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Pit Bull Growlers And Black Rock Wheels - Grab And Bite
Radial Pit Bull Growlers And Black Rock rims
Related Video
In the time of radial tires, the Pit Bull Tire Company has come to be famous for an aggressive line of bias-ply tires that work great off-road. Coming from such an aggressive lineage, we tested these Growlers like we would any other mud tire-we broke them in for 1,000 miles on-road, and then took them in the dirt to pound on them and make them yelp for mercy.
In fact, it wasn't until we came in off the trail and sat down to write this story that we realized Pit Bull actually classifies this tire as and all-terrain. All along we were treating it and comparing it to other mud tires, and it stacked up rather well.
We got our hands on some 31x10.50R15 Growlers and mounted them on a set of matte black Viper wheels from Black Rock Wheels to put both tire and wheel through their paces.
How They Work
Let's start with the wheels: the Viper wheel is just a cool-looking rim in the popular five-spoke design, and we are happy to say it spins true on the balancer, with all five rims (without tires) coming up as needing no weight, unlike some aftermarket rims. After some high-speed gravel attacks that would have taken paint off our old steel wheels, these still looked good and they give us just the right look without breaking the bank.
Now, the Growlers that wrapped around those rims, true to their heritage, work very well off-road. We've had problems in the past with directional tires getting us into the mud, but not being able to back out and to this day are always a bit leery of directional tread in mud situations. So, after airing down to 10psi, we went into the first few mud holes with some trepidation. We are happy to say that the tread clears out well, whether going forward or backward, and we were able to back out of any hole we were able to drive in, until we were buried to the axles.
In sand, there is a bit of a tendency to dig. It isn't horrible and driving like you should in sand (slowly off the clutch, no sudden acceleration from a stop) produced good results. If we tried to launch the Jeep from a standing start, we got mixed results depending on just how loose the sand was: sometimes we'd get going with no problem, sometimes the Jeep would dig down a bit and then start going, resulting in lots of roost, and a couple times it dug down to the axles before building any momentum. When it dug down, on a hill we were able to get out by going downhill, but on level ground, we needed a tug.
In the rocks, at 10psi, these things stuck like glue. The carcass wraps around and envelopes the rocks with ease, while the many lugs and somewhat softer rubber combine to really grip and propel the Jeep up obstacles. Anything with rocks was no problem, the only time we ran into issues was when it was a steep climb with loose dirt, almost like talcum powder at the bottom, and we just couldn't get up and had to take a strap. However, on a trail run, there was a rockclimb immediately after a water crossing that we got up faster, due to not having to "heat up" the tires as much-again that softer compound and tread blocks working together.
Unlike its bias-ply sibling, this Growler has a flat tread and a larger contact patch with the road, so we expected great on-road manners. It spun smoothly on the road, with no lug slap to be noticed, and behaved fine in rain. We couldn't find any standing water to mess with hydroplaning, but quick starts and quick stops were not dramatic. However, compared to the radials we had on the Jeep before, we could feel the extra squirm of the tire under the Jeep and on twisty mountain roads, we had to slow down from the speeds we were able to comfortably do with other tires.
Bottom Line
Knowing what we know now, we have to say these are hands-down the most aggressive all-terrains we've ever tested, and, as such, likely work the best off-road of any all-terrain we've run across. Really, the tire acts more like a mud tire than an all-terrain. They are louder on-road than any other all-terrain (but quieter than many mud tires), and if you are looking to carve corners at speed they might not be for you (but then, neither would a lifted Jeep). We had the tires mounted at Northridge Tire Pros, and as we stated, the rims spun true on their own, needing no weight, but on average the tires required between 3 and 4 ounces to balance, which is on the high side of normal for a modern 31-inch radial tire.
Overall, it's a good all-around tire for the Jeep owner whose main priority is off-road traction.
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UK CBD regulator the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has changed its approach to Novel Food compliance – just weeks before its deadline as it struggles to cope with the number of applications.
In February last year the FSA told the CBD industry that to stay on the UK market they needed to have their applications for Novel Food products Validated by March 31, 2020.
An FSA statement published yesterday highlighted how it had changed this position and would now accept applications until March 31.
It also 'shifted the goalposts' by saying it will allow applications it would have previously regarded as sub-standard to remain on the market until these applications have set out 'robust plans to provide any necessary information'.
FSA 'Struggling To Cope'
Many in the industry have been left aghast at the change in position after spending hundreds of thousands of pounds aligning with the FSA's initial guidance.
However, there will be some in the industry who will welcome this move as it allows them time to align with the requirements, but for many diligent market participants, closely aligned to the FSA's previous guidance, it is being taken as a low blow.
It appears that the FSA is struggling to cope with the number and quality of applications, despite significantly boosting the number of staff assigned to the task.
BusinessCann recently reported that 138 – over one-third – of the 404 applications it had received by the end of February 'have been assessed and not passed the Admin check'.
The FSA still had a further 227 to consider and with more applications pouring in every day it appears to be struggling to cope.
Yesterday's change of stance was announced as following: "The FSA will also publish a list of products associated with applications which have not yet fully met the legal requirements to be validated but have set out sufficiently robust plans to prove they are fully committed to delivering the remaining information required.
"This will include evidence of plans to complete the risk assessment process, with a clear deadline for submission of the outstanding information."
Moving The Goalposts
Steve Oliver, of The Canna Consultants, which has submitted applications on behalf of almost a dozen of its clients said: "With today's announcement we would suggest that the FSA have significantly moved the goalposts after the start of the match.
"The question is why they didn't listen to the industry and begin with the 'submitted by March 31' suggestion we made to them 12 months ago.
" They have now placed themselves under under-pressure, post-Brexit with the 'validated by March 31' only to then change it and create a further category of application to cover their failings with only weeks to go. Are the FSA 'making it up as they go along'?
Greer Deal, a Director at Global Regulatory Services, told BusinessCann: "Food Standards Agency this is not fair on the CBD Industry and those of us who have 'busted a gut' to support companies in order to submit their applications in time for validation by March 31, 2021.
"I have always supported regulators because I know they have a tough job to do but, in this instance, it's difficult to remain supportive when confusion and moving of the goalposts is caused by the regulator themselves."
In a statement to BusinessCann the FSA said: "We will publish a list of products associated with applications which have not yet fully met the legal requirements to be validated but have set out sufficiently robust plans to prove they are fully committed to delivering the remaining information required.
"This will include evidence of work underway to gather the outstanding information, which is considered to be of good quality, and a clear and proportionate deadline for submission of the evidence.
"Failure to submit the remaining evidence in a timely fashion will result in the relevant products being removed from any published list."
Three Stages To The Novel Food Process
The first is the Administrative check, to ensure all the required documentation is in place, the second is Validation; ensuring it matches the requirements, including details on safety and toxicology and finally Authorisation.
The Authorisation process can take a further year and once complete allows products to be sold in the UK.

subset: commoncrawl


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In addition to its history of labor violations, Forever 21 has been sued more than 50 times for allegedly stealing the work of other designers and passing it off as their own. Despite this long legal history, Forever 21 continues to get away with it: The chain has never lost one of these cases in court.
(Only once, in a case brought by the label Trovata, did the dispute even result in a trial. That ended in a hung jury; a lone holdout took the chain's side. Forever 21 settled on the eve of the retrial.)
Left: An Anna Sui dress on the runway. Right: Forever 21's version. Sui was copied by Forever 21 more than 20 times before she took legal action.
Forever 21 has copied everyone, from big brands like Anna Sui and Diane von Furstenberg to smaller, independent designers like Trovata, Foley + Corinna, and 3.1 Phillip Lim. The chain has most recently been sued by Feral Childe, a fashion label run by a pair of friends named Moriah Carlson and Alice Wu, for producing clothing out of a printed fabric that looks virtually identical to one of Carlson and Wu's original prints.
Wu and Carlson say it can take months to develop just one of their textile prints. "We look for inspiration outside of fashion or textiles," they wrote in an email interview. The two share a fine arts background; they met when they were both hired to wash eggshells for an art installation. "Ideas often start with historical images, paintings, scientific illustrations, our travels or things in our everyday environment. The actual creative process consists of the two of us sitting side by side drawing and painting together, cutting up and gluing down pieces to make collages, and improvising printmaking techniques." They say that producing their own prints is "much more expensive" than buying ready-made fabrics, but they see original prints as intrinsic to their brand. "We always try to invent something we haven't seen before." Although technically copyright protection extends to any original textile print created in the U.S., registered or no, Feral Childe takes the extra step of registering each of its prints with the Copyright Office. (The process costs about $40 and can be done without the aid of a lawyer.)
Left: A Betsey Johnson dress in a print designed by Carole Hochman. Right: Forever 21's "interpretation."
The thing is, textile prints are subject to copyright. A garment's overall design is not. "At first it boggled my mind that Forever 21 wouldn't steal the unprotected garment design, but would steal the protected fabric print," says Fordham University law professor and fashion legal expert Susan Scafidi. "Because as a legal strategy, that is a complete inversion — it makes no sense. If you're going to steal, steal the things that aren't legally protected."
Top: Feral Childe's print. Bottom: Forever 21's.
I asked if Wu and Carlson were surprised that Forever 21 apparently duplicated their print, which they named "Teepees," given that if the company had copied one of the garments the print was on, the chain would have been on much more sound legal, if not ethical, ground. "We were surprised to be copied at all, because we make what might be considered a very niche product in both print design and silhouette," the designers wrote back. "We were particularly astonished by the choice of Teepees since it is so idiosyncratic and signature Feral Childe. We like to play hidden pictures with our prints and silhouettes and there are teepees, crowns, and pennants in the print that may not be apparent at first glance." Teepees, crowns, and pennants which all appear in the exact same configurations in Forever 21's print, too.
"Fabric prints weren't always copyrightable," says Scafidi. A court decision in the 1920s held that prints weren't subject to copyright, "but in the 1950s, the Copyright Office was expanding its scope of coverage, and one of the realizations it made was that paint on canvas or ink on paper is not that different from dye on fabric when you analyze it from a graphic perspective." Ever since, textile prints and lace patterns have been copyright. (Of course, a lot of designs are in the public domain, including basic prints like stripes, many plaids, ginghams, and houndstooth checks.)
The effect of copyright has been largely positive for the textile industry. "It's helpful for designers who have an interest in using prints, and the wherewithal to create their own prints, to get some protection," says Scafidi. "Because they can't for their clothing designs, but they can at least for their textiles."
Left: A Diane von Furstenberg dress. Right: You get the idea.
Scafidi characterized Wu and Carlson's case as very strong: "My money's on Feral Childe for this one." Forever 21's print looks like it could be a photocopy of the original design — "when you get close," says Scafidi, "and you start looking at the cross-hatch marks, and the details, it really is very identical." "We're confident in our attorneys," wrote Wu and Carlson. Attorneys, they point out, who have successfully represented plaintiffs in other textile design copyright infringement cases.
Nonetheless, "It would surprise me if this case were to go all the way to trial," says Scafidi, because Forever 21 has a big incentive to settle. Because Feral Childe registered "Teepees," that would — in the event of a trial victory — entitle them to not only actual damages, but attorneys' fees and punitive damages as well. Forever 21 has no interest in seeing that happen, and it has deep pockets with which to buy off plaintiffs. (The chain is worth around $3 billion and has 440 stores worldwide.)
Left: A Foley + Corinna dress. Right: The Forever 21 dress.
At first, said Scafidi, she was confused by Forever 21's tendency to get sued again and again over the same issues with taking other people's intellectual property. "But then over time I realized that they've been caught so many times, they've been publicly exposed so many times, they've even been sued — although many fewer times, because all they do is settle — and the lightbulb went off: this is just part of their business strategy. They go ahead and they take what they want, and when they get caught, they pay up. It's probably cheaper than licensing it in the first place." Forever 21 did not respond to requests for comment.
Scafidi has spoken with many attorneys over the years who have pursued Forever 21 for copying their designer clients' original works, and says that the company's response is methodical, even phlegmatic. "It's not as though their attorneys are surprised and shocked that their client has been caught copying."
When Forever 21 settles a dispute over copying — which, again, the company has done more than 50 times in its 27 years of existence — it typically includes a non-admission of guilt, financial compensation to the designer whose work was copied, and a confidentiality agreement.
Left: A dress by 3.1 Phillip Lim. Right: Guess who!
Forever 21 continues to copy because copying a dress design — even copying a dress design clearly made first by someone else, even copying a dress with stitch-by-stitch exactness — isn't in and of itself illegal in the U.S. "Because the law has been so reluctant to focus on fashion specifically as an appropriate subject for protection, has been so reluctant to acknowledge fashion as a creative medium, we — and by 'we' I mean the legal profession — have been called on to pull and stretch other areas of intellectual property to cover bits of fashion," Scafidi explained. "So trademark can be stretched to cover the label. Trade dress, a subset of trademark, stretched a little further to cover very iconic designs. Copyright pulled in to cover jewelry and to cover fabric prints, jewelry because it is like a little mini sculpture and not merely a useful article. Occasionally, patent pulled in to protect functional elements, like Velcro, or a zipper...So intellectual property sort of stretches these bits to cover parts of fashion, leaving most of fashion naked and exposed. Which is why the need for the additional law, to finally say, Look, we can cover the core as well. We can cover the central aspect of any garment, and that is its actual design, if it is indeed innovative."
Scafidi consulted on the development of one such bill, supported by New York senator Chuck Schumer as well as fashion and retail trade groups, which is currently under consideration in the House.
Top: A row of shirts made by Forever 21. Bottom: A row of shirts by the fashion label Trovata. These shirts were at the crux of a lengthy legal dispute between Trovata and Forever 21, to date the only time the California chain has had to face a jury in a knockoff case.
Forever 21's main competitors — retailers that share a business model built on selling rapidly mass-produced runway-inspired stock, like H&M, Zara, and Topshop — don't knock off designers' works with anything close to Forever 21's avidity, Scafidi pointed out. "They're based in Europe," she explained, where copyright protection does extend to clothing designs. This, she argues, is better for the consumer, because anyone interested in, say, "those white blazers that were all over Stella McCartney's runway last season" or "those Prada stripes" can choose between H&M's interpretation, Zara's version, and Topshop's. Making chains unable to just rip off an existing garment exactly forces them to be creative about it.
Today in the Guardian, Do Won Chang, the co-founder of Forever 21 offered his take on why his company is so prone to lawsuits such as Feral Childe's. Its his vendors' fault, you see:
I have in the past overly trusted people and was, in turn, let down by some. Since then I have learned the difference between putting faith into people and blindly trusting them.
Maybe he should have a talk with his daughter, Forever 21 marketing executive Linda Chang so they can co-ordinate their messages, because in the same news story, Linda seemed to deny any lawsuits had ever taken place:
"We've never settled," she says of the label's lawsuits, making unquivering eye contact.
There's a first time for everything. Or a fifty-first.
Earlier: Forever 21 Gets Sued For Copying — Again
Feral Childe [Official Site]
Counterfeit Chic [Susan Scafidi's blog]
Anna Sui image via; Betsey Johnson image via; Feral Childe print image via; DVF image via; Foley + Corinna image via; 3.1 Phillip Lim image via; T-bags image via; Trovata image via.


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Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Inside-Out Grilled Cheese Sandwich – Warning: This Video May Give You the Munchies
You know how once in a while you run across a slice of pizza where some of the cheese has dripped over the edge and caramelized onto the bottom of the crust? You know how when you bite into that delicious deformity you think to yourself, "why can't the whole thing be like this?" It can.
Make sure you follow some basic rules for this to work properly. Only use airy, nutritionally insignificant white bread. Use a nice sharp cheddar, and be sure to use a quality non-stick pan over medium to medium-low heat.
Well, it's almost 4:20, and I have to run to an appointment, but I really hope you give…. shoot, I just lost my train of thought. Dude, where are my keys? Anyway, enjoy!
63 comments:
- Chargeorge said...
My wife has an unholy love of burnt cheese. I'm making this for her asap.
Put a few kosher dill's (full sour!) on the side, and she'll be in heaven.
- May 5, 2010 at 2:49 PM
- red | hongyi said...
oh yummy YUMMY! I just had my dinner and now I want to get my hands on those! Maybe I should just sleep and have it for breakfast tomorrow.
Coincidentally, my mum was blogging about a cheese sandwich recipe she found at Saveur. Do check it out ;) it's hungerhunger.blogspot.com
ps: I LOVE your blog! I'm gonna make that Yan Yan pasta you posted a while ago this weekend!
- May 5, 2010 at 3:04 PM
- Chris K. said...
Don't bogart the tomato soup, brah.
- May 5, 2010 at 3:11 PM
- Jesse from Detroit said...
Love the 'inspired' cuisine!(Great sound effect, btw.)
- May 5, 2010 at 3:54 PM
My eternal wisdom for grilled cheese.
- May 5, 2010 at 4:32 PM
- Noelle said...
This is one of those recipes that you think "why didn't I think of that?" WHY didn't I think of that?? Man that looks good!
- May 5, 2010 at 5:18 PM
- Amy Lynn said...
That looks great. Needs bacon. :)
- May 5, 2010 at 5:25 PM
Funny blog, We used to see who could make the best grilled cheese sandwich on a flat top in the wee hours of the morning. I think we were striving for that kind of perfection.
- May 5, 2010 at 5:40 PM
Not sure if I'm breaking a cardinal rule of grilled cheese, but what other cheeses could one use to get similar crustification on the outside? Something that won't burn or just stay goopy.
- May 5, 2010 at 7:57 PM
- Chef John said...
any similar style of cheese works, gruyere, gouda, jack, etc., parmesan also works, but can be too intense.
- May 5, 2010 at 8:13 PM
- Unknown said...
Don't forget to use salted butter in the pan...adds so much more flavor! I also usually cover the pan a little to melt the cheese a little faster.
- May 5, 2010 at 8:26 PM
- Chef John said...
actually i say unsalted for this is better (and for everything else for that matter)
The cheese is salty enough, and frying it makes it even more so.
- May 5, 2010 at 8:30 PM
- Micah - Coffee machine said...
I agree, it would be great to use unsalted butter... Anyway, i love this recipe coz i love cheese!
- May 5, 2010 at 8:57 PM
Hey isn't there some new law that California chefs supposed to start including Nutritional Info on all your dishes?
- May 5, 2010 at 9:44 PM
- Lindsay said...
You really think the pot legalization will go through, eh? I hope so, but not because I smoke pot or anything...
Excuse me, I need to go make myself a grilled cheese.
- May 5, 2010 at 9:52 PM
- PukaDog said...
It's instructional videos like this one that make Food Wishes among the best offerings in cyberspace. Time for a midnight snack!
- May 6, 2010 at 12:27 AM
- Razors Edge said...
Will try this tonight using Alton Brown's double-skillet method :-)
- May 6, 2010 at 12:54 AM
Well, Chef John, now you've really stepped in it.
You my good sir may have stirred the giant. The giant lurker that has slept soundly next to me in my bed for all of these years. That watches every one of your videos. A giant lurker that, until now, hung on your every pronunciation of the word "distribute". But, oh no, I'm afraid you've really gone and done it. You've woken the dragon that many in my house, mostly under the age of 6, call affectionately "Mommy."
I'd like to now reproduce the speech that Colonel Sam Trautman gave when he warned the lowly undermanned sheriff's dept. in a little movie called Rambo... but I forget what he said. Anyway...
Begad, you've thrown down the gauntlet. And sure she'll test your insolent attempt at what appears to be -how did you put it?- a "grilled cheese sandwich,"... but I can tell you Mommy won't be happy. Oh no.
Pistols at dawn! And may god have mercy on your soul...
Scott - Boston
- May 6, 2010 at 1:52 AM
- Chef John said...
wow, my first duel challenge! cool!
- May 6, 2010 at 2:50 AM
Circa 420: In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. - Carl Sagan
- May 6, 2010 at 6:06 AM
Hey, what about slices of a juicy tomato inserted into the sandwich after cooking? Dipped in tomato soup ... a great snack or lunch!
- May 6, 2010 at 9:36 AM
- Unknown said...
YUMMMMMM... My hubby was BORN on 4/20 -- They have parties all over California in his honor on his birthday!;-) We are having this for Dinner tonight! My Grilled cheese have always been good but I know this will be better. We put butter on the inside too -- just to add a few extra calories & FAT! Thanks for this one!!!! Lindy
- May 6, 2010 at 5:36 PM
It never dawned on me to cheese the outside. That is so going to happen when I get home from work tomorrow! Like gardnerG, I love a thick sliced tomato on my grilled cheese! I have one question for him/her... AFTER you make it? Kinda hard to pry it apart at that point, don't you think?
Chef, how do you think this recipe would work with the homemade cheese from your previous video?
P.S. Just throwing my vote in for the unsalted butter. Butter is the secret to life.
- May 7, 2010 at 12:25 AM
- Chef John said...
that cheese isn't a melting cheese, so I say not a good idea, but who knows, some may like it!
- May 7, 2010 at 4:28 AM
- Unknown said...
I would love to try this with the horseradish cheddar I picked up not to long ago. Mmmm.
- May 7, 2010 at 3:03 PM
- Lhinelle said...
I am now converted. Thank you, Chef John, for opening my eyes to the joys of crispy on the outside, melty on the inside, double cheese grilled sandwich.
- May 8, 2010 at 2:40 PM
I applaud you sir, for pointing out another stepping stone in the path to Nirvana. My son will be thanking you all the moreso, when I get to make this for him.
- May 8, 2010 at 3:28 PM
- Unknown said...
I just tried it. Best thing grilled cheese I've ever had in my life. With this simply simple idea you have sparked a college freshmen's interest in the culinary arts!
- May 10, 2010 at 12:17 AM
- Unknown said...
Hi chef John,
That does look delicious, however I think you made one slight error in the process though. The bread should be cut diagonally for the perfect sandwich. Other than that, nomnomonom!
- May 12, 2010 at 9:53 AM
- Unknown said...
I think I'll vote this video and the accompanying blog post the best foodwishes video EVER!
Thanks Chef
- May 13, 2010 at 4:04 PM
- Artsygal said...
You, Sir caused me to climb OUT of bed at 10:30 pm last night to go make this grilled cheese sandwich. Except I reached the kitchen to see I was out of bread. So at 10:32 last night I baked a loaf of bread using my favorite 1 hour recipe (that proofs the dough in the microwave amazingly!) By midnight I was back in bed having snacked on a PB&J, as the bread was still too hot to slice properly for grilled cheese.
This morning using thin slices of my chewy home made bread I made this sandwich for breakfast, and despite the temperature hovering dangerously close to 100 degrees here in California, decided I needed Tomato Soup to go with it.
A bowl of tomato soup topped with a drizzle of balsamic and some fried garlic accompanied by this stunning sandwich may not be a typical summer breakfast, but oh my word it was amazing. The crispy crunchiness of the outside pairs perfectly with the tomato soup, letting it soak it up without getting soggy. A winner in my book!
- June 23, 2010 at 8:03 PM
- Chef John said...
I want to party with you. :-)
- June 23, 2010 at 9:27 PM
- Artsygal said...
Name the time and the place! If you're going to cook, I'll be there! LOL! I'll even bring some of my strawberry ginger jam (that went in the PB&J) to share. For now though, I came back to share a pic of the yummy meal your video inspired.
- June 28, 2010 at 12:27 AM
Look so delicious your cheese sandwich! Thinking of making it tomorrow to my son and my son. Thank you for your video, Chef John! Take care and have a wonderful day....
*Btw Chef, when will your cookbooks on sale? I can't wait to buy it because I loves your food recipes.
- August 30, 2010 at 8:25 AM
- Unknown said...
This is the best grilled cheese I have ever had. I put a some ham or pepperoni in to give it a little extra. Makes for a great quick dinner.
- August 30, 2010 at 8:43 PM
I tried this last night. It was so crispy-cheesy-delicious! My husband inhaled his and then tried to fight me for mine. Lol.
- September 8, 2010 at 2:32 PM
yes, 3:40 in the morning and im eating this right now, thank you for helping me curb my craving for the amazing cheesyness that im devouring, i think ill try the onion rings next as ive been craving them for 3 days now lol.
Thanks again,
- October 1, 2010 at 3:45 AM
- The B-K said...
I made it. Flippin' delicious! Unfortunately, my 6'4" 19-year-old son poked his head out and said, "what are you making?" There went half of my sandwich. I went to make it again the next day but I only had black wax cheddar and it was sliced a bit too thick - too greasy. And then, by a stroke of luck, I found shredded sharp cheddar cheese in the crisper!
- December 21, 2010 at 5:24 PM
Chef John, you are honestly a true genius when it comes to food. I tried this recipe and it was love at first bite!Although, I did use crispy bacon into the recipe which made it phenomenal. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe! Now lets try out that Thomas Jefferson mac and cheese recipe.......mmmmm.....
- January 17, 2011 at 11:20 PM
- Vishal - Coffee Machine said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- April 5, 2011 at 2:29 AM
- Tarnation said...
This is how I make my grilled cheese sandwiches. I will no longer feel guilty about the pleasure it brings since it has your stamp of approval.
- April 13, 2011 at 8:43 AM
Maybe that guy from America's Next Great Restaurant should give you a call. show him how grilled cheese is done.
- April 14, 2011 at 5:38 AM
I live in New Zealand and We only have Sourdough There.Is it ok to use Sourdough?
- April 25, 2011 at 6:34 PM
- April said...
#1 Grilled Cheese Rule : Always toast the "inside" of the bread first. More butter, more crunchy, more everything. Made this for breakfast today. So good!
- May 10, 2011 at 10:50 AM
- Slush Machine said...
wow looks yummy
- July 6, 2011 at 2:59 AM
- Eliz said...
So I've made and enjoyed different variations of this since I've watched this video a good while back and my current favorite is:
Heaping pile of Gruyere + Sharp cheddar with dijon mustard slathered on one slice - Ive noticed gruyere secretes a lot of oil when heated, which makes biting into this a little euphoric <3
Potato bread is also a lovely variation to white bread, though it tends to brown faster..
OH- and I've also made grilled cheese with Italian Truffle Cheese and OMG I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
(And like another commenter said, I have to cover my pan which puts a light pressure on the (bread covered) pile of cheese inside and once leveled, helps my cheapo pan and my very old and temperamental stove melt the cheese better, as I have to use the lowest flame setting lest my bread burn - Man, the more I cook, the more antsier I get about getting my cast iron skillet T_T)
- October 20, 2011 at 5:53 PM
I made this and it's incredible!! it's SO GOOD hahaha!!! But I am sorry chef.. I used wheat bread coz I normally just eat wheat bread.. IT TURNS OUT AMAZING as well.. white bread may tastes even better but I am satisfied already lol:P
- January 15, 2012 at 3:43 AM
I split the difference and used white bread made with white whole wheat flour......1 gram of fiber per slice. What a delicious twist to my all time favorite sandwich.
Thanks Chef!
P.S. Check the King Arthur Flour website for white whole wheat flour.
- February 3, 2012 at 1:08 PM
Oh, Chef John!!! I spent this evening prepping the butternut squash mixture for your gnocchi recipe for tomorrow night; now, and although my belly is full from the leek/potato soup that I made for dinner, I am finding myself on super improvise as I only have NAAN, but MUSt try this technique. Like as in, NOW!
PS- I was checking out your 'drinks,' page, and I have a super yummy, and amazing cocktail that I serve at the restaurant that I manage -- let me know and I can send you the recipe, in humble homage to the amazing works that you have done with this blog!
- March 19, 2012 at 1:39 AM
- Chef John said...
cool, i like a good drink! thanks!
- March 19, 2012 at 3:23 AM
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- March 19, 2012 at 9:41 PM
It's almost midnight after a long day, I just made 2 of these..... comfort food to the nth degree.....thanks again, chef
- April 30, 2012 at 11:50 PM
- Unknown said...
Chef John you guessed my favorite time of the day! Now I have a new favorite 5:00 when I eat this sandwich. That is if I can remember where the kitchen is...
- January 30, 2013 at 2:36 AM
- jackbox said...
For the meat eaters, a grilled cheese achieves perfection with the application of bacon. Fair enough.
For the vegetarian, a grilled Anaheim chile does it, especially with a combo of sharp cheddar and jack cheese.
- June 11, 2013 at 12:54 AM
- Billy said...
I've looked on the internet a few times, but have never found a good answer:
Why are people so stubborn that American cheese is not cheese? It is solidified milk fat, what makes it different from other cheeses? Wikipedia says it is no longer a combination of other "real" cheeses, and says it's "processed", but there is no explanation of why or how this is. People seem to just accept it, or worse demand it is so. Is there a legitimate reason why it is snubbed by the food world, or is it just snobbery, plain and simple?
- September 19, 2013 at 6:18 AM
I tried this with a cast iron skillet. Bad idea. I realized my mistake when I went to flip the first cheese-down side over. Barely got it off the pan. Otherwise, it's delicious.
- January 6, 2014 at 1:41 AM
- Chicau said...
Looks like a job for BACON JAM!!!
- April 13, 2014 at 8:43 AM
- Unknown said...
What kind of cheese do you use?
- January 29, 2015 at 11:36 AM
- Unknown said...
this was the best grilled cheese sandwich i have ever made thank you for a great techniqe perfect great talent can come from buffalo your other recipes have been great
- February 23, 2015 at 8:56 PM
- Unknown said...
great grill cheese sandwich food wishes is a great site with a great chef
- February 23, 2015 at 9:01 PM
- Unknown said...
Only I could mess up a grilled cheese sandwich. :( While I was in the kitchen, fighting to scrape the cheese from the pan and not destroy my bread--MANY bad words were said. I'm guessing (from reading the comments) that my grilled cheese sin was forgoing a non-stick pan. We haven't had one for yrs after reading scary articles about the chemicals in those. But we bought some ceramic ones recently (that are supposed to be non-stick) that I may try tomorrow. Both my girls said they thought the sandwiches were delicious, "...except for maybe the burnt cheese." Those sad sandwiches were in desperate need of some Viagra (SO floppy!) and I have about an eighth of an inch of charred cheddar cheese to remove from my pan. I am feeling very sad--but tomorrow is another day. Sigh...
- February 19, 2016 at 10:44 PM
- Anamaria said...
Hi Chef John. I would so much appreciate it if you could tell me which would be a good place to "celebrate" Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day in NYC this incoming 12th.
Thanks so much for your reply and also thanks for all the good blog job!
Greetings from North Argentina.
- March 25, 2016 at 5:42 PM
- Gemfyre said...
This is damn delicious. But I have no idea how you manage to flip it without cheese falling everywhere. I managed to just scrape the escaped melting bits of cheese up and scrape them off back onto the sandwich so all was good.
Yes, I used multi-grain bread *gasp* and a combination of Tasty (which I believe is just an Australian name for Cheddar) and Parmesan cheese, because that's what I had on hand. It was still super awesome.
- April 30, 2017 at 1:29 AM


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– Built-in sensor protects the human body and life by inflating the airbag within 0.2 seconds of detecting fall
– Quickly transmits accidental location and information through BLE, securing golden time
LOS ANGELES, CA, September 26, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ — Worldwide, 2.3 million workers each year are suffering from industrial accidents. In the UK in 2018, 47% of the total deaths from industrial accidents were from fall, and 35% of the 855 deaths related to industrial accidents in Korea in 2019 were found to be from fall. Safeware, a manufacturer of wearable airbags for human body protection, develops and supplies "industrial wearable smart airbags" to construction and industrial sites to protect the human body from fall accidents and prevent casualties.
Safeware launched the "Industrial wearable smart airbag" in November last year by applying a sensor algorithm to industrial fall protective clothing designed in the form of an airbag. This product is a safety swing attachment type and a vest type that can be worn comfortably. In the event of an accident, the built-in sensor detects a fall and automatically inflates the airbag within 0.2 seconds. From the fall test, it was found out to reduce the impact of up to 55%. On top of protecting the body, it also uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to automatically transmit tests and emergency calls with the location of the accident so that ambulances can be dispatched quickly."
The biggest advantage of this product is that when accidents occur, it connects to the smartphone application by BLE to send the information of the accident quickly to the phone number previously registered, securing the golden time for the victim. Safeware was recognized for this technology and was selected as NEXT STARS TOP3, an innovative technology startup selected by IEEE, the largest academic society in the field of electrical and electronic engineering at CES 2020. In Korea, it was designated as an innovation pilot product and an outstanding invention from PPS. It was also designated as an innovative product from outstanding R&D from MSS. These are the proof of recognition of technology and innovation in Korea and abroad.
Currently, the demand for this product is increasing in various industrial occupations related to construction, maintenance, and telecommunications, and orders are increasing in industrial sites of mid-sized companies and large corporations, as well as public institutions such as road construction and railway facility corporations. "We are focusing not only on the domestic market but also on overseas markets, and the overseas markets we plan to enter are European countries such as France, UK, Germany, Austria, the North American market, and various high-end Asian markets," said Shin Hwan-cheol, the CEO of Safeware. He added, "We see companies in various industries such as construction, maintenance, and telecommunications in these countries as potential customers."
In addition to industrial fall protective clothing, Safeware is planning to expand its product lineup by applying wearable smart airbag technology to various fields such as life jackets for bikes in the sports and leisure field, life jackets for horseback riding and water sports, fall protective clothing for the elderly, suffocation prevention airbags for infants and toddlers, and life tubes for drone throwing. For this, it is discussing supply plans through MoU and partnership with domestic and overseas buyers.
The company is developing by upgrading its products to protect the human body in fall accidents and rollover accidents. It is planning to develop the product with the hybrid algorithm that combines fall and rollover by the first half of next year. Safeware has already released a fashionable airbag for bikes. Next year, it is planning to develop and launch the first airbag for the elderly in Korea. In line with the upcoming global 5G era, Shin said he has a roadmap for IoT modularization that can link airbag products with corporate platforms. He said, "In the future, by linking with a private 5G network enterprise monitoring platform and converting the sensor information as data as well, I would like to provide the product that can not only protect but also prevent accidents."
About the location of the company in Pangyo, Shin said, "We chose Pangyo as the place to be because many IT companies that are related to us are clustered. It is especially very easy to scout outstanding R&D personnel, and we can participate in various governmental support projects."
(Smart Industrial harness & Industrial fall-protection gear)
Pangyo Technovalley is the Asia Tech Hub where more than 1,200 companies in IT, CT, and BT sectors with innovative products and technologies are gathered. Located just south of the Seoul metropolitan area, easy transportation access and infrastructure provides the best environment for Korean companies to conduct businesses.
Various high-tech companies are located here, with more than 64 thousand full-time workers with a vast majority in their 20s and 30s. By industries, companies in the high-tech industry are made up of IT companies, content technology companies, biotechnology companies, and nanotechnology companies.
With the support from innovative companies with global capabilities like Kakao, NHN Entertainment, AhnLab, Krafton, NCSOFT, Nexon, and Hancom at hand, companies in Pangyo Technovalley made over 100 trillion in revenue this year. A 20% increase from last year, it is expected to become one of the best IT clusters in Korea in near future, along with advanced technology research institutes like Advanced Institute of Convergence Technology, KAIST, ETRI, and KETI working together to develop the
Safeware is planning to expand its product lineup by applying wearable smart airbag technology to various fields such as life jackets for bikes in the sports and leisure field, life jackets for horseback riding and water sports, fall protective clothing for the elderly, suffocation prevention airbags for infants and toddlers, and life tubes for drone throwing. For this, it is discussing supply plans through MoU and partnership with domestic and overseas buyers.
For the original version of this press release, please visit 24-7PressRelease.com here


text:
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text:
For decades, most Americans have enjoyed an extremely high standard of living. In fact, most of us have been "enjoying the high life" and "living the dream" for so long that we have assumed that it is just always going to be that way. But now a rapidly growing percentage of Americans is getting the chance to experience some very serious economic pain. Today, over 40 million Americans are on food stamps and over 20 million U.S. children are living in poverty. Tens of millions of Americans are unemployed, and personal bankruptcies and foreclosures continue to set all-time records. For many people, all of this economic turmoil was completely unexpected. Millions of people now can't sleep at night because they are constantly stressed about finances. More couples than ever are being torn about by arguments over money. Unprecedented numbers of Americans have experienced a sinking feeling in the pit of their stomachs upon the realization that they are going to lose the homes that they have been raising their families in. Money may not buy happiness, but as tens of millions of Americans are finding out, the lack of it can bring a whole lot of pain.
Now, the truth is that there have always been a small percentage of Americans that have struggled to get by, but today we are seeing more Americans who are "down on their luck" than at any other time in recent memory. According to one shocking new survey, 28% of all U.S. households have at least one member that is looking for a full-time job.
It seems like almost everyone has a family member or a close friend who is looking for a job. The truth is that there are not enough jobs for everyone, and there certainly are not nearly enough good jobs.
A recent Pew Research survey found that 55 percent of the U.S. labor force has experienced either unemployment, a pay decrease, a reduction in hours or an involuntary move to part-time work since the recession began.
55 percent?
That is incredible.
That means that over half of all American workers have been unemployed or have been forced to take a reduction in pay since the recession started.
Things are getting really tough out there.
Millions of Americans are wondering why their husbands or wives suddenly can't find jobs.
In fact, the average duration of unemployment in the United States has risen to an all-time high. The declining economy has created a new class of chronically unemployed Americans who would love to work but can't seem to find anyone to hire them.
Millions of Americans have been forced to turn to part-time work. In fact, one recent survey found that approximately 8.6 million American workers are working part time because they can't get full-time jobs.
In this economic environment, there is significant competition for even the lowest paying jobs.
You never know – this holiday season the friendly gentleman greeting you down at the local Wal-Mart may actually have several advanced degrees but just cannot find anyone else who will hire him.
As the economic situation continues to deteriorate, record numbers of Americans are going bankrupt and are losing their homes. In fact, banks repossessed a record number of U.S. homes during the second quarter of 2010.
So it is really no wonder why so many Americans are feeling so negative about the economy.
According to one new survey, U.S. consumer sentiment weakened in early July to its lowest in 11 months. In addition, one recent poll found that 76 percent of Americans believe that the U.S. economy is still in a recession.
But sometimes what gets lost in all the numbers are the individual stories of the very real pain that so many Americans are going through. Today, I thought that I would share just a few of the stories of economic pain that my readers have been sharing with me.
A reader of my column on The American Dream blog named Kate recently graduated from college but now finds that she can't even get a retail job….
I just graduated college in May… Moved to a new state and am now living with my boyfriend who should not and cannot continue to have to pay everything because i just plain can't get a job.
I'm over qualified for retail survivor jobs… so I lie on my application. But then retail stores just plain don't hire full time. So even if I could get a job as a cashier someplace… I'd only work enough hours to maybe pay for my car payment/ car insurance/ gas…. and my half of rent/electric and such is out of the question… not to mention charged to the limit credit cards from being unemployed and student loans that will hit in just a matter of months.
Any other jobs either don't exist or they just ALL want 5 years professional experience…. which is impossible for someone who just graduated and has been working part time retail jobs since high school.
AND internships are unpaid or only for college students so thats out of the question….
But the fact of the matter is that jobs don't care about education in the least bit if you don't have the real professional work experience to back it up.
A reader of this column named David ended up taking a very low paying job overseas because he simply couldn't find anything here in the United States….
I have been looking for a job since June 2009. I am a prior Army officer who knows four foreign languages and has lived around the world. I have sent out over 100 resumes over the past year. Finally, I got a job offer to teach English in Russia for $720 per month. Yes, $720 per month. Luckily my housing is paid for. So, I took my tax return and left for Russia to teach English. The American economy is broken and it will get worse. We are in the early stages of a total meltdown in America. Yes, if you are an American, you better prepare yourself for the worst is still to come.
But even those who do have jobs are facing some very difficult circumstances as one of my readers named Ana recently described….
I am a cop's wife. My husband currently works for a Sheriff's office who is extremely understaffed and the county wastes money like there is no tomorrow. They threaten the Sheriff with more layoffs if they don't write more tickets on the highway. My husband has often had to patrol the entire county by himself for a full 12 hour shift. It is a bad situation for everyone.
The truth is that there are millions of stories like the ones above. Economic pain is everywhere, and the American people are becoming increasingly frustrated. Most Americans don't understand why the economy is suddenly in the toilet – all most of them know is that things are broken and they desperately want someone to fix things.
A lot of this frustration is coming out as anger towards the government. People are waking up and are starting to realize that the American ruling class has been doing an incredibly bad job of running things. The American people are hungry for a real change. In fact, a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 23% of voters nationwide believe that the U.S. government has the consent of the governed.
But will we start to see some real changes in the years ahead?
Unfortunately, that is quite doubtful. The reality is that the American ruling class has a stranglehold on both political parties, and they are not going to release their grip easily.
Meanwhile, our leaders continue to perpetuate the same failed policies that got us into this mess in the first place. But unless some fundamental changes are made soon, the economic pain that Americans are experiencing is going to continue to get even worse.
So do you have a story of economic pain to share? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below….


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One wouldn't normally associate beer with a library.
But turning that association or lack thereof on its head is the whole point of Brew University, a beer-education program launched by the city of Palo Alto library system in the summer of 2012.
"This program has spawned into a huge, huge opportunity for us at the library to attract more customers and broaden our scope in terms of programming and thinking of libraries in a different way than just a deposit for books," said Cheryl Lee, Palo Alto's community engagement and outreach librarian.
Brew University is Lee's brainchild, executed with the help of local partners from the beer and library world alike.
The program is a series of free classes that focus on a range of beer-related topics, from the basics of home brewing to "The Techie Side of Beer." Each class begins with an informal lecture portion at Palo Alto's downtown library on Forest Avenue and then moves to Gordon Biersch, about a block away on Emerson Street, for tastings and socializing. Each attendee is given a three-ounce tasting glass and can pour for themselves from bottles placed throughout the restaurant's brewery, amongst giant metal beer-brewing tanks.
At a recent class, "Seasonal Beers From Around the World," Gordon Biersch's brewmaster John Tucci opened the evening, talking to a captive audience of more than 20 people about his definition of "seasonal," the beers he selected for them to taste, quirky beer history and more.
"Seasonal beer styles are a very general term for beer that's typically not made year-round," he said.
These styles are driven by the weather, holidays and other events. Tucci said he avoided bringing in Christmas beers, but instead went with ones whose flavors complement the crisp, somewhat cold weather this time of year, as well as more unusual brews that he thought attendees wouldn't have tasted before.
Among others, he brought in a coconut porter from Palo Alto Brewing, "Old Rasputin," a Russian imperial stout from Fort Bragg-based North Coast Brewery, a saison made by a Belgian brewery with grains of paradise, coriander and orange peel, and a sour blonde ale, aged in oak barrels, that drew particular interest from those who tasted it later in the evening.
"Anybody want to know how beer got sour and who thought of that one?" Tucci asked. He explained that sour beer's tart nature can be attributed to the levels of natural occurring bacteria.
"It's literally spoiled beer," he explained. "And now, today, of course there's levels of the spoil that you can work with and of course you don't want to allow it to go too far. I've created batches of intentionally sour beers that do go too far and there's a tipping point when it becomes unpalatable."
He shared an anecdote about saving a jar of a "horrible" tasting batch of sour beer; three or four years later, he opened it up and found its flavor had morphed into "almost identical to what you would put on fish and chips."
City librarian Lee also brought in Derek Wolfgram, deputy county librarian for the Santa Clara County Library District and home brewer of many years, to lead a past Brew University session on making beer.
"We do an overview of the history of beer and brewing just to put it in context a little bit and then talk about all the different ingredients," Wolfgram said. "We have grains that people can taste and hops that people can smell and talk about the process and the different levels of involvement that you can have."
Wolfgram, of course, suggests a few books to get people started making their own beer at home: "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" by Charlie Papazian and "How to Brew: Everything you need to know to brew beer right the first time" by John Palmer.
The home-brewing sessions inspired one attendee, Palo Alto resident Bruce Kuwano, to pick up the hobby for the first time. At the seasonal beers class, Kuwano was still in the beginning stages of brewing his own beer.
"I was going to ask John (Tucci) actually if it's supposed to look this way, because it looks kind of scary right now," he laughed. "It looks like a pond with a lot of fuzzy stuff on top. I added yeast, so I think that's what it's supposed to look like."
Undeterred, he moved on to taste more of the seasonal beers.
Future Brew University events include "From HomeBrewer to Experienced Brewmaster" on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. Tucci, who is opening his own production brewery in South San Francisco in a few months, will lead the class. Information on the classes can be found at cityofpaloalto.org/gov/depts/lib/.
Lee, Tucci and Wolfgram are also working on hosting a "Brew Day" competition this summer. Similar to reality cooking show Top Chef, four home brewing clubs will be given a mystery basket of ingredients and will have to make a beer on the spot with those ingredients. This will be an all-day event beer takes about six hours to brew the downtown library's outdoor patio.
"We're trying to change the game and broaden what the library means to people," Lee said.


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In a game that came down to the last second, the Lakers proved to be lucky and managed to survive and take the victory by one point. This was the third win in a row for LA and that tied their longest streak of the season, while for the Bobcats it was the 12th straight loss. No matter the opponent though, it was really important for the Lakers to return to wins and hope to gain momentum for the next games.
As usual, Kobe did his thing, scored 30 points on 11-24 shooting, including a couple of acrobatic plus-one layups in traffic. It was the seventh straight with 30 or more for him. . "We're just moving the ball. I'm being aggressive and looking for opportunities to get a few guys involved." ,Kobe commented. He lifted his team, which was down by 9 on the break and led it straight to the victory. In fact it was a 28-4 run by them that erased the 18 point deficit of the third quarter. But the Bobcats didn't surrender and in fact tied the game at 97 with 2:17 left in the game. However, Kobe wouldn't let this thing go out of his control. He answered with two back to back clutch shots. The former Laker Ramon Sessions completed a three point play in an effort to keep his team in the game but the Bobcats missed on 3 consecutive shots in the last 10", including a desperation three from Gerald Henderson in the last second that could win the Bobcats the game.
Pau Gasol returned to the lineup after missing eight games finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Coach Mike D'Antoni only used three of his reserves. Two of them, Metta World Piece who didn't start this one and Joddie Meeks finished the game with 17 points. Dwight Howard added a smooth double double with 16 points and 18 rebounds and that pretty much was enough for the Lakers to get away with a win. "I'm trying to figure out what's the best way to play the team. We will keep looking at film, keep revisiting. We have a couple practices and we'll keep looking at different combinations." ,said Coach Mike D'Antoni after the game.
For Charlotte, they got a great game out of Kemba Walker who scored 28 and dished 6 assists and also Ramon Sessions had 20 off the bench. The Lakers hit 21 free throws in 27 attempts, many of them in the third quarter and that got them back in the game.
The Lakers take three days off before playing against the Golden State Warriors at the Oracle Arena and that finishes their games for this week. A tough game against the NBA record leaders New York Knicks follows, Tuesday night. The Charlotte Bobcats will travel to Phoenix to play against the Suns on Wednesday.
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Shoppers seem to be just as enthusiastic about shopping on their computers and smartphones on Cyber Monday as they were about finding deals over the weekend.
Online sales on Cyber Monday, which was started in 2005 by a retail trade group to encourage Americans to shop online on the Monday after Thanksgiving, were up 18 percent from a year ago, according to data from IBM Benchmark. Meanwhile, sales from mobile devices were up 7.4 percent. The group did not give dollar amounts.
The Cyber Monday numbers point to Americans' growing comfort with using their personal computers, tablets and smartphones to shop. Over the past few years, big chains like Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, have been offering more and better incentives like hourly deals and free shipping, to capitalize on that trend. It's important for retailers to make a good showing during the holiday shopping season, a time when they can make up to 40 percent of their annual revenue.
On Monday, Amazon.com offered its bigger, more expensive Kindle DX for $259, or $120 off the regular price. The Express clothing chain was giving 30 percent off and free shipping on all online orders. And Wal-Mart, which has been calling the holiday "Cyber Week" in ads, was offering an LG 47-inch LED TV for $879, or $320 off the regular price.
"Cyber Monday is far more exciting to me than Black Friday," says Jamie Minoso, a 40-year-old English teacher from Alabama. "I do not enjoy the traffic and chaos involved in shopping at a mall."
To be sure, the strong start to Cyber Monday, created by a unit of The National Retail Federation, follows an even stronger kickoff to the holiday shopping season over the weekend. Americans shopped in record numbers, driven by earlier store openings and a push by retailers for online sales.
A record 226 million shoppers visited stores and websites during the four-day holiday weekend starting on Thanksgiving Day, up from 212 million last year, according to the NRF. And sales on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, rose 7 percent to $11.4 billion, the largest amount ever spent, according to ShopperTrak, which gathers stores' data.
Online sales were strong even over the weekend. Thirty-eight percent of all purchases were made online this year, up from 31 percent to 32 percent last year, says Sherif Mityas, partner in the retail practice of A.T. Kearney, who believes the increase was due to heavy promotions.
Barneys, for instance, offered 40 percent off on its website on Thanksgiving Day, a day before it began its sales in stores. And Barnes & Noble offered 40 percent to 75 percent off online products, discounts that weren't available in store.
"Retailers are doing a good job of creating more excitement online in ways they can't do in store," Mityas says. "They're creating that excitement of, `I've got to get that special deal," that is really spurring traffic."'
It won't be clear how well retailers will ultimately fare on Cyber Monday until Tuesday. But last year, sales on the day topped $1 billion for the first time, making it the heaviest day of online spending ever.
Ahead of this week's "Cyber Monday," the NRF says nearly 80 percent of retailers plan to offer special promotions. And a record 122.9 million of Americans are expected to shop on the day, up from 106.9 million who shopped on "Cyber Monday" last year, according to a survey conducted for Shop.org.
By early afternoon on Monday, traffic was up about 37 percent year-over-year, according to Akamai, an online content delivery company. Akamai says it expects online traffic to peak at about 9 p.m.
Traffic has been up substantially since the Monday before Thanksgiving as retailers promoted online deals earlier than ever, says Lelah Manz, Akamai's chief strategist of commerce.
"There has been a huge volume of promotional activity being driven by daily deal sites, Facebook and other social networking sites," she says.


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The National Rifle Association (NRA) today proposed placing armed guards at every U.S. school to safeguard against another mass shooting like the one that took place in a Connecticut elementary school last week.
"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre said during a lengthy statement today.
Although the NRA has in the past been open to the idea of smart gun technology to make firearms safer, it said nothing about that option today. The NRA has in the past never offered outright support for any legislation that would require smart gun technology in weapons manufacturing.
Smart gun technology was first proposed in the 1990s as a way to prevent police officers from being shot with their own weapons. At one time, as many as 40% of police shootings were attributed to the latter.
Smart guns use biometrics or RFID technology to prevent unauthorized people from using guns by disabling the trigger mechanism.
Under President Bill Clinton's administration, and for a time in the early 2000s, many major gun manufacturers had smart gun development programs, including Colt's Manufacturing Co., Smith & Wesson and Mossberg & Sons.
Between May 2000 and December 2004, the National Institute of Justice's Office of Justice Programs (OJP) granted Smith & Wesson $3 million in grant money to "test 50 prototype electronically-fired handguns and to research possible biometrics that would fit inside a handgun." But an audit performed in 2005 showed that the smart gun technology project had not been completed.
"We found that Smith and Wesson generally complied with grant requirements. We reviewed its compliance with six essential grant conditions and found material weakness in two of the six areas: budget management and control and grant drawdowns," an OJP memo stated. "As a result of the deficiencies identified below, we recommend $36,218 of grant funds be put to better use."
In the mid-1990s, Colt introduced a smart gun prototype using a $500,000 OJP grant. A few years later, it released a Z40, a semi-automatic pistol with a microchip embedded in its pistol grip. The chip used RFID technology in the form of a radio wrist transponder to prevent unauthorized users from firing the weapon.
According to a November 2000 research paper by the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Colt also hoped to develop a consumer model that relied on "cutting edge technology, such as skin conductivity, voice, and/or fingerprint recognition."
Colt's iColt subsidiary -- and its pursuit of smart guns -- was eventually seen as a pariah in the industry.
In 1999, Mossberg subsidiary Advanced Ordnance and electronics design contractor KinTech Manufacturing developed a smart technology using RFID chips that was marketed by iGun Technology Corp. There is no indication from the iGun website that that effort continues, and officials at iGun Technology could not be reached for comment.


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AUSTRALIA – A young girl has baffled doctors and scientists by surviving the sting of one the world's most venomous creature!
The box jellyfish, one of the most deadliest jellyfish in the world, is known as a "killer" species to say the least. It's venom is so overpoweringly painful that its victims often go into shock and drown or die of heart failure. If that wasn't bad enough, there is no effective antivenom for the box jellyfish's sting. The venom attacks the heart, nervous system and skin, induces shooting muscle pain, vomiting and a rapid rise in blood-pressure. Rachael Shardlow experienced the deadly sting first hand and survived.
"When I first saw the pictures of the injuries, I just went, 'You know, to be honest, this kid should not be alive,'" zoology professor Jamie Seymour, from Crook University told ABC News. "I mean, they are horrific. Usually when you see people who have been stung by box jellyfish with that number of the tentacles on their body, it's usually in a morgue."
Rachael, 10, was swimming in the Queensland's Calliope River when she felt the sting of the box jellyfish on her legs. Her 13-year-old brother puller her ashore and she told him that she could not see or breathe. A few moments later she went unconscious where she remained for roughly 30 minutes.
The young girl spent six weeks in the hospital recovering before she could return home. Aside from scarring to her legs and some short-term memory loss, Rachael's father says that she is in good health. Doctor's are reviewing the incident in the hopes of finding a more accurate cure to the box jellyfish's sting.
AUSTRALIA – A young girl has baffled doctors and scientists by surviving the sting of one the world's most venomous creature!


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FASB Focuses on Three New Projects—Revenue and Liability Recognition, Disclosure About Intangible Assets, and Codification and Simplification of Accounting LiteratureNorwalk, CT, January 14, 2002—At its January 9 Board meeting, the FASB supported three new projects that cover timely issues. First, the FASB approved issuance of a proposal for a project on revenue and liability recognition. The Board added to its technical agenda a second project on disclosure about intangible assets, as proposed in August 2001. A third project addressing concerns raised by constituents about the need to codify and simplify existing accounting literature also received Board approval.
Revenue and Liability Recognition
In response to questions about revenue recognition that increasingly are being raised, the FASB agreed to propose undertaking a new agenda project to address those issues. The comment period on the proposal will be 60 days.
The FASB's Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) has devoted a significant amount of time to address such issues and has faced challenges resolving them. Examples of those issues include revenue arrangements involving multiple products or services and the effect on revenue recognition of customer rights of return. Additionally, revenue recognition is the largest single category of fraudulent financial reporting and financial statement restatements. The proposed project would address such matters by developing an accounting standard on revenue recognition generally.
The existing conceptual guidance on which that new standard would be based is flawed in certain respects. Specifically, the conceptual guidance for revenue recognition is inconsistent internally and with that for recognizing liabilities, and has proven not to be operational. Accordingly, the project would revise that guidance by amending certain of the Board's Concepts Statements to provide a sound basis for developing the standard on revenue recognition. The proposal will be posted later this month to the FASB website, www.fasb.org.
Disclosure about Intangibles
The project on disclosure of information about intangible assets will establish standards for improving disclosure of information about intangible assets that are not currently reported in financial statements. Examples include brand names, customer lists, licensing agreements and patented technology.
The proposed scope of the project focuses on disclosure about intangible assets that are not recognized in statements of financial position but that would have been recognized if acquired either separately or in a business combination under FASB Statements No. 141, Business Combinations, and No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets. That scope includes acquired in-process research and development assets.
During the project, the FASB will determine what type of information about intangible assets would be required for disclosure. Disclosures may include quantitative information about fair values of intangible assets or costs incurred in generating them, as well as qualitative information. The FASB expects to gather additional input on this project from a planned working group and other constituents while working on an Exposure Draft.
Codification and Simplification Projects
The FASB agreed to launch a series of administrative projects aimed at codifying and simplifying the U.S. accounting literature. This overall project is being initiated in response to concerns raised by constituents about the quantity, complexity and lack of easy retrievability of the body of U.S. accounting literature, including guidance issued by the EITF, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A key objective of this project is to improve the usability and effectiveness of that literature.
As part of this project, the FASB plans to include references to all applicable U.S. accounting literature in its future standards and in the FASB's Current Text, a compilation of all FASB accounting standards categorized by subject. In addition, the FASB hopes to partner with others in developing an online database that will include all of the U.S. accounting literature.
Another aspect of the project is for the FASB to work with the EITF, the AICPA and the SEC to more clearly define their roles in setting accounting standards with an eye toward streamlining certain activities.
In an effort to reduce the complexity of accounting literature, the FASB will seek to determine if it can issue standards that are less detailed and have few, if any, exceptions or alternatives. In support of this effort to reduce complexity, the FASB will actively engage its constituents in discussions about the cost-benefit relationship of proposed standards.
In addition, to reduce what has been referred to as "standards overload," the FASB will work with the SEC on its initiative to modernize financial reporting and disclosure.
About the Financial Accounting Standards Board
Since 1973, the Financial Accounting Standards Board has been the designated organization in the private sector for establishing standards of financial accounting and reporting. Those standards govern the preparation of financial reports and are officially recognized as authoritative by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Such standards are essential to the efficient functioning of the economy because investors, creditors, auditors, and others rely heavily on credible, transparent, and comparable financial information. For more information about the FASB, visit our website at www.fasb.org.
The Financial Accounting Standards Board
Serving the investing public through transparent information, resulting from high-quality financial reporting standards, developed in an independent, private sector, open due process.


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Gmail is hard at work restoring service to about 40,000 Gmail users after a software bug deleted their e-mail messages, folders, labels, and filters. So, while things are looking good for those users affected by the bug, this episode proves, once again, that while Web-based services may be robust, you still have to take responsibility for your own data.
Google also takes responsibility. Ben Treynor, Google's VP Engineering and Site Reliability Czar, said on Google's Gmail blog that Google backs up all Gmail to tape. "Since the tapes are offline, they're protected from such software bugs," he blogged. "But restoring data from them also takes longer than transferring your requests to another data center, which is why it's taken us hours to get the e-mail back instead of milliseconds."
Treynor said a storage software update introduced the unexpected bug, which caused 0.02 percent of Gmail users to temporarily lose access to their e-mail.
It's Not Just Google Services You Need to Worry About
However, it's not just Gmail and other Webmail services that are the problem; we're increasingly using cloud-based tools for work and communication–sites and services such as Twitter, Facebook, Google Docs, Microsoft Office Live, Tumblr, WordPress, Blogger, Posterous, Flickr, Picasa, and on and on.
But that doesn't mean you should forego a solid back-up plan for all your online data. If the worst ever does happen, and a free Web service dumps your stuff permanently, the only response you can reasonably expect from these companies is "Oops, sorry."
With that in mind, here are a few suggestions on how to add an extra layer of security in case the cloud lets you down one day.
Gmail and Friends
The easiest way to create a local backup of your e-mail is to use a basic POP3/IMAP e-mail client such as Mozilla Thunderbird, Apple's Mail app, or Windows Live Mail. If you don't like using an e-mail client for daily use and prefer to use the Web interface instead, just fire up your desktop program on a regular schedule. Even if you launch your desktop client once a month, you will at least have the bulk of your mail stored offline.
Facebook recently launched a feature that lets you export almost all of your Facebook data into a handy ZIP file. All you have to do is visit Facebook's export tool and click the download button. Then you'll get an e-mail when your file is ready to download to your desktop. This is an ideal task to do once a month or even once every season. You don't want to lose all those mobile uploads should the worst happen, and this makes it much easier to move your data around should you wish to leave Facebook one day.
The best way to save all the hard work you put into your blog posts is to save them on your hard drive before posting them to the cloud. Many blog writing programs are compatible with popular blogging platforms such as Blogger, WordPress, or Tumblr. Mac users can use a blog writing program such as MarsEdit ($40), which saves a back-up of every blog post you write using the app. For Windows users, Microsoft's free Windows Live Writer will save your posts written using the program to a file in your Documents folder called "My Weblog Posts." Most blog services also have an export feature to download all the posts you've already written.
You could subscribe to your own Twitter feed using a desktop RSS reader such as NetNewsWire for Mac or FeedDemon for Windows. But most desktop programs limit how many items you can download via RSS. Another option is to try a free service such as TweetBackup or Tweet Scan Backup, which let you grab your past tweets and export them to your desktop. Keep in mind that these services can grab only a chunk of your most recent tweets (Tweet Scan Backup grabs just 1000). If you tweet more than that or are coming close to that limit, make sure you back it up before all your 140-character witticisms are inaccessible.
Backing-up your data may be a pain, but if you want to maintain control while still enjoying Web-based services you owe it to yourself to back up your stuff locally.
Connect with Ian Paul ( @ianpaul ) and Today@PCWorld on Twitter for the latest tech news and analysis.


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Sunday, June 16, 2013
Happy Authority Figures Day
Happy Father's day Dad! You're the reason I am so obsessed with authority figures in cartoons. And here are a couple of your best lines.
Some of my favorite characters in cartoons are the foils, the ones that are driven crazy by the irresponsible stars.
Discipline and rules - tempered with generosity is the way to bring up kids.
Today is the day to obey your 'ol man everybody! (even though I probably won't)
Happy Father's Day to all long suffering Dads!
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Saturday, June 08, 2013
The Hardcover Spumco Comic Collection is Out!
Hey folks
here it is, a hard cover collection of some of the comic books the Spumco crew drew back in the golden cartoony era of the 90s.
You can order it through Amazon with the link above, or go check it out at the local comic book store.
We included the heartwarming unpublished and infamous "Nutty The Friendly Dump" story too.
Thanks to that great comic collector, cartoonist and publisher Craig Yoe for making it happen!
I have a bunch more comics in my file cabinet so if this volume does well, we'll put together another package of 'em for you.
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israeli F-16s fire over German ships
Two Israeli warplanes have fired over a German naval vessel patrolling off the Lebanese coast, the defence ministry in Berlin says.Surprise, surprise.
Two Israeli F-16 fighters flew low over the ship, firing twice, Der Tagesspiegel newspaper quoted a German junior defence minister as telling a parliamentary committee.
The jets also activated infrared countermeasures to ward off any rocket attack, the paper said, in an advance release ahead of Thursday's edition.
The minister did not say when the incident happened or what had caused it.
"I can confirm that there was an incident," a ministry spokesman said on Wednesday. He declined to give further details as an investigation was under way.
An Israeli military spokeswoman denied that the incident had taken place.
Germany assumed command of a United Nations naval force off Lebanon 10 days ago, and has sent eight ships and 1,000 service personnel to join the international peace operation in the region.
The naval force is charged with preventing weapons-smuggling and helping maintain a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
The Israeli air force has come under heavy criticism for continuing flights over southern Lebanon since a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah ended on August 14 with a UN-sponsored truce and the expansion of the United Nations peacekeeping force.
Amir Peretz, Israel's defence minister, said at the weekend that the flights would continue because of alleged arms smuggling to Hezbollah.
The Lebanese government and the UN say the overflights, which Israel had conducted since ending its 22-year occupation of south Lebanon in 2000, violate both the latest truce and the terms of Israel's earlier pullout.
Anyone who thinks israel is finished with Lebanon can wakeup now.
The battle has just begun.