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With hyper-partisanship in Congress stalling government action and blocking science-based decision-making in recent years, it's little wonder that Congress' public approval rating is at an all-time, single-digit low. But are Americans' views really as polarized as our national politics suggest? New data from the Pew Research Center reveal some illuminating -- and heartening -- surprises on the subject.
But first, the bad news.
Polarization on the Rise
Most of the headlines about Pew's study (the first of a planned series of five on the subject) emphasized the discouraging main finding: In a detailed poll of more than 10,000 Americans, the researchers found more political polarization in the United States than at anytime in the past two decades.
The study found that the portion of people expressing "consistently conservative" or "consistently liberal" views has grown considerably, along with a rise in what the researchers describe as "ideological silos" on both the right and left in which people are increasingly surrounded by others who share and reinforce their own views.
Meanwhile, as those shifts have occurred, animosity between the two parties also appears to have grown. Back in 1994, for instance, some 17 percent of Republicans and 16 percent of Democrats held "very unfavorable" opinions of the opposite party. Today, those numbers have more than doubled to 43 percent and 38 percent respectively. Perhaps most disturbingly, more than a third of all Republicans (36 percent) now say that Democratic policies "pose a threat to the well-being of the country" and 27 percent of Democrats feel that Republican policies similarly pose a threat to the nation. Little wonder compromise has seemed so chronically elusive lately.
But while this is where most of the reporting on the Pew study stopped, it only tells part of the story. A closer inspection reveals some considerably more interesting -- and heartening -- findings.
A Vocal Fringe
The first thing to note is that, despite the increases in polarization, die-hard political extremists appear to still be fairly small in overall numbers. Tested on a range of political values questions, for instance, just 9 percent of Americans showed up as "consistently conservative" and just 12 percent were found to be "consistently liberal" -- in other words, small fractions of the populace. The big news here is the massive middle: The Pew study reveals that a whopping 79 percent of Americans hold some mixture of views on the issues of the day.
To be sure, political views vary widely among this vast middle. As Pew's brand-new second installment tries to untangle, some 14 percent of Americans can be classified as "young outsiders," who tend to hold somewhat conservative views about the role of government but liberal views on social issues. Some 13 percent show up as "hard-pressed skeptics" who are financially stressed and generally pessimistic about the prospects for government action. And another 10 percent appear to be disenfranchised "bystanders" who tend to largely avoid political issues altogether.
Importantly, though, across these and most all of the segments the researchers identify, solid majorities of Americans say they believe our political leaders should compromise to solve the pressing problems we face as a nation.
Asleep in the Middle
Perhaps the most important finding in the new studies: the extent to which they demonstrate a shocking "political activism gap." On measure after measure -- whether primary voting, writing letters to officials, volunteering for or donating to a campaign -- the Pew researchers found that there is an almost a perfectly inverse relationship between politically centrist views and activism. In other words, the more in the middle people's political views stand, the less involved in politics they are likely to be. All of which adds up to the best hard evidence yet of a vocal, activist fringe and extremely large, quiescent, apathetic, and/or disenfranchised middle.
A Question of Engagement
Recent work by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) anecdotally supports the findings of a pragmatic center. On climate change, for instance, as we've reached out to citizens and local elected officials in communities from Florida to Montana, we've consistently found people across the political spectrum who are eager to see action to confront local climate impacts.
In Montana, our climate scientists worked with people concerned about impacts on local agriculture and what could be done about them. In Florida, we co-hosted a bipartisan group of 35 officials from Miami-Dade County who actively engaged to discuss practical responses to their growing vulnerabilities to sea level rise.
Similarly, our recent report, "National Landmarks at Risk," details the climate impacts happening now that are threatening iconic landmarks cherished by all Americans -- places such as Jamestown and the Statue of Liberty, both threatened now by storm surges and rising seas. The findings have sparked concern and action among a diverse collection of patriotic citizens across the country.
As UCS President Ken Kimmell notes:
"In our work on climate impacts, we're increasingly finding people of all political stripes across the country ready to act. More and more, Americans know that the science is clear and that time is running out. They know that pragmatic problem solving is what we need now, not political posturing."
Science and Democracy: A Powerful Combination
On global warming, as on many of our most pressing issues, science and solid evidence have a crucial, foundational role to play. It bears noting on this Independence Day that, in America, science and democracy were forged together from the start. It's no accident that Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, and George Washington were all citizen scientists.
As students of the Enlightenment, America's founders were committed to unleashing the power of reason to advance knowledge and to build an effective and responsive government. They understood the benefits that could come when science and democracy worked together. And they exemplified a kind of bold, American pragmatism that put problem solving above partisanship and sought to base our government's policies on the best available data and the most up-to-date understanding of the world.
It has proved a powerful partnership ever since. We need only think of how federal investments in medical research led to the successful containment of diseases such as smallpox and polio. Or how science-based laws such as the Clean Air Act have saved hundreds of thousands of lives over the past four decades by effectively reducing deadly pollutants.
The latest data from Pew paint a picture of American pragmatism that is dormant but still very much alive. As Kimmell puts it, "Pragmatism is at the heart of patriotism. We have a proud history in this country of rolling up our sleeves to solve problems. Now we just need more Americans to raise their voices enough to be heard by their elected officials in Washington."
Seth Shulman, senior staff writer at the Union of Concerned Scientists, is a veteran science journalist and author of six books whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, Discover, Nature, Technology Review, Parade and many other publications. You can sign up to receive Got Science? via email at www.ucsusa.org.


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I'm sorry I haven't updated for soooo long! I've just been having loads of exams at Uni, so that's kept me pretty busy, but now I'm free!!! I'll celebrate the fact by uploading the final chapter of DoD for you all. Enjoy :)
"Your Honour, contrary to what we have heard thus far during this trial, I would like to suggest that the murder of Mr. Cydran Daiinno was very much provoked, and if I may say, deserved."
Keziah examined the defence lawyer from head to foot, taking in his solid stature, determined expression, and thick, greying hair. Apart from the fact that Xienna had persuaded him to take on the case, the girl knew nothing about him. It made her uncomfortable that she was so unacquainted with the person who could save or damn her best friend, but she forced herself to watch the proceedings in stony silence.
"It seems strange to me that Mr. Daiinno didn't take Mierra Tymekk to the hospital when he knew she was ill, and it is even more convenient that he buried her himself to avoid having to get a death certificate. Although there are very few people who knew the late Mrs. Tymekk well enough to comment, I would further like to point out that she had no history of serious illness."
As he continued to speak, addressing and dismissing each issue that had been raised by the opposition in a quiet, steady voice, Keziah felt her spirits begin to rise. People seemed to be listening, and even accepting, what the man was saying, which was a great improvement on anything said so far. She began to think Kiv had a chance.
"The demise of the late Miss Zera Tymekk is even more suspicious. According to friends of the Tymekk family, who still live in the region, the young girl was 'sweet and gentle, with no thoughts of leaving the home for the violence of the city'. Evidence has been found in the garden of the Tymekk family home, indicating that a body was once buried there, probably within the last ten years. I now call upon exhibit one to be brought before the court."
Exhibit one was dutifully displayed on the big screen at the front of the courtroom, and it did not take long for Keziah to realise what it was.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, may I present the medical report of the defendant following the abduction incident last year. May I draw your attention to the third paragraph in particular, where the medical practitioner explicitly states that there were signs of serious previous injuries, dating back to around the time of the defendant's abuse at the hands of his stepfather. The doctor also explains that at the time of the rescue last year, the defendant was very near death, and had to be resuscitated several times. There may be no direct evidence, apart from the defendant's claim, that Mr. Daiinno was personally responsible for the abduction, but there is also no proof that he wasn't, and this extensive list of injuries certainly gives the defendant a legitimate motive for murder.
"As to the non-existence of the late Fyel Tymekk, that surely cannot be taken seriously. Friends of the Tymekk family remember that there were definitely three children. Although once again we have no solid proof that Mr. Daiinno did murder Mr. Fyel Tymekk, the defendant has no reason to lie, and certainly no motive to invent an entirely fictitious brother."
After lunch it was his turn to summon witnesses, and Keziah fidgeted nervously as she watched Xienna take the stage, knowing she would be next.
"Xienna Mieren, how long have you know the defendant?" the defence lawyer began.
"Since he came to the Army Training Academy of Veta almost four years ago." Keziah admired how calm and composed her Kerita trainer sounded, and hoped she could give the same impression. Public speaking had never been one of her talents.
"And how would you describe you relationship with the defendant."
"I have been training him in the art of Kerita for these past four years, and can assure you that he is one of the most talented students in the academy where this discipline is concerned. I have come to know him as someone who will carry out the tasks he is set to the best of his ability without complaining or contradicting."
It never occurred to Keziah that her friend might be slightly embarrassed by his trainer's unusual praise; she just assumed that the woman was stating undeniable facts.
"Would you describe the defendant as someone who makes rash, impulsive decisions, or is ruled by his emotions?"
"Not at all," Xienna denied. "If he must do something questionable, it would only be after he has considered all the aspects of it."
"So you are implying that he would have considered killing Mr Daiinno before he actually went about it."
"Definitely, and I also doubt that it will ever happen again. You can't know to what extent Daiinno ruined Ki…Zael's life. It was a matter of kill or be killed."
"Thank you."
Keziah's mouth was dry as she stepped up to the rostrum at her summons. The room seemed a lot larger and more intimidating when standing at the front of it. Kiv still was not looking at her, but for the first time she appreciated this.
"Witness, please identify yourself." The lawyer smiled at her kindly, and although Keziah did not usually respond to comforting gestures on principle, she started to feel more comfortable.
"Keziah Vaia, a trainee from the Army Training Academy of Veta."
"And how long have you known the defendant, Miss Vaia?"
"For nearly two years," Keziah said clearly, pleased at how calm she sounded. "He taught me Kerita when I first arrived."
"How long would you say you have been friends?"
"A year," the girl replied after a couple of seconds of consideration. She was not sure the first year's uneasy acquaintance counted as 'friendship'.
"And I understand you were abducted last summer along with the defendant."
"Yeah…I mean, that is correct, sir." She saw Xienna's lips twitch with amusement as the memorised phrase from their impromptu lesson was pronounced awkwardly.
"Who was in charge of that episode, Miss Vaia?"
"It was Zael's step-father, Cydran Daiinno." Of that she could be perfectly certain.
"Did he at any time directly identify himself as the defendant's stepfather?"
Keziah forced her mind back to the incident, frowning as she tried to remember everything the b------ had said up there in the mountains. Suddenly she recalled their first meeting, where Cydran had been taunting the newly-captured Kiv: '…it's not every day a father gets to beat up his son…'
"He did, sir," Keziah confirmed. "He also admitted outright that he killed Zael's mother. The whole point of the abduction was to try and get Zael to say where his brother was so that Cydran could go and kill him."
"He told you all that directly?"
"Yes sir." Keziah could remember it more clearly than she liked now, and doubted the memory would fade quickly enough for her liking. Relating the episode felt like re-living a bad dream, with questions interspersed to dredge up the really awful times she had omitted to mention, and by the time she reached the end she was fighting to keep from shaking. The lawyer seemed to realise how much the interview had unbalanced her, and sent her back to her seat.
Thinking over the day's events, Keziah felt quite optimistic as she slapped a layer of white paint on the bathroom wall as neatly as she knew how. The lawyer had got a good reception from the jury, and she could sense that the atmosphere had changed, if only slightly in Kiv's favour.
"How did you get such a good lawyer?" she asked Xienna, who was installing some shelves above the sink. Her trainer also seemed calmer tonight, but Keziah was intrigued to catch a moment of awkward hesitation in the woman's voice as she answered the question.
"We were…are…friends," she faltered. "I've known him a long time."
"Was he at the academy?"
"No. I met him when I was in the army. He's a…civilian."
"He seems nice…good at his job anyway."
"Yes…he is." Keziah sneaked in a sideways glance at the woman's face, and was stunned to see that her cheeks were slightly pinker than usual.
"Is he married?" she asked gleefully, but keeping her voice perfectly calm.
" No, why do you ask?" Xienna seemed even more flustered now, and muttered that she was going to get more paint. When Keziah checked in her absence, she saw that the pot was still nearly full. She grinned cheekily. It would be the last time she would get even near to a smile for a very long time.
"It's not enough."
Suze looked up at the unexpected phrase, wondering how long he and Nevrian had been sitting there in silence. They had returned to the academy together after the trial, Suze having offered his friend a room for the night to save a long journey home, but there had been very little in the way of amicable conversation.
"What's not enough?" the training master asked morosely, stretching his limbs in tired reluctance.
"The defence…Mazekke's defence today. It won't be enough to stop him from being sent down for a good long time."
"Yeah, but it's looking less likely that he'll hang for it," Suze amended, for once optimistic.
"Putting a lad like that behind bars for the rest of his life…well, you might just as well kill him." Nevrian was not following his friend's example where encouragement was concerned. "He'll probably kill himself after a few years. People like him aren't meant to be caged."
"I don't think you're in a position to make such judgements, Nev," Suze cut in bluntly. "You know hardly anything about him. You're not the one who has been training him for the past four years."
"Three years."
Suze glowered icily at his companion, but Nevrian met the stare with complete equanimity. A glare that could make even the hardiest trainee begin to sweat hardly seemed to bother the agent at all.
"I did some research in my free time," he explained casually. "Nothing else to do in a city this big."
"I'm warning you, Nevrian Hezan," Suze growled. "Don't meddle. Don't get any more mixed up with these trainees than you absolutely have to. And it beats me as to why you have to at all."
"Firstly," the other man countered calmly, "looking up someone's background isn't really meddling. I haven't actually taken any action…yet. And secondly, I'm not entirely sure why I'm getting involved with Mazekke's case either. It just seems the right thing to do for Kierad's son. Don't you care to remember those days?"
"Not really." Suze's terse reply gave away absolutely nothing.
"You've changed." Disappointed.
"We've all changed." Uncompromising.
"It's incredible how far apart life can drive four friends who used to be so inseparable. I suppose our little group could never really hope to recover after Robban defected, and then when Kierad died …"
"Why are you bringing this up?" Suze interrupted, his voice tight with controlled emotion. "We don't have to remember what happened."
"Why not? Just because we were the two who escaped death, it doesn't mean we got away scot free, and it certainly doesn't mean we can just pretend nothing happened. I often wonder if we were right to…"
"Nev." The quiet pain in Suze's voice did what any amount of shouting would never have achieved. Nevrian stopped, glancing at the training master.
"I just wanted to check you hadn't forgotten," he muttered apologetically. "I just think that we should forgive the sins of the past, whoever committed them, and if backing Mazekke is the only way we can still be friends with Kierad…well, I'm willing to do it."
"And Robban?" Suze's voice was bitter. "You'd help any kid of his?"
"He never had any," the agent snapped, almost defensively.
"That's not the point. Would you forgive him?"
There was a long pause, but Nevrian finally shook his head. "Some things can't be forgiven."
"Zael Tymekk."
The judge pronounced the name with the gravity due a ton of lead. Kiv continued to stare at his hands, still chained to the defendant's stand, and gave no indication that he was nervous at this crucial turning point in his life. After four days of tortuous waiting the jury had finally decided the verdict, and everyone concerned and many who were not had convened in the courtroom to hear it pronounced. Keziah was among the crowd, sitting next to Xienna who was grapping the girl's wrist firmly every time she raised her hand to her mouth. The trainee's nails were already bitten down to the quick from nervous tension, and a couple were even bleeding. Suze and Nevrian sat on the same bench, neither having much to say for themselves.
"From what I've heard," the judge continued, "I conclude that you are a particularly disturbed and unstable young man. However, since the psychologist hasn't diagnosed you with any particular condition, I must put it down to your circumstances, perhaps even those that are responsible for your being here today. Whatever your true motive for killing Cydran Daiinno, there can be no justification for cold-blooded murder. If revenge, however deserved, were legalised, this world would be plunged into chaos and lawlessness. As to your assault of Ms. Chemai, that shows you to be a particularly cruel and desperate individual. It is in the interests of society that you are deprived of your freedom until you realise that this conduct is unacceptable."
Keziah listened with increasing foreboding to the speech, realising quickly that this was not going to go in Kiv's favour. She found herself trying to remember, from what Xienna had told her, what the lightest sentence for murder was. Surely he would not be given more than seven years…? She shivered suddenly, imagining what Kiv would be like after seven years in claustrophobic captivity. It was selfish, she admitted freely, but she would not help wondering what the next few years of her life were going to be like, without Kiv to keep her sane. She thought she had got through the worst phase of academy life, but if Kiv was put in a prison on the other side of the planet, she could foresee worse times approaching.
"The punishment for murder is life imprisonment, and for torture you would normally receive at least five years. However, due to evidence which suggests the Mr. Diianno was not a law-abiding citizen either, I therefore sentence you to fifteen years hard labour. Court adjourned."
The sound of the hammer colliding with the wooden top of the desk did much to jerk Keziah out of her stunned shock. She turned to Xienna to check that she had heard properly, but noticed that the woman was as aghast as she was herself. In fact, no one in the defence section seemed capable of speech for a few seconds, and by that time Kiv was nearly at the door.
"Kiv…" she croaked, lurching forwards into the bench in front of her. "Wait!" Her voice was barely audible, so dry was her throat, so it could not have been her pathetic cry that made Kiv pause in the doorway to look back. He stared straight into her eyes, and allowed her less than four seconds to see into his soul before the shutters slammed down once again. The connection between them that had been forged in that short time was severed with such determination that it hurt Keziah almost like a physical pain. She allowed Xienna to guide her out of the courtroom and into Suze's hover-car; she watched as the woman turned back for a few words with her lawyer-friend; she stared dully as Nevrian accompanied her training master into the front of the car; she listened mutely as Xienna ranted all the way back to her house about the harshness of the judge, and about how the only difference between Kiv's sentence and the death penalty was in the words used. Nothing seemed to mean anything any more. Nothing seemed to matter.
Kiv, kneeling on the floor of the high-security hover-van, wondered if it was strange that he did not care about what had happened. He could see it all panned out in his mind, a vision that the blindfold he wore could not dim: his father's funeral, his mother's death, Zera's murder, Fyel's cold body on the dirty floor of the basement, Cydran's body in the street. Try as he might, he could not conjure up any feelings of regret for what he had done. "…until you realise that this conduct is unacceptable…" the judge had said. Kiv had known at that point that he was never going to be released. The only way he was going to get out of prison would be in a coffin, something that would likely happen in the next ten years. It was common knowledge that no one survived more than six years hard labour at the particular camp he was being sent to. He was a little surprised at the severity of his sentence, labelled 'a slow death as opposed to a quick execution' by those subjected to it, but did not have the heart to question it. He did not have the heart to do anything much at the moment, and doubted that he ever would. Having to leave Keziah like that had pretty much ripped apart all that was left of him.
He lost track of time, only realising that it must have been some hours when he slumped involuntarily onto the floor, and was kicked back upright. This happened another four times before the transport eventually slowed down, manoeuvred, and finally stopped altogether. He was dragged to his feet roughly and half-carried out of the van because his feet were so numb from inaction, but the blindfold was not removed as he was pushed down what sounded like a long corridor. He wondered absently why such precautions were needed in a labour-camp. The chains were enough to keep him from foolhardy escape attempts.
After a few minutes walk he felt himself being directed through a door and into a pleasantly warm room. Only once he was kneeling submissively in the middle of the room was the blindfold removed, and he squinted in the sudden light. Once his vision had cleared enough to see his surroundings in any kind of detail, he received his second big shock of the day. Because wherever he had been taken, it certainly was not a labour-camp.
I'd just like to thank you all for sticking with me through this story. I hope you liked it, and I'll try and get the sequel started as soon as possible. I probably won't post the first chapter for quite a while, but I'll try not to leave you in suspense too long! Thank you so much for all the reviews/encouragement/criticism - this story wouldn't exist if it wasn't for them. Happy holidays :)

subset: commoncrawl


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Music Review: Will Kimbrough - 'Sideshow Love'
Although he's perhaps better known as a sideman to such luminaries as Emmylou Harris, a collaborator with people like Todd Snider, and a songwriter the likes of Jimmy Buffett, Will Kimbrough has been a busy recording artist for some time. His first solo album in nearly four years proves he's a distinctive voice on the Americana scene.
He aptly likens Sideshow Love to a book of short stories tracing an arc of love from freshness and hope to disappointment and loss. With a clear voice but a stark, gravelly sound bed, he opens the disc with the bluesy "When Your Loving Comes Around" and the dry, dusty "Let the Big World Spin," two songs with similar bony melodies. But a playful side emerges with the title track, a carnivalesque trip that brings to mind Leon Russell and conveys the sense two people in love always have that there's never been a love like theirs before.
A soul-music influence is evident in the gentle, gospel-flavored "Soulfully," but the dry humor returns with "Home Economics." ("You ladies get your taste in guys from Cosmopolitan.") And with that, he's earned the earnestness of the charming "I Want Too Much," with the most heartfelt singing on the album. With its rolling guitar-picking, plainspoken melody and clever lyrics, the song is a gem.
The next songs convey a yearning for maturity followed by the crush of love betrayed, then loneliness. "Has Anybody Seen My Heart" has a particularly winsome melody. The elemental "All We Can Do Is Love," driven by Kimbrough's banjo, strips the vicissitudes of life to the bone: "I guess all that we can do is live / Try not to do any more harm.Guess all that we can do is laugh."
"I don't suppose we'll get it right," but "it all begins again," says the rueful lover of "Who Believes in You," a mournful tune whose flicker of hope is fanned by the closing number, "Emotion Sickness": "You'd see the light if you'd only look.You'd better start living or die on the vine.You only need open your eyes." And this is a set of songs created by an observer with wide-open eyes, along with undeniable talent as singer, instrumentalist, and above all, writer of songs that hook both the mind and the heart. It's one of the best new Americana releases I've heard this year, and will become available Feb. 18.


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Food poisoning floors 76 Helmand policemen
Food poisoning floors 76 Helmand policemen
LASHKARGAH (PAN): Over 70 policemen suffered food poisoning after consuming beverages in the southern Helmand province but reported to be in stable condition, authorities said on Monday.
Forty policemen were poisoned in a police training centre after drinking beverages purchased in a nearby bazaar, police spokesman Farid Ahmad Farhang told Pajhwok Afghan News.
The policemen are in stable condition and the case is under investigation, he added.
However, Bost Civil Hospital head Dr. Nisar Ahmad Barak said 76 policemen complaining of poisoning were admitted at the hospital and medical tests revealed they suffered from food poisoning.
In an unrelated incident, a policeman was killed and three others wounded when their vehicle overturned on Monday in the Razi area of Khashrod district, said district police chief Maj. Abdul Jalil.
The injured policemen were taken to Nimroz Civil Hospital and are in stable condition, said district chief Mohammad Hashim Noorzai.
The accident occurred due to the police vehicle over speeding, he added.


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Make a quick and easy fishing game for rainy afternoon fun. Or fun anytime! The magnet on the fishing rod attracts the thin metal wires in the pipe cleaners. This cheap craft idea is from the brilliant blog of Valerie at Frugal Family Fun. [how to make this fishing game]
Project Estimate:
Total: FREE and up
Alternate materials ideas: Instead of a stick, use a rolled up piece of newspaper for a fishing rod. Or, maybe a long-handled wooden spoon or broom handle would work.
Also see:


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Status: Open
Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Be the first NJ.com user to add photos or videos of Occhiali Da Sole
Occhiali Da Sole can be found at Morris Tpke 1200. The following is offered: Sunglasses. The entry is present with us since Sep 9, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Millburn there are 1 other Sunglasses. An overview can be found here.
Occhiali Da Sole is located at 1200 Morris Tpke, Short Hills, NJ. This business specializes in Sunglasses. Occhiali Da Sole is open Mon-Fri 10:00am-9:00pm, Sat 10:00am-8:00pm, Sun 11:00am-6:00pm and accepts Discover and Visa.


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Renowned investigators at Seattle Children's Research Institute generate innovative ideas, undertake breakthrough studies, conduct clinical trials and introduce new medical practices that are revolutionizing pediatric care throughout the world.
Scientists at Seattle Children's Research Institute are discovering how to better treat epilepsy and reprogram immune cells to cure cancer without the harmful side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. These are just two examples of the hundreds of active research studies being pursued at any given time by our team of nearly 1,500 scientists and staff.
Contact us if you are interested in having one of our researchers visit your community organization or place of work to share their exciting discoveries.


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A picturesque journey to the source of the Still River in Danbury
Earth Day: Farrington property woodlands surround pond and headwaters of Still River
DANBURY -- Melanie Sim looked at the ruined foundation of a small cabin on the edge of Sanford Pond. A pair of mute swans lingered by the water, and Canada geese and cormorants were swimming at a distance.
"How pretty," she said, taking in the view across the pond. "I would have been in seventh heaven here."
The walk along the pond isn't exactly private -- a trail of litter along the water's edge provides evidence of other humans.
But the pond, and the nearly 200 acres of woods that surround it -- the Farrington property on the city's far west side -- are in the city's hands.
Using about $1 million from its open space fund and a $650,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection, the city purchased the land last fall.
More InformationThe Farrington property 192 acres off Mill Plain Road on the city's west side Creates the watershed surrounding Sanford Pond, which is the headwaters of the Still River. Once belonged to Isabelle Farrington Sold by her to Back O' Beyond Inc., a private corporation in Brewster, N.Y., that owns Morefar, an exclusive golf course on the New York-Connecticut border. Purchased in October, 2010, by Danbury for $1 million in city funds and a $650,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection. Now the second-largest city-owned open-space parcel in Danbury, after the 722-acre Tarrywile Park.
The plan is to use it as a haven for hikers, cross-country skiers, birders and others who want to enjoy a beautiful, wooded landscape.
"We went snowshoeing here this winter," said landscape architect Camilla Worden, who was part of a small group of hikers exploring the place Thursday. "It was fantastic."
"It is a wonderful property," said Bill Montgomery, president of the Land Trust of Danbury, as he walked along. "The woods, the pond, the whole thing."
Jack Kozuchowski, an environmental consultant to the city, said he realized the potential of the Farrington land -- so named because of its previous owner, Isabelle Farrington -- years ago when he was the city's environmental director.
"I would drive by it and think `We've got to have this place,'" he said.
The land -- with its woods and wildflowers, its granite outcroppings and lichen-dotted stone walls -- is handsome enough as is. Its ridge line creates a scenic entryway along Interstate 84 as people drive into the city.
Old stagecoach roads and wood roads line the land to form a trail system.
Kozuchowski and Nick Kaplanis, the city's recreation director, said an Eagle Scout may work on the land this year to extend and connect those trails.
But the property also is an invaluable piece of watershed.
The entry road marks a natural boundary between New York and Connecticut.
"Everything on one side goes into Sanford Pond," he said. "Everything on the other side goes into the Croton Reservoir in New York."
Sanford Pond is the headwater of the Still River.
Walking along a trail that parallels the pond, Kozuchowski pointed to the exact spot -- just east of an old beaver lodge -- where the pond starts to narrow into the river's channel.
By preserving the land, he said, the city also is preserving the water quality of the Still River, which winds through Danbury and Brookfield to New Milford and the Housatonic River.
Because the Still River creates Lake Kenosia, that lake benefits as well.
"If this land had been sold for condominiums, or for other development, there would be a lot of impermeable surfaces," Kozuchowski said.
That means water flowing across paved surfaces, picking up pollution, then going to storm drains before emptying out into places like the Still River.
"You'd be losing all this protection," he said.
Kozuchowski said discussions have been under way for the town of Southeast, N.Y., to buy the adjoining 200 acres of woodland and ridge lines. That would create an open space preserve that could straddle the state line.
Kozuchowski said to expect to see the completion of the Ives Trail, the dedication of the native plant border at Lake Kenosia, and work by the Still River Alliance to extend the Still River Greenway into Brookfield and New Milford.
"The city of Danbury should feel the coming year is going to be a very green year," he said.
Contact Robert Miller
at firstname.lastname@example.com
or at 203-731-3345.


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Operation Shower: A Star is Born Hollywood Baby Shower (Part 2 – Sweets Station)
In continuing with Part 1 of the A STAR IS BORN Baby Shower event for Operation Shower, here we go with Part 2 – starring the amazing VINTAGE HOLLYWOOD GLAM Sweets Station by Marie of Sweets Indeed! Shout-out also to Marie's husband, Shannon of The Pixel Studio, who made the dessert labels AND took these beautiful pics.
I just love everything about this glitzy sweets display… from the super sparkly sequin linens from La Tavola to the chic vintage props (courtesy of Found Vintage Rentals) – which included vintage film reels, gold nesting tables, a vintage dress form, and a fun piece that resembled the look of an old fashioned ticket booth! In addition to the fabulous array of creative treats – including pushcakes adorned with bow ties and darling miniature pies – one of my favorite details has to be the giant hanging paper stars that Marie spray-painted gold…LOVE how those turned out! I was also happy to see a cameo by the little bow-tie stork from the event signage & printables. ;)
Read on for more SWEET pics + vendor resources…
P.S. If you missed Part 1 of A STAR IS BORN, which recaps the overall event, table designs, and decor – check it out right here!
- Dessert Station Styling & Design: Sweets Indeed
- Photography: The Pixel Studio
- Cupcakes: Pamper Me Sweets
- PushCakes: Meringue Bake Shop
- Popcorn: Just Pop In
- French Macarons: Eye Candy Event Design
- Cake Pops: A Twist Of Cake
- Miniature Pies: Porch Pies
6 responses to "Operation Shower: A Star is Born Hollywood Baby Shower (Part 2 – Sweets Station)"
What a fabulous shower! I love the stars on top of the mini pies.
I love all your ideas. I would never thought of this theme for a baby shower, but it looks wonderful.
where did u find the film reels?
Wow you always do a fabulous job! This theme is awesome.
This is part 2 of the Star is Born.
Lavonia this is for you check out parts 1 and 2


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Explore trends for any subject by entering it into the search box above and clicking the Show Trends button. Please note that trends may be affected by actual number of articles grabbed by writeKA. There has been a change in source or articles as well recently - moving to only Indian news sources, this would also have an impact on subjets like politicians, local events etc.
Try these searches:
Trend Analysis: Nobel
Trend Analysis: Iphone
Trend Analysis: Malaysian
Trend Analysis: Syria


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Here is the website to look at telling the time…
Today we are looking at how to order specific things in French!
This link will give you lots of vocabulary for what to order and also how to order it.
It would be great if you could have a look at home to further develop your understanding!
Merci beaucoup,
Monsieur Prosser


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Spade Sole Shoes – A. S. Beck
What an amazing pair of shoes. My friend directed me to them in a London vintage shop, for the princely sum of £20. These A. S. Beck shoes are made in dark blue suede and feature this amazing "spade" sole, one of the prominent obsessions of collectors of vintage American shoes. I'm not entirely sure of the date, but I'm sure the shoe enthusiasts can tell me. I would guess them as being 1930s? A. S. Beck seems to have a pretty big shoe retailer/maker, if the pictures online of their stores back in the day are anything to go by.


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Joseph V. Osmond
- tel: 801.426.2100
- fax: 801.426.2101
Related Info
A cum laude graduate of Georgetown University Law School, Mr. Osmond is a member of the firm's Litigation, Real Property, and Constitutional sections. His practice focuses on all facets of commercial litigation, but with particular emphasis on construction disputes, land use controversy, real property acquisition, and insurance and title defense. He has extensive experience in all areas of litigation, but particularly in conducting complex discovery and motion practice. Mr. Osmond also regularly consults with educational institutions and religious organizations to assist them with legal compliance, risk management, and investigatory audits.
Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Osmond served as a Utah police officer and DCFS social worker. He has also served as a litigation fellow with the Utah Attorney General's Office in Salt Lake and as an extern with the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Mr. Osmond volunteers in the community by serving on the board of the Children's Justice Center in both Salt Lake and Utah Counties. He is also the president of the Central Utah Bar Association (2016-17) and currently sits on the Justice Court Nominating Commission for Utah County. During law school, Mr. Osmond was an extern to the Honorable Ronald E. Nehring of the Utah Supreme Court.
Mr. Osmond was named by Super Lawyers as a Mountain States Rising Star in both 2015 and 2016.
- June 11, 2018Press Release
- June 13, 2017Press Release
- March 2016Press Release
Practice areas
Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., cum laude, 2011
- Senior Articles Editor, American Criminal Law Review, Volume 48
Brigham Young University, B.S., 2003
- Extern, United States Department of Justice, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Fall 2010
- Extern, Justice Ronald E. Nehring, Utah Supreme Court, Summer 2009
Bar Admissions
- Utah, 2011
Honors & Awards
- Mountain States Super Lawyers: Rising Star in Real Estate (2015 - 2018)


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Obtain the pitch, or slope angle, of a roof by calculating the ratio of the change in the roof's height to the corresponding horizontal distance. Roof pitch is expressed in ratios of 12 because it is measured by the foot. For example, a roof with a 6:12 pitch rises 6 inches for every horizontal foot.Continue Reading
If measuring a physical roof, get a ladder, and place it on a solid surface. Climb up to the roof with a carpenter's square set to a foot of length. Place it above the roof so it forms a right triangle with the slope of the roof.
Look at the measurement where the carpenter's square meets the roof, and make a note of this number. For example, assume the roof has a pitch of 4 inches. The roof should intercept the carpenter's square at the 4-inch mark. This is a ratio of 12, so it would be a 4:12 pitch.
Dividing 4 by 12 yields a decimal result of 0.3333. This number is needed for the next step.
Open a calculator application or use a scientific calculator. Enter the decimal, then press the key labeled "tan(-1)," "arctan" or similar. The decimal 0.333 converts to an angle of 18.434 degrees.


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|Page (1) of 1 - 05/11/17
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13th Shenzhen Cultural Industries Fair - China Animation Sub-venue Opens to Visitors Today(May 11, 2017)
China Animation's 'World-leading Theme Park' Presents New Experience, New Entertainment and New Culture and Creativity
Shenzhen, May 11, 2017 - (ACN Newswire) - China Animation Characters Company Limited ('China Animation' or 'the Group;' stock code: 1566.HK), a leading multimedia animation enterprise, announced that the Sub-venue of the 13th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair ('ICIF') at the Longgong China Animation Creative Industry Park ('China Animation Industry Park') is open from 3 p.m. today to 15 May. The Sub-venue event is presented as a 'World-leading Theme Park that presents New Experience, New Entertainment and New Culture and Creativity'. The theme park has three major feature areas, namely CA SEGA JOYPOLIS, CA SEGA VR and CA SEGA Wonder Forest, on top of Super IP, eight special highlights and 12 other creative activities.
Three World-leading Theme Parks + Super IP Develop Hand-in-Hand Leading the Trend
In January 2017, China Animation acquired controlling stake in CA SEGA JOYPOLIS LTD. in Japan, which saw it become a world-leading developer and operator of indoor amusement parks and owner of the world's No.1 large-scale indoor amusement park SEGA JOYPOLIS in five major cities, namely Tokyo, Shanghai, Osaka, Qingdao and Dubai. China Animation has developed four industry-leading segments: top indoor amusement park - CA SEGA JOYPOLIS, top indoor amusement park for kids - CA SEGA Wonder Forest, virtual reality theme park - CA SEGA VR, as well as the business that covers all aspects, main and peripheral, of the entire IP-protected animated game industrial chain.
JOYPOLIS Tokyo under CA SEGA has 21 years' history and had entertained close to 20 million visitors. The other four JOYPOLIS together receive more than 5 million visitors a year. Shanghai JOYPOLIS is exclusively operated by China Animation and was opened at Shanghai Global Harbour on 6 February 2016. Spanning 8,500 sq.m., it offers more than large-scale and medium to small-scale amusement amenities, former more than 20 and latter more than 180.
China Animation has developed several dozens of original VR games such as Violet's Dream, Han Ba Gui and upgrades them continually. Tokyo JOYPOLIS homes the only VR game center in Asia commercially operated by Zero Latency VR in Asia. This attraction prides a full house every day and those who wish to have an experience have to make reservation. Zero Latency VR, which has its roots in Australia and the US, is the world's first immersive VR multi-player game that can give players the most realistic VR action experiences.
CA SEGA Wonder Forest is designed for the family with kids. It was rated 'The Most Popular Merchant' in the US in 2016 by the public. Its first amusement park opened on 1 January 2015, followed by the next of 1,100 sq.m. on 29 July 2016.
China Animation owns the intellectual property (IP) rights to a number of renowned animation characters, including two of China's Top 10 Cartoon Characters, namely 'Hanbagui' and 'Violet', as well as the films and animation TV dramas including 'The King of Tibetan Antelope', 'Rabbit & Tortoise', 'Animal Conference on the Environment' and 'Amazing UU'. It also owns all copyrights of the internationally famous IP 'Aoki Lapis' in Asia and works closely with a number of major IP brands around the world (such as Transformers in the US, SEGA's SONIC the Hedgedog, and Initial D, etc.).
China Animation Signs Agreements with Overseas China Town (OCT) and Yitian Group on Theme Parks Related Cooperation
At the opening ceremony of the Sub-venue event, China Animation and several China's leading property companies, such as OCT and Yitian Group, signed agreements on theme parks related cooperation, entailing the introduction of CA SEGA's JOYPOLIS, and VR and Wonder Forest theme parks to first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shenzhen.
China Animation will also cooperate with the Dingxing County People's Government in Hebei to build a China Animation Culture and Creative Theme Park, with the aim of developing an international cultural brand for Dingxing County in line with the country's Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integration aspiration and the national development strategy for the Xiong An New Area.
Presents 12 innovative activities that promise new experience, new entertainment and new culture and creativity
At this year's ICIF, the Longgong China Animation Creative Industry Park Sub-venue displays fully the CA SEGA JOYPOLIS LTD. concept. More than a dozen industry-leading VR game devices grouped under the space, military, cross-country and extreme action series are availed to the public in the CA SEGA VR Theme Zone. The 'Internet + VR Game Contest' that adopts e-game model the first time is another eye-catching event. It ranks players on the spot and players compete on speed to win grand prizes.
The Group also focuses on developing CA SEGA Wonder Forest. It launched numerous projects featuring innovative concepts and hip and cool technologies under the Wonder Forest brand at the event. They included AI smart + digital gallery, traditional + digital interactive ocean world, smart + digital interactive orb and small smart amusement park, etc. The AI smart + digital gallery integrates AR, MR and VR technologies and supports switching of use of the technologies in the three scenes of Wonder Forest, Wonder Ocean and Abstract World, allowing children to vividly feel as if immersed in the world of drawing. These activities will not only help youth grasp up-to-date creative culture and technological innovation, but will also give memorable fun experiences to families.
The China Animation theme park stays fresh and innovative at all times. It not only has CA SEGA's JOYPOLIS, VR and Wonder Forest connected with Super IP to present special activities. It also offers a number of green and low carbon digital creative activities including ones specially designed for animation lovers and fans. The re-created series featuring the Group's virtual artist 'Violet' is one example. It includes the 'The Most Beautiful Violet' animation Coser competition, the 3rd 'Violet Recreation Contest', 'Dream Drama with Mixed Reality Technology', real animation characters capture system and AR and MR technology demonstration. In addition, the Group also takes care of the preferences of parents and children by setting up in the venue the youth creative animation market, animation cultural street, international animation trade fair and 4.0 creative headquarters, etc. At the same time as it promotes the culture + creativity and culture + platform concepts, the Group is also driving development of the digital economy.
The China Animation Sub-venue event connects and interacts with the main venue and other sub-venues. With the support of the Longgang Street Office, three free shuttle bus routes are arranged between the main venue Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, Dayun Metro Station, Longyuan and New Crane Lake Residency to serve visitors to the ICIF.
Mr. Jason Zhuang, Chairman, CEO and Executive Director of China Animation, said, 'China Animation has been relentless in driving development of China's cultural industry and for the eighth consecutive years presented the Longgang China Animation as a Sub-venue event at ICIF. Different from in the past seven years, this year's event focuses on international brands, a presentation that transcends previous formats. In 2017, the Group will be presenting new experience, new entertainment and new culture and creativity building on its the three major theme parks and Super IP, and take its multimedia animation business to new heights.'
About China Animation Characters Company Limited
China Animation Characters Company Limited is the first multimedia animation enterprise in China to list on the Main Board in Hong Kong (stock code of HK.1566). In January 2017, the Group acquired controlling stake in CA SEGA JOYPOLIS LTD. from Japan and become a world-leading indoor theme park operator with R&D capabilities and owns SEGA JOYPOLIS, the world's number one large-scale indoor theme park, in Tokyo, Shanghai, Osaka, Qingdao and Dubai. The Group has also four industry-leading business segments including top indoor theme park - CA SEGA JOYPOLIS, top children's amusement park - CA SEGA Wonder Forest, virtual reality theme park CA SEGA VR and the business the business that covers all aspects, main and peripheral, of the entire IP-protected animated game industrial chain.
China Animation owns the intellectual property rights to a number of popular animation characters including two top 10 national cartoon characters - 'Han Ba Gui' and 'Violet', as well as characters from movies and animated dramas such as 'The King of Tibetan Antelope', 'Project Egg', 'Animal Conference on the Environment' and 'Amazing UU'. The Group also owns all the copyright to the well-loved overseas IP 'Aoki Lapis' in Asia and enjoys close cooperative relationship with many world-leading IP brands such as 'Transformers' in the US, SEGA Sonic the Hedgehog, Initial D and Crayon Shin-chan, etc.
Virtual artist 'Violet' is an animation star and Super IP created by China Animation. The Group has held in a number of 3D Holographic Concerts for Violet in Shenzhen and Hong Kong since 2015.
Media enquiries
China Animation Characters Company Limited
Ms. Xiao Juan Tel: (86) 136 0300 4649
Ms. Wu Qing Tel: (86) 159 8953 6791
Strategic Financial Relations (China) Limited
Ms. Anita Cheung Tel: (852) 2864 4827
Ms. Karen Li Tel: (852) 2864 4837
Ms. Phoenix Fung Tel: (852) 2864 4850
Ms. Mina Pang Tel: (852) 2864 4830
Ms. Angel Li Tel: (852) 2114 4954
Email: email@example.com
Copyright 2017 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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Related Keywords:HKG:1566
Source:Copyright (c) ACNNewswire, Inc. All Rights Reserved


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No human being walking the Earth makes me quite as simultaneously confused and happy as the "McDowell County Giant" Bucky Boyd, a 7-foot West Virginian toughman fighter locked in and endless loop of threatening pre-fight promos and humiliating losses to a guy named "Tree." All he seems to do is stand in the woods (because there are trees in the woods … get it) until someone coerces him into a boxing ring wherein he is instantly beaten to death and sent rolling back to the woods. He is weird at best, and a genius at worst.
The good news here is that he's back for the upcoming Rough N Rowdy Brawl on November 1st, he's got excuses for that most recent Tree loss and he's gloriously unchanged. Bucky Boyd is coming. For y'all. Y'all bout to get RAND OVER.
He. Is. A BARE. When he gets pissed off. You don't want to bring the bear out in Bucky The Bear Buoyed. In Beckally. You will leave in an amalance on a stresher. A BOLLYBAG IN A HEARSE. I can't even type this facetiously. Bucky Boyd is a true God of the English language.
If you're wondering about that loss to Tree, here's his explanation: he ate raw chicken. No, seriously. And he's ashamed of it!
I'm sure at this point you've already scrolled down to the comments section to type, "BRANDON, I am a virile, attractive young woman who wants to have sex with a giant man who thinks he's a bear. How can I enter into a consensual sexual relationship with Bucky Boyd?" Don't fret, young lady, because Bucky has answered your questions:
Seems legit.
I will of course post the follow-up video from the Rough N Rowdy Brawl when it becomes available, because the image of Bucky pretending to be a bear, being knocked out in five seconds and then bedding a room full of Buckymaniacs is too wonderful not to happen.
[h/t to Lobster Mobster]


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IRVINE, Calif. – (Hawaii Athletics) Connor Little pitched his first complete game but it wasn't enough as the University of Hawai'i Rainbow baseball team lost to UC Irvine, 4-1, on Friday at Anteater Stadium. UH drops to 7-19 overall and 2-2 in the Big West Conference.
UCI pitcher Andrew Thurman (3-3) had complete command over the Rainbow lineup until the ninth inning. After retiring Andre Real, he gave up base hits to Austin Wobrock and Stephen Ventimilia to help load the bases for Kaeo Aliviado. Aliviado grounded out to score a run as Thurman was lifted for reliever Race Parmenter. Parmenter, however, retired Marc Flores to end the rally and earn the save.
Little (1-4) allowed a pair of runs each in the first and fourth innings but stayed in the game for his eight-inning career outing. He finished with eight hits on the four runs and posted four strikeouts. Aliviado and Wobrock each had one of UH's three hits on the night.
Chris Rabago batted 2-4 with a run scored to lead the Anteaters (18-8, 1-3 BWC) and Conner Spencer added two hits and one RBI.
Irvine got off to a fast start with a pair of runs in the first inning. Rabago delivered a lead-off double down the left field line, and an RBI-single by Spencer and a run-scoring pop up by Ronnie Shaeffer led to the early Anteater lead.
Taylor Sparks pushed the lead to 3-0 in the fourth inning when he belted a solo homerun over the left field wall. Scott Gottschling (1 H, 1 RBI) then doubled and later scored on a sacrifice squeeze to put the UCI lead at 4-0.
The series continues Saturday at 1:00 p.m. PT (10:00 a.m. HT).


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How does Fish Allure work?
Fishing at a molecular level
How Fish Allure can work for you!
What makes Fish Allure tabs different and better than other fish attractants?
The decal is simple to apply and lasts up to 60 minutes when wet. Fish Allure doesn't wash off when it hits the water like fish oils, sprays or sticks. The water activates the amino acids in the decal and releases scent continuously, only while wet! This means that the active ingredients are never wasted or evaporated – YOU control when the tabs are activated! No mess, no spoiled tackle boxes and no waste. Join the Fish Allure revolution and try the fish attractant that has taken the industry by storm!
The Proof is in the Science
See for yourself…download our Field Study results here.
The breakthrough behind Fish Allure comes at the molecular level
After thousands of lab trials, scientists created a proprietary polymer film that stores and releases amino acids and other active ingredients at levels that exceed a fish's scent threshold. Fish Allure is manufactured by Chemsultants International, a world-renowned technical organization which has been developing products for clients for nearly 30 years. Chemsultants' roots in adhesive consulting have laid the groundwork for some of the most innovative consumer products on the market. Fish Allure is one of the latest examples of this. The Science2 Sport™ brand envisions using this patent-pending technology as a platform to launch other high tech products to enhance consumer experiences. Using this scientifically-engineered, patent-pending technology and award winning product will greatly enhance the overall experience of fishermen: amateur and professional anglers alike.
The Science Tells The Story…
Peer-Reviewed References:
1. Rolen SH, Sorenson PW, Mattson D, and Caprio J; Polyamines as olfactory stimuli in the goldfish Carassius auratus; The Journal of Experimental Biology, vol. 206, p. 1683-1696 (2003)
2. Derby CD and Sorenson PW; Neural Processing, Perception and Behavioral Responses to Natural Chemical Stimuli by Fish and Crustaceans; Journal of Chemical Ecology, vol. 34, p. 898-914 (2008)


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Exclusive throat carriage among Staphylococcus aureus carriers in relation to level of exposure to the health care system. See the "Methods" section for a detailed explanation of the groups. HCWs indicates health care workers.
Decreasing Staphylococcus aureus colonization with increasing age. For all 3 carriage groups, P < .001 for age dependence of carriage rates using the Mann-Whitney test.
Customize your JAMA Network experience by selecting one or more topics from the list below.
Mertz D, Frei R, Periat N, et al. Exclusive Staphylococcus aureus Throat CarriageAt-Risk Populations. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(2):172–178. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2008.536
© 2018
Copyright 2009 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved. Applicable FARS/DFARS Restrictions Apply to Government Use.2009
Approximately 25% of Staphylococcus aureus carriers have exclusive throat carriage. We aimed to identify the populations at risk for exclusive throat carriage to improve sensitivity to detect carriers.
Four groups underwent nasal and throat screening for S aureus. Three groups of individuals in the community (n = 2632) with different estimated levels of exposure to the health care system (HCS) were screened, including 1500 healthy blood donors, 498 patients from a school of dental medicine, and 634 health care workers (HCWs) at a trade fair. The fourth group comprised in-hospital patients and HCWs (n = 832) and was considered the group with the highest estimated exposure to the HCS. As a primary outcome, we analyzed risk factors for exclusive throat carriage in exclusive throat carriers vs all nasal c arriers.
Of 3464 individuals screened, 428 (12.4%) had exclusive throat carriage, and 1260 (36.4%) had carriage in the nares only or in the nares and the throat. The most important independent risk factor for exclusive throat carriage was age 30 years or younger (odds ratio, 1.66; P < .001). Exposure to the HCS was a significant protective factor for exclusive throat carriage (odds ratio, 0.67; P = .001). Healthy blood donors were almost twice as likely to have exclusive throat carriage than in-hospital patients and HCWs (30.2% vs 18.4% of all carriers, P < .001).
Absence of exposure to the HCS and younger age predicted exclusive throat carriers, a population at high risk for community-onset methicillin-resistant S aureus. Screening for S aureus should include swabs from the anterior nares and from the throat to improve the likelihood of detecting carriers.
Staphylococcus aureus is the most common nosocomial pathogen, accounting for approximately 20% of all nosocomial pathogens.1 Carriers are at higher risk for staphylococcal infections after invasive medical or surgical procedures than noncarriers2 and are 2 to 9 times as likely to have surgical site infections.3 Similarly, nonsurgical S aureus nasal carriers have a significantly higher risk of developing a nosocomial S aureus bacteremia,4 which was found to be caused by the same strain as in their nares in 80%.5 The ecologic niche of S aureus is the anterior nares, and 25% to 30% of the adult population have colonization at a given time.6 Treatment of nasal carriers reduced the risk of nosocomial S aureus infection.7 Therefore, several approaches were developed to identify carriers and to treat the carriage stage before infection develops.
The emergence of methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA)8 increased the importance of screening to avoid subsequent infection and epidemic spread of MRSA. More recently, spread of community-onset MRSA (CO-MRSA)9 amplified the demand for accurate S aureus screening. In fact, MRSA is more common than methicillin-susceptible S aureus (MSSA) among skin and soft-tissue infections due to S aureus in US emergency departments,10 and a rapid increase in MRSA colonization was observed between 2001 and 2004.11
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently recommended routine admission screening for high-risk areas,12 and general screening of all admitted patients is debated in the United States. Screening focuses mainly on MRSA rather than on S aureus. However, the principles of S aureus screening are almost identical whether searching for MSSA or MRSA.13
Screening is restricted to the nares at most institutions, and additional screening of the throat is considered unnecessary because the anterior nares are recognized as the primary colonization site of S aureus.3 Previous investigations have found a variable frequency of S aureus throat carriage ranging from 4% up to 64%.14 Studies15-17 have shown that individuals may have colonization exclusively in the throat who would be missed on screening limited to the anterior nares. In 2 studies,15,16 the yield of throat swabs was higher than the yield of nasal swabs. The importance of additional throat swabs was recently confirmed by our group.18 The analysis (consisting of part of the data set of the present study) demonstrated an S aureus colonization rate of 37.1% in the anterior nares, with an additional yield of 12.8% from swabs of the throat. Recent studies13,15 supported these findings for MRSA.
However, routine screening of the throat in addition to the anterior nares increases labor and costs for screening laboratories and causes discomfort for the patient. Therefore, we aimed to identify the populations at risk for exclusive throat carriage who would be missed by routine nasal screening. This would allow targeted screening programs and improve cost-effectiveness.
We collected data from 4 groups of individuals with different estimated exposures to the health care system (HCS) (Table 1). A clear-cut and validated quantification of exposure to the HCS does not exist, to our knowledge. Therefore, health care exposure was defined as treatment of a patient in an inpatient or outpatient setting within the past 12 months or regular contact of a health care worker (HCW) (ie, nurses, physicians, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists) with patients.
Group 1 (n = 1500) consisted of healthy blood donors screened for S aureus during 2005. Blood donors in Switzerland are not financially compensated for their donation, undergo an intensive laboratory workup (including routine testing for hepatitis B and hepatitis C, as well as for human immunodeficiency virus), and provide detailed health information before each donation. Group 2 (n = 498) consisted of patients at the school of dental medicine, who were screened in 2006. Group 3 (n = 634) consisted of HCWs at a national trade fair for hospital equipment (Internationale Fachmesse für Arzt und Spitalbedorf; October 26-29, 2004; Zurich, Switzerland) who volunteered to participate in a prevalence survey of S aureus carriage. Group 4 (n = 832) consisted of in-hospital patients and HCWs screened after exposure to patients with MRSA (2000-2005). Since 1997, routine screening for MRSA is part of our hospital policy for prevention of the spread of MRSA. Twenty-three MRSA carriers (0.66% of all study participants) were excluded from further analysis to avoid possible bias. Except for group 4, all study participants (in the presence of an investigator [N.P. or M.Z.]) completed and signed a questionnaire about possible risk factors for MRSA carriage. Screening was performed by infection control nurses or physicians after appropriate training.
For the primary analysis, exclusive throat carriers were compared with all nasal carriers (exclusive nasal carriers and combined carriers [ie, individuals with colonization at both the anterior nares and the throat]). In a secondary analysis, exclusive throat carriers were compared with exclusive nasal carriers and with noncarriers to further characterize exclusive throat carriers.
Screening methods are described elsewhere in detail.18 In short, swabs were obtained from the anterior nares and from the posterior wall of the throat and were cultured in a selective enrichment broth (brain-heart infusion broth with 6% sodium chloride). After incubation at 35°C overnight, the broth was subcultured onto a chromogenic agar for S aureus (Chromagar S aureus; Hy Laboratories, Rehovot, Israel) and onto a Columbia agar with 5% sheep blood. Identification of S aureus was based on typical growth in the chromogenic medium or blood agar, as well as detection of clumping factor, protein A, and capsular antigens (Pastorex Staph-Plus; Bio-Rad, Marnes-la-Coquette, France). According to guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute,19S aureus isolates were tested for oxacillin resistance by using an oxacillin disk or screening agar plate or, more recently, a cefoxitin disk. For equivocal results or MRSA, additional tests were performed for the presence of aurease (Rapidec Staph; bioMérieux, Marcy l"Etoile, France), for detection of penicillin-binding protein 2a (MRSA-Screen; Denka Seiken, Tokyo, Japan), and for polymerase chain reaction of the mecA and femA genes.
Results were analyzed using commercially available statistical software (SPSS 14.0; SPSS Inc, Chicago, Illinois). To test univariate statistical significance, χ2 test for categorical data and Mann-Whitney test for noncategorical data were used. For multivariate analyses, all variables were entered in a logistic regression model without stepwise elimination. χ2 Test for trend was used to analyze exclusive throat carriage in relation to the estimated level of exposure to the HCS per group. Therefore, the 4 groups were arranged according to the estimated exposure to the HCS, and the null hypothesis that there is no difference in the prevalence of exclusive throat carriage among all carriers was chosen. P < .05 (2-tailed) was considered statistically significant.
The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of the University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Written informed consent was obtained from all individuals who were not hospitalized.
Overall, 1688 individuals (48.7%) were identified as S aureus carriers in the screened population of 3464 (Table 1). A total of 428 individuals (12.4% of the population screened) had exclusive throat carriage, 719 (20.8%) had colonization at both sites, and 541 (15.6%) had exclusive nasal carriage. For the primary analysis, exclusive throat carriers were compared with all nasal carriers (exclusive nasal carriers and combined carriers [ie, individuals with colonization at both the anterior nares and the throat]).
Individuals without close contact to the HCS were more likely to have exclusive throat carriage (Table 2). As shown in Figure 1, the estimated absence of exposure to the HCS among the different groups significantly correlated with the percentage of exclusive S aureus throat carriage among all carriers (P < .001). The lowest additional yield of throat swabs to identify S aureus carriers was found in group 4 (18.4% of S aureus carriers). The highest additional yield was found in group 1 (30.2% of S aureus carriers). Group 3 had less exposure to the HCS than group 4; only 515 of 634 group members (81.2%) were working as nurses, physicians, physiotherapists, or occupational therapists with regular patient contact.
The univariate and multivariate analyses identified age 30 years or younger as a risk factor for exclusive throat carriage compared with all nasal carriers (Table 2). Individuals 30 years or younger more frequently had colonization in the throat than in the nares (Figure 2). In individuals older than 30 years, a significant decrease in throat colonization was observed, while nasal colonization remained stable up to the sixth decade of life. All colonization rates (nasal carriage, throat carriage, and carriage overall) were significantly influenced by age (P < .001).
All individuals in groups 1 through 3 completed the questionnaire, and their estimated exposure to the HCS (whether as inpatients, outpatients, or HCWs) was analyzed in detail. Only HCW status was a significant independent protective factor for exclusive throat carriage in this analysis (Table 3). Similar to older individuals, patients with chronic skin disease and women less frequently had exclusive colonization in the throat, and individuals living alone more frequently had exclusive throat carriage.
To further characterize 428 exclusive throat carriers (12.4% of the study population), they were compared with 541 exclusive nasal carriers (15.6%), who together comprised 969 individuals (28.0% of the study population). The same risk factors as in the primary analysis were corroborated, with age 30 years or younger being a significant independent risk factor in all groups for exclusive throat carriage (odds ratio [OR], 2.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.80-3.60; P < .001). Exposure to the HCS was again found to be an independent protective factor (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.46-0.79; P < .001). An additional analysis comparing exclusive throat carriers with noncarriers confirmed the same risk factors. Multivariate analyses showed that age 30 years or younger was a significant independent risk factor for exclusive throat carriage (OR, 2.73; 95% CI, 2.09-3.56; P < .001), and exposure to the HCS was found to be a protective factor for exclusive throat carriage (0.58; 0.47-0.72; P < .001).
Identification of S aureus carriers is a key component of an infection control program, enabling treatment before infection develops. In addition, rapid identification of MRSA carriers allows initiation of appropriate control measures to prevent spread.20 The simplest approach would be screening of all patients at various body sites, but such a policy would be costly and is not supported by society recommendations (Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc).21 However, targeted screening depends on selection of patients at risk for carriage22 and on selection of the body site to be screened. Undoubtedly, the anterior nares are the most frequently colonized body site in hospitalized patients.3 However, screening of the anterior nares missed identification of S aureus carriage in 12.4% of the population screened, comprising mostly young healthy individuals.
The importance of additional throat swabs was again corroborated in the present study by group 2, which served as an external control to the previous study groups.18 Similar to the 3 groups studied earlier, we found an additional yield of 9.8% by throat screening (23.6% of all carriers had exclusive throat carriage). Considering all 4 groups, 12.4% of the study population, or 25.4% of S aureus carriers, had exclusive throat carriage and would not be identified in screening limited to the anterior nares.
The estimated level of exposure to the HCS was found to independently predict the rate of exclusive throat carriage: 18.4% of S aureus carriers had exclusive throat carriage in group 4 and 30.2% in group 1. Therefore, additional throat screening is most important in the community, while nasal screening is significantly more reliable in a hospital environment, particularly in an intensive care unit.23 The low carriage rate overall in the hospital environment may be associated with the use of antimicrobial agents in this setting. One can hypothesize that exposure to antimicrobial agents leads to decolonization and reduces the colonization rates overall. On the other hand, the highest rate of combined carriage in the throat and the anterior nares was found in group 4, with the highest exposure to the HCS, which may be explained by the hypothesis that exposure to antimicrobial agents primarily results in decolonization among individuals with a low carriage burden of S aureus but not among those with colonization in both the throat and the anterior nares. Patients with diseases associated with higher prevalence of carriage such as those undergoing dialysis or HCWs with close contact to S aureus carriers may have more frequent combined carriage states due to greater exposure to S aureus. In addition, it is conceivable that there is a higher likelihood of detecting intermittent carriers in the hospital setting than in the community.3 However, screening of both the nares and the throat increases sensitivity even in this population at lowest risk for exclusive throat carriage. The finding that the rate of exclusive throat carriage is higher in individuals living alone may also be explained by the estimated exposure to S aureus: exposure in the household is probably lower among persons living alone, which contrasts with the hospital setting.
A second independent factor influencing the carriage pattern is age. The decrease of S aureus colonization in the nares with increasing age is well known and was recently corroborated.24 The results in our study are similar. The overall colonization rate of nasal carriage, throat carriage, and carriage overall decreased with age up to 75 years, with an additional increase only in the last decades of life. However, the nasal carriage rate (28%-41%) was more stable over the years than the throat carriage rate (20%-50%). We conclude that S aureus colonization decreases with age, an observation underestimated in the past by focusing on swabs from the anterior nares only, as this effect is more pronounced in the throat.
The age factor and the lesser importance of throat carriage in the hospital environment are possible reasons for the disuse of throat swabs for S aureus screening, as most testing is performed among typical hospital populations (eg, HCWs, patients, and older populations). Obviously, the colonization pattern is different in communities with less exposure to the HCS and among young healthy adults. Young healthy individuals are at highest risk for exclusive throat carriage, a population among whom CO-MRSA is commonly observed.10 Rapid spread of CO-MRSA even in countries with low prevalence of MRSA among hospitals may relate to a detection bias of carriers in the community.
The increasingly recognized importance of identification of S aureus carriers, especially MRSA, drives the search for new detection methods based on molecular rather than conventional screening.25 These methods seem to be cost-effective for screening of MRSA given the high cost of unnecessary isolation.26 However, even the most sophisticated methods that provide results in minutes fail if the appropriate body sites are not screened. One may speculate that screening of the throat to increase sensitivity may be epidemiologically more important than obtaining a rapid result with lower sensitivity. Unidentified carriers are established sources for outbreaks, particularly with CO-MRSA. Throat carriage triggered a large MRSA outbreak that was traced back to a sole HCW with colonization in the throat; routine nasal screening had failed to identify this carrier.27
As recently shown,18 the expenses of additional throat screening can be minimized by pooling cultures, without a significant decrease in sensitivity. In contrast to our data, a Slovenian group showed a false-negative rate of 14% among pooled MRSA cultures, which they did not recommend.28 In that study, a different technique with up to 5 swabs pooled into a culture was used. With every additional swab pooled, the broth was more diluted, most likely decreasing the sensitivity of pooling. In our study, only 2 swabs were pooled into a broth without additional dilution, which may explain the high yield of S aureus in our pooled cultures. If rapid detection is necessary, polymerase chain reaction may be performed using swabs from both the nares and the throat, which can significantly decrease the time to notification,25 an approach deserving further clinical trials. However, almost all studies using polymerase chain reaction–based techniques have focused on swabs from the nares only, probably missing 25% of carriers. Failure to identify throat carriage may explain the low success of decolonization efforts for MRSA, as the carriage in the throat is more difficult to eradicate than at any other body site.29
Several limitations of this study should be mentioned. First, the literature demonstrates no evidence that there is a major difference in preferential body sites between MSSA and MRSA,15 but undetected differences still may be present. In addition, no significant differences in colonization patterns were found among study populations.13,18 Nevertheless, results require confirmation from studies among other populations, especially in areas with high prevalences of MRSA. The MRSA prevalence among the population screened for the present study was low at 0.66% (23 of 3464). The results do not differ if these individuals are included in the analyses. They were excluded to avoid potential bias. Screening of 1051 consecutive patients since January 2008 in the emergency department at our hospital confirmed a prevalence of less than 0.1% of patients with MRSA at admission (data not shown).
A second limitation of the study relates to the different investigators performing the swabs. The highest yield of positive swabs from the throat was found in group 1, the healthy blood donors. In this group, a single highly motivated and skilled HCW obtained all swabs. However, the other individuals had a similar extent of training, and all individuals obtaining the swabs were well-trained HCWs. Comparative trials with differences in techniques are lacking. In addition, the same type of swab was used throughout the study, and the clear correlation between level of exposure to the HCS and colonization pattern argues for an actual difference unexplained by differences in sampling.
A third limitation concerns the estimated exposure to the HCS based on definition of the 4 groups. No clear-cut criteria for measuring the level of exposure to the HCS have been published, to our knowledge. Nevertheless, group 1 represents a healthy population, while group 4 represents a population inside the HCS. Differences between the groups were not analyzed in the multivariate model because of a significant correlation between the variable of health care exposure and the estimated level of exposure in the 4 groups. Therefore, we cannot rule out a possible bias by evaluation of these 4 groups because other factors (unavailable for analysis) could have influenced the carriage patterns between the groups.
Absence of exposure to the HCS and younger age predicted exclusive throat carriage. A population with these characteristics is also at highest risk for CO-MRSA. In this setting, screening for S aureus must include swabs from both the anterior nares and the throat to improve the likelihood of detecting carriers.
Correspondence: Andreas F. Widmer, MD, MS, Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland (firstname.lastname@example.com).
Accepted for Publication: June 15, 2008.
Author Contributions: Drs Mertz and Widmer had full access to all the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Study concept and design: Mertz and Widmer. Acquisition of data: Frei, Periat, Zimmerli, and Widmer. Analysis and interpretation of data: Mertz, Battegay, Flückiger, and Widmer. Drafting of the manuscript: Mertz and Widmer. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Mertz, Frei, Periat, Zimmerli, Battegay, and Flückiger. Statistical analysis: Mertz and Widmer. Obtained funding: Widmer. Administrative, technical, and material support: Mertz, Frei, Periat, Zimmerli, and Widmer. Study supervision: Battegay, Flückiger, and Widmer.
Financial Disclosure: None reported.
Funding/Support: This study was supported in part by grant 3200BO-104179 from the Swiss National Science Foundation (Dr Widmer).
Previous Presentation: This study was presented as an abstract at the 47th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; September 17, 2007; Chicago, Illinois.


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Appleton, Wis. — Catherine Langrehr's Feb. 11 letter, "Fetal rights," which compares a fetus' use of a woman's body to forcible organ donation, presents a faulty analogy. The letter concludes that "The fetus does have the same right to life as a born person, but neither unborn nor born may co-opt another person's body to support his or her life."
It fails to take into account the distinction between the relationship between any two people and the parent-child relationship.
People aren't required to let members of the public invade their homes, steal from their pantries and read their books, but parents must provide their children with shelter, food and education. If people are unprepared for parenthood, they may choose to relinquish it. There is a legal way to do this: giving a child up for adoption.


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Category Archives: Meat
Delectable Duck Ham
I don't know about you, but I miss ham. A lot (I also miss bacon, but that is a story for another day). However, as pork is off the menu, this alternative is a delicious way to make … Continue reading
Herb Roasted Chicken
When you are done with the chicken, save the carcass to make homemade chicken broth! Whole Chicken 1 small apple 1/2 – 1 teaspoon mixed herbs – marjoram, savory, thyme, lovage, oregano 1 tablespoon olive oil salt to taste Preheat … Continue reading
Spicy lamb Breakfast sausage
Breakfast is rough in a sulfite free world. I don't eat eggs anymore, but I was determined not to lose out on sausage. The lamb gives it the fat it needs to be decadently delicious. 2 lb ground lamb 1 … Continue reading
Lamb stuffing
What are the holidays without stuffing? I have to be honest, I hated stuffing when I was growing up – turns out it was the one and only thing that mom couldn't make – so I worked hard overcoming my early poor … Continue reading
Basic Bone Broth
Broth is the basis for so many things – soup, gravy, stew – and of course there aren't any out there that I have found commercially that don't have sulfites. On the upside, broth (or stock) is very easy to make and … Continue reading
Curious Corned Beef
OK – I admit – this was a pretty easy recipe, but FIGURING it out kicked my butt. But – I am here to tell ya – it's all figured out – and oh boy – did I ever miss … Continue reading


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Citizens First Corporation Announces Second Partial Repayment of TARP Investment, $3.3 Million Remaining
Feb 13, 2013, 02:06 EST
BOWLING GREEN, Ky., Feb. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens First Corporation (the "Company") (NASDAQ : CZFC ), the holding company of Citizens First Bank (the "Bank"), announced that on February 13, 2013 it repurchased from the United States Department of the Treasury (the "Treasury") an additional 94 shares of the original 250 shares of the Series A Fixed Rate Cumulate Perpetual Preferred Stock that the Company had issued to the Treasury on December 19, 2008 under the TARP Capital Purchase Program of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The Company previously repurchased 63 shares in February, 2011.
The Company paid $3.3 million, which was 100% of par value, to repurchase the preferred shares along with the accrued dividend for the shares repurchased. As a result of the repurchase, the Company will recognize approximately $21,000 of unaccreted discount on the repurchased stock as of the date of the repurchase. This repurchase will result in an annual reduction of approximately $165,000 of the associated preferred dividends. The Company funded the repurchase with a loan from another bank, which it expects will be repaid from Bank earnings.
Following the repurchase, the Treasury will continue to own $3.3 million of the Company's Series A Preferred Stock, as well as a warrant to purchase 254,218 shares of the Company's common stock at a per share exercise price of $5.18. The Company will continue to pay dividends on the remaining 93 shares of Series A Preferred Stock until the Company completes its plan to repurchase all of the remaining shares of Series A Preferred Stock and related warrant, subject to regulatory approval. "Based on the two partial repayments, we anticipate exiting the TARP Capital Purchase Program by the end of 2013," said Todd Kanipe, President & CEO of Citizens First.
About Citizens First Corporation
Citizens First Corporation is a bank holding company headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky and established in 1999. The Company has branch offices located in Barren, Hart, Simpson and Warren Counties in Kentucky.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this news release which are not statements of historical fact constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (the "Act"). In addition, certain statements in future filings by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in press releases, and in oral and written statements made by or with the Company's approval which are not statements of historical fact constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Act. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, projections of revenues, income or loss, earnings or loss per share, the payment or non-payment of dividends, capital structure and other financial items; statements of plans and objectives of the Company or the Company's management or Board of Directors; and statements of future economic performance and statements of assumptions underlying such statements. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "intends," and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements.
Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the risks identified in the Company's filings with the SEC, as well as the following: general economic or industry conditions could be less favorable than expected, resulting in a deterioration in credit quality, a change in the allowance for credit losses, or a reduced demand for credit or fee-based products and services; changes or volatility in the capital markets and interest rates may adversely impact the value of securities, loans, deposits and other financial instruments and the interest rate sensitivity of the Company's balance sheet as well as the Company's liquidity; the impact of turmoil in the financial markets and the effectiveness of governmental actions taken in response, and the effect of such governmental actions on the Company, the Company's competitors and counterparties, the financial markets generally and the availability of credit specifically, including potentially higher Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") premiums arising from increased payments from FDIC insurance funds as a result of depository institution failures; changes in the extensive laws, regulations and policies governing financial services companies, including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and any regulations promulgated thereunder, could alter the business environment or affect operations for the Company or the Bank; the potential need to adapt to industry changes in information technology systems, on which the Bank is highly dependent, could present operational issues or require significant capital spending; competitive pressures could intensify and affect the Bank's profitability, including as a result of continued industry consolidation, the increased availability of financial services from non-banks, technological developments or bank regulatory reform.
Such forward-looking statements are meaningful only on the date when such statements are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such a statement is made to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
SOURCE Citizens First Corporation


text: St. Petersburg's Summer Garden is the favourite child of Peter the First. During its almost three-hundred-year history, the park's appearance has changed almost to the point that it is unrecognisable. The gardens' were changed to match the fashion of the times, the desires of the rulers and even as a result of natural disasters.


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Please contact us or call 800.367.7472 to explore how we can help you add value, speed to market, and boost customer satisfaction with flawless solution deployment.


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Tag Archive | Christianity
Why Extreme Weather Is Increasing! – Part One
Presented by The Real Truth . Org
David. C. Pack explores the possible reasons for the explosion in extreme weather worldwide and especially the increased rate of them in recent years.
The Real Truth is a faith-based website and puts a Christian twist on the answers they find. That's no reason to ignore what they say however. All opinions are valid when we are looking at TEOTWAWKI (glossary).
Why Extreme Weather Is Increasing! – Part One.


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Our Wine of the Week, Alamos 2013 Torront? ($13), is made for salmon season. This white wine is lush, rich and floral, with deep fruit flavors that evoke ripe pineapple, Asian pear, guava, mangosteen and mango.
The torront? grape typically produces a bright, refreshing, fruity wine with a suggestion of sweetness, although it is fermented fully dry.
It is a wine that chardonnay lovers should appreciate.
It is this ghost of sweetness that is key to successful matches at the table. As an aperitif, the wine will go best with salumi and charcuterie, including Spanish chorizo served with Marcona almonds.
Nutty cheese — gouda, for example, and aged Parmigiano-Reggiano — work well, too; to further the match, add some membrillo or dried figs alongside.
Seared scallops, Gulf shrimp, roasted carrots, roasted parsnips and mild coconut-milk-based curries all work well. Tagines, especially those with fish or poultry and dried apricots, are beautiful partners, as well, though the definitive match is slow-cooked wild Pacific King salmon with fresh mango salsa.
You can find that recipe at "Eat This Now" at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.
For today's recipe, I've adapted the shrimp scampi from Giovanni's Shrimp Truck on the north shore of Oahu, which has legions of fans.
I've reduced the garlic just a bit and added a dollop of creme fraiche, which broadens the way the flavors embrace the palate and engage with the wine.
It is best made with wild Gulf shrimp.
Shrimp Scampi
Makes 2 servings
18 shell-on large or extra large shrimp, preferably wild and fresh, deveined (if necessary) and rinsed
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sweet Spanish paprika
1 teaspoons hot Spanish paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
4 tablespoons clarified butter
6 to 8 spring garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons creme fraiche
— Steamed white rice
2 tablespoons fresh snipped chives
Use a clean tea towel to pat the shrimp dry.
Put the flour into a brown paper bag, add the paprikas and salt and shake the bag to mix well.
Add the shrimp and, holding the bag tightly closed, shake several times. Remove the shrimp from the bag and shake off excess flour.
Put the clarified butter into a heavy saute pan set over medium-high heat, add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Increase the heat to high, add the shrimp, cook for 60 seconds, turn and cook 60 seconds more.
Add the sherry, swirl the pan, toss the shrimp and cook until the liquid is nearly completely evaporated.
Add the butter, swirl the pan as the butter melts and remove the pan from the heat the moment the butter begins to take on a little color. Transfer the shrimp to individual plates.
Stir in the creme fraiche, taste the sauce and correct for salt.
Add 2 scoops of rice to both servings, pour the pan juices over the shrimp and the rice, scatter chives on top and serve immediately.
Michele Anna Jordan hosts "Mouthful" Sundays at 7 p.m. on KRCB 90.9 & 91.1 FM. E-mail Jordan at michele@micheleannajordan .com. Read her blog, "Eat This Now," at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.


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The TX65 is a 6.5-inch, high performance, 2-way coaxial speaker engineered and designed by Skar Audio for the audiophile seeking sound perfection. The TX series of speakers are extremely powerful and efficient, delivering unrivaled sound at the highest power levels with accuracy. With features such as it's 1.25 inch high temperature copper voice coil, as well as a premium ferrite magnet, the driving force of these speakers is unparalleled. The glass fiber cone coupled with the TPE surround of the mid-range woofer allow these speakers to be extremely responsive across a wide range of frequencies. These coaxials feature 1-inch high fidelity silk dome tweeters for ultimate high frequency response. Sold as a pair. 4 Ohm impedance. Frequency Response: 50 Hz - 21 kHz, Sensitivity: 89 dB. Peak Power: 200 Watts (Pair), RMS Power: 100 Watts (Pair).
- Skar Audio TX65 - 6.5" Coaxial 2 Way Speaker System
- Sold as a Pair
- RMS Power : 100 Watts (Pair)
- Max Power : 200 Watts (Pair)
- Impedance: 4 Ohms
- 1" (25.4mm) High Grade Silk Dome Tweeter
- Glass Fiber Cone
- 1.25" KSV Voice Coil
- TPE Surround
- Ferrite Magnet
- Rubber Magnet Boot Cover
- Frequency Response : 50-21,000Hz
- Sensitivity : 89dB
- Basket Steel
- Suspension PC Blends
- Voice Coil Copper
- Former Kapton
Mounting Specifications
- Mounting Depth: 2.51"
- Cutout Diameter: 5.70"
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