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How 3 of New York's Top Pastry Chefs Helped Me Make a Wedding Cake: Part Four
Note from the author: A bakery on a tiny island closes, and all of a sudden I have six weeks to pick professional brains, do a test run or two, pack up my kitchen, fly to St. Croix, and make a 3-tiered wedding cake for my oldest girlfriend. Here's Part Four of how it all happened... click here for parts One, Two and Three.
Extremely jetlagged and coming off the high of having traveled to Punta Mita, Mexico for their Gourmet and Golf Challenge, I've got supplies scattered all over my bedroom in New York, prepping for the making of the final cake on St. Croix. Here's my master list:
- 2 commercial half sheet pans
- Standing mixer with bowl and whisk attachment
- Parchment paper
- 1 large spatula
- 1 small spatula
- Glue gun with glue sticks
- Serrated knives (large and small)
- Ruler
- Compass
- Leveler
- Digital scale
- Oven thermometer
- Laser thermometer (for easily testing sugar for frosting)
- Scrapers
- Metal dry measuring cup
- Glass liquid measuring cup
- 1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon
- Pastry bags with various tips
- Large pastry spatula
- Small offset spatula
- Boards (4)
- Cardboard stencils (3)
- Foam ring
- Dowels (10)
- Vanilla
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Large balloon whisk
- Tiny whisk
- Hammer
On the island I'll get:
- 7 pounds of unsalted butter
- 4 pounds of white sugar
- 5 dozen eggs, hopefully organic
- 5 pounds of white flour
- Cooking spray, for the parchment-lined sheets
- Clear vanilla extract if possible (a friend noted the outer buttercream could use some vanilla, but I want to make sure it's as white as possible. The inside will have real vanilla)
- Plastic wrap (my bag was getting heavy).
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I'm in a cab at 4 a.m. and make it through security with just an extra check on the stand mixer that has the TSA clerk quipping, "I've seen weirder, trust me." All else is packed in my checked in luggage which, thank heavens, is not overweight. (Inspired by this experience I wrote a piece on how chefs travel with all this stuff.) 12 hours later, after a quick layover during which I lug the mixer around the airport in Puerto Rico, I'm rolling both suitcases on the island of St. Croix, the sun a blessing and the warm Caribbean wind making anything seem possible.
After a few days solo of rest and exploration (and a little work at the St. Croix Food and Wine Experience) I'm with another childhood friend, Maggie, checking into Cottages by the Sea in Frederiksted. The room is tiny and there's no counter, stove or oven. I take peeks into the cottages of other wedding guests and decide that technically, between all the ovens, I'll be able to do this on the premises. Delaying the inevitable run to buy suitable butter and eggs, I dive into the ocean and start floating as Maggie is pulled aside by one of the owners. She joins me with the most blessed news I've heard in a long time; someone cancelled their reservation and we're getting an upgrade.
Our new room is much larger and has a full-sized refrigerator, a small oven, a stovetop, a long counter, full cooking equipment (including measuring cups and bowls and whisks and stuff...but whatever) and even a kitchen table large enough for me to work. I almost cry in relief. Later I almost cry again when I find local organic eggs and Plugra butter—obnoxiously two dollars less a pound than what I pay in New York.
My oven isn't quite big enough to evenly bake the half sheet pans of cake, so I prep them in my room and then carry them upstairs to Rose—the bride—and her larger cottage. This is the easiest part, and it only takes longer than it had at home because I'm shuttling between cottages; mix in mine, run the sheet to bake in Rose's, clean my place while it bakes for ten minutes, turn the pan, prep ingredients for sheet two, bring it to her mom's to cool, and repeat the entire process, flipping out sheets of cake on whatever surfaces I can find until they cool.
During the second cake I crack five of ten eggs before cracking in a really bad egg, and have to toss the lot. This happens again before I think to crack them individually in a glass, which turns out to be a safe rule for everyone over the weekend; I average two bad eggs out of every dozen.
I trim out one round for each tier from each sheet, and start passing out bowls of cake scraps to happy wedding revelers, who drink rum and lay out in the sun and jump into the ocean. Each sheet gets better and better as I adapt methods ever so slightly (a touch more baking powder, mixing longer than I would normally, and a minute longer in the oven make a huge difference). All the cake scraps are eaten before I've even started assembling.
This, still, is my greatest challenge; I very, very carefully even out the layers, making sure the final tiers will be the same height. I stack the dry cakes and trim around them so they're perfectly straight. I make frosting fresh as I go, deciding on Thiago's amount of egg whites (to help fortify the structures in the hot weather) but keeping Stephen's lesser amount of sugar. I'd polled Rose and her almost-husband Rex (who hates the word fiancé) and decided to keep the frosting minimal per their preferences. By the end of the day I have the top two tiers ready with their base frosting, as clean and even as I can possibly get them, and make Maggie a tiny cake with round scraps and leftover frosting, to which she exclaims later, "This cake is really, obnoxiously good. What the fuck did you do to this cake?!"
The day of the wedding, I've got our room air-conditioned to near-Arctic temperatures so that I can frost in peace. The largest tier feels almost easy after the two test cakes and the top tiers; I frost it fully and then the top two to a smooth shine.
I gear up for the scariest part—assembling the lot—with some Twitter love from the chefs: Ron, "You can do it! Keep us posted!" Stephen, "Looking good #champ!" and Thiago, "You got this!!" I melt the crap outta some glue and set it on the already-prepared foam base. I've pre-punched the top tiers with tiny holes, and gently prod the dowels into their place. Maggie helps me eyeball levels and make sure the cakes are perfectly centered, and I only stop when she says I'm obsessing. I've done a pretty awesome job on the technical making of the frosting, if I do say so myself, and so it stays nice and smooth. I decide against doing any scalloping or patterning of it (Rose had asked for "simple and elegant", so phew!), just doing one little piped line to hide the topmost board. We take out some shelves in the fridge and the entire cake just fits inside.
The florist shows and I start working flowers into the ball of fondant for the top and then, when the cake is chilled a bit more, around the base. There's not quite as many as I need, and Rose's mom saves me by clipping some from her sister's garden. I glue two tiny T-Rex's on the base—a surprise from Rose to Rex—and we have a cake! Some of the extremely helpful and understanding housekeeping ladies prep a rolling cart for me and, together, we manage to get it next door to the venue and safely in their fridge.
A few hours later, after a double rainbow makes its presence over the wedding party and the sun sets on the horizon for the new Mr. and Mrs., the cake gets taken out and set on top of a beautiful table. The restaurant's chef ribs me condescendingly, noting his experience with "professional chefs" when I'd triple-checked how it was going to be taken apart and sliced, and telling me I shouldn't have put buttercream on an island cake; what he might have suggested other than fondant I'd still like to know, and as the bride was "vehemently opposed to fondant," she trumped all anyway! But I can't completely fault his arrogance; he knew this was my first wedding cake, but how was he to know that I had three of New York's finest at my back?
And when Rose and Rex cut into the cake I'd made, I didn't care anyway. I was so full of love in that moment, and so grateful to be able to give a gift even the slightest bit as beautiful as my friend. I somewhat understood what Ron had told me in our interview a while ago, when I asked him if he gets the same satisfaction from making wedding cakes as he did as professional dancer: "Every cake is like an opening night. I'll never get the exact same rush as performing, but I definitely get the same satisfaction. I get to interact with the celebrants, the people that do the flowers, the tablecloths, the chef's menu; so many people are involved in those events, so it feels like a company. Everyone makes it together."
As a former actor-turned-writer, I get this.
The 50 people at the celebration had seen me in sweatpants and apron, darting from suite to suite with sheets of cake, taking a sweaty break to jump into the Caribbean and then stealing away to whip and layer and frost. They'd let me use their hotel rooms, checked in on me to make sure I was having fun despite being inside, and were generously awash with praise of how good the cake tasted and looked. I felt so lucky to get to be a part of such a celebration.
But they truly should have been thanking chefs Ron Ben-Israel, Stephen Collucci, and Thiago Silva, for their years of experience somehow taught me enough to take just a few test runs of fluffy buttercream, sturdy white cake, and an abundance of fresh flowers and make them into a wedding cake ever so slightly worthy of my first friend.
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Updated at 4:26 p.m. ET: A small earthquake rattled Southern California on Sunday morning, causing buildings to shake in downtown Los Angeles. There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.
The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 3.9 magnitude and struck at 8:24 a.m., the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was centered about 5 miles east-southeast of Santa Clarita, and about 24 miles north-northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
It may not have been a hurricane, but an earthquake and tsunami warning worried state agencies along the West Coast. NBC's Miguel Almaguer reports.
Shaking was felt across the Santa Clarita Valley, in downtown Los Angeles, in West Hollywood and along LA County beaches, The Associated Press reported.
The quake was followed by several smaller aftershocks.
A sheriff's dispatcher in Santa Clarita told the AP there were no calls reporting damage or injury.
More content from NBCNews.com:
- Ohio governor predicts Romney win
- Forecasters: Sandy 'one for the record books'
- East Coast braces for Sandy
- N.C. residents aghast over toxic drinking water
- Plane truth: Millions spent on rarely used airport
Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

subset: commoncrawl


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Welcome to Texas on the Potomac's "The Week Ahead," a preview of events to come on Capitol Hill and at the White House this week.
This week's report was written by William K. Moore of ViaNovo.
In the four months since the November election, congressional partisans have been positioning each other to shoulder the blame for a government shutdown. By the end of this week, either an agreement will be reached on how to extend government funding for a few more weeks or the shutdown will begin of less than essential services.
The shutdown would not close the nation's borders or force soldiers to lay down their arms — those are essential services that continue whether funded or not — but most federal employees would be furloughed and government services closed unless a funding deal is struck by the time the current stopgap spending measure expires Friday midnight.
House Republicans have passed legislation to fund government for the rest of fiscal 2011 with $100 billion less than proposed by President Barack Obama. They will pass another two-week funding resolution this week that would cut the cost of government by $4 billion. The Senate will begin work on a seven-month bill that would cut spending by $41 billion from the President's mark. The White House has issued a threat to veto the House bill and the President promises to work with congressional partisans to avoid a shutdown.
While the spending scenario plays out, the Senate will debate patent reform and the House will repeal a reporting requirement for small businesses and extend expiring highway programs.
The essence of the spending fight is that Republicans want to cut and Democrats want a deal that protects government services. The public agrees with Republicans generally and with Democrats on the specifics.
Despite four months to prepare for this week, neither side is confident they will win the blame placing. That makes it likely both sides will back a short-term solution, a hopeful sign for future negotiations.


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No one could accuse the most rabidly anti-environmental Congress in history of resting on its laurels. This week, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a package of bills that would destroy the fundamental wildlife and public lands protections enacted nearly 50 years ago in the Wilderness Act. Here's how that landmark act famously defined "wilderness":
"…an area where the earth and community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."
Millions of Americans have been fortunate enough to visit and enjoy these special wild places. Some have been hikers and backpackers. Some have been sportsmen and anglers. All have benefited from the conservation of wilderness for future generations. And many are out there this weekend, enjoying the great outdoors.
But by labeling the anti-wilderness legislation passed by the House this week as "The Sportsmen's Heritage Act," its sponsors were able to portray it as a defense of sportsmen's rights. In reality, it sells them down the river. As anyone in the sportsmen community will tell you, protected wilderness areas are among the best places to find good hunting and fishing opportunities. This legislation would remove those protections and seriously degrade the "untrammeled" habitat that makes these places precious, not just to sportsmen, but to all Americans.
If it were to become law, this act would:
- Open more than 109 million acres of wilderness areas to motor vehicle use.
- Effectively eliminate the president's ability to designate any new national monuments like the one that was just announced for California: Fort Ord.
- Potentially open our wilderness areas to oil and gas drilling, logging, and mining.
For more than a century, sportsmen's groups and environmental organizations like the Sierra Club have cooperated to achieve our mutual conservation goal of preserving wild places that we all can experience "as a visitor." And, in fact, the vast majority of the wilderness lands that would lose protections are already accessible to sportsmen. That won't matter, of course, if we allow that wilderness to be destroyed for the sake of drilling, logging, and mining. What good is access to something that no longer exists?
Fortunately, it's not too late to stop this disastrous legislation, which now goes to the Senate. Tell your senators today that we can't afford to let one reckless Congress destroy our wilderness heritage.


text: Yesterday, October 15th, Eli's celebrated World Food Day! It was 16 years ago that we had the opening ceremony for Eli's Cheesecake World. Our people and family were joined by Illinois Governor Edgar, Chicago Mayor Daley, Cook County Board President John Stroger and Alderman Tom Allen for the cutting of ceremonial giant Eli's Cheesecake opening this new facility in the City of Chicago. At that time we employed about 100 people; today over 240 people. Back then we produced the equivalent of about 4,000 Eli's Cheesecake's a day; today over 18,000! Today we are proud to continue to support Feeding America and the Greater Chicago Food Depository with donations that will reach over 3.5 million people this year.


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FreeDarko's Bethlehem Shoals, a regular contributor to NBA FanHouse and co-author of The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History (visit the FreeDarko store, too!), is keeping a game-by-game diary of the Heat's season — the one you're pretending not to care about.
Result: Heat 95, Bobcats 87; Grizzlies 97, Heat 95; Pacers 93, Heat 77
Record: 8-6
Hi there. It's me, your regularly scheduled Miami Heat commentator. If you want the latest news, facts, and analysis on this year's biggest NBA story, call me at the laundromat, and I'll tell you where to go buy a dime bag down the street.
When I agreed to this assignment, I did so assuming I would want to watch the Heat play whenever humanly possible. They would make basketball worth living again. I am sorry if this sort of unmitigated love and sunshine doesn't play well on this site. Since Deadspin is stationed in New York, I'm also up against the proud, scabrous tradition of covering the Knicks — for the last decade, a combination of sadism and masochism that reminds you why the DSM combines them into a single hyphenated monster. Right now, we are well south of sunshine and only just north of the whips and ballgags.
I taped Miami's victory over Charlotte on Friday; I decided to go see Harry Potter and the Carnival of Feces Doctors, despite having never read one of the books, or seen more than 30 minutes of any of the other films. Fuck you, it was fun. That elf was adorable, the landscapes vast and serious, the mood really intense, and Harry himself, totally useless. That's kind of what the Bobcats game was like — there was some beautiful interplay; you saw the schematic; LeBron James took over as if on auto-pilot; and yet still Charlotte nearly won. I finished that one just in time to catch the Heat's loss to Memphis. Wade-less, and down the stretch, Udonis-less, the Heat showed us all what they were really made of. Then on Monday, Wade came back and stank up the joint, as Indiana blew out the team projected by many smart people to win over 65 games. I watched a movie about fancy skiing in the 1970s with Robert Redford and Gene Hackman instead.
The odd thing, though, is that the Pacers loss — truly gruesome, shameful, and for those looking for blood to drink, invaluable — barely registered. Not because anyone was so stunned, but because as a media phenomenon, this team has realized its absolute worst-case scenario: total mediocrity. They're neither awe-inspiring, nor so flawed as to be compelling; there's little in the way of Valkyrie-like glory, and yet gossip and rancor flow not freely from their midst. The Heat, after starting methodically, are now simply coasting on talent and bumping up against the limits of their non-Bron, non-Wade personnel. This is not why ESPN created the Heat Index, nor why I thought this series would be a good idea.
Forget about Heat fatigue. It feels like they never really existed in the first place.
Maybe tonight's visit to Orlando will change everything. But if this team can lose to the Pacers and Grizzlies, what exactly would it tell us if they beat the Magic? I suppose beating the opponents that matter says more than succumbing to the ones that don't. Except what if, to Orlando, the Heat aren't one of those teams that matter?
At least I've learned one important lesson so far. No, not that covering the Heat these days is pretty much like being a team blogger for a crappy team, as Eric Freeman put it. Remember the so-called "super-team"? Miami was the first, and there could be another one, or two, in the offing, depending on what Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul feel like doing with themselves. I used the term as recently as three days ago. I don't think that notion is going anywhere; you can always attribute Miami's problems to their particular set of superstars, or their lackluster supporting cast (yes, I realize there's a problem with that statement). I wonder, though, how many GMs — or even players — would still salivate at the chance to put together the next of these juggernauts. I still think Wade and James can play together, and yet that's only part of the puzzle here. For all the credit Pat Riley's receiving, what exactly did he pull off?
My Thanksgiving message: There are no shortcuts; the Heat are dead; and if we didn't kill them, then we might as well have killed ourselves.
Bethlehem Shoals is a founding member of FreeDarko.com and a regular contributor to NBA FanHouse. You can buy The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History and lots of other stuff at the FreeDarko store.


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iPhone 7 流沙殼
it can't be used with other coupons
- 5 Stars 100%
- 4 Stars 0%
- 3 Stars 0%
- 2 Stars 0%
- 1 Stars 0%
很滿意Reviewed by 史努比0716 Jul 05,2019手機殼質感很好。包裝好好看,收到禮物的人很開心
iPhone 7 Liquid Glitter Case
Your interest or life style will always show your taste. As the second "skin" of everyone, mobile phone case should follow the most popular fashion icon. It is embarrassed to meet someone who uses a same case as yours in the street. Why not customize a case which belongs to yourself? This liquid glitter case is added with liquid sand. The liquid will flow like wave when you shake the phone. And the gold dust in liquid will make your case looks fancy. You can print photo or create any picture, pattern or text on case, equip a personal peripheral with high-quality and personality for your phone.
・Designed for the iPhone 7 with 4.7 inch screen
・Material: TPU + Liquid
・The inside glitters float freely when you move your phone
・Gold / Sliver / Pink
|Design Specs
|Printing size
|12.6 x 5.7 cm
|Recommended Resolution
|150dpi or above
|Advice to customers
|Specification Request
|Please provide 150 DPI resolution picture or more and same as the size of the printed product design ( 1 : 1 )
|Printing position
|Please note that the above renderings, for reference only. Printing products authentic to the actual product. (The printing position may be a slight deviation.)
|Color Differences
|Please note that the different colors of material printed pattern will be 5-10 % color effects.
|Advice to User
|File Request
|please provide 150 DPI or above resolution picture. We recommend that referring to the printing size of the product to adjust the image size and resolution; or same as the size of the printed product design (1: 1); or larger than the recommended size to ensure the best printing quality when the product is made.
|Design Tips
|Put all important image and text inside the solid orange line (the printing area). Also, keep a certain distance from the solid orange line to avoid cutting off during printing.
Product printing may be blurred if over-enlarge the picture.
|Important Notice
|Color Difference
|Product color on website will be affected by different shooting angles and monitors
|Position Deviation
|There is alignment and cut out process during production. Thus, there may be position deviation


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Blind Retinitis Pigmentosa Patients Can Read Letters and Combine Them to Words
Search Medline for
|November 30, 2009
Purpose: Restoration of letter reading and stripe pattern recognition via subretinal electronic implants in blind RP patients.
Methods: Subretinal implants were placed transchoroidally near the macula, consisting of two arrays: 4 x 4 electrodes (100 x 100 µm), spaced 280 µm, controlled retroauricularly via a subdermal line for direct stimulation ("DS array") and a "chip" (3 x 3 x 0,1 mm) with 1500 electrodes (50 x 50 µm) of the same kind,each electrode being activated by light falling onto a neighboring micro-photodiode that controls the output of its subretinal amplifier (Details see presentation of Dr. Wrobel). Letters were presented to 3 patients either by stimulating retinal cells in 10ms steps via individual electrodes in a sequence patients had learned to write such letters or – via the light sensitive chip – by individual letters or stripe patterns steadily presented at a screen.
Results: On the DS array patients reported uniformly for each electrode that the sensation evoked by each individual pulse (0.5–4 ms, 0.1 V above threshold) consisted of a whitish round dot, clearly separated from its neighbor. Patterns consisting of such 4 x 4 dots correspond to letters of approximately 5 cm diameter presented at 60 cm distance.
Pat. 1 correctly (20/24) recognized the direction of the letter "U", presented with the opening in four different directions in in a 4 alternative forced choice (4AFC) mode.
Pat. 2 correctly (12/12) differentiated letters (e.g. C, O, I, L, Z, V) within few seconds, presented via DSelectrodes in random order (4AFC). With the light sensitive subretinal chip, he also correctly (22/24) differentiated without head movements letters (e.g. L,I,T,Z; 8,5 cm high, 1.7 cm line width) steadily presented on a screen at 62 cm distance with a red light (630nm cutoff) of 3.4 cd/m2. Pat.3 recognized (15/20 correct, 4AFC) the direction of lines or stripe patterns with the chip, as did Pat.1 (11/14, 2AFC) and Pat.2 (11/12 4AFC) up to 0.35 cycles/deg. Regular ophthalmological tests with Landolt-C rings(4AFC) revealed a visual acuity of >20/1000 in Pat. 2 exceeding the limits of blindness according to German definitions.
Conclusions: Active subretinal multielectrode implants with currents close to recognition threshold (10 to 27 nC/electrode) produce retinotopically correct patterns that allow for the first time recognition of individual letters (8cm high, viewed in appr. 62 cm distance) even at low luminance levels. Stripe patterns of moderate luminance can be resolved up to 0.35 cycles/deg via the subretinal chip with visual acuity >20/1000 (Landolt-C ring). This clearly supports the feasibility of light sensitive subretinal multi-electrode devices for restoration of useful visual percepts in blind patients.


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Thursday, September 2, 2010
BET And NASCAR Debut "Changing Lanes" (Updated)
Update: Going to leave this post up to host your comments on the first episode of the show. Some folks put it on the DVR and will be watching it later. I liked the personalities of the kids and the fact that viewers got to see the parents. I did not like the choice of a voice-over announcer or the hyped drama of the heat races. I will be back next week and watch the next episode.
The NASCAR Media Group, BET network and former DEI president Max Seigel are partnering to bring a new series to TV. Changing Lanes is one of those infamous "docu-series" that allows producers to walk both sides of the street.
Part real story and part scripted competition, Changing Lanes is sure to be controversial to some. Click here to watch the official video preview.
Here is the basic premise from a recent press release:
The series kicks off at NASCAR's Drive for Diversity Combine where 30 drivers gather to showcase their on-track skills as well as their ability to conduct themselves professionally in various settings. Those that perform well continue in the competition, undergo further on- and off-track evaluations and subsequent eliminations until there are only four contestants remaining. The final group will join Revolution Racing and compete in the 2010 K&N Series as well as partake in a 50-lap head-to-head race. The winner will get the opportunity to qualify for the Toyota All-Star Showdown in Irwindale, CA.
Click here for a link to Dave Kallman of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel discussing this ten episode series. Kallman makes several very good points. The mix between the real world and "docu-drama" content edited for TV might work well in entertainment, but motorsports is a bit different.
Over at commonsensemedia.org, the website gives the series high marks in several different categories. Click here to see the review. "The series offers positive messages and role models for tweens and up," says the article.
Meanwhile, over at The New York Post the Changing Lanes headline says "NASCAR: It's not just white guys." In yet another major market publication out of touch with the sport, the Post pushes the redneck stereotype while using Danica Patrick and Wendell Scott as the best NASCAR minority examples.
The rapper Ludacris, whose real name is Chris Bridges, provides the narration for Changing Lanes. Bridges is no stranger to media controversy and is certainly an curious choice. He has walked a fine line between mainstream media acceptance and public criticism for profanity, misogyny and racism in his song lyrics. Those critics have included Oprah Winfrey and President Barack Obama.
BET as the destination for this series is also interesting. SPEED sits as the de facto motorsports cable TV network right now and certainly could use some new Monday night NASCAR-related shows. There simply is not much of a cross-over between the current NASCAR TV partners and BET. That makes promotion in existing NASCAR programming for Changing Lanes tough to do.
Seigel had a rough ride in NASCAR after coming to DEI with lots of dreams and ambitions to integrate current music and entertainment celebrities into the sport through his personal connections in the industry. Now, those same connections have resulted in a reality-style TV series that will certainly open some eyes among the existing fan base.
The MaxSeigel.com website calls Seigel "one of the most influential executives in the entertainment and sports industries." This time, Seigel is walking in backed by an established production company in the NASCAR Media Group. His product is airing on a well-known TV network in BET and NASCAR has given him the official stamp of approval for his effort.
Changing Lanes is going to be a fascinating television experiment to watch. The series debuts Wednesday at 8PM Eastern/7PM Central Time on BET.
We welcome your comments on this topic. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.
24 comments:
- Leaphart3 said...
The show will be compelling. Nice photo. Who shot it?
- August 31, 2010 at 11:41 AM
- Daly Planet Editor said...
Let me guess! That would be Leaphart3?
- August 31, 2010 at 12:02 PM
- Wisconsin Steve said...
If this does anything to help NASCAR's attempts at diversifying the sport, then I'm all for it. Since Max Seigel is heavily involved, it will probably treat the sport with respect. As for the choice of networks, BET is probably a better choice than Speed if the primary goal is to attract new minority fans – most of the people watching Speed are already fans anyway.
- August 31, 2010 at 12:09 PM
- Ritchie said...
In your post, you indicate that the choice to air this on BET instead of SPEED is "interesting" because there is no crossover promotion.
I believe you may have missed the point. Shows like this are meant to create new fans, not satisfy established ones. Potential fans do not seek out SPEED to sample racing, it is up to the sport to go out and introduce its self to new demographics. That is why programs such as this, and having NASCAR drivers on SportsCenter are so important. That is where the new fans are, not on SPEED.
Maybe this show won't feel very satisfying to the "hardcore" fan, but it doesn't seem to be its intention.
SPEED needs to take care of its own self. If it wants to satisfy its core audience, it should start offering hardcore racing and info. Not fluff game shows and SPEED "personalities".
The fact of the matter is that the average age of a NASCAR fan is 40 years old. If this doesn't change, the sport will die. I like SPEED as much as the next fan, but that is more important than SPEED's ratings.
SPEED needs to worry about its own programming, not BET's.
- August 31, 2010 at 12:30 PM
- Brian Fletcher said...
I've never been a fan of contrived "diversity," and that's what this seems like. I dont know the reason why there are few women, blacks, Hispanics or Asians in NASCAR, but I doubt it's because there are no "reality" shows giving them a shot. The only thing this will do is set the winner of the contest up for a career of "[S]he only got here because of that TV show."
- August 31, 2010 at 1:10 PM
- Anonymous said...
That mansion is for sale.
- August 31, 2010 at 2:04 PM
- Duncan Macleod said...
The road to Cup competition is paved with a combination of talent and a lot of capital. If you don't have both, you aren't going to make it. It doesn't matter what your race or gender are. The other option is to find someone to sponsor you whether you can drive or not. This is just another example of how NASCAR doesn't get it.
- August 31, 2010 at 3:03 PM
- Darcie said...
Ummm, American Idol for Nascar? Sorry, but a reality show is not going to change diversity in Nascar. You can have talent, but nowadays, unless you arrive with money or big sponsors, you're not going to succeed. And regardless, there is still inherent racism and sexism within the sport. When the best driver, Richard Petty, says that a woman cannot possibly succeed in Nascar, you've got more than two strikes against
- August 31, 2010 at 5:16 PM
- 77KJAX said...
I believe Max Seigal has one PRIMARY GOAL, to raise the stature of Max Seigal .....I also think the diversity program,as a whole,is a good thing....Darrel Wallace Jr is a great example(part of Max's program I think),his name is ironic considering it was given about 20 years ago ....Darrel(Waltrip)Wallace(Rusty etc)Jr(Joonyer)....he is a great young talent (among others)who happens to be black & for now mostly runs in the K&N east series.......I wish him & the others the best in their future journeys..... BET is full of hypocrites that I choose not to watch ....
- August 31, 2010 at 5:45 PM
- glenc1 said...
JD, you are brave, discussions on these things can go so wrong....
Jack's 'gong' show was pretty much like this; I think they found people with talent (including some minorities) but as Darcie says, the sponsorship issue is the key, especially when the economy tanked. However, I think a show like this could possibly bring new sponsorship, if a person sees the right opportunity who may not have noticed before. I have no problem with 'contrived' diversity. The reason they are not in NASCAR isn't because there wasn't a reality show, it's a lot of things that NASCAR has been looking at a long time. I love the King, but he is kind of a dinosaur in that way. Lot of it is probably to do with families (you tend to get involved if your parent is) and some of it is probably money, plus attitudes about racing and about NASCAR. Anyone who saw that show with Junior a few years back that features some rather ill mannered fans (I won't go into the gory details) might think NASCAR and its fans are all like that: even sponsors might hesitate to get involved for that reason. It also helps to have someone to look up to, and there just hasn't been anyone. They ought to figure out why it's so different in drag racing. But I do agree with one thing Ritchie said--you have to get new fans or the sport dies. I love the truck series & its old timers, but a bunch of old white guys (no offense intended) are just not going to bring in new fans. And the empty stands indicate that something is indeed broken.
When I started working, a manager in my office had a sign that said 'if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got. Is that what you want?' And the truth is, diversity does bring in new ideas & growth, especially if you wish to expand globally.
Ludacris does seem an odd choice, but most of those guys seem to know when to turn it on & off (ie, it's an act.) And you'd have to have a 'name'. If I remember to, I might check it out.
- August 31, 2010 at 6:03 PM
- Anonymous said...
um, trying way too hard to be politically correct
- August 31, 2010 at 8:48 PM
- Anonymous said...
Darcie, is there also inherent racism in the NHL? Or the NBA and NFL? None of those leagues are as diverse as our country. I don't have facts and figures but I would bet that MLB is the most diverse. And last time I checked there were zero women in any of them. Just wondering.
- August 31, 2010 at 8:52 PM
- Kathy16 said...
anon 8:52--that's apples & oranges. Physically, *most* women are not the size they would need to be in the top leagues as men in the sports you mention. She did not reference a league, but 'the sport'. There is racism in all of society. It just may not be at the highest level, just pockets, but it's naive to think it isn't there.
Anon 8:48, hard to imagine, but some people believe that you need to be correct for reasons other than politics. Like maybe you believe it's the right thing to do. Max had a good interview on SPEED.
- August 31, 2010 at 9:41 PM
- Darcie said...
Anon 8:52, your argument is not germane. Women cannot compete in the NFL/NBA/NHL due to obvious physical reasons. Do you honestly think a woman could play quarterback in the NFL against 350 lb defensive tackles and huge linebackers? Do you think women have the strength to rough it up in the NHL? Yes, there was one woman who tried to be a goalie in the NHL, but she was too small against the men. The size of a woman has nothing to do with racing in Nascar. Most male Nascar drivers are tiny and lightweight, probably averaging 5'6" and weighing less than 160lbs. So physically, a woman should be able to compete with men in Nascar but they just don't get the opportunity. Again, it's all due to who you know and how much money you can bring with you, and most women don't have the deep pockets that the men have. Only Danica, with her big sponsors, has been truly brought into Nascar---and we all know it's not because of her talent, but because of her looks and her sponsorship.
What do you mean by racism in the NFL/MLB/NBA? They are as diverse racially as you'll ever get, unless you're talking about reverse racism in the NBA where caucasians are in the vast minority. But, how can anyone say that those sports aren't diverse enough with regards to minorities? Sure, Hispanics don't choose to play pro football, but that's not because it's closed to them. For whatever reason, they choose not to. For Hispanics, it's baseball, just as football and basketball is where it's at for African Americans. Who knows why neither is attracted to hockey, and while there are a few Blacks in the NHL, again, it's not closed to them if they wanted to play the sport. For those sports, all you need is the physicality, talent and the desire to play the sport. It has nothing to do with needing sponsors or big bucks.
- August 31, 2010 at 9:51 PM
- Darcie said...
Anon 8:52, I would like to add, the NBA has the WNBA, which no other professional sport has, so women are represented in that sport.
As for numbers: MLB: 39% minority
NBA: 78% minority
NFL: 72% minority
I think those numbers go way beyond reflecting the US population with regards to minorities when you consider that African Americans comprise approximately 13.5% of the population.
- August 31, 2010 at 10:04 PM
- GinaV24 said...
Saw Max Seigel on Race Hub last night. I thought he did a nice job promoting the show.
I'm not sure if I will watch simply because I may not remember that it is on and BET is not a channel that I view on a regular basis. It sounds like it will be a well done show and if it brings in more fans to racing, more power to it.
- September 1, 2010 at 8:54 AM
- Anonymous said...
You're all overlooking the one critical reason why people don't generally race: They weren't given the opportunity as children, a la Jeff Gordon and others.
To play basketball, all you need is a $25 ball and a hoop. To race, you need a $2500 go-kart, for starters. And the price goes up as the kids get older.
It's expensive and that's a barrier to many families.
- September 1, 2010 at 9:00 AM
- glenc1 said...
actually Scott--I think several of us mentioned money and families...
But anyway....I really liked that. I found myself wanting to know more about them. They kinda made a lot of Paulie being the 'bad boy'...but I also think all racers have a certain amount of arrogance. I would watch it again. I hope they give everyone enough of a chance considering their different backgrounds.
- September 1, 2010 at 9:04 PM
- Donna DeBoer said...
We liked the show. Not sure how much additional career impact it's going to make for any of these hopefuls- being "on TV" can go both for & against you- success in racing comes by way of exceptional talent & finding money not physical attributes. But it is an interesting story. I'd already heard of the more promising drivers from their track appearances. I can see where this show might help pique a non-racing fan's interest.
- September 2, 2010 at 10:18 AM
- Photojosh said...
Ludacris isn't an odd choice at all when you consider the audience that BET has. It's actually a very good choice. He's smart, has a name, and a recognizable voice. Plus, he's got enough street cred for some folks and is mainstream enough for others. It's actually a choice that should be applauded if you recognize that the goal is to introduce new fans from a new demographic to racing.
- September 2, 2010 at 1:17 PM
- Anonymous said...
Photojosh,I completely agree with you because I also see him as someone whom the audience can relate to. I also see this show as a good step for Nascar to reach that audience.
- September 2, 2010 at 2:22 PM
- OSBORNK said...
I thought the show was fairly good but I think it might be to PC for the intended audience. They concentrate on a chosen few and the rest are just filler. They seem to concentrate on one from different demographic groups. They have an African-American male, a white female, a hispanic female, a foreign male(don't remember the country) who lives in Virginia and a "old" male(25).
- September 2, 2010 at 5:56 PM
- Dot said...
To Darcie 9:51PM,
Brava! Great post. I totally agree.
To Scott Orr,
I agree with you too. Not only the expense of racing equipment but, kid has to be driven to track. Stick & ball sports can be played by just walking to school yard or park.
- September 2, 2010 at 11:35 PM
- Anonymous said...
First off I believe that the show was a good idea. However Max Siegel thinks that he is well known. Not even going off his 3,000or so twitter friends...he has yet to cross over in the African American community. Which is not a bad or good thing.
The concept for Changing Lanes is to expose the sport more to women and minorities, choosing BET was a great idea, except the network, along with Max Siegel forgot to create trust within the black community. Because NASCAR is not a respected or well watched sport in the A.A community, trust must first be obtained. I believe Max thought that because he was in gospel entertainment and currently in the race car industry, that this would be an easy transition. Nothing is easy when conversion is involved.
The show also had a very broad target audience. The key leaders of the show were older teenagers/young adults, yet the promotional marketing of the show was targeting a much younger audience. They should have focused on highschool to college (the majority who rule social media)
It's not impossible to convert African Americans into the world of racing but the approach has to mixed with something that is relatable.
- November 4, 2010 at 3:55 PM


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When the Pistons drafted Andre Drummond, I was skeptical and with good reason. In spite of being one of the most athletic big men in the entire NCAA, he had avery mediocre freshman season, which raised questions for statheads and traditional scouts alike.
At the conclusion of the preseason, I was optimistic about Andre Drummond and again, with good reason. Dre had a brilliant season, at times looking and producing like the most dominant player on the floor.
And after 30 games, Andre Drummond looks like the real deal, putting up per minute numbers that in some key areas that outshine Dwight Howard's rookie season. Yep, so far, he's been that good.
However, Detroit remains committed to its preseason plan for Drummond: bring the kid along slowly. At one point, that plan made a lot of sense. Drummond wasn't great as a freshman. He's young. He's still growing into his body. For the first time in his life, he'll be playing against men his own size. Those are all good reasons to take the long view and develop Drummond slowly.
But at every opportunity, Drummond has demonstrated that none of these concerns are justified. His performance up to this point indicates that he's more than ready. In fact, in spite of being a little rough around certain edges, he has been Detroit's most impactful player, and it's not all that close.
Drummond's play demands that the Pistons reevaluate their plans. Continue reading


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by Pete Mazzaccaro
If you haven't gone completely digital with your media intake — mp3s, e-books, Snapfish, Netlflix etc. — you're not simply behind the times, you're obsolete.
I've always been a gadget fan and have embraced a lot of the changes as they came. From my first digital camera to an iPod, I've reduced many square yards of boxed storage space into a few hundred gigs of info stored in a hard drive.
Despite this, I've long been a hold out when it came to music. For music fans, there's just something about album cover art, liner notes, the color photos – the whole package. The digital album just isn't the whole piece of art.
And a digital album doesn't really make a great gift. What are you going to wrap? A new Rolling Stones boxed set of their original 11 U.K releases on vinyl? Or an iTunes gift card? It's neat to have an entire music collection stashed on your iPod classic, but mp3s (or AAC's) are not collectibles. They're just digital files.
Chestnut Hill happens to boast one of the best destinations for a genuine audiophile: Brian Reisman's Hideaway Music, 8612 Germantown Ave.
Reisman's small shop has a great assortment of CDs, from classic rock and jazz to contemporary singer songwriter fare and indie rock. But his shop is a great place for serious rock memorabilia.
Hideaway has a great stock of classic rock posters and books, and it's an actual record shop. One third of all his business is vinyl. He carries used classics and latest in indie rock and stocks turntables and refurbished amplifiers and speakers on which to spin them.
Rock Hall of Fame-worthy records
Notable collectors items right now are vinyl pressings of Bob Dylan's "Whitmark Demos," a four-record (or two-CD) set of 47 early recordings including 15 never-officially released songs.
Another big vinyl set is a five record rerelease of the Grateful Dead's first five studio albums: 'The Grateful Dead," 'Workingman's Dead" and "American Beauty," as well as original mixes of "Anthem Of The Sun" and "Aoxomoxoa," the first reprints of these records in vinyl in 40 years.
Don't have a record collector? Other big boxed sets out right now include "West Coast Seattle Boy Boy," a collection of unreleased Jimi Hendrix recordings and early sideman recordings as a guitarist with other acts like the Isley Bothers and Little Richard.
Another big one is Bruce Springsteen's deluxe "Darkness on the Outside of Town" anniversary 3-CD set, which includes a remastered rerelease of the 1978 original recording, a 2 CD set of session work for that album called "The Promise," a DVD containing the documentary about the making of the record and two DVDs of live performances.
If you're looking for a classic gift, Hideaway has these. Give them a call, 215-248-4434 or stop by and check out their selection.
For a list of recommended rock records, check out my blog, Liner Notes, here . (See the recommended for '10 list in the right-hand bar with links to reviews and essays).


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Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources
News and Events June 21, 2013
Drivers Can Compare Gasoline and Electric Fuel Prices with eGallon
The Energy Department on June 11 launched the eGallon—a way for consumers to compare the costs of fueling electric vehicles versus driving on gasoline. The current national average eGallon price is about $1.14, meaning that a typical electric vehicle could travel as far on $1.14 worth of electricity as a similar vehicle could travel on a gallon of gasoline.
On Energy.gov/eGallon, consumers can see the latest eGallon price for their state and compare it to the price of gasoline. Over time, consumers will notice that the eGallon price will be far more stable and predictable than gasoline prices. That's because the eGallon price depends on electricity prices, which historically are very stable; gasoline prices depend on the global oil market, which can be very unstable and are often influenced by unpredictable international events.
The eGallon provides a metric that is easily comparable to the traditional gallon of unleaded fuel. That comparison is made by calculating how much it would cost to drive an electric vehicle the same distance a similar conventional vehicle could travel on a gallon of gasoline. For example, if gasoline costs $3.60 per gallon in your state and the eGallon price for your state is $1.20, that means that for $1.20 worth of electricity you can drive the same distance as you could for $3.60 worth of gasoline. The eGallon price varies from state to state based on the price of electricity. See the Energy Department press release.
Energy Department Invests in Next Generation Efficient Lighting
The Energy Department on June 4 announced five manufacturing research and development projects to support energy-efficient lighting products. The projects will focus on reducing manufacturing costs, while continuing to improve the quality and performance of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The Energy Department's $10 million investment is matched dollar for dollar by private sector funding.
According to a new report by the Energy Department, LED lamps and fixtures installed in the United States have increased tenfold over the last two years—from 4.5 million units in 2010 to 49 million units in 2012. These installations, which include common indoor and outdoor applications such as recessed lighting and streetlights, are expected to save about $675 million in annual energy costs. During the same period, the cost of an LED replacement bulb has fallen by about 54%. Switching entirely to LED lights over the next two decades could save the United States $250 billion in energy costs and reduce electricity consumption for lighting by nearly 50%. By 2030, LED lighting is projected to represent about 75% of all lighting sales, saving enough energy to power approximately 26 million U.S. households.
Projects selected include: Cree Inc. (Durham, North Carolina) will develop a modular design for LED lights that can link together multiple units to fit larger areas; Eaton Corporation (Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin) will develop an innovative manufacturing process that streamlines the LED fixture design and removes unnecessary materials and parts; LEDWorks, (Rochester, New York) will develop and demonstrate new spray-printing equipment that reduces overall manufacturing costs and could help support cost-competitive mass production; Philips Lumileds (San Jose, California) will develop an alternative to the standard flip-chip device that grows an LED face-down on the sapphire substrate; and PPG Industries, Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) will develop a cost-effective manufacturing process to help commercialize an integrated substrate that includes the glass foundation as well as the other necessary layers. See the Energy Department Press Release.
Energy Department Offers $9 Million to Advance Hydrogen Technologies
The Energy Department on June 11 announced up to $9 million in new funding to accelerate the development of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for use in vehicles, backup power systems, and hydrogen refueling components. The Energy Department will fund up to eight projects from industry, academia, and national labs. These investments will strengthen U.S. leadership in cost-effective hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and help industry bring these technologies into the marketplace at lower cost.
Projects selected for funding will demonstrate, deploy, and validate hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in real-world environments. These efforts aim to reduce the costs of hydrogen and fuel cells industry-wide, expand critical infrastructure, and build a solid domestic supplier base. Selected projects will represent a wide variety of applications with potential for widespread commercialization.
Topic areas include fuel cell medium-duty trucks; advanced hydrogen refueling components; rooftop installations of hydrogen-fuel-cell-backup power systems; and hydrogen meter research and development. See the Energy Department Progress Alert.
New Building Performance Database Launched by Energy Department
The Energy Department on June 17 launched the new Buildings Performance Database, the largest free, publicly available database of residential and commercial building energy performance information. This database will allow users to access energy performance data and perform statistical analyses on more than 60,000 commercial and residential buildings across the country, and new records are being added regularly. The database includes buildings' location; age; size and function; electricity and fuel consumption; equipment information and operational characteristics. The data can also be used to compare performance trends among similar buildings, identify and prioritize cost-saving energy efficiency improvements, and assess the range of likely savings from these improvements. An application programming interface (API) will allow external software developers to incorporate analytical results from the database into their own tools and services.
The database tools have been designed to meet the content and usability needs of public agencies, building owners and managers, contractors, energy efficiency program administrators, and financial institutions, with over 1,000 users testing the site since March 2013. The Department hopes that public and private stakeholders will continue to submit data and expand the resource. All data is made anonymous and protected by stringent privacy and security protocols.
Currently, commercial and residential buildings account for approximately 70% of the electricity consumption in the nation. The database strengthens the Department's commitment to provide U.S. industry, state and local governments, and researchers with innovative energy data tools that can help cut energy waste and save money. The database was developed for the Department's Building Technologies Office by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Building Energy Inc. See the Energy Department Progress Alert.
DOI Announces First Offshore Renewable Energy Lease Sale
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on June 4 announced that BOEM will hold the first-ever competitive lease sale for wind energy on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. The auction, scheduled to take place on July 31, will offer 164,750 acres offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts for commercial wind energy leasing. The area being auctioned is located 9.2 nautical miles south of the Rhode Island coastline.
The area has the potential for an installed capacity of 3,395 megawatts, according to a report recently released by the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This total could supply enough electricity to power more than 1 million homes.
BOEM issued a revised environmental assessment (EA) for commercial wind lease issuance within the Wind Energy Area offshore of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The EA considers reasonable foreseeable environmental and socioeconomic impacts from issuing renewable energy leases. The EA also considers the impacts of conducting site characterization such as surveys and assessment activities such as installation and operation of meteorological towers and buoys. As a result of the analysis in the revised EA, BOEM issued a "Finding of No Significant Impact," which concluded that reasonably foreseeable environmental effects associated with the commercial wind lease would not significantly impact the environment. See the DOI press release, the final sale notice in the Federal Register, and BOEM's EA and Finding of No Significant Impact .
DOI Approves Three Renewable Energy Projects in Arizona and Nevada
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) on June 3 announced the approval of three major renewable energy projects in Arizona and Nevada that are expected to deliver up to 520 megawatts (MW) to the electricity grid. When built, the projects will generate enough power for nearly 200,000 homes.
The 350-megawatt Midland Solar Energy Project and the 70-megawatt New York Canyon Geothermal Project are located in Nevada. The Midland Solar Project will be built on private lands about 7 miles southwest from Boulder City, Nevada, and will cross 76 acres of federal transmission corridor. The New York Canyon Geothermal Project and electrical transmission facility will be built on 15,135 acres of land managed by the DOI's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) about 25 miles east of Lovelock, Nevada, in Pershing County.
The 100-megawatt Quartzsite Solar Energy Project, located on 1,600 acres of BLM-managed lands in La Paz County, Arizona, will use concentrating solar power (CSP) technology with integrated thermal energy storage technology. CSP technologies use mirrors in heliostats to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto a central tower to produce heat, where liquid molten salt captures and stores the thermal energy which is then used to produce electricity. CSP systems are distinguished from other solar energy technologies by their ability to store energy as heat so that consumer demand can be met even when the sun is not shining, including during the night.
The BLM has identified an additional 15 active renewable energy proposals slated for review this year and next. BLM identified these projects through a process that emphasizes early consultation and collaboration with its sister agencies at DOI—the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service. See the DOI press release and the BLM website.
NREL Highlights 2012 Utility Green Power Leaders
The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on June 5 released its assessment of leading utility green power programs. Under these voluntary programs, residential and commercial consumers can choose to help support additional electricity production from renewable resources such as wind and solar. The top 10 programs support more than 4.2 million megawatt hours /year (MWh/year) of voluntary green power.
Using information provided by utilities, NREL has developed "Top 10" rankings of utility green power programs for 2012 in the following categories: total sales of renewable energy to program participants; total number of customer participants; the percentage of customer participation; green power sales as a percentage of total utility retail electricity sales; and the lowest price premium charged for a green power program using new renewable resources.
Ranked by renewable energy sales in terms of MWh/year, Portland General Electric (Oregon) overtook Austin Energy in Austin, Texas, in 2012, selling the largest amount of renewable energy in the nation through its voluntary green power program. Dominion Virginia Power and Oklahoma Gas & Electric are new to the top renewable energy sales list. Ranked by the percentage of customer participation, the top utilities are City of Palo Alto Utilities (California), followed by Portland General Electric, Madison Gas and Electric Company (Wisconsin), Sacramento Municipal Utility District, the City of Naperville (Illinois) and Pacific Power (Oregon). In addition, six utilities provided green power supply that included at least 2% solar. See the NREL press release and the Green Power website.
Federal and Industry Partners Issue Challenge to Manufacturers
A coalition that includes the U.S. federal government and more than 200 major commercial building partners has recently challenged U.S. manufacturers to build wireless sub-meters that cost less than $100 apiece. The U.S. Federal Energy Management Program and U.S. General Services Administration are among the organizations issuing the challenge.
A group of at least 18 manufacturers has already agreed to take up the challenge, pledging to produce devices that will meet the specifications outlined by the Energy Department and its private sector partners that have signed letters of intent to purchase the wireless sub-meters. The Energy Department worked with members of its Better Buildings Alliance and federal agencies to develop a performance-based manufacturing specification, and will offer third party verification that the wireless building metering systems meet the performance specifications.
Electricity sub-meters provide building operators with the information they need to identify opportunities for savings. For example, a large commercial building might pay $10,000 a month or more for electricity, but not have any way to detect which systems are consuming the most electricity. A wireless sub-meter could be installed at various electrical panels throughout the building to give a more detailed picture of where the electricity is being used, thereby helping to identify savings. It might also allow commercial building operators to bill individual tenants for their electricity usage, creating an incentive for energy efficiency. Wireless sub-meters typically cost about $1,000 per installation now, so the goal is to reduce the cost by about 90%. The Department's Washington, D.C. headquarters, the James A. Forrestal Building, will be used as a testing facility. See the Energy Department press release and the Better Buildings Alliance website.
CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)special thanks to U.S. Department of Energy | USA.gov
Building a 21st Century Electric Grid
As part of President Obama's initiative to make America a magnet for jobs by building a 21st century infrastructure, on June 7 he signed a Presidential Memorandum that will speed the modernization of the nation's electric grid. This will help make electricity more reliable, save consumers money on their energy bills, and support homegrown American clean energy jobs and industries by making renewable energy easier to access across the country.
Transmission projects often cover hundreds of miles and involve multiple federal, tribal, state and local jurisdictions with diverse interests and responsibilities. Collaborating early to minimize duplication and delays is vital to getting critical projects to construction to better serve American homes and businesses. The June 7 Presidential Memorandum directs federal agencies to create an integrated pre-application process across the federal government to help identify and address issues before the formal permit application process begins, and streamline the coordination of permitting processes across the federal, state, and tribal governments.
The memorandum also directs agencies to identify and improve the use of energy corridors on federal lands that are most suitable for siting electric transmission projects, to help expedite permitting while improving environmental and community outcomes. These energy corridors are designed to reduce regulatory conflicts, minimize negative impacts on natural and cultural resources and address concerns of local communities, decreasing the potential for permitting delays. For these corridors, agencies will work together to integrate new and innovative ways to avoid, minimize and mitigate the impact on environmental and cultural resources. The memorandum also prioritizes meaningful engagement with stakeholders and the public to arrive at the best quality projects with the least conflicts and most support. For the complete story, see the Energy Blog.
Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)
Friday, June 21, 2013
News and Events by CCRES June 21, 2013
Posted by CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES at 7:59 PM No comments:
Labels: 2013, CCRES, CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES, HCOIE, HRVATSKI CENTAR OBNOVLJIVIH IZVORA ENERGIJE, News and Events by CCRES June 21, SOLAR serdar
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The unification of your body and soul can take you to a state of euphoria. RA MA Yoga Institute and Kippy's Ice Cream have collaborated in bringing forth a four-day detox program. By combining the two, your body will be ready to experience an invigorating effect.
Let's begin by introducing Kundalini Yoga. As stated by the RA MA Institute, the energy of the glandular system you experience combines with the nervous system to create sensitivity that the brain receives. Kundalini literally means the "energy of consciousness." In the span of four days, each yoga class targets different organ systems, which include: the gallbladder, liver, spleen and the thyroid. By implementing the practice of Kundalini Yoga it allows your body to remove stress and negative energy thereby allowing a natural flow of energy to resonate.
We then incorporate Kippy's Ice Cream Cleanse to help with the process of cleansing and detoxifying the digestive system. There are a total of five meal servings a day of Kippy's non-dairy ice cream. The ice cream is made from organic coconuts imported from Mexico. There is a total of about 1,000 coconuts imported every month. The water from the coconuts are tasted individually to ensure quality taste. The coconuts are then pressed into coconut cream and this is how the ice cream is made fresh every morning.
Coconut water and raw honey are two major ingredients of the ice cream cleanse since coconut water is filled with electrolytes and raw honey has an abundant amount of enzymes. Coconuts are an important factor in the ice cream formula because the raw saturated fat from the coconut cleanses the blood, tissue, and organs from your body. Super foods such as maca and chlorophyll help activate the thyroid which increases metabolism and because these super foods are combined into the ice cream it makes the cleanse effective. By the end of the program the results will include: decreased inflammation, higher levels of energy, immediate weight loss and healthy looking hair and skin.
Lawrence Davis, Publisher of Splash Magazines also participated in the ice cream cleanse. Here were some of his thoughts throughout the four-day detox program. He expressed how much more elevated he felt both physically and spiritually. This experience acted as a reset button for his body. The practice of Kundalini Yoga transmitted a healing and comforting stimulation. He definitely recommends GuruJas because he felt she was very involved, gentle and her sense of concern was genuine. He described her as a "white light." He recommends the ice cream cleanse to anyone who feels the need to reset him or herself physically or spiritually.
In my personal experience, it was very challenging to change my dietary habits, however I convinced myself that I was worth it! For many of us, breaking old habits is the hardest part. However, I must say that the results were rewarding. I felt rejuvenated both physically and spiritually. There was something invigorating about waking up earlier than usual every morning and feeling consciously awakened through the practice of Kundalini Yoga. I physically began to feel more aware of my body. After class I would pick up my days supply of Kippy's Ice Cream and consume it as my meal throughout the day. The ice cream flavors were all very delicious, yes there was even chocolate! I also want to express how important it is to have an encouraging support system during the process. Thanks to the detox cleansing I was able to lose eight pounds by the fourth day. I have begun to incorporate yoga, meditation and healthy eating habits into my everyday life; it has already become a lifestyle. Are you ready to change your life? I did and I've never felt so alive!
A special thanks to: Ra Ma Institute and Kippy's Ice Cream Shop.
Please visit RA MA Yoga Institute and Kippy's Ice Cream for a magical experience.
Published on Feb 13, 2014


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Complete Story
Senate Votes To Ban Return of Fairness Doctrine
By: John Eggerton, Multichannel News
The Senate voted overwhelmingly to prevent the Federal Communications Commission from reinstating the fairness doctrine -- even though the commission had not indicated plans to do so.
The 87-11vote Wednesday was actually on an amendment -- itself amended -- to an unrelated bill, the D.C. Voting Rights Act.
In order for that vote to block the re-imposition of the doctrine to stand, the Voting Rights Act would have to pass in the Senate and the fairness amendment survive a conference process with the House version.
The Broadcaster Freedom Act, introduced by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), could initially have also prevented the commission from taking some proposed steps to bolster localism, including setting up advisory boards to give broadcasters guidance on public-interest programming.
Those have been criticized by some Republicans as a back-door attempt to reinstate the doctrine.
The Broadcaster Freedom Act would have prohibited "any similar requirement that broadcasters meet programming quotas or guidelines for issues of public importance."
But that language was struck by a second amendment, introduced by Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), which instead explicitly reaffirmed the commission's power to seek to promote diversity in media ownership.
The Durbin amendment passed on a straight party line vote, 57-41, while the larger fairness doctrine-blocking bill passed 81-11.
Free Press praised Durbin for rejecting the fairness doctrine hysterics.
The move also created a bill that the Democrats could pass if they wanted to try and quell the ongoing doctrine debate.
DeMint introduced his fairness doctrine-blocking bill last month on the House side.
Attempts were made to pass similar bills in the last Congress. In fact, the House passed a bill sponsored by Mike Pence (R.Ind.), a former radio talk show host himself, that put a one-year moratorium on funding any FCC re-imposition of the doctrine. Democrats, led by David Obey (D-Wisc.), suggested that the amendment was a red herring, a non-issue and that it was being debated, such as it was -- no Democrats stood to oppose it -- to provide sound bites for conservative talkers and "yap yap TV," who had ginned up the issue.
In a Shakespearian mood, Obey said the amendment was "much ado about nothing" and "sound and fury, signifying nothing."
But other Democrats suggested that the sticking point was the current administration, and some big names, including Sen. John Kerry (Mass.), talked about the possibility of bringing it back.
Source: http://www.multichannel.com/article/179966-Senate_Votes_To_Ban_Return_of_Fairness_Doctrine.php?rssid=20059


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Say what you will about Call of Duty's diminishing returns as games, but even those unmoved by perks and tangos can usually enjoy the ridiculously OTT trailers Activision puts together to sell the series.
Take this new one today. It's for some DLC. A few maps, that sort of stuff.
But they went out and got Stephen Graham. Aka, one of my favourite actors on the planet, who is absolutely killing it as Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire. And then spent more on the ad than they probably did on the DLC itself.
Which...now that I've typed that out loud is actually a little sad.


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I knew nothing at all about "Black Swan" before watching it, other than glancing that it was a Best Picture Nominee in 2010 - one of only a handful of horror films to be nominated for Best Picture (*) - that was good enough to attract my attention. To be honest, although I knew the name Natalie Portman very well, I don't think I'd ever seen her before - she won an Academy Award for Best Actress in "Black Swan," and it seemed reasonable that she was at least nominated (although this is certainly not one of the most memorable performances I've seen). One problem for the viewer in this film is that there are several divas at work here, and they all look a lot alike - yes, even a 39-year-old Winona Ryder. I understand that ballerinas are largely cut from the same mold, but it would have been nice to help the viewer visually - maybe with an actress of color? For example, I'm *still* not quite sure to whom, early in the film, Nina mistakenly said, "Congratulations," thinking that she (Nina) had lost the part to this other ballerina - Nina was wrong, of course, and the other ballerina furiously came back and dressed her down. Was that Lily? (Mila Kunis?) I don't *think* it was, but I wasn't familiar enough with the characters to be sure - whomever it was, it was *extremely* out of character for Nina not to have hunted her down and apologized profusely, which she never did. I've never seen "Swan Lake," so I was pleased to get a little synopsis of the plot. That said, I suspect there are ballet aficionados out there who loathe this film, for various reasons - refer to "Shine" and piano, which I detest with every fiber of my being. Writing this a day later, I'm already forgetting aspects of this film - I suspect that a year from now, I'll remember almost nothing about it, which may say more about me than the movie. Still, this was not an unforgettable motion picture experience. I wish I had a vote for the Academy Awards - it wouldn't change much (one vote never does), but it would at least be a fair, intelligent vote that isn't wasted. (*) It should be noted that, of the six "horror" films to be nominated for Best Picture, only three are pure horror films: "The Exorcist," "The Sixth Sense," and "Get Out." The other three, "Jaws," "Silence of the Lambs," and "Black Swan" are either thrillers, or (in the case of "Black Swan") psychological dramas.


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Movie Review
Holy Motors
Not rated. 1 hour, 56 minutes.
Publication date: Dec. 7, 2012
Review by Peter Canavese
Released: (2012)
Leos Carax's new film, his first feature-length effort since 1999's "Pola X," has its melancholy moments, but Carax infuses every frame with his joy in cinema and what Uta Hagen called "respect for acting." You'll see no more impressive performance all year than that given here by Carax favorite Denis Levant, seeing as how it constitutes something more like nine performances.
You may want to stop reading and proceed directly to the art house, for "Holy Motors" is best experienced fresh. But for those who wouldn't dare shell out for a movie without a plot synopsis, here goes: Levant plays a professional role-player named Monsieur Oscar (not for nothing, Alex Christophe Dupont's professional pseudonym, Leos Carax, is an anagram of Alex Oscar). Oscar practices the transmigration of souls: Traveling by limousine around Paris, self-applying hair and makeup on his way, he hops out and slips into the lives of others.
These "appointments," scheduled by a mysterious boss (Michel Piccoli) for mysterious purposes, find Oscar becoming everyone from a sleek businessman to an old gypsy woman to a sewer-dwelling troglodyte. Sometimes, these performances serve an apparent end, whether to produce a product or indulge another person's emotional need; at other times, the purpose remains entirely obscure, to the point where Oscar wonders why he bothers.
As the audience comes to share in Oscar's perspective -- and fret over him, as does his trusty chauffeur Celine (Edith Scob) -- the viewer takes the lay of the land that is this existential allegory. We all toil at jobs the purpose of which we may not entirely trust and the value of which we may not entirely believe. And, as the Bard once said, "All the world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players: / They have their exits and their entrances; / And one man in his time plays many parts ... "
The Brits have another saying: "Who's he when he's at home?" And that question does finally get resolved, in a respect, with a visual punchline. But "Holy Motors" invites reflection on who we are asked to be in the various circumstances of our day, the fluidity of identity, whom others need us to be and whom we need to be for ourselves.
As for cinema, "Holy Motors" embarks as a dream of Carax, who appears in the film's opening sequence, apparently waking to wander through a Lynchian movie theater. Scob becomes a walking reference when she dons a mask straight out of her 1960 film "Eyes Without a Face." And one of Oscar's appointments finds him in a motion-capture studio, giving a performance instantly transformed into computer-generated imagery for a screen.
On this level and others, "Holy Motors" finds an artist on a lark, following his muse into playful territory. But as playful as it is for Carax to turn the liminal shell of Paris' La Samaritaine into a set for a musical meeting between Lavant and Kylie Minogue, who sings, "Who were we / When we were / Who we were / Back then?", the moment proves that "Holy Motors" has the power to haunt as much as to amuse.
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OAHS junior selected to sing with All-National Honor Chorus
By ACL
Thomas Sumner
Oxford Area High School junior Thomas Sumner, son of Susan and Scott Sumner, was recently selected as a member of the 2013 All-National Honor Ensembles sponsored by the National Association for Music Education.
As a tenor 2 in the All-National Honor Mixed Chorus, Thomas will perform with more than 670 high-school students at a concert before an audience of thousands at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 30.
From Oct. 27 to 30, the students will prepare music that they will perform under the direction of four prominent conductors: Dr. Peter Boonshaft, Miriam Burns, Rollo Dilworth and Rodney Whitaker. The mixed chorus will have approximately 350 vocalists.
The All-National Honors Ensembles, consisting of a concert band, symphony orchestra, mixed chorus, and jazz ensemble, are organized by members of the National Association for Music Education. Eligible students have qualified for their state-level honor ensemble program and competed against top students for a spot in these national honor ensembles.
Thomas is a member of the junior-senior chorus and chorale ensemble, and serves as vice president of the high school's chapter of the Tri-M Music Honor Society. As a sophomore, he was selected to perform at the Pennsylvania Music Education Association's District, Regional and All-State chorus festivals. He played the role of Prince Robert in last spring's musical production of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and as a freshman had a featured role in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."
"I am extremely honored to be selected to sing in the All-National chorus," he said. "I'd like to thank all my music teachers for helping me improve as a musician each year as I went through the schools in Oxford."


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|Dec. 18
| next update
Jan. 18
January Class I is $21.48 - up $2.51 from last year
Class I Milk PriceAnnounced on December 18, 2013 - the January Class I (fluid milk) price is $21.48, up $1.11 from last month. The Class I base price (based on "higher of" advanced Class III or Class IV skim milk price) plus the Class I differential for each order determines Class I skim milk price. The mover is equivalent to the Basic Formula Price (BFP) under the old pricing system. It equals (base skim milk price for Class I times 0.965) plus (advanced butterfat pricing factor times 3.5). The Class I mover is announced on or before the 23rd of the previous month.
Class III prices
Class IV prices


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Lady Gaga's infamous meat dress has made its way to the nation's capital, along with Loretta Lynn's song about "The Pill" and other relics from music history.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland is opening a national tour for an exhibit about pioneering women in rock, tracing the evolution of female artists and their impact on music. It opens Friday, Sept. 7 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (1250 New York Ave. NW).
The exhibit, "Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power" is inherently political, highlighting many "first ladies of rock" who have spoken loud and clear on women's rights, gay rights and other issues through their music, curator Meredith Rutledge-Borger told the Associated Press.
"This really is the center of our political life," Rutledge-Borger said during the D.C. opening. "Bringing this exhibit here kind of redefines what's important in our history and political life... at a time when there's talk of women being under attack in politics."
More than 250 artifacts represent 70 women who were "engines of change and creativity," she said, each helping to redefine who could make rock. It features items from Cher, the B-52s, Donna Summer, Stevie Nicks, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna's provocative outfit from her 1990 "Blonde Ambition" tour.
Other items date back to jazz singer Billie Holiday, first blues recording artists Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey, and country music trailblazer Mother Maybelle Carter.
Lynn's country song, "The Pill," was considered so controversial in 1975 that her record label delayed its release for three years. Lynn later recounted that doctors told her the tune was pivotal in rural acceptance of birth control.
"We really wanted to make sure this wasn't just a fashion show," Rutledge-Borger said. "We wanted to showcase these artists as musicians."
For the National Museum of Women in the Arts, it's the first exhibit to feature women performing artists, said chief curator Kathryn Wat.
Gaga's dress from the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards -- now dried, preserved and painted to restore its original raw meat color -- is being shown in its political context.
When Gaga wore the dress, she was accompanied by U.S. soldiers impacted by the "don't ask, don't tell" policy to protest the ban on gays serving openly in the military. She explained that if people don't stand up for their rights, "pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our own bones. And, I am not a piece of meat."
Beyond the dress's shock value, Gaga's push for inclusion of gays or anyone else who is different helped cement her place as a pioneer, said Rutledge-Borger.
"If you dig a little deeper, there's this important message of inclusion and family," she said. "That to me is really why she's so powerful."
The museum also is featuring Gaga's outfit from the 2010 Grammy Awards, where "Poker Face" won for best dance recording, and her childhood piano. She began taking lessons when she was 4.
"Women Who Rock" will remain on view in Washington through Jan. 6. Then it will travel to the Durham Museum in Omaha, Neb., the EMP Museum in Seattle and the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix.
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Lady Gaga's Meat Dress Arrives in DC
"Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power" features 250+ artifacts
Lady Gaga's infamous meat dress has made its way to the nation's capital, along with Loretta Lynn's song about "The Pill" and other relics from music history.


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Augsburg, with its Mozart heritage, is one of the most historically significant cities in Germany – not to mention one of the prettiest. As you stroll through the city's ancient streets, it doesn't take much imagination to gain a sense of Augsburg's importance as a prominent financial centre, international trading hub and focal point for the fine arts in the days when the Fugger banking empire was at its peak.
Augsburg shaped the history of Germany and Europe over a long period, having always been a little richer, and more glamorous and imposing than other cities. Augsburg's superb fountains, grand old guildhouses, exquisite churches and, of course, the Town Hall – perhaps one of the most important secular Renaissance buildings north of the Alps – combine to form a cityscape of rare intensity. More recent periods have also left their mark, most notably the Baroque and Rococo eras and – much later – the art nouveau movement, all of which turn a stroll through the city into a very special experience. Since as long ago as the High Middle Ages travellers have been marvelling at Augsburg's stately churches, including the cathedral with its stunning bronze portal (now nearly 1,000 years old) and the Basilica of St. Ulrich and St. Afra, named after two patron saints of the city. Another marvel was the wealth of the Fugger dynasty, which emerged as a powerhouse of capitalism in the space of just three generations. The Fuggers' mercantile and banking empire stretched from the Adriatic up to the North Sea and from the Atlantic Ocean across to eastern Europe. Jakob Fugger and his brothers gave the city some of the earliest Renaissance buildings north of the Alps, including the Fuggerei, the world's first social housing project, and the Fugger chapel in St. Anna. Jakob Fugger soon gained a reputation as a man of unfathomable wealth, though this paled in comparison with his nephew's fortune: Anton Fugger was considered the world's richest man in the mid-16th century. For fear that this would make the city a likely target for attack, Augsburg surrounded itself with extensive fortifications and a continuous city wall, parts of which can still be seen today.
Numerous gold and silversmiths settled within the city walls, and over the centuries their guild established an excellent reputation. Their works are on display in various museums and exhibitions and are even sold in some of the many smaller stores still in existence today. There is a second family with close ties to the city: the Mozarts. Leopold Mozart, father to Wolfgang Amadeus and an influential composer in his own right, was born here. The Augsburg Mozart Festival, traditionally held every May, not only focuses on famous works by the father and son composers, but also offers a fascinating insight into their family, friends, fellow musicians, rival composers and the period in which they lived. Another great event in Augsburg is the annual Brecht Festival, a theatre festival in honour of the city's influential – if occasionally obstinate – son, Bertolt Brecht. Even in the eyes of the locals, the writer was for a long time a controversial and largely unpopular figure. However, the people of Augsburg have since made their peace with him and have dedicated a fascinating exhibition to his memory in the house where he was born. Other museums in the city turn attention to different periods of history, most notably the Schaezler Palais, a highlight of the rococo with its four eminent art collections. The Museum of the Augsburger Puppenkiste puts the spotlight on this adorable string puppet theatre, a fond childhood memory for generations of visitors. And in the evenings, in one of the many cosy bars in the old town, there will always be somebody who will happily discuss Augsburg's puppet theatre, Brecht or Mozart at length. Or you might want to ask them about the eighth of August, the world's only state-approved public holiday to be celebrated in just one city. The occasion? Augsburg's High Peace Festival.
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The judge presiding over the school finance trial underway in an Austin courtroom shared some personal testimony Wednesday while San Benito CISD Superintendent Antonio Limon took the stand to chronicle hardships in his South Texas school district.
At one point, Limon made a reference to neighboring Kenedy County. 250th District Judge John Dietz stopped the testimony to make sure his court reporter got the spelling correct. Only one 'n' in Kenedy, Dietz told court reporter Della Sawvel.
"If you had received enough traffic tickets there, you would know," Dietz added, drawing courtroom laughter.
Earlier, Dietz told Limon he routinely sings "Lonely Days and Lonely Nights" as he drives through San Benito on his way to Padre Island vacations. It's an old Freddy Fender tune. Fender grew up in San Benito, whose water tower bears an image of the Tejano musician. Born Baldemar Huerta, Fender died in Corpus Christi in 2006.
Limon also pointed out that conservative Christian leader James Dobson, founder of "Focus on the Family," graduated from San Benito High School.


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Course DescriptionThe stock market is a volatile, risky investment, but with some proper training, you can learn to maximize your profits. This comprehensive course will answer all of your most basic questions about investing in the stock market, and carry you through to analyzing corporate financial statements and performing technical analysis. Before you know it, you'll have all the tools and knowledge you need to play the markets smartly and effectively.
InstructorIndianInsight.com is a niche stock advisory & education firm founded by Mr. Yash Utmani. Our focus is on providing education and stock advisory services for retail investors. Mr. Yash has close to 8 years experience in trading various international and Indian markets including stocks, bonds, short term interest rates futures & currency futures. He as been active in the stock market for close to a decade and specializes in techno-funda analysis, with special emphasis on Elliott wave analysis. He has also been involved in engagements with top notch Swiss/ U.K. based investment banks for implementing risk management systems.
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Department of Earth Sciences
In the Department of Earth Sciences (http://earthsciences.dartmouth.edu/), research and teaching emphasize watershed processes, environmental geochemistry, glaciology, geomicrobiology, structural geology and geophysics, sedimentology, paleontology, and remote sensing. A number of faculty specialize in low temperature geochemistry, stable and radiogenic isotopes, hydrology, glacial dynamics, geomorphology, soils, and climate.
With funding from the NSF Arctic Natural Sciences Program, Meredith Kelly examines past extents of ice sheets and mountain glaciers to better understand both recent and ancient (10,000 to 100,000 years ago) climate events. Shrinking glaciers in Greenland's Scoresby Sund region have revealed partially fossilized vegetation that grew at times when glaciers were smaller than at present. By examining this vegetation, as well as sediment cores and moraines, Kelly and Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) student Laura Levy are learning about glacial response to temperatures as high as, or higher than, at present.
Bob Hawley's research primarily focuses on the firn layer of polar ice sheets. "Firn" is old snow that has become granular and compacted. Hawley's investigations into techniques for measuring in-situ density profiles of polar firn in 2002 led to the development of a technique called Borehole Optical Stratigraphy, in which a video camera is lowered down a borehole in the ice, and a recording is made of the patterns of light and dark in the borehole walls. These patterns of light and dark are associated with variations in ice grain size and density and can be related to the annual layers commonly used to date ice cores in high-accumulation locations.
Hawley is currently working with researchers from the University of Texas, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology on an NSF-funded project investigating the nature and cause of short-term velocity changes of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The research team is using an integrated observational approach, which includes borehole geophysics, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and modeling, to examine interactions between the ice sheet, atmosphere, and base of the ice.
From March through June 2010, Hawley will complete a coast-to-summit trek across the Greenland Ice Sheet as part of a collaborative project with the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL). He and his team, which includes IGERT graduate student Gifford Wong, will dig snow pits and drill shallow boreholes to measure physical properties of the snowpack. The data will help interpret measurements of the ice sheet made from space. His traverse will pass near several routes taken by Carl Benson of CRREL during the 1950s and will allow him to observe long-term changes in the nature of the snowpack at many elevations.
Xiahong Feng investigates climate and environmental change using stable isotopes and meteorological and ecological observations. With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, one of her current projects will provide a quantitative understanding of the link between sea ice and moisture sources of arctic precipitation. Specifically, Feng and her team are studying the composition of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in precipitation collected during storm events at stations in Barrow and Atqasuk, Alaska. By looking at isotopic ratios in precipitation in association with weather patterns and ocean surface conditions, the researchers can determine how much moisture in a given storm is contributed by the arctic sea surface and how much of this contribution is controlled by sea ice extent. Stations in Canada, Norway, Greenland, and Russia are under development for similar sampling programs.
In collaboration with Ross Virginia, professor of environmental studies, and researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Norwegian Institute for Air Research, CRREL, and others, Feng also investigates ecological and hydrological responses of the Arctic to climate change using stable isotopic measurements of soil organic matter, plant tissue, and surface water.


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Windows Help
The PC Advisor Windows Help forum is the place to discuss new features and compatibility issues with all Windows operating systems. Fix problems with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10. Get more from your Windows PC, laptop, tablet or phone. Our experts will be delighted to help with any Windows problems you are having.