text:
I Like Big Bundts Round 2 - National Bundt Day is coming!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
I have something to tell you.
I still like big bundts.
Many of you know this. Last year, I celebrated the run-up to National Bundt Day on November 15th with 30 days of Bundts. I vowed never to do that again.
But I cannot lie, I like Big Bundts and I'm back for Round Two of I Like Big Bundts. Like child-birth (so I've heard), you forget the pain and remember the fun!
The Bundt cake so rocks. I love cake. I hate frosting. The Bundt is my friend. Bundt cakes can be eaten at breakfast, lunch or dinner.
I can't believe it has been a whole year (time is flying by!!), but I've assembled lots of butter, flour and eggs for this Bundt adventure. I hope you'll come along for the ride.
I'm looking for more Bundt recipes! Please leave a link, citation, or email me with your favorite Bundt. I can't make them all, but it'll be great to add more to my collection!
The action starts tomorrow, October 17th. Come back everyday to see a new Bundt...I hope! I'm going to have a few giveaways, and hope I inspire you to put a Bundt on the table on November 15th!
Off to the kitchen,
- Mary the Food Librarian
Thanks to my friend JustJenn of JustJennDesigns (check out her great stationery!) for making the logo!
36 comments:
- Lisa said... [Reply to comment]
I remember this from last year. Each day I'd eagerly read your blog to see what the bundt of the day was. I can't wait to see what you come up with this year.
- October 16, 2010 at 12:04 AM
- Panya said... [Reply to comment]
I made the Peanut Butter and Chocolate bundt twice last year. It was sooooo good! I've been craving it for the past few weeks. I HAVE to make it now!
- October 16, 2010 at 1:07 AM
- Stephanie said... [Reply to comment]
You are a brave woman! Good luck!
I love this root beer bundt cake: http://confessionsofcityeater.blogspot.com/2009/03/root-beer-bundt-cake.html and maybe you can do something holiday inspired with eggnog. - October 16, 2010 at 4:12 AM
- Donna-FFW said... [Reply to comment]
Looking forward to this event again.. Wondering though if you have an absolute favorite??
- October 16, 2010 at 4:17 AM
- Cristine said... [Reply to comment]
Oooh... so excited for round 2! Can't wait to see what bundts you bake up!
(I really love the Root Beer Bundt Cake from Baked... YUM!) - October 16, 2010 at 5:27 AM
Yes!! I am so excited. I LOVE Bundts, too and loved you featuring them last year.
I am looking forward to round two and many more delicious Bundts.
Kirsten - October 16, 2010 at 6:51 AM
- Sandra :) said... [Reply to comment]
I loved Round One of I Like Big Bundts, so I can't wait for round 2, yay!
I have several bundt cake recipes that I make regularly:
Maple banana - http://www.mynew30.com/2008/10/today-i-needed-to-use-up-some-overripe.html (this is the one my 21 year old asks for all the time)
Banana - http://foodlibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/08/classic-banana-bundt-cake-tuesdays-with.html
Pecan - http://baking.about.com/od/coffeecake1/r/pecan.htm
Chocaroon (chocolate + coconut) - the recipe was from The Baking Beauties but I don't see it on their site anymore - I'm glad I saved a text version :D
Pear - http://bakingsheet.blogspot.com/2006/12/pear-bundt-cake.html
Coconut - http://gratefulprayerthankfulheart.blogspot.com/2010/03/twd-coconut-lemon-tea-cake.html
Brown sugar - http://www.food.com/recipe/brown-sugar-bundt-cake-42976 (I made this for Thanksgiving earlier this week - it's incredibly moist!)
Cranberry Orange (this is my husband's favorite bundt) - http://www.food.com/recipe/cranberry-orange-pound-cake-194183
Thanks for doing this again - I think my sons will be taking some bundt cakes to work to share with the other guys, lol! - October 16, 2010 at 7:06 AM
- Mrsblocko said... [Reply to comment]
Squeee! I'm so glad you're doing this again.
- October 16, 2010 at 7:25 AM
- JelliDonut said... [Reply to comment]
This is so exciting! I'm off to buy a couple of new bundt pans. Do you have a favorite?
- October 16, 2010 at 7:38 AM
- The Food Librarian said... [Reply to comment]
Thanks for all the encouragement (I'll need it!) and suggestions! The Root Beer Bundt from Baked is definitely on my list!
My favorite Bundt? I still like Day 30 of last year's bundtathon: Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt
My favorite Bundt pan? I like the original (make sure it is made by Nordic Ware and is heavy) and I like the Williams Sonoma Heritage Bundt. Pretttty! - October 16, 2010 at 8:46 AM
- Unknown said... [Reply to comment]
Its sooo good to know that you are starting with 30 days of bundt again. Im really looking forward for some wonderful recipies. Wish you good luck...!!!
- October 16, 2010 at 8:59 AM
- kirbie said... [Reply to comment]
I'm so excited you are doing this again! Last year was so much fun. It is because of your thing last year that I even began liking bundts. Before that, I hated them. Now I love them and own practically the entire Nordicware collection.
Here are some bundts I made recently that I love:
Sour Cream Pound Cake, http://kirbiecravings.com/2010/10/moist-delicious-sour-cream-pound-cake.html
Chocolate pound cake http://kirbiecravings.com/2010/10/chocolate-pound-cake.html
Sour cream chocolate cake http://kirbiecravings.com/2010/09/sour-cream-chocolate-cake.html
Sweet potato bundt cake http://kirbiecravings.com/2010/01/sweet-potato-bundt-cake-1.html - October 16, 2010 at 9:20 AM
- Annie's Dish said... [Reply to comment]
I'll be looking forward to seeing some of your recipes. I picked up a set of mini bundt pans at a flea market and have been dying to try them out!
- October 16, 2010 at 11:34 AM
- Di said... [Reply to comment]
Yay! I'm looking forward to seeing what you bake up. A couple of my favorites:
Pumpkin & Ginger Poundcake:
Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake:
http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=6027 - October 16, 2010 at 12:29 PM
- Unknown said... [Reply to comment]
I am so excited - we are all ready to Bundt along with you! I'm intrigued (but have not yet tried) this recipe: http://busycooks.about.com/od/bundtcakes/r/updatedtunneloffudgecake.htm
Wasn't the Tunnel of Fudge cake what started the bundt craze? It would be very retro-kitschy! - October 16, 2010 at 12:44 PM
- Damaris @Kitchen Corners said... [Reply to comment]
I remember you doing this last year and it was awesome!
here are my recipes
xoxo - October 16, 2010 at 1:22 PM
- Open Roads Mama said... [Reply to comment]
Hi! So happy to read that you're getting ready for a round 2 of bundts! :) I will be following your blog in anticipation of new recipes to try myself ;) I must tell you that I very often make your apple cake - I think the recipe was your moms! And as far as I remember, it was baked as a bundt too last year! So yummy. :)
- October 16, 2010 at 3:56 PM
- Monica H said... [Reply to comment]
yay! I'm so looking forward to this!
These are my two all-time favorite Bundts. They're so GOOD!
Chocolate Zucchini- I know you've made a version before, but you HAVE to try this one.
Cinderella Cake- Which is a pumpkin cake topped with cream cheese frosting. Since you're not a fan of frosting, half a recipe would be enough. The best pumpkin Bundt I've ever had.
I'm almost tempted to send you money of you make them and you don't love 'em :-) - October 16, 2010 at 4:49 PM
- Babette said... [Reply to comment]
I too, love bundt cakes! My favorites are chocolate chip pound cake, and sweet potato bundt.
I covet your heritage pan. I'm really looking forward to your posts.
www.babettebakes.com - October 16, 2010 at 6:40 PM
- Jessica @ bake me away! said... [Reply to comment]
Awesome!! I found your blog after you did this last year, so am looking forward to following along "live" this year. :)
I've been wanting to try Joy's lemon and matcha pound cake as a bundt. She says the recipe makes a loaf and 12 mini muffins, so I bet it would be perfect for a bundt! http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2010/09/lemon-and-matcha-marble-pound-cake/ - October 16, 2010 at 7:01 PM
- Trisha said... [Reply to comment]
I admire your courage to do this again ... but seriously i'm glad ... i always look forward to new posts from you!
- October 16, 2010 at 8:05 PM
i waited to see what you would post each day last year and it was a bit like living vicariously through you! i love to make bundts too. as a master gardener, i take one out to the garden almost every sunday when i go to do my shift and i share it with my fellow gardeners. while i was working on my latest book, i included several bundts. check out my blog for some ideas but you will have to wait until the book comes out to get the recipes!
keep on baking!
alisa - October 16, 2010 at 8:17 PM
- Jules Someone said... [Reply to comment]
Ooooh! So excited! I have two for you. I've made both and they are both fabulous.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/dining/151arex.html - October 16, 2010 at 9:15 PM
- Gale Reeves said... [Reply to comment]
I'm so glad you are back for round 2!
- October 16, 2010 at 9:19 PM
- justJENN said... [Reply to comment]
I think you should make ice cream bundts and give them all to me.
- October 17, 2010 at 12:38 AM
- Evi said... [Reply to comment]
I absolutely loved round one of your bundt cakes. Can't wait to see more! Happy blogging! :D
- October 17, 2010 at 1:42 AM
- DPLK said... [Reply to comment]
Oh. my. gosh. I am tickled and aghast and squealing with excitement all at once! You need to break out one of those Japanese head bands that say "Must win" in han characters, haha. I'm sure it will be easier the second time around, though! Can't wait to see what new bundts you come up with! As for bundt ideas...I'm pretty partial to the nutella overload bundt I made last year for National Bundt Day, and I've been eying a limoncello bundt cake as well...there's some pretty good recipes in the Cake Keeper book too.
http://www.blogwelldone.com/2010/05/12/limoncello-recipes/ - October 17, 2010 at 8:34 AM
- librariane said... [Reply to comment]
Wheeee! Now to decide which kind of bundt to make! Perhaps I'll check out several cake books from the library to peruse and get inspired... ;)
- October 17, 2010 at 10:52 AM
- Lisa said... [Reply to comment]
You might want to check this bundt out, it looked amazing. Banana Split Bundt Cake - http://moogieland.blogspot.com/2010/10/incredible-banana-split-bundt-cake.html
- October 17, 2010 at 1:44 PM
- Unknown said... [Reply to comment]
I've always been intrigued by the butternut squash in this recipe: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/buttermilk-cake-spiced-vanilla-icing.aspx
I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but it sure does look good! - October 17, 2010 at 8:10 PM
- Esi said... [Reply to comment]
OMG, Mary I can't believe you are doing this again. I am always so amazed by what you do. Have fun with the bundts this year!
- October 17, 2010 at 8:24 PM
- corinne said... [Reply to comment]
I made this pear bread in a bundt pan, and it was delightful!
http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/12/pear-bread/ - October 18, 2010 at 6:51 AM
- Mr. P said... [Reply to comment]
I am so glad you're doing this again! I loved it last year.
I am going to do one too! Well, maybe a few. Can't wait to see what you come up with! - October 18, 2010 at 10:42 AM
Yay! I love "I Like Big Bundts"! Can't wait to see what cool combinations you come up with!
- October 19, 2010 at 3:59 AM
I do accept donation of orphaned and unwanted bundt cakes. ;)
- October 20, 2010 at 12:09 PM
- Nancy/n.o.e said... [Reply to comment]
I'm totally amazed and impressed that you are once again engaged in this labor of bundtness love. Can't wait to see them all!
- October 24, 2010 at 10:05 AM


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VA releases shutdown field guide to services
The Department of Veterans Affairs has released a field guide to let veterans know what services will and won't be impacted during current federal government shutdown.
The guide, which can be viewed here, also includes a list of still-active contact phone numbers for VA services, as well as a listing of suspended phone lines. VA call centers and hotlines will cease to function during the shutdown.
All VA medical facilities will remain fully operational, as will military sexual trauma counseling, VET Centers, insurance processing and home loan processing.
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Tony Mariotti
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This 2-bedroom / 2-bathroom condominium for sale sits in the neighborhood of Beverly Hills in Los Angeles County. The interior size of the home is 1469 square feet, and the parcel is approximately 2.23 acres. The current asking price is $1,250,000. The property at 200 N Swall Dr #460 represents an excellent opportunity for homebuyers to own a home in Beverly Hills. Refer to the statistics on this page for additional information regarding the home at 200 N Swall Dr #460. Other data includes interior features, exterior features, estimated taxes, HOA dues (when applicable), map location, and more.
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text:
Shuttle Endeavour Is On Its Way To California
Space shuttle Endeavour has taken off on its farewell tour across the country.
The third of the retired fleet of four to head off to a retirement home, Endeavour is being ferried from Florida to Los Angeles — with a stop on the way in Houston. It is perched atop a 747.
NASA TV is following Endeavour's journey here. NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce previewed the trip Tuesday. As she reported, "along the way, the spaceship will stop off in Houston, home of NASA's Mission Control and, weather permitting, fly over NASA centers and various landmarks in cities that include San Francisco and Sacramento."
In mid-October, it will make a two-day, 1-mile-per-hour trip through city streets to the California Science Center.
Space shuttle Discovery was flown to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in the Northern Virginian suburbs of Washington, D.C., back in April, as we chronicled here. Later that same month, Enterprise was flown to New York City. It is now aboard the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Complex on the Hudson in Manhattan.
The last shuttle, Atlantis, will "make the shortest trip of all," as Nell reported. "It's staying in Florida, at the visitor center right next door to the Kennedy Space Center."


text:
Pink Floyd Merchandising
See also David Gilmour merchandise – click here
See also Roger Waters merchandise – click here
Pink Floyd, Rock Band * Born: 1965 * Birthplace: United Kingdom * Best Known As: They did Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd was a U.K. psychedelic rock band made up of Syd Barrett (6 January 1946, Cambridge), guitar and vocals; David Gilmour (6 March 1944, Cambridge), guitar; Roger Waters (6 September 1944, Cambridge), vocals and bass; Nick Mason (27 January 1945, Birmingham), drums; and Richard Wright (28 July 1945, London), keyboards. Waters, Mason and Wright played together in the Architectural Abdabs before being joined in 1965 by Barrett, who changed the band name to the Pink Floyd Sound. Their sound was attributed to Barrett, who had trouble coping (some say because of LSD, some say mental illness) and was ultimately replaced by Gilmour in 1968. Their early albums were spacey and experimental and they were among the first rock groups to use light shows during their concerts. Their 1973 album Dark Side of the Moon took them from the fringes of psychedelic rock and put them on the top of the charts. The album went on to become one of the best selling records of all time, spending more than 25 years on Billboard"s Top 200 chart. They had further success with Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979), but by the "80s the band drifted apart. In 1987 Gilmour, Mason and Wright reunited and recorded A Momentary Lapse of Reason. One of the top-selling rock groups in history, Pink Floyd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (January 6, 1946 – July 7, 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, guitarist and artist. Best remembered as one of the founding members of the group Pink Floyd, Barrett was active as a rock musician for only about seven years before he went into seclusion. His creative legacy and quintessentially English vocal delivery have since proven remarkably influential.


text: A computer network is an interconnection of a group of computers. The Internet is also a network - specifically a wide-area network. Networks may be classified by what is called the network layer at which they operate, according to basic standards in the industry such as the four-layer Internet Protocol Suite (IP) model. While the seven-layer Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model is better known in academia, the majority of networks use the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) as their network model.Computer networks are also classified according to the scale: Personal Area Network (PAN), Local Area Network (LAN), Campus Area Network (CAN), Metropolitan area network (MAN), or Wide area network (WAN). As Ethernet increasingly is the standard interface to networks, these distinctions are more important to the network administrators than the end user. Network administrators may have to tune the network (and network hardware), based on distance delays, to achieve the desired Quality of Service (QoS). The primary difference in the networks is the size.An intranet is a set of interconnected networks, using the Internet Protocol and uses IP-based tools such as web browsers, that is under the control of a single entity that closes the intranet to the rest of the world, and allows only specific users. Most commonly, an intranet is the internal network of a company or other enterprise, that typically relies on Cat5 cables or an internal wireless router, with network attached storage and print servers. For many the easiest way to begin is to buy a Network Starter Kit.An extranet is a network or internetwork that is limited in scope to a single organization or entity but which also has limited connections to the networks of one or more other usually, but not necessarily, trusted organizations or entities (e.g. a company's customers may be given access to some part of its intranet creating in this way an extranet, while at the same time the customers may not be considered 'trusted' from a security standpoint). Technically, an extranet may also be categorized as a CAN, MAN, WAN, or other type of network, although, by definition, an extranet cannot consist of a single LAN; it must have at least one connection with an external network.The Internet, of course, is a specific internetwork, consisting of a worldwide interconnection of governmental, academic, public, and private networks based upon the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) developed by ARPA of the U.S. Department of Defense - also home to the World Wide Web (WWW) and referred to as the 'Internet' with a capital 'I' to distinguish it from other generic internetworks. Participants in the Internet, or their service providers, use IP Addresses obtained from address registries that control assignments. Service providers and large enterprises also exchange information on the reachability of their address ranges through the BGP Border Gateway Protocol.One of the most popular networks is the Home Network, typically consisting of Home Network Hardware such as a wireless network adaptors and a wireless router. However, the Network Hardware components that help connect computers together, plays a huge role in the performance of networks. It is important to choose Computer networking hardware devices based upon the desired performance, and configuration of the network to engineer the results needed. Computer network hardware, such as Routers, Managed and Unmanaged Switches, Hubs, Firewalls, and Gateways should be selected and tuned for maximum performance.So whether you are looking for best deal on 3COM, ATEN Technology, Belkin, Buffalo Technologies, Cables To Go, Cisco, D-Link, Hewlett Packard, Intel, Linksys, NetGear, logear, WatchGuard or Trendnet Networking Device, you will find it here at Ascendtech.


text:
Notice: This Wiki is now read only and edits are no longer possible. Please see: https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipsefdn/helpdesk/-/wikis/Wiki-shutdown-plan for the plan.
Real-Time Software Components (RTSC)
Welcome to the DSDP Real-Time Software Components (RTSC) Project Wiki. The RTSC project provides foundational tools and low-level runtime content to enable component-based development using the C language targeting all embedded platforms. While other component technologies exist for embedded systems, RTSC is unique in that it scales down to highly resource constrained embedded systems including DSPs and 16-bit micro-controllers.
News & Events
- 7/31/09: TI added a registration free download of XDCtools: here. This release is now 100% free of any TI proprietary licensing. Although this distribution contains some GPL components for completeness, all RTSC content is provided under EPL.
- 5/01/09: The EclipseCon 2009 RTSC tutorial sources are available from the RTSC repository: see [1]. The slides are also available from [2].
- 3/19/09: We'll be giving 4 hour RTSC tutorial on the morning of 3/23/09 at EclipseCon 2009 -- not only introducing the concepts of RTSC (largely drawn from material already found in the RTSC-Pedia), but also demonstrating "RTSC In Action" through a live wireless sensor application running on a pair of MSP430s. We'll be supplying the MSP430 hardware, an ez430-rf2500 development kit, which when combined with the tutorial's example code allows participants to build and run the sensor application. We'll have enough hardware for up to 10 participants.
- 10/16/08: We've just published the yellow-light version of the (long-awaited) Packaging Primer at [3].
- 9/30/08: A short talk at ESE2008 has been accepted
- 8/08/08: As a first step to moving XDCtools to open source, the previously TI internal RTSC documentation wiki (RTSC-Pedia) is now open to the community at http://rtsc.eclipse.org/docs.
- 7/03/08: RTSC has been provisioned with a web site (http://www.eclipse.org/dsdp/rtsc/) and bugzilla product category
- 4/10/08: RTSC passed its Creation Review and is now in the incubation phase
- 4/04/08: A new RTSC Interface Primer is now available as well as updates to existing documents
- 2/16/08: The RTSC project is now in the proposal phase (see the RTSC Proposal) and we encourage questions and comments on the RTSC news group
- EclipseCon 2008 Talks
- Introducing Real-Time Software Components (RTSC) - A brief overview of scope and intent of the RTSC project
- Overview of Real-Time Software Components: A Scalable Component Model for Embedded C Development - An overview of the technical contributions of the RTSC Component Model.
Although the RTSC project is currently in the incubation stage, the RTSC tools and component model (XDCtools) have enjoyed continuous development since 2000 by a small group of senior embedded software developers at Texas Instruments (in Santa Barbara). Since 2004, the DSP/BIOS 5.x RTOS – created using the XDCtools – has shipped along with these tools to ensure that any development system that included DSP/BIOS could consume components (called packages) created by other development groups. Today, internal groups within Texas Instruments regularly (re)build, test, and deploy hundreds of RTSC packages. Many of these packages are used worldwide by thousands of developers both inside and outside Texas Instruments. For example,
- DSP/BIOS 5.x – is deployed as a bundle of more than 56 packages,
- Codec Engine multi-media middleware runtime is an independently deployed bundle of more than 21 packages,
- a wide variety of video, imaging, speech, and audio codecs – developed by both Texas Instruments and its third parties – are delivered as a packages, and
- XDCtools itself is delivered as a bundle of over 125 packages.
The fact that developers have been using DSP/BIOS 5.x without realizing that it is, in fact, a collection of RTSC components illustrates one of the strengths of the RTSC model: consumers of RTSC components can easily integrate them without converting their entire application into components.
The starting point for the RTSC project will include the XDCtools currently available from Texas Instruments as a free download (may require a free registration). By making these tools freely and openly available, we hope to foster deeper levels of integration with the Eclipse platform, encourage adoption of RTSC by eliminating the understandable fears of proprietary ties to Texas Instruments, and bring modern component-based development tools to the embedded C programmer.
On-Going Discussions
- Ease of Use - How to improve RTSC ease of use
- xdc.runtime.knl - Extending xdc.runtime to abstract basic threading services and allow more components to be independent of underlying hardware and OS.
- device peripherals - proposal to add peripherals to the platform model
- DSDP/RTSC - XDCtools from TI - product release plans for TI distributions of XDCtools
- DSDP/RTSC - Performance - How to speed up XDCtools builds
- Problems migrating to Eclipse 3.6
The zipped HTML files in the table below are designed to be unzipped next to one another in a common directory; this preserves cross document links.
Document | Description |
RTSC-Pedia | Wiki containing all RTSC documentation: tutorial primers, user's guides, FAQs, etc. |
EclipseCon 2009 Presentations | Getting started with RTSC component development, and Real-time monitoring of RTSC modules |
RTSC tutorial slides | Slides presented at the EclipseCon 2009 RTSC tutorial |
EclipseSummit 2008 | Introducing Real-Time Software Components (RTSC) for Embedded C/C++ within Eclipse |
EclipseCon 2008 Presentations | Introducing Real-Time Software Components (RTSC), and Overview of Real-Time Software Components: A Scalable Component Model for Embedded C Development |
RTSC Project Proposal | Official Eclipse RTSC Project Proposal |


text:
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Super 'Manoos' Sachin - Mumbai Indian\Indian Mumbaikar?
Sachin Tendulkar is seriously scarey - can the man do no wrong?? He is perhaps the only icon left in India that nobody but nobody can criticize without inviting the wrath of a billion people. What is there not to like about a guy who appears to be perfect in all respects? As a sportsman, he has no equal. As a family man, his conduct has been exemplary. His charmingly reticent wife, Anjali's delightful interview in the TOI, said it all. As a son, the whole cricketing world watches him looking skywards to pay a silent tribute to his late father. As a father himself, he is around his kids on a priority basis…. whenever he himself is around, which is not often.As a friend… well…. if one forgets Vinod Kambli's tiny squeak of protest, he has his loyalists. As a team member, he says he has always batted for India not for himself. As a sought- after model, he has made a lot of companies very wealthy by endorsing their products over the years . And as a living legend, he is acutely aware of the responsibilities that go with such a lofty position and discharges them with dignity. If anything, Sachin is too good to be true! He never loses his shirt – literally or metaphorically ( unlike Ganguly). He remains almost unnaturally cool under annoying circumstances ( early or unfair dismissals). His memory is elephantine (apparently, he can recall every ball ). He doesn't get provoked, no matter what. He is super careful with his words ( impossible to catch this guy off- guard). He is unfailingly respectful towards his seniors, aloof and correct with juniors. He has managed to stay miles away from controversy, personal and professional. No known 'lafdas' , not even as a teenager with raging hormones ( his lust was reserved for the willow). A noble and faithful one woman man.Last week, he even sorted out the 'asli Marathi Manoos' debate brilliantly by boldly declaring, " Mumbai belongs to India." All along, Sachin has led his life with enviable discretion bordering on boy scout conduct. Does the man have NO vices at all?? Minor ones?? Innocuous ones? Does he breathe, live and dream cricket – just cricket?? Has he ever let his hair down? Got drunk? Danced on a tabletop? Flirted with a stranger in a distant land? Cracked a dirty joke? Broken even a single, teenie weenie rule? Ever?? If the answer is 'no' to all the above, that makes Sachin the closest any human being has ever been to becoming Superman – the Invincible One. A God-like creature. The ultimate sacred cow.Wow!!! The halo is intact. And may it remain that way.
We live in excessively cynical times. We refuse to believe there could be hi- profile celebrities out there who are genuinely 'good' people. We go in search of flaws and scandals, because we are looking for something to knock the idol off the pedestal. Look at what's happening to Andre Agassi ( not in the same league, even so). The only other global sportsmen to come anywhere close to Sachin in terms of stature and reputation are Tiger Woods and Michael Schumacher. I had tweeted about conferring a Bharat Ratna on Sachin - it is the only national honour left for a man who has won the unconditional love of over a billion people. The response has been overwhelmingly in favour of the Master Blaster. Who says a recipient of the Bharat Ratna has to hit 70, 80, 90 to win the country's highest civilian award? Sachin at 36 has hit 100. Several times over. Why not give it to Sachin while he is peaking and in a rare position to reach even greater heights in future? If we want to activate the minds of the youth of India and spur them on to achieve excellence, Sachin's the guy to hold up as an inspiration. Superman Sachin. Only the cape is missing!!
43 comments:
- Prakhar said...
He is truly a 'Bharat Ratna'. I guess the committee is waiting for him to retire(??)
An extraordinary gentleman...in a league of his own! - November 18, 2009 at 4:56 PM
- Unknown said...
He is neither an Indian nor a Mumbaikar. He exceeded that. Now he belongs to the cricketing world and as such no boundaries can bound him. He richly deserves Bharat Ratna. He is simple and great at the same time.
- November 18, 2009 at 5:36 PM
- Maria said...
It is good to be good!
- November 18, 2009 at 5:43 PM
- Ranjit said...
People like Sachin truly belong to the rarest of rare class who have set up certain standards for themselves and are meeting it with great ease...Hats off to the little master.........
- November 18, 2009 at 7:06 PM
- ekta khetan said...
Aila Sachin is really too good for his fame and name.
Three cheers to his stance on being Indian- Hip, hip, Huraah!
http://ektakhetan.blogspot.com - November 18, 2009 at 7:10 PM
- Ketaki... said...
As Lata Mangheshkar rightly said, he deserves a "Vishva Ratna".. :)
I think he is the only celebrity I adore blindly. - November 18, 2009 at 8:35 PM
- Latha said...
Sachin & A R Rahman are real Ms Shobhaa.
I know it'd be hard to believe that such people can exist in this 'Matlabi Duniya'
Long live their tribe.
May God bless them. - November 18, 2009 at 9:03 PM
- Mayank said...
Hi De,
After a very long time we had a great piece of write up from you motivating stuff for everyone.
My wishes on the same
Mayank - November 18, 2009 at 9:07 PM
- चंद्रमौलेश्वर प्रसाद said...
"Vinod Kambli's tiny squeak of protest, ..." A thankless friend, hey!
BHARAT RATNA- That is reserved for Ambedkars and not Tendulkars :) - November 18, 2009 at 9:28 PM
- Sameer said...
Sachin is truly pride of India. he deserves Bharat Ratna for sure. I don't understand why they give Bharat Ratna when people are retired, old and not necessarily at the peak of their career.
- November 18, 2009 at 9:40 PM
- Hemant Beniwal said...
Dear Mam,
Your Blog is really great, I hope you will continue it in future.
You must change the name of the blog to http://www.shobhaade.com/
Right now its available, it will give you better branding & it will be easy to search.(Eg www.aamirkhan.com/)
Its a simple process:
Click on Customize Blog
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email@example.com - November 18, 2009 at 9:43 PM
- Ketaki... said...
BHARAT RATNA- That is reserved for Ambedkars and not Tendulkars -
This is a very unflattering statement to make. In addition to all the sena crap going on, we don't need this attitude in India. Not now.. not ever. - November 18, 2009 at 9:47 PM
- NIM said...
well these are obviously the few reasons why he is loved by all... being a no nonsense person has its upsides... That's Sachin's charm...that's HIM...
And that's how a person should present him/herself in front of the world(unless the media get the better of them ;P ). Dignity is the one thing a person should preserve... and Sachin has done just that even after being under the scanner for 20yrs..no matter what or how the critics tried to pull him down all these years.. - November 18, 2009 at 10:26 PM
- Jogeshwar said...
Are idols only meant to be worshiped??
- November 18, 2009 at 10:58 PM
- The Panorama said...
Great write up, Shobha. I absolutely agree...give Sachin a Bharat Ratna. He is truly the only Indian everybody loves.
- November 18, 2009 at 11:05 PM
- Unknown said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- November 18, 2009 at 11:23 PM
- Unknown said...
By writing this blog, you have killed the previous blog which is thought provoking. You could have waited for one more day. But the way you presented Sachin, is really nice.
- November 18, 2009 at 11:24 PM
- aNuP__ said...
The cape is not missing. We are the cape! =)
- November 19, 2009 at 12:21 AM
- Dia Cake Addict :)! said...
Great! Just that I couldn't help noticing a spelling mistake in the first line - scarEy..shouldn't it be scary?
But great column! - November 19, 2009 at 12:27 AM
- A Mahratta said...
Okay.. So Sachin has an unblemished record... what does that have to do with his recent statement? You have cleverly pushed that issue aside and only focused on Sachin's record. But the title of your article is "Mumbai Indian/ Indian Mumbaikar?"
As you said "he sorted out the 'asli Marathi Manoos' debate"... don't you think he should have done this long time ago... I don't think Sachin had any such intention ... He unnecessarily got involved in this argument... A man who sells pepsi-colas to make money and lives in Bandra West (or some other plush area) and whos father fought for Marathi cause... is talking about problems faced by ordinary Marathas. I find that quite ironic ! - November 19, 2009 at 2:56 AM
- Nandinikakoti said...
We know as much as u know.. and not till now any flaw can be traced... even if one such question is answered against him.. he has all the allowance.. We love him so much.. A soul so human
- November 19, 2009 at 10:21 AM
- Unknown said...
this is the best write up from u. u have remarkably highlighted the qualities of sachin. He is really miles away from scandals, controversies etc.etc. A great son of India. He is humble, genius and 100% gentleman, responsible father,husband,son and friend. He is source of inspiration for all youngsters of his age. He is already bharat ratna in true sense without getting formal honour from Govt.of India.
- November 19, 2009 at 10:43 AM
- Unknown said...
mz de, looks like the God of All Things has ventured into dangerous "political" territory. his greatness is not an armour and does not render him invisible! we do not wish to see a wonderful career end with a spat with the supremo (self claimed). you know what they say, "fools rush in ....etc etc"
- November 19, 2009 at 11:24 AM
- R. K. DIVAKARA said...
All yr eulogies to a 'superman' of Cricket and world, outside, are fully justified. But the 'Mubaikar' issue that coiled onto him has greater dimension than being a comparison between the eulogised one and a "tiger", political. Mumbai belongs to all Indians. It's a "Constitutional truth". But should not somebody be there to cherish Mumbai, distinctly, as it cherishes anyone and everyone? Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and many others aren't cities just offering living opportunities for any people from every nook & corner of the country. Besides, they value their own culture, tradition and distinct ways of living. They add unique colour, fragrance and flavour to life. People driven out of their lands for want of livelihood and finding it richly, elsewhere, should try to accept and appreciate the culture of the places which give them a living, rather than trying perpetuate their separateness and contaminate its cultural atmosphere! ''Indianness'' exists only as a blend of ''Marathiness'', ''Kanndaness'', ''Bengaliness'' and so on. The concept of ''India'' remains incomplete if any one of these is mistreated! - November 19, 2009 at 1:27 PM
- Pooja Rathore said...
YES Sachin Tendulkar our Anmol(precious) ratna deserves Bharat Ratna.
- November 19, 2009 at 2:13 PM
- Sparkling said...
Hope they take this 'Manoos' seriously. - November 20, 2009 at 1:04 AM
- Neha said...
I follow your blog closely, though prefer not to comment, after reading the kind of debates and criticism that sparks off in this section. I do not consider myself to be at a stature to judge either your writing or your views. And I don't think any one should either. What you express in your blog is your view/opinion on a certain point, and why can't people just accept that? As a blogger myself, I relate to the personal objective of maintaining a blog and I completely respect yours too. Your writing inpires and it has that element of honesty, which makes me look forward to your next post. So whether it be the open letter to the marathi manoos or calling yourself a minnie mouse, it's your blog and your writing! Personally, I expect good expression and articulation in your words...not motivational speeches. And that's what inspires me! Keep writing, Ms. De....there are many more silent and supportive readers like me who read your posts and love them too :)
- November 20, 2009 at 6:34 PM
- Latha said...
What is a Bharatratna compared to the love & adoration of more than 1 billion people, ma'am ?
Yes, the Govt can honour itself by giving Bharatratna to such people if it wants to.
The 'Bharatratna' has become a wreath as Cho says. - November 20, 2009 at 10:48 PM
- Priti said...
Shobha Mam, your writings are really great. The way you present things is very inspiring. I have read many of your blogs, and many a times, I do have opinions which are different, but your blogs really makes me thoughtful and I give a try to look at things from a new perspective.
Recently, I had watched your episodes on Koffee With Karan, I liked them. I liked the way you carry yourself.
So keep writing! - November 21, 2009 at 1:45 AM
- Anil Kumar said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- November 21, 2009 at 6:36 AM
- Anil Kumar said...
Sachin deserves all praise. He was a child prodigy when he faced Waqar younis and Imran khan at the age of 16. He is still a humble child at heart.
He must get Bharat Ratna for his cricketing abilities. But the other two who deserve Bharat ratna before him are Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev. These two excelled when there was hardly any support from other 9 players in the team.
As far as the international popularity of Sachin Tendulkar is concerned I think he can go unnoticed for weeks even in cricket playing countries like England, Australia and South Africa.
The press of UK and Australia ignore Sachin's achievements most of the time. So one can forget about his popularity in non cricket playing nations. While the Indian media does not have time for any other sport other than cricket. - November 21, 2009 at 6:36 AM
- George said...
I liked the way media took up the topic.. blasted it out of proportion...
- November 21, 2009 at 4:15 PM
- Unknown said...
yea its right very nice artice it is he trulty deserves bharat ratna......sachin rocks
- November 21, 2009 at 4:42 PM
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Uttam - November 22, 2009 at 7:19 PM
- Unknown said...
"The only other global sportsmen to come anywhere close to Sachin in terms of stature and reputation are Tiger Woods and Michael Schumacher."
Roger Federer? Sergey Bubka? Usain Bolt? ;-) - November 22, 2009 at 7:57 PM
- Pepperoni said...
Nice post. I'll only digress with you on your comment about Michael Schumacher. Probably one of the greatest drivers to grace Formula 1 but also one of the biggest (confirmed) cheats and poorest sports ever. Tiger Woods is exemplary and so is Michael Jordan, but not Schumacher
- November 22, 2009 at 8:46 PM
- kallekudiyan said...
couldn't agree more, it was wonderful to see Bal Thackerey losing a verbal duel, esp without Sachin even needing to retort...
- November 23, 2009 at 12:07 AM
- Unknown said...
A whole epic can be written in Sachin's praise. He is truly a man of substance...kudos Scahinji. I salute you. Yups Bharat Ratna must be bestowed on HIM ASAP...plus something new can be started in his name like an award, stamp, train, flight, etc. Or EVERYTHING!!!!
Excellent piece of advice by Hemant. Shobhaji plz implement it.
sports events in Chennai
sports events in Mumbai
sports events in Bangalore - November 24, 2009 at 12:01 PM
- Unknown said...
I am huge admirer of Sachin myself. However, I do feel that looking up to a particular person, or hero worshiping a person, is never a good idea. Be it Sachin, or anyone else. What one must do, is worship the qualities that make that person what he/she is. So that, even when that "near-perfect human" errs, people are not heart broken , they dont lose hope in good-ness.
(just a thought, not completely relevant to the post) :) - November 25, 2009 at 8:43 AM
- kakaka said...
BHARAT RATNA- That is reserved for Ambedkars and not Tendulkars -
True that. - January 17, 2010 at 11:10 AM
Nice Post - January 20, 2010 at 11:39 PM
- Ajit Rajak said...
"The only other global sportsmen to come anywhere close to Sachin in terms of stature and reputation are Tiger Woods and Michael Schumacher. "
Is it?
Tiger woods was in news for attending rehab - http://gazettebw.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5115:tiger-woods-in-sa-for-therapy&catid=20:timeout - January 21, 2010 at 11:22 AM
- Unknown said...
awesome ..simply awesome article on SACHIN.THANKS a LOT for that...:):)..100 % agreed to ur view on him...SACHIN truely deserves these praise & BHARAT RATNA...not only for his image & stature ..but also for his SEVERAL DEEDS/CHARITIES for the ORPHAN CHILDREN of APANALAYA & different places...
It's truely an WONDERFUL side of SACHIN's character...that's why HE IS GREAT..as a SPORTSMAN & beyond his SPORTSMANSHIP as a PERSON too..& for his DEEDS to this country & it's people...
SACHIN TENDULKAR is truely great & deserves BHARAT RATNA...
& after this WONDER ARTICLE..i have become ur fan too..:):)
thanks a lot & KUDOS to u for this nice ARTICLE..:):) - January 22, 2010 at 6:53 PM


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Are 24-Bit Downloads Good for Digital Music?
The Internet has come alive with cheers of audiophiles and jeers of audiophobes since CNN.com reported unconfirmed rumors that download services such as iTunes and Amazon MP3 would soon begin offering music files with 24-bit resolution. Technically, this is a step up from the 16-bit resolution available in most downloads. But predictably, non-audiophiles are criticizing this move as little more than a naked marketing ploy.
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Figuring Out Health News
Article Translations: (Spanish)
Jordan was gathering information for a research project on teens and suicide. She came across a news article about how some antidepressants increase the chances of suicidal thinking and behavior in kids and teens. Jordan was confused. How could a medicine that was supposed to help kids with depression actually make them feel worse? She was also worried because her sister was taking an antidepressant. After Jordan did some of her own research and looked into the issue further, though, she discovered things that set her mind at ease.
Often, news reports on health and medicine can be confusing — and sometimes they can be downright scary. How do you know what is important and accurate?
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To catch a viewer's attention, news reports sometimes make dramatic claims. In addition, medical news reports often focus on people's personal stories, not scientific studies. Personal stories are interesting, but often they don't prove anything about health or treatments in general. It takes a well-done study to do that. And sometimes these studies just aren't dramatic or exciting enough to make the news.
Questions to Consider
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For example:
Was the Study Done in People?
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It's also important for the study to follow patients long enough to be sure that a treatment really works, and that additional or more serious side effects don't develop over time.
There are lots of ways researchers look into new treatments and information that can help people stay healthier. Sometimes they look back at people's medical records or ask them questions to find out what might have put them at more (or less) risk for a health condition. Those studies, called retrospective studies, can provide useful clues, but they're only as reliable as a person's memory or the accuracy of medical records.
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It's rare for one study to be the final word. Medical knowledge comes from many studies done over time — and frequently there are contradictions along the way. Often, different studies of a particular treatment or condition, all done properly, can still have different (or even completely opposite) results.
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Where Do Reporters Get Their Stories?
Sometimes, reporters get their news stories by following what is published in medical journals. The best medical and scientific journals — like The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Pediatrics, Science, and Nature — carefully review studies before publishing them so the information is trustworthy.
These publications are written for the scientific community, and the language in them can be hard for people who aren't doctors or scientists to understand. News reporters who get their information from scientific journals might do a good job of explaining the study and what it means — but not always.
Some reporters don't always wait until something is published before reporting it as news. Sometimes reporters hear information from researchers before a study has even been published and they want to bring it to the public's attention quickly. Without a published study, though, a reporter may not have all the facts.
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Doing Your Own Research
You can get additional information about a news report on the Internet. Put keywords from the news report into a search engine and see what comes up. The results will give you lots of different perspectives — particularly if the issue is big news — so you're not relying on just one news report for the facts. You'll need to screen what you see, though. Many of the sites that show up in search results may not have the most accurate and up-to-date information.
On commercial websites (sites with URLs that end in .com), look to see if the site has advertising. If it does, it may be biased in favor of the advertiser. Of course, having advertising on a site doesn't necessarily mean it is biased. But if you're going to be a good "information consumer," you need to take that possibility into account.
Also check to see whether a doctor or other medical expert has reviewed the information you're reading, and whether the date on the information is recent.
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Getting Help
The best way to get a full understanding of medical news is to ask someone like a doctor or science teacher for help in figuring out what it all means.
Jordan talked to her science teacher about the antidepressant story. She helped Jordan understand that certain antidepressants (like the one Jordan's sister was taking) are OK for teens. She also helped her discover that the study results didn't mean all the teens in the study committed suicide while on the medication. In fact, in this study, none of the patients on the medication committed suicide. Instead, some reported thinking about suicide more. Jordan also learned about how important it is for teens on antidepressants to see their doctors regularly so their medications can be monitored and adjusted.
Reading or watching medical news isn't a substitute for seeing a doctor. Trying to diagnose yourself or changing or stopping your medicine based on something you've read or heard can be dangerous. News reports often focus only on the positive and don't mention the downsides, or side effects, of a medication or other treatment. Or they may report a dramatic or scary side effect of a medication that is really very rare, or fail to mention the large number of patients who might get very sick if they didn't take the drug. Your doctor can help you weigh the benefits and risks.
As Jordan discovered, understanding what's behind medical news can take away worry and concern. And knowing more can help you ask good questions about your own health when you see your doctor.
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
© 1995-2024 KidsHealth ® All rights reserved. Images provided by iStock, Getty Images, Corbis, Veer, Science Photo Library, Science Source Images, Shutterstock, and Clipart.com


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Krannert Art Museum presents Processing the Everyday, on view January 25 through April 28, 2013.
On a daily basis, we encounter a variety of stimuli that we consciously and unconsciously digest—a limitless combination of mass media imagery, banal and mundane objects, and other elements within our immediate physical surroundings. The works in this exhibition explore the different ways we navigate these occurrences of the everyday by highlighting both subtle and deliberate processes of art making, directly calling attention to particular aspects while, at other times, slowly revealing them. It is the close examination of the artwork's process that grants us a way into understanding and perceiving our own everyday life.
Starting in the 1950s with the rise of television and a growing consumerist culture, society became inundated with advertisements and other constructed images, forcing artists to seek not only new ways of defining art but also bringing attention to how social and cultural context constructs meaning and perception. Today, artists continue to investigate the changing contexts of art as our current technological advances and instant accessibility to information have the potential to blur the relationship between life and art. Focused on the latter half of the twentieth century, Processing the Everyday features works by William Anastasi, Sam Jury, Ed Ruscha, and Andy Warhol, among others. – www.kam.illinois.edu


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About this Artist
One of the hottest properties in classical music, MILOŠ came to international attention in 2011 with his debut album The Guitar (Mediterráneo) which, in the space of just a few months, topped classical charts around the world, became an internationally best selling sensation and earned Miloš Gramophone's prestigious Young Artist of the Year Award.
An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon recording artist, Miloš Karadaglić released his second album Latino (Pasión) in 2012 and went on to receive both Classic Brit (UK) and Echo Klassik (Germany) awards. Reviewing the album Gramophone commented "Karadaglić is a guitarist of superior musical and technical gifts who allows his personality to sing through the music with taste and intelligence" and The Daily Telegraph added "this new Latin American programme is outstanding in its finesse, warm sensuality and sheer beauty." Latino proved so successful that it was subsequently re-released as Latino GOLD featuring 30 minutes of newly recorded tracks from a wealth of Latin American inspired music. Meanwhile MILOŠ: HEARTSTRINGS, a documentary filmed throughout 2012 and which charts the guitarist's story to date, has been released on DVD and aired on numerous TV stations.
His much anticipated third album, Aranjuez, was released on Deutsche Grammophon/Mercury Classics in February and includes Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez and Fantasía para un Gentilhombre, recorded with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
2012-13 was the breakthrough year on the concert stage for Miloš with sold-out debut performances and tours around the word. "Part of the reason Karadaglić has such a large following" commented the Western Australian "is his ability to straddle both hardcore classical and pop classical camps." This was echoed by the London press following his celebrated Royal Albert Hall debut of which The Guardian commented "More extraordinary by far, however, was the way a single guitarist, playing an intimate and understated set, and equipped with a single microphone and some clever lighting, could shrink the Hall's cavernous space into something so close." The Independent concluded: "Defying its many critics to offer a dramatic and rounded evening of classical music, the guitar itself was the breakout star here – a sleight of hand that makes Karadaglić not only a magician, but a serious and accomplished musician".
Miloš' passion for the guitar is matched with an intuitive sense of how to bring the instrument across to his public – whether it be for an audience of 3000 in the Royal Albert Hall or an intimate chamber music performance for 100 people. He enjoys performing in the major concert halls as much as in non-traditional venues such as New York's Le Poisson Rouge, London's Camden Roundhouse (iTunes Festival) and Deutsche Grammophon's Yellow Lounge club nights in London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Madrid, New York and Seoul.
The 2013-14 season promises to take Miloš to new heights, with extensive tours throughout Europe, America and the Middle East, both in recital and concerto performances. He will appear with the Chicago Symphony at the Ravinia Festival, Philadelphia Orchestra at Saratoga, London Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, as well as appearances at prestigious festivals such as Cheltenham (UK), Gstaad (Switzerland), Nits di Clàssica (Spain) and Rheingau (Germany).
Born in Montenegro in 1983, Miloš Karadaglić first started playing the guitar at the age of 8. When he was 17 he successfully applied for a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music and moved to London where he continues to live while keeping close ties with his family and homeland. Miloš is a passionate supporter of music education and acts as a Patron of the Mayor of London Fund for Young Musicians and the charity Awards for Young Musicians.
He uses D'Addario J 46 strings and plays a 2007 Greg Smallman guitar, kindly lent to him by Paul and Jenny Gillham.


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Operation Napoleon
Arnaldur Indriđason: Translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb
Harvill Secker
Written with military precision, Operation Napoleon is set in Iceland in 1945. The mystery immediately unfolds with a German bomber flying over a glacial landscape containing both German and American officers, offering no explanation. As one of the German officers leaves the fuselage to find help at a nearby settlement, he disappears with a mysterious briefcase still handcuffed to his wrist.
Indriđason's style never reveals too much, instead, the narrative unfolds so that the reader follows the ambiguity along with Kristin, the sister of an Icelandic man caught up in the cover-up over 50 years later, as she searches for the truth about her brother. More discrepancies about the plane and its conflicting allegiances surface as the truth about Operation Napoleon is uncovered.
Operation Napoleon is a intriguing novel, bleak and harsh in its description of cold, military narratives. Rather than using excessive language and unnecessary description, Indriđason chooses a minimal style, which drip-feeds the details and keeps the reader guessing.
Sophie Gordon


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When Kara Counard staged a photography exhibit at the ARTgarage in Green Bay this summer, she interviewed and photographed 33 subjects — women from the ages of 89-100 years old. She called it the Women Over 90 Project.
To give more volume to the exhibit, Kara brought in a group of fifth grade girls. The young people visited a nursing home and interviewed and photographed women in their 90s.
"The girls' photos and stories were alongside mine in the show," Kara says. "The project both empowered young girls and drew attention to the stories and lives of these beautiful subjects."
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Hood River, Oregon – Full Sail Brewing has just announced the release of a new rotating line of classic ales called the Pub Series. "Anyone lucky enough to stop for a pint at our Pub in Hood River, Oregon, will tell you: It's a spectacular place to share a beer with friends. The Full Sail Pub Series is our attempt to capture that experience a bottle and share it with all our customers who have not had a chance to see us first hand. We can offer you a taste of our pub in this rotating series of classic ales previously enjoyed only by our guests at the brewery. Each selection will be available for only 90 days before the next gets its turn to shine. Just like each epic season in the Gorge," said Irene Firmat, Full Sail Brewing's Founder and CEO.
The first beer in the series is Nut Brown Ale, a smooth, malty & easy drinking dark beer. "After a long day on the mountain carving turns in deep powder, snowboarders and skiers make their way down the mountain to warm up and relive all those great runs in our pub. Our British-style Nut Brown Ale helps fuel the stories of deep powder and epic yard sales. The combination of 2-row pale, crystal, and chocolate malts impart an array of malt and chocolate flavors in a medium bodied ale with an extremely smooth palate. Nut Brown Ale drinks smooth and easy so those epic tales can go on and on. Fuggle and Mt. Hood hops contribute a slightly spicy aroma and finish to complement this beer's malt character," said Jamie Emmerson, Full Sail Brewing's Executive Brewmaster. Nut Brown Ale is available in 6-packs and on draft for 90 days only from January to March when the next beer in the series will be released. ABV 6.0% IBU 31


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I could forget how it's spelled:
Well, thank goodness for the poo tornado; how else would we know what the occasion is?
If you work in communications, I could get you a poo turkey and misspell your department name:
I could put a military spin on things:
I could try to avoid the spelling hazards in "thanksgiving" by skipping the word all together:
Oh! Or here's an idea: I could avoid actual decorating all together, and use a mound of Dollar Store flotsam chucked in your cake's general direction to convey the appropriate sentiment:
Or, I could simply assault you with a visage of such horror that nightmares of it may well plague you for the rest of your natural-born life:
Theresa, Michelle H., Becky O., Denise M., Mike A., Chris O., & Vicky J., fingers crossed that you each get a "happy tank" today.
- Related Wreckage: Teasers for the Coming Seasons
Note- For those of you pointing it out, yes we do know that Autumn is misspelled. That's kind of the point.


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3 months after Sandy, victims waiting for relief
NEW YORK — Devon Lawrence neatly stacked bricks on the gas burner of his kitchen stove and turned up the blue flame, creating a sort of radiator that warmed the ice-cold room.
His two-story house in the Far Rockaway section of Queens hasn't had working heat since Superstorm Sandy's floodwaters destroyed the oil burner in the basement. Now mold is growing upstairs because the house has been cold and damp for so long.
Lawrence wakes early every morning to heat the bricks and light a kerosene space heater while his 75-year-old mother sits in bed in a hat and gloves.
"That way she doesn't freeze," said Lawrence, a former Army medic who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. "Even the dog is cold."
Three months after Sandy struck, thousands of storm victims in New York and New Jersey are stuck in limbo. Waiting for the heat to come on, for insurance money to come through, for loans to be approved. Waiting, in a broader sense, for their upended lives to get back to normal.
While Congress passed a $50.5 billion emergency aid package on Monday, many say the rebuilding has been complicated over the past several weeks by bureaucracy. Some people are still living in mold-infested homes, while others are desperately trying to persuade the city to tear theirs down. Illegal immigrants who don't qualify for federal aid are struggling to scrape by. Small businesses are shutting down in neighborhoods where nobody seems to shop anymore.
Federal officials say they understand the frustration and are working as quickly as possible to compensate people for their losses and rebuild.
"The infrastructure and the homes that were in place that Sandy took away took a lot longer than 90 days to be built up and put into place," said Michael Byrne, who is overseeing the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Sandy response in New York state. "If there's any assurances I can give folks that feel that way, we're not leaving until we get it done."
The Oct. 29 storm damaged or destroyed 305,000 housing units and disrupted more than 265,000 businesses in New York state. About 14,000 housing units have been repaired so far through New York City's Rapid Repairs program. In New Jersey, 346,000 housing units were destroyed or damaged, and 190,000 businesses affected. Nearly 18,000 households have received aid for repairs from FEMA.
"This is a war zone down here still," said Donna Graziano, who has been running a 24-hour relief hub near the beach on Staten Island in a tiny white tent heated by a generator. "This looks no better than it did three months ago."
On a recent snowy evening, at least a dozen people huddled over plates of food in Graziano's tent, which has become a gathering place where displaced residents can exchange greetings and get daily updates.
"This is three months now. And we're still fighting," said Nicole Chati, who is waging a battle to convince the city that her flood-damaged home must be torn down. "And we're still filling out more paperwork. And we're still cutting more red tape."
Chati said two contractors have advised her that it would be safer to demolish the home rather than try to salvage what's left of it. But the city's Buildings Department disagreed.
Along with her husband, 7-year-old daughter and mother, Chati is renting a basement apartment with aid from FEMA. But the family can't move forward with plans to rebuild until the house comes down.
"I had to hire my own engineer, my own architect, to prove that my house is caving in on itself," she said.
Government officials and nonprofit groups could not provide numbers on exactly how many people are still living in damaged homes, but stories abound in neighborhoods that suffered the worst flooding.
The furniture is still wet and the curtains are black with mold in Pura Gonzalo's Far Rockaway home, where the 89-year-old Cuban immigrant says she has throat problems and feels exhausted.
"My son tried to clean the basement as much as he could, but the mold is still there," said Gonzalo, who lives with her son, Jorge. "I feel very frustrated seeing my home like this, but I don't have the strength in my body to do anything anymore. I feel sick."
Anthony DiFrancisco refuses to move his family of seven out of his mold-infested ranch home on Staten Island. Until about two weeks ago, the family had been living without heat or hot water, relying on electric heaters to keep warm and showering at friends' homes.
"We're cleaning the mold as we go," he said. "I'm cleaning it with the bleach and doing it a little bit at a time, so we don't kill everybody."
Mold remediation usually requires people to move out of their homes for days at a time, and the job can cost as much as $15,000. Some homeowners complain that the lump-sum payments they get from FEMA aren't big enough to cover mold removal along with rent and all the other things that need to be repaired.
Advocates for immigrants and other poor storm victims say many people have also been subjected to the whims of corrupt landlords who aren't repairing flood damage and are still demanding the rent.
Norma Mancia, a Salvadoran immigrant, lost precious documents when her Far Rockaway home flooded. Because she lives illegally in the U.S., she hasn't received any FEMA money. Her destroyed furniture is still piled up in the backyard.
"We lost all the receipts and papers we could need in case we have the opportunity of solving our legal status here," said Mancia, who has received only $500 in aid from a local church. "I have cried a lot."
The past three months haven't been easy for small-business owners like Violet Sanabria, whose flower shop in Hoboken, N.J., was filled with floating lilies and roses when the water rushed in. Sanabria spent weeks cleaning up Vera's Flower Shop, where she has worked for seven years and officially became the owner — a long-coveted dream — on Nov. 1.
She has yet to receive any insurance money.
"The storm just killed everything," she said. "We used to make 24 orders a day. Now we're down to one if we're lucky."
Sanabria fears she may have to close the shop. "When are we going to see the light?" she asked.
On Staten Island, Chati visits her sodden little bungalow every day in a ritual that keeps her going and renews her resolve to rebuild.
"Sometimes I curse at it," she said. "Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I just look at it in disbelief."


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Washington (AP) — Ten years after Congress gave the go-ahead to modernize the nation's air traffic control system, one of the government's most ambitious and complex technology programs is in trouble.
The Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen, was promoted as a way to accommodate an anticipated surge in air travel, reduce fuel consumption and improve safety and efficiency. By shifting from radar-based navigation and radio communications — technologies rooted in the first half of the 20th century — to satellite-based navigation and digital communications, it would handle three times as many planes with half as many air traffic controllers by 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration promised.
Planes would fly directly to their destinations using GPS technology instead of following indirect routes to stay within the range of ground stations. They would continually broadcast their exact positions, not only to air traffic controllers, but to other similarly equipped aircraft. For the first time, pilots would be able to see on cockpit displays where they were in relation to other planes. That would enable planes to safely fly closer together, and even shift some of the responsibility for maintaining a safe separation of planes from controllers to pilots.
But almost nothing has happened as FAA officials anticipated.
Increasing capacity is no longer as urgent as it once seemed. The 1 billion passengers a year the FAA predicted by 2014 has now been shoved back to 2027. Air traffic operations — takeoffs, landings and other procedures — are down 26 percent from their peak in 2000, although chronic congestion at some large airports can slow flights across the country.
Difficulties have cropped up at almost every turn, from new landing procedures that were impossible for some planes to fly to aircraft-tracking software that misidentified planes. Key initiatives are experiencing delays and are at risk of cost overruns.
And the agency still lacks "an executable plan" for bringing NextGen fully online, according to a government watchdog.
"In the early stages, the message seemed to be that NextGen implementation was going to be pretty easy: You're going to flip a switch, you're going to get NextGen, we're going to get capacity gains," said Christopher Oswald, vice president for safety and regulatory affairs at Airports Council International-North America. "It wasn't realistically presented."
Some airline officials, frustrated that they haven't seen promised money-saving benefits, say they want better results before they spend more to equip planes to use NextGen, a step vital to its success.
Lawmakers, too, are frustrated. NextGen has enjoyed broad bipartisan support in Congress, but with the government facing another round of automatic spending cuts, supporters fear the program will be increasingly starved for money.
"It's hard not to be worried about NextGen funding … because it's a future system," said Marion Blakey, who was the head of the FAA when the program was authorized by Congress in 2003 and now leads a trade association that includes NextGen contractors. "There is a temptation to say the priority is keeping the existing systems humming and we'll just postpone NextGen."
In September, a government-industry advisory committee recommended that, given the likelihood of budget cuts, the FAA should concentrate on just 11 NextGen initiatives that are ready or nearly ready to come online. It said the rest of the 150 initiatives that fall under NextGen can wait.
"You can't have an infrastructure project that is the equivalent of what the (interstate) highway program was back in the '50s and the '60s and take this ad hoc, hodgepodge approach to moving this thing forward," said Air Line Pilots Association First Vice President Sean Cassidy, who helped draft the recommendations.
The threat of funding cuts comes just as NextGen is nearing a tipping point where economic and other benefits should start to multiply if only the FAA and industry would persevere, said Alaska Airlines Chairman Bill Ayers, a supporter.
Responding to industry complaints, the FAA has zeroed in on an element of NextGen that promises near-term benefits: new procedures that save time and fuel in landings while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Planes equipped with highly calibrated GPS navigation are able fly precise, continuous descents on low power all the way to the runway rather than the customary and time-consuming stair-step approaches in which pilots repeatedly decrease power to descend and then increase power to level off.
Last spring, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport became the first large airport where airlines can consistently use one of the new procedures. Known as HAWKS, the procedure shortens the approach from the southwest by about 42 miles. Multiplied over many planes every day it adds to up to significant savings, an enticing prospect for airlines, which typically operate on razor-thin profit margins.
Alaska, with a major hub in Seattle, estimates new procedures there will eventually cut the airline's fuel consumption by 2.1 million gallons annually and reduce carbon emissions by 24,250 tons, the equivalent of taking 4,100 cars off the road every year. Fuel is the biggest expense for most airlines.
In Atlanta, more precise navigation procedures have increased the number of departure paths that planes can fly at the same time, enabling takeoffs to double from one every two minutes to one every minute. That has freed up an additional runway for arrivals, said Dale Wright, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association's safety and technology director.
FAA Administrator Michael Huerta says NextGen is on track despite the troubles.
"It's a significant transformation that we're making," he told The Associated Press. "I would hope it would be moving faster as well, but we have a very large, a very complex system, and we're making great progress."
But even use of the GPS-based procedures has been slowed by unforeseen problems. It takes several years to develop each procedure airport by airport. At large airports, new procedures are used only sporadically. During busy periods, controllers don't have time to switch back and forth between the new procedures, which most airliners can use, and older procedures that regional airliners and smaller planes often must still use. Consequently, older procedures are used because all planes can fly them.
At six large airports in Chicago, New York and Washington, only 3 percent of eligible flights have used the new procedures, Calvin Scovel, the Transportation Department's inspector general, told a congressional hearing in July. Many other NextGen initiatives "are still in the early stages of development," he said.
Another important NextGen initiative would replace radio communications between controllers and pilots with text messaging and digital downloads. Radio frequencies are often crowded, and information sometimes must be repeated because of mistakes or words not heard. Digital communications are expected to be safer and more efficient.
But airlines are reluctant to make additional investments in new communications equipment for planes until the FAA shows NextGen can deliver greater benefits like fuel savings from more precise procedures, said Dan Elwell, a senior vice president at Airlines for America, a trade association for major carriers.
Southwest Airlines spent more than $100 million in 2007 to equip its planes to use the new procedures. The airline expected to recoup its investment by 2011, but is still not there, primarily because of the FAA's slow pace, said Rick Dalton, Southwest's director of air space and flow management.
NextGen was originally forecast to cost $40 billion, split between government and industry, and to be completed by 2025. But an internal FAA report estimates it will cost three times that much and take 10 years longer to complete, Scovel said. FAA officials have largely stopped talking about end dates and completion costs as the technologies that make up NextGen continue to evolve. The agency currently spends about $800 million a year on the program.
"When we're talking about NextGen, it's like we're talking about the atmosphere," Cassidy said. "It's tough to pin down exactly what NextGen is in terms of the technologies and the cost of the technologies because, frankly, they're changing all the time."
Hopefully the FAA can make a "mid-course correction" to get NextGen on track, said Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., a supporter. "We shouldn't give up on the effort because I think everybody understands there is a lot of benefit to it."
But he's concerned that more delays in the program "could force us to rename it LastGen."
Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy


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How to Debunk Christianity
Is that not the hoot! No doubt everyone is deceived if you talk to conservatives. I even saw a recent video where during a church service a preacher had his parishioners come forward and they were asked to rip apart any Bible they had except the King James Version. Not even the New King James Version was acceptable.
One Christian group thinks the others are deceived while other groups think likewise about them.
I have several Systematic Theology textbooks, including one by H. Wayne House, called Charts of Christian Theology & Doctrine. In it he charts the denominations of course, but he also has charts of five models of revelation, six views of inspiration, five views of the Trinity [I have a used book and on the "Orthodox Trinitarian" view the previous owner, presumably a student, penciled in "Us!!"], three views of "tongues," four views of the nature of man, three views on original sin, five views of salvation, nine views of the atonement, five views of sanctification, four views on water baptism, four views of the Lord's Supper, four views of the rapture, four views of the millennium, and so on.
Rich Knopp at Lincoln Christian University, my Alma mater, is using my book, WIBA, in his college and master's level classes on apologetics. As students read through it they are asked to notice any contradictions they see within the text. When I first heard about this I was puzzled, but not any more. For in one part I argue as if God has foreknowledge of human actions while in another part of it I argue that God doesn't have this kind of foreknowledge. Contradiction? No, not here. It's just that I'm arguing that if God has foreknowledge he should be able to foreknow and answer prayers that haven't yet been prayed, but in fact I don't believe God can have this kind of foreknowledge along with other Christians. Does this debunk Christianity? Well, not those who affirm Open Theism since I at one time embraced this view. But I do argue against them on other issues, especially when it comes to the logical choices that open theists have not sufficiently dealt with on page 81, where I use Paul Helm's argument against it.
And here is the problem. When it comes to Christianity I agree with the Protestant criticisms of the Catholics as well as the Catholic criticisms of the Protestants. And I also agree with the fundamentalist criticisms of the liberals as well as the liberal criticisms of the fundamentalists. And I agree with the Hindu, Muslim and Jewish criticisms of Christianity, as well as the Christian criticisms against their religions. When they criticize each other I think they're all right! What's left is the demise of religion and Christianity as a whole.
So in order to make my case I represent contrary theological positions against other theologies. If someone wants to argue Pat Robertson was wrong when he said the Haitians deserved what they got then I must argue that he stands squarely in the Christian tradition. He's not stupid. He's more consistent than those other Christians who are denouncing him. But by doing so I'm called stupid by these other Christians who denounce him as stupid. I'm not being stupid. These other Christians fail to realize that Robertson's views were standard fare among Christians at one time, and are still held today by a lot of people who donate money to Robertson's ministry. They're all stupid, right? They are all deceived, right? That's what more enlightened Christians say and it reminds me of that Church of Christ chart above.
So at this point about all I can do is argue that if God exists he is at least partially to blame for people not understanding his will, as I did for a long chapter in The Christian Delusion. This is a serious problem for the Christian faith given the horrible deeds the church did down through the centuries, and the fact that one denomination condemns to hell a different one.
Robert G. Ingersoll said:
Every [Christian] sect is a certificate that God has not plainly revealed His will to man. To each reader the Bible conveys a different meaning. About the meaning of this book, called a revelation, there have been ages of war and centuries of sword and flame. If written by an infinite God, He must have known that these results must follow; and thus knowing, He must be responsible for all.Friedrich Nietzsche said:
A god who is all-knowing and all-powerful and who does not even make sure his creatures understand his intention—could that be a god of goodness? Who allows countless doubts and dubieties to persist, for thousands of years, as though the salvation of mankind were unaffected by them, and who on the other hand holds out the prospect of frightful consequences if any mistake is made as to the nature of truth? . . . Did he perhaps lack intelligence to do so? Or the eloquence? Must he not then . . . be able to help and counsel [his creatures], except in the manner of a deaf man making all kinds of ambiguous signs when the most fearful danger is about to befall on his child or dog?Should't this be good enough?
[First posted 2/17/10]


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A jukebox musical featuring the music of popular songwriter Diane Warren is aiming for Broadway. No casting, creative team or timeline for the currently untitled musical have been announced at this time.
"I greatly admire the incredible shows and performances that have come from Broadway," Warren said in a statement. "It has always been a thrill for me to write for musical artists who began their careers on the New York stage and I'm so happy that my songs will be part of a new musical."
Warren has received a Grammy Award, Golden Globe Award and six Oscar nominations for her songwriting. She has worked with artists including Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, Elton John, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Ricky Martin, Faith Hill, Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, Carrie Underoowd, LeAnn Rimes, Jennifer Hudson and more. Her many hit songs include "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," "If I Could Turn Back Time," "How Do I Live," "Unbreak My Heart," "Because You Loved Me" and more.
Smash producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are also currently working on a new TV series based on Warren's music.
Put a little Cher in your afternoon by watching the show biz legend perform Warren's "If I Could Turn Back Time" below!


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This year's flu vaccine looks like it's not doing much to protect older people. New numbers in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the vaccine has only been effective about a quarter of the time for people 65 and older. NPR's Rob Stein joins me to explain what that means. And Rob, tell us more about these numbers coming from the CDC.
ROB STEIN, BYLINE: Right. The latest numbers show that overall the vaccine appears to be about 56 percent effective for everybody, for the entire population, which is about average for a flu vaccine. So that's doing pretty well. But for the elderly it's a very different picture. Overall, for the elderly, it's only, as you said, about 27 percent effective. And the most surprising thing, and the kind of disturbing thing, is that it's only about 9 percent effective for the main strain that's out there that's circulating and causing the most illness.
So for most elderly people, they're really getting very little, if any, protection from this year's vaccine.
BLOCK: And what explains why that is? Does the CDC understand why the vaccine has been so ineffective for the elderly population?
STEIN: Well, the elderly never respond to flu vaccines as well as younger people. And the reason for that is, like a lot of parts of our body, their immune systems just aren't as vigorous as they used to be, so when they're presented with the vaccine, they just don't mount as strong an immune response. And in this case, scientists really don't know why this year's response is even weaker than usual.
One possibility is that they've been exposed to the virus in this year's vaccine many times, so their immune systems have just sort of gotten used to it and so they just don't react to it as strongly as one might hope. But that's just speculation. There's a lot of research that will be needed to really understand what's going on this year.
BLOCK: Well, for elderly people out there who haven't gotten the flu shot this year and are still thinking about getting it, what would you tell them? Should they bother?
STEIN: Yeah, the officials are still recommending that elderly people do go out and get vaccinated and that's because the elderly are among those who really are at the highest risk for life-threatening complications from the flu, so it's really important that they do everything possible to protect themselves. And, you know, at least some protection is better than no protection and also, the parts of the vaccine that protect against other viruses that are circulating seems to be working pretty well.
And there's always the possibility of that those viruses could become more common as this year progresses.
BLOCK: Rob, are there lessons here about how well flu vaccines work and what could be done to make them work better?
STEIN: It really does illustrate that we really have a lot more work to do to make flu vaccines work better. And there already is a relatively new vaccine that's on the market that provides higher doses of vaccine for the elderly and that does seem to produce a more vigorous immune system response. Whether that translates into more protection, we still don't know. But it might and researchers are looking at that.
And down the road, there's a lot of research going on to try to improve the vaccine's effectiveness, including adding what they call aggivants(ph) to the vaccines to boost the immune system response.
BLOCK: And last thing here, Rob, besides getting vaccinated this year, what else should the elderly know about the flu?
STEIN: Well, the reason why the CDC is putting out these numbers and trying to draw attention to them is so that elderly people know that even if they did get the vaccine, they may not be protected. And so if they show any symptoms for the flu, they really should go see their doctor right away and get treated.
BLOCK: Okay. NPR health correspondent Rob Stein. Rob, thanks.
STEIN: Oh, sure. Thanks for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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WASHINGTON – United States Helsinki Commission Co-Chairman Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) today decried the cruel and unjust treatment of a Baptist minister in Turkmenistan, who reportedly is being tortured in prison.
"It sickens me to learn of the persecution of Baptist minister Shagildy Atakov, who, we believe, is being held prisoner and tortured because of his faith," Smith said. "According to the most recent information we have, Atakov told his wife he does not expect to survive his mistreatment."
"I urge the international diplomatic community to join me in calling for his immediate release," Smith continued. "And I pray that Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov will release Reverend Atakov immediately and unconditionally."
The Reverend Shagildy Atakov was arrested on December 18, 1998 at his home in Turkmenbashi and charged with "fraud." On March 19, 1999, Atakov was fined $12,000 and sentenced to two years in prison. The average monthly wage in Turkmenistan is about $30.
Despite his conviction for an allegedly criminal offense, government officials have reportedly pressured Atakov and his family members to renounce their religious faith. Reverend Atakov has been subjected to brutal beatings and torture by prison officials.
After Atakov's second trial, set for July 21, 1999, was postponed because he had been too weakened by severe beatings, prosecutors increased his prison sentence by an additional two years and raised his fine by another $12,000.
In November 1999, Atakov was sent to a punishment cell for 15 days at Seydy labor camp. In March 2000, he was sent to a punishment cell for one month. Atakov suffered symptoms of a heart attack last December, after which he was again sent to a punishment cell and severely beaten. The minister was reportedly so severely beaten during one round of torture that he was temporarily blinded.
Today, Atakov's life is in severe danger. The latest reports indicate that he told his wife on her recent visit that he does not expect to survive his abuse.
Amnesty International issued an urgent alert on Monday, urging Atakov's release.
In numerous letters to President Niyazov, Smith has urged Atakov's release. Turkmenistan's Government routinely responds that the minister committed "defrauding actions toward the citizens of Turkmenistan and The Russian Federation by illegally possessing their properties and money," and that his "conviction…has nothing to [do] with his religious beliefs."
However, Turkmenistan is the most repressive country in the former USSR. Under President Niyazov's iron-handed rule, Turkmenistan, as an OSCE participating State since 1992, remains a one-party police state which observes no human rights commitments. In the last few years, the government has noticeably stepped up harassment of religious communities and persecution of believers. In November1999, authorities demolished a Seventh-Day Adventist Church in the capital city, Ashgabat, after having destroyed a Hare Krishna temple.
In January, two political prisoners were amnestied, after recanting on television and praising President Niyazov.