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2017 Board Elections – Message from our Board President
Dear Members,
It was great to see so many of you join us in Park City at our first National Conference as Grounded Solutions Network. For those of you who could not make it, you were missed. I hope you'll all start planning for Intersections 2017 in Oakland, CA. The conference last week gave us, Board and staff, an opportunity to take a breath and celebrate our many successes. As I noted in my opening remarks, our first nine months have been full of member engagements, policy advances, new team members and impactful partnerships. Our 15-member board took office in January and since then has been hard at work thinking about how to position this organization for success and set strategic priorities for the coming years. As we head into the last quarter of the year, we will be holding elections and conducting the annual member meeting. Consistent with the Bylaws and existing Board member terms, Grounded Solutions' members will have the opportunity to vote on two positions representing the Communities of Practice.
Members of the Board feel that the organization is moving in the right direction, and that given how new we are as a Board and an organization, we put great Importance on continuity and stability. The two existing Community of Practice representatives whose initial one-year terms are expiring would like to continue to serve the organization for an additional three year term. I tell you this in the interest of transparency and ask that you keep this in mind as we open the process. The nominations process is open as of today, and any Member who would like to nominate him or herself as a candidate for the Board of Directors may do so by submitting a summary of qualifications here. To date we have nominations from the two incumbents. We look forward to publishing the final slate once the nominations process has closed.
Please make a note of the following schedule:
- Nominations open Oct. 3 to 15
- Candidate slate announced October 26
- Elections by electronic balloting November 9-23
- Annual member meeting by webinar December 6
As we head into the last quarter of the year, I hope that you will take part in the elections and join us for the Annual Member meeting on December 6.
Robert Burns
Board President


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Kerry is lumberingly gracious about not campaigning during the week of Reagan's hagiography, with later permanent display, a la Lenin, in Grover Nordquist's living room. Class act. Kerry sounds like one of those big dying thingies from The Dark Crystal.
Or wait, I'm getting my movies mixed up, maybe it's The Neverending Story. No it's not, nevermind!
Bastian, pls. defeat "Blue Jean"-era David Bowie! Thx!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Carved Pumpkins with the Homers for FHE.
Owen's is the Frankenstein on the far left, then Tanner's ghost, and Sidney's is the cat on the far right.
Tanner and Owen insisted on being exactly what they were last year, but I wasn't complaining, how hard of costumes are those? Sidney went as a Barbie. I should have gotten a close up of her hair and face. Oh well, by the time we get this close to trick or treating they won't hold still for nuthin'!!!
Eating the spoils at the Homer's house.
And yes Tiff, I did dress up as Batman just for you! :)


text:
This little man went to his first week of Primary.
He wanted to sit by his friends mom (who is in Primary)
And they said he was great.
He came home singing songs that he sang.
And with his Crown...
that he would not take off.
I can't believe he is growing up so fast!


text:
Every Breath You Take Sting
[Ab] [Fm] [Db] [Eb] [Ab]
[Ab] ev- ry breath you take ev- ry move you [Fm]make ev- ry bond you
break [Db]ev- ry step you take[Ebsus4] ill be watching you[Fm]
[Eb7sus4]ev- ry single [Ab]day ev- ry word you[Fm] say ev- ry game you play
[Db]evry night you stay[Eb] ill be [Eb7sus4]watching you
[Ab] oh, cant you s[Db]ee you belong[Bbm7] to me[Ab]
how my poor heart [Bb7]aches with ev- ry step you take[Eb]
[Eb7sus4]every move you make[Ab] every vow you break[Fm] evry smile you [Db]fake
every claim you stake i[Eb]ll be w[Eb7sus4]atching you [Fm]
[E]since you been gone ill been left with out a trace i [F#]dream at night
i can only see your face i l[E]ook around but its you i cant replace
[F#]i feel so cold and i long for your e[E]m-bracei keep crying baby baby [Ab]please
[Fm] [Db] [Eb] [Fm] [Ab]
Ab Db Bb7SUS4 Ab Bb7
oh cant you see you belong to me how my poor heart aches with evry step
[Eb]you take
[Fm]evry move you make e[Db]vry step you take [Eb]ill be wa[Ebsus4]tching you[Fm]
just repeat Fm Ebsus4 and Ab to fade evry now and then "ill be watching
if you have any questions just email me on firstname.lastname@example.com
this is genuine like i said its from the music book i got
called the very best of sting and the police.
| This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation |
| of the song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, |
| or research. |
Ultimate-Guitar.Com © 2005
Important: The song above is NOT stored on the Chordie server. The original song is hosted at www.ultimate-guitar.com. Chordie works as a search engine and provides on-the-fly formatting. Chordie does not index songs against artists'/composers' will. To remove this song please click here.


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Did you know there are 32 points on your head which, when gently touched, effortlessly and easily release anything that doesn't allow you to receive? These points contain all the thoughts, ideas, beliefs, emotions, and considerations that you have stored in any lifetime. This is an opportunity for you to let go of everything!
To Register to learn or repeat this amazingly easy Access BARS® body process:
The workshop is $300 for first time participants, and $150 for repeat participants. Children 15 years and under are free with a paying adult in attendance.


text:
Sutter County Development Services staff, which created the Sutter County Oroville Dam Emergency Evacuation map, has made it easier to find your evacuation route in the event of a future problem with the spillway or the dam that requires evacuation.
A field has been added to the map that allows individuals to look up evacuation routes for specific addresses in Sutter County, including the incorporated cities of Yuba City and Live Oak. View the searchable Oroville Dam Emergency Evacuation Route Map for Sutter County.
Depicted in the map are the intended evacuation routes for an emergency involving Oroville Dam only. Evacuation routes are subject to change depending on actual conditions at the time of the evacuation.
Note that this map does not depict evacuation routes for any other emergency, including a potential or actual levee failure when local roads and highways can be flooded or threatened. Evacuation routes will be determined at the time of the emergency based on what roads are available.
A searchable map as well as a PDF download of the Oroville Dam Flood Evacuation Route Map for Sutter County are linked below. This map was originally designed to be 3 feet by 4 feet. To see detail, please zoom in while viewing the map.


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The authorities admit they are still stumped about a motive, but partial documents unsealed in New Hampshire today disclosed pivotal clues that led them to the Vermont teenagers charged with the killings of two Dartmouth professors. One of the teenagers recently purchased two knives on the Internet, the documents said, and his fingerprints matched some found in the professors' house.
The new details cast no light, however, on what could have connected the teenagers to the widely beloved professors, Half and Susanne Zantop, who were found stabbed to death on Jan. 27. Nor did they speak to what could have prompted the teenagers to kill.
''We're still looking around, but we have no motive,'' Dan Mullen, a senior assistant attorney general, said in an Associated Press report today.
According to the newly unsealed parts of an affidavit supporting the arrest warrants for the teenagers, James J. Parker and Robert W. Tulloch, the police found two fingerprints on an object at the Zantops' house and matched them to Mr. Parker, 16. What the object was is sealed in the affidavit, but local news organizations have reported that it was a knife sheath and that the police found two of them.
Investigators pinpointed within days after the killings what kind of knife had been used, and for two weeks examined sales records to track down the buyers. The brand of knife was blacked out in the documents, but local news reports have said it was SOG, and the company, SOG Specialty Knives Inc., has said in a news release that the Federal Bureau of Investigation gave it credit for providing ''the first solid break'' in the case.Continue reading the main story
On Feb. 14, the affidavit said, a large New England distributor of the knives gave the police a list of 84 recent Internet sales. Only one involved the purchase of two identical knives. James Parker of Chelsea, Vt., had paid $180 for the knives on Jan. 7, the records showed, and he requested two-day delivery.
On Feb. 15, the police visited Mr. Parker at his home in Chelsea, about 25 miles northwest of the Dartmouth campus in Hanover, N.H. They interviewed him and his father -- the contents of that interview are sealed -- and took his fingerprints. They did the same with Mr. Tulloch, 17.
That night, the teenagers fled, but were caught by the police in Indiana on Feb. 19 as they tried to hitchhike to California. The teenagers, their families and defense lawyers have been publicly silent about the case. On Wednesday, Mr. Tulloch's lawyer said he had waived his right to a hearing on whether there was probable cause to hold him because he did not want a distorted version of the case to emerge.
New Hampshire authorities, too, have made exceedingly little public comment about the case, saying it was still under investigation.
The information that emerged today resulted from continuing court battles by the local news media to make investigators disclose more. Additional documents are expected to trickle out on Monday, but prosecutors say they will appeal a judge's order to release more.
Prosecutors say they plan to seek an indictment of Mr. Tulloch in coming weeks, and they plan to seek approval to prosecute Mr. Parker as an adult.
If the teenagers are guilty, they are a rarity in one sense, experts say. Adolescents are less likely than adults to commit murder, and most typically teenagers who kill come from violent, uncaring backgrounds. Both the Vermont teenagers, by all accounts, come from loving homes.
But they would fit one pattern: adolescents are twice as likely as adults to kill with an accomplice, said James Alan Fox, a professor of criminal justice at Northeastern University.
''If these kids acted anything like many other juvenile murderers, then to understand what happened you have to examine their relationship with each other, not their relationship with the victims,'' Professor Fox said. ''In groups, kids will do things that they would never do on their own.''
Teenagers are also more likely than adults to fail to understand the probable consequences of their actions, said Kenneth King of the Suffolk Law School Juvenile Justice Center. Some teenagers carry weapons almost as if they were fashion accessories, Mr. King said. ''For a young person, the showing of a weapon doesn't equate with the probability or possibility it will then be used, as an adult would anticipate.''
As for the Dartmouth case, Mr. King said: ''I read it as a puzzle. As a real puzzle.''Continue reading the main story


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"Be the change you want to see in the world." ~ Gandhi
I have a story playing over and over in my head. I saw something that I will never forget. It quite possibly has changed my life forever...
But before I explain, I should probably tell you a little bit more of what I have been up to. I moved to New York in early June. I am going back to school full-time in September for Mind-Body Wellness and I am also a full-time nanny. I live with my lifelong friends, Tammy and Keith, and watch over their amazing son Elijah, who is eight months old.
It's funny how life works…I openly admit that I used to have an adverse reaction to children and often wondered if I ever wanted any of my own. But then along came my niece MacKenna. I quickly realized how amazing children are and how quickly I could fall in love with a young soul. And with all her trials and tribulations in the recent year or so, she continues to amaze me.
When I moved back from New Zealand and moved to Park City, I quickly realized that my ski bum job was not going to pay the bills. In turn, I started working for Park City Sitters. During the short winter season, I babysat for close to 40 different families and started to realize that I was actually pretty good with kids. Then along came the opportunity to help raise Eli, and I thought why not move to New York City and take my courses from there?!
So rewind to the month of June…I was taking the subway into Manhattan to meet up with some friends. The doors opened and on stepped a mother with her son in the baby bjorn. Being a nanny, it grabbed my attention because I seem to be drawn to babies. At first glance all seemed normal. But once the doors shut, the woman pulled out a cardboard sign and started to make her way through the subway car. She was in her late thirties, her clothes soiled and her face very tired.
Her sign read, "Speak very little English. Homeless. Need money to feed my baby. God Bless."
She passed by me and I saw that her son was not much older than Eli. He stared at me with his big brown eyes, they were tired too, but they still sparkled. He giggled and smiled to reveal his baby teeth. And then, I realized his caramel colored face was covered with infected sores. My heart broke. I reached into my purse and pulled out the little money I had. She nodded and smiled. When the train came to a stop she stepped off and onto the next car.
Panhandlers are a common occurrence on the subway. One can easily become desensitized to them, but not when you see a small child suffering in such a way. My pocket change was only a small way to help.
It makes you realize how lucky you are. Eli is lucky to have amazing parents and he never wants for anything. He has clothes, food, shelter and love. We are blessed.
It also reminds me that I want to "be the change I want to see in the world." Perhaps there's a purpose for me changing careers, being a nanny and seeing that baby on the train. Other than my small donation, there isn't anything I can do to help him now, but he has changed my life forever and maybe I am on a path to help others. Who knows.
L to R: MacKenna, Me, Tammy & Elijah


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Saturday, July 10, 2010
WC Mercantile here I come and Giveaway!
As you can see from the flyer here, I'll be doing a beginning marketing workshop on Aug 7th at WC Mercantile. If you've wanted to start an online fiber/yarn shop and need help getting off to the right start, please consider joining us that weekend. We'll be covering all the basics of setting up shop, creating community around your art and then end with how to kick it up a notch with bigger advertising. I'll be going into detail about several things as well as stepping back to plan for future growth. There will be time for a Q and A and Stephanie is catering it! And, if you're like me, you'll also be looking forward to some shopping time :) I am super excited about getting to help several people make that jump to online sales!
We're going to do a special weekend-long giveaway featuring WCMercantile and Stephanie's deliciously carded blue batts! Please visit WCMercantile on Etsy, find something you love and write about it in the comments section below. I will probably draw sometime on Monday, so there isn't a whole lot of time to get your comments in- remember to try using the 'anonymous' feature as I think blogger and google id are not on speaking terms right now. We'll count those extra tweets, facebook updates etc as entries!
66 comments:
- mamalefae said...
The batts are beautiful but the Schacht Ladybug Spinning Wheel - Plus EXTRAS with LAZY KATE is beyond dreams! Looove it! I'm a new spinner and I think I just found Nirvana :) TFS!
- July 10, 2010 at 8:36 AM
- burnt rain said...
everything in the shop is gorgeous. I think my favourite of the fibres is the 2 oz Mid Summer Night's Batt which happens to look very similar to the giveaway batts.
- July 10, 2010 at 8:41 AM
- Zombie Queen said...
The seaweed batt is gorgeous!
Facebook- Angelica Rodriguez Macklin
- July 10, 2010 at 8:43 AM
I love the NOLA batt!
- July 10, 2010 at 8:53 AM
i love the NOLA batt and the orange/rust-colored kettle-dyed mohair roving. next time i'm at my dad's (waco, tx), i'm gonna drag his wife along for the short trip down to navasota to play with the fuzz & wheels irl! ~serenebeginnings @ rav
- July 10, 2010 at 9:14 AM
- Jan L said...
At first, I had picked the Seaweed batt which is lovely, but THEN I saw the Peacock Batt. Oh, those colors are so my favorites.
- July 10, 2010 at 9:14 AM
- Galia Lael said...
How can you choose? There are so many categories too choose from! If I had to, I'd choose the NOLA batt as my favorite.
- July 10, 2010 at 9:21 AM
- Lisa said...
Everything is beautiful! But my favorite is the Bright Green Firestar.
- July 10, 2010 at 9:33 AM
- Kitten With a Whiplash said...
I'm picking the 4 oz. Merino Wool Top Delta River Run - love the combimation of colors.
- July 10, 2010 at 9:45 AM
- Tara said...
There is so much pretty to choose from! I like shine in the seaweed batt
- July 10, 2010 at 9:56 AM
- Kristen said...
I love the vivid blue of the 4 oz. Merino Wool Top - Sky Blue
- July 10, 2010 at 10:08 AM
- Knottiegirl said...
I absolutely love the 2oz peacock batt!
- July 10, 2010 at 10:13 AM
- Knottiegirl said...
I also twittered about WC Mercantile!
- July 10, 2010 at 10:14 AM
- Deb at Merciful Hearts Farm said...
Love the colors of that Nola batt!
- July 10, 2010 at 10:25 AM
Loving the mystery bags because sometimes you just want a surprise :-)
- July 10, 2010 at 10:43 AM
- Tia said...
Seaweed Batt, please! And the Majacraft lace kit. :g
- July 10, 2010 at 10:46 AM
- Turtle said...
congrats and have fun!!
seaweed, gotta luv it!
- July 10, 2010 at 10:52 AM
Everything is so beautiful, but I really loved 4 oz. Merino Top Fenberry Grove and Forest Floor. They are both gorgous!
- July 10, 2010 at 11:06 AM
- brownbear said...
Superwash panda is tempting. There are so many fibers I would love to try. Carbonized Bamboo?!
- July 10, 2010 at 11:12 AM
- Cheshire Bunny Crafts said...
the nola batt is really pretty!
- July 10, 2010 at 11:14 AM
I love the NOLA and Peacock batts!
- July 10, 2010 at 11:44 AM
Give me a big bag of oatmeal BFL and a bag of cashmere; id be good for the weekend! :D
- July 10, 2010 at 12:12 PM
I love the Arlo Batt and the Loden and Forever in Blue Jeans tops
- July 10, 2010 at 12:41 PM
I would love to try out her undyed BFL!
- July 10, 2010 at 1:17 PM
Any of the merino and tussah silk tops would be nice. Almost all of what's listed under Artisian Fibers too, especially Peacock, Arlo and Seaweed.
- July 10, 2010 at 1:30 PM
- Jags said...
I love the Seaweed batts! They are gorgeous!
- July 10, 2010 at 2:07 PM
- Alison said...
You have silk hankies! I've always wanted to try those. They look so fun to spin!
- July 10, 2010 at 2:52 PM
- Kathleen said...
I want to play in all their fibers, but I guess I'll settle for some milk for now.
- July 10, 2010 at 3:07 PM
I love the Nola batt! Also, if anyone wants to get me a carder, I would be eternally grateful. Kthanks!!
- Jacy
- July 10, 2010 at 4:18 PM
- petitevache said...
that strawberry lemonade batt looks utterly delicious!
- July 10, 2010 at 4:52 PM
- Southern said...
WC Mercantile is my go-to store when I need a pound or more of roving. Their BFL is awesome! I want to try it in the natural mixed color. In fact, that may be the next thing I stalk, attack and drag home!
See you guys in August - I'm so gonna be there!
- July 10, 2010 at 5:49 PM
- Dawn said...
I had such a tough time choosing my favorite. WC Mercantile has some amazing colorways. Two of my favs were Peacock batt and Americus batt.
- July 10, 2010 at 6:37 PM
- Kim R said...
Love the Ladybug, but also like the Muscadine roving.
- July 10, 2010 at 6:55 PM
- A Rose said...
The Arlo batt is wonderful!
- July 10, 2010 at 7:19 PM
- SovereignCrux said...
I really dug the spinning wheel.. I've only spun on a hand spindle so far and not had much luck. I would like to practice, though!
I think aside from that, my favorite item was the dye your own sock kit. I keep trying to think what to make for my mom which she can't make for herself.. And that's socks.
- July 10, 2010 at 7:49 PM
- Red said...
My favorite (and number one wish list item at the moment) isn't fiber... it's the Majacraft Little Gem Spinning Wheel. Oh gosh what I wouldn't give to have that wheel... it's perfect for me in so many ways!
- July 10, 2010 at 7:52 PM
- Lilm4105 said...
Love the Forever in BlueJeans roving wool top.
- July 10, 2010 at 8:10 PM
- Kristin said...
Ok, maybe not so exciting to some, but I love the luscious natural wools in the Wooly Wonder Kit. But, I will say that the Arlo batt has some sort of mysterious beckoning.
- July 10, 2010 at 8:15 PM
- redzshadow said...
I really like the dye your own silk caps kit. It is something I have wanted to try.
- July 10, 2010 at 9:31 PM
NOLA and Peacock are my new favorite combinations of color EVER. Seriously. I wish I wasn't so broke right now so I could buy them this instant. Will post them on FB so that someone I know will get them and I can at least touch them.
Tina Melvin on FB
zombi3cat at live dot com
- July 10, 2010 at 10:20 PM
- One Sheep said...
The 4 oz. Merino Wool Top Prussian Blue is such a deep, glorious blue.
- July 11, 2010 at 12:27 AM
- Linda said...
I like the sock yarn kit to be dyed. There are only 2 left, I've got to decide.......... And the peacock batt. Only 1 of those left, I've got to decide...........
- July 11, 2010 at 4:49 AM
- Heather said...
I love everything at WC Mercantile! But the beginning of my wish list looks like:
1) Nola batts
2) extra spindles for my Ladybug (purchased from Steph!)
3) Sari silk
- July 11, 2010 at 6:25 AM
- Heather said...
I love the 4 oz of dyed superfine Merino in Canyon Lake. Otherwise it is very hard to decide everything looks wonderful.
- July 11, 2010 at 8:40 AM
- Forget-me-knot said...
oooh... I want the peacock batt so badly! Also, I'm down with most of their undyed fiber.
- July 11, 2010 at 9:04 AM
- Heidi B said...
love all the bright colors!!!!!
- July 11, 2010 at 10:31 AM
- Angie S. said...
What's not to love about WC Mercantile? My favorite thing at the moment would be her silk hankies, because I really want to try spinning some :)
- July 11, 2010 at 11:06 AM
- Nicholette said...
I like the merino in 'lovely'. Very pretty!
- July 11, 2010 at 11:31 AM
- sokeripupu said...
well that was easy! i instantly fell for the NOLA batt.
- July 11, 2010 at 11:35 AM
- Melrose said...
Love the Wooly Wonder Kit!
- July 11, 2010 at 12:53 PM
- ikkinlala said...
I love the 4 oz. Merino Wool Top - Forever in Bluejeans.
- July 11, 2010 at 3:36 PM
- Snaps said...
I've been wanting to get some of their silk hankies. I've never tried spinning them before.
- July 11, 2010 at 8:07 PM
- vickie said...
I absolutely adore the NOLA batt vbarton24 at gmail dot com
- July 11, 2010 at 8:56 PM
- vickie said...
twittered http://twitter.com/morgaine24/status/18327479976
vbarton24 at gmail dot com
- July 11, 2010 at 9:00 PM
- Sploops said...
Midnight Merino is beautiful.
I re-tweeted @Sploops
- July 11, 2010 at 9:30 PM
Would love to try the Dye your own Sock kit!!
- July 12, 2010 at 5:23 AM
- All For Love Of Yarn! said...
I want a spinning wheel, so the Ashford Kiwi looks wonderful to me! ~ Angela
- July 12, 2010 at 7:21 AM
- Magan said...
I really must have a Peacock batt. Or 2. They are simply divine!
- July 12, 2010 at 7:31 AM
- Stacy said...
This might not be what you mean, but (sigh) I've got to go with the Ashford Country Spinner. Always wanted one of those. :)
- July 12, 2010 at 8:21 AM
- Jessie said...
I like so much in their shop! I've had my eye on the baby camel/silk blend fiber for a while.
- July 12, 2010 at 8:30 AM
- c-rok said...
The seaweed batt is fabulous. Love the color.
- July 12, 2010 at 9:21 AM
- SJS said...
This whole shop is quite the time-sink! I like the Wooly Wonder kit, the Alpaca-Silk top in Dark Chocolate and the merino top in Midnight.
- July 12, 2010 at 11:00 AM
- Rudy's Mom said...
OOOOOhhhh. I love the Strawberry Lemonade batt. I think it must be mine. : )
- July 12, 2010 at 12:18 PM
I've had my eye on the beautiful colored orange and blue corriedale for a while now! http://www.etsy.com/listing/44784337/6-oz-corriedale-wool-top-ships-free
- July 12, 2010 at 6:01 PM
- Heather P said...
I love the seaweed batt. the talent of the people you find is amazing! the batts are art themselves.
- July 12, 2010 at 7:42 PM
Hi, hope it's OK to contact you with this comment. We'd like to offer you to be included on our giveaway search engine: Giveaway Scout (http://www.giveawayscout.com). Have a look and if interested, use our online form to add your blog (http://www.giveawayscout.com/addblog/ ). thanks, Jen
- July 13, 2010 at 5:06 AM


text:
New Delhi, May 10 The AAP will start a "save democracy campaign" from Thursday and raise its voice strongly against EVM tampering, the party's Delhi convenor Gopal Rai said here.
Rai made the announcement during a press conference at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) headquarters.
He said that party legislator Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday demonstrated in the Delhi Assembly that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) can be hacked just by "changing the motherboard".
"This is a great danger to democracy. We will start a 'save democracy campaign' from tomorrow (Thursday) and under this campaign AAP MLAs and workers will stage a protest at the office of the Election Commission of India," Rai told reporters.
"AAP brought the truth in public by showing how EVMs can be hacked. We want all future elections to be conducted only by using EVMs with Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT)," Rai said.
Rai also said that AAP will stick to its viewpoint at the all-party meeting on EVMs called by the Election Commission on Friday.
The AAP has been vocal in alleging that EVMs were tampered with in the assembly elections in Punjab and the civic polls in Delhi, both of which it lost.
Using a prototype of what looked like an EVM used by the poll panel, Bharadwaj on Tuesday claimed that codes embedded inside the voting machines can be used to manipulate results.
The Election Commission dismissed Bharadwaj's assertions.
The Delhi Assembly in a day-long special session passed a resolution on Tuesday urging President Pranab Mukherjee and the Election Commission to ensure that EVMs with VVPAT are used in all future elections.
The resolution also called for tallying of votes polled in 25 per cent randomly-selected booths with the paper trail generated by VVPAT machines.


text:
Sirens on a Shelf, Ralph Ullmann, Ebert 2014 Announced Exhibitions: Claudia Fitch, Information Gallery-Museum: Greg Kucera Gallery, Location/City: Seattle, Washington. Exhibition Opening/Closed: 06.11.14. Artreviews: Greg Kucera Gallery, Andreow Ueltzhoeffer, Seattle, Washington | Biographyimages (textportrait): Claudia Fitch, Andreow Ueltzhoeffer. Entries (Exhibition): Greg Kucera Gallery; Seattle, Washington; Claudia Fitch. Artist Informations: Claudia Fitch, Sirens on a Shelf, Ralph Ullmann, Ebert 2014. Philosophers
Find relevant Exhibitions: Seattle, Washington


text:
Roger Goodell will come to New Orleans as a villain, as is the primary job of all commissioners these days. He does so knowing that, because he is the one who dropped the hammer on the Wild West show that was the Saints' BountyGate program, he derailed the local team's recent run of greatness. In other words, he was handed a box full of smoking guns by the Saints, acted on them by punishing the team from the bottom up (the standard commissioner's m.o.) and interrupted a three-year run of double-digit wins. And the fans will remember that. They will almost certainly forget what he did to rush, blackjack and cajole the rebuilding of the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina, and for more on this, Les Carpenter's excellent piecein Yahoo.com is a valuable resource. But it is Goodell's role to be the bad guy, because like Gary Bettman, David Stern and Bud Selig, it is what he is paid to be. Largely this is the effect of his role as a management representative in the recent lockout, as it becomes increasingly obvious to even the most obtuse of us that he functions as the owners' sergeant-at-arms. And not only is there no honor in that, there is considerable contempt. It has been instrumental in turning him from the most likable (or least detestable, depending on your position) commissioner with the best public image to just another guy in a suit who works for the rich ones. All commissioners have been that throughout time, of course. It is a role that plays at real power while being paid only by one side, thereby making it a position of actual subservience. The commissioner as honest broker is a laughable myth, and Goodell's early work on reforming player behavior turns out in hindsight just to be more evidence of that.
NFL Headlines
Goodell returns to New Orleans a villain
CSN Washington | Jan 23


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July 4th Celebration!
Proceeds for the KC799 Charity Fund.
Please join the Knights of Columbus Dallas Council 799 in celebrating Independence Day at the KayCee Pool. This is party is one of our largest fundraising events for the year. It's a great time to get together with family and friends, have some fun, and generate some charity dollars that can be used by the Council throughout the coming year.
Visit our July 4th page for some highlights of the event: http://220.127.116.11/july-4th
Signup to volunteer: Volunteer signup


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Move forwards as you meet monsters that you have to battle in turn based RPG attacks.
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Where To Network Professionally?
Be efficient — Network everywhere
Don't limit your networking to situations where you believe you "should" network but try to keep the mindset of networking active at all times to make sure you don't miss out on very good connections.
Over some time you will see your network grow significantly if you have an open mind, this is because you naturally spend more time in general situations compared with specific networking situations.
Every Day Professional Networking
People often ask how to behave at networking events, how to get the most out of them and where to find these good networking events and in particular the networking events that fit their professional and social interests?
The question not often asked is how anybody can work on his or her professional network in daily life?
When you consider these two questions you should look at where you meet new people, not where you meet new people who are there foremost to network. If you consider all the places you meet new people you will also understand which forums are the best for networking.
As with all activities the basic "no risk, no reward" rule applies. If you are not willing to take action and open up conversations with new people you will never be able to get to know them.
Where Did You Meet The People You Know?
When people are asked where they do professional networking most mention various events with the specific purpose of networking but is that the whole truth?
When the question is changed to where people met most of their friends, acquaintances and business associates the answer become rather different and most people then mention common, every day places such as:
o School
o Work
o University
o Friends of friends
o Conferences
o Travels
The different answers to these questions make it possible to conclude that even though professional networking events are very important to purposefully grow ones network it is equally important to realize and seize the opportunities to make friends and acquaintances in every day life — and to stay in touch with those people.
Being aware of these two sources, every day life and networking events, where ones professional and social networks are created, will have a big impact on how you perceive situations in your life.
Every day networking
Extend your conversations from a simple hello or a nod to some small talk. Small talk might seem shallow but that's how most relationships start.
Make a sustained and focused networking effort and do it whenever you get a chance to. Chances are that some time after you have met a new person you will get to know each other enough to reach the point where you will be able to talk about more personal issues — a relationship of sorts has then developed and you are now acquainted and can rely on each other in various situations.
Are you in touch with people you met over the years?
What happened to all those people you met over the years? Are you still in touch or has the relationship slowly faded away over the years? Maybe you are connected on social media but you are not really communicating there, as you don't really have much to say to each other after years without communication?
The normal situation is that people who don't see each other often or frequently talk in person by phone or in other ways tend to drift apart and have less and less in common, know less and less about each others life's and thus have little to talk about.
Why do things often turn out this way? Why is it some people who were once close stop communicating while others stay best friends throughout their whole lives?
Maybe it is the lack of that little extra effort to reach out that is missing? Just dropping somebody a note and see how they are doing can be enough to revitalize a relationship.
How do you stay in touch?
Staying in touch with people you met throughout your life is not really that hard and absolutely not complicated. Write your friends a short note every now and then and just ask how they are doing, add their birthdays to your calendar and make sure to call them in person. Maybe you should decide to call one old friend per week and share some of your own life stories on social media so all your connections know what you are up to?
Not much effort is needed to stay in touch with old friends and acquaintances but it could be of great importance for you when a life crisis hits you or when you are in dire need for new professional activities and those are some very good reasons why you should keep building and maintaining a strong network.
Take the opportunity to talk and connect with people you meet in everyday life. Talk a bit and follow up later; it will serve you well at all times in your life.
Anders Östlund
Founder of Fryday, An International Network Of Professionals
Did you enjoy this article? There are plenty of more useful articles on how to succeed in business at Fryday's Business Blog.
You are also more than welcome to post your articles at Fryday's Business Blog.
For blogging or other questions you can contact at email@example.com.
Fryday is organizing several types of networking events and provide social and professional networking in cities across the world.
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Thursday, December 13, 2007
A Toast to Cheddar
Here's an empty glass. What are you going to pour into it to toast lovely Cheddar cheese?
For Americans this can be a difficult question to answer. More than any other swilling nation, we Americans can be hung up about what we should drink with certain foods. We seem to lack the confidence to choose for ourselves the appropriate potent potable. Believing that there is a scientific, knowable formula for pairing beverages with food, we seek advice from experts and books instead of just popping open a bottle of something and seeing whether or not we like it. I think this quest for the perfect food & wine pairing stems from our lack of enduring food traditions and from the immense variety of foods we have to chose from. We can't simply do what's always been done (e.g., as the English do with port and Stilton).
What we should keep in mind when pairing food with wine and other beverages is that it's all a matter of taste and that there are no steadfast rules or a correct body of knowledge. Instead we should try something on our own and then stick with (and up for) what we like.
As you'll see from this long list of what cheese experts pair with Cheddar, it's hard to go wrong:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Chenin Blanc
Late-Harvest Gewurztraminer
Pinot Noir
Sauvignon Blanc
Indian Pale Ale
Pale Ale
Oloroso Sherry
Ruby Port
Tawny Port
Tobermory Scotch
Ledaig Scotch
Hard Cider
It's ok if you want to learn how to increase your chances of a favorable pairing. If you do, I suggest Laura Werlin's, The All American Cheese and Wine Book: Pairings, Profiles, & Recipes, which I've finally just started reading. It's great, of course.
But don't wait until you've finished reading her book to pop open a bottle of something, fill your empty glass, and toast Cheddar!
Posted by Diana Pittet at 10:26 PM 3 comments:
Monday, December 3, 2007
Cheddar's Chunky Chums
Just who are Cheddar's chunky chums? Chutney and pickle, of course. They are standouts from the fine relish family.
On a sandwich these relishes make classic, satisfying pairings. When I say classic, I am referring to the British model for eating Cheddar out of hand. Those Brits like their cheese sandwiches either with thickly buttered bread or with a sticky dollop of chutney or tart pickle relish. When I was young and visiting relatives in the U.K., I opted for butter. To my young, American mind, the combo of Cheddar and chutney was just too bewildering and foreign.
Now as an adult, with a stint at Neal's Yard Dairy and a trip to India under my belt, I've come to embrace English relishes on my sandwiches. In fact, I had some for both lunch and dinner on Sunday, along with a cup of spiced Norwegian pumpkin soup and a glass of hard, local cider for lunch and a green salad with pecans and a bottle of ale for dinner. These meals were super fast, entailing nothing more than toasting the bread, melting the cheese, and reheating the soup which was left over from my Great Squash Sacrifice dinner the night before. Not bloody bad for a snowy Sunday!
Lunch on Sunday was particularly fast because it entailed reheating not only the soup but also my toasted cheese sandwiches. They, too, were left over from my squash supper. I had served them as an appetizer with boozy applejack cobblers, and they were the only dish—as hard as it is for me to tell and for you to hear—that contained Cheddar. More bruschette than sandwiches, they are slices of toasted Sicilian whole wheat bread, brushed with melted butter and pumpkin seed oil, topped with homemade pumpkin chutney (see Thanksgiving entry below) and cave-ripened Jersey Cheddar, and then toasted again until the cheese melts. (Note: I mean New Jersey, not the island in England, famous for its creamy Chanel Island milk!) I make this chutney each year at the end of November, and I think it's a lovely, seasonal companion for Cheddar. Spiced with nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves, it's kind of like pickled pumpkin pie, but in a good way. Of the relishes accompanying my Cheddar on Sunday, this was the one that most resembled the pickle by which to judge all pickles, Branston Pickle Relish. It's the Heinz ketchup of the British pickle world, and it's the common pickle for a ploughman's lunch or a cheese and pickle sandwich bought at a railway station. Branston's chunky bulk comes from diced cubes of rutabaga and a medley of other vegetables, so my chutney made from diced winter squash isn't far off.
Sunday's dinner entailed a little more work, but not much. I halved a Sicilian whole wheat roll, also left over from my dinner, and toasted each half. On one half, I spread ajvar and then topped it with thin slices of Cheddar, and on the other, I put the Cheddar directly on top of the roll, and then spooned on a pickle relish from Brooklyn, that I had planned to eat at Thanksgiving (again, see post below) after the cheese was nicely melted. The Brooklyn pickle certainly sounds classic, but the ajvar doesn't seem typical, does it? It's not British; it's a moderately chunky Balkan relish, made with red bell peppers, eggplant, garlic, and chili peppers. It doesn't have the zippy acidity of an English pickle or chutney, but it does have the sweetness along with a hint of heat. Acidity is usually a welcome counterpoint to the sweetness of Cheddar, but the ajvar emphasizes it, and the relish's silky eggplant complements the unctuousness of melted cheese. The mild heat prevents everything from going over the top. I must admit that I was mildly disappointed by the Brooklyn pickle, Wheelhouse Pickles' seasonal Ploughman's Pickle. Florence Fabricant of the New York Times billed it as the local, small production alternative to Branston, but it couldn't have been more different. There were no cubes of vegetables and no zip. It was kind of dull and flat and tasted or raw, poorly integrated spices. But atop the roll and melted cheese, it wasn't all that bad, proving that Cheddar can bring out the best in its chums.
Posted by Diana Pittet at 11:03 PM 2 comments:
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Gobble Cheddar Gobble!
You'll notice that I don't have a turkey as my pictorial representation of Thanksgiving. That's because I am a vegetarian, and I won't be eating turkey on Thursday. But I will gobble gobble!
To make up for the absent turkey, I won't opt for a meatless substitute, like the mysterious tofuerky. Instead, I'll emphasize local, seasonal vegetables and prepare a veggie casserole as the main part of my holiday meal. The casserole will includes Cheddar, of course.
The reason Cheddar entered my Thanksgiving menu at age fifteen has everything to do with the Moosewood Cookbook. This was my first vegetarian cookbook after I read the influential Diet for a Small Planet. Rare is the dish in this iconic cookbook that doesn't call for a cup of Cheddar cheese. Moosewood hearkens back to the days when vegetarians were encouraged to eat complimentary proteins to ensure getting a complete one. So much for the purported benefits of a low-fat, low-calorie vegetarian diet! For its 10th anniversary, Mollie Katzen revised the Moosewood Cookbook, and after that, the recipes didn't call for nearly as much cheese, but I still like to cook the original Chilean Squash, but without the corn. I'm not going to skimp on the Cheddar!
Fearing that I was falling into a Thanksgiving rut, I broke free from Moosewood last year, and turned to my favorite cooking magazine, Fine Cooking, to find a new veggie casserole. The one I chose has a much longer name but almost the same amount of cheese: Butternut Squash, Apple, Leek and Potato Gratin with Cheddar Crust. It was really yummy, and I plan to make it again this year, along an apple pie with a Cheddar crust. We'll also have toasted Cheddar sandwiches one day for lunch, with a choice of my homemade spiced pumpkin chutney (which I fear I made too spicy this year), cranberry chutney from the Union Square farmer's market, and Ploughman's Pickle, made over the Pulaski Bridge in Brooklyn. I am looking forward to trying this seasonal pickle, which, I bought--horrible dictu!--at the beer room at the Whole Foods on the Bowery.
I shouldn't blame the Moosewood Cookbook for all this Cheddar. Cheddar, after all, is the perfect cheese for Thanksgiving. Like the Pilgrims and Puritans, Cheddar was originally English, but became decidedly American. And its sweet and nutty taste and lovely golden hue complement autumnal cooking. Eating Cheddar is like a walk in the woods in the fall, when the sun casts a soft glow on the the turning leaves, and acorns and horse chestnuts crunch under your heavy shoes.
Autumn and its pumpkins will be gone soon, so eat a chunk of Cheddar now!
Posted by Diana Pittet at 6:03 PM 2 comments:
Friday, November 16, 2007
Cheddar for Charity
Hurry up! You have only two more days (November 19) to bid on Wedginald, the celebrity Cheddar. Proceeds from the eBay auction go to the charity, BBC Children in Need. To learn more about the auction, read this short Reuters article, and visit CheddarVision to make your bid or donate to BBC Children in Need. Good luck!
Posted by Diana Pittet at 2:47 PM No comments:
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Cheddar and Apples and Ale! Oh My!
I am doing another Cheddar talk. Please come!
Monday, November 26, 7:30 PM
Come on down to Jimmy's No. 43 and join Slow Food NYC's Amy Thompson and food historian Diana Pittet for a guided tasting of four farmstead Cheddars--Old World (Britain) and New World (Vermont and California)--accompanied by four varieties of apples from the Greenmarket and beers selected by Jimmy himself!
Jimmy's No. 43
43 E. 7th St, downstairs
(between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)
Tickets are $30 each, and reservations are required. To reserve a spot send an e-mail to Amy at email@example.com.
Posted by Diana Pittet at 7:03 PM No comments:
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Cheddar's California Dreaming
Cheddar has traveled the world (as I noted in my first post), but there are some places where it lingered longer and put down solid roots. These places aren't a secret--like Vice President Dick Cheney's residence on Google Maps. They include, England, of course, the rest of the British Isles, the Antipodes, and North America. Within the US., Cheddar seems most at home in Vermont, New York, and Wisconsin, the states we equate with good Cheddar.
There are reasons why Cheddar settled in these areas of the U.S. To uncover them, we must go back to feudal England. According to Paul Kindstedt, a dairy scientist at the University of Vermont and co-director of the Vermont Institute for Artisanl Cheese, the major site of cheese production in England in the 16th & 17th centuries, after the collapse of feudalism and the rise of capitalist markets, was East Anglia. The local cheesemakers, many of them Puritans, were quite enterprising and made large, durable cheeses that could be transported safely to urban markets, like London. When these Puritans chose America as their promised land, they brought their cheesemaking know-how and keen marketing sense with them. Set up in the New World, they made cheeses like the ones they had produced back home across the pond. These cheeses were consumed locally and were also exported to the southern colonies and the West Indies, which grew cash crops and were short on food for themselves. It should be noted that before the arrival of Europeans in North America, there was no indigenous cheese production; there is no good evidence that Native American ate dairy products. As the Puritans moved about the New World, so did their Cheddar-like cheeses. They accompanied the Puritans when they sought deeper religious freedom (e.g., Rhode Island) and when they wanted more land after the Revolutionary War (e.g., New York). And they migrated further west through Ohio into Wisconsin, as the Puritans, or their descendants, went in search of even more land. It was there in Wisconsin that Cheddar seemingly met the western edge of its migration.
But Cheddar has become restless and has resumed its westward migration. California beckons. Perhaps the Golden State is a natural destination for Cheddar. They share the same sunny hue, after all. And Cheddar is a star. It plays the main role on CheddarVision. What video star doesn't want to try its luck and make it big in California? Maybe it was California's tourism ads, with charming Clint Eastwood and Mr. & Mrs. Schwarzenegger, that got the better of Cheddar. The more likely explanation is that California is a major dairying state. This may come as a surprise, since we think of Californian wine before we think of its milk. It makes sense that a dairying state makes cheese and that one of its chief cheeses is Cheddar, the cheese which competes with mozzarella for the title of most popular cheese in the U.S. California produces one-third of all Cheddar in the U.S., and one Cheddar producer, Hilmar, near Modesto, makes 1.3 million pounds of cheddar and American cheese (e. g. , Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Colby, Colby Jack, and flavored Jacks) a day!
Very near Hilmar is a totally different operation, Fiscalini. This three-generation dairy farm only recently got into cheesemaking, as a way for the dairy to stay financially viable. With a name like Fiscalini (Swiss-Italian) and with a farm in the hot Central Valley, it wouldn't seem likely that Cheddar, an Anglo cheese with strong connections to the East Coast, would be the cheese of choice. But this is the cheese with which Fiscalini has made a name for itself. Their 30-month bandaged-wrapped cheese is so exceptional that it has even beaten traditional Somerset Cheddars in a blind tasting. And it was certainly a favorite at the Cheddar tasting I held at Princeton three weeks ago. It has a sweet profile that Americans like.
What is even more surprising than a farmstead Cheddar being made outside of New England is that the master cheesemaker at Fiscalini, Mariano Gonzalez, is from Paraguay, a country that is certainly not known for English cheeses, if it even registers in one's geographical consciousness. But it all makes sense when one learns that Mariano's first job was at Shelburne Farm in Vermont, known for its farmstead Cheddar. Here he honed his cheesemaking skills and became the master cheesemaker there, before returning to Paraguay to start his own Cheddar operation (which sadly failed because of a coup). When he came back to the States, the California Milk Marketing Board wooed Mariano to the Fiscalini. With his arrival at Fiscalini, under the shadow of Hilmar, traditional Cheddar went into production in California.
Through Mariano, the Puritans and their cheeses have finally made it to sunny California.
Posted by Diana Pittet at 9:45 PM 2 comments:
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Grading Cheddar
So, how did Cheddar fare during its brief stint in night school? I am relieved to report that it passed. I wish I could say that it earned an A+, but it fell slightly off the mark, mainly because of me.
For the most part, I succeeded in achieving what I had planned for my hour-plus-long class at the Princeton Club of New York. I introduced the guests, about 25 of them, to the varied tastes of Cheddar from around the world, and I survived conducting my first cheese tasting. I also competently outlined Cheddar's long history, and I wasn't flustered by several self-important guests.
This is where I fell off the mark:
1. I am not sure I successfully explained why the guests should care about Cheddar and its history.
2. I didn't do a good job of showing the delicious differences between a mass-produced Cheddar and a farmstead/artisanal one. This fault may have rested more with the cheeses than with me. None of the five cheeses particularly impressed the guests. If one stood out favorably, it might have been the Fiscalini.
3. I forgot to ask the guests which of the Cheddars was their favorite. What a wasted opportunity!
4. I realized that I am not yet adept at identifying different Cheddars without some visual clues or labels. When I first arrived in my "classroom," none of the cubed cheeses, which were placed in separate piles on one plate, were labeled. I panicked that I couldn't tell them apart and that I was going to mislead my guests during the tasting. I could safely distinguish the musty Keen's and the caramel-ly Le Chevre Noir, but I wasn't at all sure about the other three, Isle of Mull, Fiscalini, and Cabot (Classic Vermont, Sharp). Thank goodness some labels finally appeared and rescued me!
This evening served as an excellent opportunity for me to see what the public wants to know about Cheddar, if anything. Here's a summary of their instructive questions: how much does each cheese cost, how should the cheeses be stored and for how long, how do the properties of milk differ among breeds of cows, why do you push the cheese to the roof of your mouth when tasting it, how can you tell a supermarket Cheddar from a supermarket Jarlsberg, what role does snobism play in assessing specialty foods, how is the pH level controlled during cheesemaking and how does its level affect the final product, how will cheddaring or stirring the curd create different tasting cheeses, and when will my book about Cheddar come out.
Despite not being able to answer the above questions fully, I felt confident with the material and in control of it and for that, I am much relieved. But I've got so much more to learn and master!
I want to thank both the Princeton Club of New York for inviting me to speak and for putting on such a well-run program and the food historian Francine Segan for recommending me to the club's program director, Wanda Mann.
Posted by Diana Pittet at 10:24 PM 1 comment:
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Ivy League Cheddar
Here's a description of my upcoming talk at the Princeton Club of New York, which members are paying $18 to attend. I hope it's worth their while! So far 30 or so people have signed up.
Cheddar Strikes Back:Cheddar cheese originated modestly and long ago as a local agricultural product in Somerset, England. Over the course of 800 years, Cheddar has become the most popular cheese type in the world, and its historical connection to England forgotten or overlooked. Food historian Diana Pittet will uncover Cheddar's English origins and trace its globe-trotting travels to North America and to Australia and New Zealand. The Cheddar found in supermarkets is a far cry from the original farmstead product. This is in large part due to the industrialization of cheesemaking which began in Rome, N.Y., in 1851, and to the lack of regulations for using the name Cheddar. Unlike other world-class cheeses, its name was never protected, so almost any semi-hard, cow's milk cheese can call itself Cheddar. Luckily, small cheesemakers throughout the world are preserving or reviving the traditional way to make Cheddar. During the course of Ms. Pittet's talk, traditionally made Cheddars from around the world will be sampled.
The Rise, Fall, and Return of Traditional Cheddar
The Rise, Fall, and Return of Traditional Cheddar
Ms. Pittet has a master's in food studies from New York University and is co-chair of the program committee of the Culinary Historians of New York. Described as "cheese possessed" by the New York Times, Ms. Pittet gave up her job teaching Latin in New York City to sell English farmstead cheeses at Neal's Yard Dairy in London. She wrote about the Americanization of English Cheddar for her master's paper and has contributed to Oxford's forthcoming International Encyclopedia of Cheese.
I will be speaking about Cheddar again, but briefly and less formally, at the awesome alehouse hideaway, Jimmy's 43, on Monday, November 26, at 7:30 p.m. My former food studies classmate, Amy, is organizing a tasting of Cheddars, apples, ciders, and ales, and she asked me, along with an apple expert, to say a little something.
Posted by Diana Pittet at 4:40 PM No comments:
Friday, October 12, 2007
Cheddar Abuse
A confession: when I am not cheating on Cheddar, I am inclined to abuse it. I can be hard on the Cheddar.
My crime is storing Cheddar improperly. I am not 100 percent sure of the ideal way to store Cheddar at home--professional cheesemongers have slightly varying guidelines--but I am sure that whatever I am doing, it is wrong.
My first misstep is keeping Cheddar in the fridge, which is a hostile environment for cheese. Refrigerators are designed to suck the moisture out of everything, and this isn't good for cheese. Neal's Yard Dairy in London, where I worked for the Christmas season of 2000, recommends that semihard cheeses, like Cheddar, be stored in a cool, moist spot (not hard to come by in the UK!) like a garage or in a shoebox placed by a windowsill. I tried this once while staying with friends in London one November. They didn't have a garage, like most urban dwellers, so I put my precious stash of Somerset Cheddars outside on their windowsill, in a bag, not a shoebox. The next morning, my bag of cheeses was gone. Katie had to break the news that she and the children had spied a fox that morning, slinking atop their clerestory. She suspected that the fox had nicked my cheese. Outfoxed by a fox, I realized that I had gone too far by putting my cheeses outside on a chilly November night. From then on, I decided that the fridge, as deleterious as it may be, was the place for my cheese.
I further abuse Cheddar by storing it in plastic cling wrap. This isn't entirely bad; in fact, most cheese shops, even the good ones, use plastic wrap to wrap cuts of cheese. The plastic wrap prevents the cut surface of the cheese from drying out. But what the good cheese shops don't do is send you home with cheese wrapped in plastic. Cheesemongers wrap customers' slices of cheese in special waxed paper, like butcher paper, and then wrap the cheese they are left with in a fresh sheet of plastic. Plastic wrap isn't suitable for longterm storage. Impermeable, it doesn't allow the cheese to breathe, and it may maintain too much moisture, which can make a cheese die. Who wants dead cheese? Plastic wrap can also impart its unwanted flavor. And who wants plastic-flavored cheese? Waxed paper does the trick of allowing the cheese to breathe while maintaining a suitable amount of moisture. My problem with butcher paper is that I am disorderly, and I can't keep the paper neatly folded around my cheese. As a result, I end up exposing my cheese to the adverse environs of the fridge and the cheese hardens around the rind. Even when I did my stint as a cheesemonger, I couldn't expertly make origami-like folds with the butcher paper and therefore failed to present my customers with pretty packages of cheese.
My chief crime is that I keep the plastic cling wrap on for too long. If I didn't live alone or if I ate Cheddar at every meal, the cheese would be consumed quickly and would not succumb to the evils of longterm storage in plastic. But I do live alone and I try to eat cheese in moderation, mostly out of cheapness. Also out of cheapness, as well as mindfulness for the environment, I can't bring myself to unwrap my cheeses, throw away the plastic, and then rewrap the cheeses with plastic that I will soon throw out again. It just seems so wasteful. But what ends up being wasteful is ruining a fine piece of cheese.
I finally had to accept this contradiction (viz., by not wasting plastic, I was wasting cheese) when I returned to the States after a trip to Australia in January 2007. While in Oz, I made Cheddar at two dairies in Tasmania and bought a lot of Australian Cheddar. For two weeks, I kept my purchases in the bottom drawer of my friend's fridge in Melbourne, without changing the plastic. Cheese was on my mental back burner while I focused on the Australian Open. I would sometimes check in with my cheese, but I would just look at them admiringly; I wouldn't do anything to ascertain how they were faring. I naively hoped that they would hang in there until I got back to the States. I was wrong. When I did a cheese tasting with friends upon my return, I could tell that the flavor and textures of the cheeses had been compromised. One cheese even mysteriously picked up an unpleasant onion-y taste.
With ruined cheeses on my hands, ones that I had carried for over 10,000 miles to Queens, I vowed to follow proper cheese storage and stop the abuse. Here's my vow:
1. If I don't have access to a garage, I will keep my cheese in the produce drawer of my fridge. This is the least dry section.
2. I will keep my cheese securely wrapped in waxed cheese paper and will hone my paper-folding skills.
3. Once my waxed paper is too crinkled to fold anymore, I will loosely wrap my cheese in a light-weight plastic cling wrap. If my Cheddar has a traditional rind, I will leave it exposed to allow the cheese to breathe.
4. I will change the plastic wrap frequently, or buy only a small amount of cheese so I eat it quickly and won't have to keep it for too long in plastic.
Of course, the above procedure doesn't do you any good if your landlord accidentally opens your fridge and the door stays wide open while you are away in D.C. for a long weekend. I came back to sweaty, unhappy cheese, and I am sure I will have a frightfully high electricity bill. Talk about waste! But I suppose this is my punishment for years of Cheddar abuse.
Posted by Diana Pittet at 6:38 PM No comments:
Monday, October 8, 2007
Cheating on Cheddar
Until the autumn properly arrives and the sun's merciless heat is reduced to a lovely warm glow, I don't eat much Cheddar or even have much in my fridge. I tend to eat feta, which I buy from one of the many Greek delis in my neighborhood in Queens.
When I am sweaty and listless (like I am now, even though it's October), Cheddar seems too fatty and heavy, and its nutty sweetness too cloying. Feta, on the other hand, is refreshingly zippy and tangy. I crave it in green salads, which is often all I can face eating on humid, sticky nights. Joey Ramone may have eaten refried beans in Queens, but I want feta. It magically manages to add richness to a light salad without make it undesirably heavy. Maybe it's the salt, or the slightly lower fat content (6 grams versus 8.5 grams per oz of cheese). It's certainly feta's briny sharpness that I want as a counterpoint to the sweetness of fleshy watermelon chunks in a cooling salad of black olives, mint, tomatoes, and red onion. Too bad watermelon is now out of season even though it is still hot and uncomfortable.
Another cheese I dig during summer is fresh ricotta, the type from a deli, not a plastic container in the dairy section of a supermarket. Mark Bittman of the New York Times calls this "good" ricotta. This is the cheese I use when I want to eat something more substantial than a salad, like pasta, after a tough speed workout with my running team. Ricotta is not tangy or salty like feta, but it's light, and sometimes this is all you ask of your cheese. A favorite pasta dish with ricotta comes from one of Bittman's recipes, with fresh basil and sauteed zucchini.
Feta and ricotta are the cheeses of the Mediterranean, so it's not at all surprising that I crave them during the summer and that I avoid the cheeses of cooler northern Europe, like my beloved Cheddar. But I need to ask why Australia, a super hot country, has embraced feta but the U.S.'s own sticky South has not. Cheddar still rules down there. Think cornbread with jalapeños and Cheddar. Or grits with Cheddar. Or pimento cheese.
When is autumn finally going to come so I can happily eat Cheddar again? And stop sweating?
Posted by Diana Pittet at 11:22 PM 1 comment:
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Celebrity Cheddar
Cheddar has been in the news.
Perhaps the coverage hasn't been on the same crazed level as stories about Paris Hilton or Beckham & Posh, but a certain wheel of Cheddar has reached celebrity status and found its way into big-time, popular news outlets (e.g., AOL , Yahoo, CNN, New York Times). What helped Cheddar tick along the AP wire is a still-active Web site, courtesy of the West Country Farmhouse Cheesmakers (UK), that shows a clothbound English Cheddar maturing in real time. Despite being likened to watching paint dry, CheddarVision has captured people's attention.
I believe--and hope--that the chief reason why a moldy wheel of cheese has generated so much media coverage, and has even received fan mail, is that in this fast-food age, when we are divorced from the true source of the foods we eat, people are fascinated by seeing the slow-- excruciatingly slow--process involved in making food that isn't produced on a massive scale in a factory. It's a novelty to see slow food.
I am pleased as a mouse with cheese that a story about Cheddar has made the news. The stories certainly helped me look less like a Cheddar-crazed person! But I am shocked, too, by the comments posted on YouTube in reaction to the video. A few people are utterly convinced that the video is fake and it's a stunt. The chief reason that they think so is their misconception that all cheese has to be refrigerated or it will spoil. This is wrong. Cheddar is aged at 50 degrees F, +/- 2 degrees, or at least this is the temperature at which the master cheesemakers at Fiscalini in Modesto, Calif., age their delicious clothbound Cheddars. A fridge's temperature is much lower that that.
Other folks posting on YouTube were disgusted by the mold. I didn't realize that fears and misconceptions about mold were still so strong. I guess I shouldn't be when most people buy their Cheddar (as well as factory-farmed chicken) neatly wrapped in plastic, with no signs of its production. And I shouldn't be surprised that no one, not even the ones who tried to call people on their mold phobia, didn't realize that the mold is chiefly exterior. The mold is on the cloth that wraps the large (almost 50 lbs) wheel of cheese. When the cheese is ready to be sold, the cloth will be ripped off, along with the mold, and all that will be left (unless some mold has found its way into a fissure in the cheese and caused some bluing--the same blue as Roquefort) is the complex taste of a cheese that the mold helped create.
Posted by Diana Pittet at 6:59 PM No comments:
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Why Cheddar?
My first entry should address two questions: why Cheddar and why a blog?
If you discovered my blog because you are mad about cheese or you are an enthusiastic foodie, you must be thinking to yourself that there are plenty of other cheeses that I could or should devote a blog to. Why Cheddar, and why not a more "gourmet" cheese, like Camembert? The reason is that no other cheese has as rich and international a history as Cheddar. Cheddar has traveled the world and taken it by storm. It's the world's most popular cheese type. Camembert can't boast that. Cheddar is a jet-setter, keeping homes all around the world, just like a professional tennis player, who might own a Spanish-style villa in Florida to practice with the Williams sisters, an apartment in her hometown in Serbia to keep it real, and a residence in Monaco to avoid heavy taxes. This tennis player is so international and multilingual that one easily forgets where she's from. Likewise, Cheddar has so comfortably incorporated itself into the cuisines of the Anglophone world (chiefly, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the British Isles) that people forget its country of origin—England—and claim Cheddar as their own. Case in point, my friend who writes a wonderfully insightful and humorous blog from Berlin, lists Cheddar as one of the basic American foods that she misses in her new hometown. (I am sure she knows that Cheddar is English—she knows a lot about food. The point is that she regards the English cheese as fully American.) It's almost like an English woman in Berlin yearning for French Camembert.
So, why pollute cyberspace with another blog? Well, I want people to know about Cheddar's obscured history and to know more generally about how the foods we eat end up on our forks. The more we know about the food we eat, the wiser and healthier we are. And, from a more selfish point of view, Cheddar allows me to travel the world, from Tasmania to Modesto, Calif., and take you with me.
Posted by Diana Pittet at 10:01 AM 7 comments:
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The TARDIS lands on 2 Jan 1562, a couple of miles outside of Chesham (in the same location as the previous landing), in a wooded area with a trail leading about a half-mile down to a tiny house with a man chopping wood. The group approaches the man, who introduces himself as Will Scarlett. Will tells them that the Bishop is due to preach at St. Mary's Church in Chesham on Sunday, so the group walks into town. They find that a number of carts are setting up for a market day.
Jodana Kelzor approaches a farmer selling beets and offers his Dalek eyestalk for one of the beets. Ian Fleming quickly pulls the eyestalk behind his back, as he doesn't want to introduce the technology into this relatively primitive society, and offers one of his Chesterfields instead. They walk away with two beets, leaving the farmer coughing, and wondering if the farmer is being affected more by the nicotine or by light-headedness from coughing so much.
Al Capone visits St. Mary's Church and meets the verger, Mark Anderson, who is scrubbing the floor of the sanctuary in preparation for the bishop's visit. He discreetly inquires about the date, and the verger tells him it is "Friday, the second day of January, in the year of our Lord 1562." So now the groups knows they have two days before the bishop's visitation to the church.
Meanwhile, Sun Tzu realizes the need for local currency and picks a coin purse from one of the vendors. He then sees a boy a few carts down, doing the same thing, and chases him down. This draws the attention of Cali Armstrong, who inquires what is going on. Before too much of a scene is made, the group pulls the boy into the Sheep's Head inn and pub. Sun retrieves the pouch the boy had stolen and gives most of those coins to Ian, who takes them out to their rightful owner, who had begun searching for his purse. Sun and the boy, Timothy, come to an arrangement: Timothy and his friends will keep an eye out for the unusual, and "the Capone organization" will take care of them. (Ian is particularly dismayed to find the name of Capone making waves in this era.)
Later that day, Jodana visits St. Mary's Church and talks with the verger. The verger tells him that all the church's books were confiscated by the royal library during the Reformation (in connection with the Dissolution of the Monasteries, under King Henry VIII). Jodana appeals to him as a kindred spirit in his role as Librarian, and the verger eventually reveals that two cases of books were secreted away in the basement, the closest thing in Chesham to a library. Jodana spends the rest of the day in this library, scanning all the books into his Datapad. He eventually finds a Bible with extensive margin notes (including one instance of "Bad Wolf"). In the Revelation to John, Jodana finds some interesting notes (specifically, in the margin next to Revelation 6:1) that talk of a falling star on Epiphany, and below that, "Where there is one, you'll find others."
3 Jan 1562
The group spends most of the next day wandering about town and waiting for something to happen, though they consider (and reject) the idea of walking up toward St. Albans, where the bishop was to preach that morning, and meeting him on the road to Chesham. Instead, they decide to wait in a familiar setting.
Later that day, the bishop's carriage arrives, and Sun Tzu climbs up to the roof of the inn to get a better view. He and Cali notice that one of the mounted guards is trying to keep his distance ("riding casual") from the carriage and is ready to take off. Cali scans and detects a 51st-century explosive device on the bottom of the bishop's carriage, but she is able to disarm it easily with her Sonic. At the same time, Sun and Ian leap into action; Sun dismounts the roof quickly (without harm from the controlled drop, thanks to his natural toughness) and throws his sword at a nearby tree to spook the horse, which throws the rider, and Ian jumps on him. Sun and Ian knock the man out and drag him into a vacant room of the inn to interrogate him. Cali finds and confiscates the man's Vortex Manipulator, and finds the last "origin" coordinates as Detroit, 30 July 1975.
During the interrogation, the man introduces himself as Michael O'Bannon, a Time Agent. He claims to be here to stop an invasion by killing the bishop (and most of the town), but is vague about the nature of the invasion and claims to know little about it himself aside from the fact that it will cause the destruction of humanity. He then seems to revel in his fate, attempting to goad the group into making a mistake that will allow him to escape, going so far as to taunt Jodana by telling him, "The Bounty Hunter from the Library said 'Hello'." The taunt throws Jodana off balance enough that Jodana strikes him, but Cali regains control of the situation and sees through the tactic.
After discussing what to do with O'Bannon, Cali and Jodana come up with an idea to use the Vortex Manipulator to call the Time Agency to see if they can pick him up. Cali connects the Vortex Manipulator with Jodana's Datapad and contacts Time Agent Jonathan Klaus, who agrees to pick up O'Bannon and to grant Jodana access to the Time Agency's library. Thirty seconds later, there is a knock at the door, and Klaus is there to pick up O'Bannon. Cali disconnects the Vortex Manipulator and implants a tracking program in it so she can track it with the TARDIS sensors, then gives O'Bannon and his Vortex Manipulator to Klaus. Klaus and O'Bannon then vanish in a flash of light.
Next time: The Bishop and the Prophecy.


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It was an exciting match, even with things turning rowdy right at the end. Showdowns between these two Spanish giants have a tendency to end in drama. That tempers ran high was no shock since Pepe had been committing fouls throughout the entire match. The catalyst was a lousy and unnecessary tackle on Fabregas by Marcelo in injury time - he deserved the straight red. Then all hell broke loose. For some unknown reason, Ozil became really agitated (it was a fair call by the referee, so it must have been something else). Then Mourinho went to poke an official on the Barcelona side - like what the hell. Everyone was shoving and shouting at everyone else. The referee was flashing red cards left, right and centre - Marcelo, Ozil and Villa got red carded (the latter two had both already been subbed out!), although Villa didn't do anything as far as the camera showed.
9 yellow cards and 3 red cards - exactly two thirds of which were earned by the Real Madrid side. They can be rather sore losers. Whatever happened to sportsmanship? I really hate it when I stay up to watch a Spanish match (they're always at ungodly hours of 4 or 5a.m.), and have to watch such scenes. Other than that, Fabregas played well - a title in his debut match is definitely a golden start. And Messi. I love Messi. Talented player and straight as an arrow. He is hands down my favourite player, and even though the headline "Messi wins Super Cup" is definitely true with his 2 goals and 1 assist, it is after all a team game. "Barcelona wins Super Cup" would have been more appropriate, I think.
Looking forward to another great season ahead for Barcelona!


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Bail-bond companies can intervene in a San Francisco case and defend the law requiring newly arrested defendants to post bail, a law that the city and state have refused to defend, a federal judge has ruled.
Shaking down poor people is what these companies do.
The suit contends the California law, as applied in San Francisco, discriminates against the poor by keeping them in jail while wealthier people charged with the same crimes go free.
Previous requests by the California Bail Agents Association to enter the case had been rejected by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of Oakland, who said San Francisco and the state attorney general's office could defend the law.
Gonzalez Rogers reconsidered after City Attorney Dennis Herrera and then-Attorney General Kamala Harris said they considered the bail system unfair to the poor and would not defend it.
The suit challenges the law's requirement that a defendant pay monetary bail, or the nonrefundable 10 percent fee charged by bail-bond companies, to be released after arrest.
Defendants who can't afford bail remain in jail.
Read the whole story in the San Francisco Chronicle


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This is a perfect hot cereal for folks who are allergic to wheat. This breakfast cereal is freshly milled and is complete. It contains all the health giving nutrients of the grain, the germ, the oil and the fiber. Free of preservatives and chemical additives. Keeps best refrigerated or frozen.
INGREDIENTS: Freshly Milled Whole Grain Oats, Brown Rice, Corn, Soybeans, Millet, Barley, Sunflower Seeds, Flax Seeds, Raisins, Cinnamon.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1/2 cup (40 g) dry
Nutrient Amount %DV
Calories 190
Calories from Fat 30
Total Fat 3 g 5%
Saturated Fat 1 g 5%
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 5 mg 0%
Total Carbohydrates 35 g 12%
Dietary Fiber 4 g 16%
Sugars 3 g
Protein 6 g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 4%
Iron 8%
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Well, as you all know, Gym Ninja has been resting up, or 'De-Loading' (which is what a period of planned rest from the gym/fitness regime is called) for about a week. It can be hard to do when you love training, yet there are many benefits (not just those related to tattoo healing!). You come back well rested and this in turn allows the body to go on to become stronger, leaner, faster, or whatever it is your particular goals may be? Sounds wonderful to a non-addict. Rest up and don't exercise and you get fitter? Well, yes, but you need to be in a regular routine in order to see a benefit. Those Couch Potatoes aren't just biding their time until the Olympics you know!
However a downside is that if you, like Gym Ninja, are an endorphin junkie and miss the high, post workout, or if you, like Gym Ninja, use the gym as a way of releasing stress, then you really DO get cranky when you cannot train. Gym Ninja's last workout had been Monday of last week. By Sunday Gym Ninja was bouncing off the walls......to the point where enough was enough. It was time to work out a way of getting some cardio in that wouldn't affect the tattoo healing yet would save millions of innocent yet annoying people from the wrath of a non-training Ninja. What did Gym Ninja come up with? Skipping. Or Jump Rope to you Yanks. Yep, if Gym Ninja did some skipping in the privacy of her own home, this would mean she would merrily box off a cardio session sans workout wear. The lycra would rub on the tattoo you see....so Sunday, that HOLY day of the week, saw Gym Ninja in nowt but her underwear skipping for 30 minutes in her lounge.
Despite curdling all of your brains with that image, the PLUS side was that Gym Ninja got her endorphin hit. So today, Monday, saw another sneaky workout but this time for the upper body. Weights! Mmmm, how Gym Ninja loves her weight training.........
But what did Gym Ninja see when she went to the gym? Dear GOD! Has it become some sort of child play area since she was here last? Now at the gym Gym Ninja trains at, are lockers that you use with your own padlock. All of the lockers are individually numbered. Not that you need bother to memorise the number as usually you kind of DO recall the area you stuffed your clothes in. Occasionally you may stuff your key into someone elses lock, but you're usually only 1 or 2 doors down from the right one. So WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY do people need to have something like THIS attached to their padlock????
So an individually numbered locker isn't enough for you? You actually require a toy dog hanging off your padlock in order to remember where your clothes are? Your memory is THAT bad?
Gym Ninja turned away and went to another area of the changing rooms. Somewhere a little less 'childish'.
SERIOUSLY? What the hell is this?
A horrid evil looking floppy butterfly? Who'd even WANT other people to know that this was your locker and floppy butterfly? Look at it's freaky antenna. Euurh. It was no good, Gym Ninja couldn't get changed here. This is worse than the dog. Right, there's no other thing for it....to the far side of the locker room.....
As Gym Ninja rounded the corner, the sight that filled her eyes was hideous.... Not content with a toy dog. NOT content with a floppy butterfly. Some gym user had gone one stage further in the memory-nudging locker technique.....THIS ladies & gentleman, met Gym Ninja's eyes.....
WHERE The HELL do you even BUY one of these? Who buys an ET keyring? WHO buys ET wearing a hoodie??????????????????? Is this some sort of sick joke?
Gym Ninja almost had her workout ruined because of Cuddly Toysville. Had Gym Ninja not partaken in semi-naked jump rope the day before then quite possibly lives would have been lost. People. GET A GRIP! Memorise the number of your locker. It's not hard. if you don't then Gym Ninja will personally go out and buy identical toys and hang them on the lock a few doors away from yours. THEN what use is it? Huh? You go back to the changing rom and there are 17 ETs all in a row. Buggered! Now GET BACK to remembering the number and dispense with these silly silly things.
Needless to say, the gym session went well as GN had much anger to vent thanks to Cuddly Toysville. Basic compound moves and a few isolation moves to finish with and Gym Ninja was rewarded with quite a good post-workout pump. Good stuff!
So, there is your cobbled together gym based blog post. There would have been more to the actual workout part yet Gym Ninja was too enraged with the kerings to remember what else had occurred. Hmmm, wait. Maybe these things ARE useful as a memory aid? Gym Ninja could hang them off every person she wanted to blog about......?
Right, enough is enough of this silly blog post today. Get back here tomorrow. There may well be a piece on motivation and hot buttons if you're good.....
Toodle pip
Gym Ninja x


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|2014-10-24 click for more
24/10/2014 Whanganui – Ohingaiti
|A lift up the longest earthbound elevator in the Southern
hemisphere with the bikes was a good start (65m up) no sweat!
We had very variable weather today. Light rain, torrential downpours, drizzle, hail and on the mountain snow. So it was a wet story. Luckily we didn't have too far to go to get to Hunterville our destination. We decided to skip our usual road side stop for brunch on account of it being so cold and wet and pushed on to the motel/takeaway. Unfortunately for us there was a big wedding on and every bed in town was booked. But the lady in the take away cafe,in typical Kiwi fashion came to the rescue and sorted us out in an old pub on the State Highway 1. Luckily it only 15 km further and there was a big shoulder to cycle on because there was a lot of bank holiday traffic. Lots of vehicles towing big boats on the way to Lake Taupo. The pub was adequate. Once upon a time it must have been quite a busy place with a big bar and lots of rooms. Tonight we were the only guests staying with a few interesting locals in the bar to talk to.
|There would have been a sea view from here on a clear day.


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Education Pioneers, a national nonprofit that attracts, prepares and connects talented leaders and managers to accelerate excellence in education, announced today that it has received a three-year, $2.1 million investment from the Walton Family Foundation.
The Walton Family Foundation grant will support Education Pioneers' work to attract and prepare 300 new leaders through its flagship Graduate School Fellowship to transform education and increase opportunities for thousands of underserved students and their families.
"Our investments are driven by the benefits of empowering parents with publicly funded educational choices and providing access to high-quality schools for their children," said Ed Kirby,Senior Program Officer for the Walton Family Foundation's K-12 Education Reform Focus Area. "We support Education Pioneers in their efforts to attract and develop top leadership and management talent, which is integral to expanding educational options for parents, particularly in low-income communities, and transforming public education in our country."
Additionally, with this investment, the Walton Family Foundation has become a lead partner to accelerate Education Pioneers' long-term impact in education by advancing new work to launch Education Pioneers' 1,200 Fellowship alumni into full-time leadership and management roles where they can drive the most impact for students.
"We are thrilled to partner with the Walton Family Foundation to advance our work to transform the education sector through much needed leadership and management talent," said Scott Morgan, Founder and CEO of Education Pioneers. "The Foundation's investment will enable us to bring 300 more talented leaders into education and advance our shared goal to provide all students with a high-quality education."
Founded in 2003, Education Pioneers has introduced more than 1,200 leaders into education to make immediate impacts during Education Pioneers' leadership development Fellowships, and has supported them to launch high-impact careers in the sector. Over the next three years, Education Pioneers plans to double the size of its Fellowship programs and attract and develop over 1,500 new leaders and managers to transform the education sector.
About the Walton Family Foundation
Driven by the urgent need to dramatically raise student achievement, particularly in low-income neighborhoods, the Walton Family Foundation has invested more than $1 billion to date to initiatives that expand parental choice and equal opportunity in education. Empowering parents to choose quality schools, regardless of type – traditional public, private or public charter school – will help spur the bold transformation of our national K-12 system of public education. Our nation's children will only reach their potential in today's global economy by having access to a high-quality, publicly-funded education.
Visit the foundation at www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org.
About Education Pioneers
Education Pioneers mobilizes and prepares a national network of talented leaders and managers to accelerate excellence in education and transform our education system into one that equips all students with the skills they need to thrive in college, career, and life. Through the organization's Fellowship and Alumni programs, Education Pioneers increases the talent supply of top leaders in education to improve the leadership capacity in key education organizations – such as school districts, charter school organizations, and nonprofits – and to advance our goal to make education the best led and managed sector in the U.S. economy.
Visit Education Pioneers at www.educationpioneers.org.