text:
Take a mom of 3, stir in 4 vegan cookbooks, add a rounded cup of staying at home, and mix with a hefty pinch of recipe testing!
Thursday, April 27, 2006
More Party Fare + My Tray!
For all the cooking I do, my kitchen is not stocked with fancy gadgets, or even dishes that are functional, colorful, or in a few cases very good quality! You may be surprised to see how pathetic my collection of eating utensils is (mismatched forks, knives, oh - and spoons that are overly bent from my ice-cream habit and not having patience for it to melt... I really should post a pic of this some time)!
Anyhow, I knew I wanted a basic crudite for the party with my Creamy Hummus from Vive. Adults and kids both enjoy picking at different veggies and having some hummus to dip them in, or to have along with chips or breads. Usually, I try to arrange the veggies around a large plate and put the hummus in a smaller bowl in the center... which doesn't work the best.
I thought I'd check one store - just one. If I found something funky and great there, then I'd pick it up. So, a the day before the party I popped to Winners (a Canadian chain of stores), and found this very cool tray. What I love best about it is that the smaller trays all fit together into a larger base tray. So, rather than try to find room in your fridge for this whole (quite large) tray, you can pop the smaller pieces here and there in your fridge, and then remove them just before serving and assemble in the base. So practical! I love it! Plus, it's colorful, and easy to clean!!
Next time I may put two different dips in the centre trays. I just had one hummus made, so I filled the other tray with olives. They complement the hummus fabulously, and were quickly polished off!
Oh, and don't you just love those easy, 'meant to be' shopping experiences? I really don't have the patience (or time, really) to shop around and around to find the right thing at a decent price. This day, this tray was waiting for me!
19 comments:
- juliehasson said...
What a great looking tray Dreena! Just be glad that you don't hang around with me. I am a terrible influence when it comes to kitchen gadgets and dishes ; ) It's in my blood. My kitchen is bursting at the seams.
I'm with you though. I don't like to shop but I LOVE finding bright colorful fun dishes. Especially for a party.
Glad to have you back! Love the new posts for entertaining. By the way, how did the cone cupcakes come out? I noticed last week at Williams Sonoma that they now carry a cupcake pan where the molds resemble ice cream cones (I wasn't shopping, really :)
- Vicki said...
whata cheerful, colorful picture, dreena! (i love seeing pics of food from your books) and thanks for the definition for crudite - i was scratching head saying "hmmm?" i would have been hovering shamelessly over this dish until empty!
- EatPeacePlease said...
I love lazy susans. I got one at Costco and I love it.
By the way, you are not the only one with mismatched plates and silverware, in fact, I prefer it that way. Why would I want 8 of the same plates? Boring. Plus, I have a favorite bowl, cup, spoon, plate, etc...
Most of my spoons (special ice cream spoons by the way...) are bent too! I know how we both keep ice cream in the house *at all times*.
- Melissa said...
what a pretty tray! I like Winners, I always go not expecting to find something, and something always ends up calling my name!
- Michelle said...
thanks for the flour tips, dreena. i would use some white flour if it were a super special occasion, but not for muffins :) anyways, i made some pumpkin muffins with half whole wheat pastry and half spelt. worked perfect! i think spelt is my new favourite flour.. tastes similar to white when used in cookies, but it's so much healthier!
- Michelle said...
oh, very pretty tray by the way, i'll see if i can get to winners some time soon. i love pretty cookware and serving pieces :)
As one of the priveliged party attendees......I can say that this cute serving tray was even cuter when it was empty (with the bulk of it being in my tummy!)!!!! The lemon herb tofu was amazing, as were the other dips (I think the spinach artichoke one was my favourite!)!!! As always, Dreena outdid herself. If I remember correctly, she did have to replenish the baked goods tray (again, the bulk of those went in my tummy too!)!!
By the way Julie, the cupcakes were incredible!! My son and daughter loved them!! What a cute idea....Dreena had mentioned you when I asked about them!!
Mmmmmm, the memories of that party have made me hungry!!!!
Thanks Dreena!
Love Vicki
- Julie said...
Pretty tray!
When I brought the Creamy Hummus to a Superbowl party (earlier this year) it quickly vanished too!
- Kristie said...
That tray is super cute -- it's like a crudite bento!
- Dreena said...
Hi Julie!! I think I'd love shopping with you, actually... but I would most likely spend too much on things I don't really need!! Okay, that cupcake cone pan sounds ideal! I made the cones, they turned out adorable, and I will be posting them - maybe tomorrow. I tried to 'reinvent the wheel' too much with the batter, so I worked the recipe more than I needed I do think! I am still shocked that the cones don't burn or even really brown - amazing! But, a cone pan would be helpful, because they are a little unstable in a regular muffin pan going in and out of the oven, as I'm sure you've found too. I must check that out online - thanks!
Hi Vicki... you know, I rarely use that term!! It's just a little hoity toity for my everyday use and grammar, but I know it is used to describe raw veggies with dip, so I figured I'd be a little 'proper' for the post, you know, just for you guys! :)
Ok, Leslie, that is funny... we are definite ice-cream hounds, aren't we?! We should both post pics of our spoons to compare!
Melissa, I have a true love/hate relationship with Winners! I can go in and find something immediately, or spend an hour + just "trying" to find something for a gift or otherwise. Then, I might find the article, but not the size, etc. Can drive me bonkers... but days like this one, it's a sweet place to shop! :)
Oh, I'm glad the subs worked out for you, Michelle!! :) I agree, no need for white flours for muffins and day to day baking/eating. I really love spelt too. It doesn't have any distinctive flavor to throw you off, and the texture is lovely. I like barley a lot too, though I do find it is just a wee bit coarser.
Vicki, my ego-boosting dear friend, you keep me in good cooking and baking spirits... thank you! I couldn't be happier that you loved all the food - esp the artichoke dip because it was a newbie and tough to put that stuff out for people to try the first time! The baked good *did* disappear fast, actually - though I managed to store away a few extra brownies for you, because I have to pay you off in some way for being such a fan!
Hi Julie! Thanks... how great to know that your party-goers enjoyed the hummus! :) :)
- KaiVegan said...
Hi, Dreena. I'm enjoying all these new posts and the birthday stories.
All the colorful veggies in the pretty tray look awesome. I have one were you could put the base in the freezer for a time before you put the veggies, and it's neat to carry along with the dome cover, locking handle and everything, but yeah- it's boring WHITE!
I also made the creamy hummus today and packed half of it for my sis-in-law when she stopped by to drop off her kids (yes I have 5 kids altogether here and blogging).
I got her a store-bought hummus and pita when we came over and the hummus got a cold treatment, but I remember she liked this one so I made sure I have it before she came:)
- KaiVegan said...
Ooops, and sorry for typos:)
- Catherine said...
That tray looks incredible! I think it's neat that all of the inner containers come out and can go in the fridge independently.
- Nancy said...
Dreena - what a find! My dh gives me a hard time because I have so many colorful bowls, platters etc that I've collected when we travel, yet I almost always take pictures on my plain white Ikea plates. :-) I'm glad you're back blogging...
- juliehasson said...
Thanks Vicki! I'm so glad that you liked them. I can't wait to try Dreena's version. _and, I can't wait to try her new spinach artichoke dip that you were raving about!
Dreena, the pan might not work with actual ice cream cones. It looked like it bakes the cake batter into ice cream cone shaped cakes (without the cones). So you get the effect of the cone, without the cone.
- krispycheks said...
I love those kitchen finds. I was just at IKEA last night and I couldn't help but buy a melonballer and a citrus reamer. They were inexpensive and cute and I know if I hadn't, the next time I needed one or the other I would have been angry with myself. I am still debating whether I need to go back to Tuesday Morning to buy a yogurt maker I saw there. It was really reasonable, but I'm not sure if it would work with soy milk... Ah, kitchen toys... :)
- Dreena said...
Hi Kai, thanks! I bet I could pop the base in the freezer too - not that it is intended for that and it probably wouldn't hold the cool as your base does, but it would help keep things chilled. That's a good tip! You are very considerate to make hummus from scratch for your sil - very much so!! How was your daughter's b-day celebration, btw?
Thanks, Catherine! (and it's great to see a pic of you!!) :) :)
Nancy, that's funny. But sometimes, white IS best, isn't it? Nothing to interfere with the food colors. White is what all the restaurants use to beautifully 'present' their dishes, after all! But, when I take pics on white, it just makes the food look too bright - something I'm doing with the camera obviously! (thanks, btw)
Hi again Julie... ahh, I get what you are saying. Thanks for clarifying!
Hi Krispycheks! I just realized I don't have a melonballer (as I said, I don't have wads of gadgets). I love IKEA, but I find it such a trip to go there that we rarely ever shop there! Too bad, they have fun stuff. You should pose the question about the yogurt maker on the freak forums - I bet someone could answer that for you!! :)
- KaiVegan said...
My dd's party went well. Thanks:)
Speaking of IKEA, I always see Canadian car plates at the parking ramp everytime we go. I assume most of them are from Winnepeg, but it amazes me how far ppl would drive for these kinds of stuff!(We're in MN)
- Carrie™ said...
I'm in Burlington, Ontario and we have an IKEA store here. For me, it's the opposite kaivegan. On Saturdays the lot is full of cars with NY plates, Ohio, Michigan.
There is also a Winners here (and a new one opening closer to me) and believe it or not, I've never shopped there. Almost anytime I comment on something someone is wearing, they say "Oh I got it at Winners". I'm really going to have to go.


text:
Israel News - Stay Informed, Pray Informed
Last Friday, visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry did appear to succeed in bringing Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table, sort of, though neither side expressed much hope that the end result would be a final status peace agreement.
Israel had for years been signaling its readiness to resume peace talks, but in the end it was the Jewish state that was still asked by Washington to make more concessions in order to entice the stubbornly non-compliant Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas.
Perhaps fearful of going too far in his intransigence and being finally recognized as the true obstacle to peace, Abbas, gifts in hand, eventually caved.
As part of the arrangement, Israel reportedly agreed to the following:
Freeing 104 jailed Palestinian terrorists, some of whom directly murdered Israeli men, women and children;
A huge injection of cash into the Palestinian Authority from the US, Europe and Arab states;
Negotiations with the pre-1967 borders as a starting point, though Israeli officials later denied they had agreed to this condition.
In return, Abbas agreed not to take unilateral steps at the United Nations for the time being, and to restart talks even in the absence of a full Jewish "settlement freeze."
But even under those terms, a firm date for talks has yet to be set, and even when it is, the participants will be at the ministerial level, not between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu themselves.
For many in the region, it is beginning to feel like restarting negotiations is itself now the goal, with both sides haggling for concessions just to get that far. Very few expect whatever talks come after to actually produce any long-lasting results.
And to make sure Israel does not, under pressure from the Obama Administration, commit itself to any dangerous terms, Netanyahu has promised that if an agreement comes out of the new talks, it will have to be approved in a general referendum before being ratified by the Knesset.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Today's update is based on requests from our creative backers and fans!
You may have seen our AWESOME (if we do say so ourselves) character and NPC artwork... Read more
NEW Gameplay video! NEW Swag items! And lookout Linus heeere's Linux!
More news from Shadowrun Online campaign headquarters! We have 15 days to go, and we'll hopefully get near the $200.000 mark today! So in this update we've got a brand... Read more
Felicia Day! More Collectible RPG MINI's and Two Thirds to go!
The last 3 days have been great and very busy for our campaign! Ever since we've announced the new Campaign model hundreds of emails, private messages and comments came in,... Read more
First video footage from the prototype and missions explained!
Hoi Chummers!
After the big announcement about the new campaign model we want to show you some video footage from our early prototype (the one the screenshots were taken from)... Read more
We've SOLVED the Free-to-Play issue, and added NEW REWARDS!
When our Shadowrun OnlineKickstarter project launched 6 days ago, we were joyous over how many websites covered the launch, and how many emails/tweets/Facebook messages and forum posts we received... Read more
Client version and avatars
Hey Chummers,
A big THANK YOUto everyone who has contributed to Shadowrun Online so far! We're still in awe of how much enthusiasm and love is out there for... Read more
A peek at the game and new reward tiers!
Hi, welcome to our first update - it has been less than two full days, but we are already overwhelmed by the support and enthusiasm for the project and the... Read more


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Keanu Reeves says that they're still trying to make another Bill & Ted. Watch three brand new featurettes before Syfy's Helix premieres. And check out photos from the first two episodes of the werewolf drama Bitten. Spoilers now!
Bill & Ted 3
Keanu Reeves is still keeping hope alive for this project, saying:
It's still in the dream. There's a script and we're trying to make it. So we'll see.
So the script's done, it's just everything else that needs to happen. [BBC]
Game of Thrones
Here are two new set photos, showing the Red Viper and Ellaria. In the second, you can see Hafthor Bjornsson as Gregor Clegane and Pedro Pascal as Oberyn Martell. [SpoilerTV]
Here are three featurettes before the premiere, each part of a series called "Access Granted." [SpoilerTV]
Go here for a complete set of photos from the January 3 episode called "Servant to Two Masters." Here's the synopsis:
Intoxicated by his newfound invulnerability to the daylight, Grayson dares to deny his curse and regain his humanity. Renfield is dispatched to Budapest to acquire a mysterious and long sought after relic on his employer's behalf. Harker discovers Grayson manipulated him into slandering General Shaw and strategizes on how to seek his revenge...eventually aiding The Order of The Dragon in compromising Grayson's demonstration of his technology.
Go here for more promo photos from the first two episodes. [SpoilerTV]
Additional reporting by Charlie Jane Anders and Jason Krell


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The American varieties are most often dark purple in color, larger in size, and pear-shaped, such as the Santana or Rosa Bianca. The White Eggplant, which can be egg or pear-shaped with a white outer skin that may be thick and tough in texture, is grown in the U.S. as well as many Asian countries. The inner flesh is firm, close grained and more delicate in flavor. Other types such as the Apple Greens and Louisiana Long Greens are long and slender, very similar in texture to other U.S. varieties with thin skins that cover thick inner flesh. Many of the varieties grown in other countries are commonly grown in the U.S.
The Asian Eggplants (Chinese, Japanese, Thai), which are typically sweeter in flavor, vary more in shape and color than the American Eggplants. The Asian varieties are generally long and slender or round and ball shaped. Chinese and Japanese Eggplants range in size from 3 to 10 inches. The Chinese varieties are generally white to lavender in color, while the Japanese are light purple to a dark purplish black. Common varieties include the Lilac Bride, the Udmalbet, both providing a generally sweet flavor. The ball-shaped Thai Eggplants range in size from a half inch to several inches in diameter, with an outer skin that may be colored white, yellow, green, or lavender. Common varieties are the white and green Thai Kermit, the White Round, or the dark purple Bambino. The skin is very firm and the inner meat or flesh is generally somewhat bitter with a slight fruity flavor, containing seeds that should be removed before eating. Some of the small round varieties are also referred to as Bitter Balls or Garden Eggs. The Thai Eggplant is often used for making curry dishes, soups, stews, egg dishes, or pickled to be served as a snack or side dish. The African Eggplant is similar to the Thai in size and shape. Small in size, the Eggplant may be smooth and round or evenly shaped with indented and rounded sections, similar to miniature pumpkins. This variety of Eggplant generally contains a firm textured meat with a bitter flavor that is often added to soups and stews, complimenting the flavors of other ingredients. Common varieties are the Aubergine du Burkina-Faso, (pale yellow, pumpkin shaped) and the Comprido (bright orange, oval shaped). The African Eggplant may also be known as Garden Eggs, Mock Tomato, ngogwe, or nyanya chungu. Italian E, referred to as melanzane are similar in shape to the American varieties, but are often smaller and thinner in size. In addition, they also have a somewhat sweeter more delicate flavor. The main varieties include the pear-shaped, dark purplish-black Eggplant commonly referred to as the Italian Eggplant, which is very similar to the American Eggplant. The Bianca Oval (a white oval shaped fruit) and the heirloom Rosa Bianca are also Italian Eggplants. The Bianca Eggplants have a thin flesh covering a mildly sweet-flavored, creamy-textured meat.
An eggplant requires a long, warm growing season, so it is most plentiful in late summer to fall. Almost all varieties of Eggplant contain over 80% water with a flesh that provides a minor amount of nutrients such as calcium, iron, vitamin B, and vitamin C. When selecting this fruit, choose those that have a shiny tight and firm skin, making sure they are not dull colored or showing any rust spots. They should be heavier in weight and not feel light for the size of the Eggplant. To prepare, Eggplant is excellent when stuffed with a variety of ingredients. And it can be sautéed, broiled, baked, grilled, or slowly cooked as an ingredient in meat, rice, or cheese dishes and stews. Eggplant can also be substituted for pasta in lasagna dishes. For storage, it is often suggested to keep Eggplant in a cool area that may be close to room temperature of the kitchen, but not the refrigerator. The skin of the Eggplant blemishes easily when exposed to the cool temperatures of a refrigerator. Since some Eggplants may be bitter tasting, it has been a common practice to add salt to the cut pieces of the vegetable to help draw the bitter flavor out of the meat and to enhance the flavor. Salting also assists to keep the Eggplant from absorbing large amounts of oil as it cooks. To salt Eggplant, cut the Eggplant into round slices or lenghtwise into strips that are cut into cubed pieces and place the pieces into a colander. Then sprinkle coarse salt over all the pieces (approximately 1 tablespoon per 2 pounds of Eggplant) and it may help to place a heavy plate over the contents to keep them pressed closely together. Allow the pieces to remain in the colander for 30 to 60 minutes, then rinse away the salt and gently pat dry the pieces with paper towels.
An Eggplant may also be referred to as aubergine (French), berenjena, brinjal, Guinea squash, garden egg (bitter ball), melongene, melanzane, or zapallito (Spanish).


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By Chuck Reed, Past ISPE Chairman, Packaging COP
Maximized uptime, minimized changeover time, and efficient OEE are key factors that have influenced the acceptance of aseptic blow-fill-seal in the packaging of pharmaceutical liquids.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers, for many years, have experienced exceptional growth with the development of new drugs and the marketing of these products, but pharmaceutical manufacturing processes have historically lagged behind in efficiency compared with those of other consumer products industries. Within the past decade, however, responding to changes in consumer purchasing such as the influence of the Internet, stiffer guidelines from FDA and other regulatory agencies, and significantly increased costs to bring new drugs to market, drug companies have had to take a closer look at their manufacturing processes to make them more efficient, and to stay competitive.
A key factor to reaching high levels of efficiency in pharmaceutical manufacturing is maintaining uptime, which has always been of critical importance to manufacturers in every industry. When throughput is interrupted, or not running because of downtime or changeovers, the entire process line is affected, which can present a significant production loss to the pharmaceutical manufacturer.
OEE is a system of analytics to determine how effectively a manufacturing operation is utilized. It identifies and quantifies the performance of specific areas of a manufacturing line to bring about process improvement. OEE is determined by factoring three key metrics of machine and line operation: 1) Availability, 2) Performance, and 3) Product Quality.
Overall Equipment Effectiveness
An important tool that pharmaceutical manufacturers are using to increase uptime and measure and improve line efficiency is Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). OEE measurement is also frequently used as a key performance indicator (KPI) in conjunction with lean manufacturing efforts to provide an indicator of success.
Availability represents the percentage of scheduled time that the process is available to operate; it is also referred to as uptime. Factors like equipment cleaning, changeovers, equipment breakdown, and preventative maintenance are conditions that will influence the OEE metric rating for Availability.
Performance represents the speed at which the process or machine runs as a percentage of its designed speed. Factors that influence the OEE rating for Performance include temporary equipment stops from jams, machine cycle settings, designated speed, and product throughput.
Quality in the OEE metric represents the good products produced as a percentage of the total units started. This OEE rating is influenced by rejected products. More specifically, rejects include those caused by equipment or personnel, and those separated into rework and scrap.
Each of these metrics is then factored at a percentage of operation compared with the ideal operating condition. For example, a given line may have an Availability factor of 86.7%, a Performance rating of 93.0%, and a Quality factor of 95.0%. The OEE would then be computed by multiplying 86.7% × 93.0% × 95.0%, for a composite OEE metric of 76.6% for that line.
Typically, each metric would factor in many pieces of equipment and operating aspects of the pharmaceutical line to arrive at a percentage. In pharmaceutical packaging, these machines may include sorters, fillers, cappers, labelers, cartoners, case packers, and palletizers. Each machine would have its own systems and cycles. An OEE rating can be determined for each machine on the line, and/or for the entire line.
The aseptic BFS system has proven to improve product integrity and better ensure patient safety over traditional aseptic processing procedure. As a result, the U.S. FDA and the U.S. Pharmacopoeia now characterize modern BFS technology as an "advanced aseptic process," indicating its use as a preferred technology over other aseptic systems, and a better solution for the sterile, aseptic processing of pharmaceutical liquids.
Blow-Fill-Seal Processing of Aseptic Pharmaceutical Liquids
One area of pharmaceutical manufacturing that has made significant gains in OEE is in the packaging of aseptic pharmaceutical liquids with blow-fill-seal (BFS) technology. From the perspective of OEE, and focusing on uptime and changeover time improvement, aseptic BFS machines present highly efficient systems for production of sterile liquid products.
BFS is a self-contained process. The consolidation of process steps results in streamlined efficiency for the entire liquid filling and packaging production process. The technology integrates a three-step process of blow molding, sterile filling, and hermetic sealing in a continuous, highly-automated operation. Unique to aseptic BFS systems compared with traditional aseptic processing is their capability for rapid container closure and minimized aseptic interventions. Further, BFS incorporates the use of recyclable plastic resins. Low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, and polypropylene used to produce aseptic containers for injectables, ophthalmics, biologicals, and vaccines are generally considered inert by FDA.
Simplified BFS Machine Design Improves Uptime
Traditional aseptic procedures for packaging pharmaceutical liquids involve multiple steps in the handling and manipulation of the material, containers, and sterilization filling processes with human intervention, and therefore have a heightened potential for system downtime and product contamination during processing. Manual processing steps for conventional aseptic processing include receiving, inspection, and warehousing of incoming containers; washing and sterilizing of containers; separate processing steps and equipment for filling and sealing; and end processing handling such as labeling.
In pharmaceutical processing, it is the filling process that determines line speed. System delays and downtime caused by such manually dependent processes in aseptic packaging can have significant throughput and cost consequences, which depress OEE.
Conversely, automating the aseptic process can have a sizable impact on improving uptime. The most advanced aseptic BFS systems are quite automated, compared with traditional aseptic processing. These BFS machines are designed to require minimum human access while operating in Class 100 environments. Various in-process control parameters utilizing the latest generation of fully system integrated PLCs control and monitor container weight, fill weight, wall thickness, isolation of visual defects, and other factors, facilitating optimized system function.
With the latest generation of BFS machines the forming, filling, and sealing steps are achieved in one unit operation—the cycle being completed within seconds. Such automation eliminates unneeded manpower and reduces the risk to product integrity. These BFS machines allow very efficient processing speed and short machine cycle times. They minimize the time required to perform complex tasks and increase efficiency in process operations. Such automated process technologies improve product quality and consistency, and increase production throughput, substantially supporting OEE.
Flexibility of BFS Container Design Optimizes Machine Operation
BFS allows considerable flexibility in the design of containers, adding to improved OEE. Pre-molded, presterilized components, called inserts, can be easily integrated into the basic container. These inserts, including items such as rubber and silicone stoppers, and tip-and-cap dropper units for eye drop containers used to deliver a calibrated drop, are attached to the container after the blowing and filling process, prior to sealing. These improvements streamline the packaging process, eliminating the need for secondary packaging. Labeling is not needed, since the molds can be engraved with product information, which avoids an additional process step.
Advanced aseptic BFS containers and ampoules can be manufactured to deliver precise dosing in disposable formats. The incorporation of a sterile tip-and-cap, a rubber stopper, or a multi-entry insert into the BFS package offers added flexibility in container design and drug delivery methods, as well as enhanced sterility safety.
Quick Changeovers
Packaging equipment changeovers present one of the most costly and time-consuming activities within pharmaceutical manufacturing. Indeed, changeover adaptability remains the most critical packaging machine feature, with sizable influence on OEE. The versatility of packaging equipment to facilitate rapid changeovers has never been more important in pharmaceutical manufacturing, and aseptic BFS systems exemplify this initiative.
Many BFS machines are configured to produce more than one bottle shape or format. This makes it easy to change over from one container size to another. A BFS machine might produce a family of 2-ml, 3-ml, and 5-ml containers, then switch to a family of 5-ml, 10-ml, and 15-ml containers, or to one of 10-ml, 15ml, and 20-ml containers, moving from one to the other with relative ease of machine set-up. This is ideal for manufacturers, such as those performing contract packaging of aseptic liquid pharmaceutical solutions, because of their need for changeover flexibility. ASEP-TECH BFS systems from Weiler are capable of producing containers ranging in size from 0.1 ml to 1000 ml at production rates of 15,000 units per hour, depending on container configuration.
The growing usage of biologics is demanding packaging in different formats. These drug products usually require smaller process runs and are typically heat sensitive. Many of these new biotechnological drugs do not withstand terminal sterilization with steam or irradiation, and so are best treated aseptically. More advanced BFS machines are designed so they can handle these heat-sensitive products without adversely affecting product quality.
The BFS process offers versatility for multiple container designs. A unique design feature offered on the BFS systems, for example, permit the insertion of a secondary delivery device into the container prior to the final hermetic sealing step. This feature can be suspended, however, without requiring significant equipment changeover. This allows the production of standard containers without inserts on the same machine with only a simple recipe and tooling change.
To further minimize potential system downtime, some pharmaceutical manufacturers are now segmenting their high-volume aseptic process lines into multiple, smaller BFS lines. The use of smaller machines provides enhanced production flexibility and improved efficiency. In the event that one of the lines goes down for maintenance or repair, it will not stop the entire production throughput. Products can be easily campaigned with BFS, using one line with one container geometry for multiple products. Since BFS is ideally suited for these campaigns due to quick changeovers, it is a natural pick for manufacturers desiring to optimize OEE.
Efficient Utilization of Time
Modern BFS system design embodies OEE initiatives, being focused on changeover simplicity and flexibility, and permitting shorter runs, increased uptime, and maximized throughput.
BFS machine efficiency rates very high. More advanced BFS machines can approach 99% uptime efficiency, significantly higher than traditional aseptic processing, which is plagued with slow-downs, in part because of manual interventions. BFS also performs noticeably higher than the peak 70% operating efficiency of the world's most streamlined pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities.
Improved uptime, minimized changeover time, and efficient OEE are key factors that have influenced the acceptance of aseptic BFS. These are critical functions for achieving improved product quality and profitability in the packaging of aseptic pharmaceutical liquids.


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Last year during his GSoC, Alejandro Serrano did a great job of integrating test-framework results in the JUnit view. This has served me well in my own endeavors (buildwrapper has 50 something HUnit test cases).
But there were a few limitations:
- using the JUnit view added a dependency on JDT plugins
- the view only gave an error when double clicking on a test result because there was no link between a test and the source code it was in
- the test results only appeared once the full test suite had run
I have reviewed the options, and the upcoming version of EclipseFP will have the following changes:
- A specific view for Haskell test results. Basically a rip-off of the JUnit view, without the progress bar because it's a custom control the JUnit UI guys wrote and life's too short. It's got history so you can get back to previous runs, and shows errors or failures in the bottom text area.
- Integration with HTF. While the test-framework integration will still work, using HTF gives us:
- Jump to location (from test result to test definition location or failure location), thanks to the HTF preprocessor
- Running updates thanks to HTF generating JSON output after each test and not in one big file at the end.
- Automated discovery of tests based on naming conventions
- Easy reduction of test cases to run from a command line argument
- Elapsed time of tests
- while still retaining integration with HUnit and QuickCheck
Thanks Stefan Wehr for your great work! Make sure to read his tutorial on HTF.
I've ported the buildwrapper test suite to HTF, and voila!
Since HTF relies on a few pragmas, I'm now going to work on a couple of wizards to simplify creation of the HTF Cabal test-suite and a HTF module. Watch this space!


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Wabash Welcomes 300 for Top 10 Scholarship Visit Dayby Jim Amidon • November 11, 2005 Share:
Aside from Monon Bell, this really is a big day for Wabash. On Friday, the Admissions Office will host its second largest visit day of the year (second only to Honor Scholarship Weekend in March).
Nearly 200 young men arrived on campus Friday morning for Top 10 Scholarship Visit Day. The event has evolved into an opportunity for some of the brightest prospective students in Wabash's applicant pool to visit the College. And there's a lot of money on the line for those men who come for the weekend. (See photo album for pictures from today's visit)
Dean Steve Klein said students who are ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating classes can qualify for up to $15,000 (per year) in scholarships. The guys in the top five percent get the biggest award, which is valued at $60,000 over four years; men who rank in the top 10 percent, but not the upper five percent, get $12,500 per year.
Offers this good usually come with catches. And there are a few in this case, too. The students have to attend the visit day; apply for admission; and be accepted.
Doesn't sound all that bad for as much as $60,000 in scholarships!
Dean Klein thinks we'll have about 200 guys show up for the visit day, plus many will also come with their parents for about 300 total participants. It's a full day of tours and presentations, but the real focus is on Wabash's alumni who will be out in force to talk with the prospective students.
The theme for the Top 10 Scholarship Visit Day is "You can go anywhere from here." See, too many bright students aren't sure what to do with a liberal arts degree, so they rule out a school like Wabash before ever stepping foot on campus.
Big time scholarship money is the bait to get them here. Once they meet our alumni and see what they have done with their liberal arts degrees, perhaps they'll think differently about Wabash and the liberal arts.
Dean Klein and his staff have done a great job of bringing to campus a cross section of alumni who demonstrate the varied career paths liberal arts grads pursue. And it's not a stacked deck; all of the guys coming back were chosen because of their age (younger than the prospective students' parents) rather than their unique accomplishments.
But like the alumni body as a whole, it's an amazing and diverse group. From New York City lighting designer Marcus Doshi '97 to pediatric cardiologist Josh Robinson '97, the alumni fully represent all possible career fields.
The keynote speaker is Tom Denari, one of the oldest participants at 42, who is the president of the Young & Laramore advertising agency in Indianapolis. Denari and Y&L are the creative brains behind the highly successful Steak-N-Shake and Goodwill Industries commercials.
Then there's Bill Wheeler, who majored in English, captained an undefeated football team, and is now the Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of MetLife! An English major turned treasurer — think about it!
After graduating four years ago, David Woessner went to Georgia Tech, where he earned two master's degrees — in mechanical engineering and business administration. What a combo!
Dan Hartnett graduated six years ago and is almost done with his Ph.D. in Spanish language and literature at the University of Virginia. When not in class, he coordinates a teaching with technology initiative at UVA. Combining technology and language study — makes you wonder what you CAN'T do with a liberal arts degree. (And Dan earned a music major at Wabash!)
So not only is this Monon Bell week, it is, obviously, an important week for the Wabash Admissions Office. Klein and his staff will bring to campus 200 really bright high school students from all over the country. Using alumni as living examples of the liberal arts is a brilliant move and a sure answer to the question, "What do I do with a liberal arts degree?"
In photo: History professor Rick Warner talks with a prospect during the morning registration period.


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20721 Surnames | 136025 Records | 2772 Reunions
Dead Fred asks:Are you a Desperate Genealogist?
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Dead Fred's Genealogy Photo Archive, a free, fun photo genealogy research web site devoted to helping you visualize your heritage!
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Photo #100
Last Name: Smith
First Name : ALICE
Middle Name:
Subject's City: APALACHICOLA
Subject's State: FL
Subject's County:
Subject's Country: UNITED STATES
Date: 1901-1920
Photographer's City:
Photographer's State:
Type** : GRP
Comments: ALICE Smith (Nee: ) | APALACHICOLA FL UNITED STATES | 1901-1920 | Comments: 1904- MARSHALL,MACK,SMITH,
Archive Note: 5/16/2006 Linda firstname.lastname@example.com is looking for information **Im looking for the Smith's who lived in Walton county, in a small town called Anna Uchee Florida.
John Cannon married Cynthia Smith and theyre children were:
Margaret Cannon
Nancy Cannon
John Cannon
Mary Anna Cannon
Mary Anna Cannon is spelled several different ways: Mariann, Marianna
John Cannons profession at the time was a Driver and Wagoner; Mary Anna Cannon was my Grt Grandmother.
Born March 15 1873 and died Dec.18 1952
She died in Escambia County Florida, it says she was born in Escambia County, but I am not really sure that is accurate.
I would be grateful for any information.
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A Tale of Two Disk Models
This illustration of two different disk models shows overhead views of the structure of the protoplanetary disk that encircled the newborn Sun 4.6 billion years ago. The Sun's family of planets agglomerated from dust and ices within the disk.
The major difference between the two models is the location of the so-called snow line, which divides a warm, dry area of the disk from an icy, turbulent region.
In the standard disk model, shown at left, Earth formed beyond the snow line, in an icy region. Our planet should, therefore, contain lots of water because it formed from ices that would have been a major fraction of its composition. However, it's estimated that less than 1 percent of Earth's mass is locked up in water, which has puzzled scientists.
In the new disk model, shown at right, Earth formed in a warmer, dry region, outside the snow line, which is much farther away from the Sun. This model explains why Earth is comparatively dry. It provides new insights into estimates of the abundance of Earth-like planets in the galaxy.


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Online Consumer-Generated Reviews Have Significant Impact on Offline Purchase Behavior
Study Conducted by comScore and The Kelsey Group Reveals that 24 Percent of Online Local Service Review Users Purchase Service
RESTON, Va., Nov. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — comScore, Inc. , a leader in measuring the digital world, today announced the results of a new study conducted with The Kelsey Group, a leading research and strategic analysis firm focused on local media and advertising, that examined the impact of consumer-generated reviews on the price consumers were willing to pay for a service delivered offline. The study, based on a survey of more than 2,000 U.S. Internet users in October 2007, revealed that consumers were willing to pay at least 20 percent more for services receiving an "Excellent," or 5-star, rating than for the same service receiving a "Good," or 4-star, rating.
The study examined the offline sales impact of online reviews for restaurants, hotels, travel, legal, medical, automotive and home services. Nearly one out of every four Internet users (24 percent) reported using online reviews prior to paying for a service delivered offline. Of those who consulted an online review, 41 percent of restaurant reviewers subsequently visited a restaurant, while 40 percent of hotel reviewers subsequently stayed at a hotel.
Purchase Behavior Subsequent to Online Review Consultation October 12-18, 2007 Source: comScore, Inc./The Kelsey Group Percent of Review Viewers Subsequently Making a Service Purchase of Stated Service Restaurant 41 % Hotels 40 % Travel 27 % Automotive 24 % Home 19 % Medical 14 % Legal 8 %
Online Reviews Very Influential in Offline Purchase Decisions
More than three-quarters of review users in nearly every category reported that the review had a significant influence on their purchase, with hotels ranking the highest (87 percent). Ninety-seven percent of those surveyed who said they made a purchase based on an online review said they found the review to have been accurate. Review users also noted that reviews generated by fellow consumers had a greater influence than those generated by professionals.
Online Review Influence on Purchase Decision October 12-18, 2007 Source: comScore, Inc./The Kelsey Group Percent of Review Users Identifying Review as Having a Significant Influence on Service their Purchase* Restaurant 79 % Hotels 87 % Travel 84 % Automotive 78 % Home 73 % Medical 76 % Legal 79 % * Based on responses indicating at least 4 on a 5 point scale
Consumers Willing to Pay at Least 20 Percent More for 5-Star Service than 4-Star Service
comScore asked the study participants how much they would be willing to pay for a particular service based on the quality of the service. The results showed that consumers were willing to pay between 20 percent and 99 percent more for an Excellent (5 star) rating than for a Good (4 star rating), depending on the product category.
Amount Consumers Willing to Spend for 5-Star Service October 12-18, 2007 Source: comScore, Inc./The Kelsey Group Excellent Good Service (Suggested Average Price) (5 Stars) (4 Stars) Lift Restaurant Meal ($20) $37.95 $25.44 49 % Restaurant Meal ($50) $59.93 $41.40 45 % Hotel ($100) $137.36 $99.73 38 % Home ($250) $252.15 $209.50 20 % Travel ($350) $366.72 $299.81 22 % Legal ($60) $104.36 $52.51 99 % Medical ($15) $29.67 $23.54 26 %
"These data show the importance of local service review sites in consumers' purchase process," said Steve Marshall, research director for The Kelsey Group. "With such a large percentage of review users subsequently purchasing, it's vital that local service providers have a positive presence on these review sites."
"This study underscores the importance of providing not just good, but excellent, service if a business hopes to generate positive consumer reviews which will result in greater sales," said Brian Jurutka, senior director, comScore Marketing Solutions.
About this study
The comScore study was based on 2,078 survey respondents, including 508 who used online consumer reviews, conducted from October 12-18, 2007. Consumers were asked about their usage of online reviews and were also asked what price they would be willing to pay for a service given an average service price and an aggregate consumer rating.
About The Kelsey Group
The Kelsey Group is the leading provider of research, data and strategic analysis on directories, small-business advertising, online local media and mobile advertising. Founded in 1986, the company has built a reputation as the premier analyst firm covering the directory publishing community and the emerging local search marketplace, providing advisory services (The Kelsey Report(R) and Interactive Local Media), publishing (Global Yellow Pages(TM)), consulting (more than 400 individual assignments) and conferences (69 events).
About comScore
comScore, Inc. is a global leader in measuring the digital world. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given comScore permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behavior, including online and offline purchasing. comScore panelists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Through its proprietary technology, comScore measures what matters across a broad spectrum of behavior and attitudes. comScore analysts apply this deep knowledge of customers and competitors to help clients design powerful marketing strategies and tactics that deliver superior ROI. comScore services are used by more than 700 clients, including global leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo!, BBC, Carat, Cyworld, Deutsche Bank, France Telecom, Best Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Financial Times, ESPN, Fox Sports, Nestle, Starcom, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, Verizon, ViaMichelin, Merck and Expedia. For more information, please visit http://www.comscore.com.


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Proms 2011: Comedy Prom
Australian comedian, musician and actor Tim Minchin made history on Saturday by presenting the first ever Comedy Prom with comedian and Maestro winner Sue Perkins. Annie Reece went along to find out what all the fuss was about.
There was no Elgar, no Liszt, no Bach, none of the usual suspects at the Royal Albert Hall for Saturday night's Prom. Instead the concert hall welcomed its first ever Comedy Prom hosted by Australian jack-of-all-trades Tim Minchin and guests. Purists be warned, this is not a Prom for you.
Minchin kicked off the concert in a grey wig and glasses with a number that parodied conservative reactions to this Comedy Prom: 'Hosted by an immigrant! Is nothing sacred anymore?', before setting the tone for the rest of the night with his lullaby written for his second child. Its risqué lyrics drew a few uncomfortable laughs from the crowd as they settled in to Minchin's edgy comic style: 'Where is the line between patting and hitting/when is rocking, rocking and when is it 'shaking?' Henry Wood would be turning in his grave.
Stars from the classical world also made appearances at this Prom. Soprano Susan Bullock was welcomed to the stage with rather hesitant applause, ('Who's she?' echoed quietly across the hall, testament to this atypical Prom audience) and flexed her comedy and vocal muscles with Sondheim's 'The Boy from Tacarembo La Tumbe Del Fuego Santa Malipas Zatatecas La Junta Del Sol Y Cruz'. Conductor Andrew Litton and pianist Danny Driver performed Reizenstein's Concerto Populaire with the BBC Concert Orchestra, a comedy skit about the delicate relationship between conductor and soloist. At one point Andrew Litton, exasperated by not being able to curtail a trumpet solo, held up a yellow card to the orchestra member in question, a practice that I think should be enforced in all concerts today.
Kit and the Widow's 'The Dying Swan' is a song set to the music of Saint-Saëns's 'The Swan' from Carnival of the Animals and looks at how pollution caused by our consumer lifestyle is killing nature. The song would have been all the more poignant had it not been followed up by a ludicrous 'curry-oke' of Puccini's 'Nessun Dorma'. This ridiculous sing-along replaced the Italian lyrics with a menu of Indian food. Think of the rousing chorus 'Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me…' replaced by 'Pilau, Pekora, Paratha' etc and you'll get the gist. This critique of the middle-classes tied in with the musical number from the stars of BBC Three's puppet show Mongrels, as they took to the stage with their song 'Middle class is magical'.
Beatbox artist Beardyman performed an Albert Hall friendly rendition of Pachelbel's Canon and an impressive jazz improvisation and mime artist Sam Wills aka The Boy with Tape on his Face mimed to Rossini's William Tell Overture, much to the chagrin of the Radio 3 audience. Minchin rounded up the evening with three of his popular favourites: 'F sharp', 'Prejudice' ('Only a Ginger can call another Ginger, Ginger…') and as an encore 'Not Perfect'.
Reactions to this Prom will undoubtedly be mixed. The woman who sat next to me was horrified by most of the concert, barely applauded and then left early, but I talked to a man on the way back to the train station who said he felt like he had been awoken from a dream.
My thoughts? I found the first Comedy Prom funny, smart, stupid, moving and ridiculous, in other words, everything it should have been.
You can listen to the Comedy Prom on BBC iplayer now and watch it on BBC Two on 27 August.
Prom 40:
Performers: Tim Minchin, Sue Perkins, Susan Bullock (sop), Danny Driver (pno), Kit and the Widow, Beardyman, The Boy with Tape on his Face, Doc Brown, The Mongrels, BBC Concert Orchestra/Andrew Litton and Jules Buckley.
Annie Reece
- Article Type: | Blog |


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News & Events
For the Media
Clarkson University's Marzocca Honored with Award by Society of Automotive Engineers
Clarkson University Associate Professor of Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering Pier Marzocca was recently recognized with the Forest R. McFarland Award by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) at the 2013 AeroTech Congress & Exhibition in Montréal.
The award recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions to developing, collecting and distributing technical information of value to society members through meetings, conferences and professional development programs.
Marzocca serves as the chair of the SAE's Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Advanced Technologies Technical Committee, which is focused on gathering and disseminating knowledge on unmanned aircraft.
At AeroTech, Marzocca organized a symposium for UAS, which included 12 sessions and about 50 papers and presentations dealing with a variety of topics, including micro aerial vehicles, safety, certification and standards, materials, structures and manufacturing, flight sciences, propulsion, and guidance, navigation and control.
Marzocca also co-moderated with Ruxandra Botez, professor at the École de Technologie Supérieure of Montreal, a panel of experts discussing missions and operations on civil and military UAVs. Marzocca says that as unmanned operations become more prevalent the need for coordinated and intelligent cooperation becomes increasingly important. The panel focused on technologies related directly to cooperative systems.
Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and health sciences, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.
Photo caption: Clarkson University Associate Professor of Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering Pier Marzocca was recently recognized by the Society of Automotive with the Forest R. McFarland Award. Left to right: Gregory Saunders, Vice President Aerospace, U.S. Department of Defense; Laura Hitchcock, SAE Aerospace Council Chair, Senior Standards Specialist, Boeing; Marzocca; Luis Rabelo, Associate Professor, University of Central Florida; Mark Smith, Engineer, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co.; and Donald Hillebrand, 2013 President, Argonne National Laboratory.
[A photograph for media use is available at http://www.clarkson.edu/news/photos/marzocca-mcfarland-2013.jpg .]


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When I started using GNU/Linux eight years ago, I was dumbfounded to encounter Debian users who started their day by upgrading their entire system. Yet now, with the updaters that sit in the notification trays of recent GNOME and KDE-based distributions, I realize that these daily upgraders were not daredevils, but pioneers in the idea that all upgrades are desirable. Never mind that this idea is an nuisance and an unwarranted assumption -- let alone that constant upgrades are unsuitable to many styles of computing and contrary to responsible system maintenance.
I don't know about anyone else, but my usual reaction to an updater is irritation. Admittedly, GNU/Linux updaters are not as bad as Windows'. In that operating system, a popup notification about updates seems to ambush you every 30 seconds, and you are constantly warned that your system is at risk if you turn off automatic updates. So far, updaters in GNU/Linux are more restrained, distracting you with a popup about the number of available updates only when you login, or placing an icon in the system tray. Moreover, only one updater exists for the whole system in GNU/Linux, while in Windows Vista you can have as many as three or four. And at least a GNU/Linux updater can be turned off.
However, the tendency toward nagware is still there, distracting you from whatever you are doing with a notice that you probably don't care about at the moment. Give me a log file that I can view at my leisure any day.
But updaters are more than just a nuisance. They're an active hazard. Presumably the assumption behind updaters is that the newest version of a software package is more secure and less buggy. But that, as anyone who explores his system soon finds out, is an unwarranted assumption.
Conflicts between programs, unresolved dependencies, and broken systems all await those who avail themselves of over-ambitious upgrades. The mailing lists of just about every distribution are full of the lamentations of the reckless who have trashed their systems through unwary upgrades. The truth is, except for security updates and fixes for specific problems, the average desktop user is likely to have fewer difficulties with an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy.
Yet updaters make their functions all too easy to use carelessly. Right-click on any of them, and you have an option to install all updates without looking at them. They also give you the option to view and select updates, but, in Fedora 7, you are hardly better off than updating blindly, because all you get is a single sentence description of the package. From that description -- or possibly the package name -- you might be able to tell how important a particular piece of software is to the smooth running of your system. But what you can't tell is what changes have been made in the update, and whether the update is useful to you.
The Debian updater at least gives you a list of changes in an update. Yet even this list is concealed until you click the Show Details button. In all the updaters, the design encourages blind acceptance of all updates. Contrary to the assumption that updating is responsible, they encourage updating in the most irresponsible way possible.
This behavior is bad enough when you stick to the standard repositories. If you stray further afield, updaters can potentially create even greater problems. For instance, add the experimental repository to Debian, and, the next time you log in, you may be informed of dozens or hundreds of new updates of questionable quality. There is no mechanism to exclude individual repositories or packages from updaters, though most of the time, users go to nonstandard repositories for specific packages, looking for solutions to specific problems. They have no interest in most of the repositories' contents, which were never intended for everyday use anyway. Yet, with an updater, one careless choice made after adding such repositories, and suddenly you are invited to gamble with your system.
Of course, you might say that users should know better than to be so careless. But the fact is that it's easy to make mistakes when you are distracted or careless (and if you don't believe that, then you are a prime candidate for disaster; the point of making things idiotproof is that we can all be idiots sometimes).
Anyway, many desktop users don't know better. Why should they, when the automatic installation of the updater and its menu items encourage them to think that adding every new update to their system is standard procedure? They don't know enough to read the bug lists for every package on their system, and most of them wouldn't take the time to do so anyway.
A list of updates is useful for system maintenance. Yet it needs to separate out security fixes from bug repairs and added functionality, and it needs to give enough information for users -- especially new ones -- to make informed choices. Otherwise, you may as well be in Windows, where users are discouraged from a hands-on approach to their systems.


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Police Say Springfield Mayor Tim Davlin Found Dead In His Home
Illinois State Police were investigating the death of Springfield's mayor, whose body was found in his home on Tuesday after he failed to show up for a court hearing in a probate case involving his late cousin's estate.
Police Chief Robert Williams said officers responded to a 911 call shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday at Timothy Davlin's home and found the 53-year-old Democratic mayor dead.
Williams declined to immediately offer details about how Davlin died, saying the investigation was in its infancy and has been turned over to the Illinois State Police, which also deferred specifics about the matter.
"The situation is very dynamic and evolving as we go,'' Williams told reporters. "That's all I'm at liberty to state at this time.''
The State Journal-Register in Springfield reported Tuesday that Davlin - mayor of Illinois' 120,000-resident capital city since April 2003 - failed to appear in court that morning as ordered in a probate case involving the estate of one of his cousins, Margaret Ettelbrick, who died in 2003. After Davlin's no-show, Circuit Judge Pete Cavanagh removed him as the estate's administrator.
The newspaper reported that Davlin failed to meet a court deadline for a financial accounting of the estate. Patrick "Tim'' Timoney withdrew as lawyer for the estate in October, saying he could not come up with a final accounting because Davlin had not provided documentation. Timoney last week submitted a claim against the estate for more than $19,000 in legal fees.
Cavanagh ordered Davlin and Bradley Huff, an attorney for Catholic Charities of Springfield, to appear for Tuesday's hearing to discuss the accounting and the status of attorneys in the estate case.
In October, the newspaper reported that Davlin owed the federal government nearly $90,000 in unpaid income taxes, and liens had been filed against his home. The lien notice filed in the Sangamon County recorder's office showed that Davlin owed income taxes for the years 2003, 2005 and 2006.
At the time, the mayor blamed the problem on a dispute with the IRS over taxes owed on investments he cashed in to buy the home. Sangamon County property records have shown that Davlin bought the home for $237,500 in 2004.
He earned more than $119,000 a year, according to city payroll records from earlier in 2010.
Gov. Pat Quinn called Davlin's death "truly a tragedy,'' saying in a statement that Davlin "was a great public servant who loved Springfield and its people.''
"The city of Springfield is a better place because of his leadership,'' Quinn said. "He was not only a champion for Springfield, but also for the entire state, and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.''
Davlin announced last month that he would not seek a third four-year term, telling Springfield radio station WFMB he wanted to leave office before getting burned out. Davlin insisted at that time that financial issues had nothing to do with that decision involving the nonpartisan post he called "grueling.''
"No one has any idea what it's like until they've been there,'' he told the station.
Davlin was a political novice when elected in 2003, having been an insurance and investment broker after graduating from a local high school and getting an associate degree from Springfield College before attending what now is the University of Illinois at Springfield.
As mayor, Davlin welcomed the 2005 opening of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and helped guide the city less than a year later through the aftermath of a tornado, marshaling hundreds of workers and thousands of volunteers in the cleanup effort.
In his biography posted on the city's website, Davlin lists among his credits his creation of an education liaison tasked with working with local schools, his stumping for a student-driven recycling program, and his formation of a task force on homelessness.
Davlin, a father of four, has four grandchildren.
An alderman, Frank Kunz, is mayor pro tem. City law requires that a new mayor be selected within 60 days.


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Topic: RPG: Biohazard
Disclamer: This RPG is by audition only, meaning send character sheets or ideas to email@example.com or a PM or to Adeptus through PM or something. We made this RPG together.
Disclamer 2: You may or may not notice that I blatantly take some concepts, ideas, names and/or characters from the movie Blade Runner. Sue me.
RPG: Biohazard
Setting: Chicago, the year 2231. The city is dirty and very industrialized. It has expanded onto Lake Michigan and there are 3 or 4 rivers going through the now gigantic city. Flying cars, but only the authorities and rich and lucky have them, they're called Spinners. Lots of technology around the city, naturally.
[EDIT: Image no longer online.]
Cryo Corporation Products Incorporated (CCP inc)
An evil corporation that focuses on medical treatments, drugs and stim packs/ serums used by military forces to make their soldiers near superhuman. They have a personal military mercenary force that can be contracted and they have been accused of corruption and foul play in regards to their medical industry numerous times, yet have crushed the allegations with their sheer power and networking. Most people living in Chicago work for them in some way.
General Plot: Chicago is currently a very dystopian city. People are essentially cattle. The government is corrupt, however only in regards to growing monopolies like CCP. At the moment, a top secret convoy consisting of two CCP mercenary cruisers and one Cargo truck are heading into the city to deliver an unknown biological experiment to a private lab owned by CCP. This convoy will begin the main story line, however I encourage you to have mini-plots.
In this RPG, despite it being the future, I really want realism. Meaning no Boba Fetts. The first jet pack I see will incure the wrath of the Lord of the Role Playing Section. Hence the auditions. You can be a regular Chicago Police officer, in which case you can be creative and describe how they are in the future (within limits, no wrist rockets, use Minority Report or the Fifth Element for inspiration) or a CCP mercenary corps, or scientist for CCP, or a SWAT team member when the CCP convoy gets into trouble (which it will) or a renegade robot (keep reading to find out about those) however were only looking for one, it must be evil, humanoid, and used by an experienced RPGer...you know who you are... or you could be a rich board member of CCP (why? money, power, flying car) or you could be a taxi driver or you could be a pedestrian or you could be the future version of your current job or anything in modern or futuristic society. Creativity ppl, use it.
Looking out his private investigator's office window, Cain saw it was still raining. Not surprising.
He turned back to the paper work in front of him. He had to fill out a full report to give to his client, Mrs. Henderson. Apparently her suspicions were correct: Her husband was cheating on her. Not that Cain blamed him. The woman was a nut.
Cain sighed to himself as he wrote out his synopsis. In this particular case, his client didn't want a computerized report, so he was filling out a carbon copy one. He was getting tired of these 'cheating spouses' and 'embezzling co-workers' cases. They put food on the table, but it was nothing compared to Cain's previous jobs. Now-a-days, he had to wait for the Chicago Police Department, with whom he still had connections, to link him cases to work on that they were having trouble with.
FEEEEEP! Cain's desk comm goes off, he reluctantly clicks the mic.
"Yes Becky?†Cain calls to his secretary
"Detective Giff is here to see you, Cain.†She says back
Oh please let it be a worth while case.
"Send him-" Cain was cut off by Giff letting himself in regardless. Giff, a balding barrel chested version of a former successful detective slams the door of Cain's office with the attitude of someone who lived there.
"I don't know why you bother with that girl, Cain. She ain't stopping anyone from coming in here, especially one of those cheating husbands that may wanna kill ya HEH HEH *COUGH*†Giff said as he made his way straight to the liquor cabinet and poored himself some scotch.
"That's top shelf stuff, Giff. Not some plastic bottle crap, its single malt cask strength.†Cain said as Giff casually poured the scotch whiskey.
"Oh yeah? Well this ain't a crap case I'm giving you either. This looks like its gonna be a fun one.†Giff says with a wink and tosses a folder onto Cain's desk. "This dirt bags been running around anonymously killing 'seemingly' random people. There have been few witnesses, all we know is he's a murderer and his name is Gerric (Giff pronounced it with a hard 'G'). So… have fun.â€Â
Cain nods at Giff and opens the folder to take a look.
File # 331475b
Name: Gerric
Age: Unknown. Estimated between 20 and 35
Gender: Presumed Male
Appearance: Tall, about 6'0 tall, usually seen wearing a balaclava with orangelit goggles. ( Goggles have possible tacticle display) and a black pinstripe suit, with white shirt, black vest and red tie. Tan Trenchcoat, shin length. Black fedora. Below is an isolated security camera's image of suspect :
[EDIT: Image no longer online.]
Suspect is highly skilled at martial arts, consider armed and extremely dangerous.
Suspect has been sighted multiple times over the past year, murders are brutal and bloody, no detectable pattern.
Wanted for arson, murder, assault on an officer, resisting arrest
"Real A-class weirdo eh?†Giff adds, downing his drink
"Yeah… yeah…†Cain nods, not looking away from the odd picture as he takes a pill out of a bottle from his pocket and pops it into his mouth.
Name: Richard Cain
Age: 42
Occupation: Private Investigator
[EDIT: Image no longer online.]
Weapon: Plager Katsumate Series-D Blaster, Model 2019 Chief's Special
[EDIT: Image no longer online.]
-Cain participated in the Second Galactic Rush War when he was 19-21 years old. It was during this conflict that he contracted an advanced strain of Tuberculosis nicknamed "Cold Killer†because of the severe, characteristic chills the subject suffers during outbreaks. Cain's Military insurance pays for the DM12 pills he takes to keep the chills away and keep him alive, it does not however kill the Tuberculosis outright. Due to this, Cain must take the pills frequently. The DM12 pills are manufactured by CCP.
-Retired Blade Runner. (Blade Runner units were used for many years during the time when robots being used in society [manufactured by South Western Robotics Corp.] would glitch and go renegade, becoming killing machines.
-Retired Detective (Dismissed due to a previous case in which he accused the Mayor of Chicago of immense corruption and even discovered his taste for young boys. The mayor quickly had Cain dismissed from the force after his 14 years of faithful service. Revenge is imminent.)
I am a Role Playing Gamer, like my father before me.


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Self Promotion DayMay 10, 2004
A whole lot has been busting through the pipeline lately, to the point where I can start talking about what I've been working on recently. Here's a bit of a roundup to get some of this out there. (If you can't get away with horn-blowing like this on a Monday, then honestly, when can you?)
First, the Blogger thing. Yep, Blogger.com just upgraded to a shiny new Adaptive Path/StopDesign collaboration of a site, and wow is it hot. As you'd expect.
I played a tiny little role in the news too (making this photo not as entirely ironic as it looks, though still somewhat so), with my contribution of a new Blogger default template I call 'Snapshot'. Since we're still not sure whether we can link to these or how much we can promote them, here's a sample screenshot.
As Steven Garrity has already noted, Snapshot has a personality of its own. This was something I debated during the design process, as a 'template' generally should be just that — generic. Doug Bowman (the project coordinator from my standpoint) and I went back and forth a bit, but we concluded that a bit of personality in this case was a good thing. If a user is savvy, he or she can update the header graphic themself. If they're not, they have 23 other templates to choose from.
The 'We' in the paragraphs above, of course, refers to my cohorts Doug, Dan, Dan, Jeffrey, and Todd. A heck of a team, and a heck of a lot of good work from these guys (and me) await new and existing users of Blogger.
I'll save for others any further reflection on what the new, simplified signup process means for web users, but suffice it to say it's all good stuff.
Second, I'd like to point out that Web Essentials '04 is happening from 30 Sept – 1 Oct 2004 in Sydney, Australia.
I'll be there to speak, along with the afore-mentioned Doug Bowman, and the inimitable Joe Clark, alongside a handful of local Australian presenters (including John Allsopp of WestCiv and Russ Weakley of MaxDesign). I'm sure I can speak for the three of us non-Australians when I say we're absolutely thrilled to be a part of what's shaping up to be an amazing two-day event.
WE04 is open for early bird registration. Get your name in before July 1st, and you save a hundred bucks per person. Also keep in mind that the Australian dollar is on par with the Canadian dollar, making it much cheaper for those in the US and UK. It might be worth a look no matter where you live, I hear Australia in the springtime is beautiful.
Third, Bright Creative is now live. This is the premiere launch of my new design studio's site, replacing the old placeholder.
Though I've been doing business under the name since the beginning of the year, working for clients has kept me busy enough that the business site fell off my radar immediately. The placeholder graphic had promised as early as January the launch would be a distant mid-2004. Optimistically it should have been up in early March. Realistically it ended up happening in May, right on target.
Where's the blue? Stowed away in the box of crayons for now. Bright Creative indicates a new direction for my work, and a new beginning for my life. Old habits die hard, but they can be put to rest with effort.
Bright Creative is red and cream with grey and white highlights. Header type is set in Gill Sans, with Trebuchet MS for body copy. Photos rich in texture were used for section headers to add a tactile feel, heavy lines and solid blocks of colour were used to visually distinguish background from foreground.
Line continuation effects were used to place the header in relation to the background stripes, and a jarring discontinuation was used to affect the home page in a somewhat disconcerting, but intentional variation from the internal pages. A light touch of Flash was applied to the home page for that extra oomph. Flash is a nice tool for the toolbox if done right.
Technical notes: should be validating XHTML Strict, with a CSS-based layout. Tested across the major browsers, but rendering glitches are inevitable in some of the fringe browsers at the moment. A migraine knocked me out of commission on the weekend, so Mac IE5 users will have to ignore the wierdness, which will be attended to in short order. There's another factor in the continuing quest for standards-based design that hasn't been touched on: wellness and mood.
Bright Creative: Brilliant Design Solutions. Come see what 'we' do.
And finally, the company I spend part of my week with during non-Bright hours has relaunched a site of their own. Navarik Corp., here in Vancouver, is a software company building solutions for the shipping industry. They're an open source shop using all the coolest acronyms (PHP, MySQL, XML, MT) for large clients in a focussed industry, one that I know next to nothing about yet.
I won't generally be able to talk about the work I'm doing with them. Suffice it to say some very large companies that you have heard of are starting to get standards-based solutions for their internal systems, and more will do so. It's exciting work, but locked heavily under NDA's.
What I can say is that the company site has been coalescing for the past few months after a slow start late last year, and thanks to some extra effort by the staff and myself we've launched what we're calling a starting point. Over the next few months more content will be added through the Movable Type posting system we've built (Movable Type also runs all the internal weblogs that form the Navarik intranet) and more focus will be given to telling the story of what the company is all about.
Team member Derek Miller, a local copywriter and editor, has written up the process in more detail. His notes are a good case study of a company that understands why web standards are important, and how said company has put them into practice. Building a standards-compliant site, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. Good reading.
And that concludes this Monday update. Hope your weekend was better than mine, but I also hope your week has started as well as mine did.