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Bad Mother Blues
I am having one of those days. Actually, it's the second such day, which means that I have been having one of those days for about 24 hours too long now. I am having one of those days in which I do not like being a parent. And, also, one of those days in which I do not like being pregnant. Which, as a pregnant parent, puts me in the uncomfortable position of disliking the most important aspects of my current existence.
I love my daughter. I shouldn't even have to say it. I love her to the heights and depths, etc, etc, as I do my unborn son. I love that I am her, and his, mother. But I just don't like being a mother, the activity of being a mother, right now, not so much.
I'm just so tired. I'm eight and half months pregnant. My back aches and my legs are cramping and I haven't slept in days. I don't so much walk as lumber. And my sweet little girl, home from daycare since Wednesday while HBF is off doing husbandly things, is determined that my incapacities not interfere with her pursuit of world domination. We cannot have quiet time, we cannot snuggle, and we cannot lurk indoors. There are worlds - and parks and trees and sidewalks and schoolyards and grocery stores - to conquer, at maximum velocity, and she will not be dissuaded from doing it all nownownowMOMMYWEGONOW. It does not matter that I am greatly slowed and incapable of meeting all of her demands: thwart her, oppose her, deny her will... I will be rewarded with an epic tantrum. Cyrus of Persia, the Tarquins of Rome, Napoleon, Stalin - they knew nothing of the imposition of the will as the force behind true tyranny. They did not have toddlers.
I am, today, whipped and beaten and thoroughly down. I am physically spent, and mentally and psychically weak from flagellating myself with guilt - am bad mother am bad mother - and just exhausted. Also, the espresso machine is broken.
Dora is my last hope. All of my remaining energies will be channelled into convincing the dictator that she really, really wants to watch Dora. If I succeed, I will curl up under the blankets and suckle a dark chocolate bar. If I do not succeed... well, if you don't hear from me - or if you happen to hear the screaming - somebody may need to send help. Allied Forces, some UN peacekeepers and a hostage negotiator or two might do the trick.
Labels: bad mother, Being Bad, her bad pregnancy


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Thursday, March 4, 2010
Thai Tuna Salad
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you've had enough tuna salad to last several lifetimes, I'd like to propose you try this variation. The recipe is similar to one served in Thailand, but it requires no exotic ingredients and can be on the table in about 10 minutes. While standard tuna salads tend to cloy, this one awakens taste buds with the hot, sweet, sour and salty flavors we've come to associate with Thai food. I serve this beautiful salad in lettuce cups but it would also work well with pita bread or flour tortillas. Here's the recipe for a quick Lenten lunch or a simple go-to supper on those nights when you're too tired to cook.
Thai Tuna Salad...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, adapted from a recipe by Nancie McDermott
2 (7-oz.) cans chunk tuna, drained
3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 tablespoons thinly sliced shallots or red onion
2 green onions thinly sliced crosswise
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped roasted, salted peanuts
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro + cilantro for garnish
Combine tuna, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, shallots, green onions, ginger, peanuts, pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons cilantro in a medium bowl. Toss gently to season tuna. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes or chill for up to 2 days. Served chilled or at room temperature with lettuce leaves, pita bread or flour tortillas. Yield: 4 servings.
You might also enjoy these recipes:
Swedish West Coast Salad - One Perfect Bite
Margarita Shrimp Salad - One Perfect Bite
Camarones a la Mexicana - One Perfect Bite
50 comments :
- Selba said...
I love this Thai tuna salad!!! :)
- March 4, 2010 at 1:34 AM
- DailyChef said...
I see this on the menu of the Thai restaurants I frequent, but never order it because there are too many other things I love. But you make it look/sound so good. I will definitely try it next time--or maybe just make it myself!
- March 4, 2010 at 1:47 AM
- Marie said...
Wow, I have never seen or heard of such a take on tuna salad before... sounds great, though. Full of lots of punch to brighten up the tuna, will have to try it.
- March 4, 2010 at 3:08 AM
- ♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ said...
Oh dear MAry ,i couldn agree with u more that the thai sweet sour and salty flavours not only awaken but have u craving for more and more and more.....
Loved ur thai tuna salad and yeah we do love our tuna..... - March 4, 2010 at 3:29 AM
- Deb in Hawaii said...
Yum--what a unique take on tuna salad. It looks delicious!
- March 4, 2010 at 3:55 AM
- Zurin said...
a beautiful salad. Thai food is very enticing and adictive!
- March 4, 2010 at 4:00 AM
- Mary | Deep South Dish said...
What a beautiful picture! It looks like a flower and the recipe sounds delish!
- March 4, 2010 at 4:04 AM
- Allie and Pattie said...
Mary, your pictures are fabulous- of course we have to try this now! Beautiful! It's interesting- seems putting a ton of mayo in tuna is more an American thing- my Italian grandmothers would never have
xoxo Pattie - March 4, 2010 at 4:25 AM
- Sinful Southern Sweets said...
Wow, what a fresh and beautiful take on tuna salad!Love this!
- March 4, 2010 at 6:22 AM
- Schnitzel and the Trout said...
I eat tuna often, for lunch. This is certainly a recipe I will try. Now, why didn't I think of that? ;)
- March 4, 2010 at 7:07 AM
- MaryMoh said...
Beautiful presentation. Looks delicious. I love it.
- March 4, 2010 at 7:14 AM
- The Blonde Duck said...
Ben's going to need this after his birthday week of debachery...printing!
- March 4, 2010 at 7:37 AM
- Unknown said...
How pretty! This would be so fun to serve at a ladies spring luncheon. The recipe sounds yummy!
~Liz - March 4, 2010 at 7:38 AM
- Martha said...
I will have to try this. Would make a good lunch!
- March 4, 2010 at 7:43 AM
- ann low said...
This is very beautiful presentation and definitely a healthy salad.
- March 4, 2010 at 8:31 AM
- Claudia said...
The fish sauce and the lime - it just elevates it - taking what could be a mundane lunch and filling it with flavor - will do that tomorrow.
- March 4, 2010 at 9:13 AM
- Katherine said...
Hello Mary, thank you for stopping by my blog. I look forward to sharing with you. I'm following you now . Wishing you happiness, Katherine
- March 4, 2010 at 9:46 AM
- Maria said...
Great flavors and pretty lettuce leaves!
- March 4, 2010 at 10:25 AM
- Maryrose said...
This looks delicious and just in time....I was wondering what to fix for dinner :)
- March 4, 2010 at 11:20 AM
- Fearless Kitchen said...
Usually I'm not a fan of tuna salads, but this one is very different. Nice job!
- March 4, 2010 at 11:27 AM
- La Bella Cooks said...
This is a stunning presentation. The lettuce leaves look like perfect flowers and the salad sounds wonderful. I will be trying this.
- March 4, 2010 at 11:43 AM
- Holly said...
How pretty is that!!! I don't even like tuna but I think I would eat that!! :) Also I would like to invite you to come by and check out our new blog- The Peppered Pantry:)
- March 4, 2010 at 11:43 AM
- Joie de vivre said...
GORGEOUS presentation. So colorful.
- March 4, 2010 at 11:56 AM
- Bob said...
You know, I have been eating a lot of tuna salad lately. It was on sale a while ago so my girlfriend bought a small mountain of it. I'm definitely trying this!
- March 4, 2010 at 12:48 PM
- From the Kitchen said...
Oh Mary--thank you! The Thai tuna sounds delicious. I need to replace my fish sauce and pick up some cilantro but all the rest of the ingredients are in my pantry. I am a Thai food fanatic. We have a wonderful local restaurant. As a hedge against that restaurant ever closing, I have amassed many Thai cookbooks. I believe in being prepared!
Have a delicious day.
Bonnie - March 4, 2010 at 1:47 PM
- Dee said...
this sounds delicious AND healthy!
my favorite way to do tuna salad is with garlic, paprika, spicy brown mustard, celery, onions, and dill relish.
I will have to try this recipe as something different :) - March 4, 2010 at 3:48 PM
- Karen said...
This sounds scrumptious. Thanks for a very different way to enjoy my tuna!
- March 4, 2010 at 4:28 PM
- NKP said...
I would never have thought to do a Thai tuna salad. You are brilliant, my dear!
- March 4, 2010 at 4:47 PM
- Joie de vivre said...
Thanks for visiting Mary!
- March 4, 2010 at 5:36 PM
- Lisa Thornbury said...
Mary, you wrote the loveliest comment on my blog re: my daughter. Thank you. I followed your comment here, to your blog. LOVE it!! So many great recipes/ideas. I look forward to reading/learning/drooling. :)
- March 4, 2010 at 7:20 PM
- Velva said...
Mary, this Thai tuna salad is singing that Spring will be here soon-Beautiful. A Perfect dish for a Spring day.
- March 4, 2010 at 9:27 PM
- Tuty @Scentofspice.com said...
Lovely salad... and the lettuce makes it all even better.
- March 4, 2010 at 9:53 PM
- shahana said...
Wat a perfect presentation!!!
- March 4, 2010 at 10:40 PM
- Kathleen said...
I've never had Thai tuna salad. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
- March 4, 2010 at 11:28 PM
- My Little Space said...
Gee, my mouth started watering once saw the title name Thai Salad! Just remind me of something swet & sour. Hmm...mm...
- March 5, 2010 at 12:35 AM
- Bill said...
Mary, this sounds wonderful! I think this could turn me into a tuna salad afficianado (OK ... turn me into someone who doesn't wrinkle his nose at the thought of having to eat it). ;)
You always share wonderful ideas! Thank you for the inspiration!
Bill - March 5, 2010 at 12:47 AM
- Joanne said...
I'm pretty sure I would like this so much more than regular tuna salad (I HATE mayo). I love all of the flavorings in here. Never seen a thai version before!
- March 5, 2010 at 7:13 AM
- Megan said...
This is to pretty to eat! LOL
I love the flavoe explosion you described! Thumbs up! I SU'ed it. - March 5, 2010 at 9:12 AM
Thanks for stopping by my blog! I love meeting new bloggers :)
I love tuna and Thai food so this sounds perfect! Mmmm. - March 5, 2010 at 9:42 AM
- maryt/theteach said...
I love tuna salad, Mary. this one looks delicious!
- March 5, 2010 at 9:51 AM
- Swapna said...
thank you so much for visiting, Mary...I love tuna...
- March 5, 2010 at 10:30 AM
- Martha said...
This is the prettiest tuna salad I've ever seen and it sounds delicious! This one is going on my menu plans for this week :-)
- March 5, 2010 at 12:30 PM
- Tasha said...
Thanks for visiting my blog, I will definitely be following yours now. Everything looks so great and your pictures are beautiful!
- March 5, 2010 at 1:42 PM
- Kim said...
I love the way you plated this up Mary! It looks like a flower - so pretty. I love all the brightening flavors.
- March 5, 2010 at 3:22 PM
- Martha said...
Just wanted to let you know that I linked to this recipe on my menu plans this week :-)
http://seasidesimplicity.blogspot.com/2010/03/show-and-tell-meals-and-menus.html - March 6, 2010 at 10:41 AM
- Katy ~ said...
A different tuna salad indeed. What interesting flavors. Thank you for sharing this and presenting new possibilities.
- March 6, 2010 at 7:24 PM
- Puna said...
Hi Mary! At first I thought that was corn in the salad but when I read the ingredients I realized it was ginger. A sigh of relief! I actually make this a lot. My husband makes his the ole Indiana way, with mayo!
- March 7, 2010 at 5:20 PM
- Mary Bergfeld said...
Puna, I think what you are seeing is crushed peanuts. The ginger is finely chopped so it would be difficult to see.
- March 7, 2010 at 5:31 PM
- Chef Fresco said...
I used to eat tuna salads alll the time but never made one near as good as this one! Definitely marking it.
- March 9, 2010 at 10:27 PM
- Unknown said...
I just made this salad to take for lunch today and am having a hard time not eating it all right now for breakfast!!! It is amazing - Thanks!
- April 21, 2010 at 12:29 PM

subset: commoncrawl


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Red Sox - 000 021 020 - 5 13 0 Phillies - 000 000 002 - 2 4 0Lester (7-2-0-2-5, 120) was nearly untouchable and Jason Varitek cracked two solo home runs as Boston avoided a sweep in Philadelphia. The win was Terry Francona's 700th regular-season victory as Red Sox manager.
Lester and Hamels were matching each other bagel for bagel until Hamels was hit on the right hand by Adrian Gonzalez's line drive in the fourth inning. Hamels (4-2-0-0-2, 53) made the play on Evil Bert and then retired Dustin Pedroia to end the inning, but did not return to the mound. X-rays were negative on Hamels's right hand contusion.
With Hamels gone, the Red Sox wasted no time in scoring runs. Josh Reddick tripled off David Herndon with one out in the fifth and scored on Drew Sutton's single. Marco Scutaro singled and, after Lester fanned, Jacoby Ellsbury hit the second of his three singles to bring in Sutton.
Varitek homered off Herndon with two outs in the sixth to give the Sox a 3-0 lead. In the eighth, Pedroia and Varitek hit back-to-back dongs off Drew Carpenter. Reddick nearly made it three in a row, but his fly ball was caught at the base of the wall in right-center.
Boston's 5-8 hitters -- Varitek, Reddick, Sutton, Scutaro -- each had two hits.
After Daniel Bard pitched the eighth, Bobby Jenks faltered in the ninth, allowing a lead-off single and a one-out, two-run home run to Ryan Howard. After Jenks walked Shane Victorino, Tito went to Jonathan Papelbon, who quickly dismissed the next two hitters.
The Red Sox begin a three-game weekend series in Houston on Friday night - and then the scourge of interleague play will finally be over ... until next year.
Jon Lester / Cole Hamels
Theo talked about a lot of stuff.
AL East: Brewers/Yankees at 1 PM.


text:
Cooking School: Classic Zimtsterne - Cinnamon Stars
The countdown to Christmas, here in Germany, starts with the beginning of Advent. Soeren especially loves this time of year. For him the magic of Christmas chimes in on the first of December with the opening of the first door on his Advent's calendar.
A few years back I stitched small green and red felt bags and decorated them with snowmen, reindeers, elves and the numbers 1 -24 – the days till Christmas Eve! Since then Tom and I find extreme pleasure sneaking about on the last evening of November filling those bags with goodies and small toys, then hanging them up around the living room. Often Tom gets the even days and I will take up the odd days – each one adding a surprise for the other partner. Our Advent calendar has become very dear to us.
The beginning of Advent also means Christmas markets, where every city sets up booths and stalls selling everything from decorations, crib figures, gingerbread, food and warm Glühwein – typical German spiced mulled wine. The city is filled with Christmas carols and aromas of roasted almonds and spiced gingerbread. After work we will often meet our friends at the Christmas market for a comforting glass of Glühwein while the kids ride on Santa's sleighs or listen to Christmas stories.
I particularly love the baking during Christmas. It's become a habit to give little homemade sweet treats to friends and colleagues as gifts. Cookies, pralines, jams, or mini cakes all spice up the kitchen. We then prepare decorative bags filled with these treats and write our best wishes on cards for our dearest friends. This is something very important to me. Giving a gift made by me – it's personal and means I like you enough to take the time to make this for you! Every year I also make my traditional fruitcake. I know how some disdain over fruitcake in the US, but this one is special. Moist and packed with nuts and dried fruit, this cake improves as it get older!
In Germany we get to open our presents before the rest of the World does! Christmas Eve is the big day. On the 24th December we bring our tree in (not before) and spend the afternoon decorating it. In the early evening we gather together with our friends and walk to church to watch the nativity play. On the way home we are excited – "Has Santa already been there?" I can feel Soeren's anticipation as he wants to race back home. Yes- Santa (read this as Tom) has visited us and placed boxes of beautifully wrapped presents under the tree. Soeren can hardly wait to rip the paper off and see if all his wishes he had asked for on his wish list have come true. We cajole him a little and persuade him to open the presents after dinner.
Dinner is usually duck. I love the texture and flavor of duck breasts and often prepare this on Christmas Eve. Apple glazed duck breast with a side of vegetables and potatoes was enjoyed by my family last year. Tender and succulent to the very last bite.
As soon as dinner is concludes it's time to get to the business of exchanging and opening presents. A close to perfect day! On the following two days we continue to indulge in lots of food and visit friends and other family members bringing baskets of wishes and edible surprises.
Zimtsterne or cinnamon stars are classic German Christmas cookies. Light and crisp, they have a fabulous balance of nuts and cinnamon. In Germany they are typically enjoyed during the Advent time and each housewife or baker has his or her own favorite recipe. They are typically made without flour, just a egg white-almond meal mixture, however you are sure to find recipes using flour.
Fifteen years ago, when I first arrived in Germany, my very first Christmas here was truly a magical scene. For a girl who had spent most of her life in the dry dessert landscapes of Qatar, where at that time Christmas was celebrated behind close doors as it was not an Islamic holiday, the glitter and tinsel of a German Christmas was breathtaking.
I clearly remember spending most of my free time with my nose pasted to the windows of the plethora of bakeries taking in the beauty of cookies, cakes and pralines and bathing in the fragrance of sweet spices.
Zimtsterne were my bit of heaven. Everyday I would buy a small bag full of these fresh chewy cinnamony cookies and once back home put on the kettle for a steaming cup of tea. Then I would enjoy a few minutes of pleasure, dunking the cinnamon stars into the hot brewed tea.
I was not much of a baker back then, but as my interest for baking grew one of the first things I did try were zimtsterne. My first try - and they tasted rather horrid!
I did not give up though and each Christmas I would try to perfect the recipe for my zimtsterne. Fifteen years later, I think I have it! Ha! The past few years the zimtsterne have been pretty good. Thanks to the guidance Tom's grandmother! She will be 88 in February - bless her - and she still bakes, cooks, cleans, irons and pretty much is as fit and a tennis shoe!
This year the zimtsterne were exceptionally good and so I would like to share them with you this Holiday season.
To each one of you - I wish you warm, cozy, joyous and happy Holidays. Hope you enjoy this wonderful time with your family and friends.
This concludes my cookie countdown to Christmas - with crumbly ginger shortbread and delicious marzipan almond kipferl and these sensational cinnamon stars I am sure you'll be enjoying each bite. Hope you enjoyed the peak in some of my favorite cookies.
These zimtsterne are my entry to this session of the Monthly Mingle with the theme - World of Spice Cookies. Have you baked your cookies yet?
Keep in Mind!
- Monthly Mingle theme this month World of Spice Cookies
- Deadline January 5
- Bake delicious cookies sweet or savory highlighted by a spice
- One lucky winner will win the cookbook a Field Guide to Cookies
- Come on over and join us. Details here.
Recipe Traditional German Zimtsterne
Printable version of recipe here.Makes 45 cookies
3 egg whites
250g powdered/confectioner's sugar
400g almond meal
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Line a cookie tray with baking paper.
In a clean bowl beat the egg whites until stiff, then add the powdered sugar, a teaspoon at a time, while beating all the time. Reserve approx 80g of the egg white mixture for the icing.
Add 300g almond meal to the rest of the egg white mixture and gently fold in. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the mixture and incorporate well.
Depending on the size of your egg, you might have to add some more almond meal to the mixture. The egg white-almond dough is supposed to be firm enough and have the consistency of rolled dough.
Sprinkle the remaining almond meal over the countertop. Using lightly floured hands spread the dough flat. Place a sheet of baking paper over the dough and roll out the dough approx. 1 cm thick.
Using a star form cookie cutter, cut out stars in the dough. To avoid the dough sticking to the form run the cookie cutter under cold water and then shake off any excess water.
Transfer the cinnamon stars to the cookies tray using a metal spatula. Frost each cookie with the remaining egg white-sugar mixture. Leave the cookies to dry out overnight.
When ready to bake, pre-heat oven to 160 degrees C and bake for approx. 8 minutes. Keep an eye on the frosting as it should not begin to brown.
Store in an air-tight cookie tin -cool and dry.
Zimsterne are a traditional part of German Christmas and Advent offerings to guests and these make the perfect gifts for friends and family. I just adore these soft chewy cookies. The meringue like frosting gives each cookie a sweet crunch before one is elated to cinnamon heaven. The almond nuttiness offers a delicious contrast to the sweet frosting.
See you in a few days hope Santa is especially generous - you've all been such wonderful readers, supporters and friends.
You might like these delightful treats from WFLH:
Rich Creamy Truffles | Sticky Cinnamon Buns | Matcha White Chocolate Pralines with Pistachios |
All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2008 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First


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WASHINGTON – The number of U.S. soldiers forced out of the Army because of crimes or misconduct has soared in the past several years as the military emerges from a decade of war that put a greater focus on battle competence than on character.
Data obtained by The Associated Press shows that the number of officers who left the Army due to misconduct more than tripled in the past three years. The number of enlisted soldiers forced out for drugs, alcohol, crimes and other misconduct shot up from about 5,600 in 2007, as the Iraq war peaked, to more than 11,000 last year.
The data reveals stark differences between the military services and underscores the strains that long, repeated deployments to the front lines have had on the Army's soldiers and their leaders.
It also reflects the Army's rapid growth in the middle part of the decade, and the decisions to relax standards a bit to bring in and retain tens of thousands of soldiers to fill the ranks as the Pentagon added troops in Iraq and continued the fight in Afghanistan.
The Army grew to a peak of about 570,000 soldiers during the height of the wars, and soldiers represented the bulk of the troops on the battlefields compared with the other services.
"I wouldn't say lack of character was tolerated in (war) theater, but the fact of the last 10 or 12 years of repeated deployments, of the high op-tempo — we might have lost focus on this issue," Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army's top officer, told the AP last week. "Sometimes in the past we've overlooked character issues because of competence and commitment."
His comments mirror concerns aired by Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, several times in recent months. The ethical lapses, Dempsey said, can be attributed in some ways to 10 years at war when the military failed to properly balance character and competence.
"It is not the war that has caused this," Dempsey said. "It is the pace, and our failure to understand that at that pace, we were neglecting the tools that manage us as a profession over time."
Over the past year, a series of high profile scandals — from sexual assault and damaging leadership to mistreatment of the enemy and unauthorized spending — has dogged the military, leading to broad ethics reviews and new personnel policies.
Those scandals included the demotion of Army Gen. William "Kip" Ward for lavish, unauthorized spending; sexual misconduct charges against Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair; and episodes of gambling and drinking by other general officers.
More recently, there have been cheating allegations against Air Force nuclear missile launch officers and a massive bribery case in California that has implicated six Navy officers. Examples of troop misconduct include Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters and soldiers posing with body parts of Afghan militants.
As a result, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and other leaders say ethics is a priority about which they now routinely lecture troops and officers. They also have undertaken initiatives aimed at identifying and dealing with problem service members.
"We're paying a lot more attention to it now. We are not tolerant at all of those showing a lack of character," Odierno said. "We have to refocus ourselves so we get to where we think is the right place."
In 2010, 119 Army officers were forced to leave the service because of misconduct; that number was fairly consistent with the annual totals since 2000. Last year the number was 387.
For enlisted soldiers, the numbers have seesawed over the past 13 years, hovering near 9,000 at the start of the decade and falling to 5,706 in 2007. Since then, the number has climbed again.
When the country needs a lot of troops on the front lines, more people with behavioral problems are allowed to come in and stay. When the military begins to shrink, commanders can be much more selective about who is kicked out and who is allowed to stay.
As the Army began to reduce its ranks in recent years toward a goal of 490,000 in 2015, leaders have been more willing and able to get rid of problem soldiers. That is likely to escalate because the latest plan would reduce the Army to 420,000 later in the decade if deep, automatic budget cuts continue.
The Navy went through a similar process.
When the decision was made to cut the size of the 370,000-strong naval force in 2004, the number of sailors who left due to misconduct and other behavior issues grew. In 2006, more than 8,400 sailors left due to conduct issues.
As the size of the Navy began to stabilize — it's now at about 323,000 — the number of problem sailors leaving also began to decline steadily, dropping each successive year to a new low of about 3,700 in 2013.
In nearly one-third of the cases each year over that time period, the problems involved drug and alcohol use. More than 1,400 cases each year involved a "serious offense" or civil or criminal court case.
The Navy has become known as the most transparent service, often quicker to publicly fire commanders for misconduct or poor leadership. But the number of Navy officers forced out has remained relatively constant, ranging from 84 to 107 annually for the past eight years. The bulk of those were for what the service calls "unacceptable conduct" or unfitness for duty.
The Air Force, which is smaller than the Navy and Army, reported far fewer cases of airmen leaving for misconduct, both for officers and enlisted service members. The number of officers separated from service since 2000 due to a court-martial ranged from a low of 20 in 2001 to a high of 68 in 2007. For enlisted airmen, the number ranged from a high of nearly 4,500 in 2002 to a low of almost 2,900 in 2013.
Data for the Marine Corp, the military's smallest service, was not broken out by officers and enlisted personnel. Overall, it showed that Marines leaving the service due to misconduct was about 4,400 in 2007, but has declined to a bit more than 3,000 last year.
Those forced to leave for commission "of a serious offense" has nearly doubled from about 260 to more than 500 over the past seven years. The number of Marines who left after court-martial has dropped from more than 1,300 in 2007 to about 250 last year. The Marine Corps also grew in size during the peak war years, and is now reducing its ranks.
Across the services, leaders are trying to deal with complex questions about how to identify and correct the problems.
"I don't think there is one simple answer to the issue of ethics, values, a lapse in some of those areas," said Hagel during a recent briefing. "Was it a constant focus of 12 years on two long land wars, taking our emphasis off some of these other areas? I don't know."
He said he is appointing a top officer to work with the services on the problem, and he will be addressing the topic at regularly scheduled meetings with his military leaders.
The military services have been adding more lectures on ethics in their schools, and are also targeting top officers.
"We are talking to senior leaders about the consequences of power and how that changes somebody's personality," said Odierno. "Some don't realize it's happening to them."
Lower-ranking service members are being asked to evaluate their higher-ranking superiors as part of the annual performance reviews. That process is slowly being expanded.
"As we conduct operations around the world we represent the United States with our moral and ethical values," said Odierno. "We believe we should be held to a higher standard."


text:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators say approval of the first generic version of cancer drug Doxil will help resolve a lingering shortage triggered by manufacturing deficiencies.
The shortage of the Johnson & Johnson injectable medication, made under contract by Ben Venue Laboratories, has continued on and off for a few years. It's resulted in rationing, with some patients with ovarian and other cancers getting less-effective care, and disrupted studies testing Doxil against possible new treatments.
The Food and Drug Administration says it's approved a generic version, called doxorubicin, made by Sun Pharma Global FZE. Last February, the FDA authorized temporary importation from India of a brand-name version, called Lipodox, also made by Sun Pharma. It's a subsidiary of an Indian drugmaker.
Meanwhile, J&J continues to seek a contract manufacturer to replace Ben Venue.


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Different cruise lines are known for different things: Princess is affordable, drawing families and couples, Royal Caribbean has mammoth ships with ice rinks and
When Andrew and I arrived at Pier 6 in
1. Bingo is very popular. Andrew and I caught the end of the final bingo game while waiting for the next show to start. An eerie diaglogue ensued between the announcer and his subjects, he'd pull a number and after announcing it, the group would intone the proper answer in unison--if it had been in Latin and a bit less energetic I would have thought it'd stumbled into mass. For example:
"I-66! I-66! Get your kicks . . ."
Here he would pause and the audience would reply: "On Route 66!"
Or perhaps he'd say, "B-7! I said B-7! Where do all the good bees go when they die?"
And the group would say with a slight buzzing quality, "Bees-heaven!"
It was like walking into some secret society, one with its own set of bylaws and behavior that would warrant exploration during a National Geographic special. Only problem was, when they finally had a winner—Gladys Merfred from
2. The early dinner seating is very popular. Five forty-five and everyone is ready to turn in—so get the prune juice flowing ASAP.
3. So, conversely, if you have a later dinner seating the world is your oyster—when 99% of the ship is in bed by nine you've got it to yourself.
4. But be prepared because it also means that come 6 am all those who can walk without assistance are doing their morning deck-walk on Deck Six's quarter-mile teak loop. Kind of a mall walkers gone wild. I stepped outside my door one morning to catch the sunrise and was nearly trampled by a fleet of old men in Bermuda shorts, sneakers and navy blue dress socks all vigorously marching counter-clockwise.
5. The swimming pool is usually available without interruption day or night—ditto the weight room. I had the treadmills and salt water pool all to myself whenever I wanted them. On Deck Twelve the M.S. Veendam has a "teens only" area that's called The Loft. Equipped with a waterfall, hammocks and a tropical theme it was one of the coolest places on the ship. I never saw one teen use it. Andrew wanted to sneak in but I put my foot down, afraid they'd cart him away.
6. But not so with the hot tub which was so popular it was "sagging" room only. The white wrinkled bodies tended to resemble chickens stewing in a pot. But who wants a hot tub in 90 degrees anyway, right? I'm fine with sticking to the pool.
7. You won't have to dodge people on the stairs, they're all in the elevators.
8. You're not going to run out of pizza at the snack bar with the passengers all taking Nexium and worrying about heartburn. The spicy stuff is all mine.
9. There's plenty of space available in shore excursions involving anything more exerting than walking down the gangway.
10. However, be careful as this can work to your disadvantage. We were booked on a shore excursion to go to
We were crushed, but not as disappointed as the shore excursion guy at the front desk. He said that as long as he'd been at the job not once had they had enough people to make the excursion, evidently there's no interest in snorkeling with sharks when you're taking high blood pressure medication. Oh how he's longed to make that trip. So it's a dicey situation, can go either way.
11. With that many elderly people on a ship, Andrew wondered if they'd ever had anyone make the Ultimate Disembarkation. I noticed they had ambulances on hand at the pier. Odds are it's had to have happened. We wondered how
12. Even though you're 36 with four kids and crows' feet you can be mistaken for a honeymooning newlywed. Don't be surprised if you're referred to as "kids" with kindly affection. Enjoy it or not. I chose to be flattered.
13. But the number one reason I'd recommend a geriatric tour of the Caribbean is that your odds are good that you will be the best looking body in a bathing suit for 2,000 miles.
Here are a couple tiny clips of that last day at sea if you have nothing better to do.
Andrew at our juggling workshop--don't laugh it was totally fun
Eating ice cream on the Lido Deck--our daily ritual
More about the Thursday Thirteen meme


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And in our studio, NPR's senior Washington editor Ron Elving. Every couple of years, here we are around this time trying to figure out who has been elected to what. Tonight, what are you looking for? What are the important signs you're looking for in the numbers as they come in?
RON ELVING, BYLINE: We're looking to see if Mitt Romney can develop a trajectory up the East Coast a little bit like Hurricane Sandy did about 10 weeks ago. If he can start down in Florida, make his way up through the Carolinas and Virginia, which is a state that is probably going to be difficult to call tonight. It looks to be extraordinarily close. And then leap over to Ohio, like some elements of the storm did and then on up to New Hampshire, which is one of his home states as we know, where he wound up his campaign, at least the last full final day of his campaign on Monday night.
SIEGEL: Well, that's practically a Romney landslide you've just described.
ELVING: It would not necessarily get the job done unless he wins all of those. And of course there are other states that are also battleground states around the country. But in the early going on any presidential year, any presidential election, in the early going we get a lot of states in early from the Eastern Seaboard of course because of the time zones and a lot of those are in the South. And so that explains why there's a usually a big lead for the Republican candidate in recent times from those Southern states in the early going.
And, Ron, you're talking about those nine states that Barack Obama flipped four years ago, right? One of which we've now projected, Indiana.
SIEGEL: Indiana.
BLOCK: Went to Mitt Romney today. Barack Obama won it by the slimmest of margins four years ago, 1 percent. But as we're projecting now, that state is now in Mitt Romney's column.
ELVING: That's right. And that state came off the table very early this year. The Obama forces briefly thought about trying to contest it as they did a few other states around the country, and they just decided Indiana wasn't going to be doable for them this year and they backed off of it. And it has gone very early, as Kentucky has for Governor Romney.
SIEGEL: Now, we'll obviously later on in the evening be hearing a great deal about Ohio. And it's always said that Republicans need Ohio to get elected. True?
ELVING: Ah, well, no Republican has been elected to the White House without Ohio. But Ohio has been getting smaller and Ohio has been getting a little less reliably Republican. This year we will see. It may put yet another Republican into the White House tonight. If it doesn't, it might be difficult for Mitt Romney to get there because it is still the fulcrum for a lot of the Republican math.
SIEGEL: A few months ago, the Republican Party was looking very, well, not confidently but hopefully about taking control of the Senate, winning the majority of the Senate. Things have improved dramatically for the Democrats in that regard.
ELVING: As recently as February 28th, I think everyone thought the Republicans would take the majority and of course they still might tonight. But on that date, Olympia Snowe retired in Maine. That seat is now seen to be going to an independent, former governor there, Angus King. And that's going to make it a lot tougher for the Republicans to get to that 51. They've had some other reversals as well. We'll see how it sorts out later.
SIEGEL: NPR's senior Washington editor Ron Elving, thanks.
BLOCK: Ron, thanks so much and we'll be talking to you throughout the night. Lynn, back to you.
Thanks. That was Melissa Block and Robert Siegel. And we'll be hearing more from them a bit later this hour after the polls close in Ohio. And starting at 8:00 p.m., they'll be anchoring NPR's special coverage on many member stations with election results from all over the country. You can also find results and analysis at our website, NPR.org.
NEARY: And you're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED on NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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By Clifford Bond and Robert Hand
Helsinki Commission Staff
In early December 2008, Helsinki Commission staff visited Kosovo to review the changing mandates of a wide range of international actors in Kosovo. The visit coincided with the European Union's deployment of a Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, known as EULEX, which took place successfully but revealed the potential for regional instability.
The Commission staff delegation met with a variety of international and local actors in Pristina, Kosovo's capital. It traveled to the Visoki Decani, a monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church where it met with church representatives, and to the nearby town of Peja/Pec where it met with field representatives of the International Civilian Office (ICO) and the OSCE. The delegation also visited both sides of the divided northern city of Mitrovica where it visited displacement camps and the rebuilt neighborhood for the city's Romani population in addition to other meetings.
The International Community
Kosovo asserted its independent statehood in February 2008, in the context of the plan put forward by former Finnish President, UN official, and Nobel laureate Martti Ahtisaari. In so doing, Kosovo's leadership pledged to implement the plan in full, which means accepting international supervision and providing decentralized authority and numerous rights and privileges to the Serb and, to a lesser extent, other minority communities. The Ahtisaari plan, however, assumes agreement by all parties, but Serbia, backed by Russia at the United Nations, refuses to accept the loss of what it considers still to be its province. The United States and most European countries have recognized Kosovo's independence, but a few European Union members remain either reluctant or strongly against doing so, either due to ties with Serbia or fear of separatist movements within their own borders. Spain was frequently singled out as the one country that not only opposes Kosovo's independence but seems intent on undermining its recognition by others. Combined with the widespread need for consensus decision-making, most of the international community's field missions must, to one degree or another, act neutrally on questions of status, to the detriment of their effectiveness and the enormous frustration of Kosovar Albanians who desire that Kosovo's independence be respected.
The EULEX deployment brought these differing perspectives to the fore. In order to obtain an EU-wide agreement, a UN blessing and the acquiescence of Belgrade and local Serbs under Belgrade's control, a compromise effort known as the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's "6-point plan" was put forward that prompted angry protest among the Kosovar Albanian majority and an official rejection from Pristina. Posters throughout the city proclaimed EULEX to be "Made in Serbia". After several delays and despite continued ambiguity regarding which government was the actual host, the Mission deployed on December 9 throughout Kosovo, not just in areas under Pristina's control. That the deployment proceeded smoothly and peacefully was viewed as a success, although ambiguities purposefully placed in its mandate to allow both Albanians and Serbs to maintain their positions, as well as the lack of political oversight and coordination among EULEX's three areas of responsibility (police, courts and customs), likely mean that EULEX will face additional tests of its resolve in the future. For now, the most noteworthy result of the deployment is the anticipated end of inefficient UNMiK operations, which have come to symbolize the holding pattern in which Kosovo has found itself since 1999.
The deployment could also signal a more cooperative tone among Kosovo's Serbs. In northern Mitrovica and contiguous areas bordering Serbia, there are signs that Belgrade may no longer support more militant and corrupt Kosovo Serb leaders. In the enclaves to the south, where the majority of Kosovo Serbs live, there may also be more room for local accommodation and inter-ethnic cooperation, with questions of status put to the side. Following Serbian elections in May that strengthened pro-democratic and pro-European forces in society, Belgrade seems to want at least more transparency and accountability in the "parallel institutions" it has so far financed, and it may try to reduce its subsidies. It also seems to want to avoid violence, especially any violence that could be blamed on the Serb side. It is unclear how far it will push to assert control and responsibility in light of UNMiK's dwindling role, or whether it will allow EULEX and eventually the ICO to fill the void. Unfortunately, divisions within the European Union almost invite continued Serbian intransigence. Without being given a clear choice between trying to hold onto Kosovo and achieving European integration, the Serbian Government still plays the "Kosovo card," which garners popular support at home without any apparent repercussions.
The situation on the Kosovar Albanian side is a bit clearer. Despite internal political posturing, there is really little difference within this community when it comes to defending Kosovo's independence. The deliberations that led the EULEX deployment pushed the Kosovo government about as far as it could go. While the achievement of independence has so far made the Ahtisaari plan worth embracing, many of its provisions relating to Serb communities have been no easy sell, especially in the many localities where nationalism and intolerance continue to prevail. When governments of European countries which have recognized Kosovo's independence nevertheless treat it as something less than an independent and sovereign state, the Kosovars are naturally outraged and increasingly distrustful. This could be countered somewhat by the establishment of embassies in the capitals of those countries who have thus far recognized Kosovo, particularly in Europe, staffed by competent diplomats in order to ensure that the Kosovo point-of-view is made clear to policy-makers. The United States should also counter European diplomatic tendencies to placate traditional regional powers and treat the new states of Europe as second-class states.
In the meantime, as those in government may try to adhere to their Ahtisaari commitments, those in opposition have also been able to capitalize on the situation. This poses a challenge to Kosovo's shaky democratic institutions, which are still very much in transition. Some have expressed concern that the further development of democratic capacities could be thwarted by the need to meet unpopular international demands.
While EULEX moves forward and UNMiK winds down, other international players need to find their role. As one analyst commented, the international community has lost the coherence of its structure and has become a confusing maze to local parties.
The International Civilian Office is perhaps the most important, yet vulnerable, of the current players. A creation of the Ahtisaari plan, it is by definition not status neutral, and has a relatively strong mandate to supervise post-status Kosovo. Serb opposition to cooperation with the ICO makes this difficult, but the hesitancy of the status-neutral players to cooperate, coordinate and support the ICO will severely weaken its effectiveness to Kosovo's long-term detriment.
The OSCE Mission in Kosovo, the organization's largest, is facing even more difficult times. Once known for its solid monitoring of events throughout Kosovo and for developing democratic capacity, the early threat of Belgrade and Moscow to close the Mission cast a shadow over its future and a considerable portion of its personnel have moved to the ICO or otherwise left the OSCE in Kosovo. Mission leadership has also been controversial; while this may have stabilized with a new Head of Mission, the OSCE lost some serious ground. Most interlocutors felt that the Mission is a bit oversized, and needs to focus on core areas such as promoting free media, human rights and inter-ethnic dialogue, where the OSCE has genuine expertise and credibility.
KFOR, the NATO-led peacekeeping force, seems to be the one constant of the international presence that garners unquestioned respect and seems prepared to handle whatever instability may lie ahead. It is the acknowledged last resort for providing security, but its presence helps ensure a security baseline that will deter provocations and enhance confidence at the local level. KFOR representatives seem confident that lessons were learned from the violence of 2004 and that greater flexibility across lines of operations, more consistent rules for engagement and an unwillingness to let the particulars of status from getting in its way will be effective in keeping the peace in Kosovo.
A Need for Dialogue
Many of the problems which exist among both the Kosovar Albanian majority and the Kosovo Serb minority could be resolved through greater dialogue, both within Kosovo and between Belgrade and Pristina. There is some effort to achieve this through civic organizations and religious institutions, as well as business contacts. There is also some interaction in technical areas such as regarding missing persons from the 1998-99 conflict, or in the reconstruction of churches and other religious sites damaged or destroyed in the March 2004 riots. Unfortunately, a suitable venue for direct contact between Belgrade and Pristina needs to be found. Pristina is ready, at least in principle, but Belgrade is not.
One area where the Kosovo authorities could act more swiftly, without precondition, and likely to their own long-term benefit, is the resolution of outstanding property claims. The resolution of property claims is a major hindrance to the return of displaced persons, and it holds up legal usage of property even when a return is unlikely. In some cases at least, displaced Serbs and others may only wish to get their property back so they can sell it. While there may be solid reasons for wanting to encourage displaced persons to return to Kosovo — and some efforts to do this were underway in December – ultimately each individual needs only the opportunity to make a free choice. To do this, those with outstanding property claims need to have their cases resolved. The issue of property claims came up repeatedly in meetings, and seems a greater issue than security and freedom of movement at present. Some hope the EULEX deployment could provide a second chance for property restitutions and returns.
Both sides, but especially some Kosovo leaders who formerly fought with the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), could probably also help facilitate the resolution of more missing persons cases, of which just under 2,000 remain. While there has been success in bringing government representatives and surviving family members together under international auspices, local efforts to help locate grave sites appear to be half-hearted, at best. It is unlikely that progress in this area will enhance community reconciliation efforts in any major way, but a positive signal to do more could lead to a broadening of dialogue on other issues. Ultimately, this remains a humanitarian issue that deserves additional effort no matter what.
At present, Kosovo authorities seem committed to implementing the Ahtsaari plan in its entirety. Relevant laws have been passed, and those involved in developing local self-government seem committed to implementation. The real test, of course, will come when the Kosovo Serbs decide to respond and engage and are able to do so without worry of retribution from Belgrade. One local analyst noted that developing the necessary trust between the two sides will be a process, and should be taken one step at a time rather than pushed.
The Plight of Roma in the North
A continual concern to the Helsinki Commission has been the plight of displaced Roma in northern Mitrovica, most of whom fled their original neighborhood, or mahalla, which was destroyed in 1999. Growing criticism of the conditions in the camps, particularly the health hazards caused by lead contamination, finally convinced the international community in 2005 first to establish a temporary relocation facility that was safer and to make a concentrated effort to rebuild housing where the original mahalla in the south was located. Romani families resisted the move, due to warranted lack of trust in the international community and a lack of awareness of how severe the health threat really was. Local Serbian leaders as well as Romani community leaders living elsewhere in Europe, however, originally also did much to discourage the move, both benefiting from a situation in which successful returns did not take place.
Commission staff visited the last of the original camps, Cesmin Lug, as well as the new camp adjacent to it, a former KFOR base known as Osterode. They also visited the original mahalla, which had additional apartment buildings and some private houses constructed since the last Commission visit in May 2007. Despite the availability of housing, residents of the camps continue to resist moving, despite continued concerns about health conditions. Local Serbian leaders, who now want the land where Osterode is located, seem no longer to be discouraging the move, and Roma living abroad likewise seem to have less influence on the situation. Security for Roma in the south, once a concern, seems less so now. Those who remain in the camps seem primarily motivated by a continued distrust of the international community as well as lingering hopes for a better offer. The inability of the local economy to provide income, particularly in the south, also plays a significant role, as does the desire to keep children in Serb-run schools, despite being segregated into separate classes. Meanwhile, there is increasing pressure from foreign governments to prioritize the resettling of Kosovo Roma they intend to deport, rather than those displaced in Kosovo and living in camps. It is clear that, while there has been some progress on this issue, a limited set of additional options will need to be considered to resolve the situation, including the possibility of permanent resettlement in the north.


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Casey Anthony speaks at bankruptcy hearing
Published 12:00 am Monday, March 4, 2013
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Appearing in public for the first time since she was acquitted of murder, Casey Anthony revealed that she doesn't have a job or a car, lives with friends and relies on unsolicited gift cards and cash to get by.
"I guess you could say I'm living free off the kindness" of others, Anthony said at a bankruptcy hearing in Tampa.
Anthony, 26, was acquitted of murder in July 2011 in the death of her daughter, Caylee. She was released from jail several days later and disappeared from the spotlight. At the time, she had been vilified online and elsewhere, and her attorneys said threats had been made against her.
On Monday, dressed in a white short-sleeve top, a black skirt and black heels, she emerged from a sport utility vehicle and several dozen photographers and reporters swarmed her. When she left the courthouse, about 10 U.S. Homeland Security officers stood on the steps with guns.
During the 50-minute long hearing, she consulted with her team of attorneys frequently. When she spoke, it was in a calm, matter-of-fact voice, and she mostly answered "yes sir" or "no sir" to the trustee's questions.
Anthony said all of the "unsolicited" money, gift cards and donations were sent to her attorneys, who then pass them along to her. She added that her criminal attorney, Jose Baez, has given her about $3,400 in cash "to help with my living expenses."
She refused to disclose who pays for her cell phone, with one of her attorneys saying that it was due to "safety and security concerns."
Anthony filed for bankruptcy in January, claiming about $1,000 in assets and $792,000 in liabilities.
Only one creditor showed up at the hearing: R. Scott Shuker, who is a lawyer for Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez.
Fernandez-Gonzalez said her reputation was damaged by Anthony telling detectives that a baby sitter by the same name kidnapped Caylee. The detectives were investigating the 2008 disappearance of Caylee, who found dead several months later.
Anthony's attorney said details offered by Anthony did not match Fernandez-Gonzalez and clearly showed Anthony wasn't talking about her.
Shuker grilled Anthony repeatedly on whether she has been approached to tell her story for a movie, book or TV deal. Anthony insisted that she has not spoken to any agent or media organization.
Shuker said afterward that he questioned whether she was telling the truth.
"From the smell test, it didn't smell right," he said. "Any time you see an attorney in what's supposed to be a no asset case being that active, more to the point, you had five attorneys there, allegedly none of them being paid, that's odd."
Shuker said that his client suffers damages "to this day" because of her alleged link to the case.
Anthony's listed debts include $500,000 for attorney fees and costs for Baez, her criminal defense lawyer during the trial; $145,660 for the Orange County Sheriff's office for investigative fees and costs; $68,540 for the Internal Revenue Service for taxes, interest and penalties; and $61,505 for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for court costs.
Anthony had not been seen in public since she left an Orange County jail on July 16, 2011, 12 days after she was acquitted of murdering Caylee but convicted of lying to investigators and sentenced to four years in jail. With credit for the nearly three years she spent in jail since August 2008 and good behavior, she had to serve only several days when she was sentenced July 7.
During Monday's hearing, she said that in 2008 she transferred her interest in about a dozen photos to her criminal attorney, and that he sold those photos to ABC for $200,000. The money helped pay for her defense, she said.
Anthony added that she "was asked to participate in" photos and licensed those photos to Baez. She didn't say what those photos were of, or where they eventually ended up — other than that she "posed" for them. She said she thinks Baez eventually sold, or planned to sell, those photos.


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Certified Professional – Food Safety (CP-FS) Bundle combines our online, self-paced course with our Certified Professional – Food Safety (CP-FS) training guide. NEHA has designed and developed an online preparatory course to help properly prepare those looking to challenge and successfully pass the CP-FS exam. The Certified Professional – Food Safety (CP-FS) credential is designed for individuals within the public and private sectors whose primary responsibility is the protection and safety of food. The exam for this prestigious credential integrates food microbiology, hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) principles, and regulatory requirements into questions that test problem-solving skills and specialized knowledge.
NEHA has designed and developed an online preparatory course to help properly prepare those looking to challenge and successfully pass the CP-FS exam.
Course Overview:
The Certified Professional–Food Safety (CP-FS) online course has been developed by industry experts from across the various food safety disciplines to provide participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to help ensure safe food in any retail environment — as a quality assurance or quality control manager, a facility manager, a food-safe chemical supplier, or as a regulatory inspector/investigator.
Who Should Take the Course?
This course is designed to help candidates prepare for the National Environmental Health Association's CP-FS credential examination.
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, participants will know and understand:
- Causes and prevention of foodborne illness
- HACCP plans and active managerial control
- Cleaning and sanitizing
- Conducting facility plan reviews
- Pest control
- Risk-based inspections
- Sampling food for laboratory analysis
- Food defense
- Responding to food emergencies and foodborne illness outbreaks
- Legal aspects of food safety
Evaluation Process:
At the end of the course, there is a practice exam that consists of 50 multiple-choice questions pulled from a test battery of 165 questions to help participants confirm their understanding of course content and help prepare for the written exam. Test questions are randomly selected from a test bank, making each test unique. Participants can retake the final test up to three times.
Course Duration:
This online course made up of 40 self-paced lessons. Participants may leave the course at anytime and can resume where they left off. Total course duration depends on individual learning styles and prior knowledge of the subject matter.
About the CP-FS exam
The written exam consists of a total of 120 multiple-choice questions. Candidates are given a total of two (2) hours to complete the written exam. Below is an outline of the eight (8) different content areas the examination covers and the percentages allotted to each of those areas:
A) Developing Food Safety Policies, Procedures, and Training – 20.00%
B) Assessing Food Safety – 33.33%
C) Reviewing Establishment Plans – 10.00%
D) Investigating Foodborne Illness – 15.00%
E) Performing Recall Activities – 6.67%
F) Managing Food Defense Practices – 6.67%
G) Responding to Emergencies – 8.33%


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We're on the clock! I have the first overall pick (picking for the Raiders) in the 2007 Sports Blogger NFL Mock Draft. Obviously, I want your help. Calvin Johnson? JaMarcus Russell? (Brady Quinn? HE would say so.) Trade the pick? Be sure to weigh in (use the dedicated post below).
Matsuzaka vs. Ichiro: 3R, 8H, 7 IP for Matsuzaka, but the key stat was that he dominated Ichiro, who was 0-4 against him. Of course, both were eclipsed by King Felix, who allowed only a single hit and has snapped back into the form that made him a phenom two years ago. On a day where Dice-K was supposed to earn the honor, King Felix is today's Stud.
Does Johan Santana want out of
Wow, the Nats are bad. Epically bad. (As predicted here! What an awesome season for me to become a Nats fan.) They aren't just losing, but losing badly. As I said in that preview linked above, there is a huge can't-look-away factor when you consider that this has the prospects of being the worst baseball team of all time. Hey, it could be worse.
All-Time Gold Glove team voting update: Willie Mays leads all players in total votes. Ozzie Smith leads at SS. Johnny Bench leads at C. Greg Maddux leads at P.
The most intriguing position battle to watch? A
NFL Schedule: I can't possibly do an analysis justice. Always note-worthy: Pats-Colts, Favre's Farewell. I defer to PFT. Feel free to add your own scheduling intrigues in the Comments.
NFL Draft: As alluded to at the top, Brady Quinn insists he can be The Man. Here's the question: Is Quinn the next Peyton Manning (skilled college player who couldn't win the big one in college, but – after 10 years – finally can do it in the NFL?) or the next Rick Mirer (over-hyped Notre Dame QB who simply can't make it in the NFL)?
NBA Draft: Brandan Wright – in or out? He's a guaranteed Top 5 pick this year (3-5, probably closer to 3 than 5). Next year, he's probably... STILL 3-5 (given Michael Beasley and OJ Mayo turning pro ASAP). I'd come out now, even though he isn't ready. Then again, did people think Chris Bosh was ready? No, and now he's MVP-worthy.
(Meanwhile, is Greg Oden really contemplating returning to
Drew Bledsoe retires: Looking back on his career, would you say that he was worth that No. 1 overall draft pick? (What does it say that his most significant moment as a pro was getting injured and paving the way for Tom Brady's emergence?) CHFF has a must-read.
NBA: Pistons lock up East HCA with a win over Orlando, who they might play in the first round. TankWatch: The Celtics have the right idea; I'm not quite sure what the Sixers have been thinking this second half of the season. (Meanwhile, my god, the Wizards are reeling. It's a bad week for DC-area teams.)
NHL Playoffs: Canucks beat Stars in 4 OT. (Yes, but were you watching/awake when it happened? Didn't think so.)
Sports Media: SI knows who pays the bills. Zach Johnson won the Masters. So, naturally, the player featured on the cover of this week's SI is... Tiger Woods. (Psst: SI is in the business of selling magazines first. Tiger sells; Johnson doesn't. It's that simple. But, wow, that was pretty blatant.)
Imus cancelled on MSNBC: Upon further reflection throughout the day yesterday, I regret that I said yesterday morning that I'm not sure I would fire Imus, instead hedging that I simply couldn't understand why anyone would listen to him. I'm glad he was dropped by MSNBC, and I found NBC News' public scrutiny -- of itself -- to be admirable. (What did it: Public pressure? Internal pressure? Advertiser pressure? I think it's hard to single out one factor; it was everything.) I predict CBS will drop him, too. (And then he'll get picked up by someone else and continue to have a platform.)
Meanwhile, check out this post from Michael David Smith on AOL Fanhouse, catching Stuart Scott defending the use of the word "ho." What the hell is Scott thinking? Seriously. He's not just wrong, but why in the hell would you take that position publicly?
Duke LAX: Charges dropped. As someone who was out front on this when it first broke, ready to convict the kids, I'm absolutely ready to admit that I was very wrong (although if sports media didn't have knee-jerk conclusions, they wouldn't have conclusions).
I will continue to contend that these lacrosse guys are guilty of being douchebags -- for example, innocent or guilty, there was no need for the team to have some sort of "blue wall" of silence when cops were first asking questions -- but they have been cleared of raping that woman.


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Clayton Kershaw (11-8, 3.01) vs. Roy Oswalt (9-13, 3.12).
As we turn the corner into the Dodgers' final month (save a stub series against fellow NL West cellar dweller Arizona in October), our team doesn't have a lot for which to play. But driving the Phillies batty by beating their pair of Roys (ace Halladay, bested by Kuroda on Monday; and rented ace Oswalt, who takes the mound today) would indeed be sweet. It ain't much, but at this stage, minor victories still count for something.
SoSG Sax will be sneaking out of work today to catch the businessperson's special, baking to death in the field level. Look for the guy sweating to death but insisting on another $12 beer for hydration.


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The "Unconditional Surrender" sculpture captures a timeless embrace by the sea, set against the backdrop of a majestic naval ship.
Photos of Korea
Swing sets await playful visitors on the sandy shores of Naksan Beach in Yangyang, Gangwon-do, South Korea, under a tranquil sky.
Photos of Korea
Step into a winter wonderland through this enchanting frozen ice castle entrance, captured in a serene, snowy landscape.
Travel Lens
Springtime in Seoul: A serene view of cherry blossoms lining the river with the iconic Lotte World Tower rising majestically against the clear blue sky.
Roman Fox
A solitary figure in a striking red hat gazes out at the tranquil waters of Istanbul at sunset, framed by the warm glow of the horizon.
Roman Fox
A solitary figure takes in the serene view of the Eiffel Tower, framed by the lush greenery of a Parisian park.
Sean Pavone
Tucson, Arizona, USA downtown skyline with Sentinel Peak at dusk. (Mountaintop "A" for "Arizona")
Sean Pavone
Tybee Island, Georgia, USA at the lighthouse at dusk.
Blake Walsh
Ibiza Town
Blake Walsh
Sunset in San Antonio, Ibiza
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Property no longer active
Sorry, but this Detached Villa in Dundee is no longer available. TSPC sells thousands of properties every year.
Dundee Including Invergowrie
The Tayside Solicitors Property Centre handles 4 in every 5 property sales in Scotland's fourth largest city, profiling an array of homes ranging from traditional tenements to family villas and the full spectrum of contemporary residences.
The City of Discovery has undergone an ambitious transformation over the past decade and major investment continues in the shape of revitalisation of the Waterfront, spearheaded by the V&A Museum, the Slessor Gardens and civic amenities including hotels, shops and leisure facilities.
With award-winning universities and colleges, leading cultural venues, Ninewells Hospital and businesses at the cutting edge of technology, the re-invented Dundee - the UNESCO City of Design 2014 - is very much a 21st Century city, building on a rich cultural and industrial heritage.
Dundee, and nearby Invergowrie at the gateway to the Carse of Gowrie, has confirmed its status as a regional hub brimming with vitality. With a population around the 150,000 mark living in the shadow of The Law, the one-time centre of "jute, jam and journalism" is embracing an era of change.


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What is mumps?
Mumps is an acute and highly contagious viral illness that usually occurs in childhood. Spread by airborne droplets from the upper respiratory tract, the disease usually takes two to three weeks to appear. Cases of mumps in the U.S. have declined dramatically with the introduction of the mumps vaccine.
What are the symptoms of mumps?
Many children have no or very mild symptoms. The following are the most common symptoms of mumps. However, each child may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
Mild sickness
Discomfort in the salivary glands, especially those in the jaw area, which may become swollen and tender. Some may have difficulty talking and experience an earache.
Difficulty eating and chewing
Muscle aches
Loss of appetite
The symptoms of mumps may resemble other conditions or medical problems. Always consult your child's doctor for a diagnosis.
What complications are commonly associated with mumps?
Complications of mumps occur more frequently among adults than children, and may include the following:
Meningitis or encephalitis. Inflammation of the membrane that covers the brain and spinal cord or inflammation of the brain.
Orchitis. Inflammation of the testicle, causing pain and tenderness of the testicles.
Mastitis. Inflammation and tenderness of breast tissue.
Oophoritis. Inflammation of the ovary, which may cause abdominal pain and vomiting.
Pancreatitis. Inflammation of the pancreas.
How is mumps diagnosed?
In addition to a complete medical history and medical examination, your child's doctor may also take a saliva and/or urinary culture to confirm the diagnosis.
What is the treatment for mumps?
Specific treatment for mumps will be determined by your child's doctor based on:
Your child's age, overall health, and medical history
Extent of the condition
Your child's tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
Expectations for the course of the condition
Your opinion or preference
Treatment is usually limited to pain relievers and plenty of fluids. Sometimes, bed rest is necessary the first few days. According to the CDC, children should stay out of school until symptoms have subsided. Both adults and children with mumps symptoms should minimize contact with other people in their homes. Good basic hygiene, such as thorough hand-washing, covering the mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, and regularly cleaning frequently touched surfaces, are also important in disease control.
How can mumps be prevented?
Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) is a childhood combination vaccination against mumps, measles, and rubella. MMR provides immunity for most people. People who have had mumps are immune for life.
Usually, the first dose of the MMR vaccine is administered when a child is 12 months old, and a second dose is given at 4 to 6 years of age. However, if 28 days have passed since the first dose was administered, a second dose may be given before the age of 4.
Learn more about mumps and the MMR vaccine at CHOP's Vaccine Education Center.


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Limited-Time Offer: Up to 75% Off Coursera Plus!
7000+ certificate courses from Google, Microsoft, IBM, and many more.The last three or four decades have seen a remarkable evolution in the institutions that comprise the modern monetary system. The financial crisis of 2007-2009 is a wakeup call that we need a similar evolution in the analytical apparatus and theories that we use to understand that system. Produced and sponsored by the Institute for New Economic Thinking, this course is an attempt to begin the process of new economic thinking by reviving and updating some forgotten traditions in monetary thought that have become newly relevant.
Three features of the new system are central.
Most important, the intertwining of previously separate capital markets and money markets has produced a system with new dynamics as well as new vulnerabilities. The financial crisis revealed those vulnerabilities for all to see. The result was two years of desperate innovation by central banking authorities as they tried first this, and then that, in an effort to stem the collapse.
Second, the global character of the crisis has revealed the global character of the system, which is something new in postwar history but not at all new from a longer time perspective. Central bank cooperation was key to stemming the collapse, and the details of that cooperation hint at the outlines of an emerging new international monetary order.
Third, absolutely central to the crisis was the operation of key derivative contracts, most importantly credit default swaps and foreign exchange swaps. Modern money cannot be understood separately from modern finance, nor can modern monetary theory be constructed separately from modern financial theory. That's the reason this course places dealers, in both capital markets and money markets, at the very center of the picture, as profit-seeking suppliers of market liquidity to the new system of market-based credit.


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Enjoy free download Shia LaBeouf Pose png HD with transparent background, its Portable Network Graphic (PNG) format, high quality resolution HD photos without background, you can use it in your designs.
You can open PNG images using several programs, available freely and commercially. Almost any image or video editor can help you open PNG images. Web browsers and software applications like Windows and macOS also support PNG files.
Use any of Firefox, Chrome, Opera or Safari browsers to open .png image types. Paint 3D, Adobe PhotoShop and XnView are some of the most commonly used apps for opening PNG files.
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Update at 4:45 p.m. ET. And With That, The Fun Is Over; Texts From Hillary Decides To Call It A Day:
Saying that "as far as memes go — it has gone as far as it can go," the Texts from Hillary guys have decided to stop adding to the blog.
As they say, "TTYL."
But we still suggest checking out our original post:
Seen Texts from Hillary yet?
The Secretary of State has, and she apparently likes it.
As Politico says, the suddenly popular Tumblr blog "has just added one VIP to its fan base. ... Clinton herself."
She met the blog's creators — Adam Smith and Stacy Lambe — on Tuesday and gave them her thumb's up. Clinton, almost surely with help from her staff, even contributed to the blog.
We can't do the blog justice by just describing it. You really have to check it out to figure it out. But, basically, it's a series of visual jokes that pair a photo of a sunglasses-wearing Clinton — looking down at the mobile device in her hand — with photos of other famous folks. And as the captions show, they're supposedly trading texts.
An example from Monday:
-- In one photo, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg "texts" this: "Guess what I just bought!."-- Clinton's "response": "A shirt with a big boy collar?"
Another one we liked:
-- Condoleezza Rice is seen with President George W. Bush, supposedly telling him that "I sent her a text saying I think [I] left my favorite sunglasses in the desk."-- Clinton's "text" back to Rice: "Sorry Condi, haven't seen them."
And there's this one:
-- President Obama: "Hey Hil, Whatchu doing?"-- Clinton: "Running the world."
Some are saying this all has some political relevance. According to The New York Times' Maureen Dowd, Clinton's embrace of Texts from Hillary has "cemented her newly cool image and set off fresh chatter about her future. ... Her savvy public image gambit on Tuesday [meeting with Smith and Lambe] sent a signal she may not be leaving the stage forever."
Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.


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14mm - adds 1.5 deggress of camber
*ALIGNMENT SETTINGS - WHAT ARE THE BEST ONES?* The simple answer is that there is no such thing!
I know we have probably given more information here than most people wanted, but even this only scratches the surface of the available information and variables that need to be considered when contemplating optimum wheel alignment settings.
The most important thing and something we can not stress enough is the fact that alignment settings are NOT an "absolute truth" that can be held up as an undisputed rule. It is a dynamic process with the "correct value" varying from driver to driver, car to car not to mention the driving environment.
*DYNAMIC & STATIC – WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?* Typically used when discussing wheel alignment and geometry. By this, Whiteline are referring to the difference in alignment angles between a stationary and a moving vehicle. That is, the same vehicle will typically have different caster, camber and toe readings when it is moving compared to when the alignment was done in static form in the workshop.
In an ideal world, all wheel alignments would be done on a dynamic wheel aligner but these are expensive and quite rare. This concept is very important, as the only suspension angles that really matter are those present while the vehicle is moving (dynamic). What is done to the vehicle's alignment while the vehicle is stationary, (static) is a process of trying to predict the levels of change while the vehicle is moving and setting the angles according to these predictions.
Whiteline puts a great deal of emphasis on the dynamic geometry so rigorous road testing is essential to ensure that the predictions are valid.
* Camber
* Caster
* Toe
*"Anti" Geometry
*CAMBER – WHAT IS IT?* Camber is the inclination of the wheel from the vertical when viewed from the front. When the top of the wheel leans out you have positive camber, lean in equal's negative camber.
Static negative camber is used to compensate for body roll, body distortion and tire roll under when cornering. Stiffer bodies and tire sidewalls are in and unnecessary suspension compliance is out. Therefore the previous requirements for large amounts of static negative camber are disappearing.
Whiteline strut braces are good for maintaining camber angles under cornering loads as they further minimise body flex. Its important to highlight the fact that camber settings are ultimately a personal thing. That is, Whiteline can provide an indicative range to start from but the final number will depend on your driving style, average driving conditions, tyre size and many other things.
You need to start with a relevant number, then monitor tire wear and compensate if necessary. Whiteline have a range of camber adjusting products available to achieve the optimum settings. *CASTER – WHAT IS IT?* Caster is the backward or forward tilt of the steering axis. Vehicle manufacturers are aware of the advantages of caster and as each new model is released the amount of caster specified increases.
Why, because the disadvantages of high levels of castor are being overcome. Rack and pinion steering means less play, lower Ackerman levels, smaller scrub radius (zero is now very common), better and lower profile radial tyres means less sidewall deflection and higher tolerance to greater slip angles. But the greatest obstacle, that of heavy steering effort, has all but disappeared with the universal acceptance of power steering.
High levels of positive caster equate to dynamic negative camber on turn when you need it most. Whiteline continues to put heavy emphasis on additional positive caster when designing new suspension packages.
If you were able to view the front tires of a vehicle from above the car, you would expect them to look exactly parallel to each other. In fact, they rarely are. The difference in distance between the front edge of the tires and the rear edge is called toe. Toe describes how close to parallel the two tires are, and whether they are toed-in (closer at the front of the tire) or toed-out (closer at the rear of the tire). The goal of toe is to provide proper tire wear through various driving conditions. The amount of toe your suspension is set to varies by the drive layout of your vehicle, driving preference, and car's handling characteristics.
On a rear-wheel-driven car, acceleration forces on the tire tend t o push the front tires back slightly in the wheel well. Static toe-in will result in a zero-toe situation at speed. For a front-wheel-driven vehicle, the front wheels will pull themselves forward in the wheel wells under acceleration. This happens because as the (driven) front wheels claw for traction, they pull themselves forward, dragging the rest of the car along. For this situation, static toe-out will result in a zero-toe condition at speed. Assuming that the rest of the suspension is correctly aligned and maintained, and the tyres properly inflated, toe-in will result in additional understeer for the car. In a corner the inside front tyre will turn at less of an angle than the outside tyre. Additionally, excessive toe-in will result in premature tyre wear through feathering, and increased fuel consumption. Conversely, toe-out will result in additional oversteer for the vehicle. This occurs as the inside front tire turns at a greater angle than the outside tire. Thus, in a corner, the inside tire is trying to turn even more than the heavily-loaded outside tire. Excessive toe-out will also result in premature tire wear due to feathering, and increased fuel consumption.
*"Anti" Geometry* "Anti" features in suspension systems are a characteristic that can be used to influence the stiffness of the front or rear suspension under traction forces(under braking or accelerating). The individual terms are relatively straightforward and self-explanatory with the "anti" reducing or totally restricting the characteristic (lifting or diving).
In the front suspension there may be levels of anti-dive during braking and anti-lift during accelerating (assuming traction to the front wheels is present), similarly in the rear there could be anti lift during braking and anti-squat during acceleration. It should also be noted that these characteristic can also be reversed into a "pro" characteristic (as in pro-lift at the front under braking).
Anti features can only be implemented under the influence of the braking or accelerating forces at the wheels, for example a rear wheel drive vehicle cannot have an anti-lift characteristic in the front (as there is no drive to the front wheels). With the ALK fitted to the Subaru WRX, a softer suspension will be present during braking and accelerating.
This will help traction, as the wheel will be able to track the ground more precisely. Also in terms of balance the front end will have a proportionally lower roll resistance during traction or braking, aiding in reducing the power understeer effect that is present in these cars.


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Quiksilver Pro France Day 7
Quiksilver Pro France competition returned to the thumping barrels of La Gravier today and saw the world's best surfers tear in to pulsing six foot (2 metre) swell to decide the event's Semifinalists.
Stop No. 7 of 10 on the ASP WCT, the Quiksilver Pro France saw several upsets unfold throughout the early rounds of competition, but the remaining ASP World Title contenders regained momentumover the course of a marathon day of competition which spanned from Round 3through the Quarterfinals.
Kelly Slater (USA) 40, current ASP WCT No. 3, put an exclamation point on today's competition in the last quarterfinal heat of the evening, posting a perfect 10-point ride and a 9.93 backup score to secure the highest heat-total of Quiksilver Pro France competition and his spot in the Semifinals.
"You know the waves are so good, that literally both guys can get two 10 out there right now, there's that many good waves," Slater said. "I was throwing away better waves than I've had all contest, it's just pumping. The color of the sky and everything came together, the wind, the swell and the tide was perfect for the size, it was really nice. These are some of the best beachbreaks in the world right there."
Slater will face current ASP WCT No. 2Joel Parkinson (AUS), 31, in the Semifinals and while the heat marks an important point in the ASP World Title Race, the veteran campaigner will attempt to take a relaxed approach to the Final day of competition.
"I won't even think about the Semifinal against Joel much," Slater said. "You know, it's pointless to think about, you get to sit there all night and not sleep. It's an important heat for both of us and whatever is going to happen is going to happen."
Joel Parkinson was in dominant form today, taking out two convincing heat wins while besting defending Quiksilver Pro France Winner Gabriel Medina (BRA), 18, to seal his Semifinals position.
"That was sick, that was unreal," Parkinson said. "That's what you dream of when you're trying to make the tour. You just want to have a nice heat in France at La Graviere when it's pumping. There were so many good waves out there and I wished I could have surfed for an hour."
Parkinson opted to sit on the northern end of the competition area and was rewarded with the best waves of the heat. The stylish natural-footer left a younger Gabriel Medina wandering the shallow waters while Parkinson continued building momentum, culminating with a perfect 10 point ride on a solid righthander.
"There was a big rip between us and there's no point getting involved in that, so I just left him alone and he left me alone, and I'm glad the waves came down my way and not his," Parkinson said. "That 10, I was wondering if it was a close-out or there was a doggy-door. The soul arch in there, I was just feeling it! It was such a sick view. When you came out you could see everyone on the beach and all their hands up, it's such a good feeling."
John John Florence (HAW) 19, current No. 4 on the ASP WCT, took a decisive step towards the business end of the Quiksilver Pro France with a commanding Quarterfinals victory over Brazilian Miguel Pupo (BRA), 20.
"It is an important event for sure, the whole title race thing, I'm trying not to think about it too much, I just take it heat by heat and will see what happens at the end of the year," Florence said. "It's my first full year on Tour and I'm just having fun and enjoying it."
At ease in the sand dredging barrels of La Graviere, Florence put on an exciting show for the growing French crowds, pulling in to solid barrels in his Quarterfinals bout while advancing through to his third Semifinal heat this year.
"It was a lot of fun, there are a lot of waves coming in," Florence said. "There's a lot of current shifting everyone around though so you have to keep your eye on that one peak but it was fun!"
Florence will face off against Quiksilver Pro France wildcard Dane Reynolds (USA), 27, in Semifinal No. 1 when competition resumes.
Dane Reynolds, former full-time ASP WCT competitor and Quiksilver Pro France Wildcard, continued his dominance today, advancing to the Semifinals ahead of fellow Californian Kolohe Andino (USA) 18, in a one-sided affair. Reynolds started up his account in the opening seconds of their heat with an incredible barrel, netting a 9.10 out of a possible 10. He quickly backed it up with a signature power gouge to put his opponent in a difficult combination zone to aid in his convincing win.
"I was lucky that I went up there and he got stuck in the rip I guess, because it was really clean up where I was and there were some really nice waves," Reynolds said. "I'm looking forward to being able to surf these waves again, especially in the morning. It's so nice out there. I'm still competing, but I'm just doing the events that I really want to do and trying to find the right balance for me. I'm definitely enjoying being here and doing this event, I'm psyched!"
When competition resumes (call at 8am local time), up first will be John John Florence against Dane Reynolds in Semifinal No. 1 of Quiksilver Pro France competition.
Watch the live on : quiksilverlive.com
QF 1: John John Florence (HAW) 15.33 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 2.50
QF 2: Dane Reynolds (USA) 15.20 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 1.27
QF 3: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.83 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 12.90
QF 4: Kelly Slater (USA) 19.93 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 5.96
Heat 1: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.50 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 10.16
Heat 2: Kolohe Andino (USA) 12.50 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 2.07
Heat 3: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 12.60 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 11.00
Heat 4: Kelly Slater (USA) 13.07 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 12.66
Heat 1: John John Florence (USA) 16.50, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 15.26, Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.50
Heat 2: Dane Reynolds (USA) 13.86, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 7.34, Michel Bourez (PYF) 3.77
Heat 3: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 12.53, Owen Wright (AUS) 9.90, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 6.97
Heat 4: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 14.40, Kelly Slater (USA) 11.66, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 11.14
Heat 9: Owen Wright (AUS) 15.40 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 8.40
Heat 10: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 12.77 def. JeremyFlores (FRA) 10.50
Heat 11: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 11.66 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 9.24
Heat 12: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.27 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 5.70


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The only 100% whole grain udon is made of North American family golden amber durum organic wheat and a touch of Eden Sea Salt at the Sobaya Company of Montréal, Canada. Women's Health magazine's top choice in pasta in the '125 Best Packaged Foods for Women' feature November 2010. It provides protein, fiber, complex carbs, iron, thiamin B1, niacin B3, magnesium, and zinc. Low sodium. Ideal in dashi - a shoyu soy sauce kombu broth and in salads and stir-fries. In reclosable boxes made of recycled paper, one of the most environmentally friendly recyclable packages available.
Eden 100% Whole Grain Organic Udon is made of North American family golden amber durum organic wheat and a touch of Eden Sea Salt. Crafted at the Sobaya Company of Montréal, Canada using the same roll-and-cut process used for udon and soba noodles in Japan. The Sobaya Company imported Japanese equipment for North America's only certified organic, traditional soba and udon noodle factory. They make the finest soba and udon noodles in the Western hemisphere.
Eden 100% Whole Grain Organic Udon begins with freshly milled, Eden selected grain. Flour is kneaded with pure water and fine sea salt. Salt binds the dough, enhances flavor, and preserves the dried pasta. Dough is rolled out and folded onto itself eight times, then cut to length. Long strands of noodles are lifted onto racks, rolled into drying rooms, and allowed to dry slowly for up to two days depending upon thickness and ambient temperature/humidity. Dutifully tended, they are hand-cut and packed when perfectly finished. Patience and a no-shortcut approach create superior texture, flavor, and ultimately well nourished well-being.
'Best Food For Women'
Eden 100% Whole Grain Organic Udon was selected in Women's Health magazine's '125 Best Packaged Foods for Women' November 2010. Women's Health said of this top choice in the 'Pasta & Rice' category, 'With 15% of your daily dose of iron, zinc, and niacin, plus 20% of your day's thiamin, phosphorus, and magnesium, Eden Japanese noodle puts others to shame.' ... 'No need to fear these carbs.' Eden 100% Whole Grain Organic Udon received the highest rating of all the foods, in all of their categories.
Ecological Packaging
All Eden traditional organic Japanese pasta is packed in boxes made from recycled and recyclable paperboard, one of the most environmentally friendly packages available. According to the 100% Recycled Paperboard Alliance (RPA100.com), "Fourteen trees are saved for each ton of paperboard converted to 100% recycled paperboard. Trees are critical to the sequestration of CO2 (a greenhouse gas) in North America. For each ton of paperboard converted to 100% recycled paperboard, an equal amount of recovered fiber has been diverted from municipal landfills. Production of 100% recycled paperboard uses 50% less energy than virgin grades of paperboard, thus significantly reducing greenhouse gases released into the environment."
Commercial pasta is highly refined chemically treated flour, processed in minutes through teflon dies and ultra high heat or microwave drying resulting in inferior flavor, diminished nutrition, and dubious value. Eden 100% Whole Grain Organic Udon is a wise choice. Light, delicious, and nourishing because it's made with patience, care, the best grain, and handling that enhances its value.
Nutrition Facts
According to FDA, "Low fat diets rich in fiber-containing grain products, fruits, and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer, a disease associated with many factors." Eden 100% Whole Grain Organic Udon is low in fat and a good source of fiber. Also, "Diets low in sodium may reduce the risk of hypertension or high blood pressure, a disease with many factors." Eden 100% Whole Grain Organic Udon is low sodium and provides protein, complex carbs, iron, thiamin B1, niacin B3, magnesium, and zinc.
Scientists at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University say, "Whole grains help regulate blood sugar by slowing down the conversion of complex carbohydrates into sugar. In fact, low-glycemic index foods such as whole grains reduce hunger and can help to control weight." Scientists at the Agriculture Research Service completed a study of more than 2,000 people concluding, "at least three or more servings of whole grain foods everyday could reduce the chances of developing metabolic syndrome - a condition marked by a combination of abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, poor blood sugar control, low HDL 'good' cholesterol and high blood fats."
Eden traditional Japanese organic pastas are delicious, strengthening and nourishing. With so many different flavors of Eden pastas (and beans, sea veggies, condiments, and much more ... ) you can stock your pantry and make healthy meals easily with satisfying variety. Eden 100% Whole Grain Organic Udon is cut very similar to linguini. It is versatile and ideal with dashi - shoyu soy sauce kombu noodle broth, in salads, stir-fries, and casseroles, and with your favorite sauce.
Traditional Cooking Instructions for Japanese Noodles:
Udon and Soba can be boiled just like other pasta or you can use the traditional Japanese cooking method which takes a little longer but is well worth it. This method is called the shocking method, cold water is added to boiling water several times during the cooking process creating a firmer, al dente noodle. For this method place 2 quarts of cold water in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Remove the cover, add the noodles, and stir to prevent sticking. As soon as the water comes to a boil again, add enough cold water to stop the water from boiling (about a 1/2 cup). Bring to a boil again, and add cold water again. Repeat one or two additional times until the noodles are done. Periodically check the noodles by removing a strand and biting or cutting it in half. If the center of the noodle strand is white and the outside is darker, the noodles are not done. When the center of the noodle is the same color as the outside, and the noodles are firm yet tender to the bite they are done. Rinse cooked Udon and Soba noodles under cold water. This lowers sodium and prevent clumping.