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Program Information
|Fall I 2014
|August 25 - October 17
|Fall II 2014
|October 20 - December 19
|Spring I 2015
|January 12 - March 13
|Spring II 2015
|March 16 - May 15
|Summer 2015
|May 25 - August 7
Upon arrival, each student is placed into one of five levels based on the results of the ACCUPLACER ESL exam administered by the SHSU Testing Center.
- Level 1 - Upper Beginning (limited English, functional ability to communicate)
- Level 2 - Intermediate (can communicate informally, limited English in academic settings)
- Level 3 - Upper Intermediate (high fluency in informal settings, approaching academic fluency)
- Level 4 - Advanced (fully fluent in informal settings, approaching mastery of academic English)
- Level 5 - University Transition Level (Upper Advanced) (nearing mastery of academic English, almost ready for university)
*Students are expected to complete one level per session, but may repeat or skip levels in some cases. If a student fails to achieve the learning objectives for a level, the course must be repeated the following session.
Note: Students may not register for classes after the 5th class day.
Core Curriculum
ELI students must maintain 20 classroom contact hours of core curriculum classes per week in their level. Core classes are:
- Listening & Speaking: Students develop oral communication abilities with a variety of media and activities.
- Reading: Students work on literacy skills to increase fluency while reading texts.
- Grammar: Students study the structure of English and apply it using integrated tasks.
- Writing: Students work on literacy skills to increase fluency while writing texts.
Availability is subject to enrollment. Students are provided with four to ten hours of electives per session and are mandatory to attend if full-time student.
- TOEFL Preparation: Students will gain the skills, strategies and confidence they need to improve their performance on the TOEFL exam.
- Conversation Practice: Students will improve conversational skills through authentic experience and practical application of concepts learned in the core curriculum, including grammar, vocabulary, and idiomatic expression.
- Writing for Academic Success: Students will gain the skills, strategies and confidence they need to continue in undergraduate or graduate courses in the university.
- Reading for Academic Success: Students work on advanced level literacy skills to increase fluency while reading texts and gain confidence they need to continue in undergraduate or graduate courses in the university.
- Pronunciation: Students will improve their skills and performance in pronunciation the English language.
- Other Electives: Language Lab, American History and Culture, Guided Research
Class Sizes
Enrollment is limited to eighteen students per class. If fewer than five students register for a particular core level, the ELI may choose to cancel classes for that level.
Assessment & Evaluation
To be successful, a language program must assess students' achievement of learning objectives and evaluate staff, textbooks and services. The ELI assesses students using:
- Grades based on attendance, participation, coursework and testing
- Student achievement of leveled learning outcomes
To evaluate the effectiveness of the staff, textbooks and overall program, the ELI uses:
- Annual performance appraisals for staff based on evaluation by the supervisor
- Classroom observations by supervisor and external curriculum consultants
- Student evaluations of the program services, materials, activities and staff
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
Each semester, the Sam Houston State University Testing Center provides multiple chances to take the TOEFL iBT for use in university admissions . For more information on the test or to register, please click the button below:
ELI students may qualify to waive the TOEFL requirement for admission to SHSU Undergraduate Admissions. See the following policy for more information:
Students have several options for where to stay during their time in Huntsville. Dorm housing is available but sometimes can be difficult to secure. Surrounding the university are a number of apartment complexes, including some that offer free transportation to and from the campus. Also, some students find local friends to stay with, which decreases expenses significantly. If you need help finding a place to live, please contact our office or visit http://www.shsu.edu/~hou_www/.
Our professional staff in the Office of International Programs provides free advising and assistance with immigration issues for all ELI students.
Health insurance is required for all ELI students. For more information, please click the button below:
Student Health Center Insurance Policy
Contact Us
|English Language Institute
|Dr. Joseph Slick
Director of English Language Institute
|Courtney Miller
Secretary of English Language Institute
Email: email@example.com Phone: (936) 294-4991
Office of International Programs
Farrington Building, Suite 116, Huntsville, TX 77340
Phone: 936-294-4737


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Haw Par Villa (AKA Tiger Balm Gardens)
Unique in SIngapore
Great fun
Haw Par Villa is certainly Singapore's most unique attraction, and being away from the busy downtown...
By edblax
What we say:
There are more than 1,000 statues of Chinese deities, mythological creatures and some completely random additions like a deer talking on the phone and the Statue of Liberty.
Pay S$1 for a ticket to "The 10 Courts of Hell" with gruesomely detailed dioramas illustrating punishments for various sins — wasting food gets you sawed in half.
Considering the price of real estate in Singapore it's just a matter of time before this relic gets torn down — experience the weirdness while you can!
More details262 Pasir Panjang Rd
Opening Hours: Daily 09:00 - 19:00
Read reviews
Read 1 opinions from Travelfish readers
Great fun
31st January, 2012
Haw Par Villa is certainly Singapore's most unique attraction, and being away from the busy downtown area adds to the feeling that you're seeing something different. It's THE place to begin exploring ancient chinese mythology, which prospered in Singapore even during periods of repression in mainland China. After being closed for a long time it's been open the past few years, and well worth a visit while you're here. The new MRT station and various bus routes make it easy to get to, just cross your fingers there aren't too many tour buses arriving at the same time as you. Give yourself a few hours if you want to take in all the different stories and read the explanations.
Haw Par Villa (AKA Tiger Balm Gardens) reviewed by edblax (1)
Written on 31st January, 2012, rated Visited here in May, 2010
Photo gallery
Add your photos to this via Flickr More info
Jump to a destination
- About this region
- Bugis & Kampong Glam
- Chinatown
- East Singapore
- Greater Singapore
- Little India
- Orchard Road
- Quays
- Raffles to Marina Bay
- Sentosa
Most popular sights in Greater Singapore
Chinese & Japanese Gardens
Haw Par Villa (AKA Tiger Balm Gardens)
Singapore Zoo
Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
Seletar: A heritage tour
Singapore Science Centre & Snow City
Jurong Bird Park
Punggol Waterway Park
MacRitchie Reservoir
Asia Pacific Brewery Tour
Singapore Night Safari
NUS Museum
Kusu & St John's Island
Kranji War Cemetery & Memorial
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Pulau Semakau
Live Turtle and Tortoise Museum
The above sights are the most popular sights in Greater Singapore that people are reading about on Travelfish.org.

subset: commoncrawl


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Honda to launch 125cc Activa by Septemberauto news, bike news, honda, honda activa, scoop, subscription
The first generation Activa when launched was powered by a 100cc engine. The second generation vehicle got a bigger 110cc engine giving better pick up and performance. But still Activa was short in terms of engine capacity and power as the rivals had bigger engines and better performance, yet at a price competitive to Activa.
Honda now has decided to give a bigger heart to its success icon. The new Activa with 125cc engine will be launched by September this year. The Activa with a bigger engine promises class leading power and performance in its segment. The new Activa 125cc will have a better riding position for a comfortable ride.
We have minimal information about Chassis, Suspension and Fuel efficiency of the new Activa 125. Stay tuned for more updates on the new Activa 125cc...
Posted by Vi Ki on 8:54 PM. Filed under auto news, bike news, honda, honda activa, scoop, subscription . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0


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Halloween is just around the corner and if you have a child with food allergies then you already know it can be a bit more tricky than treat-like. My son has multiple food allergies, so we fill one bag up with 'safe candy' and small toys and let him trick or treat. Then, he comes home and switches out the bags. He likes it because he gets to have fun with the other kiddos plus, his 'safe candy' bag is filled with nicer-than-usual treats too.
I use Smarties, Dum Dums, fruit snacks and Nerds for his bag then I hit the $1 spot at Target and pick up stickers, books and puzzles too. One of our readers, IluvDeals posted a great list of fun holiday treats that you can make for your allergy-free little one. Check out these recipes:
Enjoy Life Holiday Candy Molds:
wheat free, egg free, milk free, soy free, nut free
1 pkg. Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (Akins, Whole Foods and some Walmart Neighborhood Markets) Coupons
1/4 cake Paraffin Wax (Walmart)
Place all in double boiler stirring frequently until melted. Pour into your favorite candy mold and chill. Makes great chocolate lollipops, too! (Molds can be purchased at craft stores)
Hobby Lobby Coupon and Michael's Coupon
Spooky Ghost Meringues:
wheat free, milk free, soy free, nut free
2 egg whites, room temperature
tiny pinch of salt
tiny pinch of cream of tartar
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips for Eyes
Preheat oven to 200F, racks in the middle.
Place the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar in a large, mixing bowl. Start whisking the egg whites at medium speed in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Avoid turning your mixer on and off. When the whites are frothy and have a bit of volume to them, start sprinkling in the sugar a bit at a time over a minute or two - leaving the mixer on the entire time.
Keep mixing, it usually takes me 15 -20 minutes to get the volume. The whites will become glossy and their appearance will resemble marshmallow cream, keep going. You will start to see the volume really start to increase, the whisk will be leaving more definitive trail in the meringue. At this point I usually gradually slow down the whisk, and see if I can lift it out of the meringue leaving a stiff structured peak. Imagine, you are going to pipe this out onto the cookie sheets, so you need it to have lots of structure, if you don't go far enough your ghosts (or shapes) will just collapse into a puddle.
Working gently (but quickly) fill a large plastic freezer bag with the corner snipped off - using the spatula. Try to avoid lots of air pockets in the pastry bag, they make piping much more difficult. Close the bag by rolling the top down a few times.
Now pipe about 12 ghost shapes onto the prepared baking sheets. I found that making tiny circles all the way up was the easiest way to make the shape I was after. Press the Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips one at a time into your pointer finger and place them on the ghost - again, quickly but carefully.
Place the meringue in the oven for an hour. After an hour, open the oven door an inch or two and cook for another 30 minutes. I usually touch one of them at this point, they shouldn't be gummy or wobbly. If they are still too moist, leave them in the oven until they aren't. Turn off the oven, and leave the meringues in there until it comes down to room temperature.
If you are storing them, do so in an air-tight container.
(You can also make pumpkins and Christmas wreaths. Just add a little food coloring and change shape)
Carmel Apples:
wheat free, milk free, soy free, egg free
6 - 8 small apples, unwaxed, cold
1 cup Sweetened Mimic Creme (Akins, Whole Foods or online - $5) here
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup honey or Agave Nectar
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Push a lollipop or popsicle stick deep into each apple - in through the stem.
Fill a large bowl 1/2 full with ice water and set aside.
In a medium, thick-bottomed saucepan heat the creme and salt until tiny bubbles start forming where the "milk" touches the pan - just before a simmer. Stir in the honey. Bring the mixture to a boil. Now reduce the heat to an active simmer and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 15-20 minutes minutes or until the mixture reaches about 255-260F degrees.
To stop the caramel from cooking, very, very carefully set the bottom of the saucepan in the bowl of cold water you prepared earlier - taking special care not to get any of the water in the caramel mixture. Stir until caramel begins to thicken up - you want the caramel to be thin enough that it will easily coat your apples, but not so thin that it will run right off. If the caramel thickens too much simply put the pot back over the burner for 10 seconds or so to heat it up a bit.
I tilt my sauce pan so all the caramel forms a pool on one side, and use my other hand to dunk and twirl each apple until it is thoroughly coated with caramel. Place each apple on the parchment lined baking sheets and allow the caramel to cool and set.
Makes 6 - 8 caramel apples.
Marshmallow Pops:
wheat free, milk free, egg free, soy free*, nut free*
1 pkg Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips
1/4 cake Paraffin Wax
Lollipop sticks
Candy sprinkles (*contains soy), Candy Corn, Coconut, *nuts etc.
Insert the lollipop sticks into the marshmallows & set aside..
Melt Mini Chocolate Chips and Paraffin Wax in double boiler, stirring frequently until melted. Dip each marshmallow (with stick) into the melted chocolate, until about ½ of the marshmallow is coated..
Sprinkle with allergen free item of your choice depending on diet (candy, coconut, nuts, etc) while still warm.. let cool and eat.


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'Sleep of Reason' Nominated for Drowned In Sound's Neptune Album Prize 2013
We're pleased to see that Raffertie's debut album Sleep Of Reason has been shortlisted for this year's Drowned In Sound Neptune Award Prize!Read More
Raffertie has signed to Ninja Tune. Never one to be tied down to any particular genre or scene, he has experimented with numerous styles and become recognised both as an innovative producer and stand out DJ. He also runs the exciting new micro label, Super which has been gaining attention within the underground club scene.
His debut artist album will be released on Ninja Tune in 2013. Probing and exploring the recesses of his soundworld like never before, it will be a body of work that will expand the way we think about electronic music from then on.
"Steak Knife, by @GutteridgeBen, is in this years @Raindance Official Selection. The original score is composed by me https://t.co/8I85vNtXSr"Tue Sep 16 12:14:06 2014
"RT @Abeano: Masked man @iamBrolin is back with a single co-produced by @Raffertie, and it's all about love and stuff: http://t.co/bURK0K89yP"Thu Sep 11 09:48:21 2014
"For anyone asking about my remix of The Heavy's 'How Do You Like Me Now?': https://t.co/YULwTmCSDY"Wed Jul 02 09:01:26 2014
"RT @NowOnRadio1: ♫ Benediction - by Raffertie http://t.co/hvgzMa4g0o #bbc #radio1 #np"Sun Jun 29 22:12:13 2014
"@dennismcinally I've not got anymore UK dates booked at the moment but they will be posted on here as soon as I do."Mon Jun 09 08:59:51 2014


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Today I'm going to do a round-up of dishes I've recently had around town. Some of these were research for blog stories or revisits of existing ones to try other things that I didn't get to the first go-around.
It must be Japanese
If there is one cuisine I eat on a consistent basis more than others, it is Japanese. I wouldn't say metro Atlanta's Japanese restaurants are world class but they are respectable.
On a recent evening after work, I visited Sakura (named after Japanese cherry blossoms) in East Cobb. I ordered some crunchy chicken karaage (think chicken nuggets) and several pieces of nigiri, which included ikura or fish eggs formed gunkan style (seaweed wrapped around rice shaped in a boat form). The sushi here is decent (not spectacular) and the chef is pleasant and chatty. If you are in the area and looking for a light dining option, stop in.
Sakura Japanese Restaurant, 4880 Lower Roswell Roadd # 130, Marietta. 770-565-6369.
Then there is Nakato off Cheshire Bridge Road, which has been around in Atlanta as long as I have. They have a lovely small dish on their menu called nasu dengaku, or miso grilled eggplant. It is made with the thinner, tubular Japanese eggplant and grilled in its skin with a sweet miso glaze, and then topped with black sesame seeds. Two words – yum mee.
Nakato, 1776 Cheshire Bridge Road N.E., Atlanta, 404-873-6582.
Ethiopian breakfast
I've been meaning to follow up on my recent review of the stellar Desta Ethiopian Kitchen off Briarcliff Road. One thing I wanted to work in the review (but didn't get to unfortunately) was the breakfast I had there. My wife and I went one Sunday morning and sampled their breakfast combo big enough for two. It's a large plate filled with kinche (crushed wheat, sort of like a drier cream of wheat), lamb fir fir (injera bread soaked in red pepper spice with cubes of lamb) and some of the best scrambled eggs I've had in a while. The eggs are mixed with onions, tomatoes, jalapenos and seasoned with red pepper and Ethiopian butter. And of course, injera comes with it and is replenished until you've had your fill.
Desta Ethiopian Kitchen, 3086 Briarcliff Road N.E., Atlanta, 404-929-0011.
Korean AYCE (all you can eat) barbecue
Wow, Korean + all you can eat = win win, no? There are a few spots in Duluth offering all you can eat Korean barbecue, which includes Iron Age for samgyeopsal (pork bellies) and chadolbaegi (thin brisket), Song Do for a mishmash of barbecue combinations that get more expensive the higher up the meat quality chain you go, and Sun and Moon Cafe, a fun AYCE offering indoor and outdoor seating (albeit covered).
Sun and Moon Cafe offers AYCE for $9.99 with the caveat that you order alcohol. According to an employee that I spoke to there, a two beer or one bottle of soju/sake order per person minimum is required to get the $9.99 deal. Otherwise, $14.99 and there is no alcohol requirement.
The meat that you get is like Iron Age, strips of thick samgyeopsal and curled thin ribbons of chadolbaegi. It comes with banchan and lettuce leave wraps, and you get to cook it all yourself on portable gas griddles.
Sounds like a lot of work, but it really happens to be a lot of fun.
Sun and Moon Cafe, 3555 Gwinnett Place Drive # 101, Duluth. 678-417-6755.
- by Gene Lee, Food and More blog
– Gene Lee writes about International Cuisine for the AJC Dining Team. He also publishes his own blog, Eat, Drink, Man… A Food Journal.
March 24th, 2011
2:01 pm
I like Iron Age (it's not awesome, but quite enjoyable and filling), so I will have to give Sun and Moon Cafe a try.
That breakfast at Desta sounds great except for the injera. Wonder if they would mind if I brought some nan or a pita?


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These classic Simply Vera Vera Wang ankle boots are perfect for dressy and casual occasions. In black.
Shoe Features
- Chunky heel
- Side zippers
Shoe Construction
- Manmade upper & lining
- TPR outsole
Shoe Details
- Round toe
- Zipper closure
- 3-in. heel
Sponsored Links
The links below are ads provided by the Google AdWords™ program. Outside companies pay to advertise via these links when specific phrases and words are searched. These ads are provided by Google and are labeled as sponsored links. Clicking on these links will open a new tab displaying that respective company's own website. The website you link to is not affiliated with or sponsored by Kohls.com


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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7112713728944321735.post8299912263011149430..comments2014-05-23T18:43:29.047-04:00Comments on Brenda's Survivor Blog!: Good vs Evil/Yin YangBrenda email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7112713728944321735.post-69852019004740976582012-07-14T15:32:14.977-04:002012-07-14T15:32:14.977-04:00I drop a comment whenever I especially enjoy a pos...I drop a comment whenever I especially enjoy a post on a blog or I have something to add to the conversation.
Usually it is a result of the passion displayed
in the article I read. And on this article "Good vs Evil/Yin Yang". I was actually excited enough to drop a thought :-P I do have some questions for you if you usually do not mind. Is it just me or do some of the responses appear like left by brain dead visitors? :-P And, if you are posting on other sites, I would like to keep up with you. Could you list the complete urls of all your shared sites like your linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?
Review my webpage - Original Feng Shuifirstname.lastname@example.com


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Whether DRB can use some of its links to open up access to technology could be a key question over Lotus' ability to escape from its long-term predicament of lurching form one crisis to another."
Jobs are already being sacrificed at the altar of new technology, and that process is hardly likely to cease any time soon"
The complaints from opponents are now creeping beyond the reasonable into the, well, rubbish"
Tax experts will argue that the devolution of some additional taxes - personal income tax, land and sales taxes, alcohol and tobacco duties - is perfectly feasible."
Not only do they sing beautiful, exuberant harmonies; they dance."
In this version of To Kill A Mockingbird, directed by Timothy Sheader, there is continual distraction, as though to simply enact the drama is insufficient."
George Cadbury's achievements were recently recognised by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors which awarded him honorary membership
Chain to launch in Grand Central and three other UK sites after securing £400,000 finance package from Lloyds Bank
The Midland-born Victorian social reformer Sir Rowland Hill - inventor of the penny postage stamp - played a little known part in a macabre episode in Birmingham's history, writes keen historian Peter Douglas Osborn
When Land Rover stops production of its iconic Defender in 2015, Iran will be one of the few places drivers can still buy a version of it in the shape of the Morattab Pazhan
This well positioned home in Walton Pool, Clent, with quirky dining room is sure to warm the hearts of visitors, says Alison Jones
For the latest local news straight to your Twitter, Facebook feed or e-mail inbox.
Is there something happening in your area you would like us to report on?
Tell us about it and, if possible, send us a picture.
Editor, Birmingham Post
Stacey Barnfield is the Editor of the Birmingham Post. He joined the Post in March 2013 after four years as executive editor on the sister title the Birmingham Mail.


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Ek baar ek yuvak bhagwan Tathagat (Gautam Budh) ke paas apne chehre par vijay ka bhav liye hue pahuncha aur apne bhavon ko vayakt karte hue usne Shasta se kaha ki usne garh tyag karne ki poori taiyariyan kar li hai ab to use bhikshu banne ki deeksha di jaye. Bhagwan us vayakti ke darp par hans diye to paas baithe saariputra ne unse hasne ka rahasy poochha to bhagwan bole ki Sansar ki yaiyariyaon ki baat to suni thi, par sanyaas ki taiyariyan kya hoti hai yah samajh me nahi aaya. Kuchh din baad wah yuvak phir aaya bola ki sab taiyariyan ho chuki hain bas ek cheewar ki vayvastha baaki hai, uske
Asked by vedprakash sharma, 29 Jul '08 03:14 am
Earn 10 points for answering
Answers (3)
The question is incomplete but I got the general wind of it. I remember a similar tale of Lokmanya Tilak. When a young man approahed him and expressed his desire to devote his life for the freedom struggle Tilak asked him go back, marry and have a happy life.One who really wants to sacrifice does not seek anybody's advice. That is more a gensure to impress others and also yourself.Answered by radhikamruta, 29 Jul '08 05:26 am
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text: I was in my English class and some guy in my class said they don't like corgis. My teacher got mad and said "you shut up! They're like chicken nuggets with little stubby legs! They're sunshine wherever they run." She paused and then she mumbled "…don't like corgis. Those are fighting words."


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WEEKEND BEST BET: Sarasota Open Kids' Day
Date: May 7, 2010
by: Robin Hartill | Community Editor
Sunday, May 9, is Mother's Day, but at the Sarasota Open, it's also Kids' Day.
The event will offer free admission to children and $5 admission for adults. The first 100 mothers through the gate will receive a gift.
On-court games will begin at 1 p.m. at the Longboat Key Club and Resort's Tennis Gardens facility. Prizes will be available. The winner of a contest in which children 7 to 14 uploaded videos of their funniest serves to YouTube will be announced.
For information, go to sarasotaopen.org.
Contact Robin Hartill at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Currently 0 Responses
- Sep
25 Business After Hours Networking Event
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
- Oct
2 Florida's Children First 2014 Sarasota Reception
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
- Oct
16 Pillar of Hope Open House
5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
- Oct
16 Business After Hours Networking Event
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Mar Vista begins dock construction
Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub is on track to have a new dock by the end of October.
Aren't you barracuda?
Steven Herich, of Beach Fishing Adventures, recently caught a 30-pound, 52-inch barracuda.
Donation creates summer camp gift
A donation from St. Armands Key Lutheran Church's senior ministry recently made it possible for 13 children to attend Dollar Dynasty's educational summer camp.


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God Really Does Hate Fags
The very popular, openly gay music director at a Charlotte, North Carolina, Catholic church, a former Methodist minister and now an Episcopalian, married his partner of 23 years with whom he had been living. Then he was fired. The music director said that he had informed the church pastor of his marriage plans, and that the pastor said he was "happy for him" but could not give him his blessing. He said he doesn't understand why the pastor didn't warn him that he could be fired. After returning from a honeymoon trip to Mexico, the music director was hospitalized for a ruptured appendix. When he checked out of the hospital and dropped by his parish, he was passive-aggressively handed a note by the church pastor with whom he had closely worked for more than four years. It read:
Employees of St. Gabriel … are expected to live within the moral tradition of the Church…Your civil marriage stands in direct opposition to the teaching of the Catholic Church, therefore ending your employment with us, effective today.
Of course, he shouldn't have been surprised that he could be openly gay, could openly live with his partner of 23 years, could change religious affiliations, and still be fired (with a note!). After all, he has worked for, and worshipped with, one of the nastiest organizations on earth.


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Good ideas with bad execution, or good execution of what should be bad ideas - an analysis of inferior, off-beat or malfunctioning products, and how other people's failures can help us design better stuff.
Home-brewed air conditioning
One for our Made By Students category, it seems. Credit to the awfully good ThereIFixedIt for this one.
It is dubbed "College Student Air Conditioning" and is wrong in so many ways…
Previous entries from the Don't-Try-This-At-Home department:
* Microwave membrane substitution
* How not to fix car headlights…
* A wall smashingly good flat screen TV
* It's time for a new mobile phone when…
* Home-brewed electric screwdriver
* Home-brewed car door security
* Hot water tap – How not to do it yourself


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What is an Internship?
- Are typically one-time, structured work experiences related to a student's career goal.
- Involve a student working in a professional setting under the supervision of a professional in the chosen field.
- May last anywhere from one month to a couple of years, but typically last for an academic semester (approximately 15 weeks for fall or spring) or for a summer (approximately 12 weeks).
- May be part-time or full-time, paid or unpaid.
- Might be required as part of the curriculum in an academic program or offered as an elective, allowing a student to earn academic credit.
- Are typically completed later in a student's college career after the student has attained appropriate preparation (skills and knowledge).
- Whether for credit or not, should be structured around a student's intentional learning goals which have been collaboratively developed by the student, his/her internship site supervisor, and his/her faculty advisor (if applicable).
- Promote and enhance a student's academic, career, and personal development.
Career Development Internships
A Career Development Internship is any internship that allows a student to gain work experience related to his/her career goal. As such, ALL internship experiences could be considered Career Development Internships. Most majors do not prepare students for specific jobs, and the skills developed through a major prepare students for a wide variety of jobs. Additionally, students develop skills and knowledge through involvement activities, such as student organization involvement and community service. One of the most important factors in a student obtaining a job after graduation becomes the experience gained through internships, which allows students to integrate the skills learned in their majors and through their involvement activities with career-specific experience.
Academic Internships
An Academic Internship is an internship experience for which a student earns academic credit. The work performed in an Academic Internship must be directly related to the student's major. In order to earn academic credit, a student must complete additional educational assignments, such as research papers and work journals. The student will also receive some level of supervision from the faculty internship coordinator in his/her major department.
Importance of Internships
Students benefit from an internship experience in the following ways:
- Gain valuable career-related experience. This relevant work experience can give you a competitive edge when the time comes to find a full-time job after graduation.
- Develop career-related skills and abilities.
- Have the opportunity to apply classroom knowledge and skills from involvement activities in the professional environment. In turn, this may help you better understand academic concepts.
- Learn more about the career field and gain a better understanding of what the professional environment is really like.
- Begin to develop your network of professional contacts. You could develop a mentoring relationship with a professional.
- Earn money and/or academic credit.
- Get a permanent job. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) 2008 Experiential Education Survey, employer respondents indicated that, on average, 70% of interns receive full-time job offers as a result of their internships.
- On a personal level, an internship can boost your self-confidence, confirm your career goals, give you a chance to experience life in a different part of the country or even a different part of the world, and prepare you for life after college.
Employers benefit from offering internships in the following ways:
- Recruit, work with, and screen potential employees.
- Hire former interns who are trained and loyal to the organization, resulting in reduced training time and reduced employee turnover.
- Fulfill additional staffing needs for temporary or seasonal positions or projects.
- Provide an opportunity for junior-level managers in the organization to gain supervisory experience.
- Find highly motivated, energetic, and enthusiastic staff members who can bring new ideas and fresh perspectives to old problems.
- Heighten the organization's visibility on campus and enhance the organization's image in the community.


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This is not exactly food-related, but today the NYC announced that Alta Bike Share won the contract for the NYC Bike Share. For anyone not in NYC (or just not following this story), the City put out a call for bids last fall, and since then there has been much speculation about what a share for a city as large as New York will look like. Now we have it:
- Within the service area, which will stretch from the Upper West Side and Upper East Side to Bed Stuy and Greenpoint, New Yorkers will have access to 10,000 public bikes at about 600 stations.
- Annual memberships will cost under $100. Members will be able to make trips of up to 30 minutes at no charge.
- The stations will be sited with input from local communities, and the City Council will hold hearings on the program.
- The system must operate without public subsidy.
I confess, this sounds incredible ambitious, and I wonder how realistic it is. The Paris bike share was be much more costly than initially predicted, but I understand that subsequent programs have learned much from the mistakes made there (bikes are apparently much harder to steal in other cities). And of course, even if the rates have to go up, the program would be a success if it convinced people to at least try biking, and then maybe encouraged people to buy their own. Whatever happens, I'm excited to see how this plays out.
Step 1: Make a Peach Pie
Thanks, Angie, for sending me your friend Tom' mom's crust recipe!
Pie Crust
Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening and margarine by hand (with a pastry blender or using a fork and knife) until well blended. In a cup, beat the egg with a fork, then add in the vinegar and water. Stir to combine, then pour into the flour mixture. Combine well by hand with a fork. Divide into two equal balls, and then chill for at least one hour before using. Should make enough for one two-crusted pie.
For the filling, I used 3.5 pounds of CSA peaches, unpeeled but scrubbed and then sliced, tossed with a mixture of 1/3 a cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 3 Tablespoons flour, and the juice of 1 lime.
Step 2: Bring the potted plants in:
Seeing cities as the environmental solution, not the problem, from the National Resources Defense Council Staff Blog.
American environmentalists from Thoreau and John Muir onward have held country living as more desireable and superior to life in morally bankrupt towns and cities. The NRDC argues that it is time to critique and rethink the American bucolic ideal, which, in practice leads to sprawl, increased car use, and further environmental degredation. Rather we should encourage more attractive "human habitats" in the form of beautiful, livable cities in order to better protect nature.
New York City boasts less than half the US average for per capita carbon emissions: 10.6 tons versus the US average of 23.6 tons, and is the only US city where most households do not own cars (source). Clearly, any modern, relevant definition of green living must take such factors into account.
David Sirota in Why Americans can't afford to eat healthy, arguing that the US must shift its agricultural subsidies from supporting the large-scale production of corn (used to make high fructose corn syrup) or soy (used to make low-cost vegetable oil) to other fruits and vegetables.
In Sunday's NY Times, Mark Bittman takes this argument even further and makes the case for imposing excise taxes on unhealthy food such as soda or potato chips, applying the same rationale that US states use to justify cigarette taxes. Bittman would use excise tax revenue to subsidize healthier food.
Both good reads. What do you think?
This week was the first week our CSA brought us beets. Now, at the risk of sounding like a bad vegetarian semi-hippie locavore, I must confess that I don't really like beets. I've never enjoyed eating them alone or on salads, and figured that I would leave this week's beet eating to Anthony, who likes eating beets almost as much as he hates wasting food (a lot).
At least, this is what I thought until Thursday night of this week, when Anthony and I ate dinner at our friends Susan and Troy's apartment. Fellow CSA members who also run Fountain Studios, Troy and Susan served us some of the tastiest veggie burgers I've ever had. Even though they featured beets as a main ingredient, the veggie burgers had a perfectly earthy and savory flavor, as well as good texture, something that can be hard to achieve with veggie burgers.
Of course I asked for the recipe, which you can find at thekitchn.com. We made them the next day to similarly awesome results.
Rather than reproducing the recipe here, you really should just check out the original post. We followed the recipe rather closely, with only a few additions/alterations.
First, for the ingredients, we also added one chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce to the frying pan at the same time as the beets.
Second, we also added cumin and hot sauce to the burger mixture.
Third, we used breadcrumbs instead of flour to firm up the mixture. The mixture ended up looking like this:
(Note the leftover beet greens on the left. I know they're edible; any ideas for what to do with them?)
Fourth, we made the patties a little smaller than the recipe calls for, having been warned by Troy that the patties should be a bit smaller than the bun so they don't escape the bun after getting a little squished while eating them. While the recipe says it makes 6 burgers, we made 8.
Finally, we wanted to have firmer patties for easier frying, so we took the following steps: when the mixture was complete, we formed the patties, then dipped them into a plate filled with breadcrumbs. We then placed them in the fridge for an hour. The refrigeration made them even firmer, however if you're in a hurry or just super hungry, this step isn't completely necessary. When we took them out, they looked like this:
After sauteeing in olive oil, we served these burgers with cheese accompanied by a salad of CSA lettuce and cucumbers. I made a simple vinaigrette (2 parts olive oil to 1 part red wine vinegar plus a dab of french mustard, salt, pepper, and a dash of hot sauce).
All in all, a great dinner as well as an excellent use of beets!
While we're on the subject of neat things to do with strawberries:
I didn't use any measurements. I just made to taste with the following ingredients:
To make, blend the above using some kind of blender or a food processor.
We poured this over a salad of CSA-supplied lettuce and radishes, and added some grated parmesan as well, and then served with the skillet-baked eggs and spinach.
We've just completed week two of our summer CSA.
Because Anthony's the Prospect Park CSA treasurer, we get a full share of veggies every week for free, in addition to the fruit and egg shares we purchased. Most couples we know who participate just get a half share, as the CSA veggie output is quite high. Nonetheless, it's a fun challenge to try and do interesting things with the greens that fill our fridge each week. I based this recipe off a similar New York Times recipe that uses asparagus.
The final product looked like this:
Verdict: garlic, parmesan, spinach, eggs, and hot sauce make an excellent combination. I will definitely try this again, with different combinations of CSA veggies.
Two weeks into our CSA and we are inundated with greens. Which is great, because it forces us to eat them. It also forces us to find things to do with them!
When our first week's kale started to get a little yellow, I needed to find a way to cook it all quickly. Hence, my first foray into kale chip making. I used this recipe, with a couple of alterations.
The process is quite simple. First, you preheat the oven to 350F. Then, once the kale is prepared, you toss it with the olive oil, salt, and the crushed red pepper flakes, and lay them down on a cookie sheet. (The Allrecipes recipe I used recommended lining the cookie sheet with parchment paper. This seems like a very good idea, except we don't have any. I think I may buy some the next time I remember while at the store). Finally, you bake them for about 10 minutes, taking care not to let the chips burn.
This is how I laid the kale out. If you know how to make kale chips, you'll see I made a classic rookie error here: letting the kale pieces touch each other. As I learned, this was a bad call, as the kale ended up cooking unevenly: the kale touching other kale stayed green and moist, while the kale laid out separately started to burn.
At any rate, a cook who insists on perfection the first time she prepares a dish is probably a cook who never learns anything new. Though the texture was hit-or-miss, the resulting chips tasted great, tasting somewhat like a potato chip, though with an earthier, more bitter flavor.
I served them with homemade bean burgers. All in all, an excellent kale dish to add to the repertoire.
Interesting analysis, but they've set up a false dichotomy here: why does it have to be one or other? Less meat + eating local ftw.
Local Food or Less Meat? Data Tells The Real Story (Harvard Business Review)
I was a bit taken aback by how much food we got our first week of the CSA. Assessing our bounty, I decided to start by making a salad that would feature the two garlic scapes included with our share as the base for the salad dressing.
A garlic scape is the delicious early-season offshoot of a garlic plant. The scapes form curly, green tendrils that shoot out from the ground and must be plucked from the growing garlic bulbs in order to ensure their further growth. They have the additional advantage of being completely delicious, kind of a cross between a scallion and a milder version of mature garlic.
Um, here are some pictures of Anthony and me modeling garlic scapes. I'm sorry:
Yeah, we're that cool.
OK, anyways, we only had two scapes, which is not a ton of scapes to work with (I'll put another scape recipe I made recently up here soon that used more scapes). Therefore, I decided their best use would be in a scape pesto salad dressing.
To make the dressing, I chopped the scapes and crushed them and the walnuts with a mortar and pestle, the whole while cursing myself for having been too lazy to get out the food processor, which really would have been a better choice to shred the scapes. Live and learn. Anthony also helped once I got sick of crushing the scapes by hand.
After breaking down the scapes and walnuts, I added the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. I served this over a salad I made with CSA-supplied lettuce and radishes, as well as shredded parmesan.
Here's a picture of what this looked like:
And here's the whole meal, complete with gallo pinto (Nicaraguan rice and beans), ceviche, white wine, CSA strawberries, and cat. (We didn't eat the cat).
So, we've been trying to join a neighborhood CSA ever since moving in together; we didn't succeed until now because we never managed to get off the waiting list to buy a share. Brooklyn takes its community-supported agriculture seriously, and shares get snapped up almost immediately.
The solution presented itself when Anthony joined up with some other people in the neighborhood to start a new CSA, which they've named the Prospect Park CSA. Prospect Park CSA members will receive a share of produce grown at Windflower Farms in upstate New York.
Last weekend, CSA core members Anthony, Elena, and Becca went upstate for a weekend visit to Windflower Farms, and I was lucky enough to be able to tag along as well.
Windflower Farms is a small (38 acres) family farm near Saratoga Springs, NY and the Vermont border. Owned by Ted and Jan Blomgren, the farm produces a range of organic vegetables, fruits, and flowers. It's a four hour drive from the city, though we managed to add another hour or so by getting hopelessly lost on the winding rural roads, arriving at the farm very late on Friday night.
The next morning, after meeting the Blomgren family (Ted, Jan, and their two teenaged sons Nate and Jake), Ted took us for a tour of the family farm.
The beginning of April is still too early in upstate New York for much to be growing (the last of winter's snow cover had only recently melted). However, we did see a few shoots of garlic popping out of the ground:
Ted and Jan then put us to work in the greenhouse transplanting flower and pepper seedlings into larger beds.
Ted helped too. A Cornell agronomy researcher with deep roots in the sustainable agriculture and rural community development movements, I took advantage of working next to Ted to pepper him with questions about agricultural policy, sustainable farming, and the economics of conventional vs. organic farming.
After lunch, Ted and Jan took us on a hike up a nearby hill, where we took in views of the farm and the surrounding Taconic Hills farm country.
In the evening, the Blomgrens invited some of their farm workers over for a potluck. We ate, drank homebrewed beer, played cards, and generally made merry.
The Blomgrens are an amazing family, and their warm hospitality made me genuinely sad to leave for Brooklyn early Sunday morning.
After visiting Windflower, I am even more excited to purchase our farm share and eat their produce for the rest of the year.
I should mention another awesome aspect of the Prospect Park CSA: the graduated pricing scheme. Members pay according to household income, which means that the CSA can subsidize below-cost shares for low-income community members, and the CSA is set up to accept food stamps.
If you live in the Prospect Park/Crown Heights area and are interested in joining, sign up on the website. From past experience, I can say that these shares will probably go very quickly.
1. The beer we brewed at the last Brooklyn Mini-Skillshare at LaunchPad. It should actually be done by now but we miscalculated by leaving it in our basement storage room for 2 weeks over Christmas. I guess the temperature got lower than we thought it would down there, slowing down the fermentation process. Anyways, now that it's under our kitchen table it seems to be coming along nicely.
2. Kombucha, using the Kombucha Brooklyn Homebrew Kit that we bought at the coop last week.
3. A sourdough starter (middle, above), in which Anthony mixed water and flour in a jar, and then set it out on top of the cabinets to collect the wild yeast that apparently floats through the air. He used these directions.
4. A wild beer (right, above) consisting of a small amount of the wort from the aforementioned brew, which, adhering to the same principles as the sourdough starter, is sitting out to catch wild yeast. Unlike the conventional ale yeast we put in the big batch, the wild yeast will give the resulting beer a strong sour taste, similar to a Belgian Sour Ale.
Expect full reports when we actually get around to tasting these things!
After a few days at home over the holidays I started to go into bagel withdrawal. At this point, I've lived in New York long enough that midwestern supermarket bagels just don't cut it. Also, there is very little to do at my parents' Appalachian Ohio farmstead in the winter: the cold temperatures keep me indoors while there's no tv or cell service and only the crappiest of Internet connections.
Therefore, I had both the time and motivation to make my first foray into bagel-making. I had actually seen this done once before four years ago when I briefly worked at a kitchen in an eco-lodge in Belize (what I was doing there, and why they were making bagels in Belize are both questions for another time).
Anyways, I asked google "how to make bagels" and found a basic wheat bagel recipe on this page, which we followed pretty much to the letter as we made the dough, let it rise, and then divided it into eighteen balls.
To shape the bagel, you roll the dough ball into six-inch ropes, then form into rings, pressing the ends together tightly while still maintaining ring uniformity. We didn't do an amazing job at this.
The next step is to boil the rings, briefly, five at a time, for a few minutes. Once the bagels start floating, you turn them over and boil for one more minute, at which point you remove them from the water with a slotted spoon.
Next, we dipped the bagels in a mixture of salt and poppy seeds, and then baked at 375 for about 25 minutes.
All four of us (my mom, dad, Anthony, and I) agreed that the end product tasted amazing fresh out of the oven.
The appearance, however, was a different story. Some of them looked ok:
Others, less so:
While the four of us managed to snarf down a bunch of these guys while they were still warm, the recipe made 18 small bagels, so we had lots of leftovers. They tasted ok the next morning, but were dried out and gross by day #3. Lesson: make bagels in smaller batches or freeze half.
Overall, I would characterize the bagel-making experiment as a success. They weren't that hard to make, as long as we didn't get overly concerned with how they looked, and definitely satisfied my bagel craving.
However, now that I'm back in Brooklyn, I'll stick with buying them fresh from the coffee shop below my apartment.
Two Novembers ago, I was working as an Elections Legal Observer for the Obama campaign at a crowded megachurch gym in a particularly rural, definitely red part of Ohio. My mom joined me for the day but, as a nonvoter (either a non-citizen or a convicted felon, take your pick), was confined to staying outside the polling place and watching the line.
The other legal observers, who came from all over the US to participate in Ohio poll-watching, got cushy slots helping college students figure out how to vote in my hometown. For whatever reason, maybe since I'm a native to the region, I got stuck out in Bush country working with elderly poll workers who were very clear how hostile they were to me.
We were there from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and then had to face an hour-long drive back home. Via NPR, we learned that Obama had won Ohio somewhere on the Route 33 Interstate. Driving at a high speed as my mother slept, I couldn't even break out into a celebratory dance, or jump up and down or anything, and really I was so tired that my main concern was staying awake.
We pulled into my parents house just as McCain was making his concession speech, turned the radio on inside (no tv) to hear Obama's moving victory speech, and then passed out.
The wave of euphoria that swept the nation, the feeling of belonging to the leader of the nation's politics for the first time in my adult life, going down to DC for the inauguration, these are wonderful memories, if a little hard to really do justice to two years later.
This time around, I've been less involved, limited mostly to staying informed and voting in New York for the first time. (This is partly because of my new job responsibilities, and partly because there aren't any close elections to get involved with). Oh, I also signed Jimmy McMillan of the Rent is 2 Damn High party's petition to get on the ballot, so there's that.
Predicting that tonight is going to be brutal for the Dems, and not wanting to spend the night glued to my laptop, I have made plans for a night out in my old neighborhood, Carroll Gardens. Anthony and I will eat at one of our favorite Italian places (Fragole, which, conveniently, has half-priced wine nights on Tuesdays) and then head over to my favorite New York bar, Bar Great Harry. I will leave my internet-enabled phone at home and try to generally stay uninformed until we have to go home.
Caroline shared a charming bike story about our neighborhood last month, which prompted me to tell one of my own from a couple of weeks ago. Having biked in New York since I moved here three years ago and crossed the Manhattan bridge more times than I care to count, I've become a reasonably strong rider. To the point where I pass something like 9 out of 10 riders I encounter on my commute (and I don't doubt there are a number of speed demons I never see because I never catch up to them). The point being, if I see someone else on a bike, it's usually not too long before I pass them, and if I'm still trailing (or if they pass me) I often push myself to keep up. It's just a way to keep things interesting.
So it was that I found myself on the crown of the Manhattan bridge pedaling hard, when out of the corner of my eye I noticed someone gaining on me. As we both began our decline and sped into Chinatown, he kept gaining on me and it was all I could do to keep a few feet ahead. Finally, on the last stretch of the path before the winding exit ramp, he pulled up alongside me and to my surprise, spoke:
"You dropped five dollars!"
"Oh! Thanks!"
"The guy behind me has it."
And with that, he sped on, and I slowed to the bottom of the ramp where I waited as a few bikers passed until the man carrying my money came around the bend.
Only later did it occur to me that even on a moderately calm day, a $5 bill wouldn't last long on the windy surface of the bike path. So it's somewhat remarkable that two people busily in their own commute managed this little rescue (and much appreciated, considering that back then $5 was all the money I had on me and probably more than 1/10 of my net worth). New Yorkers are (contrary to some stereotypes) generally helpful people, but this is the kind of experience that you can only find amongst those who brave the city by bike.
Since complaining about the meat industry is becoming a common theme of my posts, I would be remiss if I didn't share an op-ed from the Guardian where George Monbiot comes out in favor of sustainable meat eating, after having argued that veganism is the only just option. Consider:
Feeding meat and bone meal to cows was insane. Feeding it to pigs, whose natural diet incorporates a fair bit of meat, makes sense, as long as it is rendered properly. The same goes for swill. Giving sterilised scraps to pigs solves two problems at once: waste disposal and the diversion of grain. Instead we now dump or incinerate millions of tonnes of possible pig food and replace it with soya whose production trashes the Amazon. Waste food in the UK, Fairlie calculates, could make 800,000 tonnes of pork, or one sixth of our total meat consumption.
Nothing there that I wouldn't have been prepared to agree with before, mind you. But the book which Monbiot is discussing, Meat: A Benign Extravagance, apparently gives the topic a rigorous treatment and makes a strong case for animals as a beneficial (albeit smaller) part of our diet.
X-posted at tbnd.
Last year, our inaugural Brooklyn Skillshare drew some 450+ people out to the Gowanus Studio Space for a day of five blocks of three classes each, ranging from Make Your Own Butter to Balloon Animals. The day was awesome but also insane, as we dealt with larger-than-expected crowds who swarmed the classes, making it difficult to everyone to see and hear. The crowd also overwhelmed what we had prepared for our free lunch, with the situation devolving into a (literal) bread line as dozens of hungry hipsters lined up for a slice of french loaf.
This year, we had a new location at the Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School (BCAM) in Bed-Stuy, more teachers (five blocks of five + a couple of ongoing activities), and a strict cap of 25 people per class, due to fire safety regulations at the school. We had a smaller crowd, with maybe half of 2009's attendance, but it ensured that everyone was able to hear and participate in their classes. We also gave up on providing free lunch.
Also, we had this sweet new logo, designed by Erica Gorochow:
The crowd this year was a lot less hipster-y and more diverse: a number of BCAM students volunteered and/or attended classes, and we had more older Brooklyn residents, as well as some parent-child pairs attending. This is maybe because the Bed-Stuy/Clinton Hill area is more accessible than Gowanus, and also we had more mainstream press this year, including this TimeOut New York write-up. (Unfortunately, we had less of a social media presence this time around, due to the Fight Back New York campaign taking away our awesome social media whiz this year, and the Women's Media Center occupying our press lady's time. Yeah, we do some awesome shit when we're not organizing skillshares).
So, all in all, I would characterize BKSS 2010 as less hipster, less chaotic, and more learning-centered than last year. Did you attend this year? What did you think?
Because it's autumn, and also because there were a number of special events this week at work (two birthdays, someone coming back from maternity leave, someone else leaving), I decided it was time to break out the pumpkin cupcakes.
The recipe comes from a scanned page of my mother's cookbook, in which she had a pasted a number of recipes cut out from the newspaper. Though there's no date on the clipping, the neighboring recipes suggest that it's from the early 80s. The clipping gives credit to one Carol Poling, of Vincent (wherever that is), who found the recipe in Farm Wife News magazine and sent it in.
I've updated the recipe quite a bit, replacing margarine with butter and "salad oil," whatever that is, with canola oil. I also reduced the sugar and added spice.
Here it is:
While your cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. You should take the butter and cream cheese out of the fridge to warm up as soon as you decide that you're going to make cupcakes.
Once the cupcakes have cooled down, frost 'em.
Once you've frosted them all, lick the bowl and beaters clean:
Later, at the bar, we realized that we both had frosting in our hair.
As garden season nears an end in Brooklyn, Anthony and I are left with the decidedly pleasant task of disposing with our basil.
Our basil did spectacularly well this year. We started them from seeds in May, and in June they looked like this:
Today, each one of those stalks has turned into a bush like this:
Magic, right?
Therefore, it's pesto time. (You may or may not want to sing that in your head to the tune of Flight of the Conchord's "It's Business Time." Up to you.)
If you have a food processor, making pesto is as easy as throwing a few ingredients in and pressing a button. You can also make pesto in a blender, kind of, but doing so will be a pain in the ass and probably shorten your blender's life, as it did to one or two of mine.
Seriously, though, if you're into food, you should listen to Mark Bitman and get yourself a food processor. It will make your life better. You can find them used everywhere, though you should make sure to set it up and turn on a secondhand processor before buying to ensure that you have all the parts you need.
I break with tradition slightly in my pesto-making. First, I use walnuts instead of pine nuts, because they're much cheaper. Second, I use less olive oil than most recipes call for. Third, I add a little bit of lemon juice. Crazypants, I know.
Here's how I make pesto.
Throw into a food processor all of the following:
Then turn on the food processor until the ingredients are broken down into pesto.
Note that these proportions are very rough. Really, you should just start with conservative amounts of garlic, walnuts, parmesan cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt/pepper and then add more to taste. (You can always add more of each of these, but there's very little you can do if you've overdone it besides adding more basil). I don't like mine with too much olive oil, but you can decide for yourself how you like your pesto.
Last weekend, Anthony and I made a big batch of pesto. Since then, we've had pesto and goat cheese bruschetta, pesto grilled cheese sandwiches, and pesto on our pizza:
However, once you've got a ton of basil on your hands like we do, you're not going to be able to eat all that pesto before it goes bad.
The solution?
Freeze the pesto in small batches, either in small plastic bags or in ice cube tray-shaped blocks.
A certain hottie (who also writes half of this blog), in Time Out New York today in an article about our worm composting class at the Brooklyn Skillshare!
If you're in the New York area, you really should check out the Skillshare on Saturday. In addition to our worm composting class, there are a whole bunch of other amazing classes, from yogurt making to improv, and, really, you should just look at the class list on the website.
This is the Skillshare's second year in existence, my second year as a co-organizer, and the first time for both of us teaching. Last year 450 people came out to learn things with us! Hopefully this year will be EVEN AWESOMER.
As I've mentioned before, one of our motivations for finally starting this blog (after talking about doing it for months), was to join Adrianne's Yo la Tengo Late Summer Blog Challenge. The challenge is quite simple: you blog every day for the month of September. You get one mulligan for your first missed post, and if you miss another one after that, you are listed as "out" on her page and, presumably, destined to live out the rest of your days in shame.
We would have made it all the way through September without missing a single post, were it not for beguiling sirens of Craft Beer Week luring us away from our blog duties last night. I would apologize, but, after all, we are only human. When you offer us excellent beers at highly discounted prices, do we not hit that shit up? (Answer: we do).


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Stop in at participating Express Convenience Center in Northeast Wisconsin, donate $1 to the LeRoy Butler Foundation, and you could win a BONUS purse in WIXX's Pick Your Purse contest.
The Contest:
WIXX is giving away designer purses every day with the Pick Your Purse contest. This purse will be a BONUS, which means you can donate money, feel good, and STILL be eligible to win a purse on the air!
Come help WIXX and the Express Convenience Centers help women in Northeast Wisconsin by making a donation today!
Look for these "PINK holds POWER" cards in participating Express Convenience locations:
The LeRoy Butler Foundation Mission:
To help women going through breast cancer treatment obtain the assistance they need to focus on the job of healing verses the financial impact to their families.
Plus, Express Convenience Centers will be giving you more chances to win desginer purses at their October live broadcasts. Listen for details!


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Congratulations to all the ladies who have been accepted for our fall 2014 Science & Leadership Symposium at Mayo Clinic!
We look forward to training the 2014 class of WomenHeart Champions and Support Network Coordinators, the 'boots on the ground' in the fight against women's heart disease!
Meet a WomenHeart Champion!
The cuts decrease the effectiveness of federal programs to improve women's heart health, jeopardizing the health of women. Read more about the report here. Read WomenHeart's article in the report here.
WomenHeart invites all interested partners to join us in supporting the 2014 Science & Leadership Symposium at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
If you are interested in partnering on WomenHeart's signature program and contributing to the advancement of women's heart health, review available opportunities and partner benefits or to contact Mary McGowan, Chief Operating Officer!
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Mon Mar 24, 2014 1:20 pm
Latest Player Updatesclose
Cesar Izturis
Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:12 pm Astros signed INF Cesar Izturis to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.
Fantasy Source Spin: The report comes from CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, who writes that Izturis "would seem to have [a] good shot" to make the Astros' Opening Day roster as a utilityman. Izturis, 33, batted just .209/.259/.271 with six runs scored in 142 plate appearances last season for the Reds.
Source: Jon Heyman on Twitter
Mon Dec 9, 2013 5:13 pm Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that the Mets have discussed free agent infielder Cesar Izturis.
Fantasy Source Spin: The expectation is that they'll meet with Izturis' agent on either Tuesday or Wednesday. The veteran infielder batted just .209/.259/.271 over 142 plate appearances with the Reds. At this point in his career, he might only require a minor league deal.
Source: Mike Puma on Twitter
Sun Mar 31, 2013 3:39 pm Reds purchased the contract of INF Cesar Izturis from Triple-A Louisville.
Fantasy Source Spin: Izturis won a job over Jason Donald and Emmanuel Burriss. The Reds like his glove, but he can't hit a lick. They'll be in trouble if he winds up playing much.
Mon Jan 14, 2013 5:28 pm Reds signed INF Cesar Izturis to a minor league contract with a spring training invite.
Fantasy Source Spin: Izturis, who turns 33 in February, batted just .241/.254/.343 over 173 plate appearances last season between the Brewers and Nationals. He'll try to win a backup infielder job.
Source: MLBlogs.com
Mon Dec 3, 2012 3:32 pm ESPN New York's Adam Rubin reports that the Mets are interested in veteran infielder Cesar Izturis.
Fantasy Source Spin: The Mets plan to meet with the 32-year-old's agent this week at the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee. Izturis posted a weak .241/.254/.343 batting line in 173 plate appearances this summer between the Brewers and Nationals. So he should come really cheap.
Source: ESPN New York
Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:47 pm Blue Jays signed INF Cesar Izturis to a minor league contract.
Fantasy Source Spin: He should be given an invitation to spring training. Izturis batted .241/.254/.343 in 62 games for the Brewers and Nationals in 2012. The Jays signed his half-brother, Maicer, earlier this month.
Mon Aug 20, 2012 1:20 pm Cesar Izturis has elected to become a free agent.
Fantasy Source Spin: Izturis was designated for assignment by the Nationals last week. He could have accepted a spot at Triple-A Syracuse but will test the open waters instead.
Source: Bill Ladson on Twitter
Fri Aug 17, 2012 3:24 pm Nationals designated SS Cesar Izturis for assignment.
Fantasy Source Spin: Izturis was only with the club for a week and a half after being claimed off waivers. He seems likely to be scooped up by someone.
Mon Aug 6, 2012 2:42 pm Nationals claimed SS Cesar Izturis off waivers from the Brewers.
Fantasy Source Spin: Izturis is making just $875,000 this year and will be a free agent over the winter. For Milwaukee, they open a roster space, possibly for top prospect Jean Segura. As for Washington, Izturis will provide crucial infield depth behind shortstop Danny Espinosa and second baseman Steve Lombardozzi. Ian Desmond isn't expected back until September and Mark DeRosa, as always, is hobbled, so the club nabbed a glove-only veteran off the wire. The 32-year-old Izturis is a black hole offensively (.235/.248/.333 this season) and shouldn't be touched in any fantasy format.
Mon Aug 6, 2012 2:20 pm The Nationals have acquired Cesar Izturis from the Brewers, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
Fantasy Source Spin: Washington desperately needed to fortify its infield depth, especially with Mark DeRosa (groin) once again fighting injuries. The 32-year-old Izturis provides zero with the bat (.235/.248/.333 this season) but is skilled and versatile with the leather. Of more fantasy interest: Milwaukee may have jettisoned Izturis to open up playing time for top prospect Jean Segura, a top prospect acquired from the Angels in the Zack Greinke trade.
Source: Adam Kilgore on Twitter
Sat Jun 30, 2012 12:24 am Cesar Izturis went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in a losing effort against the Diamondbacks on Friday.
Fantasy Source Spin: He's still hitting just .206 on the season and isn't an option in fantasy leagues, but he did provide most of the Brewers offense in this one. With the offensive black hole that the Brewers employ at the shortstop position, they'd be wise to seek an upgrade before the trade deadline if they still entertain any dreams of competing for a wild-card spot.
Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:59 pm Brewers activated SS Cesar Izturis from the 15-day disabled list.
Fantasy Source Spin: He's been out since late May with a hamstring injury. Izturis should see plenty of starts at shortstop but is batting only .216/.242/.261 in 31 games this season.
Wed Jun 13, 2012 7:11 pm Cesar Izturis (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville Friday.
Fantasy Source Spin: He shouldn't need more than a couple games, putting him on track to return early next week if he can avoid a setback. Izturis has batted just .216/.242/.261 in 31 games this season.
Source: John H. Steinmiller on Twitter
Sat May 26, 2012 8:41 am Brewers placed SS Cesar Izturis on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring.
Fantasy Source Spin: Cody Ransom will be thrust into a starting role at shortstop. Izturis suffered the injury while running the bases in the sixth inning of Friday's game. The Brewers are expected to recall Edwin Maysonet from Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding roster move.
Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Sat May 26, 2012 8:41 am Brewers placed SS Cesar Izturis on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring.
Fantasy Source Spin: Cody Ransom will be thrust into a starting role at shortstop. Izturis suffered the injury while running the bases in the sixth inning of Friday's game. The Brewers are expected to recall Edwin Maysonet from Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding roster move.
Fri May 25, 2012 11:46 pm Cesar Izturis was diagnosed with a strained left hamstring.
Fantasy Source Spin: Izturis suffered the injury while running the bases in the sixth inning of Friday's game. Cody Ransom, who was claimed off waivers this week, figures to see significant playing time at shortstop if he needs a stint on the disabled list.
Source: Adam McCalvy on Twitter
Fri May 25, 2012 11:30 pm Cesar Izturis left Friday's game against the Diamondbacks in the top of the sixth inning with an apparent injury.
Fantasy Source Spin: It was obvious something was wrong after he pulled up at third base instead of trying to score on a single. He was replaced by the newly-claimed Cody Ransom. Stay tuned for an update on his status.
Source: Tom Haudricourt on Twitter
Tue May 8, 2012 11:55 pm Cesar Izturis connected on his first home run of the season on Tuesday night, helping to lead the Brewers to an 8-2 victory over the Reds.
Fantasy Source Spin: Izturis finished the night 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. He was brought to the Brewers to be a backup middle infielder, but has now been thrust into a much bigger role with the season-ending knee injury to Alex Gonzalez. Izturis won't offer much in the way of power but may carry some small amount of value in NL-only fantasy leagues.
Thu Apr 5, 2012 3:17 pm Brewers purchased the contract of INF Cesar Izturis from Triple-A Nashville.
Fantasy Source Spin: Izturis batted just .220/.266/.288 this spring, but the Brewers didn't sign him for his bat. He'll provide a reliable backup glove around the infield.
Tue Apr 3, 2012 5:00 am Cesar Izturis returned to the lineup on Monday, batting 3-for-4 with three RBI in the Brewers' 13-7 win.
Fantasy Source Spin: The veteran infielder has struggled this spring, and now sports an unacceptable .228/.274/.298 triple slash. Then again, these numbers are on par with what we can expect going forward.
Sun Apr 1, 2012 3:21 pm Cesar Izturis was scratched from Sunday's lineup because of tightness in his right thigh.
Fantasy Source Spin: It's the result of a hit by pitch Saturday. Izturis should be fine, though, and be ready to roll in a day or two.
Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Fri Mar 30, 2012 9:23 am Cesar Izturis has been informed that he has made the Brewers' Opening Day roster.
Fantasy Source Spin: He was expected to make the team all along and will do so despite hitting just .184 in 22 spring games. The Brewers don't really have anyone else to back up Alex Gonzalez at shortstop, so Izturis essentially earns a spot by default.
Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Wed Feb 1, 2012 12:59 pm Cesar Izturis entered last season as a utility infielder and played in only 18 games due to injury.
Fantasy Source Spin: Izturis was hardly worthwhile when he actually played.
Source: Fantasy Source
Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:50 pm Barring a signing or trade over the next two months, Cesar Izturis is expected to make Milwaukee's opening day roster.
Fantasy Source Spin: Izturis signed a minor league contract with the Brewers earlier this offseason, but would earn $875,000 in the majors, with another $375,000 available through incentives if he overtakes Alex Gonzalez as the starter. "We don't really have anybody else we're looking at right now," general manager Doug Melvin said. "We just went over the shortstops, and there aren't many of them."
Source: Brewers.mlb.com
Wed Dec 21, 2011 11:58 am Brewers signed INF Cesar Izturis to a minor league contract.
Fantasy Source Spin: He'll also get an invite to spring training. Izturis, who turns 32 in February, was limited to just 18 games with the Orioles this past season due to elbow and groin injuries. While he has an awful .255/.295/.322 batting line in the big leagues, he should be a competent backup for the recently signed Alex Gonzalez.
Source: Jon Paul Morosi on Twitter
Wed Nov 23, 2011 9:01 pm Accoridng to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun, Cesar Izturis is drawing heavy free agent interest.
Fantasy Source Spin: Izturis' agent told Connolly that he's been contacted by "several" different teams looking to sign the veteran infielder. Izturis was just 6-for-30 at the dish in a 2011 season marred by injuries, but it sounds as though he'll find a major league contract this offseason.
Source: Dan Connolly on Twitter
Mon Sep 26, 2011 11:24 am Cesar Izturis (groin) was shut down for the rest of the season in mid-September.
Fantasy Source Spin: Izturis is expected to play in the Orioles' fall instructional league down in Sarasota, Florida but won't return to the major leagues. The 31-year-old infielder was 6-for-30 at the plate during a lost 2011 regular season.
Source: Carroll County Times


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Lieberman Edges US to War with Iran
Sen. Joe Lieberman is leading a group of nearly one-third of the U.S. Senate urging that the red line on war with Iran be shifted from building a nuclear weapon to the vague notion of Iran having the "capability" to build one. The neoconservative senator from Connecticut has introduced a "Sense of the Senate" resolution that would put the body on record as rejecting a situation that arguably already exists, in which Iran has the know-how to build a bomb even if it has no intention to do so.
The resolution tracks with the positions of hardline Israeli leaders, such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and undercuts the position of President Barack Obama, whose administration has been exploring ways to negotiate an agreement with Iran, which insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies also agree that Iran has NOT decided to build a bomb. [See Consortiumnews.com's ""US/Israel: Iran NOT Building Nukes."] However, in recent weeks, the goal posts have been subtly moved not only by American neocons and Israeli hardliners but by the major U.S. news media, which has inserted the new weasel word "capability" in mentions about of Iran's supposed nuclear weapons ambitions.


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Welcome to The Family History Partnership
The Family History Partnership is a company formed in 2007 to publish titles from some of the leading authors in the field. The aim of the Partnership is to ensure that family and local historians are provided with the handbooks and guides that they need. We wish to provide authors with a new route to get their books into print and welcome proposals from new and existing authors.
We want the partnership to be recognized as just that - a partnership that exists for everyone involved in the genealogical book world. We want to involve printers, publishers, booksellers, librarians, authors, and, not least, everyone who wants to trace their family history.
Forthcoming Events
We will be attending the following family history events:
Oxfordshire FHS 'Open Day'
4 October 2014
Marlborough Enterprise Centre, The Marlborough School, Shipton Road, Woodstock, OX20 1LP.
Glamorgan FHS Family History Fair
11 October 2014
Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Centre, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 1UT
Latest Publications
Was your grandfather a kindly old man, who lovingly tended his prize rhubarb, or did his spade have another use? And just what was in the cupboard in...
With over 100,000 war memorials throughout the United Kingdom it is almost inevitable that every family will have someone whose name has been inscribed...
Making Sense of Latin Documents for Family and Local Historians
The farther back your research takes you, the more likely you are to come across documents partially or wholly in Latin. Index entries and catalogue...
Forthcoming Publications
There are no forthcoming publications at the moment - please check again soon.


text: Table T2_6_4_12-2 2012 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities ReportsThis appendix provides detailed data tables for all measures analyzed for the 2012 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Tables are included for measures discussed in the main text of the reports as well as for other measures that were examined but not included in the main text. Table 2_6_4_12.2Females ages 16–20 years who were screened for genital Chlamydia infections during the measurement year, United States, 2001–2005 20052004200320022001Population groupSample sizePercentSESample sizePercentSESample sizePercentSESample sizePercentSESample sizePercentSEHealth insuranceCommerciala618,24137.20.00632,05834.30.00669,57430.20.00633,98828.10.00636,71127.20.00 Medicaid162,90443.50.02153,02642.20.03102,40141.40.0678,20138.40.0947,61636.00.23a Commercial insurance includes all nonpublic insurance plans.Key: SE: standard error.Source: National Committee for Quality Assurance, Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS), The State of Health Care Quality. Current as of June 2013 Internet Citation: Table T2_6_4_12-2: 2012 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. June 2013. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhqrdr12/6_maternalchildhealth/T2_6_4_12-2.html


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Halloween party and Alpha Girls screening at the Underground Arts on October 26th.
$5 admission if you come in costume! If you don't have a costume…. well then, dude, I don't even wanna know you.
galvo's Jesus Christ is a slacker. I wonder what that means for the rest of us…
You're familiar with the popular WWJD acronym. (Even rock dwellers in Mauritania know that sequence.) But tell me. What would he do in Mars?
Or in any comic for that matter?
From facebook.
Not sure who made it.
Happy Belated Easter from Zombie Jesus.


text:
Hafele SmartCab II Side Caddy
Mounts to side of SmartCab II Base Pullout
$103.99 - $108.79
No Sales Tax, Except CT
Product Reviews
The SmartCab II Side Caddy by Hafele comes in your choice of a baking sheet/ wrap holder caddy or a spice shelf caddy. These caddies add 3" to the width of the unit, making them perfect for 18" wide cabinets.
3"W x 22-11/16"D x 19-5/8"H, Adds 3" to the width of the unit
Ship Method:
546.32.811, 546.32.830


text:
Next, you'll be asked to connect with Twitter. Rest assured, we will never send a tweet from your account without your permission.
Today on @TheDigitalLoop, a conversation about brands becoming media, to follow upon some #SMWF talks. #digitalloop
#SMWF a @Migros' Migipedia crowdsourced product? Mojito toothpaste! Thanks to my fellow Swiss @kusito for the gift!!
#SMWF @Migros' Migipedia named a shower gel for men: Dirty Harry (!) A name that would have probably never existed via traditional branding.
#SMWF Oh yeah, that @migros ice tea is just awesome. None elsewhere can match it. Here's the FB page:
#SMWF just asked @Karlijn1903 about digitalizing @KLM's loyalty program. It has elements of gamification by design already. Big opportunity.
#SMWF Build your own virtual airline? That's the promise of @KLM's new game: says @karlijn1903
#SMWF KLM Trip Planner. Allows one to organize & book flights with FB friends. @Karlijn1903
#SMWF @montemagno talking optimizing Bieber for mobile with @mblinder
#SMWF My amazing team @myrena1 @mfrancius @philip_oreilly @Ronnja @RikeBehrendt @CalypsoIT @foodforthink @iPolitics
RT @philip_oreilly: #SMWF Debate 2: Integrated campaign planning with @papadimitriou @Sikenic @HeidiMyers @mynewsdesk_uk #socialmedia
A brighter audience. #SMWF
#SMWF @prelini: "95% of CEOs said they wanted to be closer to their customers."
RT @pancentric: "If it doesn't work on mobile - go home" says @dombirch of ASDA. #SMWF
#SMWF "mobile first, RIP websites" says @domburch, admitting that last but is controversial. "Content is king"
The calm before the storm. #SMWF
See what's Trending Now for @papadimitriou


text:
Book your room at Comfort Suites Monroeville
Please enter your travel dates.
Opened in July 2008, this state of the art Comfort Suites hotel is conveniently located in the business district of Monroeville, PA. Unique features of the hotel include 42 inch flat screen TVs, Walk-in spa showers, whirlpool suites, DVD and laptop hook-ups in each room. Wired and wireless internet access available. Shopping and restaurants are within minutes of the hotel. Pittsburgh International Airport is a 30 minute drive and downtown Pittsburgh is a short 15 minute drive. Free Hot Savory Starts breakfast served daily. Valid credit card is required at check-in.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
Comfort Suites Monroeville
At your hotel
Complimentary Full American Breakfast, Business Center, Brailled Elevators, Exercise Gym, Guest Laundromat, Outdoor Parking, Parking, Laundry/Valet Services, Vending Machines, AM/FM Alarm Clock, Coffee Maker in Room, Wireless Internet Access, Hairdryers Available, Iron, Microwave, No Smoking Rooms/Facilities, Telephone, Refrigerator, Smoke Detectors, Sofa Bed, In Room Movies, Television with Cable, TV Remote Control, Handicapped Rooms/Facilities, FAX, Meeting/Banquet Facilities, City Center,
- Total number of rooms - 40
- Number of floors - 4
- Business center
- Fitness facilities
- Meeting rooms
In your room
- Pay movies
- Phone
- Refrigerator
- Coffee/tea maker
- Microwave
- Hair dryer
- Iron/ironing board
The fine print for Comfort Suites Monroeville
When you arrive
Check-in time starts at 15:00:00
When you leave
Check-out time is 11:00:00
How you can pay
Accepted at this hotel: American Express, Carte Blanche, Diners Club, Discover, JCB International, MasterCard, Visa


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Alcatel-Lucent pushes vision of telco-centered cloud
Vendor sees a cloud not just limited to massive data centers but as distributed as today's telephone architecture - enabling not only computing- but communications-as-a-service as well
When one hears that Alcatel-Lucent is laying out its cloud strategy, the first reaction might be that its simply jumping on the bandwagon. After all, what tech vendor doesnt have a cloud?
Industry News
Briefing Room
But the path the telecom network equipment vendor laid out today especially when coupled with its equally radical lightRadio wireless network vision (CP: Alcatel-Lucent new building-block architecture does away with the base station ) is much more revolutionary that it might first appear, calling not only for telecom operators to sit squarely at the center of the still-emerging cloud ecosystem, but for the telephone network to disaggregate and virtualize its way into the cloud as well.
At the center of its new CloudBand solution is a potentially market-shifting notion: telco networks should not only provide on-ramps to the cloud, those networks can be the cloud. If cloud computing is to be truly pervasive and built and delivered utility-style, the argument goes, the cloud needs the same high performance, reliability and security upon which todays communications networks are built, said Dor Skuler, vice president of cloud solutions at Alcatel-Lucent, in an interview.
Its no small vision: Alcatel-Lucents cloud vision impacts how carriers build their networks, and how they deliver services and fit into the larger cloud industry.
The first goal, said Skuler, is to allow [carriers] to fundamentally design the network using cloud technology, introducing elasticity and agility into the network.
Rather than over-building networks for peak usage and then running them in most instances at 20% utilization or less, as theyve done for decades, Alcatel-Lucent is proposing an architecture and approach that moves key network elements out into the cloud, where they can be accessed on demand and based on actual usage, Skor said.
ALUs second goal is to place telcos firmly at the center of the cloud. Driving this goal was a recent survey the company did of 3500 IT decision makers, which found that their number one concern regarding the cloud wasnt security as often cited but application performance. They are looking not for a best effort cloud but a cloud with end-to-end application performance guarantees, Skor said.
Enterprises arent getting that today via large, centralized data centers that are often (and most affordably) accessed via the public Internet, or at best via network services that dont necessarily have a deep connection to the applications running over them.
What we believe is that we need to truly connect the network and the cloud and manage cloud resources right alongside of network resources, ALUs Skor said. For service providers, that means its not about building a big data center. Rather they can build small, distributed clouds at central offices and exchanges. Instead of one big cloud you get a lot of little clouds connected logically via the network to look line one system.
Alcatel-Lucents new CloudBand solution aims to address both of the issues the vendor brings to light: turning the communications network into a cloud, and then using that new architecture to deliver cloud services to customers.
CloudBand consist of two elements, the CloudBand Management System, which manages orchestration and optimization of services between communications networks and the cloud; and CloudBand Node, which provides (with the help of partners in some cases, such as named partner HP) the computing, storage and networking hardware in-a-box to help carriers host and deliver a range of cloud services.
Once such a platform is in place and Alcatel-Lucent envisions working first with its own customers and then later potentially in multi-vendor networks operators can start to evolve not only how they provide services, but how they run their networks as well. For instance, the platform enables carriers to virtualize critical elements of their networks including things like subscriber databases or application and content servers and move them out into the cloud. They can then access (and grow, if necessary) those network elements on an as-needed basis to more quickly launch new services and manage their network in a more elastic manner, ALUs Skor said.
The architecture also puts key elements of a computing cloud platform (such as storage) deeper into the telco network, allowing them to deliver cloud services themselves or orchestrate the delivery of services from data centers deeper in the network either their own infrastructure or via managed links to other cloud providers.
The idea is that the operator can deliver enterprise cloud services alongside virtual telco services things like IMS services, video, SMS messaging, app stores blended on the same platform, Skor said, noting that Alcatel-Lucents lightRadio architecture takes this concept of a distributed network cloud even further, essentially all the way down to the control plane.
What the vendors cloud solution ultimately enables, Skor said, is service providers building a completely different kind of network.
CloudBand will be available for deployment in the first half of 2012, Alcatel-Lucent said.
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Well, moms-to-be, I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is, you may be able to lessen the chances of your baby being a picky eater simply by paying attention to what you eat during your pregnancy.
But guess what? That's the bad news too. Because new studies have found that eating green vegetables during pregnancy increases your baby's chances of preferring healthy foods.
Sigh. No more doughnuts. No more pizza. No more stuffing your face full of every delicious thing you can get your hands on -- otherwise you may wind up with a very fussy eater on your hands.
Julie Mennella, a developmental biologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia says, "Even before a child eats their first mouthful of food, they are learning about flavor through the amniotic fluid in the womb, and later through their mother's milk. The message is, eat the healthy food that you enjoy and when the baby is old enough to start weaning, they will already be familiar with those flavors."
Huh. Yeah, I guess that makes a whole lot of sense.
And I can't help but wonder if my pregnancy diet is part of the reason my son is just about the pickiest eater on the planet -- and why he's been that way pretty much since we introduced solids when he was an infant.
Sure, I did my best to stick to a healthy diet while pregnant. I really did. I ate lots of whole grains, and a decent amount of salads, but now that I think about it, I really didn't eat many fruits and vegetables. I just didn't want that stuff. I wanted comfort food, not bird food. (Gah.)
And yes, I knew very well that I needed to be incorporating more of those foods into my diet, but that's easier said than done when you're dealing with pregnancy cravings. If I'd had a hankering for the green stuff, I'd have gladly eaten it.
But now that I know I may have screwed up my kid's eating habits by not taking in more healthy foods, I feel guilty for letting my cravings guide me during that time. (Good grief. What else can I possibly do to mess him up?)
Have you been eating lots of vegetables during your pregnancy?
Image via Mary Fischer
What a dumb article. I ate extremely healthy during my pregnancy - salads, fresh fruits, fresh veggies, etc - and my kid will have nothing to do with veggies no matter how many times I put them on his plate.
Well, there is some truth, I ate soo mcuh fruit when I was pregnant with DD and she's 2 and will go for the fruit before anything else. It also has to do with what foods are being offered regularly. Offering junk food more often than healthly food, well I wonder what your kid's going to pick
It makes sense to me.
Plus whenever I nursed I always thought about that FFA scene in Napoleon Dynamite about the cow getting into the onion patch.
I did.
I love vegetables.
Guess what? One is a picky eater. The other isnt.
This study is flawed. My kid hates almost everything, and refuses to eat almost 95% of the stuff I ate when pregnant, and it's not even bad foods. Stuff like chili, pasta(he cries when we put a piece of pasta in front of him), potatoes of any kind are the things he refuses to eat.


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Parkour/Free Running expert Ronnie Shalvis stunts on 'em here with some acrobatic action inspired by the popular Assassin's Creed video games. This dude can really move as demonstrated by this video. Definitely worth a viewing!
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