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Home > GMA > Recipes Home > Linda Irby's Peanut Butter and Sweet Pickle Sandwich
Linda Irby's Peanut Butter and Sweet Pickle Sandwich
Recipe Courtesy of Linda Irby of Gainesville, Fla.
From the kitchen of Linda Irby
Difficulty: Easy
Cook Time: min
Cooking Directions
Spread peanut butter on one slice of bread, and top with slice Gherkins in a single layer.
Top with remaining slice of bread and cut diagonally in half.
Recipe Summary
Main Ingredients: bread, peanut butter, pickle
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Last night's loss to Portland again showcased some of the disturbing trends that need to be discussed:
1. First Quarter Conceding: home team allowed a 'back to back', tired, and from a different time zone team to come on with more energy, better solutions, and to dominate both offence and defence
2. Comebacks: all of the last 5 victories came in a fashion of a last moment push back, including games against Nets and Wizards. All of those games could have turned to be losses.
3. Poor Coaching Decisions: Triano and his team continue to make mistakes when it comes down to making simple coaching decisions
- ignore makeups of the opposing teams, and adjust selection of the players for the starting unit.
- insisting on keeping certain players in when they are utterly ineffective, while not trying out other bench options. Case in point last night, Triano kept Derozan in during the third quarter for a prolonged time, after the player offered a sequence of missed jump shot, turnover, foul, and sitting in the corner pocket awaiting to be served.
- working on a relationship with referrees: no other team has been victimized more than our home team by the biased officiating in NBA. Triano's reactions to this phenomena are meek, no more than a few quiet words uttered and a few face grimasses offered, in a fashion of a small child refusing oatmeal for breakfast.
4. Offensive Modes: what does it take to make a rule on this team, that jump shots are risky business and not welcomed proposition? Don't you think players like Sony Weems and D. Derozan should try driving through traffic few times, even at a risk of being bumped or fouled? Enough already with jumpshots, all of them, starting from Rasho down to Weems! Your appearances are semblance of able bodied men, and therefore, go to the basket, enough already with the f*****g jump shots. If J. Jack has enough propensity and sanity to realize that getting to the basket is the way to go, I do not understand why Triano is not saying in the huddle: "STOP THE SENSLESS SHOOTING. GET TO THE BASKET. NOW. PERIOD." instead of last night's: "We got energy. Keep the energy." What is he coaching? Ants colony?
5. More to come.

subset: commoncrawl


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ATU led the first set 25-21, only to have the Lady Bisons take the next three sets 26-24, 25-12, and 25-16.
Junior Amber Cerrillos dished out a game-high 44 assists. She also added seven digs. Defensively, freshman Morgan McKellar totaled 25 digs, while senior Lindsey Layes had 15 digs and three service aces. Freshman Kaci Jackson had 11 digs and eight kills. White also added two service aces and seven digs.
Ryan notched a new GAC Tournament record for the highest hitting percentage with .591. She hit 14 kills in 22 attempts against the Lady Bisons. The previous record was from Southern Arkansas' Courtney Smith, who had a .524 hitting percentage last year in the GAC Tournament.
ATU's Cerrillos and McKellar were named to the all-tournament team.
The Golden Suns conclude their season with a 27-10 overall record, an 11-3 conference record and runner-ups in the 2012 GAC Volleyball Tournament.


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Back on Apr. 25, in a column meant to justify why the Packers needed to use the NFL Draft to find reinforcements in the trenches, Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel pointed a metaphorical finger at defensive lineman Ryan Pickett.
"Pickett, 33, and entering his 13th season, is nearing the end," wrote McGinn. "He reported two weeks ago overweight and out of shape."
Nothing in the Journal Sentinel flies under the radar as the most widely circulated newspaper in Wisconsin. And when something comes from the Hall of Fame honored beat writer, it becomes as close to gospel as you can get in Packers Nation.
That's why it's curious when a report published yesterday from Drew Smith of Fox 11 in Green Bay nearly flew in the face of McGinn's earlier commentary.
According to Smith:
Usually, the Green Bay Packer defensive lineman treats the end of the season like school is out, but this offseason he decided to eat a little more healthily.
"It's good eating," said Pickett. "Normally in the offseason, when the season is over, I'm like, 'Yes! I'm gonna go get some burgers, do this and that.' This year, I took a different approach. I just want to be healthy, not just for this year, but the rest of my life. I've got a lot of folks I need to be around for."
Pickett was encouraged by his wife, who encouraged him to pay more attention to what he ate in the offseason. As a result, Pickett says he came back to the Packers almost 10 pounds under his listed weight of 338 and almost 20 under his true playing weight.
Of course, this assumes you take Pickett at his word. It wouldn't exactly be in his best interests to admit to being out of shape, but there's no reason to believe he's telling a flat-out lie either.
At 33 years old Pickett is obviously closer to the end of his career than the beginning. But even in his 12th season in the NFL in 2012, there didn't appear to be any drop off in his play. He had 51 tackles last season, the most he's racked up in a single season since 2006.
Pickett never has been a flashy player, the type that racks up a bunch of sacks. But you have to realize that's not been part of his job description. Never has been and never will be.
Instead, Pickett is a two-gapping run stuffer. He's the guy that keeps blockers off the linebackers, and he's among the best in the business at doing what he does.
In fact, Pickett is the answer to the trivia question, "Who was the last player the Packers used the franchise tag on?" Raise your hand if you remember that. It happened back in 2010, and people tend to forget about it because it didn't take long for Pickett to come to terms on a four-year, nearly $25 million contract extension with the team at the time.
If that's not evidence of how highly regarded Pickett is for doing the dirty work in Green Bay, I don't know what is.
Among Pickett's best qualities are his dependability and his hustle, especially for a man of his size. He's typically missed a handful of games per season, but he did play in and start all 16 games last season.
And it's always been amazing to watch Pickett run after ball carriers sideline to sideline in spite of his size. Weighing over 340 lbs., he doesn't always track them down, but he always gives an honest effort.
Because of these reasons, it's probably not worth being worried that Pickett could possibly be out of shape. In the seven seasons he's played for the Packers, he's never shown any signs of being a conditioning concern by the time the season rolls around, at least to my knowledge.
Defensive line coach Mike Trgovac doesn't appear to be showing any concern.
"Pickett, I think in the five years I've been here, I think this is the lightest he's come in," said Trgovac during an NFL Draft press conference.
McGinn certainly wasn't unjustified about the Packers needing to add help on the defensive line, but it had as much to do with five defensive linemen having expiring contracts following the 2013 season than it did with Pickett specifically.
Pickett is one of those five players who's entering the final year of his deal, but that should only add to his motivation if he hopes to play in the NFL beyond this season.
As a side note, it's interesting to see how the Packers are approaching the offseason in response to the 579 yards of offense Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers put up in their playoff loss last season.
From Smith:
It helps the offseason program includes more conditioning drills than normal, as coach Mike McCarthy wants his team to be better equipped to play the athletic quarterbacks they will see early in their season, with the 49ers and the Redskins their first two games.
That should only help Pickett and the rest of the team stay in shape.
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Vermont school energy perspective
It is time to consider a major change in how we address the need to upgrade the energy using systems in our public schools in order to reduce costs and improve the learning environment. Creating a state-wide initiative to carry out all cost-effective energy saving measures would allow these significant public benefits.
January 2013 marks the twentieth anniversary of the School Energy Management Program, or SEMP, which has helped Vermont schools improve their energy usage since its inception. The anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on how schools in Vermont are using energy, how the program assisted them, and to consider better ways to respond to our schools' needs.
SEMP was created at the Vermont Superintendents Association in 1993 as a means of working with Vermont schools to help improve energy usage. As director of the program for the last seven years, I have performed more than four hundred energy audits of Vermont school buildings and have been involved in all energy issues that affect schools. It is no surprise that our state's schools, varying widely in size and in age, also vary in efficiency and in energy use and needs.
When it comes to energy efficiency, we have made significant progress. A recent study by Vermont Energy Investment Corporation has found that Vermont schools, on average, consume less energy than schools nationally and less energy than they were using five years ago. The study also found that schools that recently used the SEMP program used an average of 16 percent less electricity than those that did not; a separate study indicated similar fuel savings following the SEMP visit and report.
With the combined efforts of SEMP, Efficiency Vermont, and committed school personnel, most Vermont schools now have efficient lighting systems and better facilities management. In addition, Vermont leads the nation with about 30 percent of our public school children attending woodchip heated schools. The use of woodchips results both in annual fuel cost savings of about $2.6 million and in positive effects on our overall economy and forest management. Significant additional cost-effective conversions to renewable biomass systems (chips and pellets) can be achieved.
Currently, the greatest need is for major upgrades to heating and control systems and for weatherization. When these systems are improved, we use less energy, save taxpayer money, and, just as importantly, provide an educational environment that is more conducive to our children's education.
Wide-ranging school renovations like these are difficult to execute; most of the work must happen over the summer. There are also complex planning, bidding and financing hurdles and many competing priorities for limited staff time. Retrofitting our schools one by one is both time-consuming and, unfortunately, inefficient.
Without a strategic and unified approach, we are foregoing the opportunity for much greater savings and our schoolchildren and school employees are missing out on substantive improvements to their learning and work environments. For these reasons, I am recommending that there be a state-wide comprehensive initiative to perform all cost-effective energy improvements in all of our public schools. A centralized effort that works in collaboration with school personnel, SEMP, and Efficiency Vermont will help address all of the barriers to having this work performed. Because of the economies of scale and reduced administrative overhead, we can make our schools more efficient at lower cost.
The full program cost should be borne state-wide because, with the state education fund, we all share in the savings to our schools. The alternative -- continuing with the current piecemeal approach -- means wasting taxpayer dollars on fossil fuels that could be used instead for modernizing our schools' energy using systems.
While implementation of this proposal will be complex, the basics steps and reasons to achieve the goals are straightforward and easy to agree upon. The benefit to our environment, our taxpayers and our children, will be well worth the investment and hard work.
Norm Etkind is the director of the Vermont Superintendents Association's School Energy Management Program. He is a Certified Energy Manager and Certified Building Commissioning Professional and writes from Woodbury.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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Carolina State University researchers have developed a technique that
sheds new light
on how silicon
bonds with various other materials at the atomic level.
Kenan Gundogdu, co-author of the study and assistant professor of
physics at North Carolina State University along with Dr. David
Aspnes and Bilal Gokce have created a new method for observing how
silicon bonds with different materials at the atomic level in an
effort to understand and control bond formation at this level. This
could lead to the invention of more efficient microchips and other
new devices.
devices are built using layers of various materials, and
these materials obtain their distinctive characteristics from the
bonds, which are the chemical interactions between adjacent atoms.
Bonds act as a "glue" that holds atoms together, and has
the ability to determine material characteristics like transparency
and hardness.
are formed as materials come together," said Gundogdu. "We
have influenced the assembly process of silicon crystals by applying
strain during bond formation. Manufacturers know that strain makes a
difference in how bonds form, but up to now there hasn't been much
understanding of how this works on the atomic level."
through the use of optical
spectroscopy, researchers are able to observe what happens when
strain is applied to a
silicon crystal at the atomic level.
of even a small amount of strain in one direction increases the
chemical reactivity of bonds in a certain direction, which in turn
causes structural changes," said Gundogdu. "Up to now,
strain has been applied when devices are made. But by looking at the
effect on the individual atomic bonds, we now know that we can
influence chemical
reactions in a particular direction, which in principle
allows us to be more selective in the manufacturing process."
this new development sheds light on these atomic bonds, Aspnes notes
that further research is needed to "identify the relevant hidden
variables" in order to make silicon-based devices more
study was published in Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences in
September 2010.


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CN this spring launched a $35 million project to restore nearly 40 miles of track between Ladysmith and Barron, Wis. CN will upgrade rail and replace railroad ties, repair culverts and bridges, and restore rail service along the line. The Barron Subdivision will connect to CN's North American rail network at Ladysmith and will be in service later this year, the railroad said.
CN will provide rail service to the new plant, moving frac sand from northern Wisconsin to shale drilling areas across North America, including Western Canada.
Superior Silica Sands President Rick Shearer said, "We are excited to partner with CN on this project, which will open a new supply chain for our customers and allow us to reach new markets across North America. This major expansion allows Superior Silica Sands to realize its business model for dynamic growth."
Jean-Jacques Ruest, CN executive vice-president and chief marketing officer, said: "We look forward to working with Superior Silica Sands. We are investing $35 million to reopen the Barron Subdivision for rail service and to serve Superior Silica Sands and eventually other new frac sand plants on the same Barron Subdivision."
"Over the last three years, CN's frac sand market has grown nearly 70 percent, reaching 35,000 carloads and $100 million in revenue in 2011, and we hope that our end-to-end service focus will help us grow this market to become a $300 million business for CN in the next three-to-five year horizon," Ruest noted.


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Volume 6 Number 48 November 27, 2009
Dear Floridian:
The Thanksgiving Holiday gives all of us the opportunity to express appreciation for the special people in our lives and reflect on the many blessings around us. I'm especially thankful for my wonderful family, my husband Bill and our children Bert and Lexi, and the productive and full life I have with them.
I'm also thankful for the opportunity you've given me to serve as Florida's CFO. Our Department works very hard every day to serve the people of Florida, and I look forward to continuing our efforts. You can read about a few of our recent accomplishments, including our "Going Green, Saving Green" paperless initiative, in this week's eViews.
Enjoy this holiday time with your family and friends, and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Alex Sink
State of Florida
Florida CFO Alex Sink on Monday announced that her Department of Financial Services has realized over $1 million in savings for Florida's taxpayers by launching numerous paperless efforts. Overall, CFO Sink's Department has cut print volume in half since 2007. CFO Sink highlighted some of the "Going Green, Saving Green" efforts and unveiled a new legislative proposal to require electronic payments, in an attempt to cut costs and modernize government actions.
"We are always looking for more efficient and cost-effective ways to do the business of the state and by taking this modern, electronic approach we are able to save over one million dollars for the taxpayers and do our part to help the environment," said CFO Sink. "We live in the 21st century, and by taking steps to go paperless we have modernized many of our services, making them more accessible and cutting costs."
At her press conference, CFO Sink highlighted a few initiatives that exemplify the Department's "Going Green, Saving Green" efforts. Some examples include posting annual reports and training manuals online, communicating with agents licensed by the Department by email only, and eliminating the printing of receipts for electronic reimbursements.
CFO Sink also announced that in the next legislative session she will push for changes to allow her Department to require electronic funds transfer (EFT) payments, instead of paper warrants to and from certain companies that do business with the state. It costs the state $4.18 per payment for a paper warrant and only $0.77 to send a payment electronically.
"Given the dramatic cost difference, electronic payment requirements just make sense -- they are one more way to modernize the business of the state and save money," CFO Sink continued. "My number one priority here in Tallahassee is to make sure taxpayer dollars are being used wisely, while improving service to the citizens of Florida."
For the past two years, CFO Sink has been an outspoken watchdog on behalf of Florida's taxpayers. Because of cost saving and efficiency measures encouraged by CFO Sink, the Department of Financial Services is projected to save over $5 million in 2009 alone.
Since coming into office, CFO Sink has undertaken measures such as consolidating the Department's 11 consumer call centers into 2 call centers, renegotiating existing contracts, and cutting Department wireless costs by 37 percent. At www.GetLeanFlorida.com, citizens can offer tips on how to cut government waste and inefficiencies. Get Lean has already received approximately 1,300 citizen suggestions since March 2009 about how state government can rein in wasteful spending and has passed these tips along to the agencies for action. For more information visit www.MyFloridaCFO.com.
Florida's Insurance Consumer Advocate, Sean Shaw, hosted the final meeting of the Claims Dispute Resolution Roundtable on Wednesday, November 18, 2009.
Dating as far back as the 2004/2005 hurricane seasons, many Florida homeowners have unsettled claims in various stages of the claims process from hurricanes and the destructive forces of fire, wind or water. Whatever the cause, the claims process can be stressful for families as they try to maintain their daily lives and deal with the repair process.
The Insurance Consumer Advocate brought members of the insurance industry and contractors together to identify factors that can lead to claim disputes and to develop recommendations to address each issue. The goal of the roundtable was to foster communication between insurers and contractors in an effort to bring uniformity to the claims process to enable Florida homeowners to better mitigate damage to their property and quickly move back into their homes following a loss. A uniform process would also allow contractors to begin repairs without delays and would reduce the overall costs of the claims process and might lead to a decrease in insurance premiums.
In the July meeting, participants concluded that contractors and insurance adjusters could improve the process of documenting damage and determined that mortgage companies could aid consumers through improvements in the way property insurance proceeds are disbursed. In response, experts from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the Department of Financial Services, the Department of Community Affairs, Florida Building Commission, the Mortgage Bankers Association of Florida, and the Insurance Appraisal and Umpire Association, Inc. gave presentations to the roundtable.
Potential solutions suggested include continuing education for contractors, licensing of umpires and creating a required continuing education course for adjusters. Members of the appraisal community, legal professionals, and the construction community offered public comments.
The Office of the Insurance Consumer Advocate will now review the roundtable's recommendations and work with the regulatory agencies and professional associations to facilitate the recommendations. Upon conclusion, a final report will be published detailing the roundtable's achievements.
The agenda and presentations from the roundtable are available on the Florida Insurance Consumer Advocates' web site at http://www.myfloridacfo.com/ICA/.
The Insurance Consumer Advocate is appointed by Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and is committed to finding solutions to insurance issues facing Floridians, calling attention to questionable insurance practices, promoting a viable insurance market responsive to the needs of Florida's diverse population and assuring that rates are fair and justified.
Florida CFO and State Fire Marshal Alex Sink today called on families across Florida to include fire safety in their recipes this holiday, as Thanksgiving is the leading day for home cooking fires nationwide. In Florida, cooking fires caused 32 percent of all residential fires in 2008 and inflicted an estimated $40 million dollars in damages.
"Given that cooking is the number one known cause of house fires in our state, I encourage all Floridians to be safe this Thanksgiving," said CFO Sink. "Floridians can follow a few simple tips to ensure that their Thanksgiving is about celebrating with friends and family, not calling their local fire department."
Nationwide, firefighters responded to roughly 1,300 home fires involving cooking equipment on Thanksgiving in 2007, roughly three times the daily average of cooking fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
Florida State Fire Marshal Sink recommends the following cooking safety tips:
Cook with Caution
If you have a cooking fire….
Florida CFO Alex Sink encourages Florida seniors to be aware of potentially unscrupulous sales practices during the current open enrollment period for the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug programs, which began November 15 and continues through December 31, 2009. Since the 2008 annual enrollment period, CFO Sink's Division of Agent and Agency Services opened 121 investigations relating to a variety of Medicare-related consumer allegations against agents such as misrepresentation, deceptive practices, and unlawful solicitation.
CFO Sink encourages Florida seniors to review the following tips before switching plans during the open enrollment period known as the Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP):
If consumers need additional help or do not have internet access to compare Medicare plans, call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 for assistance. For more information about Medicare annual enrollment, contact CFO Sink's Consumer Helpline at (850) 413-3089 or toll-free at 1-877-MY-FL-CFO (1-877-693-5236), or visit CFO Sink's website at www.MyFloridaCFO.com.
On Monday, the City of Seminole Fire Rescue Department (SFRD) called Florida State Fire Marshal Alex Sink's bomb squad to assist with the retrieval and disposal of five containers of ether that had crystallized at Smith & Nephew, a wound management product development company located in Pinellas County.
The containers of crystallized ether were discovered in a refrigerator and immediately reported to the SFRD. Crystallized ether is considered to be highly explosive, comparable to one pound of C4, a plastic explosive.
State Fire Marshal Sink's bomb squad used the remote controlled robot to remove the containers from the refrigerator. The crystallized ether was then transported in a bomb disposal container to the Pinellas County Waste Management site and detonated safely.
The bomb squad worked in collaboration with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and the City of Seminole Fire Rescue Department.
CFO Alex Sink's Florida Housing Help initiative will be making a four-county tour beginning Wednesday, December 2, and continuing through Saturday, December 5, 2009. The counties to be visited are Lee, Collier, Sarasota and Charlotte counties.
Lenders participating in the tour include Chase, Washington Mutual, EMC, SunTrust, Fifth Third Bank, Bank of America, and more.
Wednesday, December 2 in Collier County, Naples Daily News Community Room, 1100 Immokalee Road, Naples, FL 34110, from 2:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 3 in Lee County, Joseph P. D'Alessandro Office Complex, 2295 Victoria Ave, Fort Myers, FL 33901, from 2:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Friday, December 4 in Charlotte County, Charlotte County Family Services Center, 21450 Gibralter Drive, Port Charlotte, FL 33952, from 2:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 5 in Sarasota County, Heron Creek Middle School, 6501 West Price Blvd., North Port, FL 34286, from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
For more information on Florida Housing Help or to view a calendar of events near you, visit www.MyFloridaCFO.com.
The Florida Police Accreditation Coalition (FLA-PAC), a coalition of statewide accreditation professionals in the criminal justice field, and the largest such group in the nation, recently announced the inaugural awardees of its Certified Accreditation Professional (CAP) program. Captain Robert Brongel of the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud, is the first state officer to receive this prestigious, first-time award
FLA-PAC recently developed the CAP program as a way to recognize individuals who have reached one of the highest levels of achievement in their field. Applicants for the CAP designation had to undergo a rigorous application process that required them to show proof that they were involved in accreditation for a minimum of three years, received continuing education to remain current in the field, and took a leadership role in the accreditation process at a statewide level..
CFO Sink congratulates Captain Brongel for being the first state officer to be designated as a CAP.
Hurricanes are not the only disasters that Floridians need to be prepared for each year. Wildfires, floods, tornadoes and sinkholes are other reasons why it pays to make sure your financial interests are up-to-date and your family survival items are not exhausted.
Since it's the end of hurricane season, it's time to check the items in you Family Survival Kit to make sure they are still viable in the event of a natural disaster. Items to check are:
The life expectancy of these items should be checked and rotated to keep them fresh and usable.
Also, don't forget the pet items like vaccination records, registration papers, and medications for flea and heartworm prevention that need to be updated. Be sure the name and contact information for your pets' veterinarian is correct along with any current treatment information.
For more information on disaster planning, visit http://www.myfloridacfo.com/Consumers/Guides/disaster/index.htm.
As seniors continue to live longer, more productive lives, they are choosing to take more control of their financial futures. Insurance products such as annuities and long-term care insurance can sometimes provide seniors the investment opportunities and care they need in their later years.
While these products can help you gain financial freedom and fund long-term care needs, there are some important steps to take to protect your financial interests. The Department of Financial Services (DFS) encourages seniors to "Verify Before You Buy" prior to entering into any insurance contract with a company or agent.
By contacting the CFO Sink's Consumer Helpline at (850) 413-3089 or toll-free at (800) 342-2762, DFS can verify if a company or agent is licensed to conduct business in Florida.
Consumers can also visit CFO Sink's website www.MyFloridaCFO.com to view consumer guides on Life Insurance and Annuities as well as Long-Term Care Insurance. There are numerous guides on a variety of topics, in addition to a searchable Insurance Library to help answer all of your insurance-related questions.
Additional resources can be found on CFO Sink's Safeguard Our Seniors website located at www.flseniors.net, which has information to help seniors educate themselves about fraud and make informed financial decisions.
Shoppers will be able to find some great gift deals this holiday season, which traditionally starts the day after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday.
Check out what the sale ads have to say. Scour newspaper and mail circulars and plan to shop early if you want to find the best deals. Visit http://bestblackfriday.com/ for a collection of national retail ads.
If you're looking for a specific product, search the Internet to find bargains at national retailers or other stores. Many national chains allow you to buy items online and pick them up at the local store.
Black Friday used to be limited to department stores, clothing shops and electronics stores, but this year, the shopping network QVC will also be participating. QVC will kick off the shopping season on Thanksgiving night, with 28 hours of telethon-like coverage. It will offer three "special value" items to customers, instead of the normal one per day.
Truecar.com , which tracks the actual cost of cars, is reporting that auto dealers will be offering discounts this year on Black Friday. Truecar reports that dealers and car manufacturers will offer significant savings, averaging around 7.5 percent.
DealNews.com is encouraging consumers to find out which stores allow price matching. The website has important information listing the stores that offer price matching and details on the policy at each store, such as requirements to show the other store's circular with the advertised price. If you stay home on Friday and shop online instead, don't forget to check with currentcodes.com for coupon discount codes.
Holiday shopping can get out of control during the mad dash for the best bargains. You definitely don't want to get caught off-guard in the middle of a large group of anxious shoppers! Stores have received safety tips from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which will help stores safely control large crowds, but make sure you are aware of your surroundings at all times.
The winter holidays are a great time to take a road trip to visit friends and family, Here are a few handy energy-saving tips that will make it easy to save time, energy and money:
1. Check the air in your tires. You should check your tire pressure every few weeks, and especially before long trips. It is estimated by Environmental Defense that 32 million American cars and trucks have under-inflated tires, which wastes 500 million gallons of gas each year.
2. Consider a fuel-efficient model automobile. Consider a more fuel-efficient vehicle if you are trading in your car, which will not only save you money but will reduce carbon emissions. A hybrid can get over 50 miles per gallon, and this makes a significant difference in lowering the cost of your monthly household budget. If you can reduce your mileage by 3 mpg by trading in for a more efficient vehicle, your carbon emissions into the atmosphere will be reduced by an average of 3,000 pounds per year.
3. Try to minimize aggressive driving. Aggressive driving increases your stress levels and your likelihood of getting in a car accident. It also causes you to use more gas and results in greater wear and tear on your car. Accelerate and decelerate smoothly and gradually when it is safe to do so. For long delays, switch off the engine. Try to avoid starting late for your destination, which sometimes causes drivers to drive more aggressively and thus use more fuel.
4. Organize your holiday shopping schedule to minimize travel. Can you combine a few errands into one trip? Can you walk, ride a bike or take public transport to some of your destinations? Can you park in one place and walk between several stores on your list? All of these efforts will cut back on your energy footprint.
5. If you are leaving town, take steps to reduce electricity usage. Turn off computer power strips and similar appliances that draw electricity. Check your AC or heat to make sure it won't be working at maximum levels while you are away from home. If you own a pool, consider reducing the pool pump operating times and make sure that the spa heater is turned off. Put a few small lights on a timer so it will look like someone is home, but do not leave on major light fixtures.


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Russellville aldermen will meet at 7 p.m. today to discuss their proposed $8.5 million budget for 2004. A few blocks away, Pope County leaders will meet at the same time to discuss segments of their proposed $8.1 million general budget.
Both budget talks include unpopular cuts at a time when revenue is short in both places. Russellville Mayor Raye Turner has proposed cutting $95,000 intended for the River Valley Alliance for Economic Development while Pope County justices of the peace voted to eliminate $100,000 intended for county firefighters until other aspects of county government were funded.
Russellville aldermen will meet at the city's police station while county leaders will meet at the county courthouse in downtown Russellville.
Pope County authorities propose spending $8.1 million with only $7.2 million projected in revenue for next year, using funds carried over from this year. Turner proposes to spend within her city's $8.5 million revenue projection.
Russellville alderman Paul Gray previously predicted extensive city cuts were on the way after aldermen failed to support a property tax increase last month. But cuts were not as substantial after Turner said she located $371,000 in credits based on overpayments the city has made for police pension funds.
That still left the city needing to cut approximately $230,000 from this year's $9.1 million budget, and funds intended for the alliance and Main Street Russellville were cut from Turner's proposed budget, along with four city jobs. There has also been cuts from each city department's operational and maintenance budgets.
Tonight, county officials will meet for their second budget meeting to consider budget requests from the Sheriff's Department, treasurer, Pope County Detention Center, Office of Emergency Management and coroner.
It is also a busy meeting night for other governmental arms. The City Corp. board will meet at 5 p.m. at their office, at the same time the Russellville Civil Service Commission is scheduled to meet at the Russellville Police Department. The Russellville School Board is meeting at 7 p.m. at the school's administration building.
State highway officials will host a public involvement session concerning East 16th Street improvements from 4 to 7 p.m. at Community Service Inc., 1505 S. Oswego. The Atkins City Council will also meet at 7 p.m. today for a budget meeting.


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Carmelo is Starbury 2.0
We wont ever win jack with him as the focal point
Carmello is a very good player, not a great player, who makes others play worse. Since the trade the knicks offense is stagnant, lacks ball movement and any cohesion. The knicks biggest problem last year was their defense, now with Tyson Chandler the Knicks defense has greatly improved. I didnt like the Mello trade when it happened not because of the players the knicks traded away but because Carmello coming to the knicks. I would love to trade Carmello for Deron Williams, with Chandler, Amare, and Williams the knicks would be better then they are now.
Carmelo is Starbury 2.0
We wont ever win jack with him as the focal point
Man, this team is BAD right now.
a team can definitely win with carmelo as its focal point, it's just the system that d'antoni runs isn't very successful without a good point guard.
and the Knicks certainly don't have a good point guard.
If Miami had Melo instead of James they'd be the champs right now.
Coaching + poor guard play = the team struggling right now. Carmelo is not the problem. Even if they just still had Raymond Felton, this team would be looking much better.
we gutted the team for melo. Mosgov, Chandler, Gallo, and Felton was way too much .... we could have traded Fields and kept mosgov and felton. I said it even prior to the trade that it was a blessing what we got out of Fields up to that point and if prior to the season I told you we could trade him and Gallo for Melo and still keep Felton AND even possibly Chandler you would have jumped all over it. Now whats done is done and we have Melo. The Chandler signing was ok but we could have easily gotten Dalembert and then made a run at a pure point guard. Dalembert plus an all star point like Williams or Paul is much better than Chandler and having an average PG.
Another issue no one talks about is that the Knicks have no SG to stretch the defense. Fields is terrible .... everyone expected WAY too much out of Shump and unfairly especially with no training camp and 2 pre season games. Knick fans are often irrational and think all you need to do is put good players at each position and you have a great team. We don't have complimentary pieces. Melo does NOT compliment Amare ... Davis better get healthy and get healthy quick or this is going to get ugly. Oh and I agree with the above poster talking about terrible coaching. Dantoni freaking sucks and the WHOLE idea of Melo playing a point forward type of position is likely the worst decision I've ever seen in my life. Amare and shump running pick n rolls with melo in the right spot should leave easy back door openings for chandler and whoever the SG is. I swear I see our offense and it sickens me. Melo at the top of the key with Amare on the elbow .... you can't possibly put opposing defenses in a better position to defend your 2 best players by doing that. Its disgusting ... Dantonio is no offensive genius. He's a product of Steve Nash. Nash makes any coach looks like a genius. They got to the conference finals with Gentry as the coach so there's no reason to think that Dantoni was the one steering the ship. Giving Dantonio credit for Steve Nash and the suns success is like giving Tom Moore all the credit for Peyton Manning and the Colts offense for all those years. Lets get real here ... Dantoni sucks without the right PG to run the ship thats why the Suns weren't going to overpay for him and the Knicks were dumb enough to do so.
Last edited by LadainianIMnotDONE; 01-21-2012 at 03:03 AM.
This disaster falls on Dolan...He pushed for Melo and gave up way more than he should have..By doing so it stripped any remaining asset(s) to deal for a PG (and SG--Fields should be coming off the bench), which the Knicks better get or they are .500 at best. Shumpert does show great potential but he's young/inexperienced.
Knicks had a PG in Billups, gave him up to give Chandler a way too big contract, lured by the appeal of a player with a ring. Chandler is a good player and has helped the defense but has left the team without a decent played in the backcourt. And since Chandler is on a 4 year deal, this is the team through 2015.
Should have kept Billups, would be better this year and would have flexibility in the coming offseason.
Melo is 27 yrs old. Everyone chill the F out.
D'Antoni, no PG and STAT's downfall are the problems on the Knicks.
I don't blame anyone for posting irrationally negative things in January. Pre-Linsantiy the Knicks were AWFUL.
But the Melo-hate was just ridiculous. The comparisons to Starbury was crazy. Melo is one of the best pure scorers in the game and has never had a losing record. He was hurt for much of the early season, but finally looks healthy again.
Now Melo is "healthy" so he is playing like the "REAL Melo" eh..try again..MELO is actually TRYING to play defense and lead his team and not doggin it like he was under D'Antoni to get him fired, this is where you lose any cred as a poster because you have no objectivity, only bring up points to make yourself appear to be "right"...LMAO