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Notice: This Wiki is now read only and edits are no longer possible. Please see: https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipsefdn/helpdesk/-/wikis/Wiki-shutdown-plan for the plan.
Google Summer of Code 2012 Ideas
- 1 Rules
- 2 Ideas
- 2.1 Add SWTBot support for more Nebula widgets
- 2.2 Xtext, EMF, and MongoDB
- 2.3 Ideas around the eTrice project
- 2.4 M2M and EMF Support by UOMo
- 2.5 Orion
- 2.6 Mylyn
- 2.7 SnipMatch and Code Recommenders
- 2.8 JGit
- 2.9 Eclipse Spykit - An Handy Tool for Startup Analysis
- 2.10 Generating UI Test Cases using Window Builder
- Be creative
- Be specific: what do you want to be implemented
- If you are willing to mentor those ideas, add your name and email to the idea.
- GSoC project ideas should align with an existing Eclipse project
- If you're an interested student, add your name and email next to the idea. It is ok to have several students interested in one idea.
- Aspiring students and mentors need to register and submit their proposals on the SoC app
Mentors info
If you were a mentor last year then you are automatically in the list this year (the GSoC site may require that you re-register, but we think of you as "in").
Note that we only accept as mentors people who are known to us. This includes Eclipse committers. If you would like to be a mentor, please either introduce yourself to the group using the soc-dev mailing list, or send a note to EMO.
Ideas submission
Idea proposal should contain the following information:
- project title, like "WTP - Improve auto-complete in xml editor"
- description with links to bug reports, project wiki pages, etc
- Reporter: who submitted idea (optional e-mail)
- Possible Mentors: who would like to mentor the students
- More info: other links or e-mail
- Eclipse Project: link to main eclipse project that improvement is targeting
- Potential students: who is interested (with optional e-mail). This one completely informal, to actually be interested you need to submit the proposal. Contact the idea owner or possible mentor to get some details before submitting it.
These are some ideas. Students feel free to base your GSoC proposals on these ideas (note that you are more likely to find a mentor for an idea that has been proposed by a mentor). Some of these ideas can be factored into multiple projects; a GSoC project proposal can work on parts of these ideas (i.e. you don't necessarily have to do it all).
There are other sources of ideas. There are numerous bugs in the Eclipse Bugzilla issue tracking system marked as "helpwanted" that may give you ideas.
Add SWTBot support for more Nebula widgets
SWTBot is an open-source Java based UI/functional testing tool for testing SWT and Eclipse based applications. It not only provides APIs that are simple to read and write, but also can run on all platforms that SWT runs on while very few other testing tools can perform such well in SWT and Eclipse based UI testing world. However, Nebula as a popular Eclipse project offering widely useful Custom SWT widgets, SWTBot still does not consider too much for it.
There is already someone realizing that SWTBot should be enhanced to support Nebula widgets, see the bug tracker [1] and Eclipse forum [2]. The bug reporter Aurelien has already done very interesting and significant work to enhance the SWTBot to support Nebula Gallery widget, however many other Nebula widgets(especially the released ones) may still yet not be supported after about 2 years since the bug reported. Thus in this summer, it would be very interesting and significant to help enhance SWTBot to support more Nebula widgets.
[1] https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=325076
[2] http://www.eclipse.org/forums/index.php/m/537094/
- Reporter: Tang XinHong
- Mentor: (Still Need mentor focusing on this idea...)
- Candidate Student: Tang XinHong
Xtext, EMF, and MongoDB
Ed Merks and Bryan Hunt have created a project called MongoEMF that allows you to persist EMF objects to MongoDB. MongoEMF has the ability to query objects based on attribute and reference values, but is lacking some functionality and robustness. We think a re-write of the query engine using Xtext and EMF would make for a great Google Summer of Code project. This project has a very well defined scope, is easily unit tested, and involves some pretty cool technology.
The project will consist of two major parts. The first will be to define a query grammar (possibly re-using an existing grammar) using Xtext. The result will be an EMF query model that can be serialized and de-serialized to a string. The string will be used as the query portion of a URI, and must be human readable. For example: mongo://host/db/collection/?(tag == 'java' || tag == 'JSON') && (category == 'Eclipse'). Clients will be able to specify the query as string or EMF model. The second part of the project will be to create a processing engine that builds a MongoDB query from the EMF query model. The result will be a DBObject that can be sent to MongoDB as a query.
An example use-case is as follows: A client constructs an EMF query model. The query model is then serialized to a string and included in a URI. The URI is sent to a server in a HTTP GET call. The server extracts the query string from the URI and re-builds the EMF query model. The query model is passed to the query engine and a DBObject is returned containing a MongoDB specific query. The DBObject is sent to MongoDB resulting in some number of DBObjects returned. The resulting DBObjects are converted into EMF objects and returned to the client.
The student is expected to develop extensive unit tests for his / her code as well as end-user documentation. Documentation will be contributed to the UserGuide on the MongoEMF wiki. We also anticipate that the student will become a committer on MongoEMF, and will continue to provide bug fixes and enhancements after the project is complete.
We consider this to be an advanced Eclipse project. The student should already be comfortable coding in Java and developing OSGi bundles with Eclipse. A student with working knowledge of EMF will be preferred, but you are not required to already know Xtext or MongoDB. If you are interested in this project, I would recommend forking the MongoEMF project on GitHub and experimenting with the latest code in the master branch. Instructions for setting up your environment can be found on the Development wiki page.
The contact person for this project is Bryan Hunt. For questions on this project, please use the MongoEMF Google Group
Candidate Student: Tiger Gui
Ideas around the eTrice project
The Eclipse eTrice project [1] is an exciting project that applies modeling techniques to the domain of embedded real-time software development.
The project team has collected and formulated four ideas, each of witch is probably to the same degree challenging as it is rewarding. Henrik [2], the eTrice team's contact persons for Google Summer of Code related questions, is looking forward to answer the questions of interested people.
[2] contact person for all four proposals: Henrik Rentz-Reichert
Diagram Layout with KIELER
The University of Kiel (Germany) has developed a framework for the "graphical model-based design of complex systems" [1]. We would like to enhance the graphical editors of eTrice using this technology. Currently there is an editor for hierarchical finite state machines and another one for structural system specifications, both according to the specification of the ROOM language [2]. Since the semantic model information of eTrice ROOM models is stored in a pure textual form (using Xtext) the diagrams just contain layout information. We see two use cases for automatic diagram layout: during creation of an initial diagram from the textual model and during editing (including model modification) using the graphical editor. KIELER already integrates into Eclipse and Graphiti. For this project it is necessary to investigate the capabilities of the KIELER framework and to apply it to the two diagram types of eTrice.
Applicants should already be familiar with plug-in development in Eclipse and have at least some experiences with EMF.
[1] http://www.informatik.uni-kiel.de/rtsys/kieler/
[2] Bran Selic, Garth Gullekson, Paul T. Ward: Real-Time Object Oriented Modeling, New York: John Wiley, 1994 (ISBN 0-471-59917-4)
- Possible Mentors: Henrik Rentz-Reichert, Miro Spoenemann
- More info: eTrice mailing list
- Eclipse Project: eTrice
- Student: Jayant Gupta
- Wiki Page: Diagram Layout With KIELER
- Status: accepted
Generic Action Code Language
The ROOM modeling language [1] spans the modeling space along three dimensions: behavior (using finite state machines), structure and inheritance. The so called Detail Level Language in ROOM closes the gap to the target programming language for which the code is generated from the model. The Detail Level Language is used for the entry, exit and action codes of the state machines and usually is identical with the target language. Since eTrice provides code generators for Java and C (and later also for C++) it would be nice to have a common Detail Level Language for all of the supported target languages. The idea of this proposal is to create a language based on Xbase [2] which should be powerful enough to express typical constructs common to the three target languages like variable declarations, assignments, expressions, method calls and execution control (if/else and loops). This language could then be used as the Detail Level Language in eTrice ROOM models and the code generators would translate the code into the respective target language. Such a Generic Action Code Language would not only allow to keep the models independent of the target language but would also offer the possibility to apply methods of abstract model execution to do extended model validation and proposal generation on a semantic level.
Applicants should already be familiar with plug-in development in Eclipse and with language design using Xtext.
[1] Bran Selic, Garth Gullekson, Paul T. Ward: Real-Time Object Oriented Modeling, New York: John Wiley, 1994 (ISBN 0-471-59917-4)
[2] http://eclipse.org/Xtext/#xbase
- Possible Mentors: Henrik Rentz-Reichert
- More info: eTrice mailing list
- Eclipse Project: eTrice
- Student: Satyender Yadav
- Wiki Page: Generic Action Code Language
- Status: accepted
Extended Model Validation and State Graph Proposal Generation Based on Protocol Semantics
Protocols in ROOM [1] define sets of incoming and outgoing messages. Those messages are exchanged between actors and consumed by the actor behavior which is implemented as a hierarchical finite state machine. A consumed message may result in a state transition. If now the protocol is equipped with a semantical description which specifies for each message the allowed reply message then it is possible to apply some extended model checking and generate proposals for the state machine elements using methods of abstract model execution. In a precursor tool we already have shown that this method is very powerful. The idea is to apply this technology in the context of the eTrice tools.
Applicants should already be familiar with plug-in development in Eclipse and have at least some experiences with EMF.
[1] Bran Selic, Garth Gullekson, Paul T. Ward: Real-Time Object Oriented Modeling, New York: John Wiley, 1994 (ISBN 0-471-59917-4)
- Possible Mentors: Henrik Rentz-Reichert
- More info: eTrice mailing list
- Eclipse Project: eTrice
- Student: Rohit Agrawal
- Wiki Page: Extended Model Validation and State Graph Proposal Generation Based on Protocol Semantics
- Status: accepted
Worst-Case Execution Time Analysis
For embedded software with hard real-time constraints it is crucial to be able to guarantee upper bounds of execution times. In event driven systems with state machines like in ROOM [1] the typically scenario is: an interrupt creates a first event. This is processed by a state machine which may in turn create new events which are processed by other state machines and so on. After some time all events are processed and the system is idle until the next interrupt. The interesting time is that from the first event until the time when the system goes idle again. The model offers enough information to be able to compute this execution time provided that the user annotates timing information in the model. Together with some measured timing information for the runtime library (implementing messaging etc.) the picture is complete and rich enough to derive reasonable upper bounds. The idea of this proposal is to develop an abstract execution engine which allows to compute (a conservative upper bound for) the longest execution time for a given initial event (cf. [2]).
Applicants should already be familiar with plug-in development in Eclipse and have at least some experiences with EMF.
[1] Bran Selic, Garth Gullekson, Paul T. Ward: Real-Time Object Oriented Modeling, New York: John Wiley, 1994 (ISBN 0-471-59917-4)
[2] Automatic Derivation of Loop Bounds and Infeasible Paths for WCET Analysis Using Abstract Execution
- Possible Mentors: Henrik Rentz-Reichert
- More info: eTrice mailing list
- Eclipse Project: eTrice
- Student: Harjoben Singh
- Wiki Page: Worst-Case Execution Time Analysis
M2M and EMF Support by UOMo
UOMo and its type-safe Units of Measurement features offer a vast number of use cases for M2M and IoT scenarios. Especially items brought up by the M2M Industry Workgroup and related Eclipse projects like Koneki. These judging from the codebase so far rely almost entirely on string or other weakly-typed data. Thus where devices based on Android, Arduino, etc. are involved, and **sensor** values exchanged, UOMo can help in several ways. Either with **Data Binding** to type-safe beans and objects, or even in plain text information by providing type reliable unit meta information via the **UCUM** standard.
During last year's Eclipse DemoCamps attendees like CDO Lead Eike Stepper and others highlighted a great use for UOMo's unit type-safety in combination with Eclipse Modeling. Creating an EMF and ECore framework on top of UOMo and Unit-API is the second area, where UOMo could both benefit and be extremely useful to the Eclipse Ecosystem and its users.
Interested Student: Daniel Bali
The Orion project is a fairly new Eclipse project focused on creating browser-based software development tools. Last year, the Orion project sponsored two very successful GSOC projects, on Orion Git support, and Orion PHP support. Here are some ideas for Orion-related projects in 2012:
- Orion programming language tooling for <insert programming language here>
- Orion deployment tooling, and round trip support for <insert cloud platform here>
- Git style "pull request" infrastructure within Orion
- PhoneGap support for mobile web development
- WordPress or Drupal plugin packaging the Orion editor
- Integration of an open source web testing/automation framework such as Selenium Web Driver for UI regression testing
- Git command line console
- Language tooling on CSS:
- Better CSS outline/parsing, knowledge of CSS3, media queries, etc.
- Automatic image tooling for CSS be it data URI and/or sprites and keeping CSS up to date
- CSS front ends like LESS
- Additional file systems such as Dropbox, Amazon, (insert others). There is boilerplate already in our WebDav implementation.
Interested Student: Gaurav Agarwal
Please contact the development mailing list if you would like to discuss ideas.
Applicants should have prior experience with Eclipse plug-in development and be familiar with using Mylyn. Project proposals should outline a concrete plan for features that are to be implemented including a list of milestones. All ideas are welcome, proposals are not limited to ideas suggested below or tasks listed in Bugzilla.
Task-based workflows for EGit
In Git and Gerrit based workflows it is common to create branches on a per task basis, often referred to as topic branches. First steps to automate the process have been taken through integrating EGit and Mylyn but key pieces are still missing to for single click task-branching in Eclipse. The project should complete the partially implemented feature and propose features how to further improve Mylyn and EGit integration.
Activity tracing for Tasks, Builds, Reviews and Commits
The Mylyn task editor is the hub for task-focused collaboration. Yet, there are many other artifacts and activities that are part of the development workflow that are visualized in different views in the IDE. A unified activity view that aggregates tasks, builds, reviews and commits either in a dashboard or embedded in the task editor would nicely enhance traceability and visibility.
Real-time collaboration and social features for Mylyn
The Gravatar integration for the Task Editor puts names to faces but it's only the tip of the iceberg. There is a lot more potential to connect developers more closely. ECF and other frameworks could to bring real-time collaboration or even easily accessible shared editing to Mylyn.
Hudson/Jenkins Connector Improvements
The Hudson/Jenkins Connector is already a popular Mylyn extension for monitoring build status from Eclipse. Still, we have lots of ideas for improvement such as support for Matrix builds, code coverage integration, monitoring queues or browsing build plans. Working set based management of build plans and automatic subscription to topic branch builds could help automate workflows further.
Gerrit Connector Improvements
The Mylyn Gerrit Connector seamlessly integrates Gerrit code reviews with Eclipse. The extension is gaining rapidly in popularity and there is lots of room for challenging enhancements ranging from offline support to compare view improvements to tighter workspace integration.
SnipMatch and Code Recommenders
Eclipse Code Recommenders is a tool which can make IDEs intelligent, it help developers to reduce development costs. It supplies intelligent code completion, extended javadocs, smart bug detectors, stacktrace search engines and others.
Now, we want to add code snippets autocompletion feature for Code Recommenders project. SnipMatch is a code snippet search tool for Eclipse, you can find video demo, guide and document in its index page http://snipmatch.com/. This GSoC project aims to improve and merge SnipMatch into Code Recommenders project.
Interested Student:Cheng Chen
JGit Command Line Interface
The Command Line Interface (CLI) in JGit mimics its CGit equivalent. However, there is more to it than just having a second tool doing the same thing. The JGit CLI is a perfect way to verify robustness of the JGit Command API. It can be also used to simplify writing JUnit tests.
The project would be about adding new CLI commands to the o.e.jgit.pgm project and vice versa ie translating some of the existing CLI commands/switches to JGit Command API. In addition, the student could help with randomized JGit tests.
- Project Page: JGit GSoc 2012
- Reporter: Tomasz Zarna
- Possible Mentors: Tomasz Zarna, Matthias Sohn
- Interested Student: Franziska Schmidt
- More info: jgit-dev thread
- Eclipse Project: JGit
Eclipse Spykit - An Handy Tool for Startup Analysis
Background and History : Almost every day we hear of new companies adopting Eclipse as their application development platform of choice. With the number of Eclipse Projects growing in leaps and bounds in the Eclipse Community chances of the risk of memory bloat and performance degradation is high. Therefore Performance Tuning is the need of the hour in the Eclipse Projects.
This Project is inspired by Runtime Spy, one of Core Tools available from Eclipse.org. During our search for Runtime Spy, we realised that the support for this tool has been stopped since Eclipse 3.2 when Eclipse was moved to OSGI. Our motive of this project is to revive Runtime Spy back and add more functionality into the same and also create a set of tools that would come in handy for Performance Tuning of Eclipse Projects.
Current Implementation Available Eclipse Spykit on EclipseLabs.org Current Download Available Download Here
Tasks in Hand : Currently Eclipse Spykit is using from Internal BundleStats class to retrieve the relevant information for showcasing Startup Data. We need to write our own Bundle Watcher Class and remove dependancy on BundleStats. It also needs to be integrated with JUnit, SWTBOT, WindowsTester so that Plugin Count can be validated during System Test Cases. Reporting and Compare Facility to be made available.
- Reporter: Malai
- Mentor: Malai
- Candidate Student:
- Related to Eclipse Project : org.eclipse.osgi
- Links for Further Reading:
Generating UI Test Cases using Window Builder
This is an interesting project wherein we build the UI and also generate the UI Test Case. This is an attempt to create a successful partnership between Windows Builder and Windows Tester.
What we get to see in most of our clients where we are around doing some Eclipse Consulting Work, they use Windows Tester for testing their UI and Windows Builder for building their UI. But whenever their UI changes they need to rewrite the Windows Tester. And as most of the companies today talk about agile methodologies such as Scrum or Xtreme Programming, this takes up quiet a bit of the unplanned effort in their Sprint Planning causing delays, failure in test case, rework raising the question over maintainability of system test cases.
Therefore this project is intended to build plugins that generates Windows Tester JUnit Code as we build or enhance UIs in Windows Builder ... :) This could be of great help to the developers as even if the UI is changed, UI Test Cases would be auto generated saving a lot of time for rewrite or rerecording of the UI Test Case.
This would relieve the team from worrying about maintainability of the System Test Cases and worry about better functionalities in the Project.
- Reporter: Annamalai C
- Possible Mentors: Annamalai C
- Interested Student: BeiHua
- Eclipse Project:


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Thus, it became necessary to find a more stringent characterization of Cohen Y-chromosomes that would represent true founder effects in that population. The new paper seems to identify at least two such lineages, one in J-P58, which is a subset of J1, and one in J2a-M410*, and estimates that they were founded 3.2 and 4.2 thousand years ago.
I will comment on this further when I get a hold of the paper and supplementary material.
UPDATE: The authors use the evolutionary mutation rate, and thus the presented ages are overestimated significantly. However, there are reasons to doubt the germline-rate estimate of about 1,000 years for the J1 lineage:
- Demographic plausibility of growth to encompass nearly a third the Cohanim in about 1,000 years. I am not sure what the demic size of Cohanim is, but going from 1 individual to the current population size would require a consistent high growth over many generations. This seems implausible, unless there is indeed historical evidence for such a Cohen founder's descendants extraordinary success.
- The presence of the founding lineage in both Ashkenazim and Sephardim may suggest a common ancestor before the separation of these two populations.
Pinpointing Jewish priestly founders to specific individuals, including Biblical ones, is not easy, as the Y-STR technology does not allow for anything resembling accurate age estimation. However, the paper is a welcome new study of a much-discussed topic, and adds significantly to our understanding.
UPDATE II: On the other hand, the J-P58* haplogroup was found in 325 of 2,099 non-Jews surveyed, but the extended Cohen Modal Haplotype (eCMH) in none (Table S2). If the eCMH founder lived 3+ kya, it would be strange indeed if he left no non-Jewish descendants, as it would imply zero conversion from that lineage to other religions. The lack of non-Jewish eCMHs does support the "Jewishness" of this lineage, but on the other hand, makes a very old age more difficult to accept.
My guess is that the eCMH founder lived in Roman times. This would simultaneously allow enough time to explain the lineage's geographical and demographic growth, while also explaining its limited penetration to non-Jewish populations.
Human Genetics doi:10.1007/s00439-009-0727-5
Extended Y chromosome haplotypes resolve multiple and unique lineages of the Jewish priesthood
Michael F. Hammer et al.
It has been known for over a decade that a majority of men who self report as members of the Jewish priesthood (Cohanim) carry a characteristic Y chromosome haplotype termed the Cohen Modal Haplotype (CMH). The CMH has since been used to trace putative Jewish ancestral origins of various populations. However, the limited number of binary and STR Y chromosome markers used previously did not provide the phylogenetic resolution needed to infer the number of independent paternal lineages that are encompassed within the Cohanim or their coalescence times. Accordingly, we have genotyped 75 binary markers and 12 Y-STRs in a sample of 215 Cohanim from diverse Jewish communities, 1,575 Jewish men from across the range of the Jewish Diaspora, and 2,099 non-Jewish men from the Near East, Europe, Central Asia, and India. While Cohanim from diverse backgrounds carry a total of 21 Y chromosome haplogroups, 5 haplogroups account for 79.5% of Cohanim Y chromosomes. The most frequent Cohanim lineage (46.1%) is marked by the recently reported P58 T->C mutation, which is prevalent in the Near East. Based on genotypes at 12 Y-STRs, we identify an extended CMH on the J-P58* background that predominates in both Ashkenazi and non-Ashkenazi Cohanim and is remarkably absent in non-Jews. The estimated divergence time of this lineage based on 17 STRs is 3,190 ± 1,090 years. Notably, the second most frequent Cohanim lineage (J-M410*, 14.4%) contains an extended modal haplotype that is also limited to Ashkenazi and non-Ashkenazi Cohanim and is estimated to be 4.2 ± 1.3 ky old. These results support the hypothesis of a common origin of the CMH in the Near East well before the dispersion of the Jewish people into separate communities, and indicate that the majority of contemporary Jewish priests descend from a limited number of paternal lineages.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00439-009-0727-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

subset: commoncrawl


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A new international terminal opens today at the Atlanta Airport. Hartsfield-Jackson International is already the busiest airport in the world. And the new terminal reflects a big by the business capital of the South to become a bigger global player. Georgia wants to attract more international business. NPR's Kathy Lohr has the story.
KATHY LOHR, BYLINE: The new terminal doesn't look like any you've probably seen. Huge windows provide a spectacular view of airplanes taking off and taxiing. A Swarovski crystal chandelier gleams nearby and waves of blue lights highlight the ceiling.
BALRAM BHEODARI: It's just amazing. It's a wow factor for our customer.
LOHR: Deputy General Manager of the airport Balram Bheodari says even jaded travelers are impressed. The vast expanse with lots of natural light is intended to have a calming effect on passengers who are stressed out after a long flight. Beyond the aesthetics, he has higher hopes for the new terminal.
BHEODARI: This airport will be one of those key decisions that we feel international business will make in moving to the state of Georgia or to the city of Atlanta. There's all sort of potential for businesses, for other activity to mushroom around this airport.
LOHR: Both Georgia's governor and Atlanta's mayor have made attracting international business a priority. The state has won auto manufacturing and parts companies, suppliers for Coca-Cola and logistics companies over the past decade. Earlier this week, construction was still going on at the new Terminal F.
LOHR: Concession booths and restaurants are being built and stocked. Finishing touches are being added. One big change, international travelers now won't have to recheck their bags after going through customs in order to exit from the airport. That's been one of the biggest complaints from international travelers whose final destination is Atlanta.
More than 90 million passengers moved though Hartsfield-Jackson last year. The forecast is for a 30 percent increase in three more years. As domestic routes have become more costly, airlines have been consolidating. Hometown carrier Delta has continued to add profitable routes, but the airline recently cut some international destinations, including Shanghai, Athens and Moscow.
BRUCE SEAMAN: The immediate benefits will be modest I believe. The overall benefits I think in the long term may be quite substantial.
LOHR: Bruce Seaman is an economics professor at Georgia State University. Travel from the U.S. to Asia, Latin America and South America is predicted to grow and Seaman says Atlanta was willing to pay $1.4 billion for the expansion to be ready to capture that market.
SEAMAN: But again, you got to keep it in perspective. We're talking about 12 additional gates. You've got flights that are being cut back by some major airlines like Delta. And so this is definitely an investment in the future, not the present.
LOHR: Some analysts say the new terminal is a much-needed draw at a time when all airports are vying for the same international business. Craig Lesser is with the Pendleton Consulting Group.
CRAIG LESSER: The world's a competitive place. Travelers are interested in convenience. They're interested in facilitation and this is another step to maintain that cutting-edge position that Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport has had in the last 20-25 years.
LOHR: The new terminal also has a bit of whimsy.
LOHR: An interactive exhibit called Light Waves uses sound, music and colored lights as a distraction. It's part of the effort to calm travelers. And if nothing else, it's entertaining.
Kathy Lohr, NPR News, Atlanta.
INSKEEP: This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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For older Americans looking for work, finding a job can be a tremendous challenge. Someone 55 or older will typically take three months longer to find employment than the average job seeker.
And with more people of all ages looking for work in the slow economy, age discrimination complaints are on the rise — but becoming harder to win.
Employment law experts say that has a lot to do with one particular case: Gross v. FBL Financial Services Inc.
'Persona Non Grata'
One day in 2003, Jack Gross saw a memo detailing staffing changes at the insurance company where he worked.
"I got this ahead of time, and it just jumped off the page," he recalls. "Everybody that they're naming here is my age or older. Nobody under 50 was getting demoted. The only promotions were people who were basically a generation younger than us."
Gross, 54 and a vice president at FBL Financial at the time, was among a dozen employees demoted that day. All were older workers, and all were high performers. But Gross alone decided to sue his employer for age discrimination.
Once you file suit against your company, you're persona non grata. I felt like I was crossing enemy lines.
"That was terrible. Once you file suit against your company, you're pretty much persona non grata," he says. "I felt like I was crossing enemy lines."
Former friends at work spurned Gross. He was excluded from meetings and received virtually no emails or phone calls. The ostracism made him sick with stress, but he stayed on the job another nine years because he felt he had no choice. What employer in his native Des Moines, he thought, would hire someone older who had also filed an age discrimination suit?
Gross eventually won in lower court, but the case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court — where Gross lost. In a 5-4 decision, the high court ruled that a plaintiff must prove, with a preponderance of evidence, that age was the reason for discrimination.
In effect, Gross v. FBL increased the burden of proof for age discrimination suits. Because of the ruling, experts say hundreds of other cases have been thrown out.
"Personally, that's one of the things that I resent most," Gross says. "That my name is being associated with so much injustice and unfairness."
Complaints On The Rise
Even before the ruling, it was costly and difficult to bring such cases. Gross says it cost $11,000 just to print the documents related to his case.
And Gross' suit coincides with a time when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says age discrimination is becoming a bigger problem.
Stuart Ishimaru, an EEOC commissioner, says age-related charges make up a growing number of complaints filed at the commission. And, he says, "I think that the number of formal complaints that come in to us understate the nature of the problem."
Ishimaru says that's because dismissal or demotion cases like Gross' are hard enough to prove. It's even more challenging, he says, to figure out how to prosecute age discrimination in hiring.
Of all the issues the EEOC deals with, Ishimaru says, hiring has been "a real conundrum for us. And frankly in this economy, where people are looking for jobs, they don't have time to worry about a discrimination suit. They're not going to be thinking about this."
Gerald Maatman, a Chicago attorney who represents employers in age discrimination cases, says such suits are high stakes for companies because the monetary damages involved are typically higher than other claims.
But, Maatman admits, plaintiffs have a difficult time bringing hiring cases. "Those claims are very, very difficult to prove, in that the smoking gun evidence that needs to exist to prove a successful claim is very difficult to find in those circumstances," he says.
'A Chilling Effect'
Gross' case has had a chilling effect, according to Dan Kohrman, a senior attorney at the AARP Foundation, which helps bring age discrimination cases.
"These kinds of decisions scare off workers and scare off lawyers," Kohrman says. "Because the clear trend is, it's harder to prove an age case. You may not get a fair shake in all kinds of interpretations of the law."
Kohrman says these days, plaintiffs are seeing better luck in state courts than at the federal level. States like California, Michigan and New York all have relatively strong protections for older workers.
But, Kohrman adds, "If you don't live in that kind of state, then it is tough. It is really tough."
As for Gross, he says his best hope is that his case will prompt Congress to pass tougher laws against age discrimination.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Sleep is one of life's great free pleasures. Yet apparently many consumers feel they have to drop a lot of money in order to get a good night's rest. Spending related to sleep has increased 8.8% annually since 2008, reaching about $32 billion in 2012. Is it time to wake up?
First, let's acknowledge that many of you might be better off taking a nap than reading this article. Last year, 73% of American Internet users went online to research health information, and 43% looked specifically for sleep remedies. According to the National Sleep Foundation, only 56% of Americans say they get a "good night's sleep" on a typical work or school night. Problems associated with sleep deficiencies extend well beyond fatigue and crankiness. Recent sleep studies have linked insufficient sleep to a host of problems including hypertension, depression, anxiety, diabetes, improper immune functioning, forgetfulness, clumsiness, jumpiness and even things like teen sports injuries.
Obviously, sleep is important. Whether it's necessary to cough up big bucks to improve sleep is more debatable. Why do consumers feel they must spend to sleep better? Let's take a look at a few of the reasons, as well as a few of the things people are buying to battle insomnia and counteract the side effects of insufficient rest:
We Love the Idea of a Quick Fix
Being tired or having trouble sleeping seem like simple problems, so it's natural for consumers to resort to solutions that seem quick and simple. Younger consumers especially have grown up in an era of brilliant innovation in consumer goods. Advancements in technology (and marketing) have given them faith in the power of purchases to quickly fix problems in their lives.
For many, the idea of "listening to your body" is only for the pharmaceutically challenged. Sleep is just another task to be managed. Sara, a waitress and San Francisco State University undergrad student, alternates between drinks that aid sleep and alertness (Neuro Sleep and 5-Hour Energy, respectively) when the time is right. "I need something during the day" to stay energized, she told me, "but it's hard to fall asleep after I've been waitressing." Sara said most of her friends also jump back and forth between energy products and sleep aids to compensate for "too much to do."
Young adults like Sara are largely responsible for supercharged sales of energy drinks such as Red Bull, 5-Hour Energy, Rockstar and Monster. In 2012, sales of energy drinks grew 19%. (The annual number of ER visits due to energy-drink consumption doubled over the past four years as well.)
(MORE: Don't Nap on This: Why the Business of Sleep Will Keep Booming)
As consumers feel more comfortable gulping down a little liquid stimulation, so too are they embracing the idea of drinks that help you sleep. The two product categories seem to feed off of each other, with increased usage for each growing directly because of the other's growth.
Sleep-aid concoctions are selling especially well if they're perceived to have some science behind them. Neuro Sleep, for instance, sounds like something cooked up in a lab and is marketed with a heavy dose of scientific words ("melatonin mixed with magnesium"). Still, the Neuro Sleep website comes with the warning: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease."
We Feel the Need to Do Something
To sleep well, you must literally do nothing. But doing nothing doesn't sit well with many people who are confronted with a problem. When problems arise, we feel we must do something about them. People who think they have difficulty sleeping look to the marketplace for solutions. Just by taking action, some anxiety is calmed. We feel better because we've done something, as opposed to sitting back and allowing the problem to fester. It may not even matter what the person buys; simply by doing something about the problem, the anxiety that normally keeps the person up at night may be relieved, resulting in a better night's sleep.
(MORE: Why Shoppers Just Can't Resist Clearance Sales)
Just as consumers are willing to try almost anything and spend exorbitantly in order to lose weight, many are game to give almost any "solution" a shot to achieve a good night's rest. It's these folks who give manufacturers and product marketers good reason to constantly launch new sleep remedies that include sleep-monitoring devices, aromatherapy, teas, supplements, botanicals, balms, bath salts and over-the-counter sedatives in new formulations like tongue strips. There is plenty of money to be made. While overall sales of mattresses have been sluggish throughout the recession era, the opposite is true of more expensive specialty mattresses. Sales of high-end brands like Tempur-Pedic and Select Comfort have skyrocketed over the past few years.
We Just Want to Do What's 'Natural'
From 2006 to 2011, the market for over-the-counter sleep aids grew 31%. Within this market, the biggest growth category has been for natural and homeopathic products. From functional foods like melatonin-rich cherries to valerian and passionflower, consumers are on the hunt for natural solutions — as opposed to prescription sleep medications, which they seem wary of.
Interestingly enough, natural is a buzz word in the "stay awake" product category too. Starbucks new Refreshers line boasts "natural energy" from green coffee beans, for instance, while Jamba Juice recently introduced an "all-natural energy drink" line.
(MORE: Herbalife Defends Itself Against Pyramid Allegations, but Does the Market Believe?)
For some people, one of the many possible sleep "solutions" indeed proves to be a solution that helps them sleep better. It's been shown that a good mattress will certainly improve your sleep, for instance. Other products can aid sleep as well, though individual results vary widely. But before spending good money on sleep remedies of dubious value, it's wise to first try a few of these time-tested tips, none of which cost a dime:
1. Stick to a routine. Train your body by going to sleep and getting up at the same time every day.
2. Don't multitask in bed. Associations are powerful. Use your bed for only sleep and sex in order to create a link between your bed and sleep. Nearly 40% of Americans use their cell phones in bed, including 72% of teens (which helps explain why 25% of teens get fewer than 6.5 hours of sleep a night).
3. Get rid of distractions. Make sure your room is cool, dark and quiet all night long. The "blue light" display of most computers, tablets and cell phones mocks daylight and suppresses melatonin. If necessary, get a sleep mask and earplugs. Keep your bed tidy too.
4. Clear your mind. Focus on your breathing and count "one" as you breathe in and "two" as you breathe out. Don't count any higher. Just go back and forth with one and two because people inadvertently stay alert keeping track of higher numbers.
5. Keep a notepad handy. If you're the kind of person who stays awake ruminating, put the intrusive thoughts down on paper. That way, you can let them go until the morning rather than stressing about them while you're not falling asleep.
6. Avoid stimulants close to bedtime. Stop drinking caffeine by around noon, and exercise as early in the day as possible.
7. Power down. People who text and use their computers an hour before bedtime get fewer hours of sleep, are less likely to get quality sleep and are less likely to wake up refreshed.
Kit Yarrow chairs the psychology department of Golden Gate University and was named the university's 2012 Outstanding Scholar for her research in consumer behavior. She is a co-author of Gen BuY and is a frequent speaker on topics related to consumer psychology and Generation Y.


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While manufacturers like Dell, Lenovo, Apple, Toshiba, Matsushita/Panasonic, Fujitsu and Sharp have recalled millions of Sony-manufactured batteries, Sony's own notebooks computers were seemingly unaffected by the problems. Well, that all changed yesterday when the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that Sony will recall as many as 300,000 of its own batteries used in notebooks PCs.
Sony has not mentioned which notebook product lines would be affected by the recall, but the news sends the current tally of recalled units over the 8 million mark. With Sony on the verge of having a recall of its own on its hands, Hewlett-Packard may be reconsidering its position on recalling batteries. The company has previously stated that none of its products would be affected by the recall.
Sony's battery problems are affecting the whole industry as reported by Global Tech News yesterday Analysts say that the recall has caused a global shortage of batteries sending prices skyward by 15%. The cost of the recall is sure to climb as well. Sony as of now has $251 million USD budgeted for the recall, but those estimates may have to be revised to take into account a few million new recalled units.


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This command loads a shared library file into the PostgreSQL server's address space. If the file has been loaded already, the command does nothing. Shared library files that contain C functions are automatically loaded whenever one of their functions is called. Therefore, an explicit LOAD is usually only needed to load a library that modifies the server's behavior through "hooks" rather than providing a set of functions.
The file name is specified in the same way as for shared library names in CREATE FUNCTION; in particular, one can rely on a search path and automatic addition of the system's standard shared library file name extension. See Section 35.9 for more information on this topic.
Non-superusers can only apply LOAD to library files located in $libdir/plugins/ — the specified filename must begin with exactly that string. (It is the database administrator's responsibility to ensure that only "safe" libraries are installed there.)


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Special Feature
Michael DiSanto takes a look back at Saturday's UFC on FX 7 card...
There is no doubt that Vitor Belfort is at his very best when he competes south of the light heavyweight division. His second-round knockout win over Michael Bisping was his sixth win in seven fights contested at 197 pounds or less, including three straight. All six of those wins ended inside the distance.
What is unique about Belfort's run is he appears to be getting better each time out—the loss to Anderson Silva being the lone exception. He no longer relies solely on his fists, something that has hindered him for long stretches of his 16-plus-year professional career.
Belfort unveiled kickboxing skills on Saturday night that we haven't really seen since his razor-close loss to Chuck Liddell a decade ago. He used a devastating kick to the body to disguise a high kick that ended the fight. I don't know if that was part of his game plan coming into the fight, something that he noticed on the fly or just an instinctive series of moves. Whatever the case, it was the difference maker in the fight.
Belfort's kickboxing display was fresh off of back-to-back fights where he relied heavily on his offensive ground game, something that he has all but ignored in his UFC career. He hurt the ultra-talented Anthony Johnson with his fists and then chose to take the fight to the ground and win by choke, rather than continuing to hammer away with his fists. He also continually pulled guard against Jon Jones with the hope of catching a submission, something that just about happened, since he knew that the light heavyweight champion's length was too much to contend with on the feet.
Belfort's willingness to evolve his approach makes him far more dangerous than days of old when he relied solely on his boxing. If he keeps that up, his desire for a championship rematch may happen sooner rather than later.
Speaking of rematches, I was shocked when I heard Belfort ask for another shot at 205-pound champion Jon Jones, rather than a rematch with 185-pound champion Anderson Silva. I'm not sure what to make of that request.
Belfort obviously fared better against Jones. He came within inches of winning the fight with a surprise first-round armbar. Other than that moment, he was dominated by a guy who many believe will ultimately shatter all championship records.
By contrast, he was doing just fine against Silva until a highlight-reel front kick crumbled him to the canvas. It was a sudden, violent end to the fight. But the outcome didn't feel as dominant to me as the masterpiece that Jones unveiled.
Does Belfort want to face Jones because he came closer to victory? Does he prefer to fight at light heavy? Or was there something about the Silva fight that makes Belfort think twice about a rematch?
The last of those questions is the one I doubt the most. Belfort has proven that he will fight anyone on the drop of a hat. There is no way that he fears a rematch with Silva—none whatsoever.
I think he stands a better chance at upsetting Silva than he does upsetting Jones. Simply put, Jones' stylistic approach and skills present a bigger mountain to climb for Belfort. That isn't to suggest that Jones is better than Silva. Styles make fights.
Michael Bisping has competed in three title elimination bouts, with Saturday being the most recent. He is now 0-3 in those fights.
For the record, I remain firmly convinced that he beat Chael Sonnen back on January 28, 2012. Nobody can change my mind. But that doesn't change the fact that the fight will forever go down as a loss, and it prevented him from facing Silva for the title.
Remove those three fights from his resume and Bisping is 9-1 in the UFC middleweight division. His lone loss was via decision to Wanderlei Silva in a fight he was winning until getting rocked late by one of the Brazilian's wild haymakers.
Bisping has to be looking in the mirror and asking "why me?" He is only a couple of fights away from breaking the record for most fights in the UFC without a title shot. That is a dubious distinction. On the one hand, it means he has been extremely good for quite a long time. On the other hand, quite good isn't good enough.
That has to be frustrating. There is no need to mince words.
With two losses in his last three fights, something tells me that Bisping is now in the middle of the 185-pound pack.
I'm sure Gabriel Gonzaga wants to forget 2009 and 2010. He lost three of his four UFC fights during that 24-month period and found himself out of a job.
Just over two years later, Gonzaga is now 3-0 since the calendar flipped to 2011. Each of those wins occurred by some form of choke.
Gonzaga's run of success has definitely made him relevant in the heavyweight division. No, he has not yet performed well enough to be considered a title contender. Guys like Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, Daniel Cormier, Frank Mir, and Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira are clearly in that category above Gonzaga. But I think he has done enough to justify a bout against one of those guys in an attempt to join that elite club.
I'll be honest. I have no idea how to spell Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov. I had to use the "cut and paste" function in order to put those words on the screen. I tried to spell it from memory. Twice, in fact. But I got it wrong both times.
After watching him destroy Thiago Tavares with a ridiculously show-stopping attack, I have a feeling that I'm going to need to get very comfortable with the spelling of his name because this kid isn't going anywhere any time soon.
Nurmagomedov has the potential to be a great. His wrestling, physical strength, deep gas tank and show-stopping punching power present a tough puzzle for any lightweight to solve. Plus, at 24 years old, he is just a baby in the sport. If he keeps working hard to improve and round out his game, the sky is the limit for this guy.
Power Slap


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There is mounting concern that organizational groups and teams often fail to learn from their past experiences. It's pertinent to address this issue as groups and teams are often the main ways that work gets done in organizations.
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So, what can be done to create an enabling learning culture in teams?
This course emphasizes practical and impactful ways to begin to address this state of affairs. Through the use of stories, scenarios with actors simulating different team issues, examples and dialogue, you learn how to:
• Understand teams in their larger organizational context
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• Identify ways to develop a team and group that continually learns and impacts the larger organization positively
• Create an organizational environment that encourages learning and innovation


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Mediterranean-Pastritsio Venetsianiko |
Tony from Olive Juice highlights fresh and colourful Mediterranean flavours through his event Taste of the Mediterranean . It's a food blogging event sponsored by igourmet.com and each month, a journey and celebration of each dish takes place, focusing on a popular dish from each of the regions of the Mediterranean.This month's event is being co-hosted by Peter at Kalofagas. So check it out!! Close your eyes and imagine yourself on a Greek island.
Tony says, "Imagine a culinary getaway with all your food-blogging friends to all the hot spots around the Mediterranean. It'll be like island hopping, but better - country hopping!"
This month Tony is highlighting Greece. For anyone who frequent this blog you know I had to be there didn't you!!!!!
What are we making?
I opted for an Ionian classic version that if I do say so myself was just amazing!!!!
Pastitsio ( παστίτσιο) is a Greek layered baked pasta dish or Greek lasagna!! There are many variations throughout the regions of Greece and probably as many recipes as there are cooks. Do you use the traditional buccatoni, beef, lamb, veal, bechamel, mizithra or other cheese???? No matter what you choose, layer it up and bake till golden brown with some extra cheese sprinkled on top with a dusting of cinnamon and nutmeg to make it classically Greek!!! Pastitsio is one of those dishes that becomes even more flavourful each time it is reheated so make a big batch to last several days!!!!
Like Italy, Greece has recipes that are distinct from one region to another. Greece is known for its pies made with filo or other pastries. My good friend and blogging sister Ivy of Kopiaste , who hails from Athens, had both a sweet and savoury pie event. In the Peloponesse you could be offered makaronopita, or passa makarouna in Kos which is a kind of pastitsio made with homemade phyllo that is blanched first and then layered with a combination of ground pork and local fresh mizithra cheese ,and then the whole thing is drenched in meat broth and milk before being baked.
The Ionian Islands are located off the western coast of Greece, between Greece and Italy. Their cuisine is quite distinct. Corfu, Zakynthos, Kefalonia, Lefkada, Ithaki, and the smaller islands are water-rich and quite lush and green. With the exception of Lefkada, none of the Ionian islands ever fell under the 400 year Turkish rule. Instead, they were ruled by the Ottoman rival the Venetians, and to this day the Venetian influence can be felt in the food and the reminders of its history. What makes their cuisine unique is that they have dishes that have their roots clearly embedded in Italian culture such as pastitsada, bianco, bordetto (after the Italian brodetto). Wash all these flavourful dishes down with some nioki; what the rest of the country refers to as ouzo.
One of my favorite dishes from Corfu and Kythera is Pastitsio Venetsianiko which is a rich mixture of all sorts of meats, cheeses and a bechamel sauce layered with pasta . The similarity with pastitsio, that we are familiar, with ends here...... because it is also enclosed in a pastry crust. Apparently it was made in the households of the wealthy landowners.
So when I was looking for a new take on pastitsio for the Taste of the Mediterranean event I headed to the Ionian islands for some Pastitsio Venetsianiko!!!
I tried to find a recipe on-line for this dish but had no success. A HUGE thank you to my sis Ivy of Kopiaste who found a recipe from Elias Mamalakis and translated it for me from Greek to English. Thank you Ivy!!! It gave me some idea of how the dish would be traditionally prepared (I have included the recipe at the very bottom of this post if you would like to give it a try). In traditional Greek way he uses glasses and 1/2 glasses for measurement, but, if you use the same glass always you will always get it right!!
I combined this recipe that Ivy found from Elias with my own recipe for pastitsio as well as a recipe I found from Aglaia Kremezi for a pastitsio recipe from the island of Syros (where she uses puff pastry that is rolled very thinly). The recipe is from her book The Food of the Greek Islands. I think the end result, and my interpretation of the dish, is a delicious and winning combination!!!
Pastitsio Venetsianiko was typically baked in special forms so that the finished dish was "as high as a top hat". Today it is usually baked in a standard cake tin. The dish still has thick pasta layered with pieces of game or chicken, hard-boiled eggs, smoked ham, salami or mortadella, and cheese—whatever is available. The whole thing is cloaked in the classic pastry crust, pate brise. For my version I took a tip from noted cookbook author Aglaia Kremezi and used puff pastry that has been rolled out quite thinly.
This dish was fantastic if I do say so myself with its layers of pasta, Greek cheeses, lamb, hard boiled eggs and basil.
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 lb/500 g ground lamb
1- 2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup white wine
1 can tomatoes, crushed
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 lb/500 g macaroni (buccatoni)
2-1/2 cups/150 g of grated Kefalotiri or mizithra cheese
1 cup whole milk, or more if needed
freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
Fresh basil
2-4 hard boiled eggs
1-1/2 (17-1/4 oz packages) 3 sheets puff pasty when rolled out, thawed according to package instructions
Approximately 3 T milk
sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 400F. Oil or butter a 13x9-inch baking dish.
Heat olive oil in saucepan saute onions over medium-high heat for 3 - 4 minutes. Add the ground lamb, stirring, until no linger pink, about 4 minutes. Add the white wine, garlic, bay leaf, parsley and crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for about 30 minutes. Allow to cool. Add 1-1/2 cups kefalotiri cheese, 1 cup milk and 2 eggs. Mix thoroughly. The mixture should be moist; if it is too dry, add a little more milk.
Cook the buccatoni/macaroni in boiling salted water until al dente, drain, and leave to cool.
Divide the puff pastry into 3 portions. Cover 1 piece with plastic wrap. Briefly knead the other 2 pieces tiogether, then roll out on a lightly floured surface. Line the dish with the puff pastry, trimming it to a 1-inch overhang; reserve the trimmings.
Sprinkle bottom of crust with some of the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Layer 1/2 the cooked buccatoni noodles in the bottom of the crust. Try and align them in rows as best you can. Layer 1/3 of the cooled meat sauce on top of noodles. Sprinkle with cheese. Next add a layer of hard boiled eggs and fresh basil leaves. Add the remainder of the noodles and top with the remaining 1/3 of the meat sauce. Top all with the remaining hard boiled eggs and basil leaves. Top all with the remaining cheese.
Roll the remaining puff pastry and stretch it to cover your pastitsio pie. Fold the overhanging bottom pastry over the top crust and pinch the ends together to seal, crimping them to make a neat cord around the edge of the pie, Flatten the cord with the tines of a fork all around the edge of the pie to prevent it from rising during baking or it will burn. Brush the pie generously with the tablespoons of milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake for 15 minutes, sprinkling the top of the pie 8 - 10 times with water. Bake for 10 minutes more, then reduce the oven temperature to 350F and bake for another 30 minutes more, until golden brown. If the top browns too quickly , cover loosely with aluminum foil. Turn off the oven but leave the pie in the oven for 10 minutes more.
Let the pie cool for 15 minutes and then serve.
Don't forget to submit your recipe for the BloggerAid cookbook where 100% of the proceeds target children and education through the World Food Programme called School Meals. We hope that our excitement is contagious!!! Send your submissions by the new deadline March 31st to bloggeraid AT gmail DOT com. Click here for everything you need to know to submit a recipe. Feel free to use our logo which highlights some of the recipes received so far!! Children are the Future!!!!
This is a traditional version as translated by Ivy.
250 grams of beef liver
ι½ kilo Makaroni pasta
Νο.21 medium onion
¾ glass of red wine
1 glass of tomato paste
olive oil
coarse sea salt
ground cloves
ground allspice
water, as much as needed
3 eggs
700 grams of grated kefalotyri
1kilo and 3 tablespoons flour
2 and ¼ cup of butter
½ cups of sugar
3 eggs
6 egg yolks
1/2 glass of brandy
1/2 glass of orange juice
Directions for the filling
Grate the onion and sauté. Add the ground meat and sauté as well. Finely chop the livers and add to the pan and sauté. Add wine and cover the pan for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, mix and add coarse sea salt, pepper, cloves and allspice. Mix and add water until they are cooked and it has absorbed all the water. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Meantime boil pasta as usual, drain and place between two towels so that they totally dry.
Instructions for the dough
In a mixer add butter and add sugar and the 3 eggs and whisk. Add the 6 yolks. Set aside the egg whites for later one. Add brandy, orange juice and flour gradually, until the dough is ready..
Continue with the filling:
Add three more eggs in the egg whites and whisk together. Add them to the filling and mix. In a big bowl add some of the filling you have just prepared, some cheese, some pasta, and continue until you have used all the ingredients.
Constructing your pastitsio.
Roll out the dough and layer in a sauce pan (that's what it says!!) adding some dough on the sides of the pan. Add the mixture you have prepared and press with your fingers so that there is no gap. Add some granted cheese in between and press the mixture. Roll out a second piece of dough and cover the pan, joining together the two pieces.
Bake in a preheated over at 160ο C for about 3 hours.
Set aside to cool and reverse in a big platter and cut into pieces.
You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.


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There are 5 modules in this course
This course is for novice programmers or business people who would like to understand the core tools used to wrangle and analyze big data. With no prior experience, you will have the opportunity to walk through hands-on examples with Hadoop and Spark frameworks, two of the most common in the industry. You will be comfortable explaining the specific components and basic processes of the Hadoop architecture, software stack, and execution environment. In the assignments you will be guided in how data scientists apply the important concepts and techniques such as Map-Reduce that are used to solve fundamental problems in big data. You'll feel empowered to have conversations about big data and the data analysis process.


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Exploring the Demimonde: Sin and Temptation at the fin-de-siècle
Exploring the Demimonde: Sin and Temptation at the fin-de-siècle
Curated by Alice M. Phillips, Ph.D.
In late 19th century Paris, as artists and writers became disenchanted with their materialistic society and with naturalism's attention to the physical world, a variety of creative and psychological movements arose. With them came a newfound interest in Symbolism, which enabled artists to depict the emotions and personal symbols they found within dreams, religion and ancient mythology. With their innovative design aesthetics and observations of daily life at spirited venues such as cafés, dance halls, and theatres, they created enigmatic compositions that challenged the French academic style.
This exhibition of European paintings and prints invites visitors to become immersed in the decadent world of fin-de-siècle France and to discover the demimonde of Parisian night life, cabarets and café culture.
This exhibition will be on display through October 18, 2015.
This exhibition is organized by Legacies for Iowa, A UIMA Collections Sharing Project, Supported by the Matthew Bucksbaum Family.
Curator Talk: 7 p.m. Thursday, September 24
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901), Divan Japonais (Japanese Sofa), 1893, Lithographic poster, 32 x 24.5 inches, Gift of Gaston de Havenon, 1971.217, University of Iowa Museum of Art


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Kershaw is proud to introduce a new series of hunting knives. These American-made hunters feature strong, simple design that works, and works well. High-performance Sandvik 14C28N blade steel and full-tang construction makes them durable and corrosion resistant. G-10 handle scales ensure you get a secure grip every time, in any environmental condition. The brilliant "safety orange" handle color guarantees they're easy to spot in the out of doors, too.
The Skinning Knife is the right size to easily maneuver through your skinning chores. The handy Field Knife is sure to become your top choice for a wide range of tasks—in the field and around the camp. Each knife comes with its own black leather sheath for easy belt carry and storage.
Field-tested by hunting pros, these made-in-the-USA hunting knives are for the hunter who wants a quality knife at a great price. 1080OR MSRP: $49.95. 1082OR MSRP: 54.95.


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SanctuaryClothing.com ships all orders as quickly as possible using FedEx or US Postal Service. Kindly note there may be processing delays in shipping during sale events and peak shopping days. If you need to receive your package by a specific date, kindly contact customer service for help in choosing the right shipping method to receive it on time.
Shipping Deadlines: Orders received before 12 pm PST Monday to Friday will begin processing that day, orders placed after 12 pm PST, on the weekend, or on observed holidays will begin processing the following business day.
Timeline: FedEx 2-Day will be delivered 2 business days after it has been received from our warehouse. Ground options will be delivered within 10 business days of pickup.
To initiate a return, visit our Return Center.
We want you to be completely satisfied with your SanctuaryClothing.com order, thus we will accept your return of product in original condition with all tags attached within 30 days of receipt of your order. Your refund will be issued in the same payment method as the original purchase. Shipping and handling charges are non-refundable. All items marked FINAL SALE cannot be exchanged or returned at any time.
Swim: We're unable to process returns for swimwear that have been worn or are returned in a soiled condition. All swimwear must be in new and unused condition with sanitary strips in place.
Please note, we only accept returns that were purchased via SanctuaryClothing.com. SanctuaryClothing.com will not accept orders that were purchased in Sanctuary Clothing approved resellers or other retailers.


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We are proud to announce that this Jul 28th, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM we will be hosting an Open House at 7439 MARY Ave in the Edmonds BE neighborhood, Burnaby East. This is an opportunity to visit this excellent House for sale in beautiful Edmonds BE.
Please come with any questions you may have. In the meantime you can take a virtual tour of this Edmonds BE House for sale.
As always please do not hesitate to give me a call at 604 415 -9800 if I can answer any questions before the open house, or if you would like to book a private showing.
Mary Saleh
Sutton Group- West Coast Realty


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The photo in the book shows a nicely layered cake in which the espresso batter is baked into the middle of the cake with plain batter above and below. Mine ended up more marbled, but regardless, this is one delightful Bundt cake. The batter is made with butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla into which sifted cake flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt is mixed alternately with sour cream. Next, you separate a third of the batter into a second bowl and whisk some cold espresso into it. You first place half of the plain batter in a prepared Bundt pan, then the espresso batter, then the remaining plain batter. The cake bakes for almost an hour and is left to cool. I always fear cakes sticking to the ridges of a Bundt pan and butter them excessively. Thankfully, the cake slipped right out. The glaze was made with confectioners' sugar and more cold espresso and was poured over all those pretty, Bundt ridges.
To say this cake was a winner is a huge understatement. I always go for espresso flavor in sweets, and it was insanely good in this tender-crumbed cake and glaze. Kurt agreed and at one point asked me to cut a piece for myself so he could have the rest of the cake. I have a feeling there will be similar experiences with everything else I bake from this book.
Espresso Bundt Cake
Recipe reprinted with publisher's permission from The Model Bakery Cookbook.
We have customers who can't get enough coffee. Even though Karen is a tea lover, and is rarely without a glass of iced tea within reach, we pay a lot of attention to the quality of our coffee beans and their preparation. This caffeinated Bundt cake is great any time of day, but it is especially good with a morning cup of freshly brewed coffee.
1 cup/225 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
Unbleached all-purpose flour for the pan
3 cups/390 g cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 cups/400 g granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups/480 ml sour cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup/120 ml cold brewed espresso or Italian roast coffee (or 1 Tbsp instant espresso dissolved in 1/2 cup/120 ml boiling water)
1 cup/115 g confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 Tbsp brewed espresso (or 1 tsp instant espresso dissolved in 3 Tbsp boiling water), as needed
1. TO MAKE THE CAKE: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F/180°C/gas 4. Butter the inside of a 12-cup/2.8-L fluted tube pan. Dust with all-purpose flour and tap out the excess.
2. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light in color and texture, about 3 minutes (or beat by hand with a wooden spoon for about 10 minutes). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating them with two equal additions of the sour cream, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, mixing until smooth.
3. Transfer one-third of the batter to a medium bowl. Whisk in the cold espresso. Spoon half of the plain batter into the prepared pan. Top with the espresso batter, and then the remaining plain batter. Smooth the batter with a spatula.
4. Bake until a long bamboo skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes.
5. Run a dinner knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake. Invert and unmold onto a wire cooling rack and let cool completely.
6. TO MAKE THE GLAZE: Put the confectioners' sugar in a small bowl. Whisk in enough of the espresso to make a glaze about the thickness of heavy cream.
7. Put the cake, while still on the cooling rack, over a large plate. Drizzle the glaze over the cake, letting the excess glaze drip down the sides. Let stand until the glaze sets. The cake can be stored, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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text: These girls want to make lots of easy money or be the next big adult movie star but unfortunately for them I am a FAKE AGENT. This site is real, dangerous, filthy, and features amateur girls talked into doing things from blowjobs to creampies, anal, swallowing and facials! It's so wrong it's right!.


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Thumbs up to the YouthMappers of Alexandria who are actively involved in increasing the number of opportunities that are available to young people in the citys West End. Over the next couple of weeks 16 students from T.C. Williams will be conducting interviews with community officials in order to get a better idea of how to accomplish these tasks. Keep up the good work, young cartographers.
Patrice Culligan
Thumbs up to the Alexandria Harmonizers, who were awarded 5th place in last weekends international Chorus Contest of the Barbershop Harmony Society held in Philadelphia. The Chorus competed against 27 other choirs from all over the United States, Canada and England. Their strong finish earned them the honor of performing during Philadelphias Fourth of July Celebration at Independence Hall.
Denise Dunbar
Thumbs up to people who continue to support local businesses, non-profits and places of worship during the summer months. Please patronize our local establishments while youre in town this summer; many are still struggling with the shaky economy. Their bills dont stop during the summer even though Alexandria, like greater Washington in general, experiences an exodus of permanent residents this time of year.
Denise Dunbar
Thumbs down to the HEAT! After record snowfalls this past winter, now Alexandrians are stifling hot and longing for a little chill. These high temperatures call for lightweight fabrics, cold drinks and less activity. One of the worst results of the heat is its effect on ones attitude. Try not to get cranky in this weather. Please remember, as you struggle to stay cool, to keep your cool!
Patrice Culligan


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(AP) Gov't obtains wide AP phone records in probe
By MARK SHERMAN
Associated Press
The Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press in what the news cooperative's top executive called a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into how news organizations gather the news.
The records obtained by the Justice Department listed outgoing calls for the work and personal phone numbers of individual reporters, for general AP office numbers in New York, Washington and Hartford, Conn., and for the main number for the AP in the House of Representatives press gallery, according to attorneys for the AP. It was not clear if the records also included incoming calls or the duration of the calls.
In all, the government seized the records for more than 20 separate telephone lines assigned to AP and its journalists in April and May of 2012. The exact number of journalists who used the phone lines during that period is unknown, but more than 100 journalists work in the offices where phone records were targeted, on a wide array of stories about government and other matters.
In a letter of protest sent to Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday, AP President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Pruitt said the government sought and obtained information far beyond anything that could be justified by any specific investigation. He demanded the return of the phone records and destruction of all copies.
"There can be no possible justification for such an overbroad collection of the telephone communications of The Associated Press and its reporters. These records potentially reveal communications with confidential sources across all of the newsgathering activities undertaken by the AP during a two-month period, provide a road map to AP's newsgathering operations and disclose information about AP's activities and operations that the government has no conceivable right to know," Pruitt said.
The government would not say why it sought the records. Officials have previously said in public testimony that the U.S. attorney in Washington is conducting a criminal investigation into who may have provided information contained in a May 7, 2012, AP story about a foiled terror plot. The story disclosed details of a CIA operation in Yemen that stopped an al-Qaida plot in the spring of 2012 to detonate a bomb on an airplane bound for the United States.
In testimony in February, CIA Director John Brennan noted that the FBI had questioned him about whether he was AP's source, which he denied. He called the release of the information to the media about the terror plot an "unauthorized and dangerous disclosure of classified information."
Prosecutors have sought phone records from reporters before, but the seizure of records from such a wide array of AP offices, including general AP switchboards numbers and an office-wide shared fax line, is unusual.
In the letter notifying the AP, which was received Friday, the Justice Department offered no explanation for the seizure, according to Pruitt's letter and attorneys for the AP. The records were presumably obtained from phone companies earlier this year although the government letter did not explain that. None of the information provided by the government to the AP suggested the actual phone conversations were monitored.
Among those whose phone numbers were obtained were five reporters and an editor who were involved in the May 7, 2012, story.
The Obama administration has aggressively investigated disclosures of classified information to the media and has brought six cases against people suspected of providing classified information, more than under all previous presidents combined.
The White House on Monday said that other than press reports it had no knowledge of Justice Department attempts to seek AP phone records.
"We are not involved in decisions made in connection with criminal investigations, as those matters are handled independently by the Justice Department," spokesman Jay Carney said.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the investigative House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said on CNN, "They had an obligation to look for every other way to get it before they intruded on the freedom of the press."
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in an emailed statement: "The burden is always on the government when they go after private information, especially information regarding the press or its confidential sources. … On the face of it, I am concerned that the government may not have met that burden. I am very troubled by these allegations and want to hear the government's explanation."
The American Civil Liberties Union said the use of subpoenas for a broad swath of records has a chilling effect both on journalists and whistleblowers who want to reveal government wrongdoing. "The attorney general must explain the Justice Department's actions to the public so that we can make sure this kind of press intimidation does not happen again," said Laura Murphy, the director of ACLU's Washington legislative office.
Rules published by the Justice Department require that subpoenas of records of news organizations must be personally approved by the attorney general, but it was not known if that happened in this case. The letter notifying AP that its phone records had been obtained through subpoenas was sent Friday by Ronald Machen, the U.S. attorney in Washington.
William Miller, a spokesman for Machen, said Monday that in general the U.S. attorney follows "all applicable laws, federal regulations and Department of Justice policies when issuing subpoenas for phone records of media organizations." But he would not address questions about the specifics of the AP records. "We do not comment on ongoing criminal investigations," Miller said in an email.
The Justice Department lays out strict rules for efforts to get phone records from news organizations. A subpoena can be considered only after "all reasonable attempts" have been made to get the same information from other sources, the rules say. It was unclear what other steps, in total, the Justice Department might have taken to get information in the case.
A subpoena to the media must be "as narrowly drawn as possible" and "should be directed at relevant information regarding a limited subject matter and should cover a reasonably limited time period," according to the rules.
The reason for these constraints, the department says, is to avoid actions that "might impair the news gathering function" because the government recognizes that "freedom of the press can be no broader than the freedom of reporters to investigate and report the news."
News organizations normally are notified in advance that the government wants phone records and then they enter into negotiations over the desired information. In this case, however, the government, in its letter to the AP, cited an exemption to those rules that holds that prior notification can be waived if such notice, in the exemption's wording, might "pose a substantial threat to the integrity of the investigation."
It is unknown whether a judge or a grand jury signed off on the subpoenas.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a potential 2016 presidential candidate, said: "The Fourth Amendment is not just a protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, it is a fundamental protection for the First Amendment and all other Constitutional rights. It sets a high bar _ a warrant _ for the government to take actions that could chill exercise of any of those rights. We must guard it with all the vigor that we guard other constitutional protections."
The May 7, 2012, AP story that disclosed details of the CIA operation in Yemen to stop an airliner bomb plot occurred around the one-year anniversary of the May 2, 2011, killing of Osama bin Laden.
The plot was significant both because of its seriousness and also because the White House previously had told the public it had "no credible information that terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida, are plotting attacks in the U.S. to coincide with the (May 2) anniversary of bin Laden's death."
The AP delayed reporting the story at the request of government officials who said it would jeopardize national security. Once officials said those concerns were allayed, the AP disclosed the plot, though the Obama administration continued to request that the story be held until the administration could make an official announcement.
The May 7 story was written by reporters Matt Apuzzo and Adam Goldman with contributions from reporters Kimberly Dozier, Eileen Sullivan and Alan Fram. They and their editor, Ted Bridis, were among the journalists whose April-May 2012 phone records were seized by the government.
Brennan talked about the AP story and investigation in written testimony to the Senate. "The irresponsible and damaging leak of classified information was made … when someone informed The Associated Press that the U.S. government had intercepted an IED (improvised explosive device) that was supposed to be used in an attack and that the U.S. government currently had that IED in its possession and was analyzing it," he wrote.
He also defended the White House decision to discuss the plot afterward. "Once someone leaked information about interdiction of the IED and that the IED was actually in our possession, it was imperative to inform the American people consistent with government policy that there was never any danger to the American people associated with this al-Qaida plot," Brennan told senators.


text: 0 In Never Ending Honeymoon | The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin, Germany 04/03/2014 By Jacqui Share Tweet Pin it +1 About Jacqui I am a food-loving travel blogger, freelance writer, and photographer inspiring others to see the world. Hubby and I caught the travel bug in 2009 and have been on a never ending adventure since! No Comments Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyName * Email * Website Δ


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Snuggle up with the perfect pillow!
Nothing starts your day off better than getting a good night's sleep. And sleeping with the right pillow can help.
"Pillows can not only impact the quality of our sleep, but also how healthfully we rest and recharge," says sleep expert Michael Breus, PhD, a clinical psychologist and author of Beauty Sleep: Look Younger, Lose Weight, and Feel Great Through Better Sleep.


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Eat Extra for Excellence
There's a lot more to eating for sports than chowing down on carbs or chugging sports drinks. The good news is that eating to reach your peak performance level likely doesn't require a special diet or supplements. It's all about working the right foods into your fitness plan in the right amounts.
Teen athletes have unique nutrition needs. Because athletes work out more than their less-active peers, they generally need extra calories to fuel both their sports performance and their growth. Depending on how active they are, teen athletes may need anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 total calories per day to meet their energy needs.
So what happens if teen athletes don't eat enough? Their bodies are less likely to achieve peak performance and may even break down rather than build up muscles. Athletes who don't take in enough calories every day won't be as fast and as strong as they could be and may not be able to maintain their weight. And extreme calorie restriction can lead to growth problems and other serious health risks for both girls and guys, including increased risk for fractures and other injuries.
Athletes and Dieting
Since teen athletes need extra fuel, it's usually a bad idea to diet. Athletes in sports where weight is emphasized — such as wrestling, swimming, dance, or gymnastics — might feel pressure to lose weight, but they need to balance that choice with the possible negative side effects mentioned above.
If a coach, gym teacher, or teammate says that you need to go on a diet, talk to your doctor first or visit a dietitian who specializes in teen athletes. If a health professional you trust agrees that it's safe to diet, then he or she can work with you to develop a plan that allows you get the proper amount of nutrients, and perform your best while also losing weight.
Eat a Variety of Foods
You may have heard about "carb loading" before a game. But when it comes to powering your game for the long haul, it's a bad idea to focus on only one type of food.
Carbohydrates are an important source of fuel, but they're only one of many foods an athlete needs. It also takes vitamins, minerals, protein, and fats to stay in peak playing shape.
Muscular Minerals and Vital Vitamins
Calcium helps build the strong bones that athletes depend on, and iron carries oxygen to muscles. Most teens don't get enough of these minerals, and that's especially true of teen athletes because their needs may be even higher than those of other teens.
To get the iron you need, eat lean (not much fat) meat, fish, and poultry; green, leafy vegetables; and iron-fortified cereals. Calcium — a must for protecting against stress fractures — is found in dairy foods, such as low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese.
In addition to calcium and iron, you need a whole bunch of other vitamins and minerals that do everything from help you access energy to keep you from getting sick. Eating a balanced diet, including lots of different fruits and veggies, should provide the vitamins and minerals needed for good health and sports performance.
Protein Power
Athletes may need more protein than less-active teens, but most teen athletes get plenty of protein through regular eating. It's a myth that athletes need a huge daily intake of protein to build large, strong muscles. Muscle growth comes from regular training and hard work. And taking in too much protein can actually harm the body, causing dehydration, calcium loss, and even kidney problems.
Good sources of protein are fish, lean meats and poultry, eggs, dairy, nuts, soy, and peanut butter.
Carb Charge
Carbohydrates provide athletes with an excellent source of fuel. Cutting back on carbs or following low-carb diets isn't a good idea for athletes because restricting carbohydrates can cause a person to feel tired and worn out, which ultimately affects performance.
Good sources of carbohydrates include fruits, vegetables, and grains. Choose whole grains (such as brown rice, oatmeal, whole-wheat bread) more often than their more processed counterparts like white rice and white bread. That's because whole grains provide both the energy athletes need to perform and the fiber and other nutrients they need to be healthy.
Sugary carbs such as candy bars or sodas are less healthy for athletes because they don't contain any of the other nutrients you need. In addition, eating candy bars or other sugary snacks just before practice or competition can give athletes a quick burst of energy and then leave them to "crash" or run out of energy before they've finished working out.
Fat Fuel
Everyone needs a certain amount of fat each day, and this is particularly true for athletes. That's because active muscles quickly burn through carbs and need fats for long-lasting energy. Like carbs, not all fats are created equal. Experts advise athletes to concentrate on eating healthier fats, such as the unsaturated fat found in most vegetable oils, some fish, and nuts and seeds. Try to not to eat too much trans fat – like partially hydrogenated oils – and saturated fat, that is found in high fat meat and high fat dairy products, like butter.
Choosing when to eat fats is also important for athletes. Fatty foods can slow digestion, so it's a good idea to avoid eating these foods for a few hours before and after exercising.
Shun Supplements
Protein and energy bars don't do a whole lot of good, but they won't really do you much harm either. Energy drinks have lots of caffeine, though, so no one should drink them before exercising.
Other types of supplements can really do some damage.
Anabolic steroids can seriously mess with a person's hormones, causing side effects like testicular shrinkage and baldness in guys and facial hair growth in girls. Steroids can cause mental health problems, including depression and serious mood swings.
Some supplements contain hormones that are related to testosterone (such as dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA for short). These supplements can have similar side effects to anabolic steroids. Other sports supplements (like creatine, for example) have not been tested in people younger than 18. So the risks of taking them are not yet known.
Salt tablets are another supplement to watch out for. People take them to avoid dehydration, but salt tablets can actually lead to dehydration. In large amounts, salt can cause nausea, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea and may damage the lining of the stomach. In general, you are better off drinking fluids in order to maintain hydration. Any salt you lose in sweat can usually be made up with sports drinks or food eaten after exercise.
Ditch Dehydration
Speaking of dehydration, water is just as important to unlocking your game power as food. When you sweat during exercise, it's easy to become overheated, headachy, and worn out — especially in hot or humid weather. Even mild dehydration can affect an athlete's physical and mental performance.
There's no one-size-fits-all formula for how much water to drink. How much fluid each person needs depends on the individual's age, size, level of physical activity, and environmental temperature.
Experts recommend that athletes drink before and after exercise as well as every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise. Don't wait until you feel thirsty, because thirst is a sign that your body has needed liquids for a while. But don't force yourself to drink more fluids than you may need either. It's hard to run when there's a lot of water sloshing around in your stomach!
If you like the taste of sports drinks better than regular water, then it's OK to drink them. But it's important to know that a sports drink is really no better for you than water unless you are exercising for more than 60 to 90 minutes or in really hot weather. The additional carbohydrates and electrolytes may improve performance in these conditions, but otherwise your body will do just as well with water.
Avoid drinking carbonated drinks or juice because they could give you a stomachache while you're competing.
Never drink energy drinks before exercising. Energy drinks contain a large amount of caffeine and other ingredients that have caffeine-like effects.
Caffeine is a diuretic. That means it causes a person to urinate (pee) more. It's not clear whether this causes dehydration or not, but to be safe, it's wise to stay away from too much caffeine. That's especially true if you'll be exercising in hot weather.
When it comes to caffeine and exercise, it's good to weigh any benefits against potential problems. Although some studies find that caffeine may help adults perform better in endurance sports, other studies show too much caffeine may hurt.
Caffeine increases heart rate and blood pressure. Too much caffeine can leave an athlete feeling anxious or jittery. Caffeine can also cause trouble sleeping. All of these can drag down a person's sports performance. Plus, taking certain medications — including supplements — can make caffeine's side effects seem even worse.
Never drink energy drinks before exercising. These products contain a large amount of caffeine and other ingredients that have caffeine-like effects.
Game-Day Eats
Your performance on game day will depend on the foods you've eaten over the past several days and weeks. But you can boost your performance even more by paying attention to the food you eat on game day. Strive for a game-day diet rich in carbohydrates, moderate in protein, and low in fat.
Here are some guidelines on what to eat and when:
- Eat a meal 2 to 4 hours before the game or event: Choose a protein and carbohydrate meal (like a turkey or chicken sandwich, cereal and milk, chicken noodle soup and yogurt, or pasta with tomato sauce).
- Eat a snack less than 2 hours before the game: If you haven't had time to have a pre-game meal, be sure to have a light snack such as low-fiber fruits or vegetables (like plums, melons, cherries, carrots), crackers, a bagel, or low-fat yogurt.
Consider not eating anything for the hour before you compete or have practice because digestion requires energy — energy that you want to use to win. Also, eating too soon before any kind of activity can leave food in the stomach, making you feel full, bloated, crampy, and sick.
Everyone is different, so get to know what works best for you. You may want to experiment with meal timing and how much to eat on practice days so that you're better prepared for game day.
Want to get an eating plan personalized for you? Check the U.S. government's website ChooseMyPlate.gov, which tells a person how much to eat from different food groups based on age, gender, and activity level.


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WASHINGTON – Federal investigators say the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that experienced a battery fire earlier this month was delivered to Japan Airlines less than three weeks before the fire.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday in an update of its investigation of the incident that the airliner was delivered on Dec. 20. It had only recorded 169 flight hours and 22 flights when the fire erupted in one of the airliner's two lithium ion batteries on Jan. 7.
The fire occurred at Logan International Airport shortly after the plane landed. NTSB said the battery was manufactured by GS Yuasa of Japan in September 2012.
A second battery incident led to an emergency landing by another 787 in Japan on Jan. 16. The 787 fleet worldwide has since been grounded.


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