text:
What would your average teenager do if she discovered that a nearby river and source of drinking water was named as the most endangered river in the United States? For three Gaston Day middle school students, this discovery was a call to action.
Katie Danis, Mary Hunter Russell and Grace Wynkoop were searching for a local environmental issue to turn into a science project for the �Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge.� The threats to the Catawba River provided ample opportunity to act and Team Pollution Solution was formed.
The �Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge� is a national environmental sustainability competition for students in grades K-12. As part of the middle school competition the students are challenged to create sustainable, reproducible environmental improvements in their local communities.
After determining that polluted stormwater is one of the major threats to the Catawba River, the team researched the issues and developed data on stormwater pollution.
Their conclusion: education is a key factor in meaningful long-term change.
The girls developed an educational program to teach students how to prevent stormwater pollution. The team created and is distributing science kits for elementary school teachers. The kits provide lesson plans and hands-on interactive materials that are easy to use in the classroom, as well as take-home materials to extend the learning to the home. A group of teachers at Belmont Central evaluated their first kit, offering ideas and suggestions.
The team tested the program with the Gaston Day School fourth grade students. Kids loved watching how everyday living creates pollution and learning how simple steps, like picking up after your dog or bagging your yard waste keep the stormwater drains clean and the river healthy.
Katie is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Henry Danis of Gastonia.
Mary Hunter is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Russell Jr. of Belmont
Grace is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wyncoop of Gastonia
To learn more about ways you can be a solution to pollution visit the team�s Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/riverpollutionsolution .


text:
San Diego, California, based energy management software pioneer, Advanced Telemetry, wanted to embrace cloud computing so as to pass more efficient infrastructure cost savings on to its customers and improve its own bottom line. The company runs the cloud portion (web and middleware) of its EcoView software on the Windows Azure platform, enabling its business customers to better manage electricity consumption by dialing up usage during peak periods and scaling back during off-peak hours such as evenings, saving 10% or more on utility bills alone. Target customers include restaurants, convenience stores and retail outlets located in small buildings under 10,000 square feet.
Read the case study here: http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-ASP.NET/Advanced-Telemetry/Startup-Uses-Cloud-Computing-to-Change-Business-Model-Becomes-Instantly-Profitable/4000009076

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Public Forum on WI Elections – Photos
As mentioned previously, the public forum on Wisconsin elections was held October 15, 2012 and was co-sponsored by UW-Green Bay's Political Science department, College Democrats, and College Republicans.
The panel featured Professor Emeritus Michael Kraft, Assistant Professor David Helpap, Wisconsin Senator Dave Hansen, and Jay Heck of Common Cause in Wisconsin.
The event was organized by Common Cause in Wisconsin.
Click on photos below for a larger view.


text:
Nation & World
Iraq's feuding politicians storm out of Parliament's first session
Hopes that Iraqi politicians would rapidly form a new government to help counter the advance of Islamist gunmen and win U.S. help were dashed on Tuesday after Sunni Muslim and Kurdish members of the Iraqi Parliament walked out of what was to have been their first session since elections in April.
The failure to form a new government even as fighters from the Islamic State remained within striking distance of Baghdad hardened fears that the country's leaders are unable to work together to keep Iraq from fragmenting under the pressure of an insurgency that thrives in the nation's sectarian political climate.
U.S. officials have all but insisted on the replacement of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, a Shiite Muslim who is seeking his third four-year term as premier, as the price for military assistance to beat back the Islamic State.
But whatever lobbying American officials had done seemed to have little effect. The debut of the newly elected Parliament was brief and tense, with sideline insults that led to walkouts by Kurdish and Sunni legislators. With its quorum gone, the session was adjourned until next week.
That means Maliki remains in place for now as caretaker prime minister, much to the chagrin of opponents at home and abroad who criticize his governance as ineffectual, sectarian and increasingly autocratic.
In Washington, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, asked how long the U.S. was prepared to wait for Iraq's government to pull itself together, said, "It continues to be imperative that Iraq's new leaders move forward with the extreme urgency that the current situation deserves."
"There is a rather tenuous security situation in that country right now, but that tenuous security situation is not going to be resolved solely through military action," he said, referring to U.S. calls for a new Iraqi government that includes disaffected Sunni Muslims. The United States has deployed 650 additional troops to Iraq since the Islamist gunmen seized control of Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, on June 10, and has evacuated hundreds of employees from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
In a statement translated by the Reuters, one important Sunni critic of Maliki's leadership said there was little hope for addressing the crisis without change at the top.
"If there is a new policy with a new prime minister, we will deal with them positively, otherwise the country will go from bad to worse," said Osama al Nujaifi, a leading Sunni politician, former speaker of Parliament and strong foe of Maliki.
Meanwhile, the head of the radical Islamic State, whose fighters have overrun much of Iraq in the last three weeks, called on Islamists throughout the world to flock to Syria and Iraq to fight for the Muslim caliphate, which the Islamic State announced it had formed over the weekend.
In a message to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began over the weekend, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi said that all true Muslims should join the new caliphate, travel to the new state and help build an Islamic nation to replace what he called the unholy notions of nationalism and tribalism. The Internet posting referred to Baghdadi as the "prince of the faithful," the historical term adopted by the top leader of the Islamic world.
"So let the world know that we are living today in a new era," Baghdadi said in the five-page statement. "Whoever was heedless must now be alert. Whoever was sleeping must now awaken. Whoever was shocked and amazed must comprehend. The Muslims today have a loud, thundering statement, and possess heavy boots. They have a statement that will cause the world to hear and understand the meaning of terrorism, and boots that will trample the idol of nationalism, destroy the idol of democracy and uncover its deviant nature."
Baghdadi provided a long list of nations where he said Muslims had been attacked or marginalized that included "China, India, Palestine, Somalia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Caucasus, the Levant, Egypt, Iraq, Indonesia, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Iran, Pakistan, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and Morocco, in the East and in the West." He criticized violence against Muslims in Burma and the Central African Republic and chastised France for its ban on women covering their faces.
"By Allah, we will take revenge," he said. "Even if it takes a while, we will take revenge, and every amount of harm against the ummah (the Muslim people) will be responded to with multitudes more against the perpetrator."
He also urged Muslims to help build the just announced caliphate by flocking to the region the Islamic State now controls, which stretches from Aleppo province in Syria nearly to Baghdad. "Syria is not for the Syrians, and Iraq is not for the Iraqis," he said. "The State is a state for all Muslims."
The international flavor of the budding caliphate was highlighted by the release of the speech in professional-quality translations in German, French, Arabic, English, Russian and Albanian.
The breakup of the Iraqi Parliament's first session came over accusations by supporters of Maliki that Kurdish representatives already has abandoned the idea of a unified Iraq, citing, among other things, the fact that the Iraqi national flag is rarely seen in Kurdistan.
"The Iraqi flag is an honor above your head. Why do you take it down? The day will come when we will crush your heads," Kadhim al Sayadi, a lawmaker in Maliki's coalition, shouted at Kurdish lawmakers who had demanded that the central government resume paying salaries to the Kurdish region's civil servants.
In another exchange overheard by witnesses, one unknown Arab lawmaker angrily denounced the Kurds' selling of oil to Israel, the first shipment of which arrived in Israel June 20. Even before the current crisis, the Kurds had been locked in a bitter struggle with the central government over revenues from oil sales.
According to a United Nations report released Tuesday, 2,417 Iraqis died in violence in June, the highest monthly total in seven years. Of those, 886 were members of the Iraqi security forces and 1,531 were civilians. The totals did not include Anbar province, much of which gunmen allied with the Islamist State have controlled since last year.
McClatchy special correspondent Prothero reported from Irbil. Allam reported from Najaf, Iraq. Lesley Clark in Washington and McClatchy special correspondent Sahar Issa in Baghdad contributed.


text:
Program Mission
The doctor of philosophy degree in Oral Health Sciences is a program of the Rackham School , offered at the School of Dentistry. The primary objective of this program is to train exceptional students to become leaders in academic research in oral health science. Major areas of study include: Craniofacial, Skeletal Biology & Disease, Cancer Biology & Therapeutics, Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine and Clinical, Population & Educational Research.
Program Objective
The primary objective of the PhD Program in Oral Health Sciences is to train outstanding students to become advanced research scientists in their field of interest within the oral sciences. This training will prepare dentist scientists who will be strong candidates for faculty positions in dental schools at major research universities. The program emphasizes basic research on clinically important problems concerned with health maintenance or diseases of the oralfacial region. A major goal is to provide students with insight into the biological, chemical and physical bases of problems related to oral health. This is achieved through understanding the functional, structural and molecular properties of the oral region, and their interactions in maintaining the integrity of the oralfacial complex.
Major Areas of Study
The major areas for training depend upon the interests of the program faculty and existence of a critical mass of faculty in a specific area, therefore, these areas may change over time.
Current areas of study are:
- craniofacial and developmental biology
- mineralized tissue and bone biology
- oral and pharyngeal cancer
- oral health disparities
- oral infectious and immunologic diseases
- oral sensory and pain neuroscience
- tissue engineering and regeneration
Contact Information
School of Dentistry, Office of Research and Research Training
1011 N. University G306, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
734-615-1970 | email@example.com


text:
What is a Bug Checker XL Portable Light Board? -An indispensible kitchen tool for finding insects -Uses LED lights that shine through leaves -Rechargeable for many hours of use -Safe to use with wet produce
Once the lettuce leaf is ready for checking, simply place the leaf on the Bug Checker and turn on the LED light switch. The bright LED light shines through the leaf but not through the bugs, making them easy to spot. Don't worry about the lettuce leaf being wet, the Bug Checker light has a waterproof surface and is safe to use.
The Bug Checker is easy to clean. Just wipe with a damp cloth.
Size: 14" x 11" x 1" (L,W,H) Light Area: 12" x 9"
" [The Bug Checker] is good for commercial use for the same reason it works in a private kitchen. It's small, light, portable and easy to use." -E Prizont, Mashgiach in Seattle


text:
Mike Trout's three-run home run helped the LA Angels of Anaheim take an 8-4 win over the Chicago White Sox in the opener of a double-header.
Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton also homered, while Chris Iannetta drove in a pair of runs for the Angels, who have won eight of their last 10.
Garrett Richards (9-2) allowed three runs on two hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in eight innings of work to win his fifth straight decision.
Jose Abreu hit a three-run home run for the White Sox, who had a three-game winning streak stopped. Hector Noesi (2-6) walked seven batters and allowed three hits that led to five runs in five-plus innings of work.
The opener of this three-game series had been postponed on Monday due to rain.
The Angels didn't have a hit in the game until Collin Cowgill's bunt single in the fifth, which followed Iannetta's leadoff walk. Their next hit tied the game, as Trout blasted a shot just inside the left field foul pole for his 19th home run of the season. Pujols followed with a shot over the center field wall for a 4-3 lead.
In the sixth, Howie Kendrick worked a leadoff walk and Ronald Belisario came on in relief of Noesi. David Freese then grounded out to put Kendrick in scoring position, and Iannetta chased him home with a single for a 5-3 lead.
Hamilton homered with two outs in the seventh, and Iannetta hit another RBI single in the eighth for a 7-3 advantage.
Erick Aybar's run-scoring fielder's choice in the ninth made it a five-run game.
Rich Hill came on in the ninth to finish up the game, but left after allowing the first three hitters to reach base.
Joe Smith then took over and quickly induced a double play from Alexei Ramirez, which scored one run, then got Dayan Viciedo to ground out and end the game.
Chicago grabbed the lead in the first, as walks by Adam Eaton and Gordon Beckham were later followed by a home run from Abreu for a 3-0 lead.


text:
Dark Blue & Orange Flats
This variant is currently sold out
These ballet flats are as comfortable as they are chic, making them perfect for everyday wear. They look as cute with a dress as they do with jeans!
Product Details:
-Lightweight flexible construction / Durable poly-cotton fabric / Vegan / Man-made lining / Rubber Sole / Made in Mexico


text:
Watch transexuals fucking as white and black shemales dominate men in tranny femdom scenes of transvestite bondage sex.
You may think you've seen transvestite porn before. You may have seen she male gangbangs and tied tranny sex, kinky she males, transexuals fucking and maybe even shemale bondage or shemale femdom. But we guarantee you have never seen a site like TS Seduction. This is where straight men experience shemale cock and the joy of sex with transvestites for the first time. At TS Seduction, she males are dominant, and shemale bondage means a straight man ends up tied on his knees with his ass in the air, begging to be fucked by shemale black cock. This is not your average shemale bondage porn with transexuals fucking, transsexual sex, tied tranny sluts or transvestite bondage. On the contrary: this is real shemale femdom depicting truly dominant
transexuals fucking straight men in shemale gangbangs where dominant she males subject men to their first taste of shemale black cock. At TS Seduction, you'll see hardcore anal sex with fully functional she males fucking straight men with shemale black cock. A shemale gangbang at TS Seduction features several transexuals fucking a guy who craves shemale femdom and doesn't even know it. These straight guys have to be taught that they crave transvestite bondage and she male cock, and TS Seduction is where they learn! Get the best in shemale femdom at TS Seduction.
|Recent Updates
Most Recent Models: Jessica Host, Yasmin Lee, TS Foxxy, La Cherry Spice and lots more!
Get your password here!


text:
The world of computer games is getting bigger every year, and the choice becomes more diverse. A separate place among the games is occupied by MMORPG games. The leader of this market is World of Warcraft wikipedia. This game was launched in 2004 and every month about 10 million players from all over the world play it.
The main distinguishing feature of World of Warcraft wikipedia is a well thought out plot and a powerful platform based on the Warcraft series. The game is constantly being improved and once every few years there is a new addition that expands the game world.
The basic version of World of Warcraft wikipedia is free. All you need to have for the game is a profile in Battle.net and an internet connection. But in the basic version there are a number of restrictions that can create inconvenience for the player, so playing a few days is better to pay a full subscription and enjoy World of Warcraft wikipedia.
The game World of Warcraft wikipedia is distributed on the principle of P2P (pay for play). To access the game, you must make a prepayment for one of the options offered: for a month, for six months, for a year. Each new addition must be purchased separately to gain access to its contents.


text:
Celebrities on Thanksgiving | Pictures
How the Stars Celebrated Thanksgiving
How the Stars Celebrated Thanksgiving
Happy Black Friday! We hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Celebrities also took advantage of the holiday to spend time with loved ones, whether at their own homes or at a party. Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale hung out with her family on the West Coast, while Jessica Alba got her hands dirty in the kitchen. Anne Hathaway was thankful for her first Thanksgiving in NYC with her husband Adam Shulman, but Diddy had his own idea of a party out in Miami. Click through to see what they got up to!


text:
Enter your email to log in below.
Not a member? Enter your email for a chance to gain exclusive access to online shopping events and more.
Thank you for signing up!
If Your Membership Is Approved, You'll Receive An Invitation In Your Inbox.
You're in! Complete your Account Profile For Faster Checkout.
dopp kit
Item successfully added to bag


text:
The new Apple iPod Touch 5th Generation lands with an excellent 16:9 screen, great looks and slick performance but how does it improve on the previous model and where does it sit with the appearance of the iPad Mini?
Rockstar Games has finally given us some more release date details about the eagerly awaited GTA 5, and promises more information in the coming weeks. Haven't we heard that before?
The Apple iPad mini is due out on Friday and the Nook HD, from Barnes & Noble, is also due to start shipping this week but how do the two tablets measure up and which one should you buy?
According to research, Apple iPhone users are now less likely to buy a handset from Apple than they were when the smartphone first debuted in 2007 thanks to the Android army making their mark in the smartphone market.
As Kickstarter launches in the UK, learn more about what it does and how you can use crowd-funding to get a project or idea off the ground by attracting financial support from people who believe in it.
Google's Nexus 10 vs Apple's new iPad 4: It's battle of the tablets as Android takes on Apple's latest slate but find out who comes out on top as we square up the specs in this tablet face-off.


text:
Obama upends intel panel
The White House dismissed the bulk of President Barack Obama's premier panel of outside intelligence advisers earlier this year, leaving the blue-ribbon commission largely vacant as the public furor built over the National Security Agency's widespread tracking of Americans' telephone calls.
The President's Intelligence Advisory Board stood 14 members strong through 2012, but the White House website was recently updated to show the panel's roster shrinking to just four people.
Story Continued Below
In the past four years, the high-powered group has waded into the implications of WikiLeaks for intelligence sharing, and urged retooling of America's spy agencies as the United States withdraws from big wars abroad.
( PHOTOS: 10 famous/infamous whistleblowers)
Some analysts say the panel would have been an obvious choice to dig into the profound questions and concerns contractor Edward Snowden raised by leaking details about the NSA's bulk collection of telephone metadata and internet traffic.
But the board's thin ranks at present — and the remaining members' close ties to Obama — may have fueled the decision the president announced last week to turn instead to a brand new and still unnamed body of outside experts to delve into the privacy issues raised by surveillance in the "Big Data" age.
Two PIAB members confirmed to POLITICO this week that they were asked to leave the longstanding panel as part of a broader reshuffle.
( PHOTOS: Obama's second term)
"They kicked me off," said former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.). "I was on it a long time under Bush and under Obama. They wanted to make some changes."
"I don't know anything about whether they've brought in new members. They thanked me and that's about all I know," added Hamilton, widely known for his service as vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission.
The 82-year-old former congressman — who has headed Indiana University's Center for Congress since 2010 — said he wasn't upset about being booted from the PIAB, although he remains in the dark about precisely why he was shown the door.
Philip Zelikow, who served as executive director of the 9/11 Commission and later as a top aide to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, was also asked recently to step off the PIAB.
"I've resigned from the Board, one of ten of the fourteen earlier members who have done so," Zelikow said via email. "Four of the earlier members have remained, pending a reconstitution of the Board at some point for the balance of the President's second term. The White House website displays the current situation, pending that."
A White House spokeswoman confirmed Thursday that a group of panel members recently concluded their service.
"A number of PIAB members have recently departed their positions and in staffing the Board, we look carefully at the President's needs and ensure that the group is comprised of individuals with the skills and expertise to meet those needs," National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden told POLITICO via e-mail.
It's unclear precisely when the panel was slimmed down, but members' biographies suggest the departures took place since early May.
PIAB watchers and former intelligence officials said they were taken aback by the scope of the exodus from the board.
"I'm sort of surprised because I follow this very closely. … Four people down from 14 — I can see why this is raising your eyebrows," said Michael Desch, head of Notre Dame's political science department and co-author of "Privileged and Confidential: The Secret History of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board."
"If this is as it appears, this is pretty remarkable," Desch said. "The PIAB doesn't look fully staffed. … This does look strange."
A couple of the recent departures from the board came because its members were tapped for full-time jobs in the administration — moves that essentially make it impossible to remain part of a body supposed to provide outside advice.
Panel co-chairman Chuck Hagel was nominated in January as defense secretary and sworn in the following month. Venture capitalist and former lobbyist Tom Wheeler joined the board in 2011, but was tapped by Obama in May 2013 to head the Federal Communications Commission.
( PHOTOS: Chuck Hagel's career)
And Hagel's co-chairman and fellow former senator, David Boren, said he asked to leave the panel early this year "because of the demands of my work as president of the University of Oklahoma. My request to the president was made shortly after the first of the year," Boren said in a statement responding to a query from POLITICO.
Also exiting the board in recent months, according to the White House website: former Securities and Exchange Commission member Roel Campos, international lawyer and philanthropist Rita Hauser, stealth technology pioneer and former Undersecretary of Defense Paul Kaminski, Stimson Center CEO Ellen Laipson, and retired Air Force Gen. Lester Lyles.
The panel itself is currently without a chairman.
The current vacancies on the PIAB — which can include up to 16 members — remain as Obama aides have scrambled in recent days to set up the new, surveillance-and-technology "review group" the president announced Friday. The talk of a new board to dig into intelligence issues quickly raised questions in some quarters about duplication of effort.
"There are already four boards that have jurisdiction here," House Intelligence Committee member Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Tuesday on MSNBC. "So, the question is what will the mission be here?"


text:
The girls are looking lush dude!
Would you mind expaining what you thought of the Auto Blackberry experience; was she a pleasure to grow? looks exotic what feeding schedule was followed throughout? .i.e nutes per/L/ or U.S Gallon, each week, what nutes were added and what were removed as the days arrived?
In terms of feed: what NPK values were used in Vegetative? and when ladies enduced flowering, =how did you adjust those Values? to roughly what PPM/ E.C reading?(:
Autoberry Had me thinking...a definitive schedule- been looking and trying to decipher nutes PPM and then looking at feeds- Genesis is on her way! whats your proposed NPK in VEG/NPK in Bloom feed/ NPK in full flowering.. all ears bro
happy new year guys!
ECFLOURI! x


text:
Turn lilies into more lilies.
I want more lilies. A lot more. And I mean true lilies (Lilium spp.) rather than daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.).
Casa Blanca is the variety that has put me in such a state. Its large, white petals flare out into trumpets, from whose frilly throats poke groups of rust-red anthers and single tear-capped stigmas. The heady fragrance from just one cut spray of blossoms can perfume a good portion of any home.
Sure, I could just plunk down some money and order more Casa Blanca and other lilies. But part of the fun of gardening is making new plants, and even a single lily plant offers a few avenues to this goal.
Seeds offer challenge
It might seem that the most straightforward way is to let seeds develop and then plant them. Lily seed germination is not, however, all that straightforward. The seeds might germinate in as little as a couple of weeks or as long as 18 months. In the latter case, the plants first form small, underground bulblets, usually after a period of cool temperatures, before any sign of life appears above ground. Flowering from seed takes from two to four years.
Another wrinkle to seed sowing is that seedlings of lily varieties or hybrids will not be the same as their parents. They may be better, they may be worse, but they'll be different.
Lilies are easy to multiply by just digging up and dividing clumps as they age. This time, the offspring do mimic their parents exactly. Wait until fall or spring to divide lilies, but don't expect to get too many new plants out of a clump.
Bulbils and bulblets
Some lilies form little bulbs along their stems. Above ground, these small bulbs, now called bulbils, appear where leaves meet stems. Flick them off and plant them shallowly.
Little bulbs that form along stems below ground are called stem bulblets. Collect these, taking care to preserve any roots clinging to them as soon as the stems and leaves begin to wither. Plant them immediately, before they dry out, a couple of inches deep.
Expect bulbils or bulblets to form flowers that look just like their parents in one to three years.
Bulbils and stem bulblets are easy ways to propagate lilies, but only a few cultivated lilies form them. Still, it is possible to coax a lily that does not normally make bulbils or stem bulblets to do so. Some lilies form them in response to nothing more than having their flower buds pinched out before they open. Others need a bit more coaxing in the form of having their stems shortened by a half after the pinching. Yet another approach is to pinch off flower buds and then wrench the stem from the bulb, leaving the bulb in the ground. Lay the liberated stem in a trench and shoots will emerge along it, hopefully studded with bulbils.
For the most lilies, scale them
Scaling is the final method I'll mention for making new lilies, lots and lots of them. Sometime in the next few weeks, dig up a lily bulb, remove some of the plump, firm, outer scales, and put them into a plastic bag along with plenty of moist perlite or sand.
Keep the bag in the dark at room temperature for about six weeks or until bulblets form at the bases of the scales. After that period, put the bag in a refrigerator for at least eight weeks, after which each bulblet can be potted up to grow.
Three years later, you'll have flowers -- oodles of them!
|Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
|Title Annotation:
|Reich, Lee
|Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA)
|Sep 8, 2013
|Previous Article:
|Lighting a shining star for designers.
|Next Article:
|Devil's in details in class action suits.


text:
LeBron James' Filthy Photo
This certainly isn't going to help LeBron's image.
HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: I know this is just the lighting and nothing pervy, but I still have no words for how wrong this photo appears.
I am a LeBron James fan and think the media has been unjustly hard on the guy, but photos like this aren't going to help LeBron bring back is nice guy image. I mean could you please keep it under control. Yes, that is a cute mom, but have a little subtlety my man. She's with her baby for Christ's sake. Take it easy.
Photo Credit: TheDirty.com


text:
Since we opened our door in 1987, Curt's Auto Repair has been the destination for full service auto repair in Phoenix Arizona. We are proud to be an independent, Family owned auto repair facility that focuses on the needs of our customers, and define for ourselves what it means to achieve success.
At Curt's Auto Repair, we have always worked with the mindset that if we are good to our patrons, they will be good to us. Building rapport with every individual that walks into our shop and delivering the highest quality auto repair is the way we forge relationships with our customers, and the way we've always done business.
Our ASE Certified Master Technicians are here to make sure that any and all auto repair processes are conducted by well trained, certified professionals; the best in the business. Because we hold them to a higher standard of excellence, you can be assured that the job will be done correctly, and in a timely fashion.
In the end, being an excellent auto repair facility is about more than restoring vehicles to mechanical excellence, it's about making certain that our customers receive the best treatment, and have a mechanic that they can trust. We feel it is our duty to show the members of our community what it's like to have access to professional automotive service, at a fair price.
By staying true to the tenets of Honesty, Responsibility and Professional Excellence, we have created an atmosphere that is friendly, reliable and down to business. Once we find the problem, it's our job to make sure that you never deal with it again.
After over 26 years in business, one thing remains the same. We treat our customers the way we expect to be treated; with kindness, fairness, and honor. We invite you to contact us if you have any questions about your vehicle or the services we offer. Our staff is on hand to make sure that you are given the answers you need for the health and longevity of your vehicle. The trust of our customers is hard earned, and well worth the effort. We invite you to find out for yourself the difference that having a trustworthy, reliable mechanic at your service can do for both your vehicle, and your peace of mind.


text:
Bartlett Pears and Bean Soup: 1962
September 27, 2008 at 7:00 am 52 comments
The best-tasting Bartlett pears are the ones that are a little dinged up and smell as strong as perfume. Their aroma, more than the taste or texture, have always reminded me of something, but I couldn't remember what it was. It was a good memory, of good times, but I couldn't place it. So, whenever I'd come across a ripe dinged-up Bartlett in the grocery store I'd inhale deeply, smile idiotically, and wonder why I felt happy. This has gone on for decades. No kidding.
I just chalked it up to part of my personal quirkiness and let it go at that. Hey, you get your jollies when you can. I feel rather the same way about bean soup. Navy, not black bean, and only home made. I'm happy to just breathe it in, just can't figure out why.
A recent bowl of bean soup brought back that familiar wisp of recognition, a remnant of the past that was on the tip of my tongue. Literally. But I couldn't retrieve its meaning. I remembered that as a kid I didn't like beans soup, and then it hit me! The smell of the bean soup and the smell of ripe Bartlett pears collided and I remembered why I felt such an emotional connection to them. The time and place had eluded me all these years, and then there it was in a flash: Italy 1962.
That's where those aromas transported me. Instantly. I was a second grader again at the Parioli International Day School on Via Nomentana in Rome. My teacher, the beloved Mrs. Pensa, sat at the head of our long wooden table. The lunchroom was downstairs in the basement of the palazzo with high vaulted ceilings and thick stone walls. The whole school ate together each grade at their own table. The cooks, in white aprons, brought out Pasta e Fagoili (bean soup with macaroni) in heavy white bowls. The smell of the hot soup filled the entire room. It always smelled delicious. I remember thinking 'how could something smell so good feel so bad in your mouth?' It was a textural thing. And I remember just being near Mrs. Pensa was so wonderful because I was a goody-two-shoes and I adored her. I didn't want her to like me less for eating the pasta and leaving the beans behind. And she still liked me. And I was relieved when the pears came for dessert because I liked those and I would enjoy every bite even though the juice dripped down my chin. I don't remember anything else we ate, or any other memory in the lunchroom for that matter.
And you're going, "this is why people shouldn't have blogs." Yeah, you're probably right. But wasn't that a nice photo of a pear?
Oh, and one of my classmates at the Parioli International Day School was Chistopher Wilding, son of Elizabeth Taylor. She and Richard Burton were living in Rome while they filmed Cleopatra. And yes, I went to Christopher's birthday party. But that seems boring in comparison to the memory of the pears and the bean soup, doesn't it?
Get my blog delivered to you via email, or read it online.
Entry filed under: Miscellaneous Musings.
52 Comments Add your own
I have never been to Rome, and really never liked bean soup, but your memorie was wonderful and I have the same feeling with home baked chocolate chip cookies and slow roasted beef.
Have a great day
Toddy in St.Pete
"..why people shouldn't have blogs." ?? People write famous classic novels about memories like this. Not that I've read that one, but I enjoyed reading this one!
Why aren't you a stand-up comic????? You have been making me laugh for years with your off-the-wall comments on just about everything you write!!!!
Ami, I just love this blog!! I'm transported by smells to the past as well. One of my strongest is the smell of mint. Growing up, we used to play close to a river in east Africa, where mint grew wild. I remember picking it and enjoying the flavor and odor. Years later I smelled fresh mint, and immediately was transported back to that riverside, enjoying a cool Saturday morning. I hope I never lose that, because you can do that if you smell it too frequently.
Memories like that are special–treasure them!!!
That was a fun blog! I do that! Interesting how food is often involved in memory and smells. Smelling COW takes me instantly back to childhood. Others go YUCK and I'm in the barn with dad and kittens and etc.
Great pear Picture
I just returned from a trip to Italy, spent 3 glorious days in Rome. I know what you mean about the wonderful food smells! The pears, and tomatoes, and all produce actually taste as they are supposed to taste!
How lucky you are, to have lived abroad. We also did, for a couple years (in Germany), and are lives are enriched for having done so.
Thanks for the wonderful description – I could almost smell the soup and pear myself! And that's one reason why bloggers blog – to get those random thoughts down into words! I mentally blog all the time, thinking, hey, that would be a good blog entry! But most I never get time to actually type! Keep on blogging! (and Hi to Madison from Princess!)
Oh, the smell of navy bean soup! That brings back good memories. When I was a child, my grandfather would spend weeks at a time at our house. He loved navy bean soup, and apparently my grandmother would not make it for him, so my mom did. So warm memories of my beloved grandfather go hand in hand with navy bean soup! Thanks for bringing back a nice memory (smiling the entire time I'm writing this)!
I just love how fragrances can transport you to the past! Thank you for sharing that memory. I bet you were a very cute kid!
I love the smell of freshly cut grass. It reminds me of being outside with my Dad when I was very little. I would sit on the porch and nibble M&Ms and watch him mow the lawn. Now and then we would wave to each other. Is that cute or what? Maybe you had to be there:)
Not such a strange connection. I love pears. Not just about the way they taste and smell. I love the way they look. I love the shape and I love the color. Show me a piece of fabric with pears on it and I will buy it. I have pear stuff everywhere. Go figure. That reminds me I need to go down to the meadow and finish picking all the pears.
As for beans…yup, navy beans and bacon soup is one of my all time favorite dishes…slow cooked it scents up the kitchen in a homey, cosy way.
Olfactory memory is the most potent memory trigger we have. More than visual or aural stimulus. Long before we can associate word sense to memories we register and store scents. Decades later memories can be triggered simply by scent recognition no matter how out of context that stimulus is. Life is a wonderful mystery is it not.
What a wonderful story Ami. Isn't it fun to have those memories pop when we least expect them? Thanks for sharing.!
Hi honey :-)
So when you see the pears at the store, do you buy them?? And have you had bean soup lately? I love bean soup! I think you should try some and see if you feel the same about it.
Most importantly though (to this story, at least) – have you tried to get in touch with Mrs. Pensa? I think you should do that too. YOU know how teachers are about these things. ;-)
All of this can be accomplished in your multitudinous spare time. :-D Keep us posted on the progress. And this IS why people have blogs. I loved it.
Food is a great memory. The best apple I ever ate was a nice crispy cold one from an outdoor market in Germany. Instant oatmeal reminds me of camping trips when I was a kid.
Keep on bloggin!
I have a terrific recepy for real "Pasta e fagioli": I know you don't like to cook but, should you be interested, just let me know!
Have you evere tasted "Grappa di pere"? It's a liquor made out of those pears. Its flavour is way too strong for me, but the smell is just the same as the fresh fruit! A neverending source of good memories…
I just loved your story: eating that wonderful food under those antique vaulted ceilings must have been like living in a dream!
Its amazing how strong smells bring back memories. For me its the smell of oatmeal cookies and any hot dish (casseroles) that say home at Grandma's house.
So tell us more about Liz! Surely she came to parents night…lol.
Yes! I understand those sorts of memories. It's great to have them come back at you and revel in that wonderful warm feeling. Just keep enjoying, and try not to feel too sorry for those poor folks who don't get these trips to bliss.
Hi, Ami
I enjoy your blog, even if it is not quilt related.
This is why people HAVE blogs! I love this story. The pear photo evoked many fond memories and scents. Great pic!
Karen from MI
Ami, I loved this blog because it made me think about my favorite smells from long ago. Almost 50 years ago, I asked my sister-in-law what smelled so good in her house. It was the roast she was baking with garlic sprinkled on top. My mom made wonderful dinners, but she didn't use garlic. Now I love that my house often smells that way, too!
Dear Ami
I was googling Parioli International Day School just for the hell of it and without much hope as a previous attempt had not netted anything. So I was very pleased to drop in on your past blog entry featuring your memories of the school. I left PIDS in 1960 when I was in (I think) the seventh or eighth form as I entered the seventh grade junior high school in an American school in Tokyo where my father was posted after Rome.
I too have very fond memories of the cafeteria food served by our teacher at the head of the table. I grew to love minestrone soup and salads during a childhood in which I had forsworn the eating of vegetables. To this day I have only once come across the same delicious taste of that soup which immediately enveloped me in the memory of that canteen. Indeed I have many fond memories of that school which sadly I heard some years after I had left that it had moved to Milan.
Thank you for bringing back those memories.
Best regards
Hi Ami, Derry,
I went to Parioli International Day School also 1960-1963 (not positive of my last year)! So wonderful to read your blog Ami! Have only come across one other person in the 70's from those school days in Rome , her name "Daria" but have since lost touch.
Do you remember the Romulus and Remus patches on our uniforms?
Hello fellow classmates!
But of course! I still have the patch from my blazer somewhere! ~~ Ami :)
Oooh I am jealous! Take a photo pls! :-)
Wow, I too came across this by googling Parioli Day – only because I grew up in Rome (Overseas School, St. Stephen's, American College of Rome) and had never heard of it, but came across it today and was curious…..
Love the pasta e fagioli memory, I have the same one of the ladies at the OSR lunchroom and the big steaming white bowls and me eating around the beans….I love that I wasn't the only one, even if you were all the way across town!
What a very very small world!
Wow! I went to PDS for the school years '59/'60 and '60/'61. Michael Wilding was my boyfriend in 4th grade. The entire 4th grade went to his birthday party at his villa on the Appia. The girls were serenaded by Eddie Fisher.
What a small world.
It is a small world! Hi, Joan. I remember you, Michael, Chris, Jeff Lydon, Lisa Sinclair, and many others well. Also, Hi to Patricia Corbett who signed in below.
What a laugh I had reading about the tuna and pasta casserole. Boy, that dish was hard to swallow.
I remember that Mrs. Pensa told us how she narrowly escaped drowning in the port of (Haifa?) as a young woman. The tub of a ship she and the other refugees were on sank as they were waiting to be accepted into the newly created state of Israel. Luckily, a young man, who also went down with the ship but could swim, had his eye on her and came to the rescue. She flailed so much during his rescue that he had to knock her out so he could drag her in. Good thing she was quite a looker in her younger days.
Wow! How this brings back memories of the eating area at the Parioli International day school.
Unlike others I have had a bad memory of being forced to eat spaghetti with TUNA.
The smell of cooked tuna even today makes me sick when I think of the teachers forcing me to eat it.
How I can picture that room with the long tables under the school.
I left in 1957 after attending one year at the school.
My best friend I think was Garth Welsh and the form mistress was Elsa Anderson with the Headmaster Paul Burke -Mahony.
Philip Mullins.
Hi Ami;
I too had the gastronomic "pleasure" of dining there.
I was a student from the Summer of 1963 "til Spring '64.
My keenest memory of the cafeteria was having a salad that had small live snails in it. I don't believe their inclusion was intentional.
I was in either the fourth or fifth grade. Other personnel I recall are the teachers Mrs. Priebe, and my teacher, Miss Konstantinoff, and I think a Miss Nicosia was the nurse.
I had a classmate named Betsy Brantley, whom I had a great crush on. She might be the actress by that name… I really don't know. She had a sister there named Becky.
Other classmates in Miss Konstantinoff's were Charles, Shinichi, Daniella, Barclay, Terence and Jacob; sorry that I don't recall any last names.
I can still picture the property, building and my classroom. I must have borrowed every book in their library.
I returned to the States in about April 1964. Within the year I saw two films that featured parts of Rome I easily recalled: The Pink Panther and The Last Man On Earth.
Thanks for providing this blog for us to reply to.
Best regards,
Carmine Gary Fergo
Patchogue, NY
i8 was a student in this school 1961-62 my name is shlomo peri and i am from israel i was in the same class with zaidun jawdat do you remember our names? i had a girlfriend daria fordyce she was a pretty blond i wish i could find her!
I didn't know Daria, but she has to be related to Addison Fordyce, who was in my class either at Parioli Day or later at Notre Dame International. It's not a name that you run into every day, so maybe this will help you find her.
Please contact me I was in that school the same time and would love to hear from u
I just found this today! I was also at Parioli, probably in 1962 – 64?
Miss Kopke, I think, was my teacher. A year ahead of Carmine?
I remember Mr. Gibson taking us to the Roman Forum and telling tales of what happened here and there, but where I cannot tell.
Shinichi past away last September just before going to Beijing as the Ambassador from Japan.
More shared Parioli memories from the Sixties! I have often wondered where my distant childhood friends are now. Does anyone know the whereabouts of Michiko and Miyoko Watanabe, Ofra Perry, Habira Habir?
Patricia Corbett
Hi Patricia
I hope this reaches you. I posted before and came back to find a name I recognized, yours and my sister's! Habira is my sister and I knew you as her good friend. She lives in Jakarta now and would be happy to hear from you.
Derry Habir
Fellow alumnus 3rd grade my brother scott was in your class. Remember good morning. Miss nicosia? it took me 40 yrs. To start liking bean soup after that nasty food they used to swill us with. My sister Karen would never get near another pork hotdog the rest of her life ,she was in 5th grade. It's funny how we remember the same experiences so differently. Jon
About the Watanabes, I did know they attended the Sacred Heart in Tokyo in the late '60's and married in the early '70's to diplomats? Sorry for a very vague memory going back some forty years.
And, Jon, how is Karen?
She definitely was in my class.
1963 was the only year we were attending parioli to whom we sing our praises 😄
my name is shlomo peri and i was also a student in the same school during 61-63. i had a blond girlfriend daria fordyce. do you have any idea where she is?her brothers name was adison or madison…
Dear Ami,
It would be great if you could send my email address to Patricia Corbett who posted above and asked about the whereabouts of, among others, my sister, Habira Habir. Habira would love to get in touch again, if possible.
Thank you again for this continuing series of opportunities to reminisce about the memories of what was to me a memorable school during my time there – 1958 to 1960.
I came across a fascinating interview of Mr. Gibson (I never knew his first name was Horace!) in the Florentine where he talks about the founding of Parioli International Day School (not mentioned by name though) with Mr. Mahoney and the subsequent founding of the school in Florence, mentioned by Patricia above. For those interested, here is the link: http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=2754
I still have a class photo that was taken in front of the Nomentana school and can recall most of the names of what admittedly was a small class, Mickey Gazith from Israel, Frank Worth, Arnold Paradise, James Franey, Ned Smythe, Greg Nickel, James Rispoli, Marco (last name escapes me) from Venezuela, Jackie Lorimer, Rhodora Resnick, Teresa Brewer, Jennifer from Canada and two other girls whose names I have forgotten. Mr. Valencia, our teacher, is in the back. Hiroshi Narasaki, who introduced me to baseball, had left for Japan earlier.
Thank you, Ami, for sending my email to Patricia. She has responded and my sister, Habira, will be getting in touch with her. Very much appreciated.
I attended Parioli also from 1959 to 1963 and remember Mrs. Pensa. Would live to connect and share more as we are all scattered and the school is long gone. Michael Wilding was in my class as well so you and I must have been classmates
I attended Parioli 53 years ago, when John Paul Betty Jr. attended. I remember Mr. Hockey and the omlets, eaten in the basement, at the long wooden table. Still remember the taste!th
That was John Paul Getty, Jr. and Mr. Hickey.
Leave a Reply
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed


text:
New sentencing legislation passes senate
The Senate on Friday passed, for the second time, legislation that would change the punishment range for 17-year-olds convicted of capital felonies to life with parole after 40 years.
The move comes in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year that said mandatory life without parole for minors, defined as anyone under 18, was unconstitutional.
The House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee is set to discuss the companion bill during a hearing Tuesday.
Currently, the state's criminal code categorizes 17 as an adult and the only sentence for a capital felony is death or life without parole. The new legislation would change the law so those who are 17 and convicted of a capital crime would receive the same life sentence with parole under the current law for minors.
At the behest of prosecutors statewide, Gov. Rick Perry added the topic to the special session after the legislation died in the House during the regular session.
Asked about the legislation Friday, Perry said: "The prosecutors across this state have all said that if we do not pass this piece of legislation, we'll have a two-year period of time in which we have some real conflicts in the law."
Harris County currently has 12 capital murder cases with a 17-year-old defendant that can't move forward because there's no legal way to sentence them, officials said.
Plus, once sentencing is in place for all minors, Perry has said he would move to reduce the sentences of all juveniles who received life without parole but weren't covered by last year's Supreme Court ruling that didn't apply to closed cases.
Sen. Rodney Ellis asked if individualized sentencing for juveniles should be considered; a concern also brought up during the Senate Criminal Justice Committee hearing Wednesday.
Committee members had said they could revisit individual sentencing for capital crimes but that would take additional review.
More pressing, Huffman said, echoing the opinion of prosecutors, is a sentencing structure that makes sure the state has a constitutional punishment in place.
More Information


text:
Research questions
A. Signaling in plant-herbivore interactions:
- How are fatty acid-amino acid conjugates (FACs) -specific elicitors in the oral secretions in lepidopteran herbivores- perceived by the plant?
- What signal transduction mechanisms are switched on very early after FAC perception to specify responses against insects?
- How is the plant response to insect herbivores affected after specific silencing of components of these signal transduction mechanisms?
- What cellular mechanisms activate oxylipin biosynthesis immediately after wounding and enhance their production after herbivory?
- Do different plant species (e.g. Nicotiana attenuata and Solanum nigrum) utilize different regulatory mechanisms to tune oxylipin production and metabolism after wounding and herbivory?
- How does the plant control jasmonate metabolism after herbivory? Do some of the JA-modified forms have a specific role in inducing systemic signaling after herbivory?
- How does oxylipin metabolism affect the selection of plants for feeding by insects?
- How is the glycerolipase NaGLA1 regulating the activation of JA biosynthesis in N. attenuata leaves during herbivory?
- Is NaGLA1 supplying substrates to the divinylether biosynthesis pathway in roots of infected N. attenuata plants?
- What other biosynthesis pathways involved in the generation of oxylipins (or not) depend on the activity of NaGLA1 in N. attenuata?
- Which are the mechanisms affected by NaGLA1 that induce a reduction in growth in plants silenced in its expression (ir-gla1) in natural environments but not in the glasshouse?
- Are these changes in growth caused by a differential colonization of roots by associated microorganisms? Or alternatively, are abiotic conditions affecting the growth of ir-gla1 plants compared to WT N. attenuata plants?
- By which mechanisms is the rapidly OS-inducible lectin-receptor like-kinase 1 (NalecRLK1) regulating responses of N. attenuata to herbivory?
- By which mechanisms is the rapidly OS-inducible putative nematode-resistance protein 1 (NaPNRP1) regulating responses of N. attenuata plants to herbivory?
- Is NaPNRP1 controlling the association of N. attenuata roots with specific endosymbionts? Is this differential association (compared to WT) affecting the response of N. attenuata plants silenced in PNRP1 expression (ir-pnrp) to herbivory?
- Are lipoxygenases (LOX) catalyzing the biosynthesis of a wider range of oxylipins than previously thought? Are some of these LOX-reactions "recycling" self-made products to generate novel signal molecules?
- How is the family of HD-Zip transcription factors regulating processes that integrate biotic and abiotic stresses with changes in growth and development of N. attenuata plants?
- How is NaHD20 regulating changes in flowering time and flower transitions upon periods of water deficiency and recovery? Are these changes connected to changes in ABA biosynthesis or transport into flowers?
- How is NaHD20 controlling the biosynthesis/release of benzylacetone in night flowers of N. attenuata plants?
- Which classes of transcription factors and other regulatory proteins contribute to regulation of plant defenses in N. attenuata against herbivores? Specifically, what are the are the roles of:
- MYB transcription factors in defense and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites (phytoalexins) during herbivory?
- herbivory-induced WRKY transcription factors in defense response?
- a novel putative calmodulin-binding protein from tobacco in regulation of defense against herbivores?
- Do JAZ proteins -- repressors of JA-signaling -- contribute to induction of priming responses in plants under herbivory stress in the natural environment?
- Which jasmonic acid-amino acid conjugates trigger the de-repression of JA signaling by interacting with the E3-ubiquitin-ligase SCFCOI1 complex and degradation of JAZ proteins?
- Which jasmonates are responsible for individual jasmonate-elicited defense responses? Are direct and indirect defenses controlled by different conjugates of jasmonic acid? What biosynthetic steps are regulated by jasmonates?
- How do herbivore-specific defense responses change during ontogeny?
- Does UVB prime defenses against herbivores in natural environment?
- Are some of pathogen resistance-related genes also involved in plant-herbivore interactions?
- What is the role of MYC2 homologues in regulating JA-dependent defenses in N. attenuata?
- How and which defenses are induced by direct wounding of roots in N. attenauta?
B. Hormone crosstalk in plant-herbivore interactions:
- Is deconjugation of IAA-amino acid conjugates by IAR3 enzymes responsible for higher accumulation of JA-Ile in N. attenuata leaves?
- How does JA and ethylene crosstalk regulate accumulation of polyamine-hydroxycinnamic acid conjugates in herbivore attacked plants?
C. Herbivore behavior as function of plant defenses:
- Does the frequency of herbivore attack influence the ability of N. attenuata plants to elicit a jasmonic acid burst?
- How do multiple elicitations affect the defense response of N. attenuata: Can plants "count" herbivores and their herbivore loads and their potential fitness liabilities?
- How does herbivore behavior differ in response to active and deactivated plant defenses in WT versus plants in which endogenous defenses were suppressed by RNAi-mediated genetic approach?
D. Cost and benefits of direct and indirect defenses
- What are the benefits and the costs of protease inhibitor production in N. attenuata?
- Do diterpene secondary metabolites function as a defense against herbivore attack in N. attenuata, and, if so, what is their mechanism of action? Are defensive diterpenoids differently effective against specialist and generalist herbivores?
- How do native plants in wild N. attenuata populations vary in their herbivore- and jasmonate-elicited production of defenses? Which secondary metabolites are stable within populations, and which are highly variable? How do insect herbivore and predator communities respond to this variation?
- What are the pros and cons for a plant to be "apparent" and attract the attention of insects and how do the fitness consequences of herbivore "escape" and "defense" compare under field condition?
- What are the comparative fitness consequences of attack from the major different biotic agents found in nature: herbivores, viruses, pathogens?
E. Seed germination mechanisms
- What are the active smoke constituents that break secondary dormancy in N. attenuata seeds?
- How is germination and dormancy of N. attenuata seeds regulated on a molecular level?
- How do different genotypes of N. attenuata differ in their germination from long-lived seedbanks?
F. Plant-plant interactions
- What role do green leaf volatiles (GLVs) have in transferring information to a neighboring, conspecific plant?
- Is there, in addition to the known aboveground emissions, also volatiles released from the roots, and are these soil-borne VOCs recognized by roots of a neighbouring plant?
- What are the total effects of herbivore-inducible volatile emissions from neighbors on a plant's defensive status and fitness? Are these effects due to priming or induction of plant defenses, or to the apparency or defensive status of the neighbor?
G. Plant-pollinator interaction and mate choice mechanism
- What are the floral traits that mediate out-crossing in a plant?
- Do out-crossed seeds have a better chance to compete with their neighbors?
- Two ecotypes of N. attenuata (Utah and Arizona) differentially choose their mates amongst several natural genotypes. What is the basis of these selections and is this mate choice adaptive in nature? How does the non-random mate selection correlate with the survival of the offspring in long-term seed banks?
- In mixed pollination, mate discrimination occurred amongst non-self pollen against hygromycin-B resistance (transformation selectable marker) in WT styles and for it in transformed styles. How is this atypical mate selection related to the transgene escape through pollen-mediated gene flow for N. attenuata? How the molecular augmentations of insect-resistance (e.g. CRY) affect this selection pattern?
- N. attenuata discriminates amongst different pollen genotypes in mixed pollination. Moreover, post-pollination ethylene burst and pollen tube competition within different pollen genotypes are the main predictors for seed paternity. However, disruption in ethylene production/perception eliminates stylar selection of pollen tubes. What is the molecular mechanism that regulates pre-zygotic mate selection? Are there any stylar compounds that enhance/restrict pollen tube growth of specific genotypes?
- Which traits (genetic and environmental) do play a role in dormancy and survival of N. attenuata seed banks?
H. Plant-microbial endophyte interactions
- What role do bacterial endophytes play in N. attenuata and S. nigrum's performance? When these endophytes alter plant growth, do they do so by altering the plant's phytohormone status? Do the endophytes have other means of altering plant growth?
- What role do mycorrhizal fungi of the genus Glomus play in N. attenuata's ecological interactions?
- How different are the bacterial communities in different plant developmental stages?
- What are the main factors important for endophyte recruitment?
- How important are endophytic bacteria as natural biocontrols against phytopathogenic fungi?
- Do some bacteria play a role in the tritrophic interaction against herbivores?
I. Effect of polyploidy on the evolution of anti-herbivore defense system in Nicotiana attenuata
- The genus Nicotiana is ideally suited to study polyploidy because of its robust phylogenetic framework and the genus contains a large number of polyploid species (approx 40% are allopolyploids). Nicotiana attenuata is a diploid species which is thought to be involved in the formation of several of these allopolyploids, particularly in the formation of N. bigelovii and N. clevelandii (allotetraploid descendants of the ancestors of N. attenuata and N. trigonophylla). Our research focuses on understanding how the anti-herbivore defense system, as well as pollination, germination and growth systems modified after neo-polyploidization and polyploidy speciation, using synthetic and natural polyploids.
J. Plant-herbivore interactions: the herbivore side
- What are the transcriptional responses of specialist (Manduca sexta) and generalist herbivores (Heliothis virescens) to feeding on N. attenutata host plants transformed to silence different secondary metabolites and defense signaling? From these analyses we hope to understand how herbivores adjust to the defenses that their feeding elicits in their host plants.
- How do specialist or generalist herbivores (e.g. M. sexta and Heliothis virescens) cope with different host plants? What are the differences in the transcriptomes of these herbivore species when feeding on N. attenuata?
- How do Corimelaena extensa seed predators find their host plant, N. attenuata, in it's natural habitat and do plant traits mediate this herbivore's preferences and performance?
- What are the molecular mechanisms underlying M. sexta's high nicotine tolerance? Does the dietary nicotine play a role in M. sexta's interactions with its parasites and predators? Are the nicotine detoxification strategies of the generalist lepidopteran herbivores of N. attenuata different than that of specialist herbivore M. sexta? How M. sexta copes with the other specialized metabolites (than nicotine) of N. attenuata?
K. Genome evolution in N. attenuata and N. obtusifolia
Two genome sequencing projects are going on in our department: N. attenuata, our premier model system, and N. obtusifolia. Both species are diploid, but they have different genome sizes (2.5 vs. 1.5 Gb). They also display contrasting resistance to pathogens and herbivores and differences in life history traits. Our questions are:
- How can we use these genome data to learn about interspecies genome evolution in Nicotiana spp.?
- Particularly, what role are promoters playing in the adaptation to different modes of reponse to herbivory?
- What is the cause for the difference in genome sizes?
We have obtained transcriptome data (Illumina Hi-seq) for different N. attenuata ecotypes (Utah and Arizona). Also from different tissues, timepoints and induction with OS.
- What can we learn about low abundant smRNAs, alternative splicing and their role in response to herbivory?
- Are there transcripts specific to ecotypes, certain conditions, at a certain times?
L. The ecological functions of the circadian clock
- Does the N. attenuata circadian clock orchestrate the plants' interactions with herbivores and microbes? Does shifting or abolishing the plant clock or the herbivore clock change the outcome of these interactions?
- How does the clock influence plant-pollinator interactions?
- What is the ecological importance of clock-regulated plant movement?
- How, and to what extent are plant specialized metabolites regulated by the clock? Are they coordinated with general metabolism so as to optimize biosynthetic efficiency, or with external events so as to optimize functional efficiency?
- What role does the clock play in the life history of the plant: in the plant's ability to successfully complete each stage of its growth and development in nature?
- Do herbivores co-opt or alter the plant's circadian rhythm? If so, is this to the benefit of the plant or of the herbivore?


text:
Kansas's experiment in allowing municipalities and counties to post new laws on Internet sites they control instead of printing them in independent publications where citizens can actually find them is proving to be as bad an idea as it sounded.
In an effort to save $36 last week, the City of Marion refused to publish the full text of a new ordinance about no-parking zones along the west sides of Elm and Locust Sts. between Main and Denver Sts. Instead of spending $84 to print the full ordinance in the same manner as has been done for nearly 150 years, it spent $48 to instead publish an "ordinance summary," referring local citizens who are fortunate enough to have Internet access to the city's website, where they supposedly could find the new law.
Not only did the summary fail to say where parking would not be allowed and fail to say you could get an $80 ticket for parking there, the city failed to post the full ordinance online. It was not until after the Marion County Record pointed this out to the city administrator nearly three days later that the city got around to posting the law as it had promised to do.
This is not the first time Marion County governments have forgotten to post laws mentioned in ordinance summaries. Frankly, we are growing weary of having to check to make sure they are doing their jobs. Publishing summaries requires an interaction with an independent local business, so they always remember. What they forget is to post the details online, a task for which there is no legally mandated independent check.
We knew trusting government to do something without an independent check was a bad idea when the legislature allowed it. Already municipalities across the county have had to spend or consider spending thousands upon thousands of dollars to hire out-of-county contractors to catalog their piles of ordinances, which typically are in such disarray that municipalities are unsure what laws they have or have not passed. Trusting the same people who cannot maintain ordinance archives to be responsible for publicizing ordinances was a fool's errand.
The rationale was equally flawed. Allowing municipalities to post laws on their own websites was designed to save money. It most certainly does not.
In an effort to save $36 — less than half the cost of a single parking ticket issued under the new ordinance — the city first had to get an attorney to create a second document, an ordinance summary. Even an addled legislator knows that getting any sort of document out of an attorney for less than $36 is a challenge. Then the city had to have someone trained in Internet publishing to actually post it. And, in this case, the city administrator had to personally get involved to order that it be done.
Rather than a low-level clerk simply forwarding the newly adopted ordinance to the newspaper for publication, as has been done for more than a century, the city had to pay to create a summary, pay to post the actual ordinance, and pay to issue a frantic set of orders, reaching to the highest levels of city government, to get all this done after someone neglected to do what was required.
It doesn't take an efficiency expert to see that the $36 "saved" was more than eaten up in added administrative costs. Meanwhile, the legality of the entire ordinance was thrown into doubt. If the newspaper had not bothered to check to see the law had actually been posted, anyone ticketed under it could have had legal grounds to challenge the ticket.
Unfortunately, this is how government functions these days. To avoid making payments to taxpaying local businesses, it creates complicated new systems that supposedly save money but actually increase the cost of doing business while lowering the level of service to the public. Rather than having a taxpaying local business provide a service with a century of tradition behind it, the government tries to do it itself and ends up hiring ever-growing numbers of staff members and out-of-county consultants in the process. It's not about saving money. It's about government competing — and competing poorly — with private enterprise.
Meanwhile, the arrogance and disrespect shown for the citizens that government is supposed to serve are palpable. What does government expect? Is everyone supposed to start paying for Internet access just so they can find out what laws to follow? And if they do, what's to guarantee that government won't forget to post the laws — or, worse yet, without checks and balances will be able to change what's posted without any accountability? We would never suspect local officials of trying a crooked stunt like this but worry that the law, as written, could allow unscrupulous officials elsewhere in the state to do so.
We also don't blame local officials for forgetting to post the ordinance in the first place. People make mistakes. That's why the old system had checks and balances, with an independent publisher helping to verify that everything was done properly. Who we blame are the legislators who blew up the old system. Some may have been motivated by flawed but wishful thinking that it might save money, but many who voted with the majority did so not to save money but to punish newspapers whose editorial stances they did not always appreciate.
So what are we at the newspaper supposed to do? Refuse to publish ordinance summaries unless we can independently verify that the promises they contain about posting laws online have been kept? If so, how long do we have to continue monitoring these postings to make sure they remain online and are not changed? And who's going to pay to reimburse us for the considerable amount of time spent doing this?
Now is the time for local governments to refuse to follow the vindictive lead of Topeka backrooms and stop cheating the public with ordinance summaries until the legislature comes to its senses and removes this dangerous and ill-advised loophole.


text:
Headlines archive
Wisconsin Supreme Court accepts three new cases
Madison, Wisconsin - April 15, 2013
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has voted to accept three new cases. The Court also acted to deny review in a number of cases. The case numbers, issues, and counties of origin are listed below. The Court of Appeals' opinion for the newly accepted cases are hyperlinked.
2010AP3016-CR State v. Subdiaz-Osorio
This reckless homicide case examines two constitutional issues. One issue is whether police, without obtaining a warrant, can legally use the global position system (GPS) signal of a personal smartphone to track a suspect in real-time. The other issue concerns the admissibility of defendant Nicolas Subdiaz-Osorio's statements obtained during his custodial interrogation after he made the following statement: "How can I do [sic] to get an attorney here because I don't have enough to afford one"? Subdiaz-Osorio contends the trial court erred by denying his motion to suppress certain evidence related to these issues. Without deciding the constitutional questions, the Court of Appeals determined any error was harmless, and it affirmed the circuit court decisions.
Some background: On Feb. 8, 2009, police found Subdiaz-Osorio's brother, Marcos, deceased in a bedroom in the trailer Marcos shared with Subdiaz-Osorio in Kenosha County. Marcos had been battered and stabbed. An autopsy determined that Marcos died of a stab wound to the head.
An eyewitness, Lanita Mintz, saw Subdiaz-Osorio argue with Marcos in Subdiaz-Osorio's bedroom on Feb. 7, 2009. Marcos hit Subdiaz-Osorio in the mouth, pushing in his front teeth and knocking him backwards. Subdiaz-Osorio then retrieved two knives from the closet and stabbed Marcos with both knives, once in the chest and once under the eye. After Marcos fell to the floor, Subdiaz-Osorio kicked and punched him repeatedly, ignoring Mintz's pleas to stop.
The next morning, Marcos was found dead. Subdiaz-Osorio's girlfriend contacted the police and reported that Subdiaz-Osorio had stabbed Marcos. She also told police that Subdiaz-Osorio had fled in her silver Saturn station wagon and might possibly be heading to Mexico because he had family there. The girlfriend gave police the license number and title for her car and Subdiaz-Osorio's cell phone number.
Early on the afternoon of Feb. 8, 2009, police sent out a national bulletin to apprehend Subdiaz-Osorio on both the state's Crime Information Bureau and the National Crime Information Center Internet networks. That same day, an agent from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation requested call record details and GPS location information from Subdiaz-Osorio's cell phone provider. After having the agent fill out forms for such a request, the cell phone provider agreed to provide the requested information.
Police used the information to track Subdiaz-Osorio down on Interstate 55 in Arkansas, where he was taken into custody. Two detectives and one officer from Kenosha County travelled to Arkansas and interviewed Subdiaz-Osorio in jail. The officer read Subdiaz-Osorio the Miranda warnings [Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966)] and waiver in Spanish and provided Subdiaz-Osorio with the card bearing the Spanish translation of those warnings for him to read along.
Subdiaz-Osorio and the officer signed and dated the waiver form. After Subdiaz-Osorio agreed to be interviewed both orally and in writing, police engaged him in an audio and video recorded interview that lasted less than an hour. Subdiaz-Osorio agreed to speak without an attorney present. Police removed Subdiaz-Osorio's handcuffs and gave him a soda. Subdiaz-Osorio asked the officer whether they would be taking him back to Kenosha. The officer answered that he would first have to appear before a judge in Arkansas who would make that determination. Subdiaz-Osorio asked: "How can I do [sic] to get an attorney here because I don't have enough to afford for one?" The officer said the state of Arkansas would appoint a lawyer for the hearing. The interview then continued and Subdiaz-Osorio confessed within the hour.
The state charged Subdiaz-Osorio with first-degree intentional homicide; he later pled guilty to first-degree reckless homicide.
Subdiaz-Osorio moved to suppress certain information based upon: (1) the alleged illegal "search" of his cell phone that resulted in his arrest and the subsequent inculpatory statements in Arkansas; and (2) an alleged Miranda violation preceding his confession. From Kenosha County.
2011AP1045 Nowell v. City of Wausau
This case examines whether circuit court review of municipal decisions to not renew an alcohol license under Wis. Stats. § 125.12(2)(d) is pursuant to certiorari or a de novo hearing.
Under certiorari review, the circuit court's review is limited in scope. The record of the municipal proceeding is considered by the circuit court, and the circuit court will generally not overturn the municipality's decision if there was a reasonable basis for it. By contrast, a de novo hearing is conducted as if the original hearing had not taken place, and licensees or residents are not limited in the type of evidence presented to the municipality. As a result, the record at the municipal hearing may differ substantially from that at a hearing before the circuit court, and the circuit court renders a decision independent from the municipality's decision. In this case, the circuit court employed certiorari review, but the Court of Appeals mandated a de novo hearing.
Some background: On May 25, 2010, the city of Wausau notified Thomas D. Nowell and Suporn Nowell, doing business as "IC Willy's, LLC," that the city intended not to renew the bar's combined intoxicating liquor and fermented malt beverage license the following month.
As grounds for this decision the notice cited 51 police calls to the premises since October of 2009. Fourteen calls were about noise complaints. The notice also cited an earlier 15-day suspension for a "Girls Gone Wild" event, as well as multiple citations for disturbing the peace and allowing minors to be on the premises.
In June 2010 the city's public health and safety committee hearing held a hearing at IC Willy's request. The committee recommended non-renewal of the license after determining that IC Willy's had violated § 125.12(2)(ag)1. and 2. The city accepted the committee's recommendation.
IC Willy's sought judicial review and demanded that the circuit court independently determine if the bar was entitled to license renewal. The circuit court concluded the scope of review under § 125.12(2)(d) was limited to matters reviewable by certiorari. The circuit court concluded the city kept within its jurisdiction, acted according to law, did not act arbitrarily, and based its decision on the evidence before it. IC Willy's appealed. The Court of Appeals reversed, concluding that the circuit court erroneously interpreted § 125.12(2)(d) to require certiorari review. It remanded with directions that the circuit court conduct any additional hearings needed to exercise its sound discretion on the renewal of IC Willy's license.
The Court of Appeals noted that liquor and beverage license renewals are governed by § 125.12(3), which permits local authorities to refuse to renew a license for various reasons, provided the municipality has given the licensee notice and the opportunity for a hearing. The statute sets forth the manner of the hearing before the governing municipal body and says that judicial review "shall be provided for in sub.(2)(d)."
The Court of Appeals said paragraph (2)(d) unambiguously states that on review the court must use the same procedures as in civil actions, but it said the practices applicable to ordinary civil actions are not applicable to writs of certiorari. See State ex rel. Casper v. Board of Trustees, 30 Wis. 2d 170, 176, 140 N.W.2d 301 (1966). The Court of Appeals also said certiorari statutes usually include some provision specifying the manner in which return of the inferior tribunal's record is to be made, and there is no such provision in § 125.12(2)(d). Thus, the Court of Appeals reasoned paragraph (2)(d) requires a circuit court to independently determine whether a licensee is entitled to renewal.
The Court of Appeals said its conclusion that § 125.12(2)(d) provides a right to a de novo hearing is "a substantial departure from ordinary judicial review of a municipality's exercise of police power." The Court of Appeals remanded with directions that the circuit court conduct any additional hearings needed to exercise its sound discretion on the renewal of IC Willy's license.
The city argues the Court of Appeals' decision usurps municipalities' prerogative in the exercise of their police powers. It says the statutory mandate to prepare findings of fact, conclusions of law, and a recommendation for revocation, suspension or renewal hearings held before committees under § 125.12(2)(d)3. becomes meaningless if the licensees need merely seek de novo hearings by the circuit court under § 125.12(2)(d).
In an amicus brief, the League of Municipalities says the Court of Appeals' decision is contrary to well-established rules of statutory procedure and is not supported by legislative history, judicial history, or sound judicial policy. From Marathon County.
2010AP1639-CR State v. Magett
This case involves the criminal defense of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect (NGI). When a defendant asserts an NGI defense, the trial ordinarily has two phases: (1) a guilt phase to determine whether the defendant committed the crime charged, and (2) a mental responsibility phase to determine if the defendant should be held not responsible because of a mental disease or defect. The state bears the burden of persuasion on the first phase, but the defendant bears the burden of persuasion on the second phase.
This case examines whether a court may summarily refuse to hold the second phase if the trial court determines that the defendant will not present sufficient evidence to create a jury question. The Supreme Court is expected to determine whether the circuit court acted properly in refusing to conduct the second phase of the NGI trial and whether, as the Court of Appeals determined, any error in not holding the second phase was harmless.
Some background: Erick O. Magett was convicted of battery by a prisoner. Magett claimed in defense that he should not be responsible for punching corrections officers who entered his prison cell because his mental disease or defect had prevented him from knowing what he was doing when he punched them. He asserted that he had blacked out at the time the officers had entered the cell to remove him, and the next thing he remembered was being locked up.
The altercation occurred when a prison guard "extraction team" entered Magett's cell because he had covered a closed-circuit camera in violation of prison rules. Magett indicated he covered the camera because his requests for medical care for a fractured pelvis and back injury were being ignored and he was not receiving meals. Magett was under special restrictions at the time of the altercation because a letter he sent to the warden was viewed as a threat. The letter stated that someone would "end up getting hurt" if he didn't receive adequate medical care.
The restrictions provided that guards would not bring meals into Magett's cell unless he first sat cross-legged on the floor at the back of his cell, facing the rear wall with his hands clasped behind his head. Magett said he could not assume that position due to his injuries. As a result, no meals were provided to him for two days.
Before the extraction team entered the cell, Magett had refused to place his hands through an opening in the cell door so he could be handcuffed. A number of the officers slipped because Magett had smeared hand cream on the floor. After a brief altercation, the officers were able to restrain Magett and remove him from the cell. Despite having worn a face shield, one of the guards suffered a cut under his chin, apparently from one of Magett's punches.
In response to the state's charges, Magett entered an NGI plea. While the jury was deliberating whether Magett was guilty at the end of the first phase of the trial, the court and Magett's counsel discussed how the second phase would proceed. The jury came back with a guilty verdict shortly thereafter.
At that point, the court asked Magett's counsel what evidence she intended to present in support of Magett's NGI defense. Counsel informed the court that she did not intend to call either the court-appointed medical expert or the defense's own medical expert. She stated that Magett would again take the stand and testify that he had "blacked out" and that "he was out of it" during a part of the altercation. Counsel further stated that she expected to show the videotape of the incident, which the state had already played for the jury during the first phase of the trial.
After the discussion with counsel, the trial court indicated that it would not proceed to the second phase. It concluded that without any medical expert testimony and with only the evidence described by defense counsel, no reasonable jury could find that Magett could meet his burden of persuasion on the NGI defense. Since Magett could not meet his burden, the circuit court proceeded to enter a judgment of conviction based on the jury's guilty verdict in the first phase.
Magett appealed, arguing that the circuit court did not have the authority to refuse to hold the mental responsibility phase of the NGI trial, and that its error in denying Magett that part of the trial was not harmless.
The Court of Appeals affirmed, choosing not to decide whether the circuit court had acted properly in refusing to hold the second phase of the trial. It determined that even if that refusal had been improper, the error was harmless because the evidence cited by Magett's attorney would not have met the legal standard for an NGI defense. From Grant County.
Review denied: The Supreme Court denied review in the following cases. As the state's law-developing court, the Supreme Court exercises its discretion to select for review only those cases that fit certain statutory criteria (see Wis. Stat. § 809.62). Except where indicated, these cases came to the Court via petition for review by the party who lost in the lower court:
2012AP49-CR State v. Vollbrecht
2011AP1103-CR State v. Kirchstein
2011AP44 State v. Ware
2011AP2407-CR thru 2011AP2409-CR State v. Murphy
2011AP2604 Gillis v. Miesner
2012AP133 Hoague v. Kraft Foods - Justice Patience Drake Roggensack and Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler dissent.
2012AP2608-W Adeyanju v. COA, Dist. IV
Eau Claire
2012AP107-CR State v. Bullock
2011AP2891 Florence Co. v. Renneke
2010AP1253 State v. Holm
2012AP1183-W Thompson v. Meisner
2012AP339-CR State v. Baker
2012AP176-CR State v. Paulson
2010AP2947-CR State v. Johnson
2011AP1964 State v. Fields
2011AP1967-CR State v. Crittendon
2011AP2018 OneWest Bank v. Groysman
2011AP2410-CR State v. Richardson
2011AP2547-CR State v. Diaz - Justice Patience Drake Roggensack did not participate.
2011AP2952-CR State v. Prescott
2012AP42-CR State v. Tallie
2012AP201-CR State v. Lee
2012AP235-CR State v. Ellis
2012AP352-CR State v. Harris
2012AP414-CR State v. Doe
2012AP670-CRNM State v. Jackson
2012AP1957-W Westmoreland v. Pollard
2012AP2741-W Robertson v. Baenen
2013AP4-W Aaron B. v. Cir. Ct. Milw. Co.
2013AP115-W Bach v. COA
2011AP2557-CR State v. Hicks
2011AP1797 Sabol v. LIRC
2011AP2886-CR State v. Kyle
2010AP1598-CR State v. Hudson - Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson and Justice Ann Walsh Bradley dissent.
2012AP1418-CR State v. Nelson
2010AP429 State v. Devries
2011AP1264-CR State v. Gardner
2011AP2534 Est. of Sheppard v. Specht
2012AP2393-W Key v. Pollard - Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson dissents.
Tom Sheehan
Court Information Officer
(608) 261-6640


text:
This summer the RACE: Are We So Different? exhibit opened at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. Coinciding with the opening of the exhibit, The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region held its annual meeting and kicked off the themed series Putting Race on the Table.
On Wednesday, September 14, The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region will continue its Putting Race on the Table series by bringing the topic of race into the community through a community tour, entitled Race and Revitalization. The tour will explore the H Street corridor in Washington, D.C.
In its heyday the H Street NE corridor in the District of Columbia was a bustling neighborhood as well as a destination for food, entertainment, shopping and other services for African-Americans. But in recent years, the demographics of the neighborhood have changed, as new businesses and new residents are taking advantages of the area's revitalization. Join us on our exploration of H Street and speak with residents and business owners, old and new, to explore whether the revitalization of H Street is creating equitable opportunities for all residents.
The tour begins at 8:30am. The tour is free and open to the public. Click here for complete details and to RSVP.
Not in the Washington, D.C. area? Visit the virtual exhibit of RACE: Are We So Different?


text:
Every school year is different…some are awesome, others are challenging. I'm beyond thankful that this year has been wonderful. All 3 of my kids started new schools and it's been an amazing year.
I blame it entirely on the teachers. My kids love their teachers and the teachers love my kids. My older kids speak so highly of their teachers in our home. If you're a teacher, please read this.
Next week is Teacher Appreciation. Here are some fun, affordable printable ideas to make a teacher in your life smile:
- End of the Year Summer Fun Dispenser
- Soda-Delighted with You
- Cute Hands Down Printable
- DIY Pencil Initial Frame
- I love this Pinterest board filled with ideas!
- 8 Printable Thank you notes
Saying thank you works for me!


text:
Evan Sinar, PhD
Richard Wellins, Ph.D.
Rebecca L. Ray, PhD
Amy Lui Abel, PhD
Stephanie Neal
Publication Date:
August 2014
Encouraging gender and age diversity in leaders has many benefits for an organization; it injects more varied perspectives and greater range of thought, decision making, and problem solving. But new research from DDI and The Conference Board highlights a critical difference between the top and bottom corporate financial performers: companies with higher percentages of women in leadership roles perform better. The percentage of millennials in leadership roles also affects overall business success. The report consists of responses from a participant pool of 13,124 global leaders and 1,528 human resource executives within 2,031 participating organizations. Multinationals and local corporations, 32 major industries, and 48 countries are represented.


text:
"This raises the bar of levitation!" - Richard Kaufman, Genii, The Conjurors' Magazine
"It's hard to imagine so much efficient ingenuity in such a small space. Yigal's Spider Pen Pro is absolute perfection. And it produces absolute miracles." - Jim Steinmeyer
In 2004, the original Spider Pen became a classic magical instrument. Due to the worldwide popularity, Yigal Mesika has honed the original concept to once again reinvent the reel. The Spider Pen Pro is nothing short of a revolutionary electronic device because it is the first to feature patented Soul Technology. This break through technology allows you to take your mind off of the method and lets you focus on your magic, giving you the undeniable edge for mastering levitations and animations. From the leading brand in the art of levitations comes the new gold standard in IT reels. When you put your hands on the state of the art engineering in the Spider Pen Pro, your levitations and animations will look like Hollywood's special effects. Nothing else comes close.
"It's outstanding!" - Finn Jon
Imagine yourself in a casual conversation. You ask for ANY bill. A levitation is about to happen, but never has a levitation happened like this. You place the flat bill on the palm of your hand and cover it with the other hand. Your hands move apart, and somehow the borrowed bill is floating. With a gentle touch, the bill flips in the air, and you walk away leaving it in mid air. Yes, you walk away. No explanation is possible. Under your power the bill slowly falls on the floor, laying motionless. Only when you desire, for the final climax the bill levitates in a flowing motion all the way into your hands. With this underground levitation, you will receive an unbelievable reaction!
Used on TV by top magicians like Cyril, Criss Angel, and many more!
Watch and learn as Yigal Mesika himself guides you through the basics of levitation to bring you to an exceptional level of performance. You will learn his signature effects, tips, and subtleties; that will make you feel like you are receiving his live personal coaching.
This is nothing short of remarkable. It is easy for an amateur to master quickly, yet produces professional quality results that stop spectators in their tracks. One of those items that is easy to carry with you every day without attracting attention or taking up space. Requires no discreet setup but is easy to use spontaneously. I would say that the Spider Pen Pro is one of the two best magic devices I have found in its price range. Be sure to purchase extra spools and wax; you'll want to perform this often. - Howard Berner
Do you own this product? Write a review.


text:
|A collection of favorite soups, stews, chili and gumbo recipes from Deep South Dish.
|Pasta e Fagioli Soup
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Pie Crust Crackers
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
Homemade Fresh Tomato Soup
My Favorite Hamburger Soup
Spaghetti Lover's Soup
Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup
Southernized Italian Wedding Soup
Pasta e Fagioli Soup
Creamy Cheesy Potato Soup with Bacon
Bean with Bacon Soup
U.S. Senate Ham and Bean Soup
Old School Ham Bone Beans
Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup with Black-eyed Peas
Split Pea and Ham Soup
Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup
French Onion Soup
Mac 'n Cheese Soup
Ham and Cabbage Soup
Cabbage Patch Soup
Leek and Cabbage Soup
Grandma's Homemade Potato Soup
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Greens and Black-eyed Pea Soup
Turnip Green Soup aka Swamp Soup
Turnip Green Soup
Cream of Broccoli Soup
7-Can Taco Soup
Spicy Cajun Sausage and Corn Soup
New Orleans Old Sober - Yakamein Soup
Chicken Dumplin' Soup
Creamy Potato Soup
Mixed Bean Soup
Mary's Southern Vegetable Beef Soup
Homemade Vegetable Soup
Turkey Carcass Soup
Cabbage Soup with Turkey
Old Fashioned Chicken and Drop Dumplings
Shrimp and White Bean Stew
Shortcut Crawfish Corn Bisque
Crawfish Etouffée
Shortcut Shrimp Etouffée
Corn and Crab Chowder
Seafood Bisque
Homemade Chicken Stew
Easy Chicken Stew
Creamy Oyster Stew
Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
Irish Stew
Hearty Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Mary's Homemade Beef Stew
Ground Beef Hobo Stew
Brunswick Stew
Cajun Cabbage Stew
Turkey Chili
Texas Style Chili
Homemade Ground Beef Chili with Beans
Chili Spaghetti
Stovetop No Bean Beef Chili
Crockpot Beef Chili
Skillet Chili Mac
Crockpot Chicken and White Bean Chili
Summer Vegetable Gumbo
Gumbo Z'herbes
Seafood & Okra Gumbo with Shrimp, Crab and Oysters
Chicken, Andouille, and Oyster Filé Gumbo
Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo with Okra
Crab and Shrimp Gumbo
Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo with Microwave Roux
Turkey Bone Gumbo
7 Bone Steak Gumbo
Looking for beans? You'll find these Creamy Butter Beans and more right here.
☛ Are you on Facebook? If you haven't already, come and join the party! We have a lot of fun & there's always room for one more at the table.


text:
300Guitars.com Revisit
Last December, the guitar-nut website 300Guitars.com did a review of the amazing Voyage-Air VAD-06 Songwriter Dreadnought. You can click here to read the review. At the time, we mentioned that review here on this blog, and passed along our kudos and thanks.
Not surprising to us... is that Billy Penn (who runs the shop at 300Guitars.com) really likes the Voyage-Air Songwriter Dreadnought... so he's been following the news about Rusty Anderson playing a Voyage-Air on stage with the Paul McCartney band.
Billy Penn recently posted an update about the VAD-06 on his 300Guitars.com website, and here's a part of it:
"They (Voyage-Air) are great guitars never mind the fact that they fold up (literally) for travel. The quality is excellent, sound superb, play like buttah and oh did I mention that they fold in half for travel…..? This is one of the products that comes along every once in a while and blows you away!
Thanks Billy.