in Mesopotamia. We know he was a protection-God of Babylon in 4000 BC. He was associated with light and wisdom. Marduk's symbol was the dragon Tiamat, which he defeated as a Storm god. It was of the body of Tiamat that Marduk created the Universe.
Worshipper of Marduq in Babylon recited holy texts before the mighty golden statue of Marduq the sun God. And his son, Nabu, playing at his feet with writing equipment.
The emphasis on holy texts and the ritual reciting could have influenced early Hebrew tribes to do the same with their holy book, the Torah.
As a God of Light, Marduk watched over the artists; dancers, painters and sculptors alike.
Our VMS also tries to join the proverbial `light` in video an the proverbial `wisdom` of the Internet together
Marduq has a Son with his wife, the goddess Serpanitum. His name is Nabu and he is the God of Writing. He is usually shown as Marduk`s Scribe of sometimes as is First Minister.
Our VMS for the Marduq system is named after him; Nabu ( 𒀭𒀝 )


text:
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16oz Glass Water Bottle with Optic White Helix Silicone Sleeve and Classic Cap
Plenty of room for your water, tea, or smoothie so you can replenish on-the-go. Beautiful colors, smooth, clean glass, and the classic, tight fitting, easy-carry cap. The Lifefactory 16 oz bottle is the perfect everyday companion. Leave the cups and plastic bottles behind forever.
Item Number: LF220030HGC4
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A brain-computer interface allows people to use only their thoughts to control a flying quadcopter. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), biomedical engineer Bin He and his team at the University of Minnesota have created the interface with the goal of helping people with disabilities, such as paralysis, regain the ability to do everyday tasks.
Currently, the researchers are testing out their system using a flying object known as a quadcopter, and controlling it with someone's thoughts. For the experiments, the team uses both an actual flying quadcopter and a virtual one. In both experiments, the interface is non-invasive, so there are no implants. Participants wear an electro-encephalography, or EEG, cap with 64 electrodes. When the participant thinks about a specific movement, neurons in his or her brain's motor cortex produce tiny electric signals, which are sent to a computer. The computer processes the signals and sends directions through a Wi-Fi system to direct the quadcopter.
He and his team chose the quadcopter for this testing phase to keep participants engaged, but the interface is designed to help in the real world with everyday tasks, such as turning on the lights or surfing the internet.
The research was supported by NSF award #0933067, Neuroimaging of Motor Imagery for Brain Computer Inferface Application, and funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.


text: A defendant in a lawsuit involving large sums of money was talking to his lawyer. "If I lose this case, I'll be ruined." "It's in the judge's hands now," said the lawyer. "Would it help if I sent the judge a box of cigars?" "Oh no! This judge is a stickler or ethical behavior. A stunt like that would prejudice him against you. He might even hold you in contempt of court. In fact, you shouldn't even smile at the judge." Within the course of time, the judge rendered a decision in favor of the defendant. As the defendant left the courthouse, he said to his lawyer, "Thanks for the tip about the cigars. It worked!" "I'm sure we would have lost the case if you'd sent them." "But, I did send them." "What? You did?" said the lawyer, incredulously. "Yes. That's how we won the case." "I don't understand," said the lawyer. "It's easy. I sent the cigars to the judge, but enclosed the plaintiff's business card."


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SugarCut - Hey Fall
SugarCut - Hey Fall
Set of 9 wafer thin steel dies
Our SugarCut – Hey Fall die set is designed to be used together with our Hey Fall stamp set (sold separately) for quick, easy and professional paper crafting projects.
Our photopolymer clear stamps, SugarCut steel metal dies, stencils and paper products are proudly made in the USA.
Measurement Reference:
SugarCuts are our very own EXCLUSIVE line of wafer-thin steel dies made in the USA and are compatible with most leading die cut machines such as the Gemini and Cuttlebug.
SugarCuts are a "must have" for all of your crafting fun and will easily cut through many different materials such as paper, cardstock, chipboard, felt, cork, acetate and much much more!!
PLEASE NOTE: Many of our dies sets are connected by thin metal tabs and may need to be taken apart for best results. Although this may be done with a gentle hand, we highly recommend you wear protective eyewear – use small wire cutter/tin snips and then lightly sand those areas to remove any sharp edges.


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Happy Birthday Branch Birds Card
This tri-fold, double sided tableau opens out to give a three-dimensional view that is a both a card and a free-standing sculpture, which becomes an object of beauty in its own right.
There is an area within the card for your own message.
Free shipping is available on UK card orders.
Supplied individually wrapped with grey coloured envelope (135mm x 185mm). UK printed on board from FSC approved mixed sources.


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Sure, winning the Nobel Prize in economics may be one of the crowning achievements of David Card's storied career. And, yeah, he gets to split more than a million dollars with the two other winners of the 2021 prize, Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens. But that's just the cake. There's also the icing. David Card teaches at UC Berkeley, so for him becoming a Nobel laureate comes with an extra perk: free parking for life. Seriously.
"Yes, Professor Card, in addition to your Nobel Prize — and, indeed, because of it — I'm pleased to award you a highly coveted parking space near your office," said UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol T. Christ on the morning of the Nobel announcement. "I've been told that, like many Berkeley faculty members, you actually ride your bike to work, so let me see how we might go about creating a special place for you to park it in."
We are eagerly waiting to see what UC Berkeley devises to help newly minted Nobel laureate David Card park his bike in style. As for the prize itself, it adds official pageantry to something we econ nerds already know about Card: his work, frequently done in collaboration with his late coauthor Alan Krueger, has completely reshaped the field of economics. Economists consider their work one of the opening salvos in what is sometimes termed the "credibility revolution," or the empirical revolution. This refers to a movement in economics to create innovative research designs, aimed at finding credible evidence to answer important policy questions. Following Card and Krueger's opening shots, Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens parachuted in and gave the revolution another victory by deploying even more statistically sophisticated weapons.
Thanks to the work of these new Nobel laureates, economics these days has become more of an evidence-based science and less of an ideologically driven philosophy.
A New Way To Do Economics
Let's time travel back in time to see why Card and Krueger's work was such a revolution. It was the early 1990s. A Tribe Called Quest and Nirvana were blaring on sound systems. People were wearing neon colors and saying words like "cowabunga." And these two young, Ivy League economists were working on a blockbuster study that would not only revolutionize thinking about the minimum wage — but also revolutionize thinking about how economic studies should be done.
[Editor's note: This is an excerpt of Planet Money's newsletter. You can sign up here.]
The paper was called, "Minimum Wages and Employment: A Case Study of the Fast-Food Industry in New Jersey and Pennsylvania." Up until then, economists thought about the effects of the minimum wage as they did most other subjects — mostly in theoretical terms. Their view of the world was more influenced by cartoon models drawn on chalkboards than hard data. And this cartoon world said that the minimum wage kills jobs.
Card and Krueger wanted to see how the minimum wage affects jobs in the real world. They were inspired by the way researchers in the medical field had credibly shown cause and effect using randomized experiments. You know, randomly dividing people into two groups that are statistically identical. Researchers offer one group a treatment, like a pill or something. They then compare the outcomes of both groups, and, boom, they give us credible evidence about the effects of that pill. Card and Krueger dreamed of being able to do this in their research, but the problem for them — and all social scientists, really — is it's a logistical nightmare, if not impossible, to divide up large groups of people and conduct experiments on many kinds of pressing policy questions.
Lacking the ability to conduct a randomized trial, Card and Krueger pioneered an alternative method to credibly estimate cause and effect. When the state of New Jersey raised the minimum wage, they saw the opportunity for a "natural experiment," approaching the policy change as if it were a randomized trial. Fast-food restaurants in New Jersey were the treatment group. Fast-food restaurants just across the state border, in Eastern Pennsylvania, were the control group. Card and Krueger then looked at changes in employment in each state to see what the effect of the minimum wage was in New Jersey. They found that a modest increase in the minimum wage did not kill jobs. It was a bombshell for the economic world, challenging an orthodoxy that had dominated the field for decades.
Card used natural experiments to study a variety of other important policy questions. For example, the cartoon model of old-school economics said that immigrants lowered native-born workers' wages. But, in a 1990 study, Card analyzed what happened to the labor market in Miami after 1980, when Fidel Castro allowed thousands to leave Cuba and move to the United States. It was known as the Mariel boatlift, and, if you've ever seen the movie Scarface, you're familiar with the boatlift. It's how Tony Montana comes to the United States. Anyways, Card found that the large influx of immigrants "had virtually no effect on the wage rates of less-skilled non-Cuban workers." His work invigorated more research efforts on the topic and helped a generation of economists and policymakers reevaluate the costs and benefits of immigration.
Eva Mörk, a member of the Prize Committee for the Alfred Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, told the press on Monday that Card, Angrist, and Imbens "have revolutionized empirical work in economics. They have shown that it's indeed possible to answer important questions even when it's not possible to conduct randomized experiments."
Speaking Monday morning on a video call with UC Berkeley administrators, David Card thanked his former doctoral thesis advisor and current collaborator, Orley Ashenfelter, for pioneering the "revolutionary change in the way economists do research" and leading the way for his work. Ashenfelter is an economist at Princeton University. As head of Princeton's influential Industrial Relations Section, which funds economics research, Ashenfelter supervised not only Card but also Joshua Angrist on their doctoral theses. Two former students getting the Nobel prize in one day. Not bad, Orley. We called him up to see if we could convince him to supervise our work at Planet Money. We settled for an interview.
"If you look at papers in economics journals these days, they are heavily influenced by the kind of work that these Nobel prize winners pioneered," Ashenfelter says.
Ashenfelter continues to have a working relationship with Card and Angrist, and he was excited for his former students. And he was also excited for his brand of evidence-based economics. This is the second award to go to researchers focused on getting experimental evidence to answer big questions. In 2019, Esther Duflo, Abhijit Banerjee, and Michael Kremer, pioneers in using randomized experiments in development economics, shared a prize for "their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty."
"It's a nice thing because the Nobel committee has been fixated on economic theory for so long, and now this is the second prize awarded for how economic analysis is now primarily done," Ashenfelter says. "Most economic analysis nowadays is applied and empirical."
The sad part about the Nobel Prize is, for whatever reason, it's not awarded posthumously. Alan Krueger, who died in 2019, would have surely shared the prize had he lived. But we don't need an official prize to also recognize his role in the revolution.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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No, Shelf Awareness isn't interviewing me, but I love to read their author interviews, and they always ask the same questions (at least in my limited observation). They're fun questions, too. So should Shelf Awareness ever want to interview me, they can simply copy and paste.
On your nightstand now:
I actually have a stack of books against the wall more than a pile on the nightstand. In my stack are [amazon_link id="0451169522″ target="_blank" ]Misery[/amazon_link] by Stephen King, a few Sharyn McCrumbs I want to get to, [amazon_link id="0711231893″ target="_blank" ]Tea with Jane Austen[/amazon_link], [amazon_link id="B001P3OLEM" target="_blank" ]Burning Bright[/amazon_link] by Tracy Chevalier, [amazon_link id="0060791586″ target="_blank" ]The Widow's War[/amazon_link] by Sally Gunning, [amazon_link id="0312304358″ target="_blank" ]Moloka'i[/amazon_link] by Alan Brennert, [amazon_link id="0679781587″ target="_blank" ]Memoirs of a Geisha[/amazon_link] by Arthur Golden, and [amazon_link id="0152053107″ target="_blank" ]A Northern Light[/amazon_link] by Jennifer Donnelly, among other books I dip into occasionally.
Favorite book when you were a child:
When I was in the third grade, it was [amazon_link id="0142408808″ target="_blank" ]Superfudge[/amazon_link] by Judy Blume because Mrs. Elliott read it to us, and it was impossible to check out of the library for months afterward. I also loved [amazon_link id="0807508527″ target="_blank" ]The Boxcar Children[/amazon_link] by Gertrude Chandler Warner. When I was a little older, [amazon_link id="0385739893″ target="_blank" ]Tiger Eyes[/amazon_link] by Judy Blume.
Your top five authors:
- J. K. Rowling: Her books are pure, imaginative escapism, and I am grateful for all the time I've spent at Hogwarts.
- Jane Austen: She is my literary comfort food. I can always turn to her for a good read.
- William Shakespeare: Unqualified genius and master of the English language.
- F. Scott Fitzgerald: Beautiful turns of phrase and poetic writing. I admit his place here rests on one book—[amazon_link id="0743273567″ target="_blank" ]The Great Gatsby[/amazon_link].
- Barbara Kingsolver: I so enjoyed [amazon_link id="0061577073″ target="_blank" ]The Poisonwood Bible[/amazon_link], and [amazon_link id="0061765228″ target="_blank" ]The Bean Trees[/amazon_link] is one of the few books I've read in one sitting.
I should note that list fluctuates, but it's true for today.
Book you've faked reading:
[amazon_link id="1461120292″ target="_blank" ]The Red Badge of Courage[/amazon_link] by Stephen Crane. I've still never finished it. I read the Cliff's Notes for a test in American Realism and Naturalism in college, and I earned a B on it. If I'd read it, I could probably have earned an A, but that's the way it is.
Book you're an evangelist for:
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. I think everyone should read it, even if they don't think they're interested in Africa. What Kingsolver did with that book amazes me, and it's the kind of writing I aspire to.
Book you've bought for the cover:
I've talked about this before, but I bought Alice Hoffman's [amazon_link id="0345455932″ target="_blank" ]Blackbird House[/amazon_link] because I liked the cover, and it didn't pay off. However, [amazon_link id="0743298039″ target="_blank" ]The Thirteenth Tale[/amazon_link] by Diane Setterfield and [amazon_link id="B003WUYROK" target="_blank" ]The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane[/amazon_link] by Katherine Howe, both of which I bought for their covers, paid off beautifully.
Book that changed your life:
This is a hard one, but I'm going with Harper Lee's [amazon_link id="0061743526″ target="_blank" ]To Kill a Mockingbird[/amazon_link]. I never get tired of that book. It helped me look at my own beliefs and made me question what I would do if I were Atticus. Would I have the guts to do the right thing in the face of so much prejudice and opposition in the town, especially knowing I was licked before I began? The reason that Atticus is such a hero is that he did all this and so few people would.
Favorite line from a book:
The last page of The Great Gatsby is beautiful:
And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors' eyes—a fresh, green breast of the new world. Its vanished trees, the trees that had made way for Gatsby's house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder.
And as I sat there, brooding on the unknown world, I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in the vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night.
Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter—tomorrow we will run raster, stretch out our arms farther… And one fine morning—
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
I never tired of The Great Gatsby, and that page contains so much gorgeous writing.
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
Oh, surely the [amazon_link id="0545162076″ target="_blank" ]Harry Potter[/amazon_link] series. The wonder and waiting for the plot to unfold was one of the best reading experiences of my life.
photo credit: chefranden


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In my post, Phytic Acid in Grains and Legumes, I shared some of my research which led me to conclude that phytic acid does indeed bind with minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. If you depend on grains and legumes for a high portion of your diet, then those phytates (phytic acid) could lead to mineral deficiences. This may be one of the biggest reasons that traditional societies fermented their grains. Now the question is, how do we effectively reduce phytic acid? But remember, I am sharing nitty-gritty details. If you find this overwhelming, remember you can simply bypass all of this, know that using traditional methods are beneficial and be happy. But if you want to know more information, then keep reading!
Once again, I feel that I still have many (many!) questions on this topic, and there is a whole lot of research to digest and write about, but here is some of the information I've gathered so far.
As you will remember, phytase is the enzyme that neutralizes phytic acid (also called phytates). We produce some phytase ourselves, and those of us with robust probiotic digestive health may produce even more of it. Our bodies should be able to neutralize some of the phytic acid we consume.
Some grains contain high amounts of phytase making it much easier to neutralize the phytic acid in them, while others are a lot lower. Sprouting, soaking in warm temperatures in an acid environment and fermenting also activates this important enzyme. The grains that are high in phytase include rye, wheat, barley, and buckwheat. [i] Grains low in phytase include corn, millet, oats and brown rice. [ii] How effective is sprouting, soaking or fermenting grains? Let's look first at some of the historical methods of processing grains and then delve into some of the scientific studies done on this subject.
Historical Methods
Using the source, Fermented Cereals: A Global Perspective, you get a good idea of a few methods that were used traditionally (and are still used in many places).
For all of these nations and people groups, the art of fermentation is a little different. Many of the Asian ferments use a culture from mold growing on raw or cooked grains. Some nations would actually chew some of the raw grain and spit it out into a pot. The enzymes from their salvia would help break down the grain during the fermentation process (though I have to admit that this American isn't going to try it!).
Other ferments relied on the gathering of wild yeast from the air, which is turn would turn their foods into a tangy, and more easily digested product. Examples of this include our familiar sourdoughs as well as certain Indian ferments. In Mexico a process using wood ash or lime called nixtamalization is used in soaking corn. I notice that most of these grain ferments take days, so length of time is definitely a factor I also notice that many (though not all) use some type of starter enzyme, especially the Asian ferments. Others use malting and fermenting. One African ferment, Mahewu, takes cooked maize, and cools it. Then wheat flour is added as the "source of inoculum". After being left in a sunny place for 24 hours, it has fermented. For injera, the dough is inculated with leftover liquid from the last injera dough (like sourdough bread)!. Another, kishk, involves taking boiled wheat and soaking it in buttermilk, then drying it. All in all, there seems to be many methods and there seems to be evidence for using sprouting, fermentation, and soaking in a cultured dairy for preparing grains as a traditional practice
Scientific Research
Although there is an almost overwhelming glut of studies, most are just studying one grain and even just one method, so there are a lot of gaps still in my mind. However, I wanted to share a few of the studies as I think that they are helpful.
Sprouting Beans, Lentils and Peas
One study researched the effect that germination had on beans, lentils, and peas. First the legume was soaked in water (with added chlorine, which I do not recommend!) and then they sprouted the legumes for 72 hours at 77 degrees fahrenheit. They found that not only did the legumes have increased crude protein as well as an increased content of all amino acids, but also a significant increase in phytase and a significant decrease in phytates. [iii]
Sprouting Grains and Legumes and Fermenting them Together
Grains and legumes were often fermented together traditionally such as for the batters to make dosas and idli. One study tested the effects that germination (sprouting) and fermentation had. Germination of all of the separate grains and legumes (finger millet, green gram, black gram and chickpeas) showed positive effects on iron and zinc bioaccessibility. The fermented batters of rice and black gram showed significant reductions of phytic acid and tannins levels, but when they added chickpea and green gram to make another traditional dish, dholka, there wasn't as much of a drop in phytic acid levels. They found that germination of grains increased the availability of iron, but not of zinc, while the fermentation batters using rice and black gram had more availability of both zinc and iron, though for the batter of dholka this was not true. [iv]
Sprouting Peas
Another study found that sprouting peas for 4 days increased the bioavailability of zinc and magnesium. [v].
Sprouting a High Phytic Acid Pea
When a high phytic acid pigeon pea was released by the Department of Plant Breeding in India, they tested it for different methods of reducing phytic acid. They found that germination (sprouting) was the best method of reducing phytic acid ( 35% to 39%), while dehulling, soaking and then pressure cooking also had good results. All in all, soaking, soaking and dehulling, and sprouting and cooking pigeon peas all were effective in decreasing phytic acid and increasing the availability of minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and iron. [vi]
Soaking, Dehulling and Sprouting Cowpeas
Another study found that soaking cowpeas for 12 hours, dehulling of soaked seeds and germinating cowpeas contributed significantly to reducing phytic acid and tannin levels. Dehulling as well as germination increased the digestibility to of both the starches and the protein in the cowpea. [vii]
Sprouting Millet
Four pearl millets were germinated over a six day period and tested to see what the effects were on mineral levels and phytic acid levels. They found that germination significantly reduced phytic acid and that different minerals were lowered or raised according to the type of millet germinated. Overall, the conclusion was that there was a good correlation between antinutirtional factors reduced and minerals being more available through germination. [viii]
Sprouting Rye and Barley
I thought this other study using rye and barley very interesting too. Basically, they took rye and barley and soaked it, then sprouted it and studied the effects on phytase and phytic acid. The soaking alone had some effect on phytic levels in the case of rye, but the sprouting increased phytase, and degraded phytic acid dramatically (84% phytic acid degradation for rye and 58% for barley). [ix] This study was done for better nutritional for animal feed by the way. Apparently no one was thinking of us poor humans.
Using Sprouted Flour to Reduce Phytic acid in Non-Sprouted flour
Another study that I found very intriguing (with promise of being helpful to home cooks), was one conducted with sorghum malted flours. Sorghum was sprouted for 1, 2, 3 and 4 days to get varying degrees of malted flour. Then it was added to non sprouted flour (5% and 10% sprouted flour to 90 to 95% non sprouted) and placed in a warm environment (86 degrees Fahrenheit) with "shaking" for 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes. They found that the longer the sorghum had been sprouted and the longer they incubated it with the non sprouted flour, the more phytic acid and tannins were reduced. When using the four day sprouted sorghum flour and incubating it for 120 minutes, they had reduced phytic acid and tannins by 92% and 98%!!!![x]
This makes me wonder if we could duplicate this practice at home by adding sprouted flour to our soaking dishes to jump start the process of reducing phytic acid. It makes perfect sense as sprouting does release phytase. So if you add sprouted flour to say, a batter for soaked muffins, it makes logical sense that those live and released phytase enzymes would immediately begin to work to reduce the phytic acid content. Exciting!
Soaking, Fermenting and Using Germinated Flour with Maize
Another study aimed to see the effectiveness of different methods one could use at home to process white maize. Soaking, fermentation and using germinated flour were all studied. This study was really interesting because the most effective way to reduce phytic acid surprised me. Natural lactic acid fermentation slurries resulted in 88% retained phytates. In other words, it only reduced phytic acid by 12%. When a starter culture was used, 61% of the phytates were retained, 39% of the phytates removed. When germinated flour was used as a booster, 29% of the phytic acid was removed. But when they used both pounded maize and maize flour and simply soaked it and then removed the excessive water, the pound maize retained 49% of the phytates (51% of the phytates were removed) and the 57% of the phytic acid was removed when soaking the maize flour. [xi]
A few points here, maize is very low in phytase (the enzyme that helps reduce phytic acid). Using a germinated rye or wheat flour would have most likely had a much higher effect because they are high in phytase enzymes already. Also note that the more finely ground flour had even more phytic acid removed than the coarsely ground maize. We could conclude that it is easier to reduce phytic acid in flour in comparison to whole grains.
Raw Brewer's Yeast Efficiently degrades phytates in corn and soy gruel
Another study that really blew my mind with new possibility was one that found that soaking with raw brewer's yeast was effective in degrading phytic acid in corn and soy meal! They also mention that microbes such as yeast and aspergillus are known to produce phytase and aspergillus phytase has been used as an additive to animal feed to improve the phospohorus bioaviability by reducing phytates. [xii] Of course the only problem for the home cook is this, I think that all brewer's yeast sold to the public is generally deactivated.
Soaking and Dehulling Millet and Soybeans
A 2005 study researched the phytates, phytase activity and iron and zinc levels after the soaking of whole seeds, dehulled seeds and flour of both millet and soybeans. They found that with millet dehulling and milling before soaking helped both the phytates and the phytase to be leached into the soaking liquid and result in phytate reduction. Whereas, dehulling soybeans resulted in a "marked" increase in phytate content, but milling the soybeans helped there be more interactions between the phytates and the phytases. The phytic acid rato to both iron and zinc only decreased slightly with soaking. The most phytic acid reduction was found at 8 hours for millet (I wonder if they only soaked for 8 hours? They may have had better results with soaking for a longer period of time or with a phytase addition since millet is low in phytase) and soaking whole soy beans for 24 hours. They found that cooking the soaked flours in the soaking water didn't further reduce the phytic acid. [xiii]
Lactic Acid Fermentation of Millet
Because fermented millet slurries are an important food for young children in other countries, there was a study testing to see the lactobacillus bacteria found in these fermentations to see if they had phytase activities. The amount of phytase they produced varie,d, but phytase activity was found in all five strains selected. They also found that lactic acid bacteria also produced amylase (the enzyme that helps break down starch) and α-galactosidase. They concluded that this discovery went hand in hand with previous studies showing that phytates were reduced in millet lactic acid fermentations. [xiv]
Sourdough Fermentation
I wished that not so many of the studies just used part of the wheat berry. I found one using just the bran and another just the germ. But they are still useful. It was found that sourdough fermentation made protein more digestibile, the concentration of total phenols, phytase and antioxidant activies were increased and the concentration of anti nutritional factor raffinose also decreased. [xv] I was also amused to see that one article looking for phytic acid content in the diet of the modern man in Finland (under the impression that phytic acid is positive) noted that traditional sourdough rye bread was not a good source of phytic acid! It's generally understood that sourdough bread is very effective in reducing phytates, perhaps one of the best methods.
Sprouting Oats
When oats were sprouted, the phytic acid was reduced from .35% to .11% (or in other words, about 2/3's of the phytic acid was reduced). [xvi]
I thought that this chart published in the Living with Phytic Acid article, very interesting and helpful. You see that soaking and then cooking quinoa reduces phytic acid by a significant amount, while soaking with whey increases the phytic acid degredation even further. Finally, sprouting and then lacto-fermenting (fermenting with lactic acid) almost completely reduced phytic acid.
Cooked for 25 minutes at 212 degrees F | 15-20 percent |
Soaked for 12-14 hours at 68 degrees F, then cooked | 60-77 percent |
Fermented with whey 16-18 hours at 86 degrees F, then cooked | 82-88 percent |
Soaked 12-14 hours, germinated 30 hours, lacto-fermented 16-18 hours, then cooked at 212 degrees F for 25 minutes | 97-98 percent |
Roasting Grains
In the same article, Ramiel also mentions a study that I was unable to get my hands on that showed that roasting wheat, barley, or green gram (a legume) reduced phytic acid by about 40%. However, roasting will also deactiviate phytase so when soaking after the roasting period, you should add some type of additional culture that contains phytase (such as sprouted rye flour) to further decrease phytic acid.
Ground Flour and Rolled Oats
On that same note, since a high heat will deactivate phytase, you want to use flour that was ground at a low temperature otherwise it will no longer contain phytase. Oats are also almost always treated with heat, so they will also not have active phytase. Phytase may also decrease over time after grinding, so home ground flour is superior.
I find that there are adequate amounts of studies demonstrating that soaking, germinating (sprouting), lactic acid fermentation and other methods do have a significant effect on phytic acid reduction. It was a little distressing to me at first that we are often simply "reducing" phytic acid instead of completely eliminating it, but 50% less phytic acid is certainly still a much better percentage than 100%. How effective each method is seems to depend on a lot of variables, but most often combining methods, such as sprouting, and then fermenting a grain or legume has the most effect. This isn't to discourage us from just using one of the methods if that's all we have time for, but just to say that doing more than one is even better.
How do We Recreate This?
While those in previous generations had grandmothers and mothers to teach them how to ferment their local grains with local methods, we are having to recreate and relearn this process. Here's a few things to get you started.
First, use freshly ground flour is at all possible.
Moisture is the first thing you need(that's why it's often called "soaking grains").
Warmth The soaking/fermenting period will be much more productive in a warm place. Placing the soaking grains or batter in the warmest place of the house is a good idea, especially in the winter. You can also place in the oven with the pilot light on. You will see that many of the studies above used quite high temperatures. If we wanted to get closer to that, we could try a few things. Placing our bowl of fermenting or sprouting grains or legumes in a dehydrator on a very low setting is one option. Placing it in a warm laundry room is another. Making a little pilot light box is another idea. It also seems that the more cold it is, the longer you will want to ferment your grains or legumes.
Acidic Environment: It's also important that the soaking water or liquid is acidic. This helps neutralize the anti-nutrients. You should add about one tablespoon of something acidic to the soaking water per cup of water.
Enzymes: I personally feel that using something that is rich in enzymes for your acidic addition, such as whey, raw apple cider vinegar, a fermented beverage such as "Grainsfields", buttermilk or yogurt, is the best choice as I think that those rich in enzyme additions will help jump start the process of breaking down the grains more quickly. When I read about the traditional fermented grain dishes, I realized that most of them had some type of starter or wild yeast enzymatic action going on. Sourdoughs are naturally acidic and full of wild yeast and enzymes and very effective in breaking down anti- nutrients.
High Phytase Grain added to Low Phytase Grain: Adding a high phytase flour, such as buckwheat, rye or wheat to a low phytase flour or grain such as oats, rice, millet, and corn, can help break down the phytic acid. Think of cornbread with corn and wheat flour. That's a pretty classic combination and if you soak the corn and wheat flour together you will be able to more effectively reduce the phytic acid in the corn. You should also do this if you roast grains (the roasting adds flavor as well as reducing phytic acid), since the phyase will be deactivated through the roasting process.
Using Sprouted Flour: Even more effective would be adding sprouted flour as the phytase is already active and ready to do business! From the few studies that I read who used this method, it seems that it could be quite helpful in reducing phytic acid. We can make our own and simply grind it as needed. If you don't have your own grain grinder you can just buy a cheap coffee grinder and grind enough to add to your projects. The one study that we read about up above used only 5 to 10% sprouted flour, so it doesn't have to be a high percentage.
Time (the more the better): Traditional societies often fermented long periods of time and you see that in many studies time did make a difference in phytic acid reducation. An overall rule of thumb is the longer you ferment or soak, the more everything will predigest and break down. It will also often get more sour (just a warning). Generally 24 hours is better, 12 hours acceptable, especially if at cooler temperatures.
Sprouting: As seen above in many of the studies, germination or sprouting was often very effective in reducing phytic acid. If you followed that with fermentation, the results were often even dramatic. Sprouting may be the very best way to reduce phytates in legumes as well.
Partially Milled Grain: Some grains, such as millet or rice may have been partially milled. Both of these grains were naturally low in phytase so by dehulling them, a lot of the phytic acid would be removed. You can sometimes find milled rice (different than white rice), or buy germinated rice.
Do I have all of my questions answered yet? Of course, not. But I am inspired through this research to continue to keep soaking, sprouting and fermenting away and to do so even more carefully!
[i] The Influence of Soaking and Germination on the Phytase Activity and Phytic Acid Content of Grains and Seeds Potentially Useful for Complementary Feeding, Journal of Food Science
Volume 67, Issue 9, pages 3484–3488, November 2002
[ii] Wise Traditions, Vol 11, Number 1, Spring 2010, Living with Phytic Acid by Ramiel Nagel
[iii] [Nutritional changes caused by the germination of legumes commonly eaten in Chile] Camacho L; Sierra C; Campos R; Guzmán E; Marcus D, Archivos Latinoamericanos De Nutrición [Arch Latinoam Nutr] 1992 Sep; Vol. 42 (3), pp. 283-90.
[iv] Influence of germination and fermentation on bioaccessibility of zinc and iron from food grains. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition; Mar2007, Vol. 61 Issue 3, p342-348, 7p, 5 Charts Hemalatha, S.1 Platel, K.1Srinivasan, K.1 email@example.com
[v] Evaluation of zinc and magnesium bioavailability from pea ( Pisum sativum, L.) sprouts. Effect of illumination and different germination periods. International Journal of Food Science & Technology; Jun2006, Vol. 41 Issue 6, p618-626, 9p, 5 Charts, Urbano, Gloria1 email@example.com López-Jurado, María1Aranda, Carlos1Vilchez, Antonio1Cabrera, Lydia1Porres, Jesus M.1Aranda, Pilar1
[vi] Changes in phytates and HCl extractability of calcium, phosphorus, and iron of soaked, dehulled, cooked, and sprouted pigeon pea cultivar (UPAS-120). Duhan A; Khetarpaul N; Bishnoi S, Plant Foods For Human Nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands) [Plant Foods Hum Nutr] 2002 Fall; Vol. 57 (3-4), pp. 275-84.
[vii] Antinutrients and digestibility (in vitro) of soaked, dehulled and germinated cowpeas. Nutrition And Health (Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire) [Nutr Health] 2000; Vol. 14 (2), pp. 109-17. Preet K; Punia D
[viii] Antinutritional factor content and hydrochloric acid extractability of minerals in pearl millet cultivars as affected by germination. International Journal of Food Sciences & Nutrition; Feb2007, Vol. 58 Issue 1, p6-17, 12p, 5 Charts, Abdelrahaman, Samia M.1
Elmaki, Hagir B.1Idris, Wisal H.1Hassan, Amro B.1Babiker, Elfadil E.1 email@example.com Tinay, Abdullahi H. El1
[ix] Effect of several germination conditions on total P, phytate P, phytase, and acid phosphatase activities and inositol phosphate esters in rye and barley. Journal Of Agricultural And Food Chemistry [J Agric Food Chem] 2001 Jul; Vol. 49 (7), pp. 3208-15. Centeno C; Viveros A; Brenes A; Canales R; Lozano A; de la Cuadra C
[x] Effect of malt pretreatment on phytate and tannin level of two sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor) cultivars. International Journal of Food Science & Technology; Dec2006, Vol. 41 Issue 10, p1229-1233, 5p, 1 Chart, 4 Graphs, Idris, Wisal H.1
AbdelRahaman, Samia M. ElMaki, Hagir B.1Babiker, Elfadil E.1 firstname.lastname@example.com Tinay, Abdullahi H.1
[xi] Assessment of home-based processing methods to reduce the phytate content and phytate/zinc molar ratio of white maize (Zea mays). Journal Of Agricultural And Food Chemistry [J Agric Food Chem] 2001 Feb; Vol. 49 (2), pp. 692-8., Hotz C; Gibson RS
[xii] Brewer's yeast efficiently degrades phytate phosphorus in a corn-soybean meal diet during soaking treatment. Animal Science Journal = Nihon Chikusan Gakkaihō [Anim Sci J] 2009 Aug; Vol. 80 (4), pp. 433-7. Chu GM; Ohmori H; Kawashima T; Funaba M; Matsui T
[xiii] The effects of soaking of whole, dehulled and ground millet and soybean seeds on phytate degradation and Phy/Fe and Phy/Zn molar ratios. International Journal of Food Science & Technology; Apr2005, Vol. 40 Issue 4, p391-399, 9p Lestienne, Isabelle1
Mouquet-Rivier, Claire1Icard-Vernière, Christèle1Rochette, Isabelle1Trèl;che, Serge1 firstname.lastname@example.com
[xiv] Enzyme activities of lactic acid bacteria from a pearl millet fermented gruel (ben-saalga) of functional interest in nutrition International Journal of Food Microbiology; Dec2008, Vol. 128 Issue 2, p395-400, 6p, Songré-Ouattara, L.T.1Mouquet-Rivier, C.2 Icard-Vernière, C.2Humblot, C.2Diawara, B.1Guyot, J.P.2 email@example.com
[xv] Effect of sourdough fermentation on stabilization and chemical and nutritional characteristics of what germ, Food Chemistry, Apr 2010, Vol, 119, Issue 3, pages 1079-1089, Rissello, Carlo Giuseppe and others
[xvi] Physicochemical changes of oat seeds during germination, authors, Tian, Binqiang, and others, Food Chemistry, April 2010, Vol 119, Issue 3, Pages 195-1200
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Solar Energy Enquiries
Cooler Planet run a free service to help the public find green businesses and service providers in their area. Cooler Planet have taken all of the solar energy inquiries that they have received over the last few years and have produced an animated heat map, showing where those enquiries have come from.
To animate the map select 'Time Lapse' and the map will add all the enquiries, quarter by quarter, from 2007 to 2009. Areas that have made the most enquiries appear in red on the map.
Many of the locations that have made the most enquiries to Cooler Planet, such as Denver, Boston and cities in California are areas that have introduced local rebates on top of the federal tax credit for installing solar technology.
Google Maps Mania have previously featured Cooler Planet's The History of Solar Power Installation in California. This map shows the increase in solar power installations in California since 1999.


text: Sometimes called "poor mans silk" rayon and spun rayon Hawaiian shirts became popular in the 1930's due to their brilliant sheen and being exceptionally cool in warm weather. Rayon is a man-made fiber but it is not considered a synthetic, because it is made from a natural product. Rayon Hawaiian shirts all dry clean well but can also be hand washed.


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The Orthodox/Roman Catholic Bilateral Consultation of North America, at its 24th Meeting (Milwaukee, May 27-29, 1982), continued its analysis of a joint statement by Cardinal Humberto Medieros of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and Bishop Anthimos of the Greek orthodox Diocese of Boston, published on April 8, 1981. The Consultation appreciates the pastoral and ecumenical intent of the Agreement which addresses the pastoral care for the Orthodox party in a mixed marriage with a Roman Catholic that was celebrated in a Catholic rite. The Agreement, it is noted, seeks to help the Orthodox who wants to be restored to sacramental life in the Orthodox Church.
Because the Joint Committee of Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Bishops of the U.S.A. discussed this Agreement at its meeting, held from September 30 to October 1, 1981, and will again consider the text on October 6-7, 1982, in order to discern whether this Agreement would be an appropriate model to adopt more widely, our Consultation decided to formulate for the Joint Committee several comments and reactions to it.
A. Concerns related to the Orthodox Church
The Orthodox participants pointed out that the practices suggested in the Anthimos/Medeiros Agreement is not the only one to be found among the Orthodox jurisdictions in North America. The Greek Archdiocese des not recognize that the marriage which had previously taken place outside the communion of the Orthodox Church is a sacramental marriage inasmuch as it accepts as sacramental only those marriages sanctified in the liturgical life of the Church by being blessed by an Orthodox priest. Therefore, the rite suggested by this Agreement is the full marriage rite as found in the Orthodox typikon. The Orthodox Church in America (the OCA), on the other hand, recognizes that a marriage has taken place, but holds that the Orthodox spouse whose marriage was celebrated outside the communion of the Orthodox Church has disregarded the discipline of his/her Church. Therefore, a restoration to communion must be preceded by the Sacrament of Penance, normally followed by A Service of Blessing in Confirmation of a Marriage entered into Outside the Orthodox Church.
The Orthodox participants recognize three special needs:
- the need to develop a common practice among themselves concerning the blessing of mixed marriages celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church;
- the need to articulate a common Orthodox position concerning the sacramentality of marriages performed in the Roman Catholic Church; and
- the need for a common Orthodox position to be formulated concerning the ecclesial reality of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Roman Catholic participants called attention to the following points:
- The document provides that the condition of the Orthodox spouse can be rectified if the existing marriage be blessed by the Orthodox Church, thus restoring the Orthodox partner to full communion with his/her Church. Practically speaking, there is an ambiguity here. The text itself speaks of the "existing marriage;" Bishop Anthimos's accompanying statement speaks of "such long-standing marriages." Yet the blessing of the marriage in the Orthodox Church called for by the common Agreement is, in practice, the rite of the sacramental celebration of marriage used by the Orthodox Church. This would seem to indicate that no sacramental marriage existed previous to the blessing by the Orthodox Church.
- This accompanying statement of Cardinal Medeiros seems to indicate that for marriages between the Roman Catholics and Orthodox the norm for the future would be dispensation from "place" and "form" so that these marriages would normally take place in the Orthodox Church. If this practice is understood to settle the problem permanently, it reduces the urgency to work for a solution based on the reciprocal recognition of the ecclesial reality of both churches and, thus, the recognition of the sacramental nature of marriage in both churches.
In addition, this practice might be interpreted as suggesting an inadequacy of the Roman Catholic celebration and a general preference for the Orthodox celebration. Such practice could hinder that kind of co-operation and reciprocity in the pastoral care of these marriages which have been set forth in a number of statements by this Consultation (cf. texts of May 20, 1970, December 8, 1978 and October 11, 1980).
The Roman Catholic participants hope that in this Consultation and elsewhere there can be continued progress in the examination of the historical, theological, and disciplinary positions concerning marriage mentioned by their Orthodox confreres in order to arrive in practice a mutual recognition of matrimonial sacramentality.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
May 29, 1982
Below is the text of the 1981 Agreement on Mixed Marriages between Cardinal Medeiros and Bishop Anthimos as reported in Origins Vol. 10 N. 46 (April 30, 1981)
April 8th, 1981
An agreement signed April 8 by Cardinal Humberto Medeiros of Boston and Greek Orthodox Bishop Anthimos of Boston encourages couples in a Greek Orthodox-Roman Catholic mixed marriage to seek the blessing of their marriages by the Greek Orthodox Church. The agreement applies to couples married "for a substantial period of time" and who were married in the Roman Catholic Church. More recent marriages are likely to have taken place in an ecumenical atmosphere that assured their blessing by the Greek Orthodox Church. According to the agreement it is understood that among couples married at an earlier date, the Greek Orthodox partner may experience a problem regarding 'full communion in the sacramental life" of his or her church. The agreement assures the Roman Catholic partner that having the marriage blessed by the Orthodox Church "will not jeopardize his or her ecclesial standing in the Roman Catholic Church." In a letter to Boston's priests, the cardinal explained that the agreement concerns pastoral care for the Orthodox party in a mixed marriage. A letter Bishop Anthimos wrote to Greek Orthodox clergy of Boston explained that the agreement would allow the Orthodox partner in these marriages to be restored to full sacramental communion with the Orthodox Church. The text of the agreement and the letters from the two church leaders to their clergy, follow.
- Joint Statement
In the light of the increasing cordial relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church and the present Roman Catholic marriage legislation, we wish to address a special pastoral problem concerning members of our churches.
- We join in mutual accord and in the spirit of Christ to address the problem faced by some of our people in the respective provinces of our pastoral care; that is, spouses, one of whom is Roman Catholic and one of whom is Greek Orthodox, who nave been married according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church for a substantial period of time.
- It is mutually understood that this has created for the Eastern Orthodox spouse a condition according to the canon law and administrative regulations of the Orthodox Church in which full communion in the sacramental life of the church becomes a problem.
- We acknowledge that according to present practice this condition can be rectified if the existing marriage be blessed by the Orthodox Church, thus restoring the Orthodox partner to full communion with his or her church. We wish to assure the Roman Catholic partner and all concerned that such a blessing will not jeopardize his or her ecclesial standing in the Roman Catholic Church.
- Moved by pastoral concern for the people of God in our respective provinces of pastoral care, we do hereby agree that such ceremonies be permitted and that our clergy be so instructed at appropriate meetings and in formal communications describing appropriate procedures. These procedures are to be delineated in form by our chanceries for implementation by Eastern Orthodox Easter on April 26, 1981.
- We praise and thank God for this measure of cooperation and growth in mutual love and service in the spirit of our common Lord, Jesus Christ.
On this eighth day of April of the year of our Lord 1981.
- We join in mutual accord and in the spirit of Christ to address the problem faced by some of our people in the respective provinces of our pastoral care; that is, spouses, one of whom is Roman Catholic and one of whom is Greek Orthodox, who nave been married according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church for a substantial period of time.
- Bishop Anthimos
Today I am pleased to inform you of a significant agreement which I have come to with His Eminence, Cardinal Humberto Medeiros, archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. This agreement has an important impact on your own priestly ministry in reference to long-standing Orthodox-Roman Catholic marriages.
Yesterday, April 8, Cardinal Medeiros and I met and signed an agreement which will allow the blessing of marriages in the Orthodox Church which were preformed in the past by the Roman Catholic Church between a Roman Catholic Christian and an Orthodox Christian. The agreement assures the Roman Catholic spouses of such long-standing marriages that their appearance and participation in a Greek Orthodox service will not jeopardize their status in the Roman Catholic Church.
The effect for the Orthodox partner, of course, is that he or she may then be restored to sacramental communion with the Orthodox Church and may henceforth participate in the eucharist, sharing in the body and blood of our Lord unto salvation, and enjoy the rights of full membership in our parishes.
Under separate cover, you will receive guidelines from the chancellor as to how you are to implement this agreement.
We thank God that with the continuing improvement in relations between our two churches, the spirit of Christian love and understanding has made this agreement possible. His Eminence, Cardinal Humberto Medeiros, with the Christian love and charity which characterizes him in all his endeavors, has taken this step so that the eucharist will not be denied to any. We express our gratitude and appreciation with mutual love and ecumenical understanding. I urge all of you upon receipt of the directives to search out all couples in your parish to whom this agreement applies, inform them regarding these marriages in the Orthodox Church for their spiritual welfare and the well-being of the church.
- Cardinal Medeiros
On April 8, 1981, I was pleased to sign a joint pastoral letter with His Grace, Bishop Anthimos of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Boston. The substance of this Letter concerns the pastoral care for the Orthodox party in a mixed marriage with a Roman Catholic that was celebrated in a Catholic rite. According to Orthodox canons and discipline, the Orthodox spouse in this marriage was invalidly married because it lacked the blessing of the Orthodox priest. The Orthodox husband or wife consequently was unable to participate in the eucharistic life of the Orthodox Church.
This ecumenical cooperation corrects a long-standing situation. Since our present Roman Catholic law, with proper dispensation from "place" and "form," permits such a mixed marriage to take place in an Orthodox ceremony before an Orthodox priest, this new agreement will be of assistance to those who were married before these dispensations were so readily available.
Every assurance must be made to the Roman Catholic spouse that this blessing of the previously existing marriage will in no way jeopardize his or her relationship with the Roman Catholic Church. I plead with you to cooperate in every possible proper way with the Orthodox priest who may come to you in regard to this matter.
The eucharist is the very life of our churches and if we can bring the Orthodox party to the fullness of eucharistic life in his or her church, we can be assured of nothing less than the blessing of God.
If any further clarification is needed, please do not hesitate to contact Father Peter Conley, executive secretary of the archdiocesan ecumenical commission.


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The 1897 Lake Elmo UFO Encounter
Late on the evening of April 13, 1897, as they were passing through Lake Elmo, Minnesota, on their way to Hudson, Wisconsin, Frederick Chamberlain and O. L. Jones spotted a shadowy figure in a clearing two blocks away. The figure carried a lantern and seemed to be looking for something. Thinking there might be some emergency, Chamberlain and Jones turned toward the clearing, but the figure and lantern disappeared into the trees. Moments later they heard the crackling of twigs and branches, followed by a "rushing noise . . . like the wind blowing around the eaves of a house," Chamberlain told the St. Paul Pioneer Press (April 15). "A second later and we distinguished a long, high object of a gray white color."
Although the two men could not get a clear view of it in the darkness, the object, which had two rows of red, green, and white lights on each side, looked like "most of the top of a 'prairie schooner,'" Chamberlain said. It rose at a sharp angle, then headed south just above the treetops.
At the clearing, the two witnesses found, impressed in the wet ground, 14 two-foot-long prints, six inches wide, and arranged in an oblong pattern seven on a side. Apparently, these were traces left by the craft.
Around that same time Adam Thielen, a farmer in the Lake Elmo area, heard a buzzing sound above him. When he looked up, he saw a dark object with red and green lights sailing overhead.


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Do you need to know how to choose the right manufactured home repair service for your current home improvement projects or job? From knowing what type of past experience and how many years the contractors or handyman has been in business to knowing if they can insure and guarantee their work these 3 tips will help make your search easier.
Manufactured Home Repair Service
By getting a company with a track record of more than a few years of service you can be sure that the well-being of your manufactured home repair service will be accounted for. Nobody in business can sustain it without providing good customer service at a fair price mobile home repair
Home Repair Service
Before you get to far into the decision making process on who will be working on your house be sure to ask if the contractor is properly licensed and insured. Also ask and be sure that the company and its workers are aware of any and all types of city and county building and construction codes.
A top priority when getting any type of work completed for home is making sure you get a guarantee from the handyman. Contractors who provide a written warranty for completed jobs and construction work show they have pride and care about their ability to satisfy your manufactured home repair service needs on the first try.
Now you should have a very good idea on some of the basic details and traits to look for when you start calling different handyman services to come and give you your free estimates. From knowing the business has a proven track record to knowing they are insured and licensed you now have a better idea on how to choose the right home repair service for your needs.


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Also check out my MoogFest 2010 (Night One) coverage.
Also check out my MoogFest 2010 (Night Two) coverage.
Night three of MoogFest 2010 quickly flew by in a festival fatigue blur of Halloween costumes and great preformances. I slept right through the Sunday afternoon panels and slowly made my way downtown intending to let the festival take me where it may rather than over thinking the schedule as I normally would. My one constant was that I would be closing out MoogFest at The Orange Peel with El-P. A good judge of a festival line-up is that it should offer you a good time no matter what sets you end up at. Schedule conflicts are par for the course with big festivals, a stress free way to avoid them is to float from stage to stage taking in whatever performance presents itself. After two nights of attacking the festival with the precision planning of a bank heist, I enjoyed a care-free closing night that presented some real surprises that I might have otherwise missed.
Continue reading


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This Awon Golding Millinery veiled headband features marabou feathers and a gorgeous tulle veil. Chic and effortless and available in 3 colours.
This veil secured to the head by a headband.
All our hats are handmade-to-order so please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery. If this is an urgent order please get in touch and we will try to accommodate your deadline.
Part of the Awon Golding Millinery SS19 collection, 'Fluff'. This collection of fun wearable hats is a celebration of the whimiscal side of millinery. Featuring Awon's eye-catching use of colour, 'Fluff' melds signature styles with updated materials.
We are able to make this piece in different colours. Contact us at email@example.com or +44 (0) 7805 577 376 to discuss commissioning a special piece to match your outfit.
This piece is hand-made in our studio in East London, U.K. and is made to order.
Please note: we cannot accept returns on made to order pieces.


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So today at about 7 pm, I had just finished taking the kids to the Civic Theater in Farmington, a movie theater that offers lower prices for second-run movies and is a very homey old-fashioned kind of theater. I had taken them to watch Wreck-It Ralph as the last movie of 2012.
The kids enjoyed the movie and there was more than enough humor that appealed to adults at the same time.
So we were heading back home on a major north-south road and as I came up to a red light I stopped behind a truck that was there, in park, with the drivers side window down and the driver yelling and gesticulating out the window.
The driver is not just yelling but cursing up a storm. The light turns green, he's not going anywhere just screaming obscenities.
Still yelling, he starts looking at me and yelling obscenities.
Then he starts opening his door and getting out of the truck while yelling. Not a good sign.
At this point I have my left hand on the wheel and the right hand is now otherwise engaged.
The light is still green, traffic on my left opens sufficiently and I floor it and get around the truck, happy that I had stopped leaving sufficient space.
I then get well past the intersection and keep going while calling the police on the handy cell phone. Hopefully they get him.
Some idiots have to start being stupid early.


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Rubber products are connected to almost every part of modern day life; from tyres and automotive components to industrial hoses, flooring, food and medical applications and adhesives rubber products can be found virtually everywhere.
Globally twenty five million tonnes (25,000,000 t) of natural and synthetic rubber are produced, traded and consumed every year. As the world economy grows with increasing industrialisation of emerging economies demand for rubber products and rubber continues to increase.
Natural rubber is the oldest type of rubber but still accounts for more than 40% of the total volume, currently a little more than ten million tonnes per year and its usage continues to grow. Natural rubber is produced from the cultivation of the Hevea Brasiliensis tree, which as the name suggests originated in South America.
Natural rubber is a naturally occurring high-cis poly-isoprene. In a sample of natural rubber approximately 94% will be poly-isoprene with the balance made up of some naturally occurring resins and proteins, together with small amounts of ash, dirt and water. It is the resins and proteins together with the high-cis poly-isoprene which give natural rubber its unique properties.
The main natural rubber producing countries are nowadays Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Vietnam and China. Also West Africa is becoming a more significant Natural Rubber producing region. Natural rubber was originally processed into visually graded types, such as Ribbed Smoked Sheets (RSS), numbered 1 – 5, and Brown and Pale Crepes. The Technically Specified Rubber (TSR) scheme was introduced in Malaysia about 50 years ago in order to provide consumers with measurable data of rubber properties. Now TSR grades such as SMR-10, SIR-20 and SVR-CV60 account for roughly 80% of global production and consumption.
Synthetic rubber was first produced in Germany in the middle of the 20th Century and now synthetic rubber grades and types account for the majority of rubber demand. Synthetic Rubber is produced by the polymerisation of monomers typically Styrene and Butadiene which are polymerised to produce Styrene Butadiene Rubber, SBR and also Poly-Butadiene Rubber, BR. Subsequent developments have seen the introduction of other monomers such as ethylene and propylene which are used in the production of EPDM. Other types of synthetic rubber include: Butyl, more correctly know as Isobutylene Isoprene Rubber, and this can be modified with halogen atoms such as Chlorine or Bromine to produce Chlorobutyl and Bromobutyl, together known as Halo-Butyls and Nitrile (acrylonitrile butadiene). There is even a synthetic version of natural rubber called Polyisoprene.
Synthetic rubber is now produced all over the world, with the major producing countries being China, the United States of America, Japan, Republic of Korea and Germany.
Applications for both natural and synthetic rubber include a wide and diverse product range including tyres, tyre re-treading, adhesive and adhesive tapes and labels, rubber flooring, industrial hoses, gaskets, rubber to metal bonded parts and anti-vibration system components, pharmaceutical products, dipped goods such as latex gloves, condoms and catheters and many others.
Rubber type | Benefits | Limitations | Typical applications |
Natural Rubber | Widest range of hardness Very strong & naturally self reinforcing Good compression set Good resistance to inorganic chemical | Lack of oil and organic fluids resistance Max temperature 75 - 100°C Poor ozone resistance | Sealing and shock absorption Conveyor belting Truck tyres |
EPDM | Rubber with greatest water resistance Very inert structure Stable over long periods of time Very good weather resistance Easy to compound and process | Not resistant to oil and oil products Relatively poor compression set | Automotive weather strips Windows and doors sealing Automotive hoses (not fuel) |
SBR | Good physical strength Good tear and abrasion resistance | Poor oil and fuel resistance Poor weather resistance | Non-mechanical high volume products Shoe soles and car tyres |
Polybutadiene | Good abrasion resistance Low glass transition temperature High resilience | Very poor ozone resistance | Tyres Conveyor belts Polystyrene and ABS modification |
Butyl Rubber Isobutylene Isoprene | The highest performing rubber for impermeability Good flexural properties Good ozone resistance | Poor abrasion resistance | Tyre linings and inner tubes Roofing products Fuel and lubricant additive |
- Natural Rubber
- Pan Star
- Socfindo


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Click on the Property Search button at left to search the entire Kerrville MLS and see every Photo available for all listings!
Brandon Douglass, Broker Assoc./Owner Erin Douglass, Realtor/Owner
Information About Brokerage Services
TREC Consumer Protection Notice
Homes for sale in Kerrville, TX. Whether you are looking to buy or sell a home, townhome, condo, land, ranch, or commercial property in The Kerrville, TX area then you have come to the right website. Here you will find a wide array of information about Texas Hill Country real estate for sale. Please click the search button to find your next dream home or property. We also invite you to create your own account, so that you may save listings that you are interested in.
By working with a Kerrville Realtor, you have the advantage of being able to access all local listings available through the Multiple Listing Service, MLS. Using a Realtor also gives you the comfort of knowing that you are working with the most qualified professional who is dedicated to you as the buyer or seller and will always be looking out for your best interests and striving to make the process of buying or selling real estate as comfortable and pleasant as possible.
Please click the Contact button or use the phone number to contact "The Douglass Team" today!